Daily WHUFC News - 21st February 2017

Hammer fans pull off FA Cup shock
WHUFC.com

Hammers fans Danny and Nicky Cowley led Lincoln City to an unforgettable FA
Cup victory at Burnley
Former West Ham goalkeeper Jimmy Walker is also on the Imps' backroom staff
Toni Martinez was on target for League One Oxford United, who were edged out
at Middlesbrough

West Ham United's own Emirates FA Cup dreams may have been dashed, but three
Hammers are still flying the Claret and Blue flag in the world's most-famous
knockout competition. Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley, assistant Nicky and
goalkeeper coach Jimmy Walker enjoyed another unforgettable FA Cup weekend
as the Imps became the first non-league club in 103 years to reach the last
eight. Lincoln scored a 1-0 victory over Premier League Burnley at Turf
Moor, continuing the National League club's amazing run, which has also seen
them overcome League One Oldham Athletic and Championship sides Ipswich Town
and Brighton & Hove Albion in this season's competition. Lifelong Hammers,
the Cowley brothers have enjoyed a memorable rise through the game in recent
months. Less than a year ago, the pair were teaching physical education at a
secondary school in the Essex town of Rayleigh, combining those full-time
roles with the management of National League club Braintree Town.

After leading the part-time Iron to the National League play-offs last
season, where they were edged out by full-time Grimsby Town in the
semi-finals, the Cowleys were given the task of leading Lincoln back to the
Football League after a six-year absence. The Imps sit top of the National
League table with games in-hand on the clubs below them due to their
extended run in the FA Cup. Now, they are 90 minutes from leading their team
out at Wembley Stadium, with a sixth-round tie against either fellow
National League side Sutton United or Premier League giants Arsenal to look
forward to in the last eight. The brothers were not the only West
Ham-related presence in the weekend's FA Cup, as young loanee Toni Martinez
almost wrote another giant-killing headline of his own.

The Spaniard scored an equaliser for League One Oxford United at Premier
League Middlesbrough as the U's came from 2-0 down to level at the Riverside
Stadium, only for Boro to sneak a 3-2 victory and a place in the
quarter-finals. Martinez has been in good form for Oxford, scoring four
goals in six matches, including strikes in FA Cup ties with Newcastle United
and Middlesbrough.

Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Stephen Hendrie was an unused substitute for
Blackburn Rovers, who were edged out 2-1 by Manchester United at Ewood Park.


In the EFL, Josh Cullen was again in the thick of the action as Bradford
City maintained their spot in the League One Play-Off places with a 2-2 draw
with third-place Bolton Wanderers at Valley Parade.

Two West Ham loanees came face-to-face at the Bescot Stadium, where George
Dobson's Walsall earned a 2-0 win over Martin Samuelsen's Peterborough
United. Both Hammers were introduced as second-half substitutes.

Jaanai Gordon was also introduced from the bench for League Two's bottom
club Newport County, who were defeated 3-2 at Cambridge United.

Marcus Browne and Reece Burke were not involved as relegation-threatened
Wigan Athletic earned a goalless draw with Preston North End in the
Championship.

Elsewhere, defender Josh Pask was also absent from Gillingham's 2-1 defeat
at Coventry City in League One, while full-back Alex Pike missed Cheltenham
Town's 2-0 win over Yeovil Town in League Two.

In the non-league ranks, goalkeeper Sam Howes' Hampton & Richmond Borough
were edged out 2-1 by East Thurrock United in National League South.

Striker Sam Ford was introduced as a half-time substitute for Bishops
Stortford in the same division, but his side were also beaten, 4-1 by Poole
Town.

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Foundation roll out DT38 programme in Primary Schools
WHUFC.com

DT38 Foundation's 'Didge' programme has officially launched in east London,
with pupils at William Bellamy Primary School the first to benefit from West
Ham United Foundation's delivery of the syllabus created in memory of
Hammers Academy starlet Dylan Tombides, who tragically passed away in 2014.

DT38 Foundation launched the children's book 'Didge' last summer, and have
enjoyed a successful roll-out of the teaching syllabus which accompanies it
in Australia. Having partnered with West Ham United Foundation and adapted
the learning apparatus, the syllabus carries itself across KS1 and KS2 and
aims to arm future generations with strategies to be resilient through
adversity.

William Bellamy Primary School signed up for the Didge project after their
PE Coordinator, Donna Rose, was contacted by WHU Foundation. Donna, who is a
Hammers fan, recalls being with the Barking and Dagenham District Year 6
football team at a tournament in Jersey when she heard of Dylan's passing.

Inspired by DT38 Foundation's ability to create such a positive project from
a tragic story, Donna signed the school up for the taster session.

The response from the session was overwhelming. Afterwards the pupils
described Didge as encouraging, an inspiration, a calming and kind person
and a good footballer.

Through Dylan's real life story, the Didge programme gives teachers and
students the necessary knowledge about health and wellbeing that will enable
them to be confident when taking health matters in their own hands, as well
as helping teachers to learn how to engage in sensitive topics with their
pupils.

Donna said: "The response from the session was overwhelming. Afterwards the
pupils described Didge as encouraging, an inspiration, a calming and kind
person and a good footballer. We are delighted with the outcomes of the
taster session, and are looking forward to receiving the full programme
delivery, which begins later this month."

WHU Foundation are actively looking to engage with new schools and have 6
week programmes available covering PSHE and literacy themes. To enquire
about the DT38 programme, please email Ross Williams:
rwilliams@westhamunited.co.uk

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Westley - Holland like young Ryan Giggs
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 won on their first appearance at London Stadium
They won 2-0, thanks to goals from Nathan Holland and Conor Coventry
Speaking after the match, Terry Westley said he was particularly pleased
with Holland's performance

Terry Westley said Nathan Holland's performance against Fulham reminded him
of "a young Ryan Giggs" as the Hammers winger scored and put in a masterful
display in their 2-0 win.

Holland only joined West Ham last month but has already stamped his mark on
Premier League 2 and the Premier League Cup, scoring three goals in his last
three matches.

Westley was keen to praise the 18-year-old winger but was also delighted
with what was a crucial win over their London rivals.

"I'd probably say Nathan Holland [was brilliant], particularly in the first
half," said Westley. "What a talent we've got on our hands. He was skipping
past players, reminding me of a really young Ryan Giggs. I think he
particularly caught people eyes tonight.

"What a great stadium and we wanted the players to really express
themselves. First half I thought we particularly done that and second half
was different in terms of the grit and determination they showed when they
were up against it.

"Fulham are a very good side and it was a very good football match for those
who come. The standard of the play and the way that both teams tried to pass
the ball and move the ball around the pitch was of a high level and we're
delighted to come away 2-0 winners."

The Hammers looked very much at home at London Stadium, in their first
appearance at the club's new home, having played every other home match this
season at Dagenham and Redbridge's Chigwell Construction Stadium.

Holland and debutant Conor Coventry scored the goals which ended Fulham's
eight match unbeaten run, and strengthened the Hammers own pursuit of a
play-off place in Premier League 2 Division 2.

"I said to Liam in the first half that the substitutions are going to be
crucial because you could just see the adrenaline and excitement of being
around the stadium for the first time taking it out of the players," added
Westley.

"For them to experience that can only help them. This is where they're going
to ply their trade but I was delighted with their application, delighted
with the way we played and they way they showed some grit and determination
in the end to see the game through.

"Fulham are realistically the only team that can catch Swansea for the
automatic promotion place. We think with four to go, we need to win three
and one of those was tonight.

"We thought being at our own stadium, it'll be terrific to win our first
game here. We were very young again, when you think of the players who
didn't play, Domingos Quina has played in all our our games and today he was
away with the first team. But he'll be pleased the boys have won and we're a
step closer to those play-offs."

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FT - West Ham United PL2 2-0 Fulham
WHUFC.com

FT: A brilliant display by the boys and they're applauded off by a vocal
home support. Nathan Holland got his third in as many games in the first
half and the points were secured in stoppage time and Conor Coventry trust
through to score on his debut. Not a bad way to mark your first appearance
at London Stadium. Full-time: West Ham 2-0 Fulham!

90: GOALLLL! What a debut for Conor Coventry - he bursts through the Fulham
defence and slides the ball under Joronen. The points are sealed! 2-0

89: We're into the closing stages and the Hammers seem happy to run the
clock down. They've been brilliant tonight and are very close to picking up
a valuable three points.

85: Opoku heads just wide from a corner as Fulham's pressure mounts. So far,
they've failed to make the most of their best spell of the match.

83: Sessegnon should have done better again but shoots straight at Trott.
The Cottagers are looking more of a threat in these final few minutes as the
Hammers aim to hang on!

79: Looks as if Diangana will be replaced and It's a nice moment for Conor
Coventry who is set to make his U23s' debut.

76: Fulham's best chance. Sessegnon is played in on the right but Trott
saves his shot well. Worrying signs for the host as Diangana and Pask are
both down receiving treatment.

72: More action being provided from Holland. His close ball control really
is a pleasure to watch. He cuts inside and fires over.

70: Couple of subs being readied by the West Ham bench. Powell and Kemp are
replaced by Parfitt-Williams and Hector-Ingram.

67: Rare effort for Fulham as Josh Smile strikes well over the bar from 30
yards. That's about as good as it's got so far for the visitors. But the
Hammers still only have a slender lead.

63: Attendance tonight is 1,171! Fair play to the Hammers supporters coming
out on a Monday night and they've created a terrific atmosphere!

59: Free-kick whipped in by Kemp but it somehow misses all the Hammers in
the area and goes through for a goal kick.

56: Could and should have been the second! Kemp jinks his way past a
defender and hits the cross bar with a powerful strike!

55: Lovely run by Knoyle. We see that from his often! He cuts in and force
Joronen into action again. The Hammers have picked up where they left off!

51: The Hammers break and look dangerous for a second. Holland is played in
by Powell but his cross is blocked away for a corner. The corner misses the
box.

47: Changes made by Fulham at half-time. Both the players who were booked -
Thorsteinsson and Harris - are replaced by O'Riley and Sessegnon.

46: Back underway in this second half. More of the same please, Hammers!

HT: Great stuff by the Hammers in that first half. They were very dominant
and deservedly go into the break a goal up. Nathan Holland's third in as
many games sees them go into the dressing room a goal up!

45: 2 minutes added at the end of this first half.

43: The bookings are totting up for the visitors. Harris puts a nasty
challenge in on Diangana and earns Fulham's second booking of the evening.

39: First booking of the night goes to Thorsteinsson - Fulham have struggled
to deal with Diangana and the Icelandic midfielder brings him down and gets
a yellow.

37: Surging run from Knoyle who forces a corner, which is played shorted and
worked to Powell. His cross is straight into the arms of Joronen.

33: Good defending from Rice to usher out Adebayo, who looked like he was in
for a second. Fulham have struggled to impact this game thus far.

28: Close! And we almost had a carbon copy of the first. Again, Holland cuts
in and sends it towards the same corner. Fortunately for Fulham, Joronen is
equal to it.

23: The Hammers are really enjoying their football in the opening stages.
Diangana sidesteps off the flank and plays a one-two with Holland before
being bundled over in box. The referee waves away the protests.

20: And there's the opening goal!!! The ball is worked to Holland who cuts
in from the right and sends a brilliant, low drive into the bottom corner.
It's now three in three for the January signing and the home side are
deservedly in front. 1-0!

19: Powell chases a lost cause on the right but somehow keeps the ball in
and he manages to find Holland in the box. The winger had time but shot
straight at Joronen.

16: Best chance of the game so far! The Hammers are well on top at the
moment and Holland plays a one-two with Kemp before forcing a save from
Joronen. The ball then fell back to Holland who shot over from a tight
angle.

13: Couple of neat passages of play by the Hammers and they look to be
settling into this game nicely. On both occasions though, the final ball was
missing.

9: Good chance for the Hammers and it falls the Diangana. He manages to turn
and send a drive towards but it was just too high and goes safely over the
crossbar. Moments later, the playmaker has another drive at goal but it
produces the same result.

4: First chance of the match goes to Fulham. George Williams whips an
enticing corner in and it's headed just over by Joshua Smile.

2: Early injury to Sylvestre who is being treated by the Hammers physio. It
looked for a minute as the midfielder would go off because Conor Coventry
was sent to warm up, but Sylvestre is okay to continue.

1: Fulham get the game underway

6.58pm: The teams are out and there is a very decent crowd in tonight! Big
occasion for out young Irons and let's hope they can put in a good
performance and get a positive result! COME ON YOU IRONS!

6.40pm: It's a fantastic arena for both sets of players to play their
football tonight. As we speak, the teams are both out getting used to their
surroundings. Around 20 minutes to kick-off, and you can follow the action
right here!

6.10pm: So just the one change tonight made by Terry Westley. Noha Sylvestre
returns for Domingos Quina and Conor Coventry is on the bench for only the
second time this season. The Hammers come up against a Fulham side in good
form tonight - the Cottagers are unbeaten in eight matches and beat the
young Irons 4-1 in the reverse fixture. The Hammers will hope to get some
revenge this evening.

West Ham: Trott, Knoyle, Pask, Rice, Neufville; Makasi, Sylvestre; Kemp
(Parfitt-Williams, 70), Diangana (Coventry, 79), Holland; Powell
(Hector-Ingram, 70).

Subs not used: Akinola, Matrevics.

Goals: Holland

Fulham: Joronen, Grimmer, Opoku, Smile, Sheckleford, Jenz, Kait, Harris
(O'Riley, 46), Adebayo, Williams, Dagur Thorsteinsson (Sessegnon, 46).

Subs not used: Ashby-Hammond, Mundle-Smith, Elstone.

Bookings: Thorsteinsson, Harris

6.00pm: Good evening and welcome to London Stadium for West Ham United PL2's
first ever outing at the club's new home. Tonight the Hammers take on
Fulham, looking for continue their quest for a place in the Premier league 2
Division 2 play-offs. It should be a great occasion for our youngsters this
evening as for many of them, it will be their first time playing on the
hallowed turf.

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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: SAKHO RUNNING AGAIN, HAMMERS RULE OUT FORMER PL STRIKER,
REID SPEAKS OUT ON PAYET
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 20 FEBRUARY 2017 AT 1:02PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Diafra Sakho has gone running in the sea as he continues his recovery. (The
Sun)

Another step in the right direction for Sakho. Hopefully he can come back
and stay fit to help the team push up the table towards the seasons end.

Karren Brady says Slaven Bilic's touchline outburst was wrong. (The Sun)

It was wrong, but he has his reasons. He was only showing passion for his
club, which is apparently wrong in the eye of the officials nowadays.

Andre Ayew has revealed that he played through the pain for West Ham this
season. (Evening Standard)

Andre has had a tough start to life at West Ham, but I am hopeful that he
can start to pick up form and be a big player for us now.

West Ham have ruled out signing free agent striker Dimitar Berbatov. (Ninety
Minutes Online)

No thanks. Too old, very off the pace of the Premier League, its best to
stay clear of him.

West Ham are willing to listen to offers of around £9m for Sofiane Feghouli.
(Ninety Minutes Online)

I was one of Feghouli's biggest critics earlier in the season, but he has
turned his form around massivley. I would be very disappointed to see him
leave us.

Winston Reid says that West Ham have not missed Dimitri Payet since he left
the club last month. (HITC)

We have not missed him at all. The team are so much more together and
happier without him around the club. I am happy he is gone and that the
players are all improving.

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Five-year-old's dreams come true after West Ham manager Super Slav takes him
to meet idol Andy Carroll
Newham Recorder
12:08 20 February 2017 Ryan Tute

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic lived up to his 'Super Slav' nickname after
giving a young Hammers fan a day he will never forget.
Slaven Bilic posing for a photo with the young Hammers fan.Slaven Bilic
posing for a photo with the young Hammers fan. Last week lifelong fan Matt
Hill took his five-year-old son Alfie to the club's training ground in Rush
Green to try get a few photos and autographs. But after spending nearly five
hours outside the complex in the freezing cold, there was no sign of Alfie's
hero Andy Carroll.
As hope of seeing Andy began to diminish, the dad and son were met by the
club's Croatian manager at the gates who told them the England international
would be staying late. After hearing the predicament, Bilic told Alfie to
jump in his car and he would take him to Andy. Slaven giving Alfie and
another young fan a lift back inside the training ground.Slaven giving Alfie
and another young fan a lift back inside the training ground.
Dad Matt, of Hornchurch, said: "It was absolutely amazing. "A car came down
the driveway at about 5.30pm and we thought it might have been Andy but it
turned out to be Slav. "He posed for photos and spoke to Alf. As soon as he
heard what was going on, you could see the cogs in his mind turning. "He
told Alf and another little boy to get in and he would take them inside, I
couldn't believe it.
Alfie has written a letter to 'Super Slav' to say thank you.Alfie has
written a letter to 'Super Slav' to say thank you. "My wife and our
two-year-old daughter quickly followed behind and we managed to get photos
with Andy." The 35-year-old dad is now full of praise for everyone connected
with the club. He said: "I expected to turn up and get a few signatures from
the players but to finish the day like that, it blew my mind!" "Alf has been
absolutely bouncing ever since, the smile on his face is something I will
never forget.
"Anyone involved in football gets so much negativity but this just so shows
the type of people Slav and the players are, they are a real credit to the
club and the sport."

Alfie now hopes a thank you letter to Slaven he has written will land on the
manager's desk for him to read.

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West Ham should take hint from Euro giants interest in Mousa Dembele
HITC
Dan Coombs

West Ham should move on from Celtic man and look elsewhere. West Ham had an
offer of £20 million refused by Celtic in early January, The Mirror reported
- and face an even tougher task to land him this summer. Dembele has been in
prolific form for Celtic this season having racked up 27 goals already this
campaign. Celtic did not want to lose Dembele mid-season, and value the
former Fulham ace far higher than West Ham's reported bid. Now European
giants Bayern Munich are on alert over Dembele's form, with The Mirror
reporting they along with Chelsea and Real Madrid are keen on offering £30
million this summer, while a bidding war could drive the price up further.
West Ham are also claimed to be maintaining their interest, but they should
take the hint from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid's interest in the striker,
and move on. The Hammers' transfer efforts last summer were blighted by
being too ambitious, unable to land Carlos Bacca, Michy Batshuayi or
Alexandre Lacazette. This left them scrambling for a loan deal for Simone
Zaza, which proved disastrous with the Italian already moved on after
failing to score. Even if West Ham were able to get a bid together to match
Real or Bayern's top offer for Dembele, they will face a tough challenge to
persuade him to choose to join them instead, while offering parity in terms
of wages will likely be impossible. West Ham need to focus their efforts on
landing the next Dembele, and look for an up and coming striker who is not
going to cost the earth, and take the hint that the Celtic forward will
likely head elsewhere, rather than waste their time.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING OUR ACADEMY STARS
By Zaman Siddiqui
20 Feb 2017 at 08:00
WTID

Guest post by Aleksandar Babac

NOTE FROM ZAMAN: The author has written a piece on the Academy of Football,
and our current crop of youngsters. He is also the creator of the largest
West Ham-based Croatian Facebook page.

Last week in a match between Southend United and Millwall, Anton Ferdinand
made a crossed Hammers sign to the Millwall fans leaving the referee no
choice but to give him a booking. But in all fairness, they were giving him
abuse all match. Regardless, the Academy graduate needed to show his true
colours of Claret and Blue!

These days, people think that they can call themselves fans by buying a
replica kit. But it isn't just the fans who couldn't care less about club
history. In fact, even most footballers playing in foreign leagues don't
seem to care much about it. By contrast, the Academy offers something else.
Not only do the lads learn to play, but also learn what commitment and
loyalty actually mean. As it turns out, these values (in addition to playing
well) are good indicators of success at West Ham. For instance, Academy
graduates Cottee, Ince, Potts, Ferdinand, Cole, and Noble have all been
voted Hammer of the Year.

We have been fortunate enough to have extremely talented players go through
our Academy. Whether they continued playing for our club or not, there is no
doubt that our club has made the single biggest contribution to English
football in recent decades. For instance, Rio Ferdinand is regarded as one
of the best defenders of his generation, and is one of England's best
centre-backs. Although most of them are nearing the end of their careers
with other clubs, they are testament to our club's strong stance on youth
development, starting off young, playing football in the same neighbourhoods
as some of the supporters. Some may call them deserters, but it is worth
keeping in mind that they gave their all whilst wearing the Claret and Blue
jersey.

I think that this is an issue that we haven't properly addressed. Just why
did some of our famous graduates leave? To name a few, Moore, Hurst, and
Peters left West Ham, in spite of the huge support they received from the
fans. Money is the first thing that comes to mind. Rio was only 22 when we
sold him to Leeds United for a then England transfer record of £18M. Last
month, Frank Lampard Jr. announced his retirement. After 15 years since his
move to Chelsea, the jury is still out on him. There was enormous pressure
on him to deliver, being the son of Frank Lampard Snr. and the nephew of
Harry Redknapp. But let's remember that we did troll our very own Academy
graduate. At the age of just 19, the lad was mocked after he broke his leg
during a match against Aston Villa. Seriously, how can our fans justify
that?

Some 18 years ago, our U19's team demolished Coventry City in the FA Youth
Cup final winning 9-0 on aggregate in two remarkable legs. In the second leg
played at the Boleyn, there were more than 26,000 spectators. Maestro Joe
Cole ran the show with Michael Carrick on the wing. The quality on show was
just something else! That said, many of our Academy players decided to leave
years later. Have we now got a preference for more expensive enforcements
than home-grown youngsters?

Relegation in 2003 cost us dearly. We sold Carrick, Cole, Defoe, Johnson, as
well as the the Academy skipper Billy Mehmet. It has taken us 15 years to
recover from it. Our current youngsters are doing well, winning the U21
Premier League Cup led by Reece Oxford. But we need to remove our feeder
club image. I'm sure that most of you will agree that we should keep our
current youngsters. Let's continue our legacy of producing young starlets!

When West Ham beat West Germany, Peters one and Geoffrey three, and Bobby
got his OBE! #

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Winston Reid responds when asked if Payet's exit was solution to West Ham's
problems
HITC
Antony Martin

West Ham United look like a totally different team to the one that struggled
earlier on in the season. Hammers centre-back Winston Reid sat down for an
exclusive interview with the club's official website, and discussed the
affect that Dimitri Payet's departure had on the squad as a whole. Slaven
Bilic's side have managed to turn their season around over the last two
months, winning six and drawing one of their last 10 Premier League outings,
and they now find themselves sitting comfortably in the top half of the
table, just nine points adrift of seventh placed Everton. Many fans and
pundits alike attributed West Ham's turnaround in fortunes to Payet's exit
from the club. And the manner in which some of the Hammers players have
flourished in the absence of the Marseille man certainly lends credence to
that notion. Reid offered a carefully worded reply, however, when asked if
the Frenchman leaving the club led to a more unified feeling amongst the
squad, as quoted by WHUFC.com: "I don't want to pinpoint the whole situation
on Dimi, because I think that would be unfair. He had his own issue which he
had to deal with in his own way, which he did, and we're past that now. He's
happy and we're happy as well, so we'll just move forward and do our best."
The Hammers squad have been enjoying a mid-season warm weather training camp
in Dubai over the past few days, and will be hoping to return to action
next weekend against Watford refreshed both mentally and physically. And if
they can pick up a victory at Vicarage Road, there will be genuine optimism
that they can make a push for the final Europa League spot over the
remainder of the campaign.

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