Daily WHUFC News - 22nd September 2015

Sakho - We want more big away wins
WHUFC.com

West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho was thrilled to play his part in a
memorable victory over Manchester City and says the players should not fear
anyone away from home this season.
The Hammers have won all three games on their travels which includes famous
wins over Arsenal and Liverpool in the opening month of the campaign.
Manchester City were unbeaten and had not conceded a goal going into the
game on Saturday, but Slaven Bilic saw his side produce another superb
display and goals from new signing Victor Moses and Sakho helped the east
London Club record their first victory at the Etihad Stadium since 2006.
Bilic said Sakho was one of the star performers with his work-rate for the
side, but the Hammers forward said the whole team played their part and is
now targeting more big away wins. Sakho said: "These are amazing results. I
am very happy for the team that we have been able to win at Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City. They were all great performances. "This is a
very long season and now we want victories at Manchester United and
Chelsea!! "Every player has worked so hard for the team and had a big
motivation to win the game. The manager spoke to every player and we knew we
had to give 100 per cent. Our tactics were very important. "I wanted to
score as I have only got one goal at Liverpool. As a striker I want to score
and I am pleased to get my second goal at Manchester City. I want to score
more goals next week. "It is very important that we recover well and prepare
for the Leicester game on Tuesday. "Manchester City have very good
individual players like Toure and Silva. I am very happy that we managed to
get a win as they had not lost a game coming into the game so I am very
happy with the result."

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Manager on Monday

Slaven Bilic believes his determination to litter his West Ham United squad
with skilful players is one of the key reasons for his side's outstanding
start to the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season. Bilic's men registered
their third straight away win of the season at Manchester City on Saturday
and, while the second half defensive display rightly won many of the
plaudits post-match, the West Ham United manager wanted to ensure his
attacking players also got the credit they deserved. "My staff and I want
players who play football," Bilic said. "We are defending well as a unit
like we have to with the ball in front of our box. "But we also have
'players' on the pitch. You can't have more skilful people on the pitch than
we have. We have Lanzini, Payet, Obiang, Moses and Noble among others. Aaron
Cresswell also is not a big strong left-back – he likes to play. "I don't
know how long it will last but the best thing is to get football players who
also fight for the team. Payet and Lanzini were still running for the team
at the end of the game, which is not very common for those type of players –
normally they are quite flashy. But they try so hard and that is why we are
winning this kind of game."

The result moved the Hammers to second place in the Premier League on
Saturday night and much of the post-match questioning from the media centred
around whether Bilic would now raise his targets for the side this season.
Rightfully, though, he would not be drawn on such things, instead insisting
his focus was solely on making sure his team continued to improve
match-by-match. "I don't lay targets down. Nobody is saying we are going to
fall. Targets are normal for the clubs at the top. My only target is to try
to improve day in and day out and where that is going to take us I don't
know. "Can we finish in the top four or five? Hopefully, but I am sure you
[the media] would be the first before the season to say it wasn't possible.
"But still it's unfortunate it's only six games gone so we have to maintain
our levels and we have to improve as there will be ups and downs. We have to
keep working and live for every game and every training session."

The win at the Etihad followed stunning away day victories at Arsenal and
Liverpool, but Bilic is not getting carried away. He believes there are many
unappreciated benefits of being the travelling team in the Premier League
and that is why there have been so many upsets thus far. "It is hard to win
away in the league, especially against the three teams we have beaten. But
sometimes playing away makes you more organised and means you don't lose
your shape. "It can also be hard to get the balance when you are playing at
home so it's sometimes easier to play away. In the first three rounds in the
Premier League, out of 30 games there were only six home wins. It won't stay
like that, but especially in the beginning when you are desperate for the
home win sometimes that pressure or rushing is your biggest enemy."

The manager will certainly be hoping his side can utilise the same tactics
when they travel to Leicester City for a Capital One Cup tie on Tuesday.
whufc.com will bring you the manager's exclusive preview ahead of the game.

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Matt Jarvis played the full 90 minutes of Norwich City's credible 1-1 draw
away at Liverpool. While Liverpool enjoyed the lion's share of possession
and chances they dug deep to earn a valuable point. Danny Ings scored three
minutes after coming on as a second half substitute however Russell Martin
equalised just after the hour. The point takes the Canaries to 11th in the
table with eight points.

Reece Burke played the full game as Bradford City drew 2-2 at home with
Sheffield United. The Bantams were two up thanks to goals from James
Meredith and Devante Cole however the Blades fought their way back into the
contest with as Meredith headed into his own net before Billy Sharp tapped
home the equaliser.

Diego Poyet played the full game as MK Dons suffered their fourth
consecutive defeat as they slipped to a 2-1 home defeat to Leeds United.
Despite the defeat, the hosts put in an impressive performance however it
was the visiting West Yorkshire side who raced to a 2-0 lead by half-time
with a Chris Wood penalty and Charlie Taylor's finish. In the second half,
the Dons rallied and Simon Church gave them hope with a 74th minute goal yet
it proved to be too little too late. Toward the end Samir Carruthers was
sent off for a challenge on Stuart Dallas.

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Payet enjoying life under Bilic
WHUFC.com

Dimitri Payet says he is relishing the chance to show his best form under
Slaven Bilic and reveals his team-mates have made it easy for him to settle
into his new surroundings. Payet has been one of the star performers in the
opening part of the season and played a major role in helping West Ham
United win four of their opening six games. The France international stole
all the headlines when he scored both goals against Newcastle last week and
showed his quality once again when he played a crucial role in helping to
set up the first goal for Victor Moses as the Hammers recorded a memorable
2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

The Hammers are now sitting third in the Premier League and Payet hopes he
can keep the Club's impressive record going and maintain his superb start to
the campaign. Payet said: "I'm trying to continue where I left off with
Marseille last season. It's going very well.
"My team-mates have welcomed me in and given me confidence, it's important
for me too to have the trust of the coach and it's all going well. "I'm not
having English lessons, but I'm obviously learning day to day. 'I'm happy!
"Naturally, victories bring confidence. Saturday was the third win away from
home. "When we're winning we grow and grow in confidence. We're quite sure
of ourselves because we have faith in our quality. "We've sprung a few
surprises, we've beaten City, so people are beginning to speak a lot more
about us."

Payet admits he has been surprised by the Hammers amazing start to the
campaign, but feels there is enough quality in the squad to be a match for
any side in the country. The Hammers are joint-top scorers in the Premier
League and with the arrival of Victor Moses and Michail Antonio on transfer
deadline, day the 28-year-old sees no reason why they cannot stay among the
goals. Payet added: "We know that in view of the potential going forward,
we're capable of scoring at any given moment. If we're not conceding, that's
going to bring us points and that's what's happened. "I might have been a
little sceptical if you told me where we'd be, but we've shown that our
position's not happened by chance. We continue to take points, that's the
important thing. "I wouldn't necessarily say [we're winning away] with ease,
but it's true that we've got a defensive unit that's tough to budge. "We
scored with practically our first chance of the game and then from a
set-piece, with two goals behind you it's much easier to defend. Of course
we followed the manager's game plan to the letter. It's been some time now
since those defeats at home that we took a close look at our defensive
play."

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Reece Burke: West Ham defender extends Bradford City loan
BBC.co.uk

Defender Reece Burke's loan spell at Bradford City from Premier League side
West Ham has been extended by a month. Burke, 19, has played every minute of
the Bantams' five League One matches and not been on the losing side since
he moved to Valley Parade in August. The last game of his original deal was
Sunday's 2-2 draw against Sheffield United, but he will now remain with
Bradford until 25 October. Burke played for England Under-20s for the first
time earlier this month.

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Leicester v West Ham
KO 19:45
Claudio Ranieri
21 September 2015
Last updated at 17:30

CAPITAL ONE CUP THIRD ROUND
Venue: King Power Stadium Date: Tuesday, 22 September Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Coverage on BBC Radio 5 live. Live text commentary on the BBC
Sport website.

TEAM NEWS

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri is likely to make a number of changes to the
side that drew 2-2 with Stoke at the weekend. Forward Joe Dodoo - who scored
a hat-trick against Bury in the previous round - will make his home debut.

West Ham will be without Michail Antonio as the winger is cup-tied having
already played in this season's competition for Nottingham Forest. Carl
Jenkinson is a doubt after limping off in the win at Manchester City.

MATCH FACTS

The two sides met in the semi-final of the 1963-64 competition, with
Leicester progressing 6-3 on aggregate.
Foxes striker Doodo scored with every shot he had in the second round at
Bury, netting a hat-trick.
There have been 17 goals scored in West Ham's previous four third-round
games.
The last time Leicester met a Premier League side as a top-flight club in a
home League Cup game was October 2001, when they lost 6-0 to Leeds United at
Filbert Street.

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Enner's in step as rehabilitation continues
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 21st September 2015
By: Staff Writer

Enner Valencia has posted a short video of himself working out in the gym at
Chadwell Heath as he continues his comeback from injury. The 25-year-old
striker is yet to feature in West Ham's exciting start to the new Premier
League campaign, due to ligament damage sustained in the 2-2 draw with
Romanian outfit Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League qualifiers during the
summer. However Valencia - who is expected to return to first team action
within six weeks or so - has signalled that his rehabilitation is going well
by posting a short video of himself training on a mattress, in order to
strengthen his ankle and knee muscles. Last month the Ecuador international
was forced to retract comments he made criticising West Ham's medical team,
whom he had accused on SPanish radio of keeping him waiting with regards to
a clear diagnosis of his injury.

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Carlton Cole set for Premier League move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 21st September 2015
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer and free agent Carlton Cole is in talks with Scottish Premier
League champions Celtic. The 31-year-old has been without a club since
leaving the Boleyn Ground at the end of last season but could be set to join
the Bhoys on a free transfer. According to reports from north of the border
Cole is currently undergoing talks with Celtic chiefs. West Ham's former
number nine was spotted in the crowd at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon as
the hosts thrashed Dundee 6-0. "We will have talks with him and see him in
training this week," said Celtic manager Ronny Deila, speaking at the
weekend. "It is not [a trial]. He has been in London his whole life, so he
has to see what he is coming to and then we will see if it is something that
he likes and we like as well. "I think he is a very good football player and
he shown in the Premier League and also the Championship that he can score
goals and he is different to what we have. "He is a target man, very good in
the air and strong and that is something that, if everything fits, could be
good for us."

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Leicester v West Ham preview: In-form Premier League sides clash
Last Updated: 21/09/15 10:22pm
SSN

Two of the standout performers of the Premier League so far meet at the King
Power Stadium in tuesday's Capital One cup tie. West Ham have already
inflicted away day defeats to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this
season, and will put their reputation to the test against high flying
Leicester City. This is Slaven Bilic's first game in the League Cup since
becoming the manager at Upton Park and will be hoping he can take his team
one step further than the semi-finals that West Ham managed last year.
Comeback kings Leicester currently occupy a Champions League berth and are
the only remaining team unbeaten in the top flight, but have not kept a
clean sheet all season.
In their last two games they have fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2
against Aston Villa and draw 2-2 against Stoke.

Team News

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri will once again make wholesale changes.
The Italian swapped all 11 players at Bury in the previous round and has
hinted he will do the same again. Mark Schwarzer will be in goal and
20-year-old forward Joe Dodoo, who scored a hat-trick against the Shakers,
will make his full home debut. Nathan Dyer is cup-tied but there could also
be starting places for the likes of Danny Simpson, Yohan Benalouane,
Christian Fuchs, Marcin Wasilewski, Dean Hammond, Andrej Kramaric and
Leonardo Ulloa. Youngsters Harry Panayiotou, Andre Olukanmi, Jonny Maddison
and Ben Chilwell may be included in the squad.

West Ham will be without winger Michail Antonio as he is cup-tied having
already played in this season's competition for previous club Nottingham
Forest. Carl Jenkinson could be a doubt after limping off at City while
Angelo Ogbonna (hamstring), Alex Song (ankle) and Enner Valencia (knee) are
still out.

Statistics

Leicester's 12 points from opening six games is their best Premier League
start since 2000-01. It took them 19 games to reach the same amount of
points last season.
The Foxes are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions this season (won
four), scoring 17 goals.
The two teams have already met this season, Leicester winning 2-1 at Upton
Park in August with goals from Shinji Okazaki & Riyad Mahrez. Dimitri Payet
scored for West Ham, who had Adrian sent off.
West Ham have reached the semi-finals in two of the last five seasons, but
lost 9-0 on aggregate to Man City in the 2014/15 semi-finals.
Both sides have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six meetings
in Leicester.

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West Ham away form like walking into a pub full of girls says boss Slaven
Bilic
0 COMMENTS 22:30, 20 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY DAVID MCDONNELL
Hammers won only three times on their travels last season but have done it
already after their FIRST three trips this term – at Arsenal, Liverpool and
Man City
The Mirror

Slaven Bilic summed up his West Ham's side dream start by saying: "It's like
when you come to a pub full of girls – you will like it!"
The Hammers continued their remarkable away form this season with a stunning
triumph at the home of Premier League leaders Manchester City. Victory ended
City's 100 per cent record and confirmed West Ham's status as the kings of
the road, having also won at Arsenal and at Liverpool already this term. The
East Londoners only managed three away wins ALL last term. Now they have
matched that feat in their first three games on the road this season. New
boss Bilic said: "Of course I like it when we're winning. Of course it's
brilliant. I don't know how long this is going to last, to be fair. I hope
it's going to last a long time."
First-half goals from Victor Moses and Diafra Sakho gave West Ham the
platform for their remarkable victory. City's record £54million signing
Kevin De Bruyne pulled one back before the break with his first goal for the
club. But Bilic's men held out, despite a second-half onslaught from the
Blues, who slumped to a second straight home defeat after losing to Juventus
in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Bilic went on to insist it is no fluke West Ham are riding so high in the
Premier League this season. He claimed the blend of flair and graft he has
instilled is the reason they have emerged as the Premier League's surprise
package this term. Former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce mocked the 'West Ham
way' — the perceived nostalgic attacking tradition of the club down the
years. Sir Alex Ferguson, in his updated autobiography, went a step further,
with a sarcastic appraisal of the 'West Ham way', which he branded a myth:
"I hope that before I die someone can explain the 'West Ham way'. What is
it? They last won a trophy in 1980, the FA Cup. I never played against any
West Ham team that played football I was afraid of. They were always
surviving, or lucky as hell against us."

But Bilic has found the right formula, certainly on the road. He has West
Ham playing with a verve, underpinned by a solid defence and a fearless
attitude, that has re-established them as a side with a clear identity. "I
wanted that," said Bilic. "That's what I wanted, with my staff - to have a
team that plays good football. "We are defending, too, but we are defending
on the pitch as football players.
"You can't have more skilful people on the pitch than we have. We have
Lanzini, we have Payet, we have Cresswell, who is not a left-back who is big
and strong, he is also someone who likes to play. Noble likes to play. "The
best thing is to make football players fight for the team. Payet and
Lanzini, they fight for the team and they are running at the end. It's not
common for those type of players to do that, you know what I mean? They like
to be more flashy. That's why we are winning games."

West Ham's remarkable form on the road has been tempered by sobering home
defeats to Leicester and promoted Bournemouth. But the rot there was stopped
by a 2-0 win over visitors Newcastle last Monday. The challenge now is for
Bilic and his players to ensure the swagger they have on the road can be
matched at Upton Park and allow them to build on such an impressive start to
the season. "Sometimes, playing away makes you more organised — not losing
your shape," said Bilic. "No matter who you play away. "It's hard to get
that balance, but sometimes it's easier to play away. And, from that
patience, something may open, because you're not rushing things. It's why
there were many away wins in the Premier League in the first three round of
games. From 30 games, there were only six home wins. "It isn't going to stay
like that, it's impossible. But, especially in the beginning, when you're
desperate for a home win, that pressure, that rushing, is sometimes your
biggest enemy."

Bilic wisely played down expectations following West Ham's stunning start.
"Nobody is saying we're going to finish fourth," he said. "But what do
targets mean? What are targets? Targets are for a club like Manchester
United. "All my targets are about trying to improve us day-in, day-out.
Where is that going to take us? I don't know. "Unfortunately, only six games
have gone. I would love there to be zero games left, but we have to
maintain, we have to improve. There are going to be ups and downs, of
course. But we just have to continue working and live for every day of
training and every game. Then we have a chance."

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Matthew Etherington claims bookies would chase his debts at West Ham
training during gambling addiction
0 COMMENTS 22:16, 21 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY JAMES WHALING
The former Hammers and Stoke winger blew £1.5million on betting during his
career as he struggled with his addiction
The Mirror

Matthew Etherington claims bookmakers from Romford dog track used to turn up
to West Ham training to chase up debts he owed them. Etherington struggled
with a gambling addiction throughout his career, blowing £1.5million on
betting over the course of his time in football. It left him £800,000 in
debt and cost the ex-Stoke winger his marriage. The 34-year-old retired in
2014 after failing to recover from a back injury. He now admits his gambling
problems made him into 'a great liar'. "When a bill came through the
letterbox, I'd put it in the bin," he told The Times . "Mad. I was devoid of
any responsibility. Nobody knocked at my door, but people used to turn up at
West Ham's training ground, bookies from Romford dogs. 'Oh hi, yeah I'll see
you tonight!' "I had the gift of the gab. But I wouldn't turn up. I'd go to
a different track. They'd come back the next day, but as a gambler you
become a great liar. Ultimately, that's what I was."
Etherington now hopes to forge a career in managament, and regularly attends
Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

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Slaven Bilic's West Ham are the story of the season so far after their
latest giant-killing exploits
1 COMMENT 13:47, 21 SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION BY DARRENLEWIS
The Hammers stunned Manchester City on Saturday and are barely recognisable
from the side of 2014/15
The Mirror

Power in midfield, pace and trickery down the flanks and cutting edge in
front of goal. This isn't the West Ham that we've come to know and love.
Certainly not for a few years. It certainly isn't the collections of
has-beens and cast-offs that have spent previous Premier League campaigns
trying (and sometimes failing) to keep their heads above water. This is the
most exciting squad to come out of Upton Park since the days of Cole,
Carrick, Kanoute, Sinclair, Ferdinand, Lampard and Di Canio. Even the squad
beaten so agonisingly in the FA Cup final by Liverpool nine years ago
(Ashton, Harewood, Sheringham, Reo-Coker, Benayoun, etc) had more than a few
weak links. Saturday's stunning result, to sink seemingly-invincible-at-home
Manchester City, is being eclipsed by Arsenal rage, Costa-fuelled
controversy at Chelsea and Anthony Martial's impressive start at Manchester
United. West Ham, however, pulled off one of the performances of the season
so far at the Etihad. Having worked hard over the last two summers to bring
in more steel and quality, the Irons are reaping the rewards through the
likes of Payet, Sakho, Moses, Cresswell and Lanzini.

Their approach in the transfer market may have appeared scattergun this
summer, raising the bar in bidding for practically anything decent that
moved, but it is paying off. In fact, Saturday's win was all the more
impressive when you consider the fact that the Hammers were without their
best midfielders, Cheikou Kouyate and Alex Song, and their most expensive
defender, Angelo Ogbonna. Yet Slaven Bilic has already fostered a fighting
spirit within his team, who have now won at Arsenal and Liverpool as well as
City. It does, of course, make it all the more curious that his side were
convincingly beaten at home by both Leicester and Bournemouth. Those defeats
(combined with the eventual disappointment of last season after the Irons'
hugely promising start) are keeping feet firmly on the ground behind the
scenes at Upton Park.

Bilic, however, has turned frowns into smiles after admitting himself that
he was up against it in the wake of Bournemouth's shock 4-3 victory. He has
done it with a squad possessing a greater variation in tactics and more
depth than the club were used to under Sam Allardyce There is no more
reliance on any one player returning to fitness while even without their
injured stars the Irons' bench at the Etihad included players able to come
on and change the game: Andy Carroll, Mauro Zarate, Nikita Jelavic and
Michail Antonio. With Enner Valencia still to return from injury it is easy
to see why the future is bright at Upton Park. Bilic is well aware that he
was fortunate to have landed the job in the first place after the likes of
David Moyes, Rafa Benitez, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti decided against
it.

Which is probably why, after that Bournemouth upset, he bizarrely claimed he
was under pressure - just three League games in. That said, the club had
spent the summer spent targeting a string of players superior to the level
that they had been used to at the Boleyn for some time - only for Bilic to
fail to reach the group stages. So when that Bournemouth surrender came on
the back of a home defeat to Leicester it looked as though the success in
winning at Arsenal on the opening weekend had been a fluke. Throw in the
rash of early red cards to suggest a lack of discipline at a stage of the
campaign when things haven't even warmed up yet and the Irons appeared in
for a bumpy ride. How they have responded since then, with character and
quality to leave many of the people deriding the club for hankering after
the so-called 'West Ham way' now claiming their style of play to be exactly
that. Even players not in the first team are understood to be impressed with
Bilic in terms of his management style and his training methods.

Tomorrow night's Capital One Cup tie at Leicester presents a chance for
those squad stars to force their way into the Croat's thinking for Saturday
at home to Norwich. And the team's performances over the next batch of games
- Norwich is followed by Sunderland and Palace away - will be interesting.
They've been consistent against the big teams with nobody expecting anything
of them. Can they now put together a run of form against the sides against
whom they will be favourites?

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West Ham's Diafra Sakho eyeing away wins at Man United and Chelsea to
complete stunning clean sweep
1 COMMENT 16:08, 21 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
The Hammers have already recorded victories on the road against Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City but Sakho wants more
The Mirror

West Ham striker Diafra Sakho has warned Manchester United and Chelsea:
You're next! Sakho is eyeing a clean sweep of away wins at all the Premier
League's big boys after helping West Ham to wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and
Manchester City already this season. Slaven Bilic's side go to Manchester
United in December and visit Chelsea next March. And Sakho, who scored in
the victories at Anfield and the Etihad on Saturday, said: "These are
amazing results. "I am very happy for the team that we have been able to win
at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. They were all great performances.
"This is a very long season and now we want victories at Manchester United
and Chelsea!" West Ham are back in action against Leicester tomorrow
(Tuesday) in the Capital One Cup and Sakho added: "It is very important that
we recover well and prepare for the Leicester game."

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DG sends a big thank you
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has sent a thank you message to both Hammers and Manchester City
fans following the Irons near miraculous victory at the Etihad.

Once again the Claret and Blue Army were in fabulous voice as the team
produced a result to die for and Gold couldn't praise them highly enough.

He said that despite the unbearable tension of the second half when even the
most diehard fan was expecting City to "equalise at the very least" the fans
had provided the kind of support that almost demands a response.

He said: They always amaze me. They really are incredible. If their feeling
were anything like mine they would have expected City to score at any time.
Their support was critical and as ever they were superb."

But he also had words of gratitude for the City fans whom he claimed despite
their disappointment had been excellent in defeat.

He said: It's a great club with great fans and they were very generous to us
– they can be proud of themselves. A great response from them."

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Gold: 'Hammers will field a strong team to win!'
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham Chairman David Gold has told West Ham fans that Slaven Bilic will
field a strong team tomorrow night to win although he admitted there might
be some changes.

Gold told his 123,000 twitter followers "I'm sure there will be a few
changes but we will take a strong team to Leicester to WIN dg"

Whatever happens Michel Antonnio and Nikica Jelavic will not be included in
tomorrow's action as both are cup tied.

AntonioAntonio played in the League cup first round for Nottingham Forest
scoring two late goals but it was not enough to overcome Walsall who won 4-3
after a 90th minute penalty.

Jelavic also played the first round of the League Cup for Hull City, after
he played the first 60 minutes of the draw against Accrington Stanley before
being substituted by Chuba Akpom. Hull eventually won the match 4-3 on
penalties after drawing 2-2 after extra time. Jelavic took no part in the
second round of the league cup when Hull beat Rochdale 1-0 to go through to
the third round. Jelavic joined the Hammers just six days later.

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Good try Sam but no cigar
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Well if you weren't to know it wouldn't take a lot of working out, Sam
Allardyce has a book coming out next month.

He has been in the Sunday papers claiming all West Ham managers have trouble
with our fans and that the owners were working behind his back to get a new
boss in.

Well yes, that's how it works as he explained – and it's no big deal – that
he would have known about it as he managed to explain to us all.

Sam's arrival on Twitter using the book cover as his profile picture tells
us all we need to know about what's going on and no doubt the autobiography
will contain a bit more juice.

I'm personally interested to see whether there will be anything surrounding
the Ravel Morrison situation in which Mark Curtis was allegedly involved.

However, the point of this is that the newspaper revelations this weekend
would have been in the paper much earlier in the week ahead of a match from
which we might have been expected to take a hammering, this providing
maximum impact for Sam's revelations.

In fact we won the most victory of recent years under his successor who has
made the most incredible start to his Irons career.

If the timing of the Mirror Group's story was accidental we apologise but if
not all that needs to be said is: Good try Sam but no cigar.

It will also be interesting to see how long the guy remains on Twitter after
his book has been published.

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Slav sets Capital One Foxes trap!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 20, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Carl Jenkinson looks likely to continue on the right side of the back four
when the Irons take on Leicester City on Tuesday evening.

A crackerjack Capital One clash looks on the cards as Slav's Kings of the
Road look to score their fourth away win of the season.

The two teams are locked together in third and fourth places in the Premier
League table and with a home defeat to avenge the Irons will be putting out
a strong side.

Jenkinson left the action after 84 minutes at the Etihad to be replaced by
James Collins although we are told there are no injury problems.

It's likely that with a late return to training, and a one game lay off
because of a red card against Bournemouth, Jenks may have been feeling the
pace against City towards the end.

However, the Arsenal loanee is likely to retain his place in the team with
the alternative being, James Collins who came on as a late sub for him going
to central defence and James Tomkins switching to right back.

Andy Carroll is set to get at least an hour as Slaven Bilic gives Diafra
Sakho a well earned rest.

A source told ClaretandHugh: "Given the amazing start the boss can play a
very strong start. We are giving the cups a real go this season and are up
there to win!"

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Banished Iron's position described as a "mess"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 21, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H

Morgan Amalfitano looks to have burned all his West Ham bridges. And
ClaretandHugh can reveal that a possible move to St Etienne broke down in
August. There is now very little chance of peace breaking out between
manager Slaven Bilic and the player after disciplinary problems saw him
banished to training with the Development squad. We understand that the
French club were interested in signing the player at around two million
euros but that they couldn't meet Amalfitano's personal terms. The
midfielder allegedly wanted around the same sort of pay deal as he has at
West Ham which was clearly unattainable and that the move broke down as a
result. We were told that with 21 months left on the player's deal it was
hoped something could be sorted out between the manager and player. But a
highly placed source said: "Nobody can see it happening. It's a stand-off
and to be honest a real mess."

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Ranieri plans wholesale changes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 21, 2015 in News
C AND H

Claudio-RanieriClaudio Ranieri has pledged to make wholesale changes for the
visit of West Ham in the Capital One Cup. He says he will draft in
20-year-old forward Joe Dodoo who scored a hat-trick on his debut at Bury in
the last round believing he deserves another chance to impress. Yohan
Benalouane, Christian Fuchs, Marcin Wasilewski, Andy King, Andrej Kramaric
and Leonardo Ulloa are all expected to make appearances. Ranieri told the
Leicester Meruy: "I will change a lot of players. More or less the same team
that played at Bury will play. "More or less all 11 I will change, because
before the matches I look and everyone works hard and is very well, and then
I pick just 11. But the others deserve to play. "It is important to win
against a very good team. They have won three times away at fantastic teams
like Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. You can't ask for any more. But
we are ready."

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West Ham's Man City goal hero Sakho won't be happy until Man Utd and Chelsea
wins in bag
WEST HAM striker Diafra Sakho is targeting more big-name scalps after
scoring what proved to be the winner at Manchester City on Saturday.
By ADAM SKINNER
PUBLISHED: 13:03, Mon, Sep 21, 2015 | UPDATED: 13:29, Mon, Sep 21, 2015
Express.co.uk

Sakho bundled home after Victor Moses had opened the scoring and the Hammers
held on despite City rallying with a Kevin De Bruyne goal. Slaven Bilic's
side are the first Premier League club in 10 years to win at Arsenal,
Liverpool and City but Sakho is refusing to settle and wants their
impressive away form to continue. "These are amazing results for us," the
25-year-old said. "I am very happy for the team that we have been able to
win at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. "They were all great
performances. This is a very long season, though, and now we want victories
at Manchester United and Chelsea. "Every player has worked so hard for the
team and had a big motivation to win the game. The manager spoke to every
player and we knew that we had to give 100 per cent."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic must treat League Cup seriously with West Ham
ESPN

Slaven Bilic hailed his West Ham side's performance in their 2-1 win at
Manchester City. Following last Saturday's superb 2-1 win at Manchester
City, West Ham boss Slaven Bilic now needs to concentrate on the midweek
third round Capital Cup match against Leicester City. As if the Croatian
boss needed reminding that you're only as good as your last game, then the
difficult cup tie at the King Power Stadium should make him aware of the
demands of managing a Premier League side. Bilic's side gained a second
round bye in the cup because of their early involvement in the Europa League
and it's hoped to be an advantage that West Ham can benefit from. The League
Cup is a competition that has eluded the Hammers for too long. The club have
had difficult relationships with the competition in all its guises. Back in
1966 when the final was a two-legged affair, they lost to West Brom at the
final hurdle. They returned to the League Cup final in 1981 on the back of
the great FA Cup-winning side of the previous year, but lost out to
Liverpool in a replay at Villa Park. Outside of that, a large number of
semifinal defeats have left supporters frustrated. Perhaps losing to Stoke
City in 1972, largely thanks to a superlative performance by Gordon Banks,
can be excused and there seemed little that Sam Allardyce's side could do to
halt the 9-0 aggregate demolition by Manchester City in 2014. Staggeringly,
however, given how painful those losses were, there have been a number of
other defeats that were harder to stomach. The worst sequence must be the
1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons. Losing 5-0 on aggregate to Luton Town in the
'89 semifinal was bad enough but when the team returned to the same stage a
year later, there were high hopes the Hammers could prevail against Oldham.
Both teams were in the second tier of the Football League at the time, but
West Ham could boast the likes of Liam Brady, Phil Parkes, Julian Dicks and
Alan Devonshire in their ranks. It made little difference. On the infamous
plastic pitch at Boundary Park on a miserably cold, sodden February night,
West Ham were hammered 6-0 by Oldham. They won the return leg 3-0 with some
comfort, but it mattered little.

Things have changed a lot from those days and the fans of many clubs now
view the Capital One Cup as a secondary competition of little importance.
It's long been the case that Champions League sides put out a second-string
team but over the years, many other Premier League and leading Championship
clubs have viewed the competition as a chance to get some faces off the
bench and blood some younger players too. However, the competition has a
proud history, it is a valuable piece of silverware, provides supporters
with a memorable day out at Wembley and a chance to qualify to Europe.
Perhaps some clubs need to protect their investments elsewhere, but it still
seems strange that the competition should be treated so lightly. The fact
that a strong Premier League side should, on paper at least, have a very
good chance of going deep into the competition before the big guns start to
bring out their best players should be an incentive to a club like West Ham.
There really is an opportunity to do well in the cup this season considering
the club's strong start. Leicester, of course, will view the tie in a
similar fashion and as they have already beaten the Hammers at Upton Park,
they will fancy their chances. Nevertheless, with some youngsters already
used in the Europa League and with players like Andy Carroll, James Collins,
Stephen Hendrie and Michail Antonio only performing bench duties so far,
Bilic might be able to point to a stronger back-up squad if the game is to
be turned into a second string affair.

However, fans don't really know how Bilic views the competition and how
strongly he feels about putting out his best side. For the sake of righting
a few historical wrongs, many of the claret and blue persuasion hope the new
manager will take this competition seriously. It may lead to another painful
semifinal but that's a bridge everyone can cross when they come to it.

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