A bumper digest today due to me being unable to post one yesterday.... my
apologies
Here's to a exciting and successful second season under Super Slav. COYI
Dave Witts
Preview - Chelsea- WHUFC Official Site
When and where?
Chelsea v West Ham United
Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Monday 15 August 2016, 8pm BST
What's the story?
Ninety-two days after the Hammers left the pitch at Stoke City to end the
2015/16 season, it's time for the action to start all over again.
Slaven Bilic's men get their Premier League campaign underway with a trip to
London rivals Chelsea, who will be under the leadership of new manager
Antonio Conte for the first time.
Chelsea will be looking to recover from a below-par 2015/16 campaign, which
saw them finish well off the pace in tenth position – just a year after
lifting the Premier League title.
As they look to turn their fortunes around they have turned to former
Juventus and Italy boss Conte, who led his country to a quarter-final place
at Euro 2016 this summer.
They spent big to bring in Leicester City's title-winning midfielder N'Golo
Kante and Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi this summer, while Mohamed Salah
and Papy Djilobodji moved through the exit door.
In pre-season, the Blues, like West Ham, spent time training in Austria.
They followed that by taking part in the International Champions Cup – a
tournament which saw them defeat Liverpool, lose narrowly to Real Madrid and
beat AC Milan, all in the United States.
They concluded their pre-season preparations with a 4-2 win over Werder
Bremen last weekend, with Eden Hazard, Oscar, Diego Costa and Pedro all on
target.
Team news
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slaven Bilic admitted that one
or two positions remained open in his thinking going into this game.
With Darren Randolph, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Dimitri Payet all
being involved at Euro 2016, they came back to pre-season training at
different times, with Payet last to return last weekend.
They have all played their part either in the Hammers' UEFA Europa League
qualifiers against NK Domzale or the Betway Cup clash with Juventus and it
remains to be seen if they will be involved at Stamford Bridge.
However, Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini will definitely be out with knee
injuries, while Gokhan Tore returned to training last week after a knee
injury of his own.
Any links between the two?
Angelo Ogbonna will be reunited with his former Juventus boss Antonio Conte,
who has taken the reins at Chelsea this summer.
Elsewhere, Chelsea winger Victor Moses spent last season on loan with the
Hammers, making 21 Premier League appearances with one goal, while current
Hammers loanee Gokhan Tore was in the Chelsea academy between 2009-11.
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Manager on Monday - WHUFC Official Site
Slaven Bilic is convinced his team will not be treated any differently
despite their impressive record against the big teams in the Premier League
last season.
West Ham started the season in superb fashion last year beating Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City on their travels in the opening month of the
season.
Bilic's side showed they can be a match for any team and with the historic
move into the new Stadium during the summer, they are full of confidence
ahead of the first game against Chelsea on Monday night.
The West Ham United manager can see more big upsets taking place this season
and feels the gap is closing all the time on the bigger clubs in the Premier
League.
Bilic said: "I don't think they will treat us any different. They didn't
underestimate us last season.
"Our first three away games were Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – it
was kind of a shock.
"But it wasn't only us. Stoke for example, beat Manchester City and
Manchester United at home, Southampton beat Chelsea away, Arsenal at home,
Manchester United away.
"It wasn't only West Ham. It was a strange season. For the big ones, I would
say unusual.
"We started it because of the fixtures. So it is not like they
underestimated us. Just that smaller clubs improved because of the money,
more tactical, but mainly because they had the resources to attract and get
better players.
"It will definitely continue this season. The big ones, like you can see in
transfer window, some of them have reacted big time with players and
managers. It is going to be hard for them again."
One of the major factors behind West Ham's impressive campaign was the form
shown by Dimitri Payet who became a cult hero with the Hammers fans in just
his first season in English football.
Bilic is not concerned that his influential forward will become a marked man
in his second season in the Premier League and is confident he will continue
to show his best form for the Club.
Bilic added: "I don't believe he will be a marked man this season. People
are trying to mark great players all their careers because they are great
players and can get out of that situation.
"Psychologically it is a big season for him as he will want to repeat what
he did last season and we will do everything to help him and I see no reason
why he cannot repeat that.
"Dimitri will not do everything by himself and it was not the case last
year."
Bilic is also hoping to see Andy Carroll continue his impressive pre-season
form and become a major star for the Club this season.
Carroll showed his qualities again when he scored two goals against Juventus
last week and looks back to his best ahead of the opening game at Stamford
Bridge.
Bilic said: "It is a massive season for Andy Carroll. What gives us hope is
that he has done the whole of pre-season. He only missed a couple of games
but we wanted to give him a rest.
"When you want to sign a striker who will score 20 goals season if you look
at his stats he can get you that. But the amount of games he was available,
it was not 20 but only nine goals.
"It is not tiredness, but his situation that he was not available the whole
season. We hope he will be injury free this season."
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Five Talking Points - Premier League kick-off-WHUFC Official Site
The important points for discussion as West Ham United prepare to travel to
Chelsea on Monday evening...
Team selection
Slaven Bilic may be without injured trio Aaron Cresswell, Manuel Lanzini and
new boy Gokhan Tore on Monday, but he will still have plenty of options when
it comes to picking his team.
The manager has two fine goalkeepers to choose from, alongside three
international centre-halves. At full-back, he will opt between Michail
Antonio and Sam Byram at right-back, while new boy Arthur Masuaku could be
given a Premier League baptism of fire at left-back.
In midfield, Norway's Havard Nordtveit looks set to play an important role
in front of the back four, with Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate ahead of
him. The impressive Reece Oxford and dependable Pedro Obiang could also be
involved on the night.
Two more new boys look set to fill the wide positions in Sofiane Feghouli
and Andre Ayew, with Andy Carroll up front, but Dimitri Payet and Enner
Valencia will both hope to feature too.
The race for No1
Last season, West Ham benefitted hugely from having two outstanding
goalkeepers to call upon in Spaniard Adrian and experienced Irishman Darren
Randolph.
Despite some headlines suggesting he may seek a guaranteed starting place
elsewhere after starring for his country at Euro 2016, Randolph has signed a
new contract to remain in Claret and Blue. Adrian, meanwhile, has returned
to fitness in pre-season after missing the end of last term through injury.
Both men were given a chance to impress against Domzale in the UEFA Europa
League, but who will be between the sticks for the start of the Premier
League campaign?
A year ago, West Ham United travelled to a big-name London rival with a new
manager, new players and with, the pundits said, no chance of pulling off a
victory.
At the final whistle, the Hammers had beaten Arsenal 2-0 and those same
pundits were purring over Slaven Bilic's side and, in particular, the
performances of French playmaker Dimitri Payet and Academy youngster Reece
Oxford.
On Monday night, the stage will be Stamford Bridge rather than the Emirates
and the opposition Chelsea. Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is the
attitude of the pundits, who would not be at all surprised if West Ham
started the season with another landmark away win.
New Blues
Two players previously linked with West Ham United are likely to make their
Chelsea debuts against the Hammers on Monday evening – France midfielder N'Golo
Kante and Belgium striker Michy Batschuayi.
A Premier League title winner with Leicester City last season, Kante will
add bite and athleticism to a midfield that appeared pedestrian at times a
year ago. Batschuayi, meanwhile, enjoyed a fine personal season amid
turbulent surroundings at Marseille last term, following that up with a goal
for his country at Euro 2016.
Both will be keen to impress another new Blue in manager Antonio Conte,
whose tactical acumen has arrived at Stamford Bridge after a wildly
successful spell at Juventus and a decent stint as Italy manager.
A Bridge too far?
West Ham United's record at Stamford Bridge has been poor in recent years.
Indeed, the Hammers travel to west London on a ten-match winless Premier
League run at the home of Chelsea.
Last season, Slaven BIlic's side were the better team, led twice and
deserved to win, only to be denied at the last by a controversial Cesc
Fabregas penalty – awarded when Michail Antonio was penalised for bringing
down Ruben Loftus-Cheek a yard outside the box.
Paolo Di Canio scored twice on West Ham's last victory in SW6 back in
September 2002, but will that record be broken on Monday night?
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Day one delight for Manning - WHUFC Official Site
Dev Squad coach Liam Manning was delighted with his side's terrific start to
their Premier League 2 campaign on Saturday as the Hammers beat Stoke City
3-0.
New boys Ashley Fletcher and Toni Martinez were both on the scoresheet at
the home of Leek Town as the Potters went 2-0 down within half an hour.
Ryan Sweeney put into his own net to hand the visitors their third, as
Manning and the U23s celebrated a comfortable opening day win.
The coach said: "We played well on Saturday and it was a really good start
for us. I think the things we'd worked on and the messages we're reinforcing
every week were delivered really well. It was a great start.
"We've played some tough teams this pre-season, so to come away with a 3-0
victory shows that they were worthwhile fixtures for us. Our lads need to be
able to play at that level as part of their development and to prove their
ability.
"The challenge on Saturday was transferring that into a performance and to
be fair to them, we did exactly that."
Former Manchester United forward Fletcher has spent most of his early
Hammers career with the first team, but played alongside fellow summer
recruit Martinez against Stoke.
Martinez, who travelled with the senior squad to the US and Austria over
pre-season, scored his first goal in a West Ham shirt away at VVV-Venlo for
the Dev Squad earlier this month.
"It was good to see the pair of them – Martinez and Fletcher – get on the
scoresheet," Manning continued. "I thought the two played well up front
together.
"Although they both scored, both of them should have had more to be a
critical. They went away from the match thinking they could have had two or
three each, but it was a good start for them still.
"We hit the woodwork and the victory could have been far more convincing. We
dominated the game bar a small five or ten minute period where our levels
dropped a bit. We looked a constant threat."
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Joint-Chairman - We are ready for Chelsea-WHUFC Official Site
Joint-Chairman David Gold reflects on a busy summer of transfer activity and
looks ahead to the opening Premier League game against Chelsea on Monday
night.....
The countdown is finally over and we are now preparing for the first Premier
League game of the season.
It has been a long summer but I think the business we have done overall has
been incredible and I have to pay tribute to David Sullivan, Slaven Bilic,
Tony Henry and Andrew Pincher for all the hard work they have put in to
ensure we have had a near perfect window.
There are number of top clubs across Europe who are looking to sign a
striker who can score over 20 top flight goals a season, but when it comes
down to it there are probably only ten forwards who can do that and all the
top Clubs are chasing them.
We can still be very excited over the signings we have made and our fans
should not forget that we have made a Club record signing and the arrival of
Andre Ayew is a major coup for the football club.
Slaven has shown that he wants players who can show versatility and Andre
fits that bill.
He can operate anywhere along the frontline and when you get injuries, you
want players who can be that versatile.
Michail Antonio is a great example of that, while young players like Sam
Byram have also shown he can play in different positions and that is key.
Andre certainly gives Slaven options and he is a game changer. It is a big
factor that he has Premier League experience as some of the top players take
time to adapt and settle in. We know that he can play straight away.
It is also valuable that he has played with Dimitri Payet and they had a
great relationship together at Marseille. They know each other very well and
we are hoping they can have another great partnership at West Ham.
We also secured the £6.2million signing of Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos
and that would have been a Club record ten-years ago, so we are very excited
over his signing as well.
He is a talented player and will be a major addition to the squad. The
strength is key to our squad.
We have also brought in Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan who is one of
the best young prospects in South America and we are all excited to see him
in action.
All attentions now turn to the opening game against Chelsea on Monday night.
We have won the right to be optimistic ahead of these big games and I am
confident that wherever we go, we are capable of getting a good result.
Chelsea are one of the top clubs in Europe and have a top class manager who
is hugely experienced.
They have top players, but I believe we can get something from the game. We
showed against the big teams away from home last season that we were capable
of getting a result and there is no reason we cannot do the same thing
again.
Our fans will turn out in their numbers once again and we will have
magnificent support at Stamford Bridge. Why can't we make it the perfect
start to the season and come away with a positive result.
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Hammer Havard eyeing Premier League bow - WHUFC Official Site
On the eve of what could well be his Premier League debut, new signing
Havard Nordtveit is relishing what is arguably the biggest game of his
career.
Having begun his professional career at Arsenal aged 17, the Norwegian
international spent six-and-a-half years in Germany, first on loan at FC
Nuremberg, before joining Borussia Monchengladbach prior to his return to
England.
Now 26, the midfielder, who can also be deployed as a central defender,
cannot wait for his Premier League bow: "It's a very tough league, each game
is a fight. We just have to take each game individually, we are only
focusing on Chelsea, and then the next game after that.
"After Chelsea we will know where we are, it's a long season. Of course we
want to do as well as we can, we have a new stadium and a new training
ground, so everything is going well ahead of the new season.
"If I don't make my debut on Monday, I hope it comes very soon – it's a big
boy dream I've had seen I was little. Generally in Scandinavia the Premier
League is the most popular league, and I've seen many games from Upton Park,
I'm very happy to be part of this fantastic club.
Having joined the Hammers back in July, Nordtveit has enjoyed the benefit of
a full-preseason with his new teammates, first out in America, before
travelling to Austria and Slovenia where he made his competitive debut in
the first leg against NK Domzale.
Nordtveit continued: "Pre-season was good, we spent a lot of time together.
The two games we've had in the Europa League have been important.
"We are there fitness wise and now I am really looking forward to the new
season."
While Nordtveit, a hugely positive and engaging character, has already
settled into life in east London seamlessly, the Norwegian explained his
reasons for choosing the Hammers in the first place.
He said: "First of all the club is traditional, and now with the new stadium
it is a good combination. I was always watching West Ham in Norway growing
up.
"For me, it's like a family club, everyone is in one big group.
"Second, the new stadium is really fantastic. The atmosphere (in the first
two home games) was amazing. I didn't think it would be so loud, but walking
out in the tunnel, it was so loud, I couldn't believe it.
"The fans were amazing and hopefully it's like that at every home game.
Every player here is really keen that the fans enjoy the new stadium and
make it as loud as possible."
Another key factor for the midfielder was clearly the opportunity of working
with manager Slaven Bilic: "He was one of the biggest reasons why I joined,
after we met in London there was no going back. He said a lot of good
things, I couldn't wait to join!"
Just three months into his five year contract, Nordtveit has clearly hit the
ground running. Looking ahead to what promises to be a bright future, he
beamed: "I hope the next five years can develop me as a player and help the
club to take it a step further.
"There are a lot of games in a season, so over five years, I hope to impress
the manager, impress the fans and show I can play at this level."
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Ogbonna - We are friends but not on the pitch - WHUFC Official Site
It will be a case of friends reunited when Angelo Ogbonna meets up with
Antonio Conte once again at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Ogbonna knows the Chelsea manager more than most having played under him at
Juventus and for Italy – most recently at the European Championship Finals
during the summer.
The West Ham United defender believes he will be a great addition to the
Premier League and says his passion will be evident for everyone to see.
Ogbonna will enjoy linking up with the experienced manager, but says their
friendship will be put to one side as he focuses on helping the Hammers
secure their first three points of the season.
Ogbonna said: "I will just say hello to Antonio! We are friends but not on
the pitch. Every manager wants to do well in the first game and I think it
will really be a good game.
"I think he will bring passion to the Premier League. He likes to improve
his players with physical methods and likes to improve the character.
"I call him 'Tailor' because he arrived at Juventus when they were not
playing well and the same with Italy and can repair them. It is the same
with Chelsea.
"When I heard he was being appointed Chelsea manager and had the chance to
come into the Premier League, I think it is good for him.
"It is the same with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho as well. It is good for
the Premier League and something is changing. The football will improve.
"I am still excited to be playing here. The Premier League is the best in
the world and everyone wants to come and play here.
"Conte has improved me as a player and all the players he worked with. I
have a similar coach as well in Slaven who has the same character and both
of them can improve players."
Antonio sees a number of comparisons between Conte and Slaven Bilic and
feels they both help to get the best out of the players.
Ogbonna added: "He is similar to Slaven. Slaven has a good humour and good
passion and doesn't like to lose.
"When he loses he is so angry. I think he is similar, they look for the
human being first and after that the player, that is how you can compare."
After producing famous away wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City
at the start of last season, Ogbonna hopes to see his team produce a repeat
performance and feels the move into the new Stadium can help them move onto
the next level.
"We are excited. Last year we did well but maybe it was because it was the
last year at the Boleyn Ground. Maybe this year we can do well because it's
the first year in our new home.
"I hope the new Stadium can help us but nothing it certain. I think these
changes are very good for the team. We are going to do our job really well
because we have everything in place for us."
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New boys fire Dev Squad past Potters - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United's Development Squad side kicked-off their Premier League 2
season with a 3-0 victory at Stoke City on Saturday.
Ashley Fletcher, Antonio Martinez and a Ryan Sweeney own-goal sealed the
victory for the Hammers at Leek Town's Harrison Park stadium, where Terry
Westley's sidfe controlled the game from start to finish.
It took the youngsters just three minutes to take the lead when Grady
Diangana provided a fantastic inswinging cross towards Fletcher, who nodded
past Potters goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai.
It was two on the half-hour mark when Fletcher saw his one-on-one effort
saved by Gyollai, but Martinez managed to divert the rebound in off the far
post.
The moment of the game went to Fletcher who tried an outrageous effort from
just inside Stoke's half which left Gyollai helpless, but the lob crashed
onto the bar and bounced out for a goal kick.
Fifteen minutes from time the Hammers got their third in fortunate fashion.
A corner from the left was unintentionally diverted towards the far post
where Oliver Shenton cleared the ball off the line, only for it to hit
team-mate Sweeney and bounce into the back of the net.
That completed a convincing win, providing the West Ham youngsters with a
perfect start in the new U23 Premier League division, where their next
encounter will be at home to Newcastle United a week on Monday.
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U18s record perfect start - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United opened their Barclays U18 Premier League South campaign with
an entertaining 2-0 victory at Reading on Saturday.
The hosts came out strong in the first half but were unable to convert any
of the succession of chances they created in the opening 45 minutes.
After the break, West Ham rallied and pushed themselves ahead when captain
Tunji Akinola found space at the far post to head home from Anthony Scully's
cross.
Shortly after, Scully was again involved as the visitors doubled their lead,
setting up midfielder Alfie Lewis, who swept home whilst laying on the floor
in the penalty box.
U18s coach Mark Phillips admitted it had been a game of two halves, but
insisted the right team had won come the final whistle.
"I'm pleased with the second half, but I wasn't pleased with the opening 45
minutes," admitted Phillips. "Our general passing of the ball and shape
throughout the first half wasn't good enough and we totally got it all
wrong.
"We worked on it during training on Friday, making sure that our shape was
right and how the midfield three would rotate out of possession, but from a
defensive point of view, we got it all wrong in the first half.
"I have to say fair play to Reading though because they took advantage of
our play and were finding routes through our defensive whilst creating
opportunities.
"However, we rectified all of that at the break and I believe that we ran
out deserved winners by the end. We were getting more of the ball and
dominating territorially, whilst creating quite a few chances, some of which
we missed that probably should've been taken."
Reading, who defeated West Ham 3-0 in the same fixture last season, looked
set to repeat that feat early on, with their sharp passing and quick
movement causing all kinds of trouble for the visitors.
The visitors were chasing from the kick-off and really should have been 1-0
down on 23 minutes when a defensive slip-up allowed a number of home players
to crowd the West Ham penalty area, although Rihad Matrevics made fabulous
save to keep the ball out of the net.
West Ham tried to battle back and had their own efforts on target through
Scully and Kristjian Belic, but neither were enough to cause any real panic.
After the break, the Hammers opened the scoring. After a Scully corner was
cleared straight back to his feet, the young Irishman used his skills to
open up some space before whipping a cross towards the far post, where
Akinola finished with a precise header.
That goal shocked the hosts, and they were stunned again when the Hammers
doubled their lead five minutes later.
The ball was worked out to Jahmal Hector-Ingram on the right of the penalty
box, who clipped a cross to Scully at perfect head height. However, rather
than go for goal himself, Scully knocked the ball down to Lewis, who though
falling as his first shot was blocked, turned in from the floor at the
second time of asking.
Reading had little to offer in front of goal during the second half and the
Hammers secured an opening-day victory and three welcome points to kick-off
their 2016/17 campaign.
Next up for Potts' Academy side comes the visit of London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur to Little Heath on Saturday 21 August, with kick-off at 11am.
U18s: Matrevics, Johnson, Akinola, Wells, Hannam (Henry), Belic, Lewis,
Scully, Powell, Hector-Ingram (Constantinou), Longelo (Hamilton)
Subs not used: Hudson, Miller
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Reid - We're ready to start fast again - WHUFC Official Site
Winston Reid is keen for the Hammers to replicate last season's terrific
start when they face Chelsea in their first Premier League clash of the
season on Monday.
Slaven Bilic's side got off the mark on the opening day last campaign at
Arsenal and take on another of the division's top sides in Antonio Conte's
Blues at Stamford Bridge.
And Reid recognised the challenge the Hammers face, but sounded his
confidence ahead of the curtain-raiser.
He said: "Chelsea, who have a top new manager, will be raring to go and will
want to start well and it's tough against the top sides, but we hope to do
what we did last season at Arsenal and pick up a positive result.
"Last season, that game really kick-started the season and we hope something
similar will come our way. It would be the perfect start.
"It's going to be tough. Obviously they had a disappointing season last year
and have a quality squad, but we want to try and go there and get a good
result."
West Ham picked up four points from the west London outfit last season and
it could have been more had it not been for a moment of controversy late on
at Stamford Bridge in March.
And Reid thinks the disappointment felt after the clash was a sign of how
far the Club had come over the course of the season under Bilic's
leadership.
"We were disappointed last season and it of course showed that we've come a
long way," the New Zealand international continued. "But in any match in
which you concede a late goal to prevent you picking up three points, you'll
be disappointed.
"In that game, we produced a lot of chances and we should have won. We didn't
and we picked up too many draws around that time.
"But this is a new season and it's a chance for us to start from scratch. We
want to go there and get the best possible start at Stamford Bridge and we
believe we can do that."
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Chelsea v West Ham United - BBC Sport
TEAM NEWS
New signings Michy Batshuayi and N'Golo Kante are poised to make their
Chelsea debuts on Monday night.
Kurt Zouma remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has said Euro 2016 finalist Dimitri Payet will
not be fit to play the whole game after making a delayed start to
pre-season.
Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini are out with knee injuries but Andre Ayew
and Sofiane Feghouli could be involved.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Jonathan Pearce: "Many people are tipping Chelsea to challenge for the title
under new boss Antonio Conte. He's a charming passionate football man with
steely, ambitious eyes.
"N'Golo Kante will add a pacy engine to a flagging midfield. But it's a big
step up for £33m striker Michy Batshuayi. The Conte evolution may take time.
"West Ham surprised everyone by winning at Arsenal on the opening day last
year. They could spring another one here.
"New boys Sofiane Feghouli and Ashley Fletcher have looked sharp in
pre-season. Andre Ayew's a good signing. A top five challenge should lie
ahead.
"This is a thrilling score draw for me."
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants his players to channel the spirit of
champions Leicester City: "When you watch Leicester's games you understand
this great feeling between the players.
"Every player is ready to help his team-mate because he knows in another
situation his team-mate will help him.
"It's important to have this if you want to win. It's important to have
talented, fantastic players, but it's important as well to create the right
spirit."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "We have a good squad - we've kept most of
the players and we've added some players too.
"We are expecting them to improve us - we'd expect that even without them
because we have been together for a year now and had a good last season.
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
The Hammers have got some outstanding players but I think Chelsea will turn
them over on Monday night.
Prediction: 2-0
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 13 season-opening games at home
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home matches
against West Ham (W7, D3).
The Hammers last won at Stamford Bridge in September 2002 when Paolo Di
Canio's late goal clinched a 3-2 victory.
Chelsea
Chelsea's tally of 50 points last season is the lowest of any reigning
Premier League champion.
They could go six home games without a win for the first time since a
12-match run between November 1994 and April 1995.
The Blues have amassed 51 points from their opening Premier League
fixtures, more than any other team.
Antonio Conte is unbeaten in 28 successive league home matches as a club
manager since January 2013 (W26, D2).
Chelsea have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 12 home
league matches since beating Norwich City 1-0 in November 2015. They last
went longer without a clean sheet in 1960-1961.
West Ham United
West Ham finished higher than Chelsea last season for the first time in
20 years.
They earned 15 points in London derbies last season, more than any other
club. Chelsea managed 12 points.
The Hammers have scored at least one goal in each their last 13 league
matches.
SAM's verdict
SAM's predicted score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 20%
Probability of home win: 68% Probability of away win: 12%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale
at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football
matches.
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Hammers make it a treble - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 14 August 2016 at 2:32pm
All three of West Ham's young teams won yesterday in their first competitive
games of the season.
The U23 side won 3-0 away to Stoke with goals from new signings, Ashley
Fletcher, Antonio Martinez and an own goal from a Stoke City player.
It took the U23 side just three minutes to take the lead when Grady Diangana
provided a fantastic inswinging cross towards Fletcher, who nodded past
Potters goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai.
It was two on the half-hour mark when Fletcher saw his one-on-one effort
saved by Gyollai, but Martinez managed to divert the rebound in off the far
post.
The moment of the game came when Fletcher tried an outrageous effort from
just inside Stoke's half which left Gyollai helpless, but the lob crashed
onto the bar and bounced out for a goal kick.
Fifteen minutes from time the Hammers got their third. A corner from the
left was unintentionally diverted towards the far post where Oliver Shenton
cleared the ball off the line, only for it to hit team-mate Sweeney and
bounce into the back of the net.
That completed a convincing win, providing the West Ham youngsters with a
perfect start in the new U23 Premier League division, where their next
encounter will be at home to Newcastle United a week on Monday.
West Ham United U23s: Nathan Trott, Moses Makasi, Declan Rice (c), Reece
Burke, Alex Pike (Noha Sylvestre 62), Grady Diangana (Dan Kemp 78), Diego
Poyet, Domingos Quina, Marcus Browne, Ashley Fletcher, Antonio Martinez.
Unused sub – Tyler Forde (GK)
The U18 side won 2-0 away to Reading with goals from Tunji Akinola and Alfie
Lewis whilst the U16's completed the Reading rout with a 5-1 victory with
doubles from Jeremy Ngakia, Sean Adarkwa along with a Benardo Rosa goal.
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Chelsea v West Ham Preview - thewesthamway
by ExWHUEmployee on 14 August 2016 at 9:20pm
Chelsea Badge
This is written by Deportivo Hammer
The Premier League is back, big name players and big name managers. Bright
lights, new stars and new stadiums. The Premier League is going to be
bigger and better than ever.
With the Euro Championship in France this year it seems to have disrupted
many teams pre-season plans ours included, with Dimitri Payet only being
back at the club a week.
During the off season our Chairman promised to bring in a big name striker
for a lot of money, while everyone was waiting for this big name to come, we
quietly managed to pick up free agents Havard Nordtveit and Sofiane
Feghouli, as well as adding exciting young talents Domingos Quina, Ashley
Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri.
We then waited and waited…Then suddenly along came Andre Ayew for a club
record fee of £20.5 million pounds a lot of money some people might say, but
in today's market i feel we have a bargain.
Pre-season for West Ham United hasn't been great results wise, but avoiding
injury is probably the most important thing unfortunately Aaron Cresswell
looks to be out for 4 months. This made the board go out and get a proven
player with Champions League experience Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos.
Playing 2 competitive games in the UEFA League against NK Domzale should
give us a little bit of an edge over Chelsea. Our opponents in the next
round are FC Astra Giurgiu.
Chelsea on the other hand have beaten Liverpool, AC Milan and Werder Breman
and lost to European giants Real Madrid, also managing not to pick up any
major injuries.
New manager Antonio Conte has been busy bringing in players such as N'Golo
Kante from Leicester City and Michy Batshuayi from Olympic Marseille. I
fully expect them to be more active in the transfer market before the window
closes.
Predicted teams –
Chelsea – Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Kante, Fabregas,
Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa.
West Ham United – Adrian, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Masuaka, Nordtveit, Noble
Kouyate, Ayew, Feghouli, Carroll.
Big decisions for Slav in the full back positions as he likes to play
Antonio there but I hope he gives Byram a run in the team in his natural
position. He could also play Byram at left back depending on the fitness of
Masuaka.
I would love to say Payet will start, but I think he will be given a role
from the bench as I think he still needs time training with the rest of the
squad.
One thing for sure there is going to be plenty of competition for places
this year with Tore, Obiang, Calleri, Oxford and Lanzini all pushing to get
into the team. With the hopeful extra Euro games all will be needed at some
point.
I predict this game to be very open and finish 2-2 with Carroll and Ayew
getting our goals on the night.
Deportivo Hammer
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Chelsea v West Ham preview: - SkySports
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 15/08/16 12:09pm
Antonio Conte will take charge of his first Premier League match when
Chelsea host West Ham on Monday Night Football.
The Blues, who are looking to bounce back after only finishing 10th last
season, have signed midfielder N'Golo Kante from Leicester and forward Michy
Batshuayi from Marseille.
Both could be in line for their debuts against the Hammers, who drew at
Stamford Bridge in the 2015/16 campaign.
West Ham have already played competitive matches in the Europa League and a
number of new signings could make their first league appearances.
Andre Ayew, Arthur Masuaku and Sofiane Feghouli are among those looking for
a place in the starting XI.
Team news
There are no new injury concerns for Chelsea, with Kurt Zouma still
sidelined as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered earlier in
the year.
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has a number of decisions to make regarding his
team.
He has already confirmed Dimitri Payet will not be fit to play the whole
game after returning back to pre-season following his Euro 2016 exploits
with France, while new signings Ayew and Masuaku also need to prove their
fitness if they are to make their debuts.
Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini (both knee) are definitely out but former
Chelsea youngster Gokhan Tore (knee) is back in training.
Opta stats
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League meetings with West Ham
United at Stamford Bridge (W7 D3) and have not lost at home to them in the
league since September 2002 (2-3).
West Ham were unbeaten against Chelsea in the Premier League last season (W1
D1); the first time that they have achieved this since 2002-03.
Chelsea are unbeaten in each of their last 13 season opening fixtures played
at Stamford Bridge (W10 D3).
Antonio Conte has lost just one of his last 30 league games as a club
manager (W27 D2 L1).
Diego Costa has scored five goals in seven Premier League appearances for
Chelsea in the month of August.
Dimitri Payet had a hand in 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League
appearances of 2015-16 (three goals, eight assists).
Merson's prediction
It's a difficult start for both teams but I'm going for Chelsea to win the
league so I'm going for a Chelsea win here too. People say they weren't
great defensively last season but Conte is a great tactician and they will
improve.
If N'Golo Kante gets around Dimitri Payet, I don't see Payet touching the
ball too often. He's a top player and you don't want to be giving away
free-kicks around the box, but he's not really going to run away from
defenders.
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West Ham United's €10m bid for striker is enough for selling club -
Sportwitness
By Lucas Sposito -
15th August 2016
Aboubakar A Bola August 15thLast week, we've covered an article from A Bola
which said that West Ham, Middlesbrough and Leicester were interested in the
Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar.
Now A Bola has a short update on Monday, saying the deal with the Hammers is
quite possible.
First, they take claims from the British press which said West Ham would be
ready to make a €10m bid for the player.
This amount would please the Portuguese club and put the decision in their
hands. There's also information of Besiktas trying to sign the player on
loan as they would be offering €3m for the spell.
However, we've made a search in the British press and didn't find any
articles saying West Ham would be ready to advance.
We don't believe A Bola would make this up, since they could simply publish
the information as their own, but it's also quite possible they've
misunderstood some articles from the weekend which were republishing the
info from their own paper.
In any case, the claims saying Porto would like the €10m offer seem to be
their own, so it's now up to the Hammers to open negotiations or not.
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Jonathan Calleri to receive international clearance soon -ReadWestham
West Ham's latest summer arrival, Jonathan Calleri, is expected to receive
international clearance to complete his season-long loan move from Uruguayan
side Deportivo Maldonado.
Jack Sullivan took to Twitter this afternoon to give an update on the
situation surrounding Calleri and his move to West Ham.
Slaven Bilic confirmed last week that a deal had been agreed to sign Calleri
on a season-long loan move and the transfer will be completed once he
receives a UK work permit.
It's understood he has now received one and is awaiting international
clearance to finally complete the move, something Jack Sullivan cleared up
today.
"Calleri has signed on a season long loan, however he need International
clearance which takes a few days before he can play. #COYI" he posted on
Twitter this afternoon.
The 22-year-old Argentine striker is expected to join up with the first-team
squad after their Premier League curtain-raiser against Chelsea tonight and
could be in with a chance of featuring at the weekend against Bournemouth.
The former Boca Juniors and Sao Paulo star was part of the Argentina squad
which were prematurely knocked out of the Olympics this month which has seen
Calleri return to club action sooner than expected, which is positive for
the Hammers.
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, August 15
Saturday, August 13
Daily WHUFC News -13th August
Hammers proud to create local jobs - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United's anchor tenancy at the London Stadium was always intended
to bring jobs to the area around Stratford, and new figures published today
show the contribution that the Club have directly made towards that goal.
The London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Barking & Dagenham have the
highest rates of unemployment in the capital, and youth unemployment is a
particular problem in each borough. One of the key reasons the 2012 Games
were staged in East London was to bring investment, regeneration and jobs to
the capital's most deprived area.
Maintaining that legacy was a key component of West Ham's bid to become the
anchor tenant at the former Olympic Stadium, and as a result of the Club's
presence, Stratford will have an extra guaranteed footfall in excess of 1.2
million people each season, supporting the businesses and jobs located in
the area, and attracting even greater investment in the years to come.
However, West Ham has also sought to play a direct part in that effort by
employing the maximum number of local residents in additional posts created
by the Stadium move, working in concert with our partners in the London
Borough of Newham through their Newham Workplace service.
So far a total of 81 additional staff have been recruited to work in the
Club's new Stadium Store and Ticket Office facilities on Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park. Of these, 40 per cent live within 3 miles of the Stadium, and
three-quarters live in the London Borough of Newham or its six surrounding
boroughs. Furthermore over 80% of those recruited within these boroughs are
aged 16-24.
West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady is proud of the progress that has been
made, saying:
"The concept of an Olympic Legacy for London was founded on the promise that
a long-term future for the new Stadium would continue to bring jobs,
business and regeneration to the most deprived area of London for many
decades to come. And it is West Ham United's anchor tenancy at the Stadium
is what makes that successful long-term future both possible and
sustainable.
"Anyone who has visited Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the past week and
witnessed it thriving with over 110,000 West Ham supporters in the space of
four days trying out all the facilities and amenities, shopping and eating,
and enjoying all that the Park and Stratford as a whole have to offer would
be in no doubt about the very tangible regeneration and economic benefits
West Ham's presence in the Stadium is bringing to East London.
"But more than that, we are also actively playing our part by providing jobs
for local residents, and giving vocational training and opportunities to
thousands of local youngsters through our Foundation. We are proud to play
our part in delivering the legacy Britain was promised."
In addition to the new recruits, West Ham has gone to great lengths to
ensure that the staff responsible for stewarding at the Boleyn Ground were
able to take up new roles with the contractors responsible for stewarding at
the London Stadium.
We are currently recruiting for staff to work across the Club's Stadium
store, warehouse and online store from September in the build up to
Christmas. We hope to hire as many local residents as possible, and details
of the recruitment process can be found here.
http://www.whufc.com/Club/Recruitment/Vacancies
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October and November fixture changes confirmed - WHUFC Official Site
The Premier League have announced their fixture changes for October and
November.
West Ham United's away game at Crystal Palace will remain on Saturday 15
October, but will now kick-off at 5.30pm.
Meanwhile, the Hammers' trip to Everton has been moved to Sunday 30 October,
with kick-off set for 1.30pm.
In November, the London derby at Tottenham Hotspur will now kick-off at
5.30pm on Saturday 19 November.
Finally, Slaven Bilic's men will now head to Manchester United on Sunday 27
November, with kick-off at 4.30pm.
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Keep us Americans Out of Your Owner's Suite - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 11 August 2016 at 10:03pm
By @WestHamAmerican
A wealthy gentleman from my hometown recently (2012) purchased an NFL
franchise. I have known him for a few years and know him to be a shrewd
businessman, a generous philanthropist, and he loves sports…especially
American football. For a few seasons he was a minority owner of the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and had his sights set on outright majority ownership
of an NFL club. Being from Tennessee, he had always wanted to purchase our
own local NFL team but the owners not wanting to sell, he found the
opportunity in Ohio by purchasing the, perennially horrible, Cleveland
Browns for $1 billion.
NFL ownership is an elite fraternity as there are only 32 teams without
promotion or relegation. The NFL is by far the most profitable investment
in American sports. Even a horrible team will bring in millions in revenue
from the broadcast rights and merchandising. Also, NFL teams have protected
markets. They would never allow a city like Manchester to have two
successful clubs in the same town (or London to have 4-7) so your club will
have dominance in the local media coverage and scant competition for stadium
attendance.
Even under his ownership, though, the Browns have continued to struggle;
finding neither great coaching nor great quarterback play during his four
seasons in the owner's box. But another issue I suspect he faces is his
status among the local longtime supporters as an "outsider owner." No
matter his efforts at community outreach and presence in Cleveland he will
never be "one of them"; Especially since he continues to live most of the
year at his family home.
That brings me to Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Gold. This week there has been
plenty of heat on social media directed at our West Ham owners due to not
signing some players we had all hoped for, not liking the seating
configuration in the London Stadium, not liking being told to not stand up
in front of elderly patrons for 90 minutes of play, not liking potential
stadium name sponsors, and numerous other grievances. I hope true fans
would pause and take stock of how fortunate you are to have owners that are
both local and true fans of West Ham United. There will be bumps in the
road, but overall the heights this club is reaching are astounding. For a
benchmark, just remember that 32 months ago we lost to Forest 5-0 in an FA
Cup tie. And our owners have paid adequate reverence to the club's storied
history throughout this run.
When I look around the Premier League, I see a number of clubs that have
sold out to American investors. Not to knock my fellow countrymen, but even
in the large clubs this casts an uneasy feeling upon the clubs' supporters.
The Glazier family from Florida purchased Manchester United and burdened the
club with crushing debt. Their post-Ferguson life has been rocky, but
possibly brighter days are ahead. The Liverpool ownership by John Henry has
had starts and stops as Liverpool scouts have frequently complained that the
board tries to run player scouting like they do their Boston baseball team;
high on computer modeling of player statistics, low on longtime scouts'
expertise. Randy Lerner's time as owner of Aston Villa led to relegation
(and yesterday's loss to a League 2 side). And finally Stanley Kroenke's
ownership of Arsenal has seen… "a more frugal" use of funds in the transfer
market than what a club with their resources should do. A lot of criticism
aimed at Arsene Wenger for unaggressive transfer moves probably should
really find its way to a board that views the Gunners as an investment and
not a passion.
When the ownership of a sports team is crazy about their team and wore their
colours, even before they were successful businessmen, then I feel that you
have something special; a reverence for the fans, for the history, for the
local community. There is a bit more emphasis on a strong youth academy.
There are plenty of unseen charities supported that a distant American owner
wouldn't make a priority.
I think I'm the biggest West Ham fan in all of the United States; however, I
probably don't need to ever own the club. Mainly, because I don't think I
would ever move to London. It's hard to own a community institution when
you are so removed from the community. Maybe if I came into a large amount
of wealth I could purchase a minority stake in WHUFC. What little I've
gotten to know of Jack and Dave, I think we would have a pretty fun time
with it. But my dreaming of billions aside, West Ham's passionate fans
should lighten up on our board. They are doing a great job managing wages,
moving to a new facility, and growing the brand while keeping in touch with
the past. Each time you find a complaint to share with @DavidGold remember
there is some American hedge fund manager that would love to try to "invest"
in Stratford's Premier League club. He would say "We've Got Payet" all the
way until a record transfer to Real Madrid came across his desk. Then it
would be "We HAD Payet."
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West Ham injury news: Manuel Lanzini returns to training as Argentine steps
up recovery - The Standard
James Benge
Friday 12 August 2016
Manuel Lanzini has returned to training at West Ham in a bid to be fit
earlier than Slaven Bilic had expected.
The Argentine midfielder injured himself whilst preparing for the Rio
Olympics with his national team last month and Bilic feared Lanzini could be
out for up to five weeks.
It appears, though, that Lanzini's recovery may be ahead of schedule with
West Ham's head of medical and sport science Stijn Vandenbroucke confirming
that the 23-year-old had started running again and returned to training.
"Manuel injured his knee while on Olympic Games duty with Argentina,"
Vandenbroucke said. "He was wearing a knee brace for four weeks. Manuel is
out of the brace and has entered a new phase in his rehab and started
running on Wednesday."
West Ham's early season games – away to Chelsea, a two-legged Europa League
playoff with Astra Giurgiu and a debut league game at the London Stadium
against Bournemouth – may come too soon for Lanzini but Bilic will be
encouraged to see his midfielder back at Rush Green.
Turkish winger Gokhan Tore, a summer arrival on loan from Besiktas, also
resumed training today whilst Vandenbroucke confirmed both Andre Ayew and
Arthur Masuaku had no fitness concerns since signing for West Ham this week.
He said: "They have been training with their previous clubs and joined us
with similar levels of fitness as the rest of the squad which is good, but
new players are always a little bit more at risk."
Club record signing Ayew and Masuaku could both make their debuts at
Stamford Bridge on Monday night. Dimitri Payet will also play a part, though
Bilic warned that he does not expect his star man to be fit for 90 minutes.
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Slaven Bilic excited as West Ham prepare for Chelsea
By Mike Patterson
Last Updated: 11/08/16 11:26am
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is looking forward to locking horns with
Chelsea and their new head coach Antonio Conte when the Premier League
season gets underway on Monday, live on Sky Sports.
Bilic's side make the trip across London to Stamford Bridge after a busy
pre-season campaign which has seen them progress to the Europa League
play-off round.
The Blues will represent tough first opponents for West Ham as they look to
put last season's disappointment behind them under Italian Conte, but Bilic
is ready for the challenge.
"We are excited about the first game. We have had a good pre-season and have
a good squad," he said.
"We are expecting the new signings to improve us. We expect a tough game
against Chelsea on Monday."
Bilic is a big fan of Conte who took over at Chelsea following Italy's
quarter-final exit at Euro 2016.
"Antonio Conte is a great manager and wants to change the way they approach
the game and the principles. I rate him very highly," he added.
"I am sure he will do a good job there. But we beat the big teams away last
season and it was a good experience for us."
West Ham have a couple of extra days to prepare for their opening fixture
and Bilic said France playmaker Dimitri Payet, who returned late to
pre-season training after the Euro 2016 final, could be involved.
"We still have four days to go," said Bilic at his press conference on
Thursday. "We will see how we are going to start on Monday night. We have
Plan A and Plan B. We have that already.
"We are still waiting to see on a couple of positions who is going to start.
Dimitri Payet is one of the players. He came back very fit.
"He doesn't need a long pre-season, an individual one, but he is definitely
not fit for 90 minutes so we are going to see. But he came back in really
good shape, motivated and everything."
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Chelsea vs West Ham team news: Injury updates, possible line-ups and more -
Mirror
07:45, 13 Aug 2016
Updated 10:51, 13 Aug 2016
By James Whaling
The Blues and Hammers contest the season's first London derby on Monday
evening in Antonio Conte's first competitive game in charge
Antonio Conte will take charge of his first competitive game as Chelsea
manager as they host West Ham in the season's first London derby on Monday
evening.
The Italian has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the Blues' Premier League
opener, with Kurt Zouma remaining sidelined as he steps up his return to
full fitness from a knee injury.
Big summer signing N'Golo Kante is likely to be thrown in from the start as
he looks to continue the form that saw him become a vital cog in Leicester's
title-winning wheel.
Slaven Bilic could hand out several Hammers debuts, with Andre Ayew, Sofiane
Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit, Gokhan Tore and Arthurd Masuaku all bidding for
a first Irons appearance.
West Ham will be without Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini, however, who
have both been ruled out with knee injuries.
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Lanzini gets return date - Claret & Hugh
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
lanziniManu Lanzini is targeting the match against Watford on September 10
for his return to the squad.
The Argentine playmaker is making good progress from the knee injury he
suffered prior to the Rio Olympics and hopes to be back for the clash at the
London Stadium.
Optimisic Manu is making decent progress and is recognised in the dressing
room as a quick healer whilst he has told friends that they can expect a
Hornets return within the next three weeks.
The news has also been confirmed by the well respected
http://www.physioroom.com/ who also claim that he will be back on that date.
The site has a good track record for projected returns but claim that Aaron
Cresswell will not be seen until November 26 .The Irons take on Manchester
United the following day – a Sunday – at Old Trafford.
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Is this Slav's line-up for Chelsea? - Claret & Hugh
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
Ok with the big game around the corner the guessing game starts – how will
Slav line up the lads for a big night at Stamford Bridge?
We have no major inside information as the manager himself has admittd it
remains open but having looked closely at pre-season we reckon this looks
something like the line up he will use – with Payet in for Feghouli and
Cressie back plus a little formation reshuffle – when everybody is
available.
Those not included here will, we believe, be used mainly for Europa and
Domestic Cup games plus being drafted in when we have injuries or
suspension.
So here's how we believe the team will look for Monday night: Adrian:
Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna Masuaku; Nordveit; Feghouli, Noble, Kouyate; Ayew,
Carroll.
Should that turn out to be the case we believe that James Collins can
consider himself unlucky as Winston Reid has looked uncertain in the
pre-season.
However, we don't expect the manager to start to season by leaving out a
player who has been key for us in recent seasons on the bench.
Natually we hope we have the right side of defence wrong and that Sam Byram
is in there with Antionio pushed forward. Sadly we have our doubts.
Slav has indcated strongly in his pre-season presser that Dimi is likely to
be on the pitch at the end having coming back in good condition.
ClaretandHugh verdict: 2-2
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Slaven Bilic hints at why he chose Andre Ayew over Carlos Bacca
Date: 12th August 2016 at 9:59pm
Written by: Matt Bourne
Slaven Bilic has praised West Ham's new signing Andre Ayew for his
determination to join the Hammers this summer.
Ayew became West Ham's record signing this summer and Bilic has publicly
praised Ayew's desire to join the Hammers:
"We lost some players who were on loan to us — Victor Moses, Emmanuel
Emenike, Alex Song – and one player that we didn't want to lose – James
Tomkins – and we wanted to replace them with what we hope are better
players," stated Bilic.
"And I'm sure Andre is one of them. He is a top player, he is a winner. He
played for a long time at Marseille, where you have to be a strong character
because the pressure is there 24/7 week in, week out, and he coped with
that.
"And he wanted to come — you want players who want to come to West Ham. The
players on our list were also on the list of clubs bigger than us and
sometimes you have to convince a player to come here. But he was very
excited and we are glad."
It seems that Bilic could be referring to West Ham's pursuit of Carlos
Bacca. The striker has been linked with a move to the Hammers all season but
it has been difficult to convince the Colombian to join the club. It also
explains why Bilic opted for Ayew over Bacca, highlighting the player's
Premier League experience and willingness to play for West Ham.
The Irons are preparing for their opening fixture of the Premier League
season away to Chelsea on Monday and Ayew is expected to play a part at
Stamford Bridge.
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England chance for West Ham pair? - Vital England
The West Ham boys haven't had England chances many feel several could, if
not should, have had over the years.
Will the arrival of Sam Allardyce, who is the one who signed some of those
for West Ham over the years whereas others he managed and often championed
for England involvement during and after his time with the Hammers, change
this?
Mark Noble is arguably the most surprising player not to be capped by
England in the present era. Big Sam taking over 'could' see that chance
finally come with Andy Carroll also hoping for a recall.
Like I say others at the Olympic Stadium would have one eye on a call up too
but Noble has always made it clear he holds England hope.
Having won 20 caps at U21 level that senior call hasn't ever come for the
29-year-old and he doesn't feel, when quoted by sky sports, Big Sam's
appointment changes these chances as when asked he answered:
'Not one little bit to be honest.'
Noble added he enjoyed playing for him at West Ham and thinks he'll do well
with England too as he's 'the right man' for the job:
'I'm going to enjoy playing here and obviously I played under Sam for four
years and thoroughly enjoyed my football under him. I thought he was a great
manager and I loved him as a person and I think he is the right man for the
job. I think he will do well, 100 per cent, his man-management qualities and
what he expects from his teams, what he gets out of the players, I think he
is the right man.'
Noble finished by saying he spoke to Big Sam after he kept Sunderland in the
Premier League last season but hasn't spoken with him since his England
appointment.
His phone is 'always on' if he wants to get in touch though!
Carroll's another of those West Ham players who must have the 'best chance'
of an England recall as Big Sam always put a lot of faith in him and of
course has previous with him at club level with the Hammers and Newcastle.
Slaven Bilic though, also quoted by sky sports, warned him that he's got to
show his best form for West Ham this season for his England chance to come
again:
'The last England boss was also English, but my players shouldn't dream
about England because of a good season or a change of manager. They must
play well for West Ham.'
A couple of goals against Juventus recently wouldn't have done Carroll's
chances any harm but as Bilic said he's got to produce at club level for
West Ham this season to warrant that place in the England squad.
27-year-old Carroll clearly has his mind set on that:
'Obviously England is right in my head. I want to be back in the England
shirt, but I can't get there just on the manager being my old manager at
West Ham. I think it would be unfair to even think that. I've just got to
work hard at training, listen to the staff here, play the games I play,
score goals and create chances and hopefully he will pick me.
'Nothing is a guarantee. Obviously he knows what I am capable of, in and out
of training and in games, that's nice to know. But for me I have to just
carry on playing for West Ham as best as I can and hopefully push myself
in.'
Both of these players 'probably' have a better chance of England involvement
now that Big Sam is the manager although touting players for national
selection when you're the manager of the at club level is different to
selecting them for the Three Lions when that manager is you isn't it.
If Big Sam genuinely thinks these two (and others at West Ham) are the best
options for his squad he'll select them, but previous isn't likely to be
something that makes England involvement any more likely.
Follow @VitalEngland.
Like Vital England on Facebook.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
West Ham United's anchor tenancy at the London Stadium was always intended
to bring jobs to the area around Stratford, and new figures published today
show the contribution that the Club have directly made towards that goal.
The London boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Barking & Dagenham have the
highest rates of unemployment in the capital, and youth unemployment is a
particular problem in each borough. One of the key reasons the 2012 Games
were staged in East London was to bring investment, regeneration and jobs to
the capital's most deprived area.
Maintaining that legacy was a key component of West Ham's bid to become the
anchor tenant at the former Olympic Stadium, and as a result of the Club's
presence, Stratford will have an extra guaranteed footfall in excess of 1.2
million people each season, supporting the businesses and jobs located in
the area, and attracting even greater investment in the years to come.
However, West Ham has also sought to play a direct part in that effort by
employing the maximum number of local residents in additional posts created
by the Stadium move, working in concert with our partners in the London
Borough of Newham through their Newham Workplace service.
So far a total of 81 additional staff have been recruited to work in the
Club's new Stadium Store and Ticket Office facilities on Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park. Of these, 40 per cent live within 3 miles of the Stadium, and
three-quarters live in the London Borough of Newham or its six surrounding
boroughs. Furthermore over 80% of those recruited within these boroughs are
aged 16-24.
West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady is proud of the progress that has been
made, saying:
"The concept of an Olympic Legacy for London was founded on the promise that
a long-term future for the new Stadium would continue to bring jobs,
business and regeneration to the most deprived area of London for many
decades to come. And it is West Ham United's anchor tenancy at the Stadium
is what makes that successful long-term future both possible and
sustainable.
"Anyone who has visited Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the past week and
witnessed it thriving with over 110,000 West Ham supporters in the space of
four days trying out all the facilities and amenities, shopping and eating,
and enjoying all that the Park and Stratford as a whole have to offer would
be in no doubt about the very tangible regeneration and economic benefits
West Ham's presence in the Stadium is bringing to East London.
"But more than that, we are also actively playing our part by providing jobs
for local residents, and giving vocational training and opportunities to
thousands of local youngsters through our Foundation. We are proud to play
our part in delivering the legacy Britain was promised."
In addition to the new recruits, West Ham has gone to great lengths to
ensure that the staff responsible for stewarding at the Boleyn Ground were
able to take up new roles with the contractors responsible for stewarding at
the London Stadium.
We are currently recruiting for staff to work across the Club's Stadium
store, warehouse and online store from September in the build up to
Christmas. We hope to hire as many local residents as possible, and details
of the recruitment process can be found here.
http://www.whufc.com/Club/Recruitment/Vacancies
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October and November fixture changes confirmed - WHUFC Official Site
The Premier League have announced their fixture changes for October and
November.
West Ham United's away game at Crystal Palace will remain on Saturday 15
October, but will now kick-off at 5.30pm.
Meanwhile, the Hammers' trip to Everton has been moved to Sunday 30 October,
with kick-off set for 1.30pm.
In November, the London derby at Tottenham Hotspur will now kick-off at
5.30pm on Saturday 19 November.
Finally, Slaven Bilic's men will now head to Manchester United on Sunday 27
November, with kick-off at 4.30pm.
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Keep us Americans Out of Your Owner's Suite - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 11 August 2016 at 10:03pm
By @WestHamAmerican
A wealthy gentleman from my hometown recently (2012) purchased an NFL
franchise. I have known him for a few years and know him to be a shrewd
businessman, a generous philanthropist, and he loves sports…especially
American football. For a few seasons he was a minority owner of the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and had his sights set on outright majority ownership
of an NFL club. Being from Tennessee, he had always wanted to purchase our
own local NFL team but the owners not wanting to sell, he found the
opportunity in Ohio by purchasing the, perennially horrible, Cleveland
Browns for $1 billion.
NFL ownership is an elite fraternity as there are only 32 teams without
promotion or relegation. The NFL is by far the most profitable investment
in American sports. Even a horrible team will bring in millions in revenue
from the broadcast rights and merchandising. Also, NFL teams have protected
markets. They would never allow a city like Manchester to have two
successful clubs in the same town (or London to have 4-7) so your club will
have dominance in the local media coverage and scant competition for stadium
attendance.
Even under his ownership, though, the Browns have continued to struggle;
finding neither great coaching nor great quarterback play during his four
seasons in the owner's box. But another issue I suspect he faces is his
status among the local longtime supporters as an "outsider owner." No
matter his efforts at community outreach and presence in Cleveland he will
never be "one of them"; Especially since he continues to live most of the
year at his family home.
That brings me to Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Gold. This week there has been
plenty of heat on social media directed at our West Ham owners due to not
signing some players we had all hoped for, not liking the seating
configuration in the London Stadium, not liking being told to not stand up
in front of elderly patrons for 90 minutes of play, not liking potential
stadium name sponsors, and numerous other grievances. I hope true fans
would pause and take stock of how fortunate you are to have owners that are
both local and true fans of West Ham United. There will be bumps in the
road, but overall the heights this club is reaching are astounding. For a
benchmark, just remember that 32 months ago we lost to Forest 5-0 in an FA
Cup tie. And our owners have paid adequate reverence to the club's storied
history throughout this run.
When I look around the Premier League, I see a number of clubs that have
sold out to American investors. Not to knock my fellow countrymen, but even
in the large clubs this casts an uneasy feeling upon the clubs' supporters.
The Glazier family from Florida purchased Manchester United and burdened the
club with crushing debt. Their post-Ferguson life has been rocky, but
possibly brighter days are ahead. The Liverpool ownership by John Henry has
had starts and stops as Liverpool scouts have frequently complained that the
board tries to run player scouting like they do their Boston baseball team;
high on computer modeling of player statistics, low on longtime scouts'
expertise. Randy Lerner's time as owner of Aston Villa led to relegation
(and yesterday's loss to a League 2 side). And finally Stanley Kroenke's
ownership of Arsenal has seen… "a more frugal" use of funds in the transfer
market than what a club with their resources should do. A lot of criticism
aimed at Arsene Wenger for unaggressive transfer moves probably should
really find its way to a board that views the Gunners as an investment and
not a passion.
When the ownership of a sports team is crazy about their team and wore their
colours, even before they were successful businessmen, then I feel that you
have something special; a reverence for the fans, for the history, for the
local community. There is a bit more emphasis on a strong youth academy.
There are plenty of unseen charities supported that a distant American owner
wouldn't make a priority.
I think I'm the biggest West Ham fan in all of the United States; however, I
probably don't need to ever own the club. Mainly, because I don't think I
would ever move to London. It's hard to own a community institution when
you are so removed from the community. Maybe if I came into a large amount
of wealth I could purchase a minority stake in WHUFC. What little I've
gotten to know of Jack and Dave, I think we would have a pretty fun time
with it. But my dreaming of billions aside, West Ham's passionate fans
should lighten up on our board. They are doing a great job managing wages,
moving to a new facility, and growing the brand while keeping in touch with
the past. Each time you find a complaint to share with @DavidGold remember
there is some American hedge fund manager that would love to try to "invest"
in Stratford's Premier League club. He would say "We've Got Payet" all the
way until a record transfer to Real Madrid came across his desk. Then it
would be "We HAD Payet."
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West Ham injury news: Manuel Lanzini returns to training as Argentine steps
up recovery - The Standard
James Benge
Friday 12 August 2016
Manuel Lanzini has returned to training at West Ham in a bid to be fit
earlier than Slaven Bilic had expected.
The Argentine midfielder injured himself whilst preparing for the Rio
Olympics with his national team last month and Bilic feared Lanzini could be
out for up to five weeks.
It appears, though, that Lanzini's recovery may be ahead of schedule with
West Ham's head of medical and sport science Stijn Vandenbroucke confirming
that the 23-year-old had started running again and returned to training.
"Manuel injured his knee while on Olympic Games duty with Argentina,"
Vandenbroucke said. "He was wearing a knee brace for four weeks. Manuel is
out of the brace and has entered a new phase in his rehab and started
running on Wednesday."
West Ham's early season games – away to Chelsea, a two-legged Europa League
playoff with Astra Giurgiu and a debut league game at the London Stadium
against Bournemouth – may come too soon for Lanzini but Bilic will be
encouraged to see his midfielder back at Rush Green.
Turkish winger Gokhan Tore, a summer arrival on loan from Besiktas, also
resumed training today whilst Vandenbroucke confirmed both Andre Ayew and
Arthur Masuaku had no fitness concerns since signing for West Ham this week.
He said: "They have been training with their previous clubs and joined us
with similar levels of fitness as the rest of the squad which is good, but
new players are always a little bit more at risk."
Club record signing Ayew and Masuaku could both make their debuts at
Stamford Bridge on Monday night. Dimitri Payet will also play a part, though
Bilic warned that he does not expect his star man to be fit for 90 minutes.
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Slaven Bilic excited as West Ham prepare for Chelsea
By Mike Patterson
Last Updated: 11/08/16 11:26am
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is looking forward to locking horns with
Chelsea and their new head coach Antonio Conte when the Premier League
season gets underway on Monday, live on Sky Sports.
Bilic's side make the trip across London to Stamford Bridge after a busy
pre-season campaign which has seen them progress to the Europa League
play-off round.
The Blues will represent tough first opponents for West Ham as they look to
put last season's disappointment behind them under Italian Conte, but Bilic
is ready for the challenge.
"We are excited about the first game. We have had a good pre-season and have
a good squad," he said.
"We are expecting the new signings to improve us. We expect a tough game
against Chelsea on Monday."
Bilic is a big fan of Conte who took over at Chelsea following Italy's
quarter-final exit at Euro 2016.
"Antonio Conte is a great manager and wants to change the way they approach
the game and the principles. I rate him very highly," he added.
"I am sure he will do a good job there. But we beat the big teams away last
season and it was a good experience for us."
West Ham have a couple of extra days to prepare for their opening fixture
and Bilic said France playmaker Dimitri Payet, who returned late to
pre-season training after the Euro 2016 final, could be involved.
"We still have four days to go," said Bilic at his press conference on
Thursday. "We will see how we are going to start on Monday night. We have
Plan A and Plan B. We have that already.
"We are still waiting to see on a couple of positions who is going to start.
Dimitri Payet is one of the players. He came back very fit.
"He doesn't need a long pre-season, an individual one, but he is definitely
not fit for 90 minutes so we are going to see. But he came back in really
good shape, motivated and everything."
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Chelsea vs West Ham team news: Injury updates, possible line-ups and more -
Mirror
07:45, 13 Aug 2016
Updated 10:51, 13 Aug 2016
By James Whaling
The Blues and Hammers contest the season's first London derby on Monday
evening in Antonio Conte's first competitive game in charge
Antonio Conte will take charge of his first competitive game as Chelsea
manager as they host West Ham in the season's first London derby on Monday
evening.
The Italian has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the Blues' Premier League
opener, with Kurt Zouma remaining sidelined as he steps up his return to
full fitness from a knee injury.
Big summer signing N'Golo Kante is likely to be thrown in from the start as
he looks to continue the form that saw him become a vital cog in Leicester's
title-winning wheel.
Slaven Bilic could hand out several Hammers debuts, with Andre Ayew, Sofiane
Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit, Gokhan Tore and Arthurd Masuaku all bidding for
a first Irons appearance.
West Ham will be without Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini, however, who
have both been ruled out with knee injuries.
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Lanzini gets return date - Claret & Hugh
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
lanziniManu Lanzini is targeting the match against Watford on September 10
for his return to the squad.
The Argentine playmaker is making good progress from the knee injury he
suffered prior to the Rio Olympics and hopes to be back for the clash at the
London Stadium.
Optimisic Manu is making decent progress and is recognised in the dressing
room as a quick healer whilst he has told friends that they can expect a
Hornets return within the next three weeks.
The news has also been confirmed by the well respected
http://www.physioroom.com/ who also claim that he will be back on that date.
The site has a good track record for projected returns but claim that Aaron
Cresswell will not be seen until November 26 .The Irons take on Manchester
United the following day – a Sunday – at Old Trafford.
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Is this Slav's line-up for Chelsea? - Claret & Hugh
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
Ok with the big game around the corner the guessing game starts – how will
Slav line up the lads for a big night at Stamford Bridge?
We have no major inside information as the manager himself has admittd it
remains open but having looked closely at pre-season we reckon this looks
something like the line up he will use – with Payet in for Feghouli and
Cressie back plus a little formation reshuffle – when everybody is
available.
Those not included here will, we believe, be used mainly for Europa and
Domestic Cup games plus being drafted in when we have injuries or
suspension.
So here's how we believe the team will look for Monday night: Adrian:
Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna Masuaku; Nordveit; Feghouli, Noble, Kouyate; Ayew,
Carroll.
Should that turn out to be the case we believe that James Collins can
consider himself unlucky as Winston Reid has looked uncertain in the
pre-season.
However, we don't expect the manager to start to season by leaving out a
player who has been key for us in recent seasons on the bench.
Natually we hope we have the right side of defence wrong and that Sam Byram
is in there with Antionio pushed forward. Sadly we have our doubts.
Slav has indcated strongly in his pre-season presser that Dimi is likely to
be on the pitch at the end having coming back in good condition.
ClaretandHugh verdict: 2-2
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Slaven Bilic hints at why he chose Andre Ayew over Carlos Bacca
Date: 12th August 2016 at 9:59pm
Written by: Matt Bourne
Slaven Bilic has praised West Ham's new signing Andre Ayew for his
determination to join the Hammers this summer.
Ayew became West Ham's record signing this summer and Bilic has publicly
praised Ayew's desire to join the Hammers:
"We lost some players who were on loan to us — Victor Moses, Emmanuel
Emenike, Alex Song – and one player that we didn't want to lose – James
Tomkins – and we wanted to replace them with what we hope are better
players," stated Bilic.
"And I'm sure Andre is one of them. He is a top player, he is a winner. He
played for a long time at Marseille, where you have to be a strong character
because the pressure is there 24/7 week in, week out, and he coped with
that.
"And he wanted to come — you want players who want to come to West Ham. The
players on our list were also on the list of clubs bigger than us and
sometimes you have to convince a player to come here. But he was very
excited and we are glad."
It seems that Bilic could be referring to West Ham's pursuit of Carlos
Bacca. The striker has been linked with a move to the Hammers all season but
it has been difficult to convince the Colombian to join the club. It also
explains why Bilic opted for Ayew over Bacca, highlighting the player's
Premier League experience and willingness to play for West Ham.
The Irons are preparing for their opening fixture of the Premier League
season away to Chelsea on Monday and Ayew is expected to play a part at
Stamford Bridge.
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England chance for West Ham pair? - Vital England
The West Ham boys haven't had England chances many feel several could, if
not should, have had over the years.
Will the arrival of Sam Allardyce, who is the one who signed some of those
for West Ham over the years whereas others he managed and often championed
for England involvement during and after his time with the Hammers, change
this?
Mark Noble is arguably the most surprising player not to be capped by
England in the present era. Big Sam taking over 'could' see that chance
finally come with Andy Carroll also hoping for a recall.
Like I say others at the Olympic Stadium would have one eye on a call up too
but Noble has always made it clear he holds England hope.
Having won 20 caps at U21 level that senior call hasn't ever come for the
29-year-old and he doesn't feel, when quoted by sky sports, Big Sam's
appointment changes these chances as when asked he answered:
'Not one little bit to be honest.'
Noble added he enjoyed playing for him at West Ham and thinks he'll do well
with England too as he's 'the right man' for the job:
'I'm going to enjoy playing here and obviously I played under Sam for four
years and thoroughly enjoyed my football under him. I thought he was a great
manager and I loved him as a person and I think he is the right man for the
job. I think he will do well, 100 per cent, his man-management qualities and
what he expects from his teams, what he gets out of the players, I think he
is the right man.'
Noble finished by saying he spoke to Big Sam after he kept Sunderland in the
Premier League last season but hasn't spoken with him since his England
appointment.
His phone is 'always on' if he wants to get in touch though!
Carroll's another of those West Ham players who must have the 'best chance'
of an England recall as Big Sam always put a lot of faith in him and of
course has previous with him at club level with the Hammers and Newcastle.
Slaven Bilic though, also quoted by sky sports, warned him that he's got to
show his best form for West Ham this season for his England chance to come
again:
'The last England boss was also English, but my players shouldn't dream
about England because of a good season or a change of manager. They must
play well for West Ham.'
A couple of goals against Juventus recently wouldn't have done Carroll's
chances any harm but as Bilic said he's got to produce at club level for
West Ham this season to warrant that place in the England squad.
27-year-old Carroll clearly has his mind set on that:
'Obviously England is right in my head. I want to be back in the England
shirt, but I can't get there just on the manager being my old manager at
West Ham. I think it would be unfair to even think that. I've just got to
work hard at training, listen to the staff here, play the games I play,
score goals and create chances and hopefully he will pick me.
'Nothing is a guarantee. Obviously he knows what I am capable of, in and out
of training and in games, that's nice to know. But for me I have to just
carry on playing for West Ham as best as I can and hopefully push myself
in.'
Both of these players 'probably' have a better chance of England involvement
now that Big Sam is the manager although touting players for national
selection when you're the manager of the at club level is different to
selecting them for the Three Lions when that manager is you isn't it.
If Big Sam genuinely thinks these two (and others at West Ham) are the best
options for his squad he'll select them, but previous isn't likely to be
something that makes England involvement any more likely.
Follow @VitalEngland.
Like Vital England on Facebook.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, August 12
Daily WHUFC News - 12th August
Kouyate welcomes Dimi return - WHUFC Official Site
Cheikhou Kouyate delighted to welcome Dimitri Payet back to pre-season training
Senegal star scored West Ham United's first-ever goal at London Stadium
No8 is targeting another strong season in Claret and Blue - his third as a Hammer
Cheikhou Kouyate has welcomed Dimitri Payet back to the West Ham United squad after a deserved summer break.
The Hammer of the Year returned for pre-season training on Friday – the morning after Kouyate had bagged the historic first goal at the Club's new London Stadium home – after a storybook Euro 2016 with France.
The outstanding playmaker and Senegal midfielder dovetailed superbly during their first season as teammates, and Kouyate cannot wait to have Payet back on the pitch with him again when the Premier League season kicks-off at Chelsea on Monday evening.
"He is the best player at West Ham so all eyes will be focused on him now," said Kouyate. "We will need him to play well for West Ham this season. Yes, Manchester City and Manchester United have nice teams but we are looking forward to playing them."
While the presence of Payet and a host of other top-class players will give West Ham plenty of reasons for optimism for 2016/17, the No8 knows West Ham can take nothing for granted.
With Monday's hosts, Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton and Southampton all bringing in new managers and players galore, Kouyate says Slaven Bilic's squad need to hit top form as quickly as possible if they are to improve on last season's seventh-place finish.
That said, he is not ruling anything out!
He is the best player at West Ham so all eyes will be focused on him now Cheikhou Kouyate on Dimitri Payet
"We must stay humble, keep our feet on the ground," said Kouyate. "All the games will be very difficult, we know that.
"But nothing is impossible in football now. If we keep together, anything is possible. Yes, it is possible for us to get to the Champions League. Why not?
"We all get on very well and we have a captain in Mark Noble who is fantastic and so good for the team. He motivates all the players. If you play as a team and work hard you can achieve a lot."
Finally, Kouyate found time to reflect on his historic goal, which he netted just eight minutes into West Ham's life at their new home.
The African's flicked finish set his team on their way to a 3-0 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round win over NK Domzale, setting up a play-off round rematch with Romanian champions Astra Giurgiu for a place in the group stage.
"I am so proud to have scored the first goal," he smiled. "The game was very important for the Club.
"This is a very big memory for me, a big moment. Historic. I don't think the people who came to watch expected me to score the first goal!"
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Loan deal agreed for Calleri - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United are delighted to confirm a deal has been agreed to sign Argentinean striker Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance.
A loan fee and personal terms have been agreed with Calleri and his club Deportivo Maldonado and the 22-year-old is expected to arrive in London next week.
The exciting frontman will link up with the Hammers after appearing and scoring for his country at the Rio Olympic Games, and on the back of a prolific 18 months at club level.
Manager Slaven Bilic says the capture of Calleri, who finished as leading scorer at the 2016 Copa Libertadores, will add balance to the Hammers' attacking options.
"We have agreed to sign Calleri," he said "Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics this week, so he should be here with us pretty soon, depending on the work permit.
"We did the deal a little while ago, and he is a top striker. You need a squad, of course, but it is all about the balance. I think we have a good balance."
Born in Buenos Aires, Calleri started his career with Primera Division side All Boys, making his senior debut at the age of 19 in August 2013.
The young forward's ability and promise attracted the attention of Argentina's biggest clubs and it was no surprise when legendary South American coach Carlos Bianchi took him to Boca Juniors in July 2014.
There, Calleri netted his first goal on his second start at Estudiantes before celebrating his 20th birthday with the winner against local rivals Racing Club.
The busy South American fixture list saw Calleri amass an impressive 53 appearances, 21 goals and eleven assists in a successful 18-month spell with Boca that saw him win the Primera Division and Copa Argentina double in late 2015.
The exciting youngster joined Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado in January 2016 and was soon loaned to Brazilian giants Sao Paulo.
Calleri spent six months in southern Brazil, scoring 16 goals in 30 appearances, including an impressive nine in 12 Copa Libertadores ties – the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League – as Sao Paulo reached the semi-finals.
After the deal is complete, he will become the sixth Argentine to play for West Ham after Lionel Scaloni, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez, Mauro Zarate and current star Manuel Lanzini.
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Founders feedback update - WHUFC Official Site
Two games into life at London Stadium and West Ham United continue to receive hundreds of emails from supporters each day sharing their feedback of the Hammers' new home. It is a vital way to communicate with the Club's loyal supporters and we promise we read each and every one. They help to shape the action taken to improve your experiences at the Stadium, so please keep emailing us your thoughts, good and bad!
Happily, supporters have informed us that the return journey to Stratford Station following the Betway Cup was a significant improvement on Thursday night. On a similar note, fans remarked that they were pleased to see concessions remaining open after the final whistle, so that they could enjoy refreshments on the concourse while waiting for the crowds to disperse. We will ensure the caterers continue to do this.
On the flip side, supporters have commented on the length of queues and the time it is taking to be served at half time. The Club met with the Stadium's caterers Delaware North on Wednesday and asked them to address this issue as a matter of urgency and to continue to optimise the offers and availability based on the learnings of these first two fixtures. They have given us their assurances that they will do this.
Additionally, lots of you have asked whether some sort of shelving could be installed on the concourse, to make it easier to juggle food and drink. The Club have spoken to the Stadium operators LS185 and will report back on when this will be installed.
With regard to transport, many supporters have written to inform us of some failures in the service on Abellio Greater Anglia services. While this is obviously beyond the Club's jurisdiction, our Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has written to the UK Managing Director of Abellio Greater Anglia to share your feedback. We know they want to provide a good service so we are very hopeful that they will make some significant improvements and we will of course keep you informed as to the response we get.
Inside the Stadium, supporters continue to raise the topic of standing during the game. We are pleased to note that some Season Ticket Holders in the East Stand confirmed that the situation had improved since Thursday's Europa League opener, but it remains an issue elsewhere in the ground, particularly where the views of disabled supporters are being impeded.
We implore supporters to be respectful and considerate of their fellow Hammers and fans should note that Stadium stewards are acting on the Club's authority. The Vice-Chairman has since written to supporters on this very subject.
It has also been brought to the Club's attention that supporters are taking alcoholic drinks into the Stadium bowl. While we appreciate that supporters will have enjoyed doing so during the Olympic Games and at more recent athletics meets, we must remind supporters that the legislation in the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 dictates that supporters cannot consume alcohol in view of the pitch and it is against the law to do so.
Finally, supporters should rest assured that the current covering between the pitch and stands is merely a temporary measure and will be replaced, in its entirety, with Astroturf ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth. Likewise, the installation of bold West Ham branding has begun to be installed at the back of the relocatable seating in the West Stand and is expected to be in situ for Sunday 21 August, while the world-class Stadium wrap will also be complete.
Thank you for all of your emails to foundersfeedback@westhamunited.co.uk and do keep them coming. Together, we will continue to improve the matchday experience at London Stadium.
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Slaven Speaks - Chelsea - WHUFC Official Site
Slaven Bilic relishing Premier League curtain raiser against Chelsea on Monday
Manager looking forward to duel with new Blues boss Antonio Conte
Gaffer gives update on squad ahead of big kick-off
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic cannot wait for his team's new Premier League season to get underway at Chelsea on Monday night.
The Hammers head across London to face Antonio Conte's team as the Italian takes to the dugout for the first time as Blues boss.
Bilic says West Ham have prepared well for the new campaign and are ready to mix it once again with the league's biggest teams.
Slaven, how excited and how ready are you for the new Premier League season?
SB: "We're excited, of course. It starts for us on Monday, we did a good pre-season and we are ready for the start. We have a good squad – we've kept most of the players and we've added some players too. We are expecting them to improve us – we'd expect that even without them because we have been together for a year now and had a good last season.
"We are expecting a good season, of course."
What are you expecting from Chelsea?
SB: "A tough game, a good game against a big club with a new manager. He is a great manager – he did a terrific job with Juventus and with Italy. He is one of those who wants to put his stamp on the team, not just continue what the previous managers have done, but to change the way they approach the game. Change the principles and nature of the game.
"He's one of them, that's why I rate him so highly. Is he going to do it straight away? It is more difficult of course to change the long-term habits that players have had, especially when they are big players at a big club. But, I'm sure he is going to do a good job there."
You and your team had a lot of good results against top teams in the league early last season. Is that something that will give this squad confidence going into this season?
SB: "In one way yes, in the other way it's very dangerous. If we think we've got good results against most of them last season and we're going to do it now by default, it doesn't happen by default.
"But it's a good memory, it's a good experience, it's a good pattern that we know very recently we have done this, this, this and this. If we do those basic things again in terms of compactness, togetherness, team spirit and humility, then of course it's good to rely on the knowledge that you have done those things against those clubs in those circumstances."
Are you missing any players for Monday's game?
SB: "Usually we have a press conference a day or a couple of days before a game, but this week we are speaking four days before the match. We may say that's not a lot, but with the players that signed for us only a couple of days ago, plus the players who came back from a longer break because of the Euros, two days or four days matters a lot.
"We will see how we are going to start on Monday night. There are not many tactical differences, we have Plan A and Plan B. We have that already, but it is still very open on a couple of positions for who is going to start and which players are likely to finish the game.
"With some players you want to have them on the pitch for the last 15 minutes, so we are going to see."
What about Dimitri Payet?
SB: "He is one of them, yes. He came back in really good shape so he doesn't need a long pre-season individually. He's not fit for 90 minutes, so we will see, but he came back in really good shape, motivated and everything."
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From the Treatment Room - WHUFC Official Site
The latest injury news with Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke - in association with Spire Roding Hospital...
Hello everyone,
We are in the final few days of preparations for the new Premier League season at our new Training Ground at Rush Green, and all of the players and staff are looking forward to an exciting trip to Chelsea on Monday evening.
I would like to start by welcoming Andre Ayew and Arthur Masuaku to West Ham United. Both are fit and ready to go.
They have been training with their previous clubs and joined us with similar levels of fitness as the rest of the squad which is good, but new players are always a little bit more at risk.
This week we have encouraging news regarding Manuel Lanzini, Aaron Cresswell and Gokhan Tore.
Manuel injured his knee while on Olympic Games duty with Argentina. He was wearing a knee brace for four weeks. Manuel is out of the brace and has entered a new phase in his rehab and started running on Wednesday.
Aaron injured his knee in the pre-season match with Karlsruher in Austria. He did not require an operation and is making very good progress. Aaron has been wearing a brace and using crutches for a few weeks.
He has now started walking with the brace, partially weight bearing. On Sunday we will take the brace off and progress to the next steps in his rehabilitation process.
Gokhan got injured in the final training session in Slovenia before our UEFA Europa League first leg with Domzale.
He had a significant trauma to his knee and rehabbed very well with our medical team and rehab fitness coach Eamon Swift, finishing those sessions on Wednesday. He will resume training with the squad today.
Diafra Sakho is undertaking an individual training programme and is working hard to attain the right level of fitness to join the squad as soon as he can.
Finally, Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph picked up minor knocks in the Domzale home leg and we didn't want to take any chances, so they were not involved in the Juventus game. They all trained without any problems on Wednesday and are fit for selection against Chelsea.
Enjoy the weekend and the start of the new Premier League season!
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
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Noble - It's a competitive league - WHUFC Official Site
Mark Noble says the Hammers can lay down a marker ahead of what promises to be the most competitive of Premier League seasons when they travel to Chelsea on Monday evening.
With plenty of change in terms of personnel, both managerial and playing-wise at the teams chasing league glory – not to mention last year's top two Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur looking to mount challenges again – the level of intrigue has been ramped up to the max as the new season get underway.
The Hammers face one of those sides to change bosses, and with Antonio Conte in the dugout for the first time, Noble is looking forward to the challenge, both on Monday and all season long.
He said: "We've got seven or eight of the best ten or eleven managers in Europe in the Premier League now. We've got some of the best players too – Paul Pogba's just come here for £100m, Ibrahimovic, the players who Man City have signed and I'm pretty sure there'll be a lot more to come from the top clubs.
"Do I think this is going to be the toughest season I've played in? Probably yes. When people talk about the top teams, they talk about Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea. They don't even talk about Spurs, who are a top team.
"They were probably the toughest team we played last year. It's going to be a really tough league.
"We know we can compete with the big boys, we did that last year. We haven't got the same spending power or maybe as big a squad, but we have got a great bunch of lads who enjoy playing together.
"Of course it's important to get off to a good start and Chelsea will be saying the same thing, at home to West Ham. First game of the season, new manager, a lot of millions of pounds worth of new signings, and a lot of new hope at Chelsea.
"To be honest I'm looking forward to it, getting the pre-season games out of the way and getting back down to business with proper football matches."
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A message to supporters from the Vice-Chairman - WHUFC Official Site
With the Hammers' Premier League curtain-raiser at London Stadium drawing ever nearer, Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has written to supporters…
West Ham United's opening games at London Stadium have been hugely successful in terms of record crowds, supporters' feedback on the Stadium, the atmosphere and the matchday experience.
However, the Club has also been alerted by a number of supporters to incidents where individual fans or small groups are standing up throughout, spoiling the views for other fans sitting behind them, and refusing to sit down even when asked by their fellow supporters to do so.
It is enormously disappointing that a large number of children, elderly supporters and, in particular, those with disabilities had their enjoyment of these opening games affected by the decision of individuals in the rows in front of them to stand throughout the games.
As a family Club, with in excess of 10,000 Under-16 Season Ticket Holders at our new home, we believe it is unacceptable that the experience of our youngest and oldest fans should be affected in this way.
We would therefore appeal to all fans to show due respect and consideration to those around and behind them, especially for children, the elderly and those with disabilities, and remain seated during future matches at London Stadium.
Supporters are reminded that the regulations which govern all Premier League clubs state:
"Persistent standing in seated areas whilst play is in progress is strictly forbidden, and may result in ejection from the ground."
Therefore, those who stand persistently are at risk of having their Season Tickets permanently revoked. We are obviously reluctant to take any such action against loyal fans, and we hope that we will not be put in that position.
Supporters should note that Stadium stewards have been strongly briefed on the matter and are acting on the Club's authority.
With sell-out crowds attending West Ham fixtures this season, we want them all to enjoy every second of the action in comfort and safety, especially that new generation of Hammers fans able to attend our matches for the first time.
We absolutely appreciate that this is a momentous time for the Club and supporters, naturally, are excited. This is a learning curve for us all but we must start the way we mean to go on.
So we urge all our supporters to play their part, stay seated so that everyone can see and enjoy the game, and join together in creating a new era in our Club's great history.
Baroness Brady CBE
Vice-Chairman
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Hammers launch Premier League season - WHUFC Official Site
Slaven Bilic, Mark Noble and representatives from the West Ham United Foundation were on hand early on Wednesday to mark the official launch of the new 2016/17 Premier League season.
Following the successful opening of the Club's fantastic new home last week, both Bilic and Noble were in good spirits as they prepare for the new campaign.
Starting with a mouth-watering London derby away at rivals Chelsea on Monday, the Hammers will then host AFC Bournemouth the following Sunday, in the very first Premier League fixture at London Stadium.
Looking ahead to the start of the new Premier League campaign, Bilic said: "We know it's a long season, so we want to start good. We've had a good pre-season, now we have five big games between now and the first international break.
"We are confident, we have some very good new players and we are definitely ready for the start of the new season."
Club captain Mark Noble was equally as excited, looking ahead to the season opener at Stamford Bridge, he said: "We've got three games coming up in a week, but at the moment the Chelsea game is the only one I'm thinking about.
"It's a great game for our fans, against our rivals, under the lights. It'll be tough, they've got some great players and a new manager. But saying that, we're confident, we've got a good squad and we've bonded well. It should be a great game, I can't wait really."
The launch event at Market Road, Islington was also a fantastic occasion for West Ham United Foundation youngsters to showcase their skills, with the added incentive of playing in front of the first team manager and club captain.
Having been invited to the launch as one of only four Premier League clubs, the Hammers were in good company alongside Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri and Wes Morgan, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Jack Wilshere as well as Premier League new-boys Sean Dyche and Tom Heaton.
The tournament, a fitting curtain-raiser for what is expected to be one of the most thrilling seasons to date, was made up of participants from the four club's Foundations.
Each team was represented by a Premier League Kicks and School Sport side, which had the chance to showcase the incredible work that takes place in the community via football clubs and Premier League funding.
Skipper Noble watched on as West Ham's Premier League Kicks team beat both Arsenal and Leicester 3-0, before winning 4-1 against Premier League new boys Burnley.
Noble was not just a spectator though; the Canning Town born captain rallied the young Irons with an inspiring pre-match talk before taking part in a Q&A with the School Sport team.
The day, however, was less about winning football matches and more about celebrating the great work carried out by community schemes. Foundation participants flittered between football and multi-sports, testing themselves in handball and athletics, demonstrating the diverse programmes on offer from the Premier League.
Speaking after a successful morning's work, Foundation Development Officer George Chukwuma, who coincidentally went to the same primary school as Noble, beamed: "It's great to be able to showcase what our Foundation is all about, and to celebrate the good work Foundations do across the country.
"The support and funding the Premier League give us is massive. To be part of the official launch of the new Premier League season is very special. We're delighted to be part of today's launch, and delighted with how well we did because a lot of hard work has gone into it!"
To find out more about how to get involved in our Premier League funded projects, contact WHU Foundation Community Manager Shamajul Motin at smotin@westhamunited.co.uk
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Jonathan Calleri: Argentina striker joins West Ham on season-long loan - BBC Sport
West Ham have signed Argentina striker Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan from Uruguay's Deportivo Maldonado.
The 22-year-old represented his country, who were eliminated in the group stage, at Rio 2016 and will arrive in London next week.
Calleri spent the first six months of the year on loan with Brazilian side Sao Paulo and was top scorer in the Copa Libertadores.
"He is a top striker," West Ham manager Slaven Bilic told the club's website.
"Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics this week, so he should be here with us pretty soon, depending on the work permit."
West Ham open their Premier League campaign away at Chelsea on Monday and Bilic says he is unlikely to add to his squad.
The Croatian added that reports he was in the market for "five more players" following West Ham's Europa League win over NK Domzale last week were incorrect.
"No, no, we were expecting some to come back and some who were injured. We signed what we have signed and we are happy with that," said Bilic.
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Back in time: Making sense of Macari - thewesthamway
by ExWHUEmployee on 11 August 2016 at 5:24pm
Lou Macari
West Ham Way columnist Sid Lambert (@sid_lambert) goes back to 1989 and a controversial period in West Ham's history.
He was gone. We had a feeling it was coming but now, flicking routinely through page 302 on Ceefax, the news was there to see in that flickering blue BBC font. John Lyall had been sacked as manager of West Ham United. Lyall had been the constant through my early years of supporting the claret and blue. A throwback to yesteryear when West Ham managers, coaches and senior players would huddle around tables in greasy spoons and pontificate on the beautiful game.
In these times of Moneyball and in-play Opta stats, it's hard to believe Ron Greenwood would explain his football philosophy with little more than salt, pepper and a bottle of ketchup at his disposal. Lyall served his apprenticeship under Greenwood and took over the hotseat when the latter departed for national service. He had been at the club for thirty-four years as player, coach and manager.
He'd guided us to within a whisker of the title in 1986. With the likes of Frank McAvennie, Tony Cottee, and Alvin Martin approaching their peak years, the prospect of silverware returning to East London seemed very real. The decline had been as stark as it was unexpected.
The game was changing. Under the tutelage of FA supremo Charles Hughes, English football was becoming a low-risk, percentage game with an emphasis on direct play. It was boring, repetitive stuff, the very anti-thesis of Lyall's expansive philosophy.
Unfortunately, it was was also very effective. West Ham were being out-fought on the Saturday afternoon battlefields of the First Division. The team had developed a soft centre and Lyall, despite the protestations of senior players, had been unable to bring in suitable reinforcements. Far from strengthening the squad of 86, the club had slowly begun to cash in on their prize assets. McAvennie and Cottee departed for pastures new. Cut-price alternatives such as David Kelly and Leroy Rosenior were poor substitutes.
In the space of just three years, the team had gone from front-runners to relegation fodder.
Something had to change. Like many, I assumed that loyal servant Billy Bonds would be the man to rebuild the ailing club. The board disagreed. The club didn't need rebuilding. It needed a short, sharp shock to reboot the system entirely. That shock came in the shape of Lou Macari.
The Scot was unmistakeably one of the new breed. A strict disciplinarian, he'd turned Swindon into a robotic outfit that had achieved two promotions. There was no questioning the efficacy of his approach. However, some twenty years before Sam Allardyce found himself in a similar predicament, West Ham fans wondered whether that ethos was the right fit for a club that believed in attractive football.
The answer became clear the moment Macari set foot on the training ground. Like many managers following a legacy, Macari made the mistake of changing too much too soon. There would be no patient build-up. It was all about percentages. Get the ball forward early and fight for the scraps.
For artisans like Liam Brady, Mark Ward and Alan Devonshire, it was their worst nightmare. And before long, other members of the team expressed their doubts about the new manager.
That lack of confidence manifested on the pitch. It soon became clear that this was a team lacking an identity.
There were brief high spots, such as a 5-0 home win over Sunderland. But there were too many lacklustre showings. Defeats to the likes of Bradford and Oldham saw us plummet to eleventh position at Christmas.
Goals had been a problem all season. Eamonn Dolan and Stuart Slater were inexperienced, Rosenior was blighted by injury and the ever-unpopular Kelly never recovered from the crisis of confidence that beset his first season.
Macari's response was ruthless. If the current squad wouldn't fit his system, he'd find players who would. Out went Ward and in came Ian Bishop and Trevor Morley from Manchester City. Martin Allen and Colin Foster brought extra steel to the side and the giant figure of Ludek Miklosko, whose name gave Capital Gold commentators sleepless nights, arrived from Czechoslovakia.
The flurry of signings wasn't a guarantee of instant results. They needed time to bed into their new surroundings.
Time was a luxury not afforded to Macari.
A disastrous 1-0 defeat to Torquay in the FA Cup cranked up the pressure. And he was being investigated by the authorities for a betting scandal furing his time at Swindon..
He failed to appear in the away dugout for a visit to his old club and his reign ended in ignominy. Emlyn Hughes used his national newspaper column to accuse Macari of running scared, though "Crazy Horse" himself back tracked rather quickly when the ICF took exception to any criticism of their beloved club. It was left to Billy Bonds to see the season through and steady the sinking ship.
Time has not brought fondness to reflections on the Macari era. According to many, he was one of the worst managers in our long history. On a purely results basis, it is hard to disagree. He left a divided dressing room and a team struggling desperately for direction.
However, in that dressing room were names that would play an important part in restoring – and retaining – our top-flight status. Allen, Bishop and Morley were mainstays of the mid-Nineties, whilst Ludo became one of the finest glovemen to grace Upton Park.
You would think that those signings alone would offer Macari some sort of reprieve. But prowess in the transfer market doesn't a good West Ham manager make. You have to understand the heart and soul of a club that will always prize romance over results-driven football.
Just ask Big Sam.
Follow Sid on Twitter @sid_lambert for more reflections on football past and present.
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Introduce safe standing, urges new report - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 11th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
A new report has called upon the Government to investigate the possibility of re-introducing safe standing at football in England.
The Adam Smith Institute, an independent think tank/quango has written to Sports Minister Tracey Crouch urging her to repeal the ban on standing at professional clubs.
The organisation claim that there is no reason to continue with all-seater stadiums, whilst insisting that the vast majority of football supporters would like to see safe standing areas introduced.
Ben Southwood, the Instutute's Head of Research told the FSF that a blanket ban on standing was now completely outdated. "The ban is an anachronism," he said. "Clubs across Europe have rail seating sections with no incident, creating superior atmosphere and allowing for a cheaper tier of tickets.
"Unlike the adversarial attitude police, club organisations and fans had during the dark days of the 1980s, we now know how to manage large crowds well. The ban doesn't fit. Tracey Crouch doesn't need to pass a law, she has the power to simply undo the prohibition on safe standing—and she should."
Scottish Premier League side Celtic re-introduced a safe standing area at Celtic Park this summer. Around 2,900 places were made available to those who wish to stand throughout a match.
And even some of those affected in the past by tragedy believe safe standing is the way to go; David Lafferty was at the 1971 Glasgow derby in which 66 Rangers fans died following a crush, but firmly believes seating should be reintroduced.
"I'm a season ticket holder in the safe standing area of Celtic Park and this is the same area where we stood even before the new safety barriers were installed," he said.
"I can assure everyone that we have so much room and each and every seat has its own safety barrier. I have been to many stadiums around Europe including Anfield and I can assure the families of the 96 that I have never felt safer in any stadium as in our new section."
Rather closer to home, the move to bring back standing on the terraces has been consistently backed by West Ham's co-owner David Gold, who took to Twitter yesterday to reiterate his stance in the wake of critcism concerning West Ham's move to Stratford.
I support SAFE standing but the law has to be changed for that to happen. I do not support antisocial standing. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) August 10, 2016
Gold was commenting in the wake of heavy criticism regarding the migration policy that has led to numerous problems between West Ham supporters at the Olympic Stadium, some of whom wish to stand and others who prefer to sit.
You may read the Adam Smith Institute's full report into the viability of safe standing on their website.
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Bilic confirms Calleri arrival - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 11th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic has confirmed that West Ham have completed the signing of Argentine Olympic squad member Jonathan Calleri.
Bilic, speaking to the media this morning ahead of the Premier League clash with Chelsea on Monday confirmed that the 22-year-old will arrive at West Ham shortly, following his team's surprise exit from the Olympics overnight at the hands of Honduras, who they needed to beat but could only draw 1-1 with.
"We signed Calleri," he confirmed during this morning's presser. "Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics on Wednesday.
"They didn't pass the group stage so he should be here with us – not today, not tomorrow, but pretty soon, depending on work permit or whatever. We did the deal not a long time ago but not yesterday.
"He is a top striker as well. You need a squad, but it is also about the balance."
Calleri, who spent the latter half of last season at Sao Paolo in set to join West Ham on a season-long loan.
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Who is Jonathan Calleri? Profile of West Ham's new loan signing - SkySports
By Tom Robinson
Last Updated: 11/08/16 6:50pm
West Ham have added another striker to their ranks with the season-long loan signing of Jonathan Calleri from Deportivo Maldonado.
Having starred alongside Hammers' idol Carlos Tevez for Boca and finished as top scorer of this year's Copa Libertadores, Calleri has forged a reputation as one of the most exciting young strikers in South America.
So what can West Ham fans expect from new signing Calleri…
Profile
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Nationality: Argentine
International Caps: 0 (5 caps, 1 goal for U23s)
Background
Born in Buenos Aires, Calleri followed in the footsteps of his uncle, former Argentina international Nestor Fabbri, by making his formative steps at Club Atletico All Boys - a small but historic club nestled in the Floresta neighbourhood of the capital, where Tevez also began his career.
Like Tevez, Calleri's next destination was Boca Juniors. His record of six goals in 30 appearances for relegated All Boys meant that he arrived at the Bombonera in July 2014 without much of a fanfare, and initially struggled for game-time under legendary coach Carlos Bianchi.
Nevertheless, he forced his way into the first team with six goals in 15 matches, finishing the Torneo Transicion as Boca's top scorer.
The arrival of Rodolfo Arruabarrena in the dugout brought about a focus on youth and Calleri became a regular, scoring 15 goals in all competitions as Boca won a league and cup double.
The arrival of Carlos Tevez midway through the season proved to be the catalyst for Boca's success and Calleri immediately struck up a prolific partnership with the former West Ham player.
Calleri's economic rights were bought by Uruguayan side Deportivo Maldonado at the beginning of 2016 and the striker was close to joining Inter Milan before eventually signing for Sao Paulo on a six-month loan.
The 22-year-old quickly adapted to life in Brazil and was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with nine goals in 12 games as Sao Paulo reached the semi-finals.
This summer, Calleri lead the line for Argentina in the Olympic Games in Rio, scoring once against Honduras before they crashed out at the group stage.
Style
Combining technique, power and tireless work-rate, Calleri looks to be a good fit for the hi-octane world of the Premier League.
Despite not being the tallest at 5ft 10in, Calleri possesses good heading ability and has the strength to hold the ball up and link play.
His willingness to run into the channels and drift wide makes him a slightly different proposition to a traditional out-and-out striker, but he possesses the requisite movement, burst of acceleration and nous inside the box to lead the line if necessary.
Although lacking the skillset and low centre of gravity compared to fellow countrymen Sergio Aguero or Paulo Dybala, Calleri does still have the ability to conjure up a moment of magic, as demonstrated by his audacious rabona lob against Quilmes last year.
Comparisons to Gonzalo Higuain may be somewhat premature but the young Argentinian striker has proven his worth at some of the biggest clubs in South America and will relish the challenge of establishing himself in the Premier League.
How will he fit in at West Ham?
Calleri is unlikely to be first choice at London Stadium and talk of Carlos Bacca or another marquee signing being brought in could see him further down the pecking order. Still only 22, Calleri will most likely be seen as a long-term project for the future.
Nevertheless, Slaven Bilic will need to rotate his West Ham side if they are to deal with the rigours of Europa League football and, as a result, Calleri could see plenty of game time.
He has already consulted former team-mate Tevez and the presence of Manuel Lanzini should help him to settle in East London, as he attempts to emulate his fellow Argentinians.
He may still be raw but if the rough edges are polished and provided he can adapt to the tempo of English football, Calleri could well be a very shrewd signing for West Ham as they look to build on last season's seventh place finish.
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West Ham signing Andre Ayew says Dimitri Payet played big part in transfer - SkySports
By James Dale
Last Updated: 11/08/16 7:19pm
Andre Ayew says his close friendship with Dimitri Payet played a big part in his decision to join West Ham.
The 26-year-old joined the Hammers from Swansea in a £20.5m deal on Tuesday, becoming the club's record signing after eclipsing the £15m they paid to sign Andy Carroll from Liverpool in 2013.
Payet, who scored nine goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, played with Ayew for Marseille in Ligue 1 and the new West Ham signing was not surprised by Payet's impressive campaign.
"We have a very good relationship, he's a friend," said Ayew. "I'm happy to be in the same squad as him. He's a great player, he has great quality.
"I'm not surprised with what he did last season because I even know he is going to do more this season, he has the quality to do more.
"With him, and all the other guys who have come in, with Feghouli, I had to take my time, have a discussion with the manager, he made me understand what he wanted."
Ayew scored 12 top flight goals for the Swans last season but the ambition shown by West Ham persuaded him to switch to the London club.
"I knew that this club is a very popular club, has a lot of ambitions, wants to get to another level and I want to be part of that project," he added.
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Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet: Former Lille duo face off as equals - SkySports
By Adam Bate
Last Updated: 11/08/16 4:39pm
Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet spent a season together at Lille in 2011/12. Hazard was the star back then, but when the pair face each other for Chelsea and West Ham respectively on Monday Night Football, it will be as Premier League equals, writes Adam Bate.
Dimitri Payet's difficult beginnings in football are well known. Kicked out of Le Havre as a teenager, he was sent back to his home in Reunion, 5700 miles away in the Indian Ocean. It wasn't to be the end of Payet's career - or his disciplinary problems.
Given another opportunity with Nantes, he stormed out of a 2007 training session after a row with senior goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. At Saint-Etienne in 2010, Payet struck his own captain, Blaise Matuidi, during a home defeat to Toulouse.
He went missing soon after in the hope of forcing through a transfer to Paris St Germain. "He made a blunder," said Saint-Etienne president Roland Romeyer at the time. "What kid hasn't made a mistake?" But Payet made more than most.
Flash forward six years and the West Ham man is a hero for club and country, named in the PFA Premier League team of the year and the Euro 2016 team of the tournament. At 29, he's now playing the best football of his career.
A late bloomer then, but one whose talent was never hidden. Payet's France debut had come at the age of 23, providing assists in each of his first two appearances. Damien Comolli, sporting director during Payet's stay at Saint-Etienne, hinted that any issues were in the mind.
"On a natural class level, Dimitri is stronger than a player like Luka Modric, who I saw very closely at Tottenham," Comolli told France Football in 2010. "It is a very high level. We never stopped repeating to him: 'It is only up to you.'"
It was this Payet, not the hero of France whose goal lit up the opening night of the Euros, who pitched up at Lille in 2011. The club were newly-crowned as the champions of France, winners for the first time in 50 years thank to the precocious gifts of Eden Hazard.
Lille supporters might have envisioned a perfect partnership between the two players, but it took time for the new signing to settle. Despite being four years older than Hazard, it was Payet who was the one still learning to make the most of his ability.
He scored twice in his first 28 appearances and by the winter of 2011 found himself among the substitutes. Indeed, Payet didn't even start consecutive games alongside Hazard between November and mid-March. On-loan Joe Cole was preferred instead.
Cole has since revealed some surprise at how quickly Payet made his impact at West Ham, having assumed it might take his former team-mate "six, seven, eight months to settle down" in England, but this was understandable based on the evidence of their time at Lille.
Expressing himself alongside Hazard was a problem for a Payet. "I'm asking him to do different things to Saint-Etienne," said Lille coach Rudi Garcia. "It's logical that it takes time. The competition should push him to excel. Dimitri must display confidence, he must let go."
Within months, he was starting to do just that. A goal in a 3-0 win at Evian sparked a run of three consecutive games in which Payet found the net. Finally, Garcia got to see the player he'd bought and finally there was a glimpse of what Payet and Hazard could do together.
"It is interesting when he is in close proximity to Eden because they get along well on and off the field," said Garcia. "The potential was there, we knew that. But beyond that there was a real confidence problem with him. The difference is that he is now full of confidence."
Look hard enough and there were signs of the Payet who'd emerge. While it was Hazard who topped Lille's charts for goals and assists - recording a league record number of the latter - it was actually Payet who created more chances per minute than the team's star.
Lille in 2011/12
Eden Hazard Dimitri Payet
Goals 20 6
Assists 16 6
Shots per 90 3.0 3.2
Dribbles per 90 2.5 1.2
Chances created per 90 2.6 2.7
Following Hazard's departure that summer, he went on to enjoy the joint-best goalscoring season of his career to date. It earned Payet a move to Marseille and, eventually, an unlikely link-up with Marcelo Bielsa that would help take his career to another level.
It was after one particular Bielsa team-talk that Payet turned to goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and said: "Now I can die for him." Despite the coach's nickname being El Loco, it was Bielsa's calm that impressed Payet. He responded by matching Hazard's Ligue 1 assists record from 2011/12.
The Argentine trusted Payet, turning him into the team's playmaker. It helped prepare him for the move to England that Cole had recommended three years earlier, seizing it in style to become West Ham's most thrilling performer and win a France recall in the process.
He took his chance at Euro 2016 too, forcing his way into Didier Deschamps' starting line-up and scoring that winner against Romania. "You have to say thanks to West Ham," said team-mate Patrice Evra afterwards, "because you can see now that he takes responsibility."
In truth, Payet has had many influences. The credit should be shared. From the wasted chances as a teenager through to the faith of the coaches who've been so emphatically rewarded, it has been quite the journey to the top. Team-mates played their part too.
Chelsea vs West Ham
"I have been helped by the top players at all the clubs I have played for," he said recently. "When you are playing with such good players it does make things easier but I also feel that you can learn new things at all ages... My maturity has helped me see things differently."
Payet learnt from Hazard and has become a different player today to the one he'd been at Lille. In fact, having outshone his old friend in the Premier League last season, perhaps he's even now looking like the senior man that he is. But the real indication of Payet's progress is that this Monday they will face each other as equals.
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Cheikhou Kouyate delighted to welcome Dimitri Payet back to pre-season training
Senegal star scored West Ham United's first-ever goal at London Stadium
No8 is targeting another strong season in Claret and Blue - his third as a Hammer
Cheikhou Kouyate has welcomed Dimitri Payet back to the West Ham United squad after a deserved summer break.
The Hammer of the Year returned for pre-season training on Friday – the morning after Kouyate had bagged the historic first goal at the Club's new London Stadium home – after a storybook Euro 2016 with France.
The outstanding playmaker and Senegal midfielder dovetailed superbly during their first season as teammates, and Kouyate cannot wait to have Payet back on the pitch with him again when the Premier League season kicks-off at Chelsea on Monday evening.
"He is the best player at West Ham so all eyes will be focused on him now," said Kouyate. "We will need him to play well for West Ham this season. Yes, Manchester City and Manchester United have nice teams but we are looking forward to playing them."
While the presence of Payet and a host of other top-class players will give West Ham plenty of reasons for optimism for 2016/17, the No8 knows West Ham can take nothing for granted.
With Monday's hosts, Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton and Southampton all bringing in new managers and players galore, Kouyate says Slaven Bilic's squad need to hit top form as quickly as possible if they are to improve on last season's seventh-place finish.
That said, he is not ruling anything out!
He is the best player at West Ham so all eyes will be focused on him now Cheikhou Kouyate on Dimitri Payet
"We must stay humble, keep our feet on the ground," said Kouyate. "All the games will be very difficult, we know that.
"But nothing is impossible in football now. If we keep together, anything is possible. Yes, it is possible for us to get to the Champions League. Why not?
"We all get on very well and we have a captain in Mark Noble who is fantastic and so good for the team. He motivates all the players. If you play as a team and work hard you can achieve a lot."
Finally, Kouyate found time to reflect on his historic goal, which he netted just eight minutes into West Ham's life at their new home.
The African's flicked finish set his team on their way to a 3-0 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round win over NK Domzale, setting up a play-off round rematch with Romanian champions Astra Giurgiu for a place in the group stage.
"I am so proud to have scored the first goal," he smiled. "The game was very important for the Club.
"This is a very big memory for me, a big moment. Historic. I don't think the people who came to watch expected me to score the first goal!"
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Loan deal agreed for Calleri - WHUFC Official Site
West Ham United are delighted to confirm a deal has been agreed to sign Argentinean striker Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance.
A loan fee and personal terms have been agreed with Calleri and his club Deportivo Maldonado and the 22-year-old is expected to arrive in London next week.
The exciting frontman will link up with the Hammers after appearing and scoring for his country at the Rio Olympic Games, and on the back of a prolific 18 months at club level.
Manager Slaven Bilic says the capture of Calleri, who finished as leading scorer at the 2016 Copa Libertadores, will add balance to the Hammers' attacking options.
"We have agreed to sign Calleri," he said "Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics this week, so he should be here with us pretty soon, depending on the work permit.
"We did the deal a little while ago, and he is a top striker. You need a squad, of course, but it is all about the balance. I think we have a good balance."
Born in Buenos Aires, Calleri started his career with Primera Division side All Boys, making his senior debut at the age of 19 in August 2013.
The young forward's ability and promise attracted the attention of Argentina's biggest clubs and it was no surprise when legendary South American coach Carlos Bianchi took him to Boca Juniors in July 2014.
There, Calleri netted his first goal on his second start at Estudiantes before celebrating his 20th birthday with the winner against local rivals Racing Club.
The busy South American fixture list saw Calleri amass an impressive 53 appearances, 21 goals and eleven assists in a successful 18-month spell with Boca that saw him win the Primera Division and Copa Argentina double in late 2015.
The exciting youngster joined Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado in January 2016 and was soon loaned to Brazilian giants Sao Paulo.
Calleri spent six months in southern Brazil, scoring 16 goals in 30 appearances, including an impressive nine in 12 Copa Libertadores ties – the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League – as Sao Paulo reached the semi-finals.
After the deal is complete, he will become the sixth Argentine to play for West Ham after Lionel Scaloni, Javier Mascherano, Carlos Tevez, Mauro Zarate and current star Manuel Lanzini.
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Founders feedback update - WHUFC Official Site
Two games into life at London Stadium and West Ham United continue to receive hundreds of emails from supporters each day sharing their feedback of the Hammers' new home. It is a vital way to communicate with the Club's loyal supporters and we promise we read each and every one. They help to shape the action taken to improve your experiences at the Stadium, so please keep emailing us your thoughts, good and bad!
Happily, supporters have informed us that the return journey to Stratford Station following the Betway Cup was a significant improvement on Thursday night. On a similar note, fans remarked that they were pleased to see concessions remaining open after the final whistle, so that they could enjoy refreshments on the concourse while waiting for the crowds to disperse. We will ensure the caterers continue to do this.
On the flip side, supporters have commented on the length of queues and the time it is taking to be served at half time. The Club met with the Stadium's caterers Delaware North on Wednesday and asked them to address this issue as a matter of urgency and to continue to optimise the offers and availability based on the learnings of these first two fixtures. They have given us their assurances that they will do this.
Additionally, lots of you have asked whether some sort of shelving could be installed on the concourse, to make it easier to juggle food and drink. The Club have spoken to the Stadium operators LS185 and will report back on when this will be installed.
With regard to transport, many supporters have written to inform us of some failures in the service on Abellio Greater Anglia services. While this is obviously beyond the Club's jurisdiction, our Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has written to the UK Managing Director of Abellio Greater Anglia to share your feedback. We know they want to provide a good service so we are very hopeful that they will make some significant improvements and we will of course keep you informed as to the response we get.
Inside the Stadium, supporters continue to raise the topic of standing during the game. We are pleased to note that some Season Ticket Holders in the East Stand confirmed that the situation had improved since Thursday's Europa League opener, but it remains an issue elsewhere in the ground, particularly where the views of disabled supporters are being impeded.
We implore supporters to be respectful and considerate of their fellow Hammers and fans should note that Stadium stewards are acting on the Club's authority. The Vice-Chairman has since written to supporters on this very subject.
It has also been brought to the Club's attention that supporters are taking alcoholic drinks into the Stadium bowl. While we appreciate that supporters will have enjoyed doing so during the Olympic Games and at more recent athletics meets, we must remind supporters that the legislation in the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 dictates that supporters cannot consume alcohol in view of the pitch and it is against the law to do so.
Finally, supporters should rest assured that the current covering between the pitch and stands is merely a temporary measure and will be replaced, in its entirety, with Astroturf ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth. Likewise, the installation of bold West Ham branding has begun to be installed at the back of the relocatable seating in the West Stand and is expected to be in situ for Sunday 21 August, while the world-class Stadium wrap will also be complete.
Thank you for all of your emails to foundersfeedback@westhamunited.co.uk and do keep them coming. Together, we will continue to improve the matchday experience at London Stadium.
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Slaven Speaks - Chelsea - WHUFC Official Site
Slaven Bilic relishing Premier League curtain raiser against Chelsea on Monday
Manager looking forward to duel with new Blues boss Antonio Conte
Gaffer gives update on squad ahead of big kick-off
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic cannot wait for his team's new Premier League season to get underway at Chelsea on Monday night.
The Hammers head across London to face Antonio Conte's team as the Italian takes to the dugout for the first time as Blues boss.
Bilic says West Ham have prepared well for the new campaign and are ready to mix it once again with the league's biggest teams.
Slaven, how excited and how ready are you for the new Premier League season?
SB: "We're excited, of course. It starts for us on Monday, we did a good pre-season and we are ready for the start. We have a good squad – we've kept most of the players and we've added some players too. We are expecting them to improve us – we'd expect that even without them because we have been together for a year now and had a good last season.
"We are expecting a good season, of course."
What are you expecting from Chelsea?
SB: "A tough game, a good game against a big club with a new manager. He is a great manager – he did a terrific job with Juventus and with Italy. He is one of those who wants to put his stamp on the team, not just continue what the previous managers have done, but to change the way they approach the game. Change the principles and nature of the game.
"He's one of them, that's why I rate him so highly. Is he going to do it straight away? It is more difficult of course to change the long-term habits that players have had, especially when they are big players at a big club. But, I'm sure he is going to do a good job there."
You and your team had a lot of good results against top teams in the league early last season. Is that something that will give this squad confidence going into this season?
SB: "In one way yes, in the other way it's very dangerous. If we think we've got good results against most of them last season and we're going to do it now by default, it doesn't happen by default.
"But it's a good memory, it's a good experience, it's a good pattern that we know very recently we have done this, this, this and this. If we do those basic things again in terms of compactness, togetherness, team spirit and humility, then of course it's good to rely on the knowledge that you have done those things against those clubs in those circumstances."
Are you missing any players for Monday's game?
SB: "Usually we have a press conference a day or a couple of days before a game, but this week we are speaking four days before the match. We may say that's not a lot, but with the players that signed for us only a couple of days ago, plus the players who came back from a longer break because of the Euros, two days or four days matters a lot.
"We will see how we are going to start on Monday night. There are not many tactical differences, we have Plan A and Plan B. We have that already, but it is still very open on a couple of positions for who is going to start and which players are likely to finish the game.
"With some players you want to have them on the pitch for the last 15 minutes, so we are going to see."
What about Dimitri Payet?
SB: "He is one of them, yes. He came back in really good shape so he doesn't need a long pre-season individually. He's not fit for 90 minutes, so we will see, but he came back in really good shape, motivated and everything."
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From the Treatment Room - WHUFC Official Site
The latest injury news with Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke - in association with Spire Roding Hospital...
Hello everyone,
We are in the final few days of preparations for the new Premier League season at our new Training Ground at Rush Green, and all of the players and staff are looking forward to an exciting trip to Chelsea on Monday evening.
I would like to start by welcoming Andre Ayew and Arthur Masuaku to West Ham United. Both are fit and ready to go.
They have been training with their previous clubs and joined us with similar levels of fitness as the rest of the squad which is good, but new players are always a little bit more at risk.
This week we have encouraging news regarding Manuel Lanzini, Aaron Cresswell and Gokhan Tore.
Manuel injured his knee while on Olympic Games duty with Argentina. He was wearing a knee brace for four weeks. Manuel is out of the brace and has entered a new phase in his rehab and started running on Wednesday.
Aaron injured his knee in the pre-season match with Karlsruher in Austria. He did not require an operation and is making very good progress. Aaron has been wearing a brace and using crutches for a few weeks.
He has now started walking with the brace, partially weight bearing. On Sunday we will take the brace off and progress to the next steps in his rehabilitation process.
Gokhan got injured in the final training session in Slovenia before our UEFA Europa League first leg with Domzale.
He had a significant trauma to his knee and rehabbed very well with our medical team and rehab fitness coach Eamon Swift, finishing those sessions on Wednesday. He will resume training with the squad today.
Diafra Sakho is undertaking an individual training programme and is working hard to attain the right level of fitness to join the squad as soon as he can.
Finally, Cheikhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph picked up minor knocks in the Domzale home leg and we didn't want to take any chances, so they were not involved in the Juventus game. They all trained without any problems on Wednesday and are fit for selection against Chelsea.
Enjoy the weekend and the start of the new Premier League season!
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
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Noble - It's a competitive league - WHUFC Official Site
Mark Noble says the Hammers can lay down a marker ahead of what promises to be the most competitive of Premier League seasons when they travel to Chelsea on Monday evening.
With plenty of change in terms of personnel, both managerial and playing-wise at the teams chasing league glory – not to mention last year's top two Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur looking to mount challenges again – the level of intrigue has been ramped up to the max as the new season get underway.
The Hammers face one of those sides to change bosses, and with Antonio Conte in the dugout for the first time, Noble is looking forward to the challenge, both on Monday and all season long.
He said: "We've got seven or eight of the best ten or eleven managers in Europe in the Premier League now. We've got some of the best players too – Paul Pogba's just come here for £100m, Ibrahimovic, the players who Man City have signed and I'm pretty sure there'll be a lot more to come from the top clubs.
"Do I think this is going to be the toughest season I've played in? Probably yes. When people talk about the top teams, they talk about Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea. They don't even talk about Spurs, who are a top team.
"They were probably the toughest team we played last year. It's going to be a really tough league.
"We know we can compete with the big boys, we did that last year. We haven't got the same spending power or maybe as big a squad, but we have got a great bunch of lads who enjoy playing together.
"Of course it's important to get off to a good start and Chelsea will be saying the same thing, at home to West Ham. First game of the season, new manager, a lot of millions of pounds worth of new signings, and a lot of new hope at Chelsea.
"To be honest I'm looking forward to it, getting the pre-season games out of the way and getting back down to business with proper football matches."
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A message to supporters from the Vice-Chairman - WHUFC Official Site
With the Hammers' Premier League curtain-raiser at London Stadium drawing ever nearer, Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has written to supporters…
West Ham United's opening games at London Stadium have been hugely successful in terms of record crowds, supporters' feedback on the Stadium, the atmosphere and the matchday experience.
However, the Club has also been alerted by a number of supporters to incidents where individual fans or small groups are standing up throughout, spoiling the views for other fans sitting behind them, and refusing to sit down even when asked by their fellow supporters to do so.
It is enormously disappointing that a large number of children, elderly supporters and, in particular, those with disabilities had their enjoyment of these opening games affected by the decision of individuals in the rows in front of them to stand throughout the games.
As a family Club, with in excess of 10,000 Under-16 Season Ticket Holders at our new home, we believe it is unacceptable that the experience of our youngest and oldest fans should be affected in this way.
We would therefore appeal to all fans to show due respect and consideration to those around and behind them, especially for children, the elderly and those with disabilities, and remain seated during future matches at London Stadium.
Supporters are reminded that the regulations which govern all Premier League clubs state:
"Persistent standing in seated areas whilst play is in progress is strictly forbidden, and may result in ejection from the ground."
Therefore, those who stand persistently are at risk of having their Season Tickets permanently revoked. We are obviously reluctant to take any such action against loyal fans, and we hope that we will not be put in that position.
Supporters should note that Stadium stewards have been strongly briefed on the matter and are acting on the Club's authority.
With sell-out crowds attending West Ham fixtures this season, we want them all to enjoy every second of the action in comfort and safety, especially that new generation of Hammers fans able to attend our matches for the first time.
We absolutely appreciate that this is a momentous time for the Club and supporters, naturally, are excited. This is a learning curve for us all but we must start the way we mean to go on.
So we urge all our supporters to play their part, stay seated so that everyone can see and enjoy the game, and join together in creating a new era in our Club's great history.
Baroness Brady CBE
Vice-Chairman
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Hammers launch Premier League season - WHUFC Official Site
Slaven Bilic, Mark Noble and representatives from the West Ham United Foundation were on hand early on Wednesday to mark the official launch of the new 2016/17 Premier League season.
Following the successful opening of the Club's fantastic new home last week, both Bilic and Noble were in good spirits as they prepare for the new campaign.
Starting with a mouth-watering London derby away at rivals Chelsea on Monday, the Hammers will then host AFC Bournemouth the following Sunday, in the very first Premier League fixture at London Stadium.
Looking ahead to the start of the new Premier League campaign, Bilic said: "We know it's a long season, so we want to start good. We've had a good pre-season, now we have five big games between now and the first international break.
"We are confident, we have some very good new players and we are definitely ready for the start of the new season."
Club captain Mark Noble was equally as excited, looking ahead to the season opener at Stamford Bridge, he said: "We've got three games coming up in a week, but at the moment the Chelsea game is the only one I'm thinking about.
"It's a great game for our fans, against our rivals, under the lights. It'll be tough, they've got some great players and a new manager. But saying that, we're confident, we've got a good squad and we've bonded well. It should be a great game, I can't wait really."
The launch event at Market Road, Islington was also a fantastic occasion for West Ham United Foundation youngsters to showcase their skills, with the added incentive of playing in front of the first team manager and club captain.
Having been invited to the launch as one of only four Premier League clubs, the Hammers were in good company alongside Leicester City's Claudio Ranieri and Wes Morgan, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger and Jack Wilshere as well as Premier League new-boys Sean Dyche and Tom Heaton.
The tournament, a fitting curtain-raiser for what is expected to be one of the most thrilling seasons to date, was made up of participants from the four club's Foundations.
Each team was represented by a Premier League Kicks and School Sport side, which had the chance to showcase the incredible work that takes place in the community via football clubs and Premier League funding.
Skipper Noble watched on as West Ham's Premier League Kicks team beat both Arsenal and Leicester 3-0, before winning 4-1 against Premier League new boys Burnley.
Noble was not just a spectator though; the Canning Town born captain rallied the young Irons with an inspiring pre-match talk before taking part in a Q&A with the School Sport team.
The day, however, was less about winning football matches and more about celebrating the great work carried out by community schemes. Foundation participants flittered between football and multi-sports, testing themselves in handball and athletics, demonstrating the diverse programmes on offer from the Premier League.
Speaking after a successful morning's work, Foundation Development Officer George Chukwuma, who coincidentally went to the same primary school as Noble, beamed: "It's great to be able to showcase what our Foundation is all about, and to celebrate the good work Foundations do across the country.
"The support and funding the Premier League give us is massive. To be part of the official launch of the new Premier League season is very special. We're delighted to be part of today's launch, and delighted with how well we did because a lot of hard work has gone into it!"
To find out more about how to get involved in our Premier League funded projects, contact WHU Foundation Community Manager Shamajul Motin at smotin@westhamunited.co.uk
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Jonathan Calleri: Argentina striker joins West Ham on season-long loan - BBC Sport
West Ham have signed Argentina striker Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan from Uruguay's Deportivo Maldonado.
The 22-year-old represented his country, who were eliminated in the group stage, at Rio 2016 and will arrive in London next week.
Calleri spent the first six months of the year on loan with Brazilian side Sao Paulo and was top scorer in the Copa Libertadores.
"He is a top striker," West Ham manager Slaven Bilic told the club's website.
"Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics this week, so he should be here with us pretty soon, depending on the work permit."
West Ham open their Premier League campaign away at Chelsea on Monday and Bilic says he is unlikely to add to his squad.
The Croatian added that reports he was in the market for "five more players" following West Ham's Europa League win over NK Domzale last week were incorrect.
"No, no, we were expecting some to come back and some who were injured. We signed what we have signed and we are happy with that," said Bilic.
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Back in time: Making sense of Macari - thewesthamway
by ExWHUEmployee on 11 August 2016 at 5:24pm
Lou Macari
West Ham Way columnist Sid Lambert (@sid_lambert) goes back to 1989 and a controversial period in West Ham's history.
He was gone. We had a feeling it was coming but now, flicking routinely through page 302 on Ceefax, the news was there to see in that flickering blue BBC font. John Lyall had been sacked as manager of West Ham United. Lyall had been the constant through my early years of supporting the claret and blue. A throwback to yesteryear when West Ham managers, coaches and senior players would huddle around tables in greasy spoons and pontificate on the beautiful game.
In these times of Moneyball and in-play Opta stats, it's hard to believe Ron Greenwood would explain his football philosophy with little more than salt, pepper and a bottle of ketchup at his disposal. Lyall served his apprenticeship under Greenwood and took over the hotseat when the latter departed for national service. He had been at the club for thirty-four years as player, coach and manager.
He'd guided us to within a whisker of the title in 1986. With the likes of Frank McAvennie, Tony Cottee, and Alvin Martin approaching their peak years, the prospect of silverware returning to East London seemed very real. The decline had been as stark as it was unexpected.
The game was changing. Under the tutelage of FA supremo Charles Hughes, English football was becoming a low-risk, percentage game with an emphasis on direct play. It was boring, repetitive stuff, the very anti-thesis of Lyall's expansive philosophy.
Unfortunately, it was was also very effective. West Ham were being out-fought on the Saturday afternoon battlefields of the First Division. The team had developed a soft centre and Lyall, despite the protestations of senior players, had been unable to bring in suitable reinforcements. Far from strengthening the squad of 86, the club had slowly begun to cash in on their prize assets. McAvennie and Cottee departed for pastures new. Cut-price alternatives such as David Kelly and Leroy Rosenior were poor substitutes.
In the space of just three years, the team had gone from front-runners to relegation fodder.
Something had to change. Like many, I assumed that loyal servant Billy Bonds would be the man to rebuild the ailing club. The board disagreed. The club didn't need rebuilding. It needed a short, sharp shock to reboot the system entirely. That shock came in the shape of Lou Macari.
The Scot was unmistakeably one of the new breed. A strict disciplinarian, he'd turned Swindon into a robotic outfit that had achieved two promotions. There was no questioning the efficacy of his approach. However, some twenty years before Sam Allardyce found himself in a similar predicament, West Ham fans wondered whether that ethos was the right fit for a club that believed in attractive football.
The answer became clear the moment Macari set foot on the training ground. Like many managers following a legacy, Macari made the mistake of changing too much too soon. There would be no patient build-up. It was all about percentages. Get the ball forward early and fight for the scraps.
For artisans like Liam Brady, Mark Ward and Alan Devonshire, it was their worst nightmare. And before long, other members of the team expressed their doubts about the new manager.
That lack of confidence manifested on the pitch. It soon became clear that this was a team lacking an identity.
There were brief high spots, such as a 5-0 home win over Sunderland. But there were too many lacklustre showings. Defeats to the likes of Bradford and Oldham saw us plummet to eleventh position at Christmas.
Goals had been a problem all season. Eamonn Dolan and Stuart Slater were inexperienced, Rosenior was blighted by injury and the ever-unpopular Kelly never recovered from the crisis of confidence that beset his first season.
Macari's response was ruthless. If the current squad wouldn't fit his system, he'd find players who would. Out went Ward and in came Ian Bishop and Trevor Morley from Manchester City. Martin Allen and Colin Foster brought extra steel to the side and the giant figure of Ludek Miklosko, whose name gave Capital Gold commentators sleepless nights, arrived from Czechoslovakia.
The flurry of signings wasn't a guarantee of instant results. They needed time to bed into their new surroundings.
Time was a luxury not afforded to Macari.
A disastrous 1-0 defeat to Torquay in the FA Cup cranked up the pressure. And he was being investigated by the authorities for a betting scandal furing his time at Swindon..
He failed to appear in the away dugout for a visit to his old club and his reign ended in ignominy. Emlyn Hughes used his national newspaper column to accuse Macari of running scared, though "Crazy Horse" himself back tracked rather quickly when the ICF took exception to any criticism of their beloved club. It was left to Billy Bonds to see the season through and steady the sinking ship.
Time has not brought fondness to reflections on the Macari era. According to many, he was one of the worst managers in our long history. On a purely results basis, it is hard to disagree. He left a divided dressing room and a team struggling desperately for direction.
However, in that dressing room were names that would play an important part in restoring – and retaining – our top-flight status. Allen, Bishop and Morley were mainstays of the mid-Nineties, whilst Ludo became one of the finest glovemen to grace Upton Park.
You would think that those signings alone would offer Macari some sort of reprieve. But prowess in the transfer market doesn't a good West Ham manager make. You have to understand the heart and soul of a club that will always prize romance over results-driven football.
Just ask Big Sam.
Follow Sid on Twitter @sid_lambert for more reflections on football past and present.
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Introduce safe standing, urges new report - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 11th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
A new report has called upon the Government to investigate the possibility of re-introducing safe standing at football in England.
The Adam Smith Institute, an independent think tank/quango has written to Sports Minister Tracey Crouch urging her to repeal the ban on standing at professional clubs.
The organisation claim that there is no reason to continue with all-seater stadiums, whilst insisting that the vast majority of football supporters would like to see safe standing areas introduced.
Ben Southwood, the Instutute's Head of Research told the FSF that a blanket ban on standing was now completely outdated. "The ban is an anachronism," he said. "Clubs across Europe have rail seating sections with no incident, creating superior atmosphere and allowing for a cheaper tier of tickets.
"Unlike the adversarial attitude police, club organisations and fans had during the dark days of the 1980s, we now know how to manage large crowds well. The ban doesn't fit. Tracey Crouch doesn't need to pass a law, she has the power to simply undo the prohibition on safe standing—and she should."
Scottish Premier League side Celtic re-introduced a safe standing area at Celtic Park this summer. Around 2,900 places were made available to those who wish to stand throughout a match.
And even some of those affected in the past by tragedy believe safe standing is the way to go; David Lafferty was at the 1971 Glasgow derby in which 66 Rangers fans died following a crush, but firmly believes seating should be reintroduced.
"I'm a season ticket holder in the safe standing area of Celtic Park and this is the same area where we stood even before the new safety barriers were installed," he said.
"I can assure everyone that we have so much room and each and every seat has its own safety barrier. I have been to many stadiums around Europe including Anfield and I can assure the families of the 96 that I have never felt safer in any stadium as in our new section."
Rather closer to home, the move to bring back standing on the terraces has been consistently backed by West Ham's co-owner David Gold, who took to Twitter yesterday to reiterate his stance in the wake of critcism concerning West Ham's move to Stratford.
I support SAFE standing but the law has to be changed for that to happen. I do not support antisocial standing. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) August 10, 2016
Gold was commenting in the wake of heavy criticism regarding the migration policy that has led to numerous problems between West Ham supporters at the Olympic Stadium, some of whom wish to stand and others who prefer to sit.
You may read the Adam Smith Institute's full report into the viability of safe standing on their website.
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Bilic confirms Calleri arrival - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 11th August 2016
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic has confirmed that West Ham have completed the signing of Argentine Olympic squad member Jonathan Calleri.
Bilic, speaking to the media this morning ahead of the Premier League clash with Chelsea on Monday confirmed that the 22-year-old will arrive at West Ham shortly, following his team's surprise exit from the Olympics overnight at the hands of Honduras, who they needed to beat but could only draw 1-1 with.
"We signed Calleri," he confirmed during this morning's presser. "Unfortunately for him, but good for us, Argentina were knocked out of the Olympics on Wednesday.
"They didn't pass the group stage so he should be here with us – not today, not tomorrow, but pretty soon, depending on work permit or whatever. We did the deal not a long time ago but not yesterday.
"He is a top striker as well. You need a squad, but it is also about the balance."
Calleri, who spent the latter half of last season at Sao Paolo in set to join West Ham on a season-long loan.
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Who is Jonathan Calleri? Profile of West Ham's new loan signing - SkySports
By Tom Robinson
Last Updated: 11/08/16 6:50pm
West Ham have added another striker to their ranks with the season-long loan signing of Jonathan Calleri from Deportivo Maldonado.
Having starred alongside Hammers' idol Carlos Tevez for Boca and finished as top scorer of this year's Copa Libertadores, Calleri has forged a reputation as one of the most exciting young strikers in South America.
So what can West Ham fans expect from new signing Calleri…
Profile
Age: 22
Position: Striker
Nationality: Argentine
International Caps: 0 (5 caps, 1 goal for U23s)
Background
Born in Buenos Aires, Calleri followed in the footsteps of his uncle, former Argentina international Nestor Fabbri, by making his formative steps at Club Atletico All Boys - a small but historic club nestled in the Floresta neighbourhood of the capital, where Tevez also began his career.
Like Tevez, Calleri's next destination was Boca Juniors. His record of six goals in 30 appearances for relegated All Boys meant that he arrived at the Bombonera in July 2014 without much of a fanfare, and initially struggled for game-time under legendary coach Carlos Bianchi.
Nevertheless, he forced his way into the first team with six goals in 15 matches, finishing the Torneo Transicion as Boca's top scorer.
The arrival of Rodolfo Arruabarrena in the dugout brought about a focus on youth and Calleri became a regular, scoring 15 goals in all competitions as Boca won a league and cup double.
The arrival of Carlos Tevez midway through the season proved to be the catalyst for Boca's success and Calleri immediately struck up a prolific partnership with the former West Ham player.
Calleri's economic rights were bought by Uruguayan side Deportivo Maldonado at the beginning of 2016 and the striker was close to joining Inter Milan before eventually signing for Sao Paulo on a six-month loan.
The 22-year-old quickly adapted to life in Brazil and was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with nine goals in 12 games as Sao Paulo reached the semi-finals.
This summer, Calleri lead the line for Argentina in the Olympic Games in Rio, scoring once against Honduras before they crashed out at the group stage.
Style
Combining technique, power and tireless work-rate, Calleri looks to be a good fit for the hi-octane world of the Premier League.
Despite not being the tallest at 5ft 10in, Calleri possesses good heading ability and has the strength to hold the ball up and link play.
His willingness to run into the channels and drift wide makes him a slightly different proposition to a traditional out-and-out striker, but he possesses the requisite movement, burst of acceleration and nous inside the box to lead the line if necessary.
Although lacking the skillset and low centre of gravity compared to fellow countrymen Sergio Aguero or Paulo Dybala, Calleri does still have the ability to conjure up a moment of magic, as demonstrated by his audacious rabona lob against Quilmes last year.
Comparisons to Gonzalo Higuain may be somewhat premature but the young Argentinian striker has proven his worth at some of the biggest clubs in South America and will relish the challenge of establishing himself in the Premier League.
How will he fit in at West Ham?
Calleri is unlikely to be first choice at London Stadium and talk of Carlos Bacca or another marquee signing being brought in could see him further down the pecking order. Still only 22, Calleri will most likely be seen as a long-term project for the future.
Nevertheless, Slaven Bilic will need to rotate his West Ham side if they are to deal with the rigours of Europa League football and, as a result, Calleri could see plenty of game time.
He has already consulted former team-mate Tevez and the presence of Manuel Lanzini should help him to settle in East London, as he attempts to emulate his fellow Argentinians.
He may still be raw but if the rough edges are polished and provided he can adapt to the tempo of English football, Calleri could well be a very shrewd signing for West Ham as they look to build on last season's seventh place finish.
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West Ham signing Andre Ayew says Dimitri Payet played big part in transfer - SkySports
By James Dale
Last Updated: 11/08/16 7:19pm
Andre Ayew says his close friendship with Dimitri Payet played a big part in his decision to join West Ham.
The 26-year-old joined the Hammers from Swansea in a £20.5m deal on Tuesday, becoming the club's record signing after eclipsing the £15m they paid to sign Andy Carroll from Liverpool in 2013.
Payet, who scored nine goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, played with Ayew for Marseille in Ligue 1 and the new West Ham signing was not surprised by Payet's impressive campaign.
"We have a very good relationship, he's a friend," said Ayew. "I'm happy to be in the same squad as him. He's a great player, he has great quality.
"I'm not surprised with what he did last season because I even know he is going to do more this season, he has the quality to do more.
"With him, and all the other guys who have come in, with Feghouli, I had to take my time, have a discussion with the manager, he made me understand what he wanted."
Ayew scored 12 top flight goals for the Swans last season but the ambition shown by West Ham persuaded him to switch to the London club.
"I knew that this club is a very popular club, has a lot of ambitions, wants to get to another level and I want to be part of that project," he added.
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Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet: Former Lille duo face off as equals - SkySports
By Adam Bate
Last Updated: 11/08/16 4:39pm
Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet spent a season together at Lille in 2011/12. Hazard was the star back then, but when the pair face each other for Chelsea and West Ham respectively on Monday Night Football, it will be as Premier League equals, writes Adam Bate.
Dimitri Payet's difficult beginnings in football are well known. Kicked out of Le Havre as a teenager, he was sent back to his home in Reunion, 5700 miles away in the Indian Ocean. It wasn't to be the end of Payet's career - or his disciplinary problems.
Given another opportunity with Nantes, he stormed out of a 2007 training session after a row with senior goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. At Saint-Etienne in 2010, Payet struck his own captain, Blaise Matuidi, during a home defeat to Toulouse.
He went missing soon after in the hope of forcing through a transfer to Paris St Germain. "He made a blunder," said Saint-Etienne president Roland Romeyer at the time. "What kid hasn't made a mistake?" But Payet made more than most.
Flash forward six years and the West Ham man is a hero for club and country, named in the PFA Premier League team of the year and the Euro 2016 team of the tournament. At 29, he's now playing the best football of his career.
A late bloomer then, but one whose talent was never hidden. Payet's France debut had come at the age of 23, providing assists in each of his first two appearances. Damien Comolli, sporting director during Payet's stay at Saint-Etienne, hinted that any issues were in the mind.
"On a natural class level, Dimitri is stronger than a player like Luka Modric, who I saw very closely at Tottenham," Comolli told France Football in 2010. "It is a very high level. We never stopped repeating to him: 'It is only up to you.'"
It was this Payet, not the hero of France whose goal lit up the opening night of the Euros, who pitched up at Lille in 2011. The club were newly-crowned as the champions of France, winners for the first time in 50 years thank to the precocious gifts of Eden Hazard.
Lille supporters might have envisioned a perfect partnership between the two players, but it took time for the new signing to settle. Despite being four years older than Hazard, it was Payet who was the one still learning to make the most of his ability.
He scored twice in his first 28 appearances and by the winter of 2011 found himself among the substitutes. Indeed, Payet didn't even start consecutive games alongside Hazard between November and mid-March. On-loan Joe Cole was preferred instead.
Cole has since revealed some surprise at how quickly Payet made his impact at West Ham, having assumed it might take his former team-mate "six, seven, eight months to settle down" in England, but this was understandable based on the evidence of their time at Lille.
Expressing himself alongside Hazard was a problem for a Payet. "I'm asking him to do different things to Saint-Etienne," said Lille coach Rudi Garcia. "It's logical that it takes time. The competition should push him to excel. Dimitri must display confidence, he must let go."
Within months, he was starting to do just that. A goal in a 3-0 win at Evian sparked a run of three consecutive games in which Payet found the net. Finally, Garcia got to see the player he'd bought and finally there was a glimpse of what Payet and Hazard could do together.
"It is interesting when he is in close proximity to Eden because they get along well on and off the field," said Garcia. "The potential was there, we knew that. But beyond that there was a real confidence problem with him. The difference is that he is now full of confidence."
Look hard enough and there were signs of the Payet who'd emerge. While it was Hazard who topped Lille's charts for goals and assists - recording a league record number of the latter - it was actually Payet who created more chances per minute than the team's star.
Lille in 2011/12
Eden Hazard Dimitri Payet
Goals 20 6
Assists 16 6
Shots per 90 3.0 3.2
Dribbles per 90 2.5 1.2
Chances created per 90 2.6 2.7
Following Hazard's departure that summer, he went on to enjoy the joint-best goalscoring season of his career to date. It earned Payet a move to Marseille and, eventually, an unlikely link-up with Marcelo Bielsa that would help take his career to another level.
It was after one particular Bielsa team-talk that Payet turned to goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and said: "Now I can die for him." Despite the coach's nickname being El Loco, it was Bielsa's calm that impressed Payet. He responded by matching Hazard's Ligue 1 assists record from 2011/12.
The Argentine trusted Payet, turning him into the team's playmaker. It helped prepare him for the move to England that Cole had recommended three years earlier, seizing it in style to become West Ham's most thrilling performer and win a France recall in the process.
He took his chance at Euro 2016 too, forcing his way into Didier Deschamps' starting line-up and scoring that winner against Romania. "You have to say thanks to West Ham," said team-mate Patrice Evra afterwards, "because you can see now that he takes responsibility."
In truth, Payet has had many influences. The credit should be shared. From the wasted chances as a teenager through to the faith of the coaches who've been so emphatically rewarded, it has been quite the journey to the top. Team-mates played their part too.
Chelsea vs West Ham
"I have been helped by the top players at all the clubs I have played for," he said recently. "When you are playing with such good players it does make things easier but I also feel that you can learn new things at all ages... My maturity has helped me see things differently."
Payet learnt from Hazard and has become a different player today to the one he'd been at Lille. In fact, having outshone his old friend in the Premier League last season, perhaps he's even now looking like the senior man that he is. But the real indication of Payet's progress is that this Monday they will face each other as equals.
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