Daily WHUFC News - 7th June 2015

On this day - 7 June
WHUFC.com

Classic match

West Ham United 2-3 Queens Park Rangers
Southern Regional League
Saturday 7 June 1941, Boleyn Ground

By 7 June, modern-day footballers have usually packed their boots away for
the summer in favour of flip-flops and swimming trunks. Back in 1941, at the
height of the Second World War, it was a different story.

West Ham United arrived on this day in 1941 still playing for the Southern
Regional League title. The Hammers knew, however, that they would have to
overcome Queens Park Rangers at the Boleyn Ground to overhaul leaders
Crystal Palace on goal average.

This task proved impossible as the visitors won a thrilling match by the odd
goal in five, with the prolific Alec George Foreman and 1940 War Cup final
hero Sam Small on target for the hosts. Foreman's goal was his 34th in 39
games that season, but it was not enough to hold off the Hoops in front of a
brave crowd of just 2,100.

The title was decided on goal average as hostilities left many fixtures
unfulfilled. The following season, 1941/42, West Ham competed in a
London-only competition to save on resources and costs.

Anniversary

Brazil 1-0 England
FIFA World Cup Group 3
Sunday 7 June 1970, Estadio Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico

Today marks the anniversary of 'that tackle' by West Ham United and England
legend Bobby Moore MBE. Moore was captaining England at the 1970 FIFA World
Cup finals in Mexico when they faced Brazil in their second group-stage
fixture in Guadalajara.

Playing alongside fellow Hammers Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst in stifling
heat, England started well before Brazil countered and Pele forced Gordon
Banks into what is considered to be the greatest save of all time. Peters
himself then missed a headed chance, while Brazil's attacks were repeatedly
repelled by the imperious Moore.

Moore's performance was a highlight reel in itself, but the West Ham
defender's greatest moment arrived when he bent down on one knee to make a
perfect block tackle to deny Jairzinho. Unfortunately, the same player would
score Brazil's winner just before the hour-mark to secure the narrowest of
victories for the South Americans.

England would go on to beat Czechoslovakia 1-0 in their third group fixture
but were edged out 3-2 by West Germany at the quarter-final stage.

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Howes enjoying Young Lions run of form
WHUFC.com

West Ham United goalkeeper Sam Howes is relishing the prospect of playing in
the England U18's double header against Russia.

The Young Lions travel to Moscow this weekend to play their European
counterparts in two friendlies as they prepare for their U19 qualifying
campaign next term.

Speaking ahead of the trip an excited Howes said: "I've never played Russia
before but we're expecting them to be good. We're going out there to try and
beat them, they haven't lost for a while at home so it'll be difficult but
we're up for it.

"I've been in the England system for two years now so I'm well used to
travelling all over the place. Every boy dreams of playing for your country.
At any age level it's always a proud achievement.

"The feeling when you pull the England top on will never ware off no matter
how many times I play. It's a sign that you're one of the best in the
country, I'm sure if you spoke to any of the lads they would say exactly the
same thing."

While Russia will be prove tough opposition, the Young Lions are in good
form themselves having won their last four games, including a 6-1 demolition
of Switzerland in March.

"There's definitely a good buzz about the England youth set up at the
moment. The U17s qualified for the World Cup and we've had some success
winning the Euros this time last year.

"It's a good time for English football with a lot of talented players coming
through. In the England U18 squad there a several stand out players. Dom
Solanke is a great player, Izzy Brown and a few others.

"As a team I think we've got a lot of talented players which has probably
made this team so successful. There's a phenomenal bond within the team,
stemming from winning the tournament last year. I think that is key to any
team and helps to get the best out of us."

Having enjoyed an impressive twelve months in a claret and blue shirt which
saw Howes make his first team debut in pre-season, the 17-year-old went on
to enjoy a good run of form for both the U18s and Development Squad.

"It's been a long season for me personally but I'm not complaining. It's all
good life experiences which will help me to develop. Overall, I'd say it's
been successful, there's been ups and downs but that's football really. I've
always enjoyed it at West Ham and I hope that continues.

"With the team qualifying for the Europa League it's an earlier start to the
season, but it'll be another good experience. Hopefully I'll be involved in
some way.

"I can't thank Sam Allardyce enough for giving me an opportunity with the
first team. He helped me a lot to develop as a player and as a person. But
with a new manager coming in, it's a new slate for everyone and we have to
try and impress him.

"It's an interesting and exciting time for everyone involved with the Club.
There's a lot of change going on but it's a bright time."

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Poyet's Uruguay set for Brazilian tie
WHUFC.com

Diego Poyet's Uruguay have progressed to the Round of 16 where they will
face Brazil on Thursday 11 June.

The talented midfielder played the full game as Uruguay drew 1-1 with Mali
to come second in Group D of the U20 World Cup in New Zealand.

Uruguayan forward Franco Acosta put his side ahead in the 16th minute,
finishing Ramiro Guerra's well-executed pass.

However, Malian attacking midfielder Adama Traore, who plays for Lille,
levelled the score just before half-time.

With Serbia beating Mexico in the other group game, Mali had the better
opportunities of the second half yet the South Americans held firm to secure
a crucial point.

Speaking after the game, the West Ham United midfielder spoke of his delight
at getting through a tough group: "The teams very happy to have gone
through, in which was by far the toughest group. Anyone in the group could
have gone through and we're very pleased.

"We've drawn Brazil, whom so far have had a really good World Cup scoring
lots of goals, so it will be a tough game but one that we will not shy away
from, especially even more so as they are a from South America too.

"The game was tough, I started off playing in midfield and then had to play
the last 30 minutes at centre back, but we knew a draw would get us through
and we saw the game out well."

Uruguayan coach Fabian Coito echoed Poyet's sentiments, saying: "It was a
very difficult match for us, and the fact that we were dependent on results
elsewhere meant that our nerves were really jangling.

"We wanted to finish first, but we couldn't quite make it in the end. I
think Mali are a very fine team and a draw was the right result."

Uruguay will play Brazil on Thursday 11 June, 7.30pm local time in Hamilton,
New Zealand.

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Hammers announce pre-season friendlies
WHUFC.com

West Ham United will prepare for the 2015/16 season with a series of
friendly matches on English soil, including a trip to newly-promoted Norwich
City.

With the Europa League qualifying rounds taking place throughout July, the
Hammers will be staying close to home for this year's pre-season warm-ups.

A short journey to Essex will see the Hammers visit Weston Homes Community
Stadium to play Colchester United on 21 July at 7.45pm.

Even closer to home, West Ham will play Championship side Charlton Athletic
at The Valley on 25 July at 3pm, before the away warm-up fixtures conclude
with a trip to Norwich City on 28 July at 7.45pm, fresh from their
Championship play-off victory at Wembley.

Next season marks the 80th anniversary of Norwich's presence at Carrow Road,
and the friendly is being played to commemorate the first match played at
the ground in the old Division Two on 31 August 1935, which turned into a
thrilling 4-3 victory for the home side over the Hammers.

Further details of West Ham's pre-season preparations and fixtures will be
released in due course and details of how to buy tickets will appear on the
Box Office.

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TIME TO FORGIVE AND FORGET
By Sean Whetstone 6 Jun 2015 at 09:16
West Ham Till I Die

It is now clear that former Hammer Slaven Bilic is the over whelming fan's
choice of those candidates still remaining after Unai Emery signed a new
contract with Sevilla on Friday and Marcelo Bielsa appears to be on verge of
doing the same with Marseille. I think the odds on favourite will soon be
appointed as the 15th manager of West Ham as early as next week but who
knows what twists and turns still remain in the latest episode of the
Hammers managerial search drama. However, a small minority of die hard fans
refuse to forgive Slav for leaving West Ham to join Everton 18 years ago.

Back in the late nineties some West Ham fans suggested Bilic was worth 30
pieces of silver after he joined Everton after 18 months with the Hammers.

Travelling Hammers fans to Goodison park in August 1997 branded him "Judas"
and chanted "There's only one greedy bastard."

Bilic was understandably hurt by those taunts at the time, particularly as
he claimed he had delayed his West Ham departure last season to help the
club beat relegation.

"The fans have given me stick, but there are not many players who would have
done what I did, I risked my move and my contract to help them stay up so
I'm very disappointed with the reaction of the West Ham supporters. But,
hey, I don't care what the West Ham fans think because I know that I showed
a lot of loyalty to their club." Bilic said following the Everton v West Ham
match in August 1997 which West Ham lost 2-1. That game also marked the
debut for David Unsworth who moved from Everton earlier that month.
Harry Redknapp originally signed Bilic for a fee of £1.3 million in January
1996 and set a new club record for highest fee paid for an incoming player
at the time. He made his debut on 12th February 1996 in a 1–0 away win
against Spurs. Bilic's shot was saved by Spurs goalkeeper, Ian Walker, only
for West Ham's Dani, another debutant, to divert the ball into the Spurs
goal. He scored three goals in his time with West Ham after making 54
appearances in total; two of his goals came in the Premier League, against
Liverpool and Sunderland, and one in the League Cup against Barnet,
heading-in from a Stan Lazaridis corner. Bilic played 13 games in the
1995–96 season and 41 in the 1996–97 season, a season which also saw him
voted a runner-up, to Julian Dicks, for the Hammer of the Year award. In
March 1997 Everton manager Joe Royle brokered a £4.5M move for the former
Hammer but he only went on to play 28 times for the Toffees.

Time to forgive and forget and reunite behind a new manager.

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Marcelo Bielsa wants West Ham job and REFUSES to sign new Marseille deal
22:30, 6 JUNE 2015
BY DEAN JONES
Slaven Bilic is favourite to succeed Sam Allardyce but Argentinian won't
accept improved offer from his current employers if he still has a chance at
the role
The Mirror

Marcelo Bielsa has not yet signed his new Marseille deal – as he wants to go
head-to-head with Slaven Bilic for the West Ham job. His French side have
put an improved deal on the table for Bielsa to remain their boss and the
details have been agreed. But now that Unai Emery has committed his future
to Sevilla, it is becoming apparent that the Hammers are running short of
options to succeed Sam Allardyce. Bilic is favourite, but Bielsa wants to
find out if he is back in the frame before committing himself to Marseille.
Bilic is beginning to look a strong contender now that other names – such as
Rafa Benitez, David Moyes and Emery – have dropped out of the race
completely. But Swansea boss Garry Monk and his predecessor at the Welsh
club, Michael Laudrup, are outsiders who could yet be considered more
seriously.

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Gold lifts lid on managerial search
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 7, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

West Ham Joint Chairman David Gold has spoken to the club's official TV
channel to lift the lid on the board's managerial search.

Speaking to West Ham Tv Gold spoke about the search for a new manager:

"It's hard work, the fans have mixed opinions on who they would like but
what I can tell you is David Sullivan is working (hard), I have never know
him at such as frenzy, by that I mean he is buzzing and working all hours
that god sends in an effort to bring the best possible manager (in)"

Asked about the progress of the search Gold replied "Every day goes by, it
is a case of elimination. It would be lovely to have someone with West Ham
history, that ticks a box. Having Premier League experience (and) that
doesn't mean English Premier League, that means a man who has managed
successfully in the big Italian league, big Spanish league, the German
league (or) a major league in the world, that is a box that needs to be
ticked, we don't want to take a chance."

Talking about any up and coming manager candidates in lower leagues Gold
added: "I am making this up but say there is a fantastic manager at
Accrington Stanley and everybody is raving about him. We wouldn't want to
take that risk at West Ham. Untried, although exciting and achieving at
lower levels, that's not what we are about. We are about bringing in an
established that has been there and done it!"

Asked how quickly we can all expect an announcement of a new manager Gold
added "I would like to have (a manager) in place right this minute. It is
delicate balance, we need to get someone in as quick as possible but by the
same token we are not going to bring someone who is second best"

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West Ham scouts at Champions League Final
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 6, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

Angelo-OgbonnaAccording to ESPN West Ham scouts are watching Juventus
defender Angelo Ogbonna in the Champions League final against Barcelona
tonight.

It was claimed they thought Ogbonna could replace the injured Giorgio
Chiellini if Andrea Barzagli was also ruled out of the final in Berlin.
Barzagli has started the final and Ogbonna remains on the subs bench but
what a great way to blag tickets for the Champions League final whether we
are interested in him or not.

Apparently Liverpool and Spurs scouts had the same idea and are also
enjoying the final in Germany tonight at the expense of their clubs, I bet
they are! The other other 17 Premier League scouting staff are now kicking
themselves they didn't think of it either.

Former Hammers Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano line up against each other
this evening.

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Bilic ready to take 'sensible' wage deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on June 6, 2015 in News Agenda, Whispers
C AND H

Slaven Bilic heads into his interview with the West Ham board ready to work
on considerably less than the £2.9 million a year picked up by Sam Allardyce
over his time in charge at Upton Park.

ClaretandHugh has learned that Bilic has arrived in the UK and that whilst
the two Davids are likely to agree on an offer, vice chairman Karren Brady
may have reservations.

However, his readiness to work on a sensible wage deal could influence
things when they get down to making their crucial decision.

The board are always keen to agree on major issues but the impressive Bilic
could easily bring them together in an interview setting.

However, with the board members possibly taking different positions the
appointment is no a shoe-in after a series of setbacks in attracting a big
name boss.

The big former central defender is keen to take over at the club and would
work on as much as £1 million less than Allardyce.

But should he be turned down by the Irons board he will not be short of
offers with Fenerbache and a couple of Premier League clubs rumoured to be
interested in him.

Bilic though remains a massive fans choice to take over at the after
collecting over 64 per cent of the vote in a ClaretandHugh poll earlier this
week.

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Former Hammer backs Di Canio
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 6, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

Former Hammer Trevor Sinclair has suggested on twitter that fellow former
Hammer Paolo Di Canio would be a good managerial appointment for West Ham.

When Sinclair was asked who he would like to see as the next West Ham
manager the former winger answered "Slav or Di Canio and I know what
people's reaction might be to the latter but feel he loves the club and
would do well"

In 2013 Sinclair described Di Canio 'as mad as a hatter' while commenting on
his fascism comment.

"Paolo's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt because he's as mad
as a hatter. But I feel he should apologise for upsetting so many people
with his actions and comments and make it clear once and for all if he is or
isn't racist or fascist." said Sinclair at the time about his old pal.

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Hendo: 'Results were due to lack of support for Allardyce'
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 6, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

Former West Ham First team coach Ian Hendon claims West Ham's lack of
results in the second half of the season were down to lack of support from
fans for Sam Allardyce. Ian Hendon who was appointed as Leyton Orient head
coach late last week was addressing the media for the first time and
believes he can bring stability to the O's who have had four different
managers last season, which ultimately ended in relegation.

"I have just come from West Ham where the support for the manager Sam
Allardyce wasn't the best and I think the results and everything else that
happened were due to a lack of support. We need 100 per cent from the fans
and I want them to be 100 per cent behind the team on a Saturday when we go
out on to the pitch because it can only help us."

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Pre season friendly schedule released
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 6, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

West Ham will visit Weston Homes Community Stadium to play Colchester United
on 21st July at 7.45pm as part of shortened pre season friendly build up
schedule.

The Hammers will play Championship side Charlton Athletic 4 days later at
The Valley on 25th July at 3pm.

Another away trip to Norwich City 3 days later on 28th July at 7.45pm will
take place Carrow Road.

West Ham have a number of Europa League scheduled in July and August
assuming they proceed through the three qualifying rounds.

Europa League First Qualifying Round 1st Leg 2nd July 2nd Leg 9th July

Europa League Second Qualifying Round 1st Leg 16th July 2nd Leg 23rd July

Europa League Third Qualifying Round 1st Leg 30th July 2nd Leg 6th August

The Premier League season gets underway on Saturday 8th August with the
schedule released on Wednesday 17th June.

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Crazy swap deal touted
Posted by Sean Whetstone on June 6, 2015 in Whispers
C AND H

According to www.calciomercato.com Sampdoria club President Massimo Ferrero
wants to discuss a swap deal with West Ham over the next few days involving
Enner Valencia and Pedro Obiang swapping clubs. West Ham are thought to have
previously agreed a deal with Sampdoria for £5.75m for the permanent
transfer of Obiang as a permanent replacement for Alex Song.

Enner Valencia cost the Hammers an initial £12m but that can rise to £15m
based on certain factors. I hope the eccentric looking Sampodorian club
president has a large cheque book to cover the difference unless he wants a
door slammed firmly in his face by David Sullivan.

Italian website Tutto Mercato says Ferrero will fly in to London today as he
attempts to conclude transfer business with a number of English clubs.

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Southampton must pay £8million for Alex Song as they consider Morgan
Schneiderlin replacements
22:30, 6 JUNE 2015
BY NEIL MOXLEY
The midfielder will be allowed to leave Barcelona this summer and Ronald
Koeman is interested
The Mirror

Southampton are being asked to cough up £8million for Alex Song, writes Neil
Moxley in the Sunday People.

The Saints have emerged as favourites to sign the Barcelona midfielder who
has been told this week by boss Luis Enrique that he can go.

Song, 27, still has one season remaining on his contract with the Catalan
club and spent the last campaign on loan at West Ham.

He became a firm favourite at Upton Park but has returned to Spain to
discover if he has a future under Enrique.

With doubts over the future of Morgan Schneiderlin, Saints are in the market
for another midfield enforcer with their France international already having
expressed a desire to test himself in the Champions League next season.

Rex FeaturesReferee Jon Moss speaks to Morgan Schneiderlin
Song would form a formidable partnership with Victor Wanyama at the heart of
the Saints' midfield but Ronald Koeman and the decision-makers at the south
coast club believe the fee for him is too high.

However, the Dutchman has to plan for next season with one eye on a campaign
in the Europa League.

Sources close to the Cameroon international say he is keen to return to the
Premier League – but unless Southampton increase their offer he will be
staying in Barcelona.

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Slaven Bilic eagerly waits for an approach from former club West Ham
With Benitez, Ancelotti, Moyes and Conte all ruling themselves out of the
running, Bilic's case is strengthening at Upton Park
Jason Burt By Jason Burt10:29PM BST 06 Jun 2015

Slaven Bilic is prepared to wait and see whether West Ham United turn to him
to become their next manager. The Croatian left the Turkish club Besiktas at
the end of the season and is desperate to take over at West Ham.

However, although there has been contact between Bilic's representatives and
the club the former defender is aware that he has not, so far, figured at
the head of West Ham's list of candidates. He is, though, moving up the
list.
With Unai Emery the latest to decide against taking the job, signing a
contract extension at Sevilla instead, Bilic's candidacy has been
strengthened.
So far Rafael Benitez, Carlo Ancelotti, David Moyes and Italy coach Antonio
Conte have also decided against becoming Sam Allardyce's successor.

Garry Monk, the Swansea City manager, and the Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa
have also been considered by West Ham along with Michael Laudrup, who is
coaching in Qatar.
Bilic would be a highly-popular choice among West Ham supporters having
become something of a cult hero even though he only played for the club for
a short time in 1996-97 before moving to Everton. The 46-year-old has long
hankered after the chance to manage in the Premier League having also
coached the Croatia national team and Lokomotiv Moscow.
West Ham know the appointment of their new manager is vitally important
given the impending move to the Olympic Stadium next year and with the club
ambitious to try and break into the top in the Premier League funds are
available.

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