Daily WHUFC News - 23rd February 2016

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic believes there would be no more fitting final tribute to the
Boleyn Ground than seeing his West Ham United side bring the FA Cup back
there this year. The West Ham United manager oversaw a hugely impressive 5-1
win at Blackburn Rovers to set up a quarter-final tie at either Manchester
United or Shrewsbury Town. Assuming there is a winner on the night in that
tie, the Hammers' final FA Cup match in E13 was the memorable extra-time
victory against Liverpool on 9 February. "You can't call it destiny but you
can call a brilliant way to finish our time at one of the most historic
grounds in the country," Bilic said. "Winning the FA Cup will be amazing.
"We want to progress as far as possible. I don't think that any manager is
approaching the FA Cup not wanting to win the games. It is massive and we
are crazy to go through in the FA Cup. "We played some fantastic football at
Blackburn and it was great for West Ham fans as there were like 7,000 of
them. "It was also good for the neutrals as a lot of the stuff we played was
magnificent."

Central to much of the Hammers' 'brilliance' was, once again, Dimitri Payet.
The France international scored two and set up countless other chances for
those in claret and blue, but his manager was keen to focus on the No27's
other attributes after the game. "I want the questions about Dimitri Payert
to continue as it means he is doing well but I am running out of things to
say about him! "It is hard to describe so I think I will need to get some
poetry lessons to describe his important to us. It is great as it is not me
who says to the other players 'this is Payet – give him the ball', they
recognise how good he is. They like it as he is doing the dirty work as
well."

Emmanuel Emenike also starred on his first start for the Club, grabbing two
goals and going close to netting a hat-trick several times. His manager
credited much of his team's space creation to the Nigerian and it was a
performance that did not surprise him after he tracked him for so long.
"Emenike is that kind of a player. Me and my staff know him well from Russia
and he is strong and pacey and loves to go in behind, which is very
important for us. He is one of the reasons that we created such a big gap
between their midfield and back four. They were afraid to push forward
because of him and that's why we had that gap."

The manager will now begin to ready his troops for the Saturday lunchtime
kick-off against Sunderland; a game which will see the return of former
manager Sam Allardyce to the Boleyn Ground. Bilic plans to make full use of
Sunday's win at Ewood Park to get his team firing on all cylinders for the
Black Cats' arrival. "We had a normal week between Norwich and Blackburn so
it was normal training and it gave us the chance to refresh some players.
This week will be the same. "These kind of weeks coming up are like
pre-season as the players will be on a massive high and it's going to help
us in the Premier League as well."

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Moses - We could have scored more!
WHUFC.com

Victor Moses says Sunday's 5-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers in the
Emirates FA Cup was another sign of West Ham United's attacking power. Moses
netted one and played a key role in a Hammers display which yielded 14 shots
on target, five goals and a spot in the FA Cup quarter finals. The Hammers
put Blackburn to the sword in front of 7,200 delighted Hammers fans and
Moses was thrilled for everyone involved. "We should have scored ten goals
maybe," he smiled. "Fortunately we ended up with five and we have to be
pleased with that. "Every one of the goals were good and I think we deserved
it. The fans were amazing too – they supported us all the way to the end and
we're pleased [for them]. "It felt like we were playing at home to be
honest. We really appreciated the support. We hope they enjoyed it the same
way we did and we just want to keep on improving every week."

Moses' goalscoring performance was a follow-up to his strong cameo at
Norwich the previous week and the on-loan winger is happy with his form. He
continued: "I'm pleased personally. You can see I'm fully fit now, because
when I first came back from injury I started a little slow. Now I've started
to get myself back again and I just want to enjoy every single bit of this
season with West Ham. I want to keep on working hard for the team and make
sure we win as many games as we can. "The goal was similar to the Man City
one. I got into a little pocket, got the ball and turned, drove at the
defenders and it was a little unfortunate for the keeper but they all count.
"I was pleased with that and hopefully there are more goals to come."

Moses was also happy for his teammate and countryman Emmanuel Emenike after
he scored his first two goals for the Club. He added: "Emmanuel is happy and
I'm happy for him as well. He deserved it – he worked very hard, never
stopped running and you can see his ability. "He's very strong and I'm
delighted that he got his two goals."

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From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com

Good afternoon,

The year 2016 is so important to us for so many reasons. It's 50 years since
we won the World Cup with Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. And of
course we will bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground, which will be a momentous
moment in the history of West Ham United. And what better way to mark both
of those events than bringing the FA Cup back to East London.

As a Board we have tried to make sure that happens. We made significant
funds available for transfers in the summer and have secured a number of key
first-team players, like Dimtri Payet, on big, long contracts.

On the pitch we've also done well and currently sit seventh in the Premier
League. I think right now, though, the FA Cup just feels more important than
the league as to win the cup or even to just get to Wembley would be a
massive achievement in such a crucial year.

I know how important it is to the fans as well. It's also a time in the
Club's history where everything is coming together. It's like a perfect
storm where we've got a great manager, we've got players, who are exceeding
our expectations, and the best fans in the country.

Have we ever seen support like this? It is just exceptional for us to take
7,200 fans to Blackburn on Sunday, especially when you consider it is not
the easiest to get to for a 2pm kick off.

The fans are not only showing their loyalty on Sunday, but they are also
demonstrating it with their commitment to our new Stadium next season. We
are now seeing a huge surge in demand for Season Tickets, which is not only
showing that they are passionate but there are a lot more of them than some
people previously thought!

We were much maligned by the press and our critics who said that we wouldn't
fill a 54,000-seater stadium as we don't have that many fans. Well we proved
them wrong. Not only will we fill 54,000 seats but we will have a waiting
list for Season Tickets for the 2017/18 season already.

There is no doubt that Slaven, like us, would accept slipping the odd place
in the league at the end of the season if it meant us putting out our very
best side in every round of the FA Cup. And that is what we will do on
Sunday.

Everyone around the Club - the Board, the manager, players and fans want to
win this trophy in this very special year for our Club.

Thank you for the role you are playing and for your fantastic support.

David Gold

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Jaanai Gordon scored on his debut for Sligo Rovers in a 1-0 win over Derry
City in a pre-season friendly. The striker scored the only goal of the game
on the hour mark to cap an impressive debut, showing impressive composure he
steered the ball home.

Reece Burke played the full game as Bradford City drew 2-2 at home with
Rochdale. The Bantams twice came from behind to secure a point with goals
from Rory McArdle and Steven Davies.
Josh Cullen was an unused substitute, Bradford are just four points off the
play off positions in eighth.

Diego Poyet played 67 minutes of Charlton Athletic's 3-0 defeat away at
Charlton Athletic. Tom Cairney netted a brace while Michael Madl sealed the
three points. The defeat leaves the Addicks bottom of the Championship with
25 points from 32 games.

Martin Samuelsen played the full game for Peterborough United as they
slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Millwall. Steve Morison scored either side of
half-time while Lee Gregory's strike shortly after half-time secured the
win.

Clarke Bogard played the full game as Tilbury slipped to a 2-1 defeat away
at Heybridge Swifts.

Kyle Knoyle was an unused substitute in Dundee United's vital 2-1 win over
Heart of Midlothian. Former Hammer Guy Demel scored Dundee's opener.

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Saluting international Hammers
WHUFC.com

As part of the series of events to mark West Ham United's final season at
the Boleyn Ground, the Club will use the upcoming fixture against Crystal
Palace to celebrate the Hammers' dedicated overseas fans.

The 'Over Land and Sea' themed match on Saturday 2 April will salute all
those supporters who travel from abroad to follow West Ham, as well as the
tens of thousands who gather together to watch the Club's matches on
television at all hours of day and night around the world.

This follows themed matches earlier in the season celebrating the 'Greatest
Goals' and 'Greatest Moments' at the Boleyn Ground, and saluting the
achievements of 'The Boys of '86', 'Cult Heroes' and the Hammers' famed
Academy of Football.

Saturday's visit of Sunderland, meanwhile, will pay tribute to Bobby Moore,
his 1960s contemporaries and their spectacular achievements in Claret and
Blue.

There are currently upward of 50 official international West Ham supporters'
clubs, stretching from New Zealand to New York and Istanbul to Illinois. As
West Ham's global reach continues to grow, each month sees new clubs from
every continent applying for official supporters' club status.

Many of those clubs will be represented at the Boleyn Ground on the day and
West Ham will also be encouraging all overseas Hammers fans to take part via
social media using the hashtag #OLAS, sending their messages, pictures and
videos to let the Club know where they are watching the game.

Further details of how you can take part and get in touch on the day will be
published on whufc.com in due course, while tickets for the Crystal Palace
fixture go on sale to Academy Members from 9am on Tuesday 23 February.
Supporters can visit the Box Office here.

Players from well over 50 different nationalities have played for West Ham
during the Club's long and glorious history, and the themed match on 2 April
will also be an opportunity to recall the great memories created at the
Boleyn Ground by the Hammers' overseas legends.

In honour of dearly departed Aussie Dylan Tombides, the fixture will also be
a poignant opportunity to raise awareness of the DT38 Foundation and their
life-saving work. Back in 2014, the Hammers met Crystal Palace at the Boleyn
Ground just 24 hours after young Dylan lost his brave battle with testicular
cancer. Eagles skipper and fellow native Australian Miles Jedinak is a
patron of Dylan's namesake charity.

It promises to be another special day of a very special final season at the
Boleyn Ground, and one which will show just how far and wide the West Ham
family has spread.

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Spiegel signs new contract
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce that highly-rated keeper Raphael
Spiegel has signed a two-year extension to his contract. Spiegel has been
working closely with Adrian and Darren Randolph this season and has been a
regular member of the first-team squad. The Switzerland international has
been rewarded for his impressive form with a new deal which will see him
stay at the Boleyn Ground until 2018 with a view to signing for a further
two-years. The 23-year-old keeper joined the Hammers back in 2012 and has
enjoyed loan spells with Crawley, Barnet and Carlisle United. The talented
keeper has been waiting patiently for his chance, but with the historic move
to the new Stadium during the summer, he was keen to pledge his long-term
future to the Club.

Spiegel insists he is relishing the chance to work under Goalkeeping Coach
Chris Woods and hopes he will be given his chance to show he can compete at
the highest level. Spiegel said: "I am very happy to extend my contract at
West Ham United and am excited about the move to the new Stadium. "It is
great to work with Adrian and Darren. They have great experience and you can
always learn from them. It can only make me better.

"It is also great to work with Chris. Since he has come to the club I have
improved so much under him. I am very happy to work with him and if I can
carry on doing that for the next two-years I am only going to get better.
"Everyone wants to play and I want to get more game time and show what I am
about. This is an exciting time for the Club and I want to stay part of the
West Ham family. "With goalkeepers you need to be a little bit more patient
as only one can play but I believe I can do it. West Ham is a very good
place to be at the moment and everyone can play to their best. "The manager
is doing an amazing job and let's see what we can achieve this season."

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Raphel's renaissance
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 22nd February 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's third-choice goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel has signed a new
two-year contract with the club. The former Swiss youth international
replaced the outgoing Marek Stech in 2012 when moving to West Ham from
Grasshoppers for an undisclosed fee. And it was confirmed this afternoon
that he has extended his existing contract - which was due to expire at the
end of the current season - for another two years, with an option for an
extra two years. "I'm very happy to extend my contract here at West Ham," he
told the club's website. "I worked for that and I'm enjoying the moment now.
"It's great to work with [goalkeeping coach] Chris Woods, who has been
amazing. Since he came to the club I have improved so much under him. If I
can carry on doing that for the next two-years I am only going to get
better. "Everyone wants to play and I want to get more game time at West Ham
and show what I'm about. "This is an exciting time for the Club and I want
to stay part of the West Ham family. With goalkeepers you need to be a
little bit more patient as only one can play, but I believe I can do it.
"West Ham is a very good place to be at the moment and everyone can play to
their best. The manager is doing an amazing job and let's see what we can
achieve this season."

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Monday Musings: A walk in the (Ewood) park
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 22nd February 2016
By: Graeme Howlett

West Ham were simply too good for Championship side Blackburn Rovers at
Ewood Park on Sunday afternoon as they eased their way through to the
quarter finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2011.

A brace apiece from Dimitri Payet and new signing Emmanuel Emenike -
combined with a Vic Moses strike that cancelled out Ben Marshall's early
opener (NB. another slow start from the Hammers) - sent West Ham through to
a potential last eight encounter with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

League One Shrewsbury, who face Man U in the last of the eight fifth round
fixtures tonight (Monday) will no doubt have something to say about that -
and who's to say the League One side won't be able to overcome a distinctly
lacklustre Mancunian outfit?

But even if they fail, West Ham should have little to fear about facing
Louis Van Gaal's expensively-assembled, ragtag gang of misfits who have
flattered to deceive for much of the campaign and have been unable to beat
United in either of their last two meetings.

Indeed, should they continue to play as they did on Sunday, the Hammers
should fear nobody. The gulf in class between Bilic's side and Paul
Lambert's Championship strugglers was vast and clearly evident and, bar
Marshall's early effort, which caught Darren Randolph unsighted, this really
was a case of men against boys.

Spurred on by more than 7,000 travelling supporters, who had made the
250-mile trip from London to the North West, West Ham scored five, had two
efforts disallowed for offside and hit the post. Had they scored ten, Rovers
fans would have had little cause for complaint.

At the heart of almost everything good that came from West Ham was Dimitri
Payet, who is clearly revelling in his role as the club's poster boy.

Happy with his new contract and adored by the fans, the 28-year-old
midfielder scored another wonderful first half free kick before wrapping up
the game with a virtuoso effort that involved a fifty-yard run and the
beating of several opponents, whom he left trailing in his wake.

It would have been a perfect day for West Ham had Cheik Kouyate not been
sent off midway through the second half after he was deemed to have denied a
goalscoring opportunity by referee Jon Moss, thus earning a one-match
suspension.

However West Ham believe they have a good chance of overturning the decision
upon appeal because Kouyate's (minimal) contact with Adam Henley was clearly
accidental and the striker had already lost control of the ball, which was
racing away towards 'keeper Darren Randolph, before contact was made.

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Deschamp: who needs Payet when you've got Ben Arfa?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 22nd February 2016
By: Staff Writer

French international manager Didier Deschamps has defended his decision not
to select West Ham's Dimitri Payet for recent squads. Deschamp, speaking as
a guest on Canal+ yesterday was asked why Payet - who has taken the Premier
League by storm this season - had not been included in his recent
selections. Having denied that Payet's non-selection was the result of
personal issues between the two, Deschamp went on to claim that West Ham's
#27 had not been selected as he was simply way down the pecking order.

"There is no problem with Payet," insisted Deschamps. "He's playing very
well for his club but he does not play in the centre for West Ham, he often
plays on the left in a 4-3-3. "His statistics for this season are excellent
but on the left, I have the world too - competition from players like
[Athletico's Antoine] Griezmann, [Man Utd's Anthony] Martial, [Lyon's
Mathieu] Valbuena or even [Hatem] Ben Arfa, [Kingsley] Coman and [Nabil]
Fekir. "Dimitri is not condemned, but he has not produced the same
performances for France as he has for his club. There are no problems, I
have no problem with him. These are simply sporting choices when compared to
the competition."

Last October, Payet criticised Deschamps for continuously leaving him out of
the French squad, claiming that his exclusion was an "injustice".
"It is more than a year now [since I've been selected] and I'm in the best
form of my career," he said. "So for me, it is unjust not to be in the
France squad. Perhaps it is my fault because I have not done what is
expected of me, but maybe there is more to it. "He [Deschamps] has the
choice to make, he thinks about the group as a whole. I hear the comments
that say I wouldn't look good in the team. Good. You have to take me as I
am. If you ask all my coaches, I don't think they will tell you: 'Dimitri is
an idiot'. "The thing that I haven't yet come to terms with is the
injustice."

Head-to-head: Payet (Premier League) vs Ben Arfa (Ligue 1)

Appearances: Payet 29, Ben Arfa 29.

Goals Scored: Payet 10, Ben Arfa 12.

Assists: Payet 5, Ben Arfa 2.

Average Pass Success Rate: Payet 82%, Ben Arfa 80.3%

Average Passes per Game: Payet 44.2, Ben Arfa 37.6.

Average Key Passes Per Game: Payet 3.6, Ben Arfa 0.8.

Average Dribbles per Game: Payet 2.5, Ben Arfa 4.2.

Average Dispossessed per Game: Payet 1.6, Ben Arfa 2.5.

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West Ham plan to appeal Cheikhou Kouyate's red card
By Peter Gilbert
Last Updated: 22/02/16 10:11am
SSN

West Ham will appeal the red card picked up by Cheikhou Kouyate during
Sunday's 5-1 win over Blackburn in the FA Cup. Kouyate received his marching
orders with 15 minutes remaining at Ewood Park after he sent Adam Henley
tumbling as he was about to burst into the box. Referee Jon Moss deemed the
central midfielder had denied a goalscoring opportunity and had no
hesitation in producing a straight red card - a decision Hammers boss Slaven
Billic disagreed with. "From my position, I am not happy with that," said
Bilic. "I know the ball went to Randy [Darren Randolph], to our keeper, so
it is definitely not a goalscoring opportunity. A foul? Okay. "But not a red
card so we are going to appeal and I think we have a really strong case."
Hammers co-chairman David Gold confirmed the club's intention to appeal. "We
will appeal Kouyates red card which we believe was a mistake by the referee
- I think we have a good chance," Gold wrote on his Twitter account.. "The
Blackburn player wasn't going to get the ball anyway so he wasn't denied a
goal scoring opportunity."

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This man has a problem with Payet
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Dimi Payet has convinced everybody in English football that he's a
superstar. However, getting the message through to his national team coach
Didier Deschamps appears to be something of a problem. Dimi has now scored
nine goals and set up eight others for the Irons this season but Deschamps
has yet to be convinced. The former Chelsea midfielder said: "I've already
called and I have already spoken to him about it. I said that I expected
more from him than he (produced) when he was with us. It was not enough. In
the France team, he does not do the same thing (as he does) in his club. "He
is someone who is powerful in the club. He often plays on the left in a
4-3-3. He has some very interesting statistics on the left. "But after that
there is a competition issue. In this position on the left, the competition
is from Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Mathieu Valbuena, Hatem Ben Arfa
or Nabil Fekir before he got injured."
Payet has described his continual exclusion from the French squad as an
"injustice" but Deschamps insisted Payet has only been left out for football
reasons. He said: "Problems of attitude for Payet? No these are false
problems. As if I could not manage players… It is a choice about football
based on the other competition."

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Graham Poll: Red card was wrong
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former Referee Graham Poll believes West Ham have a very good chance of
appealing Cheikhou Kouyate's red card he received at Ewood park on Sunday.
Kouyate was shown a straight red card for a last-man professional foul on
Adam Henley on the edge of the box during the Hammers 5-1 over Blackburn.
"West Ham must have a good chance of overturning the red card Cheikhou
Kouyate was shown by Jon Moss," Poll wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.
"Henley was through on goal but his first touch played the ball a long way
in front of himself. There had to be doubt whether he would reach it before
Darren Randolph in the West Ham goal." "So a Hammers appeal would certainly
not be seen as frivolous and should be overturned." He later went on
Talksport radio this afternoon and singled out the West Ham sending off of
Kouyate as the refereeing mistake of the weekend.

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Irons keeper signs two year contract extension
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham have announced that third choice keeper Raphael Spiegel has signed
a two-year extension to his contract with an option for a further two years.
The Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a new deal which will
see him stay at the Boleyn Ground until 2018 with an option until 2020. The
23-year-old keeper joined the Hammers back in 2012 and has enjoyed loan
spells with Crawley, Barnet and Carlisle United. The Hammers signed the then
19 year old Spiegel from Swiss side Grasshoppers for around £300,000 in
2012. Spiegel made 17 appearances for the Swiss second-tier club SC Brühl SG
having played 41 games over two seasons for Grasshoppers' second team in the
third tier.

Spiegel told WHUFC.com: "I am very happy to extend my contract at West Ham
United and am excited about the move to the new Stadium. It is great to work
with Adrian and Darren. They have great experience and you can always learn
from them. It can only make me better. It is also great to work with Chris.
Since he has come to the club I have improved so much under him. I am very
happy to work with him and if I can carry on doing that for the next
two-years I am only going to get better.

"Everyone wants to play and I want to get more game time and show what I am
about. This is an exciting time for the Club and I want to stay part of the
West Ham family. With goalkeepers you need to be a little bit more patient
as only one can play but I believe I can do it. West Ham is a very good
place to be at the moment and everyone can play to their best.The manager is
doing an amazing job and let's see what we can achieve this season."

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FA Cup quarter final confirmed
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham will be playing Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup
quarter-finals after the Red Devils beat Shrewsbury Town 3-0 in the fifth
round proper tie this evening.

Our FA Cup sixth round proper match with Manchester United needs to be
played between Friday 11th and Monday 14th March.

The day and time will depend on the TV rights holders, BT Sports and BBC.
The date will also depend on Manchester United's progress in the Europa
league competition. If Man Utd get through to the final 16 after Thursday
night they will have to play their first leg on Thursday 10th March and
second leg on Thursday 17th March.

Old-Trafford-Stadium-Manchester-UnitedA Sunday or Monday night seems to be
more the more likely. Hopefully, by then Manchester United will focus on
the Europa league as winning it is probably their only realistic chance of
Champions League football next season.

West Ham are entitled to an away allocation of 9,000 which is 12% of 75,500
capacity of Old Trafford due to a special dispensation with the FA.

Manchester United will also set the ticket prices as the home. When they
played Sheffield United in January in the third round of the FA Cup they
offered an away allocation of 8,500 with a minimum adult ticket price at
£45.

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West Ham turn down loan offers for young Hammer
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham has rejected offers for Hammers academy youngster Marcus Browne to
go out on loan, according to reports this afternoon.

The 18-year-old is yet to make his first-team debut for West Ham but has
been has played regularly for under-21's and under 18's. In recent weeks he
has been training with the first team and was included as an unused
substitute against Blackburn Rovers on Sunday in the FA cup.

BrownwThe midfielder signed his first professional contract late last year
just before his 18th birthday. He has been on the books of West Ham since he
was eight years old.

A number of Football League clubs are understood to have made enquiries
about signing Browne on loan, but West Ham are keen to keep hold of the
attacking midfielder. Browne is expected to be rewarded with his first debut
before the end of the season.

Below is a video of Browne attempting to replicate David Beckham's half way
line wonder goal.

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Bleak Irons news for Allardyce
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Winston Reid has rejoined the first team squad and is expected to be
available for the spikey little affair against Sunderland at the weekend.
And word from the training camp is that Sam Allardyce could be confronted
with Andy Carroll on whom he splashed an incredible £17 million when he was
Irons boss to make him the club's record signing. However, the game will
come too soon for Diafra Sakho who, although he is working incredibly hard
into the afternoon, won't be fit for the game according to our sources. We
were told: "Sak is more likely to be available for the match at Everton
although he would love to believe he will be in the running for the Spurs
game."

Reid's return is bad news for Allardyce who in an interview earlier in the
season described him in glowing terms leaving the distinct impression that
he was the top Irons man at the back. Carroll too is set for his return with
a source saying: "It wasn't a big problem and as things look now he should
be fit." Sunderland remain in the bottom three with Allardyce's record of
never having been relegated very much under threat.

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DG's big Kouyate optimism
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2016 in News
C and H

David Gold believes the club has an outstanding chance of getting Chiek
Kouyate's red card overturned. The co chairman is a cautious man in making
big judgement calls of this kind but is clearly pretty well assured in his
mind that the possibility of an FA fine is well worth the risk on this
occasion. As explained in an earlier story the midfielder as sent off for
denying Rovers what the referee believed was a clear goalscoring opportunity
but the ball had clearly run away from Adam Henley at the time. And DG made
it clear immediately after the game that the club intended to appeal the red
and later – when asked by a follower on Twitter whether it was worth it
given the possibility of another fine – he even gave an assessment of the
odds.
That is very unlike the co chairman but he said: "I think we have a very
good case better than 50-50. dg"

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The £4m FA Cup run
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers yesterday earned West Ham £180,000 in
prize money from the FA as winners of the fifth round proper together with
£247,500 to have the game screened LIVE on BT Sport. We also received a 42%
cut of the Ewood park gate money with and attendance of 18,793 earning a
further £158,000 with tickets priced at £20. In previous rounds West Ham
earned £67,500 in prize money and £294,000 in gate money for beating Wolves
in the third round of the FA Cup at the Boleyn ground. We received another
£90,000 in prize money for beating Liverpool in the forth round over two
games and we earned £288,000 to have both games screened LIVE on BT Sports.
The Anfield FA cup tie against Liverpool achieved an attendance of 44,000 at
£35 per ticket netting us around £647,00 in gate money. The replay at the
Boleyn ground earned around £294,000 with tickets reduced to £20. So we have
earned close to £1.75m so far for our 2016 cup run but a draw against
Manchester United in the quarter finals will more than double that.

Old-Trafford-Stadium-Manchester-UnitedShould the Red Devils over come
Shrewsbury tonight we would get a share of the 75,000 gate at Old Trafford.
It will be up to Manchester united to set the prices but £40 per ticket
tends to be the average for our northern rivals. A 75,000 sell-out would
bring in £3m of revenue of which we would get £1.26m of it. LIVE TV
coverage will add another £247,500 and winning the quarter final would earn
£360,000 in prize money and book a date at Wembley for semis where we start
earning serious money for TV rights, prize money and a share of the 90,000
gate!

FA Cup Third Round earnings = £361,500
FA Cup fourth round earnings = £1,22,900
FA Cup fifth round earnings = £585,500
Estimated FA Cup sixth round earning = £1,867,500
Estimated total FA cup earnings should we play Manchester United and win =
£4,043,500

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DS clears up last Boleyn match confusion
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2016 in News
C and H

David Sullivan has cleared up any lingering confusion over the identity of
the Boleyn Ground's last ever visiting team. He has told ClaretandHugh: "The
league match against Manchester United could now become the last game to
ever be held at Upton Park." United meet Shrewsbury this evening and should
they win either the Hammers or the Reds will be in the semi finals of the FA
Cup. And that in turn would mean the League match between the pair will have
to be rescheduled from April 23 with a night match after the game against
Swansea being the most likely option. Not many would argue that a final game
against United under the lights would be an entirely fitting way of saying
goodbye to the 'old lady' that has lived in our hearts for so long.
Ironically, however, there won't be many Irons fans who won't become Shrews
supporters this evening – and quite right too. :-)

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Hammers fans stranded as coaches break down
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

A number of West Ham supporters became stranded in the Midlands over night
as their official club No.7 coach broke down twice on the way home from the
5-1 FA cup win over Blackburn Rovers.
Hammers fan and actor Ellis McFarland left the Boleyn ground at 6.15am
Sunday morning to make the trip to Ewood park on an Official supporters
coach but he only managed to get home in the early hours of Monday morning
after an eight and half nightmare journey home. He tweeted chairman David
Gold to say "We travelled all the way up to Blackburn only to have our coach
and subsequent replacement breakdown! Still in Birmingham!"
Claret and Hugh understand that fifty four fans in total were stranded in
Birmingham as two replacement coaches were found to ferry them home. Ellis
added "Quite a journey. Just managed to make the last train home as well so
should be home by 1am! Worth it! 8.5 hours, 3 coaches, 2 tubes, 1 train and
a short walk and I am finally home. I'd do it all again for another day like
that though! #COYI"
Another supporter on the coach, Peter Bruton said "On the coach we had five
drivers, three coaches got back to Upton Park at 10 .45pm, cream crackered"
David Gold messaged them back this morning "I'm pleased you all made it back
safely. Well done. dg"

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Hammers entitled to 9,000 tickets at Old Trafford
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 22, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are theoretically entitled to an away allocation of 11,345 tickets,
being 15% of Old Trafford's 75,635 seating capacity should they overcome
Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup fifth round this evening. However, Claret and
Hugh now understands that Manchester United has a special dispensation this
season with the FA which limits the maximum percentage to 12% to cup games.
Last year Middlesbrough became only the second team in the last 25 years to
bring more than 10,000 fans to Old Trafford. Coventry City hold the record
as the team to bring so many fans to Old Trafford when they sold 11,000
tickets for a League Cup game in 2007, filling both tiers of the East Stand.
After taking 7,200 supporters to Blackburn on Sunday it would be amazing if
the Hammers could muster a 9,000 strong army to invade Manchester in March.
If Shrewsbury town pull off a miracle tonight then our away allocation will
be less than 1,500 as New Meadow holds just 9,875 seats. The ticket office
told us this morning "Once further details are known we will place an
official announcement on the website whufc.com"

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EXCL: EMENIKE: I WOULD HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED IF I DIDN'T SCORE
africanfootball.com
by Staff Reporter
Monday Feb 22, 2016. 15:00

Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike has revealed to AfricanFootball.com he
would have been shattered had he not scored for West Ham in the weekend's FA
Cup big win over Blackburn Rovers.
Emenike fired a brace against English Championship side Blackburn to open
his goals account since his arrival in England on loan from Turkish club
Fenerbache till the end of the season.
'The Hammers' cruised to the quarterfinal of the cup competition after they
came from behind to thrash Blackburn Rovers 5-1 in a fifth round FA Cup tie
on Sunday. "I knew I was going to lead the attack, so all eyes were on me
and I knew it would be a big disappointment if I didn't score because the
expectations were getting higher every day," he told AfricanFootball.com
"I feel more confident now than before. But I am not going to relax, the
goals will motivate me to score more, some of my mates know how hungry I was
to score goals and that's why I celebrated as if it were a cup final."
He said he has settled down nicely in London because he has often spent his
holidays there. "There is a great atmosphere at the club. I have enjoyed
good motivation from my team mates and the fans, they are behind my goals.
They have welcomed me well and have been supportive since, that has helped
me greatly," he said. "I'm also feeling very much at home already because I
am used to the weather and the culture. London is my home because this is
where I often come for my holidays. "I am growing into the team and
hopefully we can write history together in the FA Cup."

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Dimitri Payet faces battle to earn Euro 2016 spot for France - because
Deschamps is still yet to be convinced
11:11, 22 FEB 2016 UPDATED 11:27, 22 FEB 2016
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
Deschamps said he has not picked the playmaker since last June because he
doesn't play as well for country as he does his club
The Mirror

Dimitri Payet appears to be facing a battle to earn a France recall ahead of
the Euros despite his stunning West Ham form. France boss Didier Deschamps
said he has not picked the Hammers playmaker since last June because he
doesn't play as well for country as he does his club. Payet has been one of
the stars of the season since joining West Ham from Marseille last summer
for what now looks like a bargain £10.7m. His displays have been so good he
has already earned a bumper new contract which has seen his wages jump up
£50,000 to £125,000 a week. The 28 year-old produced his latest
inspirational performance to lead West Ham into FA Cup last eight with two
goals at Blackburn yesterday. He has now scored nine goals and set up eight
others for West Ham this season though Deschamps is still yet to be
convinced. He said: "I've already called and I have already spoken to him
about it. I said that I expected more from him than he (produced) when he
was with us. "It was not enough. In the France team, he does not do the same
thing (as he does) in his club. "He is someone who is powerful in the club.
He often plays on the left in a 4-3-3. He has some very interesting
statistics on the left. "But after that there is a competition issue. In
this position on the left, the competition is from Anthony Martial, Antoine
Griezmann, Mathieu Valbuena, Hatem Ben Arfa or Nabil Fekir before he got
injured."

Last year Payet called his continual exclusion from the French setup an
"injustice." But Deschamps insisted Payet has only been left out for
football reasons. He said: "Problems of attitude for Payet? No these are
false problems. As if I could not manage players ... It is a choice about
football based on the other competition." Deschamps had more positive words
for Leicester midfielder N'Golo Kante who has been a revelation since his
£5.6m move from Caen. The uncapped 24 year-old was born in Paris but also
qualifies for Mali. But Deschamps said: "We are watching him obviously. He
was already performing well at Caen."

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West Ham have good chance of overturning Cheikhou Kouyate red card, says
Graham Poll
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ 2 hours ago0 comments
Evening Standard

Former official Graham Poll believes West Ham should appeal the red card
given to Cheikhou Kouyate during the Hammers' FA Cup thrashing of Blackburn
Rovers on Sunday because he feels it was too harsh. With the score in the
fifth-round clash at Ewood Park 1-1, Blackburn were reduced to 10 men when
Chris Taylor was shown a second yellow card before the visitors capitalised
through Emmanuel Emenike, whose goal was set up by Kouyate. The midfielder's
game, however, was soon after cut short when he was shown a straight red
card for a last-man foul on Adam Henley on the edge of the box. But despite
Kouyate seeing red in the 5-1 victory, former referee Poll thinks West Ham
should appeal his sending off as they would be likely to win it. "West Ham
must have a good chance of overturning the red card Cheikhou Kouyate was
shown by Jon Moss," Poll wrote in his column for The Mail. "Henley was
through on goal but his first touch played the ball a long way in front of
himself. "There had to be doubt whether he would reach it before Darren
Randolph in the West Ham goal. "So a Hammers appeal would certainly not be
seen as frivolous and should be overturned."

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was left furious and "not happy" following the
game as he believed goalkeeper Darren Randolph would have been able to deal
with the danger before Henley could have touched the ball to score. "I
didn't see the replay but from my position, I am not happy," he said. "I
know the ball went through to Darren Randolph, our goalkeeper, so it is
definitely not a goalscoring opportunity. Foul OK, but not a red card."

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West Ham will have the fans roaring again at Wembley, says James Collins
TOM DOYLE 1 hour ago0 comments
Evening Standard

James Collins believes West Ham have the quality to go all the way in the FA
Cup and reward their fans, who turned Ewood Park into a mini Upton Park
yesterday. It is 10 years since the Hammers reached the final, losing to
Liverpool on penalties after a 3-3 draw when Steven Gerrard took the tie
into extra-time with a last-gasp strike. Collins was on the bench that day,
at the end of the first season of his first spell with West Ham. And after
thumping Blackburn in a game where both sides were reduced to 10 men — with
Chris Taylor dismissed for two bookable offences and Cheikhou Kouyate sent
off for a foul on Adam Henley — Collins believes Slaven Bilic's side can go
one better. "Being involved in that final is still one of the biggest
highlights of my career," said the Wales defender. "To go there with such a
good team and experience that again and, hopefully, be on the right side
would be amazing. The gaffer has said he wants to have a right go at winning
the FA Cup, and why not? We've come this far now. We're in the
quarter-finals now, we've got a great chance."

Collins thanked the 7,200 army of Hammers fans for roaring them back from a
goal down. Ben Marshall gave the Championship hosts the lead but West Ham
quickly hit back through Victor Moses, with the inspirational Dimitri Payet
scoring two either side of January signing Emmanuel Emenike's double. "You
look at the scoreline and it was comprehensive," said Collins (left). "Their
goal early put us on the back foot for 10 minutes but then we started
keeping the ball and created a lot of chances and it probably could have
been more. The supporters were amazing. No disrespect to the Blackburn fans
but we thought it was a home game driving in. "There were West Ham fans
everywhere. When you come out and you hear them singing like that. It's
unbelievable. The support all year has been fantastic. "We're playing
attacking football, which obviously the West Ham fans like and they get
right behind us. To bring that many fans shows what it means to them."

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Ex ref Poll: West Ham should appeal Kouyate red card
Date: 22nd February 2016 at 12:38 pm
Written by: James Pearson
foreverwestham.com

Football Soccer - Blackburn Rovers v West Ham United - FA Cup Fifth Round -
Ewood Park - 21/2/16

Ex Premier League referee Graham Poll has defended West Ham's decision to
appeal against Cheikhou Kouyate's red card against Blackburn and believes
the decision was a poor one by Jon Moss.
In his column for The Mail, Poll wrote that "Henley was through on goal but
his first touch played the ball a long way in front of himself." This means
that Kouyate wasn't denying a goalscoring opportunity as the ball had
already made it's way through to Darren Randolph. The contact is also
questionable, and it seems apparent that Kouyate had no intention of
touching the Blackburn player either. It was an accidental, minimal
collision that didn't deny any kind of chance to score. Kouyate will be
considering himself seriously unlucky if he misses any Premier League action
because of the decision. The red card was the one blemish on an otherwise
fantastic FA Cup performance at Blackburn. David Gold had his say on Twitter
last night, stating that he believes there is a better than 50:50 chance
that the red card will be rescinded, and if Graham Poll believes it is worth
an appeal then there is a good chance we will be getting Kouyate back for
the Sunderland game at the weekend. Saturday sees Big Sam return to The
Boleyn Ground, and his Sunderland side have just beaten Manchester United
and are desperate for points to see them stave off relegation this season.
Sam Allardyce will definitely have a point to prove here, and it should be a
tricky game for us.

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WEST HAM UNITED - IS THE SLEEPING GIANT ABOUT TO WAKE UP ?
By HamburgHammer 22 Feb 2016 at 08:00
WTID

Blackburn could have been the proverbial banana skin for us. In the end they
were no more than a tasty Sunday afternoon snack and in the second half
there could be no doubt which one was the Premier League side and which one
the Championship club. With West Ham fans filling an entire stand (and
Blackburn leaving massive gaps of empty seats in the remaining three stands
of Ewok Park) this very much had the feel of a home game. Most of the game
has already been discussed and digested over the course of yesterday
evening, I'd just like to add a few bits that filled me with joy, pride and
massive hope for the future of this team and club while watching the game.

Antonio right now looks as if he could play virtually anywhere on the pitch
and do well. Put him in goal and he might keep clean sheets. Lanzini was
back and slotted into the side as if he had never been out, having him and
Payet on the pitch at the same time will give our team a whole new
dimension, approach and unpredictability. We will be a nightmare to play
against for most sides in the Premier League. Emenike got on the scoresheet
twice on his debut, scored another from an offside position and could still
have scored a hattrick from some more pretty neat chances, but overall you
just cannot argue with a player scoring two goals in a game, especially if
he hasn'T been with us long and still needs more training sessions and games
to gel with his teammates on the pitch. Early signs are good and it sure is
a massive relief to have him available now, something that cannot be said
for most of our other strikers, but hopefully the others too should be back
soon. Which also does bode well for our Quarter Final tie at Shrewsbury or
Manchester United.

What is left to say or write about Payet that hasn't been said or written
yet ? I did not imagine there could ever be a player to strike a chord with
our entire fanbase, his teammates and the coaching staff in such a short
space of time like Payet did. Noble of course is our local lad from Canning
Town, the bond to our roots and he has grown into an ever improving player
for us recently. But Payet now is the face of West Ham – and this was very
much confiremd by him signing an improved deal that will keep him at West
Ham for the foreseeable future. Unless of course he does end up at a bigger
club eventually, however, his deal ensures that he won't be leaving on the
cheap. And with every goal and assist his market value will soar, despite
his age.

I've been following the ticketing issue with regard to our first season in
the OS a lot recently, mainly because I got the phone call from the
reservation centre a few days ago after having joined the priority waiting
list in early May last year, straight after my visit to East London for the
Burnley game, the now infamous WHTID sleepover at the West Ham hotel. My
official phone appointment will be in eleven days, so it looks like I will
have a decent chance to pick up a season ticket for our first season there
which will go a long way in ensuring I can watch any game I please and can
make time for: The first ever West Ham game in the OS, the derby against
Spurs and Chelsea, the Allardyce game against his current side he will try
to save from the drop next season. You get the picture.

I was dumbfounded when I heard that we would apply to increase the capacity
for our first season to 60.000 seats due to high demand for season tickets.
Nearly double our current capacity. Apparently season ticket sales will be
artificially capped at 43K. Which is fair enough I suppose as one of the big
selling points of our move was the ability to cater for those fans who
couldn't committ to buy a season ticket, yet were keen to pick up tickets
for selected games.Due to the novelty factor coupled with the current wave
of feelgood atmosphere around team and club, I'd expect demand to remain
high, making most if not all our home games next season complete sellouts.

It goes with the territory that this will result in West Ham being on the
telly a lot next season, especially if we continue to build a squad full of
quality players, delivering the kind of entertaining passing football that
Lanzini and Payet will orchestrate and which is very much the epitome of the
much maligned and ridiculed West Ham way.

No doubt our club is headed towards massive changes, with the move to the OS
being merely the pistol firing the starting shot, to keep with the Olympic
theme for a moment. Make no mistake, it won't be a 100 metre dash this,
it'll be very much a marathon, not a sprint, to make it work in our favour.
But I am proud already that we will have 43K season ticket holders inside
that massive bowl in only our first season there, with the potential of 60K
sellouts for most games while all and sundry have been telling us that
little old West Ham would never fill the place anyway.

I'm well aware that the demand for tickets in season 2 in the OS will be
much more indicative of how far we have come and if our step up to the
proverbial next level is sustainable. The matchday experience in the OS is
likely to be a lot different from the Boleyn, no doubt. Yet the most
important ingredient should remain pretty much the same, the West Ham fans.

There simply will be thousands more of them inside our home stadium in the
future. Grandfathers (and grandmothers), fathers (and mothers), uncles and
aunties will bring sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and grandchildren, we
will see the growing up of a new generation of fans some of which will only
know the Boleyn from the tales being told to them by their relatives. Other
West Ham fans will be able to afford a season ticket again after not aving
one for years, others may be mates of current season ticket holders being
brought into the fold as part of the plus 2 scheme. And we are also likely
to attract more foreign supporters like me from all corners of the world
with no obvious roots in the East End or the Essex neck of the woods.
Some of them will be gloryhunters or plastics a la Chelsea who may be gone
again as quickly as they arrived should things go downhill again in the
future.

My experiences are different though. I consider West Ham to be quite a
special club which does manage to grab hold of you and never let go again,
like in my case. I became a Hammer in 1996 when quite honestly we weren't
very good in terms of results and also the football was dire in most of the
games I watched (we had Dowie upfront for crying out loud!), but still I
became totally smitten with West Ham and simply had no chance to even
consider turning my back again. The whole experience of following the team,
chatting with fellow fans, the humour, the passion, the rollercoaster of
emotions, all of that made me come back for more. I am convinced we can
continue to be like this even in the OS. Maybe we can do it even better once
we are in the OS. European nights under the lights in the OS sure sound no
less appealing than similar (rare) events at the Boleyn.

Will West Ham lose their appeal as a family club and the perennial cuddly
underdog (or most football fans' second team) once we start winning more
regularly ? Probably. But there are thousands of Hammers fans all over the
globe who have waited for this for such a long time. An exciting team
competing for titles and trophies. Playing football the right way. Being
feared and respected by opposing teams and their fans rather than being
ridiculed or patronised all the time.

I hope and pray we can make this work somehow and keep some of our West Ham
idendity intact, despite moving to a new stadium and changing our crest.
Us fans still have a huge part to play in this. The old and loyal ones and
also the new arrivals. Let's see what this sleeping giant is capable of
achieving once it has wiped the sleep from its eyes and started to rock the
boat a bit more. COYI!

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 22nd February 2016

Blackburn 1-5 West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Emmanuel Emenike netted an impressive brace on his full debut for West Ham
United while Dimitri Payet also scored two goals as they helped the Hammers
book their place in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Finals with an emphatic 5-1
victory over Blackburn. Emenike wasted no time settling into his new
surroundings with a superb performance and showed why he is rated so highly
with two goals in his first full start for the club. Payet also stole the
show with a superb curling free-kick from the edge of the box before
producing a clinical finish right at the end to send the Hammers into the
hat for the last eight of the competition. It was not all one-way traffic as
Blackburn opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a goal from Ben Marshall.
But Slaven Bilic's side showed their fighting qualities once again as they
hit back straight away with an equaliser from Victor Moses. Payet then
showed his quality with another sublime free-kick before new signing Emenike
secured the victory with two goals in the second half. Payet completed the
rout with a superb finish in injury time. Both teams were reduced to ten-men
after Chris Taylor was sent-off for Blackburn, while Cheikhou Kouyate was
also shown his marching orders. But the Hammers were left to celebrate
another impressive victory and are now just ninety minutes away from playing
at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals. West Ham had to come from behind
after Marshall fired Blackburn into the lead on 20 minutes.

Michail Antonio cleared a corner straight into the path of Marshall on the
edge of the box and he cut the ball onto his left before firing a low shot
Darren Randolph into the bottom corner of the net. The lead was short-lived
as the Hammers drew level on 26 minutes. Moses ran unchallenged into the
Blackburn half before striking the ball across Blackburn keeper Jason Steele
and into the back of the net. The Hammers quickly doubled their lead in
spectacular fashion on 36 minutes after Taylor brought down Payet on the
edge of the box and was booked for his late challenge.
The French star showed his quality once again by curling a superb right-foot
free-kick over the Blackburn wall and past the outstretched hand of Steele.

Payet celebrated in style by running along the touchline and hugging his
manager Slaven Bilic before celebrating his first FA Cup goal with the 7200
Hammers fans behind the goal. Blackburn were reduced to ten-men on 55
minutes after Taylor was shown his second yellow card of the game following
a late challenge on Moses. The Hammers thought they had made it three on 63
minutes after Antonio saw his shot kept out by Steele. The rebound fell to
Kouyate who slid the ball into the back of the net but his effort was ruled
out for offside. The Hammers made no mistake sixty seconds when they added a
third.

Antonio's shot was kept out by Steele. The rebound was picked out by Moses
who released Kouyate into the box and his cross was tapped home by Emineke
who produced a simple finish from close-range. Kouyate was then shown a
straight red card on 76 minutes as he clipped Adam Henley who raced clear
towards the penalty box. But the Hammers refused to sit on their lead and
could have made it four on 77 minutes following a great piece of one-touch
play from the Hammers involving Payet, Creswell, Song and substitute Lanzini
who just fired over from close-range.

The Hammers were still searching for a fourth goal and Moses saw his shot
cleared off the line by Shane Duffy on 82 minutes. But it was all over when
Emenike added his second of the game on 85 minutes. Payet played the perfect
through ball for the Nigerian forward who showed a great piece of skill to
take the ball around Steele and he slotted the ball into the back of the
net. It was a superb full debut from Emenike and he was denied a memorable
hat-trick when he was clean through on goal two minutes later but saw his
shot strike the post. Payet completed the rout when he made it five in
injury time with a superb finish from the edge of the box. It was a day to
remember for the seven thousand West Ham United fans who made the long trip
up from London and showed magnificent support once again. They will now be
dreaming of going all the way in the FA Cup this season.

Blackburn Rovers: Steele; Marshall, Duffy, Ward (c), Henley; Bennett,
Lenihan, Akpan, Taylor, Conway (Jackson 58mins); Brown (Watt 77mins)
Subs not used: Raya, Kilgallon, Hanley,, J Gómez, Evans
Bookings: Taylor, Lenihan
Red Card: Taylor

West Ham United: Randolph; Antonio, Collins, Ogbonna (Oxford 78mins),
Cresswell; Noble (c) (Song 72mins), Kouyate, Obiang (Lanzini 66mins); Moses,
Emenike, Payet
Subs not used: Adrian, Henry, Parfitt-Williams, Browne
Red Card: Kouyate
Referee: Jonathan Moss

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Emenike - I could have had more goals
WHUFC.com

West Ham United striker Emmanuel Emenike was thrilled to score two goals on
his first full start for the Club and felt he could have scored more after
they thrashed Blackburn 5-1 in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final. Emenike
showed his quality with an impressive brace and played his part in a superb
display at Ewood Park. Emenike said: "I could have had more but I want to
thank god for today and for the victory. I also want to thank the
management. "The game was open when it was ten against ten and we could have
scored more. I am happy with my goals and for the team."

West Ham United captain Mark Noble has nothing but praise for the way
Emenike has settled into his new surroundings and took his chance straight
away. Noble said: "Obviously we lost out on Andy (Carroll) during the week
but Emenike has come in and has been great for us today. "I have said what I
think about him. He is a top player and a top pro. To be fair Dimitri has
been there and scored goals but Emenike has come in for his first start and
to get a couple of goals in the FA Cup is fantastic for him. "He has waited
a long time to get this move into the Premier League and I am over the moon
for him. You can see how happy he is. "You can see the options we had from
the bench today with Songy and Manuel coming on which is great. We are
looking strong. It was a tough opening 20 minutes and it was what we
expected from a proud club but we got hold of the game and got back into it
with a couple of bits of magic."

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Bilic - It was a real team performance
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic had nothing but praise for his players
and felt it was a real team effort after they came away with an emphatic 5-1
win over Blackburn in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final. Dimitri Payet and
Emmenuel Emenike stole the headlines for the Hammers after they both netted
a brace in a superb display at Ewood Park. It was an extra special day for
Emenike who marked his first full start for the club with two impressive
goals and he could have easily scored a hat-trick. Bilic was thrilled to see
his new signing among the goals so quickly but also had praise for the way
his team came together and produced a fantastic performance. Bilic said: "I
know Dimitri Payet and Emenike will get all the headlines but it is
basically the team (that should get praise) like it always is. "They are
fantastic players. We have pace with Emenike, Moses, Antonio and we have
Payet and Lanzini. You just need to run into space and you know they are
going to give you the ball. We have stability. "We put in a great
performance. It is the team that is putting our front players in those
positions. "After the first 20 minutes we played fantastic. We really played
great football and it looked easy but we know Blackburn are a big club. "We
saw the results on Saturday but we made it look easier than it was because
our performance was spot on."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA Cup Quarter Final draw details
WHUFC.com

West Ham United have been drawn to face Shrewsbury or Manchester United away
from home in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final. After producing an emphatic
5-1 victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park the Hammers will be full of
confidence as they prepare for another away tie in the last eight
The Quarter Final ties will be played over the weekend 11-14 March 2016.
Shrewsbury and Manchester United play their Fifth Round tie on Monday night
and the Hammers will be eagerly awaiting the winner. Ticket details for the
Quarter Final tie will be confirmed shortly.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dicks hails 'calm' Bilic
WHUFC.com

Julian Dicks has revealed the secret behind Slaven Bilic's outstanding first
season as West Ham United manager, and you might be surprised what it is.
Calmness.

Bilic is loved by the Claret and Blue Army in part due to the demonstrative
passion he shows in the technical area during each and every game.
But coaching assistant Dicks – who roomed with the gaffer during the pair's
time as West Ham players – says it is Bilic's composed demeanour in the
dressing room that is spreading confidence through his players. "What's
impressed me most about Slaven is how calm he is," Dicks revealed. "We have
had bad games and started off slowly in games, and three or four times we've
gone two-nil down, but at half-time the gaffer is so calm.
"Sometimes players need a kick up the backside, we know that, but at
half-time he is so calm and in the second half they have gone out and been a
different team. The managers I've played under would give you a bit of a
hammering, but Slaven is the total opposite. "There's a good atmosphere
around the club at the moment. They are a good bunch of lads and work hard
in training. We all make mistakes and have bad games, which is part of
football, but they work hard and there's a very good atmosphere, as there
always is when you're playing well and winning games. The Terminator is
looking forward to seeing more than 7,200 Hammers at Ewood Park on Sunday,
where West Ham will attempt to beat Championship side Blackburn and reach
the Emirates FA Cup quarter finals. "We're taking over 7,000 fans to
Blackburn on Sunday and they are fantastic and just want to see their
players give 100 per cent," Dicks continued. "If you win or lose, there is a
way to lose. As long as the players give everything they have, that's all
you can ask for. "We know we have to be on top of our game to beat
Blackburn, who are a good side and a big club. It's the FA Cup and I've
played in many games where we've been beaten by so-called lesser teams, so I
know that if you're not on your job it becomes difficult."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Blackburn Rovers 1-5 West Ham United
SUN, 21 FEB 2016FA CUP - FIFTH ROUND
By Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport

Dimitri Payet produced a virtuoso performance as West Ham fought back to
ease into the FA Cup quarter-finals at Championship side Blackburn.
The home team took the lead when right-back Ben Marshall tucked in a low
shot. Victor Moses's equaliser squirmed in and Payet's free-kick put West
Ham ahead before Blackburn were reduced to 10 men by Chris Taylor's red
card. Emmanuel Emenike converted twice either side of Cheikhou Kouyate's
dismissal, then Payet added a superb solo goal. The Hammers, who last won
the FA Cup in 1980, will travel to either Shrewsbury or Manchester United in
the last eight. It is only the second time in the past 10 seasons that they
have reached the quarter-finals.

Can the Hammers end their trophy drought?

West Ham have not won a major trophy for 36 years but, in their final season
at the Boleyn Ground, are hoping that they can take the FA Cup with them to
the Olympic Stadium. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic has previously said he
would rather win the trophy than finish in the Premier League top four, and
he showed his intent by picking a near full-strength side against the
Championship strugglers. And, despite that brief early scare after
Marshall's opener, the visitors never looked like becoming the victim of a
cup upset. Backed by over 7,000 travelling supporters, they quickly grew
into the game as their superior quality shone through. The Hammers, who had
won just one of their previous 10 away matches, completely controlled the
tie after Taylor's dismissal, with Blackburn constantly stretched by their
pace and sharp movement. "The sending-off was completely needless and
changed the course of the game," said BBC Radio 5 live summariser Mark
Lawrenson. "I'm not saying West Ham wouldn't have won but they wouldn't have
won so easily."

Blackburn 1-5 West Ham

France attacking midfielder Payet has been the star of West Ham's season,
impressing plenty of observers since his summer move from Marseille with his
vision, poise and technical ability. The 28-year-old showed again why he is
pivotal to the Hammers' hopes of winning the FA Cup with a masterful
performance at Ewood Park. He put the visitors ahead with a trademark
free-kick, arcing the ball over the Rovers wall from almost 30 yards and
into the corner. Not for the first time this season, Payet was not always
constantly involved in the game - but it is his ability to burst into life
with devastating effect which is so impressive. In the final stages, his
precise throughball teed up Emenike's second goal before sealing the match
with a wonderful solo run and finish.

Payet has now been involved in 17 goals in all competitions for the Hammers
since his arrival, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists.
No wonder Hammers boss Bilic, who was warmly embraced by Payet on the
touchline after his first goal, was so pleased to tie him down to an
improved contract. "Dimitri is one of the very best, in terms of the players
that I've played with and coached. He is up there with Luka Modric," said
Bilic afterwards.

Back to Championship survival for Blackburn

Blackburn, who are sixth bottom in the Championship, are understandably
prioritising safety over a run into the latter stages of the FA Cup, with
Lambert insisting he did not want a replay because of the knock-on effect on
his side's schedule. And he was granted his wish by some dismal defending.
Despite their lowly league position, Rovers have only conceded 27 goals in
30 matches but were the architects of their downfall against the Hammers.
The home defence retreated as Moses ran forward to score the equaliser, with
not one Blackburn player attempting to stop the on-loan Chelsea winger.
Steele did not cover himself in glory either, looking understandably upset
with himself for not making a seemingly simple save. Rovers started both
halves impressively, playing at a high tempo and trying to push back their
Premier League opponents. But once Taylor received his second yellow card -
the first for tripping Payet, who then scored from the free-kick, and
another for needlessly clipping Moses - they were totally outclassed as the
Hammers ran riot.

Man of the match - Dimitri Payet

Who else? Two goals, an assist and the creation of six other chances makes
West Ham attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet the obvious choice
Post-match reaction

Blackburn manager Paul Lambert:

"I thought for 55 minutes we were very good and well in the game. "Their
first goal I thought Jason Steele should save, then the sending-off kills
us. It opens the game up. It's hard enough against 11 let alone 10."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic:

"We played some fantastic football. It was down to team work and we were
solid. "We passed the ball and the only way to kill them was penetrate them
when we could. In those situations we have pace in Emenike, Moses, Antonio
and Cresswell, with Payet and Lanzini who can get the ball in.
"It looked easier than we thought but it was us who made it easier."

What's next?

Back to league action for both teams. West Ham, who are seventh in the
Premier League and chasing European qualification, host
relegation-threatened Sunderland on Saturday. But Blackburn only have three
days to recover, going to high-flying Derby on Wednesday as they aim to
extend their eight-point gap on the relegation zone.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Blackburn 1-5 West Ham: Hammers cruise into FA Cup quarter-finals
By Sam Drury
Last Updated: 21/02/16 6:21pm
SSN

West Ham came from a goal down to thrash Blackburn 5-1 at Ewood Park and
reach their first FA Cup quarter-final for five years. The Championship side
took the lead in Sunday's fifth-round tie through Ben Marshall in the first
half but were 2-1 down by the break as Victor Moses equalised before Dimitri
Payet scored the first of two goals when he curled in a fine free-kick.
Rovers' task became that bit harder as Chris Taylor was sent off for a
second bookable offence early in the second period and the Hammers made
their man advantage count soon after, as Emmanuel Emenike tapped in to score
on his full debut for the club. Even the sending off of Cheikhou Kouyate for
a professional foul did nothing to halt West Ham's momentum as Emenike
scored again, and Payet added his second with a fine solo strike in
stoppage-time. After a slow start, West Ham started to find their rhythm but
they were given a shock in the 20th minute as Marshall fired Blackburn in
front. There looked to be little danger as a Blackburn corner was headed out
to the right-back 25 yards out. However, in a flash, he brought the ball
under control, cut inside Payet and fired the ball left-footed into the near
corner past Darren Randolph.

The home fans' joy was short-lived, though, as Moses was allowed to pick up
the ball in the centre circle and run unchallenged to the edge of the area
before shooting past Jason Steele six minutes later. Steele might have done
better with a ball that sneaked under his hands but he could do little about
West Ham's second. Taylor was shown a yellow card for pulling back Payet and
the Frenchman added to his woes, curling his free-kick over the wall and
into the top corner from 25 yards (36). Slaven Bilic's side were in complete
control for the remainder of the half but it was Blackburn who began the
second period the stronger. However, moments after Craig Conway saw his
goal-bound effort blocked inside the six-yard box, Rovers were down to 10
men.

Taylor clipped Moses as the winger looked to break and referee Jonathan Moss
had little choice but to produce a second yellow and then the red card. That
allowed West Ham to regain the upper hand and within nine minutes of
Taylor's sending off, they had added their third. After Steele denied
Michail Antonio one-on-one, the ball eventually came to Kouyate with just
the goalkeeper to beat. However, the midfielder unselfishly squared it for
Emenike (64) to convert from six yards. At that stage, it seemed only a
matter of how many for West Ham, but the hosts were given a glimmer of hope
with 15 minutes remaining as Kouyate tripped Elliott Bennett as he burst
into the box. The referee deemed that a goalscoring opportunity had been
denied and showed Kouyate a straight red card. Ultimately though, it had
little impact on the game as West Ham ran in a further two goals in the last
five minutes.

First, Payet clipped a ball over the top for Emenike to run onto, the
striker keeping his composure, throwing in a step-over before rounding
Steele to score his second (85). Payet then added gloss (90+2), receiving
the ball on the halfway line, before beating his man with his first touch,
cutting inside and beating another, then burying his shot inside the near
post. It was a fitting finale as West Ham marched into the last eight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic compares Dimitri Payet to Luka Modric after FA
Cup win
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 21/02/16 5:27pm
SSN

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic likened playmaker Dimitri Payet to Real
Madrid's Luka Modric after the Frenchman inspired their 5-1 FA Cup win at
Blackburn. Rovers, who played the last 35 minutes with 10 men after Chris
Taylor's sending off, took the lead through Ben Marshall, but Victor Moses'
first goal for five months - courtesy of an error by goalkeeper Jason Steele
- and a Payet free-kick turned things around before the break. Emmanuel
Emenike added two in the second half and, after Cheikhou Kouyate had seen
red, Payet fittingly finished things off with a brilliant individual effort.
"I haven't seen better players than that. He is also doing the dirty work
and on the ball he is up there with Luka Modric from the players I have
trained so far," said Bilic, who coached Modric at international level with
Croatia. "Dimitri is one of the best I have trained and every week I want
those questions [about him] to continue, but it is hard to be surprised. "I
have to get some poetry lessons to describe his importance to us."

Bilic did not agree with the red card shown to Kouyate, who sent Blackburn
left-back Adam Henley flying just as he was about to burst into the penalty
area. "I haven't seen the replay, but from my position I am not happy with
that," he added. "I know the ball went to Randy [Darren Randolph] our keeper
so it is definitely not a goalscoring opportunity. "A foul okay, but not a
red card so we are going to appeal and I think we have a really strong
case."

Blackburn boss Paul Lambert admitted his side were up against it once they
went down to 10 men. "Up until the second goal I thought we were doing
really well. We got the goal and made a fist of it," he said. "The first
goal was the centre of the goal and Jason nine times out of 10 would have
saved it. "He has been excellent for us this season, but he will know he
should have done better. The second goal is a terrific free-kick.
"In the second half we started well and then Taylor gets the sending-off and
that changes the game."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic compares Dimitri Payet to Luka Modric after FA
Cup win
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 21/02/16 5:27pm
The Mirror

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic likened playmaker Dimitri Payet to Real
Madrid's Luka Modric after the Frenchman inspired their 5-1 FA Cup win at
Blackburn. Rovers, who played the last 35 minutes with 10 men after Chris
Taylor's sending off, took the lead through Ben Marshall, but Victor Moses'
first goal for five months - courtesy of an error by goalkeeper Jason Steele
- and a Payet free-kick turned things around before the break. Emmanuel
Emenike added two in the second half and, after Cheikhou Kouyate had seen
red, Payet fittingly finished things off with a brilliant individual effort.
"I haven't seen better players than that. He is also doing the dirty work
and on the ball he is up there with Luka Modric from the players I have
trained so far," said Bilic, who coached Modric at international level with
Croatia. "Dimitri is one of the best I have trained and every week I want
those questions [about him] to continue, but it is hard to be surprised. "I
have to get some poetry lessons to describe his importance to us."

Bilic did not agree with the red card shown to Kouyate, who sent Blackburn
left-back Adam Henley flying just as he was about to burst into the penalty
area. "I haven't seen the replay, but from my position I am not happy with
that," he added. "I know the ball went to Randy [Darren Randolph] our keeper
so it is definitely not a goalscoring opportunity. "A foul okay, but not a
red card so we are going to appeal and I think we have a really strong
case."

Blackburn boss Paul Lambert admitted his side were up against it once they
went down to 10 men. "Up until the second goal I thought we were doing
really well. We got the goal and made a fist of it," he said. "The first
goal was the centre of the goal and Jason nine times out of 10 would have
saved it. "He has been excellent for us this season, but he will know he
should have done better. The second goal is a terrific free-kick.
"In the second half we started well and then Taylor gets the sending-off and
that changes the game."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham FA Cup hero Angelo Ogbonna reveals he is lucky to be alive after
horror car crash
10:53, 21 FEB 2016 UPDATED 10:53, 21 FEB 2016
BY JAMES WHALING
The Italian flew off a bridge into a stream seven years ago, and now counts
his lucky stars he is able to play football
The Mirror

West Ham's FA Cup hero Angelo Ogbonna has revealed he is lucky to alive
after a horror car crash suffered seven years ago. The Italian was just 20
when he lost control of his car in the suburbs of Turin, flying off a bridge
into a stream in an incident similar to the one that killed British band
Viola Beach in Sweden last week. Ogbonna was the toast of Upton Park when he
headed a last-minute extra-time winner against Liverpool in the fourth round
of the FA Cup 12 days ago. He is now preparing for a fifth-round tussle with
Championship outfit Blackburn, but is just grateful to be able to play
football after the accident. "I'm just lucky to be here alive and playing
football," he told The Sun. "It was sad to hear what happened to Viola
Beach. Unlike them, I was very lucky." Ogbonna was pulled from the wreckage
by emergency services and rushed to hospital, where medics claimed it was a
miracle he survived after suffering injuries to his chest. "I don't like to
be reminded about that period because it was a very close situation," he
added. "It was a dark part of my history and I want to hide it away from my
memory. "I'm just happy and lucky to now be here as a Premier League
footballer because I may not have been here at all."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham and West Ham set for £25m transfer fight over Marseille striker
Michy Batshuayi
22:30, 16 FEB 2016
BY DARREN LEWIS
Title-chasing Spurs are confident — but the Hammers think his former
team-mate Dimitri Payet's success with them will win the Belgian over
The Mirror

Tottenham are locked in a tug of war with London neighbours and rivals West
Ham over £25million-rated striker Michy Batshuayi. The title-chasing north
Londoners are confident of luring the Belgian, who they have been tracking
for over a year, to White Hart Lane. Spurs believe their chances will
increase even further if they win the league or secure Champions League
football. But West Ham reckon the success of Dimitri Payet - a former
team-mate of Batshuayi's at Marseille - will tempt the marksman to join them
instead. The Irons have received enough encouragement to believe that the
player could make their attack even stronger when they take up residence at
the Olympic Stadium next season. Payet has been sensational at Upton Park
since signing for the Irons last summer for just £10.75million. His
performances have earned him rave reviews and a new £125,000-a-week deal.
Batshuayi, 22, has scored 15 goals this season. Mirror Sport first revealed
Tottenham's interest in him last July. But Marseille blocked his sale and
the player resolved to focus on trying to force his way into the Belgium
squad for this summer's European Championship. Batshuayi has also signed a
new deal at Marseille running until 2020. That did not stop Stoke joining
the chase for his services, however, with a £21m offer on the final weekend
of the January transfer window. Newcastle are also interested but the player
is understood to be keen on a move to London, leaving Spurs and West Ham as
favourites.

* WEST HAM striker Diafra Sakho is desperate to return from his thigh injury
in time to deliveron his promise to score 20 goals this season.
The Senegal frontman has been out since November, and has netted just five
times so far. He is expected back later this month and said: "I'm going to
try right until the end to keep to my word. My recovery's going very well.
"Even though it's been a lot quicker than what I'd thought, I'm in a hurry
to come back because I promised to score 20 goals. "At the moment I'm only
on five in all competitions. So that leaves 15."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA Cup draw means last game could move
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 21, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham drew Shrewsbury Town or Manchester United away in the FA
quarter-final draw this evening. While we all might become Shrewsbury fans
for 24 hours tomorrow, the likelihood is that Manchester United will
overcome and that would mean one of us is guaranteed to make the FA Cup semi
finals.

That would mean our Premier league match on 23rd April would need to be
re-scheduled.

If Manchester United also progress to the Europa league Semi finals to be
played on 28th April and 5th May it would make re-scheduling very difficult
the proceeding week. Manchester United face FC Midtylland this coming
Thursday in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League. Manchester Utd are 2-1
down from the first leg last week.

Manchester United could be scheduled the week after when we play Swansea for
our last game at the Boleyn ground. A midweek evening game before Sunday
15th May when we face Stoke City away being the most obvious period to
re-schedule that match

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three deeply emotional moments at Ewood Park
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

There were three fabulous moments away from the actual play itself at Ewood
Park this afternoon and for this old fool they were emotional and thoroughly
moving. It was a truly great sight to watch Dimi's free kick sail over the
Rovers wall and into the top corner – a sublime moment of magic – but what
followed was quite fabulous. The midfield maestro clearly only had one
thought on his mind following the goal: "Where's the boss?" And with that he
made off to the touchline and the dug-out where he shared an emotional
embrace from our managerial mastermind. As the top man in the dressing room
it was a great insight into the esteem this manager is held in by the
players after just seven months in the job.

The second moment came midway through the second half when – although we
have heard muted versions at the Boleyn – for the first time in many years
the manager was saluted with his own chant louder than at any time in a long
time. It was great to hear from the 8,000 travelling faithful 'Super Slav,
super Slav Supe Slaven Bilic ringing around the ground- THANKS ALL OF YOU.

But it was Dimi who produced the most heart tugging moment of all when he
went over the Claret and Blue Army after the game and selected one little
lad to be the lucky recipient of his short, brushed his hair and said
something along the lines of "There you are son, that's for you."
Such great days to see the fans, players and manager as one and what a
difference to the way things were just a year ago.

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Classy Irons complete Rovers rout
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Blackburn Rovers 1 Irons 5

And still Diafra Sakho to come …..!

That was my first reaction following a victory as classy and complete a
victory as we are likely to see from our team and yes I can hear the
reminders now from the cynical that it was only Blackburn Rovers. But to
score five goals – of the highest quality – against any team does, as anyone
who has played the game knows, takes some doing. And to see Manu and his
mate Dimi together again causing havoc was a joy as the Irons passed and
created their way past the ever diminishing reserves of energy and ability
of the Championship side. Michael Owen summed it all up on BT Sportwhen he
said: "Make no mistake, West Ham are a good side – they really are. They
have a real chance in this competition. These are exciting times to be a
Hammer. It must be absolutely great to go to Upton Park every week to watch
players of this ability."

Despite the shock of an early goal – a speculative effort from around 22
yards – the Hammers hit back within six minutes when Victor Moses ran from
just past the halfway line to fire home from just outside the box. The Dimi
"passed " home a glorious free kick over the wall after being brought down
before Kouyate unselfishly set up Emenike for the third. Soon after the
Senegal midfielder was sent off for a trip on Elliot Bennett as he arrived
in the box. Earlier Blackburn's Taylor had seen red for a trip on Moses.

However, the Hammers continued on their merry way with Payet and Emenike
completing the rout of the Rovers. Manu Lanzini was introduced half way
through the second half – a perfect time to return with the team on cruise
control and looked very good. Moses was special but a three match ban for
Kouyate was the one downside of a very special afternoon indeed. Surely even
the most sceptical will surely now be believing that this really could be
our FA Cup year. With Sakho back we are set up for an amazing end to the
season – I've given up wondering how far this team can go – we really are a
match for any out there.

COYI

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OS capacity could increase to 70,000
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 21, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham Chairman, David Gold confirmed yesterday that the club has applied
for permission to increase the Olympic Stadium capacity to 60,000 to meet
demand. Last night he further confirmed a 60,000 capacity is not the end and
there are further possibilities to increase further to meet demand. The
rebuilt stadium currently has 66,510 seats in football mode and if the
sightlines are good enough they could be sold in the band 5 £289 season
ticket category. There are further possibilities which include infilling the
gaps between the lower and upper tiers if a way can be engineered to create
good sightlines which could add another 3,500 to take it to 70,000. An
increase beyond 60,000 would put the Hammers ahead of Manchester City, and
the recently expanded Etihad stadium which now holds 55,000 fans, we would
also surpass Arsenal's Emirates stadium which has just over 60,000 seats.
Even Spurs' new stadium is only designed to hold 61,000 while Chelsea's
redeveloped Stamford Bridge will boast 60,000.

Should capacity increase to 66,000 or 70,000 in the future, the only club in
England left with a greater capacity will be Manchester United, whose Old
Trafford stadium can hold 76,000 spectators.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - FA Cup Draw

Reading v Crystal Palace
Everton v Chelsea
Arsenal or Hull City v Watford
Shrewsbury or Man Utd v West Ham United

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

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 21st February 2016

Preview - Blackburn Rovers
WHUFC.com

The background

It's time for Emirates FA Cup action again this weekend when the Hammers
travel to Blackburn Rovers on Sunday for their fifth round tie.

West Ham's cup run has been a dramatic one already, with a late winner
against Wolverhampton Wanderers in round three being followed by an even
later winner against Liverpool last time out.

Slaven Bilic's men needed a replay to defeat the Reds following a 0-0 draw
at Anfield, and penalties looked like the method of settling the tie as the
subsequent Boleyn Ground meeting stood locked at 1-1 in the final minute of
extra time.

But then Dimitri Payet delivered an outstanding free-kick and Angelo Ogbonna
leapt high to plant a header beyond Simon Mignolet and send the Hammers
through.

Blackburn, meanwhile, were 2-1 winners at League Two Newport County in the
third round, and they beat opposition from the same division, Oxford United,
in the last 32.

They sit 18th in the Sky Bet Championship table, having picked up their
first league win in nine attempts in midweek, when they defeated Fulham 3-0.
The history

This will be the first time the clubs have met since they were together in
the top flight in the 2010/11 campaign.

Then, the two games ended 1-1, with Thomas Hitzlsperger cancelling out a
Jason Roberts goal at the Boleyn Ground. At Ewood Park, Junior Stanislas was
the man to notch the Hammers' equaliser after Ryan Nelsen opened the
scoring.

The last five Blackburn-West Ham games have ended all-square, with the east
Londoners' last victory at Ewood Park coming in December 2007 when Dean
Ashton scored the only goal of the game.

In the FA Cup, the teams met in the Hammers' 2006 run to the final, when
they won 4-2 at the Boleyn Ground. In all, they have been drawn together six
times in the competition, with each side progressing three times.
The match

Team news

West Ham United

West Ham are light up front and at right back for this fixture, with Enner
Valencia (ankle) and Andy Carroll (adductor) joining Diafra Sakho on the
sidelines. However, Emmanuel Emenike is eligible to play from this round
onwards.

At right back, James Tomkins (calf) and Joey O'Brien (hamstring) are out
injured, while Sam Byram is cup tied.

Manuel Lanzini returns to the fold after missing the majority of 2016 to
date with a thigh problem.
Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn's on loan midfielder Jordi Gomez can feature after not being
involved for parent club Sunderland earlier in the competition.

However, fellow loanees Danny Graham and Matt Grimes are both ineligible
after featuring for Sunderland and Swansea City respectively in the FA Cup
this season.
Match info

- Sunday's match referee is Jonathan Moss. He has taken charge of three
Hammers games so far this term – the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth and wins over
Chelsea and Aston Villa. Of the four red cards he has issued in 2015/16,
three of them have been in West Ham games. On Sunday he will be assisted by
Gary Beswick and Mark Scholes. The fourth official is Kevin Friend.
- West Ham won their last FA Cup meeting with Blackburn, 4-2 in the 4th
round en route to the final in 2006.
- Overall, they've met 10 times in the competition (including replays),
Blackburn winning three to West Ham's two (5 draws). West Ham progressed via
penalties from one of those draws.
- West Ham are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions against Blackburn,
with six wins followed most recently by five consecutive draws in a row.
- Michail Antonio scored twice in his last appearance against Blackburn
Rovers, in a 3-3 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Championship last
season.
Ticketing, coverage, travel and other info

- All 7,200 West Ham United tickets have SOLD OUT for this fixture.
- Click here for the latest news on the trains and here for the roads.
- We're set for a wet day in Lancashire on Sunday, with temperatures
reaching 7C (45F)
- If you're not heading to the game, make sure you keep up to date with all
the action using our digital channels. The whufc.com Live Match Centre will
have live audio commentary and text updates, in-running stats, photos and
more. Meanwhile, you can get involved in the conversation on social using
#BLAWHU

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Moses - We will need to be at our best
WHUFC.com

Looking ahead to tomorrow's FA Cup fifth round encounter with Blackburn
Rovers, Victor Moses insists his side will have to be at their best if they
are to overcome hosts Rovers on Sunday afternoon. The winger made a huge
impact off the bench against Norwich City, helping to rescue a point from
being 2-0 down. Now, fully focused on the task in hand, Moses said: "We're
all looking forward to the game, it's not going to be easy. Playing a
Championship team is always hard. We are going to do our best to try and
come out victorious. "We've been doing very well this season, we just need
to stay grounded, keep our feet on the floor and keep playing football.
That's what we've done since the start of the season, and that's what we'll
continue to do."

On loan from Chelsea, the Nigerian international was speaking at a store
signing event at the Club's store in the Liberty Romford shopping centre.
Speaking after the event, he said: "It was amazing to meet some of our fans
today in Romford. They've always been there for us this season and for me
personally since I joined. So it's nice to be able to show them love so I
appreciate them coming out to see us today. "I've been to Romford a couple
of times; it's too far from the training ground. The town centre and
shopping centre is amazing, so it's good, I've been here a couple times."

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From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com

Good afternoon,

The year 2016 is so important to us for so many reasons. It's 50 years since
we won the World Cup with Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. And of
course we will bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground, which will be a momentous
moment in the history of West Ham United.

And what better way to mark both of those events than bringing the FA Cup
back to East London.

As a Board we have tried to make sure that happens. We made significant
funds available for transfers in the summer and have secured a number of key
first-team players, like Dimtri Payet, on big, long contracts.

On the pitch we've also done well and currently sit seventh in the Premier
League. I think right now, though, the FA Cup just feels more important than
the league as to win the cup or even to just get to Wembley would be a
massive achievement in such a crucial year.

I know how important it is to the fans as well. It's also a time in the
Club's history where everything is coming together. It's like a perfect
storm where we've got a great manager, we've got players, who are exceeding
our expectations, and the best fans in the country.

Have we ever seen support like this? It is just exceptional for us to take
7,200 fans to Blackburn on Sunday, especially when you consider it is not
the easiest to get to for a 2pm kick off.

The fans are not only showing their loyalty on Sunday, but they are also
demonstrating it with their commitment to our new Stadium next season. We
are now seeing a huge surge in demand for Season Tickets, which is not only
showing that they are passionate but there are a lot more of them than some
people previously thought!

We were much maligned by the press and our critics who said that we wouldn't
fill a 54,000-seater stadium as we don't have that many fans. Well we proved
them wrong. Not only will we fill 54,000 seats but we will have a waiting
list for Season Tickets for the 2017/18 season already.

There is no doubt that Slaven, like us, would accept slipping the odd place
in the league at the end of the season if it meant us putting out our very
best side in every round of the FA Cup. And that is what we will do on
Sunday.

Everyone around the Club - the Board, the manager, players and fans want to
win this trophy in this very special year for our Club.

Thank you for the role you are playing and for your fantastic support.

David Gold

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Bilic keen to avoid FA Cupset
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic says Emirates FA Cup victory over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday
would help erase the memory of losing to giant-killers Wrexham. Bilic was in
his second season as a player at the Boleyn Ground when the Premier League
West Ham United were knocked out by the Second Division side from North
Wales. The Croatian missed the first tie – a 1-1 draw at the Racecourse
Ground – to attend the birth of his son Leo, but was back in the side for
the replay, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Dragons. While the manager says
defeat by Championship club Blackburn at Ewood Park would not be classed as
anywhere near as big of an upset, he is determined to put the nightmare of
defeat by lower-division opposition behind him this weekend.

"The first game we played it was 1-1 at Wrexham and I didn't play because my
son Leo was born on that day," he said. "It was 4 January 1997. I was in
hospital and Hugo Porfírio scored exactly in the minute when my son was
born. The replay here, it was one of the really bad memories. There were
police on horses and all that, because the fans wanted the chairman to sign
a striker. "We were struggling. We weren't conceding a lot of goals but we
couldn't score and then Wrexham came and they scored at the end of the game,
a great goal from 25 yards. After that we signed Johnny Hartson and Paul
Kitson and we stayed up. "Make no mistake, I am expecting a very tough game
and it wouldn't be a big surprise if a club like Blackburn, at home, beats a
Premier League side in the FA Cup. It's happened many, many times before."

West Ham will travel to Lancashire without the injured Andy Carroll and
Enner Valencia, while the tie has come too soon for Diafra Sakho and Winston
Reid. However, loan signing Emmanuel Emenike could lead the line from
kick-off for the first time since his January arrival from Turkish football,
while Cheikhou Kouyate is available again after coming through the
concussion protocol, and former Blackburn loanee Doneil Henry is fit again
and included in Bilic's squad. Meanwhile, youngsters George Dobson, and Alex
Pike could join fellow Academy stars Reece Oxford, Marcus Browne, Djair
Parfitt-Williams and Sam Howes in the squad, with Sunday's trip providing
them with valuable experience of being in and around the first-team squad.

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Tactically speaking - Blackburn Rovers
WHUFC.com

An in-depth analysis of how Paul Lambert's team could tackle Sunday's
Emirates FA Cup fifth-round tie...

It has been a tough 2016 for Blackburn Rovers, who tasted victory for the
first time in more than two months in the Championship when they beat Fulham
3-0 on Tuesday evening.

That Ewood Park victory was Rovers' first league success in ten attempts – a
run which had seen Paul Lambert's side slip from eleventh to as low as 19th
in the table.

Prior to their welcome midweek success, Blackburn's only joy this year had
come in the Emirates FA Cup, where Lambert's team had scored victories at
League Two opposition in Newport County (2-1) and Oxford United (3-0).

Those successes set up Sunday's fifth-round tie visit of West Ham United to
Lancashire – a seventh FA Cup meeting between two traditional clubs.

Those six previous meetings have been split equally, with each club
progressing to the next round on three occasions – the most recent being
West Ham's 4-2 fourth-round win over Blackburn at the Boleyn Ground on their
way to the final in 2006.

Fast forward ten years and the two will do battle again in the world's
most-famous knockout competition – but how will Lambert's side approach the
tie.

With leading scorer Jordan Rhodes leaving Ewood Park for Middlesbrough in
January, Lambert has brought in Danny Graham on loan from Sunderland to
partner target man Chris Brown in attack.

Graham is cup-tied, which will mean Lambert having to find a new partner for
the physical Brown, to run in behind the opposition defence to latch onto
flick-ons, through balls and lofted passes into the channels. That role is
likely to go to former Gillingham striker Simeon Jackson.

Behind them, Lambert employed a narrow, compact 4-4-2 diamond formation in
Tuesday's victory, with former Norwich City attacking midfielder Elliott
Bennett playing at the tip.

The 27-year-old will start in the centre of the pitch, but has a habit of
wandering into the right channel to support the centre forward. In
possession, Bennett has decent quality and can provide dangerous crosses
from open play and set pieces.

The 'wide' positions will be filled by another on-loan Sunderland player in
Spanish midfielder Jordi Gomez on the left, and Irishman Darragh Lenihan on
the right.

The defensive midfield position will be filled by Corry Evans – a
technically-gifted player who has the discipline to sit deep and provide a
shield for his defenders.

While Blackburn's compact central midfield can close down space on one side
of the pitch, it can leave them open to a quick switch of the ball into
space on the other.

At the back, the full-backs will get forward when the opportunity allows,
but prefer to loft balls forward into the channels for their centre forwards
to run onto. This tactic was used repeatedly against Fulham in order to get
the opposition defenders turned and running towards their own goal.

Former Leicester City winger Ben Marshall started at right-back against
Fulham and will get on the ball and run with it or pass forward with
purpose.

At left-back, Tommy Spurr is more defensively-minded and is also strong in
the air for a full-back at 6'1.

The two centre-halves, Shane Duffy and Grant Hanley, are big, strong and
physically-imposing defenders whose strength is most definitely in keeping
the ball out of their net.

Finally, goalkeeper Luke Steele makes use of his two tall, strong centre
forwards by banging long clearances upfield from the ground, rather than out
of his hands.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2 diamond) Steele, Marshall, Duffy, Hanley,
Spurr, Evans, Lenihan, Gomez, Bennett, Jackson, Brown

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Hammers fans flock to Romford
WHUFC.com

West Ham United fans turned out in force at the Club's Official Romford
Store on Friday afternoon to meet Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike.
With the February half-term holidays in full swing, the Liberty Romford
shopping centre was heaving with excited young Hammers and Nigerian winger
Victor Moses was overwhelmed by the support. Speaking after the event, Moses
explained: "It was amazing to meet some of our fans in Romford. They've
always been there for us this season and for me personally since I joined.
It's nice to be able to show them love so I appreciate them coming out to
see us today. "West Ham is a great club, with a rich traditional and great
fans, so meeting some of the them was great."

Local brother and sister Ethan and Sophia Dylan certainly enjoyed the
opportunity to meet two of the newest Hammers. Ethan enthused: "It was
great, great to meet the players in the flesh. You see them on the pitch and
on TV but to see them in real life was amazing." While Sophia concurred:
"We've had a great season so far and hopefully it continues. We're doing
well in the FA Cup and a European spot is within reach, so yeah, brilliant."

The Hammers newest signing, Nigerian international striker Emmanuel Emenike
also enjoyed his first opportunity to meet some of the most avid West Ham
fans. And with injuries to Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll, the experienced
forward could well be in line for his first start since joining in January
He said: "I am very happy to get the opportunity to meet some of our local
fans. They were really good and I really enjoyed myself. I have only been
here a short time but they have really welcomed me and made me feel at home.
"I enjoy living in London a lot. It's very good so far, I am happy with the
club, and all my teammates are very welcoming. "I am really looking to the
Blackburn game this weekend; it is a very important match for the team but
also personally because I have the opportunity to show what I can do. "If I
score, I don't know what I'd do to celebrate because I would be so excited,
I would be so happy!"

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Slaven Bilic says Darren Randolph will play for West Ham in FA Cup
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 20/02/16 1:33pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic has promised Darren Randolph he will play in the FA Cup final
if West Ham get there. Randolph is back-up goalkeeper to Spanish stopper
Adrian at Upton Park but has been handed his chance in the cup competitions
this season. The 28-year-old Republic of Ireland international made a series
of fine saves as West Ham overcame Liverpool after a replay, and will keep
his place at Blackburn in the fifth round on Sunday. And Hammers boss Bilic
says Randolph will continue to be his cup keeper - hopefully all the way to
Wembley. "Randolph will definitely play," he said. "Adrian is fine with
that. He is our first keeper but Randolph deserves his chance. "Every time
we have put him in goal he has done brilliantly for us. He is doing the same
thing he does when he is playing for Ireland. "It is a big privilege to have
two such great goalkeepers, and I decided that Randolph will be in goal for
all the FA Cup games. "He was very good at Anfield, and also at home when we
beat Liverpool he made some great saves. He deserves to be in goal."
Bilic has made the FA Cup a priority this season, even claiming he would
rather lift the trophy than finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Standing between the Hammers and a place in the quarter-finals are a Rovers
side 18th in the Championship. They have picked up just three wins in their
last 12 games, one of which was a 3-0 victory over Oxford in the last round.


Bilic, however, will not be taking them lightly, although he says the
Hammers should treat the tie as a genuine chance to reach the last eight.
"It will be a big test for us," he added. "They are not having a great
season but they are solid, they don't concede many goals. "No matter who you
play, you are playing for the quarter-finals and that's where we want to be.
The win against Liverpool will have more value if we progress in the cup.
"We have rested a few players this week and I think we are well prepared for
the game. "We'll take nothing for granted, it will be a very difficult game
but we are a Premier League side, we are having a good season so far and I
will be really disappointed if we don't go through."

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Payet's big Lanzini welcome back
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

It's been pretty obvious that far too much has been expected of Dimi Payet
in the creativity department over recent weeks and it seems that the main
man accepts that himself. He has been the first to admit that he has missed
Manu Lanzini and hopefully as of tomorrow at Ewood Park everything will
change and we'll be close to seeing normal service resumed. Payet – in a
tweet – has welcomed back his partner in arms and is clearly looking forward
to linking up with the Little Jewel again. That may or may not be from the
start of the game as manager Slave Bilic is always cautious with returning
players but it seems certain that the pair are on line to cause havoc over
the closing weeks of the season.

Payet in his tweet hints at the good things to come saying: My bro
@maanuulanzini10 is back…I missed you @whufc_official #westham #coyi #whufc
#mybro…https://www.instagram.com/p/BB-flxXHu_3/

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Hammers request for OS capacity increase to 60K
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 20, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham chairman David Gold has confirmed that the club has asked to
increase capacity from 54,000 to 60,000 to meet demand. The owner replying
to a question on twitter told his 134,000 followers. "Yes, we have applied
for permission to extend the capacity from 54000 to 60000 in an effort to
meet demand. dg " He then added "The rumours suggesting we are increasing
the number of seats just for our critics, who said "you won't fill the
stadium" Are not true. dg" When asked whether the taxpayer is paying for a
possible increase to 60,000 DG quipped "The taxpayer will now own a vibrant
profit making stadium instead of a lose making white elephant. Plus jobs
jobs.dg"

As we reported last week, as many 25,000 supporters could currently miss out
on a season ticket as demand outstrips supply. There are around 34,000 on
the waiting list with as few as 9,000 season tickets remaining. An increase
in capacity to 60,000 would mean another 6,000 season tickets could be sold.

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Gold put down for former Hammers 'bad boy'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has made his opinion clear on a former a Hammer who left the club
under a big cloud. Told by a follower that bad boy Morgan Amalfitano was a
"great player" Gold had no issues with making his feelings pretty clear. The
French midfielder fell out with Slaven Bilic early on and the club were
forced to pay him off after the manager flatly refused to have him anywhere
near the first team sending him instead to train with the Development side.
Gold's follower, however, clearly felt Slav had got it wrong and asked the
co chairman: "Should of (have!) kept hold of Amalfitano, he's a great
player."

Gold however was desperately underwhelmed by the suggestion and responded
with a typically cryptic quip to make his feelings known. He tweeted:
"Amalfitano was an OK squad player but I can't believe anyone but his agent
would call him a 'great' player." Dg

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Slav may drop striker bombshell
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic may launch a major surprise at Blackburn tomorrow by handing
exciting striker Djair Parfitt-Williams a run out in fifth round clash.
David Gold has revealed that the 19 year old is on the squad and it
certainly isn't outside the realms of possibility that the youngster could
be called into the action. The teenager – whose two senior appearances
came in the Europa League during the opening weeks of this season against
Lusitans home and away – is a hugely exciting talent. He was born in Bermuda
but raised in the United States and can play on either wing, as a striker
or in a deep-lying number 10 role and will hope to take advantage of the
Hammers' lack of fit forwards. Andy Carroll (adductor) and Enner Valencia
(ankle) have joined Diafra Sakho (thigh) on the sidelines, leaving January
signing Emmanuel Emenike as the only fit senior striker. Gold, when asked
about Parfitt-Williams this morning, tweeted: "Djair Parfitt-Williams is in
the squad for Sunday's game."

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Leroy delivers his Rovers/Irons verdict
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

I don't have the slightest doubt that the Hammers will beat Blackburn Rovers
in the FA Cup at Ewood Park tomorrow even with some difficult injury
problems.

There's a problem at right back and at centre forward which isn't ideal but
the squad will have far too much for Rovers if they approach the game with
the right attitude.

And to be honest I don't have a single worry on that score because we have
shown ourselves as a big occasion side anyway and even when things aren't
going great like last weekend, we have shown ourselves to possess the grit
to tough things out and get a result.

The only issue is the unpredictability of the FA Cup but the reality is we
should be far too strong for a Championship side currently in 18th place.

It looks very much as though Michail Antonio will take over at right back
and knowing the young man's approach to things I know he'll do a job in
there for 90 minutes.

Emenike looks set for the front role and there could hardly be a better game
for him to show what he's all about. It could be a real confidence builder
for him.

Slav would have rotated the squad if everybody was fit and although the
situation isn't ideal in those two positions we'll cope and I see a
comfortable victory ahead.

Ewood Park is a great stadium with a fine surface and with over 7,000
Hammers inside we will create one hell of an atmosphere

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