Nordtveit – The season isn't finished
WHUFC.com
Havard Nordveit determined to finish the season on a high at Burnley
Norway midfielder disappointed by performance and result in defeat by
Liverpool
No4 says Hammers need to reproduce the level they showed in beating
Tottenham Hotspur
Havard Nordtveit has vowed to put the disappointment of Sunday's defeat
behind Liverpool behind him as the Hammers look towards the final game of
the campaign at Burnley on Sunday. Nordtveit was back in centre midfield for
the visit of the Reds, but was left disappointed as goals from Daniel
Sturridge, Divock Origi and a Phillippe Coutinho brace ended his team's
five-game unbeaten run.
The Norway international admitted it was difficult to finish off at home in
that manner but he is sure his team can bounce back to end on a brighter
note at Turf Moor. "The season isn't finished yet," he said. "We will work
hard this week, and we want to finish the season off well at Burnley. This
season has had its ups and downs, but we know the stadium now and the last
five games before Sunday were good. "If we can get on the level of the
Tottenham game more consistently then we have a good opportunity to get back
to where we were last season. "But it was disappointing to finish at home
like that. We wanted to finish strongly and give the fans what they deserve
with a good win, but when we conceded a goal in the last few minutes of the
first half it made it hard."
Nordtveit completed 94.1 per cent of his passes against the Reds, while also
making two tackles and two clearances, but the Hammers missed key
opportunities and then went 3-0 down as Winston Reid lay inside the
Liverpool penalty area with an apparent head injury.
The 26-year-old, who was making his 16th Premier League appearance of the
season in place of the injured Mark Noble, lamented the circumstances of
Sunday's defeat. "We had a big chance to make it 1-1 before the break, but
they got another goal," he observed. "I haven't seen the pictures of what
happened with Winston in their box, but they counter-attacked and suddenly
it's 3-0. It was a hard game, and we are very disappointed."
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Ladies seek new season improvement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies can look forward to another season in the FA Women's
Premier League Southern Division – despite ending the season on a losing
note.
The Hammers finished the 2016/17 campaign in ninth place, a point ahead of
Swindon Town and relegated Queens Park Rangers, following a 7-0 loss to
champions Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
They may have won just one of their 20 league matches this season, but
manager Greg De Carnys was refusing to be downbeat after seeing his side
beaten at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane ground.
"The hard work for next season has already started," said De Carnys. "We
needed to survive and we needed to stay in the league and that was obviously
a priority for next season.
"But if we are going to be competing next season and wanting to press on
into the Women's Super League, then we need to be improving as players."
The Hammers again gave their all against the champions, starting brightly
before conceding the opening goal nine minutes before half-time, when Katie
O'Leary's lob beat Lottie Ivison in the West Ham goal.
Whitney Locke had a chance to level a short time later, but Spurs defender
Sophie Mclean raced back to deny the forward an equaliser.
O'Leary then had a goal disallowed for offside before Wendy Martin doubled
the visitors' advantage in the third minute of added time. The prolific
Martin made it 3-0 with her second on 52 minutes before Ivison made a
fantastic save to deny Bianca Baptiste moments later.
Just past the hour-mark, Spurs had a fourth through Riana Soobadoo's low
shot, and it was 5-0 five minutes later when Baptiste got her name on the
scoresheet with a neat chip. Within 60 seconds, Lucia Leon had netted
Tottenham's sixth, before Baptiste completed the home side's misery with her
second and the champions' seventh eleven minutes from time.
"It is never nice to be on a scoreline like that and there are clear things
that we need to get better at and work hard on in training," manager De
Carnys admitted. "In the second half we tried to play and that really helped
us in terms of being brave getting on the ball and moving it quick. In
possession, we were much better second half than we were in the first half.
"Defensively we were not quite good enough. You've got to be able to do all
the things that stop good players like Spurs have got.
"That said, there were definitely some positives in the second half in terms
of the way that we played, but we know that we have got some things that we
need to improve on and we are going to work hard to do that.
"We have a young squad which we believe can develop into top players and we
are going to be trying our hardest to provide the appropriate learning
environment for them – an environment in which they are allowed to make
mistakes as they try new things. They obviously do not want to fail but you
have to be able to make a mistake if you are going to develop as a player."
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Randolph set for busy summer
WHUFC.com
Darren Randolph named in 37-man Republic of Ireland squad for three June
fixtures
Boys in Green travel to the USA to face Mexico in a friendly international
in New Jersey
Ireland then return to Dublin to host Uruguay and then Austria in a vital
World Cup qualifier
Darren Randolph has been included in Republic of Ireland's 37-man squad for
three fixtures to be played in early June.
The West Ham United goalkeeper will need to delay his summer holiday for the
third year in succession after being picked for friendly internationals
against Mexico and Uruguay and a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier with Austria.
The Boys in Green travel to New York on Monday 29 May before tackling Mexico
at MetLife Stadium – the home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets
– in neighbouring New Jersey on Thursday 1 June.
Martin O'Neil's squad will fly home the following day before hosting Uruguay
at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Sunday 4 June.
The third, final and most important of the three matches will take place at
the same venue on Sunday 11 June, when Ireland host Austria.
Victory over the Austrians will put Randolph and company in a very strong
position when it comes to World Cup qualifying Group D, with leaders Serbia
hosting third place Wales in Belgrade on the same date.
Wins for Ireland and Serbia would put the pair seven points clear of their
rivals on 14 points, with four rounds of matches left to play. The group
winners qualify automatically, while the runners-up will go into a play-off.
Republic of Ireland host Serbia in Dublin on 5 September.
Randolph has been part of O'Neil's squad in each of the last two summers,
sitting on the bench for the goalless friendly draw with England in June
2015, before keeping goal for his country at UEFA Euro 2016 a year ago.
In all, the 30-year-old Hammer has been capped 19 times since making his
debut against Oman at Craven Cottage in September 2011.
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Preview - Newcastle v West Ham PL2
WHUFC.com
When and Where?
Newcastle United v West Ham United PL2
Premier League 2 Division 2 Play-Off Final
Tuesday 16 May 2017, 7.00pm BST
St. James' Park
What's the story?
West Ham United's U23s will aim to finish their year on a high when they
travel to St. James' Park for the third time this season in the Premier
League 2 Promotion final on Tuesday. The Hammers won 4-0 at West Bromwich
Albion on the final day of the regular season to sneak into the play-offs
and have used their momentum to make it to the final. They were minutes away
from being beaten in the semi-final at Wolverhampton Wanderers but two late
goals from substitute Jahmal Hector-Ingram and Martin Samuelsen ensured the
Hammers made it to the final.
Their opponents Newcastle finished third in the league standings and go into
the final in good form. Peter Beardsley's men have won three games on the
bounce including a 2-0 semi-final victory over Fulham last week.
The Hammers, meanwhile, will be hoping to make it back-to-back years of
final glory on Tuesday night after winning the Premier League Cup title last
season.
Team News
The U23s side has chopped and changed a number of times this season but
Academy boss Terry Westley is expected to make very few changes from the
semi-final victory at Wolves.
One positive is the return of Spaniard Toni Martinez. The U23s top scorer
made his return to full training last week, having picked up an injury
towards the end of his loan spell at Sky Bet League One side Oxford United.
Martinez has a terrific record this year, scoring 12 goals in just 14
competitive matches, and will bring some much-needed firepower to the side.
Marcus Browne, Josh Pask, Alex Pike, Alfie Lewis and Reece Burke will all
miss the trip through injury, but winger Nathan Holland is expected to play
despite picking up a knock in the semi-final.
How can I watch the game?
Tickets will be available at the North East Corner for West Ham fans, priced
at £3 for Adults and £1 for Concessions. Season Ticket Holders who produce
their cards will be admitted free of charge.
If you are unable to make the game at St. James' Park, whufc.com will have
live text updates from 6pm tomorrow evening. You can also keep up to date
with the action on our Twitter feed.
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Noble undergoes surgery
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble undergoes keyhole surgery to rectify an abdominal injury
West Ham United captain will miss remainder of 2016/17 Premier League season
Italy defender Angelo Ogbonna returned from knee injury in Sunday's defeat
by Liverpool
Mark Noble has undergone keyhole surgery to rectify an abdominal injury.
The West Ham United captain had the procedure carried out on Saturday,
having led the Hammers to Premier League safety at the end of a challenging
season.
The skipper had been at his inspirational best in recent weeks, captaining
the Hammers to vital victories over Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur. But,
speaking ahead of his operation, Noble admitted he had played through the
pain barrier to keep Club he loves in the top flight.
"I've been playing in pain for three or four months now and, after speaking
to the medical department, I decided not to say anything publicly and to
keep playing until we were safe in the Premier League," the No16 confirmed,
speaking to Sunday's Official Programme for the visit of Liverpool.
"After the fantastic win against Spurs, we had seen the surgeon the night
before and he said I needed the operation pretty urgently, so we decided to
get in done as soon as possible.
"It's been painful, but we had a fantastic win against Swansea that I got
through, then I got suspended for a couple of games and I wasn't going to
miss Spurs for the world.
"So, when we beat them, we decided to go ahead with it. Once it's done, it's
done, but obviously with the pace that we play at and the demands of the
Premier League, I didn't want to miss pre-season, so the surgeon said we
should get it done as soon as possible."
Noble is one of five senior West Ham players ruled out of the final game of
the 2016/17 season at Burnley through injury. Cheikhou Kouyate also
underwent surgery to a long-standing wrist problem after he too played in
pain to aid the Hammers' cause. Meanwhile, Hammer of the Year Michail
Antonio is also absent due to a hamstring injury, while Diafra Sakho has a
back problem.
Pedro Obiang has also been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after
suffering an ankle injury while making a challenge in the Premier League
defeat by Leicester City at London Stadium in March.
On a positive note, Italy centre-half Angelo Ogbonna returned to the
matchday squad for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Liverpool after
missing more than three months following knee surgery. The defender, who
celebrates his 29th birthday next Tuesday, could make an appearance at
Burnley on Sunday.
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West Ham 0-4 Liverpool (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th May 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
1. Intro
I would wager that you are not of the opinion that this game was A Good
Thing. But I rather think it was. Of course losing is crap, losing at home
is crappier and losing 4-0 to a team captained by James Milner is really
rather embarrassing and I'm not suggesting otherwise. But after the
electrifying high of last week, it felt like maybe we were all losing sight
of what this season has truly been like. Not to wallow in misery, but this
has been it. All. Fucking. Season. Overrun, overpowered and over before half
time.
There were plenty of mitigating circumstances today; injuries aplenty, the
most uneven refereeing performance I have seen in quite some time and an
incredible miss that - fittingly for a player known as Shrodingers Ayew -
defied the laws of physics. But let's not kid ourselves that this hasn't
been de rigeur for us all year. Consider how dreadfully shit we were today,
and then reflect on the fact that I would name Arsenal, either of the Man
City games and the Southampton match as worse home performances. Worse! This
game didn't even crack the top three of our incompetent shitshows at the
London Stadium. Aye(w) Carumba.
2. In Cold Blood
So, I think it's good that we disappear off for the summer with this
awfulness ringing around our head. That might seem like heresy, but our
Board need to be held to account for their abject failure this season and
hiding behind a late season flourish isn't going to cut it. I'm sick of
hearing from David Sullivan about how he sniffed out Payet and Lanzini and
then leaking to his preferred fan sites how it was actually Bilic who wanted
the likes of Tore and Zaza.
Fuck that cowardice. It's in the annual report that he's the Director of
Football so that's the end of it. David Sullivan is responsible for every
player at this Club and right now there aren't very many good ones on the
pitch. If you want the plaudits for Payet then you have to take the
brickbats for Calleri. That's how it goes. I fervently hope Sullivan sat
there today utterly chastened by what was unfolding in front of him and left
dispirited and hurt like the fans who actually paid to be there. Good - it's
his fault.
We deserve more than this. Every fault line was visibly and egregiously
exposed today. The lack of transfer nous at the Club, the failure to
prioritise or even remotely acknowledge the importance of fitness in the
squad, the consistent inability to keep players on the pitch, the lack of
pace right through the team and the chronic failure of our Academy to
provide first team players.
The danger of the Spurs win was always that it would paper over the gaping
cracks in the facade. How bad can it be, we all wonder, if we can continue
to deny them the title each year? Yeah, well I've got my sights a little
higher than that. My head nearly came off my shoulders this week with all
the eye rolling I've been doing at Spurs fans saying they'd be "embarrassed"
if their team only got up for two games a year. The problem is that they're
at least partially right - one week after we play like Trojans we revert
right back to this clueless, shambolic schoolboy outfit.
Last week was glorious, but it stands alone in this season. It's a
lighthouse on a treacherous coastline, showing us the way but illuminating
the crashing awfulness below. I hate losing, but if this defeat in a
meaningless end of season game that the team approached like a testimonial
serves to force the Board to accept their failures then it will serve a
purpose.
When you go to renew your season tickets, or buy your new shirts, or book
your stadium tours remember that it's this shit they've been serving up for
most of the season. We deserve better.
3. Breezeblocks
As for the actual game, well it was a curious affair. We started pretty
brightly with both wing backs getting high up the pitch and causing
Liverpool problems. One nice move involving Lanzini and Calleri opened up a
channel for Byram, who dragged his shot across goal from a promising looking
position. From there, however, it was all downhill and quickly at that.
@11tegen11 does his usual sterling job of laying out the chances and it's
fairly clear that we were second best for most of the day. The visitors hit
the bar three times, although to counterbalance that Andre Ayew hit the post
twice with the same opportunity.
After a fairly even opening quarter Liverpool took the lead when a glorious
Coutinho pass set Sturridge free. He bore down on Adrian with ease and even
though his catheter came out and his bandages were trailing behind him, he
navigated his wheelchair round the Spaniard and rolled it in expertly. This
was a disaster on three fronts as it gave them the lead, gave David Sullivan
another reason to try and spend fortunes on a constantly injured player and
also meant he celebrated with that fucking dance.
I did enjoy his after match interview, however, when he confessed that he
never practices one on ones because "you never see any at this level". Wait
until you join us mate.
Not long after that a deep Lanzini corner fell to Ayew, who was standing
minding his own business at the back post, two yards from goal with no
defenders in sight. Ordinarily he would have tapped it into the empty net
and drawn us level, but on this occasion he got the ball trapped under his
foot and somehow hit the post and then fell over because - I don't know - an
earthquake? Worse was to come as the ball rebounded to him, and from his
prone position he poked it back against the same post where Mignolet finally
fell gratefully upon it like a FIFA executive on a free luxury watch.
Meanwhile our defensive set up at corners must have been put together by the
same Republicans who devised the Trumpcare health act as there was no cover
anywhere. Matip hit the bar, and generally any cross in the general vicinity
of our box caused everyone to go apeshit.
By the time the second half arrived our third choice central midfield duo of
Nordtveit and Fernandes were being overrun, and the deployment of Coutinho
as a deep playmaker behind Sturridge and Origi was paying dividends. The
Brazilian had a few first half rangefinders that Adrian kept out but he
eventually arrowed in their second after finding a ludicrous amount of space
on the edge of our box.
At this point our back three were so far apart that the concept of defensive
cohesion was nothing but a memory, and Liverpool were cutting us open at
will. It is, however, possible to be both shit and unlucky and we appear to
have that down to a fine art this season. In that spirit then, we should
have got back into the game when Wijnaldum managed to both handle a corner
in his own box and elbow Reid in the same movement. No Premier League
referee has ever gone hungry giving decisions to big teams, however, and
Neil Swarbrick decided to implement the ancient "two wrongs make a right"
law. Liverpool thus broke away as Reid lay in the box with a head injury and
played on all the way until Coutinho crashed in his second. OK then.
It should be pointed out that as shit a piece of refereeing as that was, the
West Ham "defending" for the goal defies any attempt to describe it. I mean,
look at the state of this drivel: After that everyone stopped pretending
there was a game going on, and West Ham even let Divock Origi score as
though it was a playground game and there is that one kid in your class who
everyone knows can't really play football but it's summer, the sun's out and
everyone's in a good mood so let's let him stick one in. It'll be nice.
4. Pusher
The tough thing about this game was watching us struggle, knowing that
probably half of this particular team aren't up to the standard required.
Add to that the fact that Snodgrass and Feghouli were on the bench despite
the number of injuries and it's even more depressing.
I'm not sure I can recall a squad so totally unbalanced for the job it has
to do. It's hard to be too critical of the fourth and fifth choice central
midfielders, but it should be pointed out that last year that role was
filled by Alex Song. Rather then sign Victor Moses, they instead went for
Feghouli and Tore, and then replaced Payet with Snodgrass, and Bilic then
chose to play Michail Antonio at right back to accommodate this madness. My
fucking eyes are bleeding.
So, I acknowledge that one cannot get too upset about games like this
without at least acknowledging the entire hospital wing of missing players.
Antonio, Carroll, Sakho, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Noble, Obiang and Kouyate are all
first team players and left a running track sized gap in the team.
But that really serves to highlight the problem as much as explain it. Our
squad gets decimated by injuries every year without fail. It's hard to find
accurate statistics on this, but the most recent report I can find (from Sky
Sports) had us 2nd in the league for days lost to injuries with 1,574. For
reference Sunderland were first meaning that we led the league in injuries
to actual professional players, and had lost around 1,200 days more than
West Brom, who had the fewest injuries. Yet more reason to sell them Diafra
Sakho.
Context is everything, of course, and it should be acknowledged that a huge,
bloated squad gives you more chance for players to get hurt. It's also not
possible to prevent injuries like impact injuries or a player cutting his
toe open on a broken cup.
But at some point the Club has to address this. As long as I've been
watching West Ham it seems like we've suffered huge numbers of muscle and
soft tissue injuries, and then done a terrible job rushing those same
players back into the team before they'd reached full fitness.
It's why Sturridge cannot be signed. He simply cannot. We've endured a
season of playing without a striker and having valuable wage capacity taken
up by Carroll and Sakho. We simply cannot afford yet another squad member
who goes long stretches without contributing anything, no matter how
enticing it might be when you see him play like he did today.
Also the dance, but mostly the fitness.
5. Something Good
Our goalkeeper was good today. It's really very West Ham to say it, but
Adrian was decent. None of the goals were particularly his fault, and in
fact I might take to calling him Moses given how readily everything parted
in front of him.
In one single Liverpool attack immediately after half time he made three
successive saves, each of which were eminently saveable but exactly the kind
of chances that seem to have been creeping in all year. He was later undone
by the brilliance of Coutinho, but that was rather more to do with the
abject defending in front of him than with an failure on his part.
It was interesting to see us being linked with Jordan Pickford earlier this
week, as he is exactly the kind of player we should be targeting. He is
young, promising, has some experience and would almost certainly fetch a
good price were he to move on. Whether he actually represents an upgrade
over Adrian is debatable, and all of the chatter seems to suggest that we
are behind Everton in terms of recruiting the youngster anyway.
It would also be quite West Ham to buy the keeper from the worst defensive
team in the league, but I can see the merits. In the end, however, we have a
finite budget and I maintain that Adrian is a perfectly acceptable Premier
League keeper. He'd look an awful lot better with a defence in front of him
though.
6. Dissolve Me
Less certain is the future of Sam Byram at right back, and rumours continue
to swirl that Pablo Zabaleta will be arriving imminently. I tend to treat
such press murmurings about West Ham as being fairly reliable given the the
way the Club leaks like the Legion of Doom's bathtub.
I think there is a player somewhere inside of Byram and the reality is that
if we sign Zabaleta he's likely going to face long periods on the bench. Or
not, because the Argentine is 32 and actually has grey hairs.
There are those who believe that having older, more experienced players
around is great for young players as they can learn from them. I suppose
that might be true, but I've spent this year watching Byram training with
World Cup winner Arvelo Arbeloa, and I can't say that it's made much
difference. It's not that I'm opposed to buying another right back - far
from it, as regular readers will attest - but have we learned nothing from
recent years? Fonte was hauled off today, having made a less than stellar
start to his career with us, and Snodgrass looks like the worst ever January
signing for the club that signed Mido.
I've already had this rant when we signed that pair, but good clubs don't
sign players over thirty. The modern game demands a mobility that is
generally beyond those players whose legs are on the wane. There is a reason
that Schweinsteiger and Gerrard ended up in MLS, and why Tevez and Pato are
in China. Mostly it's the bonkers wages, but it's also because they couldn't
cut it at the highest level anymore.
Now, plenty of you might say that we're not at the top level so players like
Zabaleta are just fine for us. But the issue I have with that is that surely
that's what we're aspiring to? Aren't we going for the top four? If not,
what are we here for? And if we are then why are we signing players who are
being discarded by those teams as not being good enough?
Look at the some of the names on the list of leaked targets for next year:
Sturridge, Zabaleta, Toure, Rooney and Hart. That team is going to be
brilliant in 2012.
The lack of vision and process is soul destroying. Where are the young
players? Where is the attempt to sign players who can actually improve and
grow with us? Every single one of those players is in the decline phase of
their career, and the thing about players like that is you are assuredly
paying them for things they have already done for other clubs, instead of
what they are going to do for us.
And for those who would, not unreasonably, say that we can't criticise the
Board for things they haven't yet done, that is fair enough. But consider
why these names get leaked; it's either an agent wanting to stir things up -
in which case they have to choose a club that is clueless enough to seem
credible. We should be ashamed that we fit that mould. Alternatively, they
have been leaked by the Club in an attempt to gauge public opinion, as they
did with the rumoured El Hadji Diouf signing.
No other Club does this, but our owners seem so desperate for public
approval that they genuinely seem to care what fans think, despite fans
having no access to the reams of data available on players these days, and
despite fans being mostly stupid. Not you, obviously.
So the Yaya Toure rumour might be rubbish, but you look at the journalist
and the seemingly detailed nature of the discussions that have taken place
and it looks very much like there might be some truth to the piece. At which
point you realise that we might be willing to pay over £100,000 to a 34 year
old. Excuse me while I puncture my own lung.
I realise I'm writing a lot about transfers today but that's mainly because
I'm avoiding the game, and because let's face it, transfers are going to be
all we talk about for the next three months.
7. Tessellate
Does anyone know how we play?
I'm two seasons into Bilic's West Ham and I really don't know. It started as
a solid, repeatable 4-2-3-1 but that disappeared once it became clear how
much it relied upon the disappearing Payet. We then stumbled into three at
the back because everybody was injured and it was the only way to keep
Feghouli out of the side, and in fairness it worked like a dream for a
while.
But there is a recurring theme that whenever we think we've hit upon a way
of playing, teams tend to discover how to nullify us pretty quickly. It
happened earlier this season when our 3-4-3 flummoxed Alan Pardew at Palace,
scraped past Sunderland (which barely counts) and then was abandoned again
after a subsequent six match winless run.
After the most recent revival, we looked good here for about twenty minutes,
at which point Liverpool pushed their wide players higher up the pitch,
dropped Coutinho back to operate in the gaping hole in front of our midfield
and that was us done for. Gone was the high intensity pressing of the Spurs
game, and we were incredibly passive all day, with barely a tackle made in
anger. This is how I imagine Gandhi would have played football.
It's hard to be too critical of Bilic for not altering his tactics as he had
very few options, but it was telling that at 2-0 down we swapped out Fonte
and went back to a flat back four. I'm not quite sure why Collins remained
on as he was fairly woeful, including going on a magical mystery tour of his
own right before Sturridge ran past him for the opener.
None of it made a huge difference although Feghouli did some reasonable
things, to further cement his position as the most maddening footballer
alive.
Maintaining tactical coherence while replacing team members every week is a
huge challenge, but the strange persistence in playing one up front, when
the only player truly able to do that is the permanently injured Sakho, has
continued all season to very little effect. In particular, the insistence of
playing this way with Carroll as the lone striker seems especially fatuous.
Surely a priority has to be for Bilic to establish a way he wants to play
and get some players in who fit that system. Tellingly his Evening Standard
column specifically said he wants to target players with pace, which makes
sense as we looked incredibly pedestrian here today. It would also make
sense in the context of the one up front plan, as it requires mobile players
to be support runners for the lone front man.
How he utilises Carroll next season will be hugely telling. One has to
imagine a fit, mobile striker is high in the shopping list, as it has been
every year since I was 14.
8. Hunger Of The Pine
One frequent lament of fans after a performance like this, in a season of
performances like this, is to demand that some youngsters are given a
chance. If I had a pound for every time I've had someone tell me there must
be someone better in the youth team I'd almost have enough to buy a round of
drinks in the stadium.
It is the way of being a football fan. We lust for what we cannot see.
Players are never better than when they are injured, and youth team players
are a constant well into which we want to dip to satiate our desire for
answers. The sad thing is that most of us have never seen these kids play,
and choose to ignore a lot of the basic facts around youth team players.
Very few academy players at any club ever make it, and so the declining
number of graduates is perhaps a mirror to the rest of English football. But
it's also true that we seem to be producing fewer players who are even going
on to play at a lower league level. Think of the famous Lampard and
Ferdinand team - there were plenty of others like Lee Hodges, David
Partridge, Joe Keith and Chris Coyne who went on to be successful lower
league players. We seem to have even stopped producing those types now.
So simply wanting young players to be given a chance because they aren't
Feghouli or Calleri doesn't make huge amounts of sense to me. If they were
good enough then presumably they would be demanding a call up by virtue of
their performances on loan or in training. The likes of Martinez, Samuelsen,
Browne, Oxford and Burke have all been out on loan this season with little
to no impact having been made and no glowing reports coming back. The
exception to this rule is Josh Cullen, who has been Bradford's player of the
year for two consecutive seasons and surely deserves a chance to make an
impact next year.
My broader point is that football managers aren't in the habit of turning
their back on players who can help them win games. If they are good enough,
the kids will force their way into the side. Two at the club to keep an eye
on seem to be Declan Rice and Domingos Quina, who are routinely making the
bench despite their teenage years. But we are getting down to crunch time
for the likes of Samuelsen and Burke, who at the age of 20 are getting close
to the point where the club will need to make a decision about the
likelihood of them having long term futures at this level. That might seem a
ludicrous assessment to make, but all the academy graduates that I can think
of who made it as top level professionals were all firmly ensconced in the
first team squad by that age.
In our desperation for improvement we all latch on to the "if you're good
enough, you're old enough" sentiment, which is admirable. But sometimes I
think we forget to actually answer the first part of that question.
9. Choice Kingdom
It was the Club's annual year end awards bash in the week, and amidst the
many and varied categories (Best Signing - Edimilson Fernandes, Best Owners
- David Gold and David Sullivan (joint winners), Best Kiwi - Winston Reid
and so on....) it was noticeable that the fans voted Michail Antonio as
player of the season, while the players went for Manuel Lanzini.
Both are good choices, although I would slightly favour the latter. Had they
stayed fit both Pedro Obiang and Winston Reid would have been in with a
shout but of course they didn't because West Ham.
Shortly after, Antonio signed a new improved contract designed to ward off
Chelsea and ensure he is paid more than Snodgrass and Feghouli on account of
how he is actually useful to the team. A lovely little departing present to
all of us for the summer might be something similar for Lanzini as one would
think those two will be the primary targets for any circling vultures.
It is telling, perhaps, that there isn't likely to be anyone else at the
Club who is chased by rival clubs. If anything one might expect to see some
players moved on, with the likes of Feghouli and Nordtveit prime candidates
due to their high wages and failure to settle. Both Ayew and Snodgrass might
arguably fit that description too, but given the insane fees paid for them
they would be getting sold at a loss, and that's not something that the
Board will want, so you'd imagine both will stay.
Lots of fans would apparently give James Collins a new deal and as a fourth
choice centre half he's not bad, but I'd rather they relegated Fonte to that
role and went after a better player who could improve the team, not the
wider squad. Harry Maguire at Hull is one we've been linked with, and he can
at least still legally go on a Club 18-30 holiday.
Collins has been a wonderful servant to the Club, but the Premier League is
no place for sentimentality, and the sad fact is he is old and declining.
Not to repeat myself, to repeat myself, but we need players who might
actually improve after joining us.
10. Last Year
This was a year ago this week. Chin up - a lot can happen in twelve months.
I mean, we could get worse again but...let's not think about that.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
You could have surprised us
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th May 2017
By: Staff Writer
A West Ham player who featured in Sunday's humiliating home defeat against
Liverpool insists that the season isn't over yet. Havard Nordtveit was part
of the team which was thrashed at home by a Liverpool side that hadn't
managed to beat West Ham in their previous five outings prior to Sunday
afternoon's meeting. However the Norweigan international insisted that
despite the latest crushing reversal, there is still plenty to play for this
season - with a match against Burnley to look forward to. "We will work hard
this week," said the 26-year-old midfielder. "We want to finish the season
off well at Burnley. This season has had its ups and downs, but the last
five games before Sunday were good. "It was disappointing to finish at home
like that. We wanted to finish strongly and give the fans what they deserve
with a good win, but when we conceded a goal in the last few minutes of the
first half it made it hard. "If we can get on the level of the Tottenham
game more consistently then we have a good opportunity to get back to where
we were last season."
Nordtveit, who was still part of Borussia Monchengladbach's squad 12 months
ago before joining West Ham in the summer on a free transfer was panned on
social media after the game after being accused of idly standing by as
Liverpool scored their third goal of the game.
Meanwhile fellow Hammer Winston Reid believes yesterday's defeat was "just
one of those days". "It turned into a game that we really didn't want," he
said. "They are really good. They have good quality players and have a lot
of speed. Everything went wrong. "I thought we started alright and we had a
couple of chances. But at the end of the day we lost as a team. We tried our
best and went out there to try and put on a performance. But sometimes you
have days like that - and unfortunately, we've had a few of them this
season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JONATHAN CALLERI WANTS TO STAY AT WEST HAM
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
When Jonathan Calleri arrived on loan from Deportivo Maldonado back in the
summer, many were quick to source some clips of him on YouTube and they
wouldn't have been disappointed with what they saw.
Having netted 16 goals in 31 appearances for Sao Paulo in 2016, Calleri came
with high acclaim but has failed to live up to his expectations, netting
just one goal in 19 appearances for the club.
Despite Calleri admitting earlier in the season that he arrived at a club he
didn't intend to join, the 23-year-old striker has had a change of heart and
would now like to stay at the club beyond this season.
Speaking to ESPN Brasil after the game against Liverpool, Calleri admitted
that he's finding life in east London easier now and he'd like to remain at
the club:
Yeah, I've always said the places where I've been treated well, I want to go
back. I'm happy to be here. I've adapted to what is the Premier League, to
what is English football. I've learned to speak English a bit, which is what
I was lacking. And the truth is I'm very happy here. I want to stay at West
Ham or to go to another European club, which is what I've always wanted.
Calleri has started five of the last six Premier League games, his only
league starts of the season, and while he's failed to find the net, many
will agree with the statement that his general work rate and hold-up play
has been sound to say the least.
Still young, it's clear that the Argentine has quality, you only need to
look back at his performances for Boca Juniors and Sao Paulo to back that
up, so maybe he does have a future at the club if they persevere with him.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham wait to hear if Pablo Zabaleta will join from Manchester City
KEN DYER
Evening Standard
West Ham were on Monday waiting to hear whether Manchester City defender
Pablo Zabaleta will be their first summer signing. The 32-year-old
Argentine, who joined City from Espanyol in 2008, will be available on a
free transfer when his contract expires this summer and West Ham, who
desperately need a right-back, have offered a two-year contract. Zabaleta is
considering his options but West Ham remain the favourites to sign him.
Meanwhile, Winston Reid has admitted he and his team-mates have to improve
next season, following the 4-0 home defeat by Liverpool. "We know, as
players, that we have to do better than we've done this season," said the
defender. "The board and the manager know what we need next year and I am
sure they will address that but the players who have come into the team will
have learned a lot. "It's not been a good year but it could have been a lot
worse."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Toni Martinez to feature for West Ham U23s vs Newcastle in PL2 play-off
final
The Spanish striker is in the squad for the massive game at St James' Park
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
15:29, 15 MAY 2017
Spanish striker Toni Martinez is set to feature for West Ham's U23s as they
take on Newcaslte United in the PL2 division two play-off final on Tuesday
night. The Hammers reached the final thanks to a dramatic last ten minutes
against Wolves in the semi final last Monday, turning around a 1-0 deficit
into a 2-1 win as Martin Samuelsen's late penalty won it. Jahmal
Hector-Ingram had earlier levelled proceedings with 11 minutes on the
clock. The U23s top scorer Martinez returned to full training last week,
having picked up an injury towards the end of his loan spell at Oxford
United and is expected to be fit. He had scored 12 goals in 14 games for the
U23s before he was sent out on loan to the League One side, where he bagged
three goals. Marcus Browne, Josh Pask, Alex Pike, Alfie Lewis and Reece
Burke will all miss the trip through injury, but Nathan Holland is expected
to play despite picking up a knock in the semi-final. Peter Beardsley's Toon
have won three games on the bounce including a 2-0 semi-final victory over
Fulham last week, while the Hammers will be looking to make it two seasons
in a row with glory after winning the Premier League Cup last season. A
place in Division One of the P2 structure is at stake for the winner of
tomorrow's game.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham among Premier League trio chasing Montpellier's Ryad Boudebouz
HITC
Danny Owen
Ryad Boudebouz's sublime performances in Ligue 1 appear to have caught the
attention of Southampton, West Ham United and West Brom.
Midfielders with the ability to score and create in equal measure do not
come around too often. Therefore, when they do, there's usually a flurry of
interest. And unsurprisingly, Montpellier talisman Ryad Boudebouz appears to
have a number of Premier League suitors after plundering 11 goals and nine
assists for an otherwise average side sitting just four points above the
Ligue 1 drop zone.
Foot 01 claims that Southampton, West Ham and West Brom are all interested
in the 24-time Algerian international. Southampton manager Claude Puel
should know Boudebouz well having spent all of his managerial career in
French football before moving to the St Mary's last summer. And the former
Nice coach will be aware that his side could do with more creative thrust
and goal threat from central midfield.
Renowned for perfectly weighted through balls and excellent dribbling
ability, Boudebouz promises to form a thrilling partnership with Nathan
Redmond (below) and Dusan Tadic.
West Brom could target Boudebouz for a similar reason. The Baggies have
overachieved this season with a top half finish within their grasp, despite
the fact that none of their midfielders have netted more than five goals in
2016/17. And West Ham will go into the summer under major pressure to get
their recruitment right after the disastrous summer 2016 window. It's
impossible to tell how Boudebouz would adapt to English football, for every
Dimitri Payet (below) there's a Remy Cabella, but the 27-year-old certainly
has the natural ability to succeed where Sofiane Feghouli and Gokhan Tore
failed.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM NEW FAVOURITES TO SNAP UP PROLIFIC NAPOLI STRIKER
ladbrokes.com
15 May 2017
He's been linked at various times with Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea but
now it seems that Napoli hitman Dries Mertens is most likely to swap Serie A
for life at West Ham United. The Irons are 7/4 favourites to snap up the
Napoli ace, whose contract at Stadio San Paolo ends next June. And having
struggled for goals from their current front-men this term, it's fair to say
that Mertens would be a huge upgrade for the Hammers, with the versatile
forward scoring 25 goals and chalking up 10 assists for the Campania outfit
this term.
However, the East London outfit still face some pretty stiff competition for
the Belgian's signature. Everton are 4/1 shots to sign the 30-year-old,
while their city rivals Liverpool are just behind the Toffees at 5s.
Meanwhile, it's a 7/1 shot for the Leuven native to join Tottenham, while
Premier League champions Chelsea are priced up at 9/1 to acquire his
services. However, our traders can't see him following Gonzalo Higuain's
controversial path to Juventus, with 12/1 on offer for Mertens to join the
Old Lady. A Ladbrokes spokesperson said: "The Hammers could be set to make
the signing of the summer, with the bookies tipping the Belgian hitman to
head to London Stadium."
Ladbrokes Latest Betting:
Dries Mertens – Next Club
West Ham – 7/4
Everton – 4/1
Liverpool – 5/1
Tottenham – 7/1
Chelsea – 9/1
Man United – 10/1
Juventus – 12/1
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic determined to land Hammer blow in race for Napoli star
http://www.calciomercato.com
15 May at 10:37
Despite pledging his future to Napoli, Belgian international striker Dries
Mertens is once again being linked with a move to the Premier League. The
Sun reported on Sunday that the 30-year-old, already the subject of interest
from Manchester United and Chelsea, is also being eyed-up by West Ham United
boss Slaven Bilic.
Mertens has had a wonderful season in Serie A, firing in 24 goals for the
Partenopei including one in his side's 5-0 destruction of Torino on
Saturday. A new contract is on the table at the San Paolo and despite
reports suggesting the he has already put pen to paper on the deal, the club
itself are yet to confirm any agreement is in place.
The journal also states that his international colleagues Eden Hazard and
Romelu Lukaku have been explaining how happy they are in England and that a
move to join them would suit the player down to the ground. Any new deal
struck in Italy is likely to have £30M release clause written into it, a
price that would certainly not put off any potential suitors.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsene Wenger has dig at West Ham as he accuses teams of 'being on holiday'
for Premier League run-in
The Hammers lost 4-0 at home to Liverpool in a dent to Arsenal's top four
hopes
The Mirror
BYJOE MEWIS
10:17, 15 MAY 2017UPDATED10:58, 15 MAY 2017
Arsene Wenger has taken an apparent shot at West Ham after accusing certain
teams of being on holiday during the Premier League run-in.
Arsenal's slim hopes of a top four finish were hit when Liverpool eased to a
4-0 win at the London Stadium on Sunday. That meant that Jurgen Klopp's men
are assured to finish above the Gunners if they beat already-relegated
Middlesbrough on the final day of the season.
And it would appear that the performance of Slaven Bilic's men did not
impress Wenger. "When you are a manager you want your team to give
everything until the last moment. You hope that results go your way," Wenger
said. "Some teams turn up, some teams are on holiday. You just want your
team to play well. "To be professional is to do your job well until the last
day of the season. "To look into the mirror and say you did it properly is
vital. If we don't have the results I am disappointed but what is not
excusable is to not give your best."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Are the West Ham kids alright? Bilic should find out against Burnley if he
wants a glimpse into the future
The final game of the season represents an opportunity
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
10:19, 15 MAY 2017
Much has been made about West Ham's famed "Academy of Football" and rightly
so as it has produced a brilliant line of talent over the decades. But,
Reece Oxford aside recently, the production line has somewhat stalled as the
clubs starts to poach youngsters from other clubs, think Toni Martinez,
Domingos Quina, Edimilson Fernandes, Ashley Fletcher in the past 12 months.
Even U23 skipper Declan Rice was poached from Chelsea as a kid and Nathan
Holland was brought in from Everton back in February. If the Hammers have
one eye on the future, which they absolutely should, the final Premier
League trip to Burnley represents a chance to see just how good these kids
really are. With West Ham not having the best season - but a top ten finish
is still on the cards - Slaven Bilic may not be willing to throw some of the
younger stars into the fire but in a game with not too much riding on it, it
does present a chance. Burnley away is a stern test. The Clarets may not be
the top flights strongest side but they are no mugs at Turf Moor and we have
seen many a big side struggle there, it could be a very good test for the
youth. Ashley Fletcher can lead the line, throw Quina in on the right wing
of the diamond, Declan Rice can line up at centre half alongside an
experienced defender, probably Winston Reid and give James Collins a rest.
Quina has been in a number of matchday squads but barely seen any game time,
the same as Fletcher. Rice has been involved more recently and picked up the
Young Hammer of the Year award last week.
There is even a case for someone like Moses Makasi to get a run out in
centre midfield alongside Fernandes. West Ham have eight players out injured
at the moment and these players aren't going to be around forever anyway, so
why not see if the kids are alright? They have done extremely well to reach
the PL2 play-off final on Tuesday night at Newcastle, so why not see if they
can take that next step?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andre Ayew's unforgivable miss against Liverpool surely a contender for
"miss of the season"
Published on: 15 May 2017
GhanaSoccer.com
Andre Ayew hit the post from point-blank range twice in a matter of moments
during West Ham's clash with Liverpool, a miss Graeme Souness described as
one of the worst of the season. The ball fell to the Ghana striker inside
the six-yard box after Liverpool failed to deal with a Manuel Lanzini
corner. With the goal gaping, the forward controlled the ball and turned it
towards goal from around two yards out. Incredibly the ball came back off
the right-hand post and back into Ayew's path. Having fallen over during his
first attempt at goal, the striker then poked the ball home from a sitting
position. Again the ball came back off the post. This time, however, it
rebounded into the arms of a thankful Simon Mignolet. The miss ensured West
Ham went in at half-time of the Premier League clash trailing 1-0 after
Daniel Sturridge put Liverpool into the lead midway through the first half.
During the break Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness blasted the West Ham
forward's failure to find the net, claiming: 'It's up there with the misses
of the season, you can imagine Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal lads watching
this one.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham have a horrendous record without Mark Noble - why do they struggle
so much?
He is Mr West Ham and his team really can't click without him in the team
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
06:30, 15 MAY 2017
Some of the criticism levelled at Mark Noble this season was quite strong.
He's too slow, only passes sideways, gets caught out positionally, doesn't
score enough goals etc etc etc. But, let's look at the stats and see just
how much the Hammers struggle without their captain because the bare facts
are right there and they do not make for pleasant reading.
Since January 2015:
Played 11
Won 0
Drawn 4
Lost 7
Scored 10
Conceded 22
So, there you have it. Out of a possible 33 points available to West Ham in
those games without Noble, they have picked up a measly seven points. Noble
is Mr West Ham, he is the heartbeat of the team. Even if he hasn't been
playing great, his presence in central midfield is enough to spur others on,
especially when they have been so out of form like some Hammers players have
been this season.
He provides that defensive shield in front of the defence, he will win the
crunching tackle in midfield, he will be the one to just calm things down if
his teammates are losing their way.
How can you say Noble is not vital to this team?
He does the donkey work which allows Manuel Lanzini - formerly Dimitri Payet
- to go ahead and be creative. Without him in the side, West Ham are exposed
so very easily. His experience is crucial to this team. When times are
tough, he can drag them back up. When times are good, he will keep everyone
in check. His absence at the London Stadium for Sunday's trouncing by
Liverpool was arguably the most evident yet. Havard Nordveit, playing for
his West Ham future, completely froze. His central midfield partner,
Edimilson Fernandes, is more offensive minded and was far too cavalier at
times when he needed to be disciplined.
For all of the criticism he has received this season, Mark Noble is still as
vital to the team as he ever has been. He's ticked over 400 appearances for
the club and by the looks of it, they will need him to stick around for a
lot more than that.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why West Ham's attempt to scare off rivals could have the opposite effect
HITC
Antony Martin
West Ham United star Manuel Lanzini has really impressed this term. News
broke yesterday regarding the Hammers' stance on Manuel Lanzini, with the
Mirror reporting that they will demand at least £30 million for the
Argentine this summer, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all
reportedly interested in signing the diminutive playmaker. The gist of the
article form the Mirror was that this supposed £30 million asking price has
been slapped on the 24-year-old in an effort to warn off any potential
suitors, but in reality, it should only serve as an incentive for the clubs
mentioned above to make their move.
To describe today's transfer market as inflated would be an understatement,
and the price quoted as the amount needed to prise Lanzini away from the
London Stadium seems totally reasonable, especially when it is considered
how many years left he has before he reaches his peak. The Argentine has
proven this year just how good a player he is, showcasing his incredible
talent on a consistent basis, and he would be the ideal addition for a team
like Spurs or Arsenal who have lacked that cutting edge in the final third
on occasions this season. He is a wonderfully intelligent footballer, and
the mature manner in which he conducts his business defies his tender years.
When it is considered that Granit Xhaka was signed for £35 million and
Georginio Wijnaldum for £25 million, Lanzini for £30 million sounds like an
extremely reasonable piece of business. First and foremost, the East London
outfit should be looking to keep hold of the gifted midfielder for as long
as possible, but if that proves to be impossible, they should be demanding a
lot more than the £30 million that is being quoted. He is still under
contract with the Hammers until the summer of 2020, so they do still hold
all the cards, and should under no circumstance allow Lanzini to leave the
club for less than he is worth, especially in the current climate of the
transfer market.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Newcastle United in 'shock move' for Andy Carroll
So, Andy Carroll once again on his way back to Newcastle in a 'shock move',
if you believe the papers...
The Mag
by John Martin
Newcastle are making a 'shock move' for Andy Carroll according to media
reports in recent days. Rafa Benitez sees the West Ham striker as ideal to
give his team that extra quality as they return to the Premier League…or so
the story goes. The reality is of course, that the only 'shock' thing about
this story, is that it would be a massive shock if Newcastle weren't linked
with Andy Carroll. In pretty much every transfer window since he flew away
from Tyneside six and a half years ago, there have been media exclusives
that the striker is on his way back to St James Park. The truth of course is
that there must be zero interest for Rafa in signing the former Newcastle
striker. A quick look at his stats will tell you that, with the usual
refrain being 'if only he could stay fit…'. Bottom line is that in six and a
half seasons after Newcastle sold him for £35m, Andy Carroll has only scored
36 Premier League goals – in his final 15 months at NUFC he scored 28 league
goals (Championship & Premier League). To get those 36 goals, Carroll has
only managed to start exactly 100 league matches, with another 42
appearances off the bench. So Carroll's post-Newcastle career sees him
averaging around 15 league starts per season and a shade under six goals
each year. This season he once again has flattered to deceive, scoring some
very good PL goals and managing seven in 15 starts (plus three off the
bench) but injuries are once again making him into a liability overall.
To sum it up, Andy Carroll is once again out injured as this current season
comes to an end (he has two years left on his contract after signing a six
year deal in 2013). Just have a look at this injury record (dates are when
first out with that particular injury) in just the last three years. So just
as it is a foregone conclusion that we will be linked with Andy Carroll this
summer, you can take it just as much for granted that we won't be seeing him
back in a Newcastle shirt.
Andy Carroll's injuries in past three years:
Groin Strain (April 2017)
Groin Strain (February 2017)
Groin/Pelvis Injury (January 2017)
Neck Injury (January 2017)
Knee Injury (August 2017)
Groin Strain (February 2016)
Hamstring (January 2016)
Thigh Muscle Strain (December 2015)
Ankle/Foot Injury (September 2015)
MCL Knee Ligament Injury (February 2015)
Knee Injury (January 2015)
Ankle Ligaments (July 2014)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THEY THINK IT'S ALL OVER...THANK GOD IT IS NOW (ALMOST) !
By HamburgHammer 15 May 2017 at 08:00
WTID
Make no mistake, that was one crap Sunday all around for me. Starting with
the Concordia game early afternoon (excuse me if I start with them, if you
ain't interested, just skip the first two paragraphs). In order to keep any
mathematical promotion chance alive Cordi had to beat an already relegated
home side (Halstenbek-Rellingen) who moreover had one eye on their upcoming
local Cup Final, yet Cordi somehow managed to lose yet another game against
inferior opposition (and the refereeing crew) by a 1:2 scoreline.
The refs strangely enough were all from former East Germany (???), and not
even from clubs in the local area, but from far away, and the linesman on my
side started to fight his own personal battle against Concordia's players,
manager, assistant coaches, substitutes and fans, myself included (!!!)
right from the first whistle.
Whenever someone dared vociferously questioning a dubious offside call or
freekick decision he told everyone to pipe down or face being ejected from
the coaching zone/stadium straight away. That's the kind of guy he was.
Attention seeker if I ever saw one. Secretly wishing to be the referee
himself instead of only being the assistant waving his sorry little flag at
random. Shortly before the end he jumped at the chance to give Concordia the
proverbial finger in the shape of some payback, coaxing the ref into
awarding a suspicious penalty against the Cordi boys, giving a handball
against our defender who had cleared the ball on the line. The ball might in
fact have hit his arm actually, but from very short distance and the player
was merely turning himself away, arm NOT even stretching out from his body,
in order to block the shot. But a red card was given regardless, the
opposition scored the penalty and that was that. Game and season over.
It was a season of two halves for Cordi, being breathtakingly fantastic
until shortly before Christmas while playing incredibly dire for pretty much
the remainder of the season. But on the plus side the club is gearing
towards promotion in the near future and there have even been rumours of
Cordi building a new stadium of their own not too far from where I live
actually, walking distance even at one and a half miles away.
This could be a goer if the City of Hamburg agreed to put a bit of money
into that project in a supporting role, same as what happened at other local
clubs in recent years, doing up football pitches or building new grounds
altogether. I shall be keeping my fingers crossed most certainly.
As for the West Ham game against Liverpool, well, the less said the better,
when I switched on the game upon my return (game hadn't finished yet) we
were 3:0 down already with almost half an hour left to go. From what I saw
meself and what the pundits said in their post game analysis I gathered that
our team must have been as indifferent, terrible and mistake-ridden in this
one as we were eager, brilliant and focussed the week before in our win
against Spurs.
I would not read too much into that result though, Klopp and Liverpool had
everything to play for, we already had our personal Cup Final against Spurs
and it appears to me like our season's bubble had reached the sky with the
Spurs win only to fade, burst and die straight after. We also cannot ignore
the ridiculous list of players being out, recovering from surgical repairs
and the like. We have been discussing in numerous threads how much we need
to learn from this nightmare of a season. We've suffered enough injuries,
rotten luck and bad decisions at club level to last three seasons, nevermind
just the one almost completed.
We all sense the need to address a multitude of pressing issues in order to
avoid a repeat of this dire season in 2017/18. For me the main thing still
lacking at West Ham is a clear path, a long-term strategy and concept to
adhere to and follow doggedly with focus and determination. Decide what kind
of club we actually want to be, what kind of football we want to play and
then put the personnel in place, the training regime, the transfer strategy
etc.
And stick to it. It may cost money but that comes with the territory of
playing Premier League football.
As I said, I have already renewed my season ticket. So who we sell, who we
sign, if we get rid of Bilic and bring in Mancini will not make much of a
difference tobe me in terms of the number of games I will attend next
season. Of course I would prefer us to keep Bilic and hang on to players
like Lanzini, Antonio and Kouyate. But if not, well, I would make a mental
note to myself in that case and will continue to criticise the owners when I
feel it's warranted.
But I still have some hope we will see a much different transfer window at
West Ham this summer. If not the backlash for the owners prior to what would
then be our third season at the London Stadium would be massive and I
wouldn't want to be in their shoes in that scenario.
Talking of the board, I briefly have to mention that I tried to initiate a
preseason friendly between "my" clubs, West Ham and Concordia, in Hamburg,
this summer.
With the kind help of Sean Whetstone my request actually reached the
relevant people in charge at West Ham and there was potential to find a
suitable venue and date in July.
Alas, unfortunately the match fee asked for/required by West Ham was
prohibitive for a club of Concordia's size and budget to get this game on
the road.
I spoke to the Concordia hierarchy at length, and doing their sums back and
forth they tried to find a workable solution, but Concordia as a lower
league club couldn't risk financial ruin in order to host a marquee friendly
against Premier League opposition just for the same of it.
I still have to thank Sean a lot for trying to get the ball rolling.
I will stay in touch with him and West Ham though about the possibility to
play a friendly against the West Ham U23s or U18s sometime in the future, or
maybe Concordia can find a way to travel to London and play a game at Little
Heath or at Dagenham's Victoria Road ground. We will see. I ain't giving up
just yet.
I hope you all still had a great WHTID meetup yesterday, I always find it an
amazing
experience to put some more faces to names, to drink and be merry with my
fellow fans and readers too in some cases. I know technically the season
ain't quite finished yet and that our development squad too have another
vital game later today.
However, I wanna take this opportunity to thank you all for reading my stuff
and putting up with me, especially those of you I had the pleasure sharing
time with in person over the course of the season, you all know who you are
and how much I value the chats and quality time we shared. Hope for more of
that next season!
As for West Ham though I hope for plenty of improvements on various fronts.
It's about time. The stadium will not get any smaller or change its shape.
And attendances are bound to suffer eventually unless the club and team
mirrors our new stadium in terms of size and quality (and I mean the quality
of the stadium and its facilities as a sports venue, not a football
stadium). We play in a massive stadium now. Our club needs to grow as well
in order to fit the place. So far we haven't really begun doing that.
Over to you Lady Brady, Mr.Sullivan, Mr.Gold and Poštovani gospodine Bilic.
I am sure the West Ham fans will continue to cheer the team on to finally
see better times coming our way.
God, do we deserve a bit of fortune next season! COYI!!!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, May 16
Monday, May 15
Daily WHUFC News - 15th May 2017
Reds end Hammers' unbeaten run
WHUFC.com
Five games unbeaten in the Premier League and five unbeaten in all
competitions against Liverpool, West Ham United went into Sunday's clash
against the Reds with plenty of confidence but were beaten 4-0 at London
Stadium. In their final home match of the season, Slaven Bilic's men were
outdone by Daniel Sturridge's first half goal, two Philippe Coutinho strikes
and Divock Origi's finish as the Merseysiders strengthened their hold on
fourth spot. The first half had an end-of-season feel about it, and a
relaxed opening few minutes saw West Ham have the first attempt on goal.
Jonathan Calleri did well to manoeuvre into some space in the centre of the
park and, spreading it out wide for Sam Byram, the full-back lashed his
effort wide of goal from a tight angle.
From then on, it was the visitors who looked the most likely, and they were
inches away from making it 1-0 just ten minutes in. A Coutinho corner from
the left allowed Joel Matip a free jump in the box, but the German could
only hit the woodwork as the ball cannoned back off the crossbar. Although
Edimilson Fernandes tested Simon Mignolet shortly after, Liverpool continued
to press, and Coutinho was next to go close as he smashed one just over from
distance. The opener did come with ten minutes of the half remaining though,
and it was England forward Sturridge who got on the scoresheet. Floating
into some space between the Hammers' three defenders, Sturridge picked up
James Milner's precise pass and, rounding Adrian in goal, coolly slotted the
ball home. And so Liverpool led at the break, despite Andre Ayew's chance a
minute from the end - somehow, the Ghanaian could only hit the post twice
three yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Jurgen Klopp's men started the second period on top and there was soon a
second. 12 minutes into the half, Georginio Wijnaldum lined up a superb
volley from 20 yards and though his outrageous attempt came back off the
crossbar, Coutinho was able to pick the ball up and sidefoot past Adrian
from the edge of the box.
If that wasn't game over, it soon was minutes later. There was controversy
surrounding the Reds' third goal, however. A West Ham corner found its way
to Winston Reid in the box, and the captain clearly took a whack to the face
before Liverpool countered and Coutinho was eventually able to grab his
second, skilfully beating two and smashing in. And it could have been even
better for Jurgen Klopp's team shortly after as Divock Origi smashed
goalwards from range and flicked the top of Adrian's crossbar. Things went
from bad to worse on 76 minutes for the Hammers, and Origi was this time the
hero for Liverpool. Adrian made a save before the ball fell to Wijnaldum,
who found the Belgian, resulting in an easy finish for the striker. 4-0, and
a disappointing way to end the Club's first season in their new home.
West Ham United: Adrian, Fonte (Feghouli 55), Reid, Collins, Byram,
Fernandes, Nordtveit, Cresswell, Lanzini, Ayew (Snodgrass 76), Calleri
(Fletcher 55).
Subs not used: Randolph, Ogbonna, Quina, Rice.
Bookings: Collins 62
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner, Can, Wijnaldum, Coutinho
(Grujic 89), Lallana (Woodburn 89), Origi, Sturridge (Lucas 86).
Subs not used: Karius, Klavan, Moreno, Alexander-Arnold.
Goals: Sturridge 35, Coutinho 57, 62, Origi 76
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reid - We'll learn from this season
WHUFC.com
Defender Winston Reid believes the Hammers will learn from their debut
season at London Stadium to improve next term's home form
The hosts were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool on Sunday
And the New Zealand international admitted everything went wrong for Slaven
Bilic's side
Winston Reid says West Ham United will learn from their first season at
London Stadium and improve their home form next campaign after suffering a
4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. The Merseysiders, who had Daniel
Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho (two) and Divock Origi to thank for the goals,
strengthened their hold on fourth spot in the Premier League with the
comfortable win in east London. And Reid, who skippered the side in club
captain Mark Noble's absence, believes Slaven Bilic's can learn a lot from
the disappointing defeat. He said: "It turned into a game that we really
didn't want. They are really good. They have good quality players and have a
lot of speed. Everything went wrong. "I thought we started alright and we
had a couple of chances. But at the end of the day we lost as a team. "The
last few weeks we've been doing well as well. But we'll move on to next
season and learn from this season, especially at home. "It's just one of
these things. We tried our best and went out there to try and put on a
performance. But sometimes you have days like that and unfortunately we've
had a few of them this season."
The last few weeks we've been doing well. But we'll move on to next season
and learn from this season, especially at home. Things could have gone
differently at London Stadium had the Hammers' taken their chances - Sam
Byram went close early on and Andre Ayew missed a great chance to equalise
before the break.
And the match wasn't without its controversy, with New Zealand international
Reid involved in a coming together with visitors leading by two. The
defender went up for a challenge with Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, and the
centre-back looked to have taken a whack in the face before the Reds
counter-attacked with pace and scored a third. "Obviously there was contact
[in the challenge with Wijnaldum]," Reid continued. "I didn't see a
handball, but I knew he fouled me. "At the end of the day the referee didn't
give it. If we had got it, it could have been a different game. "But it's
not the referee's fault that we lost 4-0. We have to take it on the chin and
move on. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster this season but towards the
back end we really started to pick up. "It obviously hasn't gone how we
hoped but we'll move on to next season and hopefully next year at home we'll
pick up some better results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slav - Vital moments went against us
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham United deserved to lost to Liverpool at
London Stadium
But the manager did feel the major moments went against his side on Sunday
afternoon
Big chances missed and a controversial third goal left the Hammers boss
feeling frustrated
Slaven Bilic was honest enough to admit his West Ham United team deserved to
lose to Liverpool - but felt the game's major moments went against the
Hammers in their 4-0 defeat at London Stadium.
Having started encouragingly, Sam Byram missed a decent opportunity to put
his side ahead, only to fire his shot wide. Then, after Daniel Sturridge had
rolled the Reds into the lead, as half-time approached Andre Ayew hit the
post twice in the space of three seconds from point-blank range.
Finally, at 2-0 down, West Ham felt they should have had a penalty when
Georginio Wijnaldum caught Winston Reid in the face with his arm, only for
referee Neil Swarbrick to wave away the appeals, Liverpool to break the
length of the field and Philippe Coutinho to score his second of the game.
However, the manager conceded his injury-hit side had simply not reached the
level of performance or commitment they showed in beating Tottenham Hotspur
at the same venue nine days previously.
"We spoke before the game and I expected the guys to put in the same kind of
performance as they did against Spurs, with energy, organisation and
teamwork, but it wasn't to be," Bilic began. "We were slower than on Friday
night and they were quicker.
"We could have got the first goal and it would definitely have affected the
game. We should definitely have equalised with that [Ayew] chance at the end
of the first half, too, and then it maybe would have been different but it
wasn't good enough, especially in the second half.
"We had the first great chance with Sam Byram at the beginning of the game
and we started well, but those moments were against us, to be fair. Before
we conceded the third, we were asking for a penalty or at least for the
referee to have stopped the game. To be fair, it then became very hard.
"But if you asked me about the performance, it was nowhere near the level we
reached against Spurs."
Speaking candidly, Bilic conceded that his players may have allowed their
levels to drop after securing Premier League safety by beating Spurs.
The Croatian is not one for making excuses, but the fact remains that West
Ham were without seven senior players through injury on Sunday - Mark Noble,
Cheikhou Kouyate, Michail Antonio, Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho, Pedro Obiang
and Arthur Masuaku.
"Of course, you are asking yourself and asking your players [to reach the
same level of performance as against Tottenham], but we were missing a
couple of really good players and that little bit of complacency that we
wanted to avoid [slipped in]," he continued.
"We knew there was no place for that because it was such a big game, but it
was probably there subconsciously."
The manager had had to deal with other issues too, but he is refusing to be
downbeat, instead speaking optimistically about how he and the Club will
work over the summer to ensure a better season in 2017/18.
"It was a very difficult one and a very long one, to be fair," he observed.
"We had many, many obstacles but it showed today it was not about the
stadium. The stadium needs time to adjust but we knew that before - we
simply had too many injuries, not only today but throughout the season.
"We had eight operations this season, which was kind of weird, to be fair,
and that's why I would like to give credit to the players because it was
very hard.
"We had a minimum goal and we achieved it and we're going to benefit from
this season long-term with the knowledge and experience because it was a
very tough season.
"First, we have to adjust to the stadium. That period is not over, but it's
going to be better because we already had one season here.
"Then we have to find good players in a few positions that we need to
improve the squad. We have a good squad, but we need to improve the quality
in the positions that we really need and where we had to improvise this
season. That's all, really."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham weren't good enough against Liverpool, admits Slaven Bilic
By Simeon Gholam
Last Updated: 14/05/17 5:20pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham weren't good enough in their 4-0 thrashing by
Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goals from Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, either side of a Philippe
Coutinho brace, saw the Reds on their way to victory at the London Stadium.
"We spoke before the game about wanting to put in the same performance as
against Spurs, but it wasn't to be," Bilic told Sky Sports. "We were slower
and [Liverpool] were quicker.
"We could have scored the first goal and maybe it would have [changed] the
game and we should have equalised with [Andre Ayew's] chance. But it wasn't
good enough, especially in the second half. There was a little bit of
complacency that we wanted to avoid.
"There was no place for that in such a big game, but it was probably there
subconsciously."
Bilic also admitted a little bit of relief that such a challenging debut
season at West Ham's new home was coming to an end.
"It's been a very difficult one and a very long one," he said. "We've had
many obstacles today but it wasn't all about the stadium. We need time to
adjust, and we knew that before, but we've also had too many injuries.
"That's why I'd like to give credit to the players, because it was a very
hard [season]. We've achieved our minimum goal and we're going to benefit
from this in the long-term."
West Ham's business was poor last summer, with very few of their new
signings making an impression in the first team, and Bilic says they will
need to add some quality to their squad before next season.
"We have to find good players for a few positions and we need to improve the
squad as we've had to improvise [in certain positions] at times this
season," he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic furious with complacent Irons after home
thrashing by Liverpool
The Irons had been on a five-game unbeaten run, but were ruthlessly
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
18:21, 14 MAY 2017
Slaven Bilic accused his West Ham stars of complacency after they were
thrashed by Liverpool. The Irons boss had been without eight senior players,
including captain Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio, all injured.
But the Croatian blasted his players for not showing enough focus, as a
five-game unbeaten run came to a crashing end. He said: "We wanted to avoid
complacency but it was obviously there at least subconsciously. "They were
better, we were nowhere near close enough. If you give time and space to
players like Coutinho, Sturridge and Lallana they will kill you. That's
exactly what happened." West Ham were impressive in ending Tottenham's title
challenge two weeks ago. But they were unable to find the same intensity
against Jurgen Klopp's side. Bilic added: "I am very disappointed with the
way we played. I wanted the same performance as against Spurs or similar. We
didn't do it. "We have to be honest about it. We were without a few players
but that was the case against Spurs too."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Five games unbeaten in the Premier League and five unbeaten in all
competitions against Liverpool, West Ham United went into Sunday's clash
against the Reds with plenty of confidence but were beaten 4-0 at London
Stadium. In their final home match of the season, Slaven Bilic's men were
outdone by Daniel Sturridge's first half goal, two Philippe Coutinho strikes
and Divock Origi's finish as the Merseysiders strengthened their hold on
fourth spot. The first half had an end-of-season feel about it, and a
relaxed opening few minutes saw West Ham have the first attempt on goal.
Jonathan Calleri did well to manoeuvre into some space in the centre of the
park and, spreading it out wide for Sam Byram, the full-back lashed his
effort wide of goal from a tight angle.
From then on, it was the visitors who looked the most likely, and they were
inches away from making it 1-0 just ten minutes in. A Coutinho corner from
the left allowed Joel Matip a free jump in the box, but the German could
only hit the woodwork as the ball cannoned back off the crossbar. Although
Edimilson Fernandes tested Simon Mignolet shortly after, Liverpool continued
to press, and Coutinho was next to go close as he smashed one just over from
distance. The opener did come with ten minutes of the half remaining though,
and it was England forward Sturridge who got on the scoresheet. Floating
into some space between the Hammers' three defenders, Sturridge picked up
James Milner's precise pass and, rounding Adrian in goal, coolly slotted the
ball home. And so Liverpool led at the break, despite Andre Ayew's chance a
minute from the end - somehow, the Ghanaian could only hit the post twice
three yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Jurgen Klopp's men started the second period on top and there was soon a
second. 12 minutes into the half, Georginio Wijnaldum lined up a superb
volley from 20 yards and though his outrageous attempt came back off the
crossbar, Coutinho was able to pick the ball up and sidefoot past Adrian
from the edge of the box.
If that wasn't game over, it soon was minutes later. There was controversy
surrounding the Reds' third goal, however. A West Ham corner found its way
to Winston Reid in the box, and the captain clearly took a whack to the face
before Liverpool countered and Coutinho was eventually able to grab his
second, skilfully beating two and smashing in. And it could have been even
better for Jurgen Klopp's team shortly after as Divock Origi smashed
goalwards from range and flicked the top of Adrian's crossbar. Things went
from bad to worse on 76 minutes for the Hammers, and Origi was this time the
hero for Liverpool. Adrian made a save before the ball fell to Wijnaldum,
who found the Belgian, resulting in an easy finish for the striker. 4-0, and
a disappointing way to end the Club's first season in their new home.
West Ham United: Adrian, Fonte (Feghouli 55), Reid, Collins, Byram,
Fernandes, Nordtveit, Cresswell, Lanzini, Ayew (Snodgrass 76), Calleri
(Fletcher 55).
Subs not used: Randolph, Ogbonna, Quina, Rice.
Bookings: Collins 62
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Matip, Lovren, Milner, Can, Wijnaldum, Coutinho
(Grujic 89), Lallana (Woodburn 89), Origi, Sturridge (Lucas 86).
Subs not used: Karius, Klavan, Moreno, Alexander-Arnold.
Goals: Sturridge 35, Coutinho 57, 62, Origi 76
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reid - We'll learn from this season
WHUFC.com
Defender Winston Reid believes the Hammers will learn from their debut
season at London Stadium to improve next term's home form
The hosts were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool on Sunday
And the New Zealand international admitted everything went wrong for Slaven
Bilic's side
Winston Reid says West Ham United will learn from their first season at
London Stadium and improve their home form next campaign after suffering a
4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. The Merseysiders, who had Daniel
Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho (two) and Divock Origi to thank for the goals,
strengthened their hold on fourth spot in the Premier League with the
comfortable win in east London. And Reid, who skippered the side in club
captain Mark Noble's absence, believes Slaven Bilic's can learn a lot from
the disappointing defeat. He said: "It turned into a game that we really
didn't want. They are really good. They have good quality players and have a
lot of speed. Everything went wrong. "I thought we started alright and we
had a couple of chances. But at the end of the day we lost as a team. "The
last few weeks we've been doing well as well. But we'll move on to next
season and learn from this season, especially at home. "It's just one of
these things. We tried our best and went out there to try and put on a
performance. But sometimes you have days like that and unfortunately we've
had a few of them this season."
The last few weeks we've been doing well. But we'll move on to next season
and learn from this season, especially at home. Things could have gone
differently at London Stadium had the Hammers' taken their chances - Sam
Byram went close early on and Andre Ayew missed a great chance to equalise
before the break.
And the match wasn't without its controversy, with New Zealand international
Reid involved in a coming together with visitors leading by two. The
defender went up for a challenge with Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, and the
centre-back looked to have taken a whack in the face before the Reds
counter-attacked with pace and scored a third. "Obviously there was contact
[in the challenge with Wijnaldum]," Reid continued. "I didn't see a
handball, but I knew he fouled me. "At the end of the day the referee didn't
give it. If we had got it, it could have been a different game. "But it's
not the referee's fault that we lost 4-0. We have to take it on the chin and
move on. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster this season but towards the
back end we really started to pick up. "It obviously hasn't gone how we
hoped but we'll move on to next season and hopefully next year at home we'll
pick up some better results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slav - Vital moments went against us
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham United deserved to lost to Liverpool at
London Stadium
But the manager did feel the major moments went against his side on Sunday
afternoon
Big chances missed and a controversial third goal left the Hammers boss
feeling frustrated
Slaven Bilic was honest enough to admit his West Ham United team deserved to
lose to Liverpool - but felt the game's major moments went against the
Hammers in their 4-0 defeat at London Stadium.
Having started encouragingly, Sam Byram missed a decent opportunity to put
his side ahead, only to fire his shot wide. Then, after Daniel Sturridge had
rolled the Reds into the lead, as half-time approached Andre Ayew hit the
post twice in the space of three seconds from point-blank range.
Finally, at 2-0 down, West Ham felt they should have had a penalty when
Georginio Wijnaldum caught Winston Reid in the face with his arm, only for
referee Neil Swarbrick to wave away the appeals, Liverpool to break the
length of the field and Philippe Coutinho to score his second of the game.
However, the manager conceded his injury-hit side had simply not reached the
level of performance or commitment they showed in beating Tottenham Hotspur
at the same venue nine days previously.
"We spoke before the game and I expected the guys to put in the same kind of
performance as they did against Spurs, with energy, organisation and
teamwork, but it wasn't to be," Bilic began. "We were slower than on Friday
night and they were quicker.
"We could have got the first goal and it would definitely have affected the
game. We should definitely have equalised with that [Ayew] chance at the end
of the first half, too, and then it maybe would have been different but it
wasn't good enough, especially in the second half.
"We had the first great chance with Sam Byram at the beginning of the game
and we started well, but those moments were against us, to be fair. Before
we conceded the third, we were asking for a penalty or at least for the
referee to have stopped the game. To be fair, it then became very hard.
"But if you asked me about the performance, it was nowhere near the level we
reached against Spurs."
Speaking candidly, Bilic conceded that his players may have allowed their
levels to drop after securing Premier League safety by beating Spurs.
The Croatian is not one for making excuses, but the fact remains that West
Ham were without seven senior players through injury on Sunday - Mark Noble,
Cheikhou Kouyate, Michail Antonio, Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho, Pedro Obiang
and Arthur Masuaku.
"Of course, you are asking yourself and asking your players [to reach the
same level of performance as against Tottenham], but we were missing a
couple of really good players and that little bit of complacency that we
wanted to avoid [slipped in]," he continued.
"We knew there was no place for that because it was such a big game, but it
was probably there subconsciously."
The manager had had to deal with other issues too, but he is refusing to be
downbeat, instead speaking optimistically about how he and the Club will
work over the summer to ensure a better season in 2017/18.
"It was a very difficult one and a very long one, to be fair," he observed.
"We had many, many obstacles but it showed today it was not about the
stadium. The stadium needs time to adjust but we knew that before - we
simply had too many injuries, not only today but throughout the season.
"We had eight operations this season, which was kind of weird, to be fair,
and that's why I would like to give credit to the players because it was
very hard.
"We had a minimum goal and we achieved it and we're going to benefit from
this season long-term with the knowledge and experience because it was a
very tough season.
"First, we have to adjust to the stadium. That period is not over, but it's
going to be better because we already had one season here.
"Then we have to find good players in a few positions that we need to
improve the squad. We have a good squad, but we need to improve the quality
in the positions that we really need and where we had to improvise this
season. That's all, really."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham weren't good enough against Liverpool, admits Slaven Bilic
By Simeon Gholam
Last Updated: 14/05/17 5:20pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham weren't good enough in their 4-0 thrashing by
Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Goals from Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi, either side of a Philippe
Coutinho brace, saw the Reds on their way to victory at the London Stadium.
"We spoke before the game about wanting to put in the same performance as
against Spurs, but it wasn't to be," Bilic told Sky Sports. "We were slower
and [Liverpool] were quicker.
"We could have scored the first goal and maybe it would have [changed] the
game and we should have equalised with [Andre Ayew's] chance. But it wasn't
good enough, especially in the second half. There was a little bit of
complacency that we wanted to avoid.
"There was no place for that in such a big game, but it was probably there
subconsciously."
Bilic also admitted a little bit of relief that such a challenging debut
season at West Ham's new home was coming to an end.
"It's been a very difficult one and a very long one," he said. "We've had
many obstacles today but it wasn't all about the stadium. We need time to
adjust, and we knew that before, but we've also had too many injuries.
"That's why I'd like to give credit to the players, because it was a very
hard [season]. We've achieved our minimum goal and we're going to benefit
from this in the long-term."
West Ham's business was poor last summer, with very few of their new
signings making an impression in the first team, and Bilic says they will
need to add some quality to their squad before next season.
"We have to find good players for a few positions and we need to improve the
squad as we've had to improvise [in certain positions] at times this
season," he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic furious with complacent Irons after home
thrashing by Liverpool
The Irons had been on a five-game unbeaten run, but were ruthlessly
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
18:21, 14 MAY 2017
Slaven Bilic accused his West Ham stars of complacency after they were
thrashed by Liverpool. The Irons boss had been without eight senior players,
including captain Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio, all injured.
But the Croatian blasted his players for not showing enough focus, as a
five-game unbeaten run came to a crashing end. He said: "We wanted to avoid
complacency but it was obviously there at least subconsciously. "They were
better, we were nowhere near close enough. If you give time and space to
players like Coutinho, Sturridge and Lallana they will kill you. That's
exactly what happened." West Ham were impressive in ending Tottenham's title
challenge two weeks ago. But they were unable to find the same intensity
against Jurgen Klopp's side. Bilic added: "I am very disappointed with the
way we played. I wanted the same performance as against Spurs or similar. We
didn't do it. "We have to be honest about it. We were without a few players
but that was the case against Spurs too."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Sunday, May 14
Daily WHUFC News - 14th May 2017
Preview: West Ham v Liverpool
WHUFC.com
When and Where?
West Ham United v Liverpool
Premier League
Sunday 14 May 2017, 2.15pm BST
London Stadium
What's the story?
West Ham United's final London Stadium assignment of the season comes on Sunday when Liverpool are the visitors to east London.
The Hammers have picked up seven points from their last three games on their own turf and will be hopeful of extending that good run to ensure their home slate of fixtures ends on a high.
Having claimed the scalp of Tottenham Hotspur last time out, West Ham have their sights on disrupting another team's lofty ambitions this weekend, with Jurgen Klopp's men chasing UEFA Champions League qualification.
With a four-point advantage over Arsenal – who have played a game less – they know three points are required if they are to keep their top four destiny in their own hands.
But West Ham also have their reasons for going after maximum points, with a top ten finish still a distinct possibility.
They have followed a five-game losing run by going unbeaten for their last five, including wins over Tottenham and Swansea, backed up by draws against Sunderland, Everton and Stoke.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have collected ten points from their last five games, but have only scored five goals during that run.
Read how tactical analyst George Elek thinks the game could pan out in the tactician's view here.
Team News
The Hammers will have to do without Andy Carroll again, who is missing with a nagging groin complaint which has kept him out since the trip to Sunderland at Easter.
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate have undergone season-ending surgery on abdominal and wrist injuries respectively, meaning Havard Nordtveit and Edimilson Fernandes could be given their chance in midfield.
Arthur Masuaku remains a doubt, while Diafra Sakho (back), Pedro Obiang (ankle) and Michail Antonio (hamstring) are sidelined.
Read the manager's take on the Hammers' team news here.
For Liverpool, Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva are doubts due to muscle problems, but Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge are contenders to start after making their way back from injury with substitute appearances.
Player head-to-head
How do I get to the game?
Click here for our Matchday Guide, covering everything from travel routes to catering options and everything inbetween.
Supporters who use London Overground services via Hackney Wick should be aware that trains will not be running on Sunday between Camden Road and Stratford due to engineering work. Replacement buses will run instead.
Greater Anglia services will be running to Stratford, but supporters travelling from the Southend branch will need to take replacement buses as far as Shenfield.
Click here for the latest information on London Underground, London Overground and TfL Rail services. The latest on National Rail services is here.
Sunny intervals are forecast for Sunday, with temperatures reaching 19C (66F) by kick-off.
How can I watch the game?
The match is being broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports. If you're tuning in from overseas, you can check broadcast details in your territory in our handy widget below.
You can also follow all the action as it happens right here on whufc.com, with live audio commentary, social media updates, in-running stats, pictures and more. Get involved in the conversation on social using #WHULIV.
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Fonte's old friends 'enemies' for a day
WHUFC.com
Jose Fonte relishing Sunday's clash with a Liverpool side containing three former Southampton teammates
Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana all set to feature for Reds at London Stadium
West Ham United defender says Hammers are determined to compete on same level as Liverpool
For the second Premier League fixture in succession, Jose Fonte will shove sentiment aside when he comes up against his former Southampton colleagues.
After helping West Ham United defeat Tottenham Hotspur and ex-Saints Mauricio Pochettino and Toby Alderweireld last Friday, Fonte will face no fewer than three of his old St Mary's allies when the Hammers host Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Alongside Fonte, Reds midfielder Adam Lallana was part of the Southampton squad which secured back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League in 2012, while right-back Nathaniel Clyne and centre-half Dejan Lovren formed part of a solid defence alongside the Portugal star in 2013/14. A fourth former Saints teammate, Sadio Mane, will miss Sunday's game at London Stadium through injury.
While they were friends on the south coast, Fonte says he will consider his old pals 'enemies' when they visit east London.
"It's always special to see my old teammates, my old friends, as we shared so many good moments together," the defender told the Official Website. "Obviously, it's nice to see them, but during the 90 minutes we're enemies so we want to beat them and they want to beat us.
"It's going to be special, it's going to be good. The atmosphere is going to be buzzing after this last win on Friday. We expect a tough game again, but we want to give the fans something to be proud of and another memorable afternoon."
Obviously, it's nice to see them, but during the 90 minutes we're enemies so we want to beat them and they want to beat us
Jose Fonte
Fonte and Lallana played alongside one another well over 100 times – winning the Football League Trophy together with Michail Antonio in 2010 – between 2010 and 2014, when the England midfielder departed for Liverpool.
The UEFA Euro 2016 winner is a big fan of the creative midfielder, who has become one of the Premier League's top performers in recent seasons.
"We came from League One," he confirmed. "We started from the bottom and went straight up to the Premier League in the same team.
"I've seen the progression of Adam, all the way to the national team as well, so I couldn't be more happy for him because he's a great player. I saw that from the first day I watched him.
"He's very skilful, a very creative player with lots of ability with both feet."
Fonte also has a huge amount of respect for Clyne and Lovren, who he shared a back four with as Southampton finished eighth in the Premier League three years ago.
"Clyney was my main support alongside my right, with his speed next to me!" the 33-year-old smiled. "Then Lovren, you know, we had a great partnership and we were best friends outside the pitch also.
"We still maintain a good relationship and I walk with him frequently and when it clicks, it's easy. We had a great season together, had one of the best defences in the league and he has done an amazing job.
"He had a difficult first season, but now you can see why they got him, because without him Liverpool would be struggling a little bit, in my opinion.
"I was lucky to have played with these great players and I learned a lot from them as well."
While Liverpool have not won the title since 1990, Fonte still believes the visit of the Reds is among the biggest games of the season for any Premier League club.
"It's because of the history, isn't it?" he asked, rhetorically. "Because of all of the past and all of the fans, Liverpool will always be a big club and we want to compete against them.
"We're a big club as well, so we expect an exciting game."
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Heineken Bar grand opening
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's official partner Heineken is pleased to announce the opening of the new Heineken Bar situated behind the North scoreboard.
The bar has been designed to reflect the striking architecture of West Ham's new home at London Stadium and will bring a unique space to enjoy a perfectly poured Heineken beer with your friends or family.
Heineken and West Ham are committed to improving the matchday experience of all our fans, and the Heineken Bar will bring yet more world-class facilities to the stadium.
The Heineken Bar will be officially opened on Sunday 14 May before the last home game of the season against Liverpool, by West Ham United Legends Tony Cottee and Tony Gale. Fans attending the game on Sunday are invited to come to the bar from 12.45pm to enjoy the first drinks poured at the bar as well as to join in a Q&A with both ex-players.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic targets Liverpool scalp with Premier League survival assured
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 13/05/17 1:54pm
SSN
West Ham have already spoiled Tottenham's season and now Slaven Bilic has his sights set on ruining Liverpool's.
Spurs saw their title hopes dashed when they were beaten 1-0 by the Hammers at the London Stadium last week.
Next up for Bilic's side is a visit from Liverpool - live on Sky Sports - with Jurgen Klopp's side desperately needing a win to keep their Champions League qualification bid on track.
West Ham are now safe from relegation and are unbeaten in five matches, with boss Bilic now targeting back-to-back top-four scalps.
"It's a big game for us, of course, we want to continue our form," he said. "Results-wise it's even bigger for them because they have to win to keep it in their hands.
"But we don't care about their wishes or what aims they have. I am really expecting a big game for us with the same kind of adrenaline and motivation as it was against Spurs.
"I know it's going to be very hard because Spurs was a bit different, but I've told the players already 'it's Liverpool at home, it's our last home game of the season - it can't be any bigger'.
"If you are playing Liverpool in front of 60,000 people it's the best situation, and now we can switch off the radios - we don't have to watch the Saturday games praying or hoping or with a Rosary in our hands.
"That's a positive thing, if we are comparing the game against Spurs. Now we are relaxed - and not in a negative way - I am expecting us to be even better than we were against Spurs.
Liverpool have been in and around the top four all season, but with Manchester City and Arsenal on their tails, one of the big guns will have to miss out.
Reds skipper James Milner this week admitted he would feel 'sick' if Liverpool ultimately failed to qualify for the Champions League and Bilic acknowledged the pressure their opponents are under.
"Every league is difficult but here you have maybe six clubs that are expecting to win the title and for them not to get in the Champions League, it's a failure of course," he added. "But one of them will not make it. So for Liverpool, I don't know their media, their expectations or whatever, but they are a big club and they have been up there for the whole season. "I think they will be very disappointed if they don't make it - but then if they do make it they will definitely present it as a massive achievement, which it is, in this kind of league."
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West Ham eye Jermain Defoe and Che Adams transfers as Slaven Bilic says he wants 'difference makers'
The Hammers' boss is not content with their current spoilers role and is after signings who can help win trophies
The Mirror
BYSTEVE STAMMERS
22:30, 13 MAY 2017
Slaven Bilic is devising a summer strategy that he hopes will bring a trophy to West Ham and give the supporters more to celebrate than spoiling the dreams of others.
The fans celebrated long and hard last weekend, when a 1-0 win at the London Stadium effectively sabotaged Tottenham's title hopes.
And a home win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon would put a huge dent in the Merseyside club's chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League and the return of Champions League football that would bring.
But Bilic wants more than inflicting pain on the opposition.
He wants silverware for the Hammers — and Sunderland's England striker Jermain Defoe is top of his hit-list of targets.
A clause in his contract with the Wearsiders ensures their relegation means Defoe will be a free agent this summer — and he is a target for a host of clubs, even though he turns 35 in October.
However, Bilic believes the forward's West Ham roots — he was a Hammer for almost five years before a 2004 move to Tottenham — could play a part in landing his man.
"Defoe is a very interesting player – even those big clubs are thinking about him as back-up," said Bilic. "But this is home."
Birmingham striker Che Adams, 20, is also being checked by the Hammers, and Bilic said: "We've got to get players who can make a difference."
There may also be a longer contract Argentine forward Manuel Lanzini, with the West Ham boss adding: "It is a message to our players. We have a chairman who says: 'Show me, and I will give you a contract.'"
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
When and Where?
West Ham United v Liverpool
Premier League
Sunday 14 May 2017, 2.15pm BST
London Stadium
What's the story?
West Ham United's final London Stadium assignment of the season comes on Sunday when Liverpool are the visitors to east London.
The Hammers have picked up seven points from their last three games on their own turf and will be hopeful of extending that good run to ensure their home slate of fixtures ends on a high.
Having claimed the scalp of Tottenham Hotspur last time out, West Ham have their sights on disrupting another team's lofty ambitions this weekend, with Jurgen Klopp's men chasing UEFA Champions League qualification.
With a four-point advantage over Arsenal – who have played a game less – they know three points are required if they are to keep their top four destiny in their own hands.
But West Ham also have their reasons for going after maximum points, with a top ten finish still a distinct possibility.
They have followed a five-game losing run by going unbeaten for their last five, including wins over Tottenham and Swansea, backed up by draws against Sunderland, Everton and Stoke.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have collected ten points from their last five games, but have only scored five goals during that run.
Read how tactical analyst George Elek thinks the game could pan out in the tactician's view here.
Team News
The Hammers will have to do without Andy Carroll again, who is missing with a nagging groin complaint which has kept him out since the trip to Sunderland at Easter.
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate have undergone season-ending surgery on abdominal and wrist injuries respectively, meaning Havard Nordtveit and Edimilson Fernandes could be given their chance in midfield.
Arthur Masuaku remains a doubt, while Diafra Sakho (back), Pedro Obiang (ankle) and Michail Antonio (hamstring) are sidelined.
Read the manager's take on the Hammers' team news here.
For Liverpool, Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva are doubts due to muscle problems, but Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge are contenders to start after making their way back from injury with substitute appearances.
Player head-to-head
How do I get to the game?
Click here for our Matchday Guide, covering everything from travel routes to catering options and everything inbetween.
Supporters who use London Overground services via Hackney Wick should be aware that trains will not be running on Sunday between Camden Road and Stratford due to engineering work. Replacement buses will run instead.
Greater Anglia services will be running to Stratford, but supporters travelling from the Southend branch will need to take replacement buses as far as Shenfield.
Click here for the latest information on London Underground, London Overground and TfL Rail services. The latest on National Rail services is here.
Sunny intervals are forecast for Sunday, with temperatures reaching 19C (66F) by kick-off.
How can I watch the game?
The match is being broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports. If you're tuning in from overseas, you can check broadcast details in your territory in our handy widget below.
You can also follow all the action as it happens right here on whufc.com, with live audio commentary, social media updates, in-running stats, pictures and more. Get involved in the conversation on social using #WHULIV.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fonte's old friends 'enemies' for a day
WHUFC.com
Jose Fonte relishing Sunday's clash with a Liverpool side containing three former Southampton teammates
Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana all set to feature for Reds at London Stadium
West Ham United defender says Hammers are determined to compete on same level as Liverpool
For the second Premier League fixture in succession, Jose Fonte will shove sentiment aside when he comes up against his former Southampton colleagues.
After helping West Ham United defeat Tottenham Hotspur and ex-Saints Mauricio Pochettino and Toby Alderweireld last Friday, Fonte will face no fewer than three of his old St Mary's allies when the Hammers host Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Alongside Fonte, Reds midfielder Adam Lallana was part of the Southampton squad which secured back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League in 2012, while right-back Nathaniel Clyne and centre-half Dejan Lovren formed part of a solid defence alongside the Portugal star in 2013/14. A fourth former Saints teammate, Sadio Mane, will miss Sunday's game at London Stadium through injury.
While they were friends on the south coast, Fonte says he will consider his old pals 'enemies' when they visit east London.
"It's always special to see my old teammates, my old friends, as we shared so many good moments together," the defender told the Official Website. "Obviously, it's nice to see them, but during the 90 minutes we're enemies so we want to beat them and they want to beat us.
"It's going to be special, it's going to be good. The atmosphere is going to be buzzing after this last win on Friday. We expect a tough game again, but we want to give the fans something to be proud of and another memorable afternoon."
Obviously, it's nice to see them, but during the 90 minutes we're enemies so we want to beat them and they want to beat us
Jose Fonte
Fonte and Lallana played alongside one another well over 100 times – winning the Football League Trophy together with Michail Antonio in 2010 – between 2010 and 2014, when the England midfielder departed for Liverpool.
The UEFA Euro 2016 winner is a big fan of the creative midfielder, who has become one of the Premier League's top performers in recent seasons.
"We came from League One," he confirmed. "We started from the bottom and went straight up to the Premier League in the same team.
"I've seen the progression of Adam, all the way to the national team as well, so I couldn't be more happy for him because he's a great player. I saw that from the first day I watched him.
"He's very skilful, a very creative player with lots of ability with both feet."
Fonte also has a huge amount of respect for Clyne and Lovren, who he shared a back four with as Southampton finished eighth in the Premier League three years ago.
"Clyney was my main support alongside my right, with his speed next to me!" the 33-year-old smiled. "Then Lovren, you know, we had a great partnership and we were best friends outside the pitch also.
"We still maintain a good relationship and I walk with him frequently and when it clicks, it's easy. We had a great season together, had one of the best defences in the league and he has done an amazing job.
"He had a difficult first season, but now you can see why they got him, because without him Liverpool would be struggling a little bit, in my opinion.
"I was lucky to have played with these great players and I learned a lot from them as well."
While Liverpool have not won the title since 1990, Fonte still believes the visit of the Reds is among the biggest games of the season for any Premier League club.
"It's because of the history, isn't it?" he asked, rhetorically. "Because of all of the past and all of the fans, Liverpool will always be a big club and we want to compete against them.
"We're a big club as well, so we expect an exciting game."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Heineken Bar grand opening
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's official partner Heineken is pleased to announce the opening of the new Heineken Bar situated behind the North scoreboard.
The bar has been designed to reflect the striking architecture of West Ham's new home at London Stadium and will bring a unique space to enjoy a perfectly poured Heineken beer with your friends or family.
Heineken and West Ham are committed to improving the matchday experience of all our fans, and the Heineken Bar will bring yet more world-class facilities to the stadium.
The Heineken Bar will be officially opened on Sunday 14 May before the last home game of the season against Liverpool, by West Ham United Legends Tony Cottee and Tony Gale. Fans attending the game on Sunday are invited to come to the bar from 12.45pm to enjoy the first drinks poured at the bar as well as to join in a Q&A with both ex-players.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic targets Liverpool scalp with Premier League survival assured
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 13/05/17 1:54pm
SSN
West Ham have already spoiled Tottenham's season and now Slaven Bilic has his sights set on ruining Liverpool's.
Spurs saw their title hopes dashed when they were beaten 1-0 by the Hammers at the London Stadium last week.
Next up for Bilic's side is a visit from Liverpool - live on Sky Sports - with Jurgen Klopp's side desperately needing a win to keep their Champions League qualification bid on track.
West Ham are now safe from relegation and are unbeaten in five matches, with boss Bilic now targeting back-to-back top-four scalps.
"It's a big game for us, of course, we want to continue our form," he said. "Results-wise it's even bigger for them because they have to win to keep it in their hands.
"But we don't care about their wishes or what aims they have. I am really expecting a big game for us with the same kind of adrenaline and motivation as it was against Spurs.
"I know it's going to be very hard because Spurs was a bit different, but I've told the players already 'it's Liverpool at home, it's our last home game of the season - it can't be any bigger'.
"If you are playing Liverpool in front of 60,000 people it's the best situation, and now we can switch off the radios - we don't have to watch the Saturday games praying or hoping or with a Rosary in our hands.
"That's a positive thing, if we are comparing the game against Spurs. Now we are relaxed - and not in a negative way - I am expecting us to be even better than we were against Spurs.
Liverpool have been in and around the top four all season, but with Manchester City and Arsenal on their tails, one of the big guns will have to miss out.
Reds skipper James Milner this week admitted he would feel 'sick' if Liverpool ultimately failed to qualify for the Champions League and Bilic acknowledged the pressure their opponents are under.
"Every league is difficult but here you have maybe six clubs that are expecting to win the title and for them not to get in the Champions League, it's a failure of course," he added. "But one of them will not make it. So for Liverpool, I don't know their media, their expectations or whatever, but they are a big club and they have been up there for the whole season. "I think they will be very disappointed if they don't make it - but then if they do make it they will definitely present it as a massive achievement, which it is, in this kind of league."
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West Ham eye Jermain Defoe and Che Adams transfers as Slaven Bilic says he wants 'difference makers'
The Hammers' boss is not content with their current spoilers role and is after signings who can help win trophies
The Mirror
BYSTEVE STAMMERS
22:30, 13 MAY 2017
Slaven Bilic is devising a summer strategy that he hopes will bring a trophy to West Ham and give the supporters more to celebrate than spoiling the dreams of others.
The fans celebrated long and hard last weekend, when a 1-0 win at the London Stadium effectively sabotaged Tottenham's title hopes.
And a home win over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon would put a huge dent in the Merseyside club's chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League and the return of Champions League football that would bring.
But Bilic wants more than inflicting pain on the opposition.
He wants silverware for the Hammers — and Sunderland's England striker Jermain Defoe is top of his hit-list of targets.
A clause in his contract with the Wearsiders ensures their relegation means Defoe will be a free agent this summer — and he is a target for a host of clubs, even though he turns 35 in October.
However, Bilic believes the forward's West Ham roots — he was a Hammer for almost five years before a 2004 move to Tottenham — could play a part in landing his man.
"Defoe is a very interesting player – even those big clubs are thinking about him as back-up," said Bilic. "But this is home."
Birmingham striker Che Adams, 20, is also being checked by the Hammers, and Bilic said: "We've got to get players who can make a difference."
There may also be a longer contract Argentine forward Manuel Lanzini, with the West Ham boss adding: "It is a message to our players. We have a chairman who says: 'Show me, and I will give you a contract.'"
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 13
Daily WHUFC News - 13th May 2017
Slav aiming for Liverpool repeat
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic is aiming for a Liverpool repeat - on two fronts.
The Hammers enjoyed two home victories against the Reds last season, and with a 2-2 draw at Anfield this term also still fresh in the memory, they have plenty of positive experiences to call upon.
More recently, last week's 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur provided the perfect blueprint for West Ham to follow that up in their final home game of the campaign and the manager is demanding a similar performance.
"We are preparing and we are planning to do something similar to last week when we play Liverpool," he said.
"There are a lot of similarities in those two sides - we still have two games and we are very ambitious for six points from those two games.
"We can climb up in the table - it is not the situation that we are safe now and are already on our holidays. Definitely I am expecting the same kind of determination, commitment and teamwork like it was against Spurs.
"We want to win every game and now we are without the negative type of pressure that we had against Spurs - thinking 'if we concede a goal we're going to be in that kind of situation'.
"That burden is off, so I'm expecting at least what we did against Spurs, in terms of playing and commitment.
"Talking about our home performances, we definitely improved a lot across our last six, seven or eight games. Since the start of 2017, I remember the home games improving a lot, and there were only a couple of games against Manchester City in the cup and league that were not good.
"We lost some games, like against Leicester, but we were really good. I'm not talking about the results, only, but about the performances too and they have improved a lot."
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Bilic - The team is still strong
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic says the team he will put out against Liverpool on Sunday will still be a strong one, despite the addition of Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate to the Hammers' injury list.
Noble and Kouyate have gone under the surgeon's knife for abdominal and wrist injuries respectively, bringing their seasons to a slightly premature close.
With Andy Carroll set to miss out against his former Club too, Bilic will have to turn to his squad - but as he pointed out, every player has had plenty of game time this season due to the injuries he has had to deal with all campaign.
The manager explained: "The team news is from the team that played against Spurs, we are without Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, but the good thing is that the players who will start against Liverpool have all played a lot of games this season because of their form, or because of injuries. We will still put out a really good team.
"Andy Carroll isn't going to play. He is still feeling his hip or groin - it's in that area and since the last three or four weeks its been like a 50/50 chance whether he'll play, but unfortunately he can't.
"He tried to do it yesterday and the day before yesterday - it's nothing major, but it is frustrating not to have him because you know what he means to us."
The good thing is that the players who will start against Liverpool have all played a lot of games this season because of their form, or because of injuries. We will still put out a really good team.
The manager hailed Noble and Kouyate for their willingness to play through the pain barrier as they postponed surgery for the good of the team over the last couple of months.
He added: "It is a hernia thing for Mark. He has had it for the last couple of months - he didn't want to talk about it because he is a captain, a great captain and he wanted to help the Club and the team.
"Of course it affected him because he felt the pain, but he played through it and now, it has become a bit worse. "It is not that we're safe now and we don't want him to play - I really wanted him to play against Liverpool and he wanted it, but the surgeon said it should be done as soon as possible, so there was really no way he could play another game this season.
"He was one of our key players against Spurs, and it meant a lot to the team to have the skipper playing in that game, so it was a good decision by him [to keep his injury quiet].
"It is the same for Cheik - his wrist problem has been there since the Africa Cup of Nations, but it became worse over time and he has played through a lot of pain.
"He was supposed to do the operation earlier, but because we needed him we made a plan for him to play as much as possible."
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West Ham v Liverpool: The tactician's view
WHUFC.com
Tactical analyst George Elek looks at how Sunday's meeting with Liverpool could play out...
There is arguably no better time for West Ham to host Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp's men struggling to find their early season groove in the absence of the injured Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson.
Seven points from their past four games represents a decent haul, but they have only scored three goals in that period. Liverpool are missing the penetrative pace of Mane, whilst Henderson's metronomic passing had provided the platform for Liverpool's attacking trio.
They have won their last three games on the road, all by one-goal margins, against Stoke, West Brom and Watford and a focus on not conceding the first goal away from home has seen their form improve from early season struggles, but West Ham's form since switching to the back three should give them a great deal to be positive about.
The Hammers have kept three consecutive clean sheets, with the trio of Jose Fonte, Winston Reid and James Collins proving tough for opposing teams to break down.
The advancing Sam Byram and Aaron Cresswell on the flanks has enabled Andre Ayew and Manuel Lanzini to drift inside and provide a fluid attacking force.
Liverpool's forward play has come under much scrutiny this season, with an unwelcome trend of dominating possession against weaker teams, but in areas of the pitch where they are unlikely to hurt the opposition.
They enjoyed nearly 65 per cent possession against Southampton last Sunday and had 17 shots but, except for James Milner's missed penalty, just three of these were taken from inside the box.
Lucas Leiva has stepped into Henderson's central midfield role and whilst his passing may be tidy, it perhaps lacks the probing effect of the club captain's. Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can have taken on this deep-lying playmaker role, with the forward players dropping too deep at times in an attempt to force the issue.
Against Southampton Philipe Coutinho, who should be Liverpool's greatest attacking threat, did not touch the ball once inside the penalty area. Firmino has managed three touches in this zone in their past two fixtures.
West Ham can take heart in this chink in Liverpool's armour; with the tremendous work of the defence on Friday night largely keeping Tottenham's attacking talents quiet. Spurs were restricted to just four shots on goal from inside the area, whilst England striker Harry Kane touched the ball just twice in the box.
To keep Liverpool at bay the key is pressing high in wide areas, forcing Coutinho and Firmino to drop deep to get the ball. Cresswell and Byram will likely be charged with that responsibility, whilst the back three will have to ensure that the Liverpool centre-forward, whether it is Origi or Sturridge, is not able to peel into the space in behind that will be vacated by the wingers.
The likes of Can, Lallana, Wijnaldum and Firmino are experts at timing their runs into the area to meet crosses, so the onus should be on keeping Liverpool's possession in the area between the half-way line and the final third, forcing them to take pot-shots from long range.
Such a tactic would also see West Ham able to really hurt Liverpool on the counter-attack. In Ayew and Lanzini there is little doubt that the hosts have the weapons to punish Liverpool.
Full-backs Nathanial Clyne and James Milner look to push right up the flank, meaning there should be a great deal of space for the fluid forwards to cause damage going forward. Jonathan Calleri was full of energy against Tottenham, and a similar harrying display in putting pressure on the Liverpool centre-backs would enable West Ham to win the ball in advanced areas.
The teams who have had the most joy against Liverpool this season have structured their performance in two areas, with a defence set-up to frustrate and a front line looking to spring into life higher up the pitch. It will be a tough test to maintain the unbeaten run, but West Ham proved on Friday that they have the tools to beat anyone.
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Hammers enjoying benefits of TransferMate partnership
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Official Global Payments partner TransferMate are delivering results off the pitch for the Club, playing a key role in its international payments since the launch of their partnership last December.
As the Official Global Payments partner of the club, TransferMate are delighted to play a strategic role in the club's international transactions, during what has been an important season for the club.
TransferMate has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Club, offering better exchange rates, as well as a fast and secure international payment solution, much to the delight of West Ham Chief Financial Officer Andy Mollett.
He said: "One of the keys for us in the transfer market is to be able to deliver the cash at the right time, and in an efficient way, so we rely completely on TransferMate to turn around the requests as fast as they can, and that's what they do for us.
"The key for West Ham is to be able to make smart, efficient, international payments at the very best rates, and TransferMate deliver that for us."
TransferMate provides an innovative global payment solution for the Club, and look forward to assisting West Ham with reliability and efficiency as they prepare to conduct their transfer business in the summer window.
About TransferMate
TransferMate is the market-leading, international choice for businesses worldwide, and now boasts one of the world's largest currency settlement networks that provides companies of all sizes and financial institutions with a payments engine for conducting cross-border transfers globally - at top speed and lowest cost.
The company has created one of the world's most extensive networks of bank accounts in over 50 countries allowing them to secure better exchange rates, eradicate bank fees and provide our clients with faster payment services. It is through these proprietary solutions that have led to over $8billion transacted in the year to date.
As a leader of global payment solutions, TransferMate has developed a range of services to meet the exacting needs of its global client base. TransferMate understand that each business has specific requirements and faces its own range of different challenges.
To discuss your requirements and any business concerns with currency volatility contact ther 24 hour team or alternatively check out their website on www.transfermate.com/westhamunited
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Longelo - We want to finish well
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s visit Arsenal for their final game of the season this weekend
The Hammers can finish as high as fifth with a victory at the Arsenal Training Centre
Rosaire Longelo says everybody is excited for the season climax
Rosaire Longelo is delighted with how his season has panned out as he and his U18 teammates aim to finish on a high away to Arsenal this weekend.
First-year scholar Longelo enjoyed a terrific first half of the season, scoring in the 3-2 win over Swansea City that put the Hammers top of U18 Premier League South.
The versatile player unfortunately missed two months between January and March through injury but has returned and helped the Hammers to string of good performances in the Merit Group.
"I'm very pleased with how the season has gone," said Longelo. "I didn't really expect it to go this well.
"I've been surprised with how many games I've had because I've been injured a bit. But I'm really looking forward to our last game."
The Hammers are currently second from bottom in Merit Group A but their recent performances could have easily produced more points.
Last time out, they battled to a 1-1 draw against FA Youth Cup finalists Manchester City with Jahmal Hector-Ingram scoring the equaliser in the second half.
Longelo admits results have not matched performances recently but hopes the season can end on a positive at London Colney on Saturday.
"I think as a group we've played quite well this season but recently our results haven't been good," he added.
"We always try our best in every game but I think we've been lacking an end product over the past couple of months.
"Everyone is very excited for the game this weekend. It's our last chance to play with this year's second years as a group and hopefully we can get the win.
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Ginge wants to keep it clean
WHUFC.com
James Collins says the Hammers know exactly what is required to end their home slate of fixtures on a high against Liverpool on Sunday - and they only have to look back a week for inspiration.
Last Friday's 1-0 victory all but ended Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of landing the Premier League title and the Hammers can dent another team's lofty ambitions this weekend with Jurgen Klopp's side chasing UEFA Champions League qualification.
With three clean sheets in a row and four from their last five starts, Collins is confident his team can keep things tight again and add a second scalp in succession to their collection.
"We have to go about combating their threat the same way we have in the last couple of games," he said. "That's defending well as a team with everyone working together and hopefully we can get a similar result to last Friday.
"I've played as part of a back three for a long time with Wales. We're playing with that system and it's working at the minute. It's getting played more in the Premier League and we've got the players to do it.
"It's been great playing alongside Reidy and Jose as a three. They're tremendous centre-halves and any mistakes I make they see what's going on and clear up for me. Hopefully I do the same for them. It's going well."
Collins has enjoyed some fine days against Liverpool in Claret and Blue - he played in both home wins against the Reds last term and kept Luis Suarez extremely quiet in a 0-0 draw at Anfield in 2013 - so has good memories of this fixture.
He added: "I've had some tremendous results against them over the years - that game at Anfield when we drew 0-0 in particular is one that sticks in the head.
"We're full of confidence at the minute - we're not really thinking about who we're playing against, we just know that if we turn up and play like we did last week we can beat anyone."
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West Ham United v Liverpool
SUN, 14 MAY 2017PREMIER LEAGUE
14:15
Venue: London Stadium
BBC.co.uk
TEAM NEWS
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate will miss West Ham's final two games after surgery on long-standing injuries.
Andy Carroll, Michail Antonio, Pedro Obiang, Diafra Sakho, Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku remain sidelined.
Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva are both doubts for Liverpool because of muscle problems.
Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge are in contention to start after making several substitute appearances following returns from injury.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Alistair Mann: "Having spoiled Tottenham's pursuit of the title in their last game, West Ham now have the opportunity to wreck another team's plans by damaging Liverpool's target of Champions League football.
"With arguably their best performance of the season, the Hammers not only demonstrated what they are capable of when everything is in sync, but also proved that the London Stadium can work to their advantage - if they harness the fervent atmosphere their huge new home can generate.
"Despite entering the weekend in third, a run of just one win from their last three games has been extremely untimely for the visitors, who will feel any further dropped points may well irrevocably floor their ambitions."
Twitter:@alistairmann01
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "Everything is still in our hands. All the teams have to play tough games and no-one wins all of them. Now we have to win ours and it will be fine.
"A week ago we thought we had to win all three. Now we know a draw and a win could be enough depending on other results.
"That is the situation so let's feel the opportunity together."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on Andy Carroll's injury problems: "Andy is kind of a player that has such a big impact on our game that we won't give up on him.
"Especially now as this has nothing to do with lifestyle or not being committed enough. He works really hard, it was bad luck and, as I said, I will never give up on him.
"On the other hand it is no good having a player whose name you put down first, second or third and can't rely on him."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
I think Liverpool will need to win their final two games to make the top four - but I am just not convinced they will do it. I don't think they will get three points against West Ham for starters.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v tennis world number one Andy Murray
Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are unbeaten in five league and cup games against Liverpool, winning three of those matches. They have never gone six matches undefeated against the Reds.
The Hammers have won their last three home games against Liverpool.
The Reds have kept one clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League visits to West Ham, in a 3-0 victory in May 2009.
None of the last 11 Premier League meetings in east London have ended level, with West Ham winning four and Liverpool claiming seven victories since a 1-1 draw in December 2001.
West Ham United
West Ham are unbeaten in five league games (W2, D3), after losing the previous five.
The Hammers have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets at the London Stadium for the first time - they last kept four in a row at home between January and February 2010.
Six of their seven league wins at the London Stadium have been by a 1-0 scoreline, with the only exception their 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace.
If the Hammers fail to score they will end the season with just 19 home league goals - their joint-lowest total in a top-flight season (also set in 1988-89).
They have lost 22 points from winning positions - a league-high prior to the latest round of fixtures.
Manuel Lanzini has scored in five of his last eight Premier League home games.
Liverpool
If Liverpool win at the London Stadium, it will be the 52nd different venue where they have claimed a Premier League victory, more than any other side.
The Reds have won their last three away games in the Premier League - they last had a longer run between February and April 2014 (six matches).
Liverpool have won three of their four Premier League games in London this season, drawing the other. The last time they remained unbeaten in the capital across an entire league season was in 1988-89.
They have only lost one of their last 10 top-flight matches in London - their 2-0 defeat at West Ham on 2 January 2016.
Victory will give the Reds 73 Premier League points - the most a team has had in 38-game season without finishing in the top four is 72 points.
SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-1 Probability of draw: 24%
Probability of home win: 32% Probability of away win: 44%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.
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A NOBLE PROBLEM
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 12 MAY 2017 AT 4:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer
I'm down at Eastleigh Sports Ground, watching Portsmouth train with a mate. Saggy Chops Redknapp is the Pompey manager. A bloke I absolutely loathe! It is a terrible day, windy with light rain. Joe Jordan, one of Pompey's coaches, is going NUTS on the training ground. Kanu arrived late and is not bothering his arse. Misplaced passes, barely walking, shooting terrible. After about twenty minutes, Redknapp, who had been standing on the touchline, hands in pocket with a deadpan expression, Calls out to Kanu." 'King' come over here son". Kanu reaches Redknapp, now with a huge smile on his face. Redknapp gives him a hug, puts his arm around his waist and like young lovers they walk off into the distance chatting away. After about ten minutes they come back. Redknapp pats him on the back and Kanu goes back on the pitch. The transformation in Kanu's play was UNBELIEVABLE! He was absolutely UNPLAYABLE! I think Noble could have done with an arm around him at several points of this difficult season. At times his body language did not look right. Those would have been the times for the manager to tell him "Son, you are my Captain, and I believe in you. It's going to be ok".
Leadership is a lonely place when things are going wrong at any club.
As many know. I'm not Noble's biggest fan. In fact, in my opinion it is a close call whether he should be in the team. Which I will come to in a moment. But being West Ham through and through, events on and off the pitch affected him more than most. For Noble, West Ham is not just about events on the training ground or on match day. Mark Noble can run but he can't hide. His family live and breathe West Ham, his local shops live and breathe West Ham. When results are poor, they want answers from The Boy from Canning Town. Which goes some way to explain Noble's headless chicken approach to games this season. Charging around all over the pitch, trying to do three people's job. As a result, he got frustrated and his discipline suffered on the pitch.
The biggest problem regarding Mark Noble's form this season was he simply tried too hard. Till a few weeks ago, I felt his time was up perhaps the now reported injury was the problem for this though in hindsight. I felt Kouyate and Obiang should be nailed on in centre midfield. I also felt that Nordveidt was better than Noble when he was played in his correct position. It's obvious that Noble's lack of pace is a problem. When closed down quickly, he often gets dispossessed and gives away needless free–kicks. When further forward, if we lose possession the opposition break and have a free run on goal due in part to Noble's inability to get back. As a goal threat he offered nothing this season. To be fair to Noble, when he was out of the team results hardly improved. So it's a close call whether we keep Noble or ditch him.
But his lack of pace need not be a problem for Noble. Older generations of Hammers fans will tell you that the great Bobby Moore lacked pace. Moore made up for it by being a superb reader of the game. As a result he was always one step ahead on the pitch. With Noble in the team, you must have pace and movement ahead of him. Give him a bit of space, and he is capable of switching play superbly. Noble has to be far more disciplined and played a bit deeper to get the best out of him. There is no room for sentimentality in football. You cannot be selected for the team because you are 'Mr West Ham'. Like a manager, you have got to produce the goods. For players it's on the pitch.
Noble cannot afford another poor season. If he does he will be history as far as being a West Ham first team regular is concerned. But I would not bet against the boy from Canning Town, a man who has played more than 400 games for The Club. Mark James Noble brings something to the table few footballers do today. He brings loyalty. He is West Ham's heart. At this moment in time Mark Noble needs West Ham and West Ham need Mark Noble.
We are more than a football club, we are a way of life!
COYIS!
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50 years since he signed for West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 12th May 2017
By: Paul Walker
There are important landmarks in any club's history…and then there's the day Billy Bonds arrived at West Ham. They don't come much more important than that.
Bonds arrived at West Ham 50 years ago tomorrow --May 13th, to be exact--tall, slim, shy, clean shaven then, and set to become one of the greatest players in the club's history.
Ron Greenwood paid Charlton just shy of £50,000 for him, hard to argue that being the best bit of business West Ham have ever done. The fee was £48,500 to be precise, and they'd have got another £2,000 if he played for England. Amazingly that never happened.
That figure doesn't sound much by modern standards, but it was a big outlay for a 21-year-old in those days. Some clever mathematician will tell me how much that is worth at today's rate, but I don't need to be told his worth.
Bonds went on to become a true West Ham legend, player, coach, manager and he holds an appearance record for the club that will surely never be broken.
It's generally accepted that Bobby Moore is the greatest player in our history on a global scale, but Bonds pushes him very close when it just comes down to the club achievements of both. There are even some who believe his contribution far outstrips the Moore legacy.
It's a nice discussion to have, not an argument!
Moore became probably bigger than the club, a glamorous international figure and of course captain of England in '66 when the World Cup was won. That gives him an world-wide aura greater than Bonds, obviously.
But somehow there's a different sort of legacy with Bonds. The unflinching standard bearer, the protector for Trevor Brooking and Alan Devonshire, you didn't mess with Billy. Moore of course captained us to FA Cup final glory and the European Cup Winners' Cup triumph. There was also a League Cup final and a shared Charity Shield.
He also became an iconic figure for all that is good in football, with class, composure and sheer cool skills.
Bonds was a different sort of icon. He twice captained us to FA Cup final victories, was a Cup Winners' Cup final runner-up, a runner-up in the League Cup and also captain of the promotion side of 80-81. His spell as manager also produced two promotions.
Don't ask me to pick one over the other, it's hardly fair. We all love them both.
Bonzo was never capped--an outrage really--but he played for West Ham until he was 41, a club career of 20 years 9 months and 12 days to be precise, and with 793 games, the club's appearances record. In fact he was 41 years and 225 days old on his final appearance against Southampton at the Dell on April 30, 1988.
To many, Bonds was the true Mr. West Ham. I am not trying to belittle Moore's contribution, but we know now he wanted out long before he finally left for Fulham in 1974, and would have worn a Spurs shirt at the end of his career if Greenwood had allowed him to leave earlier.
That he didn't get his wish was a cloud that hung over his final years at Upton Park, even though his brilliance and desire for his local team never abated.
Moore was a master of his craft, he led by example, a cool, majestic captain. An inspiration. Bonds was a leader of men in a very different way. A fearsome swashbuckling hero, bearded by then and a true warrior in midfield. "6ft 2, eyes of blue, Billy Bonds is after you" we all sang. And you'd better believe it.
I was fortunate to see Moore's career at West Ham start in 1958, and to witness Bonds' debut against Sheffield Wednesday on the first day of the 67-68 season, Of course West Ham lost that day, but nobody there left worrying about whether young Billy--playing at right-back-was good enough for the top flight.
Greenwood used him later in central defence and then more effectively in midfield. That he never played for England is laughable now looking at the current crop of so-called England stars.
He was never lucky with England. Even when Greenwood, then national manager, named Bonds in one of his squads--and made it clear he would play--Billy managed to get injured in an end of season game at Hillsborough. Funny how Sheffield Wednesday keep cropping up--and that ruled him out of the England squad.
I was there that day in Yorkshire, and he was obviously playing in pain after a collision with Phil Parkes. You just knew watching him troop off that his international chance had gone.
His arrival at Upton Park was typical of a bygone age. No agents, just accompanied by then Charlton boss Bob Stokoe, the pair having watched West Ham's final game of the 1966-67 season against Manchester City.
A couple of weeks earlier Bonds had played for Charlton in the Wembley fives--I used to love that night out--and West Ham won the trophy that night with a squad that included Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Johnny Byrne, John Sissons and Colin Mackleworth.
The following day, so the story goes, Hurst said to manager Ron Greenwood that if he was looking for a new right-back, the kid from Charlton was a good bet.
Greenwood went to watch Charlton's last game of the season against Birmingham and spoke to Bonds--again with Stokoe--at the Valley after the match. Bonds says in his autobiography that he tried to tell Ron that other clubs were interested!
Ron is supposed to have left the room, Stokoe coming in to give Billy a rollicking for messing West Ham about. That was the end of the bartering, and Billy got a contract that doubled his wages to £60 a week and a £2,500 signing on fee.
The contract was actually signed in Ron's Upton Park office after that Man City game on May 13. Both Dennis Burnett and Trevor Dawkins were suggested as part-exchange, but both declined and Ron said: "Don't worry Billy, we'll just pay cash."
His first game for the club came two days later with a first-half performance in Ken Brown's testimonial. There was around 15,000 there to see the new recruit.
The rest is history. A wonderful club servant, tireless, magnificent captain and to my mind part of the five-strong group of players who are the best in our history: Moore, Peters, Hurst, Brooking and Bonds.
That quintet only played for three seasons together, 67-68, 68-69 and 69-70. Just what would they be worth in today's current transfer market?
We've all got our own special Bonds memory, mine came just days after he had taken over as manager in 1980.
Lou Macari had left between the two League Cup semi-final games against Oldham, the first being that infamous 6-0 defeat on the plastic at Boundary Park. Not the best West Ham performance I've seen!
Ronnie Boyce did a caretaker stint and Bonds took over ahead of the thankless second leg. Nobody in my company's London office was bothered about covering the second-leg, so I volunteered to come down from Manchester. A chance for the firm to pay for the petrol to visit my parents!
I did the pre-match press conference at the Boleyn and afterwards introduced myself, told Billy I was a West Ham fan and wished him all the luck in the world. Bonzo took me up to his office, we had a cup of tea and chatted about the Hammers for 20 minutes. Enough material for a feature piece after the 3-0 second-leg win.
He had enough on his plate at that point, with all the fuss about Macari and the cup tie debacle. But he was as good as gold that day and had time for a chat with someone he had never met before.
A gentleman then. A gentleman throughout his West Ham career. Fifty years ago? It seems just like yesterday. We were lucky to have him.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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West Ham v Liverpool preview: Andy Carroll misses out against former side
Last Updated: 12/05/17 12:50pm
SSN
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is set to miss out against his former club after failing to recover in time from a groin injury, while Mark Noble is also absent.
Noble has undergone surgery on a long-standing abdominal issue, a condition which he has played on with for a number of weeks.
Carroll, who joined Liverpool in 2011 before moving to the Hammers a year later, was seen as 50/50 for Sunday's game, but Slaven Bilic has revealed he will not feature.
"He tried to do it yesterday and the day before yesterday - it's nothing major, Billic said, but it is frustrating not to have him because you know what he means to us."
Liverpool - who sit third and have a one-point lead over Manchester City - know a win is crucial, especially when it comes to attracting new players says Jurgen Klopp.
"It's important - how it is always important - for the club. Everybody knows it's a lot of money in the Champions League, it's not only the sports challenge, even though it's really exciting, it's also the money you can earn and as a football club we have to do this too," he said.
Team news
Cheikhou Kouyate has also undergone surgery on a wrist injury, which he has had since the Africa Cup of Nations. Fellow midfielder Noble (abdominal) will not feature again this season and Carroll remains sidelined.
Liverpool will assess the fitness of Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva ahead of the trip to the London Stadium.
Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana could both return to boost the visitors' attacking options as they look to cement Champions League qualification.
Opta stats
West Ham have won their last two home Premier League meetings with Liverpool, their best run since winning three in a row between 1997 and 1999.
The Reds have kept one clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League visits to West Ham, a 3-0 victory in May 2009.
None of the last 11 Premier League meetings between these sides at West Ham have ended as a draw, with the Hammers winning four and Liverpool seven since a 1-1 draw in December 2001.
In all competitions, the Reds are winless in their last five games against West Ham, their worst run since February 1965 (also five without a win); they've never gone six without a win against them.
If Liverpool win at the London Stadium, it will be the 52nd different ground at which they've won a Premier League game, more than any other side (Arsenal and Manchester United next on 50).
The Reds have won their last three away games in the Premier League - they last had a longer run in April 2014 (six games).
The Hammers have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets at the London Stadium for the first time - they last kept four in a row at home in February 2010.
Six of West Ham's seven Premier League home wins this season have been against sides currently in the bottom half of the table - the only exception was their last home game against Spurs (1-0).
Liverpool have won three of their four Premier League games in London this season, drawing the other. The last time they remained unbeaten in the capital across an entire league season was in 1988-89.
Manuel Lanzini has found the net in five of his last eight Premier League home games.
Merson's prediction
It all depends on which West Ham turns up, whether it's the team from the last few months or the one who beat Tottenham last week. It's a big game for them because another win could wipe away the cobwebs at the London Stadium and help them feel much more positive about the place next year.
You just don't know with Liverpool against so-called lesser teams. I would probably fancy them more if they were going to Man City. There's something missing in these games and they need to sort that out if they want to push on.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
West Ham are Sky Bet's 18/5 outsiders to win with Liverpool the odds-on favourites at 7/10 and the draw is 14/5. All four of Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi are priced at 9/2 at the head of a wide-open first goalscorer market, with Andy Carroll seen as the biggest threat for the home side at 13/2. Liverpool are 3/1 to finish outside of the top four and West Ham out to 4/1 to make it into the top half.
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Slaven Bilic 'not giving up' on injury-hit Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 12/05/17 1:36pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic will "never give up" on injury-jinxed Andy Carroll, who will miss Sunday's final home game of the season against Liverpool.
The striker's latest injury is his groin but the West Ham manager confirmed it was not a serious issue.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Bilic said: "Andy Carroll won't be able to play against Liverpool.
"He's still feeling his groin. It's nothing major but he will miss the game."
And the Croatian says the 28-year-old remains a key figure at the club and would not comment on the former Newcastle and Liverpool player's future.
He added: "It is not a subject for now, but Andy is kind of a player that has such a big impact on our game that we won't give up on him.
"Especially now, as this has nothing to do with lifestyle or not being committed enough.
"He works really hard, it was bad luck and, as I said, I will never give up on him.
"On the other hand, it is no good having a player whose name you put down first, second or third and can't rely on him."
Two midfielders who are sidelined for the season are Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, both of whom require surgery.
Bilic went on: "Mark has had a hernia in the last couple of months, he didn't want to talk about it as he is a great captain and wanted to help the team.
"He played through the pain and with that pain and it became a bit worse.
"It's not because we are safe now and he doesn't want to play. I wanted him to play one more game but the surgeon said he should get it done.
"Kouyate has a wrist problem, he played through a lot of pain with injections. He was supposed to do that operation earlier.
"We made a plan for him to play as much as possible, but it became worse."
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West Ham battling Everton in race to land £25million Swansea playmaker Glyfi Sigurdsson
Swansea want to keep hold of the Icelandic star but relegation could force them to sell this summer
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
20:57, 12 MAY 2017
SPORT
West Ham will take on Everton in the battle for £25million Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Irons have had a long-standing admiration for Swansea's in-demand midfielder and want to sign him this summer. Slaven Bilic, who will remain in his post, is set to go on another recruitment drive when the transfer windows. His brief will be to ensure the club are competing in the top half of the table - as they were last year - next season.
Sigurdsson has been in outstanding form during the current campaign with nine Premier League goals and 12 assists in 36 games, despite Swansea's struggles. Paul Clement intends to fight to keep the 27-year-old, who is under contract at the Liberty until 2020. But Swansea could be forced to sell if they go down. Clement revealed last month that he believed Sigurdsson was one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. "When teams are lower down in the table, the individual players don't always get that recognition they deserve, but he is a player that's done really, really well," he said.
"Every day in training he is pushing, doing extra stuff to work on his technique, his finishing, set-plays.
"He is really alert and attentive in the video meetings, takes good care of his body... a very good professional."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic is aiming for a Liverpool repeat - on two fronts.
The Hammers enjoyed two home victories against the Reds last season, and with a 2-2 draw at Anfield this term also still fresh in the memory, they have plenty of positive experiences to call upon.
More recently, last week's 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur provided the perfect blueprint for West Ham to follow that up in their final home game of the campaign and the manager is demanding a similar performance.
"We are preparing and we are planning to do something similar to last week when we play Liverpool," he said.
"There are a lot of similarities in those two sides - we still have two games and we are very ambitious for six points from those two games.
"We can climb up in the table - it is not the situation that we are safe now and are already on our holidays. Definitely I am expecting the same kind of determination, commitment and teamwork like it was against Spurs.
"We want to win every game and now we are without the negative type of pressure that we had against Spurs - thinking 'if we concede a goal we're going to be in that kind of situation'.
"That burden is off, so I'm expecting at least what we did against Spurs, in terms of playing and commitment.
"Talking about our home performances, we definitely improved a lot across our last six, seven or eight games. Since the start of 2017, I remember the home games improving a lot, and there were only a couple of games against Manchester City in the cup and league that were not good.
"We lost some games, like against Leicester, but we were really good. I'm not talking about the results, only, but about the performances too and they have improved a lot."
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Bilic - The team is still strong
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic says the team he will put out against Liverpool on Sunday will still be a strong one, despite the addition of Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate to the Hammers' injury list.
Noble and Kouyate have gone under the surgeon's knife for abdominal and wrist injuries respectively, bringing their seasons to a slightly premature close.
With Andy Carroll set to miss out against his former Club too, Bilic will have to turn to his squad - but as he pointed out, every player has had plenty of game time this season due to the injuries he has had to deal with all campaign.
The manager explained: "The team news is from the team that played against Spurs, we are without Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, but the good thing is that the players who will start against Liverpool have all played a lot of games this season because of their form, or because of injuries. We will still put out a really good team.
"Andy Carroll isn't going to play. He is still feeling his hip or groin - it's in that area and since the last three or four weeks its been like a 50/50 chance whether he'll play, but unfortunately he can't.
"He tried to do it yesterday and the day before yesterday - it's nothing major, but it is frustrating not to have him because you know what he means to us."
The good thing is that the players who will start against Liverpool have all played a lot of games this season because of their form, or because of injuries. We will still put out a really good team.
The manager hailed Noble and Kouyate for their willingness to play through the pain barrier as they postponed surgery for the good of the team over the last couple of months.
He added: "It is a hernia thing for Mark. He has had it for the last couple of months - he didn't want to talk about it because he is a captain, a great captain and he wanted to help the Club and the team.
"Of course it affected him because he felt the pain, but he played through it and now, it has become a bit worse. "It is not that we're safe now and we don't want him to play - I really wanted him to play against Liverpool and he wanted it, but the surgeon said it should be done as soon as possible, so there was really no way he could play another game this season.
"He was one of our key players against Spurs, and it meant a lot to the team to have the skipper playing in that game, so it was a good decision by him [to keep his injury quiet].
"It is the same for Cheik - his wrist problem has been there since the Africa Cup of Nations, but it became worse over time and he has played through a lot of pain.
"He was supposed to do the operation earlier, but because we needed him we made a plan for him to play as much as possible."
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West Ham v Liverpool: The tactician's view
WHUFC.com
Tactical analyst George Elek looks at how Sunday's meeting with Liverpool could play out...
There is arguably no better time for West Ham to host Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp's men struggling to find their early season groove in the absence of the injured Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson.
Seven points from their past four games represents a decent haul, but they have only scored three goals in that period. Liverpool are missing the penetrative pace of Mane, whilst Henderson's metronomic passing had provided the platform for Liverpool's attacking trio.
They have won their last three games on the road, all by one-goal margins, against Stoke, West Brom and Watford and a focus on not conceding the first goal away from home has seen their form improve from early season struggles, but West Ham's form since switching to the back three should give them a great deal to be positive about.
The Hammers have kept three consecutive clean sheets, with the trio of Jose Fonte, Winston Reid and James Collins proving tough for opposing teams to break down.
The advancing Sam Byram and Aaron Cresswell on the flanks has enabled Andre Ayew and Manuel Lanzini to drift inside and provide a fluid attacking force.
Liverpool's forward play has come under much scrutiny this season, with an unwelcome trend of dominating possession against weaker teams, but in areas of the pitch where they are unlikely to hurt the opposition.
They enjoyed nearly 65 per cent possession against Southampton last Sunday and had 17 shots but, except for James Milner's missed penalty, just three of these were taken from inside the box.
Lucas Leiva has stepped into Henderson's central midfield role and whilst his passing may be tidy, it perhaps lacks the probing effect of the club captain's. Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can have taken on this deep-lying playmaker role, with the forward players dropping too deep at times in an attempt to force the issue.
Against Southampton Philipe Coutinho, who should be Liverpool's greatest attacking threat, did not touch the ball once inside the penalty area. Firmino has managed three touches in this zone in their past two fixtures.
West Ham can take heart in this chink in Liverpool's armour; with the tremendous work of the defence on Friday night largely keeping Tottenham's attacking talents quiet. Spurs were restricted to just four shots on goal from inside the area, whilst England striker Harry Kane touched the ball just twice in the box.
To keep Liverpool at bay the key is pressing high in wide areas, forcing Coutinho and Firmino to drop deep to get the ball. Cresswell and Byram will likely be charged with that responsibility, whilst the back three will have to ensure that the Liverpool centre-forward, whether it is Origi or Sturridge, is not able to peel into the space in behind that will be vacated by the wingers.
The likes of Can, Lallana, Wijnaldum and Firmino are experts at timing their runs into the area to meet crosses, so the onus should be on keeping Liverpool's possession in the area between the half-way line and the final third, forcing them to take pot-shots from long range.
Such a tactic would also see West Ham able to really hurt Liverpool on the counter-attack. In Ayew and Lanzini there is little doubt that the hosts have the weapons to punish Liverpool.
Full-backs Nathanial Clyne and James Milner look to push right up the flank, meaning there should be a great deal of space for the fluid forwards to cause damage going forward. Jonathan Calleri was full of energy against Tottenham, and a similar harrying display in putting pressure on the Liverpool centre-backs would enable West Ham to win the ball in advanced areas.
The teams who have had the most joy against Liverpool this season have structured their performance in two areas, with a defence set-up to frustrate and a front line looking to spring into life higher up the pitch. It will be a tough test to maintain the unbeaten run, but West Ham proved on Friday that they have the tools to beat anyone.
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Hammers enjoying benefits of TransferMate partnership
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Official Global Payments partner TransferMate are delivering results off the pitch for the Club, playing a key role in its international payments since the launch of their partnership last December.
As the Official Global Payments partner of the club, TransferMate are delighted to play a strategic role in the club's international transactions, during what has been an important season for the club.
TransferMate has developed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Club, offering better exchange rates, as well as a fast and secure international payment solution, much to the delight of West Ham Chief Financial Officer Andy Mollett.
He said: "One of the keys for us in the transfer market is to be able to deliver the cash at the right time, and in an efficient way, so we rely completely on TransferMate to turn around the requests as fast as they can, and that's what they do for us.
"The key for West Ham is to be able to make smart, efficient, international payments at the very best rates, and TransferMate deliver that for us."
TransferMate provides an innovative global payment solution for the Club, and look forward to assisting West Ham with reliability and efficiency as they prepare to conduct their transfer business in the summer window.
About TransferMate
TransferMate is the market-leading, international choice for businesses worldwide, and now boasts one of the world's largest currency settlement networks that provides companies of all sizes and financial institutions with a payments engine for conducting cross-border transfers globally - at top speed and lowest cost.
The company has created one of the world's most extensive networks of bank accounts in over 50 countries allowing them to secure better exchange rates, eradicate bank fees and provide our clients with faster payment services. It is through these proprietary solutions that have led to over $8billion transacted in the year to date.
As a leader of global payment solutions, TransferMate has developed a range of services to meet the exacting needs of its global client base. TransferMate understand that each business has specific requirements and faces its own range of different challenges.
To discuss your requirements and any business concerns with currency volatility contact ther 24 hour team or alternatively check out their website on www.transfermate.com/westhamunited
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Longelo - We want to finish well
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s visit Arsenal for their final game of the season this weekend
The Hammers can finish as high as fifth with a victory at the Arsenal Training Centre
Rosaire Longelo says everybody is excited for the season climax
Rosaire Longelo is delighted with how his season has panned out as he and his U18 teammates aim to finish on a high away to Arsenal this weekend.
First-year scholar Longelo enjoyed a terrific first half of the season, scoring in the 3-2 win over Swansea City that put the Hammers top of U18 Premier League South.
The versatile player unfortunately missed two months between January and March through injury but has returned and helped the Hammers to string of good performances in the Merit Group.
"I'm very pleased with how the season has gone," said Longelo. "I didn't really expect it to go this well.
"I've been surprised with how many games I've had because I've been injured a bit. But I'm really looking forward to our last game."
The Hammers are currently second from bottom in Merit Group A but their recent performances could have easily produced more points.
Last time out, they battled to a 1-1 draw against FA Youth Cup finalists Manchester City with Jahmal Hector-Ingram scoring the equaliser in the second half.
Longelo admits results have not matched performances recently but hopes the season can end on a positive at London Colney on Saturday.
"I think as a group we've played quite well this season but recently our results haven't been good," he added.
"We always try our best in every game but I think we've been lacking an end product over the past couple of months.
"Everyone is very excited for the game this weekend. It's our last chance to play with this year's second years as a group and hopefully we can get the win.
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Ginge wants to keep it clean
WHUFC.com
James Collins says the Hammers know exactly what is required to end their home slate of fixtures on a high against Liverpool on Sunday - and they only have to look back a week for inspiration.
Last Friday's 1-0 victory all but ended Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of landing the Premier League title and the Hammers can dent another team's lofty ambitions this weekend with Jurgen Klopp's side chasing UEFA Champions League qualification.
With three clean sheets in a row and four from their last five starts, Collins is confident his team can keep things tight again and add a second scalp in succession to their collection.
"We have to go about combating their threat the same way we have in the last couple of games," he said. "That's defending well as a team with everyone working together and hopefully we can get a similar result to last Friday.
"I've played as part of a back three for a long time with Wales. We're playing with that system and it's working at the minute. It's getting played more in the Premier League and we've got the players to do it.
"It's been great playing alongside Reidy and Jose as a three. They're tremendous centre-halves and any mistakes I make they see what's going on and clear up for me. Hopefully I do the same for them. It's going well."
Collins has enjoyed some fine days against Liverpool in Claret and Blue - he played in both home wins against the Reds last term and kept Luis Suarez extremely quiet in a 0-0 draw at Anfield in 2013 - so has good memories of this fixture.
He added: "I've had some tremendous results against them over the years - that game at Anfield when we drew 0-0 in particular is one that sticks in the head.
"We're full of confidence at the minute - we're not really thinking about who we're playing against, we just know that if we turn up and play like we did last week we can beat anyone."
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West Ham United v Liverpool
SUN, 14 MAY 2017PREMIER LEAGUE
14:15
Venue: London Stadium
BBC.co.uk
TEAM NEWS
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate will miss West Ham's final two games after surgery on long-standing injuries.
Andy Carroll, Michail Antonio, Pedro Obiang, Diafra Sakho, Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku remain sidelined.
Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva are both doubts for Liverpool because of muscle problems.
Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge are in contention to start after making several substitute appearances following returns from injury.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Alistair Mann: "Having spoiled Tottenham's pursuit of the title in their last game, West Ham now have the opportunity to wreck another team's plans by damaging Liverpool's target of Champions League football.
"With arguably their best performance of the season, the Hammers not only demonstrated what they are capable of when everything is in sync, but also proved that the London Stadium can work to their advantage - if they harness the fervent atmosphere their huge new home can generate.
"Despite entering the weekend in third, a run of just one win from their last three games has been extremely untimely for the visitors, who will feel any further dropped points may well irrevocably floor their ambitions."
Twitter:@alistairmann01
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "Everything is still in our hands. All the teams have to play tough games and no-one wins all of them. Now we have to win ours and it will be fine.
"A week ago we thought we had to win all three. Now we know a draw and a win could be enough depending on other results.
"That is the situation so let's feel the opportunity together."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on Andy Carroll's injury problems: "Andy is kind of a player that has such a big impact on our game that we won't give up on him.
"Especially now as this has nothing to do with lifestyle or not being committed enough. He works really hard, it was bad luck and, as I said, I will never give up on him.
"On the other hand it is no good having a player whose name you put down first, second or third and can't rely on him."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
I think Liverpool will need to win their final two games to make the top four - but I am just not convinced they will do it. I don't think they will get three points against West Ham for starters.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v tennis world number one Andy Murray
Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are unbeaten in five league and cup games against Liverpool, winning three of those matches. They have never gone six matches undefeated against the Reds.
The Hammers have won their last three home games against Liverpool.
The Reds have kept one clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League visits to West Ham, in a 3-0 victory in May 2009.
None of the last 11 Premier League meetings in east London have ended level, with West Ham winning four and Liverpool claiming seven victories since a 1-1 draw in December 2001.
West Ham United
West Ham are unbeaten in five league games (W2, D3), after losing the previous five.
The Hammers have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets at the London Stadium for the first time - they last kept four in a row at home between January and February 2010.
Six of their seven league wins at the London Stadium have been by a 1-0 scoreline, with the only exception their 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace.
If the Hammers fail to score they will end the season with just 19 home league goals - their joint-lowest total in a top-flight season (also set in 1988-89).
They have lost 22 points from winning positions - a league-high prior to the latest round of fixtures.
Manuel Lanzini has scored in five of his last eight Premier League home games.
Liverpool
If Liverpool win at the London Stadium, it will be the 52nd different venue where they have claimed a Premier League victory, more than any other side.
The Reds have won their last three away games in the Premier League - they last had a longer run between February and April 2014 (six matches).
Liverpool have won three of their four Premier League games in London this season, drawing the other. The last time they remained unbeaten in the capital across an entire league season was in 1988-89.
They have only lost one of their last 10 top-flight matches in London - their 2-0 defeat at West Ham on 2 January 2016.
Victory will give the Reds 73 Premier League points - the most a team has had in 38-game season without finishing in the top four is 72 points.
SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-1 Probability of draw: 24%
Probability of home win: 32% Probability of away win: 44%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.
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A NOBLE PROBLEM
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 12 MAY 2017 AT 4:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer
I'm down at Eastleigh Sports Ground, watching Portsmouth train with a mate. Saggy Chops Redknapp is the Pompey manager. A bloke I absolutely loathe! It is a terrible day, windy with light rain. Joe Jordan, one of Pompey's coaches, is going NUTS on the training ground. Kanu arrived late and is not bothering his arse. Misplaced passes, barely walking, shooting terrible. After about twenty minutes, Redknapp, who had been standing on the touchline, hands in pocket with a deadpan expression, Calls out to Kanu." 'King' come over here son". Kanu reaches Redknapp, now with a huge smile on his face. Redknapp gives him a hug, puts his arm around his waist and like young lovers they walk off into the distance chatting away. After about ten minutes they come back. Redknapp pats him on the back and Kanu goes back on the pitch. The transformation in Kanu's play was UNBELIEVABLE! He was absolutely UNPLAYABLE! I think Noble could have done with an arm around him at several points of this difficult season. At times his body language did not look right. Those would have been the times for the manager to tell him "Son, you are my Captain, and I believe in you. It's going to be ok".
Leadership is a lonely place when things are going wrong at any club.
As many know. I'm not Noble's biggest fan. In fact, in my opinion it is a close call whether he should be in the team. Which I will come to in a moment. But being West Ham through and through, events on and off the pitch affected him more than most. For Noble, West Ham is not just about events on the training ground or on match day. Mark Noble can run but he can't hide. His family live and breathe West Ham, his local shops live and breathe West Ham. When results are poor, they want answers from The Boy from Canning Town. Which goes some way to explain Noble's headless chicken approach to games this season. Charging around all over the pitch, trying to do three people's job. As a result, he got frustrated and his discipline suffered on the pitch.
The biggest problem regarding Mark Noble's form this season was he simply tried too hard. Till a few weeks ago, I felt his time was up perhaps the now reported injury was the problem for this though in hindsight. I felt Kouyate and Obiang should be nailed on in centre midfield. I also felt that Nordveidt was better than Noble when he was played in his correct position. It's obvious that Noble's lack of pace is a problem. When closed down quickly, he often gets dispossessed and gives away needless free–kicks. When further forward, if we lose possession the opposition break and have a free run on goal due in part to Noble's inability to get back. As a goal threat he offered nothing this season. To be fair to Noble, when he was out of the team results hardly improved. So it's a close call whether we keep Noble or ditch him.
But his lack of pace need not be a problem for Noble. Older generations of Hammers fans will tell you that the great Bobby Moore lacked pace. Moore made up for it by being a superb reader of the game. As a result he was always one step ahead on the pitch. With Noble in the team, you must have pace and movement ahead of him. Give him a bit of space, and he is capable of switching play superbly. Noble has to be far more disciplined and played a bit deeper to get the best out of him. There is no room for sentimentality in football. You cannot be selected for the team because you are 'Mr West Ham'. Like a manager, you have got to produce the goods. For players it's on the pitch.
Noble cannot afford another poor season. If he does he will be history as far as being a West Ham first team regular is concerned. But I would not bet against the boy from Canning Town, a man who has played more than 400 games for The Club. Mark James Noble brings something to the table few footballers do today. He brings loyalty. He is West Ham's heart. At this moment in time Mark Noble needs West Ham and West Ham need Mark Noble.
We are more than a football club, we are a way of life!
COYIS!
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50 years since he signed for West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 12th May 2017
By: Paul Walker
There are important landmarks in any club's history…and then there's the day Billy Bonds arrived at West Ham. They don't come much more important than that.
Bonds arrived at West Ham 50 years ago tomorrow --May 13th, to be exact--tall, slim, shy, clean shaven then, and set to become one of the greatest players in the club's history.
Ron Greenwood paid Charlton just shy of £50,000 for him, hard to argue that being the best bit of business West Ham have ever done. The fee was £48,500 to be precise, and they'd have got another £2,000 if he played for England. Amazingly that never happened.
That figure doesn't sound much by modern standards, but it was a big outlay for a 21-year-old in those days. Some clever mathematician will tell me how much that is worth at today's rate, but I don't need to be told his worth.
Bonds went on to become a true West Ham legend, player, coach, manager and he holds an appearance record for the club that will surely never be broken.
It's generally accepted that Bobby Moore is the greatest player in our history on a global scale, but Bonds pushes him very close when it just comes down to the club achievements of both. There are even some who believe his contribution far outstrips the Moore legacy.
It's a nice discussion to have, not an argument!
Moore became probably bigger than the club, a glamorous international figure and of course captain of England in '66 when the World Cup was won. That gives him an world-wide aura greater than Bonds, obviously.
But somehow there's a different sort of legacy with Bonds. The unflinching standard bearer, the protector for Trevor Brooking and Alan Devonshire, you didn't mess with Billy. Moore of course captained us to FA Cup final glory and the European Cup Winners' Cup triumph. There was also a League Cup final and a shared Charity Shield.
He also became an iconic figure for all that is good in football, with class, composure and sheer cool skills.
Bonds was a different sort of icon. He twice captained us to FA Cup final victories, was a Cup Winners' Cup final runner-up, a runner-up in the League Cup and also captain of the promotion side of 80-81. His spell as manager also produced two promotions.
Don't ask me to pick one over the other, it's hardly fair. We all love them both.
Bonzo was never capped--an outrage really--but he played for West Ham until he was 41, a club career of 20 years 9 months and 12 days to be precise, and with 793 games, the club's appearances record. In fact he was 41 years and 225 days old on his final appearance against Southampton at the Dell on April 30, 1988.
To many, Bonds was the true Mr. West Ham. I am not trying to belittle Moore's contribution, but we know now he wanted out long before he finally left for Fulham in 1974, and would have worn a Spurs shirt at the end of his career if Greenwood had allowed him to leave earlier.
That he didn't get his wish was a cloud that hung over his final years at Upton Park, even though his brilliance and desire for his local team never abated.
Moore was a master of his craft, he led by example, a cool, majestic captain. An inspiration. Bonds was a leader of men in a very different way. A fearsome swashbuckling hero, bearded by then and a true warrior in midfield. "6ft 2, eyes of blue, Billy Bonds is after you" we all sang. And you'd better believe it.
I was fortunate to see Moore's career at West Ham start in 1958, and to witness Bonds' debut against Sheffield Wednesday on the first day of the 67-68 season, Of course West Ham lost that day, but nobody there left worrying about whether young Billy--playing at right-back-was good enough for the top flight.
Greenwood used him later in central defence and then more effectively in midfield. That he never played for England is laughable now looking at the current crop of so-called England stars.
He was never lucky with England. Even when Greenwood, then national manager, named Bonds in one of his squads--and made it clear he would play--Billy managed to get injured in an end of season game at Hillsborough. Funny how Sheffield Wednesday keep cropping up--and that ruled him out of the England squad.
I was there that day in Yorkshire, and he was obviously playing in pain after a collision with Phil Parkes. You just knew watching him troop off that his international chance had gone.
His arrival at Upton Park was typical of a bygone age. No agents, just accompanied by then Charlton boss Bob Stokoe, the pair having watched West Ham's final game of the 1966-67 season against Manchester City.
A couple of weeks earlier Bonds had played for Charlton in the Wembley fives--I used to love that night out--and West Ham won the trophy that night with a squad that included Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Johnny Byrne, John Sissons and Colin Mackleworth.
The following day, so the story goes, Hurst said to manager Ron Greenwood that if he was looking for a new right-back, the kid from Charlton was a good bet.
Greenwood went to watch Charlton's last game of the season against Birmingham and spoke to Bonds--again with Stokoe--at the Valley after the match. Bonds says in his autobiography that he tried to tell Ron that other clubs were interested!
Ron is supposed to have left the room, Stokoe coming in to give Billy a rollicking for messing West Ham about. That was the end of the bartering, and Billy got a contract that doubled his wages to £60 a week and a £2,500 signing on fee.
The contract was actually signed in Ron's Upton Park office after that Man City game on May 13. Both Dennis Burnett and Trevor Dawkins were suggested as part-exchange, but both declined and Ron said: "Don't worry Billy, we'll just pay cash."
His first game for the club came two days later with a first-half performance in Ken Brown's testimonial. There was around 15,000 there to see the new recruit.
The rest is history. A wonderful club servant, tireless, magnificent captain and to my mind part of the five-strong group of players who are the best in our history: Moore, Peters, Hurst, Brooking and Bonds.
That quintet only played for three seasons together, 67-68, 68-69 and 69-70. Just what would they be worth in today's current transfer market?
We've all got our own special Bonds memory, mine came just days after he had taken over as manager in 1980.
Lou Macari had left between the two League Cup semi-final games against Oldham, the first being that infamous 6-0 defeat on the plastic at Boundary Park. Not the best West Ham performance I've seen!
Ronnie Boyce did a caretaker stint and Bonds took over ahead of the thankless second leg. Nobody in my company's London office was bothered about covering the second-leg, so I volunteered to come down from Manchester. A chance for the firm to pay for the petrol to visit my parents!
I did the pre-match press conference at the Boleyn and afterwards introduced myself, told Billy I was a West Ham fan and wished him all the luck in the world. Bonzo took me up to his office, we had a cup of tea and chatted about the Hammers for 20 minutes. Enough material for a feature piece after the 3-0 second-leg win.
He had enough on his plate at that point, with all the fuss about Macari and the cup tie debacle. But he was as good as gold that day and had time for a chat with someone he had never met before.
A gentleman then. A gentleman throughout his West Ham career. Fifty years ago? It seems just like yesterday. We were lucky to have him.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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West Ham v Liverpool preview: Andy Carroll misses out against former side
Last Updated: 12/05/17 12:50pm
SSN
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is set to miss out against his former club after failing to recover in time from a groin injury, while Mark Noble is also absent.
Noble has undergone surgery on a long-standing abdominal issue, a condition which he has played on with for a number of weeks.
Carroll, who joined Liverpool in 2011 before moving to the Hammers a year later, was seen as 50/50 for Sunday's game, but Slaven Bilic has revealed he will not feature.
"He tried to do it yesterday and the day before yesterday - it's nothing major, Billic said, but it is frustrating not to have him because you know what he means to us."
Liverpool - who sit third and have a one-point lead over Manchester City - know a win is crucial, especially when it comes to attracting new players says Jurgen Klopp.
"It's important - how it is always important - for the club. Everybody knows it's a lot of money in the Champions League, it's not only the sports challenge, even though it's really exciting, it's also the money you can earn and as a football club we have to do this too," he said.
Team news
Cheikhou Kouyate has also undergone surgery on a wrist injury, which he has had since the Africa Cup of Nations. Fellow midfielder Noble (abdominal) will not feature again this season and Carroll remains sidelined.
Liverpool will assess the fitness of Roberto Firmino and Lucas Leiva ahead of the trip to the London Stadium.
Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana could both return to boost the visitors' attacking options as they look to cement Champions League qualification.
Opta stats
West Ham have won their last two home Premier League meetings with Liverpool, their best run since winning three in a row between 1997 and 1999.
The Reds have kept one clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League visits to West Ham, a 3-0 victory in May 2009.
None of the last 11 Premier League meetings between these sides at West Ham have ended as a draw, with the Hammers winning four and Liverpool seven since a 1-1 draw in December 2001.
In all competitions, the Reds are winless in their last five games against West Ham, their worst run since February 1965 (also five without a win); they've never gone six without a win against them.
If Liverpool win at the London Stadium, it will be the 52nd different ground at which they've won a Premier League game, more than any other side (Arsenal and Manchester United next on 50).
The Reds have won their last three away games in the Premier League - they last had a longer run in April 2014 (six games).
The Hammers have kept three consecutive Premier League clean sheets at the London Stadium for the first time - they last kept four in a row at home in February 2010.
Six of West Ham's seven Premier League home wins this season have been against sides currently in the bottom half of the table - the only exception was their last home game against Spurs (1-0).
Liverpool have won three of their four Premier League games in London this season, drawing the other. The last time they remained unbeaten in the capital across an entire league season was in 1988-89.
Manuel Lanzini has found the net in five of his last eight Premier League home games.
Merson's prediction
It all depends on which West Ham turns up, whether it's the team from the last few months or the one who beat Tottenham last week. It's a big game for them because another win could wipe away the cobwebs at the London Stadium and help them feel much more positive about the place next year.
You just don't know with Liverpool against so-called lesser teams. I would probably fancy them more if they were going to Man City. There's something missing in these games and they need to sort that out if they want to push on.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Betting
West Ham are Sky Bet's 18/5 outsiders to win with Liverpool the odds-on favourites at 7/10 and the draw is 14/5. All four of Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi are priced at 9/2 at the head of a wide-open first goalscorer market, with Andy Carroll seen as the biggest threat for the home side at 13/2. Liverpool are 3/1 to finish outside of the top four and West Ham out to 4/1 to make it into the top half.
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Slaven Bilic 'not giving up' on injury-hit Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 12/05/17 1:36pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic will "never give up" on injury-jinxed Andy Carroll, who will miss Sunday's final home game of the season against Liverpool.
The striker's latest injury is his groin but the West Ham manager confirmed it was not a serious issue.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match press conference, Bilic said: "Andy Carroll won't be able to play against Liverpool.
"He's still feeling his groin. It's nothing major but he will miss the game."
And the Croatian says the 28-year-old remains a key figure at the club and would not comment on the former Newcastle and Liverpool player's future.
He added: "It is not a subject for now, but Andy is kind of a player that has such a big impact on our game that we won't give up on him.
"Especially now, as this has nothing to do with lifestyle or not being committed enough.
"He works really hard, it was bad luck and, as I said, I will never give up on him.
"On the other hand, it is no good having a player whose name you put down first, second or third and can't rely on him."
Two midfielders who are sidelined for the season are Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, both of whom require surgery.
Bilic went on: "Mark has had a hernia in the last couple of months, he didn't want to talk about it as he is a great captain and wanted to help the team.
"He played through the pain and with that pain and it became a bit worse.
"It's not because we are safe now and he doesn't want to play. I wanted him to play one more game but the surgeon said he should get it done.
"Kouyate has a wrist problem, he played through a lot of pain with injections. He was supposed to do that operation earlier.
"We made a plan for him to play as much as possible, but it became worse."
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West Ham battling Everton in race to land £25million Swansea playmaker Glyfi Sigurdsson
Swansea want to keep hold of the Icelandic star but relegation could force them to sell this summer
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
20:57, 12 MAY 2017
SPORT
West Ham will take on Everton in the battle for £25million Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Irons have had a long-standing admiration for Swansea's in-demand midfielder and want to sign him this summer. Slaven Bilic, who will remain in his post, is set to go on another recruitment drive when the transfer windows. His brief will be to ensure the club are competing in the top half of the table - as they were last year - next season.
Sigurdsson has been in outstanding form during the current campaign with nine Premier League goals and 12 assists in 36 games, despite Swansea's struggles. Paul Clement intends to fight to keep the 27-year-old, who is under contract at the Liberty until 2020. But Swansea could be forced to sell if they go down. Clement revealed last month that he believed Sigurdsson was one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. "When teams are lower down in the table, the individual players don't always get that recognition they deserve, but he is a player that's done really, really well," he said.
"Every day in training he is pushing, doing extra stuff to work on his technique, his finishing, set-plays.
"He is really alert and attentive in the video meetings, takes good care of his body... a very good professional."
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