Daily WHUFC News - 12th April 2018

Zabaleta: Declan Rice will be a future West Ham United captain
WHUFC.com

Pablo Zabaleta says Declan Rice has the talent and temperament to become a future West Ham United captain. The experienced Argentinian, a two-time Premier League champion and FIFA World Cup runner-up, knows a thing or two about how to identify leaders, and he believes his teenage teammate has the credentials to wear the armband in years to come. The unlikely pair have combined to superb effect on a number of occasions this season, most recently in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea, where Rice produced an assured performance against the likes of Belgium playmaker Eden Hazard and Spain centre forward Alvaro Morata. "Decs has been fantastic," Zabaleta, who was also hugely impressive at right wing-back at Stamford Bridge. "It's fantastic to see him play at that level and he's only 19. "I can't believe that he is that young yet he is very mature and he is improving game after game. I love when I see young players from the Academy come through and playing that well. "I like to have him next to me because he is young and he has that energy to play and do some of the running. I hope I can help him and teach him how to defend. "Listen this guy has a great future for this Club. He will be a future captain for West Ham, I am sure about this. I am very pleased for him."

Rice, who has totalled 25 first-team appearances this season, previously captained West Ham's U23s to promotion to Premier League 2 Division 1 a year ago.
Zabaleta also had words of praise for his other defensive colleagues after West Ham followed up their 3-0 home win over Southampton with a resilient showing in west London. The Hammers ceded possession and territory to Chelsea, and allowed 23 goal attempts, but their defensive efforts meant six were blocked, eleven missed the target and five were superbly saved by goalkeeper Joe Hart. Rice led the way with five clearances and three interceptions, while Zabaleta, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaaron Cresswell, Arthur Masuaku and substitute Patrice Evra all made vital contributions to blunt the Blues attack in the final third. "I'm very pleased with the performance from the backline, the three at the back and the two wing backs," Zabaleta confirmed. "We worked really hard during the whole game to stop their front three because they have really good players upfront – Hazard, Willian, Morata, then Giroud came on and with Alonso on one side and Moses on the other side they also have pace. "So, given that, I thought we were really good defensively and really solid."

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Westley: Chelsea game was a proud moment for the Academy
WHUFC.com

Academy Director Terry Westley believes West Ham United's Academy of Football can take huge pride in their achievements over the past week. There were no fewer than five Academy graduates in the first-team squad for Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea, including captain Mark Noble, centre-back Declan Rice and substitute and midfielder Josh Cullen. Young professionals Josh Pask and Grady Diangana were also included in the matchday 18 by manager David Moyes, further endorsing the positive work being done by Westley and his staff at Chadwell Heath.

Add in back-to-back away victories at Manchester City and Everton in Premier League 2, with Nathan Trott keeping two clean sheets and Marcus Browne scoring all five goals, and it has been a few days that Westley can look back on with great satisfaction. "I think it's a proud moment for everybody at the Club," he said. "One of the reasons I came here initially was because West Ham United is known for its home-grown players and since Mark Noble, Jack Collison and James Tomkins, there has been a gap. "Before that, the work being done was outstanding and to get that amount of players through the system was fantastic, but that was a different era and it's very challenging now with other clubs wanting to take your players and the sums of money we're now talking about. "So, to actually have a game where you have three Academy products on the pitch at the end in a Premier League game and the manager trusting them is massive. We have the captain, who has obviously been here a long time and also helps looks after the young ones and is an ambassador, and Declan Rice, who is not yet established in the team but the manager trusts that he can do a job and he put him into high-profile, tense situations against Southampton and Chelsea. "Then, with ten minutes to go, to say to Josh Cullen 'Go on, tidy things up in the middle of the pitch and help us wrap things up' is a great endorsement of everybody here at the Academy. "Maybe it's coming back? That's what is leaving a smile on my face. Maybe we're getting back to something that this Club ought to be and underneath that, to be able to get the type of results we've got in the last two games at Under-23 level against Manchester City and Everton was fantastic. "We shouldn't be able to compete with Manchester City at youth level, because of the vast sums they've got, and we had three Under-18s on the pitch that night. Then, to go to Everton and win 4-0, again with three different Under-18s on the pitch, really gives me some hope for next season and the years to follow."

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Manchester City date confirmed - tickets on sale to Claret Members
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's home fixture against Manchester City will remain on Sunday 29 April with a 2.15pm kick-off following the Citizens' exit from the UEFA Champions League this week.

West Ham welcome Pep Guardiola's side to London Stadium for the first of back-to-back home matches against the Manchester clubs, as they look to avenge the 2-1 defeat at Etihad Stadium earlier this season.

Tickets remain available to Claret Members for this fixture, starting at £50 adults and £25 concessions. Click here to purchase now.

With the Manchester City date now set, the home fixture list for the rest of the 2017/18 season is now confirmed, with tickets now on sale for each of the remaining games.

Stoke City - Monday 16 April, 8pm

Tickets start at £30 adults and £15 concessions (2 for £40 adults also available). On General Sale. Buy now by clicking here.

Manchester City - Sunday 29 April, 2.15pm

Tickets start at £50 adults and £25 concessions. On sale to Claret Members. Buy now by clicking here.

Manchester United - Thursday 10 May, 7.45pm

Tickets start at £50. On sale to Claret Members. Buy now by clicking here.

Everton - Sunday 13 May, 3pm

Tickets start at £30 adults and £15 concessions. On sale to Claret Members. Buy now by clicking here.

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JOAO MARIO WANTS TO PLAY FOR WEST HAM UNITED AT THE RIGHT PRICE SIGN HIM UP!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:59PM
TheWesTHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer

I like Manuel Lanzini, skilful, scores goals and plays football with a smile on his face, and I hope stays with us for a few seasons. But all things said it would not be an absolute disaster if Lanzini did get sold. Some will scream we will "always be a selling Club". The simple truth is we are ALL selling Clubs. As we saw with Neymar, if a player wants a move he gets it. A lot of the moves are not even initiated by the player but by greedy agents! Like houses every time a player gets sold an agent makes a lot dough. Yes, players are under contract and you can hold them to contract, but at what cost? They play up like spoilt brats and the whole team suffers as a result. Players in most instances, don't care one iota about how their actions cost a Club, there are very few James Collins about! This season Manuel Lanzini's body language has been poor, he has been very inconsistent. His head may well be turned by meeting up with Messi and Co while on international duty with Argentina who knows? Some say he is aggrieved because our tight arsed Chairman have kept him on 35,000 grand a week, despite promising Lanzini a new contract during the last two windows.

Some say that The Board have tried to get him to sign a new contract, but he has rebuffed approaches to sit down for Contract talks. Either way the situation needs to get sorted early in The Summer window. Should Lanzini be off and we get good money for him, and if The Board broke the habit of a life time and gave the manager the proceeds of the sale. It would not be the disaster some people make out it would be. It would give us the chance to complete a major overhaul of our midfield, which make no mistake is badly needed. Our midfield against Chelsea was weak, unbalanced and overrun putting enormous pressure on our defence, offering no protection what so ever. Attacking wise, they are slow in thought and movement, no pace and movement or creativity. People say to me Javier Hernandez's legs have gone or he offers nothing outside the box. Missing the point, I'm afraid. In and around the box Hernandez is not just a goal scorer, he is one of the best in the business! Goals win football matches, but Hernandez or anyone else, does not stand a chance when he is expected to drop deep with his back to goal, in an effort to get the ball. More often than not the ball is just hoofed forward! This has not been the case just for this season but several seasons. God how we miss Yossi Benayoun in his prime!

But it is not all doom and gloom. I know it has been in patches, but I really like Joao Mario he most certainly is on the same wavelength as Arnie. Mario actually plays better when Manuel Lanzini is not playing. He has more end product than Lanzini with his final ball, not as good as Lanzini dribbling wise, but a different sort of playmaker, better decision maker, creates more chances, knows how and when to bring the others into play, also knows when to slow the game down when needed. It is clear the boy likes The Club and wants to be at West Ham. Obviously not anywhere near £39 million but if a deal can be done do it. We need more than just Mario to cure our midfield ills. It is no secret that Fulham's Tom Cairney, was sitting behind David Moyes at Stamford Bridge. I like Ex prefer Norwich's James Maddison, but would be happy with Tom Cairney. Yet you get some screaming "Bang average!" "Not the next level!" Another Snodgrass "Give it a rest man! Cairney, may be a late developer but has been fantastic for Fulham, who play Football the right way.



Tom Cairney scores goals, is a beautiful passer of the ball and can spot a pass early, a good decision maker, an intelligent footballer. I would be happy to see him at West Ham. What I don't want to see The Club do is, start signing players like Fernando Torres or crap from relegated Clubs. What is the point in that? A lot of the negativity about being linked with players like Cairney, is solely because people have become ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with the next level stuff that they have lost their enjoyment in supporting West Ham! I have been there and got the T-Shirt! At times I would get so obsessed with driving The Chairman out of Town, I became absolutely negative about anything West Ham related. Next Level? Yes, I still believe in the Promised land, but realistically it is going to take longer. The midfield surgery must not stop at signing Mario and Cairney, we need a good defensive midfielder. If we keep Mario, the obvious target would be his international team mate. William Carvalho, somehow after Sullivan's 'phantom bid' in the summer that is a no go. With a bit of luck, we will sign Anderlecht's Leander Dendoncker, a very good defensive midfielder. Dendoncker's form has been up and down since he failed to sign for us on the January Deadline Day.

We also welcome Pedro Obiang back next season, who you could also employ as a CDM. We also have Cheikhou Kouyaté, whom I love to see driving forward. The problem with Kouyaté is his positional sense and his ability to pick up his man is poor. If we did bring in three quality midfielders I can see either Kouyaté or Obiang getting sold. We also need to complete the surgery of the midfield, by signing someone with a bit of pace who can play out wide. In a poor season the one bright spot has been, that our famed Academy has unearthed another Jewel in Declan Rice. Rice has done himself and The Club proud. In Nathan Holland we have another outstanding talent who plays out wide, he is a very quick and direct runner. Nathan has all the ability to make the step up to the first team. Yes, there are other areas that need strengthening, but the midfield is any team's engine, ours has been out of sorts for too long, and we have paid a heavy price for it. Sort the midfield out and WE WILL take a step towards the next level!

We are more than a football Club, we're a way of life!

COYI!!

FarehamHammer!!!

(Edited by Danny Twigg)

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CAN WE GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL UNDER MOYES?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:56PM
TheWesTHamWay.co.uk
Written by Malcolm Atkins – @malatk

This may not be a popular piece, but I am making the case for keeping David Moyes. This season his results have been mixed, a slow start gradually developed into a steady accumulation of points and we seemed to be heading in the right direction. Things then dropped off alarmingly before the last couple of games. Moyes though has some mitigation, the team he took over was in a bad place, playing poorly, unbalanced, unfit and lacking confidence. Since then while a number of players have been moved on, signings in the January window were to say the least, underwhelming. I think Moyes is going to keep us up, victory against Stoke should see us home. I think Moyes has brought improvement to a number of players, steadied the ship, improved morale and also given a few opportunities to youngsters which we have all been asking for.

So what can David Moyes do in the long term? The next level? Let's face it the board massively over hyped that. Champions league? At the moment Arsenal and Chelsea are not going to make the top four which gives an indication of how difficult that is. For me the next level for West Ham is to be the best of the rest. Now before I get accused of lacking ambition, I would love to see us mix it with the big boys and will never stop dreaming of that happening, but we have to be realistic about where we are and we are more than one level away from that stage. We need a platform to build from, challenging for Europa qualification through the league, making a push in the cups, and stop this regular visit to the relegation battle.

I know this may sound defeatist, but our club has perennially under achieved. In the history of the club we have finished in the top seven of the top tier six times. Achieving that position regularly would represent moving to the next level. So, David Moyes; at Everton he achieved top seven finishes eight times in eleven seasons. Now I know Everton have a better record overall but in the preceding eleven seasons they achieved top seven just once. Moyes star has fallen with failure at Man Utd and Sociedad both short lived appointments, followed by the mistake of taking the Sunderland job – a club in freefall. My point is Moyes knows what is needed. I have seen criticism of targets from clubs like Fulham, well I think we have a big rebuilding ahead and sensible well scouted signings are going to form the corner stone of this, hopefully backed up by a couple of higher profile signings. Many will be sceptical of the board providing decent backing, for me this summer is make or break, if the board fail the unrest will be one thing that does move to the next level. I really hope we are not starting over with another new manager, especially as there does not seem to be a likely candidate out there. Looking above us, Burnley, Newcastle, Leicester, Bournemouth and Watford are not built on huge signings, yet all are in better positions than us, Burnley are pushing for Europe! We need a solid foundation and less speculative signings from abroad. I would be really happy in the medium term to see us regular top seven and challenging for cups.



Another Criticism of Moyes is he is too negative. He will certainly take a pragmatic approach, but I do think he will attempt to balance results with some attractive football once he has a foundation. Moyes draws comparisons with Allardyce, for me although there are some similarities, Moyes lacks the arrogance of Big Sam, I felt Sam never really got a chance with a large section of the West Ham faithful, but he certainly did not help himself. Not only did Sam not endear himself to fans, he did not even try to play the game. Moyes in my view has a little more respect for the fans view. If you are not one of the elite, you have to build a solid hard to beat side and work from there. The game against Burnley saw us undone by a tactical approach from Sean Dyche (a top manager in my view) sit, suck up the pressure, don't concede and slowly take the game to a team with the crowd on their back. They dismantled us and scored three away from home, but it was hardly classic free flowing football in the first half.

Lots of views about that Moyes should have started Chicarito Sunday, maybe, but we had to hang in there and build a platform against Chelsea. If we had gone toe to toe with them they have the players to take us apart.

So, for Me Moyes is showing enough. Ogbonna has improved, Declan Rice is establishing himself, Kouyate looks much better recently after a terrible spell previously, Noble has recovered form, Masuaku looks better, Arnie is a different player to the bloke under Bilic. I really hope Chicarito can find a place under Moyes but playing two up needs the shape of the rest of the side to be right, we lack players to do that so if Chicarito is going to play he needs to consistently show the industry he did on Sunday coming from slightly deeper.

I think we need 6-7 signings this summer and I hope we will go into the new season in the premier league with a squad that has the balance to play 2-3 different formations because at the moment there is only one available.


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THE CASE AGAINST MOYES
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:45PM
TheWesTHaMWay.co.uk
Written by Stewart Draper

Moyes stares at the final handful of games till the season ends and I'm sure he and his staff will give / do everything they can to ensure safety. However, can we really say he has done enough? I'll give him a couple of props first…

1.He has energized a couple of players and gotten the best out of them, such as Arnie. How much of that was him verses the players rolling up their sleeves and coming to a realization… only the dressing room probably knows.
2.He has endured a difficult time with the off field problems involving fans and the board and has done his best to continue as normal and handled things appropriately.

The case against…

•our next manager should be long term, forward thinking and hungry. Moyes has floated from relegation candidate to relegation candidate and even a random failure in Spain trying to find a job. A man truly in free fall from a career prospective.
•His performance as our manager so far has been poor to mediocre at best. Tactical decisions questionable (one up top in home games), how he's handled players like Chicha where there is clearly some old feelings involved from Man U days.
•His transfer Dealings this winter and at previous clubs have been very poor. Hugill purchase instead of a Cairney or Maddison for example… allowing critical members to leave (Forte, Ayew). If those were not his decision… then I still question if he has the balls to deal with our board on transfer decisions.

•Name recognition. Does Moyes help us attract top talent? This summer is a make or break for our board… another shit window and things will continue in the same vein as this season. Moyes only role at a "top" club was Man U and we see how that worked out. Players often base their decisions on manager, style and role within the team.

In conclusion… for me the case for Moyes is NO. There will be better managers available come the end of the season, Benitez is 3 times the manager Moyes. Thanks for the caretaking Moyes, wish you all the best mate but time to aim higher.

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A VIEW FROM ACROSS THE POND – THE CASE FOR DAVID MOYES
AUTHOR: BRIAN KNOX. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 11:21AM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
The Case for David Moyes
View from Across the Pond
By @WestHamAmerican

I remember November 6, when Slaven Bilic was sacked, thinking "this is a great opportunity for the club to go forward." Certainly, a mid-season hire restricts a number of possible candidates who are having good runs with their current clubs, but someone could take a good West Ham roster, throw in some fitness discipline, and fix what Slav couldn't. And then, a day later, it was announced that David Moyes was the man. I wasn't outraged, but I certainly wasn't excited.

The memory of Moyes's futility with a full year at the helm of Sunderland, and their subsequent relegation, didn't instill me with much enthusiasm. Prior to that he had been handed the keys to the greatest kingdom in world sport, as gaffer at Old Trafford, and that didn't end well either. But thinking about his past: no one was going to follow Sir Alex successfully. It was a fool's errand , and I suspect Ferguson knew his first team was getting older and felt it was a good time to exit prior to having to rebuild most of his squad.

After seeing the management and board problems at Sunderland over the past two seasons, it's curious whether anyone could have saved them from relegation. (I suppose Big Sam could walk in late in the season and pull some April/May magic, since that is his special power and he had done just that the year before.)

Which leaves me to wonder: Would West Ham be better off just to let Moyes have a few years to add some stability to this club? I think that might be the best course. Here are a few reasons:

* As a Scot with a long career at Preston North End and coaching in England almost his entire career, he knows West Ham, he knows the league, and he knows the priorities of West Ham Supporters. He made an honest run at the FA cup even though it cost us dearly in injuries and one suspension. While an international manager wouldn't risk his" bottom ten" squad on an FA cup run, Moyes knew a trip to the finals would mean a lot to West Ham's fans.
* Alex Ferguson handpicked him as his successor. Sir Alex felt that it was the best chance for Manchester United to succeed and possibly, if given a second or third season, things might have turned out better.
* Sean Dyche proves that stability might be worth a look. Burnley should not be where they are. The club lacks strong funding, it isn't a great destination that international stars want to bring their families to live, and they don't have a great history of success, and yet, by sticking with a good coach, he has built the team he wants with the wages he can afford. He has structured the club academy the way he wants it, he has his own people handling scouting, his own people tending to the health and medical side of his club. Basically Sean Dyche has maximized his team's output by getting the most out of everyone in the organization. Since the average tenure of a Premier League manager is 18-24 months, most clubs don't get that alignment throughout the entire structure. Moyes had an entire decade at Everton. While not every season was great, at least there was stability and he had time to build a foundation for success, and develop players to his style of play.
* Who else do you bring in? Given our board's notoriety for not going all in on top transfers, I don't know that many proven Champion's League coaches would want to come to West Ham. I do think Rafa Benitez has been an excellent coach the past two seasons. If he were overly frustrated with Newcastle's ownership and wanted to move to London, I think he might be a good candidate, but otherwise, I am not sure that anyone else would prove to have as good a CV as our current coach.
It was a bit surprising that the board only awarded Moyes a six month contract. One would think that would make it challenging to recruit possible January transfer targets. I think once it becomes clear that West Ham will stay up next season, the board ought to go ahead and let Moyes have a two year deal. It seems that the Hammers are only a couple of players away from pushing back into the top ten and possibly challenging for Europe. I think maintaining some consistent leadership might be a better path to success for this club. I say he's earned another year.


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HOW DOES MOYES BEST UTILISE HERNANDEZ?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:39AM
TheWesTHamWay.co.uk
Written by Jake McMullan @jakemcmullan1

Our Mexican marquee signing scored less than 5 minutes after coming on to the field at Stamford Bridge, the definition of an impact sub. His ability to find the net from almost nothing is a trait I think almost all West Ham fans would like to see more often. The issue now lies with the fact that he is getting extremely limited game time given his stature in the game, and should he continue to struggle for minutes on the pitch, he will inevitably leave in the summer.

I think the problem for Moyes at the moment is that Arnautovic is playing arguably the best football of his life. I don't think a single West Ham fan would want to move the Austrian from his forward position (as any form of winger role is where his reputation for inconsistency has developed), but the current formation only allows for one striker…

Now the obvious and most plausible solution to this would be to play two upfront as this allows for our two top players to play alongside each other, a concept most West Ham fans are calling for. However, off the back of a couple of good results why would Moyes want to change formation? 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' certainly applies here, and Moyes is not the sort of manager who will accommodate individuals over team shape. This would mean Chicharito would have to fit in elsewhere

Hernandez slotted straight into Fernandes' position against Chelsea by the looks of things, playing as more of an attacking midfielder alongside Joao Mario. This evidently worked as he scored an excellent goal but in terms of having that level of creativity that a Lanzini and the likes possess, Hernandez in my opinion comes up short. It would also seem wasteful to play our big name striker in a position unfamiliar to him so this position is not a long term fix.

Playing him anywhere else on the pitch just wouldn't utilise his poacher qualities and so aren't even worth debating on, which would seem to leave the bench as the final option. Hernandez has proved time and time again from his Manchester United days that he can be an extremely effective substitute, and he proved it once more on Sunday against Chelsea. However, West Ham's marquee signing will leave should the bench be where he remains, and I think it is important for the clubs progression that we hold onto strikers of his his calibre.

Moyes therefore has a problem, how does he fit the Mexican into his line up with the likes of Lanzini and Carroll soon to be returning? He has a known bad history with Hernandez from his failed stint in Manchester, and I fear history may be repeating itself.

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HART OVER MIND?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:51PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Lukas Volskis (@lu_thirty_1)

First things first, what a positive result for us on Sunday! Coming into that game, I wasn't feeling too confident at all, even though Chelsea has been misfiring lately. Still, you always have to be mindful going to Stamford Bridge with the quality Chelsea has at its disposal. But, as the game went on, my belief grew and grew and by the end of it, I was waiting for us to score a winner.

Yes, it WAS a penalty!

It's funny how a few decent performances change the mood and fortune around the club ey? To me, it's even more interesting how fans' perception of players changes every week. In my opinion we are too quick to get upset and WAY too quick to get excited.

Arnautovic is a prime example of this. Slated and slated until the villain became the hero. Albeit, we had every right to be harsh on him but, in my opinion, those seven games shouldn't have had him written off as a failure. One thing to remember, Arnautovic was a good player going through a bad patch.

Joe Hart is the opposite and a good performance shouldn't have him labelled as a good player.

When he first signed, I was pretty damn excited. Yes, he had his troubles at Manchester City and then in Italy but in my opinion, he spent those two seasons playing with the lowest confidence imaginable. If someone's always telling you you're bad at something, you'll start to believe it. However, I was still confident he could put that in the past and go back to being a very good goalkeeper, one that I was accustomed to seeing before Pep rolled into town.

However, as the season went on, it was clear to see that Hart's best days were behind him. Yes, our defence was worse than stepping on a plug in the morning but even the simplest situations seemed impossible for Hart to deal with. He looked lost. And he definitely had me fooled when we first signed him.

Let's appreciate that his performances got so bad that we were crying out for Adrian to return in goal. And, if you go back a few months before Hart got there, Adrian wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. We were in a serious goalkeeper crisis with neither of the two good enough to play at this level.

Credit where credit's due, the City game was impressive for Adrian (just like Hart's at Chelsea) but then everything slowly started trickling back down to what it was before; a pile of misery.

Anyone for some déjà vu?

Now, don't get me wrong, if Hart is our goalkeeper for the rest of the season, I will support him and the team until the end. I also appreciate the passion he has for our club and it was nice to hear him put West Ham before England in his recent interview.

However, I do not think Hart is a good goalkeeper anymore and the truth is, he's the best out of a bad bunch. Sadly, that's the predicament that we have been dealing with all year. To be honest, you could probably say the same for a lot of things at West Ham, especially some of our players. But, the one thing we have and always will do is support this team through thick and thin, except for those who chose to forfeit their season tickets after we went 1-0 down in a home game that we could have easily recovered. But, don't get me started on that. That's a whole 'nother story that I don't have enough words to write about.

The point I'm making here is that we shouldn't let a good performance by a poor player trick us into believing something that isn't there. I've read a lot of things on social media about how great Hart has become all of a sudden. That simply is not true. And he certainly shouldn't be England's first choice in Russia.

For our sake and sanity, let's hope we see more Chelsea-esque performances during the last 6 games and address our keeper situation in the summer, just like we should address everything else.

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THE MOYES-IAH? WHY DAVID MOYES IS NOT ALL THAT BAD
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:39PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @clubmoore

When David Moyes was unveiled as Slaven Bilić's replacement in November 2017, many West Ham were pessimistic about their team's chances of staying in the Premier League. Moyes had relegated Sunderland the season before, and the supporters expressed feelings of discontent and annoyance that the board had decided to appoint a manager who had not been successful.
Moyes said that he had "a point to prove" when he was appointed the new Hammers boss, and he has since reiterated the importance of not judging a book by its cover. Under his leadership, West Ham have lost only twice at home and went on a streak that saw them lose once in ten games.

So, what has been key to the change in performances since Moyes arrived in East London? What has he done to ensure that the players fight for Premier League survival? And why did West Ham suit him better than his other jobs?

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

Moyes spent eleven years at Everton, but he is more famous for his disastrous eight months at Manchester United

Moyes got his chance to be a Premier League manager in March 2002, when he left Preston North End to replace Walter Smith at Everton. At the time, he was a young, ambitious manager who had guided Preston to the Division One playoff final in the 2000/01 season. In his first full season in charge, Everton finished seventh.

The Glaswegian continued to improve the Toffees, guiding them to Champions League qualification in the 2004/05 season. Everton soon became acquainted to playing in Europe, qualifying to play in the Europa League for four consecutive years.



In May 2013, Moyes was confirmed as the replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. He aimed to maintain United's track record of winning silverware, but this job would result in the downfall of his reputation. United suffered their worst ever start to a season, and lost back-to-back home games in December 2013 for the first time since the 2000/01 season. Following a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and a 2-0 defeat to Everton, Moyes was sacked in April 2014.

Moyes's failures at Manchester United can be justified, and the blame does not totally rely on him. Firstly, the club's owners made a poor decision in appointing him based on his track record at Everton, who he won no trophies with during his eleven-year reign; United needed a manager who had won major trophies and league titles at world-class clubs. Secondly, he was appointed on the club's traditions of being run by British managers, and this may have influenced the decision to appoint him.

Moyes then moved to Spain managed Real Sociedad for one year before becoming Sunderland manager in the summer of 2016. Sunderland were relegated under Moyes, but he has since admitted that he did not enjoy the job and that he did not have enough talent to work with.

West Ham United are a better platform for Moyes than Sunderland and Manchester United. Moyes has better players to work with and the team suits his own personal needs in terms of their league positions and level of expectations.

HOW DID IT ALL CHANGE?

Moyes has stated that he is not fooling around with West Ham

There are two key reasons as to why West Ham improved under Moyes's guidance as well as areas for improvement:



Authority Moyes has made it clear that he is the boss and that he has no time for unpunctuality or laziness. When he came to the club, he made it clear that players who did not work hard would not play. This is different to his predecessor, Slaven Bilić – Bilić appeared to be too light-hearted with his players in training, whereas Moyes makes the players engage in physical drills and makes it clear that he is their manager, not their friend.

Raising personal expectations In his early days as West Ham United manager, Moyes told underperforming players to play better. For example, Marko Arnautović – who had joined West Ham from Stoke City for a club record fee of £27,000,000 – had not played well for the Hammers under Bilić's management. Since Moyes handed him a play-well-or-be-dropped ultimatum, the Austrian winger has scored nine goals and has become a key member of the attack.

Other players have benefited from Moyes's words. Angelo Ogbonna has performed better under Moyes and received praise for his performance against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Ogbonna and Arnautović's on-pitch improvements in form demonstrate how a change in manager can lead to a change in player and team form.

What needs to change if Moyes stays on?

Give more youth players a chance to impress. Players such as Josh Cullen, Sead Hakšabanović and Nathan Holland have been regarded as players who have potential to achieve. Hakšabanović is one of the many stand-out youth academy prospects; he represents Montenegro at international level and was tipped for greatness during his time in Sweden. Surely he and many others are worth a chance?

Start Chicharito! This is plain common sense and a necessity – start Chicharito in the starting line-up. He is the type of quality West Ham have needed in terms of strikers due to his eye for goal, yet he was benched despite a period of good form and scoring goals. Why would you pay a player £140,000 a week to come on a make an impact if need be? It does not make sense.

Add to the squad's depth. The key to having a successful team to have strength in depth; West Ham lack this due to a lack of signings in January and injuries. Adding to the squad over the summer is vital, and with a new director of football soon to arrive at the London Stadium and a change in transfer policy supposedly being implemented, new faces may come to West Ham United.

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A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 11 APRIL 2018 AT 9:34AM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by David Hardie @baldyh77

As the summer approaches, thoughts naturally turn to which players and positions the club will strengthen in. Regardless of the budget available and boy do we hope it's substantial, the focus needs to be on the defence.

I'm sure you're all familiar with the quote mentioning 'lies, damn lies and statistics' so what better way to make my point than by adopting my glasses and dressing gown (Fantasy Football reference for you youngsters!).

Last season we conceded 64 goals in 38 league games, and in 11 we conceded 3 or more. That's just under a third of our games we gave ourselves a mountain to climb to gain any points. With 7 games to go this season and with Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City & Man Utd still to play, it's a safe bet that we'll surpass last season's dubious tally. Well, as safe a bet as Carroll being unable to stay fit for 10 consecutive games or Ex being unveiled as David Sullivan at the next West Ham Way event by Wardy in a Scooby Doo-esq way!

This season we've conceded 57 goals in 31 games and in 13 games conceded 3 or more – for those not great at maths – that's gone up! Compare that with the likes of Burnley who have conceded 27 goals all season. Now, I'm no genius (I wouldn't have made the life style choice of going to watch West Ham if I was!) but it seems to me this is where our problems lie. We have no other problems obviously!

Whilst playing 3 at the back has helped paper over the cracks at times, I think it's time we concentrated on getting some quality defenders and a top quality defensive midfielder. Full-backs have been a concern for awhile, with Creswell not reaching previous performance levels, Arthur being more interested in attacking and doing drag backs than defending, and Zabaleta performing well but not a long term solution. I'm encouraged that Ex has strongly linked us with Fredericks from Fulham who is a good right back and a good start. I think another left back is needed to allow Arthur to concentrate on being a wide left player. Whilst many may look to Fulham again to solve our full-back issues in the shape of Sessegnon, his best performances have been as a left midfielder/winger, and he has struggled when up against a pacey winger like Traore at Middlesbrough (another player I like).

With Fonte being sold to China, Collins likely to be let go and Reid constantly injured, this leaves us short in a key area. Burke does not seem like the answer, the jury is out on Oxford, and Rice (who has been excellent) cannot be expected to play 38 games at such a young age. This leaves us with just Ogbonna, who I think deserves the runner up spot in the Hammer of the Year. So a couple of quality centre backs are needed, ideally with some pace to allow us to squeeze the opposition like successful teams at the top of the league – Liverpool (only 35 conceded despite the perception of a poor defence), Tottscum and City.

The other key signing, as Bilic tried to identify last summer, is a quality holding midfielder. Obiang has not been able to grasp his opportunity with his inconsistent displays, and we've lacked this player since we had an on song Song. Whether this player be the infamous Carvalho or whoever, it is vital our defence have a screen to protect them and stop us conceding so many goals.

With a solid base in place, I believe this will allow our flair players like Arnie, Lanzini and Antonio the freedom to go win games rather than trying to salvage them.

COYI!

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WE MUST BRING HERNANDEZ BACK IN TO THE FOLD!
By S J Chandos 11 Apr 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Thankfully, we achieved the draw at Chelsea that has greatly strengthen our survival prospects. I have to say that I really enjoyed the game. Hart had his best display in a West Ham jersey (some would say it's about time!), Ogbonna and Rice were absolute class, Arnautovic was our best player yet again and Hernandez made a vital intervention from the bench. The goal conceded was soft, in all honesty, but we fought back to equalise and both Arnautovic (for providing the assist) and Hernandez (for delivering a great strike) deserve credit. Indeed. the strike provided a timely reminder (if one was needed) of Hernandez's proficiency in front of goal. He is that rare commodity, a penalty box predator, with the ability to convert an half chance. In that sense, Hernandez really is worth his weight in gold and needs to be retained in the squad for next season (assuming that we remain in the PL).

There have been rumours circulating that Hernandez has been unhappy at the club, with the suggestion that the player wanted a move in the January window. If so, David Moyes must ensure that there is a rapprochement and that Hernandez feels a valued part of the squad and is prepared to remain for the 2018-19 season. As stated, goal poachers like Hernandez are a rare and valuable commodity and we cannot afford to lose him. He should figure in Moyes first team plans for the remainder of the season, whether starting or joining the action from the bench. Personally, I feel that he could play a really important role in our survival and have an even bigger impact next season.

A victory over Stoke City is crucial. If Chelsea beat Southampton, and we take the three points, then we are virtually safe. After that I reckon one more victory, or even a couple of draws, should clinch the retention of our PL status. And that is to be warmly welcomed, but the board should not be lulled in any false sense of security. The malcontent of the fans has been suppressed for the good of the club, but it remains a very important factor and will re-emerge unless a new direction is taken. In my opinion, the board must authorise substantial expenditure on strengthening the squad this summer – no excuses! By my estimation, we probably need seven quality signings this summer, including: a goal keeper, full-back, centre-half, x2 midfielders and x2 strikers.

In addition, I would expect that Hart, Collins, Obiang, Snodgrass, Carroll and Hugill will all depart the club. I very much doubt that Hart will be signed permanently, Collins should join the coaching staff, Obiang will probably return to Italian football, Snodgrass will likely sign for Villa, Carroll' s injury record necessitates his departure (hopefully back to Newcastle Utd for c.£10m – if we are very lucky) and arguably Hugill should never have been signed in the first place. That might sound harsh, but the board must be both realistic and decisive in the action taken. We have flirted with relegation (to one degree or another) over the last two seasons and it needs to stop. We need an urgent injection of quality, and improved strength in depth, to ensure that we can get back to challenging in the top ten of the PL. If we continue to struggle then it is only a matter of time before relegation claims us and (as the board well knows) that would be a disaster for the club.

The quality of the summer signings will be absolutely crucial. We need players that will take the club forward to greater things. In addition, I have great hopes that Byram, Burke, Holland, and Cullen can make a positive impact at first team level next season. We also need to see whether the likes of Oxford, Samuelson, Quina and Martinez can finally live up to their big reputations? While bubbling under at U-23 level are prospects like Trott, Johnson and Lewis, who could all come in to the reckoning in the next couple of seasons.

In short, this summer is likely to be a period of change and upheaval in first team affairs. But it is absolutely necessary and will hopefully pay dividends in the long run. Of course, the key question is who will be managing the club next season? If Moyes successfully steers the club away from relegation then it is very likely that he will be offered a new two year contract. And if that is the case, can we really deny that he deserves it? If Moyes can get back to being the manager that he was at Everton, then he could be a good, safe pair of hands. However, the question must still be asked, of the board,whether a more ambitious appointment might not be the order of the day?

We live in interesting times. If we do survive this season (as seems probable), then the board must show ambition and take strong and concerted action this coming summer. Nothing less is expected, nothing else will do!

SJ. Chandos.

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JANSSON REPORTEDLY KEEN ON PREMIER LEAGUE SWITCH AMID WEST HAM LINKS
LUKE OSMAN @LukeOsmanRS
ReadWestHam

According to reports from Sweden, Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson wants to play his football in the Premier League next season, amid links with West Ham.

The powerful central defender is a key part of the Leeds team but it seems he has his eyes firmly set on a move to the English top flight, if reports from his homeland are to be believed.

It's been reported recently by the Guardian's Ed Aarons that Jansson is a target for West Ham in the summer, with David Moyes' side lacking depth in central defence.

Jose Fonte's departure in January has left a void to fill for the Hammers in the summer, with their defensive weaknesses having been well documented throughout the course of the campaign.

Jansson has often been linked with a move to the Premier League and with West Ham apparently keen, it seems his future at Elland Road is somewhat uncertain ahead of the summer.

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West Ham to offer starlet Marcus Browne new deal amid interest from Napoli and RB Leipzig
Marcus Browne scored four goals against Everton in front of numerous scouts
RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli and Sevilla all keeping tabs on youngster
West Ham believe Browne is ready to step up at senior level next season
By Laurie Whitwell for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 23:14, 10 April 2018 | UPDATED: 23:15, 10 April 2018

West Ham United are ready to offer Marcus Browne a new contract as the young forward continues to impress for the Under-23s side. Browne scored four goals against Everton on Monday night in front of watching scouts from RB Leipzig, Leverkusen, Napoli and Sevilla. It is understood Leipzig, who have taken Ademola Lookman on loan and previously signed Oliver Burke, are especially keen to secure more British talent. But West Ham insiders believe the 20-year-old, rated at £5million, can make the step up to senior level and want to see him progress next season. Though he signed a three-and-a-half year contract in January 2017 fresh talks on an improved deal are expected. West Ham's youth policy is in good health at this moment with Declan Rice, the 19-year-old defender, rising to prominence under David Moyes, who also gave minutes to academy graduate Josh Cullen against Chelsea on Sunday. Fellow young players Grady Diangana and Josh Pask were included on the bench. There have been calls for Browne, who can play anywhere along the frontline including No 10, to see first-team action too.
He scored a superb free-kick from 25 yards to give West Ham a 1-0 win over Manchester City last Thursday and has Rio Ferdinand as a mentor through his agency.
Browne's only senior appearance to date counts as 15 minutes against Romanian side Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League in August 2016 but the foreign clubs monitoring his progress could offer more continental action.

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INTER TO RIVAL WEST HAM FOR MARCO MENEGHETTI
LUKE OSMAN @LukeOsmanRS
readWestHam

West Ham are reportedly facing competition in their pursuit of Pordenone goalkeeper Marco Meneghetti. The Hammers have been linked with a move for the youngster, who is currently plying his trade in the third tier of Italian football. However, according to reports in Italy, Inter Milan have joined West Ham in the race to sign him this summer. Inter are understood to be keen admirers of the 17-year-old goalkeeper, who has impressed many with some good displays for Pordenone. The signing would, of course, be with the view of Meneghetti being integrated into Inter or West Ham's respective youth academies. However, it seems a summer tug of war over his signature could ensue as speculation continues to surround his future. West Ham may need to address their goalkeeping situation at senior level, as well. Joe Hart's loan deal expires at the end of the season and Adrian has been heavily linked with a return to Spain in recent times.

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Tottenham set to battle London rivals West Ham over transfer of Barcelona's Andre Gomes
The Mirror
ByMike Walters
Sports Writer
05:00, 11 APR 2018

Tottenham and West Ham are both interested in a summer swoop for Barcelona's Andre Gomes. The Hammers targeted the Portuguese midfielder last summer after growing frustrated in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho. Mauricio Pochettino is keen too, however, with 24-year-old Gomes open to a switch to the Premier League.

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Sickener for West Ham fans after club announces bigger profits than Tottenham in latest accounts
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United fans would normally celebrate anything about their club that bettered bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. There is no love lost between West Ham and Tottenham on and off the pitch but they are rivals heading in very different directions these days. Mauricio Pochettino has turned Spurs into one of the most exciting teams in Europe against the backdrop of a fitting new ground being built to showcase their attractive football. Meanwhile Hammers fans are disillusioned and revolting against the club's owners after growing fed up of broken promises over their own ill-fated move to the former Olympic Stadium, transfer spending and ambition. The owners pledged to splash the cash at the new ground to enable the East Londoners to compete with the Premier League elite but that has failed to materialise and the club have instead spent much of their first two seasons at the new 60,000 seater ground fighting relegation.
With Tottenham set to qualify for the Champions League once again there's not much in a West Ham fan's armoury when it comes to the tribal rivalry between the clubs. And Hammers fans will find it galling to learn that their club actually recorded MORE profit than Spurs in the latest financial accounts despite the huge disparity between the sides on the pitch in terms of league performance, squad quality and Tottenham's regular involvement in the Champions League with the extra revenue that brings. West Ham announced a record £43million profit from their first season at the London Stadium last month - as reported by the likes of the Evening Standard. That was £2million more than Spurs who announced a profit of £41million under the shrewd leadership of Daniel Levy, as reported by the Daily Mail. Yet the clubs are 10 places and 33 points apart in the Premier League table, a fact that will not go down well with the club's fans.

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West Ham must try for their own Salah and move for Juan Cuadrado
HITC
Dan Coombs

West Ham should weigh up a move for Juan Cuadrado this summer. West Ham appear to have made one successful raid on Serie A this year by bringing in Inter Milan ace Joao Mario on loan. Getting him permanently is still an uncertainty, and one alternative they should consider is Juan Cuadrado. Cuadrado has been in and out of the Juventus line-up all season, but when he has played, he has been productive. In 22 games he has scored six goals and provided six assists. Calciomercato report he faces an uncertain future in Turin and he is 'wanted across Europe'. So competition would be tough for the Hammers, but he is a player they should be looking at. He has experience in the Premier League with Chelsea, and while this did not work out, West Ham only need to look at Mohamed Salah to see that counts for little. Like Salah, Cuadrado was signed by Jose Mourinho and never given a proper chance. He was sent out on loan to Italy and then left permanently, and he has got his career back on track. Approaching 30, Cuadrado does not have quite the same high ceiling as Salah, but that also helps make him more affordable for West Ham. If the board show faith in him, the Colombian could become a key player for the club, but they might have to make their approach before the World Cup.

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3 Chelsea talents who should follow Declan Rice to West Ham
HITC
Dan Coombs

Declan Rice admits he is glad Chelsea released him, he's now starring for West Ham. West Ham youngster Declan Rice played a starring role at the weekend as the club claimed a draw away to Chelsea. Rice was a former Chelsea trainee and released at just 14. He admits now this has turned out to be a blessing for him.
Chelsea's are bidding to win a fifth successive FA Youth Cup, but despite this their talented kids have struggled to make the first team. Here are three more Chelsea talents who could benefit from a move to West Ham, where they may see their first team chances fast-tracked...

Tammy Abraham

Striker Tammy Abraham has found it tough on loan at Swansea City this season but it would be a mistake to write him off. The youngster has already represented England and scored more than 20 goals in the Championship last season. A permanent switch to West Ham could give Abraham the stability he needs to become one of England's top strikers, if he continues to find his path blocked at Chelsea.

Matt Miazga

Centre-back Matt Miazga recently earned a first team cap for USA, but he is well down the pecking order at Chelsea. He is out on loan at Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, who sit seventh in the Eredivisie. If the past record of former Chelsea loanees at Vitesse is anything to go by, the Blues won't be ready to propel him into the first team yet.

Mario Pasalic
Midfield star Mario Pasalic signed for Chelsea in 2014, but he is yet to make an appearance at the club. He has enjoyed loan spells at Monaco and AC Milan, and he is currently at Russian side Spartak Moscow, where he has scored five times this season. West Ham should give him a shot to succeed in the Premier League by making an offer this summer.

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West Ham should ditch David Moyes and go for 'new Guardiola' Leonardo Jardim this summer
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United are yet to make a decision on the future of David Moyes with work still to do in their bid to secure Premier League survival. Apathy and anger greeted West Ham's decision to replace sacked Slaven Bilic with Moyes back in November. But the Scot has impressed many of his doubters with his bullish attitude and hunger to prove a point in East London. The Hammers were in the relegation zone on just nine points when Moyes took over and now sit 14th on 34 points and in all likelihood just one more win from securing their Premier League safety. Many fans feel Moyes - who was only appointed on a six-month contract - will have earned a longer-term deal if he keeps the East Londoners up. But others feel the club needs to reinvent itself from the ground up and find its own niche in the modern game after the move to the London Stadium failed to elevate them to the next level.
Many feel much of that has to do with a distinct lack of spending from co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold. But having pledged to completely revamp their recruitment process and structure, West Ham will want the right person in place to spend the money and rediscover the club's identity as an attractive attacking team that promotes youth. And there is no better man to help them achieve that than highly rated Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim. The former Sporting and Olympiacos boss is only 43 and has been steadily building his reputation in the game as the new Pep Guardiola. A student of the game and philosophy, the Portuguese manager has been in coaching since the age of 27 having not played professionally. Jardim has proved with his success at Monaco and the way he has promoted youth at the principality club that he has the attributes to reinvent West Ham. But Sullivan and Gold would have to show true ambition to lure him to East London as he would undoubtedly want complete control to shape the West Ham of the future. Whether the owners have the necessary ambition and money to give the fans the style of football they want and their identity and pride back, remains to be seen.

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