Evra: I will bring my winning mentality in every game!
WHUFC.com
Having captained his country, appeared at five major tournaments, won seven league titles and 22 trophies in total, including the UEFA Champions League, Patrice Evra has achieved more than most in football. But that does not mean West Ham United's latest signing is ready to hang his boots up just yet; far from it, in fact.
Still as fit and hungry as ever at the age of 36, the Hammers new boy told whufc.com he is looking to build for a successful future, rather than dwelling on his illustrious past…
Patrice, you enjoyed great success playing in the Premier League, winning five titles, and are also an all-time Premier League great yourself, so how excited are you to be back in the Premier League with West Ham United?
"I'm excited, but a lot of people talk about the past and the most important thing is the present. The Patrice Evra of Man United is done. Now is a new challenge, which is the Patrice Evra playing for West Ham. "I am proud and I'd like to say thanks to the fans, but the easiest part is to say it on camera, while the hard part is to give 100 per cent of myself, every time I wear the shirt here, because I respect the people who got me here and it's very important for me to give my best to the Club."
We have watched your videos where you said you will 'never rest' and you 'want to win more and more until you die' so, you still love this game?
"Of course, this is my motto. I am a very positive person, I love to be happy, smiling and laughing, but I always say the Patrice on social media is Patrice, but Patrice Evra is the one who is working hard. "For me, this is my adrenalin, this is really important for me so now I just want to challenge myself.
"People as 'Why are you still playing? You have nothing to prove' but every day you wake up, you have something to prove to yourself. That's me.
"When I was working on my own, not one time was I thinking about retirement or something like that. Every day I was going to training with a lot of anger, so I am really happy to have done my training today. I am feeling good. "In life, nobody gave me anything for free, so that's why I know I have to work hard and that's what I like to do."
You've not played competitively since November, but you have been training and keeping fit, so are you ready to make an immediate contribution?
"I am someone who lives in the present. I have been straight with the manager, so let's see how I feel. Today was a very good day and after tomorrow we will see.
"I am someone who doesn't like to lie, so if I don't feel good I will say to the manager 'I don't feel good' but for the moment I am in good shape, so let's keep working hard."
We know you are a leader, have a great character and are a winner – what will you bring to West Ham?
"I will bring my winning mentality in every game! Even in training and in the gym, in everything you do, you have to have that winning mentality. "When you win one game, you must always think about the next one, so that's what I will bring here. For me, winning is something normal. "I will do my best to bring to my teammates that mentality and they already have it, because when you are a professional football you should have it. "For the first time in my life, I've been without a club for three months, which showed me how lucky I was, so that's why, when I woke up today, I had the biggest smile on my face. I couldn't believe it. "This is enough talking. Now I want to go to the pitch and show the people how happy I am!"
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West Ham close in on (another) free transfer
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th February 2018
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have been linked with a move for Ghana international Daniel Opare, who is available on a free transfer. The 27-year-old defender - whose contract was due to expire in the summer and was already being monitored by West Ham - was unusually sacked by German club Augsberg, who promptly withdrew their offer of a contract extension after it was revealed the player had held unsanctioned meetings with Bundesliga rivals Schalke. And now the £3million-rated international is said to be closing in on a free transfer move to West Ham, having also been linked recently with the likes of Leicester and Everton.
Opare, a right back by trade saw his contract terminated last weekend, after his club revealed they had taken the unusual step due to "gross indiscipline and dishonesty". Augsberg added that he had consistently lied with regards to his future position. "FC Augsburg stands for values such as down-to-earthness, teamwork, reliability and honesty," read a club statement. "Recently, Daniel Opare has repeatedly violated these values. "For this reason, the FCA has withdrawn its offer of a contract extension. In addition, the FCA has informed the 27-year-old in a personal meeting that he can look for a new club with immediate effect."
FC Augsburg
✔
@FCAugsburg
Daniel #Opare wird nicht mehr für den #FCA auflaufen und kann sich kurzfristig einen neuen Verein suchen! 👉 http://bit.ly/Opare
5:37 PM - Feb 3, 2018
Born in Accra, Opare moved to Europe in 2010 in order to join Real Madrid's reserve team, Castilla. He made a name for himself at Standard Liege in Beligium (2010-14) before joining Porto, where he failed to make an impact. A loan spell with Besiktas followed before he joined Porto - but after just one season in Portugal he left to join his latest club for an undisclosed fee.
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THURSDAY'S NEWS ROUND UP: EVRA'S 'WINNING MENTALITY', OPARE TO JOIN?, ARTER LINKED AGAIN!
AUTHOR: DAN CHAPMAN. PUBLISHED: 8 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 12:44PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Hello everyone. Here is what is in the news regarding the Hammers today:
New West Ham signing Patrice Evra says he hopes that his winning mentality will rub off on his new team-mates. (Evening Standard)
Sky Sports pundit Craig Bellamy says that he believes Patrice Evra could struggle at West Ham. (Sky Sports)
I hope Patrice does bring that winning mentality to the club, because we need more of that. The experience and success that Patrice Evra and Pablo Zabaleta have had in their careers is outstanding, and hopefully they can both have a big impact on the rest of the squad.
West Ham are close to signing Ghanaian defender Daniel Opare on a free transfer. (HITC)
If I remember correctly, we were linked with him a couple of years ago. I can't say I have seen too much of him because that would be lying. However, he is only 27 and he is a free agent, so I can have no complaints over this. The only thing that I have to question about this deal is, what does this mean for Sam Byram?
Harry Arter has put West Ham on alert after admitting that he is ready to quit Bournemouth in the summer. (Mirror Football)
No offence to Harry Arter, but if you aren't starting games for Bournemouth, then you aren't starting games for West Ham. Bournemouth wanted £15m for Arter last month, but I just do not think he is a player we should be looking at. Not only do I think he is not worth that, I just do not think he is very good.
West Ham have confirmed that Toni Martinez has joined Spanish side Real Valladolid on loan until the end of the season. (Sports Lens)
Good luck to Toni on his loan move. I think he needed the move to prove himself at another level first, because I don't think he is ready for the first team just yet.
Marko Arnautovic is in a race to prove his fitness ahead of this weekends game against Watford. (Football London)
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Welcome to the mad White House
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th February 2018
By: Casey H. Moore
I've been lied to multiple times in the last week. The most recent have a lot more in common after yesterday. I was told that my President had the most viewed State of the Union (yearly speech to the nation) in history and that Leander Dendoncker wasn't signed because they couldn't get a medical done in time. What do these two things have in common?
Both are lies to hide the truth of failures from the people it matters to. Both come from a group of people looking to save their asses. Both come from people who have large egos that look for ways to cover their lies by making greater waves. And finally? Both lead to many weird conspiracy theories.
In recent weeks, the President and his administration have been labelled racist (Hi Mr. Tony Henry!). And apparently the President's ego is so large he refuses to be wrong on anything (Hi Mr. Sullivan!) and won't step aside to allow others to do the job correctly (again, paging Director of Football, Mr. Sullivan).
The similarities are striking and all I know is that I am so damn tired of politics at the moment and I come to watch the football and just zone out.
Not today lads, not a day after we ship out two forwards for nearly £30m, we spend all day making 10 bids because, again, we don't have a true director at the helm, we are labelled racist because Tony Henry is a moron and I honestly think they let that story continue to leak because it's a directive from the board.
Like the current administration in our White House (wanting to keep the house white) I cannot see how this directive could have gone unnoticed by our director of football. Why? Because he hasn't a clue how to run a team on the pitch.
Scattergun approaches don't work at this level of football so we continually paper over the cracks because it is vastly apparent to everyone outside the organisation that our fearless leader is way out of his depth but no one will tell him that [are you beginning to see comparisons here?].
Listen, I know at this point you are thinking, "KEEP POLITICS OUT OF MY FOOTBALL!" Well, I would if my football didn't so closely resemble my politics. The disorganization, mishandling of the players, the press, of the supporters is absolutely staggering.
I recently went to the London Stadium for the first time (versus Leicester) and all I kept hearing was it is shite but this is the best atmosphere we have had for a match that wasn't against Spurs or Chelsea. But it certainly wasn't the same. It was no Upton Park.
We were sold a dream by a snake oil salesman and changes were made, yet not one single promise has been kept. And all I can see is supporters hoping and praying that things, such as the Tony Henry comments, are the downfall of the Board - much like Americans wait to see what this investigation digs up.
So let's recap:
1. Giant ego getting in the way of the success of our club
2. Lied to the people to gain trust and then not following up on promises made
3. Total lack of understanding of the job at hand
4. Controversial policies leading people to claim racism
5. Using said controversy to switch the spotlight from their own issues
6. Wears funny hat that most likely has connections to Russia
I just feel we don't have much choice anymore. Rally! Unfortunately, it seems that I am having to rally in the States. Real West Ham Fans Action Group will be marching to the Burnley match on March 10th. We cannot go unheard if we are really that upset - and I am.
Lastly, come on you Irons!
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.
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WE ARE WEST HAM UNITED!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 8 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 9:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Richard Osis @richie_fingerss
I haven't written an article or blog for a while now, to be honest I haven't felt inspired enough to do so.
In fact I've actually found myself quite withdrawn from West Ham as a whole a lot of the time, mainly because of the fact I live in Wales and don't have the money or time to travel to many games. I do still go a few times a year, mainly away games now.
I remember when I had a season ticket, I used to see the same faces all the time and I felt a lot more involved with things. Over the last few years, I would say there are only a handful of Hammers I consider good friends and they know who they are.
Recent events, mainly on social media have inspired me to write this particular blog. I feel like I need to get my opinion heard. There's a lot more to say than even the extended character limit on twitter allows me to do.
The biggest subject of debate/angst/argument these days seems to be how unhappy people are with the board.
To be honest, I've found myself on the fence for quite a long time. On the one hand, I firmly believe that they got a lot of things right. They certainly steered the club away from the potential financial ruin that it was facing when the infamous Icelandic owners were in place.
But I also feel like they have gotten an awful lot wrong too. I don't want to get into nit picking every single thing because I think it has been exhausted far too much already elsewhere.
Whilst I understand people's frustration with the current state of affairs at our beloved club, I have to say I am deeply saddened to see so many people turning that frustration into misplaced anger and hatred both towards the board members themselves and fellow supporters!
In recent weeks it has become almost impossible to say anything that remotely even defends any of the board members without being verbally abused and even threatened or intimidated on social media. I for one am disgusted by what I have witnessed and I don't care how old you are or how long you say you have supported West Ham, in my eyes you are no more than bullies and thugs. Whatever your feelings are, human beings deserve an opinion without feeling so threatened.
That said, I want to move on to actually provide what I feel is the root cause of our distress. It's the stadium! No honestly I mean that and I will explain why.
Don't get me wrong, I feel that if done right, the stadium move could have been and still might be the right move for this club. But let's have a closer look at what West Ham itself represents.
West Ham is a working man's club, a cockney, no frills club that historically doesn't really tend to win much and that's how we used to like it.
From time to time our academy players became amazing and that's what excited us. I remember watching the likes of Rio, Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and many others emerge from the famous academy.
To go along with that we had the average players at small transfer fees that would at least fight for the team and play decent football and some of those even became cult hero's because they played for our badge.
Traditional West Ham fans are about pie and mash, dirty carpets in pubs like the Boleyn that had character. The smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke to accompany the pre match banter.
In Stratford we have been forced to go to a sterile, clean, posh and modern world with bars instead of pubs and popcorn and pizza!
That's not what West Ham's about! And here in lies some of the root cause of the problem.
The board themselves made some promises to compromise us being ripped away from our spiritual home and said that they would spend big money and take us to the next level.
Let's be honest, no one expected that to mean instant trophies or champions league football off the bat! But we were sold some dream about star players, and at the least trying to compete to qualify for Europe or to try and win some domestic cups!
Alas so far we do not see the club challenging for any trophies, and we are still fighting relegation every season!
If we wanted that we could have at least kept our own stadium? We knew the score at Upton Park was always going to be along those lines. And we didn't care much because we enjoyed watching our average team be very average but every now and again offer up a giant killing or a decent cup run. It didn't matter because we knew what we were and we accepted it.
The transfer policy has also been a sham since the move to our new stadium; the players we sign are either has beens with a last pay cheque or mercenaries who don't care about the badge they are wearing and just want to pick up a nice pay cheque.
Then we look at the fact that despite all this the owners make things worse for themselves by undermining their managers when it comes to the transfer market, publicly insulting the likes of Snodgrass and Fonte who are both registered to the club as our players! And many more public mistakes that have left them with a serious amount of egg on their faces.
There has been a catalogue of silly mistakes they've made that have resulted in most of us feeling so disgruntled.
Put all this together with the teething troubles that the club had when first moving to the London Stadium which led to many fans believing that they had been deliberately misled, it is easy to understand why so many people believe that the board have lied and cheated everyone.
I don't agree that they've done any of the above on purpose, even if a lot of people do. I think that they were perhaps naive and lacked proper clarity of the facts when it came to the stadium and a few other issues. For example I don't think they were made aware of how bad the situation with retractable seating would be or how the views were a lot further away from the pitch than they anticipated.
When they passed on to us fans that we would have priority over athletics, I believe they understood it to be correct. I know a lot of you out there will disagree with me and say that they deliberately lied to us.
So where do we go from here? How do the board put things right? As things are with a lot of what I'm seeing on Twitter, I think the board could cure cancer and still be hated.
But they could go a long way towards putting things right this summer. In my opinion it will take for them to commit their finances towards a £100-150M transfer fund in August, and then follow it up by backing the manager (whoever that may be, hopefully Moyes) to make their own transfers without getting involved or interfering.
Then they need to put the wheels in motion to purchase the London stadium and go about properly converting it into a football venue, much like Manchester City did with their own stadium after inheriting it.
Then from that point on, they need to stay out of the newspapers and stop publicly making idiots of themselves by slagging off their own players or publicly praising rivals like Tottenham.
If they can at the very least do all of those things (which is very doubtful in my opinion) then they go some way towards perhaps winning some of the faithful over again. The alternative in my eyes would be to acknowledge that they cannot or will not put their hands in their pockets and sell up to allow someone that will come in and invest the money themselves. It is the only realistic way I can see this club moving into the next level as they called it.
I'm no business expert, I'm not clued up on football clubs and how to run them. But from where I'm standing, surely with the huge amounts of money in the game at the moment, having saved so much on the Stadium move, converting it properly and pumping some cash into the transfer kitty isn't too hard to achieve? Either this lot need to do it or someone else needs to. But will they be prepared to sell up?
Hand on my heart, I get why so many are angry. I am too. But with more perspective than some of the twitter trolls it seems, because I honestly do not think West Ham are in that much of a mess as people make out. As I said, we have always been this way. I think it boils down to expecting more due to not being at our beloved Upton Park anymore. And I get it! I really do! I want to see us moving on to the next level, and had we stayed put, I wouldn't care less if we carried on with the same old West Ham way of not winning that much.
But we are where we are so it's time to put things right and actually help us move on financially. They've made mistakes, they can still put it right. But for now, my plea to those reading this, is please stop abusing each other on social media. And stop bullying and intimidating those who have a different opinion to yours. We are all humans who love West Ham.
It does not matter if someone supports the board and you don't. Someone's opinion will not affect your life directly so there's really no need to turn into a troll over it.
Let's hope for a brighter future. Come on you irons!!
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Patrice Evra could struggle at West Ham, says Craig Bellamy
By Ron Walker
Last Updated: 08/02/18 10:29am
SSN
Patrice Evra's increasing age means West Ham could struggle to get much out of the 36-year-old on his return to the Premier League, says Craig Bellamy. The full-back joined the Hammers on a free transfer on Wednesday, three months after he was sacked by Marseille for kicking one of their own fans. Evra has a wealth of experience in the Premier League, winning the title five times under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and was first-choice under current Hammers manager David Moyes during the Scot's short-lived spell as Old Trafford boss.
A move to Juventus in 2014 prolonged his career at the top level of European football, but after falling out of favour with the Old Lady he had also become a fringe player at Marseille before his contract at the Stade Velodrome was terminated in November. "He hasn't been the same player in the past four or five years," Bellamy told The Debate. "His last year at Juventus was really poor, and he isn't the same player he was when he worked [under Moyes] four years ago. "Age catches up with you, and he's in that position. It's a great move for him and his experience will be great for a club like West Ham, but I don't believe they're going to get much out of him playing-wise."
Bellamy added he was unsurprised Evra, who was still France's first-choice left-back during their run to the European Championships finals last year, had been overlooked by other Premier League clubs during the January transfer window. But fellow guest Charlie Adam, however, felt the only question mark would lie over whether his arrival would block the path of England World Cup hopeful Aaron Cresswell. "I think it's an excellent move for both parties," Adam said. "He's an experienced player, who will get them going, he's a lively character too. "What he did [at Marseille] was wrong and he paid the price for it, but I'm surprised no other Premier League side came in for him."
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WEST HAM AND FIGHTING RACISM – THE NEXT STEPS.
By Blind Hammer 8 Feb 2018 at 08:00
WTID
Blind Hammer looks at how West Ham should actively repudiate Henry by celebrating its history of Black Players.
Like many West Ham supporters I was appalled by Tony Henry's email. ". Of course its toxic nature was made infinitely worse by the infamous inclusive "we" with whom Henry prefaced his obnoxious comments. He was obviously supremely confident that these bigoted, ignorant stereotypical remarks would find wide support amongst the club hierarchy.
The rapid dismissal of Henry was an inevitable first step but the club must do much more if they are to reduce lingering suspicions. Henry's confidence that his views would find backing at the highest levels is a potential smoking gun which should worry senior managers. We urgently need further action.
As a first step we should acknowledge far more prominently the culture and tradition of West Ham promoting Black footballers. A tradition that is diametrically opposed to the Alf Garnett Racist stereotyping of our club and its supporters.
This alternative tradition is far older than many supposed. Regular readers of my column will remember how last year I celebrated the career of Fred Corbett. A trail blazer who was the first ever black footballer to play for our club. Corbett was one of the tiny numbers of black players in his era He was there at the birth of our club. He actually made his debut for Thames Ironworks before transferring into the inaugural West Ham United. Of mixed race, Corbett was a product of the East end, and a prolific scorer at youth team level playing for St Luke's, the local side who produced many players for West Ham. Corbett made his debut during the 1888-1899 seasons as an 18 year old right wing forward for the Ironworks. He made his debut as a West Ham player in the 0-1 away defeat to Reading on the 16th September 1899. He provided his first goal and the winner in his fifth game for the club on the 6th October 1900 in a 0-1 away win at Swindon. His finest moment in a West Ham shirt came on the 30th September 1901 when he scored a hat trick in the 4-2 win against Wellingborough Town, then a much bigger game.
In total Fred Corbett played 35 times for West Ham and scored a respectable 15 goals before moving on to have a long professional career with Bristol rovers. Despite the fact that West Ham had produced a black professional footballer, and provided an opportunity for him to flourish the WHUFC website is bizarrely silent on this. Corbett was brought through in an era of sometimes savage Empire racism. Negative attitudes to other races, in addition to notion of a "white Man's Burden" abounded. The story about Corbett is about an extraordinary individual, and an extraordinary club both of whom defied this prevailing racism to allow Corbett a platform to display his talents.
We should be proudly shouting this remarkable history from the rooftops. However if you consult the club website this is a story which is invisible. All they say about Corbett is a terse comment that the then manager Syd King Often played George Radcliffe and
Fergus Hunt ahead of him.
This is a massive wasted opportunity. We should celebrate this tradition rather than hide it. And it is a tradition. West Ham has throughout my life provided opportunities for black players when it was unheard of elsewhere. We rightly celebrated the life of Cyrille regis but West Ham were providing trail blazing black players an opportunity a whole generation earlier.
At my first game at Upton Park in 1968 I was thrilled by a stupendous goal by Martin Peters which won the ITV Big Match award for goal of the season. A critical assist in the build-up was provided by our black left back John Charles. Charles provided the instant defence splitting pass to allow Sissons to race on to feed Peter's memorable volley past Leicester's startled Shilton. So in my first ever game I saw John Charles, a black footballer playing for West Ham. I grew up thinking it was normal, unaware of how unusual it was at the time.
This unacknowledged tradition is a point which Clyde Best is particularly puzzled by. In his autobiography he argues west ham has never done enough to celebrate their positive trail blazing role. He points out how West Ham were the first team to field 3 black players in a team a full decade before West Brom's more famous "Three Degrees" of Regis Cunningham and Batson. Clyde Best, Ade Coker and Clive Charles did not achieve similar heights to West Brom's "Three Degrees" but, as Best points out, if West Ham had not paved the way the West Brom trio would have found it more difficult. Regis personally told best that it was when, as a teenager, he watched him on TV, that Regis had crucially developed his belief that he also could make it as a black centre forward. Best's Autobiography is littered with statements from players such as Garth Crooks who all took inspiration from West Ham playing of Clyde Best.
Best describes the warmth and support of players like Bobby Moore; harry Redknapp, Geoff Hurst and above all Ron Greenwood. He complains at the unfair lack of recognition and acknowledgement to Greenwood's revolutionary approach. He argues that it was Greenwood who was determined to allow black players to succeed at the top level. It was Ron Greenwood and not Ron Atkinson who was the true trail blazer.
This is a tradition we should make more of. I remember standing on the then grass turf at the end of crystal Palace's old ground watching Ade Coker score with a stupendous goal on his debut. Sadly Coker did not make it through to become a first team regular but the point is that we celebrated it at the time.
If you read Liam Rosenior's biography West Ham is the only club he truly celebrates and feels at home with. It is the only club with which he does not recall complaints of racism. He recalls fondly and with humour how even the hooligans of the ICF assured him of their undying support.
I am never one to deny that racists have been amongst supporters and probably players and staff at West Ham over the years. Yet we have a finer counter tradition. A tradition we should be prouder of and celebrate more. Now more than ever this is the tradition we should celebrate.
COYI
David Griffith
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HAMMERS CLOSE TO SIGNING DANIEL OPRE
JACK RILEY @jackriley117
ReadWestHam
West Ham United are closing in on the signing of Ghanaian right back Daniel Opare, who is now out of contract, according to Graphic. Two days ago, the full back was released from his contract at German Bundesiga side FC Augsburg, because of ill discipline. He reportedly wished to leave Augsburg in the January transfer window, which caused tension between him and the management of the club, ultimately resulting in him leaving and now being a free agent. West Ham, who recently signed free agent full back Patrice Evra, may look to do the same thing, just on the other flank. He was nearly ever present for Augsburg so far this season, with 17 league appearances, and has been superb as they are now seventh in the Bundesliga, just three points off 4th placed Borussia Dortmund in the last Champions League spot. Although the troubles between Opare and the club are over, the talent they are missing might be crucial as to whether they get into European football or not. A number of sides are currently monitoring his situation, including English Premier League rivals Leicester City, Stoke City and Everton. However, David Moyes is confident in bringing him to the capital. The 16 time capped Ghanaian will be looking at where his career takes him. He certainly has the talent, as shown in the previous few months, and the Hammers may be the club to benefit from it, especially for free.
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WHAT DAVID MOYES NEEDS
By Goatygav 8 Feb 2018 at 17:00
WTID
Lord Kitchener's iconic image has loomed at the back of the mind of late. Whatever you feel about the owners of the club at the moment I think we all, or at least the vast majority of us, are behind the manager and what he's trying to do at the club. Personally I am as frustrated as the next West Ham fan when it comes to the signings, or lack of, and all the other missing aspects of the 10 point pledge.
I'm trying to avoid writing about what the owners of the club are up to, or more like are not up to, at the moment. It's proving to be quite difficult. As I write we've just signed Patrice Evra . Correct me if I'm wrong but did the manager state that an area we need to strengthen, with new players, was Full Back? Did David Moyes say he needs fresh, or perhaps not so fresh, blood in wide areas? Slipped me by if he did. From memory midfield was the key position to improve. Has to make you question who is making the signings.
After a terrible couple of weeks, which I won't go over again as it's been extensively discussed already, it does look like there's some light at the end of the 'injury tunnel'. Joao Mario has done well, in my view, since joining however our slump since the injuries to Arnie and Manu is dramatic. Physioroom.co.uk are currently quoting dates of 10th Feb and 3rd March for those two respectively. I'm hopeful and optimistic (default when it comes to West Ham for me) that we'll soon see the team actually have some attacking ideas before too long. Fingers crossed – eh?
On the subject of injuries this weekend's opponents currently top the injury table with 11 players out of action. Could have been 12 unable to take the field if the F.A. had taken action against Troy Deeney for his single finger gesture towards fans during the Chelsea game. The lack of action against the Watford livewire did, admittedly, take me by surprise. It would take a four goal winning margin for us to leapfrog them in the league but the 3 points are more important in the great scheme of this season. I guess league positions are important as the club gain further income the higher we finish. Not that it really matters to us fans – is that likely to lead to better quality signings at the end of the day anyway?
The squad is thin. The spine is short on numbers for backup. We have cover out wide. Why pay high wages to an ageing player we don't really need? Cresswell and Masuaku (when the silly boy returns) are both good players on the left. Byram has put in some excellent game-time there too. As good as he his, sorry – I just don't get it. At best it's excessive – at worst profligate. If David Moyes initiated this move I'll be gobsmacked. What's worse he's going to wear the 27 shirt.
As a fan who attends between 5 and 7 games a season I'm not going to pass judgement on those who part with their hard earned on a more regular basis. That being the case I won't suggest that fans don't vent their spleens at the club's owners on matchdays. After all you can probably gather from the tone of this piece my opinion on the level of backing I believe recent managers have enjoyed, or put up with, from the board. What I would like to see is that, at the same time as a vocal protest, those same fans show their support for David Moyes, his coaching staff and the players. He needs us all to get behind the team. None of us want to end up going down – at least I hope that we don't. Even if you would cut your nose off to spite your face by wishing it on our owners for their failure to deliver the signings we all deserve I would still hope fans would never wish to be relegated. There's certainly a better chance of that happening if we don't get behind the boys.
COYI! West Ham 4 The 2019 Cup!
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Once happy Hammers call on owners to 'come up with a plan' to save West Ham
JOHN DILLON
ES Sport
At Chelsea managerial crises come and go as the saga of Antonio Conte's life on the brink is currently proving once again. At Arsenal, its one week on, one week off for many protesting fans depending on whether the team are humiliated by Swansea City or sweep Everton majestically off the park. Of course, signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also helps. Tottenham? A week without Harry Kane scoring is about as bad as things get these days. At West Ham, however, trouble, strife, aggro and unrest seems like a permanent condition. And it is difficult to get away from the feeling that until they do something radical to change the nature and the atmosphere of the dreadful London Stadium, it is all going to carry on for a very long time.
For decades – it's nearly 38 years since the Hammers won anything – the supporters could live without success because they knew what their club meant and what it stood for. They wanted success, of course. But they couldn't have it. So they carried on backing the club with extra-ordinary levels of devotion and ferocity, anyway. Now, adrift at a new home that as might well be christened Limbo Land, those fans have lost touch with the roots which sustained them. It is proving to be a truly toxic situation. It is becoming far more harmful than any lack of success on the pitch might be, with the levels of fury against the owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, and Karren Brady, the vice-chairman, rising by the week.
This is turning into a unique, object lesson for the rest of the game about how damaging the severing of a football club's arteries can be - even while attendances soar and the sighting of a bold new world is proclaimed from the boardroom and the money pours in from the Premier League's gushing taps. It is becoming painfully clear that the soul-sapping mood of the barren and sterile new ground and its surroundings infects the fans feelings so much that every problem, setback and disappointment – be it on the pitch or in the transfer market - is magnified and intensified.
While it may be that the perceived lack of ambition in the January window – a bit harsh considering the arrival of Portuguese Euro 2016 winner Joao Mario - has prompted the latest out-pouring of anger against the board, it strikes me that the malaise among the fans is far more profound. True enough, the scandal surrounding the sacking of recruitment chief Tony Henry following an e-mail in which he said the club didn't want to sign any more African footballers helped ferment a familiar sense of mayhem around West Ham. The supporters apparently consider it further evidence that the club is being run badly. In truth, though, the sense of bewilderment and unsettlement is really focused upon the dramatic change in the nature of the club. And it's understandable, even if there's a sense of Catch 22 about it.
The banners on display talk of the club's soul being stolen and of "West Ham R.I.P." Andy Swallow, the prominent fan helping organise a protest march to be staged – with a procession of 20 hearses – before the match against Burnley on March 10 summed up the broad nature of the supporters' anger. He said: "We'll get 10,000 turning up. It will be peaceful demonstration and it will be a show of unity that we want our club back. "In an ideal world, the board would sell up and let someone else do a better job for West Ham. "What we want is for them to admit they have made a big mistake with the stadium and the way things are being run and to come up with a plan to save our club. "But that's unlikely to happen."
This captures the idea that a poison seed has been planted at the core of the club by the lunar atmosphere inside the ground at Stratford. And that its tentacles are spreading everywhere, breeding a permanent sense of unsettlement and unhappiness. To be fair to Sullivan, Gold and Brady, what else were they to do when offered the chance to move the club from a cramped, old – if beloved – and out-date base at the Boleyn Ground into vast new arena which had already won itself iconic status during the epic London Games of 2012? They would have been accused of lacking ambition and vision if they had turned it down. But it was hardly smart PR to change the club's badge – including the crass addition of the word 'London' – at a time when so much heritage was already being spirited away.
Now that just looks like a marketing ploy to supposedly excite customers on football's new global frontiers. It makes fans think that there's a dash for cash going on at the cost of all they held dear about the club. Business is business. But this was indelicate at best. And who came up with the pitiful name of the London Stadium by the way? The owners are hamstrung now by the fact they don't own the ground and can't yet alter it to make it more suitable for football. They have said that they are prepared to pay more, but in exchange for greater control over the stadium. The rental does not, at present, look like the so-called 'Deal of the Century' to the supporters. There is no doubt at all that the stadium needs a huge makeover, so fans must hope the owners can win the battle of wills with their landlords.
There is a striking lesson from recent history and the top level of the game which makes it plain that, in the end, the lack of a suitable stadium can eat away a club from within.
Juventus stuck it out for 26 years at the awful Stadio Delle Alpi in Turin (below), which always felt about as atmospheric and fervent as Moonbase Alpha. It was a rotten concrete bowl built for the 1990 World Cup with a running track separating the fans by a huge distance from the pitch. Attendances averaged around 51,000 before they moved in. By the time the club bolted, they had fallen to 26,000. It was demolished in 2009 and nobody shed any tears. It was replaced by the brilliant new ground now known as Juventus Stadium (below), which staged the 2014 Europa League final. One effect of the re-build was that it helped Juventus move on after the shame of their relegation to Serie B following the infamous Calciopoli scandal. Another is that they have won six consecutive titles since moving in and have reached two Champions League finals. No, the Hammers won't win six league titles if they sort out the stadium. And the Champions League? As the terrace song goes, you're having a laugh. But if a club as vast as Juventus could be brought so low by the nature of its surroundings, West Ham could be in even bigger trouble in a couple of decades time. And that's despite the fact their income currently places them among the top 20 earners in the game. So the lesson about the ground is clear. And if it needs drumming home, there's a fact of enormous serendipity and significance in the mix of this debate, too. Who were the visitors to the London Stadium in August, 2016 for the official opening friendly? Juventus. Enough said.
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West Ham: Diamond geezers with their rhinestone club
Date published: Thursday 8th February 2018 9:25
Football 365
There is something undeniably West Ham about co-owner David Sullivan going on Talksport specifically to claim that an unsuccessful bid was made for Joe Allen on Deadline Day. Boasting about failure is an odd pastime for a football club owner.
"Now look here, we tried to give Stoke City massive money for a player we had previously shown no interest in with only hours left in a month-long window and we got rejected. What more could we really do?"
Of course, that wasn't the only message Sullivan wanted to convey. He also told West Ham supporters that their protests over the club's mismanagement would achieve nothing and were therefore pointless. He stressed that only through unity could the club move forward, but in effect was telling the naysayers that he wasn't listening. It's a niche form of leadership.
Even by West Ham's usual standards, it has been a chaotic week. The end of their transfer window was steeped in farce and ignominy, the director of player recruitment suspended and then sacked for stating that the club did not wish to sign any more African players because they "caused mayhem". That came after the club's failure to permanently sign a central midfielder. What more could they do? Not leave it until the last minute, perhaps?
West Ham have two central midfielders fit and available to play, a problem exacerbated by Reece Oxford's return to Borussia Monchengladbach. Oxford was reportedly disillusioned by comments made by Sullivan over his doubts about academy players ever getting into the club's first team, and you cannot blame him for wanting out.
One player has arrived, striker Jordan Hugill from Preston. Hugill turns 26 in June, has ten goals in all competitions this season and has scored 32 league goals in his entire career. There is no guarantee that he will fail at West Ham, but Hugill is at least fighting against the tide. Since 2010, West Ham have signed 34 strikers. Twenty-two of those have failed to score more than three goals for the club. Javier Hernandez, last summer's saviour, has started four league games in the last three months.
The West Ham fog soon seeps into the pores. Aside from honourable exceptions, potential is stunted and promising signings rust. It was interesting to hear the West Ham side that drew against Crystal Palace described as 'makeshift', due to the current injury crisis. Given how this club has lurched over most of the last decade, how could it be anything else?
That is not solely down to the current incumbents, Davids Sullivan and Gold and Karren Brady. The financial crash that caused the personal bankruptcy of West Ham owner Björgólfur Guðmundsson thrust the club into disarray, but the mismanagement had started long before the end. The Carlos Tevez affair cost West Ham over £45m in compensation and legal fees, while their transfer market activity was haphazard at best (and 'throwing sh*t at a wall' at worst). A lowlight was the reported £34m cost of signing and paying Freddie Ljungberg and Kieron Dyer, the pair starting 45 league games between them, but there is plenty of competition.
After the Icelandic debacle, West Ham needed stability and care. What they got was erratic transfer activity with added PR bluster. Sullivan and Gold famously said that they took over a car crash, but nobody has yet replaced the windscreen and there are dents and scratches all over the paintwork. There is no doubt that the pair care deeply, but expertise is more important than good intentions.
If the cliche is that pets resemble their owners, West Ham resemble theirs. As well as the public – but ultimately unsuccessful – pursuit of transfer targets and the leaking of news to supporters by a co-owner's son on social media, there have been high-profile gaffes.
"You don't see them being massively better than West Ham are," said Sullivan about Leicester City a fortnight after their Premier League title victory. "They say he has no ligaments in his knee," he said about Charlie Austin after a failed approach. It forced Austin to issue a statement in angry response. Then there was the accusation that Manchester United were lying about damage to their team bus following an attack by supporters, and Sporting Club director Nuno Saraiva calling Sullivan a "liar" and a "parasite" before plumping for the eternally memorable "Dildo brothers" moniker.
This inter-club relationship issue is not an isolated incident. A week ago, Leicester City refused to enter into negotiations with West Ham over the loan of Islam Slimani after Brady had written disparaging things about Leicester in The Sun after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri.
West Ham used to be widely liked. Under Harry Redknapp, they had a young team of largely domestic players peppered with enjoyable foreign mavericks and experienced old professionals. Outside of London at least, they were a team you anticipated watching on Match of the Day.
Now they are a target of ridicule, and ridicule is dislike with the jealousy removed. West Ham are a club to be pitied, their supporters sympathised with. Even the move to a stadium partly funded by taxpayer money has not generated as much resentment as expected, so mismanaged was their re-homing.
Worst of all, West Ham's owners are taking the club's own supporters for granted and playing them for fools. West Ham charge £600 for their mascot packages, comfortably the highest in the country. They have effectively abandoned the pathway from academy to first team (although Declan Rice has made it work) and, when protests are forthcoming, fans are told to keep quiet. Nobody ever listens.
Some supporters disagreed with those who voiced their displeasure on Saturday against Brighton, because it may have impacted negatively on the team. But isn't that the point? If the mood of your fans is so influential on performance, the club should probably treat them with more respect. After all, they'll still be singing and shouting long after ten sets of players, managers and owners have left. It is their club. They just don't recognise it.
West Ham are a club committed to neither short-termism nor long-term planning. In fact, they are committed to very little and stand for even less. They are a mirage, a house covered in marble and gold leaf but with a funny smell coming from the drains. The diamond geezers have created a rhinestone football club.
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Friday, February 9
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