O'Neil targets February return for West Ham
West Ham midfielder Gary O'Neil is hoping to make his comeback from a career threatening ankle injury in February.
O'Neil's career was hanging in the balance following a challenge from Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker back in April and he was told he only had a 50 per cent chance of playing again.
A complication during surgery meant the surgeon had to change the course of the operation and O'Neil was expected to be ruled out for at least a year.
But the former Middlesbrough midfielder has been making superb progress and is ready to start running again as he makes the long road back to full fitness in the New Year.
O'Neil said: "The specialist is pleased with it. The area they were really worried about has healed over better than even he expected. He has been delighted with it every time he has seen it which is thanks to the medical team here with the work they have done with me in the gym.
"There has been a lot of swimming, quite a lot of bike work and unbelievable amounts of strength work for the ankle just to try and get it as strong as possible.
"It is just a little bit nerve-wracking every time you come to do something new, getting your brain to trust the ankle to do it, but we are starting to do new stuff now outside, we are running, running with the bungee in the gym and it has been good.
"We haven't really set a date. When I first did it, it was about a year, so I am a long way ahead of that providing everything goes well.
"I guess we are talking about January or February time. Getting back to running and training is one thing, but having been out so long, getting ready to play is going to take a while as well."
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#A blessing in disguise for West Ham United?
Tears were shed at the DW Stadium back in May as West Ham’s relegation was confirmed after a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Wigan, leaving most Hammers fearing the worst for their beloved club.
Five months down the line and the East Enders have settled into their new surroundings well and sit second in the Championship table going into an away clash at Brighton and Hove Albion on Monday night.
There have been many comings and goings over the summer and I feel that the new look West Ham side are better off from the drop down to the Football League as it will benefit them in the long run.
Immediately after the relegation was confirmed, Avram Grant was rightfully sacked by the club’s board, which resulted in the biggest cheer of the day from the travelling 4,500 away fans returning from the North West.
That was just the beginning of a much needed clear out at Upton Park that saw players such as Mathew Upson, Kieran Dyer and Luis Boa Morte leave on free transfers after their poor form and injuries during the season.
The financial side of things would have been the main concern for the owners who were able to bring in some money from the sales of Manuel Da Costa, Scott Parker and Junior Stanislas.
Hammers fans were disappointed with the departures of Ba and Hitzlsperger who perhaps owed something to the club having given them the chance in England but decided to look for new clubs.
With the squad trimmed down to just the players that wanted to be there, Sam Allardyce was brought in and given the target of instant promotion in his first season in charge.
Whatever your opinion on Big Sam, he was the right man for the job and has installed some heart and passion into the club along with toughening up a terribly leaky defence.
Big name signings such as Kevin Nolan, Matthew Taylor and John Carew have arrived and made instant impacts along with wing backs Joey O’Brien and George McCartney settling in very well.
Allardyce’s team is a huge contrast to last year’s whipping boys and on paper it would be fair to say the squad is stronger than it was this time last year even though it is in the Championship.
Late transfer window action saw Henri Lansbury, Sam Baldock and Papa Bouba Diop also arrive at Upton Park giving a fantastic strength in depth to the best squad in the division.
If West Ham had not been relegated, I for one am sure they would have been in a battle to survive again this season, probably with Avram Grant still in charge and wantaway players putting in 50% effort for the cause.
If, but more likely when, West Ham return to the top flight, they will be much better off from their short stay in the Football League, bringing them back to reality and showing the passion of the supporters who still turn up in their droves for a home match with Peterborough United.
With the right man in charge and a talented squad things are looking brighter in East London and that combination could install some pride back to the club when they return to Premier League football next season.
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Hall coming of age
Rob Hall is coming of age - both as a footballer and as a man.
The West Ham United forward, who celebrates his 18th birthday on Thursday, is enjoying a hugely-productive loan spell at League Two club Oxford United.
The England Under-18 forward has netted four goals in just seven appearances for the U's, helping Chris Wilder's side climb to third in the table.
So far, all of Hall's goals have come away from home - including a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Macclesfield Town last weekend - and the youngster is planning to celebrate his birthday by hitting the target when Frank Nouble's Gillingham visit the Kassam Stadium this Saturday.
"It's great to score and there is always a lot of our supporters at the away games," he told the Oxford Mail. "However, I am desperate to score at home as well.
"The atmosphere at home games is just so good with all the fans that are there and I want to get a goal there.
"I don't know what I would do if I scored at home - the emotion of scoring just takes over, so I won't plan a certain celebration because I will probably just end up running around!"
A goal against the Gills would also help to placate Hall's father Dennis, who has set his son the target of scoring in every single game he plays for Oxford.
A former semi-professional footballer with Thame United and Aylesbury himself, Dennis has been a constant support since Rob joined West Ham at the age of eight, driving him endless miles around the M25 for training sessions and matches at Little Heath.
That commitment was rewarded when Rob signed his first professional contract with the Hammers in October 2010.
"I didn't personally [set myself a goals target], but my Dad told me he wanted me to get a goal a game. So although it's going well here at the moment, it needs to be even better for him!
"My Dad has always really helped me and has been a big influence. He is always pushing me to be even better and that's a good thing. I agree with him as well because if I play a game and have not scored a goal then it doesn't feel that I have done my job.
"So that's my target - to score in every game I play."
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West Ham boss Allardyce wants to be next England manager
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed that he hopes to be the next England manager, despite being contracted to the Hammers until the end of the 2012-13 season.
Current England manager Fabio Capello is due to stand down after the European Championships next summer, and Allardyce feels he could be a contender to lead the Three Lions.
“I have to be on top of my game when they start thinking about who is going to replace Fabio,” he told Sky Sports News.
“If I am on top of my game with West Ham, I might get considered.”
Following his side’s defeat at Southampton on Tuesday, the Hammers still find themselves in second place in the Championship, and on course for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, something Allardyce is confident of achieving.
“I think we will and should be around the two promotion places by the end of the season and that is putting pressure on myself and everyone,” he said.
“But that is how we see it and we have to learn and deal with that pressure because of the club we are and for the fans at Upton Park.”
In light of the recent news about the Olympic Stadium, and that the Hammers will have to bid to be tenants once again, Allardyce continued to throw his weight behind West Ham’s cause, insisting that move to a bigger, top-quality stadium, would benefit the club.
“The prospect of speaking to a player of the highest quality to come and improve West Ham, taking them to the Olympic Stadium would be a massive benefit,” he said.
“The players Man City have now, would they have been attracted to Maine Road? I don’t think so as Eastlands is a wonderful venue.”
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Happy Hendon
Young players who are getting the chance to play regularly with West Ham United's development squad are stepping up the challenge, according to coach Ian Hendon.
Hendon took a young and inexperienced side to face Dagenham & Redbridge's first team on Tuesday afternoon and despite going 2-0 down to the more experienced Daggers early on, West Ham's youngsters battled back to earn a 2-2 draw.
The coach was happy with the commitment and attitude shown by his players.
"Basically, Dagenham and Redbridge called us up on the off chance to see if we had a space for a game, which we did," said Hendon. "It was a perfect opportunity for us, as our Under-18s don't have a game this coming weekend. They have a little break so we made a team up with half the players who have been featuring regularly for the development squad and then pretty much half the youth team.
"So we had a very young side out there against what was a big, strong Football League-experienced side in Dagenham. It turned out to be a good game. The scoreline finished up 2-2.
"They went 2-0 up and then scored an own goal for our first goal. We had got the ball in well from the right-hand side from Matthias Fanimo, Their defenders tried to clear it, but it went in off one of their guys who stuck it in the net from four yards.
"Our second goal came from George Moncur, who struck home well from the penalty spot late on. From our point of view, we showed good character and we bounced back to get an equaliser.
"What pleased me with such a young side we had out was that no heads went down when Dagenham went 2-0 up. It could have fizzled out for us after that because Dagenham are a very strong and physical side, but we got our heads around it all and got back into the game and nicked a draw."
Hendon has been delighted with the application shown by his players in recent weeks, culminating in a positiver performance and result at Victoria Road
"I watched our youth team game last weekend when we lost to Charlton and it's probably fair to say we didn't perform as well as we have been doing, so it was good for many of the lads who were involved in that match to get back out there and get that result out of the system. We had a go and we battled and stuck at the challenge they faced in Dagenham and we got a reward with a draw.
"My teams change daily - hourly even - and can change again as we are preparing for the game. That is how it is with the development squad. An example is Brian Montenegro, who was set to feature on Tuesday as he has done in recent development games, but was then pulled out to join the first-team squad travelling to Southampton.
"As a coach, that is something I am getting my head around. For those young lads who come in from youth level, it is a step up and a learning curve to play against Football League players and teams - they can start to understand what the game is all about.
"It is not always nice and pleasant. There are some hard players out there in these games and they don't take prisoners - they like to dish it out. So, many of our younger players are learning about that but it will only stand us in good stead going forward."
Goalscorer Moncur is one player who has consistently produced the goods for Hendon this season, earning plaudits from his coach - as well as the captain's armband.
"I am definitely starting to see some of the lads' characters come through now. I gave George Moncur the captaincy for this game - the armband had been passed around a bit before but with quite a few of the other young lads out on loan, it has been put on George's arm and so far stayed there.
"He has played nearly every minute of every development game so far. He works hard in every game, for me and the fact he has played in every game means he is learning in every match too.
"The other week we came up against MK Dons' first team and George was one of the players who stood out for us, so all in all, I am pleased with how it is going and we will try to continue in the same way."
Serie A giants Inter Milan are plotting a shock January raid for Bolton and England defender Gary Cahill.
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Daily Mirror
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the Sun
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Metro
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Controversial Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli insists he has turned over a new leaf and his bad-boy days are over.
Daily Mirror
Tottenham defender Danny Rose is willing to go out on loan to gain more first-team experience.
the Sun
Defender Branislav Ivanovic says Chelsea's players never doubted striker Fernando Torres would come good.
Metro
Former Arsenal manager George Graham believes Russian midfielder Andrey Arshavin has been a poor buy for the Gunners and has questioned his commitment to Arsene Wenger's side.
talkSPORT
Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand will be an honorary captain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their NFL match against Chicago Bears at Wembley - three hours after playing in the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Daily Mirror
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