Daily WHUFC News - 10th March 2018

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

West Ham United return to Premier League action against Burnley this
weekend.
Read on for all the information you need ahead of this Saturday's fixture.

Where and when?

West Ham United will welcome Burnley to London Stadium on Saturday 10 March,
2018.
The fixture is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off.

How to follow:

This match is not being broadcast live in the UK, however supporters
overseas may be able to watch on television. Click here for broadcast
details in your territory.

Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter
account.

You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.

You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and
Snapchat channels.


Bobby Moore tribute

West Ham United will mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of Bobby Moore
OBE at this weekend's Premier League fixture with Burnley. A series of
exhibitions and events will pay tribute to the Club's greatest-ever player
and captain, who died after a dignified battle with bowel cancer in February
1993, aged just 51. A free exhibition of memorabilia relating to Moore's
life and career on the lower ground floor of the Stadium Store, where
visitors can view shirts, medals and many more unique and historic items,
will be open from 9am. The exhibition is also open from 9.30am-5pm on
Friday. Four new Bobby Moore displays have been installed on the London
Stadium concourse – the latest initiative introduced to improve the matchday
experience for West Ham fans visiting our home on matchdays. A few minutes
before-kick off, members of the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners'
Cup-winning teams captained by Moore – Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce, Jack
Burkett, Brian Dear and Eddie Bovington – will be welcomed pitchside and a
video tribute will be played on the big screens.Moore's family, including
his daughter Roberta and grandchildren, will be invited pitchside for the
pre-match ceremony. After the two teams have taken to the pitch, they will
line up around the centre circle while a floral tribute will be laid on the
centre spot. A minute's applause will then be held, during which supporters
in the East Stand will be invited to create a mosaic in tribute to Moore. In
a further recognition of the Club's proud heritage, for the first time,
flagbearers will display the 16 crests used by Thames Ironworks FC and West
Ham United during the Club's 123-year history pitchside on Saturday. In
addition, these crests will be displayed in the stadium concourse.

Meet the opposition:

Team news:

Having been stretchered off in this past weekend's contest with Swansea
City, fans will be eager for an update from manager David Moyes on the
condition of defender Winston Reid. Pedro Obiang, Andy Carroll and
Edimilson Fernandes remain unavailable, while Arthur Masuaku is serving the
final match of his suspension. The boss will be speaking to the media on
Friday afternoon and could provide a further update on his team.

What they say: "It's definitely a must-win game on Saturday against
Burnley, who are a good side. We need to play well and we have good players
who can produce a good performance on Saturday." Pablo Zabaleta

Match Officials:
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistant Referees: Harry Lennard and Matthew Wilkes
Fourth Official: Graham Scott

How to get there:

There are four Underground stations that supporters should utilise to reach
London Stadium: Stratford Station, Stratford International, Hackney Wick and
Pudding Mill Lane.

By Train

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Zabaleta: Burnley match is the first of nine finals
WHUFC.com

Pablo Zabaleta says West Ham United will play the first of 'nine finals'
when they host Burnley at London Stadium on Saturday. The Hammers go into
the weekend sitting 14th in the Premier League table, with 30 points, and
know at least three more victories are likely required to secure their
top-flight safety. Argentina full-back Zabaleta recognises that West Ham's
fate remains in their own hands, but they cannot afford many more slipups if
they are to steer clear of the bottom three.
"We have got nine finals, that is the reality," said the 33-year-old, who
has started 28 of West Ham's 29 Premier League matches since making a switch
from Manchester City last summer. "If you look at the whole season and how
it's been so far, there have been so many ups and downs, we have done good
things and bad things, there have been many changes and injuries have been a
problem for us as well, in key moments and to key players. "But we find
ourselves in a situation where we are not the only team fighting against
relegation. We are one of about seven or eight teams, or perhaps even more,
with only three to six points between them, which shows how difficult the
Premier League is. It is so competitive. "We are all in a situation where we
have to pick up points if we want to be safe as soon as possible and be a
Premier League team next year, but the good thing is that it still depends
on us. It's not like we're in a situation where we need to rely on other
teams' results. "Of course, when the bottom three drop points it's good, but
at the end of the day we need to win our games to make sure we can be in a
better position. "We have two big home games coming up now with Burnley and
Southampton and we need to win against those teams. It's important not to
drop points."

Zabaleta also believes the Claret and Blue Army have a big part to play
between now and the season's end, with six of the Hammers' remaining nine
Premier League matches to be played at London Stadium. Home advantage, the
defender believes, can make a huge difference on the pitch. "Home games are
so important, they are crucial. We need to make our home a very difficult
place to go. Every time we play at home, we're in front of our own fans and
I know that the fans will be there to support the team. "Since I've been
here, my experience is that the supporters are always there for us in the
tough times, behind the team. We need them as an extra player, the 12th
player like we say, but us players also need to make sure we give them
something back by putting in a good shift and showing a good performance.
"We need to find that consistency from now until the end of the season to
win games."

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Etherington: My only Hammers hat-trick was a night I'll never forget
WHUFC.com

It is exactly 14 years since Matty Etherington scored the one and only
hat-trick of his senior career, netting three goals in West Ham United's 5-0
Division One victory over Wimbledon at the Boleyn Ground on 9 March 2004.
Etherington was in his first season in Claret and Blue, having joined the
Hammers in August 2003 in a deal which sent striker Frederic Kanoute and
£3.5m to Tottenham Hotspur, and had quickly established himself as a fans'
favourite. Despite his eye-catching performances down the left wing,
Etherington had scored just one goal in 33 appearances since his arrival –
in a 3-0 win at Crewe Alexandra – when the Dons arrived in east London. What
happened next were 90 minutes that the now 36-year-old Cornishman will never
forget. "My earliest standout memory was in my first season at West Ham, in
2003/04," he recalled. "We played Wimbledon at Upton Park in March 2004 and
won 5-0 and I got a hat-trick, the only one of my career. That was a night
I'll never forget and a really good performance from everyone."

Etherington's fine form continued as he netted in a home win over Gillingham
later the same month, before scoring arguably his most-famous goal in a West
Ham shirt in a Play-Off semi-final second leg victory over Ipswich Town at a
raucous Boleyn Ground in May. The Hammers may have been edged out by Crystal
Palace in the Play-Off final and missed out on promotion, but the popular
Etherington will remember his first season at the Club for the positives,
rather than the negatives.

And of course, a year later, in May 2005, it was his cross which Bobby
Zamora converted to secure victory over Preston North End at the Millennium
Stadium and a return to the Premier League. In all, Etherington totalled 195
appearances across six seasons, scoring 18 goals and setting up dozens more,
and he remains a well-liked figure among West Ham supporters in his current
role as a broadcaster. "That first season culminated in me getting the
Hammer of the Year, so I'll always have fond memories of it," he confirmed.
"That was one of the biggest achievements in my career, seeing the list of
players who won it before and have won it since. I'll always hold it in high
regard. "I arrived at West Ham feeling I had something to prove. I didn't
feel I got a fair crack of the whip at Spurs, so I was hungry to prove
people wrong and get the Club back in the Premier League, having been
relegated the season before. "We managed to do it, albeit a season later,
and I still felt I had something more to prove in the Premier League and
that's when you get the best out of players, when they feel they have
something to prove."

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West Ham United freeze Season Ticket prices for 2018/19
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to confirm that Season Ticket renewal prices
will be frozen for the 2018/19 season! As a reward for the outstanding
loyalty and support from our most loyal fans, Season Ticket Holders in Bands
1-4 and 1966 Seats will be able to renew their seat at London Stadium for
what promises to be another exciting campaign at the same price they paid in
2017/18. As part of the Board's commitment to affordable family football,
this announcement means Season Ticket renewal prices in Bands 1-4 –
including Accessibility Seats – and 1966 Seats have been frozen for the
second consecutive season.

Band 5 Season Ticket prices have also been frozen, subject to renewing on a
two-year term. Season Ticket Holders in Band 5 will have the option to renew
for one season, but this will be subject to a small price increase. Adult
prices will increase from £289 to £320 and Over-65s and Under-21s would
increase from £145 to £160.

A Season Ticket remains by far the cheapest way to enjoy watching the
Hammers in action, with Adults saving over £400 per season compared to
purchasing match-by-match, while Under-16s can save more than £600 over the
course of the campaign.

Season Ticket Holders also enjoy exclusive benefits, including having the
first opportunity to buy tickets for away matches, discounts instore and
online and on coach travel, and invitations to exclusive events.

Any Season Ticket Holders moving into or out of an age-related concession
(eg from Under-21 to Adult) will be subject to their new price band.

The process for Season Ticket Holders to renew, including payment plans,
will be announced shortly and be communicated directly to Season Ticket
Holders and well as on the official website whufc.com.

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Lanzini aims to reward Claret and Blue Army by beating Burnley
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini is determined to give the Claret and Blue Army 'something to
cheer about' when West Ham United host Burnley. The Argentina attacking
midfielder will make his first London Stadium appearance since 20 January
when the Hammers tackle Sean Dyche's side in a vital Premier League fixture
on Saturday afternoon, having missed the draw with Crystal Palace and win
over Watford with a hamstring injury. And now he is back in action, the No10
is determined to help West Ham maintain their unbeaten home record in 2018
by scoring a win that will boost his side's chances of steering clear of
relegation. "It's great to be at home playing at our ground where we get
great support and we're working really, really hard to give our supporters
something to cheer about," said Lanzini, who has registered three goals and
six assists in 20 Premier League appearances this season. "It's great that
six of our remaining nine matches are at London Stadium, but we need to win
all of our games and we need to look forward and be positive. Every game is
important to us and we're not really looking any further than this game
[against Burnley]. We've worked really hard this week and whatever happens
after that we'll have to see then. "I have full confidence we are going to
be able to stay in the Premier League. We have a great group of players, a
great team and good people around us too and we believe we can do that."

West Ham have lost both matches since Lanzini returned to action, both by
4-1 scorelines, at Liverpool and Swansea City. Those results will
undoubtedly have dented belief and confidence to some extent, but the No10
insists he remains confident the Hammers will amass enough points to
preserve their top-flight status, starting with victory over seventh-place
Burnley. "I think we'll stay up. That's all I am really focusing on at the
moment, there is nothing else in my head and I believe we will stay up. I'm
really looking forward to changing the situation we're in. "It always takes
time to come back from an injury but I'm doing my best to get back to 100
per cent now. "The team didn't perform as well as they could in those two
games and it is never nice to lose in a match. We're sad when we lose a
match but we are really trying to turn things around and we believe we can."

West Ham's chances of success against Burnley will rest on the shoulders not
only of Lanzini, but also the man he has struck up a close relationship with
on the pitch, Marko Arnautovic. Just as they did at Stoke City and
Huddersfield Town and at home to Chelsea, the South American says he and his
Austrian teammate are ready to fire the Hammers to another important victory
on Saturday. "He's a great player and we play really well together. The team
put responsibility on us to score the goals and help win the matches and
that's exactly what we intend to do."

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Moyes: Improving from Swansea, targeting 40 points and honouring Bobby Moore
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager David Moyes is determined to make full use of his
team's six remaining home games as they look to secure Premier League safety
as quickly as possible. The Hammers will play two-thirds of their final nine
matches at London Stadium, having lost just once in E20 under Moyes'
management.
First up is the visit of Burnley and Moyes knows his team need to perform at
a much higher level than they did at Swansea City to ensure their good home
run continues.

We can't afford another Swansea performance…

"I wasn't going to kid anybody after the Swansea game. When we don't play
well I tell people that we haven't played well. What I will say is that we
have played well and got some really good results prior, but we need to
improve and if we play like that it won't be so good. "There were mitigating
circumstances, going into the game without three or four key players. We
don't want to make excuses, but they are facts. "I think the picture is
changing all the time because there is very little between the teams down
from tenth to the bottom. Any one team can beat the other and I've thought
that for a while – you need to pick up the points when you can "We've had
some really big wins against the teams around us, but we've had a couple of
defeats too. That's typical, I think, of the bottom end of the league at
this time. "The amount of points? I think 40 is always the safe bet that if
you get that you're pretty much there. We've got ten points to go then to
get 40, so we have to try and get that. "Sometimes you think your position
gives you a cushion, but it's not, you need the points to get the cushion.
It's competitive, the teams are all doing all they can to make sure they
stay up."

Is it a good time to face Burnley after they reached 40 points last week?

"I don't think there's a good time to play any Premier League team because
you don't know when they're in a good spell or a bad spell. Burnley had a
really good victory last week, which they'll be buoyed by, but as well as
that we've had good results at our stadium and we've got to try and make
that count. We've got six games remaining at home and we think that in those
six games we can accumulate enough points to stay in the Premier League.
"Saturday is the first of those games, the players know exactly what's
required of them and what they need to do. I'm more interested in the points
we get rather than what Burnley have got."

We face three weeks between games after this one…

"We don't have a game next weekend and then we've got two weeks with an
international break when we'll have quite a lot of players who will go off
with their national teams. "We'll be training, we've taken a friendly game
with Dagenham & Redbridge, who have asked for some help financially. We'll
play them in a game and I think that's good because we don't have a Premier
League game for three weeks. "We'll see how things go and also make some
plans to get away [for warm-weather training] in the next few days
hopefully. "The players have had a long period of playing matches, right
from July to now so they need some recovery time. Since I've been here
they've done great for me – yes, we've had a few downs but in the main
they've been very good. "So we'll try to make sure the players are well
recovered and ready for the next game, which isn't until we play Southampton
three weeks after."

Bobby Moore

It's important to honour Bobby Moore, 25 years on from his tragic passing…
"Everybody knew about Bobby Moore, even a Scotsman knows all about him! When
you join a club you get to learn more about the legends and who the
supporters look back at with fond memories. Obviously Bobby's was a tragic
death and it's right that we continue to celebrate his memory because he was
a great player here. "A lot of the young West Ham supporters might not have
had the chance to see Bobby Moore play and they need to be reminded by the
older ones and also just to remember the great players who have played for
this club."

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Team news: Reid out for the season, Ogbonna back training
WHUFC.com

West Ham United manager David Moyes faces another defensive reshuffle ahead
of Saturday's Premier League visit of Burnley, with Winston Reid and Sam
Byram having both suffered injuries.

The duo both sustained their injuries during last weekend's defeat at
Swansea City, with Reid's knee problem ruling him out for the remainder of
the season, and Byram's ankle possibly resulting in the same fate.

However, there is positive news for the Hammers boss as their places in the
squad could be taken by Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins, who missed the
trip to South Wales.

Ogbonna has recovered from illness, while Moyes is hopeful his defensive
colleague Collins will recover sufficiently from the hamstring injury which
kept him out at the Liberty Stadium.

The manager said: "Unfortunately we lost Winston Reid and Sam Byram to
injury in the game last week. Winston, we think, will be out for the rest of
the season and with Sam Byram we're just waiting on a decision from the
surgeon at the moment, but it doesn't look great for him either.

"After that, Angelo has trained this week after an illness and we're still
monitoring Ginge. With everything going well, hopefully they will be fit.

"It's a really big blow about Winston because he is a really important
player for us. He's experienced and with the games coming up over the next
ten weeks or so he would have been important."

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West Ham United v Burnley
SAT 10 MAR 2018PREMIER LEAGUE
15:00
Venue: London Stadium
BBC.co.uk

West Ham have conceded at least three goals in 11 of their 13 league defeats
this season

TEAM NEWS
West Ham will be without Winston Reid and Sam Byram with both men expected
to miss the rest of the season with respective knee and ankle injuries.
Arthur Masuaku serves the last match of his six-game ban, with Andy Carroll
and Pedro Obiang amongst other absentees.

Burnley may hand striker Chris Wood his first start since December following
his return from injury. Tom Heaton and Scott Arfield are again missing but
both men are nearing returns following lengthy spells out.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Martin Fisher: "Successive 4-1 away defeats have reawakened relegation
concerns for West Ham who seemed to be well set for survival not so long
ago. "The loss of Winston Reid to injury for the rest of the season is a
hammer blow (sorry) to a defence that has become far too easy to score
against. "That in turn increases the pressure on the flair players to
perform. On their day Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini can be brilliant
but do those days come along regularly enough?
"Burnley haven't won away since November but remain tough to beat and their
aerial threat might just be enough to earn a rare victory for them in the
East End and deepen David Moyes' misery."

Twitter: @mfisherfootball

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Burnley manager Sean Dyche: "It's not an easy task for us. They're fighting
for points, we're now fighting for points for different reasons. We want to
go beyond last season, we've put ourselves in a great position to do that."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION
I am not sure what to expect from the Hammers at the moment, which is why I
am going to go for a draw.
Prediction: 1-1


MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head

West Ham have won five of their seven Premier League matches against Burnley
(D1, L1), including victories in all three home meetings.
Burnley have lost 12 and won just one of their last 16 away top-flight games
against the Hammers, with that victory a 1-0 triumph in October 1973.
However, the Clarets won 2-1 away at West Ham in the Championship in
December 2011.
The two sides drew 1-1 in October's reverse fixture with Chris Wood rescuing
a point for Burnley five minutes from time.
West Ham

West Ham have won only one of their last six league games, claiming just
five points from a possible 18 during this run.
The Hammers have lost only one of their eight home league matches under
David Moyes - a 3-2 defeat versus Newcastle in December.
They have not recorded back-to-back Premier League home wins since December
2016, with one of those victories coming against Burnley.
West Ham's last two matches have ended in 4-1 defeats - they've not lost
three games in a row by at least a three-goal margin since March 2008.
David Moyes is winless in four previous matches against Sean Dyche (D2, L2).
They all came last season whilst Moyes was at Sunderland, with two games in
the league and two in the FA Cup.
Michail Antonio has scored in back-to-back games for West Ham having scored
just once in his 20 previous appearances.
Burnley

Burnley are seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since December,
having claimed their first victory in 12 league matches against against
Everton last weekend.
They are winless in their last seven Premier League away games, failing to
score in five of those matches.
Their last away victory was a 2-1 win at Bournemouth in November.
Sean Dyche's men have scored 24 league goals - only bottom club West Brom,
with 22, have netted fewer.
Burnley are the only club yet to be awarded a Premier League penalty this
season, whilst West Ham have conceded a league-high six spot kicks.
The Clarets have seen an opposition player sent off six times in the Premier
League this season, twice as many as any other side.
Ashley Barnes has scored in his last two Premier League games. He's not
scored in three successive league matches since a run of four with Brighton
in May 2011.

SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 27%
Probability of home win: 47% Probability of away win: 26%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale
at the University of Liverpool that is used to predict the outcome of
football matches.

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Manuel Lanzini is confident West Ham will avoid relegation
Last Updated: 09/03/18 6:15am
SSN

Manuel Lanzini says he is confident West Ham will turn things around and
avoid relegation from the Premier League The Hammers were beaten 4-1 by
Swansea on Saturday, a result that leaves them in danger just three points
above the Premier League relegation zone. Lanzini, who recently returned
from a hamstring injury, says the West Ham players are working hard to
rectify the situation but must win all their remaining games to stay up.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, the Argentina international said: "I'm
really looking forward to changing the situation we're in. "It always takes
time to come back from an injury but I'm doing my best to get back to 100
per cent now. "The team didn't perform as well as they could and it is never
nice to lose in a match, we're sad when we lose a match but we are really
trying to turn things around and we believe we can."

West Ham face Burnley on Saturday, and have a three-week break before
returning to face Southampton on March 31 at the London Stadium. He said:
"It's great to be at home playing at our ground where we get great support
and we'll work really, really hard to give our supporters something to cheer
about. "We need to win all of our games and we need to look forward and be
positive. "Every game is important to us and we're not really looking any
further than this game [against Burnley]. "We've worked really hard this
week and whatever happens after that we'll have to see then. "I have full
confidence we are going to be able to do that. We have a great group of
players, a great team and good people too and we believe we can do that. "I
think we'll stay up. That's all I am focusing on at the moment and I believe
we will stay up. What happens in my personal future is something else but
it's not something I'm thinking of."

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MATCH PREVIEW: WEST HAM V BURNLEY
By Dan Coker 9 Mar 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Blast from the past

In today's preview, we travel back to 28th November 2009: The X Factor
Finalists 2009 were number one with 'You Are Not Alone', The Twilight Saga:
New Moon topped the UK box office and West Ham United beat Burnley 5-3 at
Upton Park.

After Mexican striker Guillermo Franco had hit the crossbar with an
11th-minute header, Gianfranco Zola's Hammers took the lead in the 18th
minute when Scott Parker's quick free-kick sent Jack Collison clear and the
young midfielder tucked the ball away beyond Brian Jensen. The Hammers
doubled their advantage 15 minutes later when Junior Stanislas' shot was
saved by Jensen but the Academy graduate settled himself to score from a
tight angle. Jonathan Spector was felled in the penalty area two minutes
before half-time with Carlton Cole (pictured below) converting the resultant
spot-kick.

The Hammers started the second half as they'd finished the first, Franco
heading beyond Jensen from a Stanislas free-kick six minutes after the
interval. A second penalty was won and converted by Chilean forward Luis
Jimenez five minutes after he'd entered the fray as a 59th-minute substitute
to give the Irons a 5-0 lead with just over an hour gone. Owen Coyle's
Clarets ensured West Ham would not keep a first home clean sheet of the
season when Steven Fletcher tapped home Chris Eagles' cross on 68 minutes
and the duo combined again six minutes later for Fletcher to double his
tally. Visiting defender Steven Caldwell was sent off in the dying minutes
for a professional foul on Hammers substitute, and future Burnley player,
Zavon Hines before Eagles had the last word, tucking home former Hammer
Tyrone Mears' cut-back to make the final score 5-3. The action from this
match can be seen in my video below.

The victory was only the Hammers' third league win of the season but they
would not win again until Boxing Day. Zola's West Ham would go on to finish
17th in a 2009/10 campaign that saw Scott Parker win the second of his three
Hammer of the Year awards with Alessandro Diamanti runner-up. Burnley
finished five points and one place below the Irons and were relegated
alongside Hull and Portsmouth. Chelsea won a Premier League and FA Cup
Double.

West Ham United: Rob Green, Jonathan Spector, Danny Gabbidon, Manuel Da
Costa, Herita Ilunga, Jack Collison (Julien Faubert), Scott Parker, Radoslav
Kovac, Junior Stanislas, Guillermo Franco (Luis Jimenez), Carlton Cole
(Zavon Hines).

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Tyrone Mears, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell,
Stephen Jordan (Christian Kalvenes), Robbie Blake (David Nugent), Andre
Bikey, Graham Alexander (Kevin McDonald), Chris Eagles, Steven Fletcher,
Wade Elliott.

Club Connections

A small collection of players have turned out for the Hammers and the
Clarets. They include:

Goalkeepers: Tommy Hampson, Herman Conway and Frank Birchenough.

Defenders: Tyrone Mears, Joe Gallagher, Tommy Dunn, Jack Tresadern, Jon
Harley and Mitchell Thomas.

Midfielders: Junior Stanislas, Reg Attwell, Matt Taylor and Luke Chadwick.

Strikers: Alan Taylor, Bill Jenkinson, Sam Jennings, Walter Pollard, Ian
Wright, Ian Moore and Zavon Hines.

John Bond played for the Hammers and managed the Clarets.

Today's focus, though, falls on a player who spent a season at Upton Park
before appearing for Burnley a decade later. David Unsworth was born in
Chorley, Lancashire on 16th October 1973 and began his career at Everton. He
won the FA Cup with the Toffees in 1995 and also earned a full England cap.

The 23-year-old Unsworth joined West Ham United in August 1997 in a swap
deal with Academy product Danny Williamson. He made his debut, ironically,
against the club he'd just left in a 2-1 Hammers defeat at Goodison Park,
becoming the first ever Hammer to have a surname beginning with the letter
'U' (only Matthew Upson has since joined Unsworth in West Ham's 'U' club).
He played on the left side of three central defenders under Harry Redknapp,
often alongside Rio Ferdinand and fellow new signing Ian Pearce as the Irons
progressed from strugglers the previous season to an exciting,
upwardly-mobile outfit also boasting Eyal Berkovic and John Hartson.
Unsworth scored his first goal in claret and blue in a 4-1 home victory over
Crystal Palace on 3rd December 1997. His second and final goal for the club
was the winner in a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea on 14th March 1998. The 6'1
defender also converted spot-kicks in the Hammers' FA Cup penalty shoot-outs
at Blackburn in the fifth round replay and in the quarter-final replay home
defeat to Arsenal. Unsworth was sent off in his penultimate match for the
Hammers, a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace on 5th May 1998. His final game in
claret and blue was the 4-3 home win over Leicester on the final day of the
season five days later. Unsworth had helped West Ham to an eighth-placed
finish in 1997/98, their highest end-of-season standing since 1985/86. He
made 41 appearances for the club, scoring two goals – both of these strikes
can be seen in my video below.

With his family failing to settle in London, Unsworth moved to Aston Villa
for £3m in the summer of 1998 – however, this transpired to not be close
enough to the North West and Unsworth returned to Everton without even
playing a competitive game for Villa. Unsworth spent six years back at
Goodison Park before being released by David Moyes in 2004 – the defender
teamed up with his former Hammers boss Redknapp at Portsmouth. Unsworth
spent the second half of the 2004/05 season on loan at Ipswich after
Redknapp's departure from Fratton Park. A permanent move to Championship
side Sheffield United followed in the summer of 2005 – he helped the Blades
to promotion the following season but was released halfway through their
2006/07 Premier League campaign. Unsworth signed for Wigan in January 2007,
returning to Bramall Lane on the final day of the season to convert the
penalty which kept the Latics up and relegated the Blades.


It would prove to be Unsworth's final game for Wigan and he returned to the
Championship in August 2007, signing for Steve Cotterill's Burnley at the
age of 33. He made 31 appearances for the club, scoring his only goal in a
1-1 home draw with Leicester on 4th December 2007 by which time Owen Coyle
had taken over as manager. Unsworth turned down the chance to stay with the
Clarets at the end of the season and moved to Huddersfield with whom he
ended his career in 2009.

After retiring, Unsworth joined Preston as Development Coach. He was
promoted to First Team Coach following the departure of current Hammers
assistant Alan Irvine, and appointed caretaker manager for a week in the
winter of the 2010/11 season. Unsworth was again appointed caretaker manager
in December 2011 but was dismissed on the appointment of new manager Graham
Westley. In December 2012 Unsworth returned to former club Sheffield United
as Head of Academy Coaching; he was named Assistant Manager to caretaker
boss Chris Morgan in April 2013. He was appointed Assistant Manager of the
Everton Under-21 team in September 2013, becoming manager of the team in
2014. He has had two spells in caretaker charge of the first team, most
recently in the autumn of 2017.

Referee

Saturday's referee will be Lee Mason from Greater Manchester. Mason refereed
the Hammers once in 2016/17 – the 1-0 home win over Hull when he awarded the
Hammers a match-winning penalty – but took charge of two West Ham matches
the previous season, those being the 0-0 draw at Swansea in December 2015
and the 3-0 win at West Brom in April 2016. He also sent off Mark Noble at
Birmingham in December 2009.

Mason's most recent games officiating the Hammers were both 3-2 defeats: at
Southampton in August when he failed to send off Dusan Tadic but did give
Marko Arnautovic a red card, before awarding the Saints a match-winning
penalty in added time; and against Newcastle at home in December when he
awarded the Hammers a penalty only for Andre Ayew's effort to be saved. He
refereed three Premier League matches involving the Hammers in 2014/15 – the
1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, the 1-0 home win over Sunderland and the 2-1
defeat at Old Trafford when he sent off Wayne Rooney, denied the Hammers a
penalty when Morgan Amalfitano's cross struck Radamel Falcao's arm and
disallowed Kevin Nolan's last-minute strike for a marginal offside. Mason
was also the man in the middle for our 1-0 FA Cup win at Bristol City in
January 2015. He also officiated in four of our games in 2013/14, sending
off two of our players (Mark Noble against Everton and James Tomkins at
Cardiff) and disallowing a perfectly good Stewart Downing equaliser at
Crystal Palace.

Possible line-ups

West Ham United's squad is again struggling with injuries – Sam Byram and
Winston Reid join Edimilson Fernandes, Pedro Obiang and Andy Carroll in the
treatment room, while Arthur Masuaku sits out the final match of his
six-game suspension. Angelo Ogbonna should return but James Collins is a
doubt.

Burnley are without Tom Heaton, Robbie Brady, Steven Defour, Scott Arfield
and Jonathan Walters. The Clarets are without a win in their last eight away
games in all competitions, a run stretching back to 29th November.

Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Zabaleta, Rice, Ogbonna, Cresswell,
Antonio; Kouyate, Noble, Lanzini; Arnautovic, Chicharito.

Possible Burnley XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Lennon, Cork,
Hendrick, Gudmundsson; Barnes, Wood.

Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!

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David Moyes blasts Andre Ayew after West Ham departure
HITC
Will Butcher

Andre Ayew left West Ham in January to rejoin Swansea City. West Ham United
manager David Moyes has told fans in his London Evening Standard column that
he did not want to sell Andre Ayew to Swansea City in January, but the
attacker had made it clear he wanted to leave. The 28-year-old rejoined
Swansea just a year and a half after leaving the Welsh side to move to the
London Stadium in the summer of 2016. He came back to haunt the Hammers last
weekend. The Ghana international laid on two assists for Carlos Carvalhal's
side as the Hammers suffered a 4-1 defeat inspired by the former Marseille
attacker, leaving fans to question their club's decision to sell the
versatile forward. But Moyes has decided to criticise the attacker, stating
that he made it clear he no longer wanted to play for the east Londoners in
January despite the Hammers being desperate to keep their squad intact.
"Andre Ayew did well enough for Swansea but don't forget that he didn't want
to stay," Moyes said. "At the time we weren't that keen to lose anyone to
our competitors but he made it 100 per cent clear he did not want to be at
West Ham any longer."
Costing a princely sum of £20million, Ayew managed just 12 goals in 50
league and cup appearances for the Hammers, which equates to around
£1.7million per goal. The Hammers' focus turns to Saturday as they look to
get back to winning ways against Burnley, after suffering more injury
problems this week with Winston Reid and Sam Byram being ruled out until the
end of the season. Moyes' men remain just three points above the relegation
zone and a win against the Clarets on Saturday is crucial if the east
Londoners are to avoid the drop.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Predicted line-up: 'Zero tolerance' David Moyes makes four big changes for
must-win game against Burnley
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United entertain Burnley tomorrow knowing a win is crucial in the
battle to survive this season. David Moyes' side had turned a corner when a
2-0 win over Watford elevated them up to midtable and onto 30 points. But
back-to-back 4-1 defeats to Liverpool and relegation rivals Swansea City has
dragged the Hammers back into the thick of things in one of the most
congested survival battles in recent memory. Supporters are furious with the
side's performances of late and many fear they have hit poor form at the
wrong time with rivals steadily improving. West Ham face an obdurate Burnley
side who visit the London Stadium with one of the best away records in the
country. It won't be easy for the Hammers and they will need to show a
reaction to the pathetic display in Wales last week if they are to get
anything. One person who looks certain to react to that defeat is Moyes,
with as many as four changes in the offing to the side which started against
the Swans.

Joe Hart in for Adrian
The most controversial of the changes and the one in the balance perhaps is
bringing Joe Hart back into the side in place of Adrian. The Spaniard has
been in poor form ever since gifting Newcastle a goal in a 3-2 defeat and
was again at fault during the game against Swansea. Many feel he is still a
better bet than Hart but Moyes may feel he has to bring the England man into
the team to remain consistent with his team selection given the
circumstances in which Hart lost the number one shirt.

Angelo Ogbonna in for Declan Rice
Young Rice has just been called up to the senior Ireland squad but has been
at fault for goals in a number of his recent appearances. That is only to be
expected of one so young but West Ham must go with experience here and
Italian international Ogbonna will return to the side after recovering from
a bug.

James Collins in for Winston Reid
Straightforward one this as Reid has been ruled out of the season with a
knee injury picked up against Swansea. West Ham need Collins to step up now
more than ever and he has never let them down before.

Michail Antonio in for Javier Hernandez
West Ham desperately need more pace and power in the side and quite why
Moyes has only used Antonio as a sub in the last few games after a great
performance against Watford only he knows. Two goals as sub in those games
will surely see him come back into the side in place of Hernandez who
continues to flatter to deceive in his all round play and effort. Antonio
and Marko Arnautovic struck up a really strong partnership as the Hammers
turned the corner under Moyes over Christmas and with Manuel Lanzini in
behind it looks a very mobile and threatening attack.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham defender James Collins faces late fitness test ahead of Burnley
clash
KEN DYER
ES Sport

West Ham manager David Moyes will give a late fitness test to James Collins
before naming his team to play Burnley. The experienced centre-half missed
the 4-1 defeat at Swansea last weekend with a tight hamstring and has since
been having intense treatment. Collins was due to resume training on Friday,
after which a decision was being made on his fitness for Saturday's match at
the London Stadium. Italy defender Angelo Ogbonna, who was also missing at
Swansea due to illness, is back in the squad, but Winston Reid is out for
the last nine games of the season while he recovers from a knee operation.
Moyes is likely to start with Michail Antonio on Saturday, after the
versatile player came off the bench in the past two matches to score, which
could mean Javier Hernandez is left out. Moyes must decide whether to
persist with a back three, with Declan Rice keeping his place, or revert to
a back four. Rice has been picked for the Republic of Ireland squad for
their friendly against Turkey in Antalya. on March 22 . The 19-year-old, who
has made 23 appearances, will join up with the Republic's Under-21 squad for
the European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan, five days after the
Turkey game. Burnley will again be without Scott Arfield (calf injury),
while goalkeeper Tom Heaton is not yet fit enough to return due to a
shoulder problem

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Moyes: I've seen a reaction after spelling out to West Ham squad we
were not good enough
DAVID MOYES
ES Sport

Nine matches to go, with six at home, emphasises for me just how big a part
our fans can play in ensuring West Ham remain a Premier League club. I am
aware some of our supporters have been less than happy with certain aspects
of the club over a period of time but for me, as West Ham's manager, my area
of responsibility is helping to give the team the best chance of winning
matches. The defeat at Swansea was really disappointing but it is behind us
now. In the six matches we face at home it's crucial we get that united
support behind the team. I've seen the proposed march is not taking place
and I hope any concerns some supporters might have should be put aside for
now so that we can all help this club stay in the Premier League. I've said
this a few times already but I do want to re-iterate that, since I have been
at the club, I've found the atmosphere in our home stadium to be great. In
some of the games the noise has been terrific and we'll certainly need more
of that tomorrow against Burnley and then in the remaining five games at
home. The defeat at Swansea was a poor performance by our standards but
there were some reasons for that which I didn't want to go into straight
after the match. When you lose not one but two of your central defenders,
that is a big loss. Then to have a third carried off during the game just
made things extremely difficult. I didn't make anything of it before the
game either because I wanted to demonstrate to the players who came into the
team that we trusted them. I did realise though that it would be difficult
without the injured players and if you look back six weeks or so, to when we
had Pedro Obiang and Arthur Masuaku available, the team looked very
different. The bigger thing for me against Swansea was that the players
dropped below the standards they have shown. We conceded a couple of goals
from set pieces, which in the main has not been like us. I do think a lot of
things went against us on the day — at least I hoped they did — but we have
made sure the players have known it wasn't good enough and we have been
right 'at it' this week. It was a difficult week's training leading up to
the game because of the weather but I don't want to make excuses — and we'll
be well prepared tomorrow despite our injuries.
We have meetings, usually on Monday, whether we win or lose. Sometimes we
pick out the positive aspects of our performance and other times we
highlight the things we didn't do so well. The players know we dropped well
below where we've been but, overall, they have been good. Andre Ayew did
well enough for Swansea but don't forget that he didn't want to stay. At the
time we weren't that keen to lose anyone to our competitors but he made it
100 per cent clear he did not want to be at West Ham any longer. Another
statistic worth mentioning is that, since we joined the club in November, we
have never had the luxury of having a senior player sitting up in the stands
because we've have too many to fill the substitutes' bench. That shows you
how tight it is and now Winston Reid is out for the rest of the season. He
was due to have an operation to repair a medial knee ligament injury
yesterday. It is really disappointing for him and us but overall we have not
had that big a squad from which to choose.
We have conceded more goals away from home than anyone else in the division
and that is a real concern for us. Defensive midfield has been a problem for
some time. Obiang's continued absence has left us a little more exposed than
we would like to be. After tomorrow's match, we're going to Miami for some
warm weather training. We do not play again for three weeks so there was an
opportunity to do something now. We've just come through a real hard winter
period and although I haven't been here since the start of the season, I
know the players have been at it from July 1. We're going for five days and
it will be good to get a little sun on our backs, work as a squad and then
come back for what will be a really condensed period of eight matches before
the end of the season.

The fee for this week's column is going to Sport Relief. For details go to
sportrelief.com

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Tony Cottee says myth about West Ham fans is not true
HITC
Antony Martin

West Ham United are still deeply entrenched in a relegation battle. West Ham
legend Tony Cottee spoke exclusively to talkSPORT, and insisted that the
notion that Hammers fans want to see an attractive brand of football first
and foremost is quite simply not true. The east London outfit currently sit
precariously in 14th spot in the Premier League table, just three points
clear of the drop zone, and now really is a time when the players need to
roll up their sleeves and put in a shift for the football club. Cottee, who
scored 115 goals for the Hammers during two separate spells with the club,
insisted that West Ham fans want to see the players put in 100 per cent
effort, when speaking exclusively to talkSPORT: "There's this myth that West
Ham fans firstly want to see good football, they don't. They want to see
players fully committed to the club, that's what all fans want don't they so
West Ham fans aren't any different. But it's important whoever goes out
there they just give it their all and they improve their performances. When
the fans do turn up they do get behind the boys and they'll do that against
Burnley."
David Moyes' men will welcome Sean Dyche's Burnley side to the London
Stadium in the Premier League tomorrow, and if they fail to win, things
really will look bleak for the Hammers. They still have to play the two
Manchester clubs at home, and face difficult trips to Chelsea and Arsenal
before the season ends, so Moyes will surely be targeting tomorrow's clash
with the Clarets as an absolute must win game.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Shaka Hislop would rather Newcastle were relegated than West Ham
Hislop played for both clubs during his career and he insists he has good
intentions despite predicting the Magpies' downfall
Football London
BySean McCormick
12:05, 9 MAR 2018UPDATED12:24, 9 MAR 2018

Shaka Hislop has said he would rather Newcastle were relegated from the
Premier League than West Ham. The former Trinidad and Tobago international
goalkeeper played for both clubs during his career, keeping net for
Newcastle during the famous 'Entertainers' era. Hislop now spends his days
working as a pundit on American TV channel ESPN and admitted he would rather
Newcastle were relegated than the Hammers when asked last night. However,
Hislop was quick to address that he was saying it with good intentions as he
believes another relegation would force owner Mike Ashley to sell the club.
When asked which of his former sides he would prefer to be relegated, Hislop
said: "I have picked Newcastle and I'll tell you why. "Because I think that
would force Mike Ashley to sell and I think you will not see the best of
Newcastle again, until Mike Ashley sells. "In case you haven't gathered, I'm
not much of a Mike Ashley fan. I love Rafa Benitez, I really do."
Some fans will resonate with what Hislop is saying, but what he fails to
acknowledge is another relegation would have catastrophic consequences on
the pitch.
Rafa Benitez would almost certainly walk away from the club, Newcastle will
have to endure another bruising Championship promotion push, and they will
fall further back as a result of missing out on the payments from the
Premier League's lucrative TV deal. The Magpies can pull further away from
the drop this weekend when they welcome Southampton to St James' Park on
Saturday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REAL WEST HAM? LIKE A TREE STANDING BY THE WATERSIDE WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 9 MARCH 2018 AT 9:12PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer

The views in this article are of the writer and not necessarily the website

On the face of things, the West Ham Fanbase seems to be at war, with threats
and mud-slinging from all quarters. Pathetic and laughable springs to mind,
West Ham from the dark ages not today. I, accept that West Ham's support is
a 'broad church' with people seeing things differently. But the heroic
efforts across the board, in raising funds for little Islas Caton's brave
fight against a rare cancer called Neuroblastoma – are the actions of 'real'
West Ham. Those efforts tell you that deep down, despite our superficial
differences we are one. What we now are leaders to step forward from amongst
us and unite all factions of our fanbase. We, are West Ham NOT Gold and
Sullivan, we are going to have to drive change. Because to reach the next
level we are going to have to change. We, are going to have to think and act
like a big Club!

Karren Brady singling out the 'Real' West Ham Fans Group saying that they
were delighted to have reached an agreement with the 'Real' West Ham Fans
Group, regards March the 10th march shows you out of touch Mrs Brady is.
Part of the agreement was, that The Board would match the amount of money
the 'Real' fans made for @islasplight. Providing the March was called off.
How despicable can you get? Playing Russian roulette with a young girl
fighting for her life. March and little Isla's plight gets nothing. Not West
Ham! West Ham always look after their own.

On Saturday night, after being routed by Swansea City 4-1. Co-Owner David
Gold was surrounded by fans, and all sorts of abuse was hurled at him. The
old "I'm only an old man" tearjerker does not wash with me. I do not believe
he was under threat on Saturday night, but to hurl vile abuse on any
82-year-old man is the action of cowards. Not West Ham. We've also had a
banner saying that Gold and Sullivan have done more damage to The East End
than Adolf Hitler. So many different cancers destroying our Club, people
pulling in different directions.

What happens off the field more often than not reflects on the pitch. So, it
is no wonder we have shambolic performances, like we have seen on the pitch
recently. However, don't be afraid, we must and will overcome! Sure,
difficult days lay ahead, but we can turn this around. I will tell you what
is 'REAL' West Ham: People of every creed, race, age and sexual orientation
being West ham and proud. All claret and blue to the core, all wanting the
best for our great club. It's in our blood! Where, some 40 or so years ago,
long before my time people were throwing bananas at black players. West Ham?
We were different, we had the Big Bermudian striker Clyde Best playing as
striker, as well as John Charles and Ade Coker. More recently we had a young
Nigel Reo Coker, as Club Captain, when we lost the 2006 FA Cup Final to
Liverpool on penalties after drawing 3-3. Absolutely heart breaking!

Despite the disappointment of losing the final, our supporters stayed to the
end. Applauding our players as well as the Liverpool team. Steven Gerrard
Liverpool's captain was moved to say West Ham is a real football Club. So
much to be proud of West Ham over the years, as of present we had insure
testing times as well, getting beaten 6-0 by both Luton Town and Oldham
Athletic, 7-1 by Blackburn, 4-0 by Bolton in the rain, and of course the FA
Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest when we had Tony Gale sent off. We
stay till the end singing Billy Bonds claret and blue army! West Ham and
proud! That is 'Real' West ham! Loyalty to the core. West Ham have always
stood for decency. Despite all our troubles we still do.

So, what of our troubles? I'm not going to spend hours dissecting my
feelings on the board. You know the script Lies, lies, and more lies.
Phantom 'bids' after phantom bids, linking us to this star or that, all
utter crap! Reality? Patrice Evra on a free. They may be masters at
manipulating the media to their advantage. But… even that doesn't work
anymore, nobody falls for their lies and spin. It shows you how out of touch
this Board has become, that Sullivan really thought he impressed people when
he said: "We bid 25m for Joe Allen!" The man is off his nut! It's like
hearing someone saying: "I was only ONE ball out on the lotto! I would have
won NINETY-TWO MILLION!" like Sullivan, nothing but a great pretender. One
'marquee signing, another costing a bit of money, an expensive loan,
freebies, cheapies and loan after loan has always been the way Gold and
Sullivan have operated, always on the cheap.

Selling the Boleyn Ground on the cheap, promising to take us to the 'next'
level has left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. Sheer greed was what the
move to The London Stadium was about. But we can still turn this around and
we will. One of the biggest shortcomings about West Ham is that there is no
leadership, as a result you have very little structure and no
accountability. Yes, I know that we have had a few pastings, I'm not
surprised really, a threadbare squad and unbalanced squad was always going
to make things tough for whoever the manager was. But come the end of the
season, I can see Moyes completely overhauling The Club from top to bottom.
Scouting and signing players, senior and at youth level. We, have signed too
many youth players, who have been discarded from the likes of Manchester
United, Chelsea, Arsenal and the rest. Sadly, more often than not they have
not made the grade at West Ham either. Improving our scouting is a must.
Behind the scenes on the football side of it, Moyes will get it right.

So, what are we going to do about the kings of spin? First off, we can all
send messages like: sell up! Just f*** off! And the rest. But the stark
reality is the golden age of Billionaires snapping up football Clubs and
spending millions on new players are long gone. We have no West Ham 'sugar'
Daddy, ready to be a super hero and take us to the next 'level'. The trust
between the fans and The Board has broken down beyond repair in most cases.
Almost like splitting from a partner and living in separate rooms, till one
or the other moves out. The atmosphere in the house being toxic, the big
difference being the fans are not moving out and neither are Gold and
Sullivan. We are going to have to talk at some point. We have had various
fan groups going up to meet with Mrs Brady. At the second meeting, the
delegation was supposed to meet The Board, unfortunately there was no sign
of Gold and Sullivan. Not good enough! The, delegation should have turned
around and walked out, as a far tougher approach needs to be taken when
dealing with The Board. Brady dictated what she would talk about, and what
she wouldn't talk about. Surprise! Surprise! Transfers and finance were two
no goes.

What we need is a fan group, which has the full backing of the broad
spectrum of West Ham's magnificent support, being ready to grill The Board
when needed and leaving no stone unturned. There has been much talk about
the 10th of March that was cancelled, I'm all for a March as a means of
protest. My God we have plenty to protest about! However, postponing the
march may be a blessing in disguise. We, need to be unified to make a march
effective. The, best way would be to work in tandem with the fan group
meeting The Board. No progress with The Board, then we ALL march! United we
stand, divided we fall! Like a tree standing by the waterside, we shall not
be moved! We are ALL real West Ham! One of the biggest problems we face at
The Club, is that there is a lack of leadership. We need someone to pull The
Club up by the scruff of the neck. Someone to help restore trust.

There is one person who towers above anyone else, one person who can restore
unity, a person who demands respect. All top Clubs in Europe have a Club
President. Time to do the right thing. Time to make Billy Bonds Club
President. Billy has both the stature and respect! Billy Bonds can lift the
whole Club, on and off the pitch. Billy Bonds never suffered fools. Some
have said he wouldn't work with the present Board. I think if asked he
would, if anyone is 'real' West Ham it is William Arthur Bonds. Bonds once
had a persistent toe injury. He was faced with a decision, he could end his
career or have his toe amputated, get some physio and get back into the
team. The toe got the chop! Billy Bonds would bring unity and restore
confidence to West Ham. Either way the times are a changing for Gold and
Sullivan, you and I are West Ham we will not stand by and let OUR Club be
destroyed, unity is our strength. Unified we most certainly will be for the
visit of Stoke City. For once it will not be a case of fortunes always
hiding, but fortunes siding. West Ham 2 Stoke City 0!

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

COYI!!

Farehamhammer!!!

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 9th March 2018

Brady: 'International Women's Day is about changing lives'
WHUFC.com

To mark International Women's Day, West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren
Brady met with members of the Ladies team to discuss issues around gender
parity and equality. International Women's Day celebrates the social,
economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe, and
Baroness Brady believes the significance of the progress in recent history
cannot be understated. "This is the 100th anniversary of when women got the
vote in this country," said the Vice-Chairman. "I think it's a real time to
look back at the women who changed life for us, that have given us the
opportunities that are in front of us; the ability to vote, to get an
education and to get the job you want."

Speaking to members of the West Ham Ladies team, she continued: "All those
things that have happened, certainly some for me, but it will be more for
the younger generation, have happened because women have stood up and fought
for those changes. "I think this day is a reminder of all the women that
came before and all the things we still have to do, because even though
we've come a long way, there's still a long way to go."

Having worked in football since the age of 23, Baroness Brady has been at
the forefront of women's involvement in the sport. In a discussion with
three West Ham United Ladies players – forward Ellie Zoepfl, right-back
Chantelle Mackie and centre-back Hannah Wheeler – the Vice-Chairman recalled
an early incident of sexism in her career. "When I was 23 and I first went
into Birmingham, it was quite unusual for both a young person and a young
woman to be running a football club," Baroness Brady told the Ladies'
players. "For example, women weren't allowed in boardrooms. I remember, I
think it was my first away game, where I turned up and there was this
steward on the desk. I said, 'Could you tell me where the Boardroom is
please?', and he said, 'Oh yeah, directors' wives over there'. "I said 'No,
I don't think you understand. I am the Managing Director so I need to know
where the Boardroom is'. "The steward, he put his glasses on, and he said,
'Oh yes, you're that woman'. "It was a real case of breaking down barriers
and I always say that Boardroom door was the first door that I broke down.
I've tried to hold it open for as long as possible to get as many women
through that door."

West Ham United Ladies, led by managing director Jack Sullivan and general
manager Karen Ray, are enjoying a successful campaign in the FA Women's
Premier League Southern Division. The side are unbeaten in 2018 and have
reached both the Isthmian League Cup and FA WPL Plate finals.

An application for a license to play in the restructured Women's Super
League from the start of the 2018/19 season is also in place, with FA WSL1
expanding to 14 teams with full-time professional players.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zabaleta: Manu's Argentina recall can only be good for West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini's inclusion in the Argentina squad can only be a good thing
for West Ham United, according to his teammate and fellow countryman Pablo
Zabaleta.
The No10 has been recalled by La Celeste manager Jorge Sampaoli for friendly
internationals with Italy and Spain at the end of March after missing his
country's last six matches through injury. And with just three months to go
until Argentina kick-off their 2018 FIFA World Cup finals challenge against
Iceland, Zabaleta believes his talented compatriot has an opportunity to
cement his place on the plane to Russia if he impresses for both Club and
country. "It's great news for Manu to be back in the squad, especially as we
are not far from the World Cup," said Zabaleta, who has himself been capped
58 times and started Argentina's 1-0 defeat by Germany in the 2014 World Cup
final in Brazil. "This at least means that the manager is looking at him, so
I'm very happy for that, but he also needs a very good run of games between
now and the end of the season, which will hopefully help West Ham play well
and Manu to make the final list for the World Cup."

Lanzini, who made his debut against Brazil last June and has two senior
caps, is one of a host of supremely talented attacking midfielders and
forwards available to Sampaoli. Barcelona legend Lionel Messi, Juventus
centre forward Gonzalo Higuain, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, Paris
Saint-Germain pair Angel Di Maria and Giovani Lo Celso, Benfica winger
Eduardo Salvio, Roma playmaker Diego Perotti and Sporting Lisbon wideman
Marcos Acuna have all been named alongside the Hammers favourite for the
upcoming friendly matches. But with the likes of Juventus' Paulo Dybala,
Internazionale's Mauro Icardi, Paris Saint-Germain's Javier Pastore,
Atletico Madrid's Joaquin Correa and a host of promising youngsters also
eager to be involved, Lanzini will need to maintain his form if he wants to
be in Sampaoli's final 23. "Argentina have so many options in the middle of
the park and up front, so to be on the list means you are doing a great job
for your Club, and Manu is one of our key players at West Ham. "He was very
unlucky when he got his last injury because he was in very good form and
that injury put him out of the line-up for a few weeks. He's been back in
the team for two games and now I wish he can return to that same level, get
some game-time for Argentina and he can be in the final squad. "We have two
big games against Italy and Spain and they will give him a great chance to
show he should be on the list for the World Cup and, as a teammate of his, I
will be very happy and proud to see Manu play for Argentina in Russia."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers pay tribute to Bobby Moore at London Stadium
WHUFC.com

West Ham United will mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of Bobby Moore
OBE at Saturday's Premier League fixture with Burnley. A series of
exhibitions and events will pay tribute to the Club's greatest-ever player
and captain, who died after a dignified battle with bowel cancer in February
1993, aged just 51. A free exhibition of memorabilia relating to Moore's
life and career on the lower ground floor of the Stadium Store, where
visitors can view shirts, medals and many more unique and historic items,
will be open from 9am. The exhibition is also open from 9.30am-5pm on
Thursday and Friday and 11am-5pm on Sunday. Four new Bobby Moore displays
have been installed on the London Stadium concourse – the latest initiative
introduced to improve the matchday experience for West Ham fans visiting our
home on matchdays. We advise supporters to get to their seats early, as a
few minutes before-kick off, members of the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European
Cup Winners' Cup-winning teams captained by Moore – Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce,
Jack Burkett, Brian Dear and Eddie Bovington – will be welcomed pitchside
for the pre-match ceremony. After the two teams have taken to the pitch,
they will line up around the centre circle while a floral tribute will be
laid on the centre spot. A minute's applause will then be held, during which
supporters in the East Stand will be invited to create a mosaic in tribute
to Moore. In a further recognition of the Club's proud heritage, for the
first time, flagbearers will display the 16 crests used by Thames Ironworks
FC and West Ham United during the Club's 123-year history pitchside on
Saturday. In addition, these crests will be displayed in the stadium
concourse.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Antonio: I can feel the sharpness coming back with every game I play
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio believes he is edging closer to his best with every minute
he spends on the pitch for West Ham United. The winger has had to make do
with being a second-half substitute in three of the four Premier League
matches he has played since returning from a calf injury a month ago.
Despite starting just once, Antonio has scored goals in defeats at Liverpool
and Swansea City and assisted another, in a London Stadium victory over
Watford, and the No30 says there is plenty more to come as his
match-fitness, sharpness and strength return. "I'm definitely starting to
feel sharper," said the 27-year-old, who has also missed games with
hamstring and rib injuries this season. "It's taken a long time for me to
get back to a point where I feel I can beat people and score goals, but my
confidence is coming back and hopefully I can help the team get out of the
situation that we're currently in. "I've not really had the opportunity to
get into my stride and be the same player I was in the previous two seasons,
because every time I've got close to being myself again, I've picked up
another niggle. It's taken me half-a-season to get to a place where I feel
comfortable and I feel good, so hopefully I can stay fit and sharp for the
remainder of the season. "It's disappointing that my goals are not winning
games for us, so hopefully next time I score, it will be a winner!"

As Antonio's form returns, he is hoping manager David Moyes hands him
further opportunities from the start as West Ham battle to remain in the
Premier League, with a home game with Burnley next on the fixture list. With
England also heading to Russia for the FIFA World Cup finals this summer,
the versatile Londoner has plenty of motivation to impress should he be
given those chances by Moyes. "I'm a professional player and every
professional player wants to be in the starting XI, so I'm going to do what
I can and try my hardest and hopefully I'll get a start against Burnley."

Whether he is selected or not, Antonio knows just how important Saturday's
game is to everyone associated with the Club, with players, staff and the
Claret and Blue Army united in the desire to secure a vital victory in fight
to stay up. "Whoever starts, we need everyone on the same page. We're at
home, we're going to take the game to them and we need all the fans behind
us as we go for the win."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Declan Rice pays tribute to 'top footballer' Dylan Tombides
WHUFC.com

Dylan Tombides Award winner Declan Rice has paid tribute to his late fellow
Academy of Football graduate, who would have turned 24 today. Rice, who
followed the talented Australian through the ranks on joining the Club at
the age of 13, was among those left upset when the striker passed away
following a long and courageous battle with cancer in April 2014. Two years
later, the young Rice was honoured to win the Dylan Tombides Award, which is
presented annually to West Ham United's outstanding Academy prospect, and he
has since been appointed as an Ambassador for the DT38 Foundation – the
charity set up in Tombides' honour to raise awareness and funding for the
fight against testicular cancer. "I didn't know Dylan but I heard he was a
lovely boy and a top footballer, so it made it more special for me," said
Rice, reflecting on winning the award named in Tombides' memory.
The teenager, who has been named in the provisional Republic of Ireland
senior squad for a three-day training camp and friendly international in
Turkey later this month, is proud to have taken on a role with the DT38
Foundation and called on young men like him to educate themselves about male
cancers. In the UK alone around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular
cancer every year and, if caught early enough, the survival rate is around
98 per cent. "Guys, the facts are out there," said Rice. "Testicular cancer
affects younger men in particular and if you catch it early your chances of
getting treated effectively are much higher and so it's so important that
you check yourselves regularly and seek advice if you notice anything
different. "Don't take a risk, don't be silly, just check yourselves."

For more information about the DT38 Foundation, click here. To read Rice's
full interview with the DT38 Foundation, click here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rice named in full Irish squad
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

Declan Rice has been named in the full Republic of Ireland squad for the
first time. West Ham United's 19-year-old centre half has been included in
manager Martin O'Neill's provisional 30-man squad to face Turkey in a
fortnight's time. It is the first time he has been selected for the full
squad. Rice, who has made 23 appearances for West Ham this season since
breaking into the first team set-up is one of five newcomers named in the
squad by O'Neill, along with Kieran O'Hara, Darragh Lenihan, Derrick
Williams and Enda Stevens. Despite being named in the squad, Rice will also
join up with the Republic's under 21s following the friendly in Antalya on
Friday, 23 March. Former Hammer Sean Maguire, who has scored four times in
his last four games for Championship side Preston has also been named in the
squad.

Republic of Ireland: squad v Turkey

Goalkeepers: Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Colin Doyle (Bradford City),
Kieran O'Hara (Manchester United), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday) .

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Matt Doherty
(Wolverhampton Wanderers), Declan Rice (West Ham United), John Egan
(Brentford), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle
United), Kevin Long (Burnley), Alex Pearce (Derby County), Darragh Lenihan,
Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End),
Enda Stevens (Sheffield United).

Midfielders: Alan Judge (Brentford), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Jeff
Hendrick (Burnley), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), David Meyler (Hull City),
Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), Liam Kelly (Reading), Alan Browne, Daryl Horgan
(Preston North End), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion).

Forwards: Shane Long (Southampton), Scott Hogan (Aston Villa), Sean Maguire
(Preston North End).

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I was misled over stadium plans, claims Gold
KUMB.cm
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham co-chairman David Gold has blamed Olympic Stadium architects for
comments he made regarding West Ham's move from Upton Park to Stratford.
Gold was roundly accused of lying to supporters when a video emerged of the
octogenarian stating that West Ham would not move to Stratford unless the
seats were as close to the pitch as they were at Upton Park.
However speaking in an interview for Phoenix FM, the 81-year-old (who will
be 82 in September) insisted that he had been misled by the stadium
developers. "The original plans provided by the architect weren't viable,"
he said. "So we believed the seats would be closer. "Major problems have
been created by still having athletics there - it's not sustainable to move
the seating backwards and forweards as it costs a fortune. They should move
to the Athletics Stadium in Birnmingham that they could easily use."

During the interview Gold reiterated his support for the decision to move to
Stratford as, he insisted, it was necessary for the club to progress. It has
since been revealed that the club's annual revenue rose by around £8million
as a result of leaving Upton Park.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Putting in the miles for Isla
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

A West Ham supporter is walking to every professional London football ground
in one weekend - in order to raise money for Isla Caton. Starting at the
site of the Boleyn Ground, Pat O'Connor is set to visit every Premier League
and Football League club - plus some from non-league - before competing his
journey at the Olympic Stadium. And he will be undergoing the arduous
journey in order to raise funds for the Save Isla campaign, which is seeking
to raise enough money to send the three-year-old to American for potential
life-saving treatment. "Over the weekend of Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th
May I am walking 75 miles non-stop in order to raise funds to help young
Isla, who is the niece of a friend and fellow West Ham supporter" Pat told
KUMB. "Isla requires specialist treatment for her rare form of cancer. This
treatment is not provided here in the UK by the NHS. We are therefore
helping to raise the funds required to send her to America where the
treatment is available. "The walk takes me from the location of West Ham's
old Boleyn Ground to their new home at the London Stadium via every other
football ground in London arriving in time for West Ham's final game of the
season v Everton. "If you want to meet me at any of the football grounds en
route then your support would be warmly received."

Pat's route and approximate arrival times are as follows:

Saturday 12th May

07:00: The Boleyn
09:00: Charlton Athletic
10:45: Millwall
12:00: Dulwich Hamlet
14:00: Crystal Palace
16:00: Tooting & Mitcham
18:15: AFC Wimbledon
20:00: Brentford
22:00: Fulham
23:00: Chelsea

Sunday 13th May

00:30: QPR
02:30: Wembley Stadium
04:30: Barnet
06:30: Wingate & Finchley
08:30: Tottenham Hotspur
10:30: Arsenal
12:30: Leyton Orient
13:30: West Ham Utd

Please note that all times listed are targets and that Pat may arrive at
each ground earlier or later than stated. You may keep up with his progress
over the weekend via live updates from Facebook group "LONDON FOOTBALL WALK
FOR ISLA" .

You may also donate to Pat's justgiving fund here.

* Isla is said to be recovering well following surgery yesterday to remove a
tumour from her brain. According to her parents, she returned home little
more than 24 hours after undergoing the operation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Happy birthday, Dylan
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

Tragic Hammer Dylan Tombides would have celebrated his 24th birthday today.
The Australian forward, who had been at West Ham since the age of 15 passed
away four years ago next month following a long and brave battle against
testicular cancer.

Tributes to the popular Tombides were led today by some of his team mates,
as you may see below.

And plenty of supporters chose to mark the occasion by publishing their own
tributes to Tombides, whose sole first team appearance for West Ham came
under Sam Allardyce in a 4-1 Capital One Cup defeat against Wigan in 2012.

Dylan's memory is being kep alive by the good folk behind the DT38
Foundation, named after Dylan's initials and his former squad number at West
Ham. You may find out more information about their good work here.

The Foundation have thanked everyone for their messages of goodwill on this
poignant day for all concerned. "A warm and heartfelt thank you for all of
your lovely messages of support today," read a message published on the
group's twitter feed today.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Josh Cullen - it surely must be time to see the youngster step up?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 8th March 2018
By: Staff Writer #3

Whilst relegation looks unlikely this season, the spectre does still loom
large over the Hammers. You would imagine there is enough quality in the
squad to ensure another year at the top table, but fans need something
exciting to cling to. That might just be where young Josh Cullen steps up.
Cullen is an exciting home-grown midfielder, recently returned from a loan
spell at Bolton Wanderers. He burst onto the scene in the Europa League
qualifying rounds of 2015, following that up with a late appearance as a sub
against Liverpool in the league. To date, that is his only Premier League
outing. A loan spell at Bradford City proved very fruitful, not least for
the Bantams. He made 15 starts in league and cup, helping to propel them to
the League One play off semi finals. They lost their two-legged affair
against the Hammers' bitter rivals Millwall, but Cullen played in both
matches.
After that, it was back to Bradford again; this time on a season long loan.
Once again, he was a staple of their side, this time starting 44 games in
league and cup. His strong performances, always hard but fair, won him many
fans in West Yorkshire. As a combative midfielder he only picked up four
bookings, a testament to his guile and craft in the centre of the park. He
was fouled 105 times in their league campaign, almost 30 more than the next
nearest player, targetted for the threat he carried.
At the end of the season, Bradford suffered the same outcome. They reached
the play offs, only to lose to Millwall, this time in the showpiece final.
Cullen played all 270 minutes, showing increased maturity and ability to
cope with pressure. These are perhaps the sort of qualities David Moyes
needs to see in a Hammers shirt right now, especially if they're to avoid a
battle against the drop. This season, Cullen was out on loan again - this
time at Bolton Wanderers in the Championship, themselves embroiled in a
relegation battle. From two seasons at the top of the table, Cullen has now
featured for two clubs at the wrong end. Bolton are just behind Burton,
Sunderland and Birmingham in the betting for dropping into League One, but
Cullen won't be a part of that battle. He rejoined West Ham in January and
made has three FA Cup appearances since. His parent club aren't enjoying the
best of spells either, and offers like Paddy Power's £20 risk-free bet will
come as comfort to West Ham backers who like bet on football with leading
bookmakers.

David Moyes recently told local press that he would have no hesitation in
putting Cullen on: "He has been on the road for a year and he wanted to
stay. We like him, he's a level headed young player and I would have no fear
in putting him on." That sentiment may be impressive, but he is only echoing
the desire of many West Ham fans.

The general consensus is that the young player has earned his stripes out on
the road and it is about time he found himself in first team contention. In
the aftermath of West Ham's humiliating 4-1 defeat at Swansea, calls
heightened for Cullen to get his chance. David Moyes has taken the first
step in keeping him at the club despite Bolton wanting to extend the loan.,
will he now take the next step and blood him in a struggling first team?

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.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham insist meetings with fan groups 'in good faith' after reports of
hooligan talks
Last Updated: 08/03/18 5:49pm
SSN

West Ham have defended the decision to meet with multiple fan groups "in
good faith" after a report questioned why the club was meeting with
'hooligans'.
The Independent reported a fans group called Real West Ham Fans (Real WHF) -
previously called Real West Ham Fans Action Group and said to be founded by
1970s Inter-City Firm members - threatened another supporters' group with
violence. The Real WHF had reportedly instigated plans for a protest march
against the way West Ham has been run ahead of the home game against Burnley
on Saturday, only to call it off after several fan groups met with the club
and its vice-chairman, Karren Brady. The report claims another fan group,
the West Ham United Independent Supporters' Association, tried to
re-instigate plans for the protest before some of its members were
threatened with abuse.
A West Ham spokesperson said: "West Ham United met with representatives of
15 fans' groups to try to work together to give our supporters a better
match-day experience at the London Stadium. "In our talks we agreed a number
of action points and we are working to deliver them. "All the groups chose
their own representatives which we accepted in good faith. "All of those who
attended expressed a desire to achieve the same ambition. The meetings were
cordial and constructive. Many of them had travelled long distances to meet
with us. "We will in future be working with the long-standing Supporters
Advisory Board to achieve those common aims on behalf of all supporters."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
IN DEFENCE OF RESPECT
By Blind Hammer 8 Mar 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Blind Hammer calls for an end to yob culture.

Yet again I was more upset by the behaviour of some West Ham supporters
rather than the grisly team performance last weekend. For the second time in
recent weeks a self-appointed mob of supporters thought it was acceptable,
even desirable to ambush and aggressively intimidate an 81 year old man,
after he had tried to depart an away game in which the team he supported had
disappointed. These are the bald facts. The fact that this81 year life long
supporter is also Joint Chair of West Ham does not detract from this
unpleasant truth. It is never acceptable that behaviour of this kind should
be tolerated or condoned. I have my own constructive criticisms of Board
decisions in relation to West Ham. In more general political philosophy I am
diametrically opposed to them. However I would never dream of promoting
these criticisms during this current climate of visceral hatred. This level
of sheer vitriol is completely over the top.

What we are witnessing here is the worrying collapse of basic human decency
and respect. The anonymous aggression of keyboard warriors who hurl their
expletives driven complaints into the electronic void is fuelling something
darker here. The literally irresponsible aggression, with no consequences
for the people launching these social media onslaughts, has very unfortunate
real world consequences for Gold in particular. The climate of abuse finds
him surrounded and hounded by yobs who feel vindicated in their bullying. So
far they have confined themselves to bullying and intimidation. I fear much
worse if the situation continues to deteriorate.

For the people feeling most loathing towards gold and Sullivan this will, I
realise, cut no ice. There are cohorts of people who will never forgive the
move from the Boleyn and will probably till their dying day want to punish
them for this. What I cannot, and never will support is the way this hatred
leads to degeneration from rational debate into vile abuse. This starts with
people, including contributors on this site making sneering and lazy name
calling attacks rather than relying on any intelligent argument. This
includes describing Gold and Sullivan variously as "Spivs", "Barrow Boys"
and making what are supposedly unflattering references to their being more
at home in "Romford market".

I am staggered that it is West Ham supporters making [personal attacks of
this kind. West Ham are not Chelsea. They are not a club dominated by
arrogant upper class ex-Public Schoolboys who think it is frightfully funny
to sneer at people with working class backgrounds. These Chelsea types will
snigger if somebody does not have the right BBC, Eton or Harrow accent. We
should have no toleration for this Upper class superciliousness. I have no
issue with people with upper class accents supporting West Ham but I will
argue forever with the view that people with privileged backgrounds are
worth any more than any of the rest of us just because of their privilege or
accent.

West Ham is a club steeped in the working class traditions of the east End.
Our working class roots should be a point not of shame but of pride. . We
should certainly never collude with snorting upper class condescendtion
towards those ""vulgar East End" types. . . What is wrong with Romford
market anyway? What is wrong with having working class origins and then
achieving success in life? Attacking Gold and Sullivan on the basis of their
accents or allegedly working class origins is lazy unreasoned prejudice.

Surprisingly the people most vociferous in launching these personal attacks
do not extend this character assassination to the potential alternative
sources of investment they so desperately crave. Instead, seduced by the
lure of alternative international billionaire wealth, all critical
perspective melts away and disappears. Why anybody should think that a
Russian Oligarch, or a Chinese Billionaire, or an Arab royal, all of whom
will almost certainly built their wealth on the cruellest and vicious human
rights abuses, should have any more of a genuine claim to West Ham identity
and support is a mystery to me. Yet these critics are frantic to invite
these people into our club at any cost. I do not share their enthusiasm. The
sex industry money of Gold and Sullivan is, comparatively, far cleaner than
the horrific accounts of abuse which underlies the international billionaire
wealth that other clubs are so happy to sell their souls for.

So it starts with this lazy prejudiced and sneering name calling. It then
degenerates into more vile social media abuse where they are condemned for
being "c***its", Bas***d" and other equally unsavoury epithets. It ends with
people feeling vindicated in aggressively confronting an 81 year old man in
his car or car park. They are objects for unreasoned abuse. Gold gets spleen
vented at him for decisions over which he has no control, including the
ludicrous Wigan carpark condemnation for his alleged failure to "pick" Sakho
for the game.

This abuse has to stop. Despite what anybody says it weakens our club and
brings us into disrepute. My own view is that all efforts this season should
now focus on supporting the club from the trapdoor of relegation. We should
debate rationally about the issues at the times when they can be resolved. I
disagreed with January Transfer policy, especially selling Ayew to a
relegation rival. Others may still want to futilely complain about leaving
Upton Park. However there is absolutely no mileage in complaining about
these issues now. Now in the face of adversity it is time for respect to
re-emerge and create the United positivity that this club needs to survive.
There is actually much in the working class traditions of the east End that
we can be proud of. Solidarity and hard work are values that West Ham in
particular will need in the weeks ahead. There was a time I was proud of the
traditions of loyal West Ham support in the face of difficulty. I fervently
hope that it is this finer tradition which wins out in the weeks ahead.

COYI
David Griffith

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham transfer gossip explored - £30m midfielder "scouted" & contact for
Italian goalkeeper
We take a look at the latest West Ham transfer gossip rumours knocking
around
Football London
BySam Inkersole
West Ham Correspondent

Whether David Moyes is planning for next season or not, there is still no
shortage of players being linked with moves to West Ham in the off-season
despite the uncertainty about who will be in charge. Four defeats in the
last six games for the Hammers have seen questions raised over whether Moyes
is the right man for the job if he does keep the team in the Premier League.
If the club does go down, the Scotsman is unlikely to stay. Sitting just
three points above the drop zone, these are nervy times and if West Ham, do
stay up, the squad will no doubt need a whole lot of re-shaping and
strengthening to avoid this scenario happening again. As is usually the case
with West Ham, players are being linked all the time despite the January
window closing five weeks ago.
The latest rumours are below:

A former transfer target - and an infamous one at that - has reared its head
once again as reports in Portugal are claiming that Sporting Lisbon
midfielder William Carvalho has been "scouted" by the Hammers. O Jogo (via
Sport Witness) says that the Hammers had representatives at the Estadio do
Dragao last Friday night to watch Carvalho and Sporting as they lost 2-1 to
league leaders Porto in the weekend's big game. There scouts from 20 other
clubs across Europe watching the game along with West Ham according to the
report as well so there could be some stern competition for signatures.
Sky Italia (via Claret & Hugh) have reported on Tuesday morning that West
Ham are in the market for 17-year-old goalkeeper Marco Meneghetti. The
teenager is currently on the books of Serie C side Pordenone and their chief
Mauro Lovisa has apparently told Sky Italia that West Ham have reached out
to them via e-mail.
Italian giants Inter Milan are also reportedly keen on making a move for
Pordenone's prized asset.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham star Collins inspired by Juventus hero Chiellini
HITC
Will Butcher

Giorgio Chiellini starred for Juventus on Wednesday night, and West Ham's
James Collins was thoroughly impressed. Juventus hero Giorgio Chiellini was
almost immaculate on Wednesday night as the Italian champions knocked
Tottenham Hotspur out of the Champions League - and West Ham defender James
Collins reacted on Instagram. Spurs had been considered favourites to knock
Juventus out of the Champions League after their 2-2 draw in Turin, and took
the lead through Son Heung-min in the second leg. But goals from Paulo
Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain within the space of three minutes saw Juve
qualify 4-3 on aggregate. But Massimiliano Allegri will have his defensive
rearguard to thank more than anyone. Chiellini lined-up in defence alongside
Mehdi Benatia at centre-back, while Gianluigi Buffon captained the side from
between the sticks and Hammers defender Collins was inspired by the Italian
giant's impeccable display.

Was a pleasure to watch this man defend last night... saying he's to old and
to slow on the tele What a performance @giorgiochiellini #properdefender And
before anyone else says it I know I should try and be more like him

A post shared by James Collins (@gingercollins19) on
Mar 8, 2018 at 12:43am PST

Welsh defender Collins has been in decent form himself this season for the
Hammers, leading by example at the back though multiple muscle injuries have
seen him feature on a less-than-regular basis. He missed the dismal 4-1 loss
to Swansea City but could return this weekend as the Hammers play host to
Burnley at the London Stadium in at match that David Moyes needs to win,
with his side only three points above the drop zone.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham distance themselves from notorious fan group founded by Inter-City
Firm members
KEN DYER
ES Sport

West Ham are to distance themselves from a fans' group founded by members of
the Inter-City Firm, following a report that claimed they threatened another
supporters' faction with violence. The club say they will, in future, "be
working with the long-standing Supporters Advisory Board," following a
report by the Independent today. The Real West Ham Fans Action Group, now
known as Real West Ham Fans (Real WHF), originally announced a protest
march, involving supporters from a number of groups and against the owners,
would be held before Saturday's match against Burnley. The march was then
called off by Real WHF following a meeting involving West Ham Groups United,
with vice-chairman Karren Brady, at which promises were made to address
supporters' grievances.

Another group, the West Ham United Independent Supporters' Association, then
announced they intended to try to stage the march, which reportedly resulted
in abuse, including one post on the Real WHF Facebook account which said:
"All your left wing f***s you ain't passing through our manor. The ICF won't
allow it don't cross us."

The head of WHUISA, Mark Walker, is said to be "distraught" and concerned
for his safety after he had his Facebook account posted on the Real WHF own
page, where he was described as a "traitor to London". In a statement the
club said: "West Ham United met with representatives of 15 fans' groups to
try to work together to give our supporters a better match-day experience at
the London Stadium. "In our talks we agreed a number of action points and
we are working to deliver them. All the groups chose their own
representatives which we accepted in good faith. "All of those who attended,
expressed a desire to achieve the same ambition. The meetings were cordial
and constructive. Many of them had travelled long distances to meet with us.
"We will in future be working with the long-standing Supporters Advisory
Board to achieve those common aims on behalf of all supporters."

Real WHF founding member Andy Swallow, who was involved with the notorious
1970s ICF, has said the situation has "been blown up out of all proportion".
He was said to have had a meeting, without the presence of other fans'
groups, with co-chairman David Sullivan at his house before the march was
cancelled but the club deny that. Swallow used to be involved with
non-League Grays Athletic, who played for a time at Rush Green, now the
training headquarters of West Ham's first-team squad. It is understood the
club are keen to implement the ideas and suggestions put forward by the
various groups in their meeting, which included changing the club's badge
and addressing stewarding concerns at the London Stadium. These improvements
for fans were detailed by the club in a 4,000-word letter.

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

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 8th March 2018

Noble: It's time for us senior players to stand up and take responsibility
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble believes West Ham United's senior players will step up and take
on the responsibility of keeping the Hammers in the Premier League. The
captain and his teammates have nine games remaining to secure their
top-flight future, kicking-off with the visit of Burnley to London Stadium
on Saturday. And with thousands of Premier League appearances under their
belts, Noble believes the Hammers have the experience, knowhow, resilience
and ability to handle pressure required to collect the points required to
stay up. "They are all big games now and we just need to knuckle down and
get the results we need to get ourselves out of trouble come the end of the
season," said the skipper. "I don't think we will wilt because we're at
home, which is a big plus for us at the minute, because we're playing well
at London Stadium. "We need to get points, it's as simple as that. Do I
think we'll be fine? Yes, because I think we've got enough here and we will
pick up results. "For us now, the season is to get safe and then to rebuild
in the summer and start again from next season."

With six of West Ham's nine outstanding matches to be played in Stratford,
Noble knows home advantage will also be key to the Club's survival hopes,
and says the team and the supporters can inspire each other. "We need to
play with an intensity that we didn't play with at Swansea last weekend. We
need to play with high intensity and go back to how we played against
Chelsea and Arsenal before Christmas, with a real desire not to concede
goals. If we do that, we'll be fine. "I'm sure the fans will be behind us on
Saturday. After the Swansea game I said, and I'm sure they are sick of me
saying it, that it was a poor performance from us and every mistake we made
got punished. "I know a lot of the fans weren't happy, but they were still
there at the Liberty Stadium, despite all the snow and weather around, and I
am sure they will be there again at London Stadium this weekend, and we'll
do all we can to give them all something to shout about."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pearce calls for character in Burnley clash
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's players must display heart and character if they are to
get a positive result in this weekend's match with Burnley, according to
assistant manager Stuart Pearce. The Irons head into a home game with the
Clarets on the back of disappointing losses away to Liverpool and Swansea
City, but have the chance to return to winning ways in front of the Claret
and Blue Army at London Stadium. Pearce knows that it is vital the side make
a marked improvement in Saturday's contest and is calling on the team to
step up their efforts against a Burnley team that sits seventh in the
Premier League. "I think we've got to show some character, especially at
home," Pearce told whufc.com. "We're playing a well organised Burnley side,
and a side who galvanised a victory last weekend. They've been playing
particularly well. Their results have probably not turned around and shown
us the whole picture. They are a good side with an outstanding manager.
"It's a game that we've got to look to get on the front foot in. We've got
to look to play better than we did in the last two matches. One or two
things we felt we didn't do particularly well, like conceding cheap goals,
we're going to have to improve on that."

Although back-to-back losses has ended a strong start to 2018 for the
Hammers in the league, Pearce believes there are still positives to take
from the side's last two contests. Pointing to the development of young
defender Declan Rice, who has become a regular in the first team since his
promotion from the West Ham Academy, the former West Ham player knows that,
even in defeat, there are lessons to be learned. He continued: "Every time
you take to a pitch, there's a learning curve to be had. We had young Declan
in the side and every minute he gets in a Premier League match, and bear in
mind he played at Swansea for 90 minutes, every minute he gets is a bonus to
us as a football club. It's money in the bank for us as a football club in
regard to his knowledge. "There's always positives there. Sometimes when you
get beaten in any individual game, you're very downcast, because it's a
result driven business. But you've got to look and drill deeper than that
and say there's fantastic learning curves all the time."
Just seven points separates 11th and 19th in the English top flight, meaning
every contest is vitally important in the race to Premier League survival,
and Pearce admits the significance of every single match is the one thing
that has surprised him since returning to top flight coaching with the
Hammers. The coach recognises that three points this weekend is critical for
the Irons and has pushed the team to bring the winning feeling back to the
West Ham dressing room. "I think they are always important, three points in
the Premier League. The profile of the Premier League is extending year on
year, week on week even. That's probably the one thing that has surprised me
a little bit – the profile of each individual game and how the media
spotlight every individual game. "The profile of the Premier League is
enormous and with that come the pressures accordingly. The feeling when you
win, in the dressing room afterwards, makes everything worthwhile."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Loan watch: Snodgrass stars in another Villa victory
WHUFC.com

Robert Snodgrass provided his eleventh assist of the season as Aston Villa
maintained their challenge for automatic promotion back to the Premier
League.
The winger's corner was headed in by James Chester as Villa won 3-0 at
Sunderland on Tuesday evening, collecting three points which kept them third
in the table and four behind second-placed Cardiff City. Villa have won nine
and lost just one of their last eleven league matches, with Snodgrass
scoring five goals and providing five assists in that period. The
30-year-old will hope to keep his run going when Villa host leaders
Wolverhampton Wanderers in a mouth-watering teatime clash on Saturday
evening.

Elsewhere, Martin Samuelsen played the opening 53 minutes for
relegation-threatened Burton Albion in their 2-0 home defeat by Brentford.
The game was still goalless when the Norwegian left the pitch. Burton will
hope to return to winning ways when they host Bristol City this weekend.

There was a better result for Reece Burke, who returned to the Bolton
Wanderers team and helped the Trotters secure a 1-1 draw at Reading. Bolton
remain 19th in the Championship table, five points above the bottom three
ahead of a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Antonio: It's about time I scored a London Stadium goal to celebrate!
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio hopes there will be no place like home when West Ham United
host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. Amazingly, after bagging ten
of his first 13 goals for the Club on home turf, Antonio has not netted at
London Stadium since scoring two headers against Watford in September 2016.
Exactly 18 months on, the No30 is aiming to end his 24-match run without a
home goal when West Ham take on the Clarets, securing three vital points in
the process. "I haven't scored at home since September 2016? Wow!" exclaimed
Antonio, who has scored consolation goals in the Hammers' recent 4-1 defeats
at Liverpool and Swansea City. "I thought I was a 'home scorer' and scored
most of my goals at home, but clearly that hasn't been the case for quite a
while. "I'm on a little run now, though, and hopefully I can continue that
by scoring at London Stadium on against Burnley on Saturday. "I scored three
at home at the start of last season, so it's weird to hear that it's been 18
months since I scored there. It's crazy, in fact, but this Saturday that
curse will be broken!"

Having not scored a meaningful goal since netting the opener at Burnley back
in mid-October, Antonio has also not had an opportunity to expand on his
repertoire of popular celebrations. Having treated fans to the Homer, the
Worm and the Carlton Banks in recent seasons, Antonio was so excited to
break his duck at Turf Moor that he forgot his pre-planned routine. Should
he put his side in front against the same opposition on Saturday, the
27-year-old has vowed to put on his dancing shoes again. "I've not had a
chance to bring out any new celebrations, as I'd not scored for a long time,
then my last two goals have come when we've been behind, so it definitely
wasn't the right time to be celebrating. I'd have looked stupid if I'd
started dancing. "I did score at Burnley earlier this season, which I could
celebrate as it put us 1-0 up. They are going to be hard to beat, as they
were that day, as they are a regimented team, but we can break them down. We
have got to match their work-rate and deal with the crosses we know they are
going to put into the box. "Hopefully we can score some goals against them
on Saturday, pick up some points and go from there. That would be something
we can all celebrate."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham: Premier League club fined £30,000 over anti-doping breach
BBCco.uk

West Ham have been fined £30,000 after admitting to breaching the Football
Association's anti-doping regulations. The Hammers failed to ensure 'club
whereabouts' information was accurate on three occasions within 12 months.
Clubs must provide details of training sessions and where players are
located, so they are available for testing. "The club accepts the charge and
we will endeavour to tighten our procedures to avoid this happening again,"
said a club spokesperson.
"The breach related to administrative oversights on the FA's whereabouts
system, where for example a player's address had been registered and the
house number digits transposed. "We would like to reiterate that the breach
was a club administrative matter and did not concern any of our players."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham defender Winston Reid ruled out for rest of the season
BBC.co.uk

West Ham defender Winston Reid has been ruled out for the rest of the season
because of injury. Reid, 29, was taken off on a stretcher with an oxygen
mask over his face after being knocked unconscious and twisting a knee in
Saturday's defeat by Swansea. Full-back Sam Byram, 24, could also miss the
rest of the campaign after injuring his ankle in the 4-1 loss. David Moyes'
side are currently 14th in the Premier League, three points above the
relegation places. Defenders Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins, who missed
the Swansea game through illness and a tight hamstring respectively, should
be available for the game against Burnley at the London Stadium on Saturday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 4-1 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th March 2018
By: HeadHammerShark

"Sometimes I fantasise, when the streets are cold and lonely
And the cars they burn below me"
- The Stone Roses, "Made of Stone"

I've spent the last two days in my loft. Shuffling boxes to my garden shed
in preparation for a loft conversion, morosely staring into the gloom and
pondering a great many things. Predominant amongst them is a question that
boomerangs around my consciousness. What, I ask aloud, has happened to my
club?

Early entry for that new club crest

I ponder my youth and the first time my dad took me to a game at Upton Park
in 1986. Ipswich under the lights. An electric dreamland. We went behind and
I nearly started crying. We came back to win and I think I did start crying.
We were going to win the league and my football supporting life was going to
be spent in the Elysian fields, watching a style of play from another world.
You can keep your archangels, for I have seen Alan Devonshire. I pitied my
school friends who supported Arsenal. What did they know of life or love? I
had seen Valhalla and it was claret and blue. Plus Geoff Pike was there,
oddly.

My cousin was with me that night, and now we sit next to each other each
week with our own children. A gift passed through the ages from generation
to generation, repeated everywhere through the stadium. I often think the
gift that football gives us is not the game itself, but the time we get to
spend with our loved ones. Our children's experiences don't yet match ours,
but they have the great gift of youthful optimism to tide them over. They
think their day will come and who am I to deny them such a dream.

I urge you to find your own similar place of quiet repose. If, like me, you
had the stuffing knocked out of you this weekend, then it will help you. At
a time when our club seems so devoid of an identity and so bereft of hope, I
found it helpful to look inward. For you it might be Trevor Brooking or Pop
Robson or perhaps Bobby Moore if you're truly lucky. Those names are echoes
in the wind to someone of my age. I settled instead on Ian Bishop, Trevor
Sinclair and Scott Parker - each of them a marker on my emotional journey
supporting West Ham.

All of this, you might think, is a bit melodramatic for a 4-1 loss at
Swansea, especially considering that this result was literally not even the
worst 4-1 defeat we have suffered at the hands of Swansea in the last three
seasons.

But that's not the cause of my malaise. I'm down here in the gutter because
I feel like I lost something this weekend. I can take your 4-1 defeat and
raise you a 6-0 FA Cup slaughter at Old Trafford, a 3-0 disaster at Notts
County that sparked the first sit down anti Board protest, or even a 9-0
aggregate League Cup semi final defeat to Manchester City where I think I
saw a football team declare for the first time ever. We all knew the drill
when we signed up - if you wanted to win every week, go somewhere else. But
this was something different. Something much deeper.

***

"See the lonely boy, out on the weekend, trying to make it pay
Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak, and can't begin to say"
- Neil Young, "Out on the Weekend"


So even as Winston Reid threw himself at a Swansea attack like a walrus
falling off a glacier and knocked himself unconscious, and the home side
swept into a two nil lead before our makeshift backline had even woken up,
nobody was really batting an eyelid. It turns out that David Moyes has
achieved the exact same results as Slaven Bilic in their last eighteen
matches in charge. Plus ca change, perhaps.

I think that's probably a bit unfair as Moyes has had tougher fixtures, and
didn't get the benefit of that soft looking start that Bilic wasted, but
it's undeniable that any gains are being measured in inches and not in
miles. I think we look better organised, fitter and more structured under
the Scot, but here we are, deep in a relegation battle with a squad that
isn't remotely fit for the task. Like I said, now might be a good time to
close your eyes and think of Metz.

After the Reid injury, Moyes probably should have found a way to get Antonio
on to the pitch given our very obvious lack of pace, but instead brought on
Sam Byram and shifted Zabaleta infield, and somehow now we were playing five
defenders and the only one who was a natural central half isn't old enough
to drink on the end of season beano to Vegas. West Ham, baby - next level.

I used to be quite enamoured of Swansea, as I felt that they were at least a
side with a distinctive pattern of play that made them entertaining for
neutrals. Now, rather like us, they are in that indistinguishable pot of
lower half teams who look alright when they win and very Mrs Brown's Boys
when they lose. Here, they battered us by pressing with energy and drive and
taking their chances, which mostly arose as a result of comedic West Ham
defending. They are in the ascendancy while we are hurtling down like a lead
lined corpse in a river.

After a rousing half time team talk from Moyes, the team emerged as if in
that upside down dream sequence from Inception, and immediately conceded a
third when Adrian palmed a corner directly into Javier Hernandez's face, and
watched as it dropped perfectly for Andy King to score against us. That was
King's fifth goal in seven games against us. Imagine Andy King being your
nemesis. Close your eyes. Payet. Old Trafford. Breathe.

That half time team talk

After that, everyone went to sleep and Cheik Kouyate fouled Andre Ayew to
concede a penalty, before Antonio popped up with a late consolation. Prior
to this, Marko Arnautovic should have opened our account when put through by
Manuel Lanzini but took far too long and eventually dithered for so long
that even Theresa May started mocking him. I wonder if Jordan Hugill should
be introduced? What of £39 million pound man and European Champion, Joao
Mario? And then I wonder if the passengers on the Titanic thought umbrellas
would save them.

And thus the team wandered off, humiliated and having repaid absolutely
nothing of the efforts shown by the travelling fans to make the trip through
the springtime snow. I think we'll escape relegation because I think Moyes
has the nous to navigate his way through the icebergs, but then again I once
thought Paul Jewell would make a good West Ham manager. You can't trust me.

As you left Wales, I hope some of you were able to gaze fondly towards
Cardiff and dream a little dream of Bobby Zamora in the hazy sunlight of a
Play Off final. You deserved it.

***

"Outside, I'm masquerading
Inside, my hope is fading"
- Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, "Tracks of My Tears"

But as I sit here now, writing and rewriting this piece, I can't shake the
nagging feeling that is eating away at me. What happened on the pitch on
Saturday was shambolic, but it was just football.

What happened off the pitch disturbed me far more.

Most of you will be aware that a variety of fans groups had banded together
under the moniker of West Ham Groups United with a view to engaging the club
on a variety of points. The lead focus of this was the Real West Ham Fans
(RWHF), an organisation put together at staggeringly short notice just
before Christmas, with a large Facebook following and an ability to organise
numbers in a way that I don't recall seeing before at West Ham. The lead men
were former ICF faces, but were at pains to distance themselves from that
era.

Other groups joined them - KUMB, WHUISA, Hammers Chat among them - and
before long they had an audience with Karren Brady. I thought the demands
that were made of the club were curiously low level, but accepted that a
stratagem of starting slowly and building was more likely to succeed than
simply demanding the owners sell up.

Before long, that wasn't moving swiftly enough and RWHF announced a march.
Again, I thought that was strange as it seemed to be an over the top
response, but again indicative of the pressure cooker atmosphere among fans,
as the team stumbled along with a typically enormous injury list and an even
more typically useless January transfer window.

So, with me being in the very small minority who didn't fancy a march, huge
numbers were mobilised for a protest on 10th March. Whatever I might have
thought of the tactics I couldn't argue with the effectiveness of it all.
Kids, women, disabled fans and all comers were welcome. I might not have
been flying the plane, but it didn't mean I wasn't keen on the destination.

And then, talks proceeded and suddenly, RWHF cancelled the march. Leaving
aside what impact that might have on future attempts to galvanise West Ham
fans into public action, it left a gaping hole. Fans wanted to march, and
the concessions seemingly drawn from Karren Brady didn't seem to amount to
much more than asking the landlord we routinely sue to uphold his agreement
with us for a few favours. It was, in short, baffling.

Now, I wasn't in the meetings and have only read the same notes as all of
you. Who knows what really happened but one point to note is that the Club
will be making a contribution to the fund for cancer patient, Isla Caton, a
cause dear to the West Ham heart and something that surely transcends club
badges and retractable seating and half time beer queues. Before you quibble
about that, and the ethical element of the club making that offer is highly
fucking questionable, it's probably worth asking how easy it would be to
look her family in the eye and tell them you turned down that money.

But that doesn't excuse what happened next.

Fans still wanted to march, and as the group with the best links to the
council, Football Supporters Federation and the Police, WHUISA stepped into
the breach. The feeling was that the march would still happen, with the RWHF
group stepping aside to pursue their apparent links to the Board, and others
putting forth their objections on the streets.

And then, on Saturday night the RWHF Facebook page went fully
hallucinogenic. It was announced that the group was now under the control of
the ICF, and that anybody marching would be met with violence. Suddenly, the
march was apparently under the control of Antifa activists and would now be
political in nature, and would thus be forcibly stopped from entering
Stratford. This was news to the thousands of West Ham fans still planning to
march, but in this instance the lie was twice around the world before the
truth even knew there was a race to be run.

Leaving aside for a moment the concept of Antifa being used in a pejorative
sense, the entire episode was odd because it amounted to the organisers of a
march threatening anyone who then wanted to go on it. Eventually, it was
cancelled on the grounds of safety. Go find your happy place. Brooking.
Wembley. A white Admiral kit.

More sinisterly, the chair of WHUISA, a guy called Mark Walker, was being
described as a political activist with links to Sadiq Khan. The evidence for
this seems to have amounted to Walker once working for the Labour Party and
having the temerity to vote for Khan in the Mayoral election.

Unable to process any of what was happening, and finding myself distressed
like the liberal snowflake I am by the sight of West Ham fans being
threatened by West Ham fans, I decided to ask around. First up I messaged
Walker and asked about the notion that he was a lefty activist. He explained
that after the meetings with Brady he had taken her public comments and fact
checked them with the landlord. I'm pretty sure that sounds like the kind of
thing an Independent Supporters Association is supposed to do. When you're
in a negotiation you don't take the word of the other party at face value.
You robustly check it. Other people have told me that Brady isn't especially
happy that WHUISA have been doing this. Good.

I also asked Walker how he was. He replied that he had been physically
threatened and wasn't sleeping. An away season ticket holder, he doesn't
think he'll ever attend another game. Just process that for a moment.

I understand the allure of the RWHF group and I can see the progress they
have made. But this is reprehensible. I can't in good conscience support it
and I don't know how anyone else can. If our fan representatives are just
going to threaten us when public opinion moves in a different direction to
their own then I struggle to see how that is representation. I was told I
could take my daughters on that march, and then suddenly we were at risk if
we were marching with WHUISA. Well, I would have been under their banner,
and that is terrifying. And suddenly that thought boomerangs back again, and
no FA Cup win over Everton or three goal Wembley comeback at Spurs can shake
it from my mind. What has happened to my club?

When you next make that little list of West Ham heroes, you should probably
add Mark Walker to it.

***

"Shake your fist at him, tell him it's alright
Say it's alright"
- The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Down in the Churchyard"


As a kid, one of the single most thrilling sporting events I can remember
watching was the World Athletics 4x400m relay in Tokyo.

Watch this. You will stand a little taller in your shoes (if you're
British).

But what was especially thrilling to the twelve year old me, was that the
hero of the British team - Kriss Akabussi - was a West Ham fan. And there it
was. That indelible connection. An invisible rope between us. That feeling
that if ever we were to meet I would be able to look at him and he at me and
we would have a shared bond that only a few could understand. And in the
end, isn't that what football is supposed to give you? An entrance to an
exclusive club that only the privileged few get to see? When I say Oldham,
Valentines Day - you all know what that means. It's a link forged without us
even knowing.

I think of the friends that West Ham and this blog have made for me. The
Princeton graduate, the soldiers, the writers, the taxi drivers, the
comedians, the accountants, the ones who have jobs with consultant in them
that I don't really understand. And above it all. Claret and blue. West Ham.

I've never met Mark Walker and yet when I hear about a West Ham fan being
threatened by others it runs completely contrary to all of that. It doesn't
just break a code, it smashes it. I was never in thrall to the ICF as a kid
because I was too young for it, but I understand why others are. There is a
mythology to that time, and when there seems to be so little of our club
left, I get why people look backwards. Hell, I suggested it myself at the
top of this article.

But this can't happen. Marches can't be cancelled because of threats of
violence. I once climbed a huge hill in the Marlborough Sounds in New
Zealand and got to the top to find the only other human being within a five
mile radius was a West Ham fan from Manor Park. I don't want to have to
wonder if he is with "us" or "them". I just want to nod and say "Joey
Beauchamp, eh?" and leave it at that.

I doubt that the Tory commentator Iain Dale and I will ever agree on
anything politically but I respect his love for the club, respect his
opinions and would be proud to stand next to him at a game. His politics
don't matter to me, and I doubt mine do to him, when we're both stood at the
ground wondering exactly how Liverpool managed to score from our corner.

I want West Ham to be the most inclusive club in the country. I want to see
more women in the ground, more ethnic minorities to better reflect our
natural catchment area, I want to be the most welcoming place for those in
the LGBT community and above all a safe place to watch football for anyone.
And I don't give a shit if that makes me that liberal snowflake again.

As someone who supported the move I've done a lot of soul searching over the
last couple of months and I can't help but feel that I failed West Ham by
not doing a better job of interrogating the specifics of the new stadium.
Not that my opinion carries any weight but more in the sense that each of us
should now be asking ourselves that question. I still believe that moving
could and should have been the springboard to a new era but it is becoming
increasingly clear that moving under these owners and to this stadium has
damaged the club, possibly irrevocably.

As I look down at the club crest on my shirt I keep returning to a single
thought - "I didn't do enough". It's not a great feeling to say out loud
that you have failed, but there is no doubt that I have. I certainly failed
to heed those who didn't want to move. I believed them to be dinosaurs
unable to see obvious progress when it stared them in the face. To you, I
apologise.

I believed the hype, believed that modernity and progress were more
important than tradition, and could not possibly be mismanaged, and for that
we have paid the highest possible price. While West Ham is run as it
currently is, the soulless husk of a football club that is currently
traipsing around the country will be our weekly reminder of that solipsism.
I can't speak for any of you, but I should have done better by this football
club I have loved my entire life.

And that is the great danger of all this. Something changed for me on
Saturday. I'm not sure I will ever view my club in the same way again. The
owners might be delighted that the march is off, and the divide and conquer
approach has worked, but there is a cost to all of these things. While they
remain, I will view West Ham like a lost love. After all, this isn't the
club I fell for all those years ago.

I'm devastated tonight.

Julian Dicks. Forest away. The free kick into the top corner. Pandemonium.

What the hell has happened to my club?

***


Oh yeah, and if you agree with any of that, then you too should join WHUISA
today. Sometimes it's not enough to just nod your head and murmur agreement.
They need your numbers so that they can keep holding the club to account.
Help them.

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.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Psycho backing Rice
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

Stuart Pearce believes that teenage central defender Declan Rice is
benefiting from receiving more first team action than he may have expected.

As a result of a string of injuries, loans and player sales, the 19-year-old
has featured 23 times for Slaven Bilic and David Moyes thus far in West
Ham's first team this season.

And with the latter having only Rice and team mate James Collins currently
fit and available from his pool of centre halves, the Irish-born talent is
likely to feature extensively between now and the end of the season too.

However that is not likely to be a cause for concern according to first team
coach Stuart Pearce, who told whufc.com that Rice was improving with every
game. "Every time you take to a pitch, there's a learning curve to be had,"
said the former England full back.

"We had young Declan in the side [at Swansea]; every minute he gets in a
Premier League match is a bonus to us as a football club. Bear in mind he
played for 90 minutes [on Saturday]. It's money in the bank for us as a
football club in regard to his knowledge."

Pearce also called for the squad as a whole to regroup and secure a
much-needed victory against Burnley at Stratford this this weekend - West
Ham's final match before a three-week break.

"We've got to show some character, especially at home," he added. "We're
playing a well organised Burnley side, and a side who've been playing
particularly well. Their results have probably not turned around and shown
us the whole picture. They are a good side with an outstanding manager.

"It's a game that we've got to look to get on the front foot in. We've got
to look to play better than we did in the last two matches. One or two
things we felt we didn't do particularly well, like conceding cheap goals,
we're going to have to improve on that."

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Double disaster for Moyes
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 7th March 2018
By: Staff Writer

Winston Reid and Sam Byram have been ruled out for the remainder of the
season after picking up knocks against Swansea.

The New Zealand international spent around ten minutes receiving treatment
for a knee injury during the first half of Saturday's 4-1 defeat, before
being carried off the field on a stretcher.

Meanwhile Byram - who replaced the unfortunate Reid on Saturday - is also
expected to miss the rest of the campaign after sustaining a fresh ankle
injury during the same game, despite remaining on the field until the final
whistle.

The news will come as a massive blow to David Moyes, who lost Angelo Ogbonna
to injury before the Swansea trip and can no longer call upon the services
of Jose Fonte, who was sold to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang last
month.

That leaves an aging James Collins and the inexperienced Declan Rice as the
club's only fit central defenders - and veteran Pablo Zabaleta as West Ham's
only available right back for the final nine matches of the season.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why are West Ham's board holding meetings with self-professed hooligans?
Hooligans from the notorious Inter City Firm have sat down with
vice-chairman Karren Brady in recent weeks, and have since threatened other
fans planning on marching against the board
Miguel Delaney Chief Football Writer @MiguelDelaney 40 mins ago2 comments
The Independent Sport

Around West Ham United right now, there is a toxic atmosphere of proper
nervousness and tension, and it goes way beyond what happens on a football
pitch.
There was first of all the advice from Newham Council to postpone a planned
protest march against the owners ahead of Saturday's crucial home match
against Burnley, with "safety" cited as a primary reason. Some involved
still feel in outright danger. Really, there's no other way to feel, given
the online comments of members of a fans group called Real West Ham Fans
(Real WHF) – until last week known as the Real West Ham Fans Action Group –
who were founded by the 1970s Inter-City Firm members and who multiple
sources have claimed want a Lazio Ultras-style relationship with the club.
The Real WHF initially announced the march, only to call it off after what
they cite as "positive dialogue with the board" (when they also dropped
'Action' from their name). Some members then aggressively spoke out against
the West Ham United Independent Supporters' Association (WHUISA), who took
up the baton on the protest, with coarse and politically-charged language
used.
"All your left wing fucks you ain't passing through our manor," one posted
on Facebook on Saturday. "The ICF won't allow it don't cross us." "No your
not your left wing c**t your not passng [sic]." "March if you want but if
you march with WHUISA it ain't happening we ain't left wing I'll not left
Anifita pass so now ICF you stand with me or your against me your choice
[sic]."

These are just vignettes of how ugly this situation has got. This is also
who West Ham have been in dialogue with, in meetings that involved other
fans' organisations. It is a situation that people who work in the Football
Supporters' Federation (FSF) have described as "one of the worst come
across", and "wild-west stuff" that raises some serious questions for the
club.

Mark Walker, the democratically elected head of WHUISA – an FSF-recognised
body – is said by those who know him to feel "distraught", hugely concerned
for his physical safety and will probably never return to a game again. He
had his Facebook account posted on the Real West Ham Fans own page, where he
has been described as a "traitor to London" and had his support for Sadiq
Khan brought up. The mayor himself is described by one member as a
"terrorist sympathiser".

For his part, Real WHF founding member Andrew Swallow initially responded to
a list of questions emailed by The Independent, insisting it had "all been
blown out of proportion" and stating that he would explain all in an
interview at an agreed time. Swallow did not ring back, and did not respond
to repeated phone calls.

Beyond those questions, it is a story that also cuts to the core of what a
club represents, of who it represents, of its identity and soul.

It is also a story with some genuinely eye-opening elements, not least the
bizarre and aggressive political allegations, but one that stems from
widespread and general fan concern at what many West Ham supporters describe
as "the worst-run club in the Premier League".

"We have been failed," supporter Jim Kearns wrote in his 'The H list' blog,
an account that also describes a "tinderbox atmosphere that exists between
us and the owners."

Fan groups just feel misinformed, and let down.

Some of the reasons for that are well known, some are not, some range from
the remarkably pedantic to the rigorous fundamentals of a football club's
identity.

Among the concerns that have been brought up in recent meetings between fan
groups and the club are: the ongoing situation with the move away from the
Boleyn Ground, to a stadium they feel is not fit for football; who is
actually running the club, given co-chairman David Sullivan's recent illness
and co-chairman David Gold's age; how much money is actually being invested
in the team; what kind of process exists for signing players; ticket prices;
media comments by the owners; appropriate recognition of the club's history;
stewarding – where it was cited that one wears a Charlton Athletic jersey
under his jacket; Boxing Day home fixtures; the memorial garden at the
Boleyn; "amnesties" for supporters ejected from the stadium and not charged;
and the club badge.

The last point has been of particular importance to the Real WHF group, as
it is felt the use of the word "London" in the crest is an abandonment of
the club's east-end heritage. Those wider concerns for identity underlie a
lot of this, and directly fire the situation. Kearns is one fan who feels
some of this is wrapped up in the "distinctive mythology" about West Ham, a
willingness to embrace "glorious failure", and "a fetishisation of one of
the few things they've ever been best at: hooliganism", and principally
through the ICF.

This is where Swallow and Micky Morgan come in, two individuals involved in
the founding of the firm, and then the Real WHF – called the Real West Ham
Fans Action Group until last week.

It was in the first few months of this season that the latter emerged,
ostensibly out of all these concerns. A Facebook account was set up, and
16,000 people 'liked' the page. It was an impressive mobilisation. This also
reflected the strength of feeling around the club. Sullivan was due to meet
with the Real WHF, but that was subsequently cancelled.

Swallow has a colourful history, that he has willingly spoken about.

"We originally formed the EELF [Essex & East London Firm] and we made our
name in the South Bank cage," Swallow told the 'Knees Up Mother Brown' West
Ham supporters' website when things properly started to gather pace in
January. "That's where the ICF was born around 1976.

"The ICF name was the idea of me, Grant [Fleming] and Micky [Morgan]."

"In 1987 we got nicked for the ICF and Cass Pennant did the film
'Hooligan'," Swallow himself admitted. "Then we got into acid house. I came
back [to West Ham] in around 91/92 and we carried on the Inter City Firm as
it was. I had two or three court cases with the ICF and spent
three-and-a-half years on trial in three different trials."

He also confirmed: "So I've never left the Inter City Firm."

With the 40th anniversary of the ICF approaching, multiple sources say
Swallow has been involved in trying to set up a fund-raising match between
former West Ham and Lazio players, and many sources close to the situation
have suggested he ultimately wants the Real WHF group to emulate the
organisation of the Serie A club's Ultras.

Swallow has also been involved with the Football Lads Alliance, an
"anti-terrorism" group, that is being monitored by many anti-racism groups
and viewed with concern among football authorities. As many as 2,500 West
Ham fans are estimated to have taken part in an anti-terrorism march last
year, with the 'Knees Up Mother Brown' interview crediting Swallow for
mobilising that number.

Swallow has a previous relationship with Sullivan, too, as his involvement
with non-league Grays Athletic temporarily saw the club play at West Ham's
training ground, Rush Green. That ended acrimoniously when Sullivan pulled
the plug, and Swallow referenced this in one of the recent meetings, when
vice-chairman Baroness Karen Brady asked why he doesn't trust the club.

The minutes of that meeting state that Swallow said "personally it goes back
to [Swallow] being let down when he was at Grays Athletic FC." The minutes
then go on: "KB [Brady] listened to AS [Swallow] comments as to having
effectively been kicked out of rush green and finding out from man at
turnstiles. KB apologised for those circumstances and gave various reasons
behind that situation ie manager wanted that venue as training ground and
that nothing was going to stop that happening."

Swallow's trust in the club appears to have been rebuilt, though, and the
road to that is where so many of the questions lie.

The Real WHF group – at that point called the Real West Ham Fans Action
group – then began holding meetings through December, and came up with a
five-point plan. It is the first time a march is mentioned, but does not
raise the concerns around the stadium or running of the club. Taken from the
group's own posts, it reads:

"1 [club] Must take up full away ticket allocation

2 : Memorial [garden] to be maintained regularly

3: The Hammer and Castle badge to be reconised [sic] with immediate effect
on match programme and in future in the stadium

4 : The owners to be more proffesional [sic] on social media ie remove the
sullivan [sic] kids from speaking on the clubs behalf :

5 The 15 minute interval must be addressed its impossible to get to the
toilets get a drink and be back for the restart a for the second half .

They club have 7 days to respond if they fail to deliver a full demo / march
will take place ."

With West Ham still refusing to meet Real WHF, and the group generally
unhappy at the lack of progress, a march was then called for 10 March. It
was estimated that over 10,000 would turn up, and that was what finally gets
a response from the club.

Brady called for a meeting with supporters groups for 19 February, that
involved Swallow, his Real WHFG, the WHUISA and a number of websites.
"You'll begin to recognise the Judaean People's Front element of West Ham
supporters groups by this stage," Kearns quips, and the amount of acronyms
sums it up. All groups are however united on the need for action and
supportive of the march.

When asked about that meeting and a number of other concerns raised, a West
Ham statement to The Independent said the following:

"West Ham United met with representatives of 15 fans' groups to try to work
together to give our supporters a better match-day experience at the London
Stadium. In our talks we agreed a number of action points and we are working
to deliver them.

"All the groups chose their own representatives which we accepted in good
faith.

"All of those who attended expressed a desire to achieve the same ambition.
The meetings were cordial and constructive. Many of them had travelled long
distances to meet with us.

"We will in future be working with the long-standing Supporters Advisory
Board to achieve those common aims on behalf of all supporters."

For that first meeting, Brady had initially suggested both Sullivan and Gold
would attend, but it was in the end only the vice-chairman that did.

She later sent a nine-page letter to all involved, going through the various
issues discussed, and thanking everyone for a "highly constructive" meeting.


The letter however also references that it "followed a three-and-half-hour
meeting David Sullivan had with the lead representatives co-ordinating these
groups".

The WHUISA however claim no-one from their groups attended such a meeting.
One source says that "as far as I can tell, this was solely with the Real
WHF group. No minutes are available of that meeting".

Other sources claim Swallow has been saying he "met with Sullivan in his
house". West Ham deny this meeting ever took place.

The various supporters' groups then gathered again on 26 February and agreed
to release the letter in the interests of transparency.

It was at this point something else changed. Swallow wanted to call off the
march. It was felt Brady's commitments were insufficient to prevent it.

Brady then called a second meeting for 28 February. The Independent
understands WHUISA only found out about the meeting on the day, but still
managed to attend, along with Swallow's Real WHF and Hammers Chat website.

The meeting went through the points of the letter, and after 90 minutes came
to a discussion of what it would take to prevent the march. Brady pointed to
how it would be "damaging to employees that work hard thinking they are not
appreciated. Damage to team.. damage to sponsors."

From a Swallow question, Brady said the club would reimburse those who had
made arrangements to travel for the march, and "look at providing match
tickets".

Most of those who attended the meeting still felt West Ham's commitments
were insufficient, and that they wanted to march.

It was on Thursday 1 March that Swallow's Real WHF group then unilaterally
announced the march was off, without consulting other groups.

Many were baffled because there had been no promises from the club, and few
concessions, beyond making the stadium more "homely". As one source puts it,
"all hell broke loose"

"Wild" debate broke out on the Real WHF Facebook page, as so many people
were still desperate to march.

It was in this situation WHUISA were pushed into a leading role, since they
are the only FSF-affiliated group, and due to the absence of anyone else
willing to organise. There was also the fact that Walker was democratically
elected, and felt a responsibility. The WHUISA were also conscious of the
possibility that people would just turn up anyway, and that the lack of any
proper planning could lead to disorder.

That concern was all the greater because of the posts made on the Real WHFG
Facebook account on Saturday night. This was when the group stridently
declared themselves against the protest, and the WHUISA were accused of
left-wing agitation and involvement in AntiFa, amid threats of physical
obstruction.

It is believed the accusations arose because of Walker's history of work for
the Labour Party, and his Facebook declarations of support for Sadiq Kahn.

Concerned friends say this has left Walker "distraught", and fearful of his
safety.

The Real WHF group's sudden oppositions to the march – and the possible
reasons for it – were not the only striking curiosities to the situation.

There was also what happened when Walker and the WHUISA began to plan for
the protest, and is alluded to in the correspondence sent by Newham Council
asking for the protest to be delayed.

"Unfortunately it is not simply a case of 'taking over the existing plan'
because there is no existing plan to speak of," the Council wrote. "We had
one brief meeting last week with the previous organiser where a couple of
alternative routes were discussed and we were awaiting a detailed route plan
and event management plan but have not received anything since."

In other words, the Real WHF group hadn't gone through the process required,
raising one of many pertinent questions about the situation – whether they
ever intended to march.

It is an uncertain atmosphere, as well as a toxic one.

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