Daily WHUFC News - 5th October 2015

Sunderland 2-2 West Ham United
Whufc.COM

Sunderland 2-2 West Ham United

West Ham United extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games
after coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Sunderland.
First-half goals from Steven Fletcher and Jeremain put the Black Cats in a
commanding position, yet the Hammers dug deep and rallied through strikes
from Carl Jenkinson and Dimitri Payet. The Hammers went into the game
looking for their fourth consecutive away win of the season however a
sluggish start to the game was punished as Steve Fletcher, unmarked from a
free-kick, fired home to give the Black Cats an early lead. Just moments
later, the hosts went close to doubling their lead as Fabio Borini worked a
yard of space before smashing his effort into the side netting. A let off as
the Stadium of Light was rocking. The Irons' first chance of the match fell
to livewire Manuel Lanzini who carried the ball 40 yards before trying a
speculative effort from range. Dick Advocaat's men made the most of their
spell on top when Jeremain Lens picked up a loose pass in midfield and
managed to pull off an audacious chip just out of Adrian's reach. 2-0
Sunderland who were value for their lead. Nevertheless, as the half wore on,
the Hammers grew into the game, yet they had few chances to speak of and it
was Borini who could, perhaps should, have put the game out of sight. The
forward ran on to Ola Toivonen's exquisite flicked pass and fired inches
wide of Adrian's right-hand post. This warning sign appeared to strike the
visitors into life and they gave themselves a lifeline just before half-time
after a sustained period of pressure resulted in Carl Jenkinson sweeping
home Victor Moses' cross. 2-1 at the break and all to play for.

Whatever Slaven Bilic said at half-time seemed to have the desired effect as
the Claret and Blues came out with a much greater intensity and purpose.
Sensing the change in tides, Sunderland became more compact in an attempt to
see the game out; however their task was made much harder when Lens was sent
off after picking up a second yellow card. The change in atmosphere was
palpable. Bilic brought on Nikica Jelavic to add a further presence up front
and the switch paid off as just after the hour mark, the Irons drew level
thanks to superb work from Lanzini, a willing runner all day, who teed up
Payet. The Frenchmen, clean through on goal, was never going to miss. Just
moments later, Payet turned provider as he whipped in an inviting ball for
Jelavic to hurl himself at. Somehow from under the cross bar the Croatian
connected yet it ballooned up and over. Into the final minutes, Bilic's side
were well on top yet could not quite find the final incisive ball. They
enjoyed plenty of possession and balls into the box, yet Sunderland stood
firm.

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, Cattermole, Borini, O'Shea C, Lens, Toivonen
(Larsson 83), M'vila (Gomez 90), Coates, Yedlin, Fletcher (Rodwell 83)
Subs: Mannone, Van Aanholt, Brown, Defoe

Bookings: Lens, Cattermole, Coates
Sent off: Lens
Goals: Fletcher 10, Lens 22

West Ham United: Adrian, Reid (Collins 66), Cresswell, Tomkins, Kouyate,
Jenkinson, Sakho, Noble C (Zarate 79), Moses (Jelavic 58), Payet, Lanzini

Subs: Randolph, Obiang, Antonio, Oxford
Bookings: Noble, Reid, Cresswell, Jenkinson
Goals: Jenkinson 45, Payet 61

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

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Young Hammers extend run at Royals' expense
WHUFc.com

West Ham United U18 won their third Barclays U18 Premier League South game
in a row after beating top of the table Reading 1-0 on Saturday morning.

After back-to-back 2-0 wins against Chelsea and Southampton in the past
fortnight, the Hammers were on their way to making it a third when Idris
Kanu rose well in the penalty box to head home Marcus Browne's cross.

In the second half, Reading midfielder Josh Barrett missed a golden
opportunity to equalise however his penalty was well saved by England youth
international goalkeeper Sam Howes.

The Hammers' first shot on goal came after seven minutes when Browne found
space from 20 yards but dragged his shot well wide of the target.

Just two minutes later, a deep free kick on the right from Joe Powell found
centre half Declan Rice alone at the back post, but his header went straight
into Luke Southwood's hands.

The Irons took the lead after just 14 minutes when a right wing corner from
Powell found its way through to Browne on the opposite wing. His fantastic
first time cross was headed home by Kanu.

Reading rallied after going behind and begun showing some more of the
attacking threat that saw them sit atop of the table and they caught the
Hammers defence napping just after going ahead, Barrett found space in the
box and fired a shot off the top of the crossbar.

Just before half time, it was still the visitors that were having the
majority of chances on goal as they hunted for the equaliser, but neither
Barrett nor Sam Smith could find a way past Howes.

The Royals continued to push forward as 12 minutes after half time, Smith
thought he'd equalised for the Royals until he realised that the assistant
referee had flagged for offside. Replays showed that the visiting player was
onside and the goal should've stood.

On 70 minutes, the hosts could've punished their Berkshire guests when
George Dobson stole back possession in the midfield, drove forward but only
managed to fire his shot straight at Southwood.

Dobson was then involved in another West Ham chance, as he linked up with
substitute Grady Diangana who forced a great strong save out of Southwood
once again.

With just five minutes left on the clock, Reading were given a huge lifeline
when Tunji Akinola was punished for tripping Smith in the penalty box,
although Howes made a fantastic low save to keep the Hammers ahead.

That was the start of the excitement as the game entered the final stages.
Dobson had a header from six yards well saved by Southwood, before Browne
and Reading's Gabriel Osho were both cautioned after an on-pitch brawl.

The Academy held on in the final few minutes of the game as the Reading
pressure increased, with West Ham securing their third league victory in a
row.

Up next for West Ham in the Premier League is a trip to Aston Villa U18 on
Saturday 10th October, kick-off is 12pm.

U18: Howes, Akinola, Rice (Eggleton), Pask, Borg, Carter, Sylvestre, Dobson,
Browne, Powell (Diangana), Kanu
Subs not used: Rosaire Longelo, Henry, Boness.

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Bilic: Our reaction in the second half was excellent
WHUFc.com

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic praised his side for their excellent
second half performance and felt the Hammers could have come away with all
three points. After going two goals down in the first half, the West Ham
players showed all their fighting qualities to get back into the game and
goals from Carl Jenkinson and Dimitri Payet helped secure a well deserved
2-2 draw. Sunderland were reduced to ten-men in the second half when
Jeremain Lens was sent off and Bilic was clearly going for the victory
bringing on both Mauro Zarate and Nikica Jelavic, but the Hammers were
unable to clinch a winner. Bilic said: "It was our first away game that we
went behind and it was a very cheap goal. It lifted them as they have not
been in this position this season. "It was then a big mistake from us for
the second goal. We were then lucky not to be three down and the crucial
moment of the game was the last ten minutes of the second half and we
managed to score a goal. "We showed after that goal that we were going to
raise the game. Our team-talk at half-time was good and our reaction in the
second half was excellent. We scored early on and then dominated. "They had
a man sent-off and after than it was all us. We wanted the game to last
longer but when you see the character and spirit it was a good point. "We
finished the game with Lanzini in central midfield with Payet and Zarate on
the flanks and Sakho and Jelavic through the middle and we could not have
done more. "Overall the second half was really good for us."

Bilic had special praise for Manuel Lanzini who produced a superb display in
the Hammers midfield and played a crucial role in the Payet equaliser. Bilic
added: "He is that type of player and that is why we got him. People are
saying he is a number ten, for me he is not that and he likes to get a lot
of contact on the ball and he is gaining space. I like him a lot as a player
and he is a big asset for us.
"He is the one that gives Payet a breather and the opportunities to get the
ball when he is not marked. The two of them are really good together."

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Antonio - I have to wait for my opportunity
WHUFC.com

West Ham United winger Michail Antonio is relishing the fierce competition
for places and hopes to make his breakthrough into the first-team in the
near future. Antonio has been waiting patiently for his chance following his
big money move from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day. With West
Ham United unbeaten in their last four league games the talented forward
knows he faces a battle to win a regular starting place in the side. But the
25-year-old says he is ready for the challenge and hopes to show Slaven
Bilic why he should be given a chance to showcase his talents in the Premier
League. Antonio said: "There is big competition for places with Dimitri,
Lanzini and Moses who can play out wide. "I have just got to be patient and
wait for my opportunity and when I get it hopefully I can take it. "There
are quality players in every position at Premier League level and when you
get the shirt you have got to keep performing well. "Even though we had a
2-2 draw with Norwich there are always positives you can take from the game
and getting a last minute equaliser. "We are still in good form and unbeaten
so we need to keep pushing on and see where it takes us."

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Jenko enjoys first West Ham goal
WHUFc.com

Carl Jenkinson was left wondering what might have been after his first West
Ham United goal dragged the Hammers back into contention at the Stadium of
Light on Saturday. With Slaven Bilic's men two goals down and seemingly set
to surrender their unbeaten away Barclays Premier League record, full-back
Jenkinson timed his run to perfection to convert Victor Moses' centre in
first-half stoppage time. Jenkinson's timing was perfect in every sense.
The full-back's stylish left-footed finish gave the Hammers renewed impetus
after the break and once Dimitri Payet had levelled proceedings, the
visitors looked much the likelier to wrestle all three points from the lowly
Mackems. But even in spite of Jeremain Lens' subsequent dismissal for two
bookable offences after 57 minutes, Sunderland battled away to claim a share
of the spoils, leaving Jenkinson, ultimately, to rue missed opportunities.
He told West Ham TV: "It's nice to get on the scoresheet. I don't do it too
often, so it's great. "I saw Victor [Moses] getting down the line. I've got
to try to get in the box sometimes, it came to me and I slotted it home.
"Obviously it was a good time to score just before half-time and I think
that rattled them a bit. "In the second half we just dominated the game. We
had chances and just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Fair play
to Sunderland they dug deep and they got the result. "We're disappointed
that we didn't score again and get three points, but we're on a good little
run now and we've not lost in a while. Of course we wanted to win and it's a
bit frustrating. Sunderland dug deep and sometimes you have to give the
other team a bit of credit."

The Hammers' second-half resurgence was a far cry from much of the first
half, with a rampant Sunderland threatening to run away with proceedings.
And Jenkinson himself confessed that it could have been a whole lot worse at
the interval. "To be fair, Sunderland were brilliant in the first half.
We started well but then we let them play and we had a dip," he confirmed.
"We were fortunate to only be two behind at one point. But once we got back
into the game, from then on there only really looked like there was going to
be one team to go on and win the game. "It's a shame that we couldn't get
that last goal to be honest. But it wasn't through a lack of effort."

All in all, the Hammers can reflect on another positive away day, with ten
points now gleaned from a possible 12 on their travels, and Jenkinson hopes
the Hammers can cement an excellent start to the new campaign. "It's great,
it's a really good away record. It's something we can proud of and we've got
to build on that now. "We've got some tough games coming up and we've got
to in there with confidence, which obviously we've got right now."

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Cresswell - We could have got the victory
WHUFC.com

West Ham United defender Aaron Cresswell was disappointed that his side
could not go on to record a victory over Sunderland even though they came
from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw. Cresswell was pleased to see the
positive reaction from his team-mates after they suffered such a bad start
to the game when goals from Steven Fletcher and Jeremain Lens put the home
side into a comfortable lead.
But Carl Jenkinson's first goal for the Club right on half-time and Dimitri
Payet's second half equaliser ensured the Hammers extended their unbeaten
run in the league to five matches. Cresswell feels the result could have
been even better after Lens was shown a red card midway through the second
half, but the team could not find the all important winner late in the game.
Cresswell said: "I think we could have got the victory at the end of the
game. We went two goals down and we know the first half simply wasn't good
enough. "It has happened to us a couple of times but we knew it was going to
be tough coming to Sunderland with what is happening there at the moment.
We knew the gaffer was not going to be happy with us at half-time but all
credit for the way we came out fighting in the second half.
"They were reduced to ten-men for the last 35 minutes and it was a bit of a
disappointing end as you would have fancied us to get the three points, but
it wasn't meant to be. "It was frustrating and they were always going to
drop off and defend their 18-yard box which they did and we couldn't get the
goal to go on and win the game. "We have a little break now and then we go
again (against Crystal Palace)."

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Reece Oxford: West Ham manager explains England U17 omission
BBC.co.uk

West Ham's Reece Oxford was left out of England's Under-17 World Cup squad
because of concerns over fatigue, says Hammers manager Slaven Bilic.
Midfielder Oxford, 16, has appeared in three Europa League and three Premier
League games this season. England play their first World Cup match against
Guinea in Chile on 17 October, with the final on 8 November. "Reece is an
exceptional talent that we have to nurture. And we need him in the first
team," said Bilic. "We have made a long-term plan for him to not to affect
his body and his development. If we let him go for one and a half months or
whatever, it's no good." Oxford captained England when they qualified for
the World Cup by beating Spain on penalties in a play-off in May. Bilic
added: "We are trying to sort that situation out with the Football
Association and with Reece. "My opinion is that if he plays, he should play
for the Under-21s at least."

Oxford impressed on his Premier League debut as West Ham beat Arsenal on the
opening day of the season on 9 August. He played 79 minutes in that game,
was substituted at half-time against Leicester the following week and came
on for the final eight minutes against Liverpool on 29 August, his most
recent first-team match.

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Sunderland 2 West Ham 2
3 October 2015
Last updated at 18:12
By Neil Johnston
BBC Sport

Sunderland are yet to win in the Premier League this season after blowing a
2-0 lead to draw against West Ham at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats raced 2-0 ahead, Steven Fletcher firing home from Yann
M'Vila's free-kick before Jeremain Lens's sublime chip doubled the
advantage. Carl Jenkinson led the fightback after Victor Moses' cutback
before Lens was sent off for a second yellow card. A mistake by Costel
Pantilimon allowed Dimitri Payet to equalise.

What next for Advocaat?

Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole was at his tigerish best in the first
half, making five recoveries (yellow), three interceptions (blue), one
tackle (green) and one clearance (purple) There were mixed feelings for
Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat at the final whistle.
Though his side allowed a comfortable lead to slip, the point was enough to
haul them off the bottom of the table above Newcastle United, who lost 6-1
at Manchester City. The build-up to the game was dominated by reports
Advocaat was considering quitting, having apparently become disillusioned
with working on a limited budget. The former Netherlands manager's players
showed they were behind him by turning in their best 45 minutes of the
season against a team who had won their previous three away league games -
at Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. Fletcher marked his return by
lashing home from inside the area following M'Vila's free-kick before a
sublime finish from Lens doubled the lead. The Dutch forward produced a
wonderful chip over Adrian after a through-ball from the impressive M'Vila,
the goal reducing Advocaat to tears of joy. But Sunderland were made to pay
as Fabio Borini spurned one great chance to put the game out of sight and
John O'Shea was denied by Adrian.

West Ham hard to beat

West Ham, who twice came from behind to secure a point in their last game
against Norwich, again showed character to rescue a point when all seemed
lost. They were back in the game when Jenkinson converted Moses's cutback on
the stroke of half-time. Sunderland's afternoon went downhill when they were
forced to play more than half-an-hour with 10 men after Lens' 57th-minute
red card for a second bookable offence. West Ham were level when Pantilimon
could not hold Manuel Lanzini's shot from distance and Payet was on hand to
convert the rebound. The Hammers, who drop from third to fifth in the table,
are unbeaten in their past five league matches.

Man of the match - Victor Moses

Victor Moses has only been at West Ham one month but the on-loan winger from
Chelsea is already proving a shrewd signing. Moses was brilliant in the
build-up to the goal that allowed Carl Jenkinson to reduce the deficit. Had
Sunderland gone in at 2-0 at half-time, the outcome could well have been
different

What they said

Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat: "The performance has to lift the spirits.
We showed if we work hard, we can get points and results, because West Ham
are a good side and we know they have had good results in their away games,
so I have to give compliments for their performance."

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic: "If you asked me yesterday would I
take a point, I would never say I would take a point, we want three but we
knew it would be a hard game. "Emotions are mixed, a point is a point is
especially when we were 2-0 down, but if we look at the last 20 minutes I am
disappointed we didn't capitalise on it. But we are not greedy. It's a good
point for us."

What next?

There will be relief at the Stadium of Light that Sunderland are not
propping up the Premier League table going into the international break. Yet
they face a challenging time when the domestic campaign resumes in two
weeks' time. They are away at West Bromwich Albion on 17 October before
hosting fellow strugglers Newcastle United in the Wear-Tyne derby on 25
October.
West Ham, unbeaten on their travels this season, are at Crystal Palace on 17
October before hosting champions Chelsea on 24 October.
The stats that matter

Sunderland have won just one of their past seven Premier League games
against the Hammers (D4 L2).
Advocaat's first Premier League game in charge of Sunderland was the meeting
between the two sides in March, won by West Ham. The Dutchman has taken just
15 points from 17 league games.
Payet has had a hand in 14 goals (five goals, nine assists) in his past 16
league appearances (Premier League & Ligue 1 combined).
Mark Noble's booking after one minute 44 seconds was the second-quickest in
the Premier League this season.
Sunderland have averaged a red card every 852 minutes in Premier League
history - only two clubs have received one more frequently (Blackburn - 842
mins, Hull- 720 mins).
Sunderland had 12 shots in this game but only one of them came after
half-time.

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West Ham bosses Sullivan and Gold lucky not to be on crashed plane
Last Updated: 04/10/15 6:20pm
SSN

West Ham United co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have said they were
fortunate not to be on the light aircraft which crashed in Essex on
Saturday, killing the two crew. Sullivan and Gold had been due to fly from
Stapleford Airport to the north east where their team were playing
Sunderland in a Premier League fixture. There were two planes available to
them - one was the Beechcraft King Air 200 turboprop aircraft which came
down in a field in Chigwell shortly before 10.20am. Sullivan said: "The
aviation company, London Executive Aviation (LEA), have two planes and we
have flown on that particular plane about 50 times. "It was 50/50 whether we
got on the plane that crashed or the other one. It's a real shock. My heart
goes out to the families of the pilots, it's very, very sad. "When we
arrived at the airport it was already closed off because of the crash and we
had to divert to Stansted to get a flight to Newcastle to get to the
Sunderland game. We were a bit late for the match." He added: "We used that
airline all the time and they are really excellent." Investigations are
continuing into why the aircraft crashed only moments after take-off. Both
people on board were described by LEA as "highly-experienced professional
pilots".

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Sunderland 2-2 West Ham: Dimitri Payet earns point amid uncertainty over
Dick Advocaat's future
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 03/10/15 8:55pm
SSN

Sunderland blew a two-goal lead as they drew 2-2 with West Ham in what could
be Dick Advocaat's final game in charge. Uncertainty over the manager's
future did not prevent the home side taking a 2-0 lead, with excellent goals
from Steven Fletcher (10) and Jeremain Lens (22) scant reward for their
early verve. Had Fabio Borini then taken a one-on-one chance a first Premier
League win of the season would surely have been in the bag, but Carl
Jenkinson halved the deficit right on half-time and Dimitri Payet equalised
(60) two minutes after Lens was shown a red card. Amid the drama of a
sending-off, a surrendered lead and a manager supposedly on the brink, it
should not be overlooked that Sunderland became the first team this season
to deny West Ham an away win. In doing so they prevented Slaven Bilic
breaking new ground as the first Hammers boss in the Premier League era to
win four straight on the road, but the Croat will know his side could easily
have made the trip back south with nothing at all. If the rumours about
Advocaat swirling around Wearside were designed to bring a response from his
players, then it worked big-time as their early ploy of sitting off the
visitors gave way to an attacking first-half performance of real menace.
Fletcher's opener was the catalyst; the Scot peeling off to the penalty spot
to sweep in Yann M'Vila's training-ground free-kick as John O'Shea made
mischief with West Ham's muddled markers. Better, implausibly, was to come,
with Payet's poor pass forcing a rushed clearance from Winston Reid and
again M'Vila capitalised, sliding through Lens for a beautiful first-time
chip which beat Adrian and found the net via the crossbar. The goalkeeper's
one-handed stop kept out O'Shea's header, but he was committed minutes later
as Fletcher's flick sent Borini in on goal. The Italian picked his spot:
sadly for Sunderland it was a foot outside the post. Still they should have
gone in with a two-goal lead, but three defenders failed to prevent Victor
Moses delivering a left-wing cross, and Jenkinson careered up from
right-back to fire a first West Ham goal.

The nerves among the home fans were obvious, and with good reason: referee
Neil Swarbrick was officious all afternoon in dishing out eight yellow
cards, but Lens' hack at Reid more than merited the second yellow that came
his way. And any hope of a rearguard action went by the wayside within a
couple of minutes as Costel Pantilimon spilled Manuel Lanzini's shot
straight to a grateful Payet, who gobbled up a fourth Premier League goal. A
home defeat seemed almost inevitable at that point, but Sunderland regrouped
admirably and held out comfortably but for one Lanzini shot that missed by a
whisker.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is happy with his teams positive performance,
after a difficult first half, against Sunderland.

Soccer Saturday verdict - Matt Le Tissier

"For the first time this season, I thought Sunderland could stay in the
Premier League. They got the early goal which gave them a great boost of
confidence. The turning point came when Borini had the chance to put
Sunderland 3-0 up. It was inches wide and it should have been game over.
"West Ham got a goal before half-time and the momentum swung when Lens was
sent off for Sunderland. Pantilimon was at fault for the second goal, but
Sunderland showed a lot of character to hold on for the point."

Player ratings

Sunderland: Pantilimon (4), Yedlin (6), Coates (7), O'Shea (7), Jones (7),
Cattermole (7), M'Vila (7), Toivonen (8), Lens (6), Borini (7), Fletcher
(7).

Subs used: Larsson (n/a), Rodwell (n/a), Gomez (n/a)

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

Subs used: Jelavic (5), Collins (6), Zarate (6)

Man of the match: Ola Toivonen (Sunderland)

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Slaven Bilic tells West Ham to stop first-half shockers after draw at
Sunderland
Last Updated: 03/10/15 7:24pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic called on West Ham to sort out their first-half performances
after they salvaged a 2-2 draw at Sunderland. The Londoners went to Wearside
chasing a fourth straight away win for the first time in the Premier League
era, but they were 2-0 down inside 22 minutes against a side yet to win in
the league. But Carl Jenkinson halved the deficit right on half-time, and
Dimitri Payet completed the comeback after Sunderland had Jeremain Lens sent
off. Bilic told Sky Sports: "We couldn't be worse than we were in the first
half, losing second balls and all that, and our offensive players were
simply not there. "But at the end of the game it's a good point for us. We
are sitting good in the table, we scored two goals and we ended very
positively with us trying for half an hour to win the game. "We can talk
about two totally opposite emotions. It was awful in some parts of the first
half - they could even have been three up, but we showed good team spirit
and quality. We ended up totally dominating the game."

West Ham were two goals down at the break against Leicester and Bournemouth
earlier in the season, and Bilic said: "OK - we are not Real Madrid, not
Manchester United, but we shouldn't be like we were in a couple or maybe
three first halves so far. "Sometimes it can happen but three out of eight
is, for my taste, a bit too much." Bilic shared a final-whistle embrace with
Dick Advocaat, whose future as Sunderland manager is uncertain. He said: "I
would really like him to stay because I saw him on the touchline with me and
he is full of energy. It would be a shame if he goes, and I really hope that
he stays."

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Top six Hammers could hit second place
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
Cand H

West Ham tonight sit in sixth place having slipped one place from yesterday
as a result of today's games.

Arsenal's thumping win over Manchester United lifted the north Londoners
into second place but that other team in that part of the world could manage
only a draw at Swansea and remain two places and a point beneath us.

Before today's matches there was a chance we could slip as far as eighth so
to be holding our place in the top six is a result as we prepare to meet
fourth places Palace at Selhurst Park after the international break.

We sit just one point behind Alan Pardew's outfit and on the same day
Leicester, one point ahead of us, travel to Southampton whilst Arsenal visit
Watford and Everton - one point below us - are at home to Manchester United.

What it all adds up to is that if we win at Palace, Leicester, United and
Arsenal lose we go second whilst the worst scenario is that a defeat at
Selhurst and wins for Everton and Spurs could dump us into eighth place.

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AC told he may never have another major injury
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold is again singing the praises of Irons record signing Andy
Carroll. The co chairman believes that the big fella deserves all the credit
in the world for fighting his way back from injury and has regularly leapt
to the player's defence publicly. Carroll was not risked at Sunderland
yesterday after suffering bruising to an ankle during last weekend's match
against Norwich City The club insist it isn't serious and that he will be
available after the international break but in the meantime DG has been
responding on twitter to the player's injury problems. He said: "Carroll is
the bests English centre forward of his type imo. He could easily go the
rest of his career without a major injury. dg." He was also delighted with
the team's recovery at the Stadium of Light yesterday after going two down
adding:"Great fight back after falling behind to Sunderland our fans were
magnificent. dg"

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Alan Shearer 'West Ham are doing VERY well'
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 4, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Last season BBC Match of the Day presenter Alan Shearer was one of a number
of pundits who trotted out the infamous line of 'Be careful what you wish
for' to West Ham fans after Sam Allardyce's contract with the Hammers was
not renewed. Alan Shearer said at the time following Big Sam's departure
"All the teams he's left have plummeted afterwards. Look what happened to
Blackburn, Bolton & Newcastle when Big Sam left. Be careful what you wish
for, West Ham fans" After the Hammers beat Man City in September Shearer
wrote on his official twitter. "West Ham first team in 10 years to beat
Arsenal, Liverpool & Man City away in a season. Can't believe they didn't
get rid of Sam sooner" Last night on BBC's match of the day Shearer was
forced to admit "West Ham are doing VERY well." Apology accepted Mr Shearer
or the closest we will probably get to him admitting he was wrong!

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