West Ham Boss Has Pneumonia

Last updated : 09 January 2013 By Tott Dixon - Seaham

His daughter Jacqueline said her dad was “very poorly’ and would not be travelling to Sunderland on Saturday.

The 76-year-old, who needed hospital treatment for cholangitis and septicaemia in March 2011, was taken ill after West Ham’s FA Cup third round clash with Manchester United.

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Last night his daughter Jacqueline posted on her Twitter account, @Jacqueline_Gold: “Have taken my father into hospital. I think he’s learnt a very harsh lesson - not to go to football with bronchitis, now has pneumonia!

“Just to update you my dad had a good night but is still on strong medication for his condition,” she said.

“He is still very poorly but in good hands and obviously won’t be at the game on Saturday.”

NEW SIGNING!

Sunderland have completed the signing of midfielder Alfred N'Diaye from Bursaspor for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year old has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Stadium of Light after completing his medical and agreeing personal terms.

N'Diaye, a France Under-21 international who started his career at Ligue 1 side Nancy, becomes Sunderland's first signing in the January transfer window.

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Martin O'Neill: "Alfred is a strong, powerful young player and as such can offer us more strength in depth.

"He will give us options and I'm delighted that we have been able to bring him to the club."

N'Diaye signed for Bursaspor from Nancy last year for a fee reported to be 3 million euros (£2.5 million) and could be available for this Saturday's Premier League match against West Ham at the Stadium of Light, subject to international clearance.

Sunderland Boss Was Not Doing A 'Big Sam'!

Martin O'Neill said he was not trying to make a point when he named only six players on the bench for the weekend's cup tie rather than seven.

Some reporters suggested the shortage of substitutes in the tie was flashing a message to owner Ellis Short in the January transfer window that reinforcements were needed just to field a full squad.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admitted he did the same thing two weeks ago, but O'Neill insists the owner "knows full well we need players, I don't have to make the point".

Martin O’Neill: “It wasn’t a prank, it’s just the way things are.

“We don’t have the biggest squad, and we’re really stretched at the moment.”

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"Stephane Sessegnon was due to be the seventh substitute, but he had to cry off before we boarded the plane, and we decided against just giving the shirt to some young player for the sake of it.

“We maybe could have called one of the younger players in, but there’s a danger that some young lad gets a shirt and then all of a sudden he thinks he’s part of the team.

“I don’t want that. I want the young players to earn that shirt, I really do.

“But don’t think that this was some sort of well-thought out masterplan – it was very late in the day when Sessegnon found he was too sore to come, and it became a bit of a problem.

“The fact is that we are short on bodies and we are going to do something about if we can – well, not if we can, we NEED to do something about it.

“I’ve had conversations with the owner and think I get on reasonably well with him.

“He’s well aware that we need to strengthen, and he wants to do something about it.”

Sunderland Squad

2.Bardsley
4.N'Diaye
3.Rose
5.Brown
6.Cattermole
7.Larsson
8.Gardner
9.Campbell
10.Wickham
11.McFadden
12.Kilgallon
13.Pickford
14.Colback
15.Vaughan
16.O'Shea
19.Bramble
20.Westwood
21.Johnson A
22.Mignolet
23.McClean
24.Cuellar
25.Saha
26.Fletcher
28.Sessegnon

Sunderland Fixtures

Saturday January 12 15:00 Premier League West Ham United (H)
Tuesday January 15 19:45 FA Cup replay Bolton Wanderers (H)
Saturday January 19 15:00 Premier League Wigan Athletic (A)
Tuesday January 29 19:45 Premier League  Swansea City(H)