James Collins: Hammers can right early season wrongs against Huddersfield
WHUFC.com
James Collins believes three away matches can't be an excuse for West Ham United's disappointing start to the season but insists those wrongs can be put right against Huddersfield Town. The Hammers will return to the London Stadium for their first home contest of the campaign on Monday evening against the Terriers.
David Wagner's recently promoted team will provide a stern test in Stratford for West Ham, having impressed so far on their return to the top flight of English football. But Collins feels he and his teammates have a brilliant chance in front of the loyal home support and the Sky Sports cameras to show just what they're capable of in this fixture. When asked about the three away games Collins said: "It's a bit of an excuse really. It just so happens that they were three games, away from home, that we've lost. But if you look at those games we haven't performed. "A first home game is a good opportunity to put things right in front of our own fans, on the tele and under the lights. Hopefully we can do that. Training has been very good this week so hopefully we can make this first game at home a special night."
Collins has returned to West Ham this week after two wins on international duty with Wales, keeping alive their chances of qualifying for next summer's World Cup in Russia. The No19 reckons a short break has helped the Hammers' players as it has given them the chance to compose their own thoughts and come up with new ideas for winning a first three points on Monday. And Collins has also revealed that training has been stepped up with the West Ham team pulling out all the stops to achieve a win over Huddersfield. "I think a break helps," Collins admitted. "Getting away and having your own thoughts helps, especially given it hasn't gone as well as we would want in the first three games. "I've come back from Wales duty and the lads have said training has been bang on during the international break. They have mentioned how good training has been in the last couple of weeks. We've got back together and everyone is ready to go."
Slaven Bilic will celebrate his 49th birthday on Monday and Collins says there would be no better present for the manager than to earn three points for him against the Terriers. He added: "Birthday or not everyone at the club would like to get the boss three points. It's crazy in football that the managers get put under so much pressure when sometimes really the players need to look at themselves. The manager has done the best he can. "I feel like we owe the gaffer a performance and hopefully we can do that on Monday."
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Byram: We're ready for tough Terriers test
WHUFC.com
Having spent the vast majority of his career playing for a Yorkshire club, Sam Byram is better-placed than most Hammers to comment on the rise of Huddersfield Town. The full-back was on the books of Leeds United for eleven years and played against the Terriers regularly, first at age-group level, then six times in the Championship between 2012-15. Having plied his trade for so long just 30 miles up the M62 from the John Smith's Stadium at Elland Road, Byram has watched with interest as David Wagner guided Huddersfield to promotion and an encouraging opening to their maiden Premier League season.
On Monday, the Terriers visit London Stadium for the first time and the 23-year-old is anticipating a dogged challenge. "Huddersfield have started well, to be fair to them, and better than a lot of people would have expected, to give credit to them," said the No22. "We know it's going to be a tough game, coming to a big stadium like ours and taking on another big club, so it's a challenge for them and it'll not be an easy game, by any means. "What you get with Huddersfield is that they are always going to work hard and, coming from the Championship, they have a point to prove and they've made their point so far. It's going to be a tough test, but I think we're ready for it. "I've seen clips of their games and they seem well-drilled and their manager has got them playing well and got them organised. I think the main thing for a team coming up is to stick together. It's all right having good individual players, but if you're not together as a team then it will get you nowhere. "Obviously, they used to be quite big rivals of Leeds when I was playing there and, in that regard, it's a shame it's them who came up and not Leeds. That said, it's nice to see a club from that area doing well."
While he has been interested by Huddersfield's progress, Byram's overriding concern is West Ham and chalking up a first Premier League win of the campaign on Monday evening. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. "It'll be nice to be back at London Stadium, as we've not had the best of starts, but this is a chance to put things right. This is a good game to come back off the international break from. "At the minute, three points is the most important thing, but we also want to start putting together some convincing performances and playing the type of football this squad is capable of." "It's still very early, but there are things we need to address in the coming weeks and Monday night is a good test for us to start to put things right. Obviously, people are entitled to be frustrated, but at the training ground everyone is trying to stay positive. Negativity doesn't help in football as there is a confidence and mental preparation that goes into it. "We're just working hard on the training pitch and we'll be giving everything on Monday night to make sure we get the win and put in a good performance."
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WHAT ARE THE ODDS? HUDDERSFIELD TOWN AT HOME
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 AT 5:01PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Martin Backhouse @martinbackhouse
Let's forget what happened at Newcastle, we're finally playing at home on Monday night! Huddersfield are the visitors to the London Stadium for this one, with the fixture already being talked about by some fans as must win. There's no need to panic just yet, but I do feel we need a positive result to avoid some fans turning against the club already. We're 19/20 with our sponsors to grab all three points, which is a price I will personally be backing to the hilt.
The last time the two sides met, John Hartson bagged a hat-trick in a 3-0 League Cup second leg win in 97/98. Our last league game against the Terriers was way back in 1972 where we also chalked up a convincing 3-0 victory. If you fancy the same scoreline on Monday, Betway have priced it up at 14/1. Huddersfield are yet to concede a Premier League goal though, so bear that in mind before backing the 3-0 win. Even without Lanzini, I think we'll cause them numerous problems, so my suggestion if you're looking at the correct score market would be a 2-0 or 2-1 win, both priced at 15/2.
If Huddersfield win this match, they'll equal the 2017 Premier League points tally of both Sunderland and Middlesbrough (10 points in 19 games), but they haven't won back to back away matches in the top-flight since their final two away games of the 1955/56 campaign. We should have too much for them in all honesty, and if we get after them early, we could wrap the game up by half-time. However, if we fail to break them down within the first 30 minutes or so, some of us my start venting our frustration, which could lead to a nervy last hour. We're 7/5 to win the 1st half, with over 1.5 1st half goals a tempting 4/1. I'm optimistic, let's finish them off early!
I expect Chicharito to get a few sights at goal on Monday night. You can enjoy 7/2 with Betway for him to bag the opener. He's 13/10 to notch anytime. It's certainly worth having a few pennies on the Scorecast market in my opinion using the scorelines mentioned above. Hernandez 2-0 is 18/1, whereas Hernandez 2-1 is even better at 25/1. If you're feeling brave and are one for small stakes and large rewards, Hernandez 3-0 is a generous 28/1.
If you are looking for some other games this site is great. They have great football predictions at SBAT with all the latest odds too.
Our first home game. Our first league win of the season. What am I going for? I'll be lumping on the 19/20 on offer for us to simply win the game. I'm convinced we'll be up for it from the very first whistle, so I'll also be dipping into the 7/5 available on us to win the first half. Cannot wait for this one, it's been a long time coming! COYI
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CARROLL, BILIC AND THE ALLARDYCE IRONY
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 10 SEPTEMBER 2017 AT 4:44PM
TheWesTHamWayc.o.uk
Written by Malcolm Atkins @malatk
We approach the first home game of the season with a maelstrom engulfing the club. Anger at the board is high for sure but the reality is protests or not they will not be going anywhere soon.
"Sack the Board" might be easy shout but they are the major shareholders, they will not sack themselves and it would be pretty pointless if they did. "Sell the club" would be a more sensible cry if you are that way minded. They almost certainly will not until the penalty clauses which would see them paying a big chunk to the stadium owners expire though.
Slaven Bilic however enjoys no such certainty, in the last year of his contract and with presumably a relatively low cost to sack him by modern terms many of us are bewildered why the board are neither backing him or sacking him. I make no bones – I am not a believer in Bilic and would prefer he went. His personality and the way he conducts himself, make him popular and means many fans have been patient with him given a truly awful twelve months results wise which has included some embarrassing hammerings. I think his popularity has two other reasons, the large amount of fans who are anti board believe that given a different board Slav would be more successful. I also believe that many of the anti Allardyce brigade view a Bilic failure as some sort of indictment of their previous stance.
As I say I do not believe Bilic is the man for us, the lack of fitness and organisation are for me managerial shortcomings. His first season saw some fantastic games, he obviously deserves credit for this but there were two huge factors in his favour for me. The last season at the Boleyn produced the kind of atmosphere not seen since the demise of terracing and Payet was absolutely brilliant. There were warning signs though and at times teams that played fast counter attacking football exposed our defence big time. Not thinking he is the right man does not stop me hoping he is though. If he turns it around and proves many of us wrong I would be delighted. For that to happen as well as rediscovering his mojo he also needs some luck with injuries. We are able to put out a good first eleven and have some decent options even though numbers are light in some areas.
Sam Allardyce was lambasted for playing boring football, not the West Ham way. Allardyce is the opposite of Bilic, his personality does not endear him and he can teach David Sullivan a thing or two about blaming others. I think he is a good football manager (when he sticks to that and stops getting involved with agents etc.) but he was never loved at West Ham and split the club so badly he had to go. Much of the football under Slaven Bilic for the last eighteen months has been awful, boring lacking pace, one dimensional and far from effective to boot. One of the central criticisms of Sam was that he would always pick Carroll (because he wanted to play long ball), I remember reading many posts when Bilic arrives stating Carroll would soon be on his way, far from the case though Slav is a big Carroll fan and it is a great irony that the manager's hopes of a successful season are, in my opinion, inextricably linked to Carroll staying fit (yeah I know!).
I do not believe Carroll has been effectively used for much of his West Ham career (when he is fit I mean). The bloke is a beast, amazing in the air, he makes clever runs, he holds the ball, and he is a defender's nightmare. So often though, he has been up top alone with nobody that gets to him quick enough or ever going beyond him. Now though it could be so different, Sakho could be a great foil for him but is injured just as much, they rarely play together. We now have the potential pace of Arnautovic as well as Antonio, and of course Chicarito; Carroll and Chicarito could be a fearsome combination that could be. Carroll wins almost every header sent up to him and is fantastic at moving in from a wide position and flicking the ball into space. Pacey players such as Antonio and Arnautovic would thrive, Chicarito could score loads from that kind of support. Add Carroll's threat at set plays and we would be incredibly difficult to play against. None of this would address the defensive frailties but it would build confidence which I believe is a big part of the current problem.
I am not optimistic this will come to pass but I really hope it could, first though we need to negotiate the next two or three games with Carroll unlikely to play more than a total 90-100 minutes in the next three games even if he stays fit and Arnautovic the options are more limited but we really should have the players to beat Huddersfield, I just pray we get off to a decent start or the atmosphere will turn and it could get messy.
Fortunes always hiding – but still looking everywhere.
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Slaven Bilic is in trouble at West Ham because fingers are pointing towards the boardroom rather than the dugout
West Ham fans are turning on co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold but Bilic will likely be the fall guy
The Mirror
BYSTAN COLLYMORE
10:22, 10 SEP 2017UPDATED12:41, 10 SEP 2017
Part of my job as a columnist and broadcaster is to follow patterns and trends on social media. And what is noticeable right now is the growing feeling among West Ham fans that co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have got to go. There's more than a trickle of unhappy Hammers changing their avatars, changing their pictures, on Twitter to that effect. And those who are tweeting me out of the blue – or claret and blue – are all calling for the pair's heads. Whenever people contact me, I try to read their profiles and their last five or six tweets to find out if they're just keyboard warriors – or people making good points and justifying them.
I try to see if they're also a blogger or part of a fan group, to get as much of a feel as possible for where they're coming from. I'm seeing that even among the most respectable Hammers fans there seems to be a bit of a feeling towards the West Ham hierarchy. A feeling like, 'Okay, they've got us into the new stadium but they maybe can't transition us from being one of London's mid-sized clubs to one of London's big-sized clubs'. And that is why the guillotine is hovering above Slaven Bilic's neck as he prepares his team to face Huddersfield on Monday. That's where the pressure is really coming from. It certainly isn't because Sullivan and Gold are hiring and firing chairmen based on a few bad results. History has taught us they are not. They give their managers plenty of time, no matter how much pressure they are under – and that will always be to their credit. But when supporters' fingers start pointing towards the boardroom rather than the dugout, that's when the problems really start for a manager. What's fascinating about Sullivan and Gold, is that there doesn't ever seem to be any middle ground. At times they are very professional. At other times West Ham is a comedy club. There's no in-between. The owners are standing on the touchline doing the crossed-arms salute – and when they do that they just look daft. Or they're loading the bullets for people like Sporting Lisbon sporting director Bruno de Carvalho, who are only too happy to pull the trigger.
When Sullivan's son is tweeting in depth about transfers, you wonder what's going on. But when Sullivan and Gold are at the other end of the scale – giving their managers time to breathe – they're almost model owners. That's why they need to be a bit more down the middle – perhaps a bit more hardline with their managers, but with less of the silly stuff going on around the club. Like the majority of football fans, West Ham supporters won't care who owns their club as long as they are moving them forwards. Let's say someone new came along and took them to the Europa League or, with one great season, to the Champions League in the next five or six years, it'd be a case of 'Sullivan and Gold who?' It's in that context that I don't think Bilic is long for the East End world because owners are never happier than when it's the manager getting it in the neck for the club's problems, rather than those upstairs. Should Bilic be sacked anytime soon it would be a shame because, with the right owners, he CAN get West Ham to where the fans – and where Sullivan and Gold, to be fair – want the club to be. I'm kind of 50/50 at the moment. I'm prepared to give Sullivan and Gold the benefit of the doubt rather than blaming them for West Ham's start, and I'm prepared to give Bilic the same. But if this malaise continues into the autumn and winter then, I'm afraid for Bilic, there will only be one loser.
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West Ham are strongly interested in an Italian tactician but he won't likely be leaving Napoli anytime soon...
http://www.calciomercato.com
10 September at 21:42
As we had previously written, a few EPL clubs have their eyes on Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri. According to the Express, West Ham have strong interest in Sarri as Bilic's position with the club is in heavy doubt after three straight losses to start the season.
It seems like Bilic blasted chairman Dave Sullivan earlier this week for claiming that he had turned down the opportunity to acquire both Krychowiak (from PSG) and Renato Sanches (from Bayern). As his contract will be expiring at the end of the season, this is a clear sign that his time at West Ham is coming to an end.
The Hammers now have their eyes on Sarri as the Napoli boss has done a terrific job in Naples. He still has two years left on his current deal but he does have a £7.5 million release clause in his contract. Even so, Sarri will likely be staying in Napoli for a long time as owner Aurelio De Laurentiis won't budge easy on this front. They are aiming for a historical league title win as they will also be competing in the UCL. A deparure is highly unlikely as things stand...
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West Ham United v Huddersfield Town
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 10th September 2017
By: Preview Percy
Preview Percy spent the international break visiting Italy. So there's one European country now in favour of Brexit then. Here's his look at our first home game of the season. It's not for the faint-hearted, as usual....
Next up we face newly-promoted Huddersfield Town. We will be playing them somewhere called "home" which I believe is located in the Stratford area but it's been a long while so you may want to check. Kick-off is 7:45 pm on Monday night for the benefit of Space Telly, so no weekend engineering works to worry about. Just the usual rush hour hassles with the trains and tubes then.
Huddersfield then. It's their first visit to the top flight since the 1970s, gaining, as they did promotion via the playoffs after a 5th place finish in the league. Their play-off run wasn't particularly good for the ticker. Both semi-final and final went to penalties as first Sheffield Wednesday and then Reading were sent on their way. In the latter case Reading were allocated over 38,000 tickets for the final which was double their average for last season. I expect they all brought one of those inflatables they all think are so important with them.
This season has gone well for them thus far. They turned over Palace (one team who will DEFINITELY finish below us) 3-0 on their own patch and this was followed-up by a 1-0 defeat of the Geordies at what is now known as the John Smith's Stadium. This was followed up with a 0-0 draw against Southampton. They rode their luck a little against Palace who missed a number of good chances and, whilst they undoubtedly had the better of the match against Southampton they were thankful for Bertrand's fluffed effort towards the end of the match for gaining them a point. All of which leaves them in sixth place with 7 points from their matches played, down from third before this weekend's matches.
The boss is David Wagner. As choices for new managers go this one came out of what our American chums would call "left field" – an apt analogy given his half-American ancestry. Consider the situation. You are David Hoyle. You own Huddersfield Town having flogged your "not quite as good as Clintons" "Card Factory" emporia for a cool £365m. A not particularly spectacular start to 2015-16 sees you dispense with the services of Chris Powell at the helm. Where do you go for a replacement? Borussia Dortmund of course – or to be more accurate their reserves. They haven't looked back since.
As a player, Wagner was capped 8 times by the Septics thanks to an American dad, before going on to play the male half of the crime fighting duo in Hart to Hart. He was the subject of a complaint by the Canadian FA who suggested that his appearances for Germany at age level made him ineligible for selection for the US side. Fortunately for him the good people at FIFA couldn't be bothered to look up from all those brown envelopes for long enough to check the rule book and nodded him through without further ado, muttering something along the lines of "just say the German games were exhibition matches".
As you might expect from a newly-promoted side they were a bit busy in the window, recognising the strengthening that would be required to consolidate their new-found top-flight status. The work-experience kid of as yet-to-be determined gender wearing a hoodie who seems only able to communicate with some strange grunting noises informs me that they brought in no fewer than thirteen players this summer. Three of those were on loan, one of whom, of course, is on the books at Chelsea.
Of the ten permanent deals one of the more familiar players to us is none other than Robert Green, who arrived on a free from Leeds. A warm welcome will of course ensue whether his appearance comes between the sticks or simply in the racing car seats.
There is a less auspicious Hammers connection in their squad in the form of Tom Ince who arrived from Derby for £8.5m. My spies inform me that he is so embarrassed by his father that he intends to change his surname to something less controversial, like Payet.
The biggest fee paid was the £11.5m (at the time – god alone knows what the exchange rate would make of that now) to Montpelier for striker Steve Mounie. Mounie made an instant impression in the defeat of Palace by notching twice on the opening day of the season. He's been capped 7 times by Benin, a country that livens up its football existence by getting itself suspended by FIFA from time to time. Early days of course but he did appear to look in decent nick in that first game, though yes it was only Palace.
A fee of £8m – potentially £10m with add-ons – went to Man City in return for Aussie Aaron Mooy. That's not a bad return for the UAE's Minister for Torture on a player who never made a first team appearance for the Citizens. The deal apparently contains one of those buy-back clauses so beloved of that part of Manchester.
On his arrival in Manchester from Melbourne in the summer of 2016 he was immediately shipped out on loan to Huddersfield and was an integral part of last season's promotion side, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out at Wembley. He has also been on target this season, his curling effort inside the far post capping a fine move against the Geordies to give the Terriers all three points in their first home match of the season.
The obligatory loan signing from Chelsea is Kasey Palmer. He featured in last season's promotion side before returning back to a Stamford Bridge who had clearly forgotten that they owned him in the first place, electing to send him straight back to Huddersfield, having first got him to sign a contract tying him to whatever club Chelsea want to send him to until 2021. Palmer started off at Charlton at the age of 9, leaving for West London at the age of 16. I expect that there's an interview somewhere with the player explaining how the lure of first team football at Stamford Bridge was the reason he left the Valley and nothing to do with the money to be made. I wouldn't waste too much time looking for it though.
Enough of them what of us? Well even for a club for whom the description "soap opera" barely seems inadequate it's been a weird couple of weeks. It's almost as if the club have hired Bell Pottinger to do their PR. We have had adverts for t-shirts suggesting that Dimitri Payet is a "Legend" (can we stop using that word now please?).
Then, having failed to bring in Carvalho from Sporting, there was another advert on the official site that read something like "West Ham saved money on their transfer window now you can save money too….", which, understandably, went down as well as a tv announcement that starts with the words "next we join Piers Morgan……".
Talking about Carvalho we then had the war of words with Sporting, a club whose history suggests that they really ought to be a bit more careful about accusing other clubs of tapping up. Emails, claims and counter claims have been bandied about with threats of us being slapped with a transfer ban. If that happens I will not rest until Liverpool are relegated to the Toxteth & District Paper Boy's League Division 3 (South) for the thousands of similar crimes that have gone unpunished over the years. Then when I have done that I will start on Man Utd, and…….(ed: he carried on in this vein for quite some time but we thought we would spare you)
Meanwhile the according to Sullivan the manager was offered and turned down half of Europe. The manager saw it differently and…..Well I could go on but frankly I'm loath to give away plot spoilers. I merely intend to simply take a screen print of the days West Ham news and forward it to the producers of EastEnders, who, no doubt will reject the plotline for being too far fetched before having the Laundrette wiped out by a meteorite.
Going back to our last match if you can remember that far back, we were gob-smackingly awful up at Newcastle. Even if the officials had done their job properly we wouldn't have gotten anything out of that. As it happens they didn't need the assistance of 4th official Mike Jones (who has previous of giving deliberately incorrect decisions to even up matches) to beat us – though he couldn't resist trying anyway. He was very quick to bring a minor skirmish involving Hernandez to the attention of the idiot on the pitch. However, although the assault by Mitrovic occurred right in front of him Jones suddenly forgot the duties he had been so keen to undertake earlier on. Inevitably Mitrovic went on to score when he should have been having an early bath, his belated punishment being dished out only because suddenly everyone pretended that they hadn't seen it. I have seen three red-card elbows in the matches I have attended this season. The only one that was been punished correctly at the time was Arnautovic's. Funny that.
Since then at international level we have seen the continued folly of picking players for England based purely on the fact that they play for Liverpool or Spurs, though congratulations must go to Jordan Henderson for winning two competitions to win not only a place in the side in the first place but also for a souvenir armband. Yes we got a couple of wins but a more on the ball referee might have seen us reduced to ten men against Slovakia. The two wins fooled nobody though and, though even Spurs probably couldn't make a mess of World Cup qualification, next summer isn't a tournament to which I will be looking forward on current form.
Meanwhile back on planet Premier we have 5 on the injury list. Fernandes (ankle), Lanzini (knee) and Ayew (muscle) are all listed as "major doubts". Fernandes will also be missing having picked up an ankle injury on international duty for Switzerland. Reid is set for a return having pulled up lame with a calf problem in the warm-up at Southampton. However we have been informed that a chap called Andy Carroll will "play some part" in the match. Now I realise that playing two strikers up front is slightly untrendy these days but I can't help thinking that a proper old-fashioned partnership between Hernandez and Carroll might just be what the doctor ordered at this time.
So on to the thorny subject of a prediction. Well any result that doesn't see us lose will get us off the bottom to third from bottom (going higher would involve a six-goal favourable swing in goal difference so let's put that one to bed now shall we).
The psychological benefit of being at home would have been so much greater had we been at the Boleyn. Ho-hum. Usually the first home game is a day for optimism – the team haven't had a chance to depress you and there's still much to look forward to. Three away matches on the trot and three defeats will have changed all that.
However, I've had a nice break, a bit of sunshine and far too much in the way of Grappa, which, incidentally, probably isn't really for internal use. So, with that in mind, I will be taking my spare leftover Euros to the approximate value of £2.50 down to Winstone The Turf Accountant's place of business and place a wager on a 1-1 draw on my way to the Swan & Superinjunction where it will be pints of Grappa all round should I win.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Boleyn: Won 3-0 (League Cup 2nd Round 1997)
A Hartson hat-trick was enough to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit back in the days when the 2nd round of the League Cup was a two-legged affair. When the draw was actually made somewhere within the same time zone as where the matches were occurring. What will they think of next.
Referee: Kevin Friend
You know how people sing "you don't know what you're doing" at referees? Well he doesn't.
Danger Man: Steve Mounie
With a couple of goals already this season and facing a defence short on confidence, well. It doesn't really bear thinking about…
Percy's Poser:
Last time out we asked you what the connection is between James Gordon Bennett (Jr) and Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. Congratulations to Mrs Enid Stoat-Botherer of Laindon who tells us: "James Gordon Bennett was a newspaper baron in New York who lost out on a potential fortune. Due to marry a wealthy, heiress he turned up at his own engagement do in a state that would have made Oliver Reed look teetotal. In his less than sober state he found himself caught short but, rather than avail himself of any of the many bathrooms available in the in-laws-to-be's mansion he elected to use the fireplace, resulting in instant cancellation of the proposed nuptials, and, it is sometimes claimed, the birth of the phrase "Gordon Bennett".
Mike Ashley too has been known to utilise fireplaces as plumbing fixtures as evidenced in court recently where he was heard to admit having vomited in a number of pub fireplaces after a skin-full over the years. So the answer is Fireplaces. Well doe Mrs S-B – one of those Sports Direct "Bags For Life" will be on its way to you as soon as we can find one Ashley hasn't thrown up into.
For this week's poser we ask you is this: One of Huddersfield Town's most famous supporters is Patrick Stewart who played Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek The Next Generation. To win a suitably Star Trek themed prize we ask you: Who was better – Picard or Kirk? Answers next week!
Good luck everyone!
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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West Ham United v Huddersfield Town
MON, 11 SEPT 2017PREMIER LEAGUE
20:00
Venue: London Stadium
TEAM NEWS
West Ham forward Andy Carroll could make a first appearance of the season after a thigh injury. Winston Reid has overcome a calf strain but Marko Arnautovic is suspended and Manuel Lanzini, Edimilson Fernandes and Andre Ayew were all injured on international duty.
New Huddersfield signings Abdelhamid Sabiri and Florent Hadergjonaj could make their debuts. Forward Collin Quaner has a knee problem and will be assessed.
RADIO 5 LIVE COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Jonathan Pearce: "A month after Britain's men struck World Championships relay gold at the London Stadium, West Ham finally pick up the baton and get out of the starting blocks for their home campaign. "They desperately need to rescue Slaven Bilic's 49th birthday by avoiding a fourth consecutive defeat in a shambolic start. "Three of the last four teams to open that way have finished bottom.
"Huddersfield have been comparatively excellent. They look to become the first promoted side to keep a clean sheet in its first four Premier League matches."Food for thought? Only twice before have they won their opening two top-flight away games. Both times they won the title!"
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "My job is to raise the performance. We didn't start well but Monday is a good opportunity to start winning games and get on the right tracks."
Huddersfield Town head coach David Wagner: "I've no idea if it's a good time (to play them) and to be fair it doesn't bother me what's going on at West Ham because this is nothing we can influence.
"This is of no interest to us. We have to make sure we get our details right and are focused on ourselves.
"We are still humble enough to know it will be the big West Ham United against the small Huddersfield Town."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Huddersfield fans will be confident they can keep their good start going, but I don't see it being as easy as that.
This is West Ham's first home game of the season, and I am expecting a big improvement from them.
Prediction: 2-1
Lawro's full predictions v BBC NFL Show analysts Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell.
Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This is their first top-flight meeting since March 1972, when West Ham won 3-0 at Upton Park.
The most recent meeting was a League Cup second-round tie in September 1997, which West Ham won 3-1 on aggregate.
West Ham United
West Ham have not lost their first four Premier League fixtures since 2010-11, when they went on to be relegated.
The Hammers could equal their own Premier League record of conceding three goals or more in each of their opening four matches, set in 2010.
They lost eight Premier League home games last season, having only lost nine across the previous two campaigns combined.
Joe Hart has failed to keep a clean sheet in his last 22 league appearances - a run stretching back to 8 January.
The Hammers goalkeeper has made fewer Premier League saves (nine) than goals conceded (10).
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield could remain unbeaten in their opening four matches of a top-flight season for the first time since 1953 (W3, D1).
The last promoted club to begin a campaign in that fashion was Portsmouth, who went five games unbeaten in 2003-04.
Only five sides have kept a clean sheet in their opening four games of a Premier League season. The last were Manchester City in 2015-16.
Huddersfield could equal their top-flight record of five consecutive clean sheets.
A Premier League-high 36.3% of their passes this season have been in the attacking third.
Jonas Lössl could become only the fourth goalkeeper in Premier League history to keep a clean sheet in each of his first four appearances in the competition, after Pepe Reina, Alex Manninger and Anders Lindegaard.
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SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 26%
Probability of home win: 53% Probability of away win: 21%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Liverpool that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.
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'IF THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH, THEY ARE OLD ENOUGH' - IS IT TIME TO SELECT NATHAN HOLLAND?
By S J Chandos 10 Sep 2017 at 08:00
WTID
There have been a number of articles on Hammers social media sites suggesting that Slaven Bilic will be ringing the changes for Monday's match versus Huddersfield Town. We can only speculate at this stage, on what those changes will be, but one crucial area is likely to be who will occupy the wide positions. This area is particularly interesting, as injuries to Ayew and Lanzini, plus the suspension of Arnautovic, has severely restricted Bilic's options. Antonio self-selects for the right flank berth, but the left is something of a problem that needs solving.
The idea has been floated on at least one site that Bilic should consider playing Cresswell wide on the left, in an advanced role, ahead of Masuaku at left-back. This is a logical proposal, considering Cresswell's attacking abilities and, in particular, his propensity to deliver accurate balls in to the box. If you want the cast iron assurance of going with an experienced option, then Cresswell could very well be it. However, there is another, more daring and (some would say) more risky option also available and that is to give Nathan Holland his full PL debut on the left flank or, alternatively, on the right wing if Antonio is moved across to the left. If Bilic genuinely does want to shake things up then this could be the way to go. It would signal that the manager is willing to promote youth over more established first team options and that the older players need to perform consistently well to meet the challenge of the emerging youngsters playing well, week in-week out, in the U-23s. As well as sending a clear message to the squad, it would also boost the morale and ambitions of the other youth players, such as Quina and Martinez, demonstrating that progression/consistently good form can lead to a break through at senior level. They have already seen it happen with Declan Rice and a further such move would serve to augment the positive impact of that development,
Holland has been excellent since joining the club from Everton last season. He has impressed both in first team training sessions, U-23 games and the club's summer pre-season matches. This has moved Holland closer to his first team debut and arguably now is the time to grant it, because he has genuinely earned that opportunity. To ignore his claims could be counter-productive in that it could disillusion, isolate Rice's elevation as a one-off and plant the idea that the majority of youngsters are not going to get the nod, regardless of how well they develop/perform; or how severe the first team selection crisis is at any particular juncture.
Personally, I am open to selecting Holland because he looks good enough to rise to the challenge. Alternatively, we could go with Cresswell and have Holland on the substitutes bench as a plan B. That latter option is probably what the more nervous/cautious fan would advocate. It will be interesting to see if Bilic goes down one of these two paths in confirming his selection for Monday evening? The squad does need a shake up and an urgent injection of intensity in their play. Selecting Holland is one way of achieving that. Yes, there is a risk, but Holland's maturity and undoubted ability will ameliorate that sufficiently to allow Bilic to pursue the option. Especially with more experience professionals there, guiding and supporting him through his home debut.
At the end of the day, it comes down to whether we still trust our Academy and have the courage to blood the talent emerging from it. Left unselected, talent can whither and die on the vine. Appropriate loan deals are vital and have an important role to play, but where youngsters perform to the required standard they should be selected. Sir Matt Busby once said 'if they are good enough, they are old enough.' All available evidence is that Holland is good enough and the clinching factor is arguably the poverty of current wide options (outside of re-deploying a full-back in to the role) due to injury and suspension. If it is not going to happen now, in these circumstances, when is it going to happen?
SJ. Chandos.
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Tony Cottee raves about West Ham United striker Javier Hernandez
HITC
Saikat Mandal
Former West Ham United striker Tony Cottee has showered praise on Javier Hernandez. West Ham United have made a poor start to their 2017/18 Premier League campaign, having lost all three of their opening games. Ahead of their Premier League clash against Huddersfield, former striker and club legend, Tony Cottee, believes Javier Hernandez can pull West Ham out of the mess. Hernandez joined the Hammers this summer for a reported fee of £16 million, and Cottee believes that the Little Pea has a "vital" role to play for the club this season. The Hammers have scored only two goals so far, and both of them have come from Hernandez. Cottee says that it is "strange" to talk about must-win games at this early stage of the season, but West Ham do need to get their first victory to boost their confidence. While analyzing Hernandez's quality and playing style, Cottee notes that the Mexican is a part of a dying breed of strikers who are out-an-out predators in the box. "His goals will be vital. It seems strange to talk about must-win games so early in the season but West Ham have to get that first victory," said Cottee, said quoted by the Sunday People (printed edition; September 10th- press reader). Cottee adds that Hernandez reminds him of his own playing style (the 52-year-old scored 115 goals in two spells at West Ham) and resembles that of Clive Allen and Gary Lineker. "And they have the right man to get those goals in Hernandez. He is part of a dying breed – an out-an-out predator in front of goal who comes alive in the penalty area. I was like that. So were Clive Allen and Gary Lineker."
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EXCLUSIVE: West Ham earmark Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri as Slaven Bilic's replacement
WEST HAM have earmarked highly-rated Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri as the man they want to replace Slaven Bilic.
By NEIL FISSLER
PUBLISHED: 00:01, Sun, Sep 10, 2017 | UPDATED: 00:01, Sun, Sep 10, 2017
Express.co.uk
Bilic is seen as a dead man walking after The Hammers slumped to the bottom of the Premier League table after losing their opening three games of the new season. West Ham visit Premier League new boys Huddersfield tomorrow night with time running out for Bilic who survived crisis talks two weeks ago. The Croat blasted chairman Dave Sullivan on Friday for claiming he turned down the chance to sign Renato Sanches and Grzegorz Krychowiak on deadline day. It was a clear sign that Bilic, who is out of contract at the end of the season, feels that his time at the London Stadium is coming to an end. Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez was the early favourite for the job but it appears that he will be staying at St James' Park for the immediate future. Sullivan and co owner David Gold have now got Sarri in their sights who spent a decade coaching a series of grassroots clubs in Tuscany before getting his big chance with Napoli. The 58 year-old ironically replaced Benitez at the Italian club and even though he is relatively unknown in this country he is seen as being one of the best tacticians in Italian football.
Sarri has another two years left to run on his Napoli contract but has a buy out clause of around £7.5 million which is well within the Hammers' price range.
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West Ham players remain 'completely behind' manager Slaven Bilic, says James Collins
Ian Baker
9 SEPTEMBER 2017 • 10:30PM
Telegraph.co.uk
West Ham defender James Collins believes his side have let manager Slaven Bilic down following their poor start to the season. The Croatian is a man under pressure with the East Londoners bottom of the Premier League having lost all three games so far while Bilic's situation has not been helped by comments himself and co-owner David Sullivan have made concerning transfer targets. But now Collins feels West Ham's players owe their manager, having also admitted they have not given their all in the opening fixtures. Monday night against Huddersfield at the London Stadium offers them the chance to finally kickstart their season, on the day of Bilic's 49th birthday. "Birthday or not everyone at the club would like to get the boss three points," said no-nonsense defender Collins. "He's been under tremendous pressure. It's crazy in football that the managers get put under so much pressure when sometimes really the players need to look at themselves.
"We know we haven't performed and the manager has done the best he can. I feel like we owe the gaffer a performance and hopefully we can do that on Monday."
Collins' former West Ham and Wales team-mate Danny Gabbidon claimed this week that Bilic looked lost after the defeat at Newcastle last time out, an opinion that is not shared inside the Hammers' dressing room. "I don't think there's truth in that," Collins, 34, said. "All I can say is all the lads here at West Ham are completely behind the boss. "We've been trying, maybe not as well as we should have, but on Monday we're going to go out with our hearts on our sleeves and hopefully get three points for him. He takes it all on his shoulders but the players need to look at ourselves and really put in a performance for him. "I wouldn't say there is tension. We know we've got to perform better than we have done. If you go into games cowering then you're not going to perform. "I've been in this position before, I've been at the club a long time, and we've got to perform. We're all good players who are here for a reason. You don't turn into a bad player in three games. We know the quality is there. "Maybe confidence is down but a good first ten minutes on Monday night and you'll see a different West Ham."
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Andy Carroll is ready to rescue West Ham's season and manager Slaven Bilic after returning from injury
Andy Carroll is set to return from injury against Huddersfield Town on Monday
The striker has been out of action since sustaining yet another injury last April
Carroll is ready to help save West Ham's under-pressure boss Slaven Bilic
By Joe Bernstein For Mail On Sunday
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 9 September 2017 | UPDATED: 23:49, 9 September 2017
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is ready to ride to Slaven Bilic's rescue after missing five months with a groin injury. The talismanic Carroll has trained well during the recent international break and may start Monday's must-win game against Huddersfield with The Hammers looking for their first points of the season. There could also be a surprise place on the bench for Diafra Sakho who was refused a move to French club Rennes on deadline day. Bilic will be glad to get back on the pitch after the turmoil of the transfer window deadline day. Approaches for William Carvalho and Andre Gomes proved unsuccessful and on Friday the Croatian manager was forced to deny claims from co-owner David Sullivan that he'd turned down the chance to sign Renato Sanches and Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan.
The availability of 28-year-old Carroll for West Ham's first home game of the season is a huge boost with Manuel Lanzini and Andre Ayew injured and record signing Marko Arnautovic suspended. The powerful Geordie centre-forward is considered unplayable in the air and Bilic has the options of partnering him with Javier Hernandez or holding him back on the bench. Injuries have blighted Carroll since his £15million move from Liverpool in 2013 but his record of 23 goals in 52 Premier League starts is still impressive. He last played against Sunderland in April. Sakho has also trained with the first-team squad and reacted well following the initial disappointment of having his exit blocked by Sullivan.
West Ham have suffered a disastrous start to the season, conceding 10 goals in three away defeats at Manchester United, Southampton and Newcastle while their London Stadium was out of commission because of the World Athletic Championships. Bilic has also had to face added pressure from public comments by co-owners Sullivan and David Gold who pointedly tweeted before West Ham's 3-0 defeat last weekend: 'Slaven is taking a very strong squad to Newcastle. good luck Slaven. dg.' With leaking goals a major problem, West Ham will also be glad to see the returns of defender Winston Reid and energetic midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate after injury. Another poor result could lead to fans protesting West Ham's net spend of £17million in the window, less than half of opponents Huddersfield.
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West Ham players owe birthday boy Slaven Bilic a win, says James Collins: 'We know we haven't performed and the manager has done the best he can'
West Ham are currently bottom of the league, having lost their first three games
James Collins says the players owe their manager Slaven Bilic a win on Monday
The Hammers will play their first home game against Huddersfield Town
West Ham manager Bilic will celebrate his 49th birthday on Monday
By Kieran Gill for The Mail on Sunday
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 9 September 2017 | UPDATED: 23:51, 9 September 2017
West Ham's players say they owe birthday boy Slaven Bilic a win on Monday night because they are the ones who have thrown him under the bus with below-par performances. James Collins has backed the Hammers boss on behalf of the squad, insisting they have to look at themselves after three successive Premier League losses. Huddersfield Town are the first visitors to the London Stadium this season and Bilic, who turns 49 on Monday, is hoping they get the three points he seemingly needs to save his job. 'Birthday or not everyone at the club would like to get the boss three points,' Collins said. 'He's been under tremendous pressure.
'It's crazy in football that the managers get put under so much pressure when sometimes really the players need to look at themselves. 'We know we haven't performed and the manager has done the best he can. I feel like we owe the gaffer a performance and hopefully we can do that on Monday.'
West Ham's squad trained at the London Stadium on Saturday and will do so again on Sunday in preparation for their first Premier League home fixture. Former Hammers defender Danny Gabbidon this week claimed Bilic 'looks lost' but Collins has said: 'I don't think there's truth in that. 'All I can say is all the lads here at West Ham are completely behind the boss. We've been trying, maybe not as well as we should have, but on Monday we're going to go out with our hearts on our sleeves and hopefully get three points for him. 'He takes it all on his shoulders but the players need to look at ourselves and really put in a performance for him.'
On what has gone wrong in the Premier League so far, following 4-0, 3-2 and 3-0 losses, Collins continued: 'It's tricky to say. A lot of things. The defending has been nowhere near good enough. 'We've conceded far too many goals and teams have had far too many chances against us in games. That needs looking at.
'I wouldn't say there is tension. We know we've got to perform better than we have done. If you go into games cowering then you're not going to perform. 'I've been in this position before, I've been at the club a long time, and we've got to perform. We're all good players who are here for a reason. You don't turn into a bad player in three games. 'We know the quality is there. Maybe confidence is down but a good first 10 minutes on Monday night and you'll see a different West Ham.'
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