Daily WHUFC News - 16th April 2015

Reid expecting strong final six games
WHUFC.com

Winston Reid said he is expecting his side to produce a better performance
than the one against Stoke City when they travel to play current champions
Manchester City on Sunday 19 April. Despite not playing to their best, the
Hammers were just seconds away from taking the three points after Aaron
Cresswell's arrowed free kick had put them ahead in the seventh minute.
However, it was not to be as Stoke's Marko Arnautovic equalised with a fine
solo goal in the fifth minute of injury time. Speaking ahead of the tough
time trip to the Etihad, Winston Reid said in his latest column for
Fanbookz: "Sometimes, especially lately, we haven't been concentrating
fully and in the last ten minutes we've been conceding unnecessary amounts
of points, which is extremely disappointing. "Obviously the performances
recently have not been reflective of what we are capable of, as we showed in
the first half of the season. From the outside, people might think that
we're already on holiday, but we've tried to maintain the effort on the
training pitch and in games. "The run we've been on in the past 15 games,
we've only gained 12 points from - which, considering where we were before,
is not good enough so our season's gone from being fairly high up in the
table to a mid-table season."

With six league game left of the season, Reid is targeting a strong finish,
for his team as well as personally after missing a month through injury. The
New Zealand international made his return to action against Leicester City
having picked up an injury in the game against Chelsea on 4 March. Speaking
about his return from the sidelines, the commanding centre-back said: "I've
had a couple of games since returning, against Leicester and Stoke, and the
injury was just one of those things that had to be managed within the time
period that it took to get me fit again. "I wanted to make sure I was fit
for the last six games of the campaign and make sure I can participate fully
within those matches. "I don't want to lose out any more time through
injury, as I've picked up a few annoying little injuries over the course of
the season which I accept is part of the toughness and number of games you
play, but hopefully I'll stay fit for the next few weeks."

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

We are firstly pleased to confirm that Enner Valencia completed an
individual training session on Wednesday morning, after suffering a foot
injury in Saturday's draw with Stoke City. Enner has a good chance of being
available for selection for the trip to Manchester City on Sunday.

Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll, James Tomkins and Doneil Henry are all
continuing with their rehabilitation as planned and are progressing as we
would expect at this stage.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Former Player Blog - Julian Dicks
WHUFC.com

As a player, Julian Dicks made 326 appearances in a claret and blue shirt,
scoring an impressive 65 goals. The four time Hammer of the Year is
currently in charge on the West Ham United Ladies team who are set to face
Charlton Athletic in the London FA Capital Women's Cup Final on Wednesday 6
May. Speaking exclusively to www.whufc.com, Dicks discussed the Ladies' 1-0
win over league leaders Cardiff City, Aaron Cresswell's goal against Stoke
City and the best free kick he ever scored…

Last weekend we beat Cardiff City 1-0 thanks to a 93rd minute goal by Vicky
Kinsman. We worked hard but if I'm honest we were lucky to win. That's
football sometimes, if you're keeping clean sheets you always give
yourselves a chance. We worked hard but our quality wasn't quite there.
Having said that, we've got seven points out of nine from the top teams.

Two weeks ago, we had a team meeting, a very honest chat about where we are
and what we want to achieve because I felt we were better than our
performances.

We won our first game back 2-1 away at Cardiff City, which was a fantastic
result. The following Tuesday we played Charlton who are a good side, we
were pretty poor but a point is a point.

Since our talk we've improved and we've only lost game in the last six. Some
we didn't deserve to win but that's football. We've played really well in
some games and lost so you have to take the rough with the smooth.

This weekend we play Lewes. Earlier in the season we beat them 1-0 but I'm
expecting a lot more because we could've played much better. Our work rate
was good but the quality let us down. Football is about keeping the ball and
we struggled to do that.

Overall, I've really enjoyed the season, there's times where I want to tear
my hair out and times where I want to bury my head. But that's football,
that happened throughout my career. I'm very passionate, I kick every ball
and the girls are probably sick of my voice. They are a good group, there
are no egos in the side which is a good thing.

On a different note, I thought Aaron Cresswell's goal against Stoke City was
a fantastic strike. It reminded me of the strike I put away against
Nottingham Forest, but mine was further out!

Cresswell's free kick was a great hit, to get it up and down the wall and
reverse it to the far corner was fantastic, it's just a shame it wasn't the
winning goal. I haven't had the chance to watch the men's team this season,
but from what I have seen I think he is a very good player.

He's still pretty young, hopefully he can go on leaps and bounds and keep on
improving. He's a very good player and I hope he builds on it.

As for my best free kick? My free kick against Nottingham Forest was a
special goal because we were chasing them at the top of the table.

There was another one going back a long time against Peter Shilton, I
remember hitting it from about 25 yards. Because it was against Peter
Shilton it was special but all my goals stand out for different reasons.

I used to practise free kicks a lot after training, I used to absolute
batter whoever was in goal, they'd be out there for as long as I wanted.
Sometimes I'd stay out there for an hour after training. Back then we didn't
have mannequins so I used some of the apprentices for the wall, they weren't
too happy!

When Lou Macari was here, he'd have me hitting balls from all over the
place, even the centre circle. For me it wasn't about bending them, it was
about putting my foot through it and testing how hard the wall was!

All the best,

Julian

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The Big Interview - Cheikhou Kouyate
WHUFC.com

There was a change of scenery for West Ham United powerhouse Cheikhou
Kouyate this week, as he swapped Chadwell Heath for London City Airport to
surprise Season Ticket Holder Gavin Bayer. The Senegal midfielder was keen
to remind Hammers fans just how important they are to the playing staff and
took great delight in thanking a gobsmacked Bayer for renewing his seat in
the Bobby Moore Stand.

All in a day's work for the 25-year-old, who is now setting his sights on
Sunday's Barclays Premier League showdown with Manchester City. Fresh from
their derby defeat at Old Trafford, Kouyate says beware the wounded animal,
though he admits if ever there is a good time to take on Manuel Pellegrini's
men, this is likely it.

Cheikhou, we've come down here to meet a supporter this afternoon and
clearly he was shocked…

CK: "We came to surprise him and thank him because the supporters are really
important to us and Gavin has renewed his Season Ticket for next season. So
we came here to thank him and to show that the supporters are really
important for the Club but also for us, the players. I enjoyed coming here
to say thank you and hand over his gift."

Next season, of course, is going to be particularly special, with it being
the last at the Boleyn Ground…

CK: "Next season is the last one at Upton Park, after that we're off to the
Olympic Stadium, so next season will really be special. We hope the
supporters will come in their numbers, to really try with us to get into the
top six or seven and try to grab a European place. The players are
important, but the supporters are also really important for the Club."


You'd imagine it's going to be tough to get tickets next season…

CK: "Upton Park is legendary, that's where West Ham has grown up and they've
played a lot of games there. The atmosphere there is top phenomenal, a lot
of people are going to miss it, even me who's not been there so long, it's
as if I've been playing there for years. But we'll see next year how it
goes."

Manchester City on Sunday, it's obviously going to be difficult, but
anything's possible…

CK: "Anything's possible in football, but we mustn't forget who we're up
against. They're a wounded animal, because they need points, so they have to
wake themselves up to win.

"We need the points as well, because we want to remain in the top ten. It's
not going to be easy because we'll be up against one of the best teams in
the country and last year's champions of England. If we're going to get
anything there, we have to enjoy it and really play as a team and work as a
team.

We've beaten them once already this season, does that boost confidence?

CK: "It's not going to be easy. It's away from home and they'll be out to
win, because they've played three or four matches, I think, without winning.
A team like Manchester City can't afford to make mistakes, so for us it's a
good time to catch them. It's a good time to face them. But we mustn't
underestimate them, there's life in them yet."

You'll be going head to head with Yaya Toure, a formidable battle…

CK: "Yaya is a role model of mine, an idol. I dreamed of being like him when
I was younger. He has played for top clubs and given great performances. For
three, four years, he was the best African player.

"He's a top man who is ready to help, ready to help all the African players.
For me it's always a pleasure to come up against him on the pitch. It's
always special when I play against him. I've played against him for Senegal
against the Ivory Coast and we've generally lost, I think we drew the once.
Hopefully Sunday will be the day for West Ham."

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Tony Cottee: 'it's Bilic for me'
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 14th April 2015
By: Staff Writer

Hammers legend Tony Cottee has revealed his choice should West Ham choose to
replace Sam Allardyce with a foreign manager.

Allardyce - whose contract is up at the end of this season - is highly
unlikely to be offered a new deal by the club, who have already begun to
look into alternative options.

The Board's number one choice appears to be Real Sociedad manager David
Moyes, who is contracted to the La Liga club until the summer of 2016.

However should the club fail to lure the former Everton boss back to
England, Cottee is unequivocal in his backing for one man - his former
colleague, Slaven Bilic.

"If we decide we're going to go down the foreign route, I would have Slaven
as my number one choice," said Cottee, speaking on the latest episode of the
KUMB West Ham Podcast.

"I was a team mate of his back in the 90s and he's a great lad. What I liked
about him was his British mentality when he arrived. He mucked in with the
lads, he spoke fantastic English and he had a drink and a fag at the back of
the bus with everybody else, as you did at the time!

"He's a real character and an excellent player. I really got on well with
Slaven and if there's to be a foreign manager coming in I'd like them to
understand what it means to be part of West Ham United Football Club.

With Slaven you'll get that and someone with passion who's proved himself;
he was brilliant as Croatia manager and is doing well at Besiktas."

Whilst he may be banging the drum for Bilic, Cottee was also receptive to
the possibility of Moyes returning to the Premier League for the first time
since leaving Manchester United. "I don't see it as a bad thing if we go for
David," he said.

"I keep coming back to the business side of things. I know football is
football, but from a business point of view we must retain our Premier
League status. If we get someone like David Moyes, who assures of of that, I
don't see that as too much of an issue.

"I like David Moyes as a person and I like what he did at Everton. He did a
really good job, he built the club with some good young players and made
some really good signings from lower league clubs. So, I don't have a
problem with Moyes coming."

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WHO WE KEEP IS AS IMPORTANT AS WHO WE BUY
By Iain Dale 15 Apr 2015 at 08:19
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by Voice of Reason

We are getting very close to that time when the Silly Season Transfer Window
creaks open, agents feed the media unfounded rumours, the media invent
stories to fill space and fans start to express their, sometimes
unrealistic, expectations of who their club should, could or will buy.

As fans we will all probably have our own "shopping list" of players who
will improve the team and getting Jenkinson permanently, more central
defensive cover, a creative midfielder and maybe another striker would be on
mine, so I'd go for Matt Hummels, Eden Hazard and Christiano Ronaldo – yeah,
right!

Within the next few weeks we will probably know if we have another year or
two of Sam Allardyce or a new manager and this decision will surely have an
impact of who we might see come in – unless David Sullivan has decided that,
as well as being majority owner and joint chairman, he will now take on the
role of Director of Football.

However, I believe that it is just as important that we hang on to the key
members of the squad that we have if we are to move forward. A couple of
players – Tomkins, Noble – have recently signed long-term contracts and Reid
has also sorted out his immediate future. Any bids we get for these, plus
players such as Downing, Adrian and Collins would probably be from mid to
lower ranking clubs and we should be able to resist them. Fringe players
like Jarvis, Cole, O'Brien and Demel would free up space on the wage bill
were they to leave and that will be necessary to enable the club to bring in
any new players and meet FFP requirements. And, of course, we would all love
to see one of the youngsters breaking through.

But I think that we have three players who it is essential we keep, although
bids from the so-called "bigger" clubs (those who can afford to lash out
£20million plus) may prove harder to resist.

Firstly, there is the danger that a large bid for Cresswell, Sakho or
Kouyate may be seen as attractive by the club from a business standpoint
and, secondly, if a big club wants to double a players wages and offer
European football it can, as has been seen numerous times in the past, make
it impossible to keep a player if he really wants to go.

I didn't give any credence to the stories recently that Chelsea were
prepared to pay £30million for Enner Valencia and don't think anyone would
ever offer that sort of money for him during this window.

However, of the spendthrift clubs in the Premier League, Chelsea are
reported to be interested in Aaron Cresswell, as back up in case Felipe Luis
leaves (not good career development for Cresswell in my view) and the Man
City story may have some legs as they are shaky at the back and need to
increase their home-grown player quantity for the Champions League.
Liverpool also don't have a left back of Cresswell's quality and he is a
better left back – in my opinion – than Danny Rose at Tottenham.

Watching City fold to United yesterday it is easy to see how Kouyate could
improve their squad also, as he could with both Liverpool and Tottenham. If
Chelsea had Kouyate alongside Matic and moved Fabregas forward it could be
scary.

Diafra Sakho will always attract attention as long as he is scoring goals as
putting it in the onion bag is still the most valuable commodity in
football. Most of the big boys are pretty strong on the striker front but
Liverpool could use another decent one as they really only have Sturridge
who's injury record is iffy (Ballotelli will surely leave and Rodgers
doesn't seem to want to play Lambert) and Tottenham, apart from Kane, seem a
bit thin up front.

This, of course, doesn't take into account any big foreign club coming on
for any one of these three as well, with Sakho and Kouyate being the more
likely targets. It will be interesting to see if there are any serious bids
for these three key players and how determined the owners are to keep them
if they are confronted with a hefty bid. Also, how badly would the players
want to stay if they knew there was a substantial pay increase on the table.

Time alone will tell, but I believe it is crucial we do everything we can to
keep these three.

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Chelsea ready for Oscar transfer as they eye West Ham's Enner Valencia in
summer window
22:30, 15 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Hammer's pace and work-rate have impressed while the Brazilian doesn't
put in the sort of shift Mourinho wants and is among the Prem's most subbed
players
The Mirror

Jose Mourinho is finally set to axe Oscar this summer - and reignite
Chelsea's interest in West Ham forward Enner Valencia. Attacking midfielder
Oscar, bought for £25million in summer 2012 when Roberto di Matteo was
manager, has fallen down the pecking order after initially impressing when
he arrived from Internacional in his Brazilian homeland. The 23-year-old is
among the most substituted players in the Premier League this season, after
failing to maintain the work-rate Mourinho demands of his players. Oscar has
not started or finished a full 90 minutes in any competition since the end
of January. Italian champions Juventus are interested in him, with Valencia
being lined up by the Blues after impressing for West Ham since his £12m
arrival from Mexican side Pachuca last July.

Valencia - linked with the champions-elect Chelsea in the winter window -
has scored five goals, but has also impressed with his versatility, pace and
work-rate. Defiant West Ham have already insisted they will do all they can
to keep the 25-year-old Ecuador international. They have vowed to hold on to
ALL of their top stars this summer, with Chelsea and Manchester City also
keen on left-back Aaron Cresswell The Irons are well aware, however, that
they face a battle to avoid being asset-stripped at the end of the season.

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Cheikhou Kouyate insists West Ham players want Sam Allardyce to keep his job
as Hammers boss
16:35, 15 April 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Allardyce looks unlikely to renew his contract with the Hammers at the end
of the current season but the players are doing all they can to keep him at
the club
The Mirror

Cheikhou Kouyate insists boss Sam Allardyce is the man for West Ham and the
players are fighting to keep him in a job. Allardyce's Upton Park future is
in doubt with his contract up this summer. A 2015 slump has dented his
chances of getting an extension when talks take place at the end of the
season while West Ham are also eyeing up possible successors including Real
Sociedad's David Moyes and Napoli's Rafa Benitez. But midfielder Kouyate,
who joined last summer from Anderlecht, said: "Football can be very
difficult sometimes to get the results you need but the players are all
fighting for the manager. "Sam has been a father for me. He wanted me at
West Ham and said he would make me a big player at West Ham and I could
continue my dream. "I signed for the club and that has happened. I love this
guy. He is very happy and is a big trainer."

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Tottenham transfers: West Ham risk seeing rivals gazump them for Basel
centre-back Fabian Schar
22:30, 14 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
Hammers have opened the door by putting player moves on hold until they know
who their manager will be next season PLUS: Spurs eye German starlet
The Mirror

Tottenham are ready to hijack neighbours West Ham's move for Basel defender
Fabian Schar - as the Hammers have put transfers on hold until they resolve
their managerial situation. West Ham have been keen on the talented
23-year-old for some time. The Swiss centre-back's contract expires this
summer - although he does have a one-year option, triggered if certain
clauses are met. Schar has Champions League and Europa League experience,
and has 12 caps for his country, including two appearances at the World Cup
finals last summer. The Irons, however, have yet to decide on whether Sam
Allardyce will remain as their manager beyond this season and are do not
want to commit themselves on transfers until that issue has been resolved.
Big Sam's contract expires in the summer and former Everton and Manchester
United manager David Moyes, now at Spain's Real Sociedad, has been linked
with his job - along with Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa.

West Ham are unlikely to sign players until Allardyce's future is resolved
Napoli's ex-Liverpool and Chelsea coach Rafa Benitez has also been in the
frame, although it's said the Spaniard would prefer a club higher up the
Premier League table than the ninth-placed Hammers.
Spurs are monitoring the Schar situation, with their Champions League hopes
fading this season because of their poor defending.

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Liverpool and Chelsea old boy Raul Meireles eyeing a Premier League return
22:30, 14 April 2015 By Darren Witcoop
Midfielder who had a year at both Anfield and Stamford Bridge wants to leave
Turkish side Fenerbahce - West Ham and Everton will be sounded out
The Mirror

Raul Meireles has set his sights on a Premier League return. Meireles, who
spent two years with Liverpool and Chelsea, is eyeing a move back from
Fenerbahce. The Portuguese midfielder, 32, has a year left on his current
deal in Turkey but wants out now. He has instructed his super-agent Jorge
Mendes - the most powerful deal-maker in football - to fix him up back in
England. West Ham and Everton - known admirers of Meireles - will be among
the clubs sounded out.

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Moyes has a stand out record with youth!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 14, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Moyes may or may not become the next Hammers boss but what is not in
question is his successful blooding of young players. He nurtured two
England superstars by giving them their professional starts and while some
Hammers fans see him as a Sam Allardyce clone – a boring replacement sghould
that be the case, history shows he has an eye for talented youth. Both Wayne
Rooney and Ross Barkley had their professional debuts under Moyes during his
Everton reign. Only last year Moyes revealed: "Let me tell you a story about
Wayne. We were training at Everton's old training ground, at Bellefield, and
Wayne would train with us every day and he'd be kicking the balls
everywhere. I'd be shouting at him: 'Wayne!' But he just wanted to kick
them. "Then we had a game one day and Wayne had the ball close to the byline
and he chipped the goalie. All the staff were watching and you could see
them all look up the line at each other."They all had the same look on their
face: 'Did you see that? Did that really happen?' "Everyone turned and
looked. No-one shouted 'What a goal!' Maybe everyone was wondering whether
he really mean it. But he did. From that moment we were all thinking: 'Wow,
what a player. What a player we have'."

Moyes joined Everton from Preston North End in April 2002 giving Wayne
Rooney his first professional debut later that year, he sold Wayne to
Manchester United two years later for a record £25.6m when Rooney was just
18. Ross Barkley also had his debut in 2010 at Everton under Moyes before
suffering a broken leg. Moyes was reported ready to pay £20m to buy Barkley
during his short stint as Manchester United manager. Moyes and Allardyce
differ greatly in their approach to youth development and should the
appointment happen the youth issue is one that looks as if it will fall into
very good hands.

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The hidden West Ham tax
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 15, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

With Friday's 5pm deadline of £75 season ticket deposits fast approaching
many season ticket holders will be taking to the West Ham Ticket office
hotline over the next few days. The West Ham 0871 529 1966 number is
regarded as a premium rate number with West Ham sharing revenue with a
telecoms provider based on the length of time you remain on the phone. While
the pricing starts at 10 pence per minute from a BT land line it can cost as
much as 41p per minute from a mobile phone and 0871 numbers are never
included as part of your monthly call package. This has left some Hammers
fan facing an unexpected bill of more than £4 for each 10 minute call to the
Ticket office at the end of the month. In 2013 the Government outlawed
companies using these premium rate numbers for post sales, customer services
or complaints but West Ham have stuck firm in their continued use of these
numbers and claims a loop hole that they are used for sales transactions
only.

While many ticket transactions can be now be done online through the website
there remains certain processes that can only be achieved by ringing the
premium rate number. For example if you want to use any Epurse credits to
pay for a ticket or the £75 deposit you need to call the premium rate number
to achieve this.

Claret and Hugh calls on West Ham to stop ripping off their season ticket
holders and loyal customers by charging up to 41p to buy tickets and instead
change their number to a London geographical number which would be free to
call in most people's monthly mobile call allowance.

From the 1st July Ofcom is forcing companies such as West Ham to clearly
advertise the cost of these calls and the service charge West Ham will make
from it's customers calling them.

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Changing tunes and sound of silence on Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 15, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The strident sound of changing tunes is becoming almost deafening across the
West Ham world. For it appears that even among those who a few weeks ago
doubted the stories of a managerial change the message that this may be the
last few weeks of Sam's controversial reign is now beginning to penetrate.

In the interests of professionalism and good taste I won't name any of them
but we too have had a change of heart in one particular direction – more of
that later .

Sufficient to say one – seemingly a long term supporter – wrote that "he is
highly unlikely to be offered a new deal by the club, who have already begun
to look into alternative options."

A little late on parade, they add that David Moyes appears to be the
preferred choice by the board – well yes!

A second long term supporter – and a guy for whom we have some real respect
over here at ClaretandHugh – writes that whilst he has always supported Sam,
he found Saturday very hard to take and is now much more open to change.

A veil of silence, meanwhile, has been drawn over things elsewhere. On the
official site the regular comments in the "From the Boardroom" haven't
appeared this week.

David Gold's look ahead at the Stoke City match remains in place with no
further updates from board level.

Over here our chief pundit and analyst Leroy Rosenior wrote last night that
Sam would surely have been told by now about his position by any other
manager who may have been approached and watching the carryings-on from a
distance had not been a pretty sight.

And before anyone accuses us of becoming holier than thou we too have had a
change of tune!

We cannot believe that so much uncertainty surrounding the manager is a good
thing at any time and that it has dominated the minds of fans for far too
long.

The sound of silence from the boardroom has become deafening and we reckon
the time has come for a clear statement from on high.

It can say much or little but as season ticket deposit time arrives on
Friday we believe the position should be made as clear as the club can
possibly make it.

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Hammers solve a big problem
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 15, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are planning to blood Reece Oxford next season after an initial
Championship loan deal after the club reinforced its central defensive
situation. Following Winston Reid's decision to sign a new deal, the club
will also offer James Collins a new deal following the new contract agreed
with James Tomkins. And they will also allow Doniel Henry to go out on loan
– probably to Blackburn – once he is fully recovered from injury with the
player being seen as a massive future prospect. The club has cooled on Basel
defender Fabian Scher who was believed to be a target at around £9 million.
However, ClaretandHugh was told at the start of that piece of speculation
there was little more than a 10 per cent chance of the Swiss international
joining the club and that he was just one of several defenders they were
looking at. All of that preceded the Reid decision to commit to a new six
year deal in the east end and earlier yesterday we were told: "We are now
looking at the right back and central striking position. "Winston's decision
to sign saved the club a big problem in that area and we can look to
strengthen elsewhere. We're looking decent in that position"

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Time for Nene
Posted by bubbles fanzine on April 15, 2015 in News Agenda, Whispers
By Richard Oses
Claret & Hugh

founder of Bubbles Fanzine which can be found at
https://www.facebook.com/bubblesfanzine?fref=ts

Richard's views – like those of all other bloggers – are his own and are not
do not necessarily reflect those of ClaretandHugh

Nene has to play our next game. As simple as that!

In fact, being that Diafra Sakho is likely to miss the rest of the season,
Enner Valencia (should he return as expected) will be leading the line on
his own and one can only assume Nolan will be sat behind him.

What I would love to see is Downing sat behind Valencia and Nene on the
wing, the pace and creative play that trio would bring to our attack would
be streets ahead of what we have seen playing one upfront so far this
season.

It is a frustrating head scratcher as to why a former PSG winger is finding
himself even behind the likes of Nolan and Cole, especially in games where
some magic skill, a nippy runner and a seasoned finisher would have made the
required difference and perhaps helped convert draws into wins.

There are some who have voiced their Sam isn't keen on the Nene signing
therefore will not play him opinion – who knows but it's difficult to come
up with alternative theories.

Performances are poor, the players' confidence is fragile which may well be
due to the uncertainty surrounding the manager's own future. The fans are
fed up and the club has nothing to play for except more money and pride.

Get Nene on the pitch to add a touch of class to our misfiring front line
and we may just see the team scoring the required amount of goals in
remaining games to actually seal all three points and put some smiles back
on the faces of our fans.

Sam wouldn't even need to tweak the formation too much either, but one
simple addition to the starting XI to inject some pace and flare could make
a small change return huge results for the good of the team.

Not only that, but Big Sam can bow out with some dignity at the end of the
season which he surely deserves like any other human being.

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Leroy: "No secrets in football – Sam will know"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

This managerial situation at West Ham is doing nobody any good and hasn't
been well handled at all.

Football is a tiny village where it's impossible to keep a secret and the
idea that Sam Allardyce won't have heard if someone else is approached over
his job is crazy. He will know.

sam-allardyce_1712364cBet your life away that were a boss to be approached
via an agent he would have got in touch with Sam to let him know the score.
It goes with the territory.

Sam's agent will have been on the case with other clubs. I'm certain of that
and he will never be out of work.I would reckon he is at the top or close to
the top of the wanted list at several clubs.

My own view is that given a contract hasn't been handed to him by now –
regardless of this stuff about only doing the deed at the end of each season
– means that the owners are on the case trying to find a new manager.

We hear the names Moyes and Bielsa. No doubt there are others but David
Sullivan and David Gold won't appoint until they are 100 per cent sure they
have the right man.

Only if they don't find him can we expect them to turn back and offer Sam
another deal but it may well be by then that he has another job anyway and
tells them 'thanks but no thanks.'

He could of course tell them to shove it even if he hasn't got another
position lined up but if it were me I wouldn't.

It's a bit of a blow to the ego to only be offered a contract because they
can't find anyone else but West Ham United is a great club with fabulous
young players coming through like Cressie, Sak and Cheik Kouyate.

Nobody would walk away from that in a hurry but of course he may not get
that chance because it seems to me that the circumstances show conclusively
they are gonna get themselves a new man.

That's their call but like I say it's all been badly handled with leaden
feet. The story has been running for months and has become a distraction to
everything else that's been going on and has possibly finally affected the
performances.

It's all too late now to do anything about that but it's not been great to
watch.

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West Ham release new image of 'The Academy' ahead of their move to the
Olympic Stadium
Evening Standard
CHARLIE DORIS
Published: 15 April 2015 Updated: 18:38, 15 April 2015

West Ham United have released a fresh image of their new supporter's bar
which will feature in their new home at the Olympic Stadium.

Pictures of 'The Academy' were released shortly after the club confirmed
that the high demand for corporate hospitality ahead of their move to
Stratford had forced them to build an additional state of the art companion
lounge.

Similar to the Hammers original supporters' bar 'The Boleyn', the club's
newest lounge promises fans a memorable match day experience, a gourmet meal
and a perfect view of West Ham's Premier League campaign.

Although the club will cut ties with its historic home when they make their
move across East London in 2016, 'The Academy' will pay homage to the club's
past and its famous academy with portraits celebrating Hammers legends and
current stars like Mark Noble.

The West Ham captain spoke of his excitement for the new development and
said that the new bar will give young players coming through an added
incentive to achieve at the club.

Noble stated "As a player, I am already dreaming of creating memories at
West Ham's new Stadium on the pitch, but the idea that Academy graduates
like me will also be honoured with a dedicated space is a big thrill, it
makes you proud."

West Ham Academy manager Terry Westley also spoke of his determination to
continue the club's tradition of developing world-class talent after
visiting the new site with his current crop of young stars.

"You look back at Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Trevor Brooking
and then I think of the Ferdinands, Lampard, Cole, Defoe, Carrick. That is
what this lot have got to do, that is now the task.

Members of 'The Academy' will be entitled to entry to every Premier League
home game, three cup games, priority for cup semi-finals and finals and a
dedicated VIP entrance to the stadium.

Current Hammers season ticket holders will have the opportunity to gain
membership to 'The Academy' from the club's Reservation Centre in May 2015.

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