Daily WHUFC News - 28th April 2016

Awards night success for loan star Burke
WHUFC.com

West Ham loan star Reece Burke gained recognition for his fantastic season
at Bradford City by winning seven awards on Tuesday night at the club's
presentation evening. The 19-year-old Academy product collected the main
accolade – club Player of the Year – as well as similar awards from a number
of supporters' clubs. Also picking up the Most Consistent Player prize, it
was a terrific evening overall for the defender who has made 34 appearances
for the Bantams this season. After collecting the awards, the centre-back
said: "To win seven, I don't know what to say. It's a big achievement for
me. I couldn't thank people enough; my family and people who have voted for
me. "The aim when moving to Bradford was to get a few league games under my
belt but I've come a long way since then! I've played quite a few and it's
great to win Player of the Year. "It means a lot for my family to be here
when I collected my awards. We're very close. My Dad comes up for most games
and travels back, so it's hard work for him, but if it wasn't for him I
wouldn't be the man I am today. "I think working with the manager and being
around the players has helped me develop. I've grown up quite quick on the
pitch and it's been a great season for me."

Burke is just one of many promising Hammers who have been successful out on
loan this term; Josh Cullen has impressed alongside him at Bradford while
Elliot Lee and Kyle Knoyle have done well at Colchester United and Dundee
United respectively. City manager Phil Parkinson was full of praise for the
pair of Hammers, who have grown up at the Academy of Football, he has had at
his disposal this season. "We have been delighted with the progress that
both Burke and Cullen have made since arriving at the club," he said.
"Obviously Reece came up first towards the start of the season and he
settled in well with the rest of the players and in the area itself. "The
exact same can be said about Josh when he joined too. They have performed
excellently for us during their time here and they are both examples of the
young players West Ham United are trying to produce. They are a credit to
their Club."

In his first full season in senior football, Burke played three times for
the Hammers in their Europa League ties at the start of the season, before
joining the play-off chasing League One side. His loan move, which has seen
the rising star become a fans' favourite at Valley Parade, came on the back
of six impressive displays in Claret and Blue for the first team at the tail
end of last term. Bradford City are currently fifth in League One and look
set for a play-off campaign, having narrowly missed out last term, in a bid
to win promotion to the Championship.

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Collins - I'm dying to play my part
WHUFC.com

Hammers defender James Collins is itching to get back on the pitch after
returning from injury and is looking forward to facing a manager this
weekend who once tried to sign him.

The big centre-half, who made a cameo return appearance from the bench
against Watford last week, is fit and ready for selection having recovered
from a hamstring problem as the Hammers face West Bromwich Albion at the
Hawthorns on Saturday.

And the Welshman revealed that Baggies manager Tony Pulis, then boss of
Stoke City, was a big fan of his years ago, however the 32-year-old instead
left the Hammers for Aston Villa.

Collins said: "I almost signed for [Pulis] a couple of years back when he
was at Stoke. I went to Villa a couple of days later instead, though.

"He is from Newport and grew up not far from me, so I've always had a good
bit of banter with him. I know boys that have played for him, but he's a
great manager and a great man.

"He gets his teams working hard and it's going to be tough on Saturday.
We're confident though that we can get the three points. I am dying to get
back on the pitch and play my part in the rest of the season."

Prior to the 3-1 victory over the Hornets, Collins last appeared for Slaven
Bilic's side in the Hammers' 1-0 win against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The defender admitted that it has been a slower return to match fitness than
he would have liked, but he now wants to help the side finish as high up the
Premier League table as possible.

"It took me a bit longer to get fit than I wanted and I had a couple of
setbacks, but I'm looking forward to getting some game time now and looking
forward to the Euros too," continued the Wales international.

"It's still been a great season for us. If you ask the rest of the boys,
they'll probably say the same as me, that we've conceded a few too many
goals recently, and I'm not just saying that because I'm not playing!

"We could have had a few wins where we've drawn, but we're still going well
and we're looking forward to the last three games. We're working to finish
as high up as we can.

"There have been times where a couple of decisions have gone against us but
we need to finish off strongly as we don't want to fizzle out – we need to
carry it on."

Collins – capped by Wales on 46 occasions – will join up with the rest of
the Dragons' squad and manager Chris Coleman at the end of the season for
UEFA Euro 2016 in France, and he is looking forward to the nation's huge
clash with Roy Hodgson's England.

"The draw has been made and obviously we have got England, so it's going to
be a massive tournament and a massive game against them. We're meeting up
quite early though, so we'll be fully prepared and will have a good few
weeks to look forward to it.

"We will go there full of confidence that we can perform how we have been
[in the qualifiers] and confident of getting to the next stage."

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From the Newsroom
WHUFC.com

Football journalist Rory Smith reckons the Juventus are a fitting club to
for the Hammers to open the new Stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
against in August…

There's no doubt that the Hammers' opponents in the first game at their new
Stadium – Juventus – are one of the world's biggest clubs, something that
has perhaps been forgotten in recent years with Barcelona and Bayern Munich
taking over.

The Old Lady are massive, though; to think they have won 32 Serie A titles
is extraordinary. They say that one in every two football fans in Italy is a
Juventus fan, meaning they're beyond the Manchester United of Italy. You
either actively support them or actively support against them over there. It
shows what a genuinely massive club they are.

They are one of the three teams in Serie A to own their stadium, they have
now won five titles in a row and they are regulars in the latter stages of
the UEFA Champions League. They obviously got to the final of the
competition last season, and many would have backed them to get to the
quarters or the semis again had they not met Bayern in the last-16 this
year. Even in that tie, they ran the German side close.

They are a team on the up, that's for sure. They often provide the backbone
for the Italy team, and the three of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and
Leonardo Bonucci are Italian football-made flesh. They're brutal, hard and
tough – and a little bit snide in a nice way – but also elegant and what you
think of when you consider Italian football.

One of the reasons Fiorentina hate Juventus is because they feel they have
always been over-represented in the Italy side. Gianluigi Buffon is one of
those players who you want to appreciate watching now; there's a good chance
he's the best goalkeeper who has ever lived. Not just his ability
contributes to that, but also how long he lasted at the top of world
football for club and country.

I remember him making his debut for Parma when he was 18, and that would
have been almost 21 years ago. He's one of those players that when your
grandkids ask 'who have you seen play?', it would be nice to answer
'Gianluigi Buffon'. West Ham fans now have a chance to do that.

Like West Ham, Juventus are a factory team, and they have massive English
links with their former managers.

They're a side full of symbolic Italian players, however they also have some
younger, exciting players as well. Paul Pogba is arguably one of the most
complete midfielders in Europe; Paulo Dybala is the next Argentinian
sensation…there are lots of players who are worth watching.

It is sure to be an exciting game to open the new Stadium that everyone
connected with West Ham will be looking forward to.

Rory Smith's new book 'Mister: The Men Who Gave The World The Game' is
available now online and from most good bookshops.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not
necessarily the opinions held by West Ham United.

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Sport Football West Ham transfer news
West Ham out of transfer chase for Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they
focus on signing a top striker
22:30, 27 APR 2016
BY DARREN LEWIS
Hammers chiefs have decided to invest major funds in the centre-forward
position with Michy Batshuayi and Christian Benteke among the names on their
radar
The Mirror

West Ham have decided against pursuing a move for Arsenal 's Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain — because they have already made a high-class striker
their main priority.

We revealed last week that the ambitious Hammers - still chasing Champions
League qualification with four games to go - have been offered midfielder
Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Gunners set to offload a number of players this
summer.

But the Irons are currently battling London neighbours and rivals Spurs for
the signature of Marseille marksman Michy Batshuayi, who has scored 19 goals
this season.

They have also confirmed their interest in out-of-favour Liverpool frontman
Christian Benteke.

A decision has been taken to invest substantial funds into addressing the
centre-forward position ahead of next season, even though the club are among
the Premier League's highest scorers in the current campaign.

Talented England international Oxlade-Chamberlain has also attracted
attention from his former club Southampton and both Manchester giants.

The 22-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, has 24 caps for
England but is unlikely to be picked for the European Championship this
summer as he is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

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West Ham Ticket booking fees rise by 30%
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 27, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Booking fees for buying tickets over the telephone from West Ham's new
ticket partner Ticket Master have increased by 30% to £1.95 per ticket.
Under the current contract with See Tickets at the Boleyn Ground,
Bondholders/Season Ticket Holders/Academy and Youth Academy Member pay £1.50
per ticket. However, buying tickets online for the Olympic Stadium will
remain the same at £1 per ticket booking fee.

A source close to the ticket office told Claret and Hugh

"Unfortunately, this was a tough decision but we took in the fans view on
the problems encountered with the current box office particularly in the
time spent waiting on the phone due to the small size of the See Tickets
call centre"

The source added "It's tough to find an improved system at the same cost,
Ticket Master offer a better service but for this, supporters will have a
slightly higher charge applied to their transactions. We have battled hard
to keep the online the same and this is where biggest improvement in terms
of demand and also usage will be seen"

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Sky plan a massive Boleyn farewell
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Exclusive

Sky Sports will be serving up a Hammers treat for the last game at the
Boleyn. Plans are well advanced from the broadcaster to ensure that those
unable to get to the game will see the 'old lady' get a brilliant send off.
Sky regulars Tony Gale and Tony Cottee will be giving hourly bulletins from
Upton Park whilst Bill Bonds and Alan Devonshire will be heavily featured.
The climax to the night is still shrouded in secrecy by the club although we
understand a large number of Irons 'legends' will be joining the
celebrations. BondsHowever, the club is desperate that fans remain in their
seats for the evening and any crowd invasion would be a disaster after
months of planning at considerable expense It would also prevent some of the
biggest names in club history from making their entrance for the last time
so let's all stay cool.

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Great news for Dad Slav
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 27, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic's long term girlfriend, Ivana Djeldum is expecting her second
child with the West Ham manager according to Croatian tabloids. This will be
his fourth child and second with Ivana who gave birth to their first child
two years ago before he joined West Ham, last summer. His young daughter
Sofi and the two year old lives with her mother in his home town of Spilt,
and Slav regularly visits them when he gets time off from the Hammers. He
also has two children, a son and a daughter by his former wife of 14 years,
Andrijana Bilic who also lives in Spilt, Croatia. They are called Leo who is
now nineteen and Alani who is twelve. Congratulations to Slaven and Ivana on
their news from ClaretandHugh.

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Hammers seat sales soon underway
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Exclusive

West Ham are close to organising how fans will buy their seats to keep as a
permanent reminder of their old Boleyn home. ClaretandHugh has learned this
morning (Wed) that the club will be dismantling the seats after the final
game and those who have sat in the same seat for years will either be
allowed to collect it for a fee or have it delivered. No price has been
revealed but sources are claiming they will be sold at around £70. A
spokesman for the club told us: "All the plans are in place and we will be
revealing costs and all the rest of the details on line very soon. "It's not
an entirely straightforward operation as the back and bottom of the seat has
to be remove from the bits of fittings. "We will be providing the back nd
seat itself and it would probably be preferable if they were collected from
the club although we would expect to also put delivery plans into effect for
those who can't manage that.

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