Daily WHUFC News - 5th April 2016

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Looking ahead to the Arsenal game this Saturday at the Boleyn Ground, Slaven
Bilic is confident his side will respond strongly after the disappointment
of drawing 2-2 with Crystal Palace.
The Hammers were 2-1 up and looking comfortable before Cheikhou Kouyate was
somewhat harshly dismissed for a tackle that was deemed reckless by referee
Mark Clattenburg. Palace made full worth of the man advantage as Dwight
Gayle equalised shortly afterward. However, despite the setback, Bilic is
confident in his player's response: "What I always say to our players is if
we are playing, we are playing 100%. If we are training, we will do that
100%, same with a day off, we will have fun. I don't like to do things
50/50. So, we will continue to work the way we have been all season, I
believe it has been working well for us. "Home or away, we are never happy
with a point, and I promise, we will bounce back, in training we will
refocus and be ready."
In parts, the Hammers played some exceptionally good free-flowing football,
a staple of this season which has kept them in the hunt for European
football. Bilic continued: "Of course we are disappointed to draw at home.
But it is done now, we can only move on and focus on next Saturday against
Arsenal which is a huge game. "I am very proud of my players because we
played some very good football, we should have been further ahead than 2-1
at half-time. The game wouldn't have been put to bed but we would have been
in a much more comfortable position."

The Hammers now face a busy period of fixtures where they face Arsenal,
Manchester United Leicester City and Watford in the space of two weeks.
However, while the games are coming thick and fast, Bilic believes he has
the depth of squad to deal with the fixtures pile up. He explained: "We will
not prioritise one game over another. We have a strong squad, Sam Byram and
James Collins are the only two players injured, and they are both close to
coming back. So we don't need to prioritise, and we also don't want to
because we want to win every game we play.
"We can't take any approach other than to take it each game at a time. In
this league you can't second guess anything, there's no point. So you have
to take it each game at a time, then we'll see where that takes us."

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Reid - Everyone can see we're playing well WHUFC.com

Winston Reid feels his side's performances are going unrewarded at present,
after West Ham United had to settle for a second successive 2-2 Barclays
Premier League draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Manuel Lanzini's
second goal in as many games and another trademark Dimitri Payet free-kick
saw the Hammers cancel out Damien Delaney's opener, before Cheikhou Kouyate
saw red and Dwight Gayle earned the visitors a precious point. Just as at
Stamford Bridge prior to the international break, the Hammers were again
pegged back in the game's latter stages and the New Zealander insists that
his side have been unfortunate to garner a total of just two points from the
two games.
He told West Ham TV: "When you have the lead you want to hold onto it, but
it's just one of those games, unfortunately we couldn't get the win and we
got a draw at the end. It's a bit disappointing. "You always get frustrated
with decisions, but at the end of the day the referee has made it and then
that's it, you can't do anything about it, you just have to get on with it.
"They got back into the game, scored a goal and we tried to push for it at
the end, tried to go up and get a win, we needed a win. "Of course, if we
had four points more we'd be a lot further up, but it wasn't the case to be.
Obviously, when the team's playing really well it's unfortunate not to pick
up those extra points. There are still seven games to play, so there's still
loads of football to be played and it's not like we're playing poorly or
anything, we've just been lacking maybe a little bit of sharpness and a
little bit of luck, probably, as well.
"We'll dust ourselves down, we'll get back on it next week and be ready for
the next game."

The Hammers play host to Arsenal next Saturday in the Barclays Premier
League prior to an Emirates FA Cup quarter-final replay showdown against
Manchester United on Wednesday 13 April. It's fast approaching crunch time
on both fronts and Reid said the Hammers would be treating the two
competitions in the same fashion. "I think everything's important for us,"
he added. "As long as we can keep playing well, like we're doing, and we'll
just try to be positive and pick up as many points. "Obviously, we have a
big game against Man United at home, which we want to progress and go to
Wembley, and try to get ourselves into a final. "The possibility [of doing
both] is there of course, but it's hard work and we'll have to wait and see.
I think everyone can see the team's playing well. It's not like we're
playing poorly, we just need to maybe sharpen up a little bit and hopefully
better results will come."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Hammers loan man Sam Westley made his VVV-Venlo debut on Friday as they were
2-1 winners over FC Den Bosch in the Netherlands' second tier. The full-back
started and played 68 minutes in the victory which keeps second-placed Venlo
hot on the heels of Sparta Rotterdam at the top of the division.

West Ham loan pair Reece Burke and Josh Cullen both played 90 minutes for
Bradford City as they boosted their play-off hopes with a 1-0 home win over
Scunthorpe United. The victory, secured in the 68th minute when Steve Davies
turned in, moves the Bantams up to fifth in League One, five points clear of
Barnsley in seventh.

Elsewhere in the division, striker Elliot Lee started for Colchester United
in their goalless draw with Millwall, while Norwegian winger Martin
Samuelsen was an unused substitute for Peterborough United as they beat
Crewe Alexandra 3-0. Harry Beatyman grabbed a brace for the Posh before
their third was scored by Lee Angol.

Kyle Knoyle was also on a winning side, as ten-men Dundee United were 1-0
winners away from home at St Johnstone. The full-back played the whole match
in the game which was won by Ryan Dow.

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Goalkeeping trio set for Accessibility Fans' Forum WHUFC.com

Do you have a burning question for Adrian, Darren Randolph or Chris Woods?

This event, exclusively for disabled and visually impaired supporters, is
the ideal opportunity to meet the goalkeeping trio. If you are a Season
Ticket Holder, Academy Member, Corporate Seasonal Member or New Stadium
Season Ticket Priority List member, you could ask them in person at an
exclusive free fans' forum bought to you by Betway on Monday 11 April at the
Boleyn Ground. The trio will appear at the Legends Lounge A to answer
questions on a whole manner of subjects, dictated by you. Arrival is from
5.15pm and the Q&A session starts at 6pm, with a brief opportunity for
photos with the players from 6.45pm. Tickets will be allocated on a strictly
first-come, first-served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant.
Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an Adult Season Ticket Holder.
To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call
0845 174 0174*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all
spaces are filled. Supporters can pick up their free tickets at the Betway
Stand Ticket Office too.

Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for
consideration by emailing supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly
stating if it is for Adrian, Darren Randolph and Chris Woods. Please ensure
you include 'Fans' Form' in the subject of the email otherwise we cannot
guarantee your question will be received. If your question is selected we
will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you
send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday 8 April so please
make sure your email reaches us by then.

*Calls are charged at 13p/min plus your phone company's access charge.

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From the Terraces - Joe Difford
WHUFC.com

Fan blogger Joe Difford looks back at Saturday's draw with Crystal Palace…

Saturday's draw with Crystal Palace might have felt like a loss, but Dimitri
Payet's unbelievable free kick and the continuing home unbeaten run must not
be forgotten.

Going into the game, fans were hopeful and dare I say expectant of a home
win and a chance to overtake Manchester City or at least pull away from
Manchester United. However, two unfortunate mistakes in defence and a
controversial refereeing decision cost us the three points.

Things didn't go according to plan in the opening quarter of an hour, and
Damien Delaney opened the scoring in bizarre fashion. The usually reliable
Adrian failed to push a free kick round the post and the Palace defender
headed home from a tight angle.

As we have done on many occasions this season however, we struck back within
minutes through Manuel Lanzini. There was a hint of good fortune as the ball
fell to the Argentine, but he finished with aplomb.

The Boleyn Ground, full of Hammers supporter groups from around the world,
was in full voice as Dimitri Payet won a free kick on the edge of the area.

When the Frenchman puts the ball down and pulls the mud off the bottom of
his boots, you can't help but expect it to go in and having already missed
one free kick earlier on, fans expected to see the ball in the back of the
net this time.

Despite a rare seven-man wall intended to prevent Payet from curling the
ball into the top left as he has done against Bournemouth, Blackburn and
Manchester United this season, the midfield maestro whipped it out to the
right and into the top right corner, seemingly defying physics.

You would think the goal would be perfectly timed, allowing Bilic's men to
regroup at the break and come out ready to add to the score in the second
half, but Palace took advantage of some sloppy play.

The most controversial talking point of the game came in the 67th minute as
Cheikhou Kouyate was sent for an early bath. The ball bounced and the West
Ham midfielder and Palace's Dwight Gayle went in for the 50/50 ball, but
Gayle got there first and Kouyate caught him. The challenge was not reckless
nor was his foot high, but Mark Clattenburg decided to show the red card and
Palace capitalised soon after.

With a gaping hole in the centre of midfield, the visitors pressed and
eventually a defensive error, Angelo Ogbonna clearing the ball onto Winston
Reid and into the path of Gayle, allowed Alan Pardew's side to equalise.

It was difficult not to leave Upton Park frustrated after Saturday's tie,
but at the end of the day our magnificent home unbeaten run that stretches
back to August is still going strong. Not only that, but Payet has another
incredible goal to his name and is continuing his great form as we approach
the most important run of games in our Club's history.

Next up is the visit of Arsenal, and having beaten the Gunners at the
Emirates on the opening day along with our excellent home form, a win is
certainly not out of our reach.

Three points would have been ideal on Saturday, but European qualification
is still possible and we move forward with a squad that is almost at full
strength in terms of fitness and certainly at full strength in terms of team
spirit.

For more West Ham fan views or to join the conversation visit www.90min.com

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ExWHUEmployee's Exclusive Column: Special end of season tribute
planned-details here!
April 4, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
ExWHUEmployee

The Crystal Palace game was a really frustrating affair. The red card
obviously changed the game for us and once again it feels like a referee's
decisions has cost us. Katie S did an interesting article here
http://www.thewesthamway.co.uk/#!Costly-refereeing-decisions/maip4/570187880
cf2e0dbcac358b6 on costly refereeing decisions and it shows we are the team
with the most points lost due to incorrect decisions. There has to be a
way around this in my eyes, because every other sport is using technology to
get things right. Of course football isn't as stop start as other games
like cricket and rugby, but there are ways. I believe a solution could be
allowing the captain or the manager to have 1-3 challenges that they can
call on in a game. It is up to them when they use it and would actually add
another element to the role of captain or to the skills of a manager. It is
a similar system to what they use in tennis. People say the human error of
a referee is what makes it fun, I personally do not agree with this anymore,
as too much is on the line now in the game. There was opposition for years
on goal line technology, we put it off and off and the lack of it helped
eliminate England in the 2010 World Cup. Now we use it and it nobody
thinks twice about it.

We will appeal the red card although it is not clear that it will be
rescinded, this is due to the fact that some pundits/referees believe there
is a case for it being a red card. I was asked this morning whether by
appealing and not being successful it would add another game ban to the
amount of games missed. This only happens if the appeal is ridiculous and
has no chance of being overturned and apparently this isn't the case with
our appeal. It can also be said that some of the performances were not at
their best on Saturday and for the first time in a long time the defence and
keeper were not on top of their game. I personally believe our defence is
much stronger with James Collins in it and I personally cannot wait for his
return. Not only is he an extremely good defender, but he also leads that
defence and is great in the dressing room. I recently asked a member of
staff involved with the players, who is the player that gives the best
banter and they singled out "Ginge".

I thought Lanzini played really well and it is great that having proven his
fitness (something we covered in many articles) he has now been signed
permanently. His skill and class are currently being overshadowed by Payet,
but there is no doubt Lanzini's signing is huge for the club. Another thing
that we have covered through our columns is that Song, Moses and Emineke
will not be signed permanently and all three will return to their parent
clubs.

The signing of Antonio Martinez should go through this week. He is 18 years
old, plays for Valencia and has apparently scored consistently for their
youth teams. He is highly rated and frustrated at not being more involved
with their senior squad. There was some confusion on social media around
this signing last week. I was told that he was 99.9% likely to join us and
then obviously the owner's son Dave tweeted that there was no bid or deal in
place. The situation here is that Terry Westley and Tony Henry deal with
the recruitment at youth level and are trusted, rightly so, with bringing in
players without the need for the chairman to always be consulted. So David
Sullivan wasn't aware of the deal, but this is due to the trust he places in
Terry Westley who he worked with at Birmingham too. Let's hope that this
deal is similar in success to the Defoe deal we did when he was a kid and
not like the Youssef Sofiane, Petr Mikolanda and more notably Savio Nsreko
when trying to sign a young up and coming forward for the first team.

We should be making this move for a few other foreign youngsters in a
similar way to what Arsenal and Chelsea do and of course developing the
great British players that we currently have here. We were lucky enough to
interview under 18's Assistant Manager Mark Philips and he spoke very highly
of the players that we have coming through.

The end of season preparations for the Manchester United game are extremely
exciting. In some ways it is better that the game is a midweek fixture
under the lights rather than in daylight on a Saturday. The club have spent
a large budget on this, around about the £500k mark to make this special.
It is said to involve amazing special effects that will be simply
breathtaking. There are talks of holograms on the pitch and a chance to see
Bobby Moore walking up the steps from the changing rooms to greet the fans
and play on the pitch for one last time. He will then look down from the
skies onto the pitch and I challenge any of you not to cry at that moment.
The "show" will also feature many other club legends as well as a claret and
blue firework display. Pretty much all players that have featured for the
club and are available have been invited to the match. We are due to
interview someone who has and they have a very interesting story to tell
this week. Think unexpected debuts as a young lad in the 1990s and you will
probably work out the player. It is essential that fans do not run onto the
pitch, the lifetime ban seems harsh but it will literally spoil the event if
fans come on and I urge you all that this is not worth missing.

At The West Ham Way we have been delighted with how things are going with
the site. We have our Matthew Etherington, match worn, signed by the whole
first team squad, testimonial competition which should not be missed. See
this link for the ways to enter
https://twitter.com/WestHamWaycouk/status/715309707959930880. We donated
£150 to DT38 and featured in the official photos on the site and are
delighted to work further in the future with the charity.

We will also be donating £150 to Jonjo when he returns from his latest
charity walk too. This takes our total of money raised for charity to
almost £2000, all of which has come from you guys and shows why we have such
great fans. Our apps are out now for Andriod and Iphone (both ranked in the
top ten downloads in the UK when launched) and mean our hourly news and
articles come straight to your phone. We have a completely new website
layout and design coming out soon, which will be a lot faster and more
reliable! No more pages not loading for some of you and we have been
approached about two further exciting projects.

KUMB continue to lead the way for the independent sites and we are no way
near challenging our friends over there yet and we totally respect all that
they have achieved. In four months and without NewsNow membership yet, our
rise in internet ranking has been huge. Our shirts as modelled by Evan and
George in the videos and our model Daisy (her photos will be on the site
this week) are available to buy. £20 covers the shirt and postage and
anyone who buys one will be entered into another great competition on the
site as a thank you. We have claret with blue and blue with claret all in
stock, which I will deal with. I thank all of you for the positive comments
you give us at the games and on here, I hope we continue to reach your
expectations. We are still looking at getting some advertisers and we can
offer exclusive packages if you are interested. Please get in touch!

The future for the club is so bright and the chairman, manager and players
have all contributed to this great feel at the club.

COYI

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Referee Performance Analysis - Mark Clattenburg - West Ham vs Crystal
Palace?
April 3, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Sam Royden-Ryell

It's great to be back writing for The West Ham Way after the International
break. I couldn't agree more with Jack (Sullivan) in his column for The West
Ham Way on his views on the International break - they're meaningless and a
poor excuse to give overrated players the opportunity to receive the highest
honour they can get, which is to represent their country internationally.
While this was happening, Mark Noble was honoured with a well-deserved
testimonial. It was a great occasion for a great West Ham patriot and was
exciting to see some fan-favourite West Ham greats putting the claret and
blue shirt on again for the last time at the Boleyn.

It was back to business in the Premier League as West Ham welcomed Crystal
Palace and former West Ham manager Alan Pardew to the Boleyn Ground. This
was possibly my final Premier League game at the Boleyn Ground so I was
hoping that we'd keep our unbeaten run at home and continue our pursuit for
European football next season. The referee appointed for this fixture was
Mark Clattenburg; he also officiated our 3-1 win at Selhurst Park earlier on
in the season.

As a spectator this afternoon and sitting in the lower tier of the Betway
(West) Stand, 7 rows from the front, I cannot express to you what I
witnessed from a referee, who I have personally modelled my own referee
traits on. Clattenburg is undoubtedly one of the finest referees in English
Football. Clattenburg has been rewarded by representing the English FA in
Euro 2016 in France alongside Martin Atkinson, however today was a different
story.

The atmosphere started very promisingly however, progressively got more and
more hostile towards Clattenburg as the game went on. The countless number
of decisions that Clattenburg failed to give to West Ham and even more so
when Palace players persistently committed fouls without any action being
taken. Clattenburg showed two cautions within a matter of minutes to Mark
Noble and Winston Reid. Noble's challenge was a last ditch challenge to
prevent a promising attack by Palace. From my position, I felt Noble didn't
get the ball from his challenge, I have to agree with Clattenburg on this
decision. Winston Reid's caution on the other hand really riffled the West
Ham fans. Reid was cautioned for apparently blocking a Palace player when
from my angle it looked like the Palace player ran into Reid. Throughout the
game, Clattenburg missed obvious fouls by the Palace defenders who were
climbing and pushing the West Ham forward men and Clattenburg simply wasn't
interested.

The second half wasn't much better for Clattenburg as he failed to issue
Dwight Gale a caution for persistent infringement of the laws of the game
which you can imagine was really starting to infuriate the West Ham fans,
including myself. Clattenburg did eventually caution two Palace players in
the final stages of the game. Angelo Ogbonna was hacked down just inside the
Palace half by centre back Scott Dann which was hugely beneficial to Palace
as West Ham were on the counter attack. Bakary Sako was the next player into
Clattenburg's book after a somewhat late and reckless challenge on Enner
Valencia.

The biggest and most controversial decision of the game was the red card
given to Cheikhou Kouyaté after the West Ham midfielder challenged Palace
striker Dwight Gale for the ball on the half way line. Kouyaté slid into the
challenge with Gale, winning the ball and subsequently catching Gale
afterwards. Clattenburg sprinted over while furiously blowing his whistle
for a foul and when he started to reach for his top pocket I knew instantly
that he was going to reach for his red card. The decision wasn't helped by
the way Gale was rolling around unsportingly and tempers were clear with the
Palace striker after Kouyaté was down the tunnel. Even though Kouyaté did
get the ball, he did catch the player on the follow through (which was
unintentional) and I believe it was careless by the West Ham midfielder,
however he didn't use Excessive Force - which warrants a red card. In the
Laws of The Game, Excessive Force is when the player has exceeded the
necessary use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent. Not for
one second do I feel this challenge was the above. Kouyaté was careless and
a caution would have been more than enough.

This decision epitomises the poor standard of refereeing we have seen this
season and it warrants yet another appeal to the FA Independent Regulatory
Commission on Monday, which should be another successful appeal. This is the
third time this season where a referee has made the most obvious error for a
challenge that I believe should be of been a caution at most. Mark Noble
away at Liverpool, Cheikhou Kouyaté at Blackburn and now against Palace, all
red cards of which shouldn't have been. It's hugely frustrating because I
was actually further away to the incident than Clattenburg and it was clear
that Kouyaté got the ball and he still got the decision wrong. I said on my
previous column that Video Technology is needed in Football. It isn't just
needed anymore, it is imperative! This would help stop game-changing
decisions like this which in hindsight lost West Ham two points. Who knows
what would have happened if Kouyaté did stay on the field, but it was the
turning point in the game which swung in Palace's favour. Overall,
Clattenburg had a very poor game, the only rationale on why he made decision
was that from his position, he felt Kouyaté didn't get the ball and caught
Gale late and lunged not in control and deemed the challenge as Excessive
Force. It's disappointing that a number of poor refereeing decisions
throughout the Premier League and especially the last three games off the
top of my head, are starting to impact the league at the most signifiant
time of the season.

Thanks,
Sam

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Monday musings: Ref off
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th April 2016
By: Graeme Howlett

When both sets of players and managers agree that a player has been harshly
sent off, it's difficult to express sympathy with the referee. And when your
team had been the victim of a string of similarly-poor calls, it's perhaps
no surprise that conspiracy theories begin to emerge. Only two people have
been outspoken in their support of referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to
dismiss Cheik Kouyate for a robust but fair challenge on Dwight Gayle during
Saturday's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at the Boleyn Ground. One was MotD's
commentator, whose view can be dismissed on the basis that he claimed
Kouyate went into the challenge two-footed and with studs showing - which
simply didn't happen. The other was pundit and ex-Arsenal star Ian Wright,
who face the Hammers in their next fixture - sans the influential Kouyate,
as it stands.

At the risk of beginning to sound like a broken record, Slaven Bilic's
frustration is entirely understandable. Robbed of an FA Cup semi final spot
at Old Trafford and two vital Premier League points at Stamford Bridge days
later thanks to dreadful decisions, West Ham's season is being affected -
negatively - by bad calls from officials.

And the myth which suggests these poor decisions even themselves out over
the course of the season is just that - a falsehood that simply has no
evidence to support it, yet plenty to suggest otherwise.

In order to determine how much teams are affected, over at Talksport they
have been compiling a list of incorrect decisions by referees throughout the
season. The aforementioned conspiracists won't be shocked to see the Hammers
bottom of this table, having received four incorrect calls in their favour
this term - and 11 against.

Conversely, the table is topped by Manchester United (eight for, one
against), Leicester (surprisingly perhaps with twelve for and seven against)
and then Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City.

So whilst it may be going too far to suggest the game is bent - even though
it has been claimed in recent days that a great number of Premier League
stars have been administered performance-enhancing drugs - it seems that
somehow, enough pressure is being exerted upon match officials to cause them
to award marginal decisions in favour of the league's elite clubs when push
comes to shove.

However the real shame about Kouyate's dismissal and Clattenburg's generally
awful performance is that it completely overshadowed another incredible free
kick by Dimitri Payet, who is probably the world's premier dead ball
specialist at this point in time.

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Trio out as Bilic looks to OS
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th April 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are preparing to bid farewell to a trio of on-loan players at the
end of the season. None of Alex Song, Victor Moses nor Emmanuel Emenike have
done enough to earn permanent contracts, according to a KUMB source - and
all three will subsequently return to their parent clubs at the end of the
current campaign. Song, with 15 first team appearances to his name this term
is close to activating a clause in his contract that triggers a permanent
deal. However the midfielder, currently on his second loan spell at the
Boleyn will return to Barcelona having failed to convince Slave Bilic that
he has a long-term future at the Olympic Stadium. The situation is the same
for winger Moses, on loan from Chelsea and striker Emenike, at the club via
Fenerbahce. They have made 21 appearances (2 goals) and nine appearances
(also two goals) for West Ham respectively this season but both will return
to their parent clubs in May.

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Is this hypocrisy?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th April 2016
By: Paul Walker

Now I thought long and hard about this piece, because I know it goes right
against the grain of the general West Ham opinion over the Cheikhou Kouyate
situation. But in the end I am risking the wrath of Irons fans because not
to do so would compromise everything I have said and written about James
McCarthy and his shocking, poorly punished, assault on Dimitri Payet back in
November. And I feel we could be accused of hypocrisy in the way we are
defending Kouyate's tackle against Crystal Palace at the weekend, and any
potential appeal to the FA. Now I left the ground after the 2-2 draw on
Saturday, gutted that we had seen victory prised from our grasp by Mark
Clattenburg's red card for our outstanding midfielder. From 60 or so yards
away in the Bobby Moore lower I was in no position to judged the merits of
the tackle or the referee's decision. I just felt cheated.
For some weeks I had been convincing myself that we could finish in the top
two or three. Even, with a win over Palace, a double over Arsenal and then a
win at Leicester--yes, I believe we are a better footballing side than the
current league leaders--we could have put ourselves right in contention for
top honours. I feel with these two dropped points, that chance has gone now.
When needs must, the big boys all won at the weekend. Manchester United,
Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and yes Leicester too. We could not
afford our draw, and now we have a tough three games against the Gunners,
Man Utd in the FA Cup replay and Leicester away.
Of course I was angry. But I wanted to see the tackle on TV first, before
launching into a tirade of abuse at a referee, I believe is the best in the
country, even if I have frequently been critical of his arrogance, superior
attitude, boy band haircut, the fake tan and the gel. But, regardless of
all that, he is a referee the players like and respect and one that is
hugely well thought of around Europe, with him heading to the Euro' 16
finals in the summer.
Match of the Day bottled it. Their coverage was poor, Ian Wright thought it
was a red, Alan Shearer--who I recall had plenty of previous for dodgy
tackles--disagreed. They even laughed about the Umbro stamp on Peter
Schmeichel's thigh that Shearer once left. Oh how we laughed too! But Sky
the following day, nailed it with a careful, slow motion of the incident and
Chris Kamara's excellent analysis. And those shots showed, to my mind, why
Clattenburg acted so quickly. He was eight to ten yards away, viewing the
tackle from behind Kouyate. What he saw initially was the first part of the
tackle in which both the player's feet were off the ground. The end of the
sequence showed Kouyate's right foot six inches off the ground and
connecting with Gayle's ankle. Clattenburg would have been able to penalise
both parts of that tackle had he so wished. They key to all this is NOT that
people felt Kouyate touched the ball, it is whether his body is under
control and not endangering an opponent. Touching the ball first has nothing
to do with it. The directive this season has made it clear, that two feet
off the ground is a red card.

That is why I was so annoyed with Wigan referee Paul Tierney's
interpretation of James McCarthy's two footed, scissor assault on Payet. The
Everton player's feet were both off the ground during the tackle. But
Tierney, who has only had five Premier League games this term and been
nowhere near us since, opted just to book him. I recall a lengthy spell of
abuse from Everton fans aimed at me after that. They kept on about
connecting with the ball first, and one muppet even suggested that he could
not be expected to have control over his body with both feet off the ground.
Yes, me too. The fool completely missed the point.

Now Kouyate's tackle was nothing like as bad, but I am already seeing our
fans on websites claiming he got the ball, so that's OK. No it is not, the
FA and UEFA want dangerous tackles outlawed, they want stars like our
Dimitri to be allowed to produce their brilliance without fear of being cut
to pieces by thugs. Clattenburg does not make these sort of mistakes.
Already this season he sent off Victor Wanyama at Southampton in February
for a two footed lunge at Payet. That we could not beat ten men has been
dealt with elsewhere!

Clattenburg also sent off Dwight Gayle when we won 3-1 at Selhurst Park, for
a similar two-footer that had both feet off the ground. Alan Pardew moaned
about it again at the weekend.
So, while Tierney does not know the correct punishment, Clattenburg is spot
on. Consistent. Loads of folk, our owners to the fore, our manager, reckon
Kouyate was just unlucky and a little slow. They are probably right, but
Clattenburg saw the feet off the ground, and reacted instantly. That's why
some of our fans were claiming the red card came out with indecent haste.

Now the political bit. I have tried to see grounds for an appeal. But it is
our word against the Premier League's best referee. And I cannot see the
disciplinary people being too pleased to see Kouyate back in front of them
just over a month after his last sob story for the red card at Blackburn. He
got off that one, but certain people may see him now as a serial offender.
Two reprieves in five weeks. I doubt it. And there is another problem here.
We are shellshocked that he will miss three crucial games. Arsenal,
Manchester United and Leicester. If the FA consider any appeal to be
frivolous, they can hit us with another one match. And that would mean
Watford at home, just three days before a potential FA Cup semi-final at
Wembley.

Now you lot out there may not like my treasonable assessment of this latest
refereeing controversy to hit us, I will have to live with that and already
have the tin hat on. But if we are quick to rightly condemn McCarthy for a
two footed tackle, then I find it hard to see how we can try to argue our
way out of a lesser, but also two footed motion, from one of our own
players. OK, I am now off to Australia for a few weeks to avoid the flak.
But I bet any of you that the Premier League and the FA will not try to tell
Clattenburg that he was wrong. Quick, harsh yes. But his interpretation of
the laws was right, whether you like them or not. Sorry folks.

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West Ham to let Alex Song, Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike leave – Sky
sources
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 04/04/16 6:35pm
SSN

West Ham will not make the loan signings of Alex Song, Victor Moses and
Emmanuel Emenike permanent in the summer, according to Sky sources.
The trio are currently on-loan to West Ham until the end of the campaign
from Barcelona, Chelsea and Al Ain respectively. West Ham have the option
to make all the deals permanent, but Sky sources understand the Hammers have
decided not to do so. Song joined West Ham on a season-long loan from
Barcelona in August 2014 and enjoyed a hugely impressive first four months
at the club, playing a leading role under then-manager Sam Allardyce.
However, West Ham did not take up the option to make Song's move to the club
permanent at the end of last season after midfielder sustained an ankle
injury. Song did re-join West Ham in August, on a second season-long loan,
but remained on the sidelines for a further three months because of that
injury before making his long-awaited return as a late substitute in the 4-1
defeat at Tottenham. The 28-year-old has struggled to establish himself as
a first-team regular under Slaven Bilic this season and has started just
eight Premier League matches.

Song has also been an unused substitute in West Ham's previous three games.
Moses completed a season-long loan move to West Ham on the same day as Song
and enjoyed a productive start to life at the Boleyn Ground, starting 11
matches and scoring in the 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
A hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Manchester United in December
saw Moses miss six weeks of the season and he has not started in the Premier
League since.

Emenike joined West Ham on a six-month loan deal in January after the east
London club decided to sell Nikica Jelavic to Chinese second division side
Guizhou Renhe. The 29-year-old forward has scored two goals in nine
appearances - both goals coming in the 5-1 FA Cup fifth-round victory over
Blackburn Rovers - and started Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Crystal Palace.

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West Ham 'unfortunate' against Crystal Palace says Winston Reid By Zinny
Boswell Last Updated: 04/04/16 1:54pm SSN

West Ham defender Winston Reid says his side were unfortunate not to take
all three points from last Saturday's home game against Crystal Palace.
Damien Delaney headed Palace in front early on but goals from Manuel Lanzini
and a trademark Dimitri Payet free-kick put the Hammers in charge at Upton
Park. However, the 67th-minute dismissal of Cheikhou Kouyate - a decision
which West Ham have already appealed - saw Palace regain a foothold in the
match and Dwight Gayle secured a 2-2 draw when tapping in from close range
eight minutes later. Speaking to the club's official website, New Zealander
Reid said: "You always get frustrated with decisions, but at the end of the
day the referee has made it and then that's it, you can't do anything about
it, you just have to get on with it. "They got back into the game, scored a
goal and we tried to push for it at the end, tried to go up and get a win,
we needed a win. "Of course, if we had four points more we'd be a lot
further up, but it wasn't the case to be. Obviously, when the team's playing
really well it's unfortunate not to pick up those extra points. "There are
still seven games to play, so there's still loads of football to be played
and it's not like we're playing poorly or anything, we've just been lacking
maybe a little bit of sharpness and a little bit of luck, probably, as well.
"We'll dust ourselves down, we'll get back on it next week and be ready for
the next game."
West Ham lie sixth in the Premier League table, three points off
fourth-placed Manchester City, and will be looking to close the gap when
they host Arsenal on Saturday. But they will also be keeping an eye on their
highly-anticipated FA Cup quarter final replay against Manchester United
four days later. "I think everything's important for us," he added. "As long
as we can keep playing well, like we're doing, and we'll just try to be
positive and pick up as many points. "Obviously, we have a big game against
Man United at home, which we want to progress and go to Wembley, and try to
get ourselves into a final.

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Slav options grow ahead of Arsenal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2016 in News, Whispers C and H

Sam Byram and James Collins are set to join the squad which takes on Arsenal
at the weekend. And that looks likely to seethe signing from Leeds and fit
again James Tomkins battling it out for the right sided defensive role with
Michail Antonio being pushed into his attacking midfield role. Collins has
been missing since the 1-0 win over Tottenham in February but is reported
as being set for a training ground return this week. James Tomkins was back
in the Palace squad having recovered from a calf injury and with the
business end of the season upon us we could hardly be in better shape.
Manager Slaven Bilic said: "Ginger Collins and Sam Byram, they are going to
come back Even without we would try to finish as high as possible and try to
reach the (FA Cup) semi-finals. "We have a big enough squad, a lot of energy
and a lot of confidence."

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Slav's Payet concerns
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2016 in News, Whispers C and H

Slaven Bilic has spoken of the fitness concerns over Dimi Payet during the
game against Crystal Palace. The brilliant French international scored
another sensational free kick to take hisset piece to goals conversion rate
to 50 per cent. But afterwards the manager said: ""It was a brilliant goal.
I expected him to try and bend it over the wall" My assistant, (Julian
Dicks) he came to me before and I said I also scored one like that. I said
no way! But he added: "Maybe Payet wasn't that sharp in the game because
don't forget he has had a couple of games for France that were everything
for him but friendly games. "It was very exhausting and again here he did
everything but was missing that bit of sharpness. It is demanding for him
psychologically."

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TV cash inflation will see duo leave
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2016 in News, Whispers C and H

Emmanuel Emenike's £8 million price tag demonstrates the extent to which
inflation in the game will continue to grow this summer. The Irons will
allow the striker to return to his parent club Fenerbahce at the end of the
season as they bid to hold onto ever penny for the £20m-£25 million they are
planning to spend on a new striker shows. An insider told ClaretandHugh:
"Emmy will be allowed to go back and yes the asking price was £8 million -
the same as Lanzini. He's done well but we are unlikely to pursue it. "With
the billions coming into the game from TV money inflation is estimated at
around eight per cent and thus we will need every penny as prices for
players and their wages rise. "We are focused on a top striker as everybody
knows and need to make every penny count as a result."
It now seems absolutely certain that Alex Song will be allowed to return to
Barcelona after his recent absences which are understood to be on account of
him being close to making the number of appearances which would
automatically trigger a permanent move.

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Michail Antonio: West Ham need luck to change in Champions League chase
GERRY COX Evening Standard

Michail Antonio is hoping West Ham have a change of fortune during their
Premier League run-in as they bid for Champions League football. Hammers
manager Slaven Bilic felt aggrieved after another controversial decision
went against them in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace but Antonio says the
players will simply move on. Cheikhou Kouyate was dismissed by Mark
Clattenburg in the 67th minute for a studs-up lunge on Dwight Gayle which
divided opinion, with Palace boss Alan Pardew agreeing with Bilic that it
was harsh. One thing that is not in dispute is that the Hammers have not had
much joy from refereeing decisions in the past four games, with contentious
decisions costing them dear. A late penalty meant they drew 2-2 at Chelsea a
fortnight ago and again on Saturday they dropped two points as Dwight Gayle
equalised for Palace shortly after Kouyate's dismissal. They are now three
points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the race for a Champions
League spot, but Antonio says they should look forward rather than back and
hopes the tide turns in the final seven games of the season. "Certainly we
feel hard done by, because with 11 men we felt stronger than Palace and had
more possession and attempts on goal, but it was one of those things and we
have to move on," he said. "Decisions are not going our way but hopefully
our luck will change and something special can happen for us."
But the winger refuses to be seduced by the prospect of the Champions
League. "We are not looking that far ahead," he added. "That is when extra
pressure comes into games and mistakes start to happen. "It is about making
sure you get the best results you can, game by game." Although Damien
Delaney gave Palace an early lead after a rare error from Adrian, West Ham
equalised with Manuel Lanzini's low shot and then took the lead before
half-time with another superb Dimitri Payet free-kick. But Gayle's equaliser
meant it was more points dropped.

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Mark Clattenburg shouldn't have sent off Cheikhou Kouyate... the pressure of
going to Euro 2016 is getting to the Geordie ref Cheikhou Kouyate tackle on
Dwight Gayle was high but not excessive A yellow card would have been more
appropriate from Mark Clattenburg The pressure of being a major championship
referee can have its toll Attempt to appeal may prove unsuccessful as it is
more harsh than wrong By GRAHAM POLL FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 01:36, 4 April 2016 | UPDATED: 10:30, 4 April 2016

West Ham were held to a draw with Crystal Palace at Upton Park on Saturday
in a game not short on incident. Damien Delaney's opener for the visitors
was cancelled out by Manuel Lanzini and another sensational Dimitri Payet
free-kick. But the complexion of the game changed after referee Mark
Clattenburg sent off Cheikhou Kouyate for what he deemed to be a dangerous
challenge on Dwight Gayle, who would score the equaliser. Sportsmail's
Graham Poll gives his assessment of the latest refereeing decision to go
against the Hammers as Slaven Bilic's side lost ground in the race for a
Champions League place next season. West Ham's run of bad luck with
refereeing decisions continued with a very harsh red card for Cheikhou
Kouyate. It appeared to swing the balance of their game against Crystal
Palace in which they dropped two precious points. Mark Clattenburg is
usually a very good, considered referee who understands the mood of games
and players' intentions. Yet he rushed over in the 67th minute and
immediately took out his red card when Kouyate caught Dwight Gayle with a
high but not excessive tackle. A yellow card would have been more
appropriate and consistent with officiating this season. One can't help but
wonder if the pressure of being a major championship referee (Clattenburg
goes to the Euros this summer) is getting to the Geordie ref. Whilst West
Ham won an appeal when the same player was dismissed against Blackburn in
the FA Cup, I don't think they would win this as it is likely to be seen as
harsh rather than wrong.

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West Ham News: Kouyate red reaction, £15m Prem hitman wanted, £35m Payet
exit EXPRESS SPORT brings you all the latest from Upton Park.
By JACK STAPLEHURST
PUBLISHED: 08:30, Mon, Apr 4, 2016 | UPDATED: 08:35, Mon, Apr 4, 2016

West Ham star Cheikhou Kouyate is likely to have his appeal rejected by the
FA, according to former referee Graham Poll. Mark Clattenburg issued a
straight red card for a challenge on Dwight Gayle deemed reckless by the
official in the Hammers' 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Kouyate's
controversial sending off for a high foot will see him miss West Ham's next
three crucial games against Arsenal, Manchester United in the FA Cup and
Leicester. Manager Slaven Bilic was left infuriated by the dismissal which
came while the Hammers led 2-1 at Upton Park, and even Palace boss Alan
Pardew admitted: "I thought it was a bit harsh." In his Daily Mail column,
Poll said: "A yellow card would have been more appropriate and consistent
with officiating this season." However, the ex-Premier League referee added:
"I don't think they would win this as it is likely to be seen as harsh
rather than wrong."

West Ham have reportedly raised their interest in Watford striker Odion
Ighalo as they search for a proven goalscorer this summer. According to The
Sun, the Hammers have added Ighalo to their transfer wishlist which includes
the likes of Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette. They may also be able
to secure the 26-year-old for a smaller fee than their other prime targets,
with Watford apparently ready to accept around £15million. Ighalo has netted
14 goals in his debut Premier League season on the back of a further 20 in
the 2014/15 Championship campaign. None of Bilic's strikers have scored more
than four league goals this term despite their Champions League push and
Ighalo is seen as a strong option heading into the Olympic Stadium.

Dimitri Payet is earning serious interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid,
according to reports. The West Ham playmaker has been a revelation this
season as their top creator and goalscorer, adding to his total on Saturday
with another free-kick, this time against Palace. The 29-year-old's form has
also earned him a recall to the France squad ahead of Euro 2016 where he
impressed during the international break. Despite arriving in east London
only last summer and penning a new five-year deal as recently as February,
the Brentwood Gazette claim the two La Liga powerhouses are monitoring Payet
carefully. The Spanish teams apparently face a head-to-head battle for the
attacking midfielder with both sides prepared to pay £35m.

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