Daily WHUFC News - 16th March 2015

International Preview
WHUFC.com

Eight West Ham players are involved in international matches in the coming days. Here's a look ahead to those games.

Thursday 26 March

England U17s' final game of three UEFA U17 Championship Elite Round qualifiers culminates in a game against Romania at 7pm. Following his goal against Slovenia, Captain Reece Oxford will want to round off an impressive few games since returning to action following a return to injury.

The U18s' first of two games against Switzerland sees West Ham United goalkeeper Sam Howes come up against teammate Noha Sylvestre. Both youngsters have been in fine form for West Ham United's U18s making 19 and 20 appearances respectively. Kick off is 3pm.

Friday 27 March

On Friday evening, the England U21s are in action against the Czech Republic. The match could see Carl Jenkinson return to international duty since his last outing against Sweden in 4-2 defeat November 2012.

Saturday 28 March

James Collins' Wales travel to play Israel in Group B of the European Championship Qualifying. Having got off to a great start, Wales are unbeaten after four games, with eight games in total. Israel currently top the group with nine points.

On a busy day of football, Cheikhou Kouyate's Senegal are set to play Ghana in a friendly, kick off is scheduled for 7.45pm local time.

The U18s face a quick turnaround between games as they host the Swiss again, little more than 48 hours after the first game. Kick off comes from 5.30pm.

Josh Cullen is in international action as the Irish U19 travel to play their German counterparts at the hardwaldstadion in Sandhausen. Kick off in the Under-19 Championship Elite Round is 12pm local time, 11am GMT.

Monday 30 March 2015

The U21s second game of the international break is a grudge match with arch rivals Germany at Middlesborough's Riverside stadium.

Speaking ahead of the match, which promises to be a high quality yet hard-fought affair, Jenkinson said: "It's always an honour playing for England, at any level. I'm really looking forward to it, it keeps me ticking over during the international break. It's nice to play a couple games and keep my fitness up. I'll be raring to go against Leicester."

In the qualification rounds we played against some easier teams as such but now we're playing against the big boys. It will be a good test for us to see what we're all about."

"The game against Germany is the one that stands out, it should be a great game. It's one I'm certainly looking forward to."

The match is broadcast live on BT Sport 1, with the programme starting at 7.30pm.

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Maguire earns Ireland U21 call
WHUFC.com

Sean Maguire has spoken of his pride at being called up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad. The young Hammer, who is currently on loan at Sky Bet League Two side Accrington Stanley, is in Noel King's U21 squad for the first time, having previously won three caps at U19 level. Ireland are taking on Andorra in their first 2017 UEFA U21 Championship qualifier on Thursday evening at Waterford United - the club Maguire signed for the Hammers from in 2013. The 20-year-old has scored five goas in 25 league games for Stanley this season and is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to shine on the international stage. "I'm delighted to be called up," he said. "It's an honour to be recognised by your country & I hope I'll get the chance to play. "First team football at Accrington has made a huge difference to me this season & I'm grateful to everyone at the club for the opportunity. "To get an international call up after a great time playing regularly this season is just fantastic."

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Cullen's dual debut aim
WHUFC.com

It is an exciting time to be Josh Cullen. The promising midfielder was named on the West Ham United bench for the first time for the recent Barclays Premier League fixture at Arsenal. This week, the 18-year-old midfielder is set to make his competitive international debut for Republic of Ireland in the European U19 Championship Elite Round. For Cullen, the prospect of facing mini-group hosts Germany, Slovakia and Czech Republic – starting on Thursday 26 March – for a place at this summer's finals in Greece is one he is relishing.
"It's a good standard of football and the group we are in is a very competitive one," the No39 began. "Germany are one of the countries that everybody is looking up to at the moment, while Slovakia are actually considered to be the favourites. "It's going to be a great test but we believe in ourselves as a team. Only one team goes through, which makes it even tougher, so we have got to be on our game.
"It's a great experience to play against good teams like Germany, but we have beaten Holland and Sweden this year so we believe in ourselves and we want to go as far as we can.

For Cullen, who was born and raised in Essex but has Irish ancestry, representing Ireland is special to him and his family. "International football is a different experience than club football. At West Ham, we train and play and generally go home afterwards, but with Ireland we are in a hotel for eleven or 12 days and it's a great experience. "I am proud to be playing for Ireland and making my family proud at the same time. I missed the Euro U17s and the first set of U19 qualifiers through injury, so I am looking forward to make my first competitive appearance."

Back at West Ham, Cullen is training regularly with Sam Allardyce's first-team squad as he pushes for his first senior appearance in Claret and Blue. With the likes of Mark Noble, Alex Song, Cheikhou Kouyate and Kevin Nolan also at the Club, the teenager knows he may have to be patient, but that will not stop him giving his all every single day. I am a West Ham fan, so I want to see the first team doing well and the Club doing well Having got into the matchday 18 at the Emirates, Cullen is keen for more opportunities to impress. "It's something you grow up dreaming of, so to be involved in a Premier League game as a West Ham fan is great. The next step for me is to carry on working hard and to get my debut. "Being involved somewhere like the Emirates made it more memorable because it is a magnificent stadium with a pitch like a carpet and the facilities there are on a different level. "I don't feel out of place when I train with the first-team squad so I just need to keep working hard to improve my game to get to first-team standard. "I have played U18 and U21 football over the last season and a half, so now it's about playing more U21 football and trying to stand out at that level to push myself into the first-team squad or go out on loan and get some first-team experience. "So, by doing the best I can and continuing to work hard, hopefully those chances will come."

Whether he makes his debut before the current season is out or not, Cullen is happy to be part of an improving West Ham squad – one which looks on course to finish in the top half of the Barclays Premier League for the second time in three seasons. "I am a West Ham fan, so I want to see the first team doing well and the Club doing well. We do have a quite a few players in my position, so it's tough to see a way through, but at the same time it is a privilege and a challenge to work with the players I watched before I got anywhere near this standard. "Now I am closer to it than ever before, I need to take any little chance that I get. "The feedback I have had from the coaches gives me confidence and if I can take what I have done in training into games then hopefully I can break through into the West Ham first team. That's the aim."

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

Hello everyone,

We will start this week's round-up with news of two positive surgeries for James Tomkins and Doneil Henry. James Tomkins had successful surgery on his dislocated left shoulder and the first signs following the operation are good. We aim for him to be back before the end of the 2014/15 season.

Doneil had a complicated hamstring problem which he suffered while on loan for Blackburn Rovers. This injury was treated with a successful operation and we are looking at him being back for the start of pre-season training in July.

Winston Reid continues to rehab well from the hamstring injury he suffered in the home game against Chelsea on 4 March and it is our priority to have him ready to face Leicester City after the international break.

Andy Carroll has entered the next phase of his rehabilitation following surgery on the knee he injured at Southampton on 11 February.
We are now in week six of Andy's rehab and he is now moving without the need for crutches or a brace on his knee. He is working in the swimming pool and on the static bike.
Tuesday was the first day in his rehab protocol that we were able to work on the bike and did some exercises in the pool.

With Enner Valencia, we have seen a specialist again and he is healing well after he lacerated his big toe on 10 March. Enner was unable to go away on international duty with Ecuador, but now he is building up his training with the aim of being available for the Leicester game.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Lee extends Luton loan
WHUFC.com

Elliot Lee has extended his loan spell with League Two club Luton Town until the end of the season. The West Ham United striker has netted three goals in six games for the Hatters, including a brace in Tuesday's 3-2 home defeat by Wycombe Wanderers. He will now remain with Luton until 2 May, and longer should John Still's men reach the League Two Play-Offs. Lee marked his opening goal on Tuesday by paying tribute to his late friend and Hammers strike partner Dylan Tombides, who passed away in April 2014 following a three-year battle with cancer. The 20-year-old lifted his shirt to show a T-shirt with the words 'FOR YOU DYL. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN' and a photo of the popular Australian forward. "I was delighted to do that for Dyl," said Lee of his tribute, which was seen by thousands of viewers watching the match live on Sky Sports. "Being on the Sky cameras I thought it was a great stage to honour my good mate who sadly passed away nearly a year to the day, so I'm really happy I could have done that for him."

The gesture was all the more poignant the Hatters had joined forces with The Football League's Official Charity Partner, Prostate Cancer UK, to rename their Kenilworth Road home The Prostate Cancer UK Stadium for the Wycombe fixture. Speaking about the personal significance of Luton's unique charity initiative, Lee revealed that his grandfather had undergone surgery for prostate cancer "It's massive," he continued. "On a personal level, my granddad had prostate cancer. He had surgery to get it removed and I did Movember for him. He's fully recovered now. "It hit the family hard but the family stuck together and it's great to see him fighting fit again. My granddad is always in high spirits and the surgery was brilliant and he's brilliant again now." "He [is on holiday in China at the moment but] knew about it and he was really proud I think. It was a great thing for the club to do. I got him two [goals], so I think he'll be happy."

Luton, Lee and Prostate Cancer UK all became trending topics on Twitter during Tuesday's game, while the Hatters' decision to rename their stadium to help raise awareness of a disease that kills one man every hour in the UK drew widespread praise. "It's great for everyone to get involved," Lee added. "We should be aware of the cause and I think it was really good to name the stadium what it was and I think it went down well with everyone. "It's a brilliant cause and it should be highlighted. There is no better stage than on TV and a big game like Luton against Wycombe. I think it was a really good gesture."

West Ham themselves recently helped to launch the DT38 Foundation in memory of the late Academy starlet. Dylan, whose prodigious talents saw him sign for West Ham in 2008, lost his brave three-year battle with testicular cancer in April 2014, at the age of just 20. A hugely popular figure among his team-mates, coaches, backroom staff, supporters and opponents alike, the Australia U22 international was loved and respected throughout the football community for his talent, his smile and his spirit. Dylan's considerable legacy will now to be channelled through DT38, a new Foundation which is setting out to provide testicular cancer support and awareness through education and opportunity. DT38 became the Club's second official charity for the 2014/15 campaign, alongside the West Ham United Moore Family Foundation.

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Lycamobile extend Hammers partnership
KUMB.com

West Ham United have announced that Lycamobile, the largest global provider of low-cost international mobile calls, will continue as the Club's Official Partner for the next three years.

To mark the launch of the new partnership, Joint-Chairman David Gold, and players Mark Noble, Diafra Sakho and Winston Reid hosted Lycamobile global MVNOs Chairman Subaskaran Allirajah on a tour of the Club's new Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Lycamobile has been an official partner of the Club since the 2012/13 campaign and the renewal sees the deal extend to include the first two seasons in the new Stadium.

Founded in 2006, Lycamobile provides low-cost, high-quality data and voice services to over 12 million customers across 18 countries. Its sheer span, focus on customer service and innovative business strategy has seen it outgrow its competitor set; achieving greater coverage of the European population than any other network operator.

Its partnership with the Hammers has seen it host the Lycamobile Cup at the Boleyn Ground, allowing local youngsters the opportunity of a lifetime to play on the hallowed turf, following in the famous footsteps of their Hammers heroes, as well as launching the co-branded Hammers SIM, which raised funds for the Club's Foundation.

Commenting on the new deal, West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold said: "We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Lycamobile for the next three years. They will be joining us on the exciting journey from the Boleyn Ground to our fantastic new Stadium in Stratford, building on the great success we have already enjoyed in the three years we have worked together."

Subaskaran Allirajah, Chairman of Lycamobile said, "We are so incredibly proud to be part of the West Ham success story, to extend our partnership for a further three seasons, and see this great club take its well-deserved place in this iconic ground, home of the 2012 Olympic Games."

As well as sponsorship of West Ham United Football Club, Lycamobile proudly supports the West Ham Foundation as part of its mission to bring communities together. www.lycamobile.com

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Diafra Sakho: West Ham striker says FA proposals are 'an excuse'
By Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport

English football's failings should not be blamed on the number of foreign players in the Premier League, says West Ham's Diafra Sakho.
Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has outlined plans to restrict non-EU players coming into the English game. And England defender Phil Jagielka has backed the quality of English players coming through the system. But Senegal striker Sakho told BBC Sport: "Everyone can make their own excuses to defend their own interests."

The former Ligue 1 player added: "France won the World Cup in 1998 and the French league was full of foreigners, same with Spain who won the World Cup and Euros, and Germany too. "I don't see why we should shut the door on new talent coming over." Sakho, 25, joined West Ham from Metz on a four-year deal in the summer and has become an integral part of Sam Allardyce's side, scoring 12 goals in all competitions.
He has followed a rich tradition of African players succeeding in the Premier League, with the likes of Ivorians Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure both winning several trophies with Chelsea and Manchester City. "We have seen many African players do well here so it would make things difficult for them," Sakho said. "The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world, one which all young players dream of playing in."

Defender Winston Reid moved to Upton Park from Danish side Midtjylland in 2010 and won West Ham's player of the year award in 2012-13.
The New Zealander suggests the pressure for clubs to succeed force them to look for players away from these shores. "The Premier League now is a massive business for football clubs," he said at an event for Lycamobile and the West Ham Foundation. "They might not be playing young players but buying better players from abroad. "It would be unfortunate if some of my peers weren't given the chance to do the same as me. There are a lot of good foreign players here." In Europe this season, no Premier League side progressed into the quarter-finals of the Champions League or Europa League.

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Winston Reid committed to pushing West Ham into Premier League's top four
Last Updated: 25/03/15 6:28pm
SSN

​Defender Winston Reid has revealed he signed a new long-term deal with West Ham because he is committed to seeing the club reach the top four. Reid has signed a new six-and-half-year contract with the Hammers, which is reportedly valued at £60,000 per week, after being linked with possible moves to Arsenal and Tottenham. The 26-year-old says he is "committed" to his future at West Ham and sees the club pushing their way up the Premier League table "It did strike me to move to another place, but my family and I wanted to stay here," Reid told The Sun. "I figured out what I wanted to do with my career and that's be part of the place here and help the club to improve. "It won't take only one or two years - it might be after I finish that the club gets into the top six or top four."

West Ham currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League table and are hoping to finish the season with their best points return yet.
"It's unfortunate that us as a team in the last couple of months, we haven't been functioning at 100 per cent compared to the beginning of the year," Reid said. "We're looking to finish strong and not let the season fade away." Reid is currently in a race against time to overcome a hamstring injury to be fit for New Zealand's international match against South Korea this weekend. But the Hammers expect the Kiwi back in time to travel with the squad to Leicester on April 4 after the international break. Ecuador forward Enner Valencia, meanwhile, has seen a specialist again and is healing well after he lacerated his big toe on March 10. "Enner was unable to go away on international duty with Ecuador, but now he is building up his training with the aim of being available for the Leicester game," said Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke.

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Lee staying with Luton
Luton have extended the loan stay of West Ham striker Elliot Lee until the end of the season.
Last Updated: 25/03/15 2:30pm
SSN

Luton have extended the loan stay of West Ham striker Elliot Lee until the end of the season. The 20-year-old grabbed two goals in Monday night's televised defeat to Wycombe to make it three goals in four starts since being borrowed from Upton Park. "Elliot's been fantastic for us since joining and we're thrilled we'll have him for the rest of this season," boss John Still told the club's official website.
"He's getting fitter all the time and I think that sharpness has been there for all to see in our past two matches." Lee added: "I've enjoyed my short time with the club, the lads and the fans are fantastic. Our goal is to win promotion and that's what I want to help us achieve between now and the end of the season." Lee, who has a 24-hour recall clause in his deal, previously spent loan spells with Colchester and Southend.

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THE MEN IN BLACK
By Tony Hanna 25 Mar 2015 at 08:00
West Ham till I Die

What do tennis, rugby union, rugby league and cricket have that we don't? A video review of the most important decisions that affect a game of course, well apart from goal line technology which is in its infancy. The refereeing in the Premier League has been so bad this season that some are even alluding to the possibility of refs deliberately making a few hashes so as to heighten the need for video help. I find this assumption ridiculous at best but at least it highlights just how bad the referees have been. And it is getting worse. More than once this season the wrong player has been sent off in cases of misidentity.


Now, let's have a look at the Premier League. Here we have a competition where the TV rights have escalated to over 5 billion pounds for the next three seasons and on average each game has a World viewing audience of over twelve million. We have matches comprising of twenty two of the finest and fastest athletes available and they play for an hour and a half with a fifteen minute break. These fit young men also practise falling over at the slightest of touches and if the ref does not give them what they want he and his team mates are allowed to surround him, point fingers and shout at him. He probably can't hear much of what they are screaming as the 40,000 crowd that sit just a few yards away are hurling abuse at him and have started to chant "you don't know what you are doing"! They are also questioning his parentage. The TV cameras have by now played twenty eight replays from 108 different angles and the whole place is going manic. Who is this ref, this man in black? Who is this balding, rotund 48 year old that has wires spouting from every orifice and carries around a can of foam? Often he was the young kid at school, you know the one, the one that loved to play football in the play ground but was never good enough to make the school team. He was the kid that decided "better become a referee if I can't play".

Now perhaps I am being a bit unfair? These men in black are remarkably fit for their age and know the rules of the game much better than the fans watching and indeed the pundits in the TV box. But come on! When are we going to realise that the speed of the game has passed these poor fellows by? Not to mention the so called professionalism of some of the tactics employed by shrewd coaches trying to con him. They need a hand. Every mistake they make is scrutinised by the video replays, the very replays that could help them make the right decisions!

One of the perceived downsides of allowing a referee or a 4th official the luxury of these replays is that it will slow the game down. My view is I would not care providing we get the right decision and it was only used for the major decisions where a referee requires assistance. My view is also that if we cut out the surrounding of referees by players waving imaginary cards at them, it might help speed the game up sufficiently to make up for any said video review. And don't get me started on players rolling around on the ground, taking the ball into the corner post and all other forms of time wasting. The surrounding of the refs will stop, as will the need for a 4th official trying to contain an irate manager on the sideline if everyone knew "we were going upstairs" for clarification. If ever the video ref does come into play in our game it will still not be perfect. There will be the odd mistakes made as it will still be a human being that officiates them. But it will be a whole lot better than what we are enduring at the moment. Or will we miss our favourite post match pastime too much? You know, the right to moan after the game to everyone and anybody that will listen, that we were robbed again?

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West Ham striker Diafra Sakho says England always "making excuses" over national team failings
18:15, 25 March 2015 By Hamish Mackay
The Senegal forward slammed suggestions that foreign players in the Premier League are damaging the England national team
The Mirror

Diafra Sakho has dismissed suggestions that England perform poorly on the international stage because of foreign players in the Premier League. Football Association chairman Greg Dyke is one of many people to have made such a claim, saying the presence of foreign players restricts the opportunities for young English talent. Dyke has even announced plans to restrict the number of non-EU players in the top flight. West Ham striker Sakho, though, says the FA are just making excuses. "Everyone can make their own excuses to defend their own interests," Sakho told BBC Sport. "France won the World Cup in 1998 and the French league was full of foreigners, same with Spain who won the World Cup and Euros, and Germany too. "I don't see why we should shut the door on new talent coming over." The Senegal striker said footballers throughout the world dream of playing in the Premier League and plans to restrict their presence would punish them unfairly.
He said: "The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world, one which all young players dream of playing in. It would be unfortunate if some of my peers weren't given the chance to do the same as me. There are a lot of good foreign players here."

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Irons scout Turk
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham United are this afternoon being linked with Fenerbache goalkeeper Mert Günok. If Turkish newspaper Fanatik is to be believed, the Irons have been tracking the stopper on several occasions this season. A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh: "We are tracking up to 50 players at any one time. It's too early to talk in terms of contracts. However, the report goes on to say the we are ready to offer the player a deal as we hunt for a replacement No 2 to Jussi Jaaskalainen. Günok is free to enter direct talks with other clubs due to his contract set to run out at the end of the season. The Turkish international is currently second choice keeper at the Turkish club behind international Volkan Demirel.

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It's 'sack Sam season' so does he stay or go?
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Just eight games left and the big question remains! It is not – as it should be – about how many points the team collect but whether Sam Allardyce will remain in charge at the end of them! It's a terrible shame that the division which exists between the fans over the manager has now become part of the West Ham culture – an inevitable discussion point every season. This time of course, it's different. His contract is up in June, there's no compensation to pay and its a case of whether the Davids have had enough of him or whether they are ready to invest another two years in his style of management because believe me he won't take one year rolling deals.
He knows he can do better than that elsewhere. The hysteria which surrounds the Sam issue – and we at ClaretandHugh readily admit we have been caught up in at times – has been dreadful. The division itself is a massive problem as blogged on here recently by Rich Sprent.
This club's fanbase are at each other's throats all day every day and that is one reason why maybe the 60 year old will have to go.
David-Sullivan-001His supporters will stress over and over again that he doesn't deserve to be binned, because he has done everything asked of him. Nobody can argue with that but there remains one big flaw in the argument and that is that the requirements have changed.
The club has decided it really does need to start winning things and Sam isn't noted for that – indeed he has never won anything.
There are other underlying issues at the club which are creating obvious conflicts with a David Sullivan announcement before Christmas making his position towards Sam very clear indeed. He said: 'The longer you are in the game and the longer you've had the manager, you get involved more and more because when you see your money wasted year after year, you think "I could do as good as that. modibomaigaIt gets even stronger with him adding: 'And you really can, you know. I know that sounds daft but if you've had 20 years of buying players, seeing money spent, they're not geniuses.' He stopped short of mentioning Modibo Maiga and Alou Diarra but the point was clearly made!
Last summer they did something about that by becoming far more hands on in the market place and were highly successful with the arrival of such as Cresswell, Valencia and Sakho arriving – all as a result of the board's drive for more attacking football.

Much has been made of the brilliant performances against such as City, United, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. The board may well take the view that was because of their determination to ensure that things changed on the field and their insistence on an attacking coach. Sam Allardyce's ensures that wherever he works there is no director of football involved. He actually has one now in all but name – David Sullivan advised by his new recruitment of director to the board, Tony Henry. Those two are calling the shots more and more and whether such a tension is maintainable for another two years has to be doubtful in the extreme. So will there be a change of manager?

My personal view is that it looks an inevitability. Who that somebody will be remains a vexed question and we will all hold a different view. I just pray to God it's somebody who can reunited a fan base desperately weary of all the ghastly infighting!

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Poyet loan hopes hit
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Diego Poyet is very unlikely to be send out on loan before Thursday's deadline! The 19 year old has made just seven appearances this season – two as a Huddersfield loan player – but the club are reluctant to let him out to get some much needed football. The former Charlton starlet has been told that in the light on recent injuries he will be needed at the club as a cover player. We were told: "Sadly for Diego the club's injury situation dictates that we have to err on the side of caution – it's very unlikely he will be allowed out because of that."

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England call-up fades and dies again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

It comes up every international break and is no closer to resolution that it was last time around – the 'Mark Noble for England debate.' As you may expect, the newspapers describe it as the Hammers midfielder "refusing to give up on his dream" which makes it sound a bit like an X-Factor audition! There was a moment when the 27 year old was apparently considering offering his services to Ireland – presumably in the basis of one of his relatives visiting Dublin or Belfast on one occasion – I jest! That of course hasn't happened and yesterday was again making it clear where his heart really lies. Mark Noble is refusing to give up on his dream of breaking into the England squad ahead of the European Championship Finals despite being overlooked once again by Roy Hodgson. He has already represented England at every level from the Under 16s to the Under 19s and was even made captain of the Under 21s team for the Euro Finals in 2009.
But that elusive first team call-up eludes him, overlooked on this occasion whilst inexperienced Spurs midfielder Ryan Mason is included the forthcoming games against Lithuania and Italy after Adam Lallana was forced to pull out. Noble said: 'I have made it clear what I think about the situation and I would love to play for my country. But obviously at the moment it doesn't look like it is going to happen. 'I will keep playing as well as I can at West Ham and enjoying it every week. You never know what will happen in the future."
It's all pretty simple from where we are sitting – Roy Hodgson doesn't fancy him – end of story!

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Collins: "I'm doing alright"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

James Collins is delighted with his form despite suffering a few niggles from a number of injury problems. The 31 year old central defender has been massive for the Hammers over recent games and drew a special comment from David Sullivan after Saturday's win against Sunderland. As we reported yesterday the Welshman – now away in international duty is our "dark outsider" as Hammer of the Year with the co chairman claiming of his latest performance: "He was outstanding." Collins and partner Cheik Kouyate partnered him at the back and Collins said: "I'm doing alright. I have struggled a little bit with some niggles, but I am over that now. Of Kouyate, he said: "He is so experienced and has played there so many times for his country so he knows what he is doing. "He has a lack of English, but he is still very vocal on the pitch which is always good."

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