Daily WHUFC News - 8th May 2018

Academy manager Westley lauds Coaching Association success
WHUFC.com

Academy Director Terry Westley reflects on the successful first season of
the innovative Official Coaching Association...

We launched the Official Coaching Association at the beginning of the
season, and having now hosted all four sessions during the 2017/18, it's a
great time to reflect on the success of the scheme. We began the final
evening with a Q&A courtesy of captain and Academy graduate Mark Noble,
which was a fitting way to close, given his experience throughout his time
at the Club of various coaching methods ranging across different managers
and members of staff. All four sessions have been brilliant from our point
of view and to really help the local coaching fraternity in the area has
been a pleasure and a massive positive. Next season, of course our aim is to
improve once again and take it forward. The advice and the knowledge the
local coaches have been receiving at the Association this season is
adaptable at any level, but it's so important because as a coach, you are
always learning. Former international footballers have been in to talk –
Paul Konchesky and Matthew Upson; ex-West Ham players who are now current
Academy members of staff – Steve Potts and Jack Collison; and we also had in
Dan Ashworth, the FA's Technical Director. We've been privileged to have
them come in to learn from.

It's an extremely important scheme for me that is close to my heart, given
where I started my career; at grassroots level. I have come from there, when
John Duncan gave me an opportunity at Ipswich Town, and the club moving
forwards under John Lyall and Sir Bobby Robson. David Pleat at Luton Town
and Alan Curbishley at Charlton Athletic; they gave me opportunities. I
feel privileged myself to still be in the game 38 years later. I'll always,
therefore, return back to that and where I came from, and that culture of
grassroots football will always be with me.

To see, over the four sessions this season, male and female coaches coming
in and wanting to improve the players at their clubs has been magnificent.
Whether it's behaviour patterns off the pitch or sessions and exercises on
it, many have told me they have taken many, many ideas away with them to try
themselves, and that will help us all; both at the top and lower reaches of
the game. As I have said, next season is now about improving and moving it
forwards, and we'll begin by offering six sessions over the course of the
campaign, with the plan being to kick-off in August.

The speakers will once again be important. The ins we have in the game allow
us to pick the phone up to the likes of England manager Gareth Southgate and
his staff – I can see that communication with the FA improving. We've had
Dan Ashworth in; the likes of Aidy Boothroyd, who now manages the U21
national side, would be great to speak for us. We will definitely look to
have one coach from an overseas club come in, somebody who coaches at a
young age to see how academy football abroad differs. We can all learn
something there.

In terms of our own staff too, we know how busy they are, but the manager
and his coaching staff will hopefully give up some of their time to enhance
this Association. We're all looking forward to what the future holds for
the Association.

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Loan watch: Snodgrass Play-Off bound and Oxford returns
WHUFC.com

Robert Snodgrass and Aston Villa are bound for the EFL Championship
Play-Offs after losing 1-0 at Millwall on the final day of the regular
season. The West Ham United loanee, who featured for the final 15 minutes as
a substitute at The Den, will face Middlesbrough in the two-legged
semi-finals, with a Wembley showdown with either Fulham or Derby County
awaiting the winner. Snodgrass, who finished the campaign with 13 assists
and eight goals in 39 Championship appearances, could line up alongside
Henri Lansbury, who was part of the West Ham squad which won promotion via
the Play-Offs six years ago. And the Scot will need no introduction to
Middlesbrough goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who was his teammate at London
Stadium for the second half of last season.

Elsewhere, Reece Burke's Bolton Wanderers pulled off a miraculous escape
from relegation by scoring twice in the final three minutes of normal time
to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the Macron Stadium. Victory for the
Trotters, for whom Burke was an unused substitute, saw them leapfrog Burton
Albion and Barnsley and secure safety. The 21-year-old defender finished the
campaign with 25 Championship appearances under his belt. His solitary goal
came in a 2-2 draw with Reading in November.

There was no such joy for Martin Samuelsen, who was also an unused
substitute as Burton's two-year stay in the Championship came to an end with
a 2-1 defeat at Preston North End. The 21-year-old Norway winger made nine
Championship appearances, seven of them starts, for Nigel Clough's Brewers.

In Germany, Reece Oxford returned from injury to help Borussia
Monchengladbach to a 3-1 Bundesliga win over Freiburg. The 19-year-old was
back in action after missing the Foals' last six matches, playing for the
final 21 minutes after replacing midfielder Tobias Strobl. Monchengladbach
travel to relegation-threatened Hamburg in their final fixture on Saturday
knowing victory could yet be enough to secure sixth-place and spot in next
season's UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

Finally, despite scoring his first goal for the club in their previous
match, Toni Martinez was an unused substitute for Real Valladolid in the
Spanish club's vital 1-0 win at Numancia. Valladolid sit eighth in the table
with four games to play, four points behind Zaragoza in fourth and two
adrift of Cadiz in the final promotion play-off position. Martinez will hope
for more playing time when Valladolid host mid-table Albacete on Saturday
afternoon.

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Rice targets winning streak to finish Hammers' season
WHUFC.com

Declan Rice says West Ham United are aiming to close out the season on a
winning note. The Hammers secured their Premier League safety with a 2-0
victory at Leicester City on Saturday and now conclude the 2017/18 campaign
with home fixtures with Manchester United and Everton. Defender Rice, who
made an impressive 30th first-team appearance at the King Power Stadium,
believes the squad will have taken great confidence from their performance
against the Foxes, where the defence secured a first clean sheet in five
matches and the win was confirmed by Mark Noble's outstanding 25-yard
volley. Now, with their top-flight status confirmed, the impressive teenager
says the players can express themselves at London Stadium. "I would say
that's one of the best performances we've put up this season," said the
No41. "We knew before the game that it was crucial that we got three points.
"A point maybe would have been enough, but three points were the aim and
I've never seen us so focused in the dressing room before the game and so
ready to go out there and put in a performance. "We're focusing now on Man
United and we want to go out and win that and we want to win the Everton
game as well and try to finish as high as possible in the table."

After Joao Mario had put West Ham in front, Rice had a grandstand view of
Noble's clincher, which saw his fellow Academy of Football graduate belt a
unstoppable volley into the bottom corner of the Leicester net. "Nobes
scored one in training a few weeks back which a worldy with his left, but
I've never seen a ball hit so sweetly like that," the 18-year-old smiled.
"Even to take it on… I was right in front of it and it just swerved into the
bottom corner. "What a goal by Nobes! He was outstanding all day, as well.
He's a proper captain and led by example."

As always, Rice was cheered on by his family, who have travelled the length
and breadth of the country with the Claret and Blue Army during the
youngster's first full season in the Premier League. At the final whistle,
the defender joined the supporters and his teammates to celebrate staying
up, and the centre-back said survival was the least the fans deserved for
their loyalty this and every season. "When you've got fans like that, who
travel home and away and pay lots of money, when we put on a performance
like that, it means they can go home happy. "My brother was in there and he
and they didn't stop singing, so a massive 'Thank you' to the fans, because
they've been excellent for us all season and we really do appreciate that."

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Moyes: I want West Ham to win games regularly
WHUFC.com

David Moyes says West Ham United's target must be to find a greater level of
consistency in their play next season. After guiding the Hammers to Premier
League safety with a 2-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday, the manager
spoke to the media about how to ensure the Club is not dragged into another
relegation battle in 2018/19. With all three promoted teams potentially
staying up and three seemingly established Premier League clubs facing the
drop, the 2017/18 season has been among the most competitive in recent
history. Indeed, so close has been the competition that West Ham could yet
secure a top-ten finish, despite the fact they have spent virtually the
entire season in the bottom half. To do so, they will have to win three
straight league games for the first time this campaign – a level of
consistency Moyes craves. "I always felt that the team was good enough to be
looking up the league, rather than down, but there were some games we'd
really have like to have done a lot better in, but we didn't," he reflected.
"With the runs teams like West Brom and Crystal Palace have been on, the
bottom half of the league has been pretty exciting this season and I don't
think there is any guarantee that any one team is necessarily that much
better than another. "I must say, I think the three promoted teams who came
up really put the cat among the pigeons when they found their form. "I think
it's hard to judge how I've done this season. I actually would like to be a
manager who wins games regularly. I don't want to be a manager who is
battling around relegation. I want to have winning teams. "I had eleven
years of, in the main, winning teams, and that's what I want to do. I want
to be challenging the top teams and have a team that, most weeks, I have an
idea of what their level of performance will likely be, because that means
I'm feeling a lot better every week, rather than wondering if we are up or
down. "Some of our performances here have been excellent and some I've
wondered 'Where did that come from?'. "Consistency is getting yourself at a
level of play and building it, and everybody would like consistency."

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HIGGINBOTHAM DROOLS OVER WEST HAM DUO
Date: 7th May 2018 at 1:56pm
Written by: Laura OLeary
Forever WestHam

Danny Higginbotham heaped praise on West Ham duo Marko Arnautovic and Manuel
Lanzini and claimed that it was vital the club kept both players. The Sky
Sports pundit gushed about the two attack-minded players as he thought they
had been key to David Moyes' side securing their Premier League status for
another season. "Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic have struck up a
brilliant understanding at West Ham, they have been key to the Hammers
beating the drop," said Higginbotham in his column for The Sun. "David Moyes
was originally forced to play Arnautovic up front due to injury problems but
the Austrian and Argentine Lanzini have become a serious attacking threat.
"It is vital the club keep hold of both players if they are to avoid another
relegation battle next season. "While Stoke got £24million for Arnautovic,
they might have beaten the drop if he'd stayed."

The Hammers confirmed that they would be in the Premier League next season
after beating Leicester 2-0 on Saturday, which was enough to be mathematical
safe as Southampton ended up drawing with Everton.

Higginbotham's glowing praise of Lanzini and Arnautovic for their
performances this season is more than warranted. Arnautovic has managed to
score 10 goals in 33 appearances this season, and his goals have been more
than helpful in firing the Hammers away from the relegation zone. Whereas
Lanzini has used his creative genius in the 27 games that he has featured
in, to contribute nine assists to the cause. Both players have been a touch
above the majority of their teammates with their displays this season and
there would be uproar if either left the London Stadium in the summer. This
would especially be the case with Arnautovic who only arrived from Stoke
City ahead of the start of this season. The 29-year-old took a little bit
time to get going at the Hammers and it would be a shame if he left anytime
soon. While the idea is horrible to think about, either of the players
leaving would be highly unlikely. The only way that scenario changes is if
Moyes leaves and a new manager doesn't rate either player, which would be
bizarre, or if a top-six side make too good an offer to turn down.

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West Ham in need of summer changes to avoid another torrid season, admits
Mark Noble
JACK ROSSER
ES Sport

West Ham captain Mark Noble says there needs to be change on and off the
pitch over the summer in order to avoid another chaotic season at London
Stadium.
After struggling to settle in their new Stratford home last term, there was
hope the second season would be an easier ride. However, with a sacking, a
relegation battle and resentment from the fans pouring onto the pitch
against Burnley, things have far from gone to plan. The penultimate weekend
of the Premier League season saw the Hammers' safety secured, however,
things still look far from bright. There is dispute over what players
deserve to stay put, how much money will be available and who will be in
charge come the summer. There is, then, still plenty to be resolved. But
Noble knows that something has to change to see the club climb the table
once more next season. "There needs to be a lot of change," he said. "I
would not say no to that, on and off the pitch. A lot of stuff needs to
change. I am really hoping, and I am convinced it will during the summer.
"If fans are coming to games and are not happy and we go 1-0 down then we
feel that. There is no point lying. "We need to win games and we have not
won enough this season. That is why we are where we are. It's been really
tough, I certainly don't want another one like this."
With safety secured, David Moyes' side can now go out and look to end the
season on a high with home games against two of the Scotsman's former clubs
in Manchester United and Everton this week.

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