Daily WHUFC News - 9th May 2018

'That was for the fans' says Noble after Leicester win
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday was for the
supporters, according to skipper Mark Noble after his side secured their
Premier League safety with a terrific three points. The captain, who scored
a magnificent second half volley to double the Hammers' advantage after Joao
Mario had given them the lead, praised the travelling fans who were in fine
voice all afternoon. Southampton's draw at Everton later that day meant
David Moyes' men were safe from any relegation fears with two games to
spare, and the win in the sunshine capped a perfect afternoon for the Club
on Saturday. And Noble – who made his 433rd appearance in Claret and Blue
against Claude Puel's team – said the win was for the supporters. "The away
fans were fantastic," he explained. "That was for the fans, the staff and
everyone who has stuck by us the whole season. "It's been tough and I
certainly don't want another [season] like this, but that was for them
today. "No matter where we go, how many seats we get, they always fill them,
they're always there, no matter what; summer or winter. "For all the money
they've spent, for all the miles they've driven, Saturday was for them."

West Ham have been up against the odds at times this season, but the
30-year-old, who has experienced it all over the years in east London,
claimed the squad never stopped believing throughout the campaign. "In all
honestly, the position we were in after the Burnley defeat, everyone thought
we were doomed," he continued. "But we went away, trained hard, and we got a
lot of stick for going away. "But it worked; the players socialised
together, and that's partly my job. But as I said, everyone has played their
part this season and you need your whole squad over a season. "With all the
problems we've had this year, I'm really proud of the bunch of players we
have got, and we've always stuck by it, kept training hard, and we deserved
what we got today. "When we have got criticism this year, I've taken it and
I'd rather it's on me than the rest of the team; I know how to handle it.
You have got to just lace your boots up and go again and we've had to do
that consistently this year."

Noble's volley, his fourth goal of the season, was of course a strike which
will live long in the memory, but the No16 claimed the importance and
context of the goal felt just as sweet as the strike itself. "That goal was
so important and we have kept another clean sheet – it's tough at 1-0, so in
that context for me to score is great. "But when the ball floated to me, I
just thought I'd have a go and you never know. You don't really feel them
leave your boot, when you catch it that sweetly. "Everyone I wanted to do,
the ball did and those moments; you score them in training but not much in
games. To score that and win the game, it was fantastic."

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Carroll aiming to end season on a scoring note
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll is hoping to repay the support of the Claret and Blue Army by
signing off the season with a couple of goals in West Ham United's final two
Premier League matches. The centre forward has hit the net just three times
in 17 appearances during a stop-start campaign interrupted by groin and
ankle injuries, but each of those three goals was vital to the Hammers'
successful bid to beat the drop. And having scored twice in the home win
over West Bromwich Albion and a last-gasp equaliser in the 1-1 draw with
Stoke City, the No9 wants to hit the net again when West Ham host Manchester
United and Everton – rewarding the supporters who sang his name throughout
Saturday's vital 2-0 victory at Leicester City. "Saturday was brilliant," he
confirmed. "For me personally, coming on after they were singing my name
while I was warming up on the touchline was really good. I didn't really
expect it, to be honest, but our fans chose to get behind me and it was nice
to hear. "It was a good game for us. The lads stuck together and we deserved
it, really. I thought we played well and it was a good day all round. The
fans were brilliant, we were brilliant and the other results went our way,
too."

Carroll could have netted his fourth of the season at the King Power
Stadium, only for his touch to let him down at the vital moment inside the
Foxes penalty area.
"I could have had a goal, but I decided I'd take it out wide instead and
hold a couple of their players off by the corner flag in front of our fans,
just to show off my strength! Being serious, I should have probably taken a
better touch and scored. "It would be nice to have some more minutes on the
pitch. Getting 15 or 20 minutes the other day was good, so it would be nice
to get out there again in the last two games and get a goal or two. "After
that, I'll take Billi and the kids away for a nice chilled holiday and keep
myself ticking over before coming back in for pre-season training."

While Carroll was unable to find the net, his captain and friend Mark Noble
was, with arguably the best goal of his long and illustrious Claret and Blue
career – an unstoppable 25-yard volley that flew into the bottom corner of
the Leicester net to put West Ham 2-0 up midway through the second half. "We
laughed after the game as we reckon it was probably his first goal from
outside the box, but he told us it wasn't and that he used to do it all the
time!" Carroll smiled. "He never normally shoots from there as he usually
controls it and lobs it back into the box, so he must have had a rush of
blood. "To be fair to him, it was a hell of a strike, the best goal of his
career and it was his birthday on Monday, so he's had a good week so far.
He's 31 now, so he's getting on a bit!"

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Academy begin international tour season with draw in Bermuda
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Academy of Football travelled to Bermuda over the Bank
Holiday Weekend ahead of their participation in the International Football
Festival Tournament. The first in a number of international tournaments for
the Academy this summer, Academy Director Terry Westley took an U17 side to
the competition which will be followed by trips to Switzerland and Hong
Kong. Upon arrival on the Atlantic Ocean island, the young Hammers were met
by former West Ham great and Bermuda international Clyde Best, who managed
his nation after his playing career ended. The youngsters then began their
campaign in the tournament by taking on the country's U20 side, a game, full
of talking points, which eventually ended in a 1-1 stalemate. In a very
tight first half, West Ham created the better opportunities, with Brazilian
midfielder Bernardo Rosa the driving force and Jay Mingi standing strong in
defence.

The visitors dominated large periods of the half but were unable to get the
significant breakthrough goal and went in at half-time goalless. After the
restart, stopper Joesph Anang made two impressive saves before the Hammers
went 1-0 down to what can only be described as a dubious goal, with the ball
clearly leaving the pitch and West Ham players having stopped for the
expected throw-in. The national team continued however, as did the referee,
and went on to score the opening goal. A well-worked corner, with Rosa
beating his man to set up Manny Longelo, got the Hammers a much deserved
equaliser soon after, though. Later, Rosa again created a wonderful
opportunity to win the match in the dying seconds but was unable to convert
the chance. And so the Hammers opened their tournament with a well-earned
draw. They will now enjoy a rest day before heading into their second match
with all to play for. Westley was pleased with his team's performance, and
said: "We are a young team and to play against the national team and to come
away with a draw you would be satisfied. "This is a great experience for our
young players and that's really why we have come. "Their goal was so far out
of play it was ridiculous, so that leaves a sour taste because the boys
worked so hard. "For ten minutes that upset them. But for young players,
they learnt that things don't always go your way and eventually got back
into the game."

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STOKE CITY-BUY OR AVOID?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 8 MAY 2018 AT 9:37PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @Bobstonian

As of Game week 37, Stoke have been mathematically relegated from the
Premier League. Below is a list of popular players that the club, in my
opinion, should sign (or not sign). I have purposely excluded Shawcross and
all players over 31 years old. Glenn Johnson, Charlie Adams, and Stephen
Ireland are out of contract in the summer.

Stoke – BUY:

Shaqiri

Pace, touch & quality from set pieces. He should be available for a
reasonable price due to a release clause in his contract. He seems to be
highly coveted by several teams, with Everton currently the favorites to
sign him. Taking the injury record of Antonio in to account, spending on the
right wing may make sense.

Butland

If he can make it to Russia, his value will increase. National team
goalkeepers are always marketable assets in the league. I expect that our
club will not be willing to pay up for his services. In my opinion, he is
the most desirable keeper from all relegation candidates, and Arsenal seem
very interested in Butland as a replacement for Cech.

Allen

Allen was rumored as a club target before his team was destined for
relegation. He can improve our distribution in the midfield. He is 28, and
started his senior career back in 2007. I fear his work rate may decrease.
However, I see him as a player who can compensate for this inevitable
decline in foot speed with his positioning and skill.

Martins Indi

The club will need to recruit more center backs this summer. We have played
a full-back out of position in our back three for most of the season.
Winston Reid will be 30 in the summer, and is nursing a knee injury. If next
year's manager desires three in the back, a starting-caliber center-half is
needed to play with Ogbonna and Rice. Martins Indi is my pick from the Stoke
squad, but he has been hampered by a groin injury this season. He did
feature in 30+ league games last season, collecting 11 clean sheets.

Stoke – AVOID:

Wimmer

Stoke clearly payed Spurs too much for Wimmer over the summer. I doubt Stoke
will be willing to take a loss on their original investment. He is young,
and showed promise under Pochettino, but his price tag will be very
off-putting for most clubs.

Berahino

Berahino is another player that the Potters overpaid for. He has not played
meaningful minutes in the last two seasons. He is a versatile attacker who
can play on both sides, but I believe Stoke will demand too high of a
transfer fee.

Sobhi

The Egyptian international is 21, and could be available for a reasonable
price due to his lack of playing time. He does prefer to play on the left
side, and would have to compete with the likes of Lanzini, Masuaku and
Arnautovic. Stoke will want to give him minutes in the Championship. The
club should prioritize spending on a different position.

Choupo-Moting

8 years older than Sobhi, and also plays on the left. He had a promising
start to the season, and then experienced a drop in form. There is no need
to prioritize spending on this player.

Diouf

Diouf boasted a respectable goal record in the Bundesliga. He scored 11
goals in his inaugural Premier League season. Since then, he has scored 12
goals in 87 games. He has shown versatility at different positions, but only
has 9 career league assists to his name.

Stoke have some players on the wings and up the middle that are worth a look
in the transfer season. I can't see us outspending other clubs for Shaqiri
or Butland. I believe we will pursue Allen in the summer, and hope we also
inquire about Martins Indi.

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LET'S NOT PICK THE LOW LYING FRUIT
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 8 MAY 2018 AT 9:23PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by: Alan Leason

Thanks for all the responses to my last article, I haven't gone mad I just
don't think Lanzini has been consistently good enough for us to resist
offers of 40-50m. The last stand out game I remember him having was 2 1/2
seasons ago at Liverpool.

Anyhow im currently watching the Swansea v Southampton game and thinking
about all the players we need for next season. I think we should be really
careful about trying to pick off players from relegated sides.

Why would we want Mawson, Ki, Jordan Ayew, Cedric, Redmond or Tadic? None
of them are carrying their teams and to agree with Kev from Sex, Drugs and
Carlton Cole, I wouldn't take Shaqiri either. I also don't think we need to
take the opinion if we need x amount of players at £25m each.

If we were looking for a Kouyate style player I'm sure we would be quoted
£25m minimum but look at the player we have? Lazy, doesn't work for his
place or the team but it's ok because he's Chiek and we post videos on the
official site of him laughing all the time.

We signed Cresswell for £5m and nobody outside of Ipswich knew him, fair
enough he'd be more expensive now but I like the principal of taking players
from the championship who could step up, basically the opposite of Hughill.

My one exception to the not signing relegated players would be a keeper.
Fabianski, Forster and even Foster would all be good signings for us, none
have been at fault for their respective clubs form.

I'd love for us to have gone for Shelvey but thanks to our mouthy chairman
he wouldn't even entertain us now, on the same note watch Snodgrass be
promoted with Villa sign for them and tear up the league!!

Remember all the fuss about Bilic having the option to sign Renato Sanchez,
Grzegorz Krychowiak etc? They are doing so well now aren't they?

Before we all get carried away thinking William Carvalho is the answer,
Stoke's record signing was from Porto and is a guy called Giannelli Imbulla,
he's currently on loan to Toulouse because he couldn't cut it in this
league. Carvalho is a European championship winner I hear you say…so is
Cedric who is battling to keep Southampton in the league. COYI

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West Ham leading Shaq race
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th May 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are the front runners to sign Stoke City's Swiss international
Xherdan Shaqiri. The Potters became the first team to be relegated from the
Premier League this season when they went down 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace
last weekend. And that has naturally seen a string of Stoke's better players
linked to various destinations in the past few days - including Shaqiri, who
formed a formidable partnership with Marko Arnautovic at the Bet365 Stadium.

According to the latest odds, the Hammers are 2-1 favourites to sign the
26-year-old winger, who was on the bench when Bayern Munich faced fellow
German outfit Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League Final. A number
of Stoke City's first-team players are expected to leave the club following
the team's relegation from the Premier League," said BetStars Director of
Trading Ian Marmion. "Swiss superstar Shaqiri has been the Potters' shining
light this season but the attacker looks set to call time on his three-year
stint with Stoke this summer. "The Hammers are poised to benefit from
Stoke's demotion to the Championship and have been installed as the 2/1
favourites to reunite the Swiss playmaker with his former teammate Marco
Arnautovic in attack at the London Stadium next season.
"Newcastle United are valued at 3/1 to become the winger's next destination
but a move abroad could also be on the cards for Shaqiri, with AC Milan and
Bayer Leverkusen both priced at 4/1 and 5/1 respectively. "Meanwhile
Arsenal and Everton are valued at 6/1 to swipe Stoke's star man."

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Arnautovic sale led to relegation, say Stoke fans
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th May 2018
By: Staff Writer

Stoke City supporters have cited the sale of Marko Arnautovic to West Ham as
one of the core reasons for their relegation from the Premier League. The
Potters became the first team to be relegated from the top flight this
season following their 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday,
since when disappointed City fans have been discussing the reasons for their
swift and unexpected demise. And one of the chief reasons cited is the sale
of star man Arnautovic to West Ham last summer. The Austrian, a Slaven Bilic
appointment who cost the Hammers an intiial £20million has scored 10 goals
for United this season - almost a quarter of the team's 45 league goals
scored in the 2017/18 campaign.
Oatcake Forum member wazbagsbro is convinced parting company with Arnautovic
and not providing a suitable replacement was key in Stoke's fall from grace.
"It cost us relegation and we gave him away." he said. "If Arnie was a
Swansea player they would've demanded £50million, he is one of the best
players outside top six. West Ham won't let him go so cheap. We should've
broke the bank to keep that kind of quality."
Thoughts echoed by theonlooker, who added: "Clubs like ours lose players
like Arnautovic every season. The successful clubs replace them and move on.
Our scouting and recruitment department, in my humble opinion, is
complacent, lazy and frankly, not fit for purpose."
Some Stoke fans felt the decision to sell Arnautovic was a reasonable call
at the time given the size of the fee involved - but once again, blamed poor
recruitment for their descent into the Championship. " Losing Arnie isn't
the reason we're in this mess," wrote boskampsflaps. "It didn't help but we
had the money and the time to find a replacement and we bought Wimmer
instead. You're always going to lose players eventually, it's who you get in
after that's the deal breaker and we well and truly mucked it up."

A salient lesson for the rest of the Premier League, perhaps.

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