Bilic: Michail Antonio, confidence & 'electric football'
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of this
weekend's Premier League clash with Liverpool. The manager offered insight
on his team, his game plan against Liverpool, and which youngsters have
impressed him this campaign…
'How West Ham can counter Liverpool's electric football'
This weekend's opponents Liverpool have developed a reputation for playing
attractive and fluid football. It's a style that has long been associated
with their manager, Jurgen Klopp, which Bilic described as 'electric
football'. Speaking on Saturday's opposition Bilic said: "They are not happy
with their position, or the press is not happy with their position. They are
a very good team who plays offensive football, which leaves them a little
bit open at the back. "Some teams like Spurs grabbed that chance and we
analysed them. It's not only Spurs that exploited that. When we play them we
have to be very solid. They are creating chances and using spaces. If you're
open they are destroying you. They have that pace and that quality up front
and on the flanks. "That's the way he [Klopp] plays. That is what makes him
such a big name in football. He was like that in Dortmund and he's like that
in Liverpool. It's very electric football."
The West Ham manager expanded on his belief that Liverpool can be a bit open
defensively and admitted this was an area his side would look to exploit.
"Of course, if you have a good transition and players in the right position
you can hurt them. You have to be solid. They are a very offensive team and
by knowing that, it's hard to defend for 90 minutes. But when you know they
are quite vulnerable that makes your willingness to defend better. "Every
time you have the ball for a quick transition you know you have a chance if
you take the ball out from them at the right time and in the right places
where you can hurt them. That's our game plan. Some other clubs have also
shown it."
'It was the wrong decision, but not the only wrong decision'
Last weekend's late equaliser conceded against Crystal Palace has been a
talking point for the last few days in the footballing world, particularly
the nature of the goal. Bilic has revealed that Michail Antonio, who will
miss this weekend's match due to a muscle injury, has taken responsibility
for Crystal Palace's second finish but has refused to pin the goal on the
winger. Instead the Croatian insists that conceding so late is down to the
team on a whole. Bilic said: "I know there were people, when they were
analysing that goal, that blamed Antonio. And of course, Antonio had
everything in his hands and he knew, and I spoke to him a few times, and he
took the blame for the goal. "The irony is in the last ten minutes of that
game he was keeping the ball in the corner, because they were pressuring us.
Antonio was the one – that was why we put him on the pitch – he was the one
giving us a breather far from our goal. He was doing that in the last ten
minutes. "In the moment we really needed it he unfortunately took a wrong
decision. He took the blame but I said after the game and to the players
that it wasn't only Antonio. It was three or four players. They were, if we
want to say it in a nice way, they were too optimistic. They were thinking I
am in a positon to score a third one but we didn't need a third goal. "The
game was over. What I'm saying is Antonio took a bad decision to cross the
ball but he wouldn't cross the ball if we didn't have three or four players
in the box. They shouldn't be there. We have to be in our positon, if
Antonio makes a mistake, to stop them having a chance to attack us."
'I remain confident'
The manager was questioned about how important a positive result is against
Liverpool, and if he had spoken to the Co-Chairmen after the draw against
Crystal Palace. "I know the situation and I spoke to the chairman after the
game, as I speak to him after every game. He doesn't have to tell me what we
are in or I am in. It means we need something from our next game. "Of course
[I need something from the game]. Of course, I do. We are in a position we
didn't want to be in. If we are talking about my position it's been there
for quite a time now. Every win, in the Cup but especially in the league,
will take me and us out of this position and closer to comfortable position.
Every bad result puts me or the team in a worse position. "I don't divide my
position and the team position. We are all in the same boat and my job is to
look after the team and prepare them for Liverpool. Thinking about a very
important game, not about my position."
Bilic insists that he still believes in his own ability as a manager and a
coach.
He added: "I remain confident otherwise I wouldn't be here in this position.
I would say 'look guys, West Ham is more important than any individual, me
first'. But I remain confident. "I know the schedule and I know the bigger
picture. But no matter what I was only concentrating on the next game, and
that has nothing to do with my position. It's difficult but it doesn't make
it more difficult to prepare for the game. You are preparing for the game
without thinking about something else. That doesn't change."
'The best way to put the young players in is in very comfortable situations'
Bilic was also questioned about the good form the PL2 side are currently
enjoying. Terry Westley's team have taken ten points from their last four
games in all competitions. The team boasts talents such as Nathan Holland,
Toni Martinez and Sead Haksabanovic – players who Bilic admits he has been
impressed by and enjoys working with. The manager explained however that it
is down to the current first team players to move the team up the table
rather than relying on the youngsters to do it for them. "People like Toni
Martinez and Martin Samuelsen – they were with us in the last pre-season.
They are doing well. I like young players. Declan Rice is becoming a very
important player for West Ham. "The Toni Martinez situation, I know he is
scoring goals for West Ham and I know him very well. But at the moment we
have a few strikers in good form. You asked me in this press-conference –
you mentioned Andre Ayew is in good form, you mentioned Chicharito is in
good form and you asked me if Andy Carroll is the ideal player to play
against Liverpool. "If we're talking about people like Nathan Holland, who I
like and who I rate – he came on against Bolton – he showed a big
improvement when he was with us in Germany and in Austria. But in that
department at the moment we have enough players. "Sead Haksabanovic - he's
always showed himself. I spoke with him and his father today. He's improving
and he's always there but at the moment, especially when the situation is
not ideal – the best way to put the young players in is in very comfortable
situations. "At the moment, we have to stick with those experienced players
who have to make it up and take us out of this situation. Then we have a
great platform for the kids to play. It was always like that and it is the
best way for them."
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In-form Hart relishing exciting England friendlies
WHUFC.com
In 2018, Joe Hart will almost certainly travel to a fifth major tournament
with England – the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. The 30-year-old
travelled to South Africa in 2010 before starting all four ties at UEFA Euro
2012 in Poland/Ukraine, twice at Brazil 2014 and four times at Euro 2016 in
France. Having started 46 out of England's last 49 competitive fixtures,
Hart is determined to extend his outstanding international record next
summer. In the more immediate future, however, he is relishing the friendly
visits of Germany and Brazil to Wembley Stadium over the coming fortnight.
"We've got some good games coming up," he confirmed. "We want to go into
them and learn as much about ourselves as we possibly can. "We've done the
hard task of qualifying for the World Cup, which many other teams found
difficult, but I felt we handled it very professionally. "Now, we've got
games to test ourselves and really see where we are at, work on our
strengths and work on our weaknesses."
With the likes of Stoke City's Jack Butland, Southampton's Fraser Forster,
Burnley's Tom Heaton and Everton's Jordan Pickford also vying for Gareth
Southgate's attention, Hart knows he needs to maintain his form if he is to
keep his starting place. "Every day is an audition when you go away with
England and it's highly-publicised before each game, who is going to play
and who isn't. "It's interesting how it is working out at the moment, but
I'm still in there fighting, trying to perform to my best levels, and that
will never change."
The two upcoming internationals will also hold personal importance to Hart,
who has faced both Germany and Brazil twice previously. Both meetings with
the Germans have ended in 1-0 friendly defeats, while he has not lost to the
Brazilians, famously saving a penalty and follow-up effort from the great
Ronaldinho in a 2-1 win at Wembley in February 2013. "Both my previous
appearances against Germany were frustrating one-nillers, admittedly in
friendlies, who while it would be nice to get the result this time, it would
be even nicer to do it in a major tournament. "The Brazil penalty save was a
nice one. While it wasn't a particularly important game, when you face
players like that – and it's easier to reflect on what a great player
Ronaldinho was now he has finished – it was a very nice moment!"
If everything goes to plan, Hart will enjoy more nice moments in Russia next
summer.
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Team news: Reid & Cresswell fit but Antonio & Byram join injury list
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic has confirmed Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell are fit and
available for this weekend's Premier League clash with Liverpool, but
Michail Antonio and Sam Byram will miss the contest with injury. The Hammers
welcome the Reds to London Stadium in the late kick-off on Saturday evening
and will be buoyed by the return of two regular defenders. Reid was ruled
out of last weekend's match with Crystal Palace due to a calf injury while
Cresswell came off at half-time and has been suffering with a dead leg. But
the defensive duo are back in the squad should the manager wish to call on
them against Liverpool. "Reid was injured, that's why he didn't play against
Palace," Bilic revealed in his press-conference. "Cresswell also, who went
out in the game against Palace because of a dead leg.
"They are fit and they trained today and they should be okay for
Liverpool."
However, the Irons will be without four players due to injury and one due to
suspension. Pablo Zabaleta collected his fifth yellow card of the season
against Palace and will serve a one-game ban, while James Collins is still
out. Jose Fonte limped off against Palace and will play no part of the match
versus Liverpool while Bilic also revealed Antonio and Byram would also be
absent due to muscle injuries the pair sustained in training. Bilic added:
"Obviously Zabaleta is suspended and can't play. Then we have Collins, who
has been injured for a few weeks now. Then in the game against Palace, Fonte
[was injured]. "In training, we had two injuries for players that won't make
it for Palace – [Michail] Antonio and Sam Byram. They are both muscle
injuries. Sam will be out for four or five weeks. Antonio should be fit for
the game against Watford after the international break."
A considerable number of set-backs in the last week puts Bilic in a
different predicament to his pre-match preparations against Palace, when
only Collins was injured at the time of his press-conference. The manager
recognises that these sorts of things do happen in football but admits he
finds the situation a peculiar one to adapt to, having been able to call on
almost all of his squad last week. "It happened so quick, so fast," Bilic
confessed. "Before Palace, apart from James Collins, we had all the players
fit. Then in the game we lost Fonte, then Zabaleta's suspension. Then in
training it was Antonio and Sam. "It is part of football but it's strange
because one week ago we talked about having a full squad. You asked me ahead
of the Palace game if I had a big headache because some of the guys who
played against Spurs played really good and we had a great result and the
headache was about which team to put on against Palace. "We had everybody
except James Collins and then Winston Reid, who we lost the day before the
game. Now we have another few, especially defenders, and it doesn't look
great now in that area of the team. "But we are in a positon to have a good
selection and put a good team out."
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Hart named in England squad for Germany/Brazil double-header
WHUFC.com
Joe Hart has been named in the England squad for international friendly
matches against Germany and Brazil with Wembley. The West Ham United star
will have the opportunity to draw level and potentially pass David Seaman as
the Three Lions' second most-capped goalkeeper of all all-time after being
selected by manager Gareth Southgate. England welcome Germany to the Home of
Football on Friday 10 November before hosting Brazil on Tuesday 14 November,
with both fixtures kicking-off at 8pm. Hart, who has 74 senior caps to his
name since making his debut in 2008, has faced five-time World Cup winners
Brazil and four-time champions Germany twice each during his illustrious
career. The 30-year-old kept goal for the 1-0 friendly defeats by the
Germans at Wembley in November 2013 and Dortmund in March this year. He has
fonder memories of facing the Brazilians, having saved Ronaldinho's penalty
in England's 2-1 friendly win at Wembley in February 2013 before helping his
country to a 2-2 draw at Rio's Maracana Stadium four months later. This
month's double-header will see Southgate's England commence their
preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. Meanwhile,
Hammers pair Nathan Trott and Reece Oxford have both been named in the
England U20 squad for their own international match with Germany in Zwickau
on Tuesday 14 November. Oxford, of course, is currently on loan with German
side Borussia Monchengladbach, for whom he made a Bundesliga debut last
weekend.
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Reece Oxford and Nathan Trott called up by England U20s
WHUFC.com
West Ham United duo Reece Oxford and Nathan Trott have been named in the
England U20 squad for their friendly international with Germany later this
month.
The Young Lions travel to Germany for the fixture on Tuesday 14 November,
with both Hammers players looking to build on their international
experience. Oxford, who made his Bundesliga debut for his loan club Borussia
Monchengladbach last weekend, already has three caps at this level, while
Trott has featured for the U20s in this season's victories over the
Netherlands and Czech Republic. England U20s were FIFA World Cup winners in
the summer and continue their programme of fixtures later this season with
tests against Poland and Portugal.
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Wales hero Collins retires from international football
WHUFC.com
Proud Welshman James Collins has retired from international football. The
West Ham United defender represented his country 51 times between 2004 and
2017, helping the Dragons to qualify for and reach the semi-finals of UEFA
Euro 2016. In a passionate Instagram post featuring images of the standout
moments in his Wales career, Collins reflected on the unforgettable memories
he has forged. "From the first time I pulled on the Wales shirt as a 14 year
old boy till today it has been one of my proudest moments in football," he
wrote. "I played with great players and for fantastic managers and they gave
me a chance to challenge myself against the world's best. "The time has come
to step aside to let the younger lads take our great country forward and to
great things. It's been a difficult decision to come to, to leave behind
such an amazing set of lads and a top manager in Chris Coleman and all his
staff, but feel the time is right!"
Born in the town of Newport in South Wales, Collins played for Wales at
age-group level and captained the U21s before being given his senior debut
against Norway in 2004 by Mark Hughes. He remained a regular member of
squads picked by John Toshack, Gary Speed and, since 2011, Chris Coleman.
Aside from his wholehearted defensive displays, Collins also chipped in with
three international goals, scoring against Cyprus in 2007, Russia in 2009
and Iceland in 2014. And he ended his Instagram post by pledging his future
support to the nation he has served with such commitment over the past 14
years. "I'd like to thank the gaffa [Coleman], his staff and the lads for
giving me the best time of my life at the Euros last year, it's a time
myself and my family will never forget. Thank you! "I'd also like to thank
the truly amazing Welsh fans who supported myself and the team through thick
and thin over the years we couldn't have achieved what we have without your
support. Thank you! "I'd like to thank everyone at the Football Association
of Wales for your help over the years. Thank you! "I'll always be there to
support our great country. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Together Stronger."
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De Carnys: I can't fault our work rate
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies boss Greg De Carnys praised his side's work rate as
they secured a second victory in the space of three days when they faced
Worthing in the Isthmian League Cup. The Ladies were 2-0 winners on the
south coast thanks to goals from Molly Peters and Amber Stobbs and that
followed a terrific 2-1 league win over Queens Park Rangers at Rush Green on
Saturday. And De Carnys was delighted with his team's effort on the pitch in
Worthing despite the rigorous schedule. He said: "We were just saying to the
girls, we've had two games in three games and I can't fault the work rate
when you play a team who are well organised. "It catches you off guard and
it's not always easy but the minimum we want is that the girls keep working
and keep trying to Hammer that door down for 90 minutes. "I think credit
goes to Worthing and the manager Cameron [Morrison] who got them really
organised in the second half and they made it really difficult for us."
The visitors took the lead after six minutes when Peters raced through and
finished past the keeper and it was two just ten minutes later, as Stobbs –
captain for the night in the absence of Amy Cooper – finished from close
range. It could have been more, however, as Stobbs struck the crossbar
before the break and full-back Jasmine Auguste also hit the woodwork in the
second period. "There were a couple of close calls when we could have scored
and maybe just that final ball and last couple of passes didn't go our way,"
De Carnys continued. "We were really pleased with the work rate and we've
had a really good month, winning four of our last six games which shows how
far we've come as a squad and a team and hopefully we can keep on going and
keep getting better. "If we can keep getting better in the Cup and hopefully
peak towards the end, that would be great. "We had a few of the girls who
have been playing more Development Squad football than first team football,
they got a run out tonight and that's important. It's definitely a squad
game at the moment and it was good to see them out there.
"Especially with two games in three days, you need your squad and the rest
of the players to step up, and they did."
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Johnson targeting regular U23s spot after Rovers win
WHUFC.com
Ben Johnson believes he has staked a claim to a regular starting place for
the West Ham United 23s after an impressive showing in the 3-1 win over
Bristol Rovers.
Johnson played a huge role in the Irons' Checkatrade Trophy victory at the
Memorial Stadium on Tuesday evening, winning the penalty that Toni Martinez
scored to draw the game level before half-time. From that position, the
Hammers would go on to win the match, thanks to another finish by Martinez
and a Martin Samuelsen goal, which sees West Ham secure their place in the
knock-out rounds of the competition. The 17-year-old played in a slightly
unfamiliar left-back role, with Vashon Neufville out injured, and Johnson
believes he has played well enough to command a regular starting position.
"I feel I did alright, Johnson told whufc.com: "I could have played forward
more and been more confident but it was one of my first Checkatrade Trophy
games and I felt comfortable out there.
"I think I've made a good showing for myself and staked a claim to a regular
starting position. I feel I've been consistent and I reckon I had a good
showing against Chelsea. In each of the games I've played I reckon I've done
well so I'm hoping I've earned a regular starting place."
Academy Director Terry Westley described the victory as a 'really good team
performance', a sentiment echoed by Johnson. The youngster added: "It was a
great team performance. We went one down in the opening minute of the game
but we came back. We kept playing the way we know we can and we were better
than them on the ball. We had time to make things happen. We kept moving the
ball and we were patient, and earned the penalty. In the second half, we
made our dominance count with two other great goals. The game was done."
With West Ham's place in the knock-out stages now secured with one game of
the group left to play, Johnson indicated that the side feel they can best
any other side and are targeting a successful run in the tournament. "Last
year we didn't do what we wanted to do. Now we're taking it more seriously
and we're doing well. We've learned from mistakes we made last year and
pushed on as a team. "We've got a great side this season and we're feeling
unbeatable."
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ANTONIO-MY THOUGHTS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 1 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 10:05PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Katie S @flump9
A topic that I have seen discussed a lot this week, is about certain
players' attitudes and the reason behind their mind-sets. The main man that
has been discussed is Michail Antonio and some of the comments riled me up
somewhat, so I thought I best get writing.
I am a great admirer of Antonio, he isn't the most technically gifted
player, but I have always regarded him as one the most valuable members of
West Ham's squad. When he came on the field against Crystal Palace on
Saturday, I was saying to my Dad how strong he is and how much that benefits
the team. What he did in the dying second was categorically inexcusable. I
am not blaming him for the result, at the end of the day it is a team
performance and we cannot say we were unlucky, we were dreadful the second
half and we could have easily lost the match. Nevertheless, his actions
were mindless, lazy, unprofessional and gave the impression he simply did
not care.
I would hate to start believing that he does not care, but some people deem
this is true and that Bilic is at fault. I have always thought fondly of
Slav but I believe his time is up, still regardless of all of that, I cannot
possibly apportion any blame on Slav for Antonio's actions at the end of the
game. Regardless of what is going on off of the pitch, whether he does not
respect Slav any longer, or simply is unhappy at West Ham United, Antonio
has to take responsibility for his mistake.
Lots of people say that Bilic should not have made Antonio play as a right
wing-back and you could tell that he was unhappy about being brought on in
this position. I could never understand why Bilic insisted on playing
Michail in the position, however, if you are brought on in the 62nd minute
of the game, you put a shift in. I don't care what position you are playing
in, it is a basic principal of the game, shield the ball, do whatever you
can to ensure you protect the lead, do not pass back to the only opposition
player in the box. I have also seen others say that he was not fully fit, I
watched him in the warm-up and he looked fine to me, I am not claiming to be
an expert, but his error was not down to fitness. It was an individual
mistake and one Michail has to live with.
Even if Slav has lost the players, do players not have professional pride
any longer? Put it this way, I get paid a fraction of what any of the West
Ham players receive, I get absolutely no thanks on a daily basis, I get
treated like I am a nobody, but regardless of all of that I still work hard
every day and do the best I can possibly do. Why? Because I have pride in
myself.
You can blame Slav for many things happening at the moment, but for me a
players' individual mistake is not one of them. Yes, negativity surrounding
the club can't be helping their mentality, but if they have any respect for
themselves and the fans, they have to put that out of their mind and focus
on the game.
I am not blaming Antonio for the loss, but I also won't blame Bilic for
Antonio's indefensible mistake. They are a team and that includes the
manager – therefore they lost as a team. Something is clearly wrong at the
moment and I think there must be bigger problems than we realise. A change
is needed, but in the meantime my message to the team is……..
"I respect you, (most of) the fans respect you, but it works two ways. Go
out and play with pride, if not for Slav, the fans or West Ham, but for
yourself."
@flump9 on Twitter
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Hart named in Southgate selection
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer
Goalkeeper Joe Hart is the only Hammer to be named in Gareth Southgate's new
England squad. The on-loan goalkeeper has been named in the squad to face
Germany and Brazil at Wembley in two friendlies on November 10th an 14th
respectively. However there is no place for Aaron Cresswell and Michail
Antonio, both of whom are or have been struggling with injury in recent
weeks. Meanwhile Reece Oxford and goalkeeper Nathan Trott have been named in
the Under 20 s squad for their forthcoming friendly against Germany in
Zwickau on 14 November.
Full England squad
Tammy Abraham (Swansea City - loan from Chelsea), Dele Alli (Tottenham),
Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Gary Cahill
(Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Joe Gomez
(Liverpool), Joe Hart (West Ham United - loan from Manchester City), Jordan
Henderson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Kane
(Tottenham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal
Palace - loan from Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Jordan Pickford
(Everton), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham),
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran
Trippier (Tottenham), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester
City), Harry Winks (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
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No plans to cancel West Ham's OS lease, say LLDC
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer
The LLDC have announced that they have no plans to cancel West Ham United's
99-year lease of the Olympic Stadium - despite the arrangement being
described by the group as "onerous". The Development Corporation's new
Chair, Sir Peter Hendy and Chief Executive, David Goldstone were quizzed for
two hours by City Hall this morning on a range of issues surrounding the
Olympic Park. Not surprisingly the stadium was at the centre of much of the
discussion, specifically the funding arrangements following the revelation
that there had been a reduction in operational losses with £24million of
public money saved since 2014. Yet according to Goldstone, although the
stadium continues to lose millions of pounds every year there are no plans
to investigate scrapping the current agreement with West Ham. "We have a
99-year concession agreement with West Ham," he told the assembly. "Those
contracts are onerous, we make a loss - but we are working to fix it so the
losses are dramatically less. "We are looking to ensure the stadium
contributes to the economic value of the regeneration that's being delivered
and want to get it to a position where it breaks even and isn't a drain on
resources. "Pulling out of the agreement is not one of things we're looking
as at as we've got a 99 year agreement - and I think having Premier League
football in the area is a big part of the benefit. "Such a [move] would
require analysis of the direct financial costs to buy a Premier League club
out of the home they're committed to for 99 years and the value that the
stadium generates to the wider regeneration, which would be in the billions.
"It's important that we recognise the value of working with West Ham as a
Premier League club as the tenant brings enormous value into the area."
Goldstone, who spoke to the assembly for two hours also confirmed that
stadium operators E20 were hoping to introduce a new seating system ahead of
the beginning of next season that would hasten the time required to convert
the stadium from football to athletics mode - potentially saving around
£4million (or approximately 50 per cent) per year. "There are various
challenges around running the stadium," he added. "Specialist engineers are
looking at possible ways to reconfigure the seating, to reduce cost which
will require initial investment. "For next summer's athletics, we've looked
at a different configuration that means the seats won't have to be moved all
the way back. We can do partial changes to each of the stands which
drastically reduces the costs of seat moves. "The East Stand is the largest
and most complex to move. When we hosted the 2016 Diamond League events we
took some of the rows off the front of the East Stand and moved some blocks,
but we didn't move the stand - and that dramatically reduces the cost. "The
opportunity to do that in future would bring down the costs very
significantly. "We're then looking at the same for the other stands and
asking how much do we need to move to make it work as an athletics venue and
also to host concerts (which also bring in significant income) - and how
much we can minimise the moves and therefore the cost and time. "It is still
work in progress, but we've got a configuration for next year we've agreed
with UK Athletics that saves more than half of the cost - plus we've got
work going on with the engineers to see if there's something we can do to
reduce those costs much further."
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No naming rights deal imminent
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer
The Olympic or London Stadium - depending on your preference - will remain
without a sponsor for the foreseeable future after it was confirmed that a
naming rights partner is not currently being sought. The news was revealed
by LLDC Chief Executive David Goldstein during a London Assembly meeting
today in which he took a number of questions relating to the Olympic Park
and, specifically, the loss-making stadium which West Ham have rented since
last summer - and retain a 99-year lease for. "As a result of the recent
Mayor's review, We're not actively marketing the venue," he confirmed.
"We've had a lot of interest in the past which has been reflected in the
media. "It's not unusual, where new venues are looking for naming rights
partners, for that to be an exercise that does take considerable time. So
I'm not unduly concerned that, just a year after the stadium opening, it
hasn't got a naming rights partner. "I should say we've had unprompted
interest from potential sponsors since the summer's athletic events which
created a resurgence of interest in it and we've had a number of
conversations as a result. I think we'd come back to it. "This is a
multi-million pound and multi-year commitment and I think the process of
finding a partner that is aligned in terms of its objectives and aspirations
and wants to be associated with the stadium is a situation that often takes
time, but I'm absolutely confident it will happen. "That said, it's
difficult to put a time on when the right partner steps forward with the
right commitment."
When pushed, Goldstone added that he hoped a naming rights partner would be
actively sought before the end of the current football season.
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West Ham's legal challenges cost us milions
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer
The LLDC's David Goldstone says that legal challenges made by West Ham have
cost the Olympic Park operators a small fortune to defend. Goldstone, who
was appearing in front of the London Assembly revealed that the
Corporation's legal costs had reached an astonishing £3.5million since 2013
- all, according to the Chief Executive, as a result of challenges from West
Ham pertaining to the stadium. "We have had some recent legal challenges
since the stadium became fully operational with West Ham moving in and weve
had issues where we've had strong legal advice saying we should defend E20's
rights and entitlements under the concessions agrement," said Goldstone. "I
should stress that we seek negotiated agreements where we can and there are
a number of issues on which we've reached a negiotiated settlement that
satisfied us that we were getting value from our agreements with Wets Ham.
"I can confirm that all the legal proceedings we've been involved in have
been insitgated by West Ham - and in all of them we've been the defendent
protecting our interests, we haven't instigated any of them."
Goldstone, who faced questions from the Asssembly for nearly two hours this
morning also confirmed that the Corporation could not state when they
expected the loss-making stadium to become self-sustaining. A mayoral review
regarding the funding and operation of it is currently being undertaken.
However one of the avenues the LLDC are preparing to exploit in order to
claw back some of their lost revenue is to reduce match day staffing costs
at the stadium, according to the Chief Executive. "On match days we're
looking at reducing the cost of stewarding - managing crowd movement is a
significant challenge," he added. "We're looking at simplyfying those egress
routes and providing less interface with the crowds coming out of Westfield.
"We're looking at all the contracts and agreements in place to make sure we
can maximise the benfit for further revenue and minimising costs."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, November 3
Thursday, November 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd November 2017
Date set for Arsenal Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal will be played on
Tuesday 19 December, with a 7.45pm kick-off. The Hammers head to Emirates
Stadium looking to book their first semi-final appearance in this
competition since the 2013/14 campaign, and will hope for a second Carabao
Cup London derby victory in succession. After seeing off Cheltenham Town and
Bolton Wanderers in the earlier rounds, Slaven Bilic's men produced a
stirring comeback to recover from 2-0 down and defeat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2
in the last 16. That set up December's tie against the Gunners, who have
defeated Doncaster Rovers and Norwich City to progress to this stage of the
Cup. The clubs have met twice before in the League Cup, with the Hammers
winning 3-1 at Highbury in October 1966, and Arsenal emerging triumphant 2-1
at the Boleyn Ground in January 1998.
Ticket information will be released shortly and announced on whufc.com
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Samuelsen - We can go all the way to Wembley!
WHUFC.com
"We can go all the Wembley!" was the message from Martin Samuelsen after
West Ham United under-21s beat Bristol Rovers 3-1 in the Checkatrade Trophy
on Tuesday night. The Hammers beat the League One outfit at the Memorial
Stadium and in doing so, secured qualification through to the knockout
rounds of the competition with a game to spare in Group C (South). Two goals
from Toni Martinez and one for the returning Samuelsen were the difference
as the young Hammers made light work of a little-changed Bristol Rovers
outfit. "It was really good to win on the night and I'm really pleased with
the team performance." Samuelsen explained. The Norwegian under-21
international was making his first start since late-September after injury
forced him miss much of October, but slotted straight back into his familiar
no.10 role behind Martinez up top. And from minute one he and fellow
attacking midfielders, Sead Haksabanovic and Nathan Holland were a big
threat.
He capped his return with a well taken goal soon after the restart, reacting
quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area to fire West Ham in to the
lead. "I feel good, I got a little tired towards the end but I'm happy to
score and I'm feeling good" he said. "I've scored those goals ten thousand
times in training - worked on those types of shots, reacting quickly, so
when I saw the ball I was confident I was going to score." "We (Holland and
Haksabanovic) enjoy playing with each other, we understand each others
movements and I'm very happy to be playing with them."
West Ham still have to visit Wycombe Wanderers in the group stages, but know
that last night's win has already secured their progression in to the
Checkatrade Trophy latter stages. The competition, which concludes with a
Final at Wembley Stadium, featured just three U21 sides beyond the group
stages in last year's Southern draw but Samuelsen still has his eyes set on
the big prize. "I think we can go all the way and win it!" he exclaimed.
"That's what we want to do, we're not here to just play and take on these
senior teams, we're here to win. We'd love to go all the way to Wembley."
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Westley - Tonight was a really good team performance
WHUFC.com
It was a near-faultless team performance according to Academy Director,
Terry Westley, after West Ham United's under-21s beat Bristol Rovers in the
Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday evening. Despite conceding after just 25
seconds at the Memorial Stadium, West Ham dominated proceedings on a chilly
evening in the West-country and fully deserved their 3-1 win. A brace from
Toni Martinez – his tenth and eleventh of the season already - either side
of a Martin Samuelsen goal secured the points and guaranteed the Hammers'
qualification into the knockout rounds of the competition.
To take on League One outfit and win so convincingly was especially pleasing
for Westley: "The manner in which we won is extremely satisfying" he said.
"We've had a hard October, playing Manchester United, Chelsea away, then
Manchester City at the weekend and now to finish it off against a League One
side, who had a very strong team out today, we took it to them. "After a
disastrous start, it just shows the character of this group led by a
tremendous captain in Declan Rice and beside him Josh Pask, as centre-halves
they really got to grips with what Bristol Rovers threw at us. It was hard
at times, having to keep heading balls and clearing it out but when we got
it down, we passed them off the pitch. 3-1 could have easily been more than
that."
The equaliser came from the penalty spot on 43 minutes after Ben Johnson was
brought down inside the box. It was Martinez who stepped forward and
confidently drove the ball into the bottom corner to level things up.
After the break, West Ham dominated. Pace down the right, left and through
the middle from Haksabanovic, Holland and Samuelsen and Martinez
respectively put the Pirates' defence under extreme pressure and it wasn't
long before they cracked: Martin Samuelsen capitalising on some space in the
box to fire home from close range. Martinez's second and the Hammers' third
was the goal of the night, however. "His second goal was sublime." Westley
exclaimed. "The way he got in between people and he saw the keeper and
instantly knew he had to take it in one touch, it was a magnificent finish."
Toni Martinez's two goals may grab the headlines and Westley was delighted
with the Spaniard's contribution, but was quick to place praise on the whole
team effort on this particular night. "Sometimes you have 'it's a Martinez
show' or 'it's a Holland show', tonight was a really good team performance
by everybody."
"The challenge for tonight was: 'you want to go and show you can play in
League One or the Championship so you've got to show you're as good if not
better than these players' and we'll get back on the bus knowing that a lot
of our players can play at this level."
The win caps of a fantastic October for the Development Squad, who have
faced U23 opposition in Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City
before the Checkatrade Trophy battle with League One, Bristol Rovers, on
Tuesday. From a possible twelve points, they have taken ten – only a draw
against Chelsea, away, in between three hugely impressive victories.
"Without a doubt [we'd have taken ten points]" the Academy Director
explained. "That's what this group needs, those type of challenges against
the very best players. Saturday, we had four under-18s in the starting
line-up, today we had three in Ben Johnson, Conor Coventry and Domingos
Quina so we're young, we're a very young team in this league and we
outplayed them tonight."
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Ladies breeze past Worthing into next round of League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies progressed to the next round of the Isthmian League
Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Worthing Ladies on Tuesday night. The
Hammers travelled down to the south coast for their second fixture in three
days but showed no signs of fatigue as they dominated in a match won by
Molly Peters and Amber Stobbs strikes. After just three minutes, the
visitors came close to taking the lead when Chloe Burr was slotted in down
the right-hand-side, but the winger blazed her shot wide from a tight angle.
Moments later, Dayna Chong went close with a 25-yard effort, but six minutes
into the tie, the Hammers had the lead they deserved. Stobbs' pinpoint
through ball found Peters through the middle, who coolly approached goal and
passed wide of the keeper from close range to make it 1-0.
Peters should have had her second before the ten-minute mark, only kneeing a
ball into the keeper's hands after Stobbs' lofted pass, but the latter soon
had the Hammers coasting with their second. Captain in the absence of Amy
Cooper, the midfielder approached goal with composure, finishing easily
across the keeper on the right side of the box. Peters was again foiled by
the Worthing keeper on 20 minutes, but for the remainder of the half, the
hosts tightened up at the back despite not getting the ball anywhere near
Sindi Kanto's box. Before the break, there was one last slice of action as
Stobbs crashed against the crossbar from a long-range free-kick, but the
Hammers went in 2-0 up and comfortable. Though Greg De Carnys' team could
not extend their lead in the second half, they once again dominated and had
their chances. The lively Rosie Kmita was denied from point blank save just
three minutes into the second period before her sister Mollie had a stunning
volley pushed away from goal.
On the hour mark, Chong was again close to scoring as her shot flashed
across goal and with 12 minutes left on the clock, Rosie Kmita's corner was
bundled just wide. The closest West Ham came to scoring a third was saved
until seven minutes from the end, however, as left-back Jasmine Auguste hit
the crossbar spectacularly via a touch from the keeper's fingertips.
Worthing held onto the second half draw but crashed out of the competition
as West Ham confidently progressed to the next round with ease.
Worthing: Samain, Mason, Cave, Emmerton, Langridge (Humphrey 62), Hewlett,
Forst, McKellar, Worsfold, J. Pallant (Debaes 90), Robinson.
Subs not used: B. Pallant, Carruthers, Hills
West Ham United: Kanto, Auguste, Wheeler, Austin, M. Kmita, Georgiou, Chong,
Stobbs (Chitatae-Samuriwo 57), Burr (Waithe 27), R. Kmita, Peters (Bent 57).
Subs not used: Miller, Mackie.
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West Ham United in November: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United face a busy November across our first team, Academy and
Ladies sides. Find out where we're playing and when in our guide below…
FIRST TEAM
West Ham United v Liverpool
London Stadium
Saturday 4 November, 5.30pm
November begins with the eagerly-anticipated home clash with Liverpool. The
Hammers will be looking for a London Stadium response after losing out to
Brighton last time out in E20, while Liverpool also lost on their last away
day – 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur. Jurgen Klopp's side are currently sixth in
the Premier League table, with 16 points from ten games, while they sit at
the head of their UEFA Champions League Group, halfway through the opening
phase.
Tickets for this fixture are available on the Ticket Exchange to supporters
with a previous booking history.
Watford v West Ham United
Vicarage Road
Sunday 19 November, 4pm
Following the third international break of the season, the Hammers return to
action with the short trip to Watford. A Sky Sports Super Sunday fixture,
the Hammers will be hoping to bring the Hornets back down to earth following
their bright start to the campaign. Last term Andre Ayew netted in a 1-1
draw at Vicarage Road.
Tickets for this game have sold out.
West Ham United v Leicester City
London Stadium
Friday 24 November, 8pm
The Hammers' second Friday Night Football clash of the season sees the
2015/16 champions Leicester City head to London Stadium. The Foxes have not
enjoyed the best of starts to the campaign, and Craig Shakespeare paid the
penalty with his job. Former Southampton boss Claude Puel has subsequently
been appointed to the King Power Stadium hot seat and he made a winning
start against Everton last weekend.
Tickets for this fixture are on sale to Claret Members.
Everton v West Ham United
Goodison Park
Wednesday 29 November, 8pm
The Hammers bring November to a close with a trip to Goodison Park to take
on struggling Everton. The Toffees spent big in the summer but have failed
to back that up on the pitch, and Ronald Koeman was sacked following a 5-2
defeat to Arsenal. Ex-Hammer David Unsworth is in temporary charge.
Tickets for this match have sold out
PREMIER LEAGUE 2
West Ham United U23 v Derby County U23
London Stadium
Friday 17 November, 7pm
West Ham United's Premier League 2 team play their second London Stadium
game of the season when they welcome Derby County to east London for a
Friday night game. After beating Manchester United 4-2 last time out in E20,
Terry Westley will be looking for another big performance from his team.
Season Ticket Holders can gain free admittance to this game, with tickets
priced at £5 adults and £3 concessions otherwise. Full ticket information
will follow shortly.
West Ham United U23 v Benfica U23
AGP Arena
Tuesday 21 November, 7pm
The Hammers head to Billericay for their final Premier League International
Cup group game on 21 November. After defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and a
strong Villarreal side, the Hammers will want to end their European campaign
with a strong performance against the Portuguese team. Season Ticket Holders
can gain free admittance to this game, with tickets priced at £5 adults and
£3 concessions otherwise. Full ticket information will follow shortly.
Arsenal U23 v West Ham United U23
Boreham Wood FC
Friday 24 November, 7pm
On the same day the first team face Leicester, the PL2 side take on Arsenal
at Boreham Wood. The Hammers enjoyed a fantastic October, taking seven
points to move up to fourth in the table, just two points behind Everton in
second place. Arsenal currently sit fifth.
Wycombe Wanderers v West Ham United U21
Adams Park
Tuesday 28 November, 7.45pm
After victories over Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers in the Checkatrade
Trophy, the Hammers have already progressed to the knockout rounds of the
competition which features League 1 and 2 sides, plus Premier League Academy
outfits. They round-off their group games with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers.
Ticket information will be available shortly.
LADIES
Coventry United v West Ham United Ladies
Butts Park
Sunday 12 November, 2pm
The Ladies kick-off November with a trip up the M1 to face Coventry United.
Revenge will be on their mind after they were edged out 2-1 by the same
opposition in October. Greg De Carnys' side have been building their form in
recent weeks, securing back-to-back wins against QPR and Worthing.
West Ham United Ladies v Crystal Palace
Rush Green
Sunday 19 November, 2pm
The Hammers return to home action with a London derby against Crystal Palace
a week later. The Eagles won 3-1 in their last meeting a month ago, but with
only four places separating the teams in the table, the Hammers will be
hopeful of coming out on top this time around.
Season Ticket Holders, Claret Members and U16s can gain free admittance for
this match. Adult tickets are priced at £2.
West Ham United Ladies v C&K Basildon
Rush Green
Sunday 26 November, 2pm
The Ladies end the month by taking on Essex side C&K Basildon. Basildon are
flying high in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division table, but
with the Hammers returning to form, they will be targeting this match as an
opportunity to claim all three points. Season Ticket Holders, Claret Members
and U16s can gain free admittance for this match. Adult tickets are priced
at £2.
UNDER-18s
West Ham United's Academy side host Liverpool on 4 November (11am kick-off),
before travelling to Aston Villa on 18 November (12pm) and Chelsea on 25
November (11.05am).
The Hammers will be looking to climb up the table this month, with four
points from eight games to date.
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West Ham open smart new Store in Basildon
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fans turned out in their droves as the Club's new Basildon
Store opened on Wednesday. Supporters queued from 6am to be the first to
explore the smart new shop in the Essex town's Eastgate Shopping Centre.
There, they eagerly snapped up Umbro kits, trainingwear and a wide variety
of leisurewear, nightwear, accessories and Christmas stocking fillers. "We
are delighted to be back in Basildon by popular demand," said West Ham's
head of retail Kerry Patterson. "The Club has a huge following in the south
Essex area and this Store gives them the perfect opportunity to grab their
West Ham goodies for Christmas. "We have lots of exciting events planned,
starting with our Golden Hanger promotion, which proved really popular, and
we are expecting some first-team players to pay a visit or two in the coming
weeks. "The Store is fully stocked will all the product lines available
online and in our other popular stores in Romford, Lakeside Thurrock and at
London Stadium, so please pop in and see us!"
Among the first shoppers were the three lucky winners who discovered Golden
Hangers among the hundreds of lines on sale, winning themselves £50 vouchers
and a visit to the Hammers' Rush Green training ground. George Verlander was
the first to find his Golden Hanger, buried in a basket of Claret and Blue
footballs, followed quickly by fellow fans Steve Leach and Nigel Humphrys.
"I'm not Dale Winton off Supermarket Sweep, so rather than rush around, I
thought I'd rock in and when I saw the footballs, I had a poke about and
there you go," said George, from nearby Benfleet. "What a lucky boy I am! "I
woke up early, had my morning coffee and went into the store with a couple
of tactics. You have to stay calm and composed for big events like this and
thankfully it paid off. "I was very happy to walk away with the £50 in
vouchers, which I'll either spend on something I can find which fits me, or
on something for my Dad for Christmas!"
Verlander, a 1966 member at London Stadium, says the Hammers' decision to
return to Basildon was a testament to the number of supporters living in
south Essex. "To be able to come down the road and pick our stuff out here
in Basildon, that's perfect. If you look at the demographics, a lot of fans
have now moved out of east London to live out this way, so it's the
heartland. "There is massive support for West Ham around here, it really is
our heartland."
West Ham United's Basildon Store is situated on the ground floor of the
town's Eastgate Shopping Centre and open from 9am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday
and 10am-4pm on Sundays. Supporters can also shop online 24/7 at
officialwesthamstore.com
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Martinez to prove himself - on loan?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 1st November 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's in-form Academy striker Toni Martinez scored a brace that sent
Bristol Rovers tumbling to defeat in the Checkatrade trophy - but appears to
be no closer to a place in Slaven Bilic's first team squad. The Spanish
youngster helped his side - led ably by Declan Rice - to a 3-1 win at the
Memorial Stadium last night, despite the hosts having taken the lead inside
the opening 30 seconds. Martinez levelled for West Ham from the penalty spot
two minutes ahead of the half time interval before grabbing his second of
the night to make it 3-1, after Martin Samuelsen has sent United into the
lead.
And watching manager Terry Westley was subsequently full of praise for the
youngster, who, according to his post-match comments, is likely to go on
loan in the near future. "His second goal was sublime," Westley told West
Ham's website. "The way he got in between people, saw the 'keeper and
instantly knew he had to take it in one touch, meant it was a magnificent
finish. "The challenge for [our players] tonight was this - if you want to
go and play in the first division or the Championship you've got to go and
show you're as good as their players, if not better. "We got back on the
bus knowing a lot of our players can play at this level, for sure."
Having beaten Bristol Rovers last night, West Ham's next tie in the Under
21s competition is a trip to Wycombe Wanderers later this month; that game
is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 28 November. The Checkatrade Trophy
(previously known as the Football League Trophy) has been running for 34
years and currently consists of 64 teams - all 48 clubs from League One and
League Two plus 16 invited Academy (Under 21) squads from the Premeir League
and Championship.
West Ham, who are in Southern Group C alongside Rovers, Swindon Town and
Wycombe won their opening game of the campaign at Swindon in August, winning
3-2. The top two teams from each of the 16 groups will qualify for the next
phase of the competition.
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Season already written off?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 1st November 2017
By: Jamie Norwood
I know we're only 10 games into the campaign, but is this season already a
write off? From the way the owners run the club, you'd think they would be
happy finishing 17th this season as long as we're not relegated! I have
always been a big supporter of Slaven Bilic, but I think the majority of us
know he isn't going to be here next season, so why is he here now? Every
game there seems so much pressure on him to get a result, it's almost as if
we lose a game we're in a crisis. He is then given two games to save his
job. Which he seems to have done. But what happens if we lose to Liverpool
on Saturday? Does he have two more games to save his job again? Is this what
this season is going to be like? Just repeat this cycle until his contract
runs out?
Not only is it a laughable way to run a football club but it's also not fair
on Bilic. He has always acted with real class since he has been in charge,
he's never spoken out against the owners (when it must have been really,
really tempting) – he's always honest and it is clear he loves the club. I
do however think it is time for him to go, as much as it hurts me to say it.
You have to question his tactics and I think a lot of the players are
letting him down at the moment. Are they not playing for him? The players
look unfit and that has to be down to the manager and his coaching staff. In
fact the stats back it up:
- Rank 20th in distance covered
- Rank 20th in sprints
- We have the second oldest team in the league
- We've conceded six goals in the last 10 mins of matches – the second-worst
record
Not good reading. But not entirely surprising if you've watched us this
season!
The performance against Brighton was the final straw for me, a truly
shocking performance. Sluggish, no passion and literally looked like no plan
was in place. Carroll was out because of suspension, so we had Kouyate up
front as a target man (whose best position in my opinion is at centre back).
Now it wasn't Bilic's fault that Carroll stupidly got sent off vs Burnley,
but on the previous weekend Toni Martinez scored a hat-trick for the under
23s; why not give him a chance? Try something different?
Yes, we came back to beat Spurs, but was that because of Bilic's tactics or
was it that Spurs were so complacent? The weekend game vs Palace. 2-0 up
and two very good goals, so go for the kill. We are playing a team who have
three points all season so their confidence must have been rock bottom.
Come out for the second half and go for a third goal - why are we set up to
defend like we're playing Man City/Arsenal etc? Backs against the wall
stuff.
You look at the players on the pitch and there is a lot of talent there, but
the game management was appalling (both manager and players). You would
argue if Antonio keeps the ball in the corner (schoolboy stuff) we win, but
you cannot say Palace didn't deserve something out of that game. And that
has to be concerning when you are 2-0 up against them! Jamie Carragher
showed on MNF last night that when Antonio crossed the ball, we had five
players in an attacking position. 96th minute and 2-1 up – it's ridiculous.
I would like to mention the transfer window, where our net spend was £17m
(just 4m if you include the January window where Payet was sold for £25m).
Is that really backing a manager that you believe in?
Bilic came out at the end of last season and stated that he wanted to
introduce pace (just have another look at that sprint stat above). So are
these the players he wanted? Or was this Sullivan and Tony Henry? Towards
the end of the window Bilic wanted William Carvalho, yet Sullivan didn't
want him (or put in a derisory bid) and offered his own, alternative targets
to the manager. So once again, you haven't backed the manager? If you do not
trust his judgement, why is he your manager?
Are we really going to throw this season just to save the compensation money
of sacking Bilic? As I said, I am a big Bilic fan and I think the way he has
conducted himself has been brilliant, but I do think his time is up. It
should be done with respect. Not where all the fans will turn on him,
calling him all names under the sun. He deserves better than that. We left
Upton Park to move to the 'London Stadium' and were promised the 'next
level' – is that next level the Championship?
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.
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BUILDING FROM THE BACK – IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO FIND A SOLID DEFENCE?
By Goatygav 1 Nov 2017 at 11:00
WTID
When a new manager arrives at a club they bring with them a certain way of
doing things. Their 'Modus Operandi, or 'MO' if you prefer, is driven by
their own beliefs about how the game should be played. Very occasionally a
manager is lucky enough to inherit players who either suit the system they
would like to introduce or, if even more fortunate, add strength in areas
where the said manager is lacking. When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal he
was taking on a team that had the best organised defence in the country.
Bruce Rioch had already begun the work that Arsene continued but both men
were the benefactors of Geroge Graham's defensively constructed squad. Many
have observed that Arsene Wenger was at his most successful during his early
years managing the Gunners. A large percentage of the observations have put
those cups and championships down to the strength that already existed at
the back with the famous Arsenal 'Back Four' of Lee, Dixon, Adams and Keown.
With David Seaman behind them it was a formidable back line. Without them
you could speculate that Manchester United would have completely dominated
the nineties and early noughties. Whether this defensively proficient team
was added to by either Rioch or Wenger is still being debated but bringing
in Patrick Viera added further steel to match that of Roy Keane's addition
to Alex Ferguson's squad at Manchester United.
Observations have put those cups and championships down to the strength that
already existed at the back
Love him or loathe him Mr Allardcye made West Ham hard to beat. He organised
the team in such a way that opposing sides found very hard to break down.
Probably more effective than, even, Mr Allardyce is Tony Pulis in this
respect. Within a very short space of time Pulis managed to turn things
around for Crystal Palace and save them from, almost, certain relegation.
Not just at Palace either – West Brom was another challenge. In fact the two
are very similar with the Welshman, in my estimation, edging it due to
slightly greater tactical knowledge. Be that as it may you have to admit,
however, that our last team manager brought much needed organisation and
discipline to the squad. One thing that both managers share is that they
played as defenders during their career. When they arrive at new clubs they
busily set about getting their respective defences organised and solid.
Every player knows his job exactly. A no-nonsense, or safety first, approach
is generally introduced as well as strong players in advanced positions who
can 'hold' the ball until they're able to bring in team mates. Wide players,
and play, are preferred with lots of crosses coming in from the flanks for
those strong forwards to get on the end of. A very simplistic view which, as
we know, in reality is far more scientific but it's a system that has worked
very effectively. Both managers have never been relegated despite, on many
occasions, being appointed by clubs in poor league positions in need of a
manager to 'make them safe'.
Within a very short space of time Pulis managed to turn things around
Moving on to Slaven you would expect, being an ex-defender himself, that he
would have come in and done something similar . Perhaps he would have been
better off if he hadn't inherited a solid back line and could have built his
own. When Slaven arrived, however, the defence was not the no.1 priority. A
more exciting, entertaining, brand of football was demanded by the club's
owners and many fans. That meant the signing of several players with good
technical ability, who suited a system of play that involved passing through
midfield, was undertaken. Lanzini and Payet as well as Angelo Ogbonna, who
was used to the more technical form of defending whilst playing in Italy,
joined Pedro Obiang and Michael Antonio, with Victor Moses on loan, as new
signings. My personal feeling about that transfer window was that it was our
best ever. Best I can remember anyway. Following that Super Slav went about
getting the team playing less percentage balls and more short passes out of
defence and through midfield. Personally I felt like we'd got 'our West Ham'
back. All was rosy in the garden in our last ever season at the Boleyn
Ground. Then the move and Monsieur Payet's sulk. One of the best transfer
windows in 2015 was followed by one of the worst in the Summer of '16. Who's
fault that was is subject to debate but, all boiled down, many players
flattered to deceive and we came crashing back down to earth. The rest is
history which I don't have time to cover off right now – suffice to say the
honeymoon period of Slav's first season is a distant memory.
By comparison West Ham's development has been a succession of speedboat turn
after speedboat turn.
Overall I get the feeling that, rather than building from the back, there's
an element of sticking plaster upon sticking plaster. If the team are going
to be successful in the future there needs to be a longer term plan. With
manager changes every three years this becomes very difficult but not
impossible. Some clubs do manage it. Southampton's 'Black Box' model, like
one of the steady ocean liners leaving the city's port, contributes to a
longer term overall plan. By comparison West Ham's development has been a
succession of speedboat turn after speedboat turn.
James Collins put in more than one 'Man of the Match' performance during
last season's run in.
So what now? We've had a quarter of a season played and we linger in the
bottom quarter of the table. I'm not sure it's all doom and gloom however.
Personally I feel that most of the work to do is at the back. When a defence
is looking strong it's far easier to play with more confidence and that's
Slaven's main challenge. Going back to the 'no nonsense' approach I want to
highlight one player who I feel made a massive contribution to our late,
good, form last season. James Collins put in more than one 'Man of the
Match' performance during 2017's run in. He was an absolute rock. Played
some of the best football of his career. Occasionally it was 'Row Z'
clearances but his presence seemed to garner confidence at the back which
permeated forwards up the pitch. Looking at Physio Room Ginge is going to be
out until mid-late November. Reid and Fonte make up our other two on the
injured roster. Not a great position to be in having three Centre Backs out
at the same time eh? The sooner JC can get back the better so far as I'm
concerned.
Overall, for me, it's currently about regaining confidence which will only
come if things are shored up at the back. Whether Declan Rice, Angelo
Ogbonna and Kouyate can step up in the next couple of games, or if it's
we're going to have to wait for the return of Ginge and Reidy, remains to be
seen however I do wonder if Slav will have that much time. Sincerely hope
so.
A lesson learned but a costly one.
Looking back to last Saturday I can't quite get over how naive the team were
in the final minute of the game. I'm not a fan of watching the clock out in
the corner. It's not what you pay your money for but, frankly, crossing a
'low percentage' ball whilst under little pressure was a poor decision. One
of a few options that he shouldn't have had. By that I mean it really didn't
need three other players charging forward at that stage – leaving the
midfield completely exposed in front of defence. A lesson learned but a
costly one. We all make mistakes, and I'm certainly not going to stop being
a fan of Michail Antonio, but that was a hard one to forgive at the time and
I won't repeat what I yelled when Zaha, subsequently, found the back of the
net. I'm sure, however, that it will be a hard lesson for Michail as the
dressing room will not have been an easy place for him to be afterwards. One
that will probably stick in the memory. Apart from Antonio's error the
entire team were nervous and negative, in the second half, whilst inviting
pressure and opportunities for Palace to create goal scoring chances. Work
to do there.
I like to end on a positive note and this news did give me some cheer when I
read it. After he has patiently stuck to the task I'm very pleased for Reece
Oxfrod who took his Bundeslige bow as a sub last weekend in a 3-1 win over
Hoffenheim. Let's hope the door of opportunity stays open for Reece in the
coming weeks and he capitalises in confident fashion. Mönchengladbach's next
game is against FC Mainz on Saturday , who sit in 13th, so if Reece gets the
nod it will, hopefully, be a winning home debut. Other encouraging stuff
comes from the U21's game against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night. Another
great win, this time 3-1, for the lads with a great return from Samuelson
and more goals from Martinez. Very much liking what Nathan Holland is doing
this season too Great stuff!
COYI! West Ham 4 The Cup!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal will be played on
Tuesday 19 December, with a 7.45pm kick-off. The Hammers head to Emirates
Stadium looking to book their first semi-final appearance in this
competition since the 2013/14 campaign, and will hope for a second Carabao
Cup London derby victory in succession. After seeing off Cheltenham Town and
Bolton Wanderers in the earlier rounds, Slaven Bilic's men produced a
stirring comeback to recover from 2-0 down and defeat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2
in the last 16. That set up December's tie against the Gunners, who have
defeated Doncaster Rovers and Norwich City to progress to this stage of the
Cup. The clubs have met twice before in the League Cup, with the Hammers
winning 3-1 at Highbury in October 1966, and Arsenal emerging triumphant 2-1
at the Boleyn Ground in January 1998.
Ticket information will be released shortly and announced on whufc.com
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Samuelsen - We can go all the way to Wembley!
WHUFC.com
"We can go all the Wembley!" was the message from Martin Samuelsen after
West Ham United under-21s beat Bristol Rovers 3-1 in the Checkatrade Trophy
on Tuesday night. The Hammers beat the League One outfit at the Memorial
Stadium and in doing so, secured qualification through to the knockout
rounds of the competition with a game to spare in Group C (South). Two goals
from Toni Martinez and one for the returning Samuelsen were the difference
as the young Hammers made light work of a little-changed Bristol Rovers
outfit. "It was really good to win on the night and I'm really pleased with
the team performance." Samuelsen explained. The Norwegian under-21
international was making his first start since late-September after injury
forced him miss much of October, but slotted straight back into his familiar
no.10 role behind Martinez up top. And from minute one he and fellow
attacking midfielders, Sead Haksabanovic and Nathan Holland were a big
threat.
He capped his return with a well taken goal soon after the restart, reacting
quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area to fire West Ham in to the
lead. "I feel good, I got a little tired towards the end but I'm happy to
score and I'm feeling good" he said. "I've scored those goals ten thousand
times in training - worked on those types of shots, reacting quickly, so
when I saw the ball I was confident I was going to score." "We (Holland and
Haksabanovic) enjoy playing with each other, we understand each others
movements and I'm very happy to be playing with them."
West Ham still have to visit Wycombe Wanderers in the group stages, but know
that last night's win has already secured their progression in to the
Checkatrade Trophy latter stages. The competition, which concludes with a
Final at Wembley Stadium, featured just three U21 sides beyond the group
stages in last year's Southern draw but Samuelsen still has his eyes set on
the big prize. "I think we can go all the way and win it!" he exclaimed.
"That's what we want to do, we're not here to just play and take on these
senior teams, we're here to win. We'd love to go all the way to Wembley."
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Westley - Tonight was a really good team performance
WHUFC.com
It was a near-faultless team performance according to Academy Director,
Terry Westley, after West Ham United's under-21s beat Bristol Rovers in the
Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday evening. Despite conceding after just 25
seconds at the Memorial Stadium, West Ham dominated proceedings on a chilly
evening in the West-country and fully deserved their 3-1 win. A brace from
Toni Martinez – his tenth and eleventh of the season already - either side
of a Martin Samuelsen goal secured the points and guaranteed the Hammers'
qualification into the knockout rounds of the competition.
To take on League One outfit and win so convincingly was especially pleasing
for Westley: "The manner in which we won is extremely satisfying" he said.
"We've had a hard October, playing Manchester United, Chelsea away, then
Manchester City at the weekend and now to finish it off against a League One
side, who had a very strong team out today, we took it to them. "After a
disastrous start, it just shows the character of this group led by a
tremendous captain in Declan Rice and beside him Josh Pask, as centre-halves
they really got to grips with what Bristol Rovers threw at us. It was hard
at times, having to keep heading balls and clearing it out but when we got
it down, we passed them off the pitch. 3-1 could have easily been more than
that."
The equaliser came from the penalty spot on 43 minutes after Ben Johnson was
brought down inside the box. It was Martinez who stepped forward and
confidently drove the ball into the bottom corner to level things up.
After the break, West Ham dominated. Pace down the right, left and through
the middle from Haksabanovic, Holland and Samuelsen and Martinez
respectively put the Pirates' defence under extreme pressure and it wasn't
long before they cracked: Martin Samuelsen capitalising on some space in the
box to fire home from close range. Martinez's second and the Hammers' third
was the goal of the night, however. "His second goal was sublime." Westley
exclaimed. "The way he got in between people and he saw the keeper and
instantly knew he had to take it in one touch, it was a magnificent finish."
Toni Martinez's two goals may grab the headlines and Westley was delighted
with the Spaniard's contribution, but was quick to place praise on the whole
team effort on this particular night. "Sometimes you have 'it's a Martinez
show' or 'it's a Holland show', tonight was a really good team performance
by everybody."
"The challenge for tonight was: 'you want to go and show you can play in
League One or the Championship so you've got to show you're as good if not
better than these players' and we'll get back on the bus knowing that a lot
of our players can play at this level."
The win caps of a fantastic October for the Development Squad, who have
faced U23 opposition in Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City
before the Checkatrade Trophy battle with League One, Bristol Rovers, on
Tuesday. From a possible twelve points, they have taken ten – only a draw
against Chelsea, away, in between three hugely impressive victories.
"Without a doubt [we'd have taken ten points]" the Academy Director
explained. "That's what this group needs, those type of challenges against
the very best players. Saturday, we had four under-18s in the starting
line-up, today we had three in Ben Johnson, Conor Coventry and Domingos
Quina so we're young, we're a very young team in this league and we
outplayed them tonight."
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Ladies breeze past Worthing into next round of League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies progressed to the next round of the Isthmian League
Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Worthing Ladies on Tuesday night. The
Hammers travelled down to the south coast for their second fixture in three
days but showed no signs of fatigue as they dominated in a match won by
Molly Peters and Amber Stobbs strikes. After just three minutes, the
visitors came close to taking the lead when Chloe Burr was slotted in down
the right-hand-side, but the winger blazed her shot wide from a tight angle.
Moments later, Dayna Chong went close with a 25-yard effort, but six minutes
into the tie, the Hammers had the lead they deserved. Stobbs' pinpoint
through ball found Peters through the middle, who coolly approached goal and
passed wide of the keeper from close range to make it 1-0.
Peters should have had her second before the ten-minute mark, only kneeing a
ball into the keeper's hands after Stobbs' lofted pass, but the latter soon
had the Hammers coasting with their second. Captain in the absence of Amy
Cooper, the midfielder approached goal with composure, finishing easily
across the keeper on the right side of the box. Peters was again foiled by
the Worthing keeper on 20 minutes, but for the remainder of the half, the
hosts tightened up at the back despite not getting the ball anywhere near
Sindi Kanto's box. Before the break, there was one last slice of action as
Stobbs crashed against the crossbar from a long-range free-kick, but the
Hammers went in 2-0 up and comfortable. Though Greg De Carnys' team could
not extend their lead in the second half, they once again dominated and had
their chances. The lively Rosie Kmita was denied from point blank save just
three minutes into the second period before her sister Mollie had a stunning
volley pushed away from goal.
On the hour mark, Chong was again close to scoring as her shot flashed
across goal and with 12 minutes left on the clock, Rosie Kmita's corner was
bundled just wide. The closest West Ham came to scoring a third was saved
until seven minutes from the end, however, as left-back Jasmine Auguste hit
the crossbar spectacularly via a touch from the keeper's fingertips.
Worthing held onto the second half draw but crashed out of the competition
as West Ham confidently progressed to the next round with ease.
Worthing: Samain, Mason, Cave, Emmerton, Langridge (Humphrey 62), Hewlett,
Forst, McKellar, Worsfold, J. Pallant (Debaes 90), Robinson.
Subs not used: B. Pallant, Carruthers, Hills
West Ham United: Kanto, Auguste, Wheeler, Austin, M. Kmita, Georgiou, Chong,
Stobbs (Chitatae-Samuriwo 57), Burr (Waithe 27), R. Kmita, Peters (Bent 57).
Subs not used: Miller, Mackie.
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West Ham United in November: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United face a busy November across our first team, Academy and
Ladies sides. Find out where we're playing and when in our guide below…
FIRST TEAM
West Ham United v Liverpool
London Stadium
Saturday 4 November, 5.30pm
November begins with the eagerly-anticipated home clash with Liverpool. The
Hammers will be looking for a London Stadium response after losing out to
Brighton last time out in E20, while Liverpool also lost on their last away
day – 4-1 at Tottenham Hotspur. Jurgen Klopp's side are currently sixth in
the Premier League table, with 16 points from ten games, while they sit at
the head of their UEFA Champions League Group, halfway through the opening
phase.
Tickets for this fixture are available on the Ticket Exchange to supporters
with a previous booking history.
Watford v West Ham United
Vicarage Road
Sunday 19 November, 4pm
Following the third international break of the season, the Hammers return to
action with the short trip to Watford. A Sky Sports Super Sunday fixture,
the Hammers will be hoping to bring the Hornets back down to earth following
their bright start to the campaign. Last term Andre Ayew netted in a 1-1
draw at Vicarage Road.
Tickets for this game have sold out.
West Ham United v Leicester City
London Stadium
Friday 24 November, 8pm
The Hammers' second Friday Night Football clash of the season sees the
2015/16 champions Leicester City head to London Stadium. The Foxes have not
enjoyed the best of starts to the campaign, and Craig Shakespeare paid the
penalty with his job. Former Southampton boss Claude Puel has subsequently
been appointed to the King Power Stadium hot seat and he made a winning
start against Everton last weekend.
Tickets for this fixture are on sale to Claret Members.
Everton v West Ham United
Goodison Park
Wednesday 29 November, 8pm
The Hammers bring November to a close with a trip to Goodison Park to take
on struggling Everton. The Toffees spent big in the summer but have failed
to back that up on the pitch, and Ronald Koeman was sacked following a 5-2
defeat to Arsenal. Ex-Hammer David Unsworth is in temporary charge.
Tickets for this match have sold out
PREMIER LEAGUE 2
West Ham United U23 v Derby County U23
London Stadium
Friday 17 November, 7pm
West Ham United's Premier League 2 team play their second London Stadium
game of the season when they welcome Derby County to east London for a
Friday night game. After beating Manchester United 4-2 last time out in E20,
Terry Westley will be looking for another big performance from his team.
Season Ticket Holders can gain free admittance to this game, with tickets
priced at £5 adults and £3 concessions otherwise. Full ticket information
will follow shortly.
West Ham United U23 v Benfica U23
AGP Arena
Tuesday 21 November, 7pm
The Hammers head to Billericay for their final Premier League International
Cup group game on 21 November. After defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and a
strong Villarreal side, the Hammers will want to end their European campaign
with a strong performance against the Portuguese team. Season Ticket Holders
can gain free admittance to this game, with tickets priced at £5 adults and
£3 concessions otherwise. Full ticket information will follow shortly.
Arsenal U23 v West Ham United U23
Boreham Wood FC
Friday 24 November, 7pm
On the same day the first team face Leicester, the PL2 side take on Arsenal
at Boreham Wood. The Hammers enjoyed a fantastic October, taking seven
points to move up to fourth in the table, just two points behind Everton in
second place. Arsenal currently sit fifth.
Wycombe Wanderers v West Ham United U21
Adams Park
Tuesday 28 November, 7.45pm
After victories over Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers in the Checkatrade
Trophy, the Hammers have already progressed to the knockout rounds of the
competition which features League 1 and 2 sides, plus Premier League Academy
outfits. They round-off their group games with a trip to Wycombe Wanderers.
Ticket information will be available shortly.
LADIES
Coventry United v West Ham United Ladies
Butts Park
Sunday 12 November, 2pm
The Ladies kick-off November with a trip up the M1 to face Coventry United.
Revenge will be on their mind after they were edged out 2-1 by the same
opposition in October. Greg De Carnys' side have been building their form in
recent weeks, securing back-to-back wins against QPR and Worthing.
West Ham United Ladies v Crystal Palace
Rush Green
Sunday 19 November, 2pm
The Hammers return to home action with a London derby against Crystal Palace
a week later. The Eagles won 3-1 in their last meeting a month ago, but with
only four places separating the teams in the table, the Hammers will be
hopeful of coming out on top this time around.
Season Ticket Holders, Claret Members and U16s can gain free admittance for
this match. Adult tickets are priced at £2.
West Ham United Ladies v C&K Basildon
Rush Green
Sunday 26 November, 2pm
The Ladies end the month by taking on Essex side C&K Basildon. Basildon are
flying high in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division table, but
with the Hammers returning to form, they will be targeting this match as an
opportunity to claim all three points. Season Ticket Holders, Claret Members
and U16s can gain free admittance for this match. Adult tickets are priced
at £2.
UNDER-18s
West Ham United's Academy side host Liverpool on 4 November (11am kick-off),
before travelling to Aston Villa on 18 November (12pm) and Chelsea on 25
November (11.05am).
The Hammers will be looking to climb up the table this month, with four
points from eight games to date.
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West Ham open smart new Store in Basildon
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fans turned out in their droves as the Club's new Basildon
Store opened on Wednesday. Supporters queued from 6am to be the first to
explore the smart new shop in the Essex town's Eastgate Shopping Centre.
There, they eagerly snapped up Umbro kits, trainingwear and a wide variety
of leisurewear, nightwear, accessories and Christmas stocking fillers. "We
are delighted to be back in Basildon by popular demand," said West Ham's
head of retail Kerry Patterson. "The Club has a huge following in the south
Essex area and this Store gives them the perfect opportunity to grab their
West Ham goodies for Christmas. "We have lots of exciting events planned,
starting with our Golden Hanger promotion, which proved really popular, and
we are expecting some first-team players to pay a visit or two in the coming
weeks. "The Store is fully stocked will all the product lines available
online and in our other popular stores in Romford, Lakeside Thurrock and at
London Stadium, so please pop in and see us!"
Among the first shoppers were the three lucky winners who discovered Golden
Hangers among the hundreds of lines on sale, winning themselves £50 vouchers
and a visit to the Hammers' Rush Green training ground. George Verlander was
the first to find his Golden Hanger, buried in a basket of Claret and Blue
footballs, followed quickly by fellow fans Steve Leach and Nigel Humphrys.
"I'm not Dale Winton off Supermarket Sweep, so rather than rush around, I
thought I'd rock in and when I saw the footballs, I had a poke about and
there you go," said George, from nearby Benfleet. "What a lucky boy I am! "I
woke up early, had my morning coffee and went into the store with a couple
of tactics. You have to stay calm and composed for big events like this and
thankfully it paid off. "I was very happy to walk away with the £50 in
vouchers, which I'll either spend on something I can find which fits me, or
on something for my Dad for Christmas!"
Verlander, a 1966 member at London Stadium, says the Hammers' decision to
return to Basildon was a testament to the number of supporters living in
south Essex. "To be able to come down the road and pick our stuff out here
in Basildon, that's perfect. If you look at the demographics, a lot of fans
have now moved out of east London to live out this way, so it's the
heartland. "There is massive support for West Ham around here, it really is
our heartland."
West Ham United's Basildon Store is situated on the ground floor of the
town's Eastgate Shopping Centre and open from 9am-5.30pm Monday to Saturday
and 10am-4pm on Sundays. Supporters can also shop online 24/7 at
officialwesthamstore.com
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Martinez to prove himself - on loan?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 1st November 2017
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's in-form Academy striker Toni Martinez scored a brace that sent
Bristol Rovers tumbling to defeat in the Checkatrade trophy - but appears to
be no closer to a place in Slaven Bilic's first team squad. The Spanish
youngster helped his side - led ably by Declan Rice - to a 3-1 win at the
Memorial Stadium last night, despite the hosts having taken the lead inside
the opening 30 seconds. Martinez levelled for West Ham from the penalty spot
two minutes ahead of the half time interval before grabbing his second of
the night to make it 3-1, after Martin Samuelsen has sent United into the
lead.
And watching manager Terry Westley was subsequently full of praise for the
youngster, who, according to his post-match comments, is likely to go on
loan in the near future. "His second goal was sublime," Westley told West
Ham's website. "The way he got in between people, saw the 'keeper and
instantly knew he had to take it in one touch, meant it was a magnificent
finish. "The challenge for [our players] tonight was this - if you want to
go and play in the first division or the Championship you've got to go and
show you're as good as their players, if not better. "We got back on the
bus knowing a lot of our players can play at this level, for sure."
Having beaten Bristol Rovers last night, West Ham's next tie in the Under
21s competition is a trip to Wycombe Wanderers later this month; that game
is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 28 November. The Checkatrade Trophy
(previously known as the Football League Trophy) has been running for 34
years and currently consists of 64 teams - all 48 clubs from League One and
League Two plus 16 invited Academy (Under 21) squads from the Premeir League
and Championship.
West Ham, who are in Southern Group C alongside Rovers, Swindon Town and
Wycombe won their opening game of the campaign at Swindon in August, winning
3-2. The top two teams from each of the 16 groups will qualify for the next
phase of the competition.
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Season already written off?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 1st November 2017
By: Jamie Norwood
I know we're only 10 games into the campaign, but is this season already a
write off? From the way the owners run the club, you'd think they would be
happy finishing 17th this season as long as we're not relegated! I have
always been a big supporter of Slaven Bilic, but I think the majority of us
know he isn't going to be here next season, so why is he here now? Every
game there seems so much pressure on him to get a result, it's almost as if
we lose a game we're in a crisis. He is then given two games to save his
job. Which he seems to have done. But what happens if we lose to Liverpool
on Saturday? Does he have two more games to save his job again? Is this what
this season is going to be like? Just repeat this cycle until his contract
runs out?
Not only is it a laughable way to run a football club but it's also not fair
on Bilic. He has always acted with real class since he has been in charge,
he's never spoken out against the owners (when it must have been really,
really tempting) – he's always honest and it is clear he loves the club. I
do however think it is time for him to go, as much as it hurts me to say it.
You have to question his tactics and I think a lot of the players are
letting him down at the moment. Are they not playing for him? The players
look unfit and that has to be down to the manager and his coaching staff. In
fact the stats back it up:
- Rank 20th in distance covered
- Rank 20th in sprints
- We have the second oldest team in the league
- We've conceded six goals in the last 10 mins of matches – the second-worst
record
Not good reading. But not entirely surprising if you've watched us this
season!
The performance against Brighton was the final straw for me, a truly
shocking performance. Sluggish, no passion and literally looked like no plan
was in place. Carroll was out because of suspension, so we had Kouyate up
front as a target man (whose best position in my opinion is at centre back).
Now it wasn't Bilic's fault that Carroll stupidly got sent off vs Burnley,
but on the previous weekend Toni Martinez scored a hat-trick for the under
23s; why not give him a chance? Try something different?
Yes, we came back to beat Spurs, but was that because of Bilic's tactics or
was it that Spurs were so complacent? The weekend game vs Palace. 2-0 up
and two very good goals, so go for the kill. We are playing a team who have
three points all season so their confidence must have been rock bottom.
Come out for the second half and go for a third goal - why are we set up to
defend like we're playing Man City/Arsenal etc? Backs against the wall
stuff.
You look at the players on the pitch and there is a lot of talent there, but
the game management was appalling (both manager and players). You would
argue if Antonio keeps the ball in the corner (schoolboy stuff) we win, but
you cannot say Palace didn't deserve something out of that game. And that
has to be concerning when you are 2-0 up against them! Jamie Carragher
showed on MNF last night that when Antonio crossed the ball, we had five
players in an attacking position. 96th minute and 2-1 up – it's ridiculous.
I would like to mention the transfer window, where our net spend was £17m
(just 4m if you include the January window where Payet was sold for £25m).
Is that really backing a manager that you believe in?
Bilic came out at the end of last season and stated that he wanted to
introduce pace (just have another look at that sprint stat above). So are
these the players he wanted? Or was this Sullivan and Tony Henry? Towards
the end of the window Bilic wanted William Carvalho, yet Sullivan didn't
want him (or put in a derisory bid) and offered his own, alternative targets
to the manager. So once again, you haven't backed the manager? If you do not
trust his judgement, why is he your manager?
Are we really going to throw this season just to save the compensation money
of sacking Bilic? As I said, I am a big Bilic fan and I think the way he has
conducted himself has been brilliant, but I do think his time is up. It
should be done with respect. Not where all the fans will turn on him,
calling him all names under the sun. He deserves better than that. We left
Upton Park to move to the 'London Stadium' and were promised the 'next
level' – is that next level the Championship?
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.
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BUILDING FROM THE BACK – IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO FIND A SOLID DEFENCE?
By Goatygav 1 Nov 2017 at 11:00
WTID
When a new manager arrives at a club they bring with them a certain way of
doing things. Their 'Modus Operandi, or 'MO' if you prefer, is driven by
their own beliefs about how the game should be played. Very occasionally a
manager is lucky enough to inherit players who either suit the system they
would like to introduce or, if even more fortunate, add strength in areas
where the said manager is lacking. When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal he
was taking on a team that had the best organised defence in the country.
Bruce Rioch had already begun the work that Arsene continued but both men
were the benefactors of Geroge Graham's defensively constructed squad. Many
have observed that Arsene Wenger was at his most successful during his early
years managing the Gunners. A large percentage of the observations have put
those cups and championships down to the strength that already existed at
the back with the famous Arsenal 'Back Four' of Lee, Dixon, Adams and Keown.
With David Seaman behind them it was a formidable back line. Without them
you could speculate that Manchester United would have completely dominated
the nineties and early noughties. Whether this defensively proficient team
was added to by either Rioch or Wenger is still being debated but bringing
in Patrick Viera added further steel to match that of Roy Keane's addition
to Alex Ferguson's squad at Manchester United.
Observations have put those cups and championships down to the strength that
already existed at the back
Love him or loathe him Mr Allardcye made West Ham hard to beat. He organised
the team in such a way that opposing sides found very hard to break down.
Probably more effective than, even, Mr Allardyce is Tony Pulis in this
respect. Within a very short space of time Pulis managed to turn things
around for Crystal Palace and save them from, almost, certain relegation.
Not just at Palace either – West Brom was another challenge. In fact the two
are very similar with the Welshman, in my estimation, edging it due to
slightly greater tactical knowledge. Be that as it may you have to admit,
however, that our last team manager brought much needed organisation and
discipline to the squad. One thing that both managers share is that they
played as defenders during their career. When they arrive at new clubs they
busily set about getting their respective defences organised and solid.
Every player knows his job exactly. A no-nonsense, or safety first, approach
is generally introduced as well as strong players in advanced positions who
can 'hold' the ball until they're able to bring in team mates. Wide players,
and play, are preferred with lots of crosses coming in from the flanks for
those strong forwards to get on the end of. A very simplistic view which, as
we know, in reality is far more scientific but it's a system that has worked
very effectively. Both managers have never been relegated despite, on many
occasions, being appointed by clubs in poor league positions in need of a
manager to 'make them safe'.
Within a very short space of time Pulis managed to turn things around
Moving on to Slaven you would expect, being an ex-defender himself, that he
would have come in and done something similar . Perhaps he would have been
better off if he hadn't inherited a solid back line and could have built his
own. When Slaven arrived, however, the defence was not the no.1 priority. A
more exciting, entertaining, brand of football was demanded by the club's
owners and many fans. That meant the signing of several players with good
technical ability, who suited a system of play that involved passing through
midfield, was undertaken. Lanzini and Payet as well as Angelo Ogbonna, who
was used to the more technical form of defending whilst playing in Italy,
joined Pedro Obiang and Michael Antonio, with Victor Moses on loan, as new
signings. My personal feeling about that transfer window was that it was our
best ever. Best I can remember anyway. Following that Super Slav went about
getting the team playing less percentage balls and more short passes out of
defence and through midfield. Personally I felt like we'd got 'our West Ham'
back. All was rosy in the garden in our last ever season at the Boleyn
Ground. Then the move and Monsieur Payet's sulk. One of the best transfer
windows in 2015 was followed by one of the worst in the Summer of '16. Who's
fault that was is subject to debate but, all boiled down, many players
flattered to deceive and we came crashing back down to earth. The rest is
history which I don't have time to cover off right now – suffice to say the
honeymoon period of Slav's first season is a distant memory.
By comparison West Ham's development has been a succession of speedboat turn
after speedboat turn.
Overall I get the feeling that, rather than building from the back, there's
an element of sticking plaster upon sticking plaster. If the team are going
to be successful in the future there needs to be a longer term plan. With
manager changes every three years this becomes very difficult but not
impossible. Some clubs do manage it. Southampton's 'Black Box' model, like
one of the steady ocean liners leaving the city's port, contributes to a
longer term overall plan. By comparison West Ham's development has been a
succession of speedboat turn after speedboat turn.
James Collins put in more than one 'Man of the Match' performance during
last season's run in.
So what now? We've had a quarter of a season played and we linger in the
bottom quarter of the table. I'm not sure it's all doom and gloom however.
Personally I feel that most of the work to do is at the back. When a defence
is looking strong it's far easier to play with more confidence and that's
Slaven's main challenge. Going back to the 'no nonsense' approach I want to
highlight one player who I feel made a massive contribution to our late,
good, form last season. James Collins put in more than one 'Man of the
Match' performance during 2017's run in. He was an absolute rock. Played
some of the best football of his career. Occasionally it was 'Row Z'
clearances but his presence seemed to garner confidence at the back which
permeated forwards up the pitch. Looking at Physio Room Ginge is going to be
out until mid-late November. Reid and Fonte make up our other two on the
injured roster. Not a great position to be in having three Centre Backs out
at the same time eh? The sooner JC can get back the better so far as I'm
concerned.
Overall, for me, it's currently about regaining confidence which will only
come if things are shored up at the back. Whether Declan Rice, Angelo
Ogbonna and Kouyate can step up in the next couple of games, or if it's
we're going to have to wait for the return of Ginge and Reidy, remains to be
seen however I do wonder if Slav will have that much time. Sincerely hope
so.
A lesson learned but a costly one.
Looking back to last Saturday I can't quite get over how naive the team were
in the final minute of the game. I'm not a fan of watching the clock out in
the corner. It's not what you pay your money for but, frankly, crossing a
'low percentage' ball whilst under little pressure was a poor decision. One
of a few options that he shouldn't have had. By that I mean it really didn't
need three other players charging forward at that stage – leaving the
midfield completely exposed in front of defence. A lesson learned but a
costly one. We all make mistakes, and I'm certainly not going to stop being
a fan of Michail Antonio, but that was a hard one to forgive at the time and
I won't repeat what I yelled when Zaha, subsequently, found the back of the
net. I'm sure, however, that it will be a hard lesson for Michail as the
dressing room will not have been an easy place for him to be afterwards. One
that will probably stick in the memory. Apart from Antonio's error the
entire team were nervous and negative, in the second half, whilst inviting
pressure and opportunities for Palace to create goal scoring chances. Work
to do there.
I like to end on a positive note and this news did give me some cheer when I
read it. After he has patiently stuck to the task I'm very pleased for Reece
Oxfrod who took his Bundeslige bow as a sub last weekend in a 3-1 win over
Hoffenheim. Let's hope the door of opportunity stays open for Reece in the
coming weeks and he capitalises in confident fashion. Mönchengladbach's next
game is against FC Mainz on Saturday , who sit in 13th, so if Reece gets the
nod it will, hopefully, be a winning home debut. Other encouraging stuff
comes from the U21's game against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night. Another
great win, this time 3-1, for the lads with a great return from Samuelson
and more goals from Martinez. Very much liking what Nathan Holland is doing
this season too Great stuff!
COYI! West Ham 4 The Cup!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, November 1
Daily WHUFC News - 1st November 2017
Noble: We need to stop shooting ourselves in the foot
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble says West Ham United need to learn how to manage games better if
they are to return to winning ways on a consistent basis. The Hammers have
lost Premier League five points from winning positions this season, allowing
Southampton, Burnley and Crystal Palace to net late goals, denying them a
deserved draw and two valuable victories. Last weekend, West Ham were 2-0 up
at half-time at Selhurst Park, only to concede twice after half-time - to a
penalty and last-gasp goal more than six minutes into added time - to enable
the Eagles to snatch a point.
Captain Noble knows such results could be costly in the long run and
encouraged his teammates to play with 'common sense' next time they carry an
advantage into the closing stages. "You can't make mistakes like we made at
Crystal Palace in the Premier League and expect to win matches, so we really
need to learn how to hold onto a lead because we're really shooting
ourselves in the foot," he said. "People talk about 'managing the game' and
a lot of it is common sense. We need to be able to see the time out by
slowing the play down and, in a way, get the opposition and their fans
feeling anxious. I don't think we have done that well enough this season."
West Ham return to Premier League action at London Stadium on Saturday, when
they host Liverpool in front of a live BT Sport audience at 5.30pm. Slaven
Bilic's side have lost just one of six meetings with the Reds over the
previous two seasons, but Noble knows the Hammers will need to be at their
best to defeat Jurgen Klopp's men for the fourth time in Liverpool's last
five visits to east London. "With where we are in the table, what happened
at Crystal Palace last weekend and the fact we go into the final
international break of the year after it, there is a massive motivation to
win Saturday's game. "Liverpool at home is a big game - it always is. We're
at home, we'll have the crowd behind us and we've got to roll our sleeves
up, look forward to the game and do the basics right."
Standard Tickets for Saturday's game are available via the Ticket Exchange
to Claret Members and those with a previous booking history.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 'a shambles', say pundits
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 31st October 2017
By: Staff Writer
Sky Sports duo Jamie Carragher and Phil Neville believe West Ham might be on
the way to the Championship having endured a poor start to the current
campaign.
The former Liverpool and Manchester United players tore into West Ham's
current set-up following the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday - and
suggesting that relegation could be on the cards as a result of having taken
just nine points from the opening 10 games. "There are a lot of teams down
the bottom of the league you could make a case for survival," said
Carragher. I'm struggling with West Ham. It's a shambles. "[Saturday's
game] will have felt like a defeat. Six players ahead of the ball and four
versus two at the back post. It is a disgrace that you find yourself in that
situation. "Then you see that in the last minute; you're fighting for your
lives against another rival and you've got people bombing forward to get a
goal and then jogging back. "West Ham are getting a little bit too close to
comfort to the teams we've slaughtered over the years. Your Sunderlands,
your QPRs. We watched them against Brighton and their application was really
poor.
"They're the team I would massively worry about in terms of relegation,
because it doesn't seem like there's much there. It looks a bit of a
shambles behind the scenes at times for me. It just seems like a lot of
players just thrown together without any real thought."
Meanwhile fellow pundit Neville also accused the players of faling to show
sufficient desire in the closing moments of the Selhurst Park draw. "When we
see this you point back to those teams, Sunderland, QPR, Aston Villa," he
added. "They make you sick to the pit of your stomach because it's a
privilege to play football, and the idea that you jog back, you don't run
back, at 2-1 up. "The manager is fighting for his life, the fans are all
there to run. It's unbelievable. That's where you become really critical and
you feel like it's a let down."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble urges West Ham to use 'common sense' ahead of Liverpool clash
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 31/10/17 2:22pm
SSN
Mark Noble insists West Ham must use "common sense" if they are to climb the
Premier League table. The Hammers have won only two of their opening 10
matches and currently sit just a point above the relegation zone in 16th
place. Winger Michail Antonio was heavily criticised for the part he played
in the build up to Crystal Palace's stoppage-time equaliser in Saturday's
2-2 draw at Selhurst Park, and Noble accepts West Ham have to improve their
game management. "You can't make mistakes like we made at Crystal Palace in
the Premier League and expect to win matches, so we really need to learn how
to hold onto a lead because we're really shooting ourselves in the foot," he
told the club's website. "People talk about 'managing the game' and a lot of
it is common sense. We need to be able to see the time out by slowing the
play down and, in a way, get the opposition and their fans feeling anxious.
I don't think we have done that well enough this season."
West Ham welcome Liverpool to London Stadium on Saturday and Noble concedes
the stakes will be high for his side ahead of the international break. "With
where we are in the table, what happened at Crystal Palace last weekend and
the fact we go into the final international break of the year after it,
there is a massive motivation to win Saturday's game," the 30-year-old
added. "Liverpool at home is a big game - it always is. We're at home, we'll
have the crowd behind us and we've got to roll our sleeves up, look forward
to the game and do the basics right."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jamie Carragher fears West Ham could go down after 'shambolic' final minutes
at Crystal Palace
Last Updated: 31/10/17 8:18am
SSN
On Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher analysed the final few minutes at
Selhurst Park as West Ham dropped two points against Crystal Palace
Jamie Carragher described West Ham's application in the final few minutes at
Crystal Palace as a "shambles", and fears they could go down this season.
Slaven Bilic's side are just a point above the drop zone following their 2-2
draw with bottom side Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite being 2-0 up at
half-time.
On Monday Night Football, Carragher went on to analyse the final few minutes
at Selhurst Park, where West Ham twice lost the ball deep inside Palace's
half, with the second time resulting in Wilfried Zaha's last-gasp equaliser.
"There are a lot of teams down the bottom of the league you could make a
case for survival. I'm struggling with West Ham. "It's a shambles. Six
players ahead of the ball, again, the same situation, and there is four
versus two at the back post. That is a disgrace that you find yourself in
that situation. It will have felt like a defeat. "West Ham are getting a
little bit too close to comfort to the teams we've slaughtered over the
years. Your Sunderlands, your QPRs. We watched them, and it was really poor
against Brighton, their application, and then you see that, in the last
minute, you're fighting for your lives against another rivals, it's more
than three points, and you've got people bombing forward to get a goal and
then jogging back. "They're the team I would massively worry about in terms
of relegation, because it doesn't seem like there's much there. "It looks a
bit of a shambles behind the scenes at times for me. It just seems like a
lot of players just thrown together without any real thought."
Gary Neville echoed Carragher's words on MNF, saying the failure of certain
West Ham players in those final stages reminds him of previous relegated
Premier League sides. "When we see this, you point back to those teams,
Sunderland, QPR, Aston Villa. They make you sick to the pit of your stomach,
because it's a privilege to play football, and the idea that you jog back,
you don't run back at 2-1 up. "The manager is fighting for his life, the
fans are all there to run. It's unbelievable. That's where you become really
critical and you feel like it's a let down."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham players told to apologise to Hammers teammate after "shocking
decision-making"
Joe Hart will be frustrated with his teammates after they threw away three
points at Crystal Palace
Football London
Kevin Beirne
07:00, 31 OCT 2017
Garth Crooks believes that West Ham's outfield players should apologise to
Joe Hart after they threw away a 2-0 lead against Crystal Palace at the
weekend. The Hammers led thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Andre
Ayew as they looked on course for their first away win in the Premier League
this season. Hart kept Palace at bay with some spectacular goalkeeping but
for his teammates to make a series of errors to give the Eagles the
opportunity to share the points. First, Angelo Ogbonna gave away a silly
penalty before Michail Antonio lost possession ahead of Wilfried Zaha's
equaliser while searching a third goal deep into injury time instead of
playing the clock out. Considering Hart's contribution, Crooks says that the
pair should own up to their mistake and ask for their goalkeeper's
forgiveness. "It's not often I feel sorry for goalkeepers, but I felt for
Joe Hart after West Ham's draw at Crystal Palace. He deserved better from
his teammates," Crooks said in his team of the week column for the BBC.
"Goalkeepers are often the first to hold their hands up in the dressing room
when they have dropped a clanger, and I expect West Ham's players to
apologise to Hart after he made some fantastic saves and put the Hammers in
a great position to win the game.
"This should have been West Ham's first away victory of the season in the
league, and would have been had it not been for some shocking
decision-making by players who should have known better."
Things do not get any easier for the Hammers as they face Liverpool at the
London Stadium on Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham handed huge boost with key Liverpool trio set to miss London
Stadium clash
Both sides have injury problems to contend with ahead of Saturday
Football London
West Ham have been handed a boost with Liverpool set to be without attacking
trio Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho for Saturday's game at
the London Stadium. The visitors recorded a 4-0 win in the corresponding
fixture last season, but could find it more difficult this time around
without some of their key attacking players. Mane and Lallana are not likely
to return for the Reds until after the international break, while Brazilian
international Coutinho is a doubt with a hip problem which kept him out at
the weekend. If the former Inter Milan star misses out again, Jurgen Klopp
could stick with the same front three which started against Huddersfield -
Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah either side of Daniel Sturridge.
Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic could face a defensive crisis for Saturday, with
question marks hanging over three central defenders. James Collins, Winston
Reid and Jose Fonte could all miss out through injury, while Pablo Zabaleta
will be suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season
against Crystal Palace. Collins and Reid both missed the dramatic 2-2 draw
at Selhurst Park, while Fonte limped off in the first half with a foot
complaint. If the trio fail to recover in time for next weekend, Bilic will
only have two recognised central defenders at his disposal - Angelo Ogbonna
and teenager Declan Rice. Speaking after Saturday's game, the Croatian
manager voiced his frustration at Wilfried Zaha's 97th minute equaliser. "In
the last couple of minutes we made some wrong decisions," he said. "All we
had to do is keep it but we didn't and that makes it frustrating.
"It was a positive week overall but we are gutted about the manner in which
we conceded the second goal."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CAVIAR RATIONS AND CHICKEN AND CHIPS
By Tony Hanna 31 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID
In my Tuesday article last week I wondered whether Slav would still be in
charge at West Ham by the time I wrote this one? Two games supposedly to
save his job and a win and a draw have put in place a stay of (his
inevitable) execution. Make no mistake, he will be gone by seasons end and
this fact, paralleled with the continued recycling of two, three or four
match ultimatums is a cancer that can only be hindering our progress. All
this noise can only be a distraction that is totally unhelpful and heaps
more pressure on Bilic and his team when the best thing the owners could do
is offer full support or get rid. Last week, if you had offered me a win and
a draw from the two away games at Spurs and Palace I would have chewed your
arm off, especially after the debacle against Brighton. However, it was the
manner of how both games panned out that put emotions at the forefront
rather than the outcomes. In other words, if fans hadn't watched either game
and just looked at the results the following day they would probably be
quite happy. A win and a draw and five goals scored sounds pretty good. We
conceded four goals but hey, that is the type of stuff I can remember from
the 60's. But watch both games and dissect them and fans can come up with a
whole different array of opinions on where the team is heading.
All this comes at a time when we should still be on a high. As far as
Premier League standards go we have not exactly been an over achiever since
its conception. For most of my half a century of supporting the club we have
been average at best. Sometimes we have played beautiful football and still
got poor results. Just once in a while a season comes along where we win a
Cup, finish third in the League or have a Payet season. For the most the
rest has often been mediocre. But every now and again something happens that
brings everything together, something that elevates us way beyond our normal
expectations. Something we can revel in and remember for years. The comeback
against Spurs at Wembley was such an event. Yep, we were awful for a half
but you tell that to the thousands of West Ham fans that attended that game
at Wembley. You tell that to Adrian who ran seventy yards to celebrate our
third goal. Most fans would remember the 3-2 comeback win against Everton in
2016 as special? Fact is we played awful against ten men and it was only the
last 20 minutes that it all came together. But we put one over on our bogey
team that had for so long done the same to us. The manner of that comeback
against Spurs will probably be the best moment of our season and if that
disappoints you then perhaps you are not appreciating the real joy of being
a West Ham fan because things won't and normally don't get a lot better.
I was the youngest of a large family in the post war baby boomer era and
living on hand me downs was normal. Mum and dad both worked two jobs and
there still wasn't a lot of money for the grocery bill. We had a weekly menu
that never changed, fish fingers on Monday, rissoles on Tuesday, liver and
bacon on Wednesday and so on. Mum only ever had two bets a year, the Derby
and the Grand National, just a few shillings on each. One year when I was
about ten she backed the Derby winner at a good price. She bought the whole
family chicken and chips. Back in those days that was a real treat, believe
it or not. I still remember that day even now, over 50 years later because
it was special, something that elevated us all above our normal status. So,
enjoy the odd occasion of eating the caviar the supporters of the top clubs
take for granted all the time, because for us it is so much more special
when we get to eat it once or twice a year. Now I know we should be hoping
and wanting better and hopefully those days will come, but trust me, just
for now don't hold your breath. Even the Bubbles song we sing tells our own
story. I was fortunate enough to attend what was the highlight of last
season, again our win against Spurs. The win with an under strength team was
not pretty, but it secured our Premier League status. Had Spurs beaten us
that night it would have meant they won all of their final thirteen games
that season - that was how good they were at the time. What was as special
as the result though was how the OS rocked that night - the atmosphere was
intense. A week later I walked away from the same ground after a 4-0
drubbing from Liverpool and walked past a pub that was full of Hammers -
literally bouncing with beer flying everywhere. Why? They were still jumping
with joy and singing about how Tottenham had "stuffed" it up! They were
still eating caviar.
Our first and third goals on Wednesday can be attributed to corners won. I
haven't seen it reported anywhere, but I counted sixteen consecutive passes
in the movement leading to the first corner and fourteen consecutive passes
in the move leading to the other. This team CAN play on the floor when
Carroll is in the team. And so to the Palace fixture, again a game of two
halves which is so often the case. Two excellent goals put the game in our
pocket but this is West Ham. We don't do things easily and by the book. We
talk about West Ham DNA and one thing that always happens is we sit far too
deep and invite pressure when we have a lead. It is not something exclusive
under Bilic, it has been happening for years.
I read a lot of criticism regarding Antonio's final minute decision to not
take the ball to the corner flag. No argument there but there were many
other bad ones in the closing stages of the game. We had two break away
opportunities, both of which should have been converted to three on two
situations in the final fifteen minutes of the game. However, the player
with the ball on each occasion decided not to play the decisive pass and
instead slow the play down and waste time. We were negative beyond belief
such was the fear of the inevitable Palace equaliser instead of taking an
opportunity to put the game to bed . Ogbonna and Masuaku gave away a string
of unnecessary free kicks that just heaped more pressure on a very shaky
defence. I am sure Bilic would have brought on Andy Carroll to help out with
the aerial bombardment but the injury to Fonte pretty much forced his hand
to look to Rice. There is a fragility in this side and that often comes when
confidence is low. Not wanting the ball, fear of a mistake and hoping
someone else will pull you through, it all comes when you are down. We see
it every year with the bottom teams, they never get the breaks. Perhaps the
saying you make your own luck rings true? One player who has risen above
this in the last two games has been Andre Ayew. His work rate and enthusiasm
will hopefully rub off on some of his team mates?
This week Liverpool come to the OS. We were eating caviar when we won 3-0 at
Anfield two seasons ago. I was beginning to think I would never see the
Hammers win up there again in my lifetime. What a way to break the duck? Is
this week a defining moment of our season? I don't think so personally.
There is a long way to go and I am sure there will be plenty of twists and
turns. I am just wondering when the next serving of caviar is being served -
it is often when least expected.
My reference to caviar is for analogy purposes only - can't stand the stuff
personally
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bristol Rovers suffer Checkatrade Trophy defeat as Toni Martinez nets brace
for West Ham
Darrell Clarke's side will take on Swindon Town in a winner takes all game
next Wednesday
Bristol Post
Jack Vittles
21:47, 31 OCT 2017
Bristol Rovers were defeated 3-1 by West Ham United Under 23s in their
second Checkatrade Trophy match despite Tom Nichols scoring for the Gas
after just 25 seconds. Coming almost from the kick-off, Marc Bola's initial
cross on the left hand side was blocked, but the ball came back to Byron
Moore who swung the ball towards the six-yard box. Nichols rose well to
flick the ball on towards the back post and it beat Hammers goalkeeper
Nathan Trott and nestled into the bottom corner of the net. After the
lightning start, the match settled down into a more sedate pace as the small
crowd made for an eerie atmosphere at the Memorial Stadium on a chilly
Halloween evening. The Hammers picked up a goal either side of the half time
break, before Toni Martinez grabbed a third 15 minutes from full time.
Martinez fired home from the penalty spot for the opener before Martin
Samuelson scored the second. The penalty was conceded by Ryan Broom as he
was adjudged to have tripped Hammers left-back Ben Johnson. The full-back
was sprinting away from Broom, and while the contact looked minimal, if
there was any contact at all it had to be a penalty. Many Rovers fans close
to the action however appeared incensed at what they perceived as a dive
from Johnson. Samuelson's goal came courtesy of some head tennis in the
Rovers box as the Gas failed to clear a cross, Dan Leadbitter clearing the
ball off the line before Norwegian international Samuelson fired home from
about eight yards out to leave Sam Slocombe with no chance. West Ham looked
the better side in the second half and tested Slocombe on a number of
occasions before Martinez picked up his second. The Spaniard beating
Slocombe with a tidy finish to continue his recent good form after a
hat-trick against Manchester United in a Premier League 2 clash earlier this
month. Before their equaliser West Ham hardly threatened Slocombe's goal.
Martinez had an effort from the edge of the box held easily by the Rover
goalkeeper, before Nathan Holland fired a ball across the six-yard area.
For Rovers, Dom Telford came closest to finding a second before the break as
a mistake from Domingos Quina allowed Broom to launch a counter attack. His
ball to Telford was a little behind him though, and the Stoke man had to cut
back in on his left foot - his shot was comfortably saved by Trott. The West
Ham stopper was part of the England Under 19 side which romped to victory in
the European Championships this summer, but looked jittery for the most part
at the Mem. For large parts, West Ham lived up to their billing as a Premier
League academy side, playing plenty of tidy possession based football but
unwilling to take a risk with a more direct final ball. Trott - and the back
four in front of him - were insistent playing ball out from the back and it
got them into a pickle more than once as Rovers pressed high up the pitch.
Aside from the two goals, the second half passed largely without incident as
Rovers introduced their development players from the bench.
The second half was actually delayed by five minutes as the 1,500 in the
stand and the 22 players on the pitch were all made to wait as the
groundsman taped up a hole in one of the goal nets. Rovers had rung the
changes ahead of the match, with just Dan Leadbitter, Stuart Sinclair and
Tom Nichols retaining their places from the victory against MK Dons. Central
midfielder Luke Russe also made his full Rovers debut, and turned in a tidy
performance in the centre of the park.
The Gas bench saw a welcome return for young centre-back Alfie Kilgour, who
has been out injured for almost a year, alongside six development squad
players.
Next up for Rovers is Notts County away in the FA Cup first round, before
they return to Checkatrade Trophy action at the Mem against Swindon Town
next Wednesday.
Bristol Rovers: Slocombe; Leadbitter, Burn, Sweeney, Bola, Broom, Russe,
Sinclair, Moore (Hargreaves 66), Telford, Nichols (Dunwald 66)
Unused subs: Andre Jr, Kilgour, Menayese, Kelly, Kavanagh
West Ham U23s: Trott; Pike, Johnson, Rice, Pask, Quina, Covenry,
Haksabanovic (Kemp), Holland, Samuelson (Diangana), Martinez (Hector-Ingram
90)
Unused subs: Powell, Scully, Wells, Longelo
Scorers: Nichols 25, Martinez 43, 76, Samuelson 50,
Referee: Robert Jones
Attendance: 1,508 (172 away)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Come From Behind to Defeat Rovers
Bristol Rovers 1-3 West Ham United
Bristolrovers.co.uk
Tom Nichols goal inside the opening minute was cancelled out by a Toni
Martinez brace and a strike from Martin Samuelson. Tom Nichols managed to
head home just twenty-five seconds into the encounter, as the striker
managed to find room inside a congested area to head home a Byron Moore
cross to give Rovers an early advantage in the tie. The visitors scored a
late equaliser in the first-half from the penalty spot, as Ryan Broom
conceded a penalty for a foul on Ben Johnson. Toni Martinez dispatched the
spot-kick to bring the Hammers back level before the break.
Following the interval, Martin Samuelson drove home a finish from
close-range to put West Ham ahead, after a loose ball pinballed around the
Rovers six-yard box.
Toni Martinez added his second goal of the game with fifteen minutes to go,
as West Ham secured victory in the tie. In naming the squad for the
encounter, Manager Darrell Clarke opted to hand a first start to young Luke
Russe, as the youngster was chosen to play along Stuart Sinclair in the
heart of the Rovers midfield Sinclair took the armband for the evening, as
Ryan Broom and Byron Moore were tasked working the opposite wings for the
evening. Jonny Burn also made a return to action, as the centre-back was
paired with Ryan Sweeney in Rovers back-four. The game was only twenty-five
seconds old when Rovers took the lead. A well-worked cross into a congested
area from Byron Moore was headed into the net by Tom Nichols, as the striker
scored his second goal in four days to put Rovers ahead early on.
Following the goal, the first-half didn't produce that the chances that
early goal suggested it would. Sam Slocombe had to be alert to a long-range
effort from Conor Covenry, which did move quite considerably through the
night sky but didn't trouble the Rovers shot-stopper. A quick purposeful run
from Ryan Broom sliced open the West Ham defence midway through the
first-half, but after finding Dom Telford on the edge of the area, the
striker's effort couldn't beat West Ham 'keeper Nathan Trott, as he looked
place an effort inside the far-post. Nathan Holland was lively for the
visitors and managed to rob possession off Daniel Leadbitter down the right,
as the defender was fortunate that his error didn't get punished, as
Holland's pacy cross into the area narrowly missed Toni Matinez at the far
post
West Ham restored balance to the scoreline just minutes before the break.
Ryan Broom was judged to have fouled Ben Johnson inside the box after the
pair collided at speed. Toni Martinez took the resulting spot-kick and held
his nerve to send Sam Slocombe the wrong way to bring West Ham back level.
Just five minutes after the break, West Ham took the lead. Following a
bouncing ball inside the Rovers area, Martin Samuelson was on hand to rocket
home a low finish after Rovers failed to clear their lines, as Samuelson's
shot nestled into the bottom corner. Darrell Clarke replaced Nichols and
Broom with Dunnwald and Cameron Hargreaves just past the hour mark, as
Rovers looked to bring the scores back level. It West Ham who forged an
opportunity to extend their lead further, as Toni Martinez broke in behind
the Rovers back-four and connected with a forcefully struck right-footed
attempt. Sam Slocombe was quick to adjust his feet to deal with the
striker's effort, diving to push Martinez's effort around the post. Martinez
did get his second goal of the game in the 75th minute, scoring from a tight
angle to beat Sam Slocombe in a one-on-one situation, as West Ham took all
three points on offer.
Rovers now face Swindon Town next Wednesday at the Mem in their final group
stage fixture.
Rovers: Sam Slocombe, Daniel Leadbitter, Jonny Burn, Ryan Sweeney, Marc
Bola, Stuart Sinclair (C), Luke Russe, Ryan Broom (65' Cameron Hargreaves),
Byron Moore, Tom Nichols (65' Dunwald), Dom Telford.
Substitutes: Alexis Andre-Jr, Alfie Kilgour, Rollin Menayese, Cameron
Hargreaves, Michael Kelly, Kenan Dunwald, Rhys Kavanagh.
West Ham: Nathan Trott, Sead Haksabanovic (72' Daniel Kemp), Toni Marinez
(90' Jahmal Hector-Ingram), Domingos Quina, Nathan Holland, Josh Pask, Alex
Pike, Martin Samuelson (72' Grady Diangana), Declan Rice, Ben Johnson, Conor
Coventry.
Substitutes: Joe Powell, Anthony Scully, Ben Wells, Rosaire Longelo.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble says West Ham United need to learn how to manage games better if
they are to return to winning ways on a consistent basis. The Hammers have
lost Premier League five points from winning positions this season, allowing
Southampton, Burnley and Crystal Palace to net late goals, denying them a
deserved draw and two valuable victories. Last weekend, West Ham were 2-0 up
at half-time at Selhurst Park, only to concede twice after half-time - to a
penalty and last-gasp goal more than six minutes into added time - to enable
the Eagles to snatch a point.
Captain Noble knows such results could be costly in the long run and
encouraged his teammates to play with 'common sense' next time they carry an
advantage into the closing stages. "You can't make mistakes like we made at
Crystal Palace in the Premier League and expect to win matches, so we really
need to learn how to hold onto a lead because we're really shooting
ourselves in the foot," he said. "People talk about 'managing the game' and
a lot of it is common sense. We need to be able to see the time out by
slowing the play down and, in a way, get the opposition and their fans
feeling anxious. I don't think we have done that well enough this season."
West Ham return to Premier League action at London Stadium on Saturday, when
they host Liverpool in front of a live BT Sport audience at 5.30pm. Slaven
Bilic's side have lost just one of six meetings with the Reds over the
previous two seasons, but Noble knows the Hammers will need to be at their
best to defeat Jurgen Klopp's men for the fourth time in Liverpool's last
five visits to east London. "With where we are in the table, what happened
at Crystal Palace last weekend and the fact we go into the final
international break of the year after it, there is a massive motivation to
win Saturday's game. "Liverpool at home is a big game - it always is. We're
at home, we'll have the crowd behind us and we've got to roll our sleeves
up, look forward to the game and do the basics right."
Standard Tickets for Saturday's game are available via the Ticket Exchange
to Claret Members and those with a previous booking history.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 'a shambles', say pundits
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 31st October 2017
By: Staff Writer
Sky Sports duo Jamie Carragher and Phil Neville believe West Ham might be on
the way to the Championship having endured a poor start to the current
campaign.
The former Liverpool and Manchester United players tore into West Ham's
current set-up following the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday - and
suggesting that relegation could be on the cards as a result of having taken
just nine points from the opening 10 games. "There are a lot of teams down
the bottom of the league you could make a case for survival," said
Carragher. I'm struggling with West Ham. It's a shambles. "[Saturday's
game] will have felt like a defeat. Six players ahead of the ball and four
versus two at the back post. It is a disgrace that you find yourself in that
situation. "Then you see that in the last minute; you're fighting for your
lives against another rival and you've got people bombing forward to get a
goal and then jogging back. "West Ham are getting a little bit too close to
comfort to the teams we've slaughtered over the years. Your Sunderlands,
your QPRs. We watched them against Brighton and their application was really
poor.
"They're the team I would massively worry about in terms of relegation,
because it doesn't seem like there's much there. It looks a bit of a
shambles behind the scenes at times for me. It just seems like a lot of
players just thrown together without any real thought."
Meanwhile fellow pundit Neville also accused the players of faling to show
sufficient desire in the closing moments of the Selhurst Park draw. "When we
see this you point back to those teams, Sunderland, QPR, Aston Villa," he
added. "They make you sick to the pit of your stomach because it's a
privilege to play football, and the idea that you jog back, you don't run
back, at 2-1 up. "The manager is fighting for his life, the fans are all
there to run. It's unbelievable. That's where you become really critical and
you feel like it's a let down."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble urges West Ham to use 'common sense' ahead of Liverpool clash
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 31/10/17 2:22pm
SSN
Mark Noble insists West Ham must use "common sense" if they are to climb the
Premier League table. The Hammers have won only two of their opening 10
matches and currently sit just a point above the relegation zone in 16th
place. Winger Michail Antonio was heavily criticised for the part he played
in the build up to Crystal Palace's stoppage-time equaliser in Saturday's
2-2 draw at Selhurst Park, and Noble accepts West Ham have to improve their
game management. "You can't make mistakes like we made at Crystal Palace in
the Premier League and expect to win matches, so we really need to learn how
to hold onto a lead because we're really shooting ourselves in the foot," he
told the club's website. "People talk about 'managing the game' and a lot of
it is common sense. We need to be able to see the time out by slowing the
play down and, in a way, get the opposition and their fans feeling anxious.
I don't think we have done that well enough this season."
West Ham welcome Liverpool to London Stadium on Saturday and Noble concedes
the stakes will be high for his side ahead of the international break. "With
where we are in the table, what happened at Crystal Palace last weekend and
the fact we go into the final international break of the year after it,
there is a massive motivation to win Saturday's game," the 30-year-old
added. "Liverpool at home is a big game - it always is. We're at home, we'll
have the crowd behind us and we've got to roll our sleeves up, look forward
to the game and do the basics right."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jamie Carragher fears West Ham could go down after 'shambolic' final minutes
at Crystal Palace
Last Updated: 31/10/17 8:18am
SSN
On Monday Night Football, Jamie Carragher analysed the final few minutes at
Selhurst Park as West Ham dropped two points against Crystal Palace
Jamie Carragher described West Ham's application in the final few minutes at
Crystal Palace as a "shambles", and fears they could go down this season.
Slaven Bilic's side are just a point above the drop zone following their 2-2
draw with bottom side Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite being 2-0 up at
half-time.
On Monday Night Football, Carragher went on to analyse the final few minutes
at Selhurst Park, where West Ham twice lost the ball deep inside Palace's
half, with the second time resulting in Wilfried Zaha's last-gasp equaliser.
"There are a lot of teams down the bottom of the league you could make a
case for survival. I'm struggling with West Ham. "It's a shambles. Six
players ahead of the ball, again, the same situation, and there is four
versus two at the back post. That is a disgrace that you find yourself in
that situation. It will have felt like a defeat. "West Ham are getting a
little bit too close to comfort to the teams we've slaughtered over the
years. Your Sunderlands, your QPRs. We watched them, and it was really poor
against Brighton, their application, and then you see that, in the last
minute, you're fighting for your lives against another rivals, it's more
than three points, and you've got people bombing forward to get a goal and
then jogging back. "They're the team I would massively worry about in terms
of relegation, because it doesn't seem like there's much there. "It looks a
bit of a shambles behind the scenes at times for me. It just seems like a
lot of players just thrown together without any real thought."
Gary Neville echoed Carragher's words on MNF, saying the failure of certain
West Ham players in those final stages reminds him of previous relegated
Premier League sides. "When we see this, you point back to those teams,
Sunderland, QPR, Aston Villa. They make you sick to the pit of your stomach,
because it's a privilege to play football, and the idea that you jog back,
you don't run back at 2-1 up. "The manager is fighting for his life, the
fans are all there to run. It's unbelievable. That's where you become really
critical and you feel like it's a let down."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham players told to apologise to Hammers teammate after "shocking
decision-making"
Joe Hart will be frustrated with his teammates after they threw away three
points at Crystal Palace
Football London
Kevin Beirne
07:00, 31 OCT 2017
Garth Crooks believes that West Ham's outfield players should apologise to
Joe Hart after they threw away a 2-0 lead against Crystal Palace at the
weekend. The Hammers led thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Andre
Ayew as they looked on course for their first away win in the Premier League
this season. Hart kept Palace at bay with some spectacular goalkeeping but
for his teammates to make a series of errors to give the Eagles the
opportunity to share the points. First, Angelo Ogbonna gave away a silly
penalty before Michail Antonio lost possession ahead of Wilfried Zaha's
equaliser while searching a third goal deep into injury time instead of
playing the clock out. Considering Hart's contribution, Crooks says that the
pair should own up to their mistake and ask for their goalkeeper's
forgiveness. "It's not often I feel sorry for goalkeepers, but I felt for
Joe Hart after West Ham's draw at Crystal Palace. He deserved better from
his teammates," Crooks said in his team of the week column for the BBC.
"Goalkeepers are often the first to hold their hands up in the dressing room
when they have dropped a clanger, and I expect West Ham's players to
apologise to Hart after he made some fantastic saves and put the Hammers in
a great position to win the game.
"This should have been West Ham's first away victory of the season in the
league, and would have been had it not been for some shocking
decision-making by players who should have known better."
Things do not get any easier for the Hammers as they face Liverpool at the
London Stadium on Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham handed huge boost with key Liverpool trio set to miss London
Stadium clash
Both sides have injury problems to contend with ahead of Saturday
Football London
West Ham have been handed a boost with Liverpool set to be without attacking
trio Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho for Saturday's game at
the London Stadium. The visitors recorded a 4-0 win in the corresponding
fixture last season, but could find it more difficult this time around
without some of their key attacking players. Mane and Lallana are not likely
to return for the Reds until after the international break, while Brazilian
international Coutinho is a doubt with a hip problem which kept him out at
the weekend. If the former Inter Milan star misses out again, Jurgen Klopp
could stick with the same front three which started against Huddersfield -
Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah either side of Daniel Sturridge.
Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic could face a defensive crisis for Saturday, with
question marks hanging over three central defenders. James Collins, Winston
Reid and Jose Fonte could all miss out through injury, while Pablo Zabaleta
will be suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season
against Crystal Palace. Collins and Reid both missed the dramatic 2-2 draw
at Selhurst Park, while Fonte limped off in the first half with a foot
complaint. If the trio fail to recover in time for next weekend, Bilic will
only have two recognised central defenders at his disposal - Angelo Ogbonna
and teenager Declan Rice. Speaking after Saturday's game, the Croatian
manager voiced his frustration at Wilfried Zaha's 97th minute equaliser. "In
the last couple of minutes we made some wrong decisions," he said. "All we
had to do is keep it but we didn't and that makes it frustrating.
"It was a positive week overall but we are gutted about the manner in which
we conceded the second goal."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CAVIAR RATIONS AND CHICKEN AND CHIPS
By Tony Hanna 31 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID
In my Tuesday article last week I wondered whether Slav would still be in
charge at West Ham by the time I wrote this one? Two games supposedly to
save his job and a win and a draw have put in place a stay of (his
inevitable) execution. Make no mistake, he will be gone by seasons end and
this fact, paralleled with the continued recycling of two, three or four
match ultimatums is a cancer that can only be hindering our progress. All
this noise can only be a distraction that is totally unhelpful and heaps
more pressure on Bilic and his team when the best thing the owners could do
is offer full support or get rid. Last week, if you had offered me a win and
a draw from the two away games at Spurs and Palace I would have chewed your
arm off, especially after the debacle against Brighton. However, it was the
manner of how both games panned out that put emotions at the forefront
rather than the outcomes. In other words, if fans hadn't watched either game
and just looked at the results the following day they would probably be
quite happy. A win and a draw and five goals scored sounds pretty good. We
conceded four goals but hey, that is the type of stuff I can remember from
the 60's. But watch both games and dissect them and fans can come up with a
whole different array of opinions on where the team is heading.
All this comes at a time when we should still be on a high. As far as
Premier League standards go we have not exactly been an over achiever since
its conception. For most of my half a century of supporting the club we have
been average at best. Sometimes we have played beautiful football and still
got poor results. Just once in a while a season comes along where we win a
Cup, finish third in the League or have a Payet season. For the most the
rest has often been mediocre. But every now and again something happens that
brings everything together, something that elevates us way beyond our normal
expectations. Something we can revel in and remember for years. The comeback
against Spurs at Wembley was such an event. Yep, we were awful for a half
but you tell that to the thousands of West Ham fans that attended that game
at Wembley. You tell that to Adrian who ran seventy yards to celebrate our
third goal. Most fans would remember the 3-2 comeback win against Everton in
2016 as special? Fact is we played awful against ten men and it was only the
last 20 minutes that it all came together. But we put one over on our bogey
team that had for so long done the same to us. The manner of that comeback
against Spurs will probably be the best moment of our season and if that
disappoints you then perhaps you are not appreciating the real joy of being
a West Ham fan because things won't and normally don't get a lot better.
I was the youngest of a large family in the post war baby boomer era and
living on hand me downs was normal. Mum and dad both worked two jobs and
there still wasn't a lot of money for the grocery bill. We had a weekly menu
that never changed, fish fingers on Monday, rissoles on Tuesday, liver and
bacon on Wednesday and so on. Mum only ever had two bets a year, the Derby
and the Grand National, just a few shillings on each. One year when I was
about ten she backed the Derby winner at a good price. She bought the whole
family chicken and chips. Back in those days that was a real treat, believe
it or not. I still remember that day even now, over 50 years later because
it was special, something that elevated us all above our normal status. So,
enjoy the odd occasion of eating the caviar the supporters of the top clubs
take for granted all the time, because for us it is so much more special
when we get to eat it once or twice a year. Now I know we should be hoping
and wanting better and hopefully those days will come, but trust me, just
for now don't hold your breath. Even the Bubbles song we sing tells our own
story. I was fortunate enough to attend what was the highlight of last
season, again our win against Spurs. The win with an under strength team was
not pretty, but it secured our Premier League status. Had Spurs beaten us
that night it would have meant they won all of their final thirteen games
that season - that was how good they were at the time. What was as special
as the result though was how the OS rocked that night - the atmosphere was
intense. A week later I walked away from the same ground after a 4-0
drubbing from Liverpool and walked past a pub that was full of Hammers -
literally bouncing with beer flying everywhere. Why? They were still jumping
with joy and singing about how Tottenham had "stuffed" it up! They were
still eating caviar.
Our first and third goals on Wednesday can be attributed to corners won. I
haven't seen it reported anywhere, but I counted sixteen consecutive passes
in the movement leading to the first corner and fourteen consecutive passes
in the move leading to the other. This team CAN play on the floor when
Carroll is in the team. And so to the Palace fixture, again a game of two
halves which is so often the case. Two excellent goals put the game in our
pocket but this is West Ham. We don't do things easily and by the book. We
talk about West Ham DNA and one thing that always happens is we sit far too
deep and invite pressure when we have a lead. It is not something exclusive
under Bilic, it has been happening for years.
I read a lot of criticism regarding Antonio's final minute decision to not
take the ball to the corner flag. No argument there but there were many
other bad ones in the closing stages of the game. We had two break away
opportunities, both of which should have been converted to three on two
situations in the final fifteen minutes of the game. However, the player
with the ball on each occasion decided not to play the decisive pass and
instead slow the play down and waste time. We were negative beyond belief
such was the fear of the inevitable Palace equaliser instead of taking an
opportunity to put the game to bed . Ogbonna and Masuaku gave away a string
of unnecessary free kicks that just heaped more pressure on a very shaky
defence. I am sure Bilic would have brought on Andy Carroll to help out with
the aerial bombardment but the injury to Fonte pretty much forced his hand
to look to Rice. There is a fragility in this side and that often comes when
confidence is low. Not wanting the ball, fear of a mistake and hoping
someone else will pull you through, it all comes when you are down. We see
it every year with the bottom teams, they never get the breaks. Perhaps the
saying you make your own luck rings true? One player who has risen above
this in the last two games has been Andre Ayew. His work rate and enthusiasm
will hopefully rub off on some of his team mates?
This week Liverpool come to the OS. We were eating caviar when we won 3-0 at
Anfield two seasons ago. I was beginning to think I would never see the
Hammers win up there again in my lifetime. What a way to break the duck? Is
this week a defining moment of our season? I don't think so personally.
There is a long way to go and I am sure there will be plenty of twists and
turns. I am just wondering when the next serving of caviar is being served -
it is often when least expected.
My reference to caviar is for analogy purposes only - can't stand the stuff
personally
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bristol Rovers suffer Checkatrade Trophy defeat as Toni Martinez nets brace
for West Ham
Darrell Clarke's side will take on Swindon Town in a winner takes all game
next Wednesday
Bristol Post
Jack Vittles
21:47, 31 OCT 2017
Bristol Rovers were defeated 3-1 by West Ham United Under 23s in their
second Checkatrade Trophy match despite Tom Nichols scoring for the Gas
after just 25 seconds. Coming almost from the kick-off, Marc Bola's initial
cross on the left hand side was blocked, but the ball came back to Byron
Moore who swung the ball towards the six-yard box. Nichols rose well to
flick the ball on towards the back post and it beat Hammers goalkeeper
Nathan Trott and nestled into the bottom corner of the net. After the
lightning start, the match settled down into a more sedate pace as the small
crowd made for an eerie atmosphere at the Memorial Stadium on a chilly
Halloween evening. The Hammers picked up a goal either side of the half time
break, before Toni Martinez grabbed a third 15 minutes from full time.
Martinez fired home from the penalty spot for the opener before Martin
Samuelson scored the second. The penalty was conceded by Ryan Broom as he
was adjudged to have tripped Hammers left-back Ben Johnson. The full-back
was sprinting away from Broom, and while the contact looked minimal, if
there was any contact at all it had to be a penalty. Many Rovers fans close
to the action however appeared incensed at what they perceived as a dive
from Johnson. Samuelson's goal came courtesy of some head tennis in the
Rovers box as the Gas failed to clear a cross, Dan Leadbitter clearing the
ball off the line before Norwegian international Samuelson fired home from
about eight yards out to leave Sam Slocombe with no chance. West Ham looked
the better side in the second half and tested Slocombe on a number of
occasions before Martinez picked up his second. The Spaniard beating
Slocombe with a tidy finish to continue his recent good form after a
hat-trick against Manchester United in a Premier League 2 clash earlier this
month. Before their equaliser West Ham hardly threatened Slocombe's goal.
Martinez had an effort from the edge of the box held easily by the Rover
goalkeeper, before Nathan Holland fired a ball across the six-yard area.
For Rovers, Dom Telford came closest to finding a second before the break as
a mistake from Domingos Quina allowed Broom to launch a counter attack. His
ball to Telford was a little behind him though, and the Stoke man had to cut
back in on his left foot - his shot was comfortably saved by Trott. The West
Ham stopper was part of the England Under 19 side which romped to victory in
the European Championships this summer, but looked jittery for the most part
at the Mem. For large parts, West Ham lived up to their billing as a Premier
League academy side, playing plenty of tidy possession based football but
unwilling to take a risk with a more direct final ball. Trott - and the back
four in front of him - were insistent playing ball out from the back and it
got them into a pickle more than once as Rovers pressed high up the pitch.
Aside from the two goals, the second half passed largely without incident as
Rovers introduced their development players from the bench.
The second half was actually delayed by five minutes as the 1,500 in the
stand and the 22 players on the pitch were all made to wait as the
groundsman taped up a hole in one of the goal nets. Rovers had rung the
changes ahead of the match, with just Dan Leadbitter, Stuart Sinclair and
Tom Nichols retaining their places from the victory against MK Dons. Central
midfielder Luke Russe also made his full Rovers debut, and turned in a tidy
performance in the centre of the park.
The Gas bench saw a welcome return for young centre-back Alfie Kilgour, who
has been out injured for almost a year, alongside six development squad
players.
Next up for Rovers is Notts County away in the FA Cup first round, before
they return to Checkatrade Trophy action at the Mem against Swindon Town
next Wednesday.
Bristol Rovers: Slocombe; Leadbitter, Burn, Sweeney, Bola, Broom, Russe,
Sinclair, Moore (Hargreaves 66), Telford, Nichols (Dunwald 66)
Unused subs: Andre Jr, Kilgour, Menayese, Kelly, Kavanagh
West Ham U23s: Trott; Pike, Johnson, Rice, Pask, Quina, Covenry,
Haksabanovic (Kemp), Holland, Samuelson (Diangana), Martinez (Hector-Ingram
90)
Unused subs: Powell, Scully, Wells, Longelo
Scorers: Nichols 25, Martinez 43, 76, Samuelson 50,
Referee: Robert Jones
Attendance: 1,508 (172 away)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Come From Behind to Defeat Rovers
Bristol Rovers 1-3 West Ham United
Bristolrovers.co.uk
Tom Nichols goal inside the opening minute was cancelled out by a Toni
Martinez brace and a strike from Martin Samuelson. Tom Nichols managed to
head home just twenty-five seconds into the encounter, as the striker
managed to find room inside a congested area to head home a Byron Moore
cross to give Rovers an early advantage in the tie. The visitors scored a
late equaliser in the first-half from the penalty spot, as Ryan Broom
conceded a penalty for a foul on Ben Johnson. Toni Martinez dispatched the
spot-kick to bring the Hammers back level before the break.
Following the interval, Martin Samuelson drove home a finish from
close-range to put West Ham ahead, after a loose ball pinballed around the
Rovers six-yard box.
Toni Martinez added his second goal of the game with fifteen minutes to go,
as West Ham secured victory in the tie. In naming the squad for the
encounter, Manager Darrell Clarke opted to hand a first start to young Luke
Russe, as the youngster was chosen to play along Stuart Sinclair in the
heart of the Rovers midfield Sinclair took the armband for the evening, as
Ryan Broom and Byron Moore were tasked working the opposite wings for the
evening. Jonny Burn also made a return to action, as the centre-back was
paired with Ryan Sweeney in Rovers back-four. The game was only twenty-five
seconds old when Rovers took the lead. A well-worked cross into a congested
area from Byron Moore was headed into the net by Tom Nichols, as the striker
scored his second goal in four days to put Rovers ahead early on.
Following the goal, the first-half didn't produce that the chances that
early goal suggested it would. Sam Slocombe had to be alert to a long-range
effort from Conor Covenry, which did move quite considerably through the
night sky but didn't trouble the Rovers shot-stopper. A quick purposeful run
from Ryan Broom sliced open the West Ham defence midway through the
first-half, but after finding Dom Telford on the edge of the area, the
striker's effort couldn't beat West Ham 'keeper Nathan Trott, as he looked
place an effort inside the far-post. Nathan Holland was lively for the
visitors and managed to rob possession off Daniel Leadbitter down the right,
as the defender was fortunate that his error didn't get punished, as
Holland's pacy cross into the area narrowly missed Toni Matinez at the far
post
West Ham restored balance to the scoreline just minutes before the break.
Ryan Broom was judged to have fouled Ben Johnson inside the box after the
pair collided at speed. Toni Martinez took the resulting spot-kick and held
his nerve to send Sam Slocombe the wrong way to bring West Ham back level.
Just five minutes after the break, West Ham took the lead. Following a
bouncing ball inside the Rovers area, Martin Samuelson was on hand to rocket
home a low finish after Rovers failed to clear their lines, as Samuelson's
shot nestled into the bottom corner. Darrell Clarke replaced Nichols and
Broom with Dunnwald and Cameron Hargreaves just past the hour mark, as
Rovers looked to bring the scores back level. It West Ham who forged an
opportunity to extend their lead further, as Toni Martinez broke in behind
the Rovers back-four and connected with a forcefully struck right-footed
attempt. Sam Slocombe was quick to adjust his feet to deal with the
striker's effort, diving to push Martinez's effort around the post. Martinez
did get his second goal of the game in the 75th minute, scoring from a tight
angle to beat Sam Slocombe in a one-on-one situation, as West Ham took all
three points on offer.
Rovers now face Swindon Town next Wednesday at the Mem in their final group
stage fixture.
Rovers: Sam Slocombe, Daniel Leadbitter, Jonny Burn, Ryan Sweeney, Marc
Bola, Stuart Sinclair (C), Luke Russe, Ryan Broom (65' Cameron Hargreaves),
Byron Moore, Tom Nichols (65' Dunwald), Dom Telford.
Substitutes: Alexis Andre-Jr, Alfie Kilgour, Rollin Menayese, Cameron
Hargreaves, Michael Kelly, Kenan Dunwald, Rhys Kavanagh.
West Ham: Nathan Trott, Sead Haksabanovic (72' Daniel Kemp), Toni Marinez
(90' Jahmal Hector-Ingram), Domingos Quina, Nathan Holland, Josh Pask, Alex
Pike, Martin Samuelson (72' Grady Diangana), Declan Rice, Ben Johnson, Conor
Coventry.
Substitutes: Joe Powell, Anthony Scully, Ben Wells, Rosaire Longelo.
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