Daily WHUFC News - 20th September 2015

Hammers complete stunning hat-trick!
WHUFC.com

Manchester City 1-2 West Ham United

West Ham United's perfect start on their Barclays Premier League travels
continued in style with a stunning 2-1 victory at leaders Manchester City.
Slaven Bilic's Hammers went into the game on the back of outstanding
victories at Arsenal and Liverpool – and a convincing home win over
Newcastle five days previously – and pulled off another outstanding success
through first-half goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho. City's £55m
summer signing Kevin De Bruyne pulled one back just before half-time, but
Bilic's brave heroes held on to collect three points and rise to second in
the table. Both managers made changes to their starting XIs, with Bilic
forced to do without the injured Angelo Ogbonna and Cheikhou Kouyate, and
also opting to bring Adrian back in place of Darren Randolph after the
Spanish goalkeeper's three-match suspension. For City, Manuel Pellegrini had
to do without injured skipper Vincent Kompany and playmaker David Silva, who
was injured in the warm-up. The Chilean handed a debut to Argentina defender
Nicolas Otamendi. The first half was truly enthralling, with the home side –
the most expensive starting XI ever fielded in the Barclays Premier League –
enjoying the bulk of the possession and territory, but the visitors looking
dangerous every time they attacked.

After Fernandinho had tested Adrian with a powerful header, the
newly-extended Etihad Stadium fell into a state of stunned silence in the
ninth minute, when West Ham opened up the previously watertight City defence
in devastating fashion. Manuel Lanzini lifted a cute pass into the path of
Dimitri Payet, who turned and raced into City territory before feeding Moses
to his right. The Nigerian took a touch, looked up and thumped a low drive
past Joe Hart's despairing dive and into the bottom right-hand corner. It
was yet another example of the lightning-quick attacking play that has
already become a hallmark of Bilic's reign. The hosts went in search of an
immediate response, only for Sergio Aguero to fire wide after rounding
Adrian outside the penalty area, and the Hammers were able to build on that
escape just after the half-hour mark. Aleksandar Kolarov mis-controlled on
his chest to concede a corner, which was delivered by Payet onto the head of
Winston Reid. City failed to clear and Sakho pounced to bravely scramble
home from six yards.

Two goals to the good, West Ham sat in, with Adrian parrying De Bruyne's
effort before making a fine double save to deny Aguero at the near post.
However, City would not be denied a goal before half-time as the Belgian
collected 20 yards out and fired an accurate low shot past the Hammers No13
two minutes into added time. The second half was a totally different affair
as City laid siege to the West Ham goal, throwing men forward and
multi-million pound substitutes almost at will – first Martin Demichelis,
then Wilfried Bony.

Adrian and Reid, in particular, produced immense defensive performances in
the eye of the sky blue storm, but even they they relied on more than a
little good fortune to maintain West Ham's slender advantage. Toure led the
charge, firing two shots inches wide and seeing a deflected effort pass
narrowly past the post. A series of penalty appeals were also turned down by
referee Robert Madley, first for handball against Reid, then for a strong
challenge by the same player on Aguero and thirdly for Sakho's coming
together with Kolarov.

The Hammers were finding it difficult to keep possession for any sustained
period of time, although Moses curled wide and Sakho did escape on one
further occasion, only to poke his shot past Hart and wide of the far post.
As his players grew tired trying to keep City in check, Bilic sent on
Michail Antonio and Nikica Jelavic for their debuts, but the changes failed
to stem the City tide. With five minutes remaining, City's 15th corner was
met by debutant Otamendi, but his flashing header was pushed over the
crossbar by Adrian. There was still time for Payet to test Hart with a
dipping shot from distance, but by then it was simply a question of seeing
out time, which the heroic Hammers did with calm aplomb. A third stunning
away win also made it three straight victories for Bilic's side, who will
seek to extend that fine run when they entertain newly-promoted Norwich City
at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 26 September.

Manchester City: Hart, Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala (Demichelis 46), Kolarov
(Iheanacho 84), Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, De Bruyne, Sterling (Bony 66),
Aguero
Subs not used: Caballero, Fernando, Roberts, Maffeo

Bookings: Kolarov

Goal: De Bruyne (45+2)

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson (Collins 85), Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell,
Noble, Obiang, Lanzini (Jelavic 69), Payet, Moses (Antonio 60), Sakho
Subs not used: Randolph, Oxford, Zarate, Carroll

Bookings: Lanzini, Obiang

Goals: Moses 6, Sakho 31

Referee: Robert Madley (Wakefield)

Attendance: 53,545

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Collins gearing up for Rugby World Cup
WHUFC.com

James Collins is gearing up for the Rugby World Cup and will be watching
closely as his beloved Wales play their first game against Uruguay on
Sunday. Collins is a big rugby fan and is excited to see the tournament get
underway after the host nation England played the opening game against Fiji
on Friday night. Wales have been hit by injury problems with star man Leigh
Halfpenny suffering heartbreak earlier this month when he ruptured his knee
ligaments in the win over Italy and will miss the tournament. But Collins
still hopes that Wales can produce their best form and reach the latter
stages of the competition. Collins said: "I will be watching closely on
Sunday and will be trying to watch all the games. "We have had some really
tough injuries and a couple of the lads picked up knocks last weekend so it
is going to be tough for Wales this year, but I am really looking forward to
it. "I would like to think we have still got a chance of winning it. We have
got a great team, but Halfpenny being ruled out at full-back who is our main
points scorer is a big miss. "Let's keep our fingers crossed it will be a
good watch."

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Allen excited by Hammers start
WHUFC.com

Having seen West Ham United storm to impressive back-to-back victories over
Liverpool and Newcastle United, Clive Allen is now urging the high-flying
Hammers to stick with the Slaven-style as they bid for a hat-trick of wins
at table-topping Manchester City on Saturday evening.

"To be honest, I tipped City to win the Premier League at the start of the
season and they've already stolen a march on Chelsea but after their
performances at both Arsenal and Liverpool, there shouldn't be any problems
for West Ham at the Etihad Stadium, should there?" smiles the former Hammer,
who netted 21 goals during his 50 league and cup outings in the claret and
blue.

"Seriously, after the confidence of those two big away victories at the
Emirates and Anfield, the Hammers now need to be just as positive, when they
go back out on the road for this one, too.

"The appointment of Slaven Bilic by the board was a very good move because
he's an intelligent man, who gets his sides playing their football in the
right way.

"And having played for West Ham, he understands exactly what the supporters
want from their team, too," continues Clive, who also made 68 appearances
for Saturday's opponents, scoring 21 goals during a two-year spell at their
old Maine Road headquarters.

Manuel Pellegrini's odds-on title favourites may have opened their campaign
with five wins out of five - an impressive 100% record that has come off the
back of a £150 million summer spending spree that saw Kevin De Bruyne,
Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi and Fabian Delph arrive at City - but the
five-times capped England striker insists that the Hammers should be equally
pleased with their recent transfer dealings, too.

"It's the nature of the beast that the bigger clubs can go out and spend
such vast amounts of money and that's just the way it is," says Clive. "But
every team wants to improve its squad wherever and whenever it can and, once
again, West Ham made some great additions over the summer.

"We're already seeing the impact that Dimitri Payet is making on the team,"
insists BT Sport and Talksport pundit Allen, who also had a cross-Channel
spell with Bordeaux during a goal-laden 487 game, ten-club career that saw
him net on an impressive 221 occasions. "I saw a lot of Dimitri last season,
when he was playing in Ligue 1 for Marseille and having put in some very
impressive, creative performances over there, he's now starting to show the
Premier League exactly what he can do here, too.

"One or two of Slaven's other signings could also really flourish," he
concludes. "For me, everything is set up for a solid last season at the
Boleyn Ground, ahead of that exciting move to the Olympic Stadium."

Read Steve Blowers full retro-interview with Clive Allen in the latest
edition of EX-Magazine.

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Bilic thrilled with Jurcevic appointment
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic is thrilled with the appointment of Nikola Jurcevic as his new
number two and feels they can achieve big things together at West Ham
United. The Hammers manager has forged a close relationship with Jurcevic
which dates back to their time playing together for Croatia. The pair have
stayed in close contact ever since and Bilic has made the 49-year-old his
assistant since his successful time in charge of the Croatian national side.
Jurcevic followed Bilic to Lokomotiv Moscow and Besiktas and jumped at the
chance to make a move into the Premier League with West Ham United after he
was granted a work permit. Bilic cannot wait to start working with his
talented assistant and says he will bring a wealth of experience to the
dressing room and will make his backroom team even stronger. Bilic said:
"You cannot imagine how delighted I am with the news of his appointment. "He
is my right hand man and we have been working together since I was in charge
of Croatia. We also played together for the nationalside and have always
been good friends. "We spent six-years together working for Croatia and then
went to Russia and Turkey and I am very happy that he is here. He is a very
important part of my team. "He has big dedication, big passion and has a
great knowledge of the game. He will work 24/7 and is very loyal."

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Man City 1 West Ham 2
19 September 2015
Last updated at 19:41
By Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport

Manchester City missed the chance to move six points clear at the top of the
Premier League as West Ham produced a clinical counter-attacking display at
Etihad Stadium. Victor Moses drilled in his first West Ham goal with a low
20-yard shot which crept inside Joe Hart's left-hand post. The visitors
doubled their lead when Diafra Sakho hooked in from six yards. City's record
signing Kevin De Bruyne fired in to halve the deficit, but West Ham held on
to move into second place. Yaya Toure's angled shot whistled past the
Hammers' post after the break, while away keeper Adrian made a string of
excellent saves. City dominated the game, controlling 72% of possession and
attempting 27 shots at goal, but were unable to find a way past an away side
who are now three points behind them.

Many West Ham fans might have been forgiven for fearing the worst when the
fixture computer handed their team trips to Arsenal, Liverpool and
Manchester City in their opening three away games. But they have taken nine
points from a possible nine after following up their opening-weekend 2-0 win
at Emirates, and the 3-0 success at Anfield, with an arguably even better
result against City. City had not conceded a single Premier League goal
before Saturday's match, but without injured skipper Vincent Kompany were
overcome by defensive uncertainty. Left-back Aleksandar Kolarov backed off
to allow Moses to shoot for the opener, while the home defence reacted
slowly to a set-piece as Sakho pounced.

Manuel Pellegrini's side suffered a chastening midweek defeat when they
surrendered a 1-0 lead against Italian side Juventus to lose 2-1 in their
Champions League opener. But the Blues, who netted 11 goals without reply in
their opening five top-flight matches, would have been confident of bouncing
back against opposition with a woeful record at Etihad Stadium. Going into
the match, the Hammers had suffered seven consecutive defeats in east
Manchester, scoring just three goals and conceding 20 in the process.
However, Slaven Bilic's side executed their game plan perfectly, catching
their opponents on the break, taking the chances they created, and then
defending stoutly to preserve their lead. While Spanish keeper Adrian will
take most of the plaudits for keeping out City, Hammers centre-back Winston
Reid was also instrumental in helping his team clinch their fourth win of
the Premier League season. The New Zealand international made the most
clearances (20) and interceptions (five) during the match, while he also won
back possession for his side (nine) more than any other player.

"Winston Reid might have only cost £3m from Danish side Midtjylland but he
has just produced one of the best individual defensive displays that I have
ever seen."

Victor Moses' strike was the first league goal Manchester City had conceded
in 572 minutes. West Ham's Dimitri Payet has contributed to 12 goals (four
goals, eight assists) in his last 14 league appearances (Premier League and
Ligue 1 combined). Only three other sides have recorded away wins at
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in the same Premier League season -
Everton (1995-96), Manchester United (2004-05) and Chelsea (2005-06). Diafra
Sakho has scored in both Premier League games he has played against City.
Man of the match - Winston Reid

Winston Reid
Winston Reid produced a commanding display at the heart of the Hammers
defence. The New Zealand centre-back cleared the ball on 20 occasions - more
than any other Premier League player has managed in a single match this
season

Manager reaction

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini: "We played very well in the
second half, though not in the first. We were not the aggressive team we
need to be at home. "We corrected those things, played very well, created a
lot of chances but didn't score. We were under pressure, falling two goals
behind. "We knew this would be a difficult game because it was not luck that
meant they beat Liverpool and Arsenal. We needed to be better with our
finishing."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "You need a bit about you if you want to
score two goals here, or two goals at the Emirates or three at Anfield.
"You've got no chance unless you sprint until the end of the game. We
deserved it, considering the way we played in the first half and fought in
the second. "But this was hard - City pressed us and City were the better
team in the second half."

What's next for both teams?

The League Cup. City, who could make a raft of changes, go to Sunderland on
Tuesday for their third-round tie. West Ham are also playing away in another
all-Premier League tie at Leicester. Both teams return to top-flight action
on 26 September when City travel to Tottenham and the Hammers host Norwich.

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Man City 1-2 West Ham: Hammers earn first-ever win at the Etihad
Last Updated: 19/09/15 10:42pm
SSN

West Ham United caused a huge shock by inflicting a first defeat of the
season on Manchester City, with the visitors winning 2-1 at the Etihad on
Saturday night. Slaven Bilic's side raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals by
Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho, only for City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to
pull a goal back for the home side just before half-time, his first for his
new club. However, West Ham held on for all three points thanks to a
resolute second-half display, a result that moves the Hammers up to second
in the table, while City remain top despite this setback. The home side
suffered a huge blow just prior to kick-off when influential playmaker David
Silva picked up an injury in the warm-up, with the Spain international
joining captain Vincent Kompany on the sidelines. However, City were at
least able to call upon striker Sergio Aguero once again after injury, while
the visitors were also boosted by the return from suspension of goalkeeper
Adrian. And it was not long before the Spaniard was called into action as
the goalkeeper was forced to keep out Fernandinho's powerful header after an
early right-wing corner. However, if that close call was meant to result in
an avalanche of chances for the Premier League leaders, they and their
supporters were much mistaken,as it was West Ham who opened the scoring
after just six minutes.
In-form midfielder Dimitri Payet was once again involved in the strike, with
the Frenchman finding on-loan Chelsea winger Moses in a central position
some 25 yards out, before the Nigerian then beat Joe Hart at his near post
with a low shot, the first league goal City had let in this season. Manuel
Pellegrini's side responded to that setback by very nearly drawing level
just minutes later, however, having beaten the onrushing Adrian, who had a
moment of madness by charging out of his goal to meet Aguero, somehow the
Argentine managed to guide his shot wide of the gaping goal. And Aguero and
City were made to pay for that miss when West Ham doubled their lead just
past the half-hour mark, meaning the home team had conceded as many goals in
this game as they had in their previous nine contests at the Etihad.
West Ham right-back Carl Jenkinson did well to break up field and win his
team a corner, from which Winston Reid rose powerfully to flick on Payet's
delivery, and after a scramble in the six-yard box, Sakho found himself in
the right place at the right time to toe-poke home West Ham's second of the
night. City had to respond in what little time they had before the interval,
and that is exactly what they did in first-half stoppage time thanks to a
well-taken goal by their £54m signing De Bruyne. The Belgium international
picked up possession of the ball deep in West Ham's half and after making
space for himself, the midfielder beat Adrian with a well-struck shot from
distance to bring the home side right back into the contest. However, if
that well-timed strike was meant to lead to a dramatic City comeback,
Pellegrini's team were just unable to find a way past a brilliant Adrian in
the second period as West Ham's 'keeper made a string of brilliant saves to
deny the league leaders. City midfielder Yaya Toure was a little unlucky as
two of his drives flashed just wide of Adrian's far post in the opening 15
minutes of the second period, while the Ivorian was also denied by a
brilliant close-range block by that man Adrian. The visitors, meanwhile,
could have made the final half an hour a lot more comfortable had Sakho not
missed a great opening when played through one on one with Hart just before
the hour-mark. However, with Adrian virtually unbeatable on his return to
the team - the shot stopper also made crucial blocks to keep out both Aguero
and Jesus Navas in the final quarter of the game, before a brilliant
reaction save late on denied Nicolas Otamendi - West Ham were able to record
famous away wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and City.
Meanwhile, City's status as the only team in all four divisions with a 100
per cent start to the campaign was over as their club-record 11-match
winning run in the Premier League was brought to a shuddering halt.

Player ratings

Man City: Hart (6), Sagna (7), Otamendi (6), Mangala (5), Kolarov (6),
Fernandinho (6), Toure (7), De Bruyne (7), Navas (6), Sterling (7), Aguero
(6)

Subs: Demichelis (6), Bony (6), Iheanacho (6)

West Ham: Adrian (8), Jenkinson (7), Tomkins (7), Reid (9), Cresswell (7),
Obiang (6), Noble (7), Lanzini (6), Payet (7), Moses (7), Sakho (7)

Sub: Collins (6), Antonio (6), Jelavic (6)

Man of the match: Winston Reid

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Slaven Bilic says fighting spirit was key to West Ham United's win
Last Updated: 19/09/15 8:51pm
SSN

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic said hard work and fighting spirit were
the secrets behind his side's shock 2-1 away win over Premier League leaders
Manchester City on Saturday. Having already beaten Arsenal and Liverpool on
the road this season, the Hammers claimed a third away scalp thanks to
first-half goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho. City pulled a goal back
just before the break through Kevin De Bruyne and although they pressed hard
for a leveller in the second half, West Ham hung on and are now second in
the table. Bilic told Sky Sports: "You need a bit more if you want to score
two goals here, or two at the Emirates or three at Anfield. You need not
only to work, but you have no chance if you are not sprinting in the last
minute of the game. "To be fair, we deserved it with the way we played in
the first half and the way we were fighting in the second half, but this was
a different game than the one at the Emirates and the one at Anfield. "This
was much, much harder for us. In the second half, City created, they pressed
us and they were the better team, to be fair, and if they had equalised it
would have been deserved. "But at the end of the day, the few times that we
could keep the ball or get a little breather, we also created a couple of
chances in the second half - the great one from Sakho - and we deserved it
because, first of all, we scored two goals here and in the second half we
were fighting as a unit from the goalkeeper to the striker." De Bruyne's
goal provided the perfect fillip for City going into the second half and
Bilic admitted he had to make tactical tweaks during the interval in an
attempt to stem the tide. He added: "We had not to change it, but adjust it
because they were causing problems in the first half through [Jesus] Navas,
who was isolated with [Aaron] Cresswell one versus one, and he was on fire
today.
"We just wanted to help Cresswell because it's hard to cope with the pace of
Navas, and that is why we changed the positions of Lanzini and Payet. "But
we were not that down at half-time. We were still winning the game. It would
have been better if we were 2-0 up, but we knew that the key in the second
half would be to keep the ball, because we knew that they were going to
press us and start probing and push their line up."

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Adrian's winning return
WHUFC.com

Adrian could hardly contain his happiness after making a winning return to
the West Ham United team at Manchester City. The goalkeeper came back in
after a three-match suspension to play a starring role in the Hammers'
stunning 2-1 win at previously unbeaten City. While Adrian and his defenders
threw themselves in front of everything Manuel Pellegrini's side could chuck
at them, Slaven Bilic's team broke away to score two expertly-taken goals
through Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho. £55 million man Kevin De Bruyne
pulled a goal back for the hosts, but a resilient second-half performance
saw the Hammers secure a third straight away win – following successes at
Arsenal and Liverpool – and rise to second in the table. "It was fantastic
to be back in the team, get three points and score two goals against Man
City, who had not conceded a goal in their previous five games," Adrian told
West Ham TV. "It is an excellent performance from everybody and we need to
enjoy the moment. "What a three wins – Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City! I
don't know if anyone has won these three games in the history of the Premier
League. It's really difficult to play against those three on the road, but
we put in a really good performance, we defended well and we were so
effective in attack. "We just need to keep going in the Premier League until
the end."

Adrian's work was spread throughout the game, with the No13 making an early
stop to keep out Fernandinho's header and a double save from Sergio Aguero
before half-time. Into the second period and the Spaniard made further vital
interventions to keep out a deflection off Winston Reid and palm Nicolas
Otamendi's late header over the crossbar. "All the saves for a keeper are
important because you save the team and don't let the other team score, so
for me to win the three points as a team and get the confidence is really
important."

For Adrian, returning as part of a winning cause was all the sweeter
following his three-match absence for being sent-off in unfortunate
circumstances in the home defeat by Leicester City a month ago. "Never in my
career have I been banned for three games so it was a bad experience for me,
but I have learned from this experience and I will keep my position in the
team."

Incidentally, West Ham's next fixture sees them go to Leicester in the
Capital One Cup third round on Tuesday evening – a clash of the Barclays
Premier League two leading scorers. Before that, however, Adrian has a date
with the BBC's Match of the Day programme. "We don't have time to celebrate
because we play on Tuesday away in the Capital One Cup. I will just enjoy
travelling back to London and rest for tomorrow. "I will watch Match of the
Day I hope, of course, as long as I get home in time!"

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Bilic has special praise for his players
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic paid special tribute to his players after they followed up
their memorable away wins over Arsenal and Liverpool with a famous 2-1 win
over Manchester City which saw them move up to second in the table. Goals
from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho inflicted the first defeat on the Premier
League leaders and helped the Hammers record their first victory at the
Etihad Stadium since 2006. Bilic said the whole team contributed to the
victory with their work-rate and superb defensive display and was thrilled
to see new signing Moses and Sakho get on the scoresheet. Bilic said: "It is
great for the Club and I am so happy for everyone at West Ham, but
especially for the players because you cannot win here without playing well.
"They created some chances and in the second half they were fighting like a
unit from the goalkeeper to the last man. "At times we were lucky but you
have to be when you are winning at their stadium. They are such a massive
team. "They are by far the best team we have played so far but we were able
to control their pressing and we are so happy about it. "I am glad for Moses
and he is a great asset for us and we are just pleased to have him. "Sakho
is a great player. Some strikers have to score goals to prove their game. If
they don't score they are not playing, but Diafra doesn't just have to score
goals to play well. "When you defend like he does when we don't have the
ball, if anyone deserved the victory it was him."

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Man City 1-2 West Ham: Five talking points from the Etihad
By Peter Smith
Last Updated: 19/09/15 9:54pm
SSN

West Ham shocked Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad on Saturday, thanks to
goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho. City's £54m-man Kevin De Bruyne
struck back for the hosts but they were unable to find an equaliser. The
result brings City's perfect start to the season to an end - and means West
Ham have now beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and City in their three away games in
2015/16.

West Ham do it again

After shocking Arsenal and Liverpool, West Ham have completed a remarkable
trio of away wins by ending Manchester City's 100 per cent start to the
Premier League season with a 2-1 win at the Etihad. Only three other teams
have ever won on the road at Arsenal, Liverpool and City in a Premier League
season. The last team to pull off that treble was Chelsea in 2005/06 - and
they went on to win the title.
Saturday's win moves West Ham up to second in the table. But while even the
staunchest West Ham fan will keep dreams of emulating that Jose Mourinho
side on hold for now, Niall Quinn says the unity of the squad is propelling
the Hammers to new heights. "I love the way Bilic has got this team to
operate as one," Quinn told Sky Sports. "The work rate, the belief in
themselves and the hard, nitty-gritty part of the game, they did so well as
a group. This is the most incredible performance to win these three matches
away from home."
West Ham's victory was also their first-ever win at the Etihad. But it
didn't come easy. Man City had more attempts, possession and touches in the
opposition area than they have in any game this season. West Ham recorded
season-lows in all three of those categories.
"This was a different game to the one at the Emirates and the one at
Anfield," Hammers boss Slaven Bilic said. "This was much, much harder. "In
the second half they created, pressed us and were the better team, to be
fair. If they'd equalised it would have been deservedly."

City's defence breached at last

Manchester City had gone 572 minutes without conceding a Premier League goal
when Victor Moses unleashed his long-range drive on Saturday. Diafra Sakho's
second-half strike meant City had conceded as many goals in one game as they
had in their previous nine league home games.
However, the manner of the goals conceded were a cause for concern -
especially as they followed the midweek Champions League defeat to Juventus,
where defensive errors proved costly. "We conceded two easy goals in the
first half. We must be more concentrated," Manuel Pellegrini lamented after
the game. "We know [West Ham] are dangerous at set-pieces. We knew they have
good players who have good shots at the edge of the box." Sky Sports pundit
Thierry Henry was equally unimpressed. "City started the game really well -
but they forgot about their defensive duty," he said, before criticising
Yaya Toure's failure to pick up Dimitri Payet in the build-up to Moses'
opener. Niall Quinn agreed - and suggested Winston Reid would not have had
such a clear sight at the corner which led to West Ham's second had City
captain Vincent Kompany been on the field. "We spoke in such glowing terms
about them for the last few weeks but in the last few days we've seen the
old frailties come back," Quinn told Sky Sports.

De Bruyne impresses

Manuel Pellegrini wasn't interested in discussing the quality of Kevin De
Bruyne's performance with Sky Sports after the game. "I'm not satisfied by
one player, I'm satisfied when the team win," he said. But the Belgian's
performance, albeit in a losing cause, deserves credit. De Bruyne rifled in
a superb debut City goal to spark his team's charge for an equaliser. The
first touch and drive into the bottom corner from outside the box was the
hallmark of a £54m player. The summer signing was a threat throughout. Just
nine minutes in an excellent through ball sent Sergio Aguero through on
goal, before a cross from the by-line was ballooned over the bar by the City
striker just before half-time. Only Fernandinho made more than the 77 passes
De Bruyne attempted in West Ham's half. His efforts may have not counted for
much in the end on Saturday but City fans will be encouraged by their new
star's start.

West Ham's defence stands firm

"It was a little bit nervy at the end - they've got some fantastic players -
but we managed to hold on. There are some tired heroes in our changing room
today." West Ham captain Mark Noble summed up the effort and work rate his
team-mates delivered to pull off victory at Manchester City. The hosts had
72.3 per cent possession, the average position of eight of their players
after 90 minutes was in the West Ham half, and just 13.7 per cent of the
game was played in City's final third. Yet, despite City raining in 27
attempts on goal, West Ham stood firm. Adrian pulled off eight saves,
including an incredible reflex effort to tip Nicolas Otamendi's header over
the bar, and centre-back Winston Reid made 20 clearances - more than any
player has made in a Premier League fixture this season. "It was such an
effort by them you could have given 11 man of the match awards," Quinn told
Sky Sports.

Payet impresses again

As well as West Ham's commitment, resolve and defensive work, there was also
the skill of Dimitri Payet on show. The summer signing from Marseille has
had a hand in five goals in six Premier League games this season (three
goals, two assists) and was at the heart of West Ham's best attacking play
on Saturday. "He has been amazing since the beginning of the season," said
fellow Frenchman Henry. "They allowed him to be in the pocket all day. And
if you allow a guy of his quality to have time and space and let him put his
head up, you are in trouble. I don't care who you are, you're in trouble."

Quinn was equally impressed and reckons West Ham's forwards will continue to
profit from Payet's creativity throughout the season. "Every time he gets it
his head is up," Quinn said. "He's looking for an adventurous moment,
something that's going to develop. He's not just laying it off. "It must be
a pleasure to be a front player knowing that when he gets it something great
is going to happen. On the ball, he's a joy to watch."

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Classy Slav shows humility in victory
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 19, 2015 in Hugh's Blogs, News,
Whispers
C AND H

Bilic truly is the most refreshingly honest manager I have ever listed to
before and after games in many a long year. And from everything he had to
say after tonight's game one line stuck out: "If they had got level they
would have been deserved it."He qualified it of course by saying that we had
in fact deserved the win ourselves and summed it up like this on Sky Sports:
"That was because of the football we played in the first half and the way we
fought in the second." He really couldn't have put it any better – it summed
the victory up to perfection but it's the manner of the man that is so
impressive.

At a moment he had become the architect of one of the historic trebles in
the club's history within six games, he was showing humility and generosity
towards the team many believe are the best in the land. It's fitting given
the manner of our victory and the class of our manager that our team are
sitting in second place just three points behind them. He was happy to
explain how the system was adjusted at half time, deploying Manuel Lanzini
and later Michail Antonio to help out Aaron Cresswell explaining: "Jesus
Navas was on fire." He added: "Payet and Lanzini did very well in holding
onto the ball when we needed them to, we defended as a unit and got two
goals so it was a very pleasing performance." I've said it many times before
but it bears saying again tonight: This is a terrifiv bloke and a terrific
manager. His attitude, character, modesty and ability to take things in his
stride remind me very much of a man I was fortunate enough to know and work
with. Yes, I think Slav and Mooro would have got along very well indeed.

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Sam Allardyce interview: West Ham managers ALL have trouble with the fans —
I knew that going in
0 COMMENTS 22:30, 19 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY STEVE BATES
The former Hammers boss on his regrets over how it ended, how much he
enjoyed the Upton Park gig, the sort of club he'd want to work for next and
more
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has lifted the lid on his final days at West Ham and said: "We
both should have handled it better", writes Steve Bates in the Sunday
People. Allardyce left Upton Park in May with both parties agreeing their
time together had run out after four years in which he took the Irons from
the Championship and turned them into a stable Premier League club. But the
end was messy. Co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold ­approached potential
successors ­behind Big Sam's back while he was still at the helm, and
neither club nor manager revealed their hand until the bitter end. And that
is Allardyce's only regret. With the dust now settled on his East End
adventure, though, he is eager to nail the myth that he was driven out of
town by Hammers fans who never embraced his style of football. He said: "The
split was the right time for both of us. I was ready to go and had decided I
would and they wanted a change, too. But perhaps we both could have both
done it better. "They weren't letting the cat out of the bag, but neither
was I. I knew they were speaking to ­people behind my back. I am a ­manager
of many years experience and I knew that was happening. It's not good, but
it happens everywhere so you just have to leave it at that. "I had four
great years at West Ham. People will always refer to the ­difficulties at
certain times, but you get those everywhere. The satisfaction for me is that
when you leave somewhere you look at what you are leaving and I know I left
West Ham in great shape."

Allardyce had a troubled ­relationship with West Ham fans at the end of his
reign, with huge sections of the Upton Park crowd calling for his head. It
is clearly something he will not forget in a hurry. He added: "There were
difficulties and differences of opinion with the fans, but like every
manager at West Ham, they have difficulty with the fans at some stage and
that's acceptable. "You know that before you take the job. It's not a Sam
Allardyce thing with West Ham fans. But because you are the manager, people
make it a Sam Allardyce thing. "But you don't take the job if you don't know
that's going to happen. "Do people think I'm so naive at this stage of my
life that I didn't speak to everyone I could about West Ham? Of course I did
– I haven't been that naive for a long, long time so I knew what to expect
from some fans. "But I enjoyed my time there: Everything we achieved, the
challenge, living in London, it was a great time and experience for my
family. "I hardly ever came back to my family home in Bolton because the
grandkids always wanted to come to London for half-terms, bank holidays and
long weekends. It was a good time for me and my family. Believe me, I look
back on West Ham in a good way."

On the opening day of the new ­season last month, Allardyce was in Qatar –
watching Premier League football. He was doing a stint for beIN Sports with
old pals Richard Keys and Andy Gray, analysing the action for Middle East
viewers. Not the slightest tinge of regret he was not in the dugout as the
new campaign kicked-off, then? Nope. While Jose Mourinho fights to get
Chelsea's mojo back, Brendan Rodgers battles with sliding credibility at
Liverpool and Louis van Gaal defends his man-management techniques at
Manchester United, Big Sam is having a ball watching from the sidelines. And
despite admitting he is still ­addicted to football at 60, he is in no
desperate hurry to get back to the madness of management. After extended
holidays with wife Lynn, trips to Dubai with his ­grandchildren and jaunts
to Hong Kong and Doha, Allardyce is enjoying life in the slow lane for a
change. When we meet in Manchester, he is late — delayed by a long
­telephone conversation with lawyers who are sifting through his new
­autobiography, which is due out for Christmas. I joke that the book should
be called Fireman Sam because it will not be long before he will be back
performing ­another rescue act for a different ­Premier League club. He is
not amused. He said: "People may look at me as a firefighter. But I am more
than a firefighter, I know that. I think I am better than that after what I
achieved at Bolton and West Ham. "Still, that's the way it is. You have to
accept that. Almost everyone labels me as a firefighter, but that's fine. It
doesn't bother me. But next time I get back in work, I am never going to go
to a football club just to survive. I like to build a club. "When/if the
chance comes to get back into the Premier League it will have to be at the
right club for me. I won't be taking a job just because I want to work, I
will be looking at the chances of success at that club.
"The hunger to work again will kick in at some point, but I can't determine
when that will be. That's why I am not saying when I am coming back. "It
might never happen. I hope it does because for me it's an obsession and an
addiction and sometimes you feel an awkwardness not being involved and
managing the madness day after day. "But ­spending time with the family is a
big bonus. I'm watching more football than when I was at West Ham and I
couldn't have written a book if I was still managing, no way."

Following in the footsteps of David Moyes, now at Real Sociedad, and
Newcastle boss Steve McClaren, who managed in Holland and Germany, could be
an option. And the growing credibility of Major League Soccer also makes
America an appealing destination for Big Sam, who believes British coaches
are undervalued overseas and at home. He added: "I might work abroad, who
knows? The ability of British coaches is much better than people gives us
credit for. "The amount of qualifications we have to go through now to get
badges means we should have opportunities in our own country to get a job.
But a lot of times British coaches aren't even getting an interview and that
can't be right."

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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic hails Irons players after shock win at Manchester
City
0 COMMENTS 20:29, 19 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY JAMES WHALING
The Hammers ended City's 100 per cent start to the season, thanks to goals
from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho
The Mirror

Slaven Bilic hailed his side's character after they held on for a famous 2-1
victory away to Manchester City. Goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho
gave them a two-goal advantage in the first half, before summer signing
Kevin De Bruyne scored his first City goal just before the break. Manuel
Pellegrini's side pushed for an equaliser throughout the second half, but
West Ham held firm to record an unlikely hat-trick of away victories
following wins at the Emirates and Anfield. Bilic told Sky Sports: "You need
a bit about you if you want to score two goals here, or two goals at the
Emirates or three at Anfield. "You've got no chance unless you sprint until
the end of the game. We deserved it, considering the way we played in the
first half and fought in the second. But this was hard - City pressed us and
City were the better team in the second half. "But at the end of the day,
when we could keep the ball or have a breather we did that. We deserved the
win, because we scored twice in the first half and played really well, from
the goalkeeper to the striker. "We were not down at half time having
conceded, because we were still winning the game. We knew the key would be
to be able to keep the ball, because they would throw it at us. "We have
creative players who can exploit the spaces behind their defenders."
Pellegrini was philosophical as his side conceded their first goals and
dropped their first points of the Premier League season. The Chilean was
pleased with his side's performance after the break, but lamented their lack
of intent in the first half. He told the BBC: "To win the game you must
score, and we didn't score. We played very well in the second half, though
not in the first. We were not the aggressive team we need to be at home. "We
corrected those things, played very well, created a lot of chances but
didn't score. We were under pressure, falling two goals behind. It is always
difficult to play against any Premier League team - everyone has very good
players. "We knew this would be a difficult game because it was not luck
that meant they beat Liverpool and Arsenal. We needed to be better with our
finishing." City stay top despite the defeat, with West Ham moving up to
second. Manchester United will leapfrog the Hammers, should they beat
Southampton tomorrow.

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Manchester City 1-2 West Ham: 5 things we learned as Manuel Pellegrini's men
slip to first defeat
0 COMMENTS 19:38, 19 SEPTEMBER 2015 UPDATED 20:43, 19 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY DAVID MCDONNELL
Goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho gave the Hammers all three points
as City's unblemished start comes to an end
The Mirror

West Ham United ended Manchester City's 100 per cent start to the season
with a shock 2-1 victory at the Etihad. Goals from Victor Moses and Diafra
Sakho gave the Hammers all three points against Manuel Pellegrini's side. It
completes an unlikely hat-trick of away wins for Slaven Bilic, after
previous victories at the Emirates and Anfield. Kevin De Bruyne netted his
first goal for City, who remain top of the league.

Here are 5 things we learned...

1. City badly missed Silva
There was much anticipation about the first glimpse of City's £165million
attacking quartet of Raheem Sterling, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and
Sergio Aguero starting together for the first time. That was until an injury
in the warm-up forced Silva out of the game and Jesus Navas in as his
replacement. How costly the enforced absence of Silva proved soon became
apparent in a City first-half display crying out for his guile and unique
ability to pick-pocket opposition defences. Without him, City lacked a
creative spark, with only De Bruyne offering any kind of attacking threat
for the home side in the opening 45 minutes.

2. Kompany can't return soon enough
Another player City badly missed was skipper Vincent Kompany. When fit,
focused and on form, there are few better central defenders in the world
than the City skipper, whose reading of the game, leadership and
organisational skills mark him out as one of the best in his position. It
was no coincidence City's run of clean sheets came with him enjoying an
unbroken run in the side, and no coincidence it came to an abrupt end with
him sidelined through injury. Kompany, who has a calf strain, will also sit
out Tuesday's Capital One Cup tie at Sunderland. City can only hope he is
ready to return at Tottenham next Saturday.

3. West Ham are unrecognisable this season
Wherever West Ham finish this season, there is no denying they have been
transformed by new manager Slaven Bilic, who has got them playing with a
swagger, zeal and enterprise not normally associated with the Hammers in
recent seasons. With flair players like Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini,
unerpinned by a solid rearguard and with the marauding presence of Diafra
Sakho up front, West Ham are now a formidable Premier League force, a fact
borne out by their wins at Arsenal and Liverpool this season, and now at the
home of Premier League leaders City. Bilic's side now sit second in the
table, just three points behind City, and are fully deserving of such a
lofty position.

Winston Reid's match-saving performance
21 Clearances
5 Interceptions
4 Blocks

4. Adrian is one of the Premier League's most underrated keepers
If he played for one of the Premier League's 'big four', West Ham goalkeeper
Adrian would be lauded as one of the best around. But because he plies his
trade with the Hammers, he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. On
several occasions he saved Bilic's side with world-class saves; from Aguero
(twice), Navas and a one-handed save at point-blank range from Yaya Toure,
which was reminiscent of Bayern Munich and Germany No.1 Manuel Neuer in its
fearless conviction. With five minutes to go, Adrian was at it again,
producing an outrageous one-handed reflex save from a goal-bound Nicolas
Otamendi. The fact West Ham managed to get him on a free transfer, from Real
Betis, makes his subsequent displays all the more remarkable.

5. De Bruyne looks a sound investment
Much has been made of the exorbitant £54m fee City paid Wolfsburg for De
Bruyne, particularly as he left Chelsea for a mere £18m just 20 months ago.
But the Belgium international, making his first start for City, showed
enough to suggest, as his manager has claimed, that his inflated fee will be
forgotten as and when he starts delivering on the pitch. De Bruyne certainly
did that here, his movement, vision and work ethic impressive throughout,
capped by his first City goal in the first-half. He, more than any City
player, stepped up to the plate in the absence of Silva and most of the home
side's best moments came through him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic warns West Ham squad 'we are not Real Madrid' as he fears
confidence will breed arrogance
TOM DUTTON Saturday 19 September 2015 22:07 BST0 comments
Evening Standard

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has urged his squad not to let their confidence
morph into after another successful trip to one of the Premier League's
heavyweights. Bilic's side had already beaten Arsenal and Liverpool on the
road this season before they showed up at Manchester City aiming to complete
a hat-trick of impressive scapls. Goals from new signing Victor Moses and
Diafra Sakho put the Hammers in charge at Etihad Stadium before Kevin De
Bruyne pulled City back into the game with a smart low drive just before the
interval. But despite peppering the West Ham goal in the second period,
City could not find a route to Adrain's net and Bilic's side jumped to
second, within three points of their hosts at the Premier League summit.
The Hammers now have 12 points from their six games but Bilic is not getting
carried away. He said: "There is a tiny line between confidence and
arrogance or confidence and laziness. "It is hard not to get carried away a
little but that is also part of my job to install in their heads that we are
good, but that you have to know what to do to stay good. "There are going to
be ups and downs, we are not Real Madrid, but it is looking very good now."

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