Wednesday, October 7

Daily WHUFC News - 7th October 2015

Hammers set for international action
WHUFC.com

Several West Ham United players will be involved in international action
over the next week as the battle to qualify for Euro 2016 hots up.

James Collins' Wales will book their spot in France if they pick up a point
from one of their final two qualifiers, away at Bosnia-Herzegovina or at
home to Andorra. Collins will travel to Zenica for the first game on
Saturday, before returning to Cardiff on Tuesday for what should be a
celebratory evening against the group's bottom side Andorra.

Also involved in European qualifiers is goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who has
been called into the Republic of Ireland squad for their games against
Germany in Dublin on Thursday and Poland in Warsaw on Sunday.

Ireland are currently third in the group and will be hoping to seal at least
a play-off slot come the end of the double-header.

Elsewhere, Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho are both in the Senegal squad
for their international friendly away In Algeria next Tuesday.

Josh Cullen will link up with Ireland U21s for their UEFA 2017 U21
Championship qualifiers against Lithuania on Friday and Italy on Tuesday.

Reece Burke and England U20 take on Netherlands, Turkey and hosts Germany in
the U20 Elite Cup from Wednesday through to Tuesday.

Sam Howes is involved in UEFA U19 Championship qualifiers with England
against Macedonia, Finland and Italy in Finland, while Martin Samuelsen's
Norway U19s face a double header of friendlies against Latvia, on Thursday
and Saturday.

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Amalfitano departs
WHUFC.com

West Ham United can confirm that Morgan Amalfitano has left the Club by
mutual consent. The 30-year-old midfielder has departed the Club after 13
months at the Boleyn Ground, in which he made 32 appearances and scored
three goals. The Hammers would like to thank Morgan for his efforts during
his time with the Club and wish him well in his future career.

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Page delighted to be back in action
WHUFC.com

Nineteen-year-old defender Lewis Page said he is delighted to be back in
action after recovering from a lengthy injury sustained in the Hammers'
Europa League tie in Romania. Page completed his first 90 minutes in a
friendly against AFC Hornchurch, a 1-0 win, on the weekend after being
side-lined by a rash challenge sustained in the first-half against Astra
Giurgiu. Having come through his first full game on Saturday unscathed, Page
said: "It's been about nine weeks since the game in Romania; I was out for
seven weeks, I've been in training for two weeks. "I've been involved in two
games now, so it's good to get minutes up. I was struggling at first and was
getting pretty out of breath but I can feel my fitness coming back. I'm
about 80% there."

The left-back enjoyed a fantastic breakthrough pre-season, making his
first-team debut against FC Lusitans before impressing in the return leg and
away in Romania. Reflecting on his Hammers' debut, he beamed: "I've got only
good memories from pre-season; making my debut was definitely the best thing
I've done in football. The experience of it was great, then the other first
team games in Andorra and Romania was also positive. "I just want to get
back to the level I was at then; the injury came at possible the worst time
possible. I was making progress and beginning to show what I can do;
hopefully I can get back to that level, if not better."

After the international break, the Development Squad host Wolverhampton
Wanderers on Monday 19 October at Rush Green, a game Page is aiming to make
his first competitive start of the campaign: "It's good that I've got time
before our next game, I should be ready for the Wolves' game and hopefully
get another 90 minutes. "After the international break I should be back to
full training with the first team. The aim now is hopefully to get my
Premier League debut at some point this season. I can't wait to be back
involved in the first team squad again. "We've got a great squad now;
players like Dimitri Payet are special. To be able to train with him and all
the other new players we have is something I've enjoyed so far and can't
wait to get back into it."

After eight games, the Hammers sit proud in sixth following a terrific run
of five unbeaten games. For Page, a West Ham fan as well as a player,
believes his teammates are in for special season: "We've picked up some
unbelievable results against top teams this season, and then some not so
good results at home but I'm sure that'll turn soon. "I really think we're
on for a top seven finish, I don't see why not. That would be a great way to
finish the final season at the Boleyn; we haven't finished that high in the
league for a long time. It would be a great send off." "The manager and all
the staff are very welcoming, they make you feel part of the group and
training has been really good. It's all positive."

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Adrian - We need to start stronger
WHUFC.com

Adrian believes the season will only get stronger for West Ham United if
they manage to cut out the early mistakes they are making in some games and
hopes to see his side get straight back on the winning trail when they face
Crystal Palace. West Ham United showed all their fighting qualities as they
came from two goals down to salvage a point against Sunderland on Saturday.
But with the the north east club being reduced to ten-men in the second
half, the players were disappointed not to have come away with a victory.
The Hammers have suffered bad starts against Leicester, Bournemouth and now
Sunderland and have been behind five times out of the opening nine games
this season.

Adrian says he cannot put a finger on why the Club have not been able to
start strongly in every game but says it is something they will work on over
the international break and hopes to put things right before they travel to
Selhurst Park on October 17. Adrian said: "The mentality must be to go for
it from the start, not waiting for the other team to start playing. "Always
we need to work on things, like starting well but we are scoring goals and
winning games and that has to be a good start. Now we need to keep it going
until the end.
"All games in the Premier League are difficult. It was difficult to play
against Sunderland because they are fighting for their lives.
"So I think we started really bad, we were sleeping and we can't afford to
concede two goals in the first half. "But after we scored our first goal,
they had to change their mentality. It was a good point for us after going
two goals down, it was a good game and a good point."

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The REAL beauty of the Payet deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Dimitri Payet has become the player West Ham have craved for years and
years. Even the younger members of the Irons family recognise this as being
a player in the tradition of ball playing craftsmen traditionally associated
with the club. Indeed, chairman's son Jack Sullivan has paid him the
ultimate 2015 tribute dubbing him a "baller" – a word used to describe the
most elite players in the game for the uninitiated. Using his favoured
Twitter, he points out the Frenchman has thus played eight games, scored
four goals, made three assists and created 33 chances followed by the
hashtag #baller."

It's early days but young Sullivan is right to describe the player in such
glowing terms and the real beauty is that at 28 Payet will not become a
player whom the big clubs are clambering over as generally speaking big fees
are paid for younger players. And unless the Hammers receive the mother and
father of all offers – unlikely – the player will be going nowhere. It
really was a great piece of business from every point of view.

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Song aiming for derby day return
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Alex Song is hoping to make his first appearance of the season against
Chelsea in three weeks' time. The former Cameroon international has
pencilled in the visit of Chelsea to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, 24th
October as his target date for a return to first team football, having been
sidelined with injury since the end of the last campaign, according to fresh
reports.
And although West Ham face fellow high-flyers Crystal Palace in the Premier
League before then, Song is unlikely to recover in time to face the Eagles
who are third in the Premier League, having risen above the Hammers last
weekend. Speaking last week, Song revealed that he was close to making a
comeback. "I'm getting better and don't want anything to hurt my foot," he
told whufc.com. "It's very hard 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."

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Amalfitano departs 'by mutual consent'
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have confirmed that French winger Morgan Amalfitano has left
the club by mutual consent - just seven months after signing a new two-year
contract. The 30-year-old former Marseille star fell out with Slaven Bilic
shortly after the current manager arrived at the club in the summer and has
been training with the development squad ever since. And West Ham announced
this evening that Amalfitano had agreed to move on, having reached a
mutually-satisfactory arrangement regarding the remain 17 months of his
current contract. "West Ham United can confirm that Morgan Amalfitano has
left the Club by mutual consent," read a brief statement posted on
whufc.com. "The 30-year-old midfielder has departed the Club after 13 months
at the Boleyn Ground, in which he made 32 appearances and scored three
goals. "The Hammers would like to thank Morgan for his efforts during his
time with the Club and wish him well in his future career."

Amalfitano became Sam Allardyce's ninth signing of a busy 2014 summer
transfer window when signing a one-year contract on transfer deadline day,
just hours ahead of the end of the window. In March of this year he signed a
new two-year contract - to the surprise of many Hammers fans who felt he was
excess to requirements. And just five months later he fell out with Bilic in
a disagreement over his timekeeping - a situation that led to the end of his
time at the club.

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New Di Canio TV show airs
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Paolo Di Canio has made the move from dressing room to TV studio - in a new
weekly show being aired on Fox Sports. Former Hammer Di Canio is hosting a
new show entitled 'The House of Football' on Fox Sports every Monday at 8pm,
having rejected the opportunity to return to management in favour of
building a career in the media - for now, at least. The former fans'
favourite, 47, was linked with the vacant post at Rotherham last week after
the Championship club parted company with former boss Steve Evans. However
his representatives insisted that no contact was ever made. "I turned down
several offers in Italy and in the Premier League," claimed Di Canio,
"because I want to think only on television now." The House of Football
first aired on Monday, 28 September. In it, Di Canio examines the weekend's
Premier League results alongside studio guests - which have included former
England manager Fabio Capello. Fox Sports may be found on Sky channel 204.
The next one-hour show is due to broadcast on Monday, 12 October.

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Payet loses out in PFA award
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Dimitri Payet has narrowly lost out on winning the PFA Fans' Player of the
Month award for September. The 28-year-old French international has hit the
ground running since moving to east London in the summer, since when he has
scored four times and registered three assists in the Premier League in West
Ham's opening eight matches. But despite being placed on a shortlist of
three alongside Manchester United's Anthony Martial and Leicester City's
Riyad Mahrez, Payet lost out to the Red Devils' 19-year-old forward who
claimed the first award of the 2015/16 season. The three contenders were
drawn from an initial shortlist of 11 players that also included Bafetimbi
Gomis (Swansea), Odion Ighalo (Watford), Vincent Kompany (Man City),
Graziano Pelle (Southampton), David Silva (Man City), Jamie Vardy
(Leicester), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) and Ashley Williams (Swansea).
Every month, throughout the course of the season, fans have the opportunity
to vote for who they think has been the best player in each of the Barclays
Premier League, Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League
Two.

The competition is run in conjunction with the The PFA and Sky Sports.

Payet's Premier League performance

August
Arsenal (a) - one assist
Leicester City (h) - one goal

September
Newcastle United (h) - two goals
Manchester City (a) - one assist
Norwich City (h) - one assist
Sunderland (a) - one goal

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Payet edged out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 6, 2015 in News
C and H

West Ham star man Dimitri Payet has lost out to Manchester United youngster
Anthony Martial in the PFA Fans' Player of the Month September award. The
28-year-old was on the short list of three with the 19 year old and
Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez, Payet but sadly missed out. The original
contenders included Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea), Odion Ighalo (Watford),
Vincent Kompany (Man City), Graziano Pelle (Southampton), David Silva (Man
City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) and Ashley
Williams (Swansea). The award gives fans have the chance to vote for the
best Premier League player and those in the Football League. and is run in
conjunction with the The PFA and Sky Sports.

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Payet and Lanzini explode a huge myth
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 6, 2015 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H

Dimitri Payet's incredible contribution to the West Ham cause from the
pre-season onwards has exploded one of football's biggest myths – that
players need time to adjust to a new club in a new country. I've never
believed it and never will. If a bloke can't come to the UK and earn his
£50k or 60k a week from Day One then it's a pretty poor reflection on his
abilities. How on earth arriving in a new country and meeting new people
affects the ability to play football is something I just don't get. And Dimi
– not to mention Manuel Lanzini – have shown emphatically that the
"adjustment period" argument is nothing but a load of old tosh spouted by
managers and chairmen who may simply have made a bad buy or three. Talent is
talent, gifting is gifting and living in Chigwell rather than some French or
Saudi Arabian city is neither here nor there as has been shown quite
clearly. Football is full of excuses for failure but this one can be thrown
in the dustbin right now as Dimi and Manuel have demonstrated very ably this
season.

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