Daily WHUFC News - 7th May 2018

Hammers secure Premier League safety - thank you to the Claret and Blue Army
WHUFC.com

West Ham United would like to thank the Claret and Blue Army for their inspirational support after the Hammers secured their Premier League safety. An impressive 2-0 victory at Leicester City at Saturday means West Ham's top-flight status is now assured and everyone can look forward to home games against Manchester United and Everton as the team seek a positive finish to what has, at times, been a challenging 2017/18 campaign. Along with the 3,000 fans who gave the team magnificent backing at the King Power Stadium, the Club would like to place on record its thanks to each and every Season Ticket Holder and member of the West Ham family for your loyalty, commitment and dedication.
Captain and lifelong Hammer Mark Noble scored the best goal of his West Ham career in Saturday's victory with an unstoppable 25-yard volley – a goal he celebrated wildly with his fellow fans. "That's what we all love West Ham, because of days like this!" he smiled. "The heartache and the emotion we put them through, and I put myself through, make days like this fantastic. Let's all enjoy this result and the rest of the season, then get ready to go again in August. "On Saturday, for me, it wasn't so much the volley as the occasion. To score the goal which made us safe is something many young boys dream of."

Manager David Moyes echoed his skipper's comments before taking aim at ending the season with victories over two of his former clubs. "I'm pleased with our win at Leicester and that we have stayed up because the supporters had a really good day. Of course, they want to see their team winning, but the performance was also good and they sensed it and knew we'd played really well. "We knew we had to win one game and I'd like to win the next two games and finish as high up the league as we can. They're two hard games but if we get the backing we got at Leicester with everybody inside London Stadium, they'll make it difficult for the opponents to come and get a result."

West Ham United Season Ticket renewals are open for the 2018/19 season now. As a reward for the outstanding commitment from our most loyal fans, Season Ticket Holders in Bands 1-4 – including Accessibility Seats – and 1966 Seats have had their prices frozen for the second consecutive year. A Season Ticket remains by far the cheapest way to enjoy watching the Hammers in action, with Adults saving over £400 per season compared to purchasing match-by-match, while Under-16s can save more than £600 over the course of the campaign. Season Ticket Holders also enjoy exclusive benefits, including having the first opportunity to buy tickets for away matches, discounts instore and online and on coach travel, and invitations to exclusive events.

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Joao Mario: The support for us was amazing and it means everything
WHUFC.com

Joao Mario praised West Ham United's 'big personality' after the Hammers bounced back from a difficult fortnight to secure a big 2-0 Premier League victory at Leicester City. The Hammers travelled to the King Power Stadium knowing a win was vital to their chances of securing top-flight safety, and they rose to the challenge with a dominant performance that fully warranted the three points. "It was a huge game for us, an important game, and we knew before that only three points would be good enough for us, so the team produced an amazing performance and I'm very happy because it was a massive win," said the No18, who scored West Ham's all-important first goal. "We played very well, with big personality. It's never easy when you play away against a tough team, so I have to congratulate the team because we played a really good game."

It was Portugal star Mario who broke the deadlock just past the half-hour mark, converting Marko Arnautovic's cross to ease the tension in the Claret and Blue ranks. And the game was decided in West Ham's favour midway through the second half, when Mark Noble arrowed an unstoppable volley into the bottom corner. "We practised this week. When Marko is playing up front and we're playing behind him, we need to support him and we talked about that and it happened. It's good when you practice something and it happens during the game. "Mark shoots really well from outside the box and I'm really happy for him because it's an important moment not just for West Ham, but for him, so I'm happy for him. "We also talked about our defending. We pressed well, we defended well and high up. It was important to us, the team have been talking about the problems and on Saturday it was resolved and it made all the difference."

The 25-year-old joined his jubilant teammates at the final whistle, celebrating with them in front of 3,000 loyal, vociferous traveling fans in the East Midlands sunshine. Their support was not lost on the man who joined West Ham on loan from Inter Milan in January and has now scored two vital goals in the Londoners' quest to steer clear of the bottom three. "It was amazing. Their support for us was amazing and it means everything, so we have to say 'Thank you' to them because the atmosphere they created was fantastic."

Having secured a third away win of the season, West Ham close the season with home games against Manchester United and Everton, and Joao Mario is hoping to give the supporters more reason to cheer before the campaign comes to an end. "We have two important matches and I hope the supporters come to watch these games. We want to win them. It's a big game on Thursday and again on Sunday and I hope everybody is there to back the team up."

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Mark Noble: The man for the big occasion - again
WHUFC.com

Numerous times over the past decade, when West Ham United have needed him most, Mark Noble has stepped up. That was the case again on Saturday as the skipper produced one of his best performances of the season to inspire the Hammers to a 2-0 victory at Leicester City. In a match West Ham won to ultimately secure their Premier League safety, Noble not only scored a goal with his only shot on target, but was instrumental all over the pitch. Let's start with the captain's goal, which was a thing of real beauty and very probably the best of the 51 he has scored in a Claret and Blue shirt.ark Noble's heat map at Leicester City
West Ham were leading 1-0 midway through the second half at the King Power Stadium when Joao Mario delivered a curling free-kick from near the right touchline. Leicester substitute Aleksandar Dragovic cleared with a looping header and Noble shaped his body to send a skimming right-foot volley into the bottom left-hand corner of Ben Hamer's net. Noble's fourth of the season was also his first goal from outside the penalty area since another important away win, 3-1 at Southampton in February 2017.
Aside from his goal, the No16 covered more ground than any other West Ham player – and 670m more than any other player on either side – with 11.58km. To put Noble's work-rate in context, only three other players – Joao Mario, Cheikhou Kouyate and Leicester's Adrien Silva – covered more than 10km. The captain was also influential in possession, making the joint-highest number of passes, 43, with Joao Mario, with both players completing 34 of them for a 79.1 per cent pass-completion rate. Unusually, on the defensive side, Noble did not make a single tackle – Manuel Lanzini made four – but he did regain possession a team-high seven times, make three interceptions, a clearance and block a Leicester shot. Having also scored the opening goal in each West Ham's previous two away victories at Stoke City and Huddersfield Town, the 30-year-old has proven yet again that he will stand up and be counted when the pressure is on.

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Moyes: I'm pleased because the supporters had a really good day
WHUFC.com

David Moyes praised his West Ham United team for producing the goods when they needed it most and securing Premier League safety. The Hammers manager sent his team out at Leicester City knowing victory was vital to their chances to staying up, and that is exactly what they achieved with a professional performance and a 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium. A smiling Moyes was not only proud of his players, but also delighted for the Claret and Blue Army, whose support undoubtedly played its part in Saturday's success. "I thought the boys dealt with the pressure which came with the game and needing to pick up the points," he began. "There was a real focus about them. "We've been hurting a bit since the Manchester City game, because we felt we didn't play well even though it was against the champions. We felt we're a lot better than that and on Saturday we bossed the game for periods and probably should have scored more goals. "We were as good as we've been with the ball at times. We passed it, we controlled it, we had good thought with our shape and what we wanted to do with the ball. I thought Declan Rice also had his best game as a young player up against the likes of Jamie Vardy, as that's not an easy job. He did very well. "We wanted to leave Leicester with the ball as there is an anxiousness about them in their stadium. We got it back off them and then we broke quickly with Manu and Marko and Arthur. We did a lot of good things. "The only thing which disappointed me was that we had opportunities to score more goals. If we'd done that a little bit better, we'd have won more comfortably. "I'm going to enjoy it and why not? The job when I came in was to make sure we weren't relegated."

The highlight of a memorable afternoon was Mark Noble's unstoppable second-half volley, which followed Joao Mario's well-taken opener from Marko Arnautovic's cross. "Nobes's goal was a worldy, wasn't it! I'm pleased for Nobes because the Club means a lot to him, so I'm glad he got the goal. "Joao has helped us in lots of ways, he's done two or three jobs and is a good footballer. He's now come up with a couple of goals for us [against Southampton and Leicester] in this period. We brought him in to help us play a bit better and get a couple of goals, so I'm pleased with that. "I'm also pleased because the supporters had a really good day as well. Of course, they want to see their team winning, but the performance was also good and they sensed it and knew we'd played really well."

Having secured their top-flight future, Moyes is now targeting a strong end to the season, with the manager aiming to collect six more points from matches against Manchester United and Everton at London Stadium. "We knew we had to win one game and I'd like to win the next two games and finish as high up the league as we can. Then we might be thinking 'What were we worried about?'. "They're two hard games but if we get the backing we got at Leicester with everybody inside London Stadium, they'll make it difficult for the opponents to come and get a result."

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WHICH PLAYERS SHOULD WE TARGET NEXT SEASON AND WHO SHOULD LEAVE
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 MAY 2018 AT 9:44PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by: Mads Hartov @hartov_mads

The rumors are everywhere, and players from across the globe are being linked with every premiership club like there is no tomorrow . That includes our beloved claret and blue. Except, we are primarily being linked with relegation players and championship players. That's not for me I understand that we are not Chelsea or Man Utd and i am not delirious, but i really do feel that if we are to avoid the same type of season as we are in now, we have to be a little more ambitious. So here are my choices, that could be realistic for the summer.

Managers

Moyes

I am all for Moyes out, and i was close to tears when he was announced, but hopefully he will be gone by june 1st. (hopefully straight after a win at Leicester)

Benitez

For me he would be an amazing asset for the club. If he gets what he wants, he can do us some magic. When he won the CL with Liverpool, he had a terrible team imo, but he got them playing together and they beat the best AC Milan team in the 00's. But hey lets not dwell more on him, he is still at Newcastle, and we dont know what Ashley has to offer.

Villas-Boas

This one popped up on my timeline a couple of days ago, and i was immediately intrigued. I personally rate this guy very high, and i think he has done a decent job everywhere he has been. The only problem i can see with him, is getting along with the board. He is very charismatic, and he plays great football. Also Players tend to like him at the clubs he has been at. He has also been very good at utilising South American players skills, which is very interesting for me because of a couple of players. Of course Lanzini, but also a lad that i will get to later with the transfers.

Others

Silva, Wagner & Howe don't really rub me the right way. Why, i honestly can't tell you, there is just something about them i don't see happening at West Ham.

Players in

William Carvalho

This one was close earlier, and i was fuming that it didn't happen. He is exactly what we need, and he is a great footballer. I believe that he can do magic in the centre for us. Send the Sporting owners some flowers, apologise and get this done.

Rui Patricio

So while ordering the flowers and writing the apology for the Sporting owners, send som chocolate too with a bid for Rui Patricio. He has had a good career so far, and being 30, he still has a lot of years in him. To be honest, i do not know a lot about him, and i have only seen him in the Euros, the WC qualifiers, and playing for Sporting in Europe. But i really like what i have seen, and i would to se him in that horrible yellow shirt:)

Timo Horn

Young german goalkeeper. Thats three words every football fan loves to hear. Had he been from another country, he would be their number 1 or 2. But he is competing with Neuer, Leno, Fährmann, Ter Stegen, Baumann, Trapp, well the list goes on. He has 1 year left of his contract, he has just been relegated with Cologne, so there might be an opportunity to get him on the cheap. He basically have the same stats this season as Butland (one we have been linked with many times) some stats better and some worse, and imo Cologne has a terrible defence compared to Stoke.

Lautaro Martinez

20 year old Argentine, who plays for Racing Club in Argentina. I am really amazed that i have not seen one single rumour about him moving to any european clubs. Why am i amazed and why should we go get him? At 19 years he had 26 appearances for Racing and 9 goals, that is an ok stat. This season at 20, he has had 24 appearances and 17 goals, thats a great stat. I have been trying to keep me saliva inside my mouth the last 6 months because of him, but it is hard. He is incredibly fast, he is strong, and he does some great things with the ball. I have never ever watched the argentine league before this season, but he got me in.
WOW what a player. If we only sign one player, he is the one!

J. Mario

I think he has done a fair job, and i think if we would have had a more inspired manager, he would have done a lot more.
Keep him!

Players out

Carroll

Can he do magic in the air, Yes! Can he help out in defence, Yes! Do i want to keep him, absolutely not! What a plonker! Having a row with the manager (whether you like Moyes or not) at this point of the season, and in the situation we are in, that is just beyond stupidity for me. He has just show us that he rates himself over everybody else. I don't do violence, but i hope Noble gave him a good slapping after that! Jesus! I want him far away from our club, very far.

Evra

We shouldn't have brought him here in the first place.

Hugill

I feel so sorry for this bloke. A move to a premiership club, and just being the laughing stock, because the owners just needed to do a transfer to keep us fans happy. I hope he i send to a club where the manager rates him and the board wants him. But hey, if he got a big sign on fee, good on him.

Reid

Being a dane and going to the SuperLiga every weekend, i remember when he played for FC Midtjylland. He was very good and to good for that league, but i did not think he was good enough for the premiership, and especially not for West Ham. But honestly he won me over in our Championship season. Unfortunately i am back at my initial thoughts. I don't rate him highly anymore. I like him but the injuries and his standard is not up to par anymore. Hate to say it, but West Ham comes first.

Kouyate

When we brought him in. I was excited and i remember telling one of my friends "look out for the new Yaya" Boy did i get that thrown in my face on a regular basis. I have always liked him, but i just hate it when players look like they would rather be at home eating Doritos, than be on the pitch. Sorry Kouyate, but i can't defend you anymore. This is just my opinion, and i hope you have yours too.

COYI from Denmark!

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MOYESIAH'S DOUBLED EDGED SWORD
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 MAY 2018 AT 9:24PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Lukas (@lu_thirty_1)

So, here we are, another very disappointing season comes to an end. A season where we were expecting bigger things, with the whole 'the stadium is crap' thing behind us and four solid signings. Well, sort of.

I watched the Leicester game today and I really could not get excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm obviously happy that we avoided a year of playing against the mighty Barnsley but is this really what our reality is? Praying for safety and hoping other teams slip up?

For the record, I didn't ever think we would get relegated, even during the massive crappy stretches when our fanbase was in meltdown. Think we had one of those during every month of the season. Oh yeah, congrats to the Moyesiah for 'doing his job' and keeping us up.

But hey, here we are. Premier League status secured.

So, now what?

Well, let's start by saying that this is very bittersweet. It's like, would we rather have won and secured our status ourselves and be stuck with Moyes OR lose, survive by the skin of our teeth and hopefully get someone new next season?

Personally, I would have preferred the latter if it meant the board actually woke up and realised that this man is not the right person to take us forward. Game after game this year, the tactics have been abysmal and way too negative, especially when we played teams outside the top six. In my opinion, we should be beating everyone in that category week in week out, no problem.

But, in the end, every time Moyes' back was against the wall, we somehow pulled off a result and made him look good. How looks can be deceiving ey?

We all know that the board isn't going to do anything outlandish by their standards and actually spend money to get a decent manager and good players. But, the overall picture of this season should be setting off alarms left, right and centre for them. Don't even get me started with the whole Hernandez thing. In Chica, we have a striker we have been crying out for and he's spent every game picking splinters out of his backside form sitting on the bench the whole year.

Anyway, that's a whole 'nother topic.

I seriously hope I am wrong, but I think Moyes is here to stay and this is a worrying thing. All the signs are there, especially with the sudden abandonment of the Director of Football project and Sir David Moyes the saviour in line to handle our transfer activity. Surely a few decent wins can't overshadow the fact that he is a poor manager?

I'm actually struggling to get excited for next year because as things stand, it will be another season of the same rubbish, watching 17 defenders make up our starting 11 on a Tuesday night against Wolves, Fulham or even Millw***. Yeah, I know. God forbid.

We need some serious enforcements, from the manager to the players. The owners have to see this, especially when we've all seen through their 'take West Ham to the next level' nonsene and would do anything for them to sell up.

That's another thing to pray for by the way. Big time.

They say insanity if doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome, right? Well, if that's so then we are screwed because that's exactly what we've done for the last two seasons. But for our sanity, let's cross our fingers and hope something changes and fast.

COMEEEE ONNN YOOUUUU IRROONSSS!

PS – I'm not even going to watch Match of the Day tonight but it's cool, I've seen Nobledinho's goal already!

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LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 MAY 2018 AT 9:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by: @measomaj

So we are safe and I'm sure we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and punched the air when Tom Davies equalised for Everton. Watching the toffees and how dreadful they are made me think about our situation and how the manager is key to the rebuilding of our club.

We need to thank David Moyes and send him on his way, he has achieved what he was asked to do and I'm sure he will now be handsomely paid for that achievement. He is not the man for us just as Bilic, Allardyce, Grant, Zola etc have not been.

If we are serious about moving to the next level which I class as breaking into the top 8 then we have look for someone who has experience of working at that level and let him build the team from scratch, the man for me is Rafa Benitez but I'm happy to consider anyone who fits the criteria above.



We simply can't appoint another manager who will give us another season of 12th-20th league positioning, if that's what we want, why move? I would let the new manager clear the decks of anyone he felt didn't fit his blueprint and that means nobody is safe.

For me, the players I would keep in position order are: Defence – Ogbonna, Zabaleta, Rice, Cresswell and Collins. Midfield – Masuaku (not a defender in my eyes), Fernandes, Obiang, Antonio and Noble. Strikers – Arnautovic, Carroll and Hernandez. So that's 13 spaces in our first team squad not including Martinez, Burke and Cullen but the time is now to cut the dead wood and build from who the new guy wants. I would sell the rest for whatever we can get, what's the point in keeping them, they aren't good enough and all they are is a drain on the wage bill.

Will this happen? I don't know but I know to have a continually successful business you need to reinvest in your assets (in our case the playing squad) so that your business continues to grow. Let's be honest that's what Gold, Sullivan and Brady see us as, customers and consumers not loyal fans or people and I don't care whether you have attended once or twice over the last 3 years like me or go every week. We all matter.

They didn't buy our club just because they were West Ham fans coming home. They bought us because they saw potential and an eventual money making business, great it's the club they love too but it wasn't s charity donation with no strings attached.

COYI!

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Safe
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 5th May 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are mathematically safe from the threat of relegation following today's 2-0 win at Leicester, coupled with results elsewhere. The much-criticised David Moyes completed his mandate by steering the Hammers across the safety line with two games to spare after securing United's third Premier League away win of the season at the King Power Stadium, thanks to strikes from Joao Mario and a Goal of the Season contender from Mark Noble. Meanwhile Swansea's defeat at Bournemouth combined with Southampton's 1-1 draw at Everton in the late kick-off ensured that West Ham cannot possible be relegated, regardless of remaining results - whilst a mid-table finish is still a possibility, with the Irons once again within three points of five clubs. Captain Mark Noble - who perhaps fittingly, given recent criticism from some quarters scored the goal that secured the club's Premier League status - spoke for many after the game when he reflected on a mostly disastrous season both on and off the field.
"It's been tough, really tough," he told the BBC. " I certainly don't want another one like this." And whilst David Moyes could perhaps be forgiven for feeling vindicated having filled his brief two games shy of the target, he chose instead to heap praise upon his squad who fully deserved the two-goal margin of victory against an admittedly impotent Leicester outfit. "I thought the players handled it brilliantly well, " he said. "From the opening they were composed and looked to play; there were lots of good things about it."
West Ham Utd's remaining two games of the season take place in Stratford within the next seven days, with Jose Mourinho's Manchester Utd providing the first test on Thursday evening. This season to forget culminates on Sunday when former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce returns to the East End with his struggling Everton side, who relied on a controversial injury time equaliser to deny Southampton all three points at Goodison Park this afternoon.

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WEST HAM UNLIKELY TO SELL SNODGRASS THIS SUMMER
LUKE OSMAN @LukeOsmanRS L
ReadWestHam

West Ham will reportedly keep hold of Robert Snodgrass in the upcoming summer transfer window. According to a report from the Mirror, there are plans for David Moyes to afford the experienced winger a second chance to impress at the London Stadium ahead of next season. Snodgrass was recruited in the January transfer window last year for £10m after an impressive stint with Hull. However, in the following summer, he was sent out on loan to Aston Villa after failing to impress Slaven Bilic. He has since been in good form for Steve Bruce's side, who have secured their place in the Championship play-offs this term. Snodgrass' future at West Ham appeared to be somewhat bleak, given the club's decision to swiftly get him off the books in the build-up to the 2017/18 season. However, it appears as though Snodgrass' time at the club is not yet over, with Moyes prepared to give him another chance to prove his worth.

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How West Ham could look next season if David Moyes completes stunning £60m squad overhaul
If we were playing Football Manager, maybe this is what our West Ham team might look like
Football London
By Sam Inkersole
West Ham Correspondent
15:45, 6 MAY 2018

Should David Moyes stay as West Ham manager after the end of this season, he is expected to be handed a war chest to overhaul the squad. The manager has already been scouting targets ahead of next season and following confirmation that the Hammers will be playing Premier League football in 2018/2019, he can press ahead with those plans. After two seasons of struggle on the pitch since leaving the Boleyn Ground and moving to the London Stadium in the summer of 2016, the squad is in need of a revolution, an overhaul if you will. That will mean players coming in but also, players coming out. As always, the Hammers have been linked with plenty of players over the last couple of months, it's part and parcel of being associated with the club and if they signed everyone they have been linked with, the squad could be about 100 players deep. But, lets be sensible for a minute and look at realistic targets who the club have been rumoured to make a move for and that would fit in the squad. For a bit of fun, this is how West Ham could look next season if Moyes was to complete a bit of a transfer overhaul in E20.

In goal, Sam Johntone could be the answer. The Manchester United stopper has had an excellent season on-loan at Aston Villa but a lot will depend on whether the Villains are promoted back to the Premier League as no doubt they'll have first option. With Joe Hart and Adrian not impressing this season at West Ham, the club were linked with a swoop for Johnstone in March and will likely be after a new keeper this summer.

In defence, there isn't too much change with the only new addition potentially being Fulham right back Ryan Fredericks, who has been scouted a number of times by the Hammers and is out of contract at Craven Cottage this summer. Fredericks has yet to commit to a new deal in west London and again, a lot could depend on how the Cottagers perform in the play-offs.

Midfield could see a bit of a change with two new faces in the shape of Fulham captain Tom Cairney, heavily linked with a move to east London in January with an apparent £20m bid rejected. Cairney was also suspiciously spotted right behind David Moyes in the dugout at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

Leander Dendoncker is the other new face, having come very close to a move to the Hammers in January. There are reports that Atletico Madrid have a €20m option to sign him but they don't have to if they don't want to so the Hammers aren't out of the running. A new central midfielder or two is a must for the Hammers this summer. They came close to getting him in January, the player wanted the move, but it fell through on deadline day.

The other potential new face is Xherdan Shaqiri of Stoke, who is certain to leave the club following their relegation. Everton and Crystal Palace have also been linked as well as the Hammers for a player that Moyes could see as a challenge, much like he revolutionised Marko Arnautovic since taking over.

Shaqiri, on his day, is a mercurial talent but you just never know which Shaqiri is going to turn up on any given matchday.

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