Daily WHUFC News - 7th February 2018

Club Statement
WHUFC.com

The Club would like to place on record that it categorically refutes the claims made by the Daily Telegraph regarding manager David Moyes. There is absolutely no truth whatsoever to this story. As previously stated on a number of occasions, the Club and David Moyes agreed a deal until the end of the 2017/18 season, at which point both parties will sit down and discuss the future. Until then, the Board and David Moyes will continue to work closely together with the Manager having full responsibility of footballing matters and the full support of the Board. Everyone's sole focus is on trying to achieve results for West Ham United.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Obiang surgery a success - Lewin
WHUFC.com

West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang has undergone a successful operation on the knee injury he sustained at the end of January. The 25-year-old suffered a tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the Hammers' Emirates FA Cup tie at Wigan Athletic on 27 January, and now faces a spell on the sidelines as he begins his rehabilitation.
Obiang, who has played 86 games for the Hammers since arriving from Italian side Sampdoria in summer 2015, could be forced to sit out the rest of the 2017/18 campaign but Hammers Head of Medical Gary Lewin is confident the Spaniard will return stronger. He said: "Pedro has undergone surgery to repair the medial collateral ligament, and we're delighted with how it went. "He went to a specialist in Barcelona for the operation and he is in the best possible hands as the rehab process gets underway. "Pedro is likely to be out for a little while, but we are confident that he will return fit and strong in ample time for pre-season."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Decision-making cost U23s against Sunderland - Westley
WHUFC.com

Academy Director Terry Westley believes poor decision-making played a crucial role in the U23s' 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. A 14th minute finish from Lee Connelly was the difference between the two sides on Monday evening, as West Ham United fell to a second straight defeat in the league. Westley feels his side came close to levelling the game in the second period, after two substitutions at half-time, but acknowledges the match was lost in the first half."I thought we started really poorly which gave them the initiative to get in the game," Westley told whufc.com. "Their goal was quite a classic of that. It ends up with our 'keeper, who makes a bad decision, and the next thing it ends up in our net "I just thought our decision-making, overall, wasn't good enough in the first half. We shook things up at half-time and I have to say I think that made a difference in the second half, but we just couldn't get an equaliser. We came really close."
A young line-up took to the pitch for the Hammers with only Marcus Browne and January signing Oladapo Afolayan older than 19-years-old, and Westley admits injuries played a role in the contest. The new forward's performance was praised by the Academy Director, as was the league debut of Josh Okotcha, and Browne. He continued: "We were very young and we had to make some late changes this weekend. Josh Okotcha played for the youth team in Swansea at the weekend, so it's not ideal. Reece Hannam is the same. We had a lot of players out – Pike, Vashon, Pask – Aji is with England as well. "We're down on a lot of players but it's down to this group of players to get the results we are looking for. "You always come away with positives. Okotcha did well tonight in his U23 league debut, at under 16. I thought Marcus Browne was head and shoulders better than anyone else on the pitch. He was driving on the ball and the way he led as a captain. "Oladapo has made a good debut. We wanted to wait a little while because he's only been with us two training sessions, but because of injuries we've had to throw him in a lot sooner than we anticipated. But he's got five shots off and they've all hit the target. I think he showed us what he's about."

With Toni Martinez, Martin Samuelsen, captain Moses Makasi and Reece Burke all leaving West Ham on loan in January, the opportunity to claim a place in the U23s have opened up, something Westley was eager for his young side to understand. He added: "We've just said to the players in the dressing room: 'you've waited and, at first team level, sometimes you have one opportunity to have an impact'. "The ones who haven't been playing have now come in and they've got to show, firstly, that they are as good as the ones that have gone out on loan, and they can then kick on and become a success. That's the challenge."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Okotcha pleased with U23s league debut vs Sunderland
WHUFC.com

Joshua Okotcha is disappointed he couldn't mark his U23s league debut with a win against Sunderland, but is thrilled with the experience. The 16-year-old was named in Terry Westley's team in Premier League 2 for the first time, having made his debut for the side against Benfica earlier this campaign, and put in a strong showing at centre-back against the Black Cats. Despite Okotcha's efforts the Irons fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, courtesy of a 14th minute finish by Lee Connelly, and the defender is frustrated to not get a positive result on his league debut.
But the youngster also feels delighted to have made his first showing for the side, something he wants to build on for the rest of the season. "Playing in the U23s in the league for the first time was a really good experience," Okotcha told whufc.com. "I really enjoyed it, although obviously I would have preferred to have come away with a win. "I thought we started a little sloppy, but we came back into the game really well. Our performance in the second half deserved an equaliser. Browne hit the post, and we were really unlucky."

To play in Monday's match was an impressive feat for Okotcha, given he also featured in the full 90 minutes of the U18s' clash with Swansea City in South Wales on Sunday. "It was a quick turnaround," he admits. "I started to get some cramp towards the end of this game but there was no way I wasn't going to play. It was an awesome opportunity."

With a number of players from the U23s going out on loan in January Okotcha is hopeful of earning more playing experience in Westley's side this campaign. "I'm enjoying getting experience with the U23s. Hopefully I can continue to play for this side, and get more time on the pitch in the rest of the games."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Jordan Hugill can be a Premier League player in no time'
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio has backed Jordan Hugill to become the latest Championship star to make his mark in a West Ham United shirt. Antonio, Aaron Cresswell and Sam Byram all excelled in the second tier before being snapped up by the Hammers from Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and Leeds United respectively. Hugill followed that path when he joined from Preston North End on deadline day and Antonio, who scored 28 goals across four seasons for Forest and Sheffield Wednesday, believes the centre forward has both the attitude and the talent to become a Premier League hero. "It's one of those things where people talk about the Championship as if it is a foreign world, but there are very technical players down there who have quality!" said the winger, who returned to action after a nine-match absence through injury at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. "It's a very physical game so being able to deal with the physicality down there, you can definitely deal with the physicality of the Prem. "It's just about whether you are technically good and can keep up with the speed of the game. You can learn that in no time. As soon as you are down on the training ground, doing your training and learning, you are going to pick up speed and be a Premier League player in no time."

Hugill made his West Ham debut at the Amex, making his mark on the Seagulls' centre-backs during a wholehearted 15-minute cameo. The 25-year-old was one of two players brought in during the January transfer window, the other being creative Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario, and Antonio believes both will contribute positively as the Hammers seek to steer clear of an end-of-season relegation battle. "I'm very impressed with Mario. He's a very technical player with nice flair and his awareness is unbelievable. "I've not trained much with Jordan, but he came on on Saturday and looked like an ox! I've never seen anyone deal with [Brighton defender] Shane Duffy the way he just put him in his place. They are two great signings."

Antonio, Joao Mario and Hugill should all feature when Watford visit London Stadium on Saturday. And with the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini edging closer to returning from their respective hamstring injuries, West Ham's attacking options look set to be boosted for the final dozen games of the season. "We're not evening thinking about relegation," said the No30. "With the players we have got, we're not looking down, we're looking up.
"We lost on Saturday but we were six games unbeaten before that, so we're not looking down, but we're looking how far we can go up."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TUESDAY'S NEWS ROUND UP: DAVID MOYES' FUTURE, OBIANG INJURY UPDATE, DEADLINE DAY TRANSFER RUMOUR!
AUTHOR: DAN CHAPMAN. PUBLISHED: 6 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 1:33PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Hello everyone. Here is what has been in the news today regarding West Ham:

David Moyes is unlikely to remain as West Ham manager beyond the end of the season, even if the club avoid relegation. (Evening Standard)

However, a new report today suggests that Moyes will be offered a new two-year-deal as West Ham manager if the club avoid relegation. (Evening Standard)

David Moyes was appointed as our manager to keep us in the Premier League. If he achieves that and we stay up relatively comfortably, then he fully deserves to stay in my opinion. However, if we stay up by the skin of our teeth then I would have to think twice about it.

We have improved massively under Moyes since his appointment in November, and I believe that he can be a success in the long term for us with the correct backing.

Pedro Obiang has undergone a successful operation on a knee injury that he sustained at the end of January against Wigan. (Sky Sports)

Its such a shame that Obiang is out for the rest of the season again, because I am sure the same happened this time last year too. I am sure that Pedro will come back stronger again, and that he will be ready to go again next season.

Lille were very keen to sell their captain Ibrahim Amadou to West Ham on Transfer Deadline Day last week. (Football London)

I must admit I had never heard of him until Deadline Day, but I assumed he was going to Palace if anyone. I heard that we were interested in him, but we never seemed to make a move. I would like to see us try again for him in the summer, especially if they are keen to sell him to us.

Terry Westley has hailed Marcus Browne's performance for the West Ham Under 23's last night. (HITC)

I didn't manage to see the U23's game last night, but Marcus Browne has always been a talented player in my opinion. I hope he is one of the next youngsters in our ranks to get his chance in the first team. I think he is a very exciting prospect, along with Nathan Holland.

Manuel Lanzini has issued a positive update on his hamstring injury. (Football London)

I can't wait for Manu to be back. We miss him so much when he plays, and that has been evident in the past couple of games. Once we have him fit again, Marko Arnautovic will also be back too. I don't know about anyone else, but a front four of Lanzini, Arnautovic, Joao Mario and Chicharito excites me a lot.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Brady apologises for delay
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady has apologised to supporters for the unreasonable delay in installing suitable wi-fi at the Olympic Stadium.
Replying to an enquiry from supporter Tony Coleman via Twitter, Brady admitted that although installation of the network was beyond her control she had continued to press stadium operators E20 - with little success. "There are pockets of wifi in the stadium (for police, media etc)," Brady said in reply to the query, "but the infrastructure required for 60,000 people to all log on has not been installed yet. "I am sorry this was promised and not delivered. We were promised it by E20 but they have not ensured their operator delivers it. We are constantly onto them to sort it out."

Brady, who took the time to respond to a number of supporter enquiries today via social media also refuted a suggestion that the club asked to play away from home on Boxing Day last year. "I can confirm that we have never asked not to play at home on Boxing Day," she replied. "And the Premier League have never said we would not be picked to play at home on BD. "Police often request preferences of London clubs eg no home games while Notting Hill Carnival is on, but the PL do not always agree."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes rumours refuted by club insider
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

A West Ham spokesman has dismissed reports that the club are already preparing for life after David Moyes.

The Telegraph reported yesterrday that West Ham were intending to part company with Moyes at the end of the season, regardless of whether the Hammers are relegated from the Premier League or not. However a club spokesman today insisted that the story was wide of the mark and told the same source that no decision has yet been made on Moyes' future.
"As previously stated on a number of occasions, the club and David Moyes agreed a deal until the end of the 2017/18 season, at which point both parties will sit down and discuss the future," said the spokesman. "Until then, the Board and David Moyes will continue to work closely together with the Manager having full responsibility of footballing matters and the full support of the Board. Everyone's sole focus is on trying to achieve [positive] results for West Ham United." Moyes, who has been in charge of West Ham since the beginning of November has taken charge of matches, securing just five wins (one of which came against League One Shrewsbury in extra time of a 3rd round FA Cup replay) from 19 matches.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A change is gonna come, whenever you like!
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th February 2018
By: Paul Walker

It's over isn't it? Our hated West Ham board, they must now know that deep down. The start of the end game is with us.

It may not be quick and quiet, it will probably be noisy and angry. They own the club, they own the shares, this is not a democracy, they won't be shifted without a fight. It could, sadly, take years.

Just look at the continued war that is being fought by Blackpool fans over the vile Oyston family who have brought their club to it's knees, have sued their own fans and have pocketed vast amounts TV money and systematically destroyed their club, seemingly with a nasty streak of evil intent, revenge even.

I hope SGB do not go down that route, but they must realise now that, like a manager about to be sacked, they have lost the fans. For good, because there is no going back now. They are not trusted, nothing they say is believed and in various degrees depending on your viewpoint, they are universally hated.

We have been branded the worst run club in the Premier League, they seem intent on rinsing every last penny out of all of us while promising big name signings but producing nothing but an injury-hit, depleted squad.

You can tell the players have had enough now. The African lads have needed to be calmed down by David Moyes over the Tony Henry stuff. Others have voiced their concerns about the lack of transfer activity and the bad headlines, and now Karren Brady has been blamed for us missing out of a transfer because Leicester wouldn't deal with us after some insult or other from her Sun column.

One of our players rubbed his fingers together in a 'money,money' sign in front of our fans at Brighton. The dissatisfaction has now reached the dressing room, and that is serious. Not helped by some leak or other which questions Moyes' involvement after this season. The club have tried to knock this down, but someone sure knows how to undermine people.

This does back up a piece of information I acquired from a long-term friend, a former international now in coaching with a contacts book Sullivan would die for. A couple of weeks ago we met on a cold station platform, not quiet Brief Encounter, but you get the gist.

He immediately informed me that one Premier League club was already lining up Moyes to take over next season, such has his stock risen after the first few months knocking us into shape. But why would he want to stay after the recent transfer window shambles, and the fact that people were being briefed that some of it was his fault?

But our owners are still smug enough to say daft things like David Sullivan did recently…"There is no point" in marches, singing "sack the board " or attacking the two owners.

He doesn't get it, does he? He thinks because he is the majority shareholder and owner, that he can do and say what he wants. But it's not like that, is it? When people have no other form of protest, they are at the end of their tether, then marches and songs are their only weapons.

Because our current board are intent on not listening, not being moved, not seemingly caring about the rank and file.

And that's why the end game is approaching. Up until now the opposition has been muted, controlled, dignified, respectful. The SAB and various fans' groups have been manipulated and controlled. The excellently run Independent Supporter Association has been rightly intent on being professional, responsible and articulate.

But even they are being held at arms length at times, patronised even. But now things are changing, it is the hardcore support, the working class boys, the true rank and file who represent generations of ordinary people from the East End, east London and now the Essex suburbs.

I call them the Estuary fans, the folk who have moved generation after generation, out of the poverty of the East End and down the estuary to the sea, where they have bettered their families, given them a chance in life.

Much like my father did for me, although his move was to West London to escape the Blitz (bombed out twice he decided Hitler wouldn't miss a third time and that would be the end of him, and clearly me!)

I have relatives in Stanford-le-Hope, Thundersley, Benfleet, Canvey, Leigh and Southend. None of their kids are Cockneys or were born in east London. But they are Hammers to the core, and they don't like being taken for a ride.

They have all had enough of the Sullivan empire. They are salt of the earth folk, they see things very simply at times, they don't like cheats, conmen, sharp mega-rich people. And that's what they see now running their club.

Andy Swallow and his pals have hit on a rich vein of defiance, anger and a desire to redress a worsening situation. My colleague Graeme Howlett produced an excellent, informative interview with Andy recently, and I genuinely wish him and his crowd well.

They have our club at heart, a bit rough around the edges, but loyal and passionate. I had a length chat on the phone recently with an old friend who understood the objectives but waffled on about too much use of the 'C' word, too many spelling mistakes in the blogs and postings from the Real West Ham Fans Action Group. He reckoned it signified a rather unintelligent rabble.

Bit harsh that, was my reply. I was dumped out of school at 16, only rich kids went into the Sixth Form or to university. My education was far from brilliant, but I made a living from the written word, I blagged it for over 50 years and was grateful when spell-check arrived.

But I am entitled to an opinion and I defy anyone to doubt the belief and passion of Andy and the boys. Just as I resent any doubting if my heritage, where my family if not me, come from, whether I can spell or not. As for the ICF stuff, come one everyone, that was over 40 years ago, they are reformed, tubby, balding, pussy cats now!

My position in all of this is that I have never been a fan of the owners, I have too many friends and former colleagues in Birmingham to have ever wanted to see Sullivan, David Gold and their 'employee' Karren Brady, running my club.

But I am also a realist. A writer not a fighter. I also understand that UEFA and the Premier League rules stops people just throwing vast riches at a problem, even Manchester City have limitations to adhere to, as Pep Guardiola commented on when he insisted that City could not compete with Manchester United for Alexis Sanchez.

Because of the job I had, I think I understand big time football, its finances and why and how people like Sullivan get to own Premier League clubs like ours. And I don't like how they have made their money, it taints us just like it tainted Birmingham.

I have a good friend who used to be on their staff at St. Andrews, and he used to get plenty of stick from his mates about being paid with dirty porn money. When he finally left the club he told me he felt clean at last, not tainted by the porn empire that helped to pay his wages. But I don't put that forward as a main point of opposition. It's just my view, take it of leave it.

No, I think Sullivan reckons this opposition from the hardcore will melt away. I think not, it has 14,000 members and raised £25,000 in a week to fund the march and their activities. And people are angry, particularly after this last week that has also been the final straw for me.

Two things.. Sullivan's patronising "no point" attitude put over by his tame lap dog Jim White. But before that Tony Henry 'racist' stuff, that broke on the night of our failed transfer window, and all but broke my heart too.

I must admit it rocked me. I sat I silence for a couple of hours that night in shocked disbelief that my club had such sickening racist attachment. It went against everything I stand for, politically and culturally.

And I was proud of our fans, this website with its championing of our former black stars, the WHUISA lads for their immediate condemnation, the RWHFAG for holding an emergency meeting and utterly condemning Henry's behaviour.

I find it hard not to believe that someone further up the food chain didn't know about this. Henry used the word "we" and hopefully the FA will get to the bottom of it. The RWHFAG boys came up with a slogan, 'the only colours that matter are claret and blue.' Says it all.

On the TalkSport issue, I am really surprised that people even listen to a crap, shock jock station that is outlandish and offensive just to cause a reaction, to get people to ring in and then listen to their adverts.

TalkSport is owned by the Sun, it was sold to Rupert Murdoch by the deeply unpleasant former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie who founded it and got £83m from the sale to News Corp. The hideous Jim White, the Ron Manager of radio and TV, works for Sky and TalkSport. Both from the same Murdoch stable.

Karren Brady works for the Sun and Murdoch. Need I go on? Don't listen, don't ring in, don't bite back. Turn them off.

So how do we get rid of the board, even if we cannot shift the owners, who are the same thing? Well, they won't sell up until they can get a good price and are clear of the taxation an early sale will generate.

You wonder, though how much money these people actually need. Sullivan is a billionaire, Gold not far short of it. Brady doesn't count, she's an employee even if she has salted away over £80m from her various jobs.

Lets say they can generate a sale of around £500m, which will also get them their shareholder loans paid too. If that deal is after March 2018 they would face 20 per cent tax. If they wait until after 2023 they will pay nothing.

Now 20 per cent of £500m is £100m and that would leave them £400m to be split two ways. Isn't £200m each enough? Ffs. Go now, go in 2018 or go in 2023, many don't care as long as you go, even if it means the taxman getting a few bob more.

And I have finally lost patience with the theory that S&G saved us with their own money. Now my elementary maths comes up with this. They bought Birmingham out of administration, I believe, for £700,000 in March '93. To rich guys, split half each, is little more than 'walking around money'.

A phrase I loved from the Jersey Boys film when Frankie Valli and his mates were shifting stolen booze for the Mob in New York, and paid cash in hand…they called in 'walking around money' instead of a real job. Sorry, I like that story.

S and G then found a mug punter, money launderer Carson Yeung from Hong Kong who bought them out for £81.5m in 2009.

A year later S&G bought 50 per cent of West Ham for around £40m. They spent two more trenches of cash, £8m and £3m in following years to acquire 13.8 per cent more. In July 2013 they spent £20m on 25 per cent more. That's still less that Yeung gave them for Birmingham. So whose money have they actually used to buy West Ham?

Last year they allowed the Yank, Mr 10 per cent J.Albert Smith to buy the Icelandic lot's 10 per cent. Which could easily have cost him £49m. Some of this may be a bit off the mark, but the theory is there, how much have their spent of their own money, and I don't count what is now around £60m of loans that they will get back at over three per cent in 2020.

Sorry that was so long-winded. It has been bugging me for a while, every time I hear someone saw how grateful we should be to the Dildo brothers.

So, march ladies and gentlemen, make your point, please no violence or the media will be all over us. Let Sullivan and Gold know they are no longer wanted. And they do know that they will never be loved.

If you won't go quietly and quickly? Put in a new board to run the club, professionals, but without your involvement. Get a director of football to run the transfers, take a leaf out of the books of Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United who all have boards with a director representing the owners and the rest trusted to run the club.

Keep at arms length. Take your money, the proceeds of your business empires and push off to the sunshine like Joe Lewis does at Spurs. Leave us alone, leave us to run our own club, but please go, just go.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Antonio backing 'ox' Hugill
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

Michail Antonio has backed recent arrivals Joao Mario and Jordan Hugill to be a success at West Ham.

Antonio, who himself made the successful transition from Championship to Premier League in 2015 after arriving at West Ham in a £7million switch from Nottingham Forest believes that 25-year-old Hugill - who cost just a fraction more - can be a big hit with Hammers fans.

And he also welcomed the transfer window capture of Poertuguese international midfielder Joao Mario, who arrived on loan from Inter during January. "I'm very impressed with him," said Antonio. "He's a very technical player with nice flair and his awareness is unbelievable. "I've not trained much with Jordan, but he came on on Saturday and looked like an ox! I've never seen anyone deal with Shane Duffy the way he just put him in his place. They are two great signings. "People talk about the Championship as if it is a foreign world, but there are very technical players down there who have quality. It's a very physical game so being able to deal with the physicality down there, you can definitely deal with the physicality of the Prem." Antonio is currently working his way back to full fitness after several weeks on the sidelines recovering from injury. He featured as a second half substitute at Brighton and should be ready to start against Watford this weekend.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Patrice Evra interesting West Ham after three months as free agent
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 06/02/18 7:14pm
SSN

West Ham are interested in signing free agent Patrice Evra, according to Sky sources The former Manchester United left-back was sacked by Marseille earlier this season and banned for European club games by UEFA following an altercation with a supporter.

The former France captain was sent off before Marseille's Europa League defeat against Vitoria on November 2 last year, after lashing out at a supporter who Evra claimed was abusing him. UEFA charged the 36-year-old under article 15 of their disciplinary regulations, which deals with the misconduct of players, banning him from their club competitions until June 2018. Since he was dismissed by Marseille, Evra has posted regular social media updates of himself training to keep up his fitness, as well as spending time in the Middle East. Evra had joined Marseille in January last year, also on a free transfer, signing an 18-month contract after ending a two-and-a-half-year stint at Juventus. With Manchester United, the defender made 379 appearances and scored three goals in nine seasons in which he won five Premier League titles, the 2009 Champions League, three League Cups, five Community Shields and the FIFA Club World Cup.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham reiterate David Moyes contract position as rumours over future continue
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 06/02/18 6:36pm
SSN

West Ham have "categorically refuted" claims David Moyes is unlikely to remain at the club next season even if they stay in the Premier League. The club issued a statement on Tuesday morning after reports that they were already thinking about a long-term replacement for Moyes, who took over from Slaven Bilic in November. The Scotsman has guided West Ham up to 12th place but they are still only three points above the relegation zone with 12 games remaining. And a West Ham spokesman told Sky Sports News nothing had changed in terms of their long-term management situation. The spokesman said: "The club would like to place on record that it categorically refutes the claims made by the Daily Telegraph regarding manager David Moyes. "There is absolutely no truth whatsoever to this story. As previously stated on a number of occasions, the club and David Moyes agreed a deal until the end of the 2017/18 season, at which point both parties will sit down and discuss the future. "Until then, the board and David Moyes will continue to work closely together with the manager having full responsibility of footballing matters and the full support of the board. "Everyone's sole focus is on trying to achieve results for West Ham United."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham in talks to sign Patrice Evra in shock deal as David Moyes seeks to further bolster Hammers' squad
The 36-year-old defender worked at Manchester United with Moyes during the Scot's ill-fated spell at Old Trafford
The Mirror
ByAlex Richards
Sports Writer
18:51, 6 FEB 2018

West Ham United are in talks to sign Patrice Evra on a free transfer, in a bid to bolster David Moyes' injury-ravaged squad. The Hammers have lost a number of key men to injury recently, including record-signing Marko Arnautovic, playmaker Manuel Lanzini and have seen Italian midfielder Pedro Obiang undergo surgery. With Arthur Masuaku also serving a suspension following his FA Cup spit shame, Moyes has moved to strengthen the left side of his defence after the weekend's 3-1 loss to Brighton. Moyes was forced to use Aaron Cresswell as a left wing-back at the Amex in Masuaku's absence, but prefers the ex-Ipswich defender in the left side of three centre-halves. Evra, 36, will challenge Masuaku as the club's first choice in the wing-back role. He worked with Moyes during his ill-fated stint as Manchester United manager and is available on a free transfer after leaving Marseille in November.
The Frenchman has recently been in Dubai, but has been keeping himself fit throughout his three-month spell out of the game. The ex-Monaco and Juventus full-back left the French club by mutual consent after karate-kicking one of his side's own fans ahead of a Europa League group game against Vitoria Guimaraes. Evra had been jeered by a section of the club's support as he warmed up before the 1-0 defeat to the Portuguese side and had initially gone to talk to fans before the situation escalated. He was fined 10,000 euros (£8,829) and also handed a European ban until the end of the season. However, he is eligible to play in the Premier League.

Evra held talks with Hammers' chiefs on Tuesday, and is expected to sign a short-term deal until the end of the campaign, with the option to extend in the summer. He spent eight years at Old Trafford before leaving in 2014, winning the Premier League on five occasions. West Ham have also released a statement insisting they are continuing to back Moyes, and that no decision over his future will be made past the end of the season. "As previously stated on a number of occasions, the Club and David Moyes agreed a deal until the end of the 2017/18 season, at which point both parties will sit down and discuss the future. "Until then, the Board and David Moyes will continue to work closely together with the Manager having full responsibility of footballing matters and the full support of the Board. Everyone's sole focus is on trying to achieve results for West Ham United."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 6th February 2018

Chicharito: "It was a great goal, but we can not repeat the same mistakes"
WHUFC.com

Javier Hernández did not come out with the best face after the game against Brighton. The defeat of 3-1 embittered the Mexican's gesture despite the fact that, in the first half of the game, he had scored one of the best goals of his career. Despite this, our Chicharito talked with us about the duel at Amex Stadium and many other things. Here your statements.

On the result and the circumstances of the game

"A bittersweet feeling, we can talk about the goal and it was very nice and that a forward gives him a lot of confidence. At that time it was a very important goal because we were down on the scoreboard very quickly and I had that opportunity and thank God I could convert. " "Unfortunately, in the second half the crucial move was their second goal. I think it's one of the best goals of the season. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, whatever you do, it's impossible to predict those things. Sometimes the quality of the players or some play like that totally changes the game. They knew that it was a goal of those who do not leave every weekend. "

The bad weather and the conditions of the court

"It can affect but it is not an excuse because they could also have been affected. They scored 3 goals, we 1. They defended better, they controlled the match better and we did not. We already know that this is the Premier League, we already know that this is the way it is, with good courts, sometimes the weather does not help, sometimes it helps other rivals but I think that has nothing to do with today's result ".

His situation with the team after the speculation about his departure ...

"As I mentioned, despite what was said, I always try to be a professional and now my head is here 100%, I will dedicate myself to 100 as in all institutions I've been, to save ourselves from the descent, which is the goal we all have, from the coach, the players and all the staff that works in the club. We want to save ourselves and we will do everything possible to do it. Now we have to prepare this week for the game against Watford a very complicated opponent, who changed coach and we will see how it goes. "

How to face a fight against the descent that seems very similar?

As we have faced it up to now. I do not remember if last week or two weeks ago we got to be in the 10th place, in the middle of the table practically. So, this is so, you can have two bad results and you are down, you can have two very good results and you are up. This is how it will be. We obviously want to be more consistent, which is obviously the key to saving us as soon as possible and not reaching the last days suffering.

Coach David Moyes said the team had not generated enough opportunities for you , do you think the same?

I do not like to talk about myself. Obviously, I do not think West Ham has anything else to play for a striker, for me or anyone. The reality is that many things were missing, one of them, obviously, that we practically did not have any arrival in the second time, but I think that nothing else was that, it was a set of circumstances that we have to pay attention to next week to work them well and not repeat them against Watford.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Talented goalkeeper Matrevics aiming to stand tall for the Academy
WHUFC.com

Rihards Matrevics is a difficult person to miss. Although he is just 18-years-old, the goalkeeper towers over, well, just about everyone else at West Ham United.
He has been with the Hammers since 2015, but Matrevics' height is still cause for team bonding. "I'm 6'7" which, I think, makes me the tallest person at West Ham!" he laughs. "To be honest, I thought the lads would be used to it by now but they still give me banter about it every now and then."

The Latvian is softly spoken, despite his imposing frame, but there is excitement in his voice when asked about his debut for the Hammers' U23s earlier this campaign. Matrevics was given the nod to play against Leicester City in Premier League 2 Division 1 in September – an experience the shot-stopper will never forget. "To get the nod in that game was incredible. What made it especially great was that the match was played at the King Power Stadium – the ground where Leicester had arguably the best-ever Premier League season. "To be able to stand there and play in a place with so much history – I'll never forget it. Of course, the result, losing 3-1, was disappointing but it was an amazing experience. I want more of those memories."

Standing in Matrevics' path to regular U23 football is England U20 goalkeeper Nathan Trott, who has made the place in Terry Westley's team his own in recent months. Matrevics knows he has a fight on his hands to prise the starting spot from Trott, but recognises that he and his colleague can improve through the competition between the two of them. "Nath is a really good guy and a very talented goalkeeper. He's great to train with as well. The standard is always high in our sessions and we help each other focus. "Obviously, we know we're both fighting to play for the U23s and to progress through the Academy, but it's a healthy competition and we make each other better because of it."

An international player himself for Latvia U19s, Matrevics has featured between the sticks since the age of ten, and names the legendary Italian Gianluigi Buffon – who was a part of the Juventus side that played in the official opening of London Stadium in 2016 – as his all-time hero. "I look up to Buffon, mainly because of the way he bravely attacks crosses. But he also has a sense of calm about him that I would love to bring into my game. Maybe it's his experience, but he's been one of the best for so long."

Emulating Buffon is some way off, though, and Matrevics' more immediate aim is to help the Hammers climb off the bottom of the U18 Premier League South table. "I want to help get the U18s higher up the table and break the spell of bad results. I'm hopeful some good performances might get me another chance in the U23s as well. "The Club has helped me improve a lot over the last three years. This season has been a test for our character but I'm hopeful we can finish the year strong."

Should he do that, Matrevics may soon be gaining the attention his giant frame deserves.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MONDAY'S NEWS ROUND UP: OBIANG OUT FOR THE SEASON, CRESS URGES SQUAD TO STICK TOGETHER, HERNANDEZ UP FOR THE FIGHT
AUTHOR: DAN CHAPMAN. PUBLISHED: 5 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 4:42PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Hello everyone. Here is what has been in the news regarding the Hammers today:

Pedro Obiang is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a knee injury sustained in last month's defeat to Wigan. (Evening Standard)

This goes to show just how badly we needed to sign another midfielder in the January transfer window. We knew that Obiang was potentially out for the season, but yet again the board have left us in a bad position.

Michail Antonio has told the West Ham squad to ignore the unrest around the club. (Evening Standard)

I do find it quite ironic that Antonio is the one to say this, but he still has a point. The players need to remain focused on the pitch, and I am sure that they will be.

Aaron Cresswell has urged the West Ham players to stick together after the 3-1 loss to Brighton at the weekend. (Sky Sports)

I agree with Cress. The boys need to stay together and get us out of trouble, because that is the most important thing for us this season. I am sure the boys will stick together, and I believe that they and David Moyes will guide us away from trouble.

David Sullivan says that West Ham had a £25million bid rejected for Stoke midfielder Joe Allen on transfer deadline day last week. (90 min)

West Ham are interested in signing Porto duo Yacine Brahimi and Vicente Aboubakar in the summer. (The Sun)

I am refusing to believe any transfer rumours from now on, purely because we just know that we will only be left disappointed. The board simply do not care about us progressing as a club, as they will not spend the money to sign any top players.

Javier Hernandez insists he is ready for a relegation battle, and will give his everything for the cause. (90 min)

Javier has picked up a bit of form recently, and we need him to keep it up. We have Arnie and Lanzini coming back soon to give us more attacking threat, and hopefully they will give us some fight and fire us to safety.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHO THE F*** IS VALON BEHRAMI?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 5 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 8:30PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer

"I hope Hugill crashes his car on the way to his medical "was probably the worst of the negative crap spouted about Jordon Hugill. There were loads of the sneering "next level" and "Sullivan special" jibes as well. Without even having seen him play, many are writing the former barman off. This, is the same Jordon Hugill who Roy Hodgson, a shrewd judge of a footballer, tried to sign for Crystal Palace. The same Jordon Hugill, who Harry Redknapp said, was a handful and had the makings to do well at West Ham. It is a myth that Hugill is a "Sullivan special". David Moyes has deep rooted connections at Preston North End, he no doubt took soundings about the player, as well as scouted him personally, liked what he saw and signed him. We have got to trust our manager! Not good enough? Seen him play? Of course, the doubters haven't! The real reason for the negative attitude towards the player is, because he is British and plying his trade in The Championship.

A few years ago, I went to watch our pre-season friendly against Southampton at St Marys, we had just signed Valon Behrami from Lazio for 5.5 million. Believe you me I follow a lot of football, but I freely admit, I'm not someone like @RockyWhu who is a virtual footballing encyclopaedia. I'm sitting in my seat before kick off when the lad next to me shouts: "We have signed Valon Behrami!" I turned to him and said: "Who the f*** is Valon Behrami?" It was like a boxer being caught cold! He, didn't have a bloody clue! If, you look on twitter you would think that nearly everyone is a 'expert' on foreign players! No, they are not. A leak will suddenly appear about a player been linked to a Club. Sometimes a player has no intention of leaving his Club, but just looking for a better deal. The players agent will then use another Club's alleged interest to secure that deal.

The next thing you know social media is on fire, with everyone claiming that this or that player is class, just what we need to take us to the next 'level'. Reality being that few people have seen enough of a player to have a sound opinion of a player. More than half hop on to YouTube have a look at a player's best highlights and think, WOW this or that player is MUSTARD we MUST sign him! I, hold my hands up, I did it with Julian Faubert. Sadly, YouTube does not show anyone the worst of a player. There have been many wonderful talents from foreign shores, who have graced the beautiful game in this country. Players, better technically and far better skill wise than our own, players who have played the game the way Ron Greenwood always envisaged it should be played, with beauty and intelligence.

But in latter years a lot of players have arrived on these shores with great reputations and costing big money. Players who have not settled or have simply not been good enough. Players costing between £25-£30m. Six months later they are either loaned out or sold to someone else if lucky. Otherwise they are kept on your wage bill earning 60,000 per week for doing nothing, crippling clubs financially. Then people wonder why the transfer window was so quiet this month- it's not just a West Ham thing! There is an ever-decreasing pool of talent worldwide, for a variety of reasons: Smaller families, kids have a whole variety of attractions. Children everywhere are far likely to be found on Facebook than kicking a ball around. You CAN still pick up a bargain in Europe and elsewhere, but it is much harder to do so.

Obviously, the transfer window was not a great success. BUT there were aspects that pleased me. First, off Moyes gave the kids a chance and most were found wanting. Football is a brutal game as Toni Martinez found out, now back in Spain and highly unlikely to be back. The, big plus about this window has been this: As long as David Moyes is manager of West Ham United we will not see Sullivan 'specials'. Cheap South American imports from the likes of Barry Silkman or Mark Mackay specials. A striker signed from Brazil's third division, who has scored 63 goals in 80 matches. The days of bum of the month is over believe you me. You heard what Moyes said: "No lucky dips" If Sullivan and the rest doubted him, they will have got the message by now. We have a strong and principled manager, who is more than capable of standing up to The Board.

I would have liked to have seen us get a couple more quality players in this transfer window. But at the same time, I am glad we did not sign absolute dross. Indeed, it is a mouth-watering prospect thinking of João Mário, Lanzini and Arnautovic on the same pitch. I am equally happy to trust our managers judgement, on the young and bustling Jordon Hugill. A player who was so happy to sign for us, on the pitch more than capable of keeping opposition defences busy, allowing the likes of Hernandez to feed off the scraps. Stay, away from West Ham? G&S killed our Club? No and No, we support and back the team! Not the Owners! Neither, can they kill The Club. WE ARE THE CLUB! It's in the blood! No one can kill that! As our song would have it: Just like our dreams they fade and die. Many a time our dreams have indeed died. But that has not stopped us coming back for more. And it never will.

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

COYI!!
Farehamhammer!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes to depart at end of season
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

David Moyes will almost certainly leave West Ham at the end of the season whether the club remain in the Premier League or not. According to an article by Matt Law in the Telegraph, West Ham will almost certainly seek a new manager at the end of the season regardless of how the remainder of the current campaign pans out. And Rafa Benitez, who has been on David Sullivan's hit list for the last three or four seasons is considered hot favourite to be offered the position - although former Hull and Watford boss Marco Silva, who is currently out of work, is also a candidate.

Moyes, who has improved the team's fortunes to a certain degree since succeeding the Slaven Bilic last November has steadfastly refused to talk about his future since joining West Ham. Having failed to impress at Manchester United and Real Sociedad, both of whom fired him with 12 months of taking the job, Moyes was widely considered to be drinking at the last chance saloon when he joined Sunderland - from whom he resigned after failing to keep them in the Premier League last season. His position at West Ham was therefore widely considered to be his last opportunity to impress as a top-flight manager.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I made £25m deadline day bid, claims Sullivan
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

Under fire David Sullivan claimed this morning that he made a transfer deadline day bid for Stoke midfielder Joe Allen. The co-chairman, who is facing a supporter revolt with fans set to march in their thousands against the Board next month told Sky Sports and Talksport presenter Jim White that he made the huge bid for the Welsh international - an offer that was rejected by his club. White, who met Sullivan at Brighton on Saturday also revealed that the 68-year-old had appealed to the fanbase for unity - though as several fans pointed out in reply, the fans appear more united presently than they have been for some considerable time due to their collective opposition to the current regime. The Talksport and Sky presenter was widely criticised by West Ham supporters last week for suggesting Sullivan and his co-chairman David Gold has been "jostled" by supporters following the FA Cup defeat at League One Wigan.

The fans are unified - we want him and @davidgold and @karren_brady gone. No doubt you asked him about the lies ; the failures in the transfer windows ; where the money has gone ; the undermining of our own players ; why we moved to an athletics stadium. You being a journalist??
— Simon Brown (@si_brow) February 5, 2018

White's comments were followed by another slur on West Ham's travelling supporters by fellow Sky anchor Kaveh Solhekol, who claimed that it was "unacceptable for owners to be treated this way", adding that Sullivan and Gold were "doing all they can" to arrest West Ham's disintegration.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan: unity is the key to our success
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

Co-chairman David Sullivan has called for fans to 'unite' behind the team for the remainder of the campaign. The under-pressure co-owner appealed to supporters today just a matter of hours after it was revealed that a supporters' action group had raised almost £25,000 for an anti-Board march next month. Speaking in a statement read out by Board-friendly Sky Sports and Talksport presenter Jim White on his radio show this morning, Sullivan implored fans to get behind the team instead of continuing with anti-Board chanting - as was heard loud and clear at Brighton on Saturday. "Chants of 'sack the board' and opposition to myself and co-owner David Gold will achieve nothing," said a belligerent Sullivan in the statement. "I ask the supporters, every one of them: get behind the team. "Through unity we can turn it all around. We don't want to find that a disappointing season has turned into a disastrous one."

Sullivan's request did appear however to largely fall on deaf ears - with callers to White's radio show united in their condemnation of Sullivan and his fellow Board members.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Sound and the fury
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th February 2018
By: HeadHammerShark

"What happened to ya?
We were one of a kind"
- Ian Brown, "What Happened to Ya? Pt 1"

This article started life as a match report of the game between West Ham and Crystal Palace. That was in January when life was simple and we were a top half team. Then circumstance took over and it has morphed somewhat. Of course, things were different back then. West Ham wasn't a racist club. People at the club seemed aware that we needed new players. Han Solo was Harrison Ford.

But so much has gone under the bridge that as I tried to write this piece I felt like a man using an umbrella to try and catch a fish; wholly unsuited to the task and unable to keep up. I've been abroad with no access to this account so I couldn't post up this piece, and yet with every passing hour it mattered less because the content was rendered obsolete by further developments. I honestly didn't think a club could dissemble this quickly without Mike Ashley being involved.

And now all we hear is sound, and every where we turn is fury. All of which leads inexorably to one simple question:

What has happened to my club?

What. Has. Happened. To. My. Club?

Perhaps it has always been this way. Maybe when other fans were telling us that we were their second team, they weren't simply saying it because of our helpful tendency to play nice football and at the same time roll over for them. I'm now wondering if that faint praise and those half smiles merely disguised a sense of being thankful that it wasn't them. Not for them the constant threat of humiliation and embarrassment. That was our sole preserve.

It is the lot of football club owners that fans will generally always hate them. Supporters place no limit on our ambition, and demand that owners follow our lead. But they are bound by such inanities as money and overdrafts and cashflows and rules and the realities of trying to keep such febrile businesses afloat. I don't doubt that running a football club properly is a job that demands high levels of skill and competence, perhaps outstripping a regular business because those enterprises do not come under such high levels of public scrutiny over every single decision they take.

Next Level

But is anyone still labouring under the misapprehension that West Ham is a well-run football club? Surely even those who refuse to see anything wrong with our leadership so long as they make the crossed Hammers can't call me a Quisling for suggesting that they could be doing their basic tasks a little better than they currently are?

It is February and with the team bereft of fit players due to our annual injury crisis, the Board have allowed five players to leave the squad and brought just two in. They have made our squad smaller at a time when our Premier League place is not remotely secure and when our medical staff appears to be unable to stem the constant flow of injured players. And yet all of that garden variety incompetence doesn't even make the top three things they fucked up most on deadline day.

No, instead we have other crises to manage, namely the insinuation from our (newly minted) Head of Transfers, Tony Henry, that we no longer wished to purchase African players and then the revelation that Leicester will simply not do business with us due to some inane public comments from Karren Brady in her Sun column.

The beauty of this is that at the same time Henry was allegedly emailing out this "club policy" about African players to agents, the deal that was scuppered with Leicester was for the Algerian forward, Islam Slimani. We apparently can't even be racist properly.

And so it came to pass that West Ham fans must once again ponder why our club should always be so different. All fans love to feel they are hard done by, but telling people you support West Ham nowadays invokes an involuntary sense of sympathy from fellow supporters. They might not know the intimate details - the failure to qualify for the League Cup semi final because we forgot a player was cup tied, the requirement to pay Sheffield United £30m+ for the Tevez saga despite their being no legal grounds for it, the record signings who get injured on debut, the homesick player from Oxford, the preternatural gift for identifying soon to be bankrupt sponsors - but in a way, that doesn't matter. In the style of the Trump White House, it has ceased to be relevant what the drama is so long as there is some drama to distract fans.

We have been overwhelmed by a cavalcade of uselessness.

***

"We got to pump the stuff to make us tough,
From the heart"
- Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"

Before all of this happened we actually took a break from causing incredulity and played a game of football. That seems like a quaint nod to a bygone era now, like MTV playing a music clip or Government ministers being competent, and yet it does actually remain the primary activity of West Ham United.

Crystal Palace were in town and they arrived with a fair wind behind them. Since Roy Hodgson took over, they have been surging, with their results finally catching up to the underlying analytics which have suggested all season that they were a good team underperforming.

With the squad decimated, Moyes was forced to improvise and so we saw Pablo Zabaleta deployed into midfield and new signing Joao Mario given licence to roam widely in support of the lone striker, Chicharito, and both did all we could have asked of them. Historically the Mexican has been incapable of performing that role but here he battled and worked and generally did everything that he could to hold back the tide. Behind him Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate stepped manfully into the breach and combined with Zabaleta to take the fight to the visitors, and if we were somewhat fortunate to be on level terms at half time, that engine room drove us forward to a surprisingly progressive second half display.

Legend

I have latched on to Noble somewhat on recent weeks, as a kind of emotional life raft in the roiling sea of being a West Ham supporter. Because the owners are so rarely incapable of projecting a positive image of our club, we are forced to look elsewhere for things to be proud about and Noble couldn't be making me prouder right now.

Forget the longevity and the fact he is a Hammers fan, because those things are nice but they aren't all that relevant. Instead focus on the way he cares. Focus on how he carries himself. Focus on how he represents our club on and off the pitch. As a footballer Noble is having his own resurgence as his experience and ever excellent technical ability allows him to continue controlling games from the middle of the park. But off the pitch he is also everything that this club is supposed to be. He is devoted to his community and an exemplar of how to treat others and give something back to the people who make up West Ham United, whether it's through his soccer schools or his housing project or just the simple ability to talk about football fans with a scintilla of empathy.

At a moment when those who lead our club off the pitch routinely make me ashamed, Noble and his footballing brothers have found a way to restore my faith in the badge by what they do between the lines (you're probably correctly guessing here that this bit was written pre-Brighton). Here they were, battered and tired and with their numbers depleted by boardroom incompetence and yet they more than matched a tough opponent. It hasn't always been the case, but when you take a step back and view this match as dispassionately as possible, our players did us proud.

Supporting Noble was Kouyate, who suffered a nasty head injury early on and returned as the second coming of Ian Bishop. He suddenly found a passing range, and began dominating the game in a way I haven't seen him do before. His astute pass found Chicharito just before half time, from which he and Mario fashioned a chance which was only interrupted by a James Tomkins foul.

Penalty. Noble. You knew he wouldn't let us down.

In the context of what was to later be revealed, it was stirring to see the return of Kouyate to his best form. We need his rangy athleticism and ability to, well, cause mayhem from central midfield in the absence of our more artisanal forwards. How ironic that our best ever African player should be so instrumental in leading the team to this crucial point.

Mario looked lost to start but grew into a physical and frenetic game that saw possession routinely coughed up by both sides with startling frequency. The Portuguese conjured a lovely pass to free Chicharito for the penalty and generally looked the kind of quick-witted, intelligent footballer who will link beautifully with Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic if they are ever all fit at the same time. I also enjoyed that his first touch involved him dribbling straight out of play while Moyes looked on, bemused. Levity amid the gloom.

But the true calling card of Moyesian football seems to be the ability to construct a rock solid defence from the softest of materials. Here he was shorn of yet more bodies and he merely shrugged and rearranged the deckchairs to keep the Titanic afloat. So Aaron Cresswell went back out wide and reminded us all that he crosses with the consistency of a chicken on a High Street, and in came eighteen year old Declan Rice to the middle of the back three and nobody really batted an eyelid. Palace helped us out there somewhat, by channelling almost all their attacking play through the electric Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian is one of those players who makes you inch forward involuntarily when he gets the ball, even as you're encouraging Sam Byram to kick him. And to be fair, Byram did, repeatedly.

But generally we swarmed Zaha when he got the ball and on the one occasion that Palace didn't go through him, Andros Townsend surged to the byeline and crossed for Christian Benteke to head the opening goal. Had they done this a little more often we might have had a tougher evening, but as it was the visitors were indebted to Wayne Hennessey for a terrific save from a second half Chicharito header to keep things level. A point was, all things considered, a pretty fair result.

And then we went to Brighton, and I didn't see that game because I was overseas and sometimes you just have to be grateful that the Universe has been kind to you.

***

"You thought I was cheap, you were the sale of the century,
Creased ourselves up on the way down"
- Sleeper, "Sale of the Century"

And so as we all drifted away through the thin sheen of rain that covered the stadium like mist, the talk turned to the transfer deadline. They've got to do something, we thought. Kudos to Moyes and the boys for that performance, we all thought, but now they need help.

Of course, I should say that such thoughts go against the grain for me. I don't like David Sullivan buying anyone because he doesn't understand football, but I particularly don't like him buying anybody in January because he doesn't seem to understand footballing economics either. So, after a history that includes Mido, Benni McCarthy, Robert Snodgrass and Nene, and public commentary from both Sullivan and Brady that they considered these transfers as failures, it felt natural that we should want the club to sit this window out. After all, they couldn't make any stupid decisions if they didn't make any decisions.

But the other hallmark of the club in recent years has been the chronic failure to keep our playing staff fit. Whatever the club is doing in this regard is not working and it tends to have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the handwritten scrawl on the back of a lottery ticket that our owners laughably call our business plan.

Not only do we drop points due to the weakened sides we constantly have to field, but it has caused the Board to act rashly in trying to plug the gaps. Hence they spent £10m of this summer's budget on Snodgrass when they really only needed him for a few games to cover a player shortage last January, and now they can't even recall him from Aston Villa to do the same this year.

A poor signing, treated poorly

But what was different last year was the context of our league position and the fact that we were just about to emerge from our injury crisis. We enjoyed a brief revival to lift us up the table and by the time that Fonte and Snodgrass arrived it was already pretty evident that we were not going to be relegated. Thank God for Sunderland.

But this year is different, with a whole glut of similar teams all scrabbling around for the same few points, and our playing resources likely to be paper thin for a while yet. As it happens, I think Moyes gives us an advantage over those other teams, but our injuries have reduced his options to the point that we couldn't name a full substitutes bench at Huddersfield. This was not a window in which to suddenly decide to keep our powder dry, and such inertia could prove fatal. Sullivan has taken a huge risk.

And so it was that we came limping into the deadline having failed to do anything beyond add Joao Mario on a loan and Jordan Hugill from Preston North End. I have no issue with the purchase of Hugill, particularly as he has come from Preston and will have been properly scouted by Moyes and Alan Irvine as a result. In a time when English clubs are awash with money, and previously unheralded overseas leagues are churning out good players at higher rates than ever, it is entirely possible that divisions like the Championship and the Scottish Premier League are once again the best place to get value for money. And lest we forget, Cresswell, Michail Antonio and Dele Alli all came from somewhere.

Hugill is perhaps a little older than we might like, at twenty five, but he should know his own game and has already demonstrated a considerable amount of fortitude in rising from the Glen Hoddle Academy to the Premier League. In a team with our problems, I see no issue with adding a player prepared to run himself into the ground, and if he fails, then he is young enough to be resold in a year or two for some sort of return. He is, in that sense, the very antithesis of Benni McCarthy.

Tattoo sleeve, beaming smile. You'll do, son, welcome aboard

The problem with the signing is not with the player but the context. With Diafra Sakho finally gone, and scoring against PSG immediately, we were already light up front. Thus the sale of Andre Ayew for £18m was baffling on a number of levels.

Ayew is, by my estimation, the only footballer under thirty whose value has dropped in the last two years. At a time when Moussa Sissoko costs £30m and £20m is an opening offer for pretty much every Premier League player, we are once more selling our players into a totally different market then we buy from. This is the problem when we feel the need to offer such astronomical wages to attract players to West Ham in the first place. While the owners might think that having the thirteenth largest wage bill in Europe is a sign of ambition, most others see it as a sign of chronic inefficiency and it makes players very hard to shift without reducing their transfer fees drastically. We have fallen into the age old trap of paying players for what they have done elsewhere rather than what they will do for us. Say what you will about Hugill, he will earn his money through his performances in claret and blue. Ask yourself if that could really be said about Joe Hart.

So off went Ayew, Sakho, and Toni Martinez and if anything happens to Chicharito on Saturday then we go to Liverpool with our line being led by Preston's striker. It's a curious time to be alive, no?

***

"How could it ever come to pass? She'll be the first, she'll be the last
To describe the way I feel"
- The Stone Roses, "She Bangs The Drums"

All of which is skirting around the main issue, which can be simply laid out in the question I asked above, namely "What the hell is happening to my club?"

Rumours have swirled around for days now about why we are losing players when we need to add them and why we would be apparently offering ludicrously low amounts to try and pry players away. Those rumours range from the owners asset stripping in preparation for a sale to both HMRC and criminal investigations into our transfers, via a massive cashflow issue to straight up incompetence - the latter still being my best guess.

I understand that transfers are complex and hard to get done, but so are brain surgeries and you don't get to have a go at them because you bought a private hospital. Fans are furious, and while that might not always have a basis in rational thought, I happen to agree that if nothing else, we deserve better than we are currently getting. We shouldn't kid ourselves that our reputation was glittering when they took over, but we were promised that with Karren Brady and her ultra professional stewardship we could look forward to a rehabilitation of our public image.

Instead, they have stumbled from crisis to crisis, stopped off to get into a slanging match with Sporting Lisbon, fallen out with their own players, while slating some we haven't even bought and topped all that by alienating the entire taxpaying population of the country. It might wind us all up, but Jack Sullivan's Twitter account is pretty small beer.

Goodbye

On 10 March the Real West Ham Fans Group are planning to march on the Club, and while I don't really agree with the action I understand it wholly. The burning sense of frustration that is searing through the West Ham support has been grossly underestimated by those in the boardroom. "Wait until the next transfer window" might suffice for the apparently tepid self examinations that pass for Board meetings but that is no comfort to fans driving back from Wigan into a howling gale and wondering why they just surrendered their Saturday for a club that can't help but give off the signal that it despises them.

And now.

Now somehow we have plumbed new depths. Tony Henry's comments made his position untenable. He may have been stitched up by the Mail, the last bastion of anti-racism, but his apparent confusion about why his comments were a problem didn't show that he wasn't being racist, but instead showed that he didn't understand how he was being racist. That's not the same thing. Our club, the first English top flight team to have three black players, does not need such people in it's employ.

And what it all highlights is the total shambles that is our corporate governance. Henry doesn't want African players but we still try and loan Slimani on deadline day. He doesn't think Russian players settle very well in England and still we try to get Fyodor Smolov until the player calls it off because he thinks his club are being lowballed.

Best of all is Henry's concern about how well Italian players adapt when our player of the season so far is literally an Italian of African descent. When Cheikhou Kouyate posts an Instagram picture with the caption "African and Proud" then the club must surely understand that this is beyond their agency to stage manage. You don't get to tell people how they feel. Henry is gone, but significant questions remain.

Ade Coker (and Clyde Best and Clive Charles). Heroes - let's learn our own history

And as an aside, perhaps if the club properly celebrated men like Clyde Best, Ade Coker and Clive Charles a little more obviously, instead of constantly regaling us with tales of a team who finished third, then their employees and fans might be a little more attuned to the relevance of racism in our history. And yes, I realise being black is not the same as being African, but I think we're in the same territory here.

Overriding all of that is the concern about who else knew about Henry's "policy" and why he was talking to the press without apparent supervision. As the lads at Hammers Chat pointed out, Sullivan has been keen to play up links to Henry in the past:

That's vague enough to allow Sullivan to say he was unaware, but if he was then it really doesn't reflect well on a structure that can allow such activity from a senior employee to go unnoticed. This, of course, is the problem with an owner who only wants association with successful transfers. There is a huge hole where a proper, functioning Sporting Director or Director of Football would sit. And you all know where I'm going with that.

As for Karren Brady and her inane column in The Sun, I remain confused as to why this is even a thing. Sullivan's assertion that he would have to pay her more if he didn't let her go off and write for Murdoch, shill for Alan Sugar, help out Philip Green and sit in the House of Lord's doesn't really hold up to scrutiny when she's getting £900,000 a year from us.

Either way, our Karren sure can pick her business associates.

I wonder what Brady's own position would be if a West Ham employee cost the club a transfer due to an artless thought posted online or in a newspaper. I suspect they'd be gone before they could yell "what about slapping women?" through the window.

I've defended Brady many times because I think she is criticised primarily by a lot of West Ham because she is a woman, and for no other reason. In this case, she cannot be defended. Her desire for fame seems to outstrip her desire to do a good job for us. That's a problem.

Which brings us back to that march by the Real West Ham Fans group. As I mentioned, I don't particularly agree with this initial course of action, because it feels like dropping a nuclear bomb as your opening gambit, but that's up to them. I also can't help but concede that they are probably right to think this is the best way to motivate change. But it's a specific problem for the board now. They are toxic and their constant failures are magnified by the media storm they insist on creating around the club. The problem when you're so desperate for attention is that you don't get to duck out when that attention is negative. Where we once went for the Cearns Family and Terry Brown, now it is the current owners, and once that particular rock starts rolling it will be nearly impossible to stop.

I don't want to reach the position where the owners and their families are being abused at games, but it's also possible to see why fans don't feel they have any choice but forceful protest. All of the purported fan engagement ideas of the last few months have led nowhere meaningful. The club is still run disastrously, and we are regressing at an alarming rate. A change has to come. It has to.

I would call once again for the owners to step back and disappear from the spotlight. Hire a Director of Football and give that person carte blanche to modernise the Club. Send the Sullivan boys to German clubs where they can learn their trade at the cutting edge, and not by serving coffee in our club cafe, if it truly is the intention that they are going to one day run this club.

Have Karren Brady reduce her extra curricular efforts and focus her energies on West Ham as a community enterprise. Let's see her turn those formidable talents that we hear so much about and see so little of, to endeavours that matter to fans - Isla's Fight would be an easy cause to pick up and gain ground with fans, so too the long term funding for the Supporters Club, or engaging with WHUISA on all sorts of fan matters. She might argue that she does that already and I might argue that I wouldn't know because I only ever hear about her doing things that are nothing to do with my club.

And that, after all, is what this is all about. This club will endure because it always has, but I find it hard to grasp how badly our owners are currently letting us down. When a player can walk over to the travelling support after a defeat at a promoted club and ask where the money has gone, you know things are bad. The manager deserves scrutiny too, of course, especially as we seem incapable of defending against weaker sides, but the backdrop to all of this seems to be a boardroom culture of incompetence that is suffocating all else inside the club.

So, back to my question, because we are running out of time to get a satisfactory answer.

What is happening to my club?

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Action group appeal smashes target
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th February 2018
By: Staff Writer

The Real West Ham Fans Action Group justgiving fundraiser has reached its £20,000 target - just four days after going live. The strength of depth of anti-Board feeling amongst West Ham supporters has been demonstrated by response to the appeal fund, which smashed through its target figure at the weekend - just four days after the campaign began. And at time of writing, the appeal had topped £24,000 - with almost 1,500 supporters having contributed financially to the group's appeal for donations.
RWHFAG have since announced that they are planning to protest against the Board on 10 March. The short walk from Stratford to the Olympic Stadium is expected to be supported by several thousand West Ham supporters of all ages. The peaceful march is being organised in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police, with the safety of those expected to attend paramount. In addition to a Police presence, Boleyn Ground stewards - many of whom lost their jobs when the club moved from Upton Park - are being asked to marshall the event.

It has also been confirmed that any funds remaining after the march has taken place will be redirected towards Isla's Fund.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pedro Obiang set to miss rest of West Ham's season after undergoing knee surgery
Last Updated: 05/02/18 12:16pm
SSN

West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, according to Sky sources. The 25-year-old suffered medial ligament damage following a tackle from Wigan midfielder Max Power in the Hammers' 2-0 FA Cup fourth-round defeat at the DW Stadium last month. Obiang underwent surgery on the injury at the weekend and is now set for a lengthy period of time on the sidelines. In the immediate aftermath of the match on January 27, David Moyes said: "Pedro looks as if he's got a medial knee ligament, we will have him sent for a scan to tell us exactly what's wrong."

Prior to the injury, Obiang had featured 26 times for West Ham this season, scoring twice, including a spectacular long-range strike against Tottenham at Wembley.
West Ham are without a win in their last four games in all competitions and suffered a 3-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday to leave themselves three points above the relegation zone.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Karren Brady confirms West Ham are not affected by latest London Stadium athletics event
The Hammers vice chairman was asked about the latest event to take place in E20
Football London
BySam Inkersole
West Ham Correspondent
18:00, 5 FEB 2018

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has said the World Cup of Athletics will not mean the Hammers will be unable to use their home ground for the first few weeks of next season. The new athletics event was announced to be held on July 14 and 15, a little less than a month before the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season, which is due to kick off on the weekend of August 11/12. A week after the world cup event, the London Stadium will also play host to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in the capital, which means some of the seating will need to be taken out of the arena so the running track can be exposed. Brady was asked on Twitter if the club will be playing their first few games of next season away from E20 once again as a result of the new event coming in and the vice-chairman responded, as you can see below.

Lady Karren Brady
✔
@karren_brady
Thanks for the tweet I can confirm that the entire stadium will be back in full football mode by 1st August &WHU fixtures take priority. For the IAAF - the contract to host that tournament was signed before we signed our agreement, so that was the only exception to priority rule https://twitter.com/themadduck/status/960515151488339970 …
3:31 PM - Feb 5, 2018
113 113 Replies 17 17 Retweets 53 53 likes

In her tweet, Brady said: "I can confirm that the entire stadium will be back in full football mode by 1st August and WHU fixtures take priority. For the IAAF - the contract to host that tournament was signed before we signed our agreement, so that was the only exception to priority rule." At the start of this current campaign, the Hammers were forced to play their first three games of the season away from home - they lost all three - after the World Athletics Championships were held in the former Olympic Stadium last summer. The retractable seating takes at least a fortnight to put back in place, transforming the stadium from athletics mode to football mode and costs around £4m every time to do it as well. For the world championships this past summer, only the seats in front of the east stand were removed to try and speed up the process, which is expected to happen again ahead of the new football season coming around. The event in July will see eight nations - Great Britain, the USA, South Africa, Poland, France, China, Germany and Jamaica will battle it out over a £1.42m prize pot over the two-day event in E20. One male and one female from each nation will compete in each event. The stadium is also hosting the Anniversary Games on July 9 and the Diamond League meeting the weekend after the World Cup event, with the London meeting scheduled for July 21 and 22.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Exclusive: David Moyes unlikely to remain at West Ham beyond end of season - even if club avoid relegation
Matt Law, football news correspondent
5 FEBRUARY 2018 • 4:03PM
The Telegraph

David Moyes is unlikely to extend his stay at West Ham United past the end of the season – whether or not the club stay in the Premier League. West Ham's 3-1 defeat to Brighton put them back in relegation danger and meant the club have not won any of their last three Premier League games. During their poor run, the Hammers were also dumped out of the FA Cup by League One Wigan Athletic. Despite the fact Moyes dragged West Ham away from the bottom three after succeeding Slaven Bilic on a six-month contract, the club are already expected to be searching for a new permanent manager in the summer. Rafa Benitez remains a possible target with his Newcastle United future seemingly dependent on whether or not Amanda Staveley's takeover bid is successful, while Huddersfield Town's David Wagner is well liked. The fact Marco Silva is now out of work and would not cost anything in compensation to appoint would be interesting to the Hammers.
West Ham sacked director of player recruitment Tony Henry last week following accusations of racial discrimination, although his departure will have no bearing on the future of Moyes.

There have been tensions behind the scenes regarding West Ham's transfer policy with Moyes failing to land a number of targets in January. Although West Ham signed Jordan Hugill from Preston North End, they missed out of Islam Slimani and Ibrahim Amadou at the end of the transfer window and Moyes now looks short of players after being hit by injuries. West Ham also made a failed bid for Anderlecht's Leander Dendoncker and could move again for him in the summer, even though Belgian sources claim Moyes is not particularly keen on the player. Moyes has already made it clear that he will assess his options at the end of the season and is not planning talks about his or the club's long-term plans before then. Should he keep West Ham in the Premier League, then Moyes may well have options elsewhere and if he does not then he is fully aware there is little chance of West Ham keeping him on. Other than having to face questions over Henry's departure last week, Moyes has also seen co-owner David Sullivan give an interview in which he revealed his son had told him not to sign Jose Fonte and Karren Brady criticise the signing of Robert Snodgrass in her Sun column.
It later transpired that Moyes had been interested in recalling Snodgrass from his Aston Villa loan. West Ham fans have turned their anger on Sullivan, co-owner David Gold and vice-chairman Brady, singing 'sack the board' and unveiling banners calling for them to leave. A number of supporters' groups are planning to march together, under the banner of West Ham Groups United, before the home game against Burnley on March 10th and have discussed hiring 20 hearses to signify the 'death' of the club and its tradition. Sullivan, though, has claimed any protests against him will achieve "nothing" and insisted the Hammers need unity.
"I ask the supporters, every one of them: get behind the team," Sullivan told TalkSport. "Through unity we can turn it all around. We don't want to find that a disappointing season has turned into a disastrous one."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com