Reece Burke recalls his battling Premier League debut
WHUFC.com
The scorer of the winning goal in Tuesday's FA Cup replay, Reece Burke,
explains why a hostile London derby against QPR made for a day he'll never
forget...
The build-up
Almost 16 months had passed since Reece Burke had made his first team debut,
aged 17, in an FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest. Though the result was not
one to remember for the centre-back and other young players who were
introduced to Hammers fans that day, the boyhood West Ham supporter would no
doubt treasure the afternoon he pulled on the Claret and Blue for the first
time. Now for the league debut, the youngster must have thought. But Burke
was forced to bide his time, get his head down and continue to work hard in
the development side in which he was making great strides forward. The
following summer was fruitful for the defender, too. Burke travelled to New
Zealand with the first team for their pre-season tour, before returning to
the UK to score the winner in a 3-2 victory over Sampdoria. Shortly after,
he signed his first professional contract with the Club. The stage was set
and in April 2015, his time finally came, when manager Sam Allardyce
selected the then-18-year-old to start alongside James Collins in defence in
a London derby against Queens Park Rangers. "I got told the day before that
I would be starting," recalled Burke. "It came as a bit of a surprise
because I hadn't played for the first team in a competitive game for a
while.
"And to be told I was going in straight from the start came as a shock, to
be honest. I was a bit nervous which I think is natural, but the lads said
that was normal, so I just tried to focus and look forward to the game. "To
be a West Ham fan about to play my first Premier League game, obviously I
was excited but the focus has got to be on the game straight away to be
fair."
The match
QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0-0 WEST HAM UNITED
Premier League, Saturday 25 April 2015, Loftus Road
Queens Park Rangers: Green, Onuoha, Dunne, Caulker, Hill (Suk-young 65),
Phillips, Barton, Sandro, Henry, Zamora, Austin
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins, Burke, Cresswell, Downing,
Kouyate, Noble, Jarvis (C.Cole 55), Nolan, Valencia
Referee: Mike Jones
Attendance: 18,036
With five matches left to play in the Premier League, West Ham were sitting
in the mid-table security of tenth place. Opponents QPR, however, were
fighting for their lives at the bottom, two points from safety. It was set
to be a busy afternoon for Burke and his fellow defenders. Alongside the
youngster was Collins, with full-backs Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell
either side of the centre-back partnership. With the solid midfield duo of
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate in front and Adrian in goal, Burke was well
protected, but nevertheless, a performance was needed against a battling
Super Hoops team led by boss Chris Ramsey. "They were a tough side to play
against at the time," said Burke, looking back on his big day. "As a
defender, you had to be focused because you knew they could go direct or
play in front of you. "I got a few tackles in, cleared a few balls and I
remember early doors I nearly scored as well. I can't remember who swung in
a corner, but I got up and nearly put a header in. "I was playing to the
left of Ginge and he was really helpful. He was in my ear the whole game,
telling me what to do and guiding me through it. "He's obviously really
experienced and he just helped me through, which is what you need as a young
centre-back coming into a game like that."
In the first half, Collins was penalised for a handball inside the penalty
area but Charlie Austin, stepping up from 12 yards, was denied by Adrian in
goal. The Hammers went close when Cresswell's free-kick was saved by Rob
Green at the other end, but late on, Richard Dunne thought he had won it for
the Hoops before his header was ruled out by referee Mike Jones. The
Hammers held on for a point, which would eventually see their tally of 47
steer them to a 12th-place finish.
"To get a clean sheet as a defender, you can't do much more and I was really
happy with the way it went," said Burke, proud of his performance. "Early
doors they got that penalty but Austin missed, so it was happy days and we
defended really well after that. "Under Big Sam we always had a good focus
in training on keeping clean sheets and making sure we did the basics so
that was good for a defender like myself. You can't complain with a clean
sheet away in a London derby."
The reaction
Burke went on to start the next four matches in the Premier League for
Allardyce's side but it was his first he decided is his favourite so far in
Claret and Blue.
He added: "It was just a whole new experience for me, having the West Ham
fans clapping me and the team at the end, having been in that crowd many
times before. It was great. "The whole family were there too and I was
pleased for them to watch me play that first league game. It was one of
those you don't forget.
"QPR is a very closed-in ground, it's very tight and the fans are right on
top of you. For a Premier League debut, I couldn't have asked for a better
atmosphere away from home. The atmosphere was a joke! It was so good.
"Getting a clean sheet definitely gave me confidence going into the next few
games as well, because I think I started the next three or four in the
league after that. It went from there so doing well in that QPR match worked
out well."
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Former Hammer pays tribute to 'standard bearer' Regis
WHUFC.com
Former West Ham United striker Bobby Barnes has paid a heartfelt tribute to
the late Cyrille Regis, who passed away this week at the age of 59. Capped
five times by England, centre forward Regis was one of the first black
footballers to make a significant impact on the British game and inspired
many youngsters from similar backgrounds to take up the game. Among those to
follow in the footsteps of the West Bromwich Albion favourite was Barnes,
four years his junior, who graduated from the Academy of Football before
playing 54 times in Claret and Blue.
"I first heard the sad news about Cyrille when someone sent me a text,"
Barnes, who is now deputy chief executive of the PFA (Professional
Footballers' Association), told Ken Dyer in Saturday's Official Programme
for the visit of AFC Bournemouth. "I honestly didn't believe it because he
looked after himself so I rang [Cyrille's long-time West Bromwich Albion
teammate] Brendon Batson and he confirmed it. "Cyrille was someone we all
looked up to, even going back to when I was making my way in the game. He
had gone through so much, along with Laurie Cunningham and Brendon and as a
young black player, you looked at him and said to yourself: 'He's taken so
much on our behalf. He's the standard bearer who has come through so much –
and thrived.' "People have often asked me what it was like when I was coming
through and yes, there was a certain awareness but back then, a lot of it
went over my head, to the extent that I was determined to do what I set out
to do, whatever anyone else said or did. "Cyrille was four years older than
me and he went through it in those early years. Since then I have spoken to
him a lot. "I remember England playing Spain in Madrid in 2004 and there was
a lot of racial abuse of several of our black players even then. I recall
talking to Cyrille afterwards and actually having a laugh because we both
agreed: 'Do you know what? That wasn't that bad compared to how it used to
be!
"I remember the days when it was so bad, the National Front were dishing out
leaflets outside the Boleyn. "We tried to lighten things when we could. I
remember we played up at Newcastle one day and I used to get so much stick
up there – bananas and all sorts – so the lads said 'we're going to give you
a bit of support Bob. We want you to lead us out for the second half and
show them what we're about'. "Naively I marched out of the tunnel, looked
behind me and I was the only one there. The rest were still in the tunnel!
"We all looked up to Cyrille, though. He was the big brother, if you like.
Our generation of black players had so much respect for him, as a friend but
also a pioneer. As Dion Dublin said: 'All of us have come through on
Cyrille's shoulders because he paved the way'. Even the current generation
of black players have so much to thank him for. "As a man, he was always
humble and respectful and as a player, he was a powerhouse. He got five
England caps but should have won far more than that. "The first thing I did
when I heard the news was to go on line and watch the goal he scored against
Norwich. I had to see it again for myself. He has four or five opponents
trying to pull him back on a muddy pitch and it's though they're not there.
He just slams the ball in from 35 yards. "He wasn't that tall but he was
built like a heavyweight boxer."
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Vashon Neufville - The new left-back in the changing room
WHUFC.com
With Arthur Masuaku busy establishing himself as a firm fans' favourite and
Aaron Cresswell impressing in a new role in West Ham United's back five, it
would be easy to ignore another left-back emerging behind the scenes. But
Vashon Neufville does not want to be ignored. And after being handed a spot
in the Hammers' first-team squad for the first time nine days ago, it is
clear his hard work is beginning to pay off. The young left-back did not get
on the pitch against Shrewsbury Town in the original Emirates FA Cup
third-round clash between the two sides, but that taster of senior action
has left the defender hungry for more. "It was amazing to be involved,
especially in the FA Cup," Neufville, still only 18-years-old, reflects. "It
was the first time and I've been thinking about it for a while. Hopefully
there are plenty more chances for me to do it again and maybe get on the
pitch."
Should the full-back continue his impressive form for the Club's U23 side in
Premier League 2, he will not have to wait long until that chance finally
comes.
A former England U16 and U17 international, the youngster's talent is
obvious and, as a player who flies down the left-wing for the U23s before
tearing back to help his team defend, Neufville encapsulates what it means
to be a modern-day full-back. They are not skills that come overnight for a
young player, though, and the likes of Masuaku, Cresswell and Paul Konchesky
– who is often found mentoring young Hammers at Chadwell Heath – have been
key influences on the defender. "Both the first team left-backs Cress and
Masuaku are great players so I always watch what they're doing on the
training pitch and learn from them," Neufville explains. "If I get the
chance to replicate how they play then maybe that increases my chance of
being able to fill in for them at some point this season. They are both
brilliant at getting forward and delivering crosses and they can defend too.
"Paul has also really helped me this season, not just on the pitch. He has
helped with my lifestyle and given me all his experience. "It's great to
have players around the training ground who have been involved with the Club
in the past, like Jack Collison and Matt Upson too, and you can always ask
loads of questions. You can always keep on learning."
A former England youth international, Neufville will be hoping to be
involved in some capacity tonight but, should another opportunity elsewhere
to gain senior experience present itself, the teenager is keen. "I want to
get some senior experience this season, that's the aim for the second half
of the campaign," he says. "Hopefully I can get out on loan somewhere this
month and play some League football. That's the aim but we'll wait and see."
Wait and see we will, but if Neufville continues in the same vein, the wait
for a first senior appearance and the chance to put what he has learned into
practice will soon be over.
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Cullen eyeing Premier League chance
WHUFC.com
Josh Cullen is eyeing up a Premier League chance after impressing in both
games of the Hammers' Emirates FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town. Cullen
returned from a loan at Bolton Wanderers, alongside matchwinner Reece Burke,
to play his part in the cup tie and wants to add to his one Premier League
appearance for the Club so far – in the famous 3-0 win at Liverpool at the
start of the 2015/16 season. Now with plenty of experience under his belt
from those loans at Bolton and Bradford City, Cullen is convinced he is
ready to kick on, "Pushing on in the Premier League is the aim," he said.
"It's great to be back – I want to play for West Ham and going out on loan
is about improving and developing to get that chance to play for West Han.
"I'm delighted to get two appearances under my belt, two starts, and it's
great to have that faith shown in me. I want to push on from here."
Tuesday's replay was Cullen's first London Stadium outing since the official
opening against Juventus, so he was delighted to be back and share the
winning moment with his fellow Academy graduate Burke. "It was good to be
back out there," he added. "It's a great feeling to play in front of the
West Ham fans. It was a tough game and credit to Shrewsbury for making it
tough for us but we're through and now we can push on to the next round.
"I'm buzzing for Burkey to get the goal. It was one of them – he's made a
great contact with it, struck it nicely and it's pinged off the bar and gone
in, "He's got good technique, he's not a head it and kick it centre half,
and I'm delighted for him."
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Huddersfield 1-4 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 18th January 2018
By: HeadHammerShark
"Just a perfect day, problems all left alone,
Weekenders on our own, it's such fun"
- Lou Reed, "Perfect Day"
And that will do very nicely indeed. In a season that seems to have been
tinged with a sense of disappointment from the moment that we started the
year with all the well drilled organisation of the Hawaiian Emergency Alert
team, and then slammed shut the transfer window with a slightly incredulous
"Is that it?", it must be said that in those brief, tantalising moments when
things have been good, they've been almost perfect.
Mark Noble. His legs have gone. Literally, in this case.
Two down to Spurs at Wembley and then roaring back to triumph 3-2; that
thumping 3-0 win at Stoke; Chelsea kept at arms length and poked like a
tiger for a 1-0 victory; the last gasp home winners against Swansea and West
Brom that masked the inadequacy of what had gone before. All moments to
remember and a reminder that when the stars align and the gods are with us,
then West Ham can serve up great days just like anyone else.
And what was even better about this one was that it almost sprang from
nowhere. After twenty minutes of this game it wouldn't have been a surprise
if a great celestial hand had appeared from the clouds, picked up the John
Smith's stadium, turned it upside down and shaken it, while yelling "IS THIS
THING ON?".
It wasn't for a lack of effort on behalf of either side, but the stars
weren't aligning for anybody. The home team huffed and puffed but never
looked like causing us any damage, while we continually got Manuel Lanzini
on the ball in dangerous positions, only for his radar to malfunction.
Shades of that Hawaiian Emergency Alert team once again. Overall, I'm not
sure I've seen so much effort produce so little of value since Madonna last
starred in a film.
In such circumstances, the tropes demand that you either need a moment of
individual brilliance or catastrophic error to conjure up a goal. And so it
was that Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lossl lined up a goal kick, noticed that
all his defenders on the edge of the box were marked and still passed it to
the one of them anyway. This is a tactic which the Terriers have used
regularly all season, and for all I know it could be a key component of why
they have done so well. But in that moment, with the way that Lanzini,
Arnautovic and Noble were aligned, it was fairly clear that we had set
ourselves up with the expectation that they would try this, and thus just
looked ludicrous.
So Lossl found Joe Lolley, Arnautovic hassled the young man, and Noble stole
it from him and ran through to coolly bend it round the keeper for a barely
deserved lead. It was an interesting passage of play because we had already
forced Lossl to go long from goal kicks previously and won the ball back as
a result. What I liked about this was that we were prepared for it and it
worked so well it resulted in us scoring. I might be doing Bilic and his
staff a disservice, but that feels like exactly the kind of attention to
detail that was so frequently missing from his latter day teams. By
contrast, whether it's towels on the sideline for long throws, or minimising
the gaps between midfield and defence, you sense that there are no stones
being left unturned by Moyes in the search for an edge. This goal would be
Exhibit A for why that's a Very Good Thing.
***
"When I'm outside in a real good mood
You could almost forget 'bout all the other things"
- Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, "Over Everything"
It was at this point that I started to get a nagging sensation that I'd seen
that goal somewhere before. I'm always hugely appreciative of opposition
goalkeeping incompetence, as I often mention to my eldest daughter Barthez,
and Lossl was definitely ringing some bells here. And then it came to me.
Finn Harps.
I shall say no more, but I shall simply invite you to watch this clip.
Thirteen year old me nearly burst a blood vessel laughing at this the first
time round. I think Lossl might have been channelling his inner Finn Harp
here.
***
"Are you hoping for a miracle?"
- Bloc Party, "Helicopter"
So with a one goal lead to protect and Huddersfield looking insipid, it felt
very much to me like we could sit on that advantage and possibly snatch a
second on the break. This is why my opinion should always be taken with a
Super Sized pinch of salt.
Approaching half time, we were still playing disjointedly when Lolley picked
up a loose ball wide on our left, cut into the box under minimal challenge
and curled a sumptuous equaliser inside Adrian's far post. The finishing in
this game really deserved a better showcase – similar to when when you see a
band you like on The Andrew Marr Show at nine on a Sunday morning and Chris
Grayling is tapping his foot away on the sofa. If that was a goal from
nothing, then it at least better reflected the balance of play in a game
where neither side was really doing anything of note.
But if goals from nothing are your thing, then Marko Arnautovic seems to be
your man. It took him just eleven seconds of the second half to latch on to
a speculative Kouyate flick on, pull it out of the air, baffle Tommy Smith
and drill home a fine low left footed shot. In that moment the entire
Huddersfield team talk was consigned to the waste paper bin, and we could
once again retain our shape and look to hit them on the break. It was a
moment of sublime skill and a far more difficult finish that it looked at
first glance.
Thereafter, we looked like we might score with every attack, as Huddersfield
decided to give defending a miss and move to a "Rush Goalie" formation that
I haven't seen since leaving school. We duly took advantage with a
beautifully crafted first goal for Lanzini, which he finished smartly. He
then helped himself to a second when Arnautovic went full "T-Rex out of the
enclosure", leaving a trail of mangled bodies behind him until his strike
partner arrived to smash home the loose ball like some glory hunting
Velociraptor. The Austrian celebrated with all the relish of a dad who had
just discovered his kids have changed the Sky Q pin.
But here's the thing about Moyes' West Ham. We continue to win in very
unlikely ways. Now hold on, because I know you might be spluttering at the
mouth and wondering how I could possibly find fault with a 4-1 victory, so
let me firstly say that I am not. This was a wonderful win. A perfect day.
But let me sound a note of caution, because this is The H List after all,
and you can go elsewhere for cheerleading if that's your thing.
As this shot map from Caley Graphics shows, while there wasn't much of a
threat all day from Huddersfield while we displayed almost unheard levels of
ruthlessness in our finishing. I was somewhat shocked when I saw the low xG
of our chances, but that is kind of the point of xG - to remove the inherent
biases of our own opinions. And so hats off to Noble, Arnautovic and Lanzini
for their classy finishes. As it was, our best chance actually might have
fallen to Kouyate who couldn't redirect an Ogbonna header just inches from
the line, after a corner.
But the reason for my nagging concern is that we won't score four goals
every week from six shots on target. We won't score last minute winners
every week. We won't keep Chelsea quiet for 85 minutes every week. We won't
have three shots to Spurs 31 and get a 1-1 draw every week. And if you think
that is all just a load of overly negative shit, then ask yourself whether
either of Bilic or Pardew were able to sustain their habit of going a goal
down all the time and still winning. Regression to the mean is a bitch, yo.
And yet, with every passing fixture Moyes seems to conjure up ever more
unlikely results. And here we are, with one defeat from our last eight
fixtures and up to eleventh in the table. It is truly impressive what he has
been able to achieve with a simple devotion to proper organisation and an
ability to actually coach and improve players. I'm not yet ready to commit
to Moyes on that long term deal, primarily because this sample size isn't
anywhere near big enough, but also because I would like to see more of those
wins like we had at Stoke. An impressive, dominant, no doubt about it,
"Alexa beat these fuckers like a piñata", kind of a win.
Because, for all the excellence on display here, I'm not sure it's entirely
sustainable in the long run to lean so heavily on keeping things tight and
hoping that our midfielders cum forwards will conjure something up. And in
fairness to Moyes, perhaps the best thing about this little resurgence is
how underwhelmed he seems to be with it all. As if he can't quite get over
how low the bar is in East London. He reckons we have a long way to go until
we're close to the level he wants us at and I reckon he's right. That said,
if the road is going to be long, then a few pleasant diversions such as this
will go a long way toward easing the burden.
***
"Oh, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now"
- Bob Dylan, "My Back Pages"
If the calling card of the Moyes regime has been his ability to rejuvenate
players, then perhaps the shining example has been Mark Noble. I remain
convinced that Noble was either injured or unfit at the start of the season,
as it turns out that a 70 yard Croatian long jumper might not have been
right at the cutting edge of elite athlete fitness preparation. Since his
return to the side under Moyes he has been exemplary, and has done a
marvellous job of thumbing his nose at unbelievers like me.
What I really noticed on Saturday was how much sharper he looked during the
many short sprints that are the staple diet of the modern day Premier League
midfielder. While Noble always has loads of time on the ball and always
looks to retain possession in tight areas, I think he is also benefitting
from the new system. With less ground to cover, he seemed more explosive and
quicker over those short distances. His goal was a case in point, but
generally I thought he did his work brilliantly and was the best player on
the pitch, even allowing for the performances of Arnautovic and Lanzini.
I always think that laymen like me probably make far too much of formations.
I strongly doubt whether professionals care too much about the concept of a
3-4-3 vs a 3-5-2, but instead focus simply on their tasks and the space on
the pitch they are either supposed to attack or defend. Because ultimately,
football is really just a game about space and trying to gain supremacy of
it.
But if you divide the pitch up into five sections lengthwise, I think you
can visualise why Noble seems to be better utilised in this system. None of
this is an advanced tactical revelation, by the way, but instead just
something I've been thinking about for a while.
If you look at the pitch in this way - and I stress again that I am not a
qualified coach or the second coming of Ron Greenwood - I think it's easier
to see that in this 4-2-3-1 formation you demand a lot of your central
players. The two central midfielders have to laterally cover all five
sections between them, unless the advanced three are hard workers and
prepared to track back all day. Of course, if they are Dimitri Payet,
Sofiane Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini then you might as well cast a couple of
spells and get yourself a pet hippogriff to do it.
Similarly, the two centre backs need to be able to provide a solid, mobile
base and allow the full backs to roam high up the pitch and try and get
overloads out wide. We worked this pretty well in 2015-16 when Noble and
Kouyate were imperious, and we had one of Europe's best players drawing all
sorts of defensive cover on our left wing. With two mobile full backs, and a
generally weak division, we were able to ride this formation all the way to
the cusp of the Champions League.
But in the intervening years, the ravages of time and injuries have taken
their toll. Certain players have visibly declined, and I counted Noble among
them. But in this new system, there are some obvious advantages for him.
Firstly, he can now park himself in the middle of that midfield three and
have a greatly reduced amount of space to police. Now Obiang and Kouyate can
drift out wide to provide support for those isolated wing backs. Noble,
meanwhile, can sit in the middle and control possession against the weaker
teams, and he did that here splendidly.
It helps, too, that he has a solid three behind him meaning that his
backtracking should be reduced as well. There are flaws of course, and the
wide areas continue to look a vulnerablity that we have seen repeatedly
exposed, but as an overall platform it all seems pretty stable, although
even as I write this all out, I feel like we might need to check that
Zabaleta's legs are still attached given all that running he has to do.
I don't know how much weight any of that would carry with qualified coaches,
but to my uneducated mind it makes some sense. That deep lying style allows
us to compress the space well, and reduce the stress on older legs, but does
also rely on the front men having to cover lots of ground ahead of them. In
that sense, the renaissance of Arnautovic has relied as much upon his off
the ball work as his goalscoring. Note that he was missing and Hernandez
started at Wembley, when it looked like we couldn't have hurt them even with
a Sherman tank. Which is kind of ironic given that Obiang unleashed a
Howitzer to open the scoring.
As I mentioned above, I'm not entirely sure all of this is sustainable, but
it feels very much like Moyes has cut his cloth to fit the players he has
available to him. A better centre back and he might be able to revert to a
back four, a better central midfield and he might be able to go to a pairing
in there and push forward another body to help Arnautovic. Whatever he
decides, I still think we need to some warm bodies this month.
***
"I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together"
- The Beatles, "I am the Walrus"
So for all of that praise directed towards Noble and the defensive shape of
the team, the most eye catching piece of our performance was the front two
of Lanzini and Arnautovic. By deploying them as a pair, Moyes continued his
policy of slinging players into advanced positions when he doesn't trust
them to do any tracking back, with Antonio being the first deployed in this
manner.
Talking to a Newcastle supporting friend on Monday morning, he said
something which made me laugh, but actually makes some sense. He said that
we were using Arnautovic in a similar way to Ronaldo.
After I stopped screwing up my face, I thought about it, and it's not quite
as insane as it seems. It's insane, of course, but not as bad as, say,
turning to Robert Snodgrass as the answer to your January problems.
Anyway, both Arnautovic and his Portuguese doppelgänger are tall, strong and
quick wide forwards who have been converted into central strikers and both
possess unusual gifts for someone in the position. Now let's get that into
perspective - Ronaldo has almost refined the role of what a central striker
looks like, so to compare him directly with a player in the bottom half of
the Premier League after a good game away at Huddersfield would be well Tim
Sherwood.
But what my friend was getting at, was more that we have abandoned the
traditional demands of our strikers and are instead playing a very different
way. Arnautovic is certainly strong enough to compete for balls and do the
traditional grunt work of a striker, but where we really want to get him is
isolated with defenders so he can run at them and beyond them. In a similar
style to Ronaldo, if nowhere near the same level, we are asking him to use
his physicality to lead counter attacks and stretch teams.
Take our last goal for example. That is not a goal that can be scored unless
he has the pace, skill and power to get to the ball and then bulldoze into
the area. None of our other players could have done that and it is a huge
feather in the caps of Moyes and his coaching staff that they have
engineered this development.
And yes, that third goal.
When did you last see us play like that? I can't remember a move of that ilk
since the Carlton Cole screamer at Wigan, and while we played well in that
2015-16 season, we haven't mustered up anything that good since moving to
the London Stadium. What was encouraging was that the goal actually
showcased exactly what you want from a team in our situation. We pressed
high, won the ball back, our midfielders shuffled it around until finding
Arnautovic in space and a stepover later Lanzini was showing Chicharito what
he's missing. A perfect goal on a perfect day.
***
"This is a tale of two city situations, a mutual appreciation
Away from narrow preconception"
- Super Furry Animals, "Juxtaposed With U"
Which brings me to our transfer window. I'm not necessarily climbing the
walls at the lack of activity, because the team's resurgence has lessened
the threat of relegation considerably and if they can finish the month
unbeaten we should be in full ascent up the side of Mt Mediocrity. An
unheard of state of affairs when Brighton were pulling us to pieces all
those weeks ago.
That being said, I think we need players still, but I'm starting to develop
a weird, zen like faith in Moyes' ability to mine points from the most
unpromising of situations. In the same way that when Charlie's Angels: Full
Throttle came out and suddenly they could all fight like Neo from The Matrix
without any explanation for it, I feel the same way about Moyes. I don't
know what he's doing, or why it's happening but let's just go with it.
That West Ham back three
But the strangest rumour abounding about West Ham at the moment is the one
linking Andy Carroll to Chelsea. When this emerged initially I assumed it
was simply the sound of column inches being desperately filled or Carroll's
agent angling for a new deal and overshooting the runway a little bit, but
now it refuses to die down.
Like most Hammers fans I'd be prepared to drive him over there myself except
I don't own an ambulance and I can't be doing with him pulling a hamstring
turning over the radio when we hit traffic on the M25. I know plenty might
keep him, but he's a disruptive force to the team purely because he confuses
how we want to play. Send him West and let Conte sort that out, and if we
get Batshuayi back in exchange then I could certainly live with that.
Besides, the Champions League deserves to see Andy Carroll. They've had it
too easy for too long, with their perfectly manicured pitches and slick
passing football and now it's time for their Hawaiian Missile Warning. Here
comes General Zod, Europe. Prepare to kneel.
Big Andy - Stick that up yer bleeding San Siro
But tragically, the other January tale that I seem to be hearing on repeat
is the story of us trying to get Robert Snodgrass back from his loan spell.
Not content with slagging him off for a year, and ignoring the not
insignificant question about where he would play in this line up - it is
really twisting my melon that after their fucking shambles of a transfer
window this time last year, these dickheads have searched every inch of the
globe, scanned YouTube into the wee hours and decided that the answer to
their problems is.....the same guy that they signed last year and didn't
know how to utilise.
Never change West Ham. I love you. You're perfect.
*I'm sorry this one was late and indeed was written as we were playing
Shrewsbury. Life gets in the way sometimes. Still, chapeau Reece Burke.
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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Memories of days like these
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 18th January 2018
By: Paul Walker
It's about time to be positive… and yes, I know that's the last thing you
expected to hear from me after such a long time being a cynical old bugger
where West Ham are concerned. But after the last 20 months of calamity,
under-achievement, laughable transfer windows, rain reaching 20 rows back in
the Bobby Moore lower and referees like Bobby Madley, there is a time to see
the good side of things. These last few weeks, one league defeat in eight,
great away wins at Stoke and Huddersfield, stuffing Chelsea, making Spurs
sick, it goes on. Hard to believe so much has changed since David Moyes
arrived in November.
I normally wouldn't dream of saying "I told you so" about anything, although
it is a phrase I use frequently with the boy scouts I watch the Irons with.
But you lot, well I doubt I would get away with it. But here goes. I told
you so! Moyes arrived accompanied by a cloud of sneering. This followed a
combination of Salford-San Sebastian-Wearside managerial rubbish from a man
many felt had seen his best time and would never reclaim his Everton halcyon
days. So, I offered you then a piece about the Moyes I had witnessed working
for a decade. To no real surprise, I was subjected to a considerably amount
of "you don't know what you are talking about" and worse, from all and
sundry. Particularly the previously-mentioned boy scouts. But to even a
little surprise from myself, Moyes has answered his critics, got a firm grip
of our lifeless, disinterested squad, made some tough decisions and planted
us in mid-table and the fourth round of the FA Cup.
It is far too early to try to suggest that the corner has been turned, that
Moyes is the new messiah in east London, because football has a nasty habit
of kicking you in the nuts when you think things are OK and the new manager
is a genius. I suggest any wandering Stoke fan reading this takes notice of
the last remark when they consider the bizarre appointment of Paul Lambert.
I recall a jouno friend telling me he gave up on him at Villa because his
Scottish accent was totally indecipherable and what you did understand was
gibberish anyway. Having experienced Kenny Dalglish (his accent, not his
coaching) I take the point.
Moyes ,in some ways, finds himself in a good position. If he's only here for
six months, he might as well tackle head-on the problems at the LS,
regardless of who he upsets. If it works, he's got another couple of years
here, if it fails then he'll go somewhere and get a job, the Aussies and the
Yanks are always a good option!
He sorted the goalkeeping problem, dumping Joe Hart. The haters got their
way and I doubt any of them will comment on the wonder save that stopped
Shrewsbury's Stefan Payne when clean through in Tuesday's replay. The Moyes
haters, the Mark Noble haters, have seemingly gone very quiet, thankfully.
Noble has relished his role in central midfield and has been outstanding
under Moyes. Moyes, himself, must think he is akin to James Corden parting
sheep. The points whisperer.
Moyes' overall record now with us is P 15 W 5 D 5 L 5 F 19 A 19. In the
league he has taken 16 points from 36. He has now easily surpassed Slaven
Bilic's league record this season before he got the boot.. Slav took nine
points from 33 before his demise. Moyes has also sorted a defence, and
hopefully realises we are much more solid when James Collins plays alongside
Angelo Ogbonna. In fact, we have lost only once this season when these two
are paired together. Oggy can, and now is, looking like a classy Italian
defender who could play for Juventus.
On other occasions, with Winston Reid around, he looks like one of those
Italian waiters in a kick-about on Rimini beach, some of us will recall from
the old days before the Cockneys discovered Florida. If our much-loved board
fail to give Collins a new contract, they want shooting. He may not be able
to play every game, but he is our toughest, most reliable defender. One more
year surely, with his character crucial to the dressing room these days,
would be worth it. He starts each season as fourth choice and is in the
side by November. There are so many on daft, laughably expensive contracts
at West Ham, this needs to be sorted quickly, Sully.
As for the sharp end, Moyes has decided that any combination of Andy
Carroll, Chicharito and Andre Ayew does not work. And Diafra Sakho is
swinging the lead, cheating the club and us and seemingly inventing injuries
to get away, so he has ceased to exist. So Arnie and Manu are being allowed
to run riot up front, their technique, first touch, passing quality and
movement giving us a sharp edge. Michail Antonio, when he decides to be fit,
is the back-up. Bet he would die for a first touch like Marko Arnautovic! I
recall saying that Moyes can organise a side, make them tough to beat, make
them fitter and will get results. It may not be pretty, but like the old
Everton, it is effective, and that's what we needed when he took over.
So it's with a little smugness that I can say, "I told you so". Trick now is
for Moyes to keep this run going and not make me, and himself, look a mug.
Now I wouldn't change it for the world, lets make that clear, but being a
West Ham fan isn't always that easy! Not for us the sense of expectation and
laughable entitlement (that's you, Tottenham) that surrounds the big clubs,
the two Manchester giants, Liverpool, and the two major clubs in London,
Arsenal and Chelsea.
There's usually a whole week of public, media and TV outcry when they don't
win, or at least find a soft referee who makes sure they do. Then there's
us. Not quite the same, is it? It occurred to me this weekend that I am
approaching 60 years supporting West Ham. First game in 1958, first away
outside London the '64 FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough. I reckon that I
have watched West Ham in 70+ stadiums, including Wembley, over those years.
Now I'm nothing special here, there are countless old codgers like me who
have travelled the land and beyond supporting the Irons. And you get used to
being disappointed, heartbroken at times, or regularly cheated by the
aforementioned dummy referees. Yes, I mean you and your like 'Bobby
Bad-ley'.
So away days like Huddersfield are few and far between. David Cross's four
goals at Spurs, a couple of fives at Chelsea, Paolo's day at Old Trafford,
even the wins by Slav's side at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. They
all sit long in the memory.
So us travelling fans are used to nonsense. Which makes the overall display
at Huddersfield special. Not just the sublime goals, but the whole team
performance. The plan, the organisation, the working and covering and
support play, even Cheikhou Kouyate did some running.
Me and the lad had one of the best days out in years, even the Yorkshire
police were smiling and helpful. Pity they can't show the West Midlands lot
how it's done, We even found a 'happy' Huddersfield fan on the way home who
showed us where the nearest off licence was for a celebration shandy.
Our fans were excellent, even out-singing the home fans and silencing that
infernal drummer. But, to his credit, he has a sense of humour. Serenaded
with "where's the wanker with the drum" at 4-1 down, he responded with a
slow funereal beat in response. It'll be a shame if Huddersfield go down.
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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West Ham fail in attempt to recall Robert Snodgrass from Aston Villa
By Danny Gallagher
Last Updated: 18/01/18 1:10pm
SSN
West Ham have failed in their attempt to recall winger Robert Snodgrass from
his loan at Aston Villa, Sky sources understand. The Sky Bet Championship
side have refused to allow the Scotsman to leave Villa Park and return to
his parent club midway through the season. It is understood the original
deal did not contain a recall option. Scotland international Snodgrass
joined Villa in the summer after being deemed surplus to requirements under
then-manager Slaven Bilic. But Bilic was sacked in November following the
Hammers' poor start to the season, and new manager David Moyes was keen to
have Snodgrass at his disposal for the remainder of the campaign. With Villa
keen to hold on to their loan signing, Snodgrass is expected to remain in
the Midlands until the summer. West Ham signed Snodgrass from Hull for £10m
last January and the club's hierarchy are not keen to spend additional money
on releasing the 30-year-old from his loan agreement.
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Swansea interested in West Ham forward Andre Ayew
By Kaveh Solhekol
Last Updated: 18/01/18 10:00am
SSN
Swansea are interested in bringing West Ham forward Andre Ayew back to the
club, according to Sky sources. West Ham value the 28-year-old at £20m - the
price they paid Swansea to sign him in August 2016 in what was then a
club-record deal. But a deal between the clubs is unlikely, with sources
close to Ayew insisting he is not keen on a return to the Liberty Stadium.
The Ghana international joined Swansea from Marseille in 2015 and enjoyed a
superb debut campaign in England, scoring 12 goals in 35 appearances. Ayew
has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular at West Ham since
his move to the club, netting 12 goals in 50 appearances. Sky sources
understand Swansea are also interested in Ayew's West Ham team-mate Diafra
Sakho.
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Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario turns down West Ham loan
Last Updated: 17/01/18 11:28pm
SSN
Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario has decided against joining West Ham on
loan, according to Sky in Italy. The Serie A side were happy to let the
24-year-old move to the Premier League on a loan deal. Inter signed the
midfielder from Sporting Lisbon for £40m in the summer of 2016. Joao Mario,
who was a member of the Portugal side which triumphed at the 2016 European
Championships in France, had been previously linked with a move to
Manchester United by newspaper reports. He has had to make do with a
bit-part role at the San Siro this season as coach Luciano Spalletti has
largely preferred Marcelo Brozovic in attacking midfield positions. Sky
Sports News reported earlier this month that David Moyes had considered
moves for Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny and now-Valencia midfielder
Francis Coquelin.
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Andy Carroll tells West Ham he is unable to train amid Chelsea interest -
but ankle scans indicate no problem
The Irons have yet to receive a formal bid - loan or otherwise - for their
29-year-old striker
The Mirror
Chelsea target Andy Carroll has told West Ham he is unable to train. Carroll
claims he has an ankle injury, but scans taken by the Hammers are understood
not to show a problem. The forward has missed West Ham's last three games,
including Tuesday night's FA Cup replay win over Shrewsbury. The Irons have
yet to receive a formal bid - loan or otherwise - for the 29-year-old
striker from Chelsea. However, West Ham are aware that Chelsea want a loan
move for their target man, who has 18-months left to run on his
£100,000-a-week deal. The Hammers would prefer a permanent deal and would
be interested only in offers over £20million for their player. Carroll
opened his league account for the season to help West Ham come from behind
to beat West Brom a fortnight ago. He was on the bench for the 1-1 draw with
Spurs two days later when he came on for the final five minutes. Chelsea
have been targeting a tall striker and also have Crystal Palace's Christian
Benteke among their options.
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Marko Arnautovic will have a rough ride at Wigan in FA Cup clash, vows
Latics captain Sam Morsy
Wigan beat Bournemouth 3-0 on Wednesday night to reach FA Cup fourth round
The League One leaders will face West Ham at home next weekend
Captain Sam Morsy vows to meet Premier League side with a physical approach
By Joe Bernstein for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 14:06, 18 January 2018 | UPDATED: 14:06, 18 January 2018
Wigan Athletic are promising to give West Ham's Marko Arnautovic a tough
time at the DW Stadium later this month as they revive memories of their
famous FA Cup triumph in 2013. Wigan booked a fourth round date with The
Hammers by trouncing another Premier League side Bournemouth 3-0 on
Wednesday night. Three Latics players were booked as they rattled
Bournemouth physically and skipper Sam Morsy, who scored the first goal,
wants them to make life as uncomfortable as possible for "Mad Marko". 'I'm
not sure how Arnautovic will feel about coming to the DW Stadium. If you're
playing against teams two divisions higher, the chances are their players
are going to be better technically, tactically and physically. So you have
to have an equaliser somewhere, whether it's the weather, the atmosphere.
'We have to do everything 100 per cent to try and match them up. You want to
test yourselves against the top players. We're in a really confident place,
the lads are flying. 'We go into these games believing and thinking we are
going to win. Not just thinking let's give a good account of ourselves.'
Wigan are top of League One under Paul Cook and have a proud FA Cup record
in recent years. They beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy
in 2013 with an injury-time winner from Ben Watson. The following year they
defeated City again at The Etihad en route to the semi-finals. 'Any Wigan
fan, the first thing they will talk about is the FA Cup win and Ben Watson's
goal,' added Morsy, who scored the opener against Bournemouth. It was
massive, the biggest moment in the club's history. We want to go on a run
again. Let's see how far we can go.' Ironically, Wigan also beat Bournemouth
in a third round replay five years ago en route to winning the cup.
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Andy Carroll: West Ham striker facing a month out injured
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United striker Andy Carroll is facing an extended spell on the
sidelines due to an ankle injury. It is not know precisely how long the
England forward will be out for but the minimum is likely to be a month, and
it could potentially be much longer. Carroll has only made one late
substitute appearance since scoring twice against West Brom on 2 January.
The injury is likely to end any hope the 29-year-old has of moving during
the current transfer window. Chelsea had been linked with the former
Newcastle and Liverpool striker, although manager Antonio Conte has refused
to discuss any interest in the player.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, January 18
Daily WHUFC News - 18th January 2018
Samuelsen heads to Championship side Burton on loan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster Martin Samuelsen has joined Championship side
Burton Albion on loan for the rest of the 2017/18 season. The 20-year-old
midfielder will begin his second loan spell in English football's second
tier, having spent three months of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.
Burton have only been a Football League side for nine years but have already
risen up to the Championship and are in their second consecutive season at
that level. Nigel Clough's side are looking to pull clear of the relegation
zone and have called upon Samuelsen ahead of their trip to Fulham on
Saturday. Samuelsen linked up with the Hammers' Academy in 2015 and has made
great strides during his time in east London, appearing in two UEFA Europa
League qualifiers in his debut season and going on to make his full Norway
debut in 2016. Alongside his loan at Blackburn, he has also made 28 Football
League appearances across two loan spells with Peterborough United.
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Irvine: We want to extend our unbeaten run on Saturday
WHUFC.com
Alan Irvine says West Ham United want to maintain their winning feeling when
they welcome AFC Bournemouth to London Stadium on Saturday. The Hammers have
lost just two of their last eleven matches in all competitions, with the
most-recent victory being a 1-0 Emirates FA Cup third-round replay win over
Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening. Another game in that recent run came at
the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day, when the Cherries snatched a dramatic
3-3 draw through Callum Wilson's controversial late equaliser. Manager's
assistant Irvine hopes the Hammers can go one better in the return fixture,
when they tackle opponents who they could yet also face in the FA Cup fourth
round later this month, should Eddie Howe's team overcome Wigan Athletic on
Wednesday night.
"It's always good to win and keep that momentum going," confirmed Irvine.
"Our run of form has been very good for a number of games now and we're
unbeaten in six matches. "We're delighted with that, but we still feel there
is plenty of scope for improvement. We're in a better place than we were
when we first came in and it's vitally important we continue to build on
that. "Bournemouth have got a strong squad. Everybody thinks 'little
Bournemouth' but they're a very well-run club and a club who have built a
very good squad over the years and they play a lot of very attractive
football. "We'll have a very difficult game at the weekend and a very
difficult game in the next round of the Cup, if they get through."
Two players who will be eager to feature again this weekend are Tuesday's
matchwinner Reece Burke and fellow Academy graduate Josh Cullen, who both
impressed in the two FA Cup ties with Shrewsbury. Irvine confirmed the
decision on whether the pair stay with West Ham or return to loan club
Bolton Wanderers will now rest with manager David Moyes. "I think, overall,
they can be very pleased with how they did. Reece Burke, in particular, must
be absolutely delighted to have got the goal that got us through. "They can
all take a lot of positives from the game and also all realise they have got
a lot of things to learn, but they're young players, so that's to be
expected. "Reece and Josh Cullen certainly didn't do themselves any harm. I
actually spoke to them when they both came back and told them the worse-case
scenario was that they go back to Bolton, but the best is that they play
really well, stay here and their Premier League careers start to take off.
"They've given David decisions to make with the way that they have performed
when they have come in."
*Standard Tickets for Saturday's Premier League fixture with AFC Bournemouth
are available here via the Ticket Exchange now!
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Andria Georgiou - West Ham Ladies' new-found optimist
WHUFC.com
It is safe to say it has been a busy couple of months for West Ham United
Ladies – a situation Andria Georgiou has relished since being with the Club.
The 21-year-old only signed for the Hammers in November, moving to the Irons
after a spell in Women's Super League 2 with London Bees, and the midfielder
could not be happier with her choice. "I'm really enjoying being at West
Ham", Georgiou exclaimed. "Everyone around the Club – the other players, the
staff, everyone – has been incredibly friendly and, since my first week,
I've felt really welcome. "I think you can tell I enjoy playing for the
Hammers. When I'm out there, on the pitch, I'm really happy. I try to get
that across in training as well."
Georgiou admitted a couple more wins 'would make me even happier' and feels
these results are just around the corner. The departure of Greg de Carnys as
manager saw Karen Ray, the Ladies' general manager, take over as interim
head coach. In her three games in charge the side have collected one win,
one draw, and one defeat, and Georgiou can see a big improvement. "I think,
since Karen came in, the team has done really well, and so has she," she
continued. "She took charge and in our first game we went and won 13-0 away
in a Cup game, which was a huge confidence boost. "Then we took on a top
side in Crystal Palace and our level of performance didn't warrant a defeat.
I feel like we could have even won that match. There's a real positivity in
the side right now and we need to build on that."
Confidence is everything for Georgiou. The midfielder is confident in her
own abilities on the field and wants to see the rest of the team having that
same self-belief. Only through that, according to her, will winning on a
weekly basis become the norm. She reasoned: "Confidence begins to develop in
training. When you train well during the week you go into the games at the
weekend with a lot more confidence. If you then collect a good result, or
put on a positive performance, that confidence begins to snowball and you
take that into the next game. "With that built in self-belief and continuing
to play well, you begin to get results, and that in itself also breeds
confidence. It's a cycle. We have to believe in ourselves."
West Ham currently sit ninth in the Premier League Southern Division, but
Georgiou is optimistic the team has the ability to climb the table between
now and the end of the campaign. "Every game is unwritten. You have to go in
positive and focused. You can't just hope for a win, though. You have to
work for the wins and hopefully we can get more victories in 2018. "We're
building a strong team and we want to we get a few more points and finish as
high up the table as we can."
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Martinez: Making my full debut is a great feeling
WHUFC.com
January 16, 2018. Toni Martinez will always remember the date, for that was
when 18 months of hard work as a Hammer paid off with his full debut. The
20-year-old striker played the 120 minutes as David Moyes' men battled past
valiant Shrewsbury Town thanks to fellow youngster Reece Burke's extra time
winner and he was thrilled to step out onto the London Stadium turf in
competitive action. Martinez left Valencia in his homeland to join West Ham
in summer 2016, and now he wants to build on the experience of helping the
east Londoners past the Shrews as they progress to the Emirates FA Cup
fourth round. "It felt great to make my full debut," he beamed. "It was very
good for me to get 120 minutes and I'm really happy to get the confidence
from the manager to do that. "I'll take [even more] confidence from it and
finally we got the win to progress in the FA Cup. "I've been working for 18
months to get this opportunity since I arrived and I'm very happy to get
this chance."
Martinez played a key role in Burke's 112th minute goal – the only strike
across three-and-a-half hours' football in Shropshire and east London – and
he felt the Hammers deserved their hard-fought victory. He explained: "To be
honest I didn't see Reece there, I just tried to put the ball in the box and
it was lucky for me that he scored that great goal. "I've not been surprised
by Shrewsbury's level away or on Tuesday here. The League One level is so
physically tough and it was a hard couple of games for us. "We're into the
next round and I'll keep working in every training session to get more
chances."
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West Ham United Foundation Launch Referees Academy
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Foundation are delighted to launch their innovative new
16-18 year old Referees Academy – creating the next generation of football
referees.
Refereeing is a great way to be involved in football. There are
opportunities for everyone, whether you only want to referee at your local
club or progress to the international stage. It gives you the opportunity to
be active in the game away from the playing side, to make new and lasting
friends within the game and to play a huge role in ensuring the players
enjoy their match day experience.
The Referees Academy will give young people across East London and Essex a
fantastic opportunity to be active, healthy and the chance to earn money and
forge a potential career.
This full-time, two-year education programme will include:
FA Referee Course
FA Level 1 Coaching Qualification
BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Sport
BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport
Opportunity to support and work alongside West Ham United Foundation and
Academy fixtures and festivals
Masterclasses from current and retired industry experts
Access to local FAs and other grassroots organisations
Opportunity to attend FA CPD events throughout the course
Cost: Free
Entry Requirements: 3 GCSEs at A-C or 8-4, preferably one Maths or English
Open Day for interested participants to be held at London Stadium during
Easter Half-Term.
Janie Frampton, Director at Sports Officials Consultancy who will be working
with the Foundation on the Academy, said "Sports Officials Consultancy are
delighted to be working in partnership with West Ham United's Foundation to
deliver their Referee's Academy. This programme is hugely exciting and the
first of its kind to link with accredited qualifications and to the wider
football industry in order to create individuals with a 'rounded' knowledge
of football from several perspectives. It is hoped with this innovative
style of development; new referees will be better prepared to be promoted
through the system and maybe even provide a top referee in the future."
Bryan Glover, Head of Football Development, said: "Having seen the
development needs of refereeing from grassroots level to the professional
game, we are launching this programme to help generate the next generation
of top-quality referees."
"I am also excited about the prospect of linking in the FA Level 1 Coaching
qualification with this Referees Course. We are confident that this will
give future referees that complete this programme the insight into both the
playing and officiating side of the game, that will allow them to be
effective and quality referees."
There will also be opportunities for fans to link in with the Referees
Academy alongside Football Supporters Federation, Kick it Out and Fans For
Diversity later in the year with a 'From The Refs Eyes' workshop.
If you are interested, please email foundation@westhamunited.co.uk
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West Ham reaping the rewards of Stratford move
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 17th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United made plenty of noise about bringing affordable football to
the masses when moving from Upton Park to Stratford in 2016.
However a new benchmarking survey assessing the average yield per
match-going supporter suggests that on average, Hammers fans are
contributing considerably more to their club than their closest rivals since
moving across the Borough of Newham.
According to the new report, which was commissioned by UEFA for the ninth
year running in order to show how effective FFP has been, West Ham earn on
average £35.30 for each fan passing through the turnstiles at the Olympic
Stadium.
And that's a figure beaten by only nine clubs across the entire continent,
all of whom play regular Champions League or European football.
"The average yield provides a benchmark for the price of attending football
matches," say UEFA. "It reflects all types of gate receipts including season
tickets, match day tickets, membership fees (where tickets are part of that
membership), premium ticketing and hospitality.
"The average yield underlines the positive impact stadium development can
have on increasing the revenues of a club and on diversifying their
revenues."
Which the results are goods news for those who stand to benefit financially
from the additional income generated since moving to Stratford, West Ham's
long-suffering supporters may view the results somewhat differently.
With the club very much in the midst of a relegation battle and yet to spend
a single penny in the current transfer window - despite manager David Moyes
having indicated on several occasions that he has an unbalanced squad - fans
could be forgiven for asking why the results on the pitch have been far less
successful than those off it.
UEFA's 'average yield per supporter per match' table
1. Arsenal: £74.09
2. Chelsea: £68.71
3. Real Madrid: £55.91
4. Liverpool: £55.68
5. Bayern Munich: £54.92
6. Man Utd: £53.41
7. Barcelona: £51.59
8. Galatasaray: £48.64
9. Man City: £40.83
10. West Ham Utd: £35.30
Additionally, attendances in Europe were down by an average of 1 per cent
compared to the previous year's report although 11 clubs welcomed more than
one million spectators to their home matches - including West Ham United,
for the first time ever.
The one million club
1. Barcelona: 1.48m
2. Man Utd: 1.43m
3. Borussia Dortmund: 1.35m
4. Real Madrid: 1.32m
5. Bayern Munich: 1.28m
6. Arsenal: 1.14m
7. West Ham Utd: 1.08m
8. Celtic: 1.04m
9. Schalke: 1.03m
10. Liverpool: 1.01m
Finally, West Ham enjoyed the greatest rise in average attendance across the
whole of Europe last season as a result of the move to Stratford, increasing
the weekly gate considerably in comparison to any other European club.
Biggest attendance increases
1. West Ham Utd: +22,062
2. Celtic: +9,876
3. Liverpool: +9,106
4. Spartak Moscow: +7,581
5. Kradnodar: +6,422
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 'must not sell' Andy Carroll, says Nigel Reo-Coker
Last Updated: 17/01/18 3:51pm
SSN
Nigel Reo-Coker says it is vital West Ham keep hold of Andy Carroll, despite
reports linking him with a move during January's transfer window. Sky
sources believe Chelsea are keen to sign the striker while the Hammers are
reportedly happy to sell Carroll for £20m. owever, Reo-Coker who played for
West Ham between July 2007 and May 2011, feels the England international is
an important member of a team still in danger of slipping back towards the
relegation zone of the Premier League. He told Sky Sports News on Wednesday:
"Andy Carroll is a vital player for West Ham, even though they have picked
up a few results lately. "There's still a long way to go this season and
he's a player they need to keep right now - for the team, the system and the
way they play. "On his day he can be a handful for even the best defenders
in the Premier League and selling him in the January window is not the right
thing to do. "And, despite what you might get for him, you have to remember
what position it could leave your team in. Or have they someone in mind who
can fit in right now? "For West Ham, and where they are right now, Carroll
is a player they need to keep in this window."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM OPEN TALKS WITH INTER MILAN FOR JOAO MARIO
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
West Ham are eager to add to their midfield this month and they're trying
their luck with a move for a Euro 2016 winner – but it's not William
Carvalho.
According to French source RMC, as cited by GFFN, the Hammers have opened
talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan regarding a loan move for
out-of-favour midfielder Joao Mario. The 24-year-old was part of the
Portugal side that were victorious at Euro 2016 in France and later that
summer he completed a £36m move to the San Siro from Sporting Lisbon but
he's struggled in Italian football over the last 18 months. So far this
season, Mario has made just 14 Serie A appearances, starting on five
occasions and he's provided five assists in those games without scoring –
not the return Inter are looking for. Mario has completed the 90 minutes
just once since mid-September and is free to leave Inter if the right offer
came in, but his interest in a loan move to the Premier League with West Ham
is iffy at best, the report claims. West Ham are keen to add a midfield
ballplayer following links with Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey but a player of
Mario's calibre aren't available often and it appears David Moyes is eager
to see whether he can strike a deal to bring him in, albeit on a temporary
basis to begin with.
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With Reece Burke now in contention, is it the end of the road for Jose
Fonte?
HITC
Paul Joannou
Jose Fonte's move to West Ham United has not quite worked out as well as
hoped. West Ham United reached the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to an
extra-time winner from young defender Reece Burke. The 21-year-old returned
to the London Stadium at the start of January following a successful loan
spell at Bolton Wanderers during the first half of the season. Since
returning, Burke has impressed in both games against Shrewsbury Town, which
could be enough to persuade manager David Moyes to give him more
opportunities. The Evening Standard report that Bolton want him back but
the defender is desperate to stay and fight for a place in West Ham's
back-line. The goal cannot have been good news for Jose Fonte. The
Portuguese defender has been sidelined with a calf injury since the end of
October and Burke could push him further down the pecking order. Fonte has
not had a great time at the London Stadium since joining from Southampton a
year ago. Inconsistent performances and injuries have seen his form dip. He
is now 34, so Moyes may feel it is time to bed in players like Burke, Declan
Rice and Reece Oxford. Fonte's place in West Ham's back three has also not
been helped by Ryan Cresswell's move to left centre-back from full back, so
it is looking increasingly likely that his days at the London Stadium are
numbered. Fonte will not want to end his career sitting on the sidelines so
a move away may be best for all concerned.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Besiktas eye West Ham ace Sakho, agent jets into London
HITC
Will Butcher
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is expected to leave the club this month.
Turkish newspaper Fanatik claim Slaven Bilic's former side Besiktas are
interested in signing West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho this month for a
bargain fee, as his Hammers future looks all but over. The 28-year-old has
just a matter of months remaining on his current contract at the London
Stadium, with David Moyes' side seemingly unwilling to extend his deal and
are willing to offload him instead.
The report claims Besiktas manager Senol Gunes has given the green light to
land the eight-time Senegal international, with well-known Turkish football
agent Ahmet Bulut jetting into London to discuss a move. Besiktas are fully
aware that the former Metz striker's contract ends in the summer and that
will see them look to land West Ham's number 15 in a cut-price deal this
month. Claret & Hugh claim six clubs are interested in Sakho, including
French quartet Bordeaux, Rennes, Nice and Marseille as well as Premier
League clubs West Brom and Brighton - and now Besiktas have seemingly
entered the race. Sakho is now expected to leave as he looks to secure a
place in Aliou Cisse's Senegal squad ahead of the World Cup in Russia this
summer, after scoring 24 goals in 71 games for the Hammers.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster Martin Samuelsen has joined Championship side
Burton Albion on loan for the rest of the 2017/18 season. The 20-year-old
midfielder will begin his second loan spell in English football's second
tier, having spent three months of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.
Burton have only been a Football League side for nine years but have already
risen up to the Championship and are in their second consecutive season at
that level. Nigel Clough's side are looking to pull clear of the relegation
zone and have called upon Samuelsen ahead of their trip to Fulham on
Saturday. Samuelsen linked up with the Hammers' Academy in 2015 and has made
great strides during his time in east London, appearing in two UEFA Europa
League qualifiers in his debut season and going on to make his full Norway
debut in 2016. Alongside his loan at Blackburn, he has also made 28 Football
League appearances across two loan spells with Peterborough United.
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Irvine: We want to extend our unbeaten run on Saturday
WHUFC.com
Alan Irvine says West Ham United want to maintain their winning feeling when
they welcome AFC Bournemouth to London Stadium on Saturday. The Hammers have
lost just two of their last eleven matches in all competitions, with the
most-recent victory being a 1-0 Emirates FA Cup third-round replay win over
Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening. Another game in that recent run came at
the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day, when the Cherries snatched a dramatic
3-3 draw through Callum Wilson's controversial late equaliser. Manager's
assistant Irvine hopes the Hammers can go one better in the return fixture,
when they tackle opponents who they could yet also face in the FA Cup fourth
round later this month, should Eddie Howe's team overcome Wigan Athletic on
Wednesday night.
"It's always good to win and keep that momentum going," confirmed Irvine.
"Our run of form has been very good for a number of games now and we're
unbeaten in six matches. "We're delighted with that, but we still feel there
is plenty of scope for improvement. We're in a better place than we were
when we first came in and it's vitally important we continue to build on
that. "Bournemouth have got a strong squad. Everybody thinks 'little
Bournemouth' but they're a very well-run club and a club who have built a
very good squad over the years and they play a lot of very attractive
football. "We'll have a very difficult game at the weekend and a very
difficult game in the next round of the Cup, if they get through."
Two players who will be eager to feature again this weekend are Tuesday's
matchwinner Reece Burke and fellow Academy graduate Josh Cullen, who both
impressed in the two FA Cup ties with Shrewsbury. Irvine confirmed the
decision on whether the pair stay with West Ham or return to loan club
Bolton Wanderers will now rest with manager David Moyes. "I think, overall,
they can be very pleased with how they did. Reece Burke, in particular, must
be absolutely delighted to have got the goal that got us through. "They can
all take a lot of positives from the game and also all realise they have got
a lot of things to learn, but they're young players, so that's to be
expected. "Reece and Josh Cullen certainly didn't do themselves any harm. I
actually spoke to them when they both came back and told them the worse-case
scenario was that they go back to Bolton, but the best is that they play
really well, stay here and their Premier League careers start to take off.
"They've given David decisions to make with the way that they have performed
when they have come in."
*Standard Tickets for Saturday's Premier League fixture with AFC Bournemouth
are available here via the Ticket Exchange now!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andria Georgiou - West Ham Ladies' new-found optimist
WHUFC.com
It is safe to say it has been a busy couple of months for West Ham United
Ladies – a situation Andria Georgiou has relished since being with the Club.
The 21-year-old only signed for the Hammers in November, moving to the Irons
after a spell in Women's Super League 2 with London Bees, and the midfielder
could not be happier with her choice. "I'm really enjoying being at West
Ham", Georgiou exclaimed. "Everyone around the Club – the other players, the
staff, everyone – has been incredibly friendly and, since my first week,
I've felt really welcome. "I think you can tell I enjoy playing for the
Hammers. When I'm out there, on the pitch, I'm really happy. I try to get
that across in training as well."
Georgiou admitted a couple more wins 'would make me even happier' and feels
these results are just around the corner. The departure of Greg de Carnys as
manager saw Karen Ray, the Ladies' general manager, take over as interim
head coach. In her three games in charge the side have collected one win,
one draw, and one defeat, and Georgiou can see a big improvement. "I think,
since Karen came in, the team has done really well, and so has she," she
continued. "She took charge and in our first game we went and won 13-0 away
in a Cup game, which was a huge confidence boost. "Then we took on a top
side in Crystal Palace and our level of performance didn't warrant a defeat.
I feel like we could have even won that match. There's a real positivity in
the side right now and we need to build on that."
Confidence is everything for Georgiou. The midfielder is confident in her
own abilities on the field and wants to see the rest of the team having that
same self-belief. Only through that, according to her, will winning on a
weekly basis become the norm. She reasoned: "Confidence begins to develop in
training. When you train well during the week you go into the games at the
weekend with a lot more confidence. If you then collect a good result, or
put on a positive performance, that confidence begins to snowball and you
take that into the next game. "With that built in self-belief and continuing
to play well, you begin to get results, and that in itself also breeds
confidence. It's a cycle. We have to believe in ourselves."
West Ham currently sit ninth in the Premier League Southern Division, but
Georgiou is optimistic the team has the ability to climb the table between
now and the end of the campaign. "Every game is unwritten. You have to go in
positive and focused. You can't just hope for a win, though. You have to
work for the wins and hopefully we can get more victories in 2018. "We're
building a strong team and we want to we get a few more points and finish as
high up the table as we can."
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Martinez: Making my full debut is a great feeling
WHUFC.com
January 16, 2018. Toni Martinez will always remember the date, for that was
when 18 months of hard work as a Hammer paid off with his full debut. The
20-year-old striker played the 120 minutes as David Moyes' men battled past
valiant Shrewsbury Town thanks to fellow youngster Reece Burke's extra time
winner and he was thrilled to step out onto the London Stadium turf in
competitive action. Martinez left Valencia in his homeland to join West Ham
in summer 2016, and now he wants to build on the experience of helping the
east Londoners past the Shrews as they progress to the Emirates FA Cup
fourth round. "It felt great to make my full debut," he beamed. "It was very
good for me to get 120 minutes and I'm really happy to get the confidence
from the manager to do that. "I'll take [even more] confidence from it and
finally we got the win to progress in the FA Cup. "I've been working for 18
months to get this opportunity since I arrived and I'm very happy to get
this chance."
Martinez played a key role in Burke's 112th minute goal – the only strike
across three-and-a-half hours' football in Shropshire and east London – and
he felt the Hammers deserved their hard-fought victory. He explained: "To be
honest I didn't see Reece there, I just tried to put the ball in the box and
it was lucky for me that he scored that great goal. "I've not been surprised
by Shrewsbury's level away or on Tuesday here. The League One level is so
physically tough and it was a hard couple of games for us. "We're into the
next round and I'll keep working in every training session to get more
chances."
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West Ham United Foundation Launch Referees Academy
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Foundation are delighted to launch their innovative new
16-18 year old Referees Academy – creating the next generation of football
referees.
Refereeing is a great way to be involved in football. There are
opportunities for everyone, whether you only want to referee at your local
club or progress to the international stage. It gives you the opportunity to
be active in the game away from the playing side, to make new and lasting
friends within the game and to play a huge role in ensuring the players
enjoy their match day experience.
The Referees Academy will give young people across East London and Essex a
fantastic opportunity to be active, healthy and the chance to earn money and
forge a potential career.
This full-time, two-year education programme will include:
FA Referee Course
FA Level 1 Coaching Qualification
BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Sport
BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport
Opportunity to support and work alongside West Ham United Foundation and
Academy fixtures and festivals
Masterclasses from current and retired industry experts
Access to local FAs and other grassroots organisations
Opportunity to attend FA CPD events throughout the course
Cost: Free
Entry Requirements: 3 GCSEs at A-C or 8-4, preferably one Maths or English
Open Day for interested participants to be held at London Stadium during
Easter Half-Term.
Janie Frampton, Director at Sports Officials Consultancy who will be working
with the Foundation on the Academy, said "Sports Officials Consultancy are
delighted to be working in partnership with West Ham United's Foundation to
deliver their Referee's Academy. This programme is hugely exciting and the
first of its kind to link with accredited qualifications and to the wider
football industry in order to create individuals with a 'rounded' knowledge
of football from several perspectives. It is hoped with this innovative
style of development; new referees will be better prepared to be promoted
through the system and maybe even provide a top referee in the future."
Bryan Glover, Head of Football Development, said: "Having seen the
development needs of refereeing from grassroots level to the professional
game, we are launching this programme to help generate the next generation
of top-quality referees."
"I am also excited about the prospect of linking in the FA Level 1 Coaching
qualification with this Referees Course. We are confident that this will
give future referees that complete this programme the insight into both the
playing and officiating side of the game, that will allow them to be
effective and quality referees."
There will also be opportunities for fans to link in with the Referees
Academy alongside Football Supporters Federation, Kick it Out and Fans For
Diversity later in the year with a 'From The Refs Eyes' workshop.
If you are interested, please email foundation@westhamunited.co.uk
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham reaping the rewards of Stratford move
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 17th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United made plenty of noise about bringing affordable football to
the masses when moving from Upton Park to Stratford in 2016.
However a new benchmarking survey assessing the average yield per
match-going supporter suggests that on average, Hammers fans are
contributing considerably more to their club than their closest rivals since
moving across the Borough of Newham.
According to the new report, which was commissioned by UEFA for the ninth
year running in order to show how effective FFP has been, West Ham earn on
average £35.30 for each fan passing through the turnstiles at the Olympic
Stadium.
And that's a figure beaten by only nine clubs across the entire continent,
all of whom play regular Champions League or European football.
"The average yield provides a benchmark for the price of attending football
matches," say UEFA. "It reflects all types of gate receipts including season
tickets, match day tickets, membership fees (where tickets are part of that
membership), premium ticketing and hospitality.
"The average yield underlines the positive impact stadium development can
have on increasing the revenues of a club and on diversifying their
revenues."
Which the results are goods news for those who stand to benefit financially
from the additional income generated since moving to Stratford, West Ham's
long-suffering supporters may view the results somewhat differently.
With the club very much in the midst of a relegation battle and yet to spend
a single penny in the current transfer window - despite manager David Moyes
having indicated on several occasions that he has an unbalanced squad - fans
could be forgiven for asking why the results on the pitch have been far less
successful than those off it.
UEFA's 'average yield per supporter per match' table
1. Arsenal: £74.09
2. Chelsea: £68.71
3. Real Madrid: £55.91
4. Liverpool: £55.68
5. Bayern Munich: £54.92
6. Man Utd: £53.41
7. Barcelona: £51.59
8. Galatasaray: £48.64
9. Man City: £40.83
10. West Ham Utd: £35.30
Additionally, attendances in Europe were down by an average of 1 per cent
compared to the previous year's report although 11 clubs welcomed more than
one million spectators to their home matches - including West Ham United,
for the first time ever.
The one million club
1. Barcelona: 1.48m
2. Man Utd: 1.43m
3. Borussia Dortmund: 1.35m
4. Real Madrid: 1.32m
5. Bayern Munich: 1.28m
6. Arsenal: 1.14m
7. West Ham Utd: 1.08m
8. Celtic: 1.04m
9. Schalke: 1.03m
10. Liverpool: 1.01m
Finally, West Ham enjoyed the greatest rise in average attendance across the
whole of Europe last season as a result of the move to Stratford, increasing
the weekly gate considerably in comparison to any other European club.
Biggest attendance increases
1. West Ham Utd: +22,062
2. Celtic: +9,876
3. Liverpool: +9,106
4. Spartak Moscow: +7,581
5. Kradnodar: +6,422
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 'must not sell' Andy Carroll, says Nigel Reo-Coker
Last Updated: 17/01/18 3:51pm
SSN
Nigel Reo-Coker says it is vital West Ham keep hold of Andy Carroll, despite
reports linking him with a move during January's transfer window. Sky
sources believe Chelsea are keen to sign the striker while the Hammers are
reportedly happy to sell Carroll for £20m. owever, Reo-Coker who played for
West Ham between July 2007 and May 2011, feels the England international is
an important member of a team still in danger of slipping back towards the
relegation zone of the Premier League. He told Sky Sports News on Wednesday:
"Andy Carroll is a vital player for West Ham, even though they have picked
up a few results lately. "There's still a long way to go this season and
he's a player they need to keep right now - for the team, the system and the
way they play. "On his day he can be a handful for even the best defenders
in the Premier League and selling him in the January window is not the right
thing to do. "And, despite what you might get for him, you have to remember
what position it could leave your team in. Or have they someone in mind who
can fit in right now? "For West Ham, and where they are right now, Carroll
is a player they need to keep in this window."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM OPEN TALKS WITH INTER MILAN FOR JOAO MARIO
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam
West Ham are eager to add to their midfield this month and they're trying
their luck with a move for a Euro 2016 winner – but it's not William
Carvalho.
According to French source RMC, as cited by GFFN, the Hammers have opened
talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan regarding a loan move for
out-of-favour midfielder Joao Mario. The 24-year-old was part of the
Portugal side that were victorious at Euro 2016 in France and later that
summer he completed a £36m move to the San Siro from Sporting Lisbon but
he's struggled in Italian football over the last 18 months. So far this
season, Mario has made just 14 Serie A appearances, starting on five
occasions and he's provided five assists in those games without scoring –
not the return Inter are looking for. Mario has completed the 90 minutes
just once since mid-September and is free to leave Inter if the right offer
came in, but his interest in a loan move to the Premier League with West Ham
is iffy at best, the report claims. West Ham are keen to add a midfield
ballplayer following links with Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey but a player of
Mario's calibre aren't available often and it appears David Moyes is eager
to see whether he can strike a deal to bring him in, albeit on a temporary
basis to begin with.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
With Reece Burke now in contention, is it the end of the road for Jose
Fonte?
HITC
Paul Joannou
Jose Fonte's move to West Ham United has not quite worked out as well as
hoped. West Ham United reached the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to an
extra-time winner from young defender Reece Burke. The 21-year-old returned
to the London Stadium at the start of January following a successful loan
spell at Bolton Wanderers during the first half of the season. Since
returning, Burke has impressed in both games against Shrewsbury Town, which
could be enough to persuade manager David Moyes to give him more
opportunities. The Evening Standard report that Bolton want him back but
the defender is desperate to stay and fight for a place in West Ham's
back-line. The goal cannot have been good news for Jose Fonte. The
Portuguese defender has been sidelined with a calf injury since the end of
October and Burke could push him further down the pecking order. Fonte has
not had a great time at the London Stadium since joining from Southampton a
year ago. Inconsistent performances and injuries have seen his form dip. He
is now 34, so Moyes may feel it is time to bed in players like Burke, Declan
Rice and Reece Oxford. Fonte's place in West Ham's back three has also not
been helped by Ryan Cresswell's move to left centre-back from full back, so
it is looking increasingly likely that his days at the London Stadium are
numbered. Fonte will not want to end his career sitting on the sidelines so
a move away may be best for all concerned.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Besiktas eye West Ham ace Sakho, agent jets into London
HITC
Will Butcher
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is expected to leave the club this month.
Turkish newspaper Fanatik claim Slaven Bilic's former side Besiktas are
interested in signing West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho this month for a
bargain fee, as his Hammers future looks all but over. The 28-year-old has
just a matter of months remaining on his current contract at the London
Stadium, with David Moyes' side seemingly unwilling to extend his deal and
are willing to offload him instead.
The report claims Besiktas manager Senol Gunes has given the green light to
land the eight-time Senegal international, with well-known Turkish football
agent Ahmet Bulut jetting into London to discuss a move. Besiktas are fully
aware that the former Metz striker's contract ends in the summer and that
will see them look to land West Ham's number 15 in a cut-price deal this
month. Claret & Hugh claim six clubs are interested in Sakho, including
French quartet Bordeaux, Rennes, Nice and Marseille as well as Premier
League clubs West Brom and Brighton - and now Besiktas have seemingly
entered the race. Sakho is now expected to leave as he looks to secure a
place in Aliou Cisse's Senegal squad ahead of the World Cup in Russia this
summer, after scoring 24 goals in 71 games for the Hammers.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 17
Daily WHUFC News - 17th January 2018
Burke rocket fires Hammers through after extra-time
WHUFC.com
West Ham United 1 – 0 Shrewsbury Town (after extra time)
Emirates FA Cup third round replay
Reece Burke hammered in an extra time winner to send West Ham United through
to the Emirates FA Cup fourth round at Shrewsbury Town's expense on Tuesday
night. The Hammers needed the additional 30 minutes to see off the challenge
of a spirited Shrews side, who pushed them all the way over the course of
three-and-a-half hours' football in Shropshire and east London. Shrewsbury's
title challenge in League One has been based on a solid defence, and they
showed exactly why they are pushing for a place in the Championship with a
pair of disciplined performances. It took 112 minutes of a tight game at
London Stadium for the Hammers to make their class count, as Burke smashed a
shot in off the crossbar after Toni Martinez forced the ball across to him.
Martinez was handed a first start in Hammers colours as the manager fielded
a blend of young and experience which included Reece Oxford and Josh Cullen
at one end of the scale, and Manuel Lanzini and Joe Hart at the other. West
Ham already knew how well drilled the Shrews would be from their first
meeting nine days ago, and Paul Hurst's side were equally impressive in the
opening stages as they pressed and harried their hosts with purpose. The
hosts tried to get Manuel Lanzini on the ball to prise the Shrews defence
apart and it was the midfielder who fired an early shot across their bows,
aiming too high from outside the area inside the opening ten minutes.
Genuine chances were hard to come by, although Sam Byram and Cullen played a
neat one-two to enter the box on 27 minutes before the returning right back
poked wide of the mark. Seven minutss before the interval Manuel Lanzini
warmed Shrews keeper Dean Henderson's palms with a fierctly-struck free-kick
from range, but neither team could find a way through in the first 45.
Twelve minutes after the break, Lanzini drove into the Shrewsbury box and
went down under a Aristote Nsiala challenge, but referee Jeremy Simpson
wasn't interested. Shrewsbury were giving nothing away however, and had a
massive chance to open the scoring themselves on 63 minutes when Oxford's
square pass was intercepted, giving Stefan Payne a clear run on goal. Joe
Hart was there to bail his teammate out, making himself big to divert the
visiting striker's shot away from danger. David Moyes called for Marko
Arnautovic and Mark Noble from the bench as the game entered its final
quarter and the former was inches wide with a 20-yard shot three minutes
from time.
Into the extra 30 minutes we went and Noble tried to break the deadlock when
he lofted a header over Henderson after a half-cleared corner, but Ben
Godfrey was there to clear off the line. Henderson was beaten again just
before the teams turned around in the additional period, but again he had a
defender to help, this time James Bolton racing back to block Lanzini's
goalbound shot. West Ham's presence as an attacking force was growing and
they finally broke through eight minutes from the end when the Shrews
couldn't get a corner clear, Martinez poked across goal and Burke hammered
home via the crossbar to set up a fourth round tie at AFC Bournemouth or
Wigan Athletic, who replay on Wednesday.
West Ham United: Hart (c), Byram (Zabaleta 90), Burke, Ogbonna, Oxford
(Noble 69), Masuaku, Cullen, Obiang, Lanzini, Ayew (Arnautovic 69), Martinez
Subs: Adrian, Haksabanovic, Samuelsen, Makasi
Goal: Burke 112
Shrewsbury Town: Henderson, Riley (Dodds 74), Lowe (Bolton 101), Godfrey,
Sadler, Beckles, Whalley (Rodman 78), Ogogo (c), Nolan, Nsiala, Payne
(C.Morris 83)
Subs: MacGillivray, John-Lewis, B.Morris
Booked: Nolan, Nsiala
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
Attendance: 39,867
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FA Cup hero Burke: I was over the moon!
WHUFC.com
Reece Burke was a proud young man after scoring his first goal for his
boyhood club. The Newham-born lifelong West Ham United fan fired the Hammers
through to the Emirates FA Cup fourth round with an extra-time winner to
finally see of Shrewsbury Town at London Stadium. Burke settled a
closely-fought tie by slamming the ball into the net via the underside of
the crossbar after being set up by fellow youngster Toni Martinez just eight
minutes before the tie would have been settled by a penalty shootout. "I was
over the moon! I just thought I'd keep my eyes on it and hit it as hard as I
can and it went in, so I was really pleased," said the defender. "I had
goose bumps when the ball went in and if you watch my celebration, I didn't
know what to do! "I've got 14 of my family here watching, so they'll be very
happy for me, and I'm sure my Dad will be buzzing. It's unbelievable to
score for my Club, where I'm from, and it was really needed. "We would have
like to have won the game in normal time, but it obviously went to
extra-time and we didn't really want penalties. I'm pleased to have got the
winner and we're through to the next round, so happy days!"
Burke returned from a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers to keep two clean
sheets against the Shrews and hopes his displays will earn him more action
in Claret and Blue. "It's a massive boost for myself. There are still some
talks about me going back to Bolton, but I've put a spanner in the works
now. I'll see what the gaffer wants to do. If I'm here, I'll give my best
and, if not, I'll go on loan do that elsewhere. "I would like to stay here
and get game time, but that's not my decision."
Fellow fan Mark Noble was full of praise for his 21-year-old teammate, who
grew up within walking distance of the Boleyn Ground and made his debut four
years ago in a 5-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at Nottingham Forest. That
nightmare was forgotten as Burke enjoyed a moment he will never forget to
set up a fourth round meeting with either AFC Bournemouth or the club he
played for ten times on loan last season, Wigan Athletic. "To score in front
of this crowd, as a local boy like myself, is great," said Noble. "I know
his Dad pretty well and I'm pretty sure he is bouncing about somewhere! It's
a great moment. Scoring for the club you support, you can't beat that, can
you? "I thought we managed to get in behind them a little bit more and
looked more of a threat after Marko came on. To be honest, we should have
killed the game off earlier but we didn't, which was obviously better for
Reece because he got the winner. "All in all, it's a good night. Shrewsbury
were great and brought a lot of fans. They deserved a cup tie, but obviously
we've gone through to the next round."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes: I am really pleased to go through
WHUFC.com
David Moyes was happy enough to see his West Ham United handle the challenge
of a determined Shrewsbury Town to reach the Emirates FA Cup fourth round.
The Hammers were pushed all the way by the League One high-fliers for a
second tie in succession, but won through 1-0 thanks to an extra-time winner
from Academy of Football graduate Reece Burke. The 21-year-old was on hand
to settle the third-round replay eight minutes from penalties, slamming the
ball high into the Shrewsbury net to set up a trip to either AFC Bournemouth
or Wigan Athletic. "It's great, because we didn't look as if we would score
in a month of Sundays!" the manager said. "We could have probably played all
night, as we had a few chances and a few attempts, but it wouldn't go in.
"Somebody was going to have to come up with something and Reece has struck
it really sweetly, so I'm pleased. He's been on loan at Bolton with Josh
Cullen and both of them have done really well for us, so I'm thrilled for
them, coming back and getting games in the first team as well. "I've got to
say Shrewsbury hardly had a chance all night, so it was just a matter if we
could break them down or not. Even if it takes extra-time, the job is to win
and I'm thrilled as we're through. We'll pick up whoever comes next, whether
it be Bournemouth or Wigan, and we'll try and get through that one as well."
Moyes was without the services a host of senior players absent through
injury, but a combination of promising youngsters, experienced professionals
and reinforcements from the bench saw his team progress. "I am really
pleased to go through. It was never going to be easy. We've got to really
focus on the Premier League games and coming into the cup, it's a bit
difficult, but hopefully the further we go through the easier it will get
and we'll have more players available as the rounds go on. "We definitely
wanted to progress. I've always said I wanted to go through, but we had so
many injuries and people unavailable for the game, which made it really
difficult for us to put out a real strong team. "Obviously we've got other
things on our minds and we have to think about the players for some other
big games."
Moyes' attentions now to turn to Saturday's Premier League visit of
Bournemouth to London Stadium but, before then, he had words of praise for
the valiant League One side, who restricted his team to just six shots on
target across 210 minutes of competitive FA Cup football. "I think
Shrewsbury have done really well. They played well up at Shrewsbury and
again they came here and put on a good show, defended well and were hard to
beat."They look as if they have a good chance of promotion if they continue
that form."
*Highlights of Tuesday's win are available to view on whufc.com from 12noon
on Wednesday 16 January.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collins seeking contract extension
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 16th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
James Collins is being linked with a move to Premier League rivals Brighton
& Hove Albion - despite having no intention of leaving West Ham United. The
34-year-old defender has been the subject of much speculation in recent
days, with newcomers Brighton - who are said to be prepared to pay up to
£2million in order to land the Newport-born centre half - cited as a
possible destination. Despite the interest, KUMB has learnt that the
popular Collins has no intention of leaving West Ham in the near future -
and would instead like to extend his stay at the Olympic Stadium by signing
a new contract. However at present, West Ham's Board are currently
unwilling to offer the former Welsh international an extension to his
existing deal, which expires at the end of the current season. Collins, who
is currently enjoying his second spell at West Ham was close to leaving the
club in August 2015 when he was deemed surplus to requirements. He was
eventually rewarded with a new two-year contract in December 2015, extending
his stay at the club until the summer of 2018.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes in the dark over Carroll rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 17th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
David Moyes insisted tonight that he has no knowledge of any impending bid
from Chelsea for Andy Carroll. Speaking to the media after West Ham had
beaten Shrewsbury Town at the Olympic Stadium, the manager was asked if he
could expand upon rumours suggesting that the currently-injured striker - 29
last week - might be on his way to Stamford Bridge. And the question was
initially dismissed by Moyes, who replied: "Well they've not made contact
with me!" - before adding: "If they've made contact with someone else, I
don't know about it. I want to add players to my squad, not lose players.
"I know nothing about it. There have been a lot of rumours regarding a loan,
but as far as I know it's never officially come from Chelsea. I don't know
who the sources are - but maybe you know better than me."
Moyes, whose team won the FA Cup 3rd round replay 1-0 thanks to Reece
Burke's extra-time winner also dismissed speculation suggesting that he was
looking to move Javier Hernandez on. The Mexican international has spent
just half a season at West Ham since making a big money move from Bayer
Leverkusen last summer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-0 Shrewsbury (AET): Reece Burke scores late winner
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 16/01/18 10:48pm
SSN
West Ham laboured into the fourth round of the FA Cup as they needed
extra-time to beat League One Shrewsbury 1-0 at the London Stadium on
Tuesday. With a number of first-team regulars rested from the start, the
Hammers produced a lacklustre display and were fortunate not to fall behind
in the 64th minute when Stefan Payne was denied by Joe Hart. Substitute
Marko Arnautovic went close and Aristote Nsiala and James Bolton both
cleared off the line in extra-time before Reece Burke eventually broke
Shrewsbury's resistance in the 112th minute to set up a fourth-round tie
against Bournemouth or Wigan, who meet in a replay on Wednesday. Hammers
goalkeeper Joe Hart had described his side's performance as "terrible" after
the 0-0 draw at Shrewsbury just over a week ago, and they again struggled to
impose themselves at the London Stadium. A much-changed defence looked
vulnerable at times and the only bright spot up front in the first half was
Manuel Lanzini, who saw a powerful 35-yard free-kick palmed away. Shrewsbury
rarely threatened themselves before the break, but could have taken the lead
in the second half as Payne saw a one-on-one chance saved by Hart. Shaun
Whalley then fired over from inside the box for the visitors. Arnautovic
twice went close after his introduction but failed to hit the target on
either occasion, and Nsiala almost won it for the Shrews when he headed over
from a corner in injury-time. Nsiala and Bolton both then cleared off the
line in extra-time as Shrewsbury were finally forced on to the back foot.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 112th minute when a corner was
hooked back into the box and Burke smashed in off the underside of the bar.
Man of the match - Aristote Nsiala
Shrewsbury produced an excellent all-round defensive display to keep West
Ham at bay until late in extra-time, but Nsiala takes the man-of-the-match
honours after clearing off the line in extra-time.
What's next?
West Ham host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday while Shrewsbury
entertain Doncaster Rovers in League One.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea make contact with West Ham to sign Andy Carroll
By Kaveh Solhekol
Last Updated: 16/01/18 12:36pm
SSN
Chelsea have made contact with West Ham with the intent of signing Andy
Carroll on a permanent deal, but the Hammers will not sell him for less than
his valuation, Sky Sports News understands. The East London club's stance
could change if Blues striker Michy Batshuayi was included as part of a deal
for Carroll, but Spanish club Sevilla are growing increasingly confident of
signing the Belgian. Chelsea are coming to life towards the end of the
transfer window, with the club understood to have made known their interest
in signing Alexis Sanchez out from under the noses of Manchester United and
Manchester City. They also want Carroll as another option to Alvaro Morata,
with Batshuayi having struggled to establish himself in Antonio Conte's
plans after signing from Marseille in 2016.
Conte was previously interested in Fernando Llorente before he joined
Tottenham last summer, and Carroll is of a similar profile to the veteran
Spaniard.
Carroll - an England international - cost West Ham £15m in 2013 deal from
Liverpool, having initially joined on loan, and he has scored 25 Premier
League goals in 86 appearances despite a number of injury problems. He began
his career at Newcastle before moving to Liverpool in a then club-record
£35m deal in 2011.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham willing to listen to offers for Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 16/01/18 10:22pm
SSN
West Ham are willing to listen to offers of £20m for Andy Carroll, according
to Sky sources. The 29-year-old has attracted the interest of Chelsea in the
January transfer window, and it now appears that West Ham may be willing to
allow the striker to leave the London Stadium this month. Sky Sports News
understands Chelsea have already contacted West Ham about signing Carroll on
a permanent deal in the current window. For their part, West Ham are
interested in Chelsea's out-of-favour striker Michy Batshuayi, who has
struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge since joining from
Marseille in July 2016. However, Sevilla are believed to be confident they
are the club that will sign the Belgian this month. Since joining West Ham
from Liverpool for £15m in July 2013, Carroll has scored 25 goals in 86
Premier League games.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United 1 – 0 Shrewsbury Town (after extra time)
Emirates FA Cup third round replay
Reece Burke hammered in an extra time winner to send West Ham United through
to the Emirates FA Cup fourth round at Shrewsbury Town's expense on Tuesday
night. The Hammers needed the additional 30 minutes to see off the challenge
of a spirited Shrews side, who pushed them all the way over the course of
three-and-a-half hours' football in Shropshire and east London. Shrewsbury's
title challenge in League One has been based on a solid defence, and they
showed exactly why they are pushing for a place in the Championship with a
pair of disciplined performances. It took 112 minutes of a tight game at
London Stadium for the Hammers to make their class count, as Burke smashed a
shot in off the crossbar after Toni Martinez forced the ball across to him.
Martinez was handed a first start in Hammers colours as the manager fielded
a blend of young and experience which included Reece Oxford and Josh Cullen
at one end of the scale, and Manuel Lanzini and Joe Hart at the other. West
Ham already knew how well drilled the Shrews would be from their first
meeting nine days ago, and Paul Hurst's side were equally impressive in the
opening stages as they pressed and harried their hosts with purpose. The
hosts tried to get Manuel Lanzini on the ball to prise the Shrews defence
apart and it was the midfielder who fired an early shot across their bows,
aiming too high from outside the area inside the opening ten minutes.
Genuine chances were hard to come by, although Sam Byram and Cullen played a
neat one-two to enter the box on 27 minutes before the returning right back
poked wide of the mark. Seven minutss before the interval Manuel Lanzini
warmed Shrews keeper Dean Henderson's palms with a fierctly-struck free-kick
from range, but neither team could find a way through in the first 45.
Twelve minutes after the break, Lanzini drove into the Shrewsbury box and
went down under a Aristote Nsiala challenge, but referee Jeremy Simpson
wasn't interested. Shrewsbury were giving nothing away however, and had a
massive chance to open the scoring themselves on 63 minutes when Oxford's
square pass was intercepted, giving Stefan Payne a clear run on goal. Joe
Hart was there to bail his teammate out, making himself big to divert the
visiting striker's shot away from danger. David Moyes called for Marko
Arnautovic and Mark Noble from the bench as the game entered its final
quarter and the former was inches wide with a 20-yard shot three minutes
from time.
Into the extra 30 minutes we went and Noble tried to break the deadlock when
he lofted a header over Henderson after a half-cleared corner, but Ben
Godfrey was there to clear off the line. Henderson was beaten again just
before the teams turned around in the additional period, but again he had a
defender to help, this time James Bolton racing back to block Lanzini's
goalbound shot. West Ham's presence as an attacking force was growing and
they finally broke through eight minutes from the end when the Shrews
couldn't get a corner clear, Martinez poked across goal and Burke hammered
home via the crossbar to set up a fourth round tie at AFC Bournemouth or
Wigan Athletic, who replay on Wednesday.
West Ham United: Hart (c), Byram (Zabaleta 90), Burke, Ogbonna, Oxford
(Noble 69), Masuaku, Cullen, Obiang, Lanzini, Ayew (Arnautovic 69), Martinez
Subs: Adrian, Haksabanovic, Samuelsen, Makasi
Goal: Burke 112
Shrewsbury Town: Henderson, Riley (Dodds 74), Lowe (Bolton 101), Godfrey,
Sadler, Beckles, Whalley (Rodman 78), Ogogo (c), Nolan, Nsiala, Payne
(C.Morris 83)
Subs: MacGillivray, John-Lewis, B.Morris
Booked: Nolan, Nsiala
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
Attendance: 39,867
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA Cup hero Burke: I was over the moon!
WHUFC.com
Reece Burke was a proud young man after scoring his first goal for his
boyhood club. The Newham-born lifelong West Ham United fan fired the Hammers
through to the Emirates FA Cup fourth round with an extra-time winner to
finally see of Shrewsbury Town at London Stadium. Burke settled a
closely-fought tie by slamming the ball into the net via the underside of
the crossbar after being set up by fellow youngster Toni Martinez just eight
minutes before the tie would have been settled by a penalty shootout. "I was
over the moon! I just thought I'd keep my eyes on it and hit it as hard as I
can and it went in, so I was really pleased," said the defender. "I had
goose bumps when the ball went in and if you watch my celebration, I didn't
know what to do! "I've got 14 of my family here watching, so they'll be very
happy for me, and I'm sure my Dad will be buzzing. It's unbelievable to
score for my Club, where I'm from, and it was really needed. "We would have
like to have won the game in normal time, but it obviously went to
extra-time and we didn't really want penalties. I'm pleased to have got the
winner and we're through to the next round, so happy days!"
Burke returned from a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers to keep two clean
sheets against the Shrews and hopes his displays will earn him more action
in Claret and Blue. "It's a massive boost for myself. There are still some
talks about me going back to Bolton, but I've put a spanner in the works
now. I'll see what the gaffer wants to do. If I'm here, I'll give my best
and, if not, I'll go on loan do that elsewhere. "I would like to stay here
and get game time, but that's not my decision."
Fellow fan Mark Noble was full of praise for his 21-year-old teammate, who
grew up within walking distance of the Boleyn Ground and made his debut four
years ago in a 5-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at Nottingham Forest. That
nightmare was forgotten as Burke enjoyed a moment he will never forget to
set up a fourth round meeting with either AFC Bournemouth or the club he
played for ten times on loan last season, Wigan Athletic. "To score in front
of this crowd, as a local boy like myself, is great," said Noble. "I know
his Dad pretty well and I'm pretty sure he is bouncing about somewhere! It's
a great moment. Scoring for the club you support, you can't beat that, can
you? "I thought we managed to get in behind them a little bit more and
looked more of a threat after Marko came on. To be honest, we should have
killed the game off earlier but we didn't, which was obviously better for
Reece because he got the winner. "All in all, it's a good night. Shrewsbury
were great and brought a lot of fans. They deserved a cup tie, but obviously
we've gone through to the next round."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes: I am really pleased to go through
WHUFC.com
David Moyes was happy enough to see his West Ham United handle the challenge
of a determined Shrewsbury Town to reach the Emirates FA Cup fourth round.
The Hammers were pushed all the way by the League One high-fliers for a
second tie in succession, but won through 1-0 thanks to an extra-time winner
from Academy of Football graduate Reece Burke. The 21-year-old was on hand
to settle the third-round replay eight minutes from penalties, slamming the
ball high into the Shrewsbury net to set up a trip to either AFC Bournemouth
or Wigan Athletic. "It's great, because we didn't look as if we would score
in a month of Sundays!" the manager said. "We could have probably played all
night, as we had a few chances and a few attempts, but it wouldn't go in.
"Somebody was going to have to come up with something and Reece has struck
it really sweetly, so I'm pleased. He's been on loan at Bolton with Josh
Cullen and both of them have done really well for us, so I'm thrilled for
them, coming back and getting games in the first team as well. "I've got to
say Shrewsbury hardly had a chance all night, so it was just a matter if we
could break them down or not. Even if it takes extra-time, the job is to win
and I'm thrilled as we're through. We'll pick up whoever comes next, whether
it be Bournemouth or Wigan, and we'll try and get through that one as well."
Moyes was without the services a host of senior players absent through
injury, but a combination of promising youngsters, experienced professionals
and reinforcements from the bench saw his team progress. "I am really
pleased to go through. It was never going to be easy. We've got to really
focus on the Premier League games and coming into the cup, it's a bit
difficult, but hopefully the further we go through the easier it will get
and we'll have more players available as the rounds go on. "We definitely
wanted to progress. I've always said I wanted to go through, but we had so
many injuries and people unavailable for the game, which made it really
difficult for us to put out a real strong team. "Obviously we've got other
things on our minds and we have to think about the players for some other
big games."
Moyes' attentions now to turn to Saturday's Premier League visit of
Bournemouth to London Stadium but, before then, he had words of praise for
the valiant League One side, who restricted his team to just six shots on
target across 210 minutes of competitive FA Cup football. "I think
Shrewsbury have done really well. They played well up at Shrewsbury and
again they came here and put on a good show, defended well and were hard to
beat."They look as if they have a good chance of promotion if they continue
that form."
*Highlights of Tuesday's win are available to view on whufc.com from 12noon
on Wednesday 16 January.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collins seeking contract extension
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 16th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
James Collins is being linked with a move to Premier League rivals Brighton
& Hove Albion - despite having no intention of leaving West Ham United. The
34-year-old defender has been the subject of much speculation in recent
days, with newcomers Brighton - who are said to be prepared to pay up to
£2million in order to land the Newport-born centre half - cited as a
possible destination. Despite the interest, KUMB has learnt that the
popular Collins has no intention of leaving West Ham in the near future -
and would instead like to extend his stay at the Olympic Stadium by signing
a new contract. However at present, West Ham's Board are currently
unwilling to offer the former Welsh international an extension to his
existing deal, which expires at the end of the current season. Collins, who
is currently enjoying his second spell at West Ham was close to leaving the
club in August 2015 when he was deemed surplus to requirements. He was
eventually rewarded with a new two-year contract in December 2015, extending
his stay at the club until the summer of 2018.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes in the dark over Carroll rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 17th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
David Moyes insisted tonight that he has no knowledge of any impending bid
from Chelsea for Andy Carroll. Speaking to the media after West Ham had
beaten Shrewsbury Town at the Olympic Stadium, the manager was asked if he
could expand upon rumours suggesting that the currently-injured striker - 29
last week - might be on his way to Stamford Bridge. And the question was
initially dismissed by Moyes, who replied: "Well they've not made contact
with me!" - before adding: "If they've made contact with someone else, I
don't know about it. I want to add players to my squad, not lose players.
"I know nothing about it. There have been a lot of rumours regarding a loan,
but as far as I know it's never officially come from Chelsea. I don't know
who the sources are - but maybe you know better than me."
Moyes, whose team won the FA Cup 3rd round replay 1-0 thanks to Reece
Burke's extra-time winner also dismissed speculation suggesting that he was
looking to move Javier Hernandez on. The Mexican international has spent
just half a season at West Ham since making a big money move from Bayer
Leverkusen last summer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-0 Shrewsbury (AET): Reece Burke scores late winner
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 16/01/18 10:48pm
SSN
West Ham laboured into the fourth round of the FA Cup as they needed
extra-time to beat League One Shrewsbury 1-0 at the London Stadium on
Tuesday. With a number of first-team regulars rested from the start, the
Hammers produced a lacklustre display and were fortunate not to fall behind
in the 64th minute when Stefan Payne was denied by Joe Hart. Substitute
Marko Arnautovic went close and Aristote Nsiala and James Bolton both
cleared off the line in extra-time before Reece Burke eventually broke
Shrewsbury's resistance in the 112th minute to set up a fourth-round tie
against Bournemouth or Wigan, who meet in a replay on Wednesday. Hammers
goalkeeper Joe Hart had described his side's performance as "terrible" after
the 0-0 draw at Shrewsbury just over a week ago, and they again struggled to
impose themselves at the London Stadium. A much-changed defence looked
vulnerable at times and the only bright spot up front in the first half was
Manuel Lanzini, who saw a powerful 35-yard free-kick palmed away. Shrewsbury
rarely threatened themselves before the break, but could have taken the lead
in the second half as Payne saw a one-on-one chance saved by Hart. Shaun
Whalley then fired over from inside the box for the visitors. Arnautovic
twice went close after his introduction but failed to hit the target on
either occasion, and Nsiala almost won it for the Shrews when he headed over
from a corner in injury-time. Nsiala and Bolton both then cleared off the
line in extra-time as Shrewsbury were finally forced on to the back foot.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 112th minute when a corner was
hooked back into the box and Burke smashed in off the underside of the bar.
Man of the match - Aristote Nsiala
Shrewsbury produced an excellent all-round defensive display to keep West
Ham at bay until late in extra-time, but Nsiala takes the man-of-the-match
honours after clearing off the line in extra-time.
What's next?
West Ham host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday while Shrewsbury
entertain Doncaster Rovers in League One.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea make contact with West Ham to sign Andy Carroll
By Kaveh Solhekol
Last Updated: 16/01/18 12:36pm
SSN
Chelsea have made contact with West Ham with the intent of signing Andy
Carroll on a permanent deal, but the Hammers will not sell him for less than
his valuation, Sky Sports News understands. The East London club's stance
could change if Blues striker Michy Batshuayi was included as part of a deal
for Carroll, but Spanish club Sevilla are growing increasingly confident of
signing the Belgian. Chelsea are coming to life towards the end of the
transfer window, with the club understood to have made known their interest
in signing Alexis Sanchez out from under the noses of Manchester United and
Manchester City. They also want Carroll as another option to Alvaro Morata,
with Batshuayi having struggled to establish himself in Antonio Conte's
plans after signing from Marseille in 2016.
Conte was previously interested in Fernando Llorente before he joined
Tottenham last summer, and Carroll is of a similar profile to the veteran
Spaniard.
Carroll - an England international - cost West Ham £15m in 2013 deal from
Liverpool, having initially joined on loan, and he has scored 25 Premier
League goals in 86 appearances despite a number of injury problems. He began
his career at Newcastle before moving to Liverpool in a then club-record
£35m deal in 2011.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham willing to listen to offers for Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 16/01/18 10:22pm
SSN
West Ham are willing to listen to offers of £20m for Andy Carroll, according
to Sky sources. The 29-year-old has attracted the interest of Chelsea in the
January transfer window, and it now appears that West Ham may be willing to
allow the striker to leave the London Stadium this month. Sky Sports News
understands Chelsea have already contacted West Ham about signing Carroll on
a permanent deal in the current window. For their part, West Ham are
interested in Chelsea's out-of-favour striker Michy Batshuayi, who has
struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge since joining from
Marseille in July 2016. However, Sevilla are believed to be confident they
are the club that will sign the Belgian this month. Since joining West Ham
from Liverpool for £15m in July 2013, Carroll has scored 25 goals in 86
Premier League games.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 16
Daily WHUFC News - 16th January 2018
West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United welcome Shrewsbury Town to London Stadium this week in an FA Cup third round replay.
Read on for all the information you need to know about this fixture, including updates on available tickets!
Where and when?
West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town will be played on Tuesday 16 January 2018 at London Stadium.
The contest is scheduled for kick-off at 7.45pm.
Ticket information:
Tickets for this Tuesday's match are now on general sale and West Ham United's commitment to affordable family football has seen ticket prices slashed!
Kids can attend this FA Cup replay from just £5 and booking a ticket for this fixture adds a Priority Point to your ticketing account, helping to give you priority on future away fixtures.
Tickets can be purchased here, and the full pricing details are as follows:
How to follow:
Unfortunately, this match is not available for viewing in the UK. For worldwide broadcast schedules, click here.
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter account.
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Team news:
David Moyes named Reece Burke, Josh Cullen and Declan Rice in his starting XI in the first tie with Shrewsbury Town, while six Academy prospects were also on the bench. Each will be hoping to be involved in the replay on Tuesday. These six youngsters were on the bench for the first tie vs Shrewsbury Town. Which would you most like to see involved on Tuesday?
Toni Martinez
Martin Samuelsen
Vashon Neufville
Sead Haksabanovic
Domingos Quina
Moses Makasi
What they say:
Shrewsbury at home, under the lights, will be fantastic on Tuesday night. Shrewsbury will be a tough opponent, but we have the players to win on Tuesday night.
Mark Noble
Match Officials:
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin & Akil Howson
Fourth Official: James Linington
How to get there:
There are four Underground stations that supporters should utilise to reach London Stadium: Stratford Station, Stratford International, Hackney Wick and Pudding Mill Lane.
By Train
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Ladies executed Brislington game-plan excellently – Smith
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies' adaption to and execution of a 3-5-2 formation has been hailed by assistant coach Myles Smith, after it set the side on the way to a brilliant 6-0 victory against Brislington. The Ladies played three defenders in the first half of Sunday's contest in Bristol, with Rosie and Mollie Kmita operating as wing-backs, with the former scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes for the team. Molly Peters, Amber Stobbs and Kelly Wealthall also got on the scoresheet in the second period before Kmita secured her hat-trick late on. The change in tactics came after a disappointing 0-0 draw with Gillingham last weekend – a match in which chances on goal were limited – and Smith is thrilled with how the three-woman defence allowed his side to play with more attacking intent. On the formation switch, Smith told whufc.com: "It looked like it worked extremely well. As a team, we've put a lot of work into trying new things and I think the identity we're starting to form now is a really good one. "We looked at today's opposition, identified that three at the back might give us an advantage, and executed it really well. We looked really threatening and we tried to get the ball into dangerous areas. We had a lot of opportunities in the first half and then a positive second half as well."
Smith was also delighted with the performance Kmita offered during the contest, hailing the winger's three goals and each of the players for their six finishes in the win. And the coach wants to see this positive atmosphere continue into the coming week and future fixtures. He continued: "Rosie was fantastic today, as was everybody else going forward. We've been looking at and working on that transition, and getting bodies forward. We didn't offer enough of an attacking threat in our last game, but the reaction from the girls today was fantastic. "Rosie's got the biggest reward with the hat-trick, and she's been working really hard in training, as has everyone. It's been a really positive week for us. "It's important for us now to continue that going forward. Doing that starts today with the recovery and into training this week. We want to keep this mood into our next game in a couple of weeks and we will ensure the girls are as prepared as they can be."
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Team News: Chicharito to be assessed ahead of Shrewsbury replay
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will definitely be without Andy Carroll for Tuesday's FA Cup replay with Shrewsbury Town, while Chicharito's availability will be determined prior to the match, according to coaching assistant Alan Irvine. The Hammers are preparing to take on League One Shrewsbury Town this week, having drawn with the Shrews 0-0 in the initial fixture last Sunday. A decision on who will play for the Irons in this midweek fixture is yet to be made, Irvine suggested, but the coach did confirm that West Ham will be without striker Carroll for the match. The 29-year-old was also out for the weekend's win over Huddersfield Town. Irvine also revealed that Chicharito had been sent home from training on Monday due to being ill, and a decision would be made about his potential to play in Tuesday's match in the morning. "We've got some bumps and bruises as you would expect, following the game at the weekend," Irvine said. "Andy Carroll is not fit yet. Chicharito actually came in this morning and was sent home unwell, and we don't know if he will be okay for tomorrow. It's described as flu, but I don't know if it's actually flu or not. We will find out tomorrow how he is. "The good thing is that we haven't had to pick the team yet. We will see where everybody is in the morning."
The Irons will also be playing without Diafra Sakho with Irvine indicating the forward had been injured for a couple of weeks. The Senegalese international's future with West Ham has been the subject of speculation in recent media reports but, while Irvine said the team would not have Sakho involved on Tuesday, the attacker's future was with the Premier League side. On Sakho, he continued: "Absolutely (he has a future). He's injured at the moment and he's been injured since the transfer window opened. He's not been on the training ground at all and to be honest we've seen very little of him, because the players who are injured report in to the medical room. He's not available for selection, it's as simple as that."
West Ham named just six players on the bench on Saturday in the victory against Huddersfield and Irvine admitted he had been left bemused by the Club's ongoing injury situation, with the coach saying that there's not been a situation yet where a senior player has been left out. "It's been a strange situation. We haven't left a senior player in the stand yet," Irvine added. "That's astonishing. Usually the manager has to go to a few senior players and say 'sorry, you're not in the squad today'. We haven't had that once in the time we've been here. And that's counting Declan Rice as a senior player. "It's been easier in some ways, because that's not a conversation the manager enjoys, to have to tell a senior player that. So it's been easy for David, he's not had to do that!"
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Irvine: A cup run, contract extensions and instructions on the pitch
WHUFC.com
The Scot – a member of David Moyes' management team – spoke about the Club's desire for a Cup run, contract extensions for various people as well as getting instructions across onto the pitch…
'We'd love to progress'
The goalless draw with League One outfit Shrewsbury Town was a tough affair, with the hosts coming out on top in terms of performance and almost pinching a spot in the fourth round. It was West Ham's younger players – Declan Rice, Reece Burke and Josh Cullen – who stood out on the day in Claret and Blue and Irvine was keen to highlight how important a good cup run could be for the side going forward. He said: "We were certainly pleased to get out of the game with a draw, because we didn't play well enough in the game. It's good for us to have the replay. Clearly we want to win the game and we want to progress in the FA Cup.
"It would be fantastic if we could get a good run in the Cup. Having said that, the priority is clear, we have to stay in this division. "We're not going into the game on Tuesday thinking we wish we were out. It would be fantastic if we could get a cup run to go along with a run in the league and challenge on both fronts."
Contract situations
After another impressive appearance from James Collins at Huddersfield at the weekend, Irvine was quizzed about the situation regarding the centre-back's contract. That brought the media onto the subject of the contracts of all of the management staff – including boss David Moyes – but Irvine explained little has yet been discussed in the way of extensions. "[With Collins], I don't know. We're contracted ourselves until the end of the season. So the job at this stage is to make sure we get enough points to be safe. The hope is that we get enough points to get further somewhere else. "Right now, the focus is on staying in this division. I don't think David has been in any discussion at all about extension of players' contracts. "It's a difficult thing to do at this stage anyway, because where are we going to be? We know where we want to be, and we'll deal with that situation a couple of months down the line I would think. "There's been no talk of going somewhere else, that's for sure. But there's been no talk about what's going on with our contracts. We're contracted for the period that everyone knows about, and we were happy to come in on that basis. "And we're not anxious or desperate to push anything right now. That might be something to be discussed when we are safe, but it's certainly not at this moment."
Are the coaching instructions showing on the pitch?
Saturday's mighty win at the John Smith's Stadium proved the importance of getting instructions across to the players on the pitch and the devastating effect it can have when done well. And Irvine is convinced that is starting to happen for the Hammers. "I wouldn't want to say that on the basis of one good performance, and it was one very good performance," he said. "But we're feeling more encouraged with every game but we still dissect every game and think there's an awful lot that we've got to improve on. "We've been happy with the way results have gone of late, with the exception of the Newcastle game, and we could have actually had some more points if not for late goals by some opponents. "But we want to play better and at the same time we want to make sure we get the points we need to stay in this division. We're creeping towards that at the moment."
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Cresswell: We need to keep this run going
WHUFC.com
West Ham United extended their unbeaten run to five games with Saturday's 4-1 victory at Huddersfield Town and moved up to eleventh in the Premier League table, much to the delight of returning defender Aaron Cresswell. The 28-year-old was back in the starting XI at John Smith's Stadium, after missing the previous two games with injury, and immediately slotted in alongside James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna as they restricted the Terriers to two shots on target. At the other end Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini were in inspired form, combining in devastating fashion as David Moyes' took the game away from Huddersfield with three goals in 16 second half minutes. Cresswell was thrilled to be back and is keen to keep the fine run going as the Hammers prepare for Tuesday's Emirates FA Cup third round against Shrewsbury Town. "It was a good game to come back in for," he said. "It was an important one, so to get a 4-1 win away from home is massive. Some of the goals we scored were fantastic. "It was just eleven seconds after half-time that we got the second goal and it was a great finish from Marko. He was on fire, scoring one goal and setting the other three up. You can't ask for any more. "The link-up play between him and Manu, especially in the second half, was great to look at. Watching them from behind, passing and moving, running in behind and Manu taking the space up, was fantastic. "We can't focus on teams below us, we need to focus on ourselves going into games like Saturday's and collecting the three points. "We've got some good games coming up that are winnable and we need to keep on getting those points. "It's a cup game next, another good game for us, and the FA Cup is important for us. You want to progress as far as you can, but you also want to survive in the Premier League. We're on a good track at the minute and we need to keep it going."
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Martinez eyeing another first-team chance on Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Toni Martinez is eyeing another first-team appearance when West Ham United host Shrewsbury Town in an Emirates FA Cup third-round replay at London Stadium on Tuesday. The prolific Spaniard made his senior debut as a substitute in the original tie at Montgomery Waters Meadow and will hope to be part of David Moyes' squad for the second meeting in east London. "To play with the first team in an official game was a great joy for both me and my family," said the 20-year-old, speaking in a feature interview to be published in the Official Programme. "It's what I have fought for all my life. I made my dream come true and now I hope it's the first of many. I will work for it."
Martinez scored for the U23s in a 3-0 Premier League 2 win over Manchester United just 24 hours after making his first-team bow in Shropshire to take his tally to eleven goals in 16 appearances at that level. Having also netted against German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in pre-season, the young forward is hoping his knack for finding the back of the net earns him further opportunities to shine at first-team level. Ultimately, his aim is to feature in the Premier League. "In the pre-season I played against Werder Bremen, which is a very good European team, and Fulham, a historic team in England. "I scored two goals and I think I showed enough quality but, in the end, playing or not, doesn't depend on me, I can only work every day and in the end the reward will arrive. "I can't imagine how it will be! I think it will be an incredible moment, for me and my family, as we know the work that we have put in to get here. "That day won't be only mine but of all the people close to me, who have supported me from the beginning."
*You can order Tuesday's 100-page Official Programme online here, or alternatively download the digital issue for just £1.99 from 9am on matchday here.
Alongside Martinez's feature interview are exclusive columns penned by Joint-Chairman David Gold, manager David Moyes and captain Mark Noble, Domingos Quina's Play List, Martin Allen's West Ham Scrapbook and much, much more!
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West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town
TUE 16 JAN 2018FA CUP - THIRD ROUND - REPLAY
19:45
Venue: London Stadium
BBC.co.uk
How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham are likely to be without forwards Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll for their FA Cup replay at home to League One side Shrewsbury Town. Mexican Hernandez was sent home from training on Monday because of illness, while Carroll is once again not fit. Joe Hart is likely to start in goal against his old club.
Shrewsbury's 10-game unbeaten run was ended at Blackburn on Saturday but Paul Hurst has no new injury problems. They will be backed by 3,000 fans. The sides drew 0-0 in the first game at the New Meadow, with the winners facing a trip to either Bournemouth or Wigan in round four.
West Ham coach Alan Irvine:
"We certainly were pleased to get out of the first game with a draw because we didn't play well enough, that's for sure. Clearly we want to win the game and progress in the FA Cup, but the priority is clear in that we have to stay in this division. "We're in a better position than we were but we are nowhere near to where we want to be."
Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst:
"I think it will certainly be more difficult than the first game. "Whatever they thought of us going into the first game they have now seen first-hand, so there will be no underestimating us and they will know that they will have to perform better than they did in the first game to progress. "I'm sure they will have more of the ball than they did in the first game and create more chances, so we need to try and limit it as much as possible, whether it's last-ditch defending, a good goalkeeping performance or a bit of luck along the way. "But, going the other way, we need to try and create a couple of chances ourselves and make it as difficult as we can."
Match stats
West Ham will be hosting Shrewsbury for the first time since September 1980, when the Hammers ran out 3-0 winners in a second-tier clash.
West Ham have won each of their past seven FA Cup home matches against lower-league opponents, scoring 20 goals (avg 2.9 goals per game).
However, the Hammers have lost each of their past four FA Cup replays against sides from the Championship or lower, failing to score in the past three.
The Shrews have never won an FA Cup encounter away to a top-flight side, losing nine and drawing one - with their last such match coming in February 1984, a 3-0 loss to Everton.
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WELCOME OUR NEW STRIKER?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @freelancerBen
Yes that's right welcome our new striker…. Marko Arnautović. He may not have been signed back in the summer to be a striker but since David Moyes has made his tactical changes to the team that's where he has found himself and in my opinion he has been doing a sterling job.
So why has been doing so well in his new position?
Two words. Work rate. Marko's work rate and effort has always been questioned throughout his career at various clubs but no more so than when he was playing under Bilic. Since Moyes was appointed in November his attitude, application and work rate have improved amazingly. He's now getting goals and assists on a regular basis and his link up and understanding with Lanzini has been brilliant to watch, it seems from watching them play that they love playing together and bounce off each other excellently creating many chances in games for one another.
What's next for him?
Sky really is the limit, if he can keep up this good form there is no way he can't get better and better. So far this year he's my Hammer Of The Year I'm sure many of you would agree. Let's home to see some more maverick performances from Arnie this season COYI!!
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Carroll loan deal unlikely
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Chelsea are seeking to land Andy Carroll from West Ham ON LOAN for the remainder of the current campaign, according to the latest tabloid speculation. However the Hammers are believed to have told the Blues that they will only sanction a permanent deal for the 29-year-old forward. Antonio Conte is thought to have turned to Carroll having failed to secure an agreement regarding Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, who has been linked with both Chlesea and Manchester City in recent days. West Ham's number nine - who was missing once again from the squad that won 4-1 at Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon - has featured on 14 occasions for United so far this season, scoring twice (with both goals coming against West Bromwich Albion).
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The Band-Aid effect
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Tim Alexander
West Ham has long been in the business of what my best friend refers to as the 'Band-Aid Effect'. Every January, our club goes into the window with one goal - to stop the bleeding. To avoid relegation, our club does just enough to keep us up. Buying players to fill the gaps but nothing over the top while too often disregarding the talent that we have in our youth system.
We as fans go into every transfer window with high hopes only to have them slowly fade away. But as we Hammers Fans always say, "Fortune is always hiding." Though, it has stayed hidden from us for far too long. Last January the window saw us linked with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michy Batshuayi, and Daniel Sturridge, amongst others. In the end we 'settled' for Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte.
Here I have to mention how much I think of the two (as footballers) and respect both of the players we signed, but it is a far shout from what the board stated with their 'Champions League expectations' after the move from Upton Park. Neither are currently playing for us with Fonte injured and Snodgrass tearing the Championship apart on loan.
This summer we started to slowly move in the right direction bringing in Marko Arnautovic, Chicharito, Pablo Zabaleta, and Joe Hart (on loan). While this might have left us hopeful at the beginning of the year, we started slow and here we are again in the same position as last year.
One more relegation fight to stay up and another January window to stop the bleeding. We all knew Bilic's time was running out, and when it did, I think we were all surprised that David Moyes replaced him. I have to admit I wasn't too happy when Moyes came in to take the reins. But, I stuck by the team and let things come together and have been surprised with the results.
One of the most encouraging moves with Moyes is that we are slowly seeing youngsters on the pitch. The recall of Reece Oxford has me more than excited with what could be, given he is put on the pitch where many fellow Hammers fans believe he belongs. I still cannot find one good reason why they would even consider selling the kid.
Josh Cullen clearly put himself out there in the FA Cup game and played with pride for the badge along with fellow loan returnee Reece Burke. Declan Rice has been a stalwart for us throughout the season when he is on the pitch and absolutely a delight to watch. Toni Martinez and Domingos Quina are on the edge of getting consistent looks in the team. There have been calls for Martin Samuelson to get a first-team look.
While I believe our youngsters are better than any 'Band-Aid' solution that could come to us in January, I cannot help myself to fall back to the broken promises that were made to us. The hopes of a William Carvahlo or a world-class star coming in and turning our hopes around seems to get smaller by the day. This window has linked us with over 20 players, with Harry Arter, Jonjo Shelvey, and Joe Allen seeming the players that fit into the typical West Ham grade signings in January.
Not too much, not too little, but just enough. If it is support, even in the smallest amount, it is enough. While I like all three of these players, they are not in the same league as William Carvalho or Leander Dendocker, who we've also been linked with. I think the time has come to play our youth and trust the talent we have, if real talent is not an option in January. I believe we will indeed stop the bleeding enough to stay alive another day (or year in this case) in the Premier League.
I even see luck swinging our way and us making a top 10 push, potentially competing for a European spot. This of course provided that we have some luck here and there (insert Bournemouth draw). Regardless, it will be up to the squad that we have assembled until now along with those that will or have joined us in January.
Let us hope that this window isn't just another Band-Aid slapped on our wounds and that the club decides to close the wounds for good by either bringing in real talent that can move us up the table and to where we were promised we would be, or by keeping our talented youth players and putting them on the field.
As I mentioned earlier with Moyes playing our youngsters, the solution may be right in front of us without the need to sign anyone in January. I know I am tired of putting the 'Band-Aid' on our beloved club every January window and I hope you are too.
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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Mark Noble: the renaissance man
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Trevor Twohig
After a terrific victory such as the weekend's visit to Huddersfield, West Ham fans should rightly feel pleased as punch this morning.
However one man who has come under intense scrutiny and criticism is the club captain, Mark Noble. On Saturday, his man of the match performance earned him some well-deserved plaudits. Could 2018 be Mark Noble's year?
It is fair to say that under Slaven Bilic this season, West Ham were rudderless. No direction or leadership were one thing, but what was unforgivable was the Hammers' lack of fitness which cost them dear towards the end of Bilic's tenure. Bilic may have been a nice guy, but whether he is a leader and more importantly a good manager, remains to be seen.
Still dining out on the Croatia semi-final visit is sadly short-sighted. Let's face it, when Bilic joined us he had failed to qualify for the Champions League with Besiktas and they wanted rid. A marvellous season followed with Upton Park as a fortress and mostly Sam Allardyce's squad.
Despite my criticism of Slaven Bilic, no-one can take away that final season at the Boleyn, a season that will live on in the memory for all West Ham fans. How much motivation was required for such a season, who knows? What we do know, is a manager's success is short-lived. Just ask Claudio Ranieri or Roberto Di Matteo. What followed that glorious season, was poor signings and a deepening mediocrity.
Standards slipped and Mark Noble. in his post-match press stint, was quick to say that David Moyes is not afraid to tell the players what's what. His half time comments to Lanzini and Arnautovic was the catalyst for three unanswered West Ham goals and three vital points. However, it is not just his words that are making a difference. West Ham are far more robust in defence, potent in attack and primarily as fit as we have seen them in recent years.
It is clear to see how players such as Arnautovic and Carroll are benefiting from Moyes' management. Adrian seems revitalised and James Collins is playing how we know he can. No introduction is required for Arthur Masuaku's new lease of life and Angelo Ogbonna is beginning to look like the international player West Ham fans were hoping for.
It is Noble though who stands out for me at the new and improved West Ham United under Moyes. A player who appears to know that any chance of an England call-up is all but gone and fears his days starting at his beloved club may be coming to an end. West Ham's talisman has been like a renaissance man under Moyes. Against West Brom, he and Carroll helped turn the game; Noble's yardage incidentally was the highest of anyone on the pitch.
Traditionally a defensive midfielder, who would have thought Noble would have had the guile to sneak in and steal the ball for West Ham's first yesterday? He did and was instrumental in keeping the Terriers at bay in the second half. In a team that lacks natural leaders, Noble proves his importance in these vital six pointers, marshalling the side and leading by example.
His penalty record remains one of the best in the league and when he does not play, we fall down terribly in this area as witnessed when Ayew's feeble attempt failed to find the net in the recent Newcastle loss.
Mark Noble will never be the greatest player in England's history. He has, with the greatest respect, some limitations. However when it comes to pride in the shirt and intelligent game management, there are few better. The amount of times I have watched Noble draw a foul when the team are under the cosh or pick up a yellow for the team to stop a potential goal threat are too many to mention.
It is difficult being a West Ham fan at times. The criticism Noble has faced from fans on social media and on the terraces is shocking to say the least. Even on Saturday, there was criticism from one fan aimed at Noble, who largely had a flawless game. Also, we are 4-1 up and the player has scored, what more does he need to do?
Mark Noble has remained loyal to our beloved club through thick and thin too. Relegations, takeovers, sackings, droppings, he has seen the lot. So why not more loyalty for a man who has given so much?
On Saturday, Noble did not pick up a card. His work rate and team management were outstanding and his finish in a nervy six-pointer for the first goal was assured. If it wasn't a World Cup year, I would say on current form, Noble deserves his long awaited England call up. He won't get it of course, but that is good news for West Ham fans because it appears Nobes is in the form of his life for club, if not for country.
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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Rejoice in winning ugly
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Former Irons favourite George Parris says it is time for West Ham fans to stop being sniffy - and to be happy with winning ugly, if that is what it takes.
The recent 2-1 win over West Brom was hardly one for the purists but after disappointing results against Newcastle and Bournemouth, a win, however it came about, was just what the doctor ordered.
In his exclusive column for Blowing Bubbles magazine, Parris says that win – and the 1-1 draw with Spurs - were the ideal start to the new year. "It was key that we got the result against West Brom, and followed that with a valuable point against Spurs," he wrote.
"Now we're in the midst of a run of games against teams around us. It's really important we pick up as many points as we can. If it's a choice between getting beat or playing scrappy and getting the points, I know what I'd take!"
For more from George Parris, the thoughts of goalkeeping legend and an exclusive interview with two-time West Ham player Don Hutchison – as well as every manager in the club's history, rated and ranked – pick up a copy of the new Blowing Bubbles, out now.
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West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town preview: Hammers desperate to progress to FA Cup fourth round
Last Updated: 15/01/18 5:58pm
SSN
West Ham United host Shrewsbury Town in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday night intent on progressing in the competition. The Hammers were held to a goalless draw in the first meeting at New Meadow, but assistant manager Alan Irvine says the Premier League team will do everything they can to make it into the next round. "We were certainly pleased to get out of the game with a draw, because we didn't play well enough in the game," said Irvine. "It's good for us to have the replay. Clearly we want to win the game and we want to progress in the FA Cup. "It would be fantastic if we could get a good run in the Cup. Having said that, the priority is clear, we have to stay in this division. "We're not going into the game on Tuesday thinking we wish we were out. It would be fantastic if we could get a cup run to go along with a run in the league and challenge on both fronts."
However, David Moyes' team are set to be without strikers Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll for the clash, with the former having missed training on Monday with illness, while the latter is injured again. The Scot will likely hand Joe Hart a start in goal against their opponents, who saw their 10-match unbeaten run in League One come to an end at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst, meanwhile, expects a much-improved West Ham showing at the London Stadium. The Sky Bet League One high-flyers enjoyed the better chances in the first game and Hurst believes that performance from his promotion-chasers will ensure the Hammers will "perform better" in Tuesday night's clash. "I think it will certainly be more difficult," Hurst told Shrewsbury's official website. "Whatever they thought of us going into the first game they have now seen first-hand, so there will be no underestimating us and they will know that they will have to perform better than they did in the first game to progress. "I'm sure they will have more of the ball than they did in the first game and create more chances, so we need to try and limit it as much as possible, whether it's last-ditch defending, a good goalkeeping performance or a bit of luck along the way. "But, going the other way we need to try and create a couple of chances ourselves and make it as difficult as we can."
The winners will travel to either Bournemouth or Wigan Athletic in the fourth round.
Opta stats
West Ham will be hosting Shrewsbury for the first time since September 1980, when the Hammers ran out 3-0 winners in a second-tier clash.
West Ham have won each of their last seven FA Cup home matches against lower league opponents, scoring 20 goals (avg 2.9 goals per game).However, the Hammers have lost each of their last four FA Cup replays against sides from the Championship or lower, failing to score in each of the last three.
The Shrews have never won an FA Cup encounter away to a top-flight side, losing nine and drawing one - with their last such match coming in February 1984, a 3-0 loss to Everton.
Charlie's prediction
Well it is fabulous stuff going on for West Ham under David Moyes so far, but he'll just want the job done here. And I think he'll rest Noble and maybe even Marko Arnautovic for this tie. Charlie predicts: 2-0 and Hernandez to score first (13/1 with Sky Bet)
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Diafra Sakho pushing for West Ham exit
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 15/01/18 4:11pm
SSN
Diafra Sakho is wants to leave West Ham because he feels undervalued compared to the club's other attacking players, according to Sky sources. ky Sports News understands Sakho, 28, is currently earning £30,000 a week at the London Stadium, while other forwards in David Moyes' squad are on between £80,000 and £110,000. The Senegal striker believes he was promised a new, improved contract which is yet to materialise. Sky Sports News reported last week that Crystal Palace's proposed move for Sakho was in doubt, despite the Eagles having agreed a fee of between £10m and £12m. Swansea, West Brom, Brighton, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nice and Marseille are among the sides interested in a deal for the striker, according to Sky sources. West Ham's assistant manager Alan Irvine said Sakho missed a training session on Monday because he was injured.
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Javier Hernandez could miss West Ham vs Shrewsbury FA Cup replay
By Danny Gallagher
Last Updated: 15/01/18 6:12pm
SSN
Javier Hernandez could be sidelined for West Ham's Emirates FA Cup third-round replay against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was sent home from West Ham's training ground on Monday with the flu. Hernandez's form for the Hammers has come under question in recent weeks, with the £17m forward failing to find the back of the net. Mexican star Hernandez was bought as part of a summer revamp of the forward line, arriving at the London Stadium along with Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City. As reported by Sky Sports last week, Hernandez could well be set for an early departure from the club, with the West Ham hierarchy open to hearing offers for the player.
Meanwhile, Andy Carroll (ankle), Michail Antonio (groin), Jose Fonte (calf), Edimilson Fernandes (ankle) and Winston Reid (groin) are all out for the Hammers.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Hart, Masuaku, Cresswell, Collins, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Rice, Noble, Obiang, Cullen, Burke, Quina, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Ayew, Hernandez.
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THE MAGIC OF ARNAUTINI - OR SHOULD THAT BE LANZINOVIC ?
By HamburgHammer 15 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID
After last week's column my loyalty towards the claret and blue cause has been put into question by some on here, as I chose to attend a Concordia indoor football tournament, a glorified friendly at that, prior to watching a recording of our cup game against Shrewsbury (instead of watching it live). So this time I made amends and gave Concordia a wide berth the last couple of days (it was only another two indoor tournaments anyway and as I mentioned before, indoor football for me is a lousy surrogate, like nonfat plain yogurt. Or tofu replacing meat).
In addition Concordia had lost another preseason (outdoor) friendly earlier in the week in shockingly lackluster fashion, so I felt that this time it was only right and proper to lend my undivided attention and support to our game at Huddersfield.
Huddersfield of course is a very German affair these days, what with the manager and several players hailing from the country of sausages and sauerkraut. Huddersfield are a club I have a lot of time for, they have a stadium that looks quite distinctive and is immediately recognisable, their fans seem genuine and down to earth and I also haven't seen their players acting out of order yet, so they are a proper football club in my book, not an easy feat altogether in a rugby first town like Huddersfield.
They are no mugs at home either and when I saw our starting lineup I thought: Well, that's a bit negative/defensive, innit ? But then again Huddersfield at home are not to be trifled with and I would have regarded a draw a credible result for us. But what do I know!
The way we attacked Huddersfield's weaknesses was clinical. Wave upon wave of quick passing counter attacking football washed upon them and they just couldn't handle our concoction of physical strength, pace and flair.
Arnautovic and Lanzini tore them to shreds almost single-handedly, but let's not forget the vital first goal where we gave Lolley (great name) a moment to forget, trying to control a pass from his goalkeeper, when Arnautovic rushed in and bullied him with not much more than his physical presence and Mr.West Ham nipping in and tucking the ball away as if he was on the Rush Green training pitch and not in the penalty box of the John Smith's Stadium.
It was like a pride of lions hunting down an impala in a coordinated attack.
Or a group of velociraptors chasing some Hollywood actors.
In any case it was bloody exciting to watch!
In my book we should do this sort of pressing a lot more often. Other teams do it to us and it's a great way to unsettle the opposition. Granted, it takes a lot of fitness and effort, but it really helps if you don't give your opponent all the time in the world to calmly control the ball and then ponder what to do with it next.
On that afternoon oop North a lot of things clicked and fell into place for us. Our defense looked mostly solid while playing refreshingly unspectacular. It was good to see Collins back again and he was his usual reliable self. In midfield Kouyate seemed to thrive on having a bit of a free role, with Noble and Obiang cleaning up behind him and Lanzini too looked happy with his role further upfield. It's vital that these guys feel comfortable in the manager's system and also develop a bit of chemistry with their teammates.
Long may it continue! That win will not only have boosted our confidence and brought us three valuable points.
It now also means that 15 points out of the remaining 15 games should be enough to cement PL status for next season. As a West Ham fan I am usually taking the pessimistic approach, expecting the worst while hoping for something slightly better, but in this instance even I can't see a scenario where we don't get another 15 points this season.
No doubt we will win a few games, we'll draw some and unfortunately there will be a few more defeats, but we now have several teams behind us that are being sucked into the relegation battle and this can only be good for us. Some of those teams will get nervy, some will crumble under the pressure, some will bounce back.
We may not be out of the woods yet, but from where we are we can already see the road and a bit of horizon beyond the last line of trees so to speak. It was only one win of course, but it got me thinking about what I would really wish to happen and what hasn't really happened at West Ham throughout our history.
Once things begin to improve for us, with better performances and results on the pitch on a consistent basis, I would really love to see us build on that.
Meaning to pick three or four players we consider to be the backbone of our squad (say Arnautovic, Lanzini, Rice and Ogbonna, to pick some names for the purpose of argument). Then put ridiculous release clauses in their contracts that ensure that only ridiculous offers can prise them away. Then, and this is the important bit, show your backbone star players it's actually worth it to stay on at project West Ham by adding quality players, gradually, one (or two) every summer (or January, if a decent opportunity should present itself). That's how you build a team, that's how you establish the club as a force to be reckoned with and that's how you climb the table and get your fanbase onside at the same time.
It costs money of course, but if you do it properly eventually those transfers will pay for themselves and then some.
William Carvalho would be such a quality addition. Or Leander Dendoncker, a young defensive midfielder from the Anderlecht production line of footballing prospects.
22 years old, 1.88m tall and strong as an ox, he covers a position that has been a weak spot for us for several seasons now. Apparently he is available for a reasonable fee of 25 million quid, reasonable in today's crazy market that is.
Scouts are fairly certain that Dendoncker will become a very strong player, a standout midfielder in fact, capable to play in any league which would result in his market value and potential transfer fee rising. So it might be a shrewd move to step in now and sign him up, if there is a chance. Scouts have been praising his strength in the tackle, his willingness to go into challenges with the right degree of aggressiveness to be a nuisance to the opposition. He reads the game well, has a good right foot and is also a fairly decent option at CB, if need be. His physical attributes make him a perfect fit for the Premier League and I would expect him to rock up on English shores sooner rather than later.
As for rumours for other incoming players in January we might be seeing Russian striker Fyodor Smolov replace Diafra Sakho. Smolov is rumoured to be available for 15 million and his agent is also on good terms with West Ham apparently, so this might be a goer. For me it's a no brainer. If Sakho wants away we need to cash in and replace him. Smolov has been Krasnodar's most important and consistent player and reading up on him a lot of scouts consider him to be the best striker in Russia.
He's tall (1.87m) and strong and at 27 years of age his best years should still be ahead of him.
He can play upfront, but is also an option on either wing. His main assets are keeping hold of the ball, dribbling, long shots and freekicks. But most importantly he is a clinical finisher. With that in mind he sounds like a more than capable replacement for Sakho.
As we can now breathe a bit more easily in the league we should give the FA Cup the proper respect it deserves. By all means, reward some youngsters with some well deserved gametime. I would expect guys like Rice, Burke, Cullen and Byram to start (with Shrewsbury boy Hart between the sticks of course), but make no mistake: We need some experienced heads out there too and we can not afford to take Shrewsbury lightly. It's another potential banana skin for us, but on paper we have more than enough to beat them of course.
As their confidence must be skyhigh I would even contemplate giving Arnautini a runout for 60 minutes or so. What I don't want is players on the pitch who are not up for it.
The FA Cup and the opposition deserve respect and every single player who gets the chance to play should bust a gut.
As the game will probably not be on telly anywhere I might have to rely on text updates. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing our team continue to grow together.
And then to be improved even further by adding a quality signing or two…COYI!!!
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Pablo Zabaleta reveals what David Moyes has changed to inspire West Ham's revival ahead of FA Cup replay
The Irons, who've jumped from 18th to 11th under Moyes, face Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay on Tuesday
The Mirror
ByDavid McDonnellSports Journalist
15:03, 15 JAN 2018UPDATED15:07, 15 JAN 2018
Pablo Zabaleta has revealed how going back to basics helped David Moyes transform West Ham's season. The Hammers take on Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay at the London Stadium on Tuesday, with Moyes having turned their crisis-hit season around. Saturday's 4-1 win at Huddersfield saw West Ham, 18th when Moyes took over in November, rise to 11th in the Premier League and continue their march to safety. Zabaleta said the key to the turnaround was Moyes tightening things up at the back, giving West Ham's flair players a solid base from which to express themselves. "We all know David Moyes," said Zabaleta. "He always tries to organise teams and makes sure they're disciplined tactically, hard to beat. "He brought that discipline needed to win games. We were conceding too many goals, even in the first two or three games, playing 4-3-3, we weren't doing great. "We changed to three at the back, five if you want, and that made us more solid. Playing on the counter gives us a chance to get points. "We can be braver on the ball and create more chances but I think defensively we must be honest: we've been really good recently and that's a key point. "We're not a team who create chances like City, Spurs or those teams who play really decent football. "He's looking to bring in players to give us more creativity and probably then we can change to a different style. "At the moment, when you look at the season, we changed the manager and needed results. We thought the best way to improve was to be solid at the back and that gives us more confidence. "Stability at the back is what is working best for us. First we need to save our season. "Then, if David Moyes stays for the next couple of years, he'll have a chance to bring in his players and maybe get the team playing a different way.
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West Ham ace Pablo Zabaleta reveals chat with Marko Arnautovic that has inspired his form
MARKO ARNAUTOVIC treasures every goal he scores these days – and he won't let anyone forget it.
Daily Star
By Mike Whalley / Published 15th January 2018
The West Ham forward has been transformed since David Moyes took over in November, hitting top form to help guide them clear of the Premier League relegation zone. He was on target again in an outstanding display at Huddersfield, prompting a reporter to congratulate him on his recent run of five goals. "It's six," Arnautovic shot back. You can call it six goals in seven league matches, or you can call it five in five, but however you look at it, the striker is a man reborn.
He had a nightmare start at the London Stadium following his club record £20m move from Stoke last July. First came a red card in an early defeat at Southampton, then illness, then accusations from fans that he was not putting in enough effort. Full-back Pablo Zabaleta said: "I remember the first time I met him at West Ham, we were talking about the many games we'd played against each other. "I said to him: 'Marko, when you are on your day, I think you are one of the best players, for sure. It's hard for defenders to play against you, because you are strong, you are good on the ball. "'But you have to be on your game. You have to keep focused. And if you do this, then you have enough quality to make the difference.'"
Arnautovic's quality shone at the John Smith's Stadium, where he chipped in with three assists to add to his goal. He robbed Joe Lolley on the edge of the Huddersfield box to send through Mark Noble for the Hammers' first-half opener, after the home side went to sleep at the back. Then, after Lolley cut in from the right to score a Terriers equaliser, the Austrian took charge. He flicked the ball over Tommy Smith and lashed the Hammers back into the lead just 11 seconds into the second half, before two expertly judged passes set up two goals for Manuel Lanzini. Arnautovic has thrived since Moyes moved him from the left into the centre, with Lanzini also shining, even though neither player is a natural centre forward. Together, they ensured that West Ham did not miss ankle injury victim Andy Carroll, or fellow strikers Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez, left on the bench. "Everyone knows Marko looks a moody boy at times, but I have found him really, really good and also very funny," said Moyes, celebrating his 200th Premier League win on the 20th anniversary of his first game as a manager at Preston.
"We're keeping him on a short leash, though. "Everything he has been asked to do, he has come up to it. Probably even more important is where the questions were, that he wasn't running about, he wasn't putting in the effort. "Well that would be the last thing you'd say about him now. What we won't allow him to do now is drop back to where he was."
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West Ham might be onto a winner with David Moyes who has rediscovered his mojo after going back to basics
David Moyes has got his mojo back after turning around West Ham's fortunes
He inherited a team that had not been working hard enough but he's fixed that
His zero tolerance policy has got the best out of star man Marko Arnautovic
Moyes recently became the fourth manager to win 200 Premier League games
He reached the landmark courtesy of West Ham's 4-1 victory at Huddersfield
By Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 14 January 2018 | UPDATED: 23:14, 14 January 2018
When David Moyes arrived at West Ham in November, he went back to the methods he employed when he started out, first at Preston and then in those early years at Everton. He inherited a team in the relegation zone with the worst physical statistics in the Premier League. They were covering less ground, playing with less intensity. So Moyes employed the zero tolerance policy that had served him so well in the past. Marko Arnautovic was told if he didn't run, he wouldn't play and he was not alone in being given a kick up the backside. Now every player at West Ham understands that they buy into the manager's methods or they are on the sidelines. Moyes knew he had a point to prove when he succeeded Slaven Bilic. He accepted what, by Premier League standards, was a low basic wage as well as a short-term contract, with the club guaranteeing him a sizeable bonus to keep them in the top flight. He enjoys great support from his assistants — a strong presence in the form of Stuart Pearce and a coach in Billy McKinlay who has a lighter touch when dealing with the players.
In Alan Irvine, Moyes also has someone with superb organisational skills. And it is working. A fine victory at Huddersfield was secured thanks to a high-energy, high-pressing approach and it leaves West Ham in the safety of mid-table. Moyes, say those closest to him, has his mojo back. On Saturday, he became the fourth manager to win 200 Premier League games. West Ham might be on to a winner.
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Marko Arnautovic praised for heroics against Huddersfield, but David Moyes still demands more
Moyes wants more of the same from Arnautovic CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Steven Sutcliffe
14 JANUARY 2018 • 10:30PM
Telegraph.coluk
Amid the praise for West Ham United's match-winner, Marko Arnautovic, his manager, David Moyes, stressed his delight but also demanded more of the same over the coming weeks. The Austrian's physical and technical capabilities have rarely been in doubt, but fans have questioned his attitude and application since becoming West Ham's £25 million record signing last summer. In recent weeks that sentiment has started to dissipate, with Moyes deploying the 28-year-old as a centre-forward to ensure he no longer strays onto the periphery.
Another coruscating display on Saturday inspired his side to a comfortable 4-1 win at Huddersfield Town. Pressing Joe Lolley into the mistake that gifted Mark Noble the opener, Arnautovic then took the game away from the hosts after they had equalised through Lolley.
Following a sixth goal in seven league outings, he twice punctured the home defence to lay on two goals for Manuel Lanzini. It lifted Moyes's team to 11th position, five points clear of the relegation places and a point and three positions above Town. Yet the Scot, who conceded his squad will need reinforcement this month, has warned he will not allow Arnautovic to rest on his laurels. "Where the questions were – that he wasn't running about, he wasn't putting in the effort – well that would be the last thing you'd say about him now," Moyes said. "What we won't allow him to do now is drop back to where he was. Everyone knows he looks a sort of moody, heady boy but I've found him really good and also very funny, but we're keeping him on a short leash. "He missed Tottenham with an injury and didn't play against Shrewsbury, so we were getting him back fresh, but I am still working to get him through 90 minutes at that level and that speed. "He's doing maybe 70 minutes and we're saying, 'no, we want more from you'. Maybe I can't get all that into him yet, but he has given us a great level of speed and energy in the early parts of games. "What we've given him is the chance to prove to West Ham supporters 'I can run, I will run and I'm not maybe what you think and I will prove I am a really good player and worth every penny the club have paid for me'."
Worryingly for Huddersfield it is almost a month and five fixtures since they last picked up three points. During their last top-flight season in 1971-72, the club failed to win a match after Christmas, collecting just six points from their final 15 matches to be relegated. While history repeating itself on that scale looks improbable, David Wanger, their head coach, admitted frustrations at a failure to react to dangerous situations early enough. "This is what cost them and us," Wagner said. "We've played 23 games. So usually, it should be enough time for everybody to learn their lesson. But even if we say it should be enough time, we've done it again. What counts is how we work with it and how we react."
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West Ham star Marko Arnautovic slams reporter over goal gaffe
MARKO ARNAUTOVIC sees every goal he scores as special after his nightmare start at West Ham – and is not shy about saying so.
By MIKE WHALLEY
PUBLISHED: 00:13, Mon, Jan 15, 2018 | UPDATED: 00:14, Mon, Jan 15, 2018
Express.co.uk
The Austrian never scored for Slaven Bilic, the manager who paid a club-record £20million to take him to the London Stadium from Stoke last July. But he has been transformed since David Moyes replaced the sacked Bilic in November, hitting a glut of goals to help lift the Hammers clear of the relegation zone.
Just make sure you get your numbers right if you want to talk to him about it – one reporter found that out at Huddersfield when congratulating him on a recent run of five goals. "It's six," said Arnautovic, without a flicker of a smile.
It is indeed six goals in seven league games – or five in five, if you prefer – since Moyes decided to move Arnautovic from the left into a central attacking role.
Neither he nor strike partner Manuel Lanzini are natural centre-forwards but they thrived at the John Smith's Stadium, with Andy Carroll nursing an ankle injury, Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez demoted to the bench and Diafra Sakho left out of the squad altogether amid uncertainty about his future. Arnautovic robbed Joe Lolley to set up West Ham's opener for Mark Noble, scored the second himself by flicking the ball over home captain Tommy Smith and drilling past Jonas Lossl, then played two excellent through passes for Lanzini to wrap up the rout. Lolley made up for his part in West Ham's first goal by cutting in from the right to steer in his first Premier League goal just before half-time, but Moyes was not to be denied his 200th Premier League win on the 20th anniversary of his first game as a manager. Huddersfield have surpassed expectations in their first top-flight season since 1972 but will not survive if they keep on producing error-strewn displays like this. Head coach David Wagner said: "Listen, we have played 24 games. So usually, it should be enough time for everybody to learn their lesson. But this is not what counts for me now. What counts is how we work with it and how we react."
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Marko Arnautovic is West Ham's latest maverick and he's finally living up to comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Marko Arnautovic is unrecognisable from the player who started the season
The Austrian has been a revelation since David Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic
West Ham have always had a maverick, like Paolo Di Canio or Dimitri Payet
Arnautovic, who has been likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is their new maverick
By Martin Keown for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:52, 14 January 2018 | UPDATED: 23:15, 14 January 2018
West Ham have always had a maverick, a special player like Paolo Di Canio or Dimitri Payet who is the darling of the fans. This season, Marko Arnautovic is that man. Arnautovic is unrecognisable from the player who started the season.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United welcome Shrewsbury Town to London Stadium this week in an FA Cup third round replay.
Read on for all the information you need to know about this fixture, including updates on available tickets!
Where and when?
West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town will be played on Tuesday 16 January 2018 at London Stadium.
The contest is scheduled for kick-off at 7.45pm.
Ticket information:
Tickets for this Tuesday's match are now on general sale and West Ham United's commitment to affordable family football has seen ticket prices slashed!
Kids can attend this FA Cup replay from just £5 and booking a ticket for this fixture adds a Priority Point to your ticketing account, helping to give you priority on future away fixtures.
Tickets can be purchased here, and the full pricing details are as follows:
How to follow:
Unfortunately, this match is not available for viewing in the UK. For worldwide broadcast schedules, click here.
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.
Team news:
David Moyes named Reece Burke, Josh Cullen and Declan Rice in his starting XI in the first tie with Shrewsbury Town, while six Academy prospects were also on the bench. Each will be hoping to be involved in the replay on Tuesday. These six youngsters were on the bench for the first tie vs Shrewsbury Town. Which would you most like to see involved on Tuesday?
Toni Martinez
Martin Samuelsen
Vashon Neufville
Sead Haksabanovic
Domingos Quina
Moses Makasi
What they say:
Shrewsbury at home, under the lights, will be fantastic on Tuesday night. Shrewsbury will be a tough opponent, but we have the players to win on Tuesday night.
Mark Noble
Match Officials:
Referee: Jeremy Simpson
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin & Akil Howson
Fourth Official: James Linington
How to get there:
There are four Underground stations that supporters should utilise to reach London Stadium: Stratford Station, Stratford International, Hackney Wick and Pudding Mill Lane.
By Train
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Ladies executed Brislington game-plan excellently – Smith
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies' adaption to and execution of a 3-5-2 formation has been hailed by assistant coach Myles Smith, after it set the side on the way to a brilliant 6-0 victory against Brislington. The Ladies played three defenders in the first half of Sunday's contest in Bristol, with Rosie and Mollie Kmita operating as wing-backs, with the former scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes for the team. Molly Peters, Amber Stobbs and Kelly Wealthall also got on the scoresheet in the second period before Kmita secured her hat-trick late on. The change in tactics came after a disappointing 0-0 draw with Gillingham last weekend – a match in which chances on goal were limited – and Smith is thrilled with how the three-woman defence allowed his side to play with more attacking intent. On the formation switch, Smith told whufc.com: "It looked like it worked extremely well. As a team, we've put a lot of work into trying new things and I think the identity we're starting to form now is a really good one. "We looked at today's opposition, identified that three at the back might give us an advantage, and executed it really well. We looked really threatening and we tried to get the ball into dangerous areas. We had a lot of opportunities in the first half and then a positive second half as well."
Smith was also delighted with the performance Kmita offered during the contest, hailing the winger's three goals and each of the players for their six finishes in the win. And the coach wants to see this positive atmosphere continue into the coming week and future fixtures. He continued: "Rosie was fantastic today, as was everybody else going forward. We've been looking at and working on that transition, and getting bodies forward. We didn't offer enough of an attacking threat in our last game, but the reaction from the girls today was fantastic. "Rosie's got the biggest reward with the hat-trick, and she's been working really hard in training, as has everyone. It's been a really positive week for us. "It's important for us now to continue that going forward. Doing that starts today with the recovery and into training this week. We want to keep this mood into our next game in a couple of weeks and we will ensure the girls are as prepared as they can be."
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Team News: Chicharito to be assessed ahead of Shrewsbury replay
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will definitely be without Andy Carroll for Tuesday's FA Cup replay with Shrewsbury Town, while Chicharito's availability will be determined prior to the match, according to coaching assistant Alan Irvine. The Hammers are preparing to take on League One Shrewsbury Town this week, having drawn with the Shrews 0-0 in the initial fixture last Sunday. A decision on who will play for the Irons in this midweek fixture is yet to be made, Irvine suggested, but the coach did confirm that West Ham will be without striker Carroll for the match. The 29-year-old was also out for the weekend's win over Huddersfield Town. Irvine also revealed that Chicharito had been sent home from training on Monday due to being ill, and a decision would be made about his potential to play in Tuesday's match in the morning. "We've got some bumps and bruises as you would expect, following the game at the weekend," Irvine said. "Andy Carroll is not fit yet. Chicharito actually came in this morning and was sent home unwell, and we don't know if he will be okay for tomorrow. It's described as flu, but I don't know if it's actually flu or not. We will find out tomorrow how he is. "The good thing is that we haven't had to pick the team yet. We will see where everybody is in the morning."
The Irons will also be playing without Diafra Sakho with Irvine indicating the forward had been injured for a couple of weeks. The Senegalese international's future with West Ham has been the subject of speculation in recent media reports but, while Irvine said the team would not have Sakho involved on Tuesday, the attacker's future was with the Premier League side. On Sakho, he continued: "Absolutely (he has a future). He's injured at the moment and he's been injured since the transfer window opened. He's not been on the training ground at all and to be honest we've seen very little of him, because the players who are injured report in to the medical room. He's not available for selection, it's as simple as that."
West Ham named just six players on the bench on Saturday in the victory against Huddersfield and Irvine admitted he had been left bemused by the Club's ongoing injury situation, with the coach saying that there's not been a situation yet where a senior player has been left out. "It's been a strange situation. We haven't left a senior player in the stand yet," Irvine added. "That's astonishing. Usually the manager has to go to a few senior players and say 'sorry, you're not in the squad today'. We haven't had that once in the time we've been here. And that's counting Declan Rice as a senior player. "It's been easier in some ways, because that's not a conversation the manager enjoys, to have to tell a senior player that. So it's been easy for David, he's not had to do that!"
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Irvine: A cup run, contract extensions and instructions on the pitch
WHUFC.com
The Scot – a member of David Moyes' management team – spoke about the Club's desire for a Cup run, contract extensions for various people as well as getting instructions across onto the pitch…
'We'd love to progress'
The goalless draw with League One outfit Shrewsbury Town was a tough affair, with the hosts coming out on top in terms of performance and almost pinching a spot in the fourth round. It was West Ham's younger players – Declan Rice, Reece Burke and Josh Cullen – who stood out on the day in Claret and Blue and Irvine was keen to highlight how important a good cup run could be for the side going forward. He said: "We were certainly pleased to get out of the game with a draw, because we didn't play well enough in the game. It's good for us to have the replay. Clearly we want to win the game and we want to progress in the FA Cup.
"It would be fantastic if we could get a good run in the Cup. Having said that, the priority is clear, we have to stay in this division. "We're not going into the game on Tuesday thinking we wish we were out. It would be fantastic if we could get a cup run to go along with a run in the league and challenge on both fronts."
Contract situations
After another impressive appearance from James Collins at Huddersfield at the weekend, Irvine was quizzed about the situation regarding the centre-back's contract. That brought the media onto the subject of the contracts of all of the management staff – including boss David Moyes – but Irvine explained little has yet been discussed in the way of extensions. "[With Collins], I don't know. We're contracted ourselves until the end of the season. So the job at this stage is to make sure we get enough points to be safe. The hope is that we get enough points to get further somewhere else. "Right now, the focus is on staying in this division. I don't think David has been in any discussion at all about extension of players' contracts. "It's a difficult thing to do at this stage anyway, because where are we going to be? We know where we want to be, and we'll deal with that situation a couple of months down the line I would think. "There's been no talk of going somewhere else, that's for sure. But there's been no talk about what's going on with our contracts. We're contracted for the period that everyone knows about, and we were happy to come in on that basis. "And we're not anxious or desperate to push anything right now. That might be something to be discussed when we are safe, but it's certainly not at this moment."
Are the coaching instructions showing on the pitch?
Saturday's mighty win at the John Smith's Stadium proved the importance of getting instructions across to the players on the pitch and the devastating effect it can have when done well. And Irvine is convinced that is starting to happen for the Hammers. "I wouldn't want to say that on the basis of one good performance, and it was one very good performance," he said. "But we're feeling more encouraged with every game but we still dissect every game and think there's an awful lot that we've got to improve on. "We've been happy with the way results have gone of late, with the exception of the Newcastle game, and we could have actually had some more points if not for late goals by some opponents. "But we want to play better and at the same time we want to make sure we get the points we need to stay in this division. We're creeping towards that at the moment."
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Cresswell: We need to keep this run going
WHUFC.com
West Ham United extended their unbeaten run to five games with Saturday's 4-1 victory at Huddersfield Town and moved up to eleventh in the Premier League table, much to the delight of returning defender Aaron Cresswell. The 28-year-old was back in the starting XI at John Smith's Stadium, after missing the previous two games with injury, and immediately slotted in alongside James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna as they restricted the Terriers to two shots on target. At the other end Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini were in inspired form, combining in devastating fashion as David Moyes' took the game away from Huddersfield with three goals in 16 second half minutes. Cresswell was thrilled to be back and is keen to keep the fine run going as the Hammers prepare for Tuesday's Emirates FA Cup third round against Shrewsbury Town. "It was a good game to come back in for," he said. "It was an important one, so to get a 4-1 win away from home is massive. Some of the goals we scored were fantastic. "It was just eleven seconds after half-time that we got the second goal and it was a great finish from Marko. He was on fire, scoring one goal and setting the other three up. You can't ask for any more. "The link-up play between him and Manu, especially in the second half, was great to look at. Watching them from behind, passing and moving, running in behind and Manu taking the space up, was fantastic. "We can't focus on teams below us, we need to focus on ourselves going into games like Saturday's and collecting the three points. "We've got some good games coming up that are winnable and we need to keep on getting those points. "It's a cup game next, another good game for us, and the FA Cup is important for us. You want to progress as far as you can, but you also want to survive in the Premier League. We're on a good track at the minute and we need to keep it going."
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Martinez eyeing another first-team chance on Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Toni Martinez is eyeing another first-team appearance when West Ham United host Shrewsbury Town in an Emirates FA Cup third-round replay at London Stadium on Tuesday. The prolific Spaniard made his senior debut as a substitute in the original tie at Montgomery Waters Meadow and will hope to be part of David Moyes' squad for the second meeting in east London. "To play with the first team in an official game was a great joy for both me and my family," said the 20-year-old, speaking in a feature interview to be published in the Official Programme. "It's what I have fought for all my life. I made my dream come true and now I hope it's the first of many. I will work for it."
Martinez scored for the U23s in a 3-0 Premier League 2 win over Manchester United just 24 hours after making his first-team bow in Shropshire to take his tally to eleven goals in 16 appearances at that level. Having also netted against German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in pre-season, the young forward is hoping his knack for finding the back of the net earns him further opportunities to shine at first-team level. Ultimately, his aim is to feature in the Premier League. "In the pre-season I played against Werder Bremen, which is a very good European team, and Fulham, a historic team in England. "I scored two goals and I think I showed enough quality but, in the end, playing or not, doesn't depend on me, I can only work every day and in the end the reward will arrive. "I can't imagine how it will be! I think it will be an incredible moment, for me and my family, as we know the work that we have put in to get here. "That day won't be only mine but of all the people close to me, who have supported me from the beginning."
*You can order Tuesday's 100-page Official Programme online here, or alternatively download the digital issue for just £1.99 from 9am on matchday here.
Alongside Martinez's feature interview are exclusive columns penned by Joint-Chairman David Gold, manager David Moyes and captain Mark Noble, Domingos Quina's Play List, Martin Allen's West Ham Scrapbook and much, much more!
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West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town
TUE 16 JAN 2018FA CUP - THIRD ROUND - REPLAY
19:45
Venue: London Stadium
BBC.co.uk
How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham are likely to be without forwards Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll for their FA Cup replay at home to League One side Shrewsbury Town. Mexican Hernandez was sent home from training on Monday because of illness, while Carroll is once again not fit. Joe Hart is likely to start in goal against his old club.
Shrewsbury's 10-game unbeaten run was ended at Blackburn on Saturday but Paul Hurst has no new injury problems. They will be backed by 3,000 fans. The sides drew 0-0 in the first game at the New Meadow, with the winners facing a trip to either Bournemouth or Wigan in round four.
West Ham coach Alan Irvine:
"We certainly were pleased to get out of the first game with a draw because we didn't play well enough, that's for sure. Clearly we want to win the game and progress in the FA Cup, but the priority is clear in that we have to stay in this division. "We're in a better position than we were but we are nowhere near to where we want to be."
Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst:
"I think it will certainly be more difficult than the first game. "Whatever they thought of us going into the first game they have now seen first-hand, so there will be no underestimating us and they will know that they will have to perform better than they did in the first game to progress. "I'm sure they will have more of the ball than they did in the first game and create more chances, so we need to try and limit it as much as possible, whether it's last-ditch defending, a good goalkeeping performance or a bit of luck along the way. "But, going the other way, we need to try and create a couple of chances ourselves and make it as difficult as we can."
Match stats
West Ham will be hosting Shrewsbury for the first time since September 1980, when the Hammers ran out 3-0 winners in a second-tier clash.
West Ham have won each of their past seven FA Cup home matches against lower-league opponents, scoring 20 goals (avg 2.9 goals per game).
However, the Hammers have lost each of their past four FA Cup replays against sides from the Championship or lower, failing to score in the past three.
The Shrews have never won an FA Cup encounter away to a top-flight side, losing nine and drawing one - with their last such match coming in February 1984, a 3-0 loss to Everton.
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WELCOME OUR NEW STRIKER?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 15 JANUARY 2018 AT 6:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @freelancerBen
Yes that's right welcome our new striker…. Marko Arnautović. He may not have been signed back in the summer to be a striker but since David Moyes has made his tactical changes to the team that's where he has found himself and in my opinion he has been doing a sterling job.
So why has been doing so well in his new position?
Two words. Work rate. Marko's work rate and effort has always been questioned throughout his career at various clubs but no more so than when he was playing under Bilic. Since Moyes was appointed in November his attitude, application and work rate have improved amazingly. He's now getting goals and assists on a regular basis and his link up and understanding with Lanzini has been brilliant to watch, it seems from watching them play that they love playing together and bounce off each other excellently creating many chances in games for one another.
What's next for him?
Sky really is the limit, if he can keep up this good form there is no way he can't get better and better. So far this year he's my Hammer Of The Year I'm sure many of you would agree. Let's home to see some more maverick performances from Arnie this season COYI!!
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Carroll loan deal unlikely
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Chelsea are seeking to land Andy Carroll from West Ham ON LOAN for the remainder of the current campaign, according to the latest tabloid speculation. However the Hammers are believed to have told the Blues that they will only sanction a permanent deal for the 29-year-old forward. Antonio Conte is thought to have turned to Carroll having failed to secure an agreement regarding Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, who has been linked with both Chlesea and Manchester City in recent days. West Ham's number nine - who was missing once again from the squad that won 4-1 at Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon - has featured on 14 occasions for United so far this season, scoring twice (with both goals coming against West Bromwich Albion).
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The Band-Aid effect
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Tim Alexander
West Ham has long been in the business of what my best friend refers to as the 'Band-Aid Effect'. Every January, our club goes into the window with one goal - to stop the bleeding. To avoid relegation, our club does just enough to keep us up. Buying players to fill the gaps but nothing over the top while too often disregarding the talent that we have in our youth system.
We as fans go into every transfer window with high hopes only to have them slowly fade away. But as we Hammers Fans always say, "Fortune is always hiding." Though, it has stayed hidden from us for far too long. Last January the window saw us linked with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michy Batshuayi, and Daniel Sturridge, amongst others. In the end we 'settled' for Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte.
Here I have to mention how much I think of the two (as footballers) and respect both of the players we signed, but it is a far shout from what the board stated with their 'Champions League expectations' after the move from Upton Park. Neither are currently playing for us with Fonte injured and Snodgrass tearing the Championship apart on loan.
This summer we started to slowly move in the right direction bringing in Marko Arnautovic, Chicharito, Pablo Zabaleta, and Joe Hart (on loan). While this might have left us hopeful at the beginning of the year, we started slow and here we are again in the same position as last year.
One more relegation fight to stay up and another January window to stop the bleeding. We all knew Bilic's time was running out, and when it did, I think we were all surprised that David Moyes replaced him. I have to admit I wasn't too happy when Moyes came in to take the reins. But, I stuck by the team and let things come together and have been surprised with the results.
One of the most encouraging moves with Moyes is that we are slowly seeing youngsters on the pitch. The recall of Reece Oxford has me more than excited with what could be, given he is put on the pitch where many fellow Hammers fans believe he belongs. I still cannot find one good reason why they would even consider selling the kid.
Josh Cullen clearly put himself out there in the FA Cup game and played with pride for the badge along with fellow loan returnee Reece Burke. Declan Rice has been a stalwart for us throughout the season when he is on the pitch and absolutely a delight to watch. Toni Martinez and Domingos Quina are on the edge of getting consistent looks in the team. There have been calls for Martin Samuelson to get a first-team look.
While I believe our youngsters are better than any 'Band-Aid' solution that could come to us in January, I cannot help myself to fall back to the broken promises that were made to us. The hopes of a William Carvahlo or a world-class star coming in and turning our hopes around seems to get smaller by the day. This window has linked us with over 20 players, with Harry Arter, Jonjo Shelvey, and Joe Allen seeming the players that fit into the typical West Ham grade signings in January.
Not too much, not too little, but just enough. If it is support, even in the smallest amount, it is enough. While I like all three of these players, they are not in the same league as William Carvalho or Leander Dendocker, who we've also been linked with. I think the time has come to play our youth and trust the talent we have, if real talent is not an option in January. I believe we will indeed stop the bleeding enough to stay alive another day (or year in this case) in the Premier League.
I even see luck swinging our way and us making a top 10 push, potentially competing for a European spot. This of course provided that we have some luck here and there (insert Bournemouth draw). Regardless, it will be up to the squad that we have assembled until now along with those that will or have joined us in January.
Let us hope that this window isn't just another Band-Aid slapped on our wounds and that the club decides to close the wounds for good by either bringing in real talent that can move us up the table and to where we were promised we would be, or by keeping our talented youth players and putting them on the field.
As I mentioned earlier with Moyes playing our youngsters, the solution may be right in front of us without the need to sign anyone in January. I know I am tired of putting the 'Band-Aid' on our beloved club every January window and I hope you are too.
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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Mark Noble: the renaissance man
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Trevor Twohig
After a terrific victory such as the weekend's visit to Huddersfield, West Ham fans should rightly feel pleased as punch this morning.
However one man who has come under intense scrutiny and criticism is the club captain, Mark Noble. On Saturday, his man of the match performance earned him some well-deserved plaudits. Could 2018 be Mark Noble's year?
It is fair to say that under Slaven Bilic this season, West Ham were rudderless. No direction or leadership were one thing, but what was unforgivable was the Hammers' lack of fitness which cost them dear towards the end of Bilic's tenure. Bilic may have been a nice guy, but whether he is a leader and more importantly a good manager, remains to be seen.
Still dining out on the Croatia semi-final visit is sadly short-sighted. Let's face it, when Bilic joined us he had failed to qualify for the Champions League with Besiktas and they wanted rid. A marvellous season followed with Upton Park as a fortress and mostly Sam Allardyce's squad.
Despite my criticism of Slaven Bilic, no-one can take away that final season at the Boleyn, a season that will live on in the memory for all West Ham fans. How much motivation was required for such a season, who knows? What we do know, is a manager's success is short-lived. Just ask Claudio Ranieri or Roberto Di Matteo. What followed that glorious season, was poor signings and a deepening mediocrity.
Standards slipped and Mark Noble. in his post-match press stint, was quick to say that David Moyes is not afraid to tell the players what's what. His half time comments to Lanzini and Arnautovic was the catalyst for three unanswered West Ham goals and three vital points. However, it is not just his words that are making a difference. West Ham are far more robust in defence, potent in attack and primarily as fit as we have seen them in recent years.
It is clear to see how players such as Arnautovic and Carroll are benefiting from Moyes' management. Adrian seems revitalised and James Collins is playing how we know he can. No introduction is required for Arthur Masuaku's new lease of life and Angelo Ogbonna is beginning to look like the international player West Ham fans were hoping for.
It is Noble though who stands out for me at the new and improved West Ham United under Moyes. A player who appears to know that any chance of an England call-up is all but gone and fears his days starting at his beloved club may be coming to an end. West Ham's talisman has been like a renaissance man under Moyes. Against West Brom, he and Carroll helped turn the game; Noble's yardage incidentally was the highest of anyone on the pitch.
Traditionally a defensive midfielder, who would have thought Noble would have had the guile to sneak in and steal the ball for West Ham's first yesterday? He did and was instrumental in keeping the Terriers at bay in the second half. In a team that lacks natural leaders, Noble proves his importance in these vital six pointers, marshalling the side and leading by example.
His penalty record remains one of the best in the league and when he does not play, we fall down terribly in this area as witnessed when Ayew's feeble attempt failed to find the net in the recent Newcastle loss.
Mark Noble will never be the greatest player in England's history. He has, with the greatest respect, some limitations. However when it comes to pride in the shirt and intelligent game management, there are few better. The amount of times I have watched Noble draw a foul when the team are under the cosh or pick up a yellow for the team to stop a potential goal threat are too many to mention.
It is difficult being a West Ham fan at times. The criticism Noble has faced from fans on social media and on the terraces is shocking to say the least. Even on Saturday, there was criticism from one fan aimed at Noble, who largely had a flawless game. Also, we are 4-1 up and the player has scored, what more does he need to do?
Mark Noble has remained loyal to our beloved club through thick and thin too. Relegations, takeovers, sackings, droppings, he has seen the lot. So why not more loyalty for a man who has given so much?
On Saturday, Noble did not pick up a card. His work rate and team management were outstanding and his finish in a nervy six-pointer for the first goal was assured. If it wasn't a World Cup year, I would say on current form, Noble deserves his long awaited England call up. He won't get it of course, but that is good news for West Ham fans because it appears Nobes is in the form of his life for club, if not for country.
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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Rejoice in winning ugly
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 15th January 2018
By: Staff Writer
Former Irons favourite George Parris says it is time for West Ham fans to stop being sniffy - and to be happy with winning ugly, if that is what it takes.
The recent 2-1 win over West Brom was hardly one for the purists but after disappointing results against Newcastle and Bournemouth, a win, however it came about, was just what the doctor ordered.
In his exclusive column for Blowing Bubbles magazine, Parris says that win – and the 1-1 draw with Spurs - were the ideal start to the new year. "It was key that we got the result against West Brom, and followed that with a valuable point against Spurs," he wrote.
"Now we're in the midst of a run of games against teams around us. It's really important we pick up as many points as we can. If it's a choice between getting beat or playing scrappy and getting the points, I know what I'd take!"
For more from George Parris, the thoughts of goalkeeping legend and an exclusive interview with two-time West Ham player Don Hutchison – as well as every manager in the club's history, rated and ranked – pick up a copy of the new Blowing Bubbles, out now.
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West Ham United v Shrewsbury Town preview: Hammers desperate to progress to FA Cup fourth round
Last Updated: 15/01/18 5:58pm
SSN
West Ham United host Shrewsbury Town in an FA Cup third-round replay on Tuesday night intent on progressing in the competition. The Hammers were held to a goalless draw in the first meeting at New Meadow, but assistant manager Alan Irvine says the Premier League team will do everything they can to make it into the next round. "We were certainly pleased to get out of the game with a draw, because we didn't play well enough in the game," said Irvine. "It's good for us to have the replay. Clearly we want to win the game and we want to progress in the FA Cup. "It would be fantastic if we could get a good run in the Cup. Having said that, the priority is clear, we have to stay in this division. "We're not going into the game on Tuesday thinking we wish we were out. It would be fantastic if we could get a cup run to go along with a run in the league and challenge on both fronts."
However, David Moyes' team are set to be without strikers Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll for the clash, with the former having missed training on Monday with illness, while the latter is injured again. The Scot will likely hand Joe Hart a start in goal against their opponents, who saw their 10-match unbeaten run in League One come to an end at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst, meanwhile, expects a much-improved West Ham showing at the London Stadium. The Sky Bet League One high-flyers enjoyed the better chances in the first game and Hurst believes that performance from his promotion-chasers will ensure the Hammers will "perform better" in Tuesday night's clash. "I think it will certainly be more difficult," Hurst told Shrewsbury's official website. "Whatever they thought of us going into the first game they have now seen first-hand, so there will be no underestimating us and they will know that they will have to perform better than they did in the first game to progress. "I'm sure they will have more of the ball than they did in the first game and create more chances, so we need to try and limit it as much as possible, whether it's last-ditch defending, a good goalkeeping performance or a bit of luck along the way. "But, going the other way we need to try and create a couple of chances ourselves and make it as difficult as we can."
The winners will travel to either Bournemouth or Wigan Athletic in the fourth round.
Opta stats
West Ham will be hosting Shrewsbury for the first time since September 1980, when the Hammers ran out 3-0 winners in a second-tier clash.
West Ham have won each of their last seven FA Cup home matches against lower league opponents, scoring 20 goals (avg 2.9 goals per game).However, the Hammers have lost each of their last four FA Cup replays against sides from the Championship or lower, failing to score in each of the last three.
The Shrews have never won an FA Cup encounter away to a top-flight side, losing nine and drawing one - with their last such match coming in February 1984, a 3-0 loss to Everton.
Charlie's prediction
Well it is fabulous stuff going on for West Ham under David Moyes so far, but he'll just want the job done here. And I think he'll rest Noble and maybe even Marko Arnautovic for this tie. Charlie predicts: 2-0 and Hernandez to score first (13/1 with Sky Bet)
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Diafra Sakho pushing for West Ham exit
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 15/01/18 4:11pm
SSN
Diafra Sakho is wants to leave West Ham because he feels undervalued compared to the club's other attacking players, according to Sky sources. ky Sports News understands Sakho, 28, is currently earning £30,000 a week at the London Stadium, while other forwards in David Moyes' squad are on between £80,000 and £110,000. The Senegal striker believes he was promised a new, improved contract which is yet to materialise. Sky Sports News reported last week that Crystal Palace's proposed move for Sakho was in doubt, despite the Eagles having agreed a fee of between £10m and £12m. Swansea, West Brom, Brighton, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nice and Marseille are among the sides interested in a deal for the striker, according to Sky sources. West Ham's assistant manager Alan Irvine said Sakho missed a training session on Monday because he was injured.
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Javier Hernandez could miss West Ham vs Shrewsbury FA Cup replay
By Danny Gallagher
Last Updated: 15/01/18 6:12pm
SSN
Javier Hernandez could be sidelined for West Ham's Emirates FA Cup third-round replay against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was sent home from West Ham's training ground on Monday with the flu. Hernandez's form for the Hammers has come under question in recent weeks, with the £17m forward failing to find the back of the net. Mexican star Hernandez was bought as part of a summer revamp of the forward line, arriving at the London Stadium along with Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City. As reported by Sky Sports last week, Hernandez could well be set for an early departure from the club, with the West Ham hierarchy open to hearing offers for the player.
Meanwhile, Andy Carroll (ankle), Michail Antonio (groin), Jose Fonte (calf), Edimilson Fernandes (ankle) and Winston Reid (groin) are all out for the Hammers.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Hart, Masuaku, Cresswell, Collins, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Rice, Noble, Obiang, Cullen, Burke, Quina, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Ayew, Hernandez.
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THE MAGIC OF ARNAUTINI - OR SHOULD THAT BE LANZINOVIC ?
By HamburgHammer 15 Jan 2018 at 08:00
WTID
After last week's column my loyalty towards the claret and blue cause has been put into question by some on here, as I chose to attend a Concordia indoor football tournament, a glorified friendly at that, prior to watching a recording of our cup game against Shrewsbury (instead of watching it live). So this time I made amends and gave Concordia a wide berth the last couple of days (it was only another two indoor tournaments anyway and as I mentioned before, indoor football for me is a lousy surrogate, like nonfat plain yogurt. Or tofu replacing meat).
In addition Concordia had lost another preseason (outdoor) friendly earlier in the week in shockingly lackluster fashion, so I felt that this time it was only right and proper to lend my undivided attention and support to our game at Huddersfield.
Huddersfield of course is a very German affair these days, what with the manager and several players hailing from the country of sausages and sauerkraut. Huddersfield are a club I have a lot of time for, they have a stadium that looks quite distinctive and is immediately recognisable, their fans seem genuine and down to earth and I also haven't seen their players acting out of order yet, so they are a proper football club in my book, not an easy feat altogether in a rugby first town like Huddersfield.
They are no mugs at home either and when I saw our starting lineup I thought: Well, that's a bit negative/defensive, innit ? But then again Huddersfield at home are not to be trifled with and I would have regarded a draw a credible result for us. But what do I know!
The way we attacked Huddersfield's weaknesses was clinical. Wave upon wave of quick passing counter attacking football washed upon them and they just couldn't handle our concoction of physical strength, pace and flair.
Arnautovic and Lanzini tore them to shreds almost single-handedly, but let's not forget the vital first goal where we gave Lolley (great name) a moment to forget, trying to control a pass from his goalkeeper, when Arnautovic rushed in and bullied him with not much more than his physical presence and Mr.West Ham nipping in and tucking the ball away as if he was on the Rush Green training pitch and not in the penalty box of the John Smith's Stadium.
It was like a pride of lions hunting down an impala in a coordinated attack.
Or a group of velociraptors chasing some Hollywood actors.
In any case it was bloody exciting to watch!
In my book we should do this sort of pressing a lot more often. Other teams do it to us and it's a great way to unsettle the opposition. Granted, it takes a lot of fitness and effort, but it really helps if you don't give your opponent all the time in the world to calmly control the ball and then ponder what to do with it next.
On that afternoon oop North a lot of things clicked and fell into place for us. Our defense looked mostly solid while playing refreshingly unspectacular. It was good to see Collins back again and he was his usual reliable self. In midfield Kouyate seemed to thrive on having a bit of a free role, with Noble and Obiang cleaning up behind him and Lanzini too looked happy with his role further upfield. It's vital that these guys feel comfortable in the manager's system and also develop a bit of chemistry with their teammates.
Long may it continue! That win will not only have boosted our confidence and brought us three valuable points.
It now also means that 15 points out of the remaining 15 games should be enough to cement PL status for next season. As a West Ham fan I am usually taking the pessimistic approach, expecting the worst while hoping for something slightly better, but in this instance even I can't see a scenario where we don't get another 15 points this season.
No doubt we will win a few games, we'll draw some and unfortunately there will be a few more defeats, but we now have several teams behind us that are being sucked into the relegation battle and this can only be good for us. Some of those teams will get nervy, some will crumble under the pressure, some will bounce back.
We may not be out of the woods yet, but from where we are we can already see the road and a bit of horizon beyond the last line of trees so to speak. It was only one win of course, but it got me thinking about what I would really wish to happen and what hasn't really happened at West Ham throughout our history.
Once things begin to improve for us, with better performances and results on the pitch on a consistent basis, I would really love to see us build on that.
Meaning to pick three or four players we consider to be the backbone of our squad (say Arnautovic, Lanzini, Rice and Ogbonna, to pick some names for the purpose of argument). Then put ridiculous release clauses in their contracts that ensure that only ridiculous offers can prise them away. Then, and this is the important bit, show your backbone star players it's actually worth it to stay on at project West Ham by adding quality players, gradually, one (or two) every summer (or January, if a decent opportunity should present itself). That's how you build a team, that's how you establish the club as a force to be reckoned with and that's how you climb the table and get your fanbase onside at the same time.
It costs money of course, but if you do it properly eventually those transfers will pay for themselves and then some.
William Carvalho would be such a quality addition. Or Leander Dendoncker, a young defensive midfielder from the Anderlecht production line of footballing prospects.
22 years old, 1.88m tall and strong as an ox, he covers a position that has been a weak spot for us for several seasons now. Apparently he is available for a reasonable fee of 25 million quid, reasonable in today's crazy market that is.
Scouts are fairly certain that Dendoncker will become a very strong player, a standout midfielder in fact, capable to play in any league which would result in his market value and potential transfer fee rising. So it might be a shrewd move to step in now and sign him up, if there is a chance. Scouts have been praising his strength in the tackle, his willingness to go into challenges with the right degree of aggressiveness to be a nuisance to the opposition. He reads the game well, has a good right foot and is also a fairly decent option at CB, if need be. His physical attributes make him a perfect fit for the Premier League and I would expect him to rock up on English shores sooner rather than later.
As for rumours for other incoming players in January we might be seeing Russian striker Fyodor Smolov replace Diafra Sakho. Smolov is rumoured to be available for 15 million and his agent is also on good terms with West Ham apparently, so this might be a goer. For me it's a no brainer. If Sakho wants away we need to cash in and replace him. Smolov has been Krasnodar's most important and consistent player and reading up on him a lot of scouts consider him to be the best striker in Russia.
He's tall (1.87m) and strong and at 27 years of age his best years should still be ahead of him.
He can play upfront, but is also an option on either wing. His main assets are keeping hold of the ball, dribbling, long shots and freekicks. But most importantly he is a clinical finisher. With that in mind he sounds like a more than capable replacement for Sakho.
As we can now breathe a bit more easily in the league we should give the FA Cup the proper respect it deserves. By all means, reward some youngsters with some well deserved gametime. I would expect guys like Rice, Burke, Cullen and Byram to start (with Shrewsbury boy Hart between the sticks of course), but make no mistake: We need some experienced heads out there too and we can not afford to take Shrewsbury lightly. It's another potential banana skin for us, but on paper we have more than enough to beat them of course.
As their confidence must be skyhigh I would even contemplate giving Arnautini a runout for 60 minutes or so. What I don't want is players on the pitch who are not up for it.
The FA Cup and the opposition deserve respect and every single player who gets the chance to play should bust a gut.
As the game will probably not be on telly anywhere I might have to rely on text updates. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing our team continue to grow together.
And then to be improved even further by adding a quality signing or two…COYI!!!
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Pablo Zabaleta reveals what David Moyes has changed to inspire West Ham's revival ahead of FA Cup replay
The Irons, who've jumped from 18th to 11th under Moyes, face Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay on Tuesday
The Mirror
ByDavid McDonnellSports Journalist
15:03, 15 JAN 2018UPDATED15:07, 15 JAN 2018
Pablo Zabaleta has revealed how going back to basics helped David Moyes transform West Ham's season. The Hammers take on Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay at the London Stadium on Tuesday, with Moyes having turned their crisis-hit season around. Saturday's 4-1 win at Huddersfield saw West Ham, 18th when Moyes took over in November, rise to 11th in the Premier League and continue their march to safety. Zabaleta said the key to the turnaround was Moyes tightening things up at the back, giving West Ham's flair players a solid base from which to express themselves. "We all know David Moyes," said Zabaleta. "He always tries to organise teams and makes sure they're disciplined tactically, hard to beat. "He brought that discipline needed to win games. We were conceding too many goals, even in the first two or three games, playing 4-3-3, we weren't doing great. "We changed to three at the back, five if you want, and that made us more solid. Playing on the counter gives us a chance to get points. "We can be braver on the ball and create more chances but I think defensively we must be honest: we've been really good recently and that's a key point. "We're not a team who create chances like City, Spurs or those teams who play really decent football. "He's looking to bring in players to give us more creativity and probably then we can change to a different style. "At the moment, when you look at the season, we changed the manager and needed results. We thought the best way to improve was to be solid at the back and that gives us more confidence. "Stability at the back is what is working best for us. First we need to save our season. "Then, if David Moyes stays for the next couple of years, he'll have a chance to bring in his players and maybe get the team playing a different way.
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West Ham ace Pablo Zabaleta reveals chat with Marko Arnautovic that has inspired his form
MARKO ARNAUTOVIC treasures every goal he scores these days – and he won't let anyone forget it.
Daily Star
By Mike Whalley / Published 15th January 2018
The West Ham forward has been transformed since David Moyes took over in November, hitting top form to help guide them clear of the Premier League relegation zone. He was on target again in an outstanding display at Huddersfield, prompting a reporter to congratulate him on his recent run of five goals. "It's six," Arnautovic shot back. You can call it six goals in seven league matches, or you can call it five in five, but however you look at it, the striker is a man reborn.
He had a nightmare start at the London Stadium following his club record £20m move from Stoke last July. First came a red card in an early defeat at Southampton, then illness, then accusations from fans that he was not putting in enough effort. Full-back Pablo Zabaleta said: "I remember the first time I met him at West Ham, we were talking about the many games we'd played against each other. "I said to him: 'Marko, when you are on your day, I think you are one of the best players, for sure. It's hard for defenders to play against you, because you are strong, you are good on the ball. "'But you have to be on your game. You have to keep focused. And if you do this, then you have enough quality to make the difference.'"
Arnautovic's quality shone at the John Smith's Stadium, where he chipped in with three assists to add to his goal. He robbed Joe Lolley on the edge of the Huddersfield box to send through Mark Noble for the Hammers' first-half opener, after the home side went to sleep at the back. Then, after Lolley cut in from the right to score a Terriers equaliser, the Austrian took charge. He flicked the ball over Tommy Smith and lashed the Hammers back into the lead just 11 seconds into the second half, before two expertly judged passes set up two goals for Manuel Lanzini. Arnautovic has thrived since Moyes moved him from the left into the centre, with Lanzini also shining, even though neither player is a natural centre forward. Together, they ensured that West Ham did not miss ankle injury victim Andy Carroll, or fellow strikers Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez, left on the bench. "Everyone knows Marko looks a moody boy at times, but I have found him really, really good and also very funny," said Moyes, celebrating his 200th Premier League win on the 20th anniversary of his first game as a manager at Preston.
"We're keeping him on a short leash, though. "Everything he has been asked to do, he has come up to it. Probably even more important is where the questions were, that he wasn't running about, he wasn't putting in the effort. "Well that would be the last thing you'd say about him now. What we won't allow him to do now is drop back to where he was."
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West Ham might be onto a winner with David Moyes who has rediscovered his mojo after going back to basics
David Moyes has got his mojo back after turning around West Ham's fortunes
He inherited a team that had not been working hard enough but he's fixed that
His zero tolerance policy has got the best out of star man Marko Arnautovic
Moyes recently became the fourth manager to win 200 Premier League games
He reached the landmark courtesy of West Ham's 4-1 victory at Huddersfield
By Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 14 January 2018 | UPDATED: 23:14, 14 January 2018
When David Moyes arrived at West Ham in November, he went back to the methods he employed when he started out, first at Preston and then in those early years at Everton. He inherited a team in the relegation zone with the worst physical statistics in the Premier League. They were covering less ground, playing with less intensity. So Moyes employed the zero tolerance policy that had served him so well in the past. Marko Arnautovic was told if he didn't run, he wouldn't play and he was not alone in being given a kick up the backside. Now every player at West Ham understands that they buy into the manager's methods or they are on the sidelines. Moyes knew he had a point to prove when he succeeded Slaven Bilic. He accepted what, by Premier League standards, was a low basic wage as well as a short-term contract, with the club guaranteeing him a sizeable bonus to keep them in the top flight. He enjoys great support from his assistants — a strong presence in the form of Stuart Pearce and a coach in Billy McKinlay who has a lighter touch when dealing with the players.
In Alan Irvine, Moyes also has someone with superb organisational skills. And it is working. A fine victory at Huddersfield was secured thanks to a high-energy, high-pressing approach and it leaves West Ham in the safety of mid-table. Moyes, say those closest to him, has his mojo back. On Saturday, he became the fourth manager to win 200 Premier League games. West Ham might be on to a winner.
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Marko Arnautovic praised for heroics against Huddersfield, but David Moyes still demands more
Moyes wants more of the same from Arnautovic CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Steven Sutcliffe
14 JANUARY 2018 • 10:30PM
Telegraph.coluk
Amid the praise for West Ham United's match-winner, Marko Arnautovic, his manager, David Moyes, stressed his delight but also demanded more of the same over the coming weeks. The Austrian's physical and technical capabilities have rarely been in doubt, but fans have questioned his attitude and application since becoming West Ham's £25 million record signing last summer. In recent weeks that sentiment has started to dissipate, with Moyes deploying the 28-year-old as a centre-forward to ensure he no longer strays onto the periphery.
Another coruscating display on Saturday inspired his side to a comfortable 4-1 win at Huddersfield Town. Pressing Joe Lolley into the mistake that gifted Mark Noble the opener, Arnautovic then took the game away from the hosts after they had equalised through Lolley.
Following a sixth goal in seven league outings, he twice punctured the home defence to lay on two goals for Manuel Lanzini. It lifted Moyes's team to 11th position, five points clear of the relegation places and a point and three positions above Town. Yet the Scot, who conceded his squad will need reinforcement this month, has warned he will not allow Arnautovic to rest on his laurels. "Where the questions were – that he wasn't running about, he wasn't putting in the effort – well that would be the last thing you'd say about him now," Moyes said. "What we won't allow him to do now is drop back to where he was. Everyone knows he looks a sort of moody, heady boy but I've found him really good and also very funny, but we're keeping him on a short leash. "He missed Tottenham with an injury and didn't play against Shrewsbury, so we were getting him back fresh, but I am still working to get him through 90 minutes at that level and that speed. "He's doing maybe 70 minutes and we're saying, 'no, we want more from you'. Maybe I can't get all that into him yet, but he has given us a great level of speed and energy in the early parts of games. "What we've given him is the chance to prove to West Ham supporters 'I can run, I will run and I'm not maybe what you think and I will prove I am a really good player and worth every penny the club have paid for me'."
Worryingly for Huddersfield it is almost a month and five fixtures since they last picked up three points. During their last top-flight season in 1971-72, the club failed to win a match after Christmas, collecting just six points from their final 15 matches to be relegated. While history repeating itself on that scale looks improbable, David Wanger, their head coach, admitted frustrations at a failure to react to dangerous situations early enough. "This is what cost them and us," Wagner said. "We've played 23 games. So usually, it should be enough time for everybody to learn their lesson. But even if we say it should be enough time, we've done it again. What counts is how we work with it and how we react."
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West Ham star Marko Arnautovic slams reporter over goal gaffe
MARKO ARNAUTOVIC sees every goal he scores as special after his nightmare start at West Ham – and is not shy about saying so.
By MIKE WHALLEY
PUBLISHED: 00:13, Mon, Jan 15, 2018 | UPDATED: 00:14, Mon, Jan 15, 2018
Express.co.uk
The Austrian never scored for Slaven Bilic, the manager who paid a club-record £20million to take him to the London Stadium from Stoke last July. But he has been transformed since David Moyes replaced the sacked Bilic in November, hitting a glut of goals to help lift the Hammers clear of the relegation zone.
Just make sure you get your numbers right if you want to talk to him about it – one reporter found that out at Huddersfield when congratulating him on a recent run of five goals. "It's six," said Arnautovic, without a flicker of a smile.
It is indeed six goals in seven league games – or five in five, if you prefer – since Moyes decided to move Arnautovic from the left into a central attacking role.
Neither he nor strike partner Manuel Lanzini are natural centre-forwards but they thrived at the John Smith's Stadium, with Andy Carroll nursing an ankle injury, Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez demoted to the bench and Diafra Sakho left out of the squad altogether amid uncertainty about his future. Arnautovic robbed Joe Lolley to set up West Ham's opener for Mark Noble, scored the second himself by flicking the ball over home captain Tommy Smith and drilling past Jonas Lossl, then played two excellent through passes for Lanzini to wrap up the rout. Lolley made up for his part in West Ham's first goal by cutting in from the right to steer in his first Premier League goal just before half-time, but Moyes was not to be denied his 200th Premier League win on the 20th anniversary of his first game as a manager. Huddersfield have surpassed expectations in their first top-flight season since 1972 but will not survive if they keep on producing error-strewn displays like this. Head coach David Wagner said: "Listen, we have played 24 games. So usually, it should be enough time for everybody to learn their lesson. But this is not what counts for me now. What counts is how we work with it and how we react."
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Marko Arnautovic is West Ham's latest maverick and he's finally living up to comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Marko Arnautovic is unrecognisable from the player who started the season
The Austrian has been a revelation since David Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic
West Ham have always had a maverick, like Paolo Di Canio or Dimitri Payet
Arnautovic, who has been likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is their new maverick
By Martin Keown for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:52, 14 January 2018 | UPDATED: 23:15, 14 January 2018
West Ham have always had a maverick, a special player like Paolo Di Canio or Dimitri Payet who is the darling of the fans. This season, Marko Arnautovic is that man. Arnautovic is unrecognisable from the player who started the season.
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