Bournemouth or Wigan await replay winners in round four
WHUFC.com
The winners of the Hammers' Emirates FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury Town will travel to AFC Bournemouth or Wigan Athletic in the fourth round. Monday night's draw pitted either the Hammers or the Shrews against the winners of another replay, after the Cherries drew 2-2 at home to League One promotion chasers Wigan. Bournemouth needed a last-gasp leveller from Steve Cook to earn their replay after the Latics had at one stage led 2-0 thanks to Will Grigg and an own goal by Emerson Hyndman. Eddie Howe's men came back, and like the Hammers they will have a second opportunity to make progress. The fourth round ties will be played on the weekend of 26-29 January. Full ticketing and fixture details for the Hammers' third round replay will be confirmed shortly.
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Cullen smiling again thanks to West Ham medical team
WHUFC.com
Josh Cullen is smiling again, thanks to West Ham United's quick-thinking medical staff. The midfielder had a front tooth knocked out after receiving a high boot to the face from Shrewsbury Town captain Abu Ogogo in Sunday's 0-0 Emirates FA Cup third round draw. The 10,000-strong crowd and a live BBC television audience of millions collectively winced as Cullen's incisor flew through the air before landing on the turf at Montgomery Waters Meadow.
West Ham's first-team doctor Richard Weiler and physiotherapist Fraser Young went to the 21-year-old's aid, with the former locating the rogue tooth and placing it in a cup of milk, and the latter stemming the bleeding inside Cullen's mouth with a piece of gauze. The brave player walked to the touchline, where his blood-stained shorts were replaced, but not before the Academy of Football graduate was told to re-enter the game in his underpants by coach Stuart Pearce – a man accustomed to playing through the pain barrier himself!
A fresh pair of shorts were located and Cullen was allowed to play out the remaining 15 minutes of the game before he was driven to hospital by a member of the Shrewsbury Town groundstaff. There, the tooth was replaced in the youngster's mouth and held in place with a splint. "The Doc found the tooth and put it in a cup of milk as the calcium in there helps to keep the tooth alive and as healthy as possible," Cullen explained. "A member of the Shrewsbury groundstaff took me to hospital straight after the final whistle, so I'd like to thank them, as well as the medical staff at the hospital for being top-class when I got there. "They put the tooth back in and fitted me with a little brace to keep it in place, so I haven't got a gap, even though I saw Nobes tweeted 'Mind the gap' during the game!
"When I went off and after I'd had treatment, I was waiting for the kit man to get me a new pair of No33 shorts from the dressing room and Stuart Pearce was encouraging me to go back on in my pants! He's not the sort of guy you normally say 'No' too, but the fourth official put his arm across and wouldn't let me."
Amazingly, Cullen had the same tooth loosened in an aerial challenge during the Hammers' Premier League Cup final victory over Hull City at the Boleyn Ground in April 2016, but now he is set to have it fixed once and for all.
On Monday, the Republic of Ireland U21 captain met a dental specialist and will undergo root canal treatment next week to repair the damage. In the meantime, and for a period after the surgery, Cullen will wear a gumshield to prevent further injury. "Two of my teeth need root canal treatment, which we will fit in around the games we've got coming up, and once my mouth calms down a bit. "It's being held in place by a splint across the front at the moment and I can't eat anything too hard, so I'm sticking to pasta, soft stuff and chopping my food up small to ensure I keep my energy levels up and I can get back to training at Rush Green. "To be honest, my lip is a bit swollen and that's the sorest part. The teeth are throbbing a bit, but I'm on painkillers so it's not too bad, and I just want to get back to playing football. I'll be fine!"
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Ray 'far from satisfied' with goalless Gillingham draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies interim head coach Karen Ray has expressed her frustration with the team's 0-0 draw against Gillingham on Sunday. The Ladies began 2018 with a home game against the side that bested them 1-0 on the opening day of the season, in a match void of quality chances or indeed noteworthy incident.
While a share of the points was a better result than the reverse fixture against the Gills, Ray is still disappointed with large aspects of the team's performance at Rush Green. "It was a very frustrating game, and I am not someone who can hide their emotions," Ray told whufc.com. "I don't think the girls were close to being at their best and that is hard for us all to accept. We all know what we are capable of and if we aren't going to perform well we still need to find a way to win.
"I am far from satisfied with the performance; a lot of players were below their usual level."
Goalscoring opportunities were at a premium for both sides in a tricky contest over the weekend. The Hammers came closest thanks to efforts from Chloe Burr and Andria Georgiou, while Gillingham saw a free-kick drift just wide of the woodwork. While Ray was understandably concerned about the team's quality in attack the General Manager was delighted with how her side held firm to keep a clean-sheet. Ray continued: "We managed to give Gillingham very little goal scoring opportunities, which is a credit to the defensive group. However, we have to produce more quality going forward, particularly in and around the final third. Getting shots on target and being clinical in front of goal is a must, we need to attack with purpose. "Taking a point today and being disappointed shows that as a team our expectations and aspirations are high. I don't want to take anything away from Gillingham as they showed great resilience and frustrated us. They made it difficult for us to break them down, so credit to them."
The 0-0 against Gillingham was West Ham Ladies' first game in a number of weeks, after a festive break, but the Hammers went into the match without a number of first team players. Ray reckons the inclusion of these names could have turned the fixture in West Ham's favour but has called on the side to show more character ahead of the next clash, away to Brislington. "We have players still away as this game was added to our schedule late on, as well as a couple of injuries, and I think with a couple of those players here today it could have been different," Ray added. "But I also believe we need to show character. If we're going to win games in this league, we have to have different sides to us – we have to find a way to win even when we are not playing well and we have to find a way to score when we aren't on fire." "It comes down to mentality; you have to be accountable for what happens when you cross the white line and as staff we need to search for what we could have done differently and rectify it for this weekend."
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Burke and Cullen impress on return to West Ham colours
WHUFC.com
Academy of Football graduates Reece Burke and Josh Cullen produced impressive performances in West Ham United's goalless Emirates FA Cup third-round draw at Shrewsbury Town on their return from loan spells at Bolton Wanderers. The Hammers were below-par at Montgomery Waters Meadow on Sunday, as manager David Moyes admitted after the tie, which will now be settled by a replay at London Stadium on the evening Tuesday 16 January. However, the two youngsters, as well as fellow Academy product Declan Rice, could be absolved of blame for West Ham's struggles in seeing off their League One opponents at the first attempt.
Republic of Ireland U21 captain Cullen was the star of the show, using the ball intelligently and making six tackles playing on the right of a three-man midfield.
A neat, tidy and combative player very much in the mould of his mentor Mark Noble, the 21-year-old returned from his loan spell at Bolton Wanderers and showed Moyes the qualities that saw him win widespread acclaim at Bradford City last season.
Cullen was always willing and available to receive possession, with his 57 touches of the ball only exceeded by the 83 made by fellow countryman Rice, 64 by fellow Bolton loanee Burke and 61 by midfield partner Pedro Obiang. The diminutive midfielder put in seven crosses – one more than all of his teammates combined – and won a team-high five free-kicks for his side.
The Westcliff-on-Sea born player also showed his courage by playing on to complete the full game, despite losing his front tooth after receiving a high boot to the face from Shrewsbury captain Abu Ogogo with 15 minutes remaining Cullen's bravery in continuing was praised by his teammates, BBC pundits Gary Lineker and Ian Wright and fans of West Ham and other clubs on social media.
Burke (above) was also impressive, playing in a right wing-back role that same him combine often with his close pal. The defender stuck to his task well, making a team-high seven tackles, along with six clearances and an interception. The 21-year-old even produced one of West Ham's two on-target goal attempts with a first-half header.
Last but by no means least, Rice continued his recent form playing on the left of Moyes' three-man defence, making six interceptions and two tackles to go alongside a team-high 83 touches and six clearances.
The 18-year-old again showed great composure, particularly when his team came under pressure from the Shrews, positioning himself superbly on numerous occasions and never being afraid to carry the ball forward when the opportunity arose. With the replay falling between two important Premier League fixtures with Huddersfield Town and FC Bournemouth, it would come as no surprise if Moyes were to again put faith in these three talented youngsters when Shrewsbury visit London Stadium a week on Tuesday.
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Bilic was right on Foxes flop
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic bore the brunt of heavy criticism during the summer for rejecting the opportunity to sign Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho. Co-owner David Sullivan was reported to have arranged a deal to buy the 21-year-old from Manchester City during the summer for a fee in the region of £25million. However the move collapsed after Bilic insisted that the player would be a poor fit for West Ham. At the time, Bilic was panned by many supporters for spurning the opportunity to sign the young goalscorer.
However hindsight suggests that the Croat may have been right after all, with the news that Leicester - Iheanacho's current club - are ready to offload him less than six months after striking the same £25million deal with Manchester City. Since joining the Foxes, the Nigerian international has made just two Premier League starts and was introduced as a late substitute during the weekend's FA Cup 3rd round draw with Fleetwood Town.
And new Leicester boss Claude Puel is understood to have indicated that Iheanacho - who has scored just one goal for Leicester since moving from Manchester - can leave on a permanent basis should he be able to find a new club. The biggest obstacle standing in the way of a speedy move however is the player's £115,000 weekly wage, agreed when he signed a five-year contract prior to the start of the current season.
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Former Hammer favourite for Stoke role
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is odds-on to succeed Mark Hughes as manager of Stoke City. The 49-year-old was fired by West Ham in November following a poor start to the current campaign. However he could be set to return to management within the next few days according to the bookies.
Bilic, who has remained in London with his family is currently 4/5 favourite to succeed Hughes, closely followed in the betting by Gary Rowett and former Leicester and Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill. However it is understood that the Croat has also been contacted by Football Australia with view to taking the vacant managerial position with the Socceroos, which was recently vacated by Ange Postecoglou.
Speaking recently to the media, Bilic insisted that he was ready to take up his next role in management following his departure from West Ham. "I know where I stand in the map of world managers," he told the Mail. "I can afford a break but can't switch off my phone for a year like Guardiola or Mourinho. "I was at West Ham only a few weeks ago. On the other hand, I feel so rested. I am ready. You don't always realise your batteries need recharging when you are in the middle of everything. "It's always better to go into a job at the start of the season but football can't be perfect. If the right one comes next week, it's something that comes. I have proved myself here in England; I don't feel like a stranger."
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Watford interested in Swansea's Alfie Mawson
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 08/01/18 1:52pm
SSN
Watford are rivalling West Ham with interest in Swansea defender Alfie Mawson, Sky Sports News understands. The 23-year-old England U21 international is highly sought-after following a string of impressive displays, despite the Swans' struggles at the foot of the Premier League table. Sky Sports News reported last week that West Ham boss David Moyes is targeting a new centre-back during the January transfer window after losing Jose Fonte to injury in October. West Ham want Mawson, who has 18 months left on his current contract, but Swansea do not want to sell him in the January window. Mawson insisted in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports earlier this month that he was concentrating on the ongoing relegation battle and that talk of a transfer was just that - "talk".
He said: "Whatever happens, happens. If offers come in then that is nothing to do with me. All I can do is affect my performances. I'm a Swansea player and I want to do well here. "It is flattering to hear certain things but I have got to do what I can for this club. I'm contracted for another two-and-a-half years after this, whether that is in the Championship or hopefully in the Premier League, I am signed to be here so that's all it is at the moment, it's just talk."
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THE YOUNG HAMMERS - FIGHTING TOOTH AND NAIL FOR THEIR FIRST TEAM OPPORTUNITY
By HamburgHammer 8 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID
Hooray, football is finally back in Hamburg! Alright, not the proper league stuff yet, but even at the lower league level of my second club Concordia the winter break is short and needs must. First training session of 2018 took place on Friday and yesterday there was a midseason friendly indoor tournament to help the lads burn away any excess calories of their Christmas and New Year dinners. This tournament is a quite traditional event by now, Cordi organise the whole lot and invite nine other teams from East Hamburg to compete for very little money but a lot of pride at stake. The nice thing is that it's only local derbies, in fact you can't get much more local than this, the longest trip any team had to make for this one was an 8 mile journey.
I have to admit that indoors football is not really my cup of tea, you tend to see a lot of goals, granted, but playing indoors also involves the risk of injuries waiting to happen and all those shots bouncing off the boards in a confined space make it a very acquired taste. I prefer the outdoor version.
But it was a welcome opportunity to watch some live footie again, plenty of games in quick succession, each lasting a mere ten minutes, I could also wish the other known faces from the local fan scene a Happy New Year, have some banter and also not worry too much about the results on the pitch, sorry, the basketball court.
To cut a long story short, Cordi were playing some awful football (still a bit rusty I reckon) but like an experienced horse at the end of the day they only jumped as high as they needed to, made it to the final regardless and won the trophy after a thrilling penalty shootout (What did you expect ? This is Germany!).
I made it back home, just as our Cup tie at Shrewsbury had finished which was convenient as I could put on a Hammers shirt and start watching the recording immediately…
Well, to be fair it wasn't exactly a Cup Classic, was it ? Once again we failed to put our stamp on the game, create a number of goalscoring opportunities or even pass the ball to a teammate with any conviction. And while Shrewsbury are a very talented and organised outfit they are still a League One club. So seeing us stumble and stutter our way to a replay wasn't beautiful. It would have been even more dreadful if it hadn't been for the efforts of our East London kindergarten out there, with some very decent shifts put in by Declan Rice, Reece Burke, Toni Martinez and last but not least, Mr.Josh Cullen.
Not only did he make some very tidy interceptions, playing some nice passes into the bargain, he also literally put his body on the line by way of taking a kick in the North and South. I could sympathise a lot with Cullen in that fateful moment as I lost some teeth in similar fashion when I was around the same age. To then finish the game and still throw yourself into blocks and challenges takes a lot of guts and I can only applaud young Cullen for his bravery and exemplary display of willingness to take one for the team and go right through the pain barrier.
I won't blame our youngsters for failing to take the game by the scruff of the neck and win it, for that to happen our more experienced players would have been required to play a bit more like the footballers of Premier League standard they presumably are. In fact, I'd say our youngsters were by far the best players on the pitch wearing claret and blue, grazing The New Meadow.
It's too small a sample size yet to decide if Cullen and Burke should remain on the fringes of our first team now or if we should send them back to Bolton on loan for the rest of the season (their only options now after playing in the Cup game against Shrewsbury).
I will always advocate the idea of giving our youngsters a shot at first team football. I think guys like Rice, Oxford, Burke, Cullen, Quina and Martinez all have a decent chance to make the step up, some sooner (like Rice and Oxford), others maybe later (the rest).
In any case I think it's well worth it to keep some patience with them as they are unlikely to command high transfer fees anyway should we decide to sell them.
And knowing our rather thrifty approach in the transfer market I'd rather see us showing some trust in our prospects instead of getting out the scattergun, signing some South American punts who might be able to adjust to Premier League football given some time or crash and burn quickly.
Our business in the transfer window will be highly interesting because it might give us some answers (again) in terms of the actual level of our board's ambition.
Will we be happy enough to simply replace the players we ship out ?
Or will we push the boat out just a little bit further and try to nail down a quality signing or two if possible ?
Will the owners really be happy to just stay up ? Or will we give it a genuine shot to finish at least in a more respectable midtable position ? I reckon we should go for the latter as it can only help our transfer business in the summer if we finish as high as possible.
Players surely prefer to join a club that finished 10th instead of one that only just escaped relegation on the last day of the season. I'd love to see one or two quality signings arriving in the next few weeks, but I won't be holding my breath and I will definitely continue going to bed during the transfer window!
Another quick final word on Concordia: The transfer window is open for the lower leagues in Germany as well and it's mindblowing with how much of a turnover my local side will have to cope, full on revolving door style. Six players have already left during the break, with three new faces coming in and more ins and outs to follow. Cordi have also just now filled an urgent vacancy by finally hiring a new vice president/director of football. And after playing a hugely underwhelming first half of the season they have also had to quickly adjust their short term goals and ambitions. Promotion to the next level is already out of the question for this season at least, so it looks like it'll have to be baby steps for the time being, slow and steady progress from now on. So unfortunately it's not all roses, wine and sunshine at Concordia either my dear fellow Hammers…
One thing's for sure. January won't be boring for West Ham either, with plenty of twists and turns lurking with intent, on and off the pitch. Let's hope the rollercoaster will be kind and we don't get stuck, hanging upside down in a looping…COYI!!!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, January 8
Sunday, January 7
Daily WHUFC News - 8th January 2018
Hammers held at Shrewsbury in FA Cup
WHUFC.com
Shrewsbury Town 0 – 0 West Ham United
Emirates FA Cup third round
West Ham United and Shrewsbury Town battled out a 0-0 draw at Montgomery Waters Meadow as neither side were able to settle Sunday's Emirates FA Cup third round tie at the first attempt. Shrewsbury, flying high in League One, gave a good account of themselves as the Hammers were unable to get going and show the two-division gulf between the sides. Home goalkeeper Dean Henderson was untroubled throughout while former Shrews keeper Joe Hart had to make the game's two outstanding saves – down low to his left in quick succession from Mat Sadler and Alex Rodman – before the break. The result is the teams will have to replay at London Stadium to decide who will progress to the competiton's last-32.
David Moyes was without several senior members of his squad through injury, but was still with the likes of Hart, Winston Reid, Andre Ayew and Chicharito as he selected as strong a side he had available to him. One of his younger players, Josh Cullen, came straight into the starting XI following his return from a loan at Bolton and his delivery almost led to a goal on nine minute, but Cheikhou Kouyate couldn't get enough on the header. Shrewsbury settled well and Jon Nolan fired a 25-yard free-kick into the Hammers wall nine minutes later. With 26 minutes on the clock Shaun Whalley whipped a free-kick in from the left and Norwich loanee Ben Godfrey touched towards goal, but Hart got down to save at his feet. Hart was back at the club where it all began for him, and he was called into action twice in quick succession ten minutes before the break.
First, he had to dive low to his left with a strong hand to deny Sadler after the Shrews defender, who had earlier sustained a cut to his head, burst through and shot for goal. Then, second later, he had to repeat the trick to keep out a low drive from Rodman. The League One Shrews had enjoyed the better of the opening period, showing that they weren't overawed by the occasion and West Ham were unable to impose themselves on the contest. The start of the second period followed a similar pattern, although Shrewsbury were not able to make the same headway against the Hammers defence. It was a similar story at the other end as the Shrews backline showed why only Manchester City and Wigan Athletic have conceded fewer goals in the top four divisions this term. Ten minutes from time Pedro Obiang dragged a left-footed shot wide of the far post from 20 yards, while at the other end Nolan leant back and fired over when picked out in a good position by a low cross from the left. Neither side could find that moment of quality in front of goal and they will have to do it all again at London Stadium.
Shrewsbury Town: Henderson, Bolton, Sadler, Nsiala, Beckles, Whalley (Gnahoua 87), Nolan, Godfrey, Ogogo, Rodman (Lowe 76), C. Morris (Payne 82)
Subs: MacGillivrary, Dodds, John-Lewis, B.Morris
West Ham United: Hart, Burke, Rice, Reid (Quina 86), Ogbonna, Masuaku, Cullen, Obiang, Kouyate, Ayew, Chicharito (Martinez 71)
Subs: Adrian, Neufville, Makasi, Haksabanovic, Samuelsen
Referee: Paul Tierney
Attendance: 9,535
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Hammers held by Gillingham Ladies
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies began 2018 with a well-earned point after a goalless draw with Gillingham Ladies. A difficult match for Karen Ray's side was mainly fought in midfield as both teams looked to take the advantage. The best effort of the first half fell to the away team as a free-kick just went wide. Chloe Burr tested Gillingham's shot-stopper on a number of occasions while Andria Georgiou's own free-kick also came close to opening the scoring. But the game ended without a goal despite a push from West Ham in the final few moments. The first half of a close contest at Rush Green was lacking in quality chances, with both sides battling in midfield for long periods of the opening 45 minutes. The away side got the first of the game as Gillingham earned a corner in the tenth minute, while Burr saw an effort fly over the bar after Amy Cooper played an excellent ball across the field. The winger also attempted a speculative volley from the edge of the area and Amber Stobbs continued to put pressure on the Gillingham defence from a false nine position. But the best effort of the first half was for Gillingham. Jack Wheeler's side saw a free-kick from 25 yards skim the far post. The second period started with a similar effort for the Irons as Georgiou had a decent free-kick that went wide of the woodwork. The midfielder also forced as save from the Gilingham goalkeeper while Burr also saw a shot from 10 yards tipped away for a corner. The introduction of Molly Peters up front brought some speed to the Hammers front line, with West Ham enjoying the best chances and the Gills defending sternly. But, despite some terrific pressure from the home side in the closing exchanges, the game ended goalless, leaving both sides with a share of the points.
West Ham United XI: Staunton; Mackie, Wheeler, Austin, Auguste; Chong (Wealthall 89'), Georgiou, Cooper ©; Burr (Perters 64'), Stobbs, R Kmita
Subs not used: Mabey, M Kmita
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Moyes: We're fortunate it's a replay
WHUFC.com
David Moyes offered no excuses for his team's display as they were held by League One Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup third round on Sunday. The Hammers were unable to break down a side two divisions below them and they were reliant on two fine first half saves from Joe Hart to keep them in the hunt.
The teams will now have to replay at London Stadium for the right to progress to round four and Moyes says the Hammers will need to be much better if they are to gain the result they want. "We're fortunate that we've taken the tie to a replay," the boss admitted. "Shrewsbury were better than us today so I'm pleased to still be in the FA Cup. "We had hardly any attempts at all, maybe one or two, but very few. In the first half, Joe Hart made a couple of very good saves, and I don't think anyone should be surprised by Shrewsbury because they are doing very well in their league. "They have a bit of momentum so it was always going to be a tough game and not many Premier League teams are winning their games that easily. They are difficult to win. "The biggest disappointment for me was that we didn't show enough steel, because when you come to these places you have to show that you can battle and compete physically. I don't think we did that at all.
"It's a mentality thing too, wherever you're playing you have to recognise and respect whatever you're up against it's going to be tough, whether that's Tottenham or Shrewsbury. "In the first half especially we didn't compete at all."
Moyes also had a late injury concern over Winston Reid, who hobbled off with five minutes remaining, and his best player on the day, Josh Cullen, also took a nasty blow to the mouth. He added: "Josh was probably our best player today. Considering he's only just come back and we're getting to know him, he did well. "He had two teeth knocked out and he's gone straight to A&E to see if they can save them. Reidy just felt his groin kicking one at the end and we certainly don't need to add to it [the injury list]."
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Hart: We got out of jail a bit
WHUFC.com
Joe Hart admitted West Ham United were lucky to be in the hat for the Emirates FA Cup fourth round after being held to a goalless draw at his former club Shrewsbury Town. The goalkeeper was arguably the Hammers' best player at Montgomery Waters Meadow, marking his return home with a clean sheet and a number of smart pieces of work between the sticks – despite being blinded by a low sun before being handed a baseball cap by a generous member of the Claret and Blue Army. Hart, who started for the first time since the Premier League defeat at Everton in late November, said West Ham will need to be much-improved if they are to see off the impressive Shrews at London Stadium in the replay, which will be played a week on Tuesday. "We were terrible today and there is a feeling in the dressing room that we got out of jail a bit," said Hart. "Shrewsbury were really good, they've been in a good run of form and it's a tough place to come. "We didn't play well. We've had three games in a week, which is a lot of football for some of the lads, but there were some big opportunities for the likes of myself to get some game-time. We didn't necessarily take them, but we're still in the cup and we'll see what happens in the replay. "We can't blame fatigue, but there was some terrible football played and we lost a lot of battles. It was a really tough cup tie and I think nil-nil is almost a fair result."
Hart was handed the captain's armband by manager David Moyes on his return to the club he represented 58 times as a teenager, before being handed a baseball cap by a quick-thinking West Ham fan. "It was a nice touch to captain the side. This is my home town and it's where I'm from. I went to school here, I've got lots of friends and family here and this club is the one who gave me my opportunity in football. "It was very, very special and a nice moment to play here again, but during the game naturally I wanted to win. It's over now, so to see a lot of familiar faces was very nice. "I'm very grateful to the fans. We have a cap in the kit van, but Aaron Cresswell's hair was so bad that he took it after the last game! He was rocking the Umbro cap so we didn't have one available, but someone in the West Ham end very kindly lent me their hat, because I was blinded by the sun. I'd have taken any sort of hat or sunglasses as I couldn't see a thing. "They could see I was massively impeded so they got my attention and someone threw me their hat, so I'm grateful for that."
Hart will almost certainly start the replay, with Adrian currently holding the No1 position in the Premier League, and the England international is hoping to stake another claim to regain his position at the top of the goalkeeping pecking order when the Shrews visit east London on 16 January. "I face a battle to re-establish myself. We've had some good results recently and I've not been playing, so I've got to use days like this to try and stake my claim. "The replay is going to be another tough game and hopefully we'll have a few more bodies back as we had a lot of injuries and people who couldn't make the trip, so hopefully we'll have a stronger squad and advance to the next round."
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Shrewsbury Town 0-0 West Ham United
By Caroline Chapman
BBC Sport
Goalkeeper Joe Hart described West Ham's performance as "terrible" as League One Shrewsbury Town held them to a goalless draw to force an FA Cup third-round replay. The hosts, who are second in League One, dominated for large parts of the game but were unable to find the winner, while West Ham could only register two shots on target. When Shrewsbury-born Hart was asked after the game if his side had got out of jail, he replied: "100%. We were terrible today and Shrewsbury were really good."
Ben Godfrey almost poked home from Shaun Whalley's free-kick in the first half, before Mat Sadler saw his chance saved by Hart. The Hammers, who made four changes from Thursday's Premier League draw with Tottenham, looked lethargic in their third match in six days and only threatened through half-chances from Andre Ayew. "It's a tough place to come. We didn't play well. We had three games in a week and there were opportunities for the lads, including myself," added Hart."I can't blame fatigue. There was some terrible football played today and we lost a lot of battles."
The result means the Shrews will now travel to London Stadium later this month for the replay, with the hope of reaching the fourth round of the competition for only the second time in 14 seasons. West Ham, meanwhile, will be hoping to avoid being knocked out in the third round for the sixth time in eight years.
Hart was recalled to the first team and made captain for his return to his boyhood town and the club where he started his career. He got a warm reception as he walked out on to the pitch at Montgomery Waters Meadow and said after the game: "This is where I grew up, my home town. It gave me my opportunity in football. It's very special."
The England international made strong saves to deny Godfrey and Sadler from close range, while West Ham's defence was able to scupper a late attack from captain Abu Ogogo in stoppage time. Shrewsbury, two points off leaders Wigan in the third tier, boast an enviable defensive record with only four goals conceded at home this season. But, in truth, West Ham offered little to trouble their back line. The visitors had only four touches in the opposition's penalty area and their only chances came from Ayew - his low, tame effort in the first half coming before a flicked header after the break.
It was a memorable, if painful, domestic debut for 21-year-old West Ham midfielder Josh Cullen, who lost his front tooth after receiving a high boot to the face from Ogogo. Cullen's tooth was retrieved from the pitch by the Hammers physio and the Republic of Ireland U21 international was able to continue playing - but only after being made to change his shorts on the side of the pitch as they were covered in blood. Shrewsbury defender Sadler also needed extensive treatment after a clash of heads with Ayew. The 32-year-old needed two trips off the field to deal with the bleeding and ended up with a bandage around his head for the second half.
'Mixed feelings' for Shrewsbury - what they said
Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst: "The players are a little bit deflated almost. "To their credit, they did extremely well but if we'd had just that little bit of quality and we may have got through. So it's mixed feelings really. "But we have a replay to look forward to. We know it will be tough. They will be at home, more comfortable in their own stadium."
West Ham manager David Moyes: "I don't think we showed any quality and the biggest disappointment is I didn't think we showed enough steel. "When you come to places like this you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. I didn't think we did that at all and that was the worst thing about it."Obviously if you compare Wembley and Thursday night, it's a big change. But it's a mentality thing. You've got to go and show that wherever you are, you've got to respect whatever players you're against and recognise it's going to be tough."
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Disappointed we didn't win!
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Shrewsbury defender Mat Sadler believes his team can still knock West Ham out of the FA Cup following today's goalless draw at New Meadow.
The League One side were the more likely of the two teams to score this afternoon but had to settle for a second bite of the cherry having been held to a draw by a West Ham side featuring several youngsters.
And Sadler - who required lengthy treatment during the second half - firmly believes that his team can upset the apple cart when the two teams meet again in the replay, the date for which will be confirmed soon.
"It's a game we're disappointed we didn't win in the end," he told the BBC. "We've had a couple of good chances and limited them to very few.
"We've now got the opportunity to go to the Olympic Stadium and go again - and I see no reason why we can't win there. I see no reason to think it won't be a similar game when we go there, so we'll look forward to that."
West Ham managed just four shots at goal during the game compared to Shrewsbury's nine, three of which were on traget (compared to West Ham's two). The hosts enjoyed 56 per cent of possession, with West Ham some way behind with 44 per cent.
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Cullen off to hospital
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Josh Cullen has been taken to hospital after losing a tooth during this afternoon's goalless draw at Shrewsbury. The Southend-born midfielder parted company with one of his molars midway through the second half after having it kicked out following a challenge by Town's Abu Ogogo. As you can see from the footage above Cullen's departing tooth was clearly visible on TV cameras, but was soon collected by the medical team as he received treatment on the field. The closest hospital to the ground is the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, some three miles away. West Ham will face a replay against the League One side next week as a result of today's stalemate.
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Spurs 1 - 1 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 5th January 2018
By: HeadHammerShark
"And your God is only a catapult, waiting for the right time to let you go
Into the unknown, just to watch you hold your breath
Yeah, and you surrender your fortress"
- The War on Drugs, "Arms Like Boulders"
Dreams aren't supposed to look like this. Stalwart defending, cheering brief moments of possession, holding midfielders channeling Bobby Charlton, and all the while clinging grimly to a point as though it were a life float chucked overboard into a tumultuous, stormy sea. But there you go – welcome to the new normal in the Premier League, where those who have orchestrated two decades of inequity are finally seeing the fruits of their labour being beamed into billions of homes all round the world. Here you go Asia and America, it's the best league in the world! Except we made these two teams play 48 hours ago so please don't ask for entertainment – that wouldn't be fair.
Niche reference alert. More ahead too.
Of course, there was plenty of entertainment on display last night if you dream in claret and blue and didn't mind getting behind the sofa for large swathes of the action. Missing Cresswell, Antonio and crucially, Arnautovic, we were reduced to an extended exercise of attack versus defence anchored around a supreme performance from our back three, with only a brief pause for respite as Pedro Obiang scored the best goal that Wembley will see this season.
Perhaps in an alternate reality we would have lost this game by bucketloads. Maybe Harry Kane would have converted one of those myriad half chances into a goal with some typical opportunistic brilliance and, forced to chase the game, we would have been picked apart at will by a counterattacking Spurs team. But, even allowing for Andre Ayew, alternate dimensions don't exist and thus we only have to concern ourselves with this one, and here we defended resolutely and with no little courage to grind out another draw. Another point. Another inch on a road to safety that none of us can believe we are actually travelling once again.
In the end, games such as this will fade from the memory and become little more than footnotes in yet another lost season of turgid struggle. But right here and now, in the middle of a relegation battle that sees nine teams within five points of each other, this point looks like a precious jewel. Add to that the satisfaction of slamming the brakes on another Spurs season, and leaving Wembley undefeated for a second time this season, it's hard to argue that this wasn't a pretty good night all round.
***
"All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down"
- The Verve, "The Drugs Don't Work"
Now that the dust has settled on a Christmas league programme that required us to play four games in thirteen days, it is possible to look back and assess how well we have fared over a crucial, but heavily demanding period of the season. All things considered, a return of a win, a loss and two draws is reasonable, even if the swings in fortune during that run were fairly sizeable. While we may bemoan Andre Ayew going full Diana Ross and Bobby Madley's self importance, we are also indebted to Asmir Begovic's sudden bouts of vertigo and Andy Carroll suddenly discovering he had a functioning right foot. It could have been better, it could have been worse. 123 years of history summed up in that one sentence.
How many shots have we had Zaba?
Given the compressed nature of the schedule, one might have expected David Moyes to ring the changes in order to keep his team fresh, but the reality is that he simply doesn't have the personnel available to do that effectively. The bench for this match featured £35m of strikers who don't fit our style of play, four kids without a league appearance between them, a travelling acrobat, a badger, a life size cut out of Keita Balde, and of course Joe Hart, taking up a massive part of our weekly wage budget because he is the best keeper David Sullivan has ever worked with.
So, Moyes rotated where he could - in central defence and up front - and then said a couple of Hail Mary's for the rest. Below is a table from today's Telegraph which gives an interesting breakdown of the number of changes made by each team over Christmas, and how many injuries they each suffered. We lead the latter category, naturally, and if we do it for a 50th consecutive year in 2019 we get to keep Jack Wilshere as a prize.
Each team has their own approach, but our low rotation policy in theory should have ensured some consistency of performance. In reality, things didn't pan out that way and it is instructive to see that Newcastle did so well having rotated heavily. Their ability to mix and match with lots of average players of roughly the same ability served them in good stead, whereas Moyes has neither the depth in numbers or talent to do that. At the top end of our squad – Lanzini, Arnautovic – we have much better players than our rivals, but most of the team are not at that level, and furthermore, ours is the second oldest squad in the division.
Evidently, that lack of mobility and athleticism really shows up when we play lots of games in quick succession like this. Given all of that, a five point return will suffice for now, primarily as it gives us some breathing space over West Brom and Swansea, and helped draw struggling teams like Southampton and Stoke back into the scrap. That said, this period was mainly about surviving intact to take on our vital January fixtures.
Many of you may disagree, but the rightful casualty of all of this will probably will be our FA Cup run. The brutal reality is that none of the players who played in these two matches should appear on Sunday, because the risk of injury is so much greater when players are fatigued. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned shallow squad depth we don't have the quality of reserves to call upon to realistically challenge an upwardly mobile lower league side like Shrewsbury. That's an embarrassing admission for any Premier League team to make, but as we discovered at Nottingham Forest a few years ago, the gap between Premier League Under 23 teams and good lower league sides is pretty big.
So, if I was Moyes, I would be apologising to those fans travelling on Sunday, forcing the club to subsidise their travel or tickets or buying them a fucking burger or something to prove they aren't all soul sucking vampires, and then acceding to the wishes of those who have been demanding game time for the untried likes of Martinez, Quina, Haksabanovic and Makasi. I understand those who make the argument that for a club like us, the only thing we have is the chance of a cup victory, and indeed I agree with it. But there is an underlying reality to our situation which also has to be considered, which is that we have a far higher chance of being relegated – about 25% on present bookmaker odds – than we do of winning the cup.
Take it, I'm going to win the FA Cup!
Therefore, when people say that they would happily accept relegation if we were to win a trophy, they are operating in a fantasy world. That would be like me saying I would happily accept my house being repossessed if I took my mortgage money and sunk it into lottery tickets and won. What this ignores is the far more likely option that I lose the house and don't win the lottery. None of which is to say that I want us to lose on Sunday, but if we win we will only face this dilemma again in the next round when our match would take place just before a five day spell when we face a home game with Palace and a trip to Brighton. Picking up Premier League points from those games is more important to the club than a fourth round cup game. I know plenty will disagree, but maybe check in with a Wigan fan before you make up your mind fully. In summary, I think Moyes' priority this weekend is to preserve a team to get some points at Huddersfield, and our righteous anger about that should be directed at the idiots who assembled this ageing squad and thought it could survive a season as unrelentingly demanding as this one, which has been compressed to give England a longer preparation period for the World Cup.
***
"I sing the song because I love the man
I know that some of you don't understand"
- Neil Young, "The Needle and the Damage Done"
On which note, it seems only fitting to actually look at what happened here in more detail, because whatever the situation, this is a fine result and one that few teams will match this season. Unlike Slaven Bilic, who regularly troubled Spurs by pressing them in their own high intensity style, and frequently found them wanting in the middle of the park, Moyes instead chose to retreat into a defensive shell and invite them on.
Where the likes of Stoke and Southampton were torn apart on their recent trips to Wembley, we were instead beautifully compact and hard to break down. We dropped so deep we were almost subterranean, forcing Spurs to play in front of us, and shorn of the ability to hit us on the counter attack and with no space for Christian Eriksen, the hosts looked thoroughly uninspired. The cost of this approach was that we almost entirely gave up on attacking, and we were noticeably abysmal when in possession, with Javier Hernandez the poster boy for receiving the ball and then doing nothing other than trying to win free kicks with it. The Mexican was so bad here I thought I was at a seance and Mike Newell had turned up to haunt me.
On the other hand, our back three were masterful, with Angelo Ogbonna outstanding again, and Declan Rice turning in the kind of mature, composed performances that we assumed we were getting when we spent £8m on Jose Fonte this time last year. I have been agnostic on the youngster up until now, but he has turned my head firmly with this display. It is incredibly rare to see teenagers looking this assured at this level. Alongside him Pablo Zabaleta and Arthur Masuaku did just enough to keep things on an even keel, even if the former was heavily indebted to some excellent cover work by Cheikhou Kouyate to manage the dynamite Heung Min Son. Winston Reid did not get injured.
Everything about this picture is brilliant
Reading between the lines after the game, it seems that Moyes wanted the team to be more offensive but with no way of getting up the pitch this kind of performance was perhaps inevitable. The value of an Antonio or Sakho type player was never more evident than this game, as every clearance was returned back with interest, and Spurs must have been sorely tempted to play rush goalie, so unthreatening were we. After an hour Moyes gave up on Hernandez proving the broken clock theory correct and stuck on Andre Ayew, who did more jogging on than the Mexican managed all day. After just six minutes on the pitch, the Ghanaian pushed Spurs back with some good running, and the ball was eventually recycled back to Pedro Obiang some thirty yards from goal. Perhaps thinking that it was a bit embarrassing that we hadn't had a shot all day, the Spaniard advanced without any pressure on the ball from Spurs - to be fair, why would you - and smacked a thunderous, brilliant, joyful, rising drive into the top corner and had West Ham fans of a certain age yelling about traction engines. A moment to remind us to dream.
Kouyate really should have doubled the lead not long after, when Obiang picked him out unmarked at the back post but the Senegal captain stooped for the header with all the enthusiasm of Anne Boleyn kneeling for the executioners axe and put it wide. It was to prove costly, as Spurs would snatch a point with just five minutes remaining when Son, their best player by a distance, smashed home a stunning long range effort of his own. I can't help but like Son and frequently have to try and forget that at the same time we were signing Andy Carroll for £15m he was joining Bayer Leverkusen for €10m. Sigh.
Even allowing for bias it's hard not to say that Spurs deserved something from this game, but to have got as close as we did made it a tough pill to swallow, even if we'd have all taken a point - Allardyce style - before the game. There was even a doubt about the validity of the Spurs goal as Aurier looked to have fouled Lanzini in the build up, but Moyes was unconvinced after the game so I won't die on that particular hill. The Caley Graphics shot map above tells some, but not all, of the story as that Spurs xG was more a product of having loads of half chances rather than a few very good ones. This was death by a thousand blocked shots. By contrast, we actually created the two best chances of the game for Kouyate and later for Ayew. It might seem counter intuitive, but if you were to ask Pochettino if he wanted to replay this game and swap chances with us, he might actually take it as you'd imagine Kane and Alli would do better with those chances than we did.
Helpfully, Mike Dean also didn't award penalties to Spurs for a couple of shouts in the second half. Both involved Dele Alli and therefore immediately demand greater scrutiny given his propensity for falling over like he's in an episode of Miranda. The first was a challenge with Reid that I don't think could ever have been given, and the second involved Adrian clattering him when he'd headed over after an offside Kane had flicked on. That was a better shout, but I'm not yet ready to live in a world where players are going to be punished for punching Dele Alli in the head. After the game Tim Sherwood said he thought both were penalties, thus confirming that Dean was correct not to award them.
***
"And all the politicians making crazy sounds
And everybody putting everybody else down"
- The Velvet Underground, "Heroin"
Long after the game had finished, pundits were still debating the recent trend of lower rung Premier League teams "parking the bus" when faced with the Top Six. Leaving aside for a moment that the greatest exponent of this is at Old Trafford, the best summary I've found was this article by Jonathan Wilson in the Guardian. Wilson correctly identifies that teams like us have been willing to cede possession at historic rates, with the sole aim of keeping games tight and then striking on the break. Part of this stems from watching Leicester do it brilliantly for an entire season, and win the league, although it must be said that we have none of their pace. Watching Hernandez try and outpace Sanchez after intercepting a misplaced pass on the halfway line here was like watching the tortoise and the hare if the tortoise gave up halfway through and started sulking. Oh, for some of these players who can play game after game at such high intensity and mysteriously never get injured.
Hernandez races away from the Spurs defence
Amid the indignation contained in that article from the likes of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville is a failure from them to properly address exactly why this has happened. When money is so integral to the game, and shared so unevenly around the sport, it is hardly surprising that it has an effect far beyond the company accounts. Because the English game does not properly fund lower league football, it means that the cost of dropping out of the Premier League is disproportionately severe and thus even ludicrously well funded but appallingly run teams like West Ham will turn in embarrassingly defensive shows like this in order to preserve that status.
Doubling the problems for relegation threatened teams is the fact that those at the top have revenue streams they cannot access. Champions League teams take home prize money, or more accurately UEFA subsidies, each year that push them ever further from the rest of the pack, and subsequently have commercial opportunities that the rest can only dream of. With that inequality has come a growing acceptance from everyone else that trying to live with these teams is a bit of a waste of time, and we are now at a stage where the cup competitions can't compete with the primacy of the league, as I've outlined above, and teams like us dream of finishing sixth.
Suddenly, the likes of Carragher and Neville are upset by this, because they want their armchair fans to be entertained. It is telling however, that neither of them ever left the sweet embrace of such privilege during their playing careers, preferring to remain where they had every advantage and never had to pick and choose which competitions to attack, or had to contend with their team mates being tapped up like Virgil Van Dijk.
Yet, including Spurs in this is a little unfair, as they have made their way into that elite tier by actually buying and developing players. Spending £100m on Romelu Lukaku isn't a difficult thing to do. Growing Harry Kane or spotting Dele Alli actually is. That said, they have commercial revenue streams that the likes of Burnley will never have, and still joined their new peers in demanding a greater share of the league television money last month. It didn't take long for them to get their snout firmly into the trough.
Every year that passes without any attempt to address these discrepancies is a further dagger into the heart of the league as a competitive entity. The likes of Carragher and Neville can't complain about negative small teams unless they also support some or all the possible solutions. So let's hear them advocating for greater revenue sharing, or salary caps, or luxury taxes, or squad size restrictions, or limits on loans, or a draft of young players left off those restricted squads, or liquidating Chelsea or any other suggestion that would make the game fairer, and by extension more entertaining.
Sadly, that will never happen and such egalitarian notions will remain the sole preserve of the dreamers on the second page of the Match of the Day league table. It just feels a bit of a pisstake to hoover up all of the money in the game, steal all the best players from small clubs, swipe up the best managers and then call us names while they're doing it. To Huddersfield, Swansea, Bournemouth and, sadly, unbelievably, West Ham, I say...carry on.
Once more for luck? Oh, go on then
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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David Moyes accuses West Ham of lacking fight in Shrewsbury FA Cup tie
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 07/01/18 6:54pm
SSN
Furious West Ham boss David Moyes accused his players of lacking fight after they escaped from Shrewsbury with an FA Cup replay on Sunday. The Hammers needed Joe Hart to keep them in the competition after his saves from Mat Sadler and Shaun Whalley secured a goalless third-round draw in Shropshire. The Sky Bet League One hosts were the better side throughout even though Moyes made just four changes from Thursday's 1-1 draw at Tottenham in the Premier League.
And the Scot was upset with the Hammers' commitment at New Meadow. "I don't think we showed any quality and the biggest disappointment is I didn't think we showed enough steel," he said. "When you come to places like this, you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. "I didn't think we did that at all and that was the worst thing about it. Sometimes it's not easy. The conditions - the sun - didn't make it easy for the players to see things around them but that didn't stop the fact that we didn't compete on a lot of occasions. "Obviously if you compare Wembley and Thursday night, it's a big change. But it's a mentality thing. "You've got to go and show that wherever you are, you've got to respect whatever players you're against and recognise it's going to be tough. For the first half especially, we didn't compete at all."
The Hammers were fortunate to hang on after Jon Nolan shot over with four minutes left on the clock while the Hammers created nothing. The hosts were in charge for long spells and Moyes reserved praise for Hart, who started his career at boyhood club Shrewsbury and was recalled to the Hammers team after being on the bench for the last four games "Joe's been great. A couple of times people have asked me the question but he's been very good," he added. "He's been number one everywhere he's been but he's got somebody here in Adrian who's playing well. Joe will play a lot in the Premier League between now and the end of the season."
Shrewsbury are second in League One and boss Paul Hurst felt the Hammers were there for the taking. "I've seen us do better but we haven't come up against individuals as good as today," he said. "It sounds silly but we've had tougher games and that's why I thought the game was there to be won. "Wigan, Blackburn - we've got them to come in the next league fixture - and different types of games. "I don't mean that as being disrespectful to West Ham but I really felt the game was there to be won. "It's easier said than done, you score every chance when you're on the touchline, but nerves play a part. "We wanted to make it uncomfortable. The danger is you have all the hype and build-up but then fall flat on your face. That didn't happen."
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West Ham's Declan Rice recalls 'deflating' Chelsea release
Last Updated: 07/01/18 3:44pm
SSN
West Ham defender Declan Rice admits he was left devastated when he was released by Chelsea as a 14-year-old. Rice, 18, has broken into West Ham's first team this season under David Moyes - four years after his time at Chelsea was brought to an abrupt end. He says he has recovered from the initial shock and suggested his former Chelsea academy team-mates might even envy his current success at the London Stadium. "I was released by Chelsea at 14 years old," he said. "I remember it, a Tuesday night. On the Wednesday I was training with Fulham, five minutes from my house, and then on the Thursday I was training with West Ham. "After one session at both clubs they both wanted me. There was interest from other clubs as well but I made the switch to West Ham. "I had to change house, change school, so it was a massive decision - and it's paid off "When Chelsea let me go it was really deflating. For me, as a youngster, it's all I ever knew - living 10 minutes from the training ground, going to loads of the games. "It's one of those where you've just got to pick yourself up and go again. "I think some of the boys at Chelsea might be thinking 'wow! Look at Dec doing well for West Ham'."
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Bury were more trouble than West Ham says Shrewsbury boss after FA Cup stalemate leaves David Moyes fuming
League One's bottom side are tougher claims Paul Hurst — and Hammers chief admits "I don't think we showed any quality"
The Mirror
ByJames Nursey
18:31, 7 JAN 2018
Paul Hurst reckons third-tier whipping boys Bury gave Shrewsbury a harder game than Premier League West Ham . Hurst's promotion-chasing League One side remain in the FA Cup after a goalless draw at home to the Hammers, whose midfielder Josh Cullen had two teeth knocked out — and the impressive Shrews were by far the better team. They have only lost three times this term in the league, including a 1-0 at bottom club Bury, who are currently five points adrift and 11 away from safety. Hurst said: "It sounds silly, but we've had tougher games. Bury, Wigan, Blackburn were harder and different types of games "I don't mean that being disrespectful to West Ham, but I really felt the game was there to be won. "It's easier said than done. You score every chance when you're on the touchline, but nerves play a part. "We can't be too disappointed, I'm sure the chairman will be happy. He spoke about a replay a little while ago and has got his wish. My fear was that we wouldn't overly test them out."
West Ham keeper Joe Hart was forced into three good first-half saves as Shrewsbury, his hometown team and first pro club, piled on the pressure. Relieved boss David Moyes admitted: "Shrewsbury were better than us, so I'm pleased to be still in the Cup. I don't think we showed any quality. And the biggest disappointment is I don't think we showed enough steel. "When you come to places like this you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. "I didn't think we did that at all and that for me was the worst thing about it. We didn't compete on a lot of occasions. "I don't think we had any attempts at all - maybe one or two, but very few. "But Shrewsbury are doing really well in their league and they have a bit of momentum. So it was always going to be a tough game."
Youngster Cullen has been taken to hospital after being caught in the face by a high boot. The Scot added: "Young Josh had had two teeth knocked out. We've sent him to A&E to see if they can save them."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Shrewsbury Town 0 – 0 West Ham United
Emirates FA Cup third round
West Ham United and Shrewsbury Town battled out a 0-0 draw at Montgomery Waters Meadow as neither side were able to settle Sunday's Emirates FA Cup third round tie at the first attempt. Shrewsbury, flying high in League One, gave a good account of themselves as the Hammers were unable to get going and show the two-division gulf between the sides. Home goalkeeper Dean Henderson was untroubled throughout while former Shrews keeper Joe Hart had to make the game's two outstanding saves – down low to his left in quick succession from Mat Sadler and Alex Rodman – before the break. The result is the teams will have to replay at London Stadium to decide who will progress to the competiton's last-32.
David Moyes was without several senior members of his squad through injury, but was still with the likes of Hart, Winston Reid, Andre Ayew and Chicharito as he selected as strong a side he had available to him. One of his younger players, Josh Cullen, came straight into the starting XI following his return from a loan at Bolton and his delivery almost led to a goal on nine minute, but Cheikhou Kouyate couldn't get enough on the header. Shrewsbury settled well and Jon Nolan fired a 25-yard free-kick into the Hammers wall nine minutes later. With 26 minutes on the clock Shaun Whalley whipped a free-kick in from the left and Norwich loanee Ben Godfrey touched towards goal, but Hart got down to save at his feet. Hart was back at the club where it all began for him, and he was called into action twice in quick succession ten minutes before the break.
First, he had to dive low to his left with a strong hand to deny Sadler after the Shrews defender, who had earlier sustained a cut to his head, burst through and shot for goal. Then, second later, he had to repeat the trick to keep out a low drive from Rodman. The League One Shrews had enjoyed the better of the opening period, showing that they weren't overawed by the occasion and West Ham were unable to impose themselves on the contest. The start of the second period followed a similar pattern, although Shrewsbury were not able to make the same headway against the Hammers defence. It was a similar story at the other end as the Shrews backline showed why only Manchester City and Wigan Athletic have conceded fewer goals in the top four divisions this term. Ten minutes from time Pedro Obiang dragged a left-footed shot wide of the far post from 20 yards, while at the other end Nolan leant back and fired over when picked out in a good position by a low cross from the left. Neither side could find that moment of quality in front of goal and they will have to do it all again at London Stadium.
Shrewsbury Town: Henderson, Bolton, Sadler, Nsiala, Beckles, Whalley (Gnahoua 87), Nolan, Godfrey, Ogogo, Rodman (Lowe 76), C. Morris (Payne 82)
Subs: MacGillivrary, Dodds, John-Lewis, B.Morris
West Ham United: Hart, Burke, Rice, Reid (Quina 86), Ogbonna, Masuaku, Cullen, Obiang, Kouyate, Ayew, Chicharito (Martinez 71)
Subs: Adrian, Neufville, Makasi, Haksabanovic, Samuelsen
Referee: Paul Tierney
Attendance: 9,535
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Hammers held by Gillingham Ladies
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies began 2018 with a well-earned point after a goalless draw with Gillingham Ladies. A difficult match for Karen Ray's side was mainly fought in midfield as both teams looked to take the advantage. The best effort of the first half fell to the away team as a free-kick just went wide. Chloe Burr tested Gillingham's shot-stopper on a number of occasions while Andria Georgiou's own free-kick also came close to opening the scoring. But the game ended without a goal despite a push from West Ham in the final few moments. The first half of a close contest at Rush Green was lacking in quality chances, with both sides battling in midfield for long periods of the opening 45 minutes. The away side got the first of the game as Gillingham earned a corner in the tenth minute, while Burr saw an effort fly over the bar after Amy Cooper played an excellent ball across the field. The winger also attempted a speculative volley from the edge of the area and Amber Stobbs continued to put pressure on the Gillingham defence from a false nine position. But the best effort of the first half was for Gillingham. Jack Wheeler's side saw a free-kick from 25 yards skim the far post. The second period started with a similar effort for the Irons as Georgiou had a decent free-kick that went wide of the woodwork. The midfielder also forced as save from the Gilingham goalkeeper while Burr also saw a shot from 10 yards tipped away for a corner. The introduction of Molly Peters up front brought some speed to the Hammers front line, with West Ham enjoying the best chances and the Gills defending sternly. But, despite some terrific pressure from the home side in the closing exchanges, the game ended goalless, leaving both sides with a share of the points.
West Ham United XI: Staunton; Mackie, Wheeler, Austin, Auguste; Chong (Wealthall 89'), Georgiou, Cooper ©; Burr (Perters 64'), Stobbs, R Kmita
Subs not used: Mabey, M Kmita
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Moyes: We're fortunate it's a replay
WHUFC.com
David Moyes offered no excuses for his team's display as they were held by League One Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup third round on Sunday. The Hammers were unable to break down a side two divisions below them and they were reliant on two fine first half saves from Joe Hart to keep them in the hunt.
The teams will now have to replay at London Stadium for the right to progress to round four and Moyes says the Hammers will need to be much better if they are to gain the result they want. "We're fortunate that we've taken the tie to a replay," the boss admitted. "Shrewsbury were better than us today so I'm pleased to still be in the FA Cup. "We had hardly any attempts at all, maybe one or two, but very few. In the first half, Joe Hart made a couple of very good saves, and I don't think anyone should be surprised by Shrewsbury because they are doing very well in their league. "They have a bit of momentum so it was always going to be a tough game and not many Premier League teams are winning their games that easily. They are difficult to win. "The biggest disappointment for me was that we didn't show enough steel, because when you come to these places you have to show that you can battle and compete physically. I don't think we did that at all.
"It's a mentality thing too, wherever you're playing you have to recognise and respect whatever you're up against it's going to be tough, whether that's Tottenham or Shrewsbury. "In the first half especially we didn't compete at all."
Moyes also had a late injury concern over Winston Reid, who hobbled off with five minutes remaining, and his best player on the day, Josh Cullen, also took a nasty blow to the mouth. He added: "Josh was probably our best player today. Considering he's only just come back and we're getting to know him, he did well. "He had two teeth knocked out and he's gone straight to A&E to see if they can save them. Reidy just felt his groin kicking one at the end and we certainly don't need to add to it [the injury list]."
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Hart: We got out of jail a bit
WHUFC.com
Joe Hart admitted West Ham United were lucky to be in the hat for the Emirates FA Cup fourth round after being held to a goalless draw at his former club Shrewsbury Town. The goalkeeper was arguably the Hammers' best player at Montgomery Waters Meadow, marking his return home with a clean sheet and a number of smart pieces of work between the sticks – despite being blinded by a low sun before being handed a baseball cap by a generous member of the Claret and Blue Army. Hart, who started for the first time since the Premier League defeat at Everton in late November, said West Ham will need to be much-improved if they are to see off the impressive Shrews at London Stadium in the replay, which will be played a week on Tuesday. "We were terrible today and there is a feeling in the dressing room that we got out of jail a bit," said Hart. "Shrewsbury were really good, they've been in a good run of form and it's a tough place to come. "We didn't play well. We've had three games in a week, which is a lot of football for some of the lads, but there were some big opportunities for the likes of myself to get some game-time. We didn't necessarily take them, but we're still in the cup and we'll see what happens in the replay. "We can't blame fatigue, but there was some terrible football played and we lost a lot of battles. It was a really tough cup tie and I think nil-nil is almost a fair result."
Hart was handed the captain's armband by manager David Moyes on his return to the club he represented 58 times as a teenager, before being handed a baseball cap by a quick-thinking West Ham fan. "It was a nice touch to captain the side. This is my home town and it's where I'm from. I went to school here, I've got lots of friends and family here and this club is the one who gave me my opportunity in football. "It was very, very special and a nice moment to play here again, but during the game naturally I wanted to win. It's over now, so to see a lot of familiar faces was very nice. "I'm very grateful to the fans. We have a cap in the kit van, but Aaron Cresswell's hair was so bad that he took it after the last game! He was rocking the Umbro cap so we didn't have one available, but someone in the West Ham end very kindly lent me their hat, because I was blinded by the sun. I'd have taken any sort of hat or sunglasses as I couldn't see a thing. "They could see I was massively impeded so they got my attention and someone threw me their hat, so I'm grateful for that."
Hart will almost certainly start the replay, with Adrian currently holding the No1 position in the Premier League, and the England international is hoping to stake another claim to regain his position at the top of the goalkeeping pecking order when the Shrews visit east London on 16 January. "I face a battle to re-establish myself. We've had some good results recently and I've not been playing, so I've got to use days like this to try and stake my claim. "The replay is going to be another tough game and hopefully we'll have a few more bodies back as we had a lot of injuries and people who couldn't make the trip, so hopefully we'll have a stronger squad and advance to the next round."
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Shrewsbury Town 0-0 West Ham United
By Caroline Chapman
BBC Sport
Goalkeeper Joe Hart described West Ham's performance as "terrible" as League One Shrewsbury Town held them to a goalless draw to force an FA Cup third-round replay. The hosts, who are second in League One, dominated for large parts of the game but were unable to find the winner, while West Ham could only register two shots on target. When Shrewsbury-born Hart was asked after the game if his side had got out of jail, he replied: "100%. We were terrible today and Shrewsbury were really good."
Ben Godfrey almost poked home from Shaun Whalley's free-kick in the first half, before Mat Sadler saw his chance saved by Hart. The Hammers, who made four changes from Thursday's Premier League draw with Tottenham, looked lethargic in their third match in six days and only threatened through half-chances from Andre Ayew. "It's a tough place to come. We didn't play well. We had three games in a week and there were opportunities for the lads, including myself," added Hart."I can't blame fatigue. There was some terrible football played today and we lost a lot of battles."
The result means the Shrews will now travel to London Stadium later this month for the replay, with the hope of reaching the fourth round of the competition for only the second time in 14 seasons. West Ham, meanwhile, will be hoping to avoid being knocked out in the third round for the sixth time in eight years.
Hart was recalled to the first team and made captain for his return to his boyhood town and the club where he started his career. He got a warm reception as he walked out on to the pitch at Montgomery Waters Meadow and said after the game: "This is where I grew up, my home town. It gave me my opportunity in football. It's very special."
The England international made strong saves to deny Godfrey and Sadler from close range, while West Ham's defence was able to scupper a late attack from captain Abu Ogogo in stoppage time. Shrewsbury, two points off leaders Wigan in the third tier, boast an enviable defensive record with only four goals conceded at home this season. But, in truth, West Ham offered little to trouble their back line. The visitors had only four touches in the opposition's penalty area and their only chances came from Ayew - his low, tame effort in the first half coming before a flicked header after the break.
It was a memorable, if painful, domestic debut for 21-year-old West Ham midfielder Josh Cullen, who lost his front tooth after receiving a high boot to the face from Ogogo. Cullen's tooth was retrieved from the pitch by the Hammers physio and the Republic of Ireland U21 international was able to continue playing - but only after being made to change his shorts on the side of the pitch as they were covered in blood. Shrewsbury defender Sadler also needed extensive treatment after a clash of heads with Ayew. The 32-year-old needed two trips off the field to deal with the bleeding and ended up with a bandage around his head for the second half.
'Mixed feelings' for Shrewsbury - what they said
Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst: "The players are a little bit deflated almost. "To their credit, they did extremely well but if we'd had just that little bit of quality and we may have got through. So it's mixed feelings really. "But we have a replay to look forward to. We know it will be tough. They will be at home, more comfortable in their own stadium."
West Ham manager David Moyes: "I don't think we showed any quality and the biggest disappointment is I didn't think we showed enough steel. "When you come to places like this you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. I didn't think we did that at all and that was the worst thing about it."Obviously if you compare Wembley and Thursday night, it's a big change. But it's a mentality thing. You've got to go and show that wherever you are, you've got to respect whatever players you're against and recognise it's going to be tough."
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Disappointed we didn't win!
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Shrewsbury defender Mat Sadler believes his team can still knock West Ham out of the FA Cup following today's goalless draw at New Meadow.
The League One side were the more likely of the two teams to score this afternoon but had to settle for a second bite of the cherry having been held to a draw by a West Ham side featuring several youngsters.
And Sadler - who required lengthy treatment during the second half - firmly believes that his team can upset the apple cart when the two teams meet again in the replay, the date for which will be confirmed soon.
"It's a game we're disappointed we didn't win in the end," he told the BBC. "We've had a couple of good chances and limited them to very few.
"We've now got the opportunity to go to the Olympic Stadium and go again - and I see no reason why we can't win there. I see no reason to think it won't be a similar game when we go there, so we'll look forward to that."
West Ham managed just four shots at goal during the game compared to Shrewsbury's nine, three of which were on traget (compared to West Ham's two). The hosts enjoyed 56 per cent of possession, with West Ham some way behind with 44 per cent.
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Cullen off to hospital
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Josh Cullen has been taken to hospital after losing a tooth during this afternoon's goalless draw at Shrewsbury. The Southend-born midfielder parted company with one of his molars midway through the second half after having it kicked out following a challenge by Town's Abu Ogogo. As you can see from the footage above Cullen's departing tooth was clearly visible on TV cameras, but was soon collected by the medical team as he received treatment on the field. The closest hospital to the ground is the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, some three miles away. West Ham will face a replay against the League One side next week as a result of today's stalemate.
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Spurs 1 - 1 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 5th January 2018
By: HeadHammerShark
"And your God is only a catapult, waiting for the right time to let you go
Into the unknown, just to watch you hold your breath
Yeah, and you surrender your fortress"
- The War on Drugs, "Arms Like Boulders"
Dreams aren't supposed to look like this. Stalwart defending, cheering brief moments of possession, holding midfielders channeling Bobby Charlton, and all the while clinging grimly to a point as though it were a life float chucked overboard into a tumultuous, stormy sea. But there you go – welcome to the new normal in the Premier League, where those who have orchestrated two decades of inequity are finally seeing the fruits of their labour being beamed into billions of homes all round the world. Here you go Asia and America, it's the best league in the world! Except we made these two teams play 48 hours ago so please don't ask for entertainment – that wouldn't be fair.
Niche reference alert. More ahead too.
Of course, there was plenty of entertainment on display last night if you dream in claret and blue and didn't mind getting behind the sofa for large swathes of the action. Missing Cresswell, Antonio and crucially, Arnautovic, we were reduced to an extended exercise of attack versus defence anchored around a supreme performance from our back three, with only a brief pause for respite as Pedro Obiang scored the best goal that Wembley will see this season.
Perhaps in an alternate reality we would have lost this game by bucketloads. Maybe Harry Kane would have converted one of those myriad half chances into a goal with some typical opportunistic brilliance and, forced to chase the game, we would have been picked apart at will by a counterattacking Spurs team. But, even allowing for Andre Ayew, alternate dimensions don't exist and thus we only have to concern ourselves with this one, and here we defended resolutely and with no little courage to grind out another draw. Another point. Another inch on a road to safety that none of us can believe we are actually travelling once again.
In the end, games such as this will fade from the memory and become little more than footnotes in yet another lost season of turgid struggle. But right here and now, in the middle of a relegation battle that sees nine teams within five points of each other, this point looks like a precious jewel. Add to that the satisfaction of slamming the brakes on another Spurs season, and leaving Wembley undefeated for a second time this season, it's hard to argue that this wasn't a pretty good night all round.
***
"All this talk of getting old
It's getting me down"
- The Verve, "The Drugs Don't Work"
Now that the dust has settled on a Christmas league programme that required us to play four games in thirteen days, it is possible to look back and assess how well we have fared over a crucial, but heavily demanding period of the season. All things considered, a return of a win, a loss and two draws is reasonable, even if the swings in fortune during that run were fairly sizeable. While we may bemoan Andre Ayew going full Diana Ross and Bobby Madley's self importance, we are also indebted to Asmir Begovic's sudden bouts of vertigo and Andy Carroll suddenly discovering he had a functioning right foot. It could have been better, it could have been worse. 123 years of history summed up in that one sentence.
How many shots have we had Zaba?
Given the compressed nature of the schedule, one might have expected David Moyes to ring the changes in order to keep his team fresh, but the reality is that he simply doesn't have the personnel available to do that effectively. The bench for this match featured £35m of strikers who don't fit our style of play, four kids without a league appearance between them, a travelling acrobat, a badger, a life size cut out of Keita Balde, and of course Joe Hart, taking up a massive part of our weekly wage budget because he is the best keeper David Sullivan has ever worked with.
So, Moyes rotated where he could - in central defence and up front - and then said a couple of Hail Mary's for the rest. Below is a table from today's Telegraph which gives an interesting breakdown of the number of changes made by each team over Christmas, and how many injuries they each suffered. We lead the latter category, naturally, and if we do it for a 50th consecutive year in 2019 we get to keep Jack Wilshere as a prize.
Each team has their own approach, but our low rotation policy in theory should have ensured some consistency of performance. In reality, things didn't pan out that way and it is instructive to see that Newcastle did so well having rotated heavily. Their ability to mix and match with lots of average players of roughly the same ability served them in good stead, whereas Moyes has neither the depth in numbers or talent to do that. At the top end of our squad – Lanzini, Arnautovic – we have much better players than our rivals, but most of the team are not at that level, and furthermore, ours is the second oldest squad in the division.
Evidently, that lack of mobility and athleticism really shows up when we play lots of games in quick succession like this. Given all of that, a five point return will suffice for now, primarily as it gives us some breathing space over West Brom and Swansea, and helped draw struggling teams like Southampton and Stoke back into the scrap. That said, this period was mainly about surviving intact to take on our vital January fixtures.
Many of you may disagree, but the rightful casualty of all of this will probably will be our FA Cup run. The brutal reality is that none of the players who played in these two matches should appear on Sunday, because the risk of injury is so much greater when players are fatigued. Unfortunately, because of the aforementioned shallow squad depth we don't have the quality of reserves to call upon to realistically challenge an upwardly mobile lower league side like Shrewsbury. That's an embarrassing admission for any Premier League team to make, but as we discovered at Nottingham Forest a few years ago, the gap between Premier League Under 23 teams and good lower league sides is pretty big.
So, if I was Moyes, I would be apologising to those fans travelling on Sunday, forcing the club to subsidise their travel or tickets or buying them a fucking burger or something to prove they aren't all soul sucking vampires, and then acceding to the wishes of those who have been demanding game time for the untried likes of Martinez, Quina, Haksabanovic and Makasi. I understand those who make the argument that for a club like us, the only thing we have is the chance of a cup victory, and indeed I agree with it. But there is an underlying reality to our situation which also has to be considered, which is that we have a far higher chance of being relegated – about 25% on present bookmaker odds – than we do of winning the cup.
Take it, I'm going to win the FA Cup!
Therefore, when people say that they would happily accept relegation if we were to win a trophy, they are operating in a fantasy world. That would be like me saying I would happily accept my house being repossessed if I took my mortgage money and sunk it into lottery tickets and won. What this ignores is the far more likely option that I lose the house and don't win the lottery. None of which is to say that I want us to lose on Sunday, but if we win we will only face this dilemma again in the next round when our match would take place just before a five day spell when we face a home game with Palace and a trip to Brighton. Picking up Premier League points from those games is more important to the club than a fourth round cup game. I know plenty will disagree, but maybe check in with a Wigan fan before you make up your mind fully. In summary, I think Moyes' priority this weekend is to preserve a team to get some points at Huddersfield, and our righteous anger about that should be directed at the idiots who assembled this ageing squad and thought it could survive a season as unrelentingly demanding as this one, which has been compressed to give England a longer preparation period for the World Cup.
***
"I sing the song because I love the man
I know that some of you don't understand"
- Neil Young, "The Needle and the Damage Done"
On which note, it seems only fitting to actually look at what happened here in more detail, because whatever the situation, this is a fine result and one that few teams will match this season. Unlike Slaven Bilic, who regularly troubled Spurs by pressing them in their own high intensity style, and frequently found them wanting in the middle of the park, Moyes instead chose to retreat into a defensive shell and invite them on.
Where the likes of Stoke and Southampton were torn apart on their recent trips to Wembley, we were instead beautifully compact and hard to break down. We dropped so deep we were almost subterranean, forcing Spurs to play in front of us, and shorn of the ability to hit us on the counter attack and with no space for Christian Eriksen, the hosts looked thoroughly uninspired. The cost of this approach was that we almost entirely gave up on attacking, and we were noticeably abysmal when in possession, with Javier Hernandez the poster boy for receiving the ball and then doing nothing other than trying to win free kicks with it. The Mexican was so bad here I thought I was at a seance and Mike Newell had turned up to haunt me.
On the other hand, our back three were masterful, with Angelo Ogbonna outstanding again, and Declan Rice turning in the kind of mature, composed performances that we assumed we were getting when we spent £8m on Jose Fonte this time last year. I have been agnostic on the youngster up until now, but he has turned my head firmly with this display. It is incredibly rare to see teenagers looking this assured at this level. Alongside him Pablo Zabaleta and Arthur Masuaku did just enough to keep things on an even keel, even if the former was heavily indebted to some excellent cover work by Cheikhou Kouyate to manage the dynamite Heung Min Son. Winston Reid did not get injured.
Everything about this picture is brilliant
Reading between the lines after the game, it seems that Moyes wanted the team to be more offensive but with no way of getting up the pitch this kind of performance was perhaps inevitable. The value of an Antonio or Sakho type player was never more evident than this game, as every clearance was returned back with interest, and Spurs must have been sorely tempted to play rush goalie, so unthreatening were we. After an hour Moyes gave up on Hernandez proving the broken clock theory correct and stuck on Andre Ayew, who did more jogging on than the Mexican managed all day. After just six minutes on the pitch, the Ghanaian pushed Spurs back with some good running, and the ball was eventually recycled back to Pedro Obiang some thirty yards from goal. Perhaps thinking that it was a bit embarrassing that we hadn't had a shot all day, the Spaniard advanced without any pressure on the ball from Spurs - to be fair, why would you - and smacked a thunderous, brilliant, joyful, rising drive into the top corner and had West Ham fans of a certain age yelling about traction engines. A moment to remind us to dream.
Kouyate really should have doubled the lead not long after, when Obiang picked him out unmarked at the back post but the Senegal captain stooped for the header with all the enthusiasm of Anne Boleyn kneeling for the executioners axe and put it wide. It was to prove costly, as Spurs would snatch a point with just five minutes remaining when Son, their best player by a distance, smashed home a stunning long range effort of his own. I can't help but like Son and frequently have to try and forget that at the same time we were signing Andy Carroll for £15m he was joining Bayer Leverkusen for €10m. Sigh.
Even allowing for bias it's hard not to say that Spurs deserved something from this game, but to have got as close as we did made it a tough pill to swallow, even if we'd have all taken a point - Allardyce style - before the game. There was even a doubt about the validity of the Spurs goal as Aurier looked to have fouled Lanzini in the build up, but Moyes was unconvinced after the game so I won't die on that particular hill. The Caley Graphics shot map above tells some, but not all, of the story as that Spurs xG was more a product of having loads of half chances rather than a few very good ones. This was death by a thousand blocked shots. By contrast, we actually created the two best chances of the game for Kouyate and later for Ayew. It might seem counter intuitive, but if you were to ask Pochettino if he wanted to replay this game and swap chances with us, he might actually take it as you'd imagine Kane and Alli would do better with those chances than we did.
Helpfully, Mike Dean also didn't award penalties to Spurs for a couple of shouts in the second half. Both involved Dele Alli and therefore immediately demand greater scrutiny given his propensity for falling over like he's in an episode of Miranda. The first was a challenge with Reid that I don't think could ever have been given, and the second involved Adrian clattering him when he'd headed over after an offside Kane had flicked on. That was a better shout, but I'm not yet ready to live in a world where players are going to be punished for punching Dele Alli in the head. After the game Tim Sherwood said he thought both were penalties, thus confirming that Dean was correct not to award them.
***
"And all the politicians making crazy sounds
And everybody putting everybody else down"
- The Velvet Underground, "Heroin"
Long after the game had finished, pundits were still debating the recent trend of lower rung Premier League teams "parking the bus" when faced with the Top Six. Leaving aside for a moment that the greatest exponent of this is at Old Trafford, the best summary I've found was this article by Jonathan Wilson in the Guardian. Wilson correctly identifies that teams like us have been willing to cede possession at historic rates, with the sole aim of keeping games tight and then striking on the break. Part of this stems from watching Leicester do it brilliantly for an entire season, and win the league, although it must be said that we have none of their pace. Watching Hernandez try and outpace Sanchez after intercepting a misplaced pass on the halfway line here was like watching the tortoise and the hare if the tortoise gave up halfway through and started sulking. Oh, for some of these players who can play game after game at such high intensity and mysteriously never get injured.
Hernandez races away from the Spurs defence
Amid the indignation contained in that article from the likes of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville is a failure from them to properly address exactly why this has happened. When money is so integral to the game, and shared so unevenly around the sport, it is hardly surprising that it has an effect far beyond the company accounts. Because the English game does not properly fund lower league football, it means that the cost of dropping out of the Premier League is disproportionately severe and thus even ludicrously well funded but appallingly run teams like West Ham will turn in embarrassingly defensive shows like this in order to preserve that status.
Doubling the problems for relegation threatened teams is the fact that those at the top have revenue streams they cannot access. Champions League teams take home prize money, or more accurately UEFA subsidies, each year that push them ever further from the rest of the pack, and subsequently have commercial opportunities that the rest can only dream of. With that inequality has come a growing acceptance from everyone else that trying to live with these teams is a bit of a waste of time, and we are now at a stage where the cup competitions can't compete with the primacy of the league, as I've outlined above, and teams like us dream of finishing sixth.
Suddenly, the likes of Carragher and Neville are upset by this, because they want their armchair fans to be entertained. It is telling however, that neither of them ever left the sweet embrace of such privilege during their playing careers, preferring to remain where they had every advantage and never had to pick and choose which competitions to attack, or had to contend with their team mates being tapped up like Virgil Van Dijk.
Yet, including Spurs in this is a little unfair, as they have made their way into that elite tier by actually buying and developing players. Spending £100m on Romelu Lukaku isn't a difficult thing to do. Growing Harry Kane or spotting Dele Alli actually is. That said, they have commercial revenue streams that the likes of Burnley will never have, and still joined their new peers in demanding a greater share of the league television money last month. It didn't take long for them to get their snout firmly into the trough.
Every year that passes without any attempt to address these discrepancies is a further dagger into the heart of the league as a competitive entity. The likes of Carragher and Neville can't complain about negative small teams unless they also support some or all the possible solutions. So let's hear them advocating for greater revenue sharing, or salary caps, or luxury taxes, or squad size restrictions, or limits on loans, or a draft of young players left off those restricted squads, or liquidating Chelsea or any other suggestion that would make the game fairer, and by extension more entertaining.
Sadly, that will never happen and such egalitarian notions will remain the sole preserve of the dreamers on the second page of the Match of the Day league table. It just feels a bit of a pisstake to hoover up all of the money in the game, steal all the best players from small clubs, swipe up the best managers and then call us names while they're doing it. To Huddersfield, Swansea, Bournemouth and, sadly, unbelievably, West Ham, I say...carry on.
Once more for luck? Oh, go on then
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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David Moyes accuses West Ham of lacking fight in Shrewsbury FA Cup tie
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 07/01/18 6:54pm
SSN
Furious West Ham boss David Moyes accused his players of lacking fight after they escaped from Shrewsbury with an FA Cup replay on Sunday. The Hammers needed Joe Hart to keep them in the competition after his saves from Mat Sadler and Shaun Whalley secured a goalless third-round draw in Shropshire. The Sky Bet League One hosts were the better side throughout even though Moyes made just four changes from Thursday's 1-1 draw at Tottenham in the Premier League.
And the Scot was upset with the Hammers' commitment at New Meadow. "I don't think we showed any quality and the biggest disappointment is I didn't think we showed enough steel," he said. "When you come to places like this, you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. "I didn't think we did that at all and that was the worst thing about it. Sometimes it's not easy. The conditions - the sun - didn't make it easy for the players to see things around them but that didn't stop the fact that we didn't compete on a lot of occasions. "Obviously if you compare Wembley and Thursday night, it's a big change. But it's a mentality thing. "You've got to go and show that wherever you are, you've got to respect whatever players you're against and recognise it's going to be tough. For the first half especially, we didn't compete at all."
The Hammers were fortunate to hang on after Jon Nolan shot over with four minutes left on the clock while the Hammers created nothing. The hosts were in charge for long spells and Moyes reserved praise for Hart, who started his career at boyhood club Shrewsbury and was recalled to the Hammers team after being on the bench for the last four games "Joe's been great. A couple of times people have asked me the question but he's been very good," he added. "He's been number one everywhere he's been but he's got somebody here in Adrian who's playing well. Joe will play a lot in the Premier League between now and the end of the season."
Shrewsbury are second in League One and boss Paul Hurst felt the Hammers were there for the taking. "I've seen us do better but we haven't come up against individuals as good as today," he said. "It sounds silly but we've had tougher games and that's why I thought the game was there to be won. "Wigan, Blackburn - we've got them to come in the next league fixture - and different types of games. "I don't mean that as being disrespectful to West Ham but I really felt the game was there to be won. "It's easier said than done, you score every chance when you're on the touchline, but nerves play a part. "We wanted to make it uncomfortable. The danger is you have all the hype and build-up but then fall flat on your face. That didn't happen."
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West Ham's Declan Rice recalls 'deflating' Chelsea release
Last Updated: 07/01/18 3:44pm
SSN
West Ham defender Declan Rice admits he was left devastated when he was released by Chelsea as a 14-year-old. Rice, 18, has broken into West Ham's first team this season under David Moyes - four years after his time at Chelsea was brought to an abrupt end. He says he has recovered from the initial shock and suggested his former Chelsea academy team-mates might even envy his current success at the London Stadium. "I was released by Chelsea at 14 years old," he said. "I remember it, a Tuesday night. On the Wednesday I was training with Fulham, five minutes from my house, and then on the Thursday I was training with West Ham. "After one session at both clubs they both wanted me. There was interest from other clubs as well but I made the switch to West Ham. "I had to change house, change school, so it was a massive decision - and it's paid off "When Chelsea let me go it was really deflating. For me, as a youngster, it's all I ever knew - living 10 minutes from the training ground, going to loads of the games. "It's one of those where you've just got to pick yourself up and go again. "I think some of the boys at Chelsea might be thinking 'wow! Look at Dec doing well for West Ham'."
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Bury were more trouble than West Ham says Shrewsbury boss after FA Cup stalemate leaves David Moyes fuming
League One's bottom side are tougher claims Paul Hurst — and Hammers chief admits "I don't think we showed any quality"
The Mirror
ByJames Nursey
18:31, 7 JAN 2018
Paul Hurst reckons third-tier whipping boys Bury gave Shrewsbury a harder game than Premier League West Ham . Hurst's promotion-chasing League One side remain in the FA Cup after a goalless draw at home to the Hammers, whose midfielder Josh Cullen had two teeth knocked out — and the impressive Shrews were by far the better team. They have only lost three times this term in the league, including a 1-0 at bottom club Bury, who are currently five points adrift and 11 away from safety. Hurst said: "It sounds silly, but we've had tougher games. Bury, Wigan, Blackburn were harder and different types of games "I don't mean that being disrespectful to West Ham, but I really felt the game was there to be won. "It's easier said than done. You score every chance when you're on the touchline, but nerves play a part. "We can't be too disappointed, I'm sure the chairman will be happy. He spoke about a replay a little while ago and has got his wish. My fear was that we wouldn't overly test them out."
West Ham keeper Joe Hart was forced into three good first-half saves as Shrewsbury, his hometown team and first pro club, piled on the pressure. Relieved boss David Moyes admitted: "Shrewsbury were better than us, so I'm pleased to be still in the Cup. I don't think we showed any quality. And the biggest disappointment is I don't think we showed enough steel. "When you come to places like this you have to show yourself physically, that you can battle and compete. "I didn't think we did that at all and that for me was the worst thing about it. We didn't compete on a lot of occasions. "I don't think we had any attempts at all - maybe one or two, but very few. "But Shrewsbury are doing really well in their league and they have a bit of momentum. So it was always going to be a tough game."
Youngster Cullen has been taken to hospital after being caught in the face by a high boot. The Scot added: "Young Josh had had two teeth knocked out. We've sent him to A&E to see if they can save them."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, January 6
Daily WHUFC News - 7th January 2018
Shrewsbury Town v West Ham United: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United open their 2017/18 FA Cup campaign with a third round test against Shrewsbury Town.
Read on for everything you need to know about this weekend's Cup contest.
Where and when?
West Ham United will take on Shrewsbury Town at Montgomery Waters Meadow on Sunday 7 January 2018.
This FA Cup clash is scheduled for a 2pm kick-off.
How to follow:
The Hammers' third round FA Cup match has been selected for television and will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage beginning at 1.40pm.
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter account.
You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.
You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat channels.
Live commentary can also be found on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Team news:
With this match with Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup Third Round West Ham's third contest in six days, manager David Moyes will be tempted to alternate his squad, meaning a number of youngsters could get a chance.
Domingos Quina, Sead Haksabanovic, Moses Makasi and Toni Martinez were all in the matchday squad against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, and each will be keen on impressing the manager in training in the hope of getting a chance on Sunday.
What they say:
"When I was in Sweden, I always watched games from the FA Cup, as well as the Premier League, so I know quite a lot about it. It's a big game for me and a big game for the Club."
Sead Haksabanovic
Match Officials:
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Steve Child and Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: Robert Madley
Last Four Meetings:
Shrewsbury Town 0-2 West Ham, League Division Two, February 7 1981
West Ham 3-0 Shrewsbury Town, League Division Two, September 13 1980
West Ham 1-3 Shrewsbury Town, League Division Two, April 26 1980
Shrewsbury Town 3-0 West Ham, League Division Two, December 15 1979
How to get there:
Trains from London Euston to Shrewsbury take roughly three hours and include one change, at Crewe. It is roughly a 2.5 mile walk from the Shrewsbury Station to Montgomery Waters Meadow.
By Train
Follow the M1 to Junction 19 before joining the M6 and head west, linking up with the M54. Follow the A5 and then join the B4380, and the Stadium will be on your left.
By Car
Any other information:
The Fourth Round draw for the FA Cup is scheduled to take place on Monday 8 January at 7pm.
The draw will be live on BT Sport 2 and BBC2 with West Ham United set to be draw ball 24, should the Hammers be included.
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Betway Insider's View of the Opposition - Shrewsbury Town
WHUFC.com
West Ham's last four league matches have produced 16 goals, but there's no guarantee of such entertainment at Shrewsbury Town on Sunday. League One's surprise package have built their promotion push on an outstanding defensive record, conceding just four goals in their 12 home matches so far. And the Shrews will have no choice but to adopt a similar approach if they are to enjoy any success against a top-tier side in West Ham. The Hammers eased to a solid, if unspectacular, 2-0 victory at Cheltenham in the EFL Cup earlier this season, against a lower standard of opponent with similar intentions.
So under 2.5 goals looks a safe bet again.
Andre Ayew was on the scoresheet at Whaddon Road that night, and is capable of repeating the trick in this one. Moyes admitted that Andy Carroll was too tired to start on Thursday, while Chicharito could be rested after working hard during his hour-long stint at Wembley. That should pave the way for Ayew – who has notched two more goals in the cup since that game at Cheltenham – to start up front, and score for the second time in two weeks.
Paul Hurst's side will prove a tough nut to crack, though. Other than in the EFL trophy, they have not trailed at half-time since the end of October, drawing 0-0 at the break in six of those eleven matches. Considering the hosts' aforementioned defensive record, it is perfectly possible that the Hammers will have to remain patient in their bid to break down their in-form opponents.
Recommended bets
Under 2.5 goals – 3/4
Andre Ayew to score – 21/10
Half-time/Full-time: Draw/West Ham – 4/1
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Haksabanovic: FA Cup tie is a big opportunity to impress
WHUFC.com
Sead Haksabanovic is determined to take the opportunity to show David Moyes what he can do in Sunday's Emirates FA Cup third-round tie at Shrewsbury Town. The exciting Montenegro international attacking midfielder is set to be given a chance to impress at the New Meadow, alongside a number of West Ham United's other promising young professionals. Declan Rice, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez could also be part of the squad which travels to Shropshire, and 18-year-old Haksabanovic says they are all eager to prove their worth to manager Moyes, should they be given the chance to play against the League One high-fliers. "Hopefully I will play and I'm really excited about the prospect of showing what I can do, as it's a big game for me and a big game for the Club," said the No23, whose only previous first-team appearance was a Carabao Cup third-round start against Bolton Wanderers back in September. "I played my first game against Bolton and I was a bit nervous, but I think I did quite well, so it would be good to get another opportunity. It will be important for me to show the manager what I can, because I want to play. And if I want to play, I need to take that opportunity."
Growing up in Sweden, Haksabanovic made his senior debut for first club Halmstads BK in a Swedish Cup tie at Vasteras in February 2015, aged just 15 years and nine months. He was also an avid watcher of English football, including the world's most-famous knockout competition, and is excited about the prospect of making his bow in the FA Cup this weekend. "When I was in Sweden, I always watched games from the FA Cup, as well as the Premier League, so I know quite a lot about it. "The biggest thing I can remember are the finals are played at Wembley, so I'd love to play there. I am too young to remember when Freddie Ljungberg, who also came from my old club Halmstads, and scored a brilliant goal for Arsenal in the final in 2002!"
Aside from his Bolton appearance, Haksabanovic has been named in four Premier League squads, started four times in the Checkatrade Trophy and caught the eye in five appearances in Premier League 2 Division 1 this season. Training with the first-team squad on a daily basis, including his mentor Marko Arnautovic, the teenager has enjoyed being part of things under Moyes and his coaching staff and believes the Hammers' recent upturn in form will continue. "The players have been doing well and the team has been performing well and collecting points. We have improved a lot and we are showing that we can do more and win games. We have a good squad and should be higher in the table, but I think that will come with time. "Marko is helping me a lot, of course. It's good to have him here, as he's helped me a lot, not only with my game but also with a lot of things outside of football. It has made it much easier to settle in England, for sure."
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Rice: I couldn't believe I was Man of the Match!
WHUFC.com
The 'pinch yourself' moments keep on coming for Declan Rice in his first full season of senior football. Picked to start at Wembley as the Hammers took on Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on Thursday, the 18-year-old turned in a mature and composed performance in the 1-1 draw – one which earned him the Premier League's official Man of the Match award. The defender's reaction to the accolade was a mixture of pride and disbelief and his phenomenal development continues at great pace. He explained: "When I got told I was Man of the Match on the way out, I thought 'Really?!' It's an amazing feeling to pick up my first Man of the Match in the Premier League and hopefully it's the first of many. "As a team I thought we were excellent on Thursday. It was a well-deserved point and we were unlucky not to take three points from the game. "I've played Spurs twice at Wembley now this season and taken a lot of experience from the two games. I never thought I'd play at Wembley as a young boy, so I'm very pleased with how I did on Thursday."
The Hammers' commitment and resilience was clear to see at the national stadium and Rice said the manager's approach was spot on. He continued: "We've all really taken to the manager and his backroom staff and we listen to what they say. We got the gameplan right on Thursday, we frustrated them, the fans got frustrated and it was great to get the draw. "You have to hold their hands up for the goal and say 'what a great strike'. Other than that I don't remember them having too much. We put our bodies on the line and that's all we could ask for. "And for us, what a strike it was from Pedro! I was right behind it when he hit it and it's just hit the top corner. I'm so happy for him, he's a proper good guy and he's doing really well for us."
Next up is Sunday's Emirates FA Cup trip to League One Shrewsbury Town and Rice is looking forward to his first taste of the competition. "We went back in on Friday to get ready for the Shrewsbury game," he added. "We had a recovery session on Friday, train on Saturday and then it's a massive game on Sunday. "We want to have a good cup run this year, so let's go to Shrewsbury and get the win."
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EARLY TEAM NEWS FOR THE CUP GAME
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:54PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
West Ham travelled with a number of academy players to Shrewsbury Town although most are expected to be on the bench. The youngsters who travelled are: Quina, Martinez, Samuelson, Haksabanovic, Makasi, Diangana and Neufville. Declan Rice, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke have also travelled as well and those three are expected to start the game.
Moyes has already confirmed that Joe Hart will be in goal for the match against the club that he started career with and the rest of the team is made up with very experienced players with only a few changes from the Spurs game and not the predicted "wholesale" changes that others are speculating on. Players who have had recent "knocks" or "minor injuries" will not be risked. We release our "predicted" line up an hour and a half before the kick off when we know that the teams have been exchanged between the managers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EXWHUEXCLUSIVE: BURKE AND CULLEN'S DILEMMA
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:24PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Reece Burke and Josh Cullen have both returned to West Ham from Bolton (as I exclusively revealed on the podcast). The players, especially Burke, had a number of clubs who wanted to then take him on loan or even purchase him from us. Reece was attracting attention from the likes of Ipswich, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. This will now not be possible until the summer because both players are expected to START against Shrewsbury in the cup tomorrow with Burke likely to be at right back and Cullen in midfield. FIFA rules state that whilst a player can be registered for three different clubs in one season they can only feature in competitive matches for two therefore having both played for Bolton this year, when they play for us they will have reached the two club limit.
This will mean that they only have two options for the rest of the season: remain at West Ham and try to convince the manager/chairman not to sell them or to return to Bolton where their manager is desperate to keep them both and has already spoke to both players. It is expected that they will return to Bolton to complete the season but should they turn in some good performances tomorrow it will give both them and Moyes a dilemma.
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NEWCASTLE PONDERING JANUARY MOVE FOR JOE HART
ELLIOTT CUFF @CuffWrites
ReadWestHam
Fellow Premier League side Newcastle United are interested in signing Joe Hart, who has fallen out of favour at the London Stadium. According to the Mirror, Rafa Benitez was interested in signing the England international last summer before he moved to West Ham on a season-long loan. Now that Hart has lost his place to Adrian for the Hammers, the Magpies are making enquiries with Manchester City to take him off their hands. It would take both West Ham and the Citizens to agree to end Hart's current loan deal.
West Ham may be keen to shift the 30-year old, who is a considerable drain on the London club's wage budget. They may look to terminate his loan to free up space for January incomings. City will also be looking to get Hart as much game time as possible, ahead of potentially selling him on in the summer, and Hart himself will be desperate for minutes ahead of next summer's World Cup.
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'He's not overly happy': David Moyes comments on West Ham's Joe Hart
HITC
Antony Martin
@antonymmartin84
The West Ham ace has lost his place in the team to Adrian recently. Hammers boss David Moyes spoke to reporters ahead of his side's third round FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury Town tomorrow, and admitted that Joe Hart is not happy with his current situation at the club, as quoted by WHUFC.com. The 30-year-old has played second fiddle to Adrian over the past month, and with the 2018 World Cup just five months away, he will surely be concerned about his chances of making Gareth Southgate's starting XI for the tournament. The problem for Hart is that Adrian has performed incredibly well since being given his chance by Moyes, and if the Spaniard continues to do just that, the Englishman's chances of forcing his way back in the side will be slim.
Moyes addressed the media yesterday during his pre-match press conference, and insisted that despite Hart's unhappiness, he will undoubtedly be given plenty of chances to impress from now until the end of the campaign, as quoted by WHUFC.com: "Joe will play on Sunday, but Joe will play a lot of Premier League games this season as well. I'm sure he's not overly happy with the current situation, but he's a top professional and I'm sure he's had an understudy to him for 90 per cent of his career and I think he's acting in a really good manner."
Tomorrow's game at Shrewsbury will be a special one for Hart. The 30-year-old began his career at New Meadow, and he will be hoping to produce an inspired display against his boyhood club - one that will help him force his way back into the Hammers starting XI over the coming weeks and months.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United open their 2017/18 FA Cup campaign with a third round test against Shrewsbury Town.
Read on for everything you need to know about this weekend's Cup contest.
Where and when?
West Ham United will take on Shrewsbury Town at Montgomery Waters Meadow on Sunday 7 January 2018.
This FA Cup clash is scheduled for a 2pm kick-off.
How to follow:
The Hammers' third round FA Cup match has been selected for television and will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage beginning at 1.40pm.
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter account.
You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.
You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat channels.
Live commentary can also be found on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Team news:
With this match with Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup Third Round West Ham's third contest in six days, manager David Moyes will be tempted to alternate his squad, meaning a number of youngsters could get a chance.
Domingos Quina, Sead Haksabanovic, Moses Makasi and Toni Martinez were all in the matchday squad against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, and each will be keen on impressing the manager in training in the hope of getting a chance on Sunday.
What they say:
"When I was in Sweden, I always watched games from the FA Cup, as well as the Premier League, so I know quite a lot about it. It's a big game for me and a big game for the Club."
Sead Haksabanovic
Match Officials:
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Steve Child and Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: Robert Madley
Last Four Meetings:
Shrewsbury Town 0-2 West Ham, League Division Two, February 7 1981
West Ham 3-0 Shrewsbury Town, League Division Two, September 13 1980
West Ham 1-3 Shrewsbury Town, League Division Two, April 26 1980
Shrewsbury Town 3-0 West Ham, League Division Two, December 15 1979
How to get there:
Trains from London Euston to Shrewsbury take roughly three hours and include one change, at Crewe. It is roughly a 2.5 mile walk from the Shrewsbury Station to Montgomery Waters Meadow.
By Train
Follow the M1 to Junction 19 before joining the M6 and head west, linking up with the M54. Follow the A5 and then join the B4380, and the Stadium will be on your left.
By Car
Any other information:
The Fourth Round draw for the FA Cup is scheduled to take place on Monday 8 January at 7pm.
The draw will be live on BT Sport 2 and BBC2 with West Ham United set to be draw ball 24, should the Hammers be included.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Betway Insider's View of the Opposition - Shrewsbury Town
WHUFC.com
West Ham's last four league matches have produced 16 goals, but there's no guarantee of such entertainment at Shrewsbury Town on Sunday. League One's surprise package have built their promotion push on an outstanding defensive record, conceding just four goals in their 12 home matches so far. And the Shrews will have no choice but to adopt a similar approach if they are to enjoy any success against a top-tier side in West Ham. The Hammers eased to a solid, if unspectacular, 2-0 victory at Cheltenham in the EFL Cup earlier this season, against a lower standard of opponent with similar intentions.
So under 2.5 goals looks a safe bet again.
Andre Ayew was on the scoresheet at Whaddon Road that night, and is capable of repeating the trick in this one. Moyes admitted that Andy Carroll was too tired to start on Thursday, while Chicharito could be rested after working hard during his hour-long stint at Wembley. That should pave the way for Ayew – who has notched two more goals in the cup since that game at Cheltenham – to start up front, and score for the second time in two weeks.
Paul Hurst's side will prove a tough nut to crack, though. Other than in the EFL trophy, they have not trailed at half-time since the end of October, drawing 0-0 at the break in six of those eleven matches. Considering the hosts' aforementioned defensive record, it is perfectly possible that the Hammers will have to remain patient in their bid to break down their in-form opponents.
Recommended bets
Under 2.5 goals – 3/4
Andre Ayew to score – 21/10
Half-time/Full-time: Draw/West Ham – 4/1
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Haksabanovic: FA Cup tie is a big opportunity to impress
WHUFC.com
Sead Haksabanovic is determined to take the opportunity to show David Moyes what he can do in Sunday's Emirates FA Cup third-round tie at Shrewsbury Town. The exciting Montenegro international attacking midfielder is set to be given a chance to impress at the New Meadow, alongside a number of West Ham United's other promising young professionals. Declan Rice, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez could also be part of the squad which travels to Shropshire, and 18-year-old Haksabanovic says they are all eager to prove their worth to manager Moyes, should they be given the chance to play against the League One high-fliers. "Hopefully I will play and I'm really excited about the prospect of showing what I can do, as it's a big game for me and a big game for the Club," said the No23, whose only previous first-team appearance was a Carabao Cup third-round start against Bolton Wanderers back in September. "I played my first game against Bolton and I was a bit nervous, but I think I did quite well, so it would be good to get another opportunity. It will be important for me to show the manager what I can, because I want to play. And if I want to play, I need to take that opportunity."
Growing up in Sweden, Haksabanovic made his senior debut for first club Halmstads BK in a Swedish Cup tie at Vasteras in February 2015, aged just 15 years and nine months. He was also an avid watcher of English football, including the world's most-famous knockout competition, and is excited about the prospect of making his bow in the FA Cup this weekend. "When I was in Sweden, I always watched games from the FA Cup, as well as the Premier League, so I know quite a lot about it. "The biggest thing I can remember are the finals are played at Wembley, so I'd love to play there. I am too young to remember when Freddie Ljungberg, who also came from my old club Halmstads, and scored a brilliant goal for Arsenal in the final in 2002!"
Aside from his Bolton appearance, Haksabanovic has been named in four Premier League squads, started four times in the Checkatrade Trophy and caught the eye in five appearances in Premier League 2 Division 1 this season. Training with the first-team squad on a daily basis, including his mentor Marko Arnautovic, the teenager has enjoyed being part of things under Moyes and his coaching staff and believes the Hammers' recent upturn in form will continue. "The players have been doing well and the team has been performing well and collecting points. We have improved a lot and we are showing that we can do more and win games. We have a good squad and should be higher in the table, but I think that will come with time. "Marko is helping me a lot, of course. It's good to have him here, as he's helped me a lot, not only with my game but also with a lot of things outside of football. It has made it much easier to settle in England, for sure."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rice: I couldn't believe I was Man of the Match!
WHUFC.com
The 'pinch yourself' moments keep on coming for Declan Rice in his first full season of senior football. Picked to start at Wembley as the Hammers took on Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby on Thursday, the 18-year-old turned in a mature and composed performance in the 1-1 draw – one which earned him the Premier League's official Man of the Match award. The defender's reaction to the accolade was a mixture of pride and disbelief and his phenomenal development continues at great pace. He explained: "When I got told I was Man of the Match on the way out, I thought 'Really?!' It's an amazing feeling to pick up my first Man of the Match in the Premier League and hopefully it's the first of many. "As a team I thought we were excellent on Thursday. It was a well-deserved point and we were unlucky not to take three points from the game. "I've played Spurs twice at Wembley now this season and taken a lot of experience from the two games. I never thought I'd play at Wembley as a young boy, so I'm very pleased with how I did on Thursday."
The Hammers' commitment and resilience was clear to see at the national stadium and Rice said the manager's approach was spot on. He continued: "We've all really taken to the manager and his backroom staff and we listen to what they say. We got the gameplan right on Thursday, we frustrated them, the fans got frustrated and it was great to get the draw. "You have to hold their hands up for the goal and say 'what a great strike'. Other than that I don't remember them having too much. We put our bodies on the line and that's all we could ask for. "And for us, what a strike it was from Pedro! I was right behind it when he hit it and it's just hit the top corner. I'm so happy for him, he's a proper good guy and he's doing really well for us."
Next up is Sunday's Emirates FA Cup trip to League One Shrewsbury Town and Rice is looking forward to his first taste of the competition. "We went back in on Friday to get ready for the Shrewsbury game," he added. "We had a recovery session on Friday, train on Saturday and then it's a massive game on Sunday. "We want to have a good cup run this year, so let's go to Shrewsbury and get the win."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EARLY TEAM NEWS FOR THE CUP GAME
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:54PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
West Ham travelled with a number of academy players to Shrewsbury Town although most are expected to be on the bench. The youngsters who travelled are: Quina, Martinez, Samuelson, Haksabanovic, Makasi, Diangana and Neufville. Declan Rice, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke have also travelled as well and those three are expected to start the game.
Moyes has already confirmed that Joe Hart will be in goal for the match against the club that he started career with and the rest of the team is made up with very experienced players with only a few changes from the Spurs game and not the predicted "wholesale" changes that others are speculating on. Players who have had recent "knocks" or "minor injuries" will not be risked. We release our "predicted" line up an hour and a half before the kick off when we know that the teams have been exchanged between the managers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
EXWHUEXCLUSIVE: BURKE AND CULLEN'S DILEMMA
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 6 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:24PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Reece Burke and Josh Cullen have both returned to West Ham from Bolton (as I exclusively revealed on the podcast). The players, especially Burke, had a number of clubs who wanted to then take him on loan or even purchase him from us. Reece was attracting attention from the likes of Ipswich, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland. This will now not be possible until the summer because both players are expected to START against Shrewsbury in the cup tomorrow with Burke likely to be at right back and Cullen in midfield. FIFA rules state that whilst a player can be registered for three different clubs in one season they can only feature in competitive matches for two therefore having both played for Bolton this year, when they play for us they will have reached the two club limit.
This will mean that they only have two options for the rest of the season: remain at West Ham and try to convince the manager/chairman not to sell them or to return to Bolton where their manager is desperate to keep them both and has already spoke to both players. It is expected that they will return to Bolton to complete the season but should they turn in some good performances tomorrow it will give both them and Moyes a dilemma.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
NEWCASTLE PONDERING JANUARY MOVE FOR JOE HART
ELLIOTT CUFF @CuffWrites
ReadWestHam
Fellow Premier League side Newcastle United are interested in signing Joe Hart, who has fallen out of favour at the London Stadium. According to the Mirror, Rafa Benitez was interested in signing the England international last summer before he moved to West Ham on a season-long loan. Now that Hart has lost his place to Adrian for the Hammers, the Magpies are making enquiries with Manchester City to take him off their hands. It would take both West Ham and the Citizens to agree to end Hart's current loan deal.
West Ham may be keen to shift the 30-year old, who is a considerable drain on the London club's wage budget. They may look to terminate his loan to free up space for January incomings. City will also be looking to get Hart as much game time as possible, ahead of potentially selling him on in the summer, and Hart himself will be desperate for minutes ahead of next summer's World Cup.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'He's not overly happy': David Moyes comments on West Ham's Joe Hart
HITC
Antony Martin
@antonymmartin84
The West Ham ace has lost his place in the team to Adrian recently. Hammers boss David Moyes spoke to reporters ahead of his side's third round FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury Town tomorrow, and admitted that Joe Hart is not happy with his current situation at the club, as quoted by WHUFC.com. The 30-year-old has played second fiddle to Adrian over the past month, and with the 2018 World Cup just five months away, he will surely be concerned about his chances of making Gareth Southgate's starting XI for the tournament. The problem for Hart is that Adrian has performed incredibly well since being given his chance by Moyes, and if the Spaniard continues to do just that, the Englishman's chances of forcing his way back in the side will be slim.
Moyes addressed the media yesterday during his pre-match press conference, and insisted that despite Hart's unhappiness, he will undoubtedly be given plenty of chances to impress from now until the end of the campaign, as quoted by WHUFC.com: "Joe will play on Sunday, but Joe will play a lot of Premier League games this season as well. I'm sure he's not overly happy with the current situation, but he's a top professional and I'm sure he's had an understudy to him for 90 per cent of his career and I think he's acting in a really good manner."
Tomorrow's game at Shrewsbury will be a special one for Hart. The 30-year-old began his career at New Meadow, and he will be hoping to produce an inspired display against his boyhood club - one that will help him force his way back into the Hammers starting XI over the coming weeks and months.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Daily WHUFC News - 6th January 2018
Moyes relishing FA Cup return to Shrewsbury
WHUFC.com
David Moyes returns to familiar surroundings when he takes his West Ham United team to face Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup third round on Sunday.
The Hammers boss spent three years with the Shrews as a player between 1987 and 1990, making 108 appearances and scoring 12 goals for the Shropshire club, while also developing his coaching skills by working at a local independent school. On a less positive note, Moyes also suffered one of the lowest points of his football career in the town back in January 2003, when his Everton side were knocked out of the FA Cup by a Shrewsbury team then struggling near the foot of the old Third Division. "I managed against Shrewsbury last season in the League Cup with Sunderland and we beat them at home, but I've got to say that FA Cup tie was one of my darkest days and when I talk about my biggest disappointments in football, losing at Shrewsbury with Everton was definitely one of them," he recalled. "I had great memories of playing there though as, when I went there in 1987, there were lots of Scottish boys there at the time. The manager who signed me was a Scot, Ian McNeill, and I was in a squad with the likes of John McGinlay, Dougie Bell, Jim Melrose and Doug Rougvie. Shrewsbury were doing OK then, too. We were in what is now the Championship. "I was a qualified coach by the time I went to Shrewsbury, having done by badges while I was at Cambridge United and Bristol City, and I worked at a coach at a local school, Concord College, too, which was very enjoyable."
With senior players having contested two high-octane Premier League matches in midweek, beating West Bromwich Albion and holding Tottenham Hotspur, Moyes is expected to make changes to his squad at Montgomery Waters Meadow. The manager confirmed that former Shrewsbury star Joe Hart will start in goal, while young professionals Sead Haksabanovic, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez could also be involved. There is also the possibility that, with their loan spells with Borussia Monchengladbach and Bolton Wanderers having ended, Reece Oxford, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke could travel. "I'd like to say we won't make a lot of changes on Sunday, because I try to be consistent, but the bigger problem is the number of players we have available and the fatigue due to the amount of effort they're putting into the games for us just now. Plus, we've got injuries, but if I have my way I'll put out as strong a team as I possibly can there. "Joe will play on Sunday, but Joe will play a lot of Premier League games this season as well. I'm sure he's not overly happy with the current situation, but he's a top professional and I'm sure he's had an understudy to him for 90 per cent of his career and I think he's acting in a really good manner. "He has been really professional and, as I've said, I'm in no doubt that Joe Hart will play games between now and the end of the season. "Sunday's Emirates FA Cup tie is really important, but not as important as being a Premier League club next season."
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Dominant Declan earns Reid respect
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid says he is 'really pleased' for Declan Rice after his young West Ham United teammate won the first Premier League Man of the Match award of his fledgling career. Vice-captain Reid had a grandstand view as 18-year-old Rice produced an impeccable display in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, stifling in-form striker Harry Kane to help the Hammers collect a hard-earned point. And the No2, who himself debuted at senior level for Danish club Midtjylland at the age of 17, has not been in the slightest bit surprised by the positive impact Rice has made at first-team level. "Declan is not really new [to senior football] because he's been up with us for a while now," Reid observed. "He's always really willing to learn and is a good young kid and I'm really, really pleased for him. "I remember when I was 18, coming in and playing senior football, so I'm really pleased for him."
While Rice took the Premier League and Sky Sports plaudits, Reid was also back to his best against Mauricio Pochettino's side. The centre-half blocked a team-high four shots, made five clearances and two interceptions as part of a resilient defensive display based on true team work, discipline and hard work. "Going to Wembley, it was always going to be tough as Spurs are a very good team, but we had a gameplan and we stuck to it, dug in and put in a really good performance," said the New Zealand captain. "I thought the boys worked really, really well, considering we played two days earlier [against West Bromwich Albion]. "It comes down to hard work. The guys have got good character and they're putting in the hard yards on the training pitch and you can see we are getting the benefits and the results. "We've gone to Wembley and got a point. We'd obviously loved to have won the game, but fair play to Spurs because they scored a good goal as well. We'll take the point and move on." "Tottenham are a quality side and are always going to create chances, but I thought we tried to limit them as much as possible and everyone who started and came on put a big effort in. It's tough during this period, with all the games, so credit to the guys and we move forward."
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Teenage blocks - Rookie Rice leads by example
WHUFC.com
When Declan Rice was informed he had won the Premier League's Man of the Match award for his performance in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, his reaction was one of almost stunned disbelief. However, that disbelief quickly turned to pride as the teenager reflected on a job immaculately well done at Wembley Stadium, where the teenager excelled on English football's biggest stage for the second time this season. Still just 18, Rice played a starring role in the shackling of Harry Kane and company, impressing with his positioning, composure and ability to rise to the occasion. His heatmap (right) shows how the No41 had a big influence on the game, playing on the left of West Ham's three centre-halves. Playing just his 16th first-team match, the rookie made seven vital clearances, including six from inside his own penalty area and a vital early one from inside his own six-yard box to deny Kane a tap-in, as well as an interception and a tackle. Rice also blocked two Tottenham shots, including a last-minute effort from Spurs substitute Fernando Llorente, and three crosses. The Irishman is also an intelligent user of the ball too, passing accurately with either foot to lift the pressure on his team. Rice's display may have caught the eye, but he was not the only West Ham player to excel in his defensive role at the Home of Football. Indeed, it is all too easy these days to dismiss organised, disciplined play as 'parking the bus'.
Rather than give supposedly inferior teams credit for finding a way to avoid a chastening defeat against superior opposition, some members of the media are quick to criticise for a perceived lack of ambition and entertainment value. On Thursday, without the injured attacking duo of Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio, David Moyes unashamedly parked his West Ham bus on the Wembley pitch and invited Mauricio Pochettino to try and plot a route past it. For 90 minutes, the massed ranks of Claret and Blue held firm, blocking, interception, tackling, heading or saving everything their illustrious hosts could throw at them. West Ham sat deep, with a five-man defence shielded by Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate. Ahead of them, Manuel Lanzini and Chicharito, and later Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll, defended from the front whenever possible. Indeed, the average position of the Hammers' players showed just striker Chicharito spent more time in the Tottenham half than his own, and even then it was only by a matter of a few yards. Spurs also played into West Ham's hands somewhat, employing a narrow 4-2-3-1 formation with Son Heung-Min and Moussa Sissoko tucked in narrow alongside Dele Alli and ahead of Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier. Such were Tottenham's tactics that they rarely got wide and in behind Moyes' men. But that should take nothing away from the way West Ham put everything on the line to take a very hard-earned point back around the North Circular. The Hammers blocked no fewer than 14 of Tottenham's 31 shots, including four in one dramatic 30-second spell deep into added time, when Rice, Noble, Kouyate and Winston Reid flung themselves in front of goalbound efforts from Fernando Llorente, Son, Victor Wanyama and Christian Eriksen. And when Spurs did breach the West Ham back line, goalkeeper Adrian was – Son's unstoppable 30-yard shot seven minutes from time aside – in unbeatable form. The Spaniard made seven saves, keeping out first-half efforts from Harry Kane, Son and Eriksen, and two second-half strikes apiece from the Denmark midfielder and England centre forward. And so, driven by the indefatigable, unflappable Declan Rice, West Ham's bus deservedly drove away from Wembley with a Premier League point safely secured, and there was absolutely no shame in that whatsoever.
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Arnautovic up for Premier League Player of the Month - vote now!
WHUFC.com
Marko Arnautovic has been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month prize for December - with voting open here now, The Austria international enjoyed an outstanding month, scoring five goals in the games against Chelsea, Stoke City, Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth, helping the Hammers climb out of the relegation zone. His form has not gone unnoticed and he is nominated for the monthly award, alongside a host of top names.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Chelsea's Marcos Alonso, Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester United's Jesse Lingard, Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane are the other players nominated.
Voting closes at 11.59pm on Monday and you can help Arnie win by voting here.
https://potm.easports.com
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Ngakia aiming to make versatility count for U18s against Southampton
WHUFC.com
It is very rare for a young footballer to not have a favourite player, an idol they try to copy, or a hero who inspires that spark to follow in their footsteps. For Jeremy Ngakia though, trying to copy just one player does not make sense. He wants to take the best attributes from them all! "I wouldn't say that there's a single player who I try to emulate," the 17-year-old says, after taking a minute to consider his answer. "It's more a case of watching as much football as I can, watching the players who play in my position, and trying to learn from what they do."
Ngakia's reasoning for this is highly logical; no two players are the same. "Some do certain things excellently, whereas others might be better at other parts of the game. It doesn't make sense to just say I want to be like one specific player. I want to take all those good points and bring them into my game."
Despite his age, Ngakia shows a maturity towards football that players years into their prime would be proud of. The youngster is wise enough to recognise that he still does not know which role on the pitch he is best suited to yet. The U18s return to action on Saturday with a test away to Southampton, a game that Ngakia could feature in, with the youngster only too happy to play where he is needed. "I've been playing at right-back and on the right wing for the U18s this season," he explained. "To be honest I don't feel like I've discovered my best position yet. "I like playing at right-back or on either wing. That versatility is helpful for the team and is a good quality to have, but I'd like to figure out where I am best at so I can specialise. "It will be down to the coaches though. I'll play anywhere for the team, happily, including against Southampton."
First-team player Michail Antonio, like Ngakia, has a history of featuring at full-back despite making his trade as a winger, and it is the West Ham No30 that the youngster most sees himself in, from the senior side. "He's such a hard worker," Ngakia said of Antonio. "He always gives 100 per cent and more! Against Chelsea he literally collapsed, he had worked so hard, and to give that for the team is just incredible. "He's so quick as well. He kicks the ball and runs after it and, because he's got so much speed, he always gets there first. That's what I try to do as well, use my speed to get ahead. I'd say that's my strongest attribute. "
Once again though, Ngakia's maturity shines through as the youngster recognises he has a long way to in football. "There's always room to improve. Mark Phillips and Steve Potts, they are always pushing me to be better. They want me to reach my maximum potential and help me to make the right decisions. They're really good coaches and I work really well with them. "I've been trying to play my best week in, week out for the U18s. Hopefully I'm being noticed and considered me for the U23s. I'd like to push for that this season."
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Georgiou: Beating Gillingham would be the best start to 2018
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies are determined to get 2018 off to a bang with a win against Gillingham Ladies this Sunday, according to Andria Georgiou. The Ladies return to action with their first match of the year this weekend when Karen Ray's side welcomes the Gills to Rush Green Stadium. This fixture comes after the team returned to training this week, following a mini festive break, and Georgiou says the side is ready to get going again. And the midfielder says there is a real drive to open January and 2018 with a positive result. "It feels really good to be back from the Christmas break," the 21-year-old told whufc.com. "We were off for around two weeks but it felt like longer. It was brilliant to get that first session done and there's a real buzz around the team heading into 2018. "We really want to start 2018 with a win against Gillingham, in front of our home fans. There would be no better way to open the New Year."
The reverse fixture was West Ham Ladies' first match of the 2017/18 campaign, in which the Hammers suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat. Georgiou, who signed for West Ham in November, wasn't part of the team then but she and the team are keen to pick up more points this weekend. She continued: "I wasn't here for the first game with Gillingham but the other girls have told me it was a really narrow loss, and we're all eager to rectify that with a win against them at Rush Green. I'm excited to play against them, as I am with every game."
The Ladies were bested 2-1 by Crystal Palace in their last game but the side was heavily praised by Ray for what is considered one of the team's best showings of the season. That sentiment has been echoed by Georgiou and the midfielder reckons the positives from that match will show themselves again against Gillingham.
"Despite losing that last game against Palace I actually think we put out one of our best performances," Georgiou added. "There were so many positives to take from that game, and we shouldn't have lost really. As a team, we know that was a really good match for us. "We went into our little break on a bit of a high, which may sound weird given it was after a loss. But given how we played we were really happy, and we're only going to get better in 2018. "If we train well we go into the weekend with more confidence. Good performances build confidence and, despite failing to win over Palace, we know we played well, and we're taking that good feeling into this game. "We just have to try a bit harder against Gillingham. If we've keep being positive I'm certain our strong team can claim even more victories, starting this Sunday."
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Shrewsbury Town v West Ham United
SUN 07 JAN 2018FA CUP - THIRD ROUND
14:00
Venue: Montgomery Waters Meadow
BBC coverage
How to follow:
Watch on BBC One from 14:00 GMT, listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Shrewsbury's second choice keeper Craig MacGillivray will be in goal as Dean Henderson has not been given permission to play by parent club Manchester United.
Left-back Max Lowe is available after signing from Derby County on loan.
West Ham have injury doubts over a host of players so boss David Moyes is likely to select a weakened team. Joe Hart is expected to play in goal, while Sam Byram, Edmilson Fernandes and Jose Fonte remain out.
COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "Even without being understandably distracted by playing Premier League games on Tuesday and Thursday, this looked a tricky game for West Ham.
"Shrewsbury are the surprise package of League One. Tipped for relegation they are actually pushing for automatic promotion. "Their success has been based on solid defensive principles which have seen then concede only four league goals at home, the joint best record in all four of the top divisions. "If Shrewsbury-born Joe Hart - who played for the town's cricket club as well as the football team - tweeted his delight at the draw; David Moyes kept rather quieter. Moyes is also a former Shrewsbury player, but will also recall all too well losing there in his first FA Cup tie as Everton's manager 15 years ago."
Twitter: @wilsonfooty
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst: "We aren't all going to go home and think that's the end of the road and our season's over if we lose against West Ham on Sunday, so I want us to try and be as positive as possible, but with it in mind that we are playing against higher quality players and if we leave too many gaps the chances are we will get exploited."
West Ham manager David Moyes: "Do I want to win the FA Cup? One hundred per cent. But I don't think it can be where we can damage our league season.
"If I could win the cup I would definitely try to win the cup, but I couldn't do it if I thought it would affect the Premier League."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham have never previously met Shrewsbury in a knockout competition.
Their four previous meetings were in back-to-back seasons in the old Division Two and resulted in two wins apiece.
Shrewsbury's win over West Ham at Upton Park in April 1980 came just two weeks before the Hammers lifted the last of their three FA Cups.
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982.
They have only gone beyond the third round once in the last 14 years.
This is Shrewsbury's first FA Cup third round tie against Premier League opposition since January 2003, when they eliminated David Moyes' Everton.
West Ham United
The Hammers are three-time winners of the FA Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They were also runners-up in 1923 and 2006.
They have been knocked out of the FA Cup third round five times in the last eight seasons.
The Hammers have lost just two of their last eight matches in all competitions.
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CAULKER-YOU MUST BE JOKING!!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 5 JANUARY 2018 AT 10:24PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Kevin Slade @S_D_C_C
As we all know, 'silly season' is in full swing at the moment with all sorts of rumours flying around the internet since the January transfer window has opened. Andy Carroll to Chelsea? Andre Ayew back to Swansea? Or maybe a loan move for William Carvalho (again)? Stranger things have definitely happened in the wacky world of West Ham United. But the most bizarre one currently doing the rounds is we are supposedly handing a trial to Steven Caulker, who has recently just had his contract terminated by a struggling QPR in the championship. For the life of me I can't see how this rumour would have any legs whatsoever. Firstly, he isn't good enough. He wouldn't take the place of any of the current three centre backs challenging for the starting eleven (Ogbonna, Reid, Collins). Not to mention Declan Rice has come on leaps & bounds since making his first team debut earlier on in the season. And let's not forget the recall of Reece Oxford from the Bundesliga? Before I continue, there is the argument of "well what about Alfie Mawson being linked then?" Thrown into the mix – Alfie Mawson is a completely different kettle of fish to Steven Caulker. Not only is he a few years younger, he also shows enormous potential in being a regular England international, and is on the cusp of achieving that. Steven Caulker's career is clearly on the decline – all you have to do is look at his CV & who he's played for.
I have had authority from an extremely good source that this definitely isn't the case at present for possibly the reasons I have stated above. However, it was also said that the player "Shirks responsibility on the pitch" and "is a bad apple off the pitch" in so many words. This wouldn't benefit the club during our current state, would it? Would the club take such a risk if this was the case now the team is galvanised? David Moyes has said in many interviews that if his players don't work, they won't play. We all know the board love a loan and/or a free transfer every window, but this is one that wouldn't improve us in any way, shape, or form. If anything, he'd be cleaning the boots of Declan Rice 😉
Kevin Slade
(Sex, Drugs, & Carlton Cole)
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West Ham interested in Swansea's Alfie Mawson
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 05/01/18 1:51pm
SSN
West Ham are interested in signing Swansea defender Alfie Mawson, according to Sky sources. Sky Sports News understands Hammers boss David Moyes is targeting a new centre-back during the January transfer window after losing Jose Fonte to injury in October. Mawson has 18 months left on his current contract, but would still command a fee of around £25m. The 23-year-old joined Swansea from Barnsley in August 2016 and chairman Huw Jenkins is reluctant to let him leave the club. Moyes revealed in December that he was looking to add to his squad as he attempts to secure his side's Premier League status. "I would like to bring in one or two reinforcements, but every manager will tell you it's not an easy time to do business," he said. "It's also an expensive month. We'll try and do it but there's no guarantee."
Mawson, capped six times at U21 level by England, has made 57 appearances for the Swans since moving to the Liberty Stadium.
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Newcastle not keen on West Ham's Andy Carroll following talks
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 05/01/18 2:31pm
SSN
Newcastle have held discussions about the possibility of bringing Andy Carroll back to the club this month, according to Sky sources. But, despite holding internal discussions about a potential move, Sky Sports News understands Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez is currently not keen on the prospect of signing the West Ham forward. Sky Sports News also understands Benitez is hoping to add four new signings to his squad during the January transfer window. Carroll scored his first two goals of the season in the 2-1 victory over West Brom on Tuesday and came on as a substitute in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The 28-year-old, who scored 33 goals in 91 appearances for Newcastle, has been plagued by a catalogue of injuries since joining the Hammers from Liverpool in 2012. Carroll has 18 months remaining on his present contract, although West Ham have the option to extend his deal by a further two years.
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Shrewsbury v West Ham preview: Joe Hart to return against former club
Last Updated: 05/01/18 5:55pm
SSN
Joe Hart is set to return in goal for West Ham United and face his former club Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. The goalkeeper has lost his place to Adrian in the last few weeks but will step in for the trip to New Meadow. After a spell of positive results, including the 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Thursday, the Hammers will be hoping to avoid getting knocked out at this stage like they have in four of the six previous years.
This is Shrewsbury's first FA Cup third-round tie against Premier League opposition since January 2003, when they eliminated David Moyes' Everton.
Team news
Shrewsbury will have goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray between the sticks for the third-round clash as first-choice 'keeper Dean Henderson was not given permission by parent club Manchester United to compete in the competition.
Marko Arnautovic (hamstring), Michail Antonio (groin) and Aaron Cresswell (back) are unlikely to be risked for West Ham while Jose Fonte (ankle) and Sam Byram (hamstring) are still out.
Opta stats
This is the first meeting between these sides since February 1981, with West Ham winning 2-0 in a league fixture with goals from Alan Devonshire and David Cross.
West Ham's last defeat to Shrewsbury came in April 1980, just 14 days before they won the 1980 FA Cup final.
West Ham have progressed from each of their last five FA Cup ties as a Premier League side against teams from the third tier or below, last going out to Swansea City in 1998/99 after a replay.
Charlie Nicholas' prediction
This is difficult for West Ham because this is the last thing they need after their back-to-back games and the lack of numbers David Moyes is down to. It could be a troubling day for them and you worry whether they'll able to match their hosts' energy after tough games on Tuesday and Thursday. Charlie predicts: 1-2 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
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Antonio Conte unsure on reports linking Andy Carroll with Chelsea
By Rory O'Callaghan
Last Updated: 05/01/18 10:59pm
SSN
Antonio Conte has refused to be drawn on reports linking West Ham striker Andy Carroll with a move to Chelsea. Carroll, who has just one full season left on his Hammers contract, scored twice against West Brom on Tuesday. And The Sun have reported that the 28-year-old is on Chelsea's shortlist of January signings.
However, speaking on Friday before the signing of Ross Barkley was confirmed, Chelsea boss Conte said: "As I've said before, I don't know. I gave my opinion to the club but the club then decides the players we can buy or we can sell." Speaking to Sky Italy earlier this week, Conte claimed that he is currently working under an "austerity programme" at Chelsea and the former Juventus manager confirmed he does not have the final say with regards to transfers at Stamford Bridge.
"It is the club that signs the players, not me. Recruitment is not my job," said Conte. "The club try to do the best for this team and try to improve this team. "I am a coach and I give my opinion if the club asks for it. But it is the club that decides on the players."
However, Conte insists he is happy at Chelsea and played down rumours linking Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone with the managerial role at Stamford Bridge.
"This is my job and there are a lot of rumours," said Conte. "This season there is a lot of speculation but it is normal. When you are an important coach this is your life."
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MATCH PREVIEW: SHREWSBURY V WEST HAM
By Dan Coker 6 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID
West Ham United have never met Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup before, so today's focus falls on a previous league meeting between the two clubs.
John Lennon was number one with 'Woman', the first Lennon single released after his death two months previously and knocking his re-released 'Imagine' off the top spot in the charts; Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier were in UK cinemas in The Jazz Singer; and actor Tom Hiddleston was born two days later as FA Cup holders West Ham United took on the Shrews in a Second Division match on 7th February 1981. It was the fourth, and most recent, occasion that the two clubs have met – Shrewsbury had done the double over West Ham in 1979/80, winning 3-0 at home and 3-1 at Upton Park, just two weeks before the Hammers lifted the last of their three FA Cups, but the Irons gained revenge in 1980/81, beating Graham Turner's Shrews 3-0 at the Boleyn before this 2-0 win at Gay Meadow in February 1981, courtesy of goals from Alan Devonshire (pictured below) and David Cross. Devonshire would score six goals in 56 appearances in 1980/81, with 'Psycho' Cross finishing as the club's top scorer with 33 goals from 60 matches.
The Irons would end the 1980/81 season as champions of the Second Division, securing a return to the top flight after a three-year absence. They also reached the League Cup Final but were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round in a second replay by Wrexham. The Hammers also reached the third round of the European Cup Winners' Cup only to be knocked out by an outstanding Dinamo Tbilisi side. Shrewsbury finished 14th in Division Two and were knocked out of the FA Cup in a fourth round replay by Ipswich. Tottenham won the 1981 FA Cup.
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard, Jimmy Neighbour, Geoff Pike, Trevor Brooking, Alan Devonshire, Paul Goddard (Bobby Barnes), David Cross.
Club Connections
West Ham United manager David Moyes was a player with Shrewsbury Town between 1987 and 1990. The Hammers' on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart made 58 appearances for the Shrews, with whom he started his career in the Conference National and League Two as a teenager. Other players to have represented both clubs include:
Midfielders: John Arnott and Jimmy Lindsay.
Striker: Mark Watson.
Ken Brown and John Bond both played for West Ham and managed Shrewsbury. Jimmy Quinn played for both clubs and managed the Shrews.
Today's focus though is on an outside-right who played for West Ham United before departing for Shrewsbury Town. Bill Edwards was born in Aston, Birmingham in 1896 and joined the Hammers from Newport in 1923 in an exchange deal which saw fellow outside-right Bill Charlton sign for the Welsh club. Edwards made his debut for the Irons in a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on 31st March 1923. This would be his only appearance in the Hammers' promotion season of 1922/23 and he would play no part in the club's run to the first FA Cup Final staged at Wembley.
Edwards' best run in the first team came in the First Division in 1923/24 when he made 27 appearances. His first goal for the Hammers came in a 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 15th December 1923. He scored twice more that season, in a 2-1 triumph over Everton at Upton Park on 15th March 1924 and a 3-1 home win over Preston on 12th April 1924. His playing time was reduced over the following two campaigns as he played only seven matches in 1924/25 and just four games in 1925/26 before departing for Shrewsbury. Edwards (pictured) had scored three goals in 39 appearances for the Hammers.
Edwards returned to Wales after his spell with the Shrews, moving first to Llanelli before returning to Newport. He retired from football to become a licensee in Hereford. A very good bowls player, Edwards was a leading light in the Hereford Bowls Club and a member of their team which won the English Bowling Association's triple championship in 1950. Bill Edwards passed away on 4th June 1952.
Referee
Sunday's referee is 37-year-old Paul Tierney. The Lancashire-based official has refereed the Hammers twice before, first in the 1-1 draw with Everton in November 2015 which saw James McCarthy's tackle on Dimitri Payet put the Frenchman out of action for two months (pictured below). His most recent Irons appointment was for our 0-0 draw at West Brom in September 2017, when he chose to issue just a yellow card to Ben Foster for his late tackle on Chicharito.
Possible line-ups
It was only two years ago that Shrewsbury reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, only to be knocked out by Manchester United. The Shrews also knocked out David Moyes' Everton in the third round back in 2003 and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982. Shrewsbury beat Aldershot 5-0 in the first round and Morecambe 2-0 in the second round to reach this third round tie with West Ham United. 24-year-old goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray, who kept clean sheets in the previous two rounds, will be in goal as Dean Henderson has not been given permission to play by parent club Manchester United. 43-year-old manager Paul Hurst, who has managed Shrewsbury for the last 14 months and is attracting interest from Championship side and boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, is likely to start with a 4-1-4-1 formation. The club narrowly avoided relegation to League Two last season. In a remarkable turnaround of fortunes Shrewsbury, who beat Oldham 1-0 on New Year's Day, are currently second in League One, in an automatic promotion spot behind Wigan. Shrewsbury have lost just one of 13 home matches in the league and FA Cup this season and have conceded just four goals in those games at New Meadow this season. They last conceded at home on 25th November, when they lost 1-0 to Bradford.
West Ham United could rest a host of players for their first cup tie with Shrewsbury and their first ever game at New Meadow. Former Shrewsbury goalkeeper Joe Hart is likely to start between the posts while Ben Johnson, Reece Burke, Moses Makasi, Domingos Quina, Josh Cullen, Saed Haksabanovic and Toni Martinez could all come into consideration. Sam Byram, Jose Fonte, James Collins, Aaron Cresswell, Edimilson Fernandes, Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio and Diafra Sakho are all expected to be out while Reece Oxford is a doubt. The Hammers are three-time winners of the FA Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980; they were also runners-up in 1923 and 2006.
Possible Shrewsbury Town XI: MacGillivray; Bolton, Nslala, Beckles, Sadler; Ogogo; Whalley, Godfrey, Nolan, Rodman; Payne.
Possible West Ham United XI: Hart; Johnson, Burke, Oxford, Rice, Masuaku; Haksabanovic, Quina, Cullen, Ayew; Martinez.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
David Moyes returns to familiar surroundings when he takes his West Ham United team to face Shrewsbury Town in the Emirates FA Cup third round on Sunday.
The Hammers boss spent three years with the Shrews as a player between 1987 and 1990, making 108 appearances and scoring 12 goals for the Shropshire club, while also developing his coaching skills by working at a local independent school. On a less positive note, Moyes also suffered one of the lowest points of his football career in the town back in January 2003, when his Everton side were knocked out of the FA Cup by a Shrewsbury team then struggling near the foot of the old Third Division. "I managed against Shrewsbury last season in the League Cup with Sunderland and we beat them at home, but I've got to say that FA Cup tie was one of my darkest days and when I talk about my biggest disappointments in football, losing at Shrewsbury with Everton was definitely one of them," he recalled. "I had great memories of playing there though as, when I went there in 1987, there were lots of Scottish boys there at the time. The manager who signed me was a Scot, Ian McNeill, and I was in a squad with the likes of John McGinlay, Dougie Bell, Jim Melrose and Doug Rougvie. Shrewsbury were doing OK then, too. We were in what is now the Championship. "I was a qualified coach by the time I went to Shrewsbury, having done by badges while I was at Cambridge United and Bristol City, and I worked at a coach at a local school, Concord College, too, which was very enjoyable."
With senior players having contested two high-octane Premier League matches in midweek, beating West Bromwich Albion and holding Tottenham Hotspur, Moyes is expected to make changes to his squad at Montgomery Waters Meadow. The manager confirmed that former Shrewsbury star Joe Hart will start in goal, while young professionals Sead Haksabanovic, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez could also be involved. There is also the possibility that, with their loan spells with Borussia Monchengladbach and Bolton Wanderers having ended, Reece Oxford, Josh Cullen and Reece Burke could travel. "I'd like to say we won't make a lot of changes on Sunday, because I try to be consistent, but the bigger problem is the number of players we have available and the fatigue due to the amount of effort they're putting into the games for us just now. Plus, we've got injuries, but if I have my way I'll put out as strong a team as I possibly can there. "Joe will play on Sunday, but Joe will play a lot of Premier League games this season as well. I'm sure he's not overly happy with the current situation, but he's a top professional and I'm sure he's had an understudy to him for 90 per cent of his career and I think he's acting in a really good manner. "He has been really professional and, as I've said, I'm in no doubt that Joe Hart will play games between now and the end of the season. "Sunday's Emirates FA Cup tie is really important, but not as important as being a Premier League club next season."
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Dominant Declan earns Reid respect
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid says he is 'really pleased' for Declan Rice after his young West Ham United teammate won the first Premier League Man of the Match award of his fledgling career. Vice-captain Reid had a grandstand view as 18-year-old Rice produced an impeccable display in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium, stifling in-form striker Harry Kane to help the Hammers collect a hard-earned point. And the No2, who himself debuted at senior level for Danish club Midtjylland at the age of 17, has not been in the slightest bit surprised by the positive impact Rice has made at first-team level. "Declan is not really new [to senior football] because he's been up with us for a while now," Reid observed. "He's always really willing to learn and is a good young kid and I'm really, really pleased for him. "I remember when I was 18, coming in and playing senior football, so I'm really pleased for him."
While Rice took the Premier League and Sky Sports plaudits, Reid was also back to his best against Mauricio Pochettino's side. The centre-half blocked a team-high four shots, made five clearances and two interceptions as part of a resilient defensive display based on true team work, discipline and hard work. "Going to Wembley, it was always going to be tough as Spurs are a very good team, but we had a gameplan and we stuck to it, dug in and put in a really good performance," said the New Zealand captain. "I thought the boys worked really, really well, considering we played two days earlier [against West Bromwich Albion]. "It comes down to hard work. The guys have got good character and they're putting in the hard yards on the training pitch and you can see we are getting the benefits and the results. "We've gone to Wembley and got a point. We'd obviously loved to have won the game, but fair play to Spurs because they scored a good goal as well. We'll take the point and move on." "Tottenham are a quality side and are always going to create chances, but I thought we tried to limit them as much as possible and everyone who started and came on put a big effort in. It's tough during this period, with all the games, so credit to the guys and we move forward."
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Teenage blocks - Rookie Rice leads by example
WHUFC.com
When Declan Rice was informed he had won the Premier League's Man of the Match award for his performance in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, his reaction was one of almost stunned disbelief. However, that disbelief quickly turned to pride as the teenager reflected on a job immaculately well done at Wembley Stadium, where the teenager excelled on English football's biggest stage for the second time this season. Still just 18, Rice played a starring role in the shackling of Harry Kane and company, impressing with his positioning, composure and ability to rise to the occasion. His heatmap (right) shows how the No41 had a big influence on the game, playing on the left of West Ham's three centre-halves. Playing just his 16th first-team match, the rookie made seven vital clearances, including six from inside his own penalty area and a vital early one from inside his own six-yard box to deny Kane a tap-in, as well as an interception and a tackle. Rice also blocked two Tottenham shots, including a last-minute effort from Spurs substitute Fernando Llorente, and three crosses. The Irishman is also an intelligent user of the ball too, passing accurately with either foot to lift the pressure on his team. Rice's display may have caught the eye, but he was not the only West Ham player to excel in his defensive role at the Home of Football. Indeed, it is all too easy these days to dismiss organised, disciplined play as 'parking the bus'.
Rather than give supposedly inferior teams credit for finding a way to avoid a chastening defeat against superior opposition, some members of the media are quick to criticise for a perceived lack of ambition and entertainment value. On Thursday, without the injured attacking duo of Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio, David Moyes unashamedly parked his West Ham bus on the Wembley pitch and invited Mauricio Pochettino to try and plot a route past it. For 90 minutes, the massed ranks of Claret and Blue held firm, blocking, interception, tackling, heading or saving everything their illustrious hosts could throw at them. West Ham sat deep, with a five-man defence shielded by Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate. Ahead of them, Manuel Lanzini and Chicharito, and later Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll, defended from the front whenever possible. Indeed, the average position of the Hammers' players showed just striker Chicharito spent more time in the Tottenham half than his own, and even then it was only by a matter of a few yards. Spurs also played into West Ham's hands somewhat, employing a narrow 4-2-3-1 formation with Son Heung-Min and Moussa Sissoko tucked in narrow alongside Dele Alli and ahead of Christian Eriksen and Eric Dier. Such were Tottenham's tactics that they rarely got wide and in behind Moyes' men. But that should take nothing away from the way West Ham put everything on the line to take a very hard-earned point back around the North Circular. The Hammers blocked no fewer than 14 of Tottenham's 31 shots, including four in one dramatic 30-second spell deep into added time, when Rice, Noble, Kouyate and Winston Reid flung themselves in front of goalbound efforts from Fernando Llorente, Son, Victor Wanyama and Christian Eriksen. And when Spurs did breach the West Ham back line, goalkeeper Adrian was – Son's unstoppable 30-yard shot seven minutes from time aside – in unbeatable form. The Spaniard made seven saves, keeping out first-half efforts from Harry Kane, Son and Eriksen, and two second-half strikes apiece from the Denmark midfielder and England centre forward. And so, driven by the indefatigable, unflappable Declan Rice, West Ham's bus deservedly drove away from Wembley with a Premier League point safely secured, and there was absolutely no shame in that whatsoever.
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Arnautovic up for Premier League Player of the Month - vote now!
WHUFC.com
Marko Arnautovic has been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month prize for December - with voting open here now, The Austria international enjoyed an outstanding month, scoring five goals in the games against Chelsea, Stoke City, Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth, helping the Hammers climb out of the relegation zone. His form has not gone unnoticed and he is nominated for the monthly award, alongside a host of top names.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Chelsea's Marcos Alonso, Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester United's Jesse Lingard, Riyad Mahrez of Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane are the other players nominated.
Voting closes at 11.59pm on Monday and you can help Arnie win by voting here.
https://potm.easports.com
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Ngakia aiming to make versatility count for U18s against Southampton
WHUFC.com
It is very rare for a young footballer to not have a favourite player, an idol they try to copy, or a hero who inspires that spark to follow in their footsteps. For Jeremy Ngakia though, trying to copy just one player does not make sense. He wants to take the best attributes from them all! "I wouldn't say that there's a single player who I try to emulate," the 17-year-old says, after taking a minute to consider his answer. "It's more a case of watching as much football as I can, watching the players who play in my position, and trying to learn from what they do."
Ngakia's reasoning for this is highly logical; no two players are the same. "Some do certain things excellently, whereas others might be better at other parts of the game. It doesn't make sense to just say I want to be like one specific player. I want to take all those good points and bring them into my game."
Despite his age, Ngakia shows a maturity towards football that players years into their prime would be proud of. The youngster is wise enough to recognise that he still does not know which role on the pitch he is best suited to yet. The U18s return to action on Saturday with a test away to Southampton, a game that Ngakia could feature in, with the youngster only too happy to play where he is needed. "I've been playing at right-back and on the right wing for the U18s this season," he explained. "To be honest I don't feel like I've discovered my best position yet. "I like playing at right-back or on either wing. That versatility is helpful for the team and is a good quality to have, but I'd like to figure out where I am best at so I can specialise. "It will be down to the coaches though. I'll play anywhere for the team, happily, including against Southampton."
First-team player Michail Antonio, like Ngakia, has a history of featuring at full-back despite making his trade as a winger, and it is the West Ham No30 that the youngster most sees himself in, from the senior side. "He's such a hard worker," Ngakia said of Antonio. "He always gives 100 per cent and more! Against Chelsea he literally collapsed, he had worked so hard, and to give that for the team is just incredible. "He's so quick as well. He kicks the ball and runs after it and, because he's got so much speed, he always gets there first. That's what I try to do as well, use my speed to get ahead. I'd say that's my strongest attribute. "
Once again though, Ngakia's maturity shines through as the youngster recognises he has a long way to in football. "There's always room to improve. Mark Phillips and Steve Potts, they are always pushing me to be better. They want me to reach my maximum potential and help me to make the right decisions. They're really good coaches and I work really well with them. "I've been trying to play my best week in, week out for the U18s. Hopefully I'm being noticed and considered me for the U23s. I'd like to push for that this season."
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Georgiou: Beating Gillingham would be the best start to 2018
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies are determined to get 2018 off to a bang with a win against Gillingham Ladies this Sunday, according to Andria Georgiou. The Ladies return to action with their first match of the year this weekend when Karen Ray's side welcomes the Gills to Rush Green Stadium. This fixture comes after the team returned to training this week, following a mini festive break, and Georgiou says the side is ready to get going again. And the midfielder says there is a real drive to open January and 2018 with a positive result. "It feels really good to be back from the Christmas break," the 21-year-old told whufc.com. "We were off for around two weeks but it felt like longer. It was brilliant to get that first session done and there's a real buzz around the team heading into 2018. "We really want to start 2018 with a win against Gillingham, in front of our home fans. There would be no better way to open the New Year."
The reverse fixture was West Ham Ladies' first match of the 2017/18 campaign, in which the Hammers suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat. Georgiou, who signed for West Ham in November, wasn't part of the team then but she and the team are keen to pick up more points this weekend. She continued: "I wasn't here for the first game with Gillingham but the other girls have told me it was a really narrow loss, and we're all eager to rectify that with a win against them at Rush Green. I'm excited to play against them, as I am with every game."
The Ladies were bested 2-1 by Crystal Palace in their last game but the side was heavily praised by Ray for what is considered one of the team's best showings of the season. That sentiment has been echoed by Georgiou and the midfielder reckons the positives from that match will show themselves again against Gillingham.
"Despite losing that last game against Palace I actually think we put out one of our best performances," Georgiou added. "There were so many positives to take from that game, and we shouldn't have lost really. As a team, we know that was a really good match for us. "We went into our little break on a bit of a high, which may sound weird given it was after a loss. But given how we played we were really happy, and we're only going to get better in 2018. "If we train well we go into the weekend with more confidence. Good performances build confidence and, despite failing to win over Palace, we know we played well, and we're taking that good feeling into this game. "We just have to try a bit harder against Gillingham. If we've keep being positive I'm certain our strong team can claim even more victories, starting this Sunday."
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Shrewsbury Town v West Ham United
SUN 07 JAN 2018FA CUP - THIRD ROUND
14:00
Venue: Montgomery Waters Meadow
BBC coverage
How to follow:
Watch on BBC One from 14:00 GMT, listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Shrewsbury's second choice keeper Craig MacGillivray will be in goal as Dean Henderson has not been given permission to play by parent club Manchester United.
Left-back Max Lowe is available after signing from Derby County on loan.
West Ham have injury doubts over a host of players so boss David Moyes is likely to select a weakened team. Joe Hart is expected to play in goal, while Sam Byram, Edmilson Fernandes and Jose Fonte remain out.
COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "Even without being understandably distracted by playing Premier League games on Tuesday and Thursday, this looked a tricky game for West Ham.
"Shrewsbury are the surprise package of League One. Tipped for relegation they are actually pushing for automatic promotion. "Their success has been based on solid defensive principles which have seen then concede only four league goals at home, the joint best record in all four of the top divisions. "If Shrewsbury-born Joe Hart - who played for the town's cricket club as well as the football team - tweeted his delight at the draw; David Moyes kept rather quieter. Moyes is also a former Shrewsbury player, but will also recall all too well losing there in his first FA Cup tie as Everton's manager 15 years ago."
Twitter: @wilsonfooty
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst: "We aren't all going to go home and think that's the end of the road and our season's over if we lose against West Ham on Sunday, so I want us to try and be as positive as possible, but with it in mind that we are playing against higher quality players and if we leave too many gaps the chances are we will get exploited."
West Ham manager David Moyes: "Do I want to win the FA Cup? One hundred per cent. But I don't think it can be where we can damage our league season.
"If I could win the cup I would definitely try to win the cup, but I couldn't do it if I thought it would affect the Premier League."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham have never previously met Shrewsbury in a knockout competition.
Their four previous meetings were in back-to-back seasons in the old Division Two and resulted in two wins apiece.
Shrewsbury's win over West Ham at Upton Park in April 1980 came just two weeks before the Hammers lifted the last of their three FA Cups.
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982.
They have only gone beyond the third round once in the last 14 years.
This is Shrewsbury's first FA Cup third round tie against Premier League opposition since January 2003, when they eliminated David Moyes' Everton.
West Ham United
The Hammers are three-time winners of the FA Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They were also runners-up in 1923 and 2006.
They have been knocked out of the FA Cup third round five times in the last eight seasons.
The Hammers have lost just two of their last eight matches in all competitions.
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CAULKER-YOU MUST BE JOKING!!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 5 JANUARY 2018 AT 10:24PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Kevin Slade @S_D_C_C
As we all know, 'silly season' is in full swing at the moment with all sorts of rumours flying around the internet since the January transfer window has opened. Andy Carroll to Chelsea? Andre Ayew back to Swansea? Or maybe a loan move for William Carvalho (again)? Stranger things have definitely happened in the wacky world of West Ham United. But the most bizarre one currently doing the rounds is we are supposedly handing a trial to Steven Caulker, who has recently just had his contract terminated by a struggling QPR in the championship. For the life of me I can't see how this rumour would have any legs whatsoever. Firstly, he isn't good enough. He wouldn't take the place of any of the current three centre backs challenging for the starting eleven (Ogbonna, Reid, Collins). Not to mention Declan Rice has come on leaps & bounds since making his first team debut earlier on in the season. And let's not forget the recall of Reece Oxford from the Bundesliga? Before I continue, there is the argument of "well what about Alfie Mawson being linked then?" Thrown into the mix – Alfie Mawson is a completely different kettle of fish to Steven Caulker. Not only is he a few years younger, he also shows enormous potential in being a regular England international, and is on the cusp of achieving that. Steven Caulker's career is clearly on the decline – all you have to do is look at his CV & who he's played for.
I have had authority from an extremely good source that this definitely isn't the case at present for possibly the reasons I have stated above. However, it was also said that the player "Shirks responsibility on the pitch" and "is a bad apple off the pitch" in so many words. This wouldn't benefit the club during our current state, would it? Would the club take such a risk if this was the case now the team is galvanised? David Moyes has said in many interviews that if his players don't work, they won't play. We all know the board love a loan and/or a free transfer every window, but this is one that wouldn't improve us in any way, shape, or form. If anything, he'd be cleaning the boots of Declan Rice 😉
Kevin Slade
(Sex, Drugs, & Carlton Cole)
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West Ham interested in Swansea's Alfie Mawson
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 05/01/18 1:51pm
SSN
West Ham are interested in signing Swansea defender Alfie Mawson, according to Sky sources. Sky Sports News understands Hammers boss David Moyes is targeting a new centre-back during the January transfer window after losing Jose Fonte to injury in October. Mawson has 18 months left on his current contract, but would still command a fee of around £25m. The 23-year-old joined Swansea from Barnsley in August 2016 and chairman Huw Jenkins is reluctant to let him leave the club. Moyes revealed in December that he was looking to add to his squad as he attempts to secure his side's Premier League status. "I would like to bring in one or two reinforcements, but every manager will tell you it's not an easy time to do business," he said. "It's also an expensive month. We'll try and do it but there's no guarantee."
Mawson, capped six times at U21 level by England, has made 57 appearances for the Swans since moving to the Liberty Stadium.
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Newcastle not keen on West Ham's Andy Carroll following talks
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 05/01/18 2:31pm
SSN
Newcastle have held discussions about the possibility of bringing Andy Carroll back to the club this month, according to Sky sources. But, despite holding internal discussions about a potential move, Sky Sports News understands Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez is currently not keen on the prospect of signing the West Ham forward. Sky Sports News also understands Benitez is hoping to add four new signings to his squad during the January transfer window. Carroll scored his first two goals of the season in the 2-1 victory over West Brom on Tuesday and came on as a substitute in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The 28-year-old, who scored 33 goals in 91 appearances for Newcastle, has been plagued by a catalogue of injuries since joining the Hammers from Liverpool in 2012. Carroll has 18 months remaining on his present contract, although West Ham have the option to extend his deal by a further two years.
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Shrewsbury v West Ham preview: Joe Hart to return against former club
Last Updated: 05/01/18 5:55pm
SSN
Joe Hart is set to return in goal for West Ham United and face his former club Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. The goalkeeper has lost his place to Adrian in the last few weeks but will step in for the trip to New Meadow. After a spell of positive results, including the 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Thursday, the Hammers will be hoping to avoid getting knocked out at this stage like they have in four of the six previous years.
This is Shrewsbury's first FA Cup third-round tie against Premier League opposition since January 2003, when they eliminated David Moyes' Everton.
Team news
Shrewsbury will have goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray between the sticks for the third-round clash as first-choice 'keeper Dean Henderson was not given permission by parent club Manchester United to compete in the competition.
Marko Arnautovic (hamstring), Michail Antonio (groin) and Aaron Cresswell (back) are unlikely to be risked for West Ham while Jose Fonte (ankle) and Sam Byram (hamstring) are still out.
Opta stats
This is the first meeting between these sides since February 1981, with West Ham winning 2-0 in a league fixture with goals from Alan Devonshire and David Cross.
West Ham's last defeat to Shrewsbury came in April 1980, just 14 days before they won the 1980 FA Cup final.
West Ham have progressed from each of their last five FA Cup ties as a Premier League side against teams from the third tier or below, last going out to Swansea City in 1998/99 after a replay.
Charlie Nicholas' prediction
This is difficult for West Ham because this is the last thing they need after their back-to-back games and the lack of numbers David Moyes is down to. It could be a troubling day for them and you worry whether they'll able to match their hosts' energy after tough games on Tuesday and Thursday. Charlie predicts: 1-2 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
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Antonio Conte unsure on reports linking Andy Carroll with Chelsea
By Rory O'Callaghan
Last Updated: 05/01/18 10:59pm
SSN
Antonio Conte has refused to be drawn on reports linking West Ham striker Andy Carroll with a move to Chelsea. Carroll, who has just one full season left on his Hammers contract, scored twice against West Brom on Tuesday. And The Sun have reported that the 28-year-old is on Chelsea's shortlist of January signings.
However, speaking on Friday before the signing of Ross Barkley was confirmed, Chelsea boss Conte said: "As I've said before, I don't know. I gave my opinion to the club but the club then decides the players we can buy or we can sell." Speaking to Sky Italy earlier this week, Conte claimed that he is currently working under an "austerity programme" at Chelsea and the former Juventus manager confirmed he does not have the final say with regards to transfers at Stamford Bridge.
"It is the club that signs the players, not me. Recruitment is not my job," said Conte. "The club try to do the best for this team and try to improve this team. "I am a coach and I give my opinion if the club asks for it. But it is the club that decides on the players."
However, Conte insists he is happy at Chelsea and played down rumours linking Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone with the managerial role at Stamford Bridge.
"This is my job and there are a lot of rumours," said Conte. "This season there is a lot of speculation but it is normal. When you are an important coach this is your life."
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MATCH PREVIEW: SHREWSBURY V WEST HAM
By Dan Coker 6 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID
West Ham United have never met Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup before, so today's focus falls on a previous league meeting between the two clubs.
John Lennon was number one with 'Woman', the first Lennon single released after his death two months previously and knocking his re-released 'Imagine' off the top spot in the charts; Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier were in UK cinemas in The Jazz Singer; and actor Tom Hiddleston was born two days later as FA Cup holders West Ham United took on the Shrews in a Second Division match on 7th February 1981. It was the fourth, and most recent, occasion that the two clubs have met – Shrewsbury had done the double over West Ham in 1979/80, winning 3-0 at home and 3-1 at Upton Park, just two weeks before the Hammers lifted the last of their three FA Cups, but the Irons gained revenge in 1980/81, beating Graham Turner's Shrews 3-0 at the Boleyn before this 2-0 win at Gay Meadow in February 1981, courtesy of goals from Alan Devonshire (pictured below) and David Cross. Devonshire would score six goals in 56 appearances in 1980/81, with 'Psycho' Cross finishing as the club's top scorer with 33 goals from 60 matches.
The Irons would end the 1980/81 season as champions of the Second Division, securing a return to the top flight after a three-year absence. They also reached the League Cup Final but were knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round in a second replay by Wrexham. The Hammers also reached the third round of the European Cup Winners' Cup only to be knocked out by an outstanding Dinamo Tbilisi side. Shrewsbury finished 14th in Division Two and were knocked out of the FA Cup in a fourth round replay by Ipswich. Tottenham won the 1981 FA Cup.
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard, Jimmy Neighbour, Geoff Pike, Trevor Brooking, Alan Devonshire, Paul Goddard (Bobby Barnes), David Cross.
Club Connections
West Ham United manager David Moyes was a player with Shrewsbury Town between 1987 and 1990. The Hammers' on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart made 58 appearances for the Shrews, with whom he started his career in the Conference National and League Two as a teenager. Other players to have represented both clubs include:
Midfielders: John Arnott and Jimmy Lindsay.
Striker: Mark Watson.
Ken Brown and John Bond both played for West Ham and managed Shrewsbury. Jimmy Quinn played for both clubs and managed the Shrews.
Today's focus though is on an outside-right who played for West Ham United before departing for Shrewsbury Town. Bill Edwards was born in Aston, Birmingham in 1896 and joined the Hammers from Newport in 1923 in an exchange deal which saw fellow outside-right Bill Charlton sign for the Welsh club. Edwards made his debut for the Irons in a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace on 31st March 1923. This would be his only appearance in the Hammers' promotion season of 1922/23 and he would play no part in the club's run to the first FA Cup Final staged at Wembley.
Edwards' best run in the first team came in the First Division in 1923/24 when he made 27 appearances. His first goal for the Hammers came in a 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on 15th December 1923. He scored twice more that season, in a 2-1 triumph over Everton at Upton Park on 15th March 1924 and a 3-1 home win over Preston on 12th April 1924. His playing time was reduced over the following two campaigns as he played only seven matches in 1924/25 and just four games in 1925/26 before departing for Shrewsbury. Edwards (pictured) had scored three goals in 39 appearances for the Hammers.
Edwards returned to Wales after his spell with the Shrews, moving first to Llanelli before returning to Newport. He retired from football to become a licensee in Hereford. A very good bowls player, Edwards was a leading light in the Hereford Bowls Club and a member of their team which won the English Bowling Association's triple championship in 1950. Bill Edwards passed away on 4th June 1952.
Referee
Sunday's referee is 37-year-old Paul Tierney. The Lancashire-based official has refereed the Hammers twice before, first in the 1-1 draw with Everton in November 2015 which saw James McCarthy's tackle on Dimitri Payet put the Frenchman out of action for two months (pictured below). His most recent Irons appointment was for our 0-0 draw at West Brom in September 2017, when he chose to issue just a yellow card to Ben Foster for his late tackle on Chicharito.
Possible line-ups
It was only two years ago that Shrewsbury reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, only to be knocked out by Manchester United. The Shrews also knocked out David Moyes' Everton in the third round back in 2003 and reached the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982. Shrewsbury beat Aldershot 5-0 in the first round and Morecambe 2-0 in the second round to reach this third round tie with West Ham United. 24-year-old goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray, who kept clean sheets in the previous two rounds, will be in goal as Dean Henderson has not been given permission to play by parent club Manchester United. 43-year-old manager Paul Hurst, who has managed Shrewsbury for the last 14 months and is attracting interest from Championship side and boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, is likely to start with a 4-1-4-1 formation. The club narrowly avoided relegation to League Two last season. In a remarkable turnaround of fortunes Shrewsbury, who beat Oldham 1-0 on New Year's Day, are currently second in League One, in an automatic promotion spot behind Wigan. Shrewsbury have lost just one of 13 home matches in the league and FA Cup this season and have conceded just four goals in those games at New Meadow this season. They last conceded at home on 25th November, when they lost 1-0 to Bradford.
West Ham United could rest a host of players for their first cup tie with Shrewsbury and their first ever game at New Meadow. Former Shrewsbury goalkeeper Joe Hart is likely to start between the posts while Ben Johnson, Reece Burke, Moses Makasi, Domingos Quina, Josh Cullen, Saed Haksabanovic and Toni Martinez could all come into consideration. Sam Byram, Jose Fonte, James Collins, Aaron Cresswell, Edimilson Fernandes, Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio and Diafra Sakho are all expected to be out while Reece Oxford is a doubt. The Hammers are three-time winners of the FA Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980; they were also runners-up in 1923 and 2006.
Possible Shrewsbury Town XI: MacGillivray; Bolton, Nslala, Beckles, Sadler; Ogogo; Whalley, Godfrey, Nolan, Rodman; Payne.
Possible West Ham United XI: Hart; Johnson, Burke, Oxford, Rice, Masuaku; Haksabanovic, Quina, Cullen, Ayew; Martinez.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!
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