Masuaku thrilled with Bolton wonder-strike
WHUFC.com
Arthur Masuaku has revealed his delight at scoring his first goal for West
Ham United in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers. Masuaku
netted a screamer from 25 yards in the dying embers of Tuesday's victory
over the Championship side to put the finishing touches on the Hammers'
progression into the fourth round of the competition. Angelo Ogbonna and
Diafra Sakho also netted in the first half to put Slaven Bilic's side in
control before Masuaku beat Mark Howard in the away side's net. The
beautiful finish was the first goal the 23-year-old has scored since
moving to West Ham last summer from Olympiacos and Masuaku is thrilled at
getting off the mark with such a terrific effort. "It's a great goal,"
Masuaku told whufc.com: "It's a long time since I last scored. The last
time was two years ago at Olympiacos. That day I recovered the ball and
dribbled and completed a one-two. "This one was different but I'm very
happy with it. I was in the middle and in a good position to shoot. I
didn't think about it. As soon as I saw I had the space I had the shot and
I'm thrilled it went in."
The defender believes scoring such a brilliant finish must have been
destined after also finding the net with a similar goal during training
earlier this week. He added: "I'm not going to lie. This week in training
I did the same! I delighted with the finish and getting my first goal for
the Hammers. "It's always good to score. Usually I don't score but it was
a good goal and a great win. It was a great team performance so I'm really
happy."
The win over Bolton has put West Ham into the fourth round of the Carabao
Cup and Masuaku is confident that the Irons can continue their journey
through the tournament. "If we have a good draw we can go very far. We
have the quality to go as far as we can. We are ambitious and we want to
win every game." With the victory over Bolton the first of three
consecutive home matches for the Hammers – with league games against
Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City to come – Masuaku is prepared to make
the step into the starting XI again on Saturday should manager Bilic
select him. Masuaku said: "I'm looking forward to hopefully playing.
Obviously, it is the coach's decision and I just have to be ready and if I
play I'm going to try to help the team and try to play like I did today.
"I am confident and I'm ready to play more minutes."
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Bilic: Arthur's stunning goal was the cherry on the cake
WHUFC.com
Arthur Masuaku's wonder-strike which completed a 3-0 Carabao Cup third
round victory over Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday rounded off a perfect
evening, according to Slaven Bilic. The Hammers' secured a comfortable win
at London Stadium thanks to the Frenchman's superb swerving strike, hit
from 25 yards out with a minute of injury time left to play. The hosts
took an early lead through Angelo Ogbonna's header, nodded in after four
just minutes, before Diafra Sakho grabbed his first of the season, tapping
in Arnautovic's centre. And though West Ham's pace slowed in the second
half with a spot in the fourth round more-or-less in the bag, they added a
third to the delight of Bilic. He said: "The strike was unbelievable. It
was a brilliant goal and it was a nice way to finish the game, for not
only him but for the whole game and for the team. "To be fair, it is a
privilege to see those kind of goals from down by the pitch. It was a
wonder goal.
"We did the job tonight. It was a good game, especially first half. We
started really well, we scored and we didn't stop. We should have scored
more goals and we didn't stop. "It was a really good performance from us.
Second half, we slowed it down which I didn't like but I can understand it
with a game in mind on Saturday."
There were a number of individual performances that pleased Bilic,
including debutants Sead Haksabanovic and Nathan Holland who both
impressed in the cup tie.
But the boss singled out Austrian Arnautovic, who set-up two of the hosts'
three goals on his return to the starting XI after serving a three-match
ban. "Marko is a special player," Bilic continued. "He has that special
skill with the ball and he gets the ball in good positions and has the
quality. He has got it. "Now he's back, we expect him to do it, and he was
good today, but we expect him to do this regularly anyway."
The east Londoners reached the quarter-final stage of the competition last
term, before crashing out against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the
last-eight.
Prior to that, Chelsea were beaten at London Stadium and Bilic is hoping
this campaign the draw will be kinder to his side. "We need performances
and a bit of luck in the draw," he said. "Last year we got Chelsea and
then we got Man United and in the FA Cup we got Man City. "But we need to
be a bit luckier in the draw and then the dreams can become realistic.
Hopefully we can have a good draw, because some of the teams – with the
greatest respect – are beatable. "We are dreaming of Wembley. There's
nothing wrong in saying that because every team is dreaming about that."
The Hammers now go into Saturday's huge London derby against Tottenham
Hotspur on the back of three clean sheets in as many matches, and the
manager claimed the spirit is high in the camp. "The confidence is back,
slowly. But it's all about winning games, keeping clean sheets and as I
said, you can't say that we've turned the corner because we have to keep
working, not only in games but also in trainings. "Unfortunately we still
have two or three injuries but we will approach the Tottenham game in a
positive way, knowing it will be probably our biggest test this season.
"We have to continue like this and we have to build on this. We have the
confidence back, we have a pattern, and let's build on that. This was a
performance which will help in that building. "As I said before the game
to the players, some players who had a game and think they should be
playing, there's only one place that you can impress me; on the pitch in a
game. A number of players did that today."
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League Cup Legend: Sir Geoff Hurst recalls Bolton hat-trick
WHUFC.com
Here is a rarity for you: a feature on Sir Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick
that doesn't involve the World Cup final and a Russian linesman!
While the West Ham United and England legend will forever be honoured around
the globe for his most famous treble at Wembley on 30 July 1966, it's fair
to say he didn't find the unique goalscoring achievement an unfamiliar one.
During his prolific 14-year playing career with the Hammers, Hurst scored
three goals or more in a single match on no fewer than nine occasions – a
record only bettered by the great Vic Watson.
And one in particular holds resonance with Tuesday night's fixture. For it
is almost 50 years to the day since West Ham faced Bolton Wanderers in the
third round of the League Cup, on a chilly night in Upton Park in front of
20,510 supporters.
Ron Greenwood's men ran out 4-1 winners, with all four goals claimed by our
unstoppable No10, who took his tally for the season to 15 goals in just 13
games.
Half a century on, and with a career total of 249 goals in the Claret and
Blue to reflect upon, the memories and details are understandably a little
hazy, but one element of Bolton's visit back in October 1967 does stand out.
"Bolton were a tough side back then," recalls Sir Geoff. "They were renowned
for being very physical, particularly at the back, and you were always
guaranteed a few bruises.
"The centre-half who was marking me that night – not very well as it turned
out! – whacked me early on a couple of times from behind. Of course, in
those brutal, medieval days, defenders could tackle from behind, just take
people's legs away without even trying to get near the ball.
"After he'd whacked me again, I turned to the ref and said something like:
'Come on, this is getting ridiculous'. And the defender replied: 'Don't be
silly, I've only hit him three times!' That was back when they could foul
you six times without even getting a warning!"
The record books show that West Ham's line-up that evening included both
right-wingers Harry Redknapp and Peter Brabrook – who wore the number nine
shirt – with John Sissons wide on the left, ensuring plenty of service for
goal-hungry Hurst.
"It's an interesting factor," he says, "because both Harry and Peter were
out-and-out wingers who liked to hug the touchline.
"What it probably tells you is that we got plenty of crosses in that night
and I'm pretty sure that my four goals will have included a couple of
headers!"
In the career of a striker, you can generally see where his peak years are
by looking at the goal totals for each season. And in that period just after
winning the World Cup, the goals were just flying in left, right and centre
for me
Sir Geoff Hurst
His quadruple strike that evening wasn't the first time Hurst had hit four
in one game – he had achieved the feat almost exactly a year earlier against
Fulham in a 6-1 Division One victory, which he then followed up two days
later with a treble in the famous 7-0 thrashing of Leeds United.
Such exploits summed up the impact and reputation that Hurst carried during
that period, as one of the finest goalscorers of his generation, and not
surprisingly he looks back on his record of 137 goals in the space of just
four seasons between 1965 and 1969 with great pride.
The programme cover from West Ham United's League Cup tie with Bolton in
1967"In the career of a striker, you can generally see where his peak years
are by looking at the goal totals for each season. And in that period just
after winning the World Cup, the goals were just flying in left, right and
centre for me.
"I remember some time after the World Cup, I did an interview in which I
said that I felt ten feet tall, and the newspaper came to Chadwell Heath set
up a photograph with me standing on a bench and the camera pointing up from
my toes so that I looked like a giant!
"You remember those funny little things, but that was how I genuinely felt
at the time, so confident in front of goal, and the four goals against
Bolton in 1967 were right in the very middle of that spell. It was a great
time for the club and for me personally."
Coincidentally, the Hammers were drawn against Bolton at home in the League
Cup again the following season, this time running out 7-2 winners at the
second-round stage.
No prizes for guessing who notched a hat-trick that night…
HURST HAT-TRICKS FOR WEST HAM
3 goals v Newcastle United, 11 December 1965 (First Division)
4 goals v Fulham, 5 November 1966 (First Division)
3 goals v Leeds United, 7 November 1966 (League Cup)
3 goals v Swindon Town, 28 January 1967 (FA Cup)
4 goals v Bolton Wanderers, 11 October 1967 (League Cup)
3 goals v Bolton Wanderers, 4 September 1968 (League Cup)
6 goals v Sunderland, 19 October 1968 (First Division)
3 goals v Burnley, 3 October 1970 (First Division)
3 goals v Hereford United, 14 February 1972 (FA Cup)
This article first appeared in the West Ham United Official Matchday
Programme. Click here for details of how to subscribe.
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Bilic: Getting more from Arnautovic, selection headaches and impressive
youngsters
WHUFC.com
Manager Slaven Bilic was naturally in positive mood when he spoke to the
press following Tuesday's 3-0 Carabao Cup third-round win over Bolton
Wanderers at London Stadium. The Croatian reflected on a third clean sheet
in the space of eight days, the performances of Marko Arnautovic and
teenagers Declan Rice, Sead Haksabanovic, Domingos Quina and Nathan Holland.
Bilic also revealed Tuesday's performance has given him a selection headache
ahead of Saturday's Premier League derby with Tottenham Hotspur.
Here is what he had to say…
'We did the job'
West Ham United have made a pig's ear of handling lower-league opposition in
cup competitions on numerous occasions down the years, but Tuesday was not
one of them. The Hammers were quick out of the blocks and ahead within four
minutes, created at least a dozen chances in the first half and doubled
their lead before the break. The second half may not have been quite so
impressive, but Bilic was happy overall with the way his players built on
the recent performances against Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion.
"It's good to be through, of course. We did the job. It was a really good
performance in the first half. OK, we can talk about the opposition, but
that was a really good 45 minutes and the opposition was from the
Championship, so it wasn't like bad quality. "We moved the ball well, we
were playing between the lines, we were playing behind them and we played
with two touches in our half of the pitch. The only thing we weren't happy
about was that we didn't score as many goals as we should have in the first
half. "The second half was not that good. We slowed it down, which I don't
like, to be fair. I wouldn't have minded if we had scored a third one, but
at 2-0, it's always a dodgy one, a very dangerous one. "We slowed the game,
but they didn't threaten us apart from a couple of set pieces. The good
point is that we ended the game with a wonder goal from Arthur, so it was a
good night for us. "We are through in the cup with another clean sheet,
which is very important. I told the guys we should build on this and it's
been a good eight days for us – three clean sheets, four points in the
Premier League and going to the next round of the cup. "Every little
positive thing helps you get back to where you want to be, so this was
definitely a positive."
'I want more from Arnie'
Marko Arnautovic marked his London Stadium debut with two assists and a
virtuoso performance that showcased many of the Austria international's
undoubted qualities. But, while Arnautovic clearly caught the eye, Bilic is
demanding more from the 28-year-old, who did waste one glorious chance when
he attempted an audacious lob that floated over Mark Howard's crossbar. "I
want him to do more," his manager confirmed. "He has got that quality, he
has got that extra, he is that kind of a player and he knows that I like
him, but sometimes he gets happy with the few things that he does and I want
him to continue like this and push the borders, because he is unstoppable
when he receives those kind of balls. "He received it maybe 15 times and
five or six times he did a great job, with two assists, but sometimes he is
happy just to pass it back or do a little trick. I know what he is capable
of. He should never be happy, in a positive way, if you know what I mean.
Did he do the job on Tuesday? Of course, and that's why we got him." "I
think he was determined to do well after he was sent-off last month and this
was a good beginning of the comeback for him, but there is no point or
reason to stop, to go 'OK, I've done the job'."
Selection headache?
Bilic made ten changes for Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie, with only Cheikhou
Kouyate keeping his place from Saturday's goalless draw at The Hawthorns.
The manager revealed he had challenged those coming into the side to make
their case to start in the Premier League, and was happy with the way his
players responded. "That's what I said to the players before the game;
'Look, you deserve a chance, we want to go through, and everyone of you who
thinks he deserves to be playing ahead of the guy who is playing, impress me
and my staff! The only way you are going to impress us is in the game or in
the training, so give us a headache with your performance'. "It was really
good, so the key thing is that we are through in the cup, hopefully we're
going to get a good draw and this is going to take us into the Spurs game
with more confidence and for me and my staff, we are also more positive
after this performance from some of the players, we have more to choose
from. It's very good and we're going to need it on Saturday, definitely."
One player who is pushing for more Premier League game-time is Diafra Sakho,
who made it two goals in two Carabao Cup appearances with an accurate
first-time finish. Bilic believes the Senegalese's off-field issues are now
behind him. "Sakho, as I said last week, his attitude and mood is spot-on,
really spot-on. He looks really motivated in training and that's why he was
playing for us from the start or coming on. "I have no complaints whatsoever
and I am not trying to hide things. His determination is really good and he
looks really good, injury-free and willing to train and play good for West
Ham United."
The boys done good
West Ham fans love seeing young players given their chance in the first team
and, on Tuesday night, they were able to enjoy watching four teenagers do
their thing in Claret and Blue. Declan Rice and Sead Haksabanovic started
and both impressed their manager, with the Montengro international making
his senior debut, while Domingos Quina and Nathan Holland also caught the
eye as second-half substitutes. "Declan Rice is only young on paper, but he
has a brain and concentration as if he was 30 years old," said the manager.
"He's thinking about the game, he's thinking about his positioning and
everything. He is totally in the game, which is putting him in a position
that he has everything to become a really, really good player. "Declan can
play in both positions. He is naturally a centre-back, but he has enough
skill and stamina in his legs to play as a holding midfielder, and the
brains to play both. Where he is going to play in his career, I really don't
know. If I had to choose I would say centre-back, but I don't see anything
he doesn't have not to be a top holding midfielder, as he can pass the ball
and has good stamina, so both! "Haksabanovic was good. He didn't surprise
me, but it is really difficult for a young player to play his first game,
but he looked very mature. The lads around him helped him to get into the
game and he did very good, so I'm very pleased with him, as I am with Dom
Quina and Nathan Holland.
"Those four players have a bright future if they play like that."
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Junior Season Ticket upgrade offer for Brighton
WHUFC.com
Friday Night Football returns to London Stadium on 20 October when Brighton
& Hove Albion visit east London and, with this match moving to an evening
kick-off, if your child Season Ticket Holder can't make it you can upgrade
to an adult ticket at a discounted rate.
The meeting with the Seagulls is West Ham's first since a 6-0 win at the
Boleyn Ground in the 2011/12 Championship promotion season and you could
upgrade your child's Season Ticket to an adult ticket from as little as £15,
with full upgrade prices as follows:
Band 1 £30
Band 2 £25
Band 3 £22
Band 4 £20
Band 5 £15
To upgrade your Under-16 Season Ticket, please call 0333 030 1966 (option
3)* now! Please note that Season Ticket upgrades must be done over the
phone.
Season Ticket Holders who have already upgraded their junior tickets will be
refunded in line with the offer price.
Once a ticket is upgraded, it can no longer be relisted on the Ticket
Exchange.
We know evening kick-offs are more difficult for our junior supporters to
attend, and this offer means we give every supporter the best opportunity of
ensuring they can use their tickets.
Meanwhile, our last remaining tickets for this fixture are on sale to Claret
Members. Click here to purchase now.
*Phone lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday.
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Arnautovic: We handled Bolton, now let's focus on Spurs
WHUFC.com
Marko Arnautovic may have set up two goals on his London Stadium debut, but
the Austrian is thinking only about the future rather than the past. The
West Ham United winger created first-half strikes for Angelo Ogbonna and
Diafra Sakho in Tuesday's 3-0 Carabao Cup third-round win over Bolton
Wanderers. But after the game, Arnautovic's attentions had already turned to
Saturday's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. "I think it was a good one
[on Tuesday]," he said. "I'm really pleased with this, how we played, how we
acted. Of course, we can always improve, we had many chances to score more
goals, but I think we played very solid and we can progress like that. "The
first three games of the season was not West Ham, but now we're progressing
and getting better. "Bolton had nothing to lose. They came here and wanted
to impress, but I think we handled this perfect. We didn't let them have any
chances, we played solid and we showed good personality and this is the most
important thing. "We have done our job and played well, but the game is gone
and we have to focus on Saturday."
West Ham have defeated Spurs at home in each of the last two seasons, but
those games were played before Arnautovic's arrival from Stoke City. While
he did not dismiss those achievements, the club-record signing knows the
Hammers will be judged on what they do this weekend, and not the victories
they have achieved against Mauricio Pochettino's side in previous meetings.
"I don't know about how the previous matches have gone against Spurs, as
this is my first year here, but this is a London derby and we are playing at
home, so of course we want to win this game, but it's going to be a tough
challenge," he said. "Tottenham is a very good team, but we're going to see
on Saturday. We will recover on Wednesday and then on Thursday and Friday
we're going to work hard to see that we can win this game on Saturday."
In his last three meetings with Spurs in a Stoke shirt, Arnautovic was on
the receiving end of three 4-0 defeats, with Harry Kane scoring six of those
12 Tottenham goals. However, when asked if Kane was the man West Ham need to
concentrate their defensive minds on this Saturday, the No7 said the England
international was just one of a host of attackers that the Hammers will need
to keep tabs on. "It's about the whole team, it's not only about Harry
Kane," he said. "It's never about one player. We need to stop everyone, but
we need to focus on us and not on them. "We need to play our game and we are
playing at home, we have the crowd with us, so let's play on the front foot
and we're going to see how it is."
*Standard Tickets for Saturday's 12.30pm Premier League meeting with
Tottenham Hotspur are available now via the Ticket Exchange.
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Ladies bested by Charlton Athletic at Rush Green
WHUFC.com
A spirited showing by West Ham United Ladies was not enough to stop the
Charlton Athletic juggernaut with the home side falling to a 6-0 defeat. The
home team showed heart and passion in a difficult night at Rush Green as the
Southern Division league leaders continued their 100% winning run at the
expense of our Ladies side. Three goals in the first period were followed by
another three in the second and, if not for some brave defending and
organisation, there may have been more. The home team were able to create
chances but were unable to find the net in a difficult fixture. Despite
starting the game strongly and looking lively the Ladies found themselves a
goal behind early on. A Charlton set-piece was passed sideways, from which a
swerving long-ranged effort found the net. The away team had two not long
later after a through-pass set up a one-on-one situation, from which they
scored again. The West Ham Ladies created chances of their own however and
impressed with some fluid passing and their technical organisation. Julie
Melfald was particularly lively in attack, attempting a shot on the turn
which went just over the bar, and also linking play excellently with the
wingers. Unfortunately, Charlton found a third before half-time after a
burst of pace on the wing, from which the ball was played into the area for
a straightforward tap-in. Despite their deficit the West Ham Ladies can take
consolation in a spirited and resolved second half showing, with Greg De
Carnys's side looking a more compact unit after the break. Chlloe Burr had
an opportunity to get the Hammers on the scoresheet but her free-kick was
just over the bar, while Mollie Kmita continued to be a pest for the
Charlton defence on the right-flank. The damage had been done however by
Charlton and the away side added a fourth after catching the West Ham Ladies
on the counter. The build-up had a whiff of offside but the linesman ruled
that the Addicks had beaten West Ham's trap, allowing them to slot home.
Charlton would make it five on the counter once again as another low ball
into the area once again evaded the West Ham defenders, with a chipped
finish beating Cherie Rowlands, before adding their sixth in the final
minutes of the game.
West Ham United Ladies: Rowlands; Kmita, Wheeler, Auguste, Austin; Mabey,
Cooper, Burr; Wealthall, Melfald (Bent), Ezekiel-Meade (Peters)
Subs not used: Mackie, Chong, Brown
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West Ham striker Diafra Sakho back in Slaven Bilic's good books weeks after
bizarre Rennes transfer saga
The 27-year-old had passed a medical and agreed personal terms with the
French side — but there was no fee deal
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
19:42, 20 SEP 2017
Diafra Sakho has had a major change of heart and is willing to give
everything for West Ham as he looks to force his way back into first-team
contention. Striker Sakho looked to be heading out of the exit door in the
summer after telling the club he wanted to leave, and he both passed a
medical and agreed personal terms with French side Rennes in late August.
However, no transfer fee had been settled so the Hammers blocked the move
from taking place, and insisted that Sakho returned to England. Boss Slaven
Bilic has been impressed with his attitude since the incident and is now
expecting big things from the 27-year-old, who scored his second goal of the
season on Tuesday in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Championship visitors
Bolton. Bilic said: "Sakho's attitude and mood is spot on. Really spot on.
He's very motivated in training. He looks really good. That's why he's
playing for us. He is coming on. "I do not have any complaints whatsoever.
A few times I said that his attitude was not good or whatever, so I'm not
lying, I'm not trying to hide things. "But his determination and everything
now is really good. He looks really good, he's injury free, and he's willing
to train and play good for West Ham United."
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Analysing Diafra Sakho's goalscoring return for West Ham against Bolton
Written by Scott Challinor
Slaven Bilic's West Ham United barely broke a sweat in their Carabao Cup
Third Round tie, easing into the hat for the Fourth Round with a 3-0 over
early Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers at London Stadium. Angelo
Ogbonna, Diafra Sakho, and Arthur Masuaku were all on the scoresheet for the
Hammers, Senegalese international Sakho repaying manager and fans with an
impressive performance on his recall to the side despite declaring his
intentions to leave the club over the summer, featuring as a lone striker
flanked by wingers Andre Ayew and the impressive Marko Arnautovic. Sakho and
Arnautovic linked well for the majority of the night, and their chemistry
showed its first glimpse as early as the fourth minute, Sakho winning a
free-kick which Arnautovic duly stood over out on the right wing. The
Austrian played a perfect ball into the box, and with Sakho amongst others
making nuisance of himself in the box, it allowed Angelo Ogbonna the time
and space to surge into the area unopposed for a free header which he
powered into the goal to give the hosts an early lead.
Sakho then almost turned provider for Arnautovic later in the first-half,
latching onto Mark Noble's clipped ball forward and holding up the ball
expertly against Bolton defender Mark Beevers, before laying the ball on for
Arnautovic to strike, who saw his initial effort blocked before his follow
up effort was parried away by goalkeeper Mark Howard. Sakho's movement and
hold-up play was beginning to cause Bolton all sorts of problems, and he
showed off a glimpse of his ability to run the channels also. Played in down
the left, he raced clear of defender Andrew Taylor and cut inside onto the
edge of the penalty box before checking back onto his right foot and playing
in the onrushing Andre Ayew, who could only drag his first-time effort wide
of the right post.
With unwanted profligacy in front of goal seeming to set in, and unwilling
to allow that to hand the visitors a route back into the contest, Sakho
himself showed his teammates the route to goal with just over half an hour
on the clock. Noble, another impressive performer on the night, played a
well weighted clipped ball through to Arnautovic who'd found a pocket of
space down the left with acres of space to gallop forward. Venturing inside,
he laid the ball left-footed off for Sakho inside the penalty area, who had
the simple task of finishing beyond Howard to put the hosts two goals ahead
before the break. His celebration was muted, as he wandered over the byline
to thank his teammate. Sakho was notably quieter after the break, which
mirrored West Ham's team performance in the second-half, with chances fewer
and further between until the forward made way for Javier Hernandez on 71
minutes.
The Hammers went on to finish the job in stoppage time, Arthur Masuaku being
allowed the time and space on the left of the penalty area to pick his spot
and send a left-footed pile-driver into the top right corner and complete
Bolton's misery in East London. Although Sakho is almost certain to depart
the club at the end of the season, if not in January, his hardworking team
performance on Tuesday will remind Slaven Bilic that the want-away forward
still has something to offer his side, for unlike popular belief, it appears
the forward is not willing to allow his desire to leave the club impede his
performances. His performance also says a great deal about the strength in
depth of this West Ham side when the players are performing, and the Hammers
could prove to be a dark horse in this competition in the hat for the next
round.
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Joseph Anang training with West Ham, club working around the clock to seal
work permit
HITC
Olly Dawes
West Ham United are reportedly pressing ahead with a move for goalkeeper
Joseph Anang. According to Ghana Soccernet, West Ham United are working
tirelessly to seal a work permit for teenage goalkeeper Joseph Anang after
handing him a contract. Anang, 19, started his career with Danbort FC in
Ghana before moving on to Wa All Stars, where he appears to have caught the
eye. The young shot-stopper joined up with West Ham for pre-season training,
in a bid to impress Slaven Bilic's men enough to win a contract at the
London Stadium. West Ham were suitably impressed, handing Anang a three-year
contract last month – but the deal hasn't yet been completely
rubber-stamped, according to Ghana Soccernet. Anang needs a work permit to
play for West Ham, and it's stated that the Hammers are 'working around the
clock' to get permission for Anang to play in England. It's stated that
Anang is still in East London, and is currently training with Joe Hart and
Adrian in anticipation of being given the green light to start his West Ham
career. Joe Hart of West Ham United is dejected after the Premier League
match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on
August 13, 2017 in Manchester, England. Anang and West Ham will both be
hoping for the work permit to be approved sooner rather than later, handing
the Hammers another young talent to develop over the comign years. The likes
of Domingos Quina, Nathan Holland and Sead Haksabanovic have all arrived at
West Ham over the last 18 months, and Anang could be the latest talent to
join Slaven Bilic's men.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham star Declan Rice 'fired up' for Tottenham clash after giving Slaven
Bilic selection headache
KEN DYER
The Evening Standard
Slaven Bilic challenged his players to hand him a selection "headache"
before their EFL Cup third-round tie last night. Following an emphatic 3-0
victory over Bolton, the West Ham manager may well have been reaching for
the paracetamol after Marko Arnautovic and Declan Rice, in particular, duly
obliged. Arnautovic, starting his first match following his three-game ban,
played a major part in West Ham's first two goals while Rice, 18, once again
demonstrated that West Ham have a special young player in their ranks.
Playing in his favoured central defensive position in a much-changed
line-up, Rice showed a maturity beyond his tender years. Arnautovic,
meanwhile, was dynamic, powerful and occasionally frustrating, such as when
he audaciously and unsuccessfully attempted to lob Bolton goalkeeper Mark
Howard from 15 yards out. Both players — and others in this easy victory —
have put the pressure on Bilic's probable starting XI for Saturday's derby
against Tottenham, with teenager Rice underlining what it would mean to him
to be picked for that game. Bilic, who made 10 changes from the team which
drew against West Brom on Saturday, told his players that there were places
up for grabs and Rice said: "Things like that really fire me up. We have a
few more training sessions before the Spurs game. There's a space up for
grabs and I want to take it."
Rice, far from being intimidated by the prospect of playing up against Harry
Kane and Dele Alli, would relish the prospect. "I couldn't begin to
describe how I would feel if I was picked," he said. "It could only stand me
in good stead for the future, playing against those kind of players." Rice
began his career at Chelsea but was released at the age of 14. During that
time, though, he met John Terry and still maintains contact with the former
England defender. "He is my idol," said the Republic of Ireland Under-19
international. "I got to know him at Chelsea and still catch up now and
then."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic wants more from Marko Arnautovic
Last Updated: 19/09/17 11:23pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic watched Marko Arnautovic inspire West Ham to a 3-0 Carabao
Cup victory over Bolton and then demanded more from the Austrian
playmaker. Arnautovic marked his home debut after joining for £25million
from Stoke during the summer by setting up goals for Angelo Ogbonna and
Diafra Sakho before Arthur Masuaku struck an outstanding third deep into
injury time. The Hammers' record signing was sent off for use of the elbow
against Southampton last month in only his second appearance, delaying his
first outing at London Stadium, and Bilic insisted his performance against
Bolton began his path to redemption. I could have asked for more. I want
him to do more. He's got that quality and that something extra," Bilic
said. "I like him as a player, but sometimes he gets happy with the few
things that he does when I want him to push the borders. "After what
happened last month, this is the beginning of the comeback for him."
West Ham led after only half an hour, but they failed to dominate in the
same way in the second half when Bolton pieced together promising spells.
"We've done the job. It was a really good performance in the first half
and the opposition was from the Championship, so it's not like they're bad
quality," Bilic said. "The only thing we weren't happy with was that we
didn't score as many goals as we should have done. "We ended the game with
a wonder goal. It was a good night for us in the cup, we're into the next
round and kept a clean sheet which is important."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Tottenham: Will Javier Hernandez or Jan Vertonghen win key
battle?
By Ollie Francis
Last Updated: 20/09/17 1:00pm
SSN
Will Javier Hernandez or Jan Vertonghen win the key battle when West Ham
host Tottenham on Saturday? We take a look at the stats...
West Ham and Tottenham renew their hotly-contested rivalry at the London
Stadium live on Sky Sports Premier League this Saturday lunchtime, with the
hosts hoping to repeat the performance that led to a 1-0 home win against
Spurs in May. That result ended any lingering title hopes Mauricio
Pochettino's men had - but if the Hammers are to maintain their 100 per cent
record against Spurs at their new home, Javier Hernandez will likely have to
win his individual battle with Jan Vertonghen.
West Ham's new £16m striker has scored two of their four Premier League
goals this season, both coming at Southampton, but the Mexican will be
hoping to improve on a poor personal record against Saturday's visitors.
Hernandez has failed to score in eight career appearances against Tottenham,
including both Champions League games for Bayer Leverkusen last season. He
hasn't found the net in six league appearances against Spurs, which is the
most he has played against any team without scoring.
Javier Hernandez - least favourite PL opponents
Opposition Apps Goals
Tottenham 6 0
Norwich 5 0
Fulham 4 0
Man City 4 0
Sunderland 4 0
One of Hernandez's main roles on Saturday - as well as being a threat in the
opposition's box - will be to press high on Tottenham's defenders and
attempt to stop Pochettino's team building from the back. Slaven Bilic's
team did that successfully in May and were able to capitalise on the
rewards. Tottenham's backline have a lot of the ball under Pochettino and
Vertonghen and his team-mate Toby Alderweireld have had more touches in the
Premier League than any other defenders this season.
Most touches in PL this season - defenders
Player Team Touches
Jan Vertonghen Tottenham 525
Toby Alderweireld Tottenham 452
Nicolas Otamendi Man City 448
Antonio Valencia Man Utd 419
Nacho Monreal Arsenal 400
Non-stop work-rate is very much part of Hernandez's game, with only Pablo
Zabaleta covering more distance for West Ham this season, so the energetic
former Manchester United man has the capacity to limit the time and touches
Spurs defenders have on Saturday.
West Ham distance covered in PL this season
Player Distance covered
Pablo Zabaleta 47.9km
Javier Hernandez 44km
Aaron Cresswell 43.2km
Michail Antonio 36.2km
Pedro Obiang 34km
Keeping the ball out of the net is Vertonghen's primary job and the Belgian
was a mainstay of the best defence in the Premier League last season as
Tottenham conceded just 26 goals. Since the start of last season, the
30-year-old has made far more clearances, headed clearances and
interceptions than any other team-mate.
Tottenham defending since August 2016
Most clearances Most headed clearances Most interceptions
Vertonghen - 251 Vertonghen - 135 Vertonghen - 45
Alderwiereld - 180 Alderwiereld - 95 Dier - 43
Dier - 156 Dier - 156 Wanyama - 41
Walker - 94 Davies - 49 Walker - 38
Davies - 92 Walker - 46 Dembele - 29
On Saturday lunchtime, West Ham will be hoping to build on consecutive clean
sheets against Huddersfield and West Brom, while Tottenham will attempt to
avoid failing to score in consecutive Premier League games for the first
time since May 2015. The Hammers will be hoping to replicate the performance
and result against Spurs in May and key to that could be if Chicharito can
end his scoring drought against Tottenham and can win his duel with Spurs'
defensive stalwart.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
BILIC–ROUND PEGS IN SQUARE HOLES?
By Blind Hammer 20 Sep 2017 at 17:00
WTID
Blind Hammer asks if Bilic really has a flaw in playing Players out of
Position?
The encouraging performance against Bolton gives further evidence that our
season is recovering after a horrible start. Nevertheless criticisms persist
that we are wasting Hernandez's talents, marooning him out wide on the left.
Bilic has been slated for allegedly misusing Hernandez in much the same way
as he previously experimented with Antonio at Right Back.
There is little evidence that Chico is enjoying his current role yet playing
players out of position is not necessarily a managerial flaw. In some cases
it may actually represent managerial genius. Moses at Chelsea and Valencia
at Manchester United have both thrived when converted to Wing Backs. We can
forgive Bilic for attempting the same with Antonio but perhaps not for how
long he continued with the experiment.
We also have an honourable and illustrious tradition, as a club, at
effectively switching players from one position to another. Ron greenwood
was particularly adept at recognising where players could thrive in
alternative roles. Geoff Hurst did not start out as a Centre forward; it
took the vision of Greenwood to transform him from what would now be
described as a defensive midfield player into a World Cup hat trick hero.
Similarly Trevor Brooking started his West Ham career as a striker alongside
Geoff Hurst. I remember Shoot Magazine celebrating how brooking had "taken
the pressure off" Hurst. It was the astuteness of Greenwood and lyall which
transformed an ordinary striker into a world class midfield player. The
history of West Ham is sparkled with examples of player's successfully
switching position. Billy Bonds was a legend whether he played at right
back, central defence or midfield.
So playing players out of position is not necessarily wrong. Football is not
like a game of Tetris where pieces simply have to be in the right places for
success. It comes down to judgement. Playing Moses at Right Wing Back was
good judgement, playing Antonio there was not.
So the real question is one of assessing Bilic's judgement. Most importantly
this judgement has to extend beyond any particular game to strategic
recruitment and squad design. It is here that we can find the reason for
Hernandez's seemingly strange role.
Some transfers have been peculiar. Players have been, on the face of it,
recruited to play to their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Snodgrass
was bemused that Bilic did not understand where he preferred playing after
signing. His record of success came largely from a role on the right. Yet
playing on the right was a berth from which he was unlikely to depose
Antonio. The transfer was muddled, Snodgrass should not have been signed as
a Payet replacement given he had no record of success in the Payet role.
Similarly Zaza had no successful track record as a solitary striker,
preferring the second striker role. Yet it was this lone striker role, to
his advisors apparent perplexity, that West Ham expected Zaza to thrive in.
Now Hernandez, famed for his operations in the penalty area, is tactically
playing wide.
So what should perhaps be criticised is not the playing of people out of
position but the apparently confused recruitment policy. Developing talents
in your clubs by testing them in different roles is one thing, to
significantly invest in players and then play them in roles in which they
have no record of success seems strange.
To be fair Bilic has denied deploying Hernandez as a winger and has instead
described him as developing a partnership with Carroll. He has also admitted
it is not an ideal situation. This is probably true but at the start of the
season it was Hernandez who had the central striker berth around which the
team was to be built. The horrible start to the season caused a late SOS
call to Carroll to instead fulfil this role.
What is really driving the playing of Hernandez wide left is the early
crisis in defending which beset our team. Bilic admitted he was thinking
about the sack before the Huddersfield game and probably realised that even
the West Ham Board would part company with him unless he managed to repair
what was then the worst defensive record in the league.
The sticking plaster, given our defensive fragilities, is to play 3 at the
back. Whilst this has addressed the crisis in defensive performance, it has
left us depleted of creative midfield resources. Bilic has little choice but
to adjust for this by relying on the direct approach deploying the skills of
both Antonio and Carroll. Hernandez is the sacrificial lamb who has to try
and fit into this system. This is probably not what he anticipated. Other
teams will be designed around his skills, here he is trying to adapt to the
skills of Andy Carroll.
Despite the encouragement of the Bolton game I believe Bilic has little
choice but to pursue this course for the time being at least. It would be
the height of folly to abandon 3 at the back against Spurs based on the
challenge Bolton presented. He is paying the price for not addressing the
weakness in central defensive cover over the summer. Collins injury has
exposed this particular foolishness even more now.
The real weakness at West Ham is not so much the playing of players out of
position but confused transfer recruitment over the last 18 months. We need
to more accurately identify the players to play in the system we need. Three
at the back as an option was completely disregarded over the summer despite
the fact it was a critical element in our eventual survival.
What is clear that the number one priority for the team was to stop the
disastrous shipping of goals and build a team strategy that all could draw
confidence from. In the short term it is unavoidable that Hernandez has to
either fit in with this defensive solidity or feature from the bench. We do
not currently have the squad talents to fight fire with fire and play "gung
ho" attacking formations. A heavy defeat to Spurs could jeopardise the green
shoots of recovery we are now witnessing.
COYI
David Griffith
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ogbonna's dancing feet & Rice's maturity - moments missed from West Ham's
cruise over Bolton
Did you spot these moments on Monday night?
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:00, 20 SEP 2017
Rice's maturity
Beyond the final whistle, Rice was one of the first players to go towards
the Sir Bobby Moore stand and thank the fans who had stayed the course. The
teenager was an unknown this time last year but has enjoyed a meteoric rise
in standing among the Hammers supporters. The fact he is insanely talented
as well helps as he bossed the Bolton frontline on Tuesday night. Rice has
to be careful he doesn't fall the way of Reece Oxford, who is warming the
bench for Borussia Moenchengladbach at the moment after being the next big
thing, You suspect though, it won't be the case with Rice.
Ogbonna's trickery
Talk about getting yourself out of a tight spot with ease. In the second
half on Tuesday night, Ogbonna had the ball in his own penalty box and was
surrounded by three Bolton attackers. A swift shimmy away from one, a
pirouette around another and then a shoulder drop around the final one saw
all three Bolton attackers look a bit foolish as the Italian strode away
with the ball at his feet.
Chicharito realising he might lose a fight
The diminutive Mexican hadn't been on the pitch for long before he got
caught up in a bit of handbags with Darren Pratley, the Bolton skipper.
Pratley has about a foot in height in Hernandez and when Chichar squared up
to Pratley's well, chest, he decided to back away from the situation. Good
move, Chicha.
Jeff King's miserable ten seconds
Bolton had very few forays into the West Ham defensive third but one such
moment arrived with ten minutes to go. Jeff King, making his Trotters debut
at left back, found himself in a bit of space and with a chance to deliver
into the box. He proceeded to fire the ball about three miles overhit and
out of play Obviously his manager thought that was enough for one night, as
Phil Parkinson immediately took King off the pitch substituted before the
ball was back live in play.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Charlie Nicholas comments prove Slaven Bilic was right over Kelechi
Iheanacho decision
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic elected against signing Leicester City new
boy Kelechi Iheanacho in the summer. The Hammers signed Joe Hart, Pablo
Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez over the summer to improve
their first team. But much of the talk since the window closed has focused
on the players Bilic didn't sign. The manager has admitted William Carvalho
and Andre Gomes were all but done before falling through just before the
deadline. But supporters and pundits were questioning Bilic's judgement
after he pulled the plug on a deal to sign Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester
City and the player went on to join Leicester City instead. For much of the
transfer window the Nigerian looked on the verge of a move to East London.
That was until Bilic made the bold call to pull the plug on the deal at the
11th hour, as reported by the Evening Standard. Supporters were left
disappointed and felt he would have brought much needed pace to their
frontline. Iheanacho has so far played barely featured for Leicester and has
been playing for their Under 23s side or being given minutes in the cup. It
may be early days but his inauspicious start to life with the Foxes suggests
Bilic may have been right to pull out of the deal. And that view is
reinforced by comments from Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas before
Leicester's Carabao Cup game against Liverpool as the former Arsenal star
warned Iheanacho he could become a nearly man like another Premier League
striker. "This is a good time for Kelechi Iheanacho to come good," Nicholas
told Sky Sports. "He's in danger of being the next Saido Berahino in terms
of just going through the motions and needs to seize his chance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham EXCLUSIVE: Bolton booted Chicharito lots but we're both ok for
Spurs - Mark Noble
MARK NOBLE felt Bolton targeted West Ham star Javier Hernandez and risked
injuring him last night.
Daily Star
By Jack Staplehurst / Published 20th September 2017
The Hammers comfortably beat their Championship opponents 3-0 at the
London Stadium in their Carabao Cup third round tie. Angelo Ogbonna,
Diafra Sakho and Arthur Masuaku got on the scoresheet as Slaven Bilic
rotated his side. With 20 minutes to play, ex-Manchester United and Real
Madrid striker Chicharito was introduced. While he searched for his first
goal at home for West Ham, Hernandez found himself kicked to pieces as the
game drew to a close. Hammers fans were left with hearts in mouths too
when their star goalscorer went down clutching his ankle. But fortunately
for West Ham ahead of their crunch London derby this weekend at home to
Tottenham, Hernandez shook off the many blows. And Noble claims he and
Hernandez are both ready for Saturday's showdown (12.30pm) on the back of
cup progress. On Hernandez, Noble told Starsport: "Yeah, he came on and
got kicked about eight times. "I'm pretty sure their lads wanted to say
'I've booted Chicharito'. "These nights are always tough obviously playing
a Championship side, obviously they're struggling a little bit in the
league but you know what you're going to get. "But to be honest it was
nice for him (Hernandez) to get out there again at home and as we're fine
with no injuries we're looking forward to Saturday."
Noble returned to action himself last night after a short absence due to a
knee injury. The West Ham skipper missed last week's 2-0 win over
Huddersfield and Saturday's goalless draw at West Brom. However, following
a 77-minute run out against Bolton, he insists he is 100 per cent ready
and will be in contention to face arch-rivals Tottenham. Bilic, though,
must decide whether to recall Noble or stick with Cheikhou Kouyate and
Pedro Obiang in the middle. Asked about his fitness, Noble added: "Yeah
yeah, I feel much better. Obviously it was just nice to get back out on
the pitch get some minutes under my belt. "I ain't been out for long, it's
only been 10 days, you don't lose your fitness that quick. "But it's the
first time, apart from the (groin) operation I had that I've had some time
off. It's strange for me not being involved, that ain't right for me, but
it was lovely to be back out there tonight and back amongst the players."
While Noble is back, Edimilson Fernandes is also returning to training,
leaving just James Collins (ankle) and Manuel Lanzini (knee) on the
sidelines. Collins is out for 2-3 weeks, while Starsport understands
Lanzini could be back for the game after Spurs at home to Swansea next
Saturday. Noble added: "Yeah of course, just Manu who's out of the
picture, hopefully we'll be getting him back soon as well. But at the end
of the day, in the Premier League now, winning's all that matters.
"At the moment, we've kept three clean sheets in a row, won two out of the
last three. Things are looking better but we've got a massive game here
Saturday."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Marko Arnautovic shines on home debut but Slaven Bilic wants more from
West Ham's record signing
DUNCAN BECH
ES Sport
Slaven Bilic watched Marko Arnautovic inspire West Ham to a 3-0 Carabao
Cup victory over Bolton and then demanded more from the Austrian
playmaker. Arnautovic marked his home debut after joining for £25million
from Stoke during the summer by setting up goals for Angelo Ogbonna and
Diafra Sakho before Arthur Masuaku struck an outstanding third deep into
injury time. The Hammers' record signing was sent off for use of the elbow
against Southampton last month in only his second appearance, delaying his
first outing at London Stadium, and Bilic insisted his performance against
Bolton began his path to redemption. "I could have asked for more. I want
him to do more. He's got that quality and that something extra," Bilic
said. "I like him as a player, but sometimes he gets happy with the few
things that he does when I want him to push the borders. "I know what he's
capable of and I want him to keep molesting the opposition and never be
happy in a positive way. But of course he did the job here. "After what
happened last month, this is the beginning of the comeback for him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arnautovic stepped up for West Ham in a big way but now he needs to do it
on the big stage
The enigmatic Austrian was superb against a poor Bolton side, ripping them
to shreds
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
23:15, 19 SEP 2017
Slaven Bilic said at his press conference on Monday ahead of this game
that he wanted an easy win and no injuries to his players - that's what he
got. West Ham cruised through in the Carabao Cup against Bolton Wanderers
3-0 and one player in particular stood up and was counted. Marko
Arnautovic was in need of impressing not just Bilic, but the West Ham
faithful following his shocking red card down at St Mary's which led to a
three-match ban and from the first minute on his home debut, the record
signing looked in the mood. He could have scored a couple himself but
managed to bag two assists on the night and was generally unplayable
throughout the 90 minutes as he demonstrated his entire repertoire in
Stratford. Bolton right back Filipe Morais will be having nightmares long
into the season after being utterly dismantled by the Hammers £25m man for
the entire game, with Arnautovic displaying skill, trickery, pace, power,
the whole shebang.
He was a bit quieter in the second half - as were the whole team to be
fair - but if anyone was going to create something exciting in the second
45, it was Arnautovic. The first half though, Arnautovic was absolutely
unplayable. He was too quick, too strong and simply too good for Bolton,
getting two assists. A lovely scoop and run around Morais was the
highlight, it would have been a superb goal had he not been flagged
offside after getting a return pass from Diafra Sakho.
But the Austrian didn't sulk or let it get to him - he got his head down
and buckled up again - terrorising Morais at every opportunity and
seemingly striking up a good understanding - like we saw in pre-season, by
the way - with Arthur Masuaku. The DR Congo defender had a decent game to
and managed to round things off with an absolute peach of a strike himself
in injury time to add to Sakho and Angelo Ogbonna's goals.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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