Daily WHUFC News - 21st March 2017

Loanee round up
WHUFC.com

Enner Valencia was on the scoresheet for the second time in as many matches
for Everton
Josh Cullen's great form continued as Bradford City went seven games
unbeaten in League One
There were also starts for George Dobson, Toni Martinez and Sam Howes

Hammer Enner Valencia scored his second goal in as many matches for Everton
on Saturday as he found the net within a minute of coming on as a substitute
in the Toffees' 4-0 win over Hull City. The Ecuadorian loanee, putting the
result beyond doubt with the hosts' second 12 minutes from time, followed up
his strike against Spurs a fortnight ago with the tidy finish after playing
a one-two with teammate Romelu Lukaku. Having fallen behind after just nine
minutes when Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first Premier League goal,
Hull stayed in the game until Tom Huddlestone was sent off in the 73rd
minute. Valencia's strike opened the floodgates, and Lukaku bagged two in
injury time to add a gloss to the scoreline.

In the Championship, Reece Oxford made his second outing in a Reading shirt
on Friday as he came on as a sub in the Royals' 2-0 win at Sheffield
Wednesday. The play-off chasers took the lead through Yann Kermorgant early
on and Adrian Popa sealed the win five minutes into injury time at the end
of the game.

Bradford City, another side chasing a top six place though this time in
League One, picked up a crucial victory on Saturday as they came from behind
to beat Swindon Town. Josh Cullen, one of the third tier's stars of the
season, played the full 90 minutes for the Bantams who made it seven league
matches unbeaten with the Valley Parade victory.

Charlton loanee Nicky Ajose thought he had won the game for the visitors
when he found the back of the net 15 minutes from time, but Stuart McCall's
men hit back with an equaliser in the 85th minute.

Charlie Wyke was the scorer, and he was at it again six minutes later as he
celebrated a tenth City goal since joining from Carlisle United in January.

There was a second start of the week for George Dobson, who completed his
second League One 90 minutes for Walsall. The Saddlers left Southend
United's Roots Hall disappointed however, as their two-goal lead thanks to
Franck Moussa's brace was wiped out with three Shrimpers second half goals.
Former Hammer Anton Ferdinand volleyed home from 12 yards to make it 2-2
after Nile Ranger had pulled a goal back for the hosts, and Simon Cox was
able to win the game seven minutes before the referee's final whistle.

Toni Martinez, who had previously gone three matches without a start, was
back in the Oxford United XI to face fifth-placed Scunthorpe United, and the
Us kept their top six ambitions alive with a huge 2-1 win. Paddy Madden
scored after 12 minutes to give Scunthorpe the initiative, but skipper John
Lundstram equalised and the Kassam Stadium erupted when Phil Edwards struck
in stoppage time to make it 2-1.

Jaanai Gordon played the final 13 minutes for Newport County in League Two,
but could not help the Exiles overturn a three-goal deficit against
Blackpool. Alex Samuel did pull one back for the hosts after Bright
Osayi-Samuel – with a brace – and Mark Cullen had bagged for the visitors at
Rodney Parade, but County's relegation worries continue after the defeat.

In the National League south, Sam Howes played his part in an entertaining
fixture between Poole Town and his loan side Hampton and Richmond Borough as
the points were eventually shared. Poole took a first half two-goal lead but
Howes' side hit back and stunned their hosts to go 3-2 up with eleven
minutes left. Seven minutes from time though an equaliser was scored and
both sides were made to settle for a point, which leaves Hampton and
Richmond Borough seventh in the league table.

Finally, Sam Ford was introduced as a second half substitute for Bishop's
Stortford however they were beaten 1-0 by Whitehawk in the same division.

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Antonio withdrawn from England squad
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio has been withdrawn from England's squad for their games
against Germany and Lithuania next week after picking up a hamstring injury
in Saturday's 3-2 loss against Leicester City. The West Ham United No30 was
hoping to earn his first caps for the Three Lions after being called up to
the squad for a third time, but will now have to wait for his opportunity.
Antonio was withdrawn from the squad after being assessed by both the
Hammers' and the England medical teams and will remain at Rush Green during
the international break.

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Mediawatch - 20 March
WHUFC.com

As the newspapers continue to analyse Saturday's defeat to Leicester City,
there is one good piece of news to emerge - as one of our strikers is set to
resume training today. That striker is Diafra Sakho, who has been missing
with a back problem since he scored in November's 1-1 Premier League draw
against Manchester United. However, this report on Sky Sports says he will
train with the Hammers' under-23 squad from today, and is due to step up to
full training with the first team in early April should he come through
unscathed.

Unfortunately, Michail Antonio will be unable to train today - where he was
due to link-up with England at St George's Park ahead of their matches
against Germany and Lithuania. The Hammers' No30 was hoping to make his
Three Lions debut this week, but will have to wait due to a hamstring
injury, as confirmed in the Independent.

Meanwhile, the focus on Saturday's 3-2 loss to the in-form Foxes falls on
the Joint-Chairman David Sullivan, who says in this Sky Sports piece that
West Ham need to improve following the international break. He says: "I
think all we can do after Saturday's defeat is say sorry to the supporters.
"To be 2-0 down after seven minutes of any football match, be it in the
Premier League or in your local Sunday League, makes it very difficult to
get a positive result. "The next few games now become vital for our season.
We go to Hull City, then to Arsenal, before we welcome Swansea City to
London Stadium."

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Byram hoping for more starts
WHUFC.com

Sam Byram keen for more opportunities to start after impressing against
Leicester City
No22 handed first start since home defeat by Manchester City on 1 February
Right-back completed 90 minutes for the fourth time this season

Sam Byram was unaware of the clamour among supporters for him to start for
West Ham United on Saturday, but was pleased to be given a welcome chance to
impress. The No22 was back in the team for the first time since 1 February
for the visit of Leicester City, and the common consensus was that the
right-back did not do himself any harm with an eye-catching performance in
the Hammers' disappointing 3-2 defeat. While the result was disappointing,
Byram himself was naturally happy to get just his fourth 90 minutes of the
season under his belt and is targeting an extended run in Slaven Bilic's
side. "I try to stay off social media as much as I can and just focus on
myself in training and how I can make myself better and help the team,"
Byram told West Ham TV. "I've said ever since I've been here that I want to
improve and keep getting better. "It's nice for me to get a start and get
some fitness, which is what I've needed. I think you can train as much as
you want but, to get match fitness, you want to play, so hopefully I can get
games in and keep impressing."

Byram's display earned positive reviews from the Claret and Blue Army, with
the 23-year-old making two tackles, three interceptions and two clearances.
He also embarked on a succession of forays into the Leicester half, touching
the ball 75 times – second-highest behind Manuel Lanzini – and delivering
three crosses into the Foxes' penalty area. However, three defensive
mistakes allowed Leicester to snatch victory from a game which, on the
balance of play, West Ham could have won comfortably. "Especially in the
first half, it was disappointing for us to perform like that," he observed.
"We turned it around in the second half and thought we were unfortunate not
to get anything from the game. "But I think it's happened too many times
when we've started slow and it's took falling a goal or even two goals down
for us to lift it and really show what we can do, so it was a frustrating
afternoon for us. "We said at half-time that they'd scored three goals from
nothing. They've not posed us a great attacking threat and they were three
sloppy goals caused by lack of concentration from us as a team. We need to
stop conceding like that. We will watch it back through the week and go from
there.
"The chances we have had, to not get anything from the game is frustrating.
We need to take the positives from the second half because we created lots
of chances and we've moved the ball well. "You can see, when we get the ball
down and we pass it and we shift it from side to side, we do create
opportunities and we need to put them away."

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Rice named U17 Irish Player of the Year
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 captain Declan Rice has been crowned FAI U17
International Player of the Year at a ceremony in Dublin. The 18-year-old
beat fellow Irishmen Canice Carroll (Oxford United) and Jayson Molumby
(Brighton and Hove Albion) to the prestigious award.
Rice has enjoyed a terrific season for club and country, beginning with him
being named Hammers U23s captain by manager Terry Westley.
He's stood out at the heart of the back four this season, playing 26 times
in Premier League 2, the Premier League Cup and the Checkatrade Trophy.
He's also scored twice, both times in the Premier League Cup, netting in the
2-2 draw with Leicester City in the group stage and in the last 16 defeat to
Newcastle United on Saturday. Rice also signed a new contract with the club
in February, pledging his future to the Hammers until 2020. Upon signing
his new deal, the 2015/16 Academy Player of the Year said: "It has been an
amazing season for me, I think I've kicked on and progressed. After the
season I've had, being on the bench for the first team and captaining the
U23s in every game, it's been amazing. I've trained with the first team
quite a bit as well and that makes me want to kick on even more."

Rice has also enjoyed a meteoric rise with his country - having impressed
with the U17s and U19s, he was called up to the U21s at the end of 2016. For
the upcoming international break, the defender has joined up with the U19s
for their European qualifier with Belgium.
"I got my first call up for the U21s a couple of months ago and that was a
great experience to be with a different set of lads and learn from coaches
who have a different style," Rice continued. "We've got the Euros with the
U19s and I haven't been with them in a while so I cannot wait to play with
them again."

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DT38 Foundation Awareness Day a success
WHUFC.com

DT38 Foundation held their third annual Awareness Day at London Stadium on
Saturday
Charity founded by Dylan Tombides' mother Tracy following the striker's
death at the age of 20
Cause aims to provide testicular cancer awareness through education and
opportunities

Dylan Tombides' legacy lived on at London Stadium as the DT38 Foundation
held their third annual Awareness Day. The charity was set up in memory of
Dylan, who passed away aged 20 in April 2014 following a brave battle with
cancer, to provide testicular cancer awareness through education and
opportunities. On Saturday, dozens of supporters of DT38 Foundation walked
from The Boleyn Tavern in Upton Park to West Ham United's new home on Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park to spread the message and raise funds for a cause
close to the heart of everyone associated with the Club. Dylan's mother
Tracy Tombides, founder of the DT38 Foundation, led the 3.8 mile walk – a
figure fitting seeing as his No38 shirt has been retired by the Club –
before speaking to the capacity crowd at half-time.

"We are extremely grateful for the tremendously warm support showed to DT38
Foundation throughout our third Awareness Day with West Ham United," said
Tracy, who was presented with a cheque for £1,500 raised by schoolchildren
Leia, Kobi and Mali after the trio walked 38 miles in 38 days. "From the
honking horns and applause during our 3.8 mile walk to the London Stadium in
the morning to the donations and having the opportunity to speak about the
Foundation's work pitch-side at half time. "A massive thank you to the staff
and players at West Ham for helping make the day a great success and also to
the many people who took part in the walk and, of course, to Lysis Financial
for sponsoring it."

DT38 Foundation is in the process of rolling out an education programme
based around the children's book Didge – Dylan's childhood nickname – which
aims to inspire youngsters with a tale based on courage, persistence and
love. Through Dylan's real-life story teachers, parents and students will
use Didge to gain the necessary knowledge about testicular cancer to enable
them to be confident when taking health matters in their own hands. In
addition, DT38 Foundation will hold a free cancer screening day at Spire
Roding Hospital on Saturday 20 May. Tracy said the above events and
initiatives mean less young men will fall victim to the same terrible
disease which took her son's life too soon. "The Awareness Day is now a
major date in DT38's UK calendar and it's partly because of that event, that
we are able to educate children about health and well-being and continue to
raise awareness of testicular cancer and promote the importance of
self-checking to many more people," said Tracy. "We now need to build upon
the success of the day so we can continue making a difference to people's
lives, so if you can, please donate £3 by texting DIDGE to 70660, thank
you."

For more information about DT38 Foundation, visit dt38.co.uk and follow
@dylantombides.

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Oxford tipped to lead U19s to Euros
WHUFC.com

England U19 manager Keith Downing says Reece Oxford's experience will be
vital
Young Lions face three UEFA European Championship Elite Round qualifiers
over the coming days
Oxford appeared at 2016 tournament and previously captained U17s at 2015
Euro finals

England U19 manager Keith Downing says Reece Oxford's experience will be
vital as the Young Lions strive for qualification for the UEFA European
Championship finals. The Young Lions will tackle meet Norway, Spain and
Belarus in the UEFA Elite Round Qualifiers over the next few days, with the
winner of their group advancing to the tournament in Georgia this summer.
Oxford, who became West Ham United's youngest-ever player when he debuted in
July 2015, captained the U17s at the 2015 European Championship finals and
has already been capped twice at U20 level. He signed a new long-term
contract in December. The 18-year-old, who is currently on loan with
Championship promotion-chasers Reading, is set to captain his country again
when they take to the field against the Norwegians at St George's Park on
Wednesday. "Reece Oxford has most recently been with the U20s, but for this
campaign will be a key member of the group heading into three crucial Euro
qualifiers," said Downing of the ball-playing defender, who has 30
international age-group caps in total. "Reece will add his qualities to help
bolster our chances of reaching this summer's finals in Georgia. "To have
that flexibility across the age groups is testament to the working
relationship between our national coaches as we look to maximise the talent
we have at our disposal."

Oxford is part of an exciting-looking England U19 squad that also includes
West Ham's outstanding Academy goalkeeper Nathan Trott, Everton midfielder
Tom Davies, Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fulham forward
Ryan Sessengnon. With that sort of talent at his disposal, former West
Bromwich Albion Academy coach Downing is confident that the Young Lions can
progress to the tournament for the second time in succession. Oxford and
Hammers teammate Sam Howes were part of the squad – coached by Aidy
Boothroyd – which reached the semi-finals of the 2016 edition, where they
won all three group matches before being defeated 2-1 by Italy. "You get no
easy games and we have got three different tests, but we're pleased with the
squad we have put together," Downing confirmed. "It has been a six-month
process. "We just want to ensure that over the three games we give a good
account of ourselves. "We've got a really talented group of players and we
want them to produce the same form they have been showing for their clubs."

England U19s face Norway on Wednesday 22 March, Spain on Friday 24 March and
Belarus on Monday 27 March, with all three ties taking place at St George's
Park in Staffordshire.

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Foundation coach wins BEDSA
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Foundation's Rashid Abba honoured at British Ethnic
Diversity Sports Awards
Long-serving employability and coach education manager recognised with FA
Special Recognition award
Abba has worked with ethnic minorities and emerging communities in football
for past 27 years

West Ham United Foundation employability and coach education manager Rashid
Abba has been presented with a Football Association Special Recognition
award at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSAs).

With nearly 30 years of experience of working in the beautiful game, Abba
has inspired thousands of people from ethnic minorities to take up football
during a successful career with Leicester City and West Ham.

Abba's unique journey from keen non-league player through being a volunteer
community coach with Leicester to his current role overseeing the coaching
and mentoring of east Londoners from a wide variety of communities was
recognised at the Park Lane Hilton in London on Saturday evening.

There, he was presented with his award by former Chelsea defender and
long-time equality and diversity campaigner Paul Elliott CBE, in the
presence of a star-studded audience including Hammers fans Frank Bruno and
Kriss Akabusi.

"I didn't even know about the award, let alone think I had a chance of
winning it!" said a proud Abba, who combines his Foundation role with that
of FA coach educator and mentor. "The Football Association invited me along
as a guest on their table, and someone mentioned that I had been nominated
when I walked into the room.

"The award came totally out of the blue and I am immensely proud to have
been recognised as this is my passion and the job is never done."

Abba's achievements over his 27 years in the game are many, but his
enthusiasm for providing pathways through football for people from ethnic
minorities to make the most out of their lives is showing no sign of waning.

He began as a volunteer with Leicester's Football in the Community scheme in
1990, before becoming a part-time and then full-time coach, working with
youngsters from within the city's diverse Asian community, with the aim of
increasing participation.

After earning his coaching badges, Abba was employed as an Academy coach,
working with the Foxes' Under-9 to Under-14 sides, in the School of
Excellence and even as a scout.

"My work was based around the local Asian grassroots and empowering them to
play, coach and set up clubs, so they could use football as a tool to engage
youngsters in their communities," said Abba, who also played alongside a
young Dion Dublin as a youngster and even lined up against Colombian great
Carlos Valderrama.

After 15 successful years, Abba moved to West Ham in 2004, where he is now a
member of the most diverse Foundation workforce in the Premier League.

West Ham were pioneers when they launched the Asians in Football project in
1998

"West Ham were pioneers when they launched the Asians in Football project in
1998 and when I came in it was to work on a five-year project to encourage
participation in the game," he explained.

"Much of the work we do is on social inclusion in ethnic minorities and
emerging communities which are based in areas of deprivation, predominantly
with Asians. We educate the youngsters, parents and schools in football and
other sports and provide coach education programmes to help local people to
form their own clubs.

"By mentoring and educating, we aim to provide a pathway for people from
these backgrounds to work in roles such as coaches, or in sports science and
sports studies, while we also work with them on their soft skills, including
CV writing and preparing them for interviews. Our overall aim is to make
them more employable."

After nearly 30 years, one might expect Abba's energy to be wearing out, but
instead he is as driven now as he was as a young man walking into Filbert
Street a generation ago.

"After 15 years at Leicester, I have been with West Ham for 12 and I have
had a variety of different job titles, but all of them have enabled me to
use my passion to, I hope, help provide a legacy for the next generation,"
he concluded.

"I am now working for a Foundation which offers 40 programmes provided by 40
full-time staff and 80 sessional coaches and mentors. With 54 per cent of
our staff coming from ethnic minorities, we are recognised as the most
diverse workforce in the professional game, reflecting the communities we
serve.

"Receiving this award was very nice, but there is still more work to be
done."

For more information about the programmes offered by the West Ham United
Foundation, click here or follow @WHU_Foundation.

Keep your eyes peeled to whufc.com for more stories about some of the people
who make West Ham United much more than just a football club. #WeAreWestHam

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Record-breaking Season Ticket renewals continue
WHUFC.com

West Ham United supporters have shown their loyalty and commitment once
again following a record-breaking opening week of Season Ticket Renewals for
the 2017/18 campaign.

After the renewal process opened to supporters last Monday morning,
thousands have already secured their seat at London Stadium for next year in
the first seven days, to leave the Club on target for a complete sell-out of
Season Tickets in record time.

Last Monday saw the highest number of first day renewals in the Club's
entire history and, in a magnificent demonstration of that famous Hammers
support, every day since has delivered yet another record-breaking number.

Such has been the demand, this year has seen several times the number of
renewals compared to the same point in the renewal process during our hugely
popular final season at the Boleyn Ground.

For this reason, the Club must remind Season Ticket Holders that they have
until Wednesday 31 May to renew their seat for the 2017/18 campaign, with
renewal prices frozen as part of the Club's ongoing promise to provide
affordable football at London Stadium.

Any Season Tickets not renewed by this date will be made available to
supporters on the 55,000-strong Season Ticket Waiting List.

Supporters can also take advantage of the brand new low-interest payment
plan that enables the cost of your renewal to be spread over monthly
instalments, delivered with our partner V12 Season Ticket Finance.

The 10-month plan now offers a low 6% interest rate – significantly reduced
from the 19.9% previously payable. Alternatively, the four-month plan offers
0% interest, with a £30.00 administration fee.

For Season Ticket Holders looking to relocate their seat once the deadline
renewal passes, the low-interest payment plans provide the perfect
opportunity to renew as soon as possible in order to secure a prime spot on
the priority list for relocations.

The deadline to apply for a payment plan online is Friday 14 April.

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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: TRIPLE INJURY BLOW, SAKHO SET FOR RETURN, SULLIVAN
APOLOGISES TO FANS AGAIN
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 20 MARCH 2017 AT 12:28PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Hello Hammers. Here is todays lunchtime round up.

West Ham have been dealt a triple injury blow as Winston Reid, Pedro Obiang
and Michail Antonio are all set for spells on the sidelines. (Evening
Standard)

I find this news quite unbelievable and typical. Only at West Ham would
three of our four most important players all pick up injuries at the same
time. I just can't believe it, and I just want this season to be over with
now. However, for what remains of this season, the players we have must stay
strong, pull together and fight until the end.

David Sullivan has apologised to West Ham fans after yet another defeat at
the weekend. (Sky Sports)

It just wasn't good enough. You could argue that it just wasn't our day due
to some of the Leicester keepers saves, but not for me. You cannot go 2-0
down after 7 minutes and still expect to win the game.

Diafra Sakho is set to return to West Ham training today. (Sky Sports)

Diafra will hopefully be a huge boost to us towards the end of the season.
We need him now more than ever.

Jose Fonte has admitted that his start to life at West Ham could have been
better. (Tribal Football)

I agree. We thought we had got a great deal in Fonte for £8m, but he has
been a huge disappointment so far. Hopefully he turns this around for us.

West Ham fans have raged about the first half showing against Leicester on
Saturday. (Football London)

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No time to be fickle, Bilic in or out?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 20th March 2017
By: Adam Smith

Another loss, another defensive disaster, and another three goals scored.
And sure, there is no time to be fickle for West Ham United and their
supporters when it comes to the elephant in the room, but is there
justification for wanting Slaven Bilic out?

The case against Bilic is loudly shouted on social media. Belief that he is
a tactical dinosaur and refuses to play players at their positions,
effectively trying to ram square pegs in round holes, seem to be the loudest
and post commonly agreed too opinions. And while they aren't eloquently
worded the social media pundits do have plenty of proof to point to.

The game just passed against Leicester can be looked at as a microcosm of
the Bilic case. It can also be broken down into three cliché categories that
surely oversimplify the depth of the game and of the Bilic situation at
large: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Lets begins with the good, and despite the outcome there was some (if you
look really hard, and cover one eye).

A late knock on Noble and weeks of complaining from the fans paid off and
the starting eleven looked like how many supports believed it should. Most
notably, Kouyate returned to his place in central midfield along side
Obiang, and Sam Byram, an actual right back, started at right back.
Revelation! There surely has not ever been as much anxiety leading up to the
reveal of the starting line up, however Slav appeared to get this right this
time.

Andre Ayew again impressed in attack for the team. He managed to score the
second goal and did his best to drag the Hammers back into the match with
sneaky runs into the box as often as he could. Most notably on a run in on a
ball from Antonio where he skyed an unchallenged attempt. He needed to bury
that goal, however his nose for the net cannot be overlooked. He surely has
cemented his position in the starting eleven, if not, another nail in the
Bilic coffin will have been struck.

A weekly positive story for West Ham is the play of Manuel Lanzini. The
Argentinian jewel has been nothing short of a revelation for the Hammers and
he is filling the gap left behind by Payet. His goal on a free kick just
outside the box froze Casper Schmeichel as it was slotted perfectly in the
top corner, over the wall of defenders.

Lanzini gave his team and stadium a pulse in this game and is developing
into a guaranteed goal scorer for the Claret and Blue. Pure class on the
goal, and always quick and poised on his feet, Lanzini needs to be the focal
point of the team in the off season. Bilic played him correctly this week
and if he still is in control of the team in the summer window Bilic needs
to bring in players to maximise his creativity and his goal scoring ability.

Honorable mentions: Antonio was as dangerous as ever playing in an attacking
position. He appears to trust the likes of Ayew, Carroll and Lanzini as his
attacking mates, which takes pressure off him to solely be 'The Man'. He
does need to be more poised on the ball out of the attacking area, and not
let laziness lead to dispossession. Also, Kouyate looked great in the game,
especially having to fill in at centre back for Winston Reid. Centre back is
much more natural for Kouyate to fill in at, as it allows him to use his

height to defend, and keeps him reigned in from running up the pitch and
leaving his defensive responsibilities behind. Sam Byram also got the time
he needed at right back. He is still developing as a wing back but has had
flashes of brilliance and there was no lack of love, or teamwork between him
and Snodgrass on the right side of the pitch. He should be starting every
week at right back for the rest of the season.

Onto the Bad:

I'll reserve this slot for injuries, of which there were three. Two of the
injuries sustained removed key role-players from our game. Winston Reid and
Pedro Obiang both left with serious looking injuries from the match, while
Michail Antonio seems to have felt something during the game in his
hamstring, although he managed to play the full match. The thought is that
Antonio will now withdraw from the England squad to nurse this injury back
to health.

Reid was seen leaving the London Stadium on crutches after what has been
called a "conductor problem" by Bilic. The signing of Jose Fonte seems
fitting now, despite his efforts of late, as it minimised the blow to the
Hammers who would have been down to just Jamie Collins, who did not see the
pitch, at central defender.

The Injury to Obiang could be most damning for the squad. On a tackle he
missed, Obiang pulled his leg back and under him, rolling his ankle under
his weight. He was in noticeable pain on the pitch and the stretcher was
brought out to take him off the field.

A stalwart defender, near perfect tackler, and passing visionary, Obiang has
been the Hammer of the year for most and his injury could be felt the most
for West Ham if he is slated to miss any serious time. With a full two weeks
off some of the injury damage sustained can be mitigated.

And now the ugly:

This section is to be reserved to two main points, Darren Randolph and set
piece defending.

Firstly, Randolph needs to be addressed in this game. The goal by Mahrez is
simply unacceptable and it should be pinned on Randolph entirely. Aaron
Cresswell was manning the Algerian international on the goal, and limited
him to a shot that needs to, and should be stopped every time. Whether
Randolph believed the ball was going to be touched on net, or was caught
sleeping, it is entirely unacceptable.

Goalkeeping in any sport, and in any league has a universal rule: don't get
caught cheating, and that is exactly what appears to have happened here.

Seeking and preparing for the heroic save, Randolph awaited the ball he
assumed would be flicked on net by the Leicester player, but was cleanly
beat when it went untouched. If he believed it would be touched he should
have left his line and caught or punched away the danger, instead he waited
and was beat at a crucial minute, deflating his team.

The second goal can be slated on Fonte and the rest of the team as they sat
on their hands and watched Leicester change the angle on a free kick,
leaving Albrighton open to pick out Huth who was unmarked. And the third
falls on horrible set piece defending, leaving Randolph out to dry.

Set pieces are an interesting thing when it comes to West Ham. Lanzini's
classy strike was another effort to bolster the opinion that no one scores
off set pieces like the Hammers, but there are certainly two sides to this
story.

West Ham constantly pull as many players forward to attack as possible from
corner kicks or close free kicks. This is seemingly to add numbers to score,
however when the delivery is poor, as many of Snodgrass' corners were, the
defenders are in full sprint to get back in cover.

It is not a new story as Chelsea had preyed upon this faulty tactic in their
win over the Hammers. And the counter-attacking Foxes certainly did the
same. Too many times were long balls booted downfield off failed set pieces
to the likes of Vardy and company, who either worked a scoring chance out of
the effort or managed to create a corner kick.

The defending of set pieces against West Ham also brings up issues. Randolph
certainly needs to make his decisions early and stick to them. On multiple
occasions Randolph has been in no-man's-land stuck between making a play in
the air and staying at home. As well, Randolph has had to face far too many
shots that comes from breakdowns and unmarked men.

Diego Costa's goal against Chelsea saw him slip passed Reid simply because
he was ball watching. Defensive responsibility needs to be upped along with
urgency on balls dropping within the box, both noticeably absent when four
men were marking no one on Vardy's goal off of a corner, a goal reminiscent
of Costa's.

Also, the luxury of players with the height of Andy Carroll are intangibles
when it comes to defending, however there needs to be a tactical decision
made when Carroll must stay near the net to flick balls away or over the
net. Examining the Huth goal against, Carroll is invaluable if the ball is
in the air as there are few who can beat him to it.

But a simple roll instead of shot and centring to the top of the box allowed
Albrighton to pull Carroll who felt the defensive responsibility as striker
to cover the top man as well. With Carroll pulled the ball went through the
air and ended up in the back of the net. Whether someone did not mark him,
or there was no plan in place, Carroll cannot be in two places at once and
there needs to be someone marking the man up top.

With the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly explained from the 3-2 loss, can
anything be drawn about Bilic and his future at West Ham?

Well if I were making the decisions for the club the only way he would be
gone within this season would be if West Ham were dropping to the relegation
discussion. I understand they are not by any means above that now, but I
mean real, serious, danger. The rest of this season would simply be a try
out for Bilic.

Stipulations and benchmarks would have to be created and reached within this
period, essentially expectations for him as the leader of the team. That
would fall on the board to have open communication with him in order to
establish such a chartered future. But the stipulations of him staying would
be: new training regiment, tactical revision, and playing the players to
maximise their skill sets.

The likes of Enner Valencia and now Reece Oxford have commented on West Ham
training under Slaven Bilic and its lackadaisical nature. While training
intensity and style will change from manager to manager, West Ham's training
was not described as different, it was described as lacking intensity.

As mentioned above, the set pieces need work and I needn't slam my head on
my keyboard to point out to obvious again. However, playing players in their
natural positions is something that needs to be stated. Swiss-Army-Knifing
players like Antonio and Kouyate with viable bench options able to fill the
void naturally does not make sense, even when the best players on paper are
on the pitch.

That being said, it is fine to lean on players' flexibility in times of
need, but relying on it cannot be explained away week after week. As well,
Bilic had previously limited Lanzini in a wing role, when he needs to have
the middle of the pitch to create and utilise his shot to its maximum
potential, as he was afforded against Leicester.

Bilic by no means is OUT of West Ham, but if he is it is no one fault but
his own. He needs to remember that managers are significant because each one
brings a different, new approach than the one next to them. Bilic needs to
realise his identity and start stamping it on the team before he has run out
of opportunities.

Payet, a new stadium, injuries, and great second halves are all story lines
supports are tired of hearing because they are excuses leaned on all too
much. West Ham wants a manager who will stand up for its players not because
he is paid to, but because his reputation and job rest on their ability to
be well trained, and execute his game plan. The try out begins now, do not
waste it.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andre Ayew continues his rise-scores third goal in four games
Published on: 20 March 2017
ghanasoccernet.com

Ghana international Andre Ayew continued his mercurial rise to the top with
his third goal in four games but that was not enough to at least salvage a
point for his team. Ayew earned his first start since December and duly
repaid Slaven Bilic's faith by turning in his third goal in the last four
games. For the visitors, Jamie Vardy scored his third goal in three league
games and Shinji Okazaki's 89 pass success rate was the best by a Leicester
player. That said, the Japanese international ranked 4th in that discipline
from both sides - behind Jose Fonte, Cheikhou Kouyate and Manuel Lanzini.

Of course, the second half display on Saturday, which included that Ayew
goal, might give encouragement to Bilic but he will know that there are
defensive issues to address. The Hammers have now conceded eight goals from
their last three matches and the injury picked up by Winston Reid on
Saturday could rule the New Zealander out for an extended period.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Could Diafra Sakho be the man to rescue West Ham's season as fans crave his
return?
Sakho has been out since November but is closing in on a return
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
09:18, 20 MAR 2017UPDATED09:22, 20 MAR 2017

West Ham fans are craving the return of another injury-prone striker to help
solve their extremely stuttering season. The Hammers haven't won since their
3-1 success down at Southampton on February 4 and while scoring goals hasn't
necessarily been a problem, conceding them certainly has been. West Ham
striker Diafra Sakho is back in training today (Monday) with the PL2 squad
and could return to the line up for the trip to Arsenal on April 5. Next
weekend's game at Hull City will be too soon for the front man. Sakho missed
the start of the season with a back injury, not making his first appearance
of this season in claret and blue until November 19 of last year in the 3-2
reverse at Spurs. Still working his way back to fitness, Sakho was injured
in his next appearance, a 1-1 draw at Manchester United in a game in which
he scored. He was originally slated to be out for four weeks with a
hamstring problem - it could be more like 16 weeks by the time he comes
back. Sakho is training with the PL2 squad but is expected to go back to the
first team in a fortnight, with the international break serving as the
perfect time to get himself back to fitness. It's clear the Hammers fans are
missing Sakho - who scored seven goals in another injury-ravaged campaign
last season - and are clamouring for his return as Andy Carroll has
struggled since he came back from injury.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Blow for West Ham with Pedro Obiang set to miss rest of the season with
ankle injury
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

West Ham suffered a major blow with the news that Pedro Obiang is likely to
miss the rest of the season through injury. The midfielder, who was on the
verge on being awarded a new deal after impressing this season, suffered a
significant ankle injury during the second half of West Ham's 3-2 defeat
against Leicester and was due to undergo a scan to assess the extent of the
damage. Obiang, signed from Sampdoria last summer, took time to tie down a
regular spot in West Ham's team but has this season been one of the
successes in what has been a largely difficult time for Slaven Bilic's
squad. There was even more bad news for the manager, whose team have won
just one match in their last seven, with Michail Antonio suffering a
hamstring strain near the end of the Leicester match, which could rule him
out for up to a month.
Antonio was not replaced by England today after withdrawing from the squad
for the matches against Germany and Lithuania, while central defender
Winston Reid has also been forced to drop out of the New Zealand squad after
picking up a thigh problem. The injuries, on the back of the defeat by
Leicester, only serve to increase the pressure on Bilic, especially after
club co-chairman David Sullivan, for the second week in succession, warned
that there must be an improvement in what remains of the season.
Only Bournemouth, Hull and Swansea have conceded more Premier League goals
than West Ham this season and Sullivan said: "We have to find out why we are
conceding so many goals and fix it. "The next few games now become vital. We
go to Hull, then to Arsenal before we welcome Swansea."
West Ham found themselves two goals down after eight minutes against
Leicester and full-back Sam Byram agrees that is not good enough.
"We turned it around in the second half and were unfortunate not to get
anything from the game," he said. "But it has happened too many times when
we have started slowly. "It was a lack of concentration from us but it is
really frustrating that we didn't get anything from the game. "We need
points on the board so it is frustrating to have two weeks to the next game.
I would want to play sooner so we can put it right."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham suffer TRIPLE injury blow as Pedro Obiang is ruled out for the rest
of the season while Antonio and Reid are also set to miss the next month
Obiang will miss the rest of the campaign after suffering an ankle injury
against Leicester, while Antonio is sidelined with a hamstring problem and
Reid will be out for up to six weeks with a hip injury
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
11:09, 20 MAR 2017

West Ham have suffered a TRIPLE injury blow after Pedro Obiang was ruled out
for the rest of the season and influential do Michail Antonio and Winston
Reid are set to miss the next month. Slaven Bilic has been rocked by the
news that Obiang will miss the rest of the campaign after he was carried off
on a stretcher with an ankle injury during the 3-2 home defeat against
Leicester on Saturday. Obiang has been one of the star performers for the
east London club this season and will be badly missed at the heart of the
Hammers midfielder.
There was more bad new for Bilic after he learned that England star Antonio
is set to miss the next three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. Antonio
was forced to pull out of the England squad for the double-header against
Germany and Lithuania. The talented forward managed to play the full 90
minutes against Leicester, but he felt his hamstring towards the end of the
game and results have now shown the severity of the problem. Reid is also
set to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hip problem.
'Antonio 3-4 weeks Hamstring, but as he's a superb athlete we hope it might
be sooner. The news will come as a major blow to Bilic who is looking to
secure their Premier League status following three consecutive defeats. The
Hammers face crucial games against Hull, Arsenal and Swansea at the start of
April and Bilic's squad will now be down to the bare bones.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 20th March 2017

Stat's A Fact - Leicester City
WHUFC.com

Despite a dominant second-half display, a mistake-ridden first half proved
costly for the Hammers as they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Leicester City
at London Stadium on Saturday.

Last year's Premier League champions made the most of a slow start by Slaven
Bilic's side by scoring twice in the opening seven minutes. Manuel Lanzini
and Andre Ayew then scored either side of a Jamie Vardy goal but despite a
host of late chances for the Hammers, the visitors held out to secure their
first away win of the season.

Whilst the result is of immense disappointment to West Ham United, it was
their magician in midfield that once again ran the show. Manuel Lanzini
bagged his seventh league goal of the season with a stunning free-kick from
20 yards, before causing Leicester's defence problems throughout the
afternoon.

In a second half where West Ham United enjoyed 66 per cent possession and
had three times as many shots on goal (12), Lanzini's influence was telling.
The Argentinian made three successful dribbles, maintained a pass completion
rate of 95 per cent from 48 passes and had the most touches of any player on
the pitch – just in the second half.

In total, he had 96 touches (1st), attempted 70 passes (1st) at a success
rate of 95 per cent (1st), completed seven successful dribbles (3rd) and
made three interceptions (2nd).

Slaven Bilic praised his side's second half display and the stats certainly
suggest the Hammers were unlucky to not take at least a point from the game.
The 66 per cent possession was backed up by a pass success rate of 86 per
cent, eight successful dribbles (twice as many as Leicester City) and 12
shots on goal.

Ayew CelebratesFor the visitors, Jamie Vardy scored his third goal in three
league games and Shinji Okazaki's 89 pass success rate was the best by a
Leicester player. That said, the Japanese international ranked 4th in that
discipline from both sides - behind Jose Fonte, Cheikhou Kouyate and Manuel
Lanzini.

Of course, the second half display on Saturday, which included that Ayew
goal, might give encouragement to Bilic but he will know that there are
defensive issues to address. The Hammers have now conceded eight goals from
their last three matches and the injury picked up by Winston Reid on
Saturday could rule the New Zealander out for an extended period.

West Ham will not return to league action until the 1 April when the travel
to Hull City and the upcoming international break might have come at a good
time: They have now not won in the Premier League since beating Southampton
at St Mary's on 4 February.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Masuaku - We have to believe
WHUFC.com

Arthur Masuaku pleased to play but disappointed in defeat by Leicester City
Frenchman made his first-team return after three-and-a-half months away
No26 says West Ham United need to remain positive and results will turn

Arthur Masuaku is sincerely hoping history will not repeat itself.

Last time the left-back was part of a team which went five league games
without a win, back in spring 2014, he and Valenciennes ended the season by
being relegated from France's Ligue 1.

Masuaku moved on to Olympiacos in Greece, where he lost just five league
matches in two seasons combined, before joining West Ham United in August
2016.

The Frenchman's first campaign in east London has been disrupted by a knee
injury, but the 23-year-old was back in action in Saturday's 3-2 Premier
League defeat by Leicester City.

While Masuaku was disappointed by the result, he was happy to be back in the
first-team picture and is hoping to ensure Slaven Bilic's side do not
emulate his Valenciennes team of four seasons.

"It was very frustrating," he told West Ham TV, when asked how the Hammers
failed to equalise during his 20-minute appearance as a substitute against
Leicester. "All these things are frustrating because in every game we are
not playing our level.

"We didn't play our level in the first half but after in the second half we
stepped up. We are very disappointed because I think we should have won this
game. In the second half we were much better than them but we have to be
positive and win the next game."

We have to believe and we always have to think positive, even if the results
are not with us

The Hammers conceded three soft first-half goals against the Foxes but going
forward they were a different proposition. The hosts created 20 goal
attempts, including seven on target, only to find Leicester goalkeeper
Kasper Schmeichel in inspired form.

"Especially in the second half, we were dangerous every time we had the
ball," Masuaku observed. "We had many chances and we should have scored
more, normally three or four goals, to be honest."

"We have to believe and we always have to think positive, even if the
results are not with us. One day the chance will come and we will start to
win again."

While the situation is not the same as he experienced in two seasons of
dominating the Greek Super League, Masuaku says the Hammers should be
confident in their ability to turn their recent indifferent form around.

"It's not the same as in Greece, as with Olympiacos we had the best team and
we played only for the victory," he explained. "Every time we played to
attack and score goals and we were dominating the championship, and every
time we played against an opponent they were afraid.

"Now, it's not the same, but I think we have a good team at West Ham, so we
just have to keep working."

Masuaku himself will keep working with the aim of dislodging Aaron Cresswell
from the starting XI. Whoever gets the nod, the competition for the
left-back position can only be good for the team.

"I was happy to play because it was a long time ago, December I think, since
I played with the first team," he confirmed. "I was injured for a while so
it was a good feeling to play, even if it was hard because I'm not fully
match-fit yet.

"It was great to be back with the team and I will try to give my best."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mediawatch - 19 March
WHUFC.com

Our daily look at the papers includes plenty of praise for Leicester
goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

The Guardian's match report leads on Schmeichel's heroics, which saw him
deny Andy Carroll twice in the closing stages. It reads: 'After a frenzied
late assault from West Ham, Leicester passed this test. That they did so
owed much to Schmeichel's latest heroics. The Dane was engaged in a personal
duel with Andy Carroll by the end and it was difficult to know which of his
two saves from the West Ham forward was better.'

The manager couldn't believe his team hadn't managed to secure a third goal
to make it 3-3 either, telling the Daily Star: "Last 20 minutes the ball
just didn't want to go in.

"You can call it poor finishing but we have to give huge credit to Kasper
Schmeichel, especially for the save to the last chance from Andy Carroll.

"What gives us hope is our performance in the second half. We were good with
and without the ball. All we need to add is goals."

However, Slav conceded it wasn't just down to that - and that his team could
not afford the lax start they made. On Sky Sports, he explained: "We are
very disappointed, we fought back and we can talk about a lot of positives,
especially from the second half.

"We conceded really sloppy goals from our part and when we came back, to
concede another from a set-piece, it is very hard psychologically to come
back into the game."

There was also a blow for Michail Antonio, as he picked up a hamstring
injury which looks set to rule him out of England's games against Germany
and Lithuania, according to the Daily Mail.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom
WHUFC.c0m

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan says the Hammers 'need to be good before we
are losing'...

Hello everyone,
I think all we can do after Saturday's 3-2 Premier League defeat by
Leicester City at London Stadium is say is 'sorry' to the supporters. As I
have learned in my many decades as a fan, it is never easy being a West Ham
United supporter and we all know that we have to do better. To be 2-0 down
after seven minutes of any football match, be it in the Premier League or in
your local Sunday League, makes it very difficult to get a positive result.
In parts of the second half we were very good, but so was their goalkeeper
Kasper Schmeichel, who made world-class saves from Andy Carroll. We also had
a shot cleared off the line and another good chance which Andre Ayew shot
just over the crossbar. But, we need to be good before we are losing! We
have to find out why we are conceding so many goals and fix it because it is
obviously harder to win games when you concede two or three goals in a game
than if you keep a clean sheet. The next few games now become vital for our
season. We go to Hull City, then to Arsenal, before we welcome Swansea City
to London Stadium. Once again thank you to the fans for your wonderful
support. The noise in the second half, in particular, was superb and clearly
inspired the team to keep pushing for the equaliser.

It was just a shame for all of us that it did not arrive.
Come on you Irons!
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U23s skipper gutted after Cup exit
WHUFC.com

Declan Rice was left gutted after West Ham United exited the Premier League
Cup against Newcastle United
The Magpies were 3-2 winners in the entertaining tie at St. James' Park
Rice grabbed a goal himself but could not prevent Sammy Ameobi running the
show in the north east

West Ham United U23s captain Declan Rice was left gutted after a 3-2 defeat
at Newcastle United's St. James' Park on Saturday spelled the end to the
Hammers' Premier League Cup run.

The visitors, reigning champions of the competition, were hoping to get the
victory in their second meeting with the Magpies in a week after Monday's
goalless league draw, but Peter Beardsley's men were winners in extra time.

Rice thought he had won the game for West Ham when he headed in to make it
2-1 with seven minutes of normal time remaining, however Sammy Ameobi curled
home superbly shortly after to signal an extra 30 minutes.

Ashley Fletcher's opener had previously been cancelled out by Luke Charman,
and in the first period of extra-time, Ameobi grabbed his second with a
25-yard screamer to put Newcastle in the last-eight.

After the frustrating defeat, Rice said: "It was very disappointing to lose
this game. First half, we absolutely dominated it. Second half, we came out
and didn't play the best, but when we went a goal down it kicked us up the
backside a bit.

"Luckily I was able to get a goal, but it wasn't enough and it wasn't meant
to be in the end.

We dominated the first half. We had about 15 chances from what I remember
and we showed great character to keep on fighting.

Declan Rice
"It was great to get the goal and we thought it was going to be the winner.
It's always a great feeling to score and I think you can see I enjoyed it
from my celebration!

"We had about ten or 15 chances from what I remember. We also had the one
where the keeper was fouled but it should have been a penalty to us. If we
put that in the net then it's a game changer.

"We just couldn't break them down. We showed great character to keep
fighting. Terry [Westley] has said he couldn't fault our effort. We have
come up here twice this week and it's been two long journeys and we've
worked hard for each other. That's what we do and it shows on the pitch."

Ameobi – with plenty of experience in both the Premier and Football League –
proved to be the difference on the day and Rice said it was a good
experience to face the Nigerian.

"When you get to play against players who have played over 30, 40, 50 games
for Newcastle, the likes of Ameobi and Haidara, it's a great experience and
a great learning experience," the skipper continued.

"Ameobi was very good. He's a strong player and he's very good technically
and he's smart, too. He kept coming into pockets and he's a good player.

"I think we just need to be more clinical to be honest in front of goal.
Defensively as well, there are areas, so I guess it's a mixture of both, but
we'll go back to the training field and go and try and get three points
against Middlesbrough to chase those play-offs."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"EVENTUALLY THE FANS WILL TURN AGAINST YOU" WARNED SAM ALLARDYCE
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 19 MARCH 2017 AT 12:27PM
TheWestHamWayc.o.uk

This is written by Fake Carlton Cole @_CarltonCole9

Just after he left West Ham, Sam Allardyce warned Slaven Bilic that
"eventually, the fans will turn against you." At the time we just laughed at
him, accused him of being salty after the way he was being treated by fans.
Look at what's happening now.

After last season, we all thought Slaven was the second coming of Christ. He
gave us a last season at the Boleyn to remember, leading us to an impressive
7th position. We had a world class player in Dimitri Payet and we were going
into a "world class stadium". All was good wasn't it?

Underneath the surface, behind the facade of overachievement, something more
poisonous was happening; we were becoming arrogant. We started thinking that
this was going to be the norm. We had deluded ourselves into thinking we
could compete for Europe year in year out. Our expectations outgrew our
ability.

I include myself in that list. This has probably been the most disappointing
year as a West Ham fan that I can remember. Even in 2011 when we got
relegated, I sort of knew it was coming. But this season I thought would be
different. I thought this would be the season, with the stadium and all, in
which we could break through the glass ceiling and become the type of club
who would expect top 6 each year. That's how deluded I was (and how deluded
some fans still are). This is why this season has been a reality check; at
the end of the day we are West Ham United – a mid table side with mid table
financial backing. We are a team who have ups and downs, and this current
"down" isn't even the worst we have been through in the past 15-20 years by
a long shot.

This is where Slaven comes in. Personally I don't think he's done as bad a
job as everyone seems to think. Don't get me wrong I have questioned his
tactics many times, whether it be playing people out of position or omitting
certain players. Last weeks result against Bournemouth I admitted was
largely his fault for his poor tactics. But look at the shit that's happened
this season: shoddy transfer dealings (a couple of which were his fault but
that blame predominantly lies with the board), losing the only true world
class player we've had in years and, most crucially, moving into an
athletics stadium which is completely unsuitable to play football. Someone
tweeted me saying that we were lucky to beat some teams (Bournemouth, Hull,
Burnley, Palace, Sunderland etc) but that wasn't luck. Slav needed to win
and he got 3 points, so he did his job.

Now let's talk about who I believe the blame (if there is any) is more
applicable to; the players. Last season very few players put a foot wrong. I
said this at the time and I will reiterate my point, but I believe that was
down to Payet. Not only was he individually superb, but his effect almost
magically spread across the pitch and he made everyone around him better.
This is why players like Noble did so well last season, because Payet seemed
to play to everyone's strengths. Remember the results we had when he was
injured in November-December 2015? Now he's gone (a scenario Slav handled
with professionally) some players are showing how truly mediocre they really
are. Is it Slaven's fault if Carroll and Ayew miss sitters? Is it Slaven's
fault if Kouyate can't pass properly? Is it Slaven's fault that Aaron
Cresswell has become unable to play football? Is it Slaven's fault that
Ogbonna got injured and his replacement, Jose Fonte, cannot defend? I could
do this about 15 times over but you get the picture.

Whether you want Bilic to go or not, realistically he won't. Gold and
Sullivan don't sack managers quickly. Avram was only sacked the day we went
down and Allardyce lasted a year longer than he should have. Hypothetically,
let's imagine he does get sacked. The name that's being thrown around a lot
is Roberto Mancini. Granted, he won the league with Man City, but he did
that with a bottomless wallet. We don't have that luxury. Since then, he's
led Inter Milan, a team with a huge wallet and a squad greater than most in
Italy, to uninspired 4th and 8th placed finishes. He's been out of a job for
a year and has been using his spare time questionably, appearing on the
Italian version of Strictly. Do you want us to be managed by the Italian Ed
Balls?

Mancini plays a very defensive style, a similar style to Allardyce (albeit
done with better squads). Remember when we hounded Big Sam out for not
playing "The West Ham Way?" Those same people are irritated at Bilic for
putting too much emphasis on attack and would inevitably want Mancini gone
for being too boring.

This is the fickle nature of many West Ham fans. Although we mock Arsenal
fans, a lot of you are slowly evolving into a sea of Claudes – having
meltdowns and contemplating gun rampages after every loss. If Manuel Lanzini
played poorly for the rest of the season, would you hound him out the club?
No. Then why want Bilic out because he's in a bad run. If we sacked managers
for having bad runs, we'd be the laughing stock of English football like
Leeds – chopping and changing before the seat gets warm. Where were you when
we beat Palace and a Boro consecutively and convincingly? And where will you
be when Slaven inevitably turns things around? Like I said we are a club
with ups and downs. Someone like Mancini would be a short term thing before
the fans get bored or he gets a better offer whereas Bilic is a man who
would be with us for the long term.

Other than Mancini, who else is there? If Slaven goes, we will be too
optimistic and waste our time going for managers who are way too good for
us. It will be like Groundhog Day from summer 2015. Some fans really need to
take their heads out the sand. We have only been in the Premier League for 5
seasons and have finished in the top half twice in that time.

At the end of the day, we are not a big club. We are West Ham, a proud,
family club. You may still be drunk off last season and the lies that have
been spun by the board and think we can push on for higher places. You may
be right. But to quote John Webster, "Ambition is a great mans madness."
This pursuit of greatness, like Webster's plays, will only lead to downfall
and destruction. We don't have the stature to compete for top 4. If you
support West Ham for the glory then honey, you support the wrong team.

Whether Bilic will get a new contract or not I don't know. Whether I want
him after his contract runs out, I can't say yet. Hold on until the end of
the season, see where we are. Possibly wait until the first few months of
next season and see how he's doing when we have a (hopefully) better squad
and are more accustomed to the soulless bowl we call the "London Stadium."
But until then, for the love of god, stop being so frivolous and just have a
little bit of faith in the manager. All hail Slaven.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EXWHUEMPLOYEE EXCLUSIVE: MY OPINIONS ON BILIC
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 19 MARCH 2017 AT 3:10PM
TheWestHaMWayc.o.uk

I have decided to write this article to express my opinions on the current
manager situation. I am keen to stress that these are my opinions, they are
what I feel I am entitled to as a season ticket holder of over 28 years and
someone who goes home and away and bleeds claret and blue. Following our
radio show I have had many comments made to me about my "anti-Bilic" stance,
where if you listen to the show, you would hear that I actually tried to
offer a defence to Bilic and said a number of times I do not think he should
leave.

My opinions are not fuelled by David Sullivan to encourage season ticket
sales. I am sure Mr Sullivan has much bigger fish to fry than to try and
influence my opinions and surely keeping Bilic (someone that the fans want)
would be the way to make those sales rather than going against the fans and
sacking him. In a nutshell I am friends with Jack Sullivan, who I rarely
speak to about West Ham. I have ran the account for four years and known the
Sullivan's for two, my info is not obtained through them. They also do not
control any opinion that I have or put out. I jointly run an event which is
"Anti Stratford" so why on earth would they support me on this. I would
not continue to deny this if it was true because actually saying all my info
comes directly from the owner of the club would help support the legitimacy
of my news. My opinions are my opinions and opinions are what we are all
entitled to. I said how our defending was awful, took a load of abuse for
saying that, only for the manager himself to say it. Anyway now that is
clear I will offer my own opinion, formed by my brain and no one else's.

Last season was a dream and one we will never forget. The atmosphere at the
Boleyn and the performances that went with it will live with me forever.
Slaven Bilic played a big part in this. He managed to engineer wins
against some of the big clubs and I don't recall a home game where we were
totally outplayed. I loved singing "Super Slav" throughout the season and
seeing his passion as he interacted with the fans. There were many times
when we were losing at half time I felt (often correctly) that we would go
on and win the game. Slav wanted the job and following on from Sam who
didn't show a passion for the club he was a good appointment.

This year, his ability to do the job properly has been undermined by a
number of difficult issues. I believe Bilic dealt with the Payet situation
well, in the end, and having to deal with your star player causing the
amount of internal issues that he was doing would be hard for any manager to
deal with. Whilst the situation perhaps should have been addressed earlier
than it eventually was, Bilic dealt with it well in the end and managed to
regroup the team and make us more united as a result.



He has also had to deal with the move to the Olympic stadium. The negativity
that surrounded this move, especially in the early days, did have an effect
on the team. There was many fans who didn't want to move, crowd violence and
obvious problems with the stadium which meant a negative atmosphere in the
stands which transpired onto the pitch.

We were also hit by a lot of injuries, especially at the start of the season
including Carroll, Sakho and Ayew who were arguably our most important
attacking players and this disrupted a lot of our plans. The transfer
window was also not a success, some people blame the board and some blame
Bilic. No doubt it is a bit of a combination of the two.

I think the board, something I have said many times on the show, should keep
quiet about our transfer targets and ambitions. I always think you are
better to be cautious on your news and surprise the fans rather than bold
and ambitious and then disappoint. Regular interference on team issues and
transfers can be unsettling for a manger and team and I would wish that ours
were less publically vocal. This said though I know that Slaven has the
final say on transfers and he approves all the players that join. It was his
decision to sign Zaza on loan, over players like Gabbiadini of Southampton.
He was reluctant to sign the likes of Bacca and Bathsuayi which ultimately
meant we missed out on them and (rightly) didn't want to sign Hogan in
January. It was also his big decision to not sign a right back, meaning we
missed out on many decent signings in the summer and again in January
because he believed first Antonio and then Kouyate (Via Nordtveit) could
play there. One mistake is bad enough, two is not good enough especially
when you consider quite how many goals we have conceded down the right side.
He also wanted to sign Tore permanently on a £14m deal until he was
persuaded to take him initially on loan to see if he settled. Tore was
arguably one of the worst players I've seen put on a West Ham shirt in a
long while.

It was also Bilic's choice to sign Snodgrass and Fonte. So far neither have
impressed me and I would say that from what I have seen the £8m 33 year old
is no better than James Collins. The two players who are my contenders for
player of the year: Antonio and Obiang, were signed largely by the board and
not played by Bilic originally. Only injuries meant both got their chance
and went on to prove how good they were.

Tactically we have also been poor. We seem to have no plan B and our
defending this year has been diabolical. We have conceded the fourth highest
amount of goals this season, many of which have come from set pieces or
breaks down our flanks with players playing in incorrect positions at fault.
We have also conceded 106 goals in 67 games. Many pro Bilic fans decided to
tell me (in very blunt ways) that my opinion was wrong when I said that
Bilic should take responsibility for the defensive errors and that the
players should be blamed. Bilic is the defensive coach and part of his
responsibilities is to make sure that we defend set plays, something we do
not do very well. Yes players made mistakes and let us down but under Big
Sam the blame was always laid at his feet, under Bilic it is the players. I
would say it is both and if you keep conceding from set plays then there
needs to be questions asked.

Questions have been asked about Bilic's training from players who have left
the club including Valencia and Oxford. Oxford has said that he was
surprised with how intense Championship side Reading's training is in
comparison to ours. This has also been said by Valencia and to me by a
couple of members of staff who are at the training ground. Our training
apparently has a feel of being quite laid back and perhaps this encourages
an attitude of laid back behaviour from the players when it comes to their
responsibility on the pitch.



I find it very hard to name good performances this season. The obvious one
is Chelsea in the cup, Swansea away, Palace at home (in the second half) and
possibly Liverpool and Manchester United away in the league. We beat Hull,
Burnley, Sunderland and Bournemouth at home but all four of those games were
by small margins and could quite easily have been defeats, had they been our
position now would be very precarious now.

I find it amazing how some supporters believe you are not a true fan if you
question anything Bilic does. I am regularly told but he is passionate and
one of us so he should be given an easier ride. I would be the most
passionate manager the club has ever had if I got the position but this does
not mean I should. Passion is not the most important ingredient for success
as a manager as unfortunately Paolo Di Canio found out at Sunderland.

Our next game against Hull is now far more important than it should be. If
we lose that game I believe we are in danger of being in trouble but I hope
this will not be the case. I do not believe there are that many better
options out there to replace Bilic at the moment even the bigger names do
not fill me with complete confidence.

I therefore think that Bilic certainly needs to be given to the end of the
season and hopefully into the start of the next year (if this season doesn't
become a disaster-changes are needed urgently though) with some substantial
finances to buy a top quality right back and at least two forwards and then
judge the situation in approximately October time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho to return to West Ham training on Monday
By Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 19/03/17 10:33am
SSN

West Ham forward Diafra Sakho will return to training on Monday. The
27-year-old has been out for four months after having surgery on a back
injury. He also suffered a hamstring problem in the draw with Manchester
United last November, which was his most recent appearance. Sakho will
train with the U23 squad for two weeks before re-joining the first-team
squad in April, should he maintain his fitness. The Hammers expect the
Senegal international to be ready to play by the middle of next month,
possibly for the trip to Sunderland on April 15. Sakho has only made two
appearances for the club this season, having wanted to leave the London
Stadium last summer.
Sakho refused to travel on the club's pre-season tour and also handed in a
transfer request after interest from West Brom, Sunderland, Hamburg and
Sevilla.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Sullivan apologises to West Ham fans for Leicester defeat
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 19/03/17 12:14pm
SSN

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has apologised to the club's supporters
for Saturday's home defeat to Leicester. The Hammers director gave manager
Slaven Bilic a stark warning last week, insisting they had to stop conceding
early goals after a loss at Bournemouth. But Bilic, who played down
Sullivan's remarks in midweek, saw his side concede two goals in the first
eight minutes in a 3-2 home defeat to the champions. And Sullivan said: "I
think all we can do after Saturday's defeat is say sorry to the supporters.
"To be 2-0 down after seven minutes of any football match, be it in the
Premier League or in your local Sunday League, makes it very difficult to
get a positive result. "In parts of the second half we were very good. But,
we need to be good before we are losing. "We have to find out why we are
conceding so many goals and fix it because it is obviously harder to win
games when you concede two or three goals in a game than if you keep a clean
sheet. "The next few games now become vital for our season. We go to Hull
City, then to Arsenal, before we welcome Swansea City to London Stadium."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic says there are no excuses for West Ham's poor start against
Leicester
By Charlotte Marsh
Last Updated: 18/03/17 7:10pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic says there are "no excuses" for the way West Ham started
against Leicester as they lost 3-2 in the Premier League on Saturday
afternoon. Riyad Mahrez and Robert Huth scored within two minutes of each
other in the opening exchanges to put the visitors in the driving seat,
before Manuel Lanzini pulled a goal back for the Hammers. But Jamie Vardy
restored the two-goal cushion before the break and despite another strike
from Andre Ayew with plenty of pressure from West Ham in the final half an
hour, they were unable to take a point from the encounter. While Bilic was
disappointed with the manner in which the goals were conceded, he did see
good things during the improved second-half performance. "We are very
disappointed, we fought back and we can talk about a lot of positives,
especially from the second half," he told Sky Sports. "You can talk about
great character, great combinations and we had more than enough chances to
turn the game around, not only to equalise, but at the end, there are no
excuses for the start of the game. "We conceded really sloppy goals from our
part and when we came back, to concede another from a set-piece, it is very
hard psychologically to come back into the game. "We shouldn't be two or
three down in the first ten minutes. We knew before the game and it is no
secret that they are really good on set-pieces but we are also good at them
and we have enough tall players to cope with that. In this league, you
cannot afford to concede two goals in the first six or eight minutes. "In
the second half, we played really well. Maybe the last half an hour was one
of our best performances this season and we did everything but the ball just
didn't want to go in. During a couple of moments, they have Kasper
Schmeichel who is in great form anyway. That save at the end from Andy
Carroll was a fantastic save."
It was a third successive defeat in the Premier League for the Hammers who
remain in 11th place on 33 points, but Bilic is hoping the upcoming
international break can help them reflect on their season. "We can now [take
stock of the season]. Our last three results were not bad because of the
previous results before these three, we are still in an OK position," he
added. "It is good to have a break now to come together and rest a bit, to
train hard and be ready for the remainder of the season."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic under pressure at West Ham as co-owner David Sullivan
apologises to fans
West Ham have won only 1 in their last 7 after losing 3-2 at home to
Leicester on Saturday
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
18:49, 19 MAR 2017UPDATED18:55, 19 MAR 2017

Slaven Bilic is back under pressure at West Ham after co-owner David
Sullivan apologised to fans for their home defeat to Leicester. The Irons
have now won just one of their last seven to fall into the bottom half of
the table. Sullivan warned Bilic and his men to stop conceding early goals
last week after they were beaten at Bournemouth - only to see his club ship
two in opening seven minutes against the Foxes. Sullivan has now demanded an
improvement in West Ham's next three games to try to arrest their slide. He
said: "I think all we can do after Saturday's defeat is say is 'sorry' to
the supporters. "To be 2-0 down after seven minutes of any football match,
be it in the Premier League or in your local Sunday League, makes it very
difficult to get a positive result. "In parts of the second half we were
very good. But, we need to be good before we are losing. "We have to find
out why we are conceding so many goals and fix it because it is obviously
harder to win games when you concede two or three goals in a game than if
you keep a clean sheet. "The next few games now become vital for our season.
We go to Hull, then to Arsenal, before we welcome Swansea to London
Stadium."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michail Antonio out of England squad with injury but Jose Mourinho says
Jesse Lingard is likely to report for duty
Gareth Southgate won't replace the midfielder for Wednesday's friendly in
Germany and the World Cup qualifier with Lithuania next Sunday
The Mirror
BYJOHN CROSS
21:07, 19 MAR 2017

Michail Antonio has pulled out of the England squad after a hamstring
injury. England boss Gareth Southgate was set to give Antonio his
international debut after he was called up for Wednesday's friendly in
Germany and the World Cup qualifier with Lithuania next Sunday. But West Ham
midfielder Antonio had to pull out for treatment on the injury and Southgate
will not draft in a replacement because he has already named a bigger squad.
Manchester United's Jesse Lingard has also been given the green light to
report up at St George's Park on Monday with the rest of the players
involved in yesterday's Premier League fixtures. Lingard limped off with an
ankle injury but United boss Jose Mourinho insisted he would not stand in
his way to report up. Mourinho said: "Maybe (it is) something in his ankle
but I do not think anything bad. I would say he can report. I hope so. "I
like my players to go to the national team. I am not the kind of guy who
pushes players for simulation. So I hope he is fine. It looks to me that it
is minor stuff."

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

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 19th March 2017

Early goals cost Hammers again
WHUFC.com

Early goals and defensive lapses cost West Ham United dear again as Slaven
Bilic's side were edged out 3-2 by Leicester City.

The Hammers dominated for long stretches at London Stadium and, on the
balance of play, should have won comfortably. Instead, conceding twice
within the opening seven minutes ultimately gave them too much to do to
rescue a point.

As West Ham's winless run stretched to five, resurgent champions Leicester
celebrated their maiden away win of the season in east London, having opened
the scoring on their travels for the first time in 14 attempts.

Riyad Mahrez was the scorer, in slightly fortuitous circumstances, as his
right-wing cross eluded the heads of Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki before
bouncing into the far corner.

Within two minutes it was 2-0 Leicester as West Ham's marking completely
evaporated from a short free-kick, enabling Mahrez to pick out the unmarked
Robert Huth, who headed past Darren Randolph.

West Ham were shellshocked and their afternoon took another turn for the
worse when captain Winston Reid was forced off with a right leg injury, with
Robert Snodgrass coming on in his place.

Minutes later, the Hammers had a lifeline when Michail Antonio was brought
down 25 yards from goal and Manuel Lanzini stepped up to curl an
inch-perfect free-kick over the wall and under Kasper Schmeichel's
crossbar.

Just when you thought Leicester were rocking, another defensive error handed
them a third goal. Andy Carroll missed his header from a corner, the ball
hit Wilfred Ndidi and then Vardy, who then lashed high into the net from
close range.

After missing a succession of half-chances, the Hammers went in 3-1 down at
half-time, with a mountain to climb after the break.

The comeback looked to be on when Snodgrass's corner was headed into the
six-yard box for Ayew, whose own header was too strong for Schmeichel. Game
on.

West Ham laid siege to the Foxes goal in the closing 20 minutes, but somehow
failed to score an equaliser, while Pedro Obiang became the second home
player to be forced off with a leg injury.

First, Carroll's goalbound header was clawed away by Schmeichel from Ayew'
s cross, before the Ghana star somehow shot too high after being played in
by Antonio.

The chances kept on coming as Cheikhou Kouyate saw his low shot kept out by
a goalline clearance from Danny Drinkwater. Then, in added time, Schmeichel
made a stupendous stop from Carroll after the ball dropped to him from
Snodgrass's deflected free-kick.

There was time for Randolph to make his own fine stop to deny substitute
Islam Slimani, but it was the earlier errors which leave everyone in Claret
and Blue wondering how they managed to go home with nothing.

West Ham United: Randolph, Byram, Fonte, Reid (c) (Snodgrass 18), Cresswell
(Masuaku 73), Obiang (Fernandes 67), Kouyate, Ayew, Lanzini, Antonio,
Carroll
Subs not used: Adrian, Nordtveit, Collins, Feghouli
Goals: Lanzini 20, Ayew 63


Leicester City: Schmeichel (c), Simpson, Huth, Benalouane, Fuchs, Mahrez
(Chilwell 86), Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki (Musa 76), Vardy
(Slimani 76)

Subs not used: Zieler, King, Amartey, Gray
Goals: Mahrez 5, Huth 7, Vardy 38
Booked: Drinkwater

Attendance; 56,979
Referee: Roger East

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s earn crucial win at Reading
WHUFC.com

Anthony Scully scored a late winner as West Ham United's U18s earned a vital
three points away at Reading in Merit Group A.

The Hammers were beaten 4-0 at home to Chelsea last week and were looking to
bounce back from that disappointment - Scully's second goal of the season
proved the difference at the Reading Training Ground on Saturday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slav rues Jekyll and Hyde display
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic laments more early defensive lapses in 3-2 defeat by Leicester
City
Hammers conceded from two set pieces and a soft cross from Riyad Mahrez
Second-half fightback comes close to securing a share of the points at
London Stadium

Slaven Bilic was left to reflect on another Jekyll and Hyde performance from
West Ham United in Saturday's 3-2 Premier League defeat by Leicester City.

The Hammers conceded two soft goals within the opening seven minutes, got
back into the game through Manuel Lanzini's inch-perfect free-kick, only
for another defensive lapse to send them into half-time 3-1 down.

Andre Ayew halved the deficit with half-an-hour remaining, but a combination
of profligate finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Kasper Schmeichel made
for another frustrating afternoon at London Stadium.

"It is very frustrating for us to lose the game," said Bilic, whose side
fell behind to Riyad Mahrez's cross and a set piece header from Robert
Huth, before Jamie Vardy added a third from a corner. "We didn't start
well and what was really disappointing was the way we conceded three goals,
including two very quickly.

"Then we came back and got the goal and had a good spell, but again they
scored and got their third goal. They basically scored their first goal
from a cross and two goals from set pieces. We knew they were good in them,
but we had to defend them better.

"Then, in the second half, to be fair it was all us. We really deserved
something from this game. We created enough chances and we were pressing
them really well, so I told the guys that in this game you can't afford to
be 3-1 down and turn the game around.

"They showed quality and they showed character and they created more than
enough chances to get a point, but in the second half, it didn't want to go
in, to be fair."

The final 20 minutes were almost completely one-sided, with West Ham
throwing everything at the Leicester goal in search of a leveller.

Carroll's goalbound header was clawed away by Schmeichel from Ayew's
cross, before the Ghana star shot over the crossbar after being played in by
Antonio.

The chances kept on flowing as Cheikhou Kouyate saw his low shot kept out by
a goalline clearance from Danny Drinkwater. Then, in added time, Schmeichel
made a stupendous stop from Carroll after the ball dropped to him from
Snodgrass's deflected free-kick.

"It was both poor finishing and good goalkeeping, because we expected to
score from those positions, and we have to give huge credit to Schmeichel,
especially for his last save, because it was a fantastic save," observed
the West Ham manager.

"We showed both sides to our game. The first half, we showed our defending
from set pieces, but the second half gives us hope with the performance
because we were really good with and without the ball. The only thing that
was lacking were goals."

To add injuries to insult, Bilic also saw Winston Reid and Pedro Obiang
forced off with leg injuries, while the manager revealed that a hamstring
problem may force Antonio to withdraw from England duty.

"With Winston Reid, it doesn't look good, but we have to assess him," he
said. "Also Michail unfortunately he probably won't be able to go to the
England squad. It looks like that now. He felt a hamstring and it got worse.

"Pedro twisted his ankle in a challenge but it's too early to say
anything. We have to assess him over the next couple of days. We have the
international break now and hopefully they're going to be fit soon."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ayew - The crowd helped us push
WHUFC.com

Andre Ayew scored his fourth goal of the season - and first at London
Stadium - in Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Leicester City
Ghana international's 63rd minute header reduced deficit to a single goal,
but the leveller wouldn't come
Ayew had praise for backing given by London Stadium crowd

Andre Ayew felt the support of the London Stadium crowd on Saturday, but was
disappointed not to reward them with a positive result against Leicester
City.

First half goals from Riyad Mahrez, Robert Huth and Jamie Vardy left the
Hammers up against it, but Ayew's 63rd minute header - his third strike in
the last four games - reduced the deficit to 3-2 and gave this side real
hope.

The Hammers continued to knock at the door, but missed opportunities by Ayew
and strike partner Andy Carroll kept the Foxes in front to the end.

Aye thought his side had done enough to get something from the game and was
impressed by the atmosphere created as his team fought their way back unto
the contest.

He explained: "We are very, very disappointed. I think we didn't get into
the game when we had to and Leicester scored three goals out of nothing
really.

"Two set pieces and once cross have led to the three goals, but we had
chances to get back into the game and we didn't. We need to go back, learn
from our mistakes and be better for our next game away at Hull.

"There have been games where we have conceded goals in the first ten or 15
minutes and we need to work on that and change it, because conceding early
changes the whole game.

"We had positive things, but when you don't win you see them. The fans were
behind us the whole game and helped us to push and try to get back into it.

"We had chances and we need to work on our play in the two boxes,
offensively and defensively, and hopefully we can start winning games."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Westley - We gave so much
WHUFC.com

West Ham United U23s were beaten 3-2 in an entertaining Premier League Cup
tie against Newcastle United
It was the Hammers' second game at St. James' Park in the space of six
days
Westley was left proud of his side's battling performance and said his
squad gave so much in the north east

Terry Westley praised the desire of his U23 squad after they came so close
to reaching the last-eight of the Premier League Cup at St. James' Park on
Saturday.

The Premier League 2 squad twice went in front against Newcastle United in
the second match against the Magpies in the space of six days, but the hosts
eventually took a 3-2 lead and held on to go through to the next round.

Ashley Fletcher had put the Hammers in front from the penalty spot and
Declan Rice thought he had won the tie with a header seven minutes from
time, but Newcastle goals scored by Luke Charman and two by Sammy Ameobi
crushed the visitors' hopes.

The U23s lifted the trophy last season, and though boss Westley desperately
wanted to defend the title this campaign, he was proud of his team's
performance.

"The players are gutted in the dressing room, because they've given so
much," he said. "It's disappointing. We're the cup holders and we wanted
to have a real go at it again, and I think you can see that from the manner
in which the players played and the effort we put in.

"It was a terrific game. The way we played first half, we were very good
and deservedly went in front. Maybe we should have stretched the lead
further.

"They kept digging in, and you knew it would be hard to stay in front.
Coming up here on Monday, getting back at 4am and then coming back up on
Friday made it more difficult for us.

"It was never going to be easy and I think in the end we ran out of steam
and it started to affect our decision making.

"It was a great winner, and maybe that was the difference; the way they
finished. That tiredness in the end was probably the difference. In normal
time, [Marcus ]Browne hit the post and that would have seen us through. We
were always in it."

Even behind in extra time, the Hammers thought they had dragged the game to
a penalty shootout when Tunji Akinola found the back of the net from a
Browne corner.

However the referee ruled to award the hosts a free-kick, a decision that
frustrated Westley.

"I thought it was a goal. I think the ref did well but on the real bid
decision, he hasn't got it right. If anything it was a foul on our player.
Over a season, you get some of those though, so you have to take that.

"You have to play with that energy and desire and we did that. Marcus
Browne was outstanding, Declan Rice was as the captain, [Dan] Kempy first
half, they couldn't get near him.

"We caused them so many problems but really ran out of gas and steam to see
the game through.

"I just said to the lads, we've lost but we have two really important
league games coming up. We want to try and finish in the top five and we
have two huge games left."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michail Antonio: West Ham winger set to miss England duty with injury
BBC.co.uk

West Ham winger Michail Antonio is likely to be withdrawn from the England
squad because of a hamstring injury, says Hammers manager Slaven Bilic.

The 26-year-old reported the injury after Saturday's 3-2 Premier League
defeat by Leicester City, having played the full 90 minutes at London
Stadium.

England face Germany in a friendly on 22 March before hosting Lithuania in a
World Cup qualifier on 26 March.

"It looks like Michail won't be able to go with the England squad," said
Bilic.

"He felt something. He played the whole game but the medical team have told
me now. He didn't limp off, though, so we will see."

Antonio was set to make his international debut this month, and his absence
would further weaken the attacking options of England boss Gareth Southgate.

Forwards Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney are
all out through injury, while Theo Walcott was left out of the squad.

In addition to Antonio, West Ham lost centre-back Winston Reid to a leg
injury, while midfielder Pedro Obiang was taken off on a stretcher after
rolling his ankle.

On the injuries to Antonio and Reid, Bilic said: "Hopefully, they will be
fit after the international break."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 2-3 LEICESTER CITY - MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 18 MARCH 2017 AT 6:18PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Match Report by @WestHamAmerican

Leicester City continued it's mastery over the Slaven Bilic helmed West Ham
United first team with a 2-3 victory over the Hammers in the London Stadium.
For the defending league champions, it was their first away victory in the
Premier League this season. For West Ham, it was another unexplained
defeat, as they continue to look for answers in the back four. With the
victory the Foxes conclude a remarkable week as they clinched their second
leg victory in the round of 16 over Sevilla.

For any West Ham supporters hoping that Leicester would have a slow start
due to their European heroics early in the week, they were disappointed.
Barely five minutes in and Jamie Vardy took the ball from Pedro Obiang and
served up Riyad Mahrez, who found the far corner away from Darren Randolph.
Not two minutes later and Mahrez was at it again. He received a free kick
and crossed to an open Robert Huth, who made it 0-2 before many patrons were
in their seats.

The attitude around the ground sunk even further when today's captain,
Winston Reid, went down with injury forcing Bilic to use a substitution only
18 minutes in. He brought on Robert Snodgrass, hoping to spur more
opportunities.

West Ham's first great opportunity took place only two minutes later when
Manuel Lanzini's free kick from 25 yards out found the top-left corner of
the goal. With the hosts finally getting on the score sheet, the atmosphere
at the London Stadium improved. Both sides had their first half
opportunities but it was Leicester who had the better first half finish as
Jamie Vardy scored from three yards out on a corner that West Ham was unable
to clear. Vardy's strike from short range was in heavy traffic but
Randolph had little chance to block.

Both goalkeepers had to employ some heroics to finish the half, but both
teams retired from the pitch with a 1-3 score sheet. Neither side made
changes during the break and the second half featured a desperate West Ham
trying to draw even.

Early in the half, a West Ham corner was headed by Andy Carroll to Andre
Ayew, whose own header found its way in. With a 2-3 score, the London
Stadium came to life, as did the home side. The remaining 30 minutes
predominately featured West Ham taking their shots, but Leicester's Casper
Schmeichel showed why his is one of the best goal keepers in the world with
his saves and leadership during the close of the match.

A 77th minute cross from Ayew to Andy Carroll was saved by the Danish goal
keeper. Goal Line technology confirmed it was close, but not a goal. Two
minutes later Ayew had an opportunity from ten yards out but his shot was
entirely too high. Moments later a Snodgrass corner found its way to Andy
Carroll, whose immediate shot was saved by Schmeichel. Even during the six
minutes of added time, Carroll had an open shot which Schmeichel batted
away.

For all the efforts and almost twice the attempts as Leicester, West Ham as
unable to equalise and walked off the pitch winless since early February.
Hopefully a visit to Hull can give the Hammers a sorely needed three points,
but without some smart moves during the transfer window, it seems it will be
a forgettable finish to the season for the Claret fans.

West Ham: Randolph, Byram, Fonte, Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Obiang, Ayew,
Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll.
Subs: Adrian, Collins, Fernandes (66′), Masuaku (73′), Snodgrass (18′),
Feghouli, Nordtveit,

Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Huth, Benalouane, Fuchs, Mahrez, Ndidi,
Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy.
Subs: Zieler, Chilwell (84′), Musa (75′), King, Amartey, Slimani (75′),
Gray

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REF ANALYSIS - ROGER EAST
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 18 MARCH 2017 AT 6:49PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

After a very disappointing result at Bournemouth, we welcomed Premier League
Champions and Champions League quarter finalists Leicester City to the
London Stadium. Slaven Bilic made some encouraging changes to the starting
line up for this game. ExWhuEmployee confirmed on Thursday that Mark Noble
was out for this game meaning Sam Byram was recalled in the back 4, with
Kouyate moving into midfield alongside Obiang and Andre Ayew into midfield
after scoring two goals in two substitute appearances.

Roger East was the referee appointed for this game and this was East's
first Premier League fixture since 31st January. East has been absent from
Premier League duties this season, only officiating 6 Premier League
fixtures all season. East has been officiating in the Championship and
League One as well as taking up 4th official duties. I was interested to see
how he performed during the fixture as East is the least frequent Premier
League appointed referee this season.

I seem to be saying this a lot recently, but another disaster of a half for
West Ham however Roger East seemed to be in control throughout. Within 7
minutes, West Ham were two-nil down and the second goal came from a foul
from Winston Reid. Reid unfairly barged into Okazaki and that set up the set
piece which resulted in the corner that Robert Huth scored from. The
frustration grew for West Ham as Michail Antonio was bundled to the floor 25
yards outside the goal but the assistant referee flagged for an offside
offence.

Leciester's Danny Drinkwater was causing issues for West Ham and he always
has a poor challenge in his locker. Roger East was keen to speak to the
England international after an altercation with a West Ham player before a
West Ham throw. 30 second later, the Foxes midfielder fouled Michail Antonio
25 yards from goal, which looked like a poor challenge in my opinion. East
awarded the free-kick to West Ham but no further punishment was issued. In
my opinion, Drinkwater could have easily been issued a caution for his
challenge on Antonio. Manuel Lanzini subsequently scored from the free-kick
reducing the gap to 1-2.
Andy Carroll had a goal disallowed after Michail Antonio came back from an
offside position to become active in a good build up of play by West Ham.
Carroll was aware that play had stopped but continued to shoot on goal and
score. East and his assistant got this decision correct.
Nearing the end of the half, Roger East got caught in two minds whether to
caution Marc Albrighton after the Leicester player blocked West Ham from
taking a quick free-kick. It appeared that East got his yellow card out of
his pocket but then changed his mind. 9/10 times this is a yellow card and
in my opinion was a mistake by Roger East.

In a second half, where West Ham threw the kitchen sink at the flagging
Leicester, Roger East was consistent with his decisions.

East played very good advantage within minutes of each other which is
important to ensure the game is free flowing. Vardy was unfairly challenged
by makeshift centre half Kouyate and East played advantage but the ball went
off for a throw in. There was no advantage to be played so East correctly
brought play back for a free-kick. The other good piece of advantage was
when Lanzini was caught off the ball during a promising West Ham attack.

Danny Drinkwater eventually got his name in Roger East's notebook after
Kouyate pipped the midfielder to the ball, who was challenging for the ball
on the slide. Drinkwater looked like he was trying to pull out of the
challenge but when you slide into a challenge, you need to win the ball or
more than likely you're going to be cautioned.
It was encouraging to see that East was relatively consistent with his
decision making especially when Okazaki was penalised for barging Manuel
Lanzini to the floor. This was the exact type of challenge that Okazaki was
on the receiving end off in the first half by Winston Reid.

Overall, I thought that Roger East performed well for his first Premier
League appointment since January. He kept up with the game well and allowed
the game to flow were necessary. There were a couple of decisions that I
felt he got wrong, however in his view and opinion he thought differently.

Another hugely irritating game of football from West Ham. To concede two
goals in seven minutes at home to a team that are fighting relegation and
played Champions League football midweek is embarrassing. There has to be
questions raised regarding our defence as too many goals have been conceded
early on against lesser teams. (Watford - 3 minutes, Leicester - 5 minutes,
West Brom - 6 minutes). With both Slaven Bilic and Julian Dick former
defenders, it's concerning the amount of goals that we've conceded this
season. It clearly wasn't our day when two of our strikers missed
opportunities 10 yards outside of goal. Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll should
have done better.

With the international break coming at a good time, especially with injuries
for Reid and Obiang, we go to Hull City on the 1st April which is a must win
against a relegation candidate.

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