Daily WHUFC News - 4th May 2016

Hammers confirm Final Game plans
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce they will host a special
celebratory event to mark their final game at the Boleyn Ground after next
Tuesday's match against Manchester United.

The fixture will be the Hammers' final game at their home of 112 years and
the Club have been working hard to make sure it will be an evening that will
live long in the memory of fans the world over. The game and subsequent
closing ceremony are set to be broadcast to a huge global audience as the
interest in the Hammers' high-profile move to the former Olympic Stadium
continues to capture the imagination of the sporting world.

Although the exact details of the celebrations are being kept secret until
the night, the Club can confirm that, where contact details are available,
every player to have made a first-team appearance for the Club has been
invited to ‎attend the game as a guest. Hammers of the Year will also be
guests of honour as they and the 35,000 crowd bid farewell to the Boleyn
Ground one last time.

As well as featuring legendary former players alongside the current squad
and fans, the celebrations will also include spectacular lighting, music and
big screen video to match the scale and emotion of the evening.

To ensure the event, which has a sizeable budget behind it, runs to plan,
the Club are today reminding fans of the importance of staying in their
seats come the final whistle.

Due to event planning and licencing laws for evening fixtures, the show can
only take place if the pitch is clear straight after the final whistle, so
if any supporters enter the field of play after the match, it will mean
cancelling all or part of the celebrations.

Commenting on the final game plans, Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David
Gold said: "This time next week, we will all be going through our usual
pre-match routines as we prepare to visit the Boleyn Ground to support our
team, West Ham United, there one last time.

"It will certainly be an incredibly emotional day from start to finish but I
think if we were to have wished for a fitting fixture to bid goodbye to 112
years of history at the Boleyn, Manchester United under the lights would
have been near the top of our list. "We want it to be an evening that is
ultimately about you, our loyal supporters, as it is you who have made the
Boleyn Ground famous the world over. "But to make it special we need your
support. Any incursions on to the pitch will certainly mean cancelling the
current squad's richly-deserved lap of appreciation and denying some of our
greatest ever players the chance to take the field for the final time. "That
would be a tragedy; for them and the Boleyn Ground. "If we can present the
post-match ceremonies as planned, we are sure you will walk away from Upton
Park on Tuesday prouder than ever of the Club you support. "We hope those
of you attending have a truly special evening - together we will create
memories that will live with us forever."

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From the Terraces - Joe Difford
WHUFC.com

Fan blogger Joe Difford looks back at Saturday's victory over West Bromwich
Albion…

Slaven Bilic's side went into Saturday afternoon's clash at the Hawthorns
knowing that anything less than three points could jeopardise their push for
Champions League football.
The Baggies on the other hand, were fired up to stop another loss and
perhaps add to their disappointing goal tally, the second lowest in the
division. It was the home side who almost opened the scoring through Craig
Gardner, and if the midfielder had his shooting boots on he would have had a
hat trick to his name in the opening half an hour. Jonathan Leko, the first
player born in 1999 to play in the Premier League, was fantastic on his top
flight debut, turning Aaron Cresswell inside out. His cross to Gardner was
perfect but the shot was blocked and then the rebound was saved. He then
headed narrowly wide from an open header, frustrating his home fans. Quite
honestly, the Hammers struggled to settle and make anything of their
dominant possession, but Diafra Sakho came close from our first real chance.
Cresswell got forward and shipped a low cross in but it missed Sakho by a
few inches. As Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini got more involved in the
game, we became stronger in attack, and the goal came from the Frenchman, as
many do. Winston Reid, back to his best in defence, won a sliding tackle
that flew up field and landed at Payet's feet, with the number 27 playing
the perfect cross for Cheikhou Kouyate to nod into the far post. You could
feel the sense of relief and growing confidence as the Senegalese midfielder
wheeled off celebrating, and our second came just ten minutes later. An
incisive breakaway following some beautiful, delicate passing football in
our own half, allowed Kouyate to burst forward from the half way line before
cutting it back to Mark Noble, who stretched to poke home. The game summed
up Noble's season, as he constantly chased the ball and called for the pass,
before coolly finding a man in space and playing the perfect ball. It was a
real captain's performance and he added his second of the game, fourth in
two games, just ten minutes from time. The ball was perfectly crossed in
from the left hand side and the skipper composed himself before volleying
into the roof of the net with aplomb. It is quite frankly ridiculous that
Mark Noble still isn't a frontrunner for Roy Hodgson's EURO squad, but at
least he'll stay fit over the summer to lead us out into the Olympic
Stadium.
The next three games are the most important games in the history of our
football club. Three wins and a slip up from Manchester City would mean
Champions League football. It's important not to get carried away, after all
Slaven Bilic's initial objective was to avoid relegation, but European
football in some shape or form seems very likely right about now. It has
been a great season, arguably the best in the club's history, and the
clinical 3-0 victory over West Brom was the cherry on top.

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Hurst to be honoured at Player Awards
WHUFC.com

Sir Geoff Hurst will be honoured at the West Ham United Player Awards on
Tuesday when he becomes this year's recipient of the Club's Lifetime
Achievement Award sponsored by JM Sealants.

Here, the Hammers legends discusses his career in his own words...

I wasn't a big schoolboy player, or one who everyone was chasing. Unbeknown
to me, a friend of my father wrote to West Ham and Arsenal. West Ham gave me
the opportunity for a trial and I was still a green youngster.

It was in fact first job interview from leaving school. They saw something
in me, took me on and of course I went through the ranks and played for the
first team. I am still a fan of the Club and they gave me my break and a
huge opportunity.

I was struggling between playing cricket and football and was struggling for
fitness when one Monday morning at Chadwell Heath, Ron Greenwood came across
and said 'We're going to try you up front tonight'. We were playing
Liverpool and we won 1-0, Tony Scott scored the goal and I was so unfit that
when I came off it was like my shorts had been dipped in water!

As it turned out, I played 27 goals and scored 14 goals and if anybody did
that today, it would be some sort of sensation. I stayed up front and it was
quite remarkable, as in 1962/63 we went to New York for a tournament and I
was top goalscorer, then in '64 we won the FA Cup,'65 the Cup Winners' Cup
and '66 the World Cup.

TRANSFORMATION

So, when I look back, it was quite an astonishing transformation from
cricket to being successful at football.

Ron Greenwood was a fantastic coach. He was very forward-thinking. He wasn't
very insular because he looked at coaches and players worldwide.

We had senior players who were keen on coaching like Malcolm Allison and
John Bond, who became successful managers. It was a hugely interesting time
and it had a huge impact on young players like myself.

From being in the Second Division in the late '50s, within a few years we'd
won the FA Cup and a European tournament, which very few clubs had done at
that stage. It was a fantastic achievement and great years for the Club.

It was no coincidence, because of the quality of those players and Ron, that
West Ham produced three players for the England squad – the captain and two
goalscorers – and I'd argue that Mooro was the best centre-half we've had of
that type. He was a fantastic player, a terrific leader and a person to look
up to.

The '64 Cup final at Wembley was a tight game. Preston were in the Second
Division, so we were favourites, but we found ourselves 2-1 down. We got a
corner, someone flicked it and I dived and headed it and it just went over
the line – there was something about me and that sort of thing!

Ronnie Boyce got the winner. He didn't score that many goals and I always
say he came out of a trapdoor in the penalty area.

In 1965, we had the Cup Winners' Cup final with 1860 Munich and Ron and many
others say that was West Ham at their best, as we produced some of the
football we had been coached to do. It all happened on the night against a
very good German team.

We also beat Sunderland 8-0 in 1968 and I managed to score six goals, which
hasn't been done since. I handled the first one in, but I owned up straight
after the game. Mooro and Trevor Brooking scored the other two goals.

ENGLAND

On England, I was very surprised when I was first picked because I wasn't a
big player at West Ham like Mooro and Johnny Byrne. However, when a team is
doing well, it's natural that their players are looked at and Alf Ramsey
liked to play twin strikers.

Looking back, I suppose I was always a candidate but it was a surprise. Ron
Greenwood got me over while we were playing five-a-side at a roller skating
rink in Forest Gate and he told me I'd been called up, and I was amazed.

On my debut against West Germany in a friendly in February 1966, it wasn't
sensational but I seemed to do enough to warrant being picked. We won 1-0
and Nobby Stiles got the goal.

When the World Cup started, it looked like it would be Jimmy Greaves and I
up front, as I was a little taller than Roger Hunt. I was given No10, Jimmy
wore No8 and Roger was given No22. I played not very well in two warm-up
games, and Roger scored the winner against Portugal, so Alf started out with
Jimmy and Roger.

I didn't feel overly disappointed as I was just thrilled and happy to be
there as part of the World Cup squad.

As a group, we felt we were hard to beat. In the year before the World Cup,
we were unbeaten, so the players felt Alf was serious about winning the
tournament.

Jimmy suffered a shin injury against France and I came in for the
quarter-final against Argentina. It was a shock, but my attitude was that if
I got an opportunity, I had to take it.

I got the goal and what was really fulfilling was that it was a West Ham
goal and one we'd worked on at Chadwell Heath under the gaze of Ron
Greenwood. We had worked on the near-post ball for hours and hours and it
was a classic West Ham goal, and one we had practised many times. To achieve
it against a world-class team was brilliant.

We beat Portugal in the semi-final, where I played well and set up the
winner for Bobby Charlton, and then we faced West Germany in the final at
Wembley on 30 July 1966.

NO PRESSURE

I NEVER recall being under any great pressure at the time. I was just happy
to be there and I never felt any pressure and that may be why I performed
well.

I remember one very key thing. We knew the Germans would play with only one
central defensive marker and he marked Roger, and the guy who marked me had
played at full-back, so when he came over to me I fancied myself quite
strongly because he wasn't used to marking in central areas.

We got our first goal and I regard it as the best of my hat-trick, because
not only was it the equaliser after we'd gone behind, but it was another
West Ham goal. We had a philosophy that we'd always take set pieces quickly
and we'd practised it. If something was on, use your brain and take it.

We always left space in the middle of the box for the ball to arrive into
and you arrive at the same time as the ball. My marker was ten yards away
when I headed it!

My second goal is always talked about. It hit the crossbar and from where I
was falling the ball came down behind the goalkeeper, so I didn't see where
it had finished! I wanted to believe more than anything in my life that it
was over the line – but of course nothing has been proved conclusively!

Finally, we come to the final goal. Mooro hit a great ball from defence to
attack. As the ball went in, the referee blew for time, so I didn't know if
the goal had counted! At some stage after the game, I went back outside from
the dressing room to look at the scoreboard and it had, as it said 'England
4 West Germany 2'.

We had great team spirit, friendship and camaraderie and it's that winning
as a group that's important. Who gets the goals is not important.
Personally, for me, being part of that particular winning team far overrides
scoring a hat-trick, even if it hasn't been done since.

I think we were the better team on the day. We thought we'd beat them before
and during the game and we did!

Remember you can follow all the action from the Player Awards right here on
whufc.com - stay tuned to hear news on the winners first!

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Reece Burke and Josh Cullen helped Bradford City secure their place in the
League One play-offs on Saturday as they beat Southend United 1-0 away from
home. The Hammers loan pair played 90 minutes each as the Bantams held out
to record the single-goal victory after Lee Evans struck in the twelfth
minute. It completed a superb week for defender Burke, who was awarded with
seven accolades at the club's presentation evening on Tuesday, including the
Player of the Year prize. Likely play-off opponents for Phil Parkinson's men
in the semi-final could be Millwall, who have also cemented their spot in
the top six, while Walsall and Barnsley are on course to be the other two
sides. Elsewhere in League One, striker Elliot Lee started for
already-relegated Colchester United who drew 2-2 with Yorkshire side
Barnsley. The Tykes went 2-1 up having fallen behind to a strike by George
Moncur – son of West Ham legend John – but conceded a 98th minute sickener
at the death from Tom Lapslie after Lee had been replaced in the 77th
minute. On Monday night, full-back Kyle Knoyle was in action for Scottish
Premier League side Dundee United who suffered relegation at the hands of
their city rivals Dundee. United conceded a 93rd minute strike to lose in a
fiery affair at Dens Park having taken the lead early in the second period.

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Payet receives PFA Award
WHUFC.com

Former Hammer Paul Allen was back at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday as he took
great pride in presenting Dimitri Payet with his PFA award after he was
voted by his fellow professionals into the Premier League Team of the Year.

Payet has enjoyed a memorable first season in the top flight scoring 12
goals and producing ten assists which also saw him nominated for the PFA
Player of the Year.

The French forward has become a fans favourite at the Boleyn Ground and
hopes to cap a memorable first season in England by helping West Ham secure
a European spot come the end of the season.

Allen, who made 197 appearances for the east London Club and was voted
Hammer of the Year back in 1985, now works as a PFA Executive and has
nothing but praise for the way Payet has settled into his new surroundings
and become one of the star players in England.

Allen said: "It is a fantastic achievement and is a unique award as he is
voted by his fellow professionals in the Premier League.

"He has had a fantastic season and has that technical ability that West Ham
fans love and enjoy and he has adapted to Premier League football so well."

Payet was voted into the team alongside the likes of Dele Alli, Riyad
Mahrez, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy.

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Come on the pitch, we'll cancel the party
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have issued a reminder to supporters planning to attend next
week's farewell celebrations to remain in their seats both during and after
the match.

In a message issued to season ticket holders and club members via email this
afternoon, the club warned supporters that should fans encroach onto the
playing surface, they intend to cancel either some of all of the post-match
plans.

"To ensure the event, which has a sizeable budget behind it, runs to plan,
the club are today reminding fans of the importance of staying in their
seats come the final whistle," read the email.

"Due to event planning and licencing laws for evening fixtures, the show can
only take place if the pitch is clear straight after the final whistle, so
if any supporters enter the field of play after the match, it will mean
cancelling all or part of the celebrations."

Co-owner David Sullivan also warned fans not to invade the pitch.

"We want it to be an evening that is ultimately about you, our loyal
supporters, as it is you who have made the Boleyn Ground famous the world
over," he said. "But to make it special we need your support.

"Any incursions on to the pitch will certainly mean cancelling the current
squad's richly-deserved lap of appreciation and denying some of our greatest
ever players the chance to take the field for the final time. That would be
a tragedy; for them and the Boleyn Ground.

"If we can present the post-match ceremonies as planned, we are sure you
will walk away from Upton Park on Tuesday prouder than ever of the club you
support. We hope those of you attending have a truly special evening -
together we will create memories that will live with us forever."

The plans, which include the appearance of a giant hologram featuring former
West Ham United and England captain Bobby Moore, are yet to be officially
unveiled. However the club maintain that it will be a show no fan would want
to miss.

"The game and subsequent closing ceremony are set to be broadcast to a huge
global audience as the interest in the Hammers' high-profile move to the
former Olympic Stadium continues to capture the imagination of the sporting
world," insisted the club's email.

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Monday musings: too good for England
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 2nd May 2016
By: Graeme Howlett

Mark Noble might not be good enough to represent England at this summer's
European Championships, but he proved to be the difference as West Ham
United ran riot at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon. Noble's chances of
representing his country in France this summer all but disappeared the
moment England's myopic manager, Roy Hodgson, scoffed at the prospect of
including the in-form 28-year-old in his squad.
However that particular disappointment hasn't prevented the midfielder from
hitting the form of his life; Noble added to his pair of penalties against
Watford at the Boleyn last weekend with a second brace in seven days against
West Bromwich Albion, taking his personal tally for the season to seven
goals. Cheikhou Kouyate grabbed West Ham's other goal as they ran out 3-0
winners against Tony Pulis' side, thereby maintaining United's slim hopes of
qualifying for the Champions League - although a far more realistic target
is fifth spot, which will require Slaven Bilic's squad finishing above
Manchester United.
Whilst Saturday's success was just the latest in a long line of impressive
wins on the road this season (seven so far), it was also a record-breaking
victory. The three points took West Ham to 59 for the season, two more than
the club's previous record over the course of a 38-game league campaign (57,
recorded by Harry Redknapp's 1988/99 squad). It also extended the club's
unbeaten Premier League run to ten games - another record sequence since
those particular records began in 1992.
And with a goal difference of +17 going into the final three matches of
2015/16 the campaign, West Ham are also on course to record their first
positive GD in the Premier League era. In fact, you have to go all the way
back to the 'Boys of '86' to find the last West Ham team to end a season in
the top flight having scored more goals than they've conceded! All of which
bodes well for the forthcoming 2016/17 season, which West Ham will begin at
the Olympic Stadium later this year. Vice-Chairman Karren Brady revealed
this week that the club have already sold in excess of 50,000 season tickets
for United's first season in Stratford, with thousands more signed up to a
waiting list.
That's an incredible achievement, given that it was initially feared West
Ham - whose existing stadium can hold just 35,000 - would be unable to fill
the 60,000-capacity venue on a regular basis. And there are even suggestions
that the current capacity - which has already been extended from an initial
54,000 - could be increased further to accommodate thousands more
spectators.
It's an exciting time for the club and it's fans, who can now begin to dream
of challenging the Premier League's elite for the first time in a generation
- or two!

* An abridged version of this article first appeared in the Echo newspaper.

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Parfitt-Williams considering Bermuda national option
May 3, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
BKHammer

Djair Parfitt-Williams, the West Ham forward, has not ruled out playing for
Bermuda. The 19-year-old was born in Bermuda but moved to California at the
age of 8 and had initially pledged his international allegiance to the
United States rather than play for the island. However, Parfitt-Williams no
longer views the US as an option and said he would be open to playing for
Bermuda or England in the future. "Since I have not lived there [the US] for
about five years it's a little more difficult for me to play for them, so
the only real two options I would play for now is Bermuda or England,"
Parfitt-Williams told The Royal Gazette. "But, if I'm being honest, I
haven't really thought about internationally properly because I have been so
focused on West Ham purely."
The forward has featured twice for West Ham's first team against Lusitanos
of Andorra in the Europa League qualifiers in July last year, and has been
an unused substitute away in four Barclays Premier League matches this
season. He made an immediate impact on his return to injury in last week's
Barclays Under-21 Premier League Cup final first-leg win at home to Hull
City, coming on as a substitute for West Ham's development team and scoring
the only goal of the game. "It felt amazing," said Parfitt-Williams, who is
his team's scorer in the competition with four goals. "I guess I'm in the
right place at the right time!"
Martin Samuelsen, Parfitt-Williams's team-mate, said: "Djair is just back
from injury. He's three or four weeks ahead of schedule so it was great for
him to be out there. "He's an amazing football player. He's got great
skills, can score goals and he'll definitely be one for the future."
Parfitt-Williams said West Ham's win over Hull has boosted his team's
confidence ahead of tomorrow's second-leg tie. "1-0 definitely gives us a
good mood in training and we should be confident going into the second leg,"
he said. We're confident to go anywhere and beat anybody, as we have such a
good team."
Considered one of West Ham's most exciting talents, Parfitt-Williams signed
a two-year deal at the club after finishing as the top scorer for their
under-18 side with nine goals last season.
He was playing for the San Jose Earthquakes academy when he was recommended
to West Ham by Bermuda legend Clyde Best, who played for the East London
club between 1968 and 1976. Best, who had been contacted by the player's
grandfather Lynn Wade, said he immediately spotted something special in
Parfitt-Williams, who was then aged 14, during a Somerset Trojans training
session.
Parfitt-Williams had been invited to train with the US Under-17 squad but
decided to attend the trials at West Ham instead. Maurice Lowe, the Bermuda
Football Association technical development director, told The Royal Gazette
in January that Parfitt-Williams would be "welcomed with open arms". "We
wish Djair all the best and he has to make the best decision for his
career," Lowe said. "But should he choose us then we would be tickled and
enjoy that very much. "We would love for him to opt to play for Bermuda, but
he has to make the best and most-informed decision for his future."

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Hammers set to miss out on Nolito?
May 3, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
BKHammer

Arsenal and West Ham look set to miss out on Celta Viga striker Nolito, who
is on the verge of joining AC Milan. The Italian club have stepped up their
chase for the in-demand Spaniard by agreeing personal terms with his
representatives over the past week. Arsenal made attempts to sign the
29-year-old in January and last summer but never did enough to persuade
Celta Vigo to sell. West Ham were also possible suitors for Nolito but,
according to El Mundo Deportivo, Milan are now at an advanced stage of an
agreement with Celta Vigo, who are ready to accept around £12m for the
forward. Celta had offered Nolito a new contract earlier this season but the
player was clearly aware of the interest from abroad in him and opted
against committing his future to the La Liga side.

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Lee recalled for U21 Premier League Cup Final 2nd leg
May 2, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
BKHammer

West Ham United have recalled forward Elliot Lee from his loan spell at
Colchester United to play in the second leg of their Under-21 Premier League
Cup final. West Ham face Hull in the second leg of the final on Wednesday at
the KC Stadium with the Hammers leading 1-0 from the first leg. West Ham
United academy director Terry Westley is keen to have his strongest squad
available for the trip to Hull and has recalled Lee to add his options in
attack. Lee has been on loan at Colchester since January and he has caught
the eye at the League One club despite their relegation. The 21-year-old has
played in a wider role at Colchester and he excelled in his new position
winning a host of man-of-the-match awards in his 14 appearances at the
Weston Homes Community Stadium. Lee's performances have not gone unnoticed
among rival clubs with several sides, including MK Dons, Wigan Athletic and
Peterborough all keeping tabs on the skilful attacker. Lee is out of
contract at West Ham at the end of the season and although the Hammers do
hold an option to extend his contract the forward's suitors are ready to
move for the player this summer.

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The West Ham Player Awards Payet show
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 3, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

It's that time of the year again when the players together supporters
prepared to pay up to £330 per seat attend the gala Players awards ceremony
at the London Hilton on Park Lane, London.
The posh event this evening is likely to become the Dimiti Payet show as he
could pick up to six awards tonight. He already has two awards in the bag
already with the top goal scorer with twelve and massive odds on favourite
for Hammer of the year. The big question is how many more will he stand up
on the stage tonight.

The award categories are below with contenders and possible winners:

West Ham Goal of the Season Award: I think Dimi Payet's will win this award
for one of his four goals in the nine strong short list. My personal
favourite is the Payet free kick versus Crystal Palace. The nine contenders
are: Payet v Newcastle, Valencia v Bournemouth, Noble v Norwich, Payet v
Blackburn, Payet v Manchester United, Lanzini v Chelsea, Carroll V Chelsea,
Cresswell v Leicester City, Payet v Palace

The Dylan Tombides award: This award recognises the Academy Player of the
Year and was won by Reece Oxford last year. Reece Burke and Josh Cullen
will have a good shout out for this award but they have been on loan to
Bradford who that might preclude them. Difficult one to call as it will be
who Terry Westley and his team decide has improved the best in the Academy
this season.

The Young Hammer of the year award: Reece Burke won this last year and I
think he has a good chance again this year after scooping so many awards at
the recent Bradford player awards. I also think Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford
are in with a shout. Again Terry Westley and his team will make the decision
on who is most worthy of this award.

Signing of the season award: Dimitri Payet must the bookies favourite for
this award with Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini as the outside bets.

West Ham top scorer award: The winner with 12 goals will be Dimiti Payet.
Payet has scored nine league goals with a further three in the FA Cup.
Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll have both scored nine each this season
while Mark Noble has bagged seven this season.

Best Individual Performance of the season award: Lanzini, Payet, Noble and
Antonio all deserve this award for individual performances. I think Payet
will edge the fan vote with Antonio as the outside bet to get this award.
Contenders: Reid v Man City, Lanzini v Everton, Payet v Blackburn, Noble v
Blackburn, Antonio v Spurs.

Best Team Performance of the Season Award: Personally I think the West Ham's
win over Liverpool at Anfield has a good chance of winning this after 53
years of waiting but I am sure the Spurs game, the Chelsea game and the
Everton come back will pull some fan votes too! Contenders are: Arsenal v
West Ham, Liverpool v West Ham, Man City v West Ham, West Ham v Liverpool
(FA Cup), West Ham v Spurs, Everton v West Ham.

Players' player of the season award: Mark Noble could be in for a shout
here from his team mates who love him but Dimiti Payet or Michail Antonio
could be up for an award here.

Save of the Season award: The usual joke that Adrian will win it, is not
true this year as Adrian makes up just four of the six short listed goals.
Darren Randolph could be in with a shout this season. Personally I think
Randy deserves the award for his performance against Liverpool in the FA
Cup. Contenders are: Adrian v Norwich 61min, Adrian v Manc City 85 mins,
Adrian v Bournemouth 91 mins, Adrian v Man United 59 mins, Randolph v
Liverpool 74 mins, Randolph v Liverpool 98 mins.

Hammers Lifetime Achievement Award: Last year's winner was Martin Peters
with Sir Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds picking up previous years since
it's inception. Assuming the award carries on tonight then my money would be
on a surprise visit by Sir Geoff Hurst with the 50 year anniversary of the
1966 World Cup win.

The Hammer of the year award 2016 : This is almost a dead certainly, It will
easily go to Dimitri Payet. In our own Claret and Hugh poll of over 1,500
Hammers fans Payet picked nearly 46% of the vote with Michail Antonio
picking up the runners up place.

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Noble's secret to success
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 3, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham will have played 51 games by the time this season ends but Mark
Noble insists hard work can get them to their European goal. The skipper has
led from the front this season and said: "We have got some really big clubs
around us who are playing well, so we need to keep on winning games. "We
just have to try and enjoy it and get as many points as we can." So after a
ten month season under a new manager with new players what comes next for
the brilliant Hammers of 2015/16. Noble said: "It is just hard work. We set
standards every day and we are all working for each other. You don't need to
work on your fitness at this stage. We train hard when we train, but fitness
doesn't come into it. We are all fit so it is more about tactics and
enjoying training."

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Exclusive: Thrilled DS: "We can dare to dream"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 3, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Sullivan is absolutely thrilled at Leicester City's Title success
claiming it has given us all the chance to "dare to dream." Tottenham's
failure to win at Stamford Bridge last night (Mon) saw the Foxes lift the
unlikeliest trophy ever at starting odds of 5,000-1 and the Irons chairman
described it as "absolutely fabulous." Nobody is likely to disagree unless
they follow the team from north London. David – speaking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh – was simply overjoyed at a success which has totally
rearranged the furniture at the top of the Premier League. He said: "It's
absolutely fabulous for British football, it shows every supporter at every
club can dare to dream. "I said at the start of the season that it was
possible we could get into the Champions League. I said it was unlikely, but
possible. "Everybody thought I was mad, but with three games to go the
position is the same -it's unlikely but possible !

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Manchester teams have minds elsewhere
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 3, 2016 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H

What a weekend of results for West Ham! Our 3-0 away win over West Bromwich
Albion was the perfect start to take us to our largest ever Premier League
points tally of 59 points. Liverpool's loss to Swansea putting them four
points behind us on 55 points in eighth place was also welcome news and
effectively wrote off their ambition of a top five finish.

Manchester United could only manage a draw against Premier League champions
Leicester keeping the gap down to just one point with West Ham having a
superior goal difference and Manchester City lost to Southampton 4-2 to be
just 5 points above us in fourth place.

West Ham's win on Saturday and Chelsea's draw with Spurs yesterday means the
Hammers are guaranteed to finish above Chelsea for the first time since
1995!

Fifth place is still very much within our grasp while a fourth place and
Champions League football remains a remote possibility. The major thing we
have in our favour is both Manchester clubs have their minds elsewhere and
their eyes on other prizes.

Manchester City face Real Madrid tomorrow in the second leg of the Champions
League semi final with the first leg drawn 0-0. Should they win tomorrow
evening, their minds will be firmly on the Champions League final on 28th
May in Milan and not on their penultimate game against Arsenal this weekend
or their last game against Swansea away. Two defeats, two draws or a loss
and a draw would see them finish on between 64, 65 or 66 points with West
Ham needing at least two wins from their remaining three games to have a
small chance. Three wins over Swansea, Manchester United and Stoke would put
us on 68 points with a real chance of fourth place should Manchester City
slip up.

Manchester United also have their eyes on the FA Cup final with Crystal
Palace at Wembley on 21st May. They face Norwich away this weekend as the
Canaries fight for Premier League survival. It won't be an easy game for
them and will be a tough battle. They will then face West Ham next Tuesday
evening for the last ever game at the Boleyn Ground.

Emotions will be high and we still remain unbeaten in the League at home
since August last year. Finally the Red Devils play Bournemouth at Old
Trafford in their last game of the season which just just six days before
the FA Cup final. I can see them resting a few players in the run up to the
Wembley showpiece. If we win all our three remaining games we are guaranteed
to finish above Manchester United, it is as simple as that!

Our season isn't over yet and we must make those last three games count. At
£1.3m per Premier League place together with the riches that wait us in the
Europa or Champions Leagues we can make this truly a season to remember.
Come on you Irons!

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£1.5m bonus awaits outcome of Championship
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 3, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The West Ham board will be taking a keen interest in the Championship game
between 2nd placed Middlesbrough and 3rd placed Brighton this Saturday
lunchtime. One Claret and Blue team (Burnley) have already secured promotion
to the Premier League with another Claret and Blue team (Aston Villa)
swapping places with them after their relegation from the top flight.
However the second automatic promotion place worth over £200m is still up
for grabs with both Boro and Brighton on 88 points. West Ham are believed
to have written a £1.5m promotion bonus clause into the contract for their
sale of Stewart Downing, which would come our way should he help them
achieve promotion. Middlesbrough need a draw or a win on Saturday as they
have superior goal difference. Downing joined West Ham in 2013 and made 69
Premier League appearances for the Hammers. The Hammers sold Downing for a
fee believed to be £5.5m plus the £1.5m promotion clause which would take
the total to £7m, he signed a four year deal with Boro dropping his wages to
£35,000 per week which he will double to £70,000 per week on promotion back
into the Premier League.

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Explained: why five English clubs could play in next season's Champions
League
• Manchester City and Liverpool's progress key to allocation of spots
• Fourth place may not be enough for Champions League qualification
The Guardian
Tuesday 3 May 2016 11.54 BST Last modified on Tuesday 3 May 2016 11.56 BST

Manchester City and Liverpool's presence in the semi-finals of the Champions
League and Europa League respectively means there is a possibility that five
English clubs could represent England in European football's elite
competition next season. Leicester's sensational first league title means
that Claudio Ranieri's side will be in the Champions League for the first
time, with Tottenham likely to join them. Mauricio Pochettino's side now
need just one point from their last two matches to ensure a top three finish
which would guarantee them automatic entry to the group stages, with Arsenal
and Manchester City still mathematically able to overhaul them.

Arsenal, City, Manchester United and West Ham are all in contention to
finish third, with the fourth-placed club usually entering the Champions
League at the final qualifying stage. The Premier League also has three
reserved places in the Europa League, with the FA Cup winners and
fifth-placed team going straight through to the group stages and the Capital
One Cup winners awarded a place in the third qualifying round.

At present, City's victory in that competition and the likelihood that they
will finish in the top five means that place will go to the sixth-placed
team, although a victory for United against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup
final would mean seventh place could also be good enough for European
qualification.

However, should City get past Real Madrid in the second leg of their
semi-final on Wednesday night and go on to win the Champions League, then
the picture becomes more complicated. That would guarantee them a place in
next year's competition regardless of their league finishing position, while
a similar rule would apply to Liverpool should they go all the way in the
Europa League.

If both sides were to win and City finish outside the top four in the
league, that would mean the fourth-placed team drops down to the Europa
League instead in a similar scenario to what happened to Spurs in 2012 when
Chelsea won the Champions League. However, if Liverpool win the competition
but do not finish in a qualification position in the league then just two
English teams will be represented in the Europa League, with five in the
Champions League.

Palace, whose European experience amounts to a solitary tie in the Intertoto
Cup back in 1998, need to beat United in the FA Cup final to guarantee entry
to the Europa League after the previous rule which admitted runners-up was
scrapped.

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