Daily WHUFC News - 2nd October 2015

Song itching to return
WHUFC.com

Alex Song cannot wait to make his return to action with West Ham United. The midfielder returned to the Hammers for a second loan spell on deadline day but has had to wait for his debut after undergoing ankle surgery in the summer. But with a comeback now in sight, Song is itching to pull his boots on once more. He said: "I'm getting better and don't want anything to hurt my foot. "It's very hard because I was always playing and seeing your team-mates play, you want to be with them and help them but I can't at the moment. "It's about getting my treatment done properly and then coming back to help the team. "It's good for me to be here, the future of the club is really big, in the next five years West Ham will be a very big club in London and I want to be part of the story."

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Ladies hit eight in cup victory
WHUFC.com

Strikers Emma Sherwood and Whitney Locke both bagged hat-tricks as West Ham United Ladies defeated Burgess Hill Town 8-0 in the first round of the Boux Avenue Ryman Women's Cup.

Marc Nurse's side were 3-0 up within the first 12 minutes when Sherwood confidently claimed her hat-trick, before Locke matched her efforts in the lead up to half time.

Just before the half time break, winger Lily Mellors topped off a fantastic first half performance with a low finish into the corner, with Italian striker Romina Pinna adding an eighth late in the second half.

It was assistant manager Tom Camp who selected the squad and led the team for Wednesday's cup tie, with four changes being made after Sunday's 3-0 FA Women's Premier League South defeat to Forest Green Rovers.

Pinna, along with Kayleigh Xidhas, Giulia Ferrandi and Shirvae Edwards missed the trip south, allowing captain Stacey Little to return after suspension and centre half Danielle Sillitoe to make her first team debut. Locke returned to the side to add threat to the Irons' attack, whilst Mellors overcame an injury to return to the matchday squad.

The first goal took just two minutes to come when Mellors flew down the right wing and managed to find Sherwood alone in the box, who finished well past the keeper.

Within ten minutes, Sherwood had added two more to claim her hat-trick, both of which came in similar fashion to her first.

The goalscoring duties were then handed over to Locke, who secured a hat-trick for herself too by finishing twice from a Mellors cross, along with a long solo run and finish in between.

Just minutes before the half-time break, Mellors turned from provider to scorer when she finished after full back Kerry Stimson's shot was going well wide of the target.

After the break, Camp decided to bring his dangerous front three off including both hat-trick stars, with Sherwood, Locke and Mellors being replaced by Italian duo Pinna and Erika Campesi, along with former Crystal Palace midfielder Danni Ritson.

The eighth and final West Ham goal came on 78 minutes when Burgess Hill's extremely high defensive line allowed a fantastic through ball to find Campesi. She raced through alone, before squaring past the goalkeeper for Pinna to net her first goal since joining the club.

In the final ten minutes, the Hammers continued to try and push their winning margin even further, Camp and co settled for the result and their place in the next round.

Nurse's side will continue in cup action this Sunday when they travel to Canvey Island FC for a second away fixture against C&K Basildon in as many weeks. The FA Women's Premier League Cup First Round fixture will kick-off at 7:45pm and is free entry for all.

Ladies: Chauhan, Stimson, Wheeler, Sillitoe, Bottom, Little (c), Miller, Blanchflower, Mellors (Campesi), Locke (Ritson), Sherwood (Pinna)

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Third in the Premier League - but no Hammers in England squad
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Quelle surprise ... West Ham United players have been overlooked once again for Roy Hodgson's latest England squad.

With West Ham third in the Premier League, hopes were high that one or two Hammers may receive a call-up for the England squad to face Estonia at Wembley (Friday, 9 October) and Lithuania (away) three days later.

However Hodgson has yet again overlooked West Ham's Englishmen in favour of the likes of Danny Ings (Liverpool) and Tottenham's Dele Alli, who has made just three Premier League starts in his career.

That's just one more than West Ham's 16-year-old prodigy Reece Oxford.

Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Cresswell, James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Andy Carroll have all been snubbed despite playing a role in West Ham's wins at venues such as the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad this season.

By way of contrast, Arsenal have three players in the squad (Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott), Liverpool four (Clyne, Lallana, Milner and Ings) whilst Man City have two (Hart and Sterling).

The England Under 21s squad is also missing any representation from West Ham, whilst goalkeeper Sam Howes is the only Hammer to be named in Aidy Boothroyd's Under 19s squad to face Macedonia and Finland next week.

Meanwhile Reece Burke - currently on loan at Bradford City - has been selected by Keith Downing for the Under 20s trip to Germany for the Mercedes-Benz Elite Cup.

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Slaven Bilic warns West Ham that focus must be right at Sunderland
Last Updated: 01/10/15 1:21pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic has warned his West Ham side they cannot afford any let-up in their approach as they prepare to travel to Sunderland this weekend. United have raised eyebrows with wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City already this season and Bilic is expecting an equally tough challenge on Wearside. Sunderland are bottom and searching for their first league win of the season but Bilic warned his players not to be complacent as they look for a fourth conscutive away win for the first time in the Premier League. Bilic said: "Those three away wins mean absolutely nothing for Saturday because if we begin to think it will be easier against Sunderland then we need to stop that. "We are confident but we are expecting a tough, tough game. Neutrals are expecting us to win the game but we have to be fully aware in our approach. We've watched their games and in some of them they've been very unlucky. Up front they have some good individuals with pace."

The Hammers are third in the table with 13 points from seven games and are also joint top scorers with Leicester City on 15 goals.
Bilic said striker Enner Valencia would return to training for the first time since injuring his knee and ankle in a Europa League qualifier in July. He said: "Enner will join us in parts of training today. It is massive news for us that he is getting closer. If everything goes well it's a matter of two or three weeks for him."

Defender Angelo Ogbonna is ruled out on Saturday as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United. Striker Andy Carroll and defender Winston Reid are also doubts.

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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic foresees England recall for Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 01/10/15 10:03pm
SSN

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes Andy Carroll can make the England squad for Euro 2016 if he can stay fit. Carroll has been ravaged by fitness problems since signing for the Hammers from Liverpool in June 2013. The 26-year-old missed five months of the 2013/14 campaign with a heel injury and last season made only 16 appearances after separately tearing ankle and knee ligaments. But Carroll is now close to full fitness, after starting West Ham's Capital One Cup defeat to Leicester last week, and Bilic believes the striker will win an England recall if he avoids further time on the sidelines. "The England squad will come as a logical result if things are cured," Bilic said. "First of all he has to stay away from injuries. Only with that can he be in a position to have a great season. "In the past it has not been because he dropped in form, it's because he was injured. Step number one, he has made it, he has had a good pre-season, even it was after the season already started, he is now fit. "The quality was never in doubt, the problem was fitness and without that you can't have form."
Carroll came off the bench in West Ham's 2-2 draw against Norwich last Saturday but raised concern after taking a heavy challenge on his ankle. A scan has shown no serious damage, however, and the fearless frontman is expected to be available for Saturday's trip to struggling Sunderland. "You don't want to take it away from him, that's why he is Andy Carroll," Bilic said. "It's his biggest enemy but also his biggest quality, that he rolls up his sleeves and he goes straight in the box, gives the centre-half and goalkeeper a bit of a strange look - that's why he's like that. "You want to moderate that a little bit, maybe 10 per cent, tell him not to go for those crazy challenges, but you don't want to take that away because then he would be half the player."

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WHAT IF BIG SAM WAS STILL WEST HAM MANAGER...
By Iain Dale 1 Oct 2015 at 17:00
WTID

Guest Post by Jack C

It may be tiny, but in football terms there is no bigger word.

I can't imagine a single Hammer would want to swap our fantastic start to the season, though after the Norwich game, there is obvious disappointment at our continued poor home form. I've asked myself how we might have started the season had the board kept faith with Sam Allardyce?

Of course, we can only speculate. We'll never know how he would have approached the Europa League, and in particular the away leg against Astra just days before our opener at the Emirates (though I suspect he would have done the same as Slaven and opted to save his best players). And it's impossible to know how his transfer policy would have panned out. Downing and Jarvis could have stayed, and you can bet Nolan would still be skipper, albeit with less game time. Would Sam have had the imagination to tempt Payet, Lanzini and Ogbonna? And would Song have re-signed given Sam practically made him a scapegoat for our end of season dip in form? Almost certainly not.

But let's given him some credit. Overall he brought in some fantastic players since promotion and I think he would have had a few big signings planned. Top of his list would have been an experienced back up keeper, a commanding centre-back (a friend of Scott Dann told me he was approached last season), a winger (who's to say he wouldn't have got Victor Moses in anyway?) and a striker (I think he would have possibly taken a chance on Charlie Austin whose game he would have known a lot more about than Slaven).

Whatever he had achieved in the transfer market, there is one thing I think we can all agree on. His team would have played the same way as always: Safety first, with too much reliance on the long ball, hopeful crosses and a refusal to commit too many players on the break. Only once did he give us a great away win to compare to any of Slaven's three, and that 3-0 at Spurs was based on an enforced team selection that he would never have made willingly.

Still, looking at our opening league fixtures, I think there is an argument to be made that, with Sam in charge, we would now likely be on at least eight points, and maybe 11. Either way we'd be in a solid mid-table place, though we would have all been denied the utter joy of winning those three incredible away games!

(A) Arsenal – We'd have lost here. Sam would have set us up to defend deep, with a lone isolated striker, and once they got their noses in front, that would have been that….again – 0 pts

(H) Leicester – They had a fantastic start and could well have beaten us regardless, but Sam would have known more about them than Slaven and I think we'd have drawn this under him – 1 pt

(H) Bournemouth – I just can't imagine an Allardyce team making so many schoolboy errors. This game would have been made for his tactics. He would have bullied them with crosses and have known about their pace in advance – 3 pts

(A) Liverpool – We would probably have lost here as Sam just didn't instil any confidence in his teams on their travels, and without the win at Arsenal the belief would not have been there. Then again, Liverpool are pretty ordinary and a rear-guard action to secure a 0-0 might have been possible – 0 pts (or 1 pt)

(H) Newcastle – Given their awful start to the season I think a win here was always likely, and let's not forget that we're a different proposition under the lights at Upton Park (oh how those nights will be missed!) – 3 pts

(A) Man City – Let's be brutally honest. An Allardyce team and set-up here would have led to only one conclusion, and probably a very harsh one – 0 pts

(H) Norwich – A possible win but they're a decent team away from home and I recall they would have beaten at home us the year they were relegated but for a special performance from Adrian. I think we'd still have taken just a point, but it would have been a much more boring game! – 1 pt (or 3 pts)

As for our poor home form, I think it's no co-incidence that the three clubs we have failed to beat would have been relatively unknown to Slaven and presented him with a headache. He has proved the big games hold no fear, having managed at International and Champions League level, with both Arsenal and Liverpool held by or beaten by Besiktas.

This is where he really needed a good number two with knowledge of the Premier League, and the English game generally, to guide him. You can bet that Brian Kidd played an important role in Manuel Pellegrini's first season at City, as did Sammy Lee in Ronald Koeman's for Southampton, whilst Ryan Giggs is giving invaluable information to Louis van Gaal. But who did Slaven have? The manager of our ladies team, that's who! Of course we all love Julian and he's probably great for team morale, but I can't imagine he has contributed anything significant tactically. He has as little knowledge about James Wilson or Nathan Redmond as Slaven.

If you're going to make an appointment with Public relations in mind then someone like Kevin Keen, Iain Dowie or Martin Allen would have been a better choice. The last two were also team-mates of Slaven and understand the way Bournemouth and Norwich set up to a tee.

Hopefully Slaven is a quick learner, and will know more about Sunderland before Saturday than he did those other "lesser" teams. Big Sam would have settled for a point there, even though they are bottom with no win! The great thing about Slaven is that he understands that a draw isn't really a great result.

Ultimately the big difference between them is that Big Sam would take 4 draws and some clean sheets on the spin and regard it as a decent run. Slaven would take 2 wins and accept 2 losses. There are more points to be had his way – it makes sense.

Without doubt, we would not be sitting third if Big Sam had stayed, and though I'm equally sure he would have ensured we headed into our new era with a sound footing, it would be a rather anti-climactic one. Both we and the Boleyn deserve better than that.

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Sunderland's Steven Fletcher wants that first win so spotlight will move off rock-bottom club
0 COMMENTS 20:30, 1 OCT 2015 UPDATED 21:35, 1 OCT 2015
BY SIMON BIRD
The Wearsiders and north-east rivals Newcastle are the only sides left in all four divisions without a league victory — will that change when West Ham visit?
The mirror

Steven Fletcher has admitted Sunderland need a win to take the spotlight away from the club. They are one of only two teams in the top four divisions with out a league victory – the other? Their neighbours and bitter rivals Newcastle. But striker Fletcher says rock-bottom Sunderland can clinch their first three-point haul of the campaign against visitors West Ham this weekend, because they are creating chances. He said: "You get that first win and attention goes somewhere else. "There is a lot of attention on us not winning a game. If we do it on Saturday it will help. "We are a bit different to last year. Last year we were draw specialists. Keeping clean sheets, but not scoring. "This year we have got a few goals but not got clean sheets. If we can keep the back door shut and create chances we'll be ok.
"We need to stick at it more when we are top and get a goal to get a team on the back foot. It will be a tough game and they are on good form. "The boys have got to be (confident). "We have to keep upbeat. We have characters to keep the lads upbeat especially on a Monday after a defeat when it is not a nice place to be."

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Happy Hammers front men set to shun moves
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are keen to hold on to all four strikers this season and will only consider loaning any out of they are desperately unhappy.
Diafra Sakho has nailed down the No 1 spot but with Andy Carroll slowly returning to full match fitness the heat is on Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia who is also on the comeback trail. Zarate is also under pressure for his position from Manuel Lanzini who has made a great start to his Hammers career but is desperately keen to emerge as a front line Irons player.

After being loaned out to QPR last season he returned to Upton Park he has returned to show real form with three goals in his eight appearances. And although he was being linked with a move away in the summer he is believed keen to stay and fight for a place in Slaven Bilic's set-up in a system he believes suits him far better than that employed by Sam Allardyce. A source told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We will look at everything in January. Some players are not happy on the bench and might ask to go although Mauro is showing a lot of appetite for the club. "If both AC and Enner Valencia are both 100% fit we are a bit heavy in the forward/striker position but there is a saying you can never have enough forwards and Zarate gives you something different!"

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Irons told not to wrap Carroll up in cotton wool
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Leroy Rosenior has told West Ham they can't wrap Andy Carroll up in cotton wool forever and that it's time to let him loose. ClaretandHugh's chief analyst – aware of reports that Carroll had faced new scans this week following last weekend's action – declared: "They may be being ultra careful with him…on the other hand it could be argued they are becoming over paranoid."

Slaven Bilic revealed in his morning press conference today that the club's record signing is today working with fitness coaches ahead of the weekend game at Sunderland and that he may not be available for the game after his appearance as a sub against Norwich City.

Carroll-West-Ham-team-news-541122Carroll's return seems to have been organised along the lines predicted several weeks ago when it was made clear absolutely no chances would be taken with him.

But Leroy said: "He's a professional footballer who is either fit to play or not. The club appear to be taking extraordinary precautions with him to make sure he is 100 per cent and guaranteed to stand up to things.

"The trouble is in this game there are no guarantees EVER! Anything can happen at any time and they may be becoming a bit paranoid.
"I'm sure Andy just wants to be allowed to be let loose. They can't keep him wrapped up in cotton wool forever. They have to let him off the leash."

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Kouyate deal on the way
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are ready to offer Cheik Kouyate an improved deal but not until the season hits the midway point. The former Anderlecht star has been in great form so far and is believed to want to negotiate around £40 to £45k a week. The all action midfielder is believed to be on around £30k a week at the moment and with his contract not due to run out until 2018 is keen to receive an upgrade. There were strong suggestions in the transfer window that Spurs were keen but ClaretandHugh was assured that the player would be going nowhere but that wage negotiations would be on the agenda later in the season. And today we were told the club will be ready to talk to the player's advisers one the Christmas programme has passed. We were told: "It's the club's usual procedure to look at that time and if negotiations are to take place that's when they would start. "There was a lot of talk about Tottenham at the end of the transfer window but it didn't happen than and it won't – we are always ready to keep our players happy."

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Reid and Carroll could miss Sunderland trip
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer

In-form defender Winston Reid is struggling for fitness ahead of this weekend's trip to Sunderland, says Hammers boss Slaven Bilic. Bilic, speaking to the media this morning ahead of the trip to Wearside also revealed that Andy Carroll - whose presence in the penalty area led to Cheik Kouyate's dramatic late equaliser against Norwich last Saturday - is battling to shake off a knock. "Carroll will train with the fitness coach today," said Bilic. "If it goes well. he will train with us tomorrow. And Reid is doubtful. They are small things, but they may be enough to prevent one or two players from playing."

However there s better news where one or two others are concerned, with Enner Valencia, Alex Song and Angelo Ogbonna all close to returning from long spells on the sidelines. "Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is required to train with the squad," Head of Medical and Sports Science, Stijn Vandenbroucke, told whufc.com. "We had the official team photo on Tuesday and trained at the Boleyn Ground in the morning. We used the stadium stairs to do some fitness work with Enner and Alex Song; Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule. "Angelo Ogbonna has entered the final stages of rehab and will join full training soon."

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It shouldn't be a privilege to watch football, says Bilic
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Slaven Bilic has told the media top flight matches should be affordable to all football fans - just 48 hours before supporters across the country plan a mass protest against the cost of watching Premier League fixtures. This weekend home and away supporters will join forces to deliver the 'Twenty's Plenty' message – a call for all away tickets in England and Wales to be capped at £20. Fans from every Premier League club - along with several in the Football League - will meet ahead of this weekend's fixtures for joint protests, before displaying banners inside stadiums proclaiming 'Fans back Twenty's Plenty'.

And Bilic, speaking to the media ahead of West Ham's trip to Sunderland this weekend, backed fans who believe they are being held to ransom by top flight football clubs. "Football is not golf or polo for VIPs, for the elite," said Bilic. "Football is the people's sport, it is a sport for the masses. It shouldn't be a privilege to be able to go by yourself, with your mates, your girlfriend, your wife or kids to a football game. It should be there for everybody. "On the other hand you have the clubs and teams who are building new stadiums. They invest big money in those great stadiums, they want money back and put the ticket prices up. "For me they should find a balance because the fans are very important for this sport. You see fans in every sport but football games are not just about the quality of the game, they are about the atmosphere at the ground - and that is created by the fans. "So you need fans. Without the fans, it's useless. It shouldn't be a privilege for some people to take their kids - everybody should be able to do that."

The 'Twenty's Plenty' campaign began in 2013 when high away ticket prices were the catalyst, with many away fans expected to pay in excess of £50 or even £60 for tickets. Since then, the campaign has grown and secured improvements for away fans. Premier League clubs have introduced the £12m 'Away Supporters Initiative' while more teams in the Football League are now entering into £20 reciprocal deals for away fans. It has been claimed that the 'Twenty's Plenty' scheme has already saved fans across the country more than £700,000.

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Olympic Stadium information order appealed by London Legacy Development Corporation
Last Updated: 01/10/15 3:08pm
SSN

The decision ordering West Ham to release financial details of the club's move to the Olympic Stadium has been appealed. The Information Commissioner ruled on September 15 that the terms of the deal should be made public, after Freedom of Information was requested by campaigners. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and the Premier League club have attempted to block any unveiling of information, insisting that in the interests of commercial confidentiality the details of the deal involving the largely taxpayer-funded stadium must remain private.

On Thursday, the LLDC made their objections more formal and lodged an appeal against the Information Commissioner's judgment, claiming the order would hamper any future negotiations over its use. Their statement read: "This follows careful consideration, informed by legal advice, and is limited to a smaller number of redactions. "The appeal relates only to information which, if released, could significantly reduce the level of financial return to the taxpayer as it would undermine negotiations with future users of the stadium and other partners. "We have listened to the Commissioner's comments and as a public body are committed to maximising transparency. "As a result, we will shortly publish more details of the agreement with West Ham United in all areas that fall outside the scope of our appeal. "

The Hammers will take on a 99-year deal as tenants of the stadium in east London, at a reported annual cost of £2.5m, from the start of next season. A coalition of club supporters' trusts, who formed to contest the decision to allow West Ham the move, recently praised the decision to release information.

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Big Irons signing told he must wait
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham's £7 million deadline day signing Michail Antonio has been told he will have to wait for his Hammers career to take off. The Victor Moses loan has stood in the way of the former Nottingham Forest wideman's chance and the exit from the Capital One Cup looks set to delay it further. Moses was a hugely expensive signing and the Irons are keen to capitalise on the player's outstanding form which has seen him short listed for the African Premier League Player of the month award. The Irons were determined to snatch the player on deadline day as he was being tracked by two or three other Premier League outfits but should Moses remain fit the 25 year old will need to wait for his chance. ClaretandHugh was told this morning that with the club so spoiled for choice at the moment anything was possible but that Moses was seen as the number one right sided player this term. Our top source said: "He's been terrific since he arrived and yes, we are spoiled for choice but Michail was brought in as the long term prospect for that position. "This season may be frustrating for him but he has a very big future at this club – that's a certainty."

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Midfielder: "We will be a very big London club"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H

Alex Song wants to pull his boots back on big time as he closes in on a return to action. But the midfielder is demonstrating a ot of patience and said: "I'm getting better and don't want anything to hurt my foot." Speaking to www.whufc.com he said: "It's very hard because I was always playing and seeing your team-mates play, you want to be with them and help them but I can't at the moment. "It's about getting my treatment done properly and then coming back to help the team. "It's good for me to be here, the future of the club is really big, in the next five years West Ham will be a very big club in London and I want to be part of the story."

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Great news on Valencia
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H

Enner Valencia is all set to join in with first-team training this week. And the top news is that he could be back sooner than expected possibly even feature for the Hammers this month. Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke told the official site: "Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is required to train with the squad,
"The plan is for Enner to join some parts of team training later in the week and we then hope he will be able to step up his training regime and join in a few full team training sessions next week." Alex Song is also pushing for a return with Vandenbroucke saying: "Injured players also trained in the stadium and we used the stadium stairs to do some good fitness work with Enner and Alex Song. "Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule."

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CandH interviewed for Black Cats v Irons
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C adn H

There's a big weekend prospect with the mighty Irons travelling to Sunderland looking for a win which would take them to a brilliant 16 points. That would be close to half way towards the off mentioned relegation 'safety ' target of 38 points – after just eight games! It will surpass most people's pre-season expectations if we achieve it at such a stage of the season and the Claret and Blue Army are gonna more than a tad be delighted should we bring home another victory on the road. ClaretandHugh's founding editor Hugh Southon was asked to give his view on the match and an awful lot more by top Sunderland fanzine Salut! Sunderland in a lengthy question and answer session. They covered lot of ground including 'The West Ham Way' – myth or reality; the two Davids – good job or bad; Big Sam, the Boleyn Farewell; PDC and much more.

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Slaven's Carroll hopes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H

News of Andy Carroll is encouraging today after it was reported last night that the striker had been to the club's hospital for a check up after the match against Norwich. ClaretandHugh blogger @Exwhuemployee had reported that the club's record signing had been checked over but it seems all is well with the manager declaring he could start at Sunderland. Slaven said in his morning press conference – reported at www.whufc.com: "Angelo Ogbonna is definitely out, there's a chance with Andy Carroll he could play. He's training with the fitness coaches today and then we'll see tomorrow. "Winston Reid is doubtful because he feels something in his back or hip area. They are small things but they may be enough to prevent them from playing on Saturday." However he confirmed the news that Enner Valencia is on his way back and is obviously delighted, saying: ""Yes, it is great news for us. He's been out for a while and is not in contention for this weekend; he is still a few weeks away with that. But he's going to join us in training today and we'll see how he copes. "It is massive for us to have him back. If everything goes well, it is matter of two or three weeks. He is a naturally fit player, but we will not rush him back. Him and Alex Song are going to be a big boost for us."

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What next for Aaron Cresswell after Roy Hodgson's insulting snub?
HITC
Tim Poole

The West Ham left-back has been snubbed in favour of Southampton and Arsenal stars once again. With the way the season has gone so far, this was the perfect chance to reward the 25-year-old for his form at club level with a place in the Three Lions squad. Dele Alli has been rewarded for his form. Danny Ings has been rewarded for 2-3 games of form. And yet West Ham's Cresswell is once again absent from Roy Hodgson's squad. His replacement is Southampton's Ryan Bertrand... who has played just the one game since returning from injury. Not only is the Southampton man ahead of Cresswell, however, but Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs is, too. In the England boss's defence, he may well be thinking about the tournament itself, during which it appears Southampton's Bertrand will be his main choice. But, right now, with the Saints man having played just one game while Cresswell has shone most of the season, the snub is nothing short of insulting. Another small note which probably isn't on Hodgson's mind but perhaps should be: the core of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad was, after all, a West Ham one. That tradition is being a little ignored - especially when Cresswell is such an obvious choice for the left-back slot now that Luke Shaw is injured. Has the Hammers full-back offended someone in the England camp or something...?

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Slaven Bilic: West Ham's away form counts for nothing ahead of Sunderland trip
JAMES OLLEY Thursday 1 October 2015 13:34 BST0 comments
Evening STandard

Slaven Bilic has told his West Ham players they must not let their impressive away form lead to complacency when they visit Sunderland on Saturday. The Hammers travel to the Premier League's bottom club looking to extend a 100 per cent record on the road this season after wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Bilic said: "Those three away wins mean nothing for Saturday because if we think it will be easier against Sunderland, then we need to stop that. We are confident but we are expecting a tough game. Andy Carroll is pushing to make his first Premier League start since January 31

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West Ham co-chairman's son reacts on Twitter to England squad announcement
HITC
Subhankar Mondal

There are no West Ham United players in the current England squad. The son of West Ham United co-chairman David Sullivan has taken to social networking site Twitter to give his reaction to the England national squad announcement. Dave Sullivan is surprised that not a single West Ham player has been called up to the England squad for this month's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania. Sullivan's tweet probably sums up what all West Ham fans are thinking right now. Slaven Bilic's side are third in the Premier League table at the moment and have a number of English players. Aaron Cresswell is one of the best left-backs in the English top flight and has been in good form so far this season, but he cannot get into the Three Lions' squad. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise for West Ham. No England call-up for Cresswell means that there is no chance of him getting injured on international duty.

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WEST HAM PLOTTING SHOCK FREE TRANSFER MOVE FOR INTERNATIONAL FORWARD
By Ste Hoare
IronsInTheCircle

French publication Le10Sport are reporting that West Ham are one of three Premier League clubs – Arsenal and Manchester United being the others – who are interested in signing Ezequiel Lavezzi from PSG. The contract of the 30-year-old Argentine international expires in the summer, and all indications are that he'll leave Paris. He's been used mainly as a substitute so far this season, and if that continues, PSG may look to sell him in January rather than lose him for free in the summer. Lavezzi joined PSG from Napoli for €26.5million in 2012, and has won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles, as well as two French League cups and the Coupe de France. He has been a mainstay in the PSG side ever since signing, but has found himself as a bit-part player so far. This lack of playing time could well see him look to move on in search or regular first team action, something he could get at West Ham

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com




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