Daily WHUFC News - 6th May 2018

Hammers secure three huge points with terrific Leicester performance
WHUFC.com

Goals from Joao Mario and Mark Noble helped West Ham United take a giant
step towards securing their Premier League safety as they were 2-0 winners
at Leicester City in the Premier League. Joao Mario's tapped home a Marko
Arnautovic cross to give the Hammers the lead in a first half they
dominated, before the skipper lashed in a stunning 25-yard volley in the
second period to seal all three points. David Moyes' men looked a constant
danger throughout the clash, however, and went close on a number of
occasions through Manuel Lanzini and top scorer Arnautovic. It's fair to say
the Hammers controlled the opening half and they broke forward to create
their first opportunity in just six minutes. A ball was fed through to
Manuel Lanzini inside the penalty area, and after his shot was blocked, it
broke to Pablo Zabaleta who could not pick out a claret shirt. Five minutes
later - another chance - and it was Argentine Lanzini causing trouble again.
Beating a Leicester defender on the edge of the box, the No10 struck
goalwards, but his shot on target rebounded off Marko Arnautovic and rolled
out for a goal-kick. Zabaleta could not direct a header from the returning
Arthur Masuaku's cross on target moments later, and though few chances
arrived before the half-hour mark, the visitors continued to assert their
authority. And on 30 minutes, Ben Hamer in the City goal was forced into his
first important save of the afternoon. Lanzini and Arnautovic worked it
brilliantly round Hamza Choudhury on the left flank and broke forward, with
the latter feeding Arnautovic but the Austrian's low shot from a tight angle
was saved. And a lick of paint denied David Moyes' team two minutes later as
they went even closer. Again, it was Arnautovic with the chance. Watching
the ball like a hawk as it dipped over his shoulder, the Hammers' top scorer
smashed a left-footed volley at Hamer's goal and only the underside of the
crossbar denied an opener. But that elusive opener came less than 60 seconds
later as Joao Mario grabbed his second of the season. Masuaku crossed from
the left, and Arnautovic - at the heart of everything dangerous for West Ham
- revived the deep ball at the back stick. Controlling and squaring across
goal, Joao Mario could barely miss as he tapped into an empty net to give
the Hammers a huge goal and lead. Just before the break, Lanzini went close
to adding a second as he smashed against the side-netting, but Moyes' men
went in a deserved one-goal to the good.

The hosts certainly looked as if a stern half-time talking to had kicked
them into action as they came out for the second half. Soon after the
restart, Aaron Cresswell was perhaps lucky to just see yellow after handling
the ball on the edge of the box with Jamie Vardy breathing down his neck.
But despite the hosts' pressure, it was the Irons who came closest to
scoring the next goal, when Arnautovic was released by Joao Mario on the
break. The No7, in the end, could not quite square to a teammate in the box.
The second goal did come - with 25 minutes remaining - in spectacular
fashion. Joao Mario curled in a Hammers free-kick but substitute Aleksandar
Dragovic headed the ball clear. But from 25 yards, there waiting was the
skipper Noble, who lashed a beautiful, controlled volley into the bottom
corner - an absolute beauty - to make it 2-0 and put the game beyond
Leicester City. With their heads well and truly up, West Ham went in search
of a third and almost got just that on 70 minutes. Arnautovic danced past
three challenges inside the Foxes' box but his strike at goal was
well-blocked on its way to the back of the net. Late on, Adrian was forced
into a superb stop to keep out Yohan Benalouane's header, but the visitors
looked safe enough throughout the last 25 minutes and claimed what is likely
to be a massive three points in the Premier League.

Leicester City: Hamer, Benalouane, Morgan, Maguire, Fuchs, Choudhury
(Iheanacho 61), Iborra (Dragovic 46), Silva, Diabate (Gray 61), Mahrez,
Vardy
Subs not used: Jakupovic, Thomas, Hughes, Barnes
Bookings: Dragovic 64

West Ham United: Adrian, Zabaleta, Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Noble,
Kouyate, Mario, Lanzini (Carroll 75), Arnautovic (Fernandes 79)
Subs not used: Trott, Evra, Cullen, Obiang, Hugill
Goals: Joao Mario 33, Noble 65
Bookings: Arnautovic 41, Cresswell 49

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Moyes: Leicester win was more than deserved
WHUFC.com

David Moyes heaped praise on his West Ham United side after they took a
giant leap towards the Premier League safety mark with a 2-0 win at
Leicester City on Saturday afternoon. Joao Mario's first half opener was
added to by skipper Mark Noble - who volleyed in a spectacular 25-yard
strike - to put the game beyond the Foxes' reach. And the two-goal scoreline
was perhaps kind on Claude Puel's men, who could have fallen further behind
on a number of occasions during both halves as Moyes' men looked dangerous
throughout. The result leaves the Hammers on 38 points and with a sizeable
buffer from the bottom three and the manager was delighted by his team's
huge performance. "We played as well, at times, as we have played [this
season]," he said. "The confidence the players had; they were trying to make
things happen and in the end we got there. "The win was more than deserved.
It's always a good feeling when you win. We have needed to win for a couple
of games now and the boys have done that, so we're really pleased. "To get a
clean sheet and three points is really good, too. These players are capable
of winning games. Of course we have to do this on a more consistent basis,
and we probably have to defend better to give ourselves a chance. "But we
did that today and on another day, if we were more clinical, we would have
scored more goals."

After a dominant opening 45 minutes, the visitors came under a spell of
pressure as the second half began before the skipper relieved that with his
65th-minute screamer. And Moyes admitted Noble - whose last goal was against
Crystal Palace at the end of January - might have a case for claiming an
award from a teammate. "I just said to Nobes, Pedro Obiang might have to
give you back the Goal of the Season [award] from his goal at Tottenham!"
the boss laughed. "But look; in all seriousness, Mark is capable of scoring
goals and it was really good for us. "It's an important goal. We didn't play
as well in the second half or control the game as we had done in the first,
but you'd expect Leicester to come back into it. "But then we had two or
three really great chances on the break to more than wrap it up."
Though the Hammers are not mathematically safe with the victory, it leaves
teams below them with a lot of work to do and the gaffer admitted his is now
looking upwards - not back over his shoulder - as his team head into their
last two matches, both of which are at London Stadium. "It's not completely
done yet, but it will take some doing for the teams below us to get us now.
But now I'm actually thinking how many points we can get, where we can
finish and thinking about getting close to the mid-half of the table. "The
Premier League has been like that all season and two wins, you're near the
top half. "We'll try and win some more points in the final two games to
come. We're in a good place and we can look to move forward."

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Noble: I couldn't have hit it any sweeter!
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble was brimming with pride after leading West Ham United to a vital
2-0 Premier League victory at Leicester City. The Hammers were under huge
pressure when they kicked off at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, but an
outstanding all-round performance and a fine goal in each half from Joao
Mario and Noble himself secured three important points. The final score
could have been even emphatic against a lethargic Leicester, with Marko
Arnautovic hitting the underside of the crossbar and both Manuel Lanzini and
Pablo Zabaleta going close during a dominant first-half display. West Ham's
win means they are all but mathematically safe - if Southampton fail to win
at Everton in the evening kick-off, it will be confirmed - and Noble is
determined to finish a challenging 2017/18 season on a high. "After the last
two results (4-1 defeats by Arsenal and Manchester City), to come here
against a good Leicester team is tough, but we played really free with the
ball, and we probably should have been clear - we had three really good
chances and Marko hit the bar," the skipper observed. The standout moment on
a warm and sunny afternoon came midway through the second half, when Joao
Mario's free-kick was headed out by Aleksandar Dragovic and dropped to Noble
25 yards from goal. Rather than control the ball or lob it back into the
penalty area, he instead lashed arguably the best strike of his illustrious
career into the bottom left-hand corner. The goal sparked huge celebrations
on the pitch and in the stands, where the 3,000-strong Claret and Blue Army
were in full voice for the whole 90 minutes and beyond. "With my goal, I
don't know what happened to be honest! They've dropped to me like that
before and by the time you take a touch, the defenders are on you. So, it
lined up nicely, and I just thought I'd have a go, and to be honest I
couldn't have hit it any sweeter! In front of the away fans as well; it was
nice."
West Ham can now likely look forward to their final two fixtures at home to
Manchester United and Everton, and Noble is hoping the Hammers can reward
the Claret and Blue Army with similarly positive performances at London
Stadium. "I hope on Thursday against United that we can perform like we did
today. I know it will be a tough game but why not try and finish as high up
the table as we can? "We have two home games now. Where we are in the
league, the fans will come and hopefully we can make that stadium a real
good atmosphere for the last two games and finish off the season well."

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Leicester City 0-2 West Ham United
By Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport

Manager David Moyes says he "wants to look up the table" after his West Ham
team secured their Premier League status with a comfortable victory at
Leicester. Mark Noble's stunning volley capped a dominant performance from
the visitors, who opened the scoring through Joao Mario. "I feel as if I
want to look up the table and win the last two games," Moyes said. "The team
is more than capable of winning lots of games. We defended better than we
did in other games which gave us a good chance."

And with the Hammers now on 38 points and holding an unassailable five-point
advantage over Swansea and Southampton, who play each other on Tuesday, the
West Ham manager has cause for optimism. Maximum points from their two
remaining fixtures against Manchester United and Everton could bring
mid-table finish.
It was a disappointing afternoon for the hosts, who wrapped up the Premier
League title two years ago this week. The Foxes' meek surrender leaves them
ninth after a fourth defeat in five games and is also likely to intensify
pressure on manager Claude Puel, who was given a vote of confidence by the
club's owners on Friday. "Sometimes there's tough periods without a good
performance. It's normal that we can have some negative activity," said
Puel, whose team were booed off at half-time. "It's not the time to discuss
about the summer. Now it's just to try and finish the last two games."

A combination of West Ham's win and results elsewhere confirmed that their
Premier League place had been preserved. Swansea's defeat at Bournemouth
coupled with Southampton's draw at Everton in the late Saturday kick-off,
meant that the Hammers could not be caught. Going into Saturday's contest,
Moyes' team had won one match in eight but looked resolute in defence and
showed a sense of urgency the hosts were unable to match. Noble exemplified
their efforts, urging his team-mates forward at every opportunity and
covering more ground that any other player (11.66km). His volley was a
fitting reward for his effort - though Marko Arnautovic also lauded by
Moyes, played a key role. "It was a great goal from Mark Noble, he
epitomises much about West Ham. He's been there every week for us and he
deserves it. He's got that in his locker. "Marko Arnautovic has been
terrific since I came in. He's always close to a goal. All season I've been
really pleased with him."
While the Austrian did not add to his tally of 10 league goals but his
presence was felt by the home defence all afternoon. He teed up on-loan
Inter Milan midfielder Mario for the opening goal - but was perhaps
fortunate to escape a harsher punishment when his flailing arm caught Harry
Maguire in the first half.

Pressure on Puel?
Leicester started this fixture still capable of catching Everton and earning
a top-eight finish for only the second time since the 1999-00 season.
However, another limp display extended a dismal sequence of results that has
included two victories in 12 outings. Puel's hand was admittedly limited
given he was hampered by injuries and suspensions. Yet even without nine
senior players he would surely have hoped for greater urgency and fight from
his players with owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha present in the stands.

Foxes lacking confidence - Claude Puel
"It was a tough game for us," Puel said. "We started without a lot of
confidence because we had young players played and things like referee's
decisions can give a boost to the other team." Had Aaron Cresswell been
dismissed for deliberately grabbing the ball after falling over with Jamie
Vardy set to run clear on goal with the score at 1-0, the momentum of the
game may have shifted back towards his team. His future, though, remains a
matter of conjecture despite a club statement offering the owner's full
support on Friday.

Man of the match - Mark Noble (West Ham)
West Ham captain Mark Noble provided the games defining moment with a goal
he described as "the best I've scored"

First win at Leicester since 2000 - the stats
Leicester are without a win in six home Premier League games, their longest
such streak since a run of six ending on 26 December 2014.
West Ham registered their first clean sheet in their past nine top-flight
away games.
The Foxes have lost four of their past five league games (D1), as many
defeats as they had suffered in their previous 13.
West Ham have scored in their past 11 away league games - their longest
scoring run in the top flight since December 1966 (14 games).
Leicester have failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for
the first time since February 2017.
Arnautovic has been directly involved in nine goals in his past eight away
league games for West Ham.
Noble scored his 37th Premier League goal - only two players have scored
more for West Ham (Paolo di Canio 47, Carlton Cole 41), with Trevor Sinclair
also on 37.

What's next?
Leicester welcome Arsenal to King Power Stadium on Wednesday, 9 May (19:45
BST), while West Ham host Manchester United on 10 May at London Stadium
(19:45).

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Leicester 0-2 West Ham: Hammers edge closer to Premier League safety
By Charlotte Marsh
Last Updated: 05/05/18 8:05pm
SSN

West Ham edged closer to Premier League safety with a 2-0 win against
Leicester, whose winless run under Claude Puel continued on Saturday. The
Hammers were deserving of their win at the King Power Stadium as Joao Mario
opened the scoring in the 34th minute before Mark Noble (64) produced a
superb volley to seal a vital three points. Leicester - the day after Puel
was given backing by the club's chairman - offered little in terms of a
reply and did not have a shot on target until the 86th minute. The Foxes
remain in ninth place but are now winless in five Premier League games,
while West Ham have moved five points clear of the relegation places with
two games left to play. West Ham began the game well, but could not really
test Leicester goalkeeper Ben Hamer until the half an hour mark, with Manuel
Laznini sliding Marko Arnautovic through in the area but his shot was well
blocked by the legs of the stopper. Two minutes later, Arnautovic should
have opened the scoring but his brilliantly curled effort could only ping
against the upright and go wide, with Hamer well beaten in goal. West Ham
found the breakthrough in the 34th minute as Arthur Masuaku delivered a
superb cross into the area that met Arnautovic, who took two flicked touches
before sliding the ball back for the waiting Joao Mario. The Portuguese then
swept home past Hamer. Leicester improved at the start of the second half
but struggled to find their rhythm up front with the Hammers doubling their
lead in the 64th minute. It was a wonderful strike from Noble as he
collected a headed clearance from Aleksandar Dragovic before powering a
volley through the area and into the net off the post.
The Foxes had their first shot on target in the 86th minute, although it was
a tame effort from Adrien Silva that went straight into the hands of Adrian,
but the goalkeeper was more sternly tested not long after. He palmed away a
near-post header from Yohan Benalouane before denying the defender again as
he tried to head home from a corner. West Ham saw out the game with relative
ease to move onto 38 points and have almost secured their Premier League
status for another season.

England Watch
Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy both played the full 90 minutes, and despite
the defeat, the defender did not do too much wrong. Vardy did very little,
but was starved of service from his team-mates more than his own
performance. Aaron Cresswell also did well despite a bizarre handball
booking, while Andy Carroll made a decent 20 minute cameo after a turbulent
week.

Opta stats
Leicester are without a win in six home Premier League games (D4 L2), their
longest winless streak in the league on home soil since a run of six ending
on Boxing Day 2014 (D2 L4).
The Foxes have lost four of their last five league games (D1), as many
defeats as they had suffered in their previous 13.
West Ham have scored in each of their last 11 away Premier League games
their longest scoring run in the top-flight since December 1966 (14 games).
Leicester have failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for
the first time since February 2017 (a run of six which were Claudio
Ranieri's last games in charge).

The managers
Claude Puel: "I think it is normal [the fan reaction of boss at full-time]
because it is a tough period with some negativity and blame. I would like to
apologise for the last performance because it is not enough and we have to
finish strongly in the last two games."

David Moyes: "Winning always feels good and we've needed to win a couple of
games so the boys did a really good job today getting that result. We've
just played Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City in a row which is never easy and
we conceded some goals so to get a clean sheet and three points today is
really good."

Man of the match - Marko Arnautovic
By the 78th minute, Arnautovic looked tired and for good reason. The striker
ran himself ragged, especially in the first half, and was heavily involved
in much of the positive attacking play from West Ham. While he may not have
got on the scoresheet himself, he did set up Joao Mario for his opener and
has now been involved in nine goals in his last eight Premier League away
games.

What's next?
Leicester will play their final home game of the season against Arsenal on
Wednesday, while West Ham finish their season with two home fixtures,
starting with the visit of Manchester United on Thursday.

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David Moyes wants consistency from West Ham after Leicester win
Last Updated: 05/05/18 7:22pm
SSN

David Moyes has urged his West Ham side to show consistency after they beat
Leicester 2-0 and put themselves within reach of Premier League safety. It
was a solid performance from the Hammers after two successive 4-1 losses to
Arsenal and Manchester City, and has taken them onto 38 points with two
games to play.
Moyes was pleased with his side following the game, but wants them to
produce the same levels each week to pick up more points in the future.
"Winning always feels good and we've needed to win a couple of games so the
boys did a really good job today getting that result," he told Sky Sports.
"We've just played Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City in a row which is never
easy and we conceded some goals so to get a clean sheet and three points
today is really good. "I think these players are capable of winning games
like this and winning other games. What they've got to do is do it across a
consistent basis. "I don't think we have a bad team, but what we have to do
is defend better if we're going to give ourselves a chance and we did that
today. I thought on another day we would have been more clinical and scored
more goals."
West Ham have pulled themselves further clear of the relegation places
following the win at the King Power Stadium, and while the job is not yet
completed, Moyes is starting to look up the table. "It's not done completely
yet but you'd have to say it would take a lot for the other teams to get
us," he added. "I'm actually now thinking how many points can we get and
where can we finish in the league table. I'm thinking can we get closer to
the middle part of the table... We'll try and win more points in the home
games to come. "You take a little bit of a risk when you come to any club
that is in the bottom three and the only person who gets the blame for it is
the manager. If you don't stay up, the manager seems to get in trouble. I
don't think that's right but at the moment, it looks like we're in a good
place and hopefully pick up more points."

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LEICESTER CITY 0, WEST HAM 2. DEEP BREATH IN, AND NOOOOW BREATHE OUT.
By David Hautzig 5 May 2018 at 17:29
WTID

This is kind of off topic. But the truth is I wasn't too bothered to think
about today's monumental match when I woke up this morning. I don't know
why, either. I think maybe the last few weeks have brought a clarity to my
frustration and fury, and I couldn't get past that. It started with the
Burnley match when I was over there for work. And the match itself wasn't
the seminal moment for me. It was the early lunch at Nathan's with Nigel,
his son in law, and one of my bosses, followed by the wonderful West Ham Way
event at the East Ham Working Men's Social Club, ending with a walk up Green
Street to the train. I live in upstate New York for gods sake, and I felt
palpably sad. I couldn't shake it for days, even though I had a great rest
of my stay in my favorite city in the world. Thankfully my wife, she of two
Masters Degrees, was able to sum it up for me. She had been to Upton Park
twice, including a game on our honeymoon, and other than Paolo Dicanio
couldn't name a single player that has ever worn our shirt.

"You can live with lousy players and bad teams. But what these owners did
was destroy a community and fabric of life. For that they should never be
forgiven."

Amen.

Then, in what could only be described as spooky, I took a break from writing
the paragraphs above to scan some fan sites, only to read the horrible news
that Nathan's would close later this month. If Liquor were blood, our board
would have plenty on their shameful little hands.

So as we began what could end up being our last week in the Premier League
for the foreseeable future, I tried to be excited about the starting eleven
names as they were released on Twitter. Unfortunately when I saw them
excitement is not how I would describe my reaction.

Overall we started the brighter side. But when you have chances to take an
early lead in a match of such importance you simply have to take them.
Lanzini found himself in the box after some decent interplay in the 6th
minute, but his shot was deflected wide into the path of Arnautovic. He
tried to play it back to Noble in the box, but Leicester were able to clear
the ball from danger. A few moments later Arnautovic tried to chase down a
sloppy back pass to Hamer. The Leicester keeper lost control momentarily but
Arnautovic was unable to capitalize. Minutes later Lanzini got on the end of
a Masuaku cross but his low shot was deflected out by Arnautovic for a goal
kick.

Leicester looked a lot like us the last few months in the first twenty
minutes or so. They sat back, barely moved, and allowed us to have as much
of the ball in midfield as we wanted. It wasn't so much that we bossed the
center of the pitch. Leicester conceded it. Yet my mate Jon texted me and
predicted a Leicester City goal against the run of play, and every nerve in
my body felt obliged to agree.

West Ham had another opportunity in the 32nd minute when Lanzini ran past
Morgan and rolled a pass to Arnautovic in the box. Hamer came out to cut
down the angle, and Arnautovic had nowhere to shoot so he tried to get the
ball through the keepers legs but Hamer played it well. Moments later the
West Ham leader got a quick shot off in the box that clanged off the
crossbar. Just as the fear of missed chances started to overwhelm me,
Masuaku sent another cross that Arnautovic played back in front of goal, and
that's where Mario was to put it in the back of the net.

Embed from Getty Images

Leicester City 0
West Ham 1

Leicester gave the visitor section a scare in the 39th minute when Zabaleta
tried to intercept a pass to Diabate and missed, giving Diabate some space
to move forward and have a go. But his low shot rolled wide, with Adrian
watching it the whole time. Minutes later a similar theme played out when
Cresswell made a terrible mistake when he tried to grab a pass to Mahrez on
the right side of the West Ham box and missed by a time zone. Or two. Mahrez
marches into the box but his cross was deflected to safety by Ogbonna.

Halftime
Leicester City 0
West Ham 1

I never liked that movie Forrest Gump. In fact, I've always been bitter
about the awards it won. That year also had Shawshank Redemption, Pulp
Fiction, and Paul Newman's epic performance in Nobody's Fool. And Gump was
judged to be the best? Really?

Back on topic.

When Cresswell tried to be too cute when a simple back pass to Adrian would
have been more than sufficient, the words "stupid is as stupid does" came to
mind. Cresswell went to ground, Vardy looked enraged as he tried to go
around the fallen defender, and the look on the referee said red card.
Thankfully it was yellow. Leicester didn't do anything with their free kick,
but a new tone was set. Leicester started to chase down balls and pressure
West Ham, and we looked anxious.

Moments later Mario sent Arnautovic into the box with a rolled pass, but
when he had a chance to shoot he looked for the extra pass. That did not end
well, and Leicester cleared the area. In the 60th minute Mario waited a
moment too long to roll a pass to Arnautovic and the Austrian was flagged
offside. A second goal should have arrived from those chances, but did not.

The 63rd minute saw Hammer hearts rise precipitously into the esophagus when
Maguire got on the end of a deflected Vardy shot and sent his own from the
top of the box that caused Adrian to dive to his left, but the shot went
over the bar.

Set pieces are always a reason for the supporters of the side taking them to
at least relax for a second or two, if not get a bit excited. When Mario
stepped up to send the ball into the Leicester City box, it was in a good
enough area for us to pay attention. When Maguire headed the delivery out of
the box, another lobbed effort back in was all I was looking for. When Noble
struck it on the volley, the angle of the TV camera was perfect. The ball
looked tethered to the far post, and quite possibly the best shot I've ever
seen our captain strike followed that line past the keeper and into the net.
Poetic that Noble may end up being the guy that saved our season, don't you
think?

Leicester City 0
West Ham 2

West Ham thought they had a penalty shout in the 70th minute when Noble went
down in the area, but the referee waved it off. Rightfully I might add. A
minute later Arnautovic did all the work needed in the box to get a good
shot off but Maguire got a crucial touch in to send the ball out for a
corner.

So. Moysie. Arnautovic is on the pitch in discomfort. Andy Carroll is going
to come on. Obviously for Arnie. But wait. Lanzini came off. Like for like
in hair color, or maybe choice of hair gel based on the sheen in the sun.
But football? Not that sure. Especially when Arnautovic came off seconds
later for Fernandes, a move that made me a little antsy. This had better
work or you will need Mel Gibson with blue face to save you from an East
London mob.

Gray had a good chance to get Leicester back in the game when he beat
Zabaleta down the flank, but his cross was perfect if Adrian was the
intended recipient. Then, ten minutes later, Silva registered the home
side's first shot on target and Adrian handled it well.

Leicester could have made the extra time interesting in the 89th minute when
Benlouane got his head to the ball at the far post, which forced Adrian to
make either a good save or a crucial interception, depending on whether
Benlouane's header was a shot or an attempt to get the ball in front of
goal. Regardless, Adrian smothered it.

Final Score
Leicester City 0
West Ham 2

As the old saying goes, credit where credit is due. West Ham showed up
today. The tactics worked. Even the questionable substitutions worked. The
players chosen did their jobs and did them well. They gave Leicester City
enough of a hard time with every ball that the home side collectively looked
to throw in the towel. And at the time of writing, our position in the
league looked a million times better than it had three hours earlier. We
might even end up mathematically safe by dinnertime. Yet unlike other years
when I was naive enough to think the board would learn from their ways and
we would not continue this hamster run of relegation fights, I have no such
illusions. We may survive this year. We will be promised things. Some may
even hope.

And I will still never forgive them.

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Mark Noble wonder-strike sees West Ham heap more pressure on Claude Puel at
Leicester City
Leicester City 0-2 West Ham United: The Hammers all but secured their
Premier League survival with the win
Sean Taylor The King Power Stadium 4 hours ago0 comments
The Independent Sport

West Ham took a giant leap towards securing their Premier League survival
and piled more pressure on Leicester boss Claude Puel with a 2-0 victory at
the King Power Stadium. Puel's side went into the match having won just
twice in their last 11 Premier League games but the Frenchman received the
dreaded vote of confidence from club's owners this week. His cause was not
helped on Saturday by the absence of nine players through injury and
suspension but Leicester's performance, on a hot afternoon, was lukewarm at
best. West Ham inflicted a fourth Foxes loss in five Premier League matches
with goals in each half from Joao Mario and Mark Noble, the Hammers captain
scoring a possible goal-of-the-season contender. The win moved David Moyes'
team six points clear of the bottom three and put a three-point cushion
between Swansea and Huddersfield immediately below them.
Leicester looked disjointed early on, perhaps as a result of Puel having to
make five changes, and struggled to settle. West Ham tried to take advantage
and Manuel Lanzini saw two goalbound efforts blocked - the second
inadvertently by team-mate Marko Arnautovic. The game was played almost
exclusively in the Leicester half until the hosts finally found their feet
and put together their best passage of play as the half-hour mark
approached. Although, it must be said, without troubling Adrian in the West
Ham goal.
West Ham's best spell immediately followed, during which they took the lead.
Arnautovic fired a couple of warning shots across Leicester's bow. First he
forced Ben Hamer to save with his legs following a swift break down the left
by Lanzini before his shot on the turn struck the crossbar. The opening goal
came after 34 minutes when Arthur Masuaku's far-post cross from the left was
controlled and knocked back into the six-yard box where Joao Mario simply
tapped the ball home.
West Ham should have extended their lead early in the second half. Joao
Mario's pass put Arnautovic through on goal down the right side of the
penalty area but he dawdled and allowed Christian Fuchs to make a block when
he did eventually shoot. Puel, who had brought Aleksandar Dragovic on for
Vicente Iborra at half-time, made his two remaining substitutions after 61
minutes with Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho replacing Hamza Choudhury
and Fousseni Diabate. The changes were met with a rendition of "you don't
know what you're doing" from some home supporters. Harry Maguire, now
playing in central midfield, went close with a half-volley from the edge of
the area. The centre-half showed good technique but his shot was always
rising. West Ham scored their second goal in the 64th minute and it was a
strike worthy of settling any match. Joao Mario's free-kick was cleared by
Dragovic as far as Noble, who struck the ball first time from 25 yards out
and his shot flew into the bottom corner of the net. The closest Leicester
came to a reply was when Yohan Benalouane's late header was pushed away by
Adrian.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News -

Leicester City v West Ham United: All you need to know
WHUFC.com

The Hammers head into the final week of the season on Saturday with a trip
to mid-table Leicester City. With three games to go David Moyes' men still
need points to make sure of their Premier League status and they will be
targeting three of them at the King Power Stadium.

Where and when?
Leicester City v West Ham United
King Power Stadium
Saturday 5 May 2018. 3pm
Premier League

How to follow:
This match is not being broadcast live in the UK, however you may be able to
watch from overseas. Click here for broadcast information in your territory.
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter
account.
You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.
You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and
Snapchat channels.
Live audio commentary will be available on whufc.com and BBC Radio London
94.9FM

Team news:

David Moyes has confirmed that Andy Carroll is in this squad for Saturday's
trip to Leicester City, and the striker will compete with Marko Arnautovic,
Chicharito and Jordan Hugill for a starting position. James Collins and
Pedro Obiang are back in training following their injuries, but Saturday's
game will come too soon for them to make a comeback. Winston Reid, Sam Byram
and Michail Antonio remain on the long-term injury list, although Joe Hart
is available again after he was ineligible for last weekend's visit of
Manchester City.

Leicester are expected to be without Wilfred Ndidi, while Marc Albrighton is
suspended after being sent-off at Crystal Palace last week.

What they say:
The only thought we can have in our heads is to go there to win, simple as
that. Mark Noble

Match Officials:

Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant Referees: Daniel Cook & Mick McDonagh
Fourth Official: Bobby Madley

How to get there:

Leicester railway station is approximately 1.2 miles from King Power
Stadium, which is roughly a five-minute car journey or a 20-minute walk.

By Train
The postcode for the King Power Stadium is LE2 7FL. Parking information can
be found at https://www.lcfc.com/king-power-stadium/parking-travel

By Car

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Betway Insider's View of the Opposition: Leicester City
WHUFC.com

Leicester welcome West Ham to the King Power Stadium this weekend, having
lost just two of their last 15 home games in all competitions. The Foxes
have taken four points from matches against Tottenham and Manchester United
in that sequence, and went all the way to penalties with Manchester City in
the EFL Cup quarter final. But, despite that impressive record, Claude
Puel's side are not untouchable. The hosts have taken just one point from
their last four league games, and haven't won in five at home in all
competitions. So West Ham – who have only been beaten by Manchester City and
Arsenal in their last five – are easily capable of claiming at least a
point. Regardless of the result, this fixture tends to provide plenty of
entertainment, with both teams finding the net in nine of the last eleven
meetings between the two. So, given that there have been goals at both ends
in all of the Hammers' last six on the road and five of Leicester's last six
at the King Power, this game shouldn't disappoint. Goals have been evenly
spread throughout the squad recently, but Marko Arnautovic stands out as the
best bet to register for the visitors. Four of Arnautovic's last seven goals
have come away from the London Stadium, and the Hammers' top scorer has
bagged three in his last six appearances. And, just like last week, it's
also worth backing there to be fewer than 3.5 cards in the game. David
Moyes' side have seen only seven yellow cards in their last six league
matches, while Leicester's players have been issued with just one card in
their last three.

Recommended bets
West Ham double chance and BTTS – 13/8
Marko Arnautovic to score anytime – 17/10
Under 3.5 cards – 8/13
Back this #BetYourWay pick at 8/1

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes: Massive games, finding consistency and Evra's experience
WHUFC.com

David Moyes says West Ham United are in positive mood as they prepare to
head to Leicester City on Saturday. The Hammers need a win at the King Power
Stadium to all but secure their top-flight safety, and the manager is
confident his squad will rise to the occasion. On Friday morning, the boss
welcomed the media to Rush Green for his pre-match press conference. Here is
what he had to say…

We've got three massive games to play

All the games now are massive, but when I came in in November I thought they
were massive then, so it's not as though anything has really changed. This
is certainly a really big game for us, but we've got three games to go and
we've got to make sure we're good in them all. We've got three games to win,
so we're going to try and win all three of them. The first one is at
Leicester and if we can win all three of the games we might find ourselves
quite high up the table, so that's the job we're going to try and do. If we
have a defeat, we've got two other games to put it right, so we're fortunate
we have that extra game. We're going to Leicester with a positive mindset.
We've got three games to go, so we're not going to be downbeat. We hope the
ability we've got in areas of the pitch will give us the chance to win.

We all know what is at stake

The players are in good spirits, despite losing 4-1 to Manchester City last
weekend. We were really disappointed with how we played, even against the
champions but, overall, we're keen to put it right and their motivation and
attitude have been very good. The players and staff know exactly what's at
stake, so we'll all work together and try to get a result. I've enjoyed the
challenge of managing West Ham United since I arrived in November and, in
the main, we've had some good results because we've got good players here. I
think there are things we can do much better. West Ham quite often give you
a high, then quite often give you a few lows after that, so it's something
I'd like to correct. I'd like to get a little more consistency. Our record
since we came in would have us nearer mid-table than where we are currently,
so I've got to get that consistency, but at the moment the only focus is on
winning the next game and getting the three points at Leicester, if we can.

Patrice Evra's experience is invaluable

Patrice Evra has been fantastic around the Club since he arrived in
February. His level of professionalism is at an unbelievable level with the
way he goes about his work and the way he is in the dressing room. The
people who work with him and people who have had him all say the same. If
you look at the games we've played him in, two of them have been against the
very best teams in this country, one of whom is in the Champions League
final and the other ran away with the Premier League. So, I think you have
to give him a little bit of leeway because two of the games have been
against top teams, and we play him in those games because we understand how
good he is and because he's been used to playing in big games throughout his
career.

I wish Steven Gerrard the best in management

Steven Gerrard is taking his first step into management with Glasgow
Rangers, having previously coached Liverpool's Academy teams. Steven is a
really good guy and he's joining a great football club with big traditions,
big support in a good city, so why would he not take it on? He'll take on
the challenge, but until you've been in the situation of being a manager,
you don't know what it's like. Your first job in management is very hard
because it doesn't matter how good a player you were as it doesn't prepare
you for management, except for you've had the experience of being in
dressing rooms with top managers. I think it'll give Steven a great chance,
but there is a lot of pressure managing Glasgow Rangers.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble determined to reward traveling fans' loyalty with Leicester win
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble is determined to reward the loyalty of the Claret and Blue Army
when West Ham United travel to Leicester City on Saturday. Hammers
supporters have traveled more than 5,000 miles to the Club's 18 away Premier
League matches so far, but have witnessed just two victories – at Stoke City
in December and Huddersfield Town in January. And captain Noble says the
players are eager to reward the commitment of those fans by securing a
victory that would go a long way to securing West Ham's future in the top
flight. "The only thought we can have in our heads is to go there to win,
simple as that," said the skipper, who scored at both Stoke and
Huddersfield. "That's the only option we've got, to go and have a right go
and try and win the game. "Leicester are safe and we know their atmosphere
is always good, but I think we need to go there to win the game. We've just
got to play our game and let the rest take care of itself. We've got the
players to win the game and I believe we can go there and win. "We've only
won two away games this season and that stat needs to change. We need to
have three away wins by Saturday night, full stop. If we do that, we'll have
a great chance of getting ourselves safe."

Noble also reflected further on last Sunday's 4-1 home defeat by Manchester
City. When asked to reflect on the game minutes after the final whistle,
Noble said the champions were the best team he had ever faced in the Premier
League, but he told whufc.com that the result had not come through lack of
effort or belief on the Hammers' part. "Man City got a deflected goal to
start and an own-goal and we've all seen them play the way they did in the
second half against better teams than us. They did it to Chelsea and
Tottenham and sometimes you have to admit they're too good. There is no
shame in that, and that's why they won the title with five games to spare.
"We went into the game last Sunday knowing it was going to be tough but
believing we could get something out of it, like we did against Chelsea and
against Arsenal and against Tottenham this season, but sometimes you can't
get what you want. "What we all want this Saturday is three points and
that's all we're focusing on at the minute. The Manchester City game is
behind us now and we are totally focused on beating Leicester."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian: We need to be solid and together to get the points
WHUFC.com

Adrian says the positivity of his West Ham United teammates could be crucial
as they head to Leicester City on Saturday. The Hammers make the trip to the
King Power Stadium knowing they are still in need of points to secure
Premier League safety and the No13 is in no mood to hang about collecting
them. With three games left to play in the campaign's final week, Adrian
knows victory on Saturday would reduce the stress on the final two, so three
points is all he has his mind on. "Our spirit will help us over the last
three games," he said. "We have to be together and we have to be solid as a
team, defending and attacking. We have to finish well, we have to get some
good points as soon as possible, and we have to be a football team [to do
that]. "We need to go back to the beginning, back to the basics. Defend well
as a team, and then attack quickly on the counter attack as we did in the
first games under the manager. "We expect a hard game. Leicester had a bad
game last time, like us, and we have to learn from that. If we do well as we
did before this run, we can get a good result. "Our aim is to be safe as
soon as possible, and if we can get the win at Leicester, then we can look
to finish as high as possible. The first thing is getting three points and
Leicester is the first game. We will go there to win. "I'm probably one of
the most positive people here, but we are all positive! We are all focused
on Saturday's game because we know we need the three points."

As well maintaining as a positive mindset, Adrian says the Hammers will
learn from the defensive errors which contributed to their defeats against
Arsenal and Manchester City in their last two games. He added: "We have to
learn the lessons on our defensive shape. We gave away easy goals, and we
have to do better from the strikers right through to the defenders and
goalkeeper. "We have to learn from this and stop conceding easy goals. We
need to be ready to keep the clean sheet first, score the first goal and
then be able to defend the result."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison backs Claret and Blue Army to inspire Hammers
WHUFC.com

Jack Collison has backed West Ham United's travelling Claret and Blue Army
to inspire David Moyes' team to a crucial victory at Leicester City on
Saturday. More than 3,000 loyal Hammers fans will be making their way up to
the King Power Stadium for our final away match of the campaign, hoping for
three points against the Foxes that would virtually guarantee top flight
football next season. Many have been ever-presents at West Ham's 19 Premier
League away matches this season, covering thousands of miles on return
trips, from Bournemouth all the way up to Newcastle. Former midfielder
Collison, who is now back where it all began for him at the Chadwell Heath
Academy, as a coach for the U16 and U14 sides, enjoyed many memorable away
matches during his seven seasons as a first-team player, and insists there
is something very special about our travelling support.

"West Ham are lucky in that we have always had one of the best away
followings of any club in the country," he said. "We always take thousands,
no matter who the opposition, how far away it is, or what day and time it's
played. It could be on a Monday night up north, live on TV, and we would
still have a big away crowd.
"They certainly make themselves heard and, for the players, that is vital.
You go to some big stadiums and if you run out for the warm-up and hear your
fans singing louder than the home crowd, it immediately gives you a lift.
"I'm sure it will be no different at Leicester on Saturday. The fans know
how big a game it is, it's their last away day of the season, the sun will
hopefully be shining and they will play their part. "I know for a fact,
having been in that dressing room, the boys really appreciate the fact that
the away fans spend their time and money, and the lengths they go to
following the team around the country. They have had some tough days this
season, but they've stayed loyal and behind the team, and on Saturday the
lads need that more than ever."

Thursday marked the sixth anniversary of a memorable away day in Collison's
career – the Championship Play-Off semi-final second leg at Cardiff – when
his double strike against the Bluebirds sealed a 3-0 aggregate won and a
trip to Wembley for the final against Blackpool, an encounter that saw the
Hammers bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt. "Cardiff was
a real memorable one," he says. "I remember scoring at the home end and
heading off to run towards our fans at the other end, but had to stop on the
halfway line because I was knackered! "I also recall going up to Coventry
that season and taking about 7,000 fans – it was almost like a home game for
us. "Scoring a goal away is always a unique feeling, because the home fans
go silent and it's just you and your group celebrating together. "I remember
playing at Newcastle, where the away fans are up in the Gods, and Craig
Bellamy scoring for us. The roar seemed to take ages to come down from the
top of the stand but, when it hit us, it was a special moment. "I think one
of the best things I've seen at an away game though was just a couple of
weeks ago, at Arsenal, when James Collins was right in the middle of our
fans. "The fact that one of our players can sit in among the fans, enjoy the
game and cheer on the lads with everyone, is testament to our support. You
won't find any better."

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Team news: Carroll in squad, Collins and Obiang still out
WHUFC.com

David Moyes confirmed that Andy Carroll will be part of West Ham United's
matchday squad for Saturday's Premier League fixture at Leicester City.
There had been speculation in the media over Carroll's position after the
centre forward was fined for leaving the Hammers bench early during last
weekend's home defeat by Manchester City. Speaking in his pre-match press
conference, Moyes said the matter was now closed and the No9 will be part of
his thinking at the King Power Stadium. "We've fined him, he has apologised
to both the players and myself, so we've moved on and we're quite happy now
that it's done and dusted," the manager explained. "Andy was in the squad
last weekend, that's why he was on the bench, and he'll be in the squad this
weekend too. "It's certainly resolved as far as I'm concerned."
Moving onto other team news, the manager admitted that Pedro Obiang and
James Collins both need more time on the training pitch before they can be
considered for Premier League football again. Obiang has been out with a
knee injury since late January, while Collins has been side-lined with a
hamstring problem since mid-March. "Neither of them are in a condition to do
that (be named in the matchday squad at Leicester) yet. Thankfully both of
them are back doing some training, but neither of them are at a level of
being match-fit."

Finally, Moyes admitted he has yet to decide who will keep goal at the King
Power Stadium, with Joe Hart available again after missing the Manchester
City match due to the terms of his loan agreement. "I've got a decision to
make on them both. Joe has been in and Adrian has been in, but unfortunately
for Joe it was because it was his parent club last week, so I've got a
decision to make."

West Ham will be without long-term absentees Winston Reid (knee), Sam Byram
(ankle) and Michail Antonio (hamstring) on Saturday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leicester City v West Ham United
BBC.co.uk

Claude Puel's Leicester have lost three of their last four Premier League
matches and conceded nine goals in the process.

TEAM NEWS
Leicester will be without the suspended Marc Albrighton following his
sending off at Crystal Palace last week. Vicente Iborra's hamstring injury
will be assessed while Kasper Schmeichel and Shinji Okazaki are also doubts.

Andy Carroll is included in the West Ham squad after apologising for his
conduct as an unused substitute during last week's defeat by Manchester
City. Joe Hart is available, having been ineligible last weekend, but Pedro
Obiang and James Collins are out.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Alistair Mann: "It's hard to gauge whether this is a good time for West Ham
to meet Leicester City or not. "They are seemingly facing a team with little
to play for and in dreadful recent form; on the other hand, with Leicester's
season limply petering out, their supporters will demand a response to the
Foxes' biggest defeat of the campaign last weekend. "Like their hosts, the
visitors are winless in four games since recording what seemed a decisive
victory against Southampton at the end of March; with the Saints now
rallying, David Moyes' team are by no means secure. "The Hammers will
certainly not want to leave their fate to the outcome of their final two
matches, against Moyes' old clubs Manchester United and Everton."

Twitter: @alistairmann01

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Leicester manager Claude Puel: "We are aware of what we want for the end of
the season and next season. We must keep our concentration... "We have to
play with character and fighting spirit. It's a tough situation but we must
give our best and the players must show their quality."

West Ham manager David Moyes: "We have got three games to win," Moyes said.
"If we can win all three of those games then we might find ourselves quite
high up the table so that is what we are going to try to do. "The mood is
good. We were really disappointed with how we played, even against the
champions, but overall they are keen to put it right."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION
The vultures are circling around Leicester boss Claude Puel and he
desperately needs a home win before the end of the season - his side have
not managed that in the league since the middle of January.
Prediction: 2-1

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head

Leicester are undefeated in six matches against West Ham, winning four and
drawing the other two.
West Ham are winless in five Premier League trips to Leicester since a 3-1
victory at Filbert Street in January 2000.

Leicester City

Leicester have won only two of their past 11 Premier League matches, away at
West Brom and Brighton (D4, L5).
The Foxes are winless in five home league games since beating Watford 2-0 in
January.
They currently have 44 points, matching their final tally for last season.
Leicester have been shown a league-high five red cards in 2017-18.
Claude Puel is unbeaten in all four matches he has managed against David
Moyes (W2, D2).

West Ham United

West Ham have won just one of their last eight league fixtures and been
beaten by a three-goal margin in each of their five defeats during that
spell.
There have been 30 goals in West Ham's past eight league matches, but David
Moyes' side have scored just nine of them.
The Hammers have conceded 67 goals this campaign; their Premier League club
record is 70, set in 2010-11 - a season that ended in relegation.
They have scored in each of their last 10 away matches, which equals their
Premier League club record.
Marko Arnautovic has been involved in eight goals in his last seven away
games (five goals, three assists).

SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-1 Probability of draw: 27%
Probability of home win: 44% Probability of away win: 29%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale
at the University of Liverpool that is used to predict the outcome of
football matches

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Tony Henry: West Ham ex-head of recruitment charged over African player
comments
BBc.co.uk

West Ham's former director of player recruitment Tony Henry has been charged
with misconduct by the FA over claims he said the club would not sign any
more African players. The decision follows a report by the Daily Mail which
carried quotes from Henry stating African players "cause mayhem" when they
are not in the team. Henry was sacked after the club said his comments were
"unacceptable". He has until 15 May to respond to the FA charge.
An FA statement said his comments were alleged to be "improper and/or
insulting and/or abusive" and any breach of rules is aggravated because it
included a reference to ethnic origin. Hammers manager David Moyes has said
that Henry recommended two players from the African continent during the
January transfer window. The Scot said the club were "very, very close" to
signing Leicester's Algeria forward Islam Slimani, who joined Newcastle on
loan, and Lille's Cameroon defender Ibrahim Amadou.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leicester City v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th May 2018
By: Preview Percy

This week Preview Percy tries desperately to look at this weekend's visit to
Leicester without mentioning beaches.And fails....

Next up it's up the M1 we go following signs in the general direction of the
National Space Centre (it still amuses me that we have a "Mission Control
Leicester") where we will be hosted by Leicester City. Kick off is at God's
appointed time of 3pm on Saturday which is good. Stuff going on between
Shenfield and Southend Victoria but the East Midlands mainline looks clear.
Check before you leave as ever.

So Leicester then. See if you can find a preview anywhere that doesn't
employ the phrase "already on the beach" with respect to our hosts. Not this
one though. Well, apart from this bit obviously.

They sit in 9th place at present with 44 points from the 35 games played so
far. That's four points behind Everton in 8th over whom they have a game in
hand. That's also a full 10 points behind Burnley who occupy what would
appear to be the final Thursday Night League qualification slot. Not much to
play for then, but I'm still not mentioning that beach though. Apart from
this bit. And the previous bit.

Their last outing was what you might call eventful, going down as they did
5-0 at Palace. That match featured a sending off for Marc Albrighton for
denial of goalscoring opportunity – though it was at best 50-50 as to
whether or not Zaha would have beaten Hamer to the ball. Albrighton then
faced a further charge for his conduct at the referee, a certain Mike Dean.
Now one day when the truth comes out about this official I am going to set
up an ambulance chasing style legal company which will bombard players and
clubs with annoying phonecalls and ask them, in the style of those people
who try and get you compensation for mis-sold PP!, whether or they have had
any financial loss at the hands of Dean. I'd take a reasonable percentage
for my trouble of course – 10% should enable me to by myself my own island
hideaway somewhere nice and warm.

At the time of writing I haven't seen the result of the additional charge
but frankly, if asked for the grounds of appeal, Albrighton should merely
say "Mike Dean" and put his feet up.

There will, of course, be a bit of a frisson in and around the directors
seats this weekend. In January we apparently made an enquiry as to the
availability of Islam Slimani during the January window. This enquiry was
given the cold shoulder, apparently the result of yet another disastrous
entry in the Baroness's newspaper column. It seems the Baroness managed to
insult Leicester's owner suggesting that he had calmly spent £500,000 on
wine the night he had sacked Ranieri. Despite subsequent apology, it is said
that their Thai owners are still not overly pleased with Brady. So the
atmosphere is likely to be a bit on the cool side. The board has said that
they will be going to the match but don't know where they will be sitting.
Which raises the question "is there any part of the ground in which GSB will
actually be welcome?

Still it's a good job we don't actually do public relations disasters at our
club or we'd really be in trouble, wouldn't we. In the meantime can anyone
out there tell me of a job where you can continually write stuff that would
cause reputational damage to your employer without getting you dismissed or
disciplined? Just asking for a friend you understand.

In the end Slimani went out on loan to Newcastle where he managed to end his
season early by re-enacting the famous kicking of Bishop Brennan up the arse
scene from Father Ted with a West Brom player taking the role of Bishop
Brennan.

The work experience kid of as yet to be determined gender wearing a hoodie
who seems only able to communicate with some strange grunting noises tells
me that officially two players came in during that window/, although in
actuality those two were really just the one. Confused? Well it's like this.
Technically speaking, Adrien Silva arrived in January. In fact they signed
the player back in summer but thanks to the fax work going through 14
seconds too late FIFA banned him from playing until the next window. Funnily
enough something similar happened at Arsenal a few years ago but their
signing was allowed to play immediately. Funny that.

The other arrival in January was Fousseni Diabate. The undisclosed fee paid
to former club Gazelec Ajaccio (translation: Corsican Gasworks XI) was
apparently £2m. Although capped at age level by Mali, he was born in France
meaning that his EU passport came in handy come transfer time, with all that
tedious counting up of full international caps and percentages and all that
stuff neatly avoided. Which raises the question again as to what's going to
happen to all these players post-Brexit?

There may be a return between the posts for Kaspar "son of Rudolph"
Schmeichel who has been out for a few games with a dodgy ankle. He is rated
50-50 at the time of writing with Hamer in line to deputise should Lurpak
not be available.

Also unlikely to feature is Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki who, after all
that throwing himself to the ground that he is so fond of now has a real
injury to contend with, another ankle problem looking likely to keep him out
of the side. And, as if the Palace match wasn't eventful enough for them
with five goals shipped and one of their better players sent off, they also
lost Wilfred "Yes" Ndidi with a hamstring injury which will keep him away
from proceedings on Saturday. Ndidi won the club's "Young Player Of The
Year" award which will come as scant consolation should the hamstring keep
him out of Nigeria's World Cup squad this summer.

One who will be available is Rat Boy Jamie Vardy. He turned up on the box
last week to deny that the players had any problem with Manager Claude Puel.
The only problem with the interview was that he made a less than convincing
witness, having the air of all those people who appeared on the box telling
us that Robert Maxwell was a great guy just after he'd died.
It is said that the owners held a meeting after the Palace debacle and that
Puel may only have until the end of the season to prove he can still get
something out of the side.

And so to us. Well ok nobody was expecting much out of that game but the
manner of the defeat was disappointing to put it mildly. It's very galling
to lose a game containing five goals when you have scored three of them.
Annoyingly there was a spell in that match where we actually worked out how
to get ourselves into the game. Firstly we suffered from the officials going
all gooey-eyed at Man City, firstly denying Arnautovic a goal for a foul
that wouldn't have been given up the other end. Then Fernandes got upended
in the box only for Swarbrick to give a free-kick a few yards away.
Thankfully the officials couldn't come up with a good reason to disallow
Cresswell's splendid free-kick, though I am sure they might have done given
a few more minutes. The big problem was having worked out what to do we came
out after the interval and promptly stopped doing it.

Of course the refereeing incompetence wasn't all one way, they should have
had a penalty when Cresswell took Sterling's legs away. However that error
was sort of understandable. After all if you aren't sure with Sterling and
assume that he has dived, you are going to be right more often than you are
wrong. See also Zaha and, more relevantly, Vardy.

Injury news is a bit odd. Having spent the last few months being on the "see
you next season" list Obiang is now said to be close to a return. This one
seems to have been a week or so too early though. Ginge will be similarly
absent.

Then there is Carroll. When he discovered that he wasn't amongst the three
deckchairs to be rearranged on the Titanic on Sunday he disappeared down the
tunnel with a burst of speed not seen all day by a West Ham player. "I
needed the bog" was, apparently, the none-too convincing excuse. Which went
down about as well as Jeremy Corbyn at a Bar Mitzvah when it came to
training the following week. Words were exchanged with Moyes and the player
sent home with a note for his parents as to why he had been a bad boy.

Fast forward 24 hours and the player apparently apologised to the manager
and all is sweetness and light again. I can only think that the player's
sudden Damascene conversion might have something to do with the fact that,
by getting himself some sort of internal suspension he would be severely
limiting his scope of getting game time. I mean it's bad enough being out
injured but when that bullet wound is self-inflicted…

Well we are at the stage of the season where we are nervously glancing over
our shoulders. Which makes you look back on matches like Stoke at home where
we seemed to set up with a "must avoid defeat" mentality. We achieved that I
suppose but the extra two points we should have been going for would have
seen us safe to all intents and purposes. I guess that there's a possibility
we'll set up the same way for this one – if results go the expected way over
the next few days that point could be enough. The problem I have is that
word "could".

We should be capable of a win but frankly this will depend on whether they
players are told to give it a go. I'm not sure that that is happening at the
moment so the traditional £2.50, which I was previously going to donate to
the Goodbye Arsene Trophy Parade Fund will instead be going on a draw. 1-1
please Mr Winstone.

Enjoy the game!

When last we met at the "Daft Name For A" Stadium. Lost 1-0 (Premier League
December 2016)

Schmeichel had one of those days against us as he pulled off save after save
against Payet and Cresswell. Slimani was on target with a first-half header
to give them all three points.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh:
In his rookie season at the top level. And it shows. Mind you some of them
have been doing it for ages, not that you'd notice.

Danger Man: Riyad Mahrez

The transfer request he submitted in January is no longer in operation
though the player admits that his future is "uncertain". Translation "I'm
off In the Summer". If he's in the mood he can be a right handful.

Percy's Poser

Last week we asked you why is Associated Press Journo Rob Harris is unlikely
to be on Guardiola's Christmas card list this year? A copy of the Sheffield
United Little Book Of Hypocrisy goes to Mrs Hortensia Vacuum-Cleaner of
Westcliffe On Sea for informing us:

"At a press conference earlier this year Guardiola, having been rather
effusive with his praise for his club's owners earlier on went all moral
high ground with his support for Catalonian independence going into great
detail of how his people had the right to freedom. Whereupon, alone amongst
the gathered journos, Mr Harris asked Guardiola how he could square his
support for "freedom" with his collecting of large amounts of money in
salary from people to whom human rights obviously meant nothing. At this
point Guardiola mumbled something vague about that being different or
something. So that's ok then!"
Well put Hortensia.

For this week's poser we look at Leicester itself. When they won the league
a few years back the Daily Express, in a desperate attempt to find something
interesting to say about the place, came up with one of "those 10 facts you
didn't know about" pieces. (Even their local paper only managed nine). No.
10 of these facts was the fact that Leicester Square was named after the 2nd
Earl of Leicester. All of which would have been fine but for what rather big
blunder made by the work experience kid they presumably used to post the
piece online?

A copy of "The Idiot's Guide To Tourist London" goes to the winner assuming
such a thing exists.
Good luck everyone!

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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Moyes mulling over 'keeper dilemma
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th May 2018
By: Staff Writer

David Moyes says he is undecided which of his two first team goalkeepers to
deploy against Leicester at the King Power stadium this weekend. Adrian
returned to the number one slot last weekend against Manchester City when
fellow stopper Joe Hart was sidelined for the clash with his parent club,
against whom he was not permitted to play. However the manager - who has
been less than convinced by either 'keeper since succeeding Slaven Bilic
last November - admitted that he is unsure which of the two to use at
Leicester in a game that could have huge consequences for the Hammers. "I've
got a decision to make on them both," he said during this morning's
pre-match press conference. "Joe has been in and Adrian has been in, but
unfortunately for Joe it was because it was his parent club last week, so
I've got a decision to make." One decision Moyes has already reached regards
striker Andy Carroll, who was sent home from training on Monday morning
following a row with the manager and later fined for his petulant outburst.
"We've fined him, he has apologised to both the players and myself, so we've
moved on," confirmed Moyes. "We're quite happy that it's done and dusted
now. Andy was in the squad last weekend, that's why he was on the bench, and
he'll be in the squad this weekend too - so it's certainly resolved as far
as I'm concerned."

West Ham face Leicester at the King Power Stadium tomorrow (Saturday); the
match kicks off at the once traditional time of 3pm.

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Andy Carroll fined by West Ham after inexcusable decision to leave bench
during game
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 04/05/18 2:04pm
SSN

David Moyes has fined Andy Carroll following his 'inexcusable' decision to
leave the bench during West Ham's game against Manchester City. The striker
headed down the tunnel after Moyes decided against bringing him on as a
substitute during the Hammers' 4-1 defeat at the London Stadium - something
he has since apologised for. Moyes has now told the Evening Standard: "I was
really disappointed in Andy. I don't believe there was any excuse for what
he did. "He's been fined but he has apologised, both to me and the players,
and I think he understands it was wrong. "The following day we had a
discussion in the office at Rush Green [West Ham's training ground]. I told
him it was unacceptable and sent him away. "Within an hour, it seemed, it
was out there for public consumption, which is also disappointing. Things go
on all the time at clubs and there needs to be some privacy. "To be fair,
Andy texted me later and apologised. I told him he needed to come in the
following day and speak to me and the players and he did that. Since then,
he's been back training."
Moyes also confirmed in his pre-match press conference Carroll will be in
West Ham's squad for their trip to Leicester on Saturday. He said: "He was
in the squad last week, that's why he was on the bench. He will be in the
squad this weekend as well."

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Leicester v West Ham preview: Hammers target crucial victory
Last Updated: 04/05/18 3:56pm
SSN

West Ham will be looking to take a big step towards survival in the Premier
League when they travel to out-of-form Leicester on Saturday. The Hammers
are in a precarious position in the table, just three points above the
relegation zone, following successive 4-1 defeats to Arsenal and Manchester
City. They are without a win from their last four games, and travel to
Leicester before matches against David Moyes' former clubs Manchester United
and Everton at the London Stadium.
"We have got three games to win," Moyes said. "If we can win all three of
those games then we might find ourselves quite high up the table so that is
what we are going to try to do. "The mood is good. We were really
disappointed with how we played, even against the champions, but overall
they are keen to put it right.
"The motivation and attitude has been very good. They know exactly what is
at stake so we will all work together and try and get a result."
Leicester have won just four of their last 18 games and there have been
reports that manager Claude Puel is under increasing pressure. With three
matches of the season left to play, the highest the Foxes could finish is
eighth.
Team news
Andy Carroll will be in West Ham's squad after being sent home from training
and then fined for leaving the bench early in the 4-1 defeat against
Manchester City.
Joe Hart and Adrian will contend for the number one spot - after Hart was
ineligible to face parent club City - but Michail Antonio (hamstring),
Winston Reid (knee), Sam Byram (ankle), James Collins (hamstring) and Pedro
Obiang (knee) are still sidelined.
Marc Albrighton is one of nine Leicester players missing as he starts his
suspension following last week's red card at Crystal Palace. The winger was
dismissed in the 5-0 drubbing at Selhurst Park, and has also been charged
with misconduct for his reaction to referee Mike Dean so could face a
further ban. Kasper Schmeichel (ankle), Shinji Okazaki (ankle), Wilfred
Ndidi (hamstring), Danny Simpson (groin), Robert Huth (ankle), Matty James
(Achilles) are also out along with Ben Chilwell and Daniel Amartey. Vicente
Iborra (hamstring) has returned to training and will be assessed.

Opta stats
The Foxes are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with West
Ham (W4 D2), since a 0-2 loss at Upton Park in December 2014.

After winning three of their first five away Premier League games against
Leicester (D1 L1), the Hammers are winless in their last five top-flight
visits to Filbert Street/King Power Stadium (D2 L3), alternating between
defeat and a draw each time.

Leicester have lost three of their last four Premier League games (D1), more
than they had in their previous 10 in the competition (W4 D4 L2).

West Ham have shipped 67 Premier League goals this season - only in one
campaign have they ever conceded more in the competition (70 in 2010-11 when
they finished bottom).

Leicester have been shown a league-high five red cards in the Premier League
this season, while West Ham have had more yellows than any other side (70).

West Ham have scored in each of their last 10 away Premier League games -
they last had a longer run in the top-flight back in December 1966 (14
games).

Marko Arnautovic has been directly involved in eight goals in his last seven
away games for West Ham in the Premier League (5 goals, 3 assists).

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