West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
At the same time as our UEFA Europa League qualifier against FC Astra this
evening, BBC One London will broadcast a documentary that will look to
convey certain viewpoints on our move to the former Olympic Stadium in
Stratford.
The Club were approached to take part but declined the invitation as we were
concerned that the programme would not fully reflect our views and would
look to regurgitate issues that have been discussed many times before.
Although we will reserve judgement until the programme has aired, the early
previews suggest that we might well be proved right.
The below comments were supplied to the producers for inclusion but, as they
are not likely to be featured in full, West Ham United are providing them
here as a reference point for any interested parties.
A West Ham United spokesman said: "It should be remembered that during a
fair, open and robust process that was open to any party or organisation in
the world, West Ham United were chosen as the group that delivered the best
long-term, viable future for the Stadium and the best return for the
taxpayer. Our presence underwrites the multi-use legacy of the Stadium and
our contribution alone will pay back more than the cost of building and
converting the stadium over the course of our tenancy.
"The worldwide draw of hosting the most popular and watched football league
in the world in such an iconic venue will add value to any sponsorship and
commercial agreements related to the Stadium, which the public purse stands
to further benefit from. It is clear that the linking of the naming rights
to West Ham United generates real cash value for the LLDC and the taxpayer.
"Our move to Stratford will also create more than 700 jobs, provide over a
million visitors to the Park each year and an opportunity to help tens of
thousands more disadvantaged youngsters through the expansion of our West
Ham United Foundation.
"In terms of the future ownership of the Club, anyone who knows David
Sullivan and David Gold will tell you that they realised a lifelong ambition
by becoming Joint-Chairmen of West Ham United. Having both grown up in East
London and waited decades to become custodians of the Club, it defies logic
that they would be looking to sell it at arguably the most exciting period
in its history.
"Thus, they both have made clear that they would like to pass their shares
on to their children to keep the Club in their families. To demonstrate
their commitment to the Club and its long-term future, they were also happy
to include a clause that would return a substantial sum of money to the
taxpayer should they sell the Club following our move to Stratford.
"Without us, the Stadium would lose money. With us, the public purse will
see a return on the hundreds of millions of pounds that were committed to
build the Stadium, long before West Ham's association had begun."
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Hammers knocked out of Europe
WHUFC.com
FC Astra Giurgiu 2-1 West Ham United (4-3 Aggregate)
UEFA Europa League Third Round Qualifying Round
West Ham United's European adventure came to an end as they slipped to a 2-1
defeat away to Astra Giurgiu.
Having drawn the first leg 2-2, the Hammers knew they faced an uphill
struggle and so it proved as a brace from Astra captain Constantin Budescu
sealed the win.
While the game ended in agony for the visitors, they could not have got off
to a better start as debutant Manuel Lanzini scored inside two minutes.
Slaven Bilic named an entirely different XI to the one that drew 2-2 a week
previously. Among the starting eleven, Bilic gave debuts to Kyle Knoyle,
Doneil Henry and Manuel Lanzini while Carl Jenkinson, playing in central
defence, made his return to first team action since re-joining from Arsenal
in the summer.
A hot and humid day in Giurgiu eventually gave way to a more bearable
evening. The Hammers fans were in fine voice and were repaid almost
immediately as debutant Manuel Lanzini scored two minutes into his West Ham
debut.
Following pressure from an early corner, the Argentine winger picked the
ball up on the edge of the box and beat Silviu Lung with a composed finish.
In an even opening first half, the hosts responded with an spell of pressure
themselves and came inches away from equalising when captain Constantin
Budescu's cross-cum-shot nearly caught Darren Randolph out, luckily it hit
the crossbar and was cleared.
However this proved to be a sign of what was to come as Astra's pressure
took its toll when Budescu scored a first-half brace inside four minutes.
The equaliser came in the 32nd minute when he swept his effort home from the
edge of the box before netting a composed finish from close range.
The hosts held their advantage going into the interval with the Stadionul
Marin Anastasovici rocking.
Into the second half and the Hammers started with renewed vigour and verve
as they enjoyed a greater share of possession, however the final pass of
each attacking move proved to be elusive.
The Hammers midfield trio of Kevin Nolan, Josh Cullen and Diego Poyet worked
tirelessly to keep their hopes alive. They were full on industry and hard
graft yet they had little to show for their efforts, Cullen in particular
demonstrated his ability as a highly promising player.
With time running out, Academy graduate Jordan Brown was given his first
team debut, replacing Elliot Lee but it proved too little too late.
On a disappointing evening for the Claret and Blues, Modibo Maiga had the
best chance of the final moments, he plucked the ball out of the air before
firing just over.
FC Astra Giurgiu: Lung, Alves, Seto, Enache, Budescu C, Morais, Boldrin,
Gaman, Teixeira, Queiros, Amorim
Subs: Gavrilas (GK), Alibec, Florea, Oros, Lovin, Dandea, Stan
Goals: Lanzini 2
West Ham United: Randolph, Nolan C, Jenkinson, Maiga, Poyet ,Henry, Lanzini,
Lee (Brown 80), Page (Pike 89), Cullen, Knoyle
Subs: Spiegel (GK), Pask, Chambers, Nasha, Mavila
Goals: Budescu 32, 36
Referee: Paolo Valeri
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Bilic - We are still going to have a big season
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic was bitterly disappointed to see his side suffer a 2-1 defeat
against AFC Astra Giurgiu and see their Europa League journey come to an
end, but is still predicting a big season for West Ham United.
Despite taking an early lead through a fine goal from summer signing Manuel
Lanzini, the Hammers failed to hold on and two goals from Constantin Budescu
saw the Romanian side come away with a memorable victory.
Bilic says he was proud of the effort and commitment that his players showed
during the game and says they will learn a lot from the experience of
playing in Europe.
The West Ham manager stands by his decision to leave a number of first-team
players in England ahead of the opening Premier League game against Arsenal
on Sunday and feels this is going to be a big season for the east London
Club.
Bilic said: "We had a good game and started well when we scored the goal. It
was a shame that we conceded a cheap goal because until that moment we were
controlling the game and I was expecting us to score another one because
Astra looked really nervous and started to panic.
"But we conceded that goal and then another one. Obviously we are
disappointed to have gone out. We had some youngsters in the team but mostly
they were players we will count on.
"It is a good experience for a few of the youngsters but some of the guys
who played tonight showed us they are going to be very useful.
"We have a big season ahead of us which starts on Sunday and we are going to
be good in the Premier League. I am very confident about that."
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Westley proud of pre-season progress
WHUFC.com
Academy Manager Terry Westley hailed a productive pre-season for his young
charges, after a youthful Development Squad side rounded off their
preparations at Canvey Island.
Though the Isthmian League Premier Division side prevailed 2-0 at Park Lane
on Wednesday, Westley preferred to concentrate on the bigger picture, with
many an Academy graduate having enjoyed a taste of first-team football this
summer.
This evening's UEFA Europa League third qualifying round second leg against
FC Astra Giurgiu will likely present another such opportunity and Westley
hopes it breeds further success for West Ham's brightest prospects.
He told whufc.com: "It has been a good pre-season for us. Again, there will
be another group of players playing in Europe on Thursday in front of a good
crowd and that will only stand them in good stead moving forward.
"The supporters want to see young players. They've been brought up with West
Ham boys playing and my ambition and our target is to get back to that,
where we've got some household names who are local boys.
"If I can help that legacy and that culture to come back, that's where I see
my job.
"If Reece Oxford can be that springboard, Reece Burke, Josh Cullen, Lewis
Page, that's what we've seen in the Europa League."
Closer to home, such was the clamour to get to Park Lane on Wednesday
evening that kick-off was delayed by quarter of an hour.
Westley was suitably impressed by the support, West Ham or otherwise, and
was grateful for the challenge just days before the youngsters kick-off
their Barclays U18 Premier League campaign at Fulham's Motspur Park.
He continued: "It was a big crowd, great for them to put the game on for us
and a good experience for the real young ones.
"We had some 16-year-olds playing out there, who won't have played in an
atmosphere like that and won't have played against men before, so there were
some pluses for us.
"The support astounds me. I've been here a year now and you start coming to
terms with the passion and the culture of our supporters."
Though the Hammers were confortable enough in possession, chances were at a
premium on the night, and Westley felt his players should have at least come
away with a clean sheet.
"We had lots of the ball, but we had no end product at the top end, no real
cutting edge. To win any game you need that. So more in the attacking third
and, at the worst, we've got to try to come away with a 0-0.
"We walk away on the night and say well, we've defended well, and it's a
0-0. But we weren't quite able to achieve that."
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Astra Giurgiu 2 West Ham 1 (agg 4 - 3)
6 August 2015
Last updated at 21:14
West Ham were knocked out of the Europa League in the third qualifying round
following a 2-1 defeat by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu to lose 4-3 on
aggregate. After letting a two-goal lead slip in the first leg, debutant
Manuel Lanzini put the much-changed Hammers ahead. But two goals in four
minutes from Astra skipper Constantin Budescu earned the Romanian side
victory. Defeat ends a stuttering campaign for Slaven Bilic's team, who
qualified through the Fair Play League. Modibo Maiga missed a late chance to
take the game to extra time but with Astra also hitting the post twice, they
created better chances at more regular intervals. The result meant the
Hammers, in their first European outing since the 2006-07 season, are
eliminated from Europe before the start of their domestic season. But with
11 changes made to the side from the first leg, with three players making
their debuts, there was an obvious lack of experience on the field and an
apparent lack of desperation to save the tie on a hot night in Romania.
Did West Ham want to progress?
With Sunday's Premier League opener against Arsenal in his mind, Bilic left
a host of senior players at home while Kevin Nolan, Carl Jenkinson and Maiga
were the only regular starters in the team. The Croatian was further
hindered after being sent off in the first leg at Upton Park, meaning he had
to sit in the stands and leave assistant Julian Dicks to deliver tactical
instructions. Nolan and Jenkinson were influential in the game but Maiga
remained on the fringes until his late chance and there was an inability to
turn good spells into genuine opportunities. Despite Bilic insisting prior
to the match that Europe was "important" to West Ham, Hammers fans may now
wonder whether their European adventure was worth it after a campaign which
started on 2 July, took in six matches without facing any big-name European
teams and ended before it even got interesting. Hammers skipper Nolan said:
"The gaffer has shown in his selection the main priority is the Premier
League and this year the main thing is to make sure we go to the Olympic
Stadium in the Premier League. "The statistics show it's difficult trying to
rotate between Thursday and Sunday and who knows it might be a blessing in
disguise? But going out is not what we wanted."
'No regrets' for Bilic
Bilic, who led to former club Beskitas to the last 16 in last season's
Europa League, said of his team selection: "You can't be sorry. I said it
was tempting but when you make a decision you stand by it and you know the
consequences. "I have to make decisions. It is me who is making them and
then when you make it you stand behind that. "I said [on Wednesday] that we
had more chances to win with some of the players who stayed in London but I
think the boys not only did everything, the effort was there, the quality
was there as well - especially until they scored two goals. "When the
Premier League starts, we have a game and of course we are looking to get a
positive result. Do I need to justify the result here? I told you it was my
decision."
How did the debutants do?
Argentine Lanzini wasted little time in making an impression on Bilic, who
said beforehand that the match was an opportunity for his debutants to prove
their value. Lanzini is on a season-long loan from Abu Dhabi side Al Jazira
Club and after impressing in West Ham's friendly against Werder Bremen on
Sunday he was involved from the start, surging from midfield to win a
free-kick, and scoring following a dangerously delivered corner. But the
22-year-old showed his inexperience by giving the ball away in the build-up
to Astra's equaliser, with fellow debutant Doneil Henry, a Canadian
international, also backing away as Budescu struck the first of his two
goals. Partnered by Jenkinson in central defence, 22-year-old Henry had a
steady game with Budescu continuing to cause problems. At right-back
18-year-old Kyle Knoyle made a significant bow after coming through the
club's famous academy, which has produced players such as Michael Carrick,
Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard. While suffering defeat in his first game
and failing to deliver several crosses, the experience will no doubt form an
important milestone in his education.
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Astra Giurgiu 2-1 West Ham Utd (agg 4-3)
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th August 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are out of the Europa League after the club effectively threw
tonight's game by fielding a second string side.
No less than 15 first team squad members were rested tonight as Slaven
Bilic's team of misfits narrowly failed to upset the odds and were instead
sent tumbling out of the competition.
Despite his attempts to remain positive about the Europa League and West
Ham's participation in it, Bilic has found it difficult to appear convincing
when questioned on the subject.
His - or perhaps more accurately the Board's - concern over the team's
continued participation in the League, and the potential for fatigue and
injury to key players manifested itself in tonight's team selection, a
combination of reserve players and Academy youngsters.
With the club set to move to the Olympic Stadium next summer, it is deemed
imperative that West Ham's Premier League status must be preserved at all
costs.
A policy to the detriment of the club's first European campaign for eight
years and to supporters who dreamed of trips to yet more far-flung European
destinations - yet one that was always likely to be introduced following the
loss of Enner Valencia.
Bilic rather optimistically claimed before the match that he was confident
his selection would be strong enough to overcome Astra, who held all the
aces having drawn the first leg 2-2 at the Boleyn Ground last week.
And initially it looked as if West Ham's new boss may be right as new
signing Manuel Lanzini fired West Ham into the lead after just three
minutes, when he picked his spot from the perimeter of the 18-yard box.
But Giurgiu were to secure passage through to the final play-off round
before the Europa League group phase begins with two goals from Constantin
Budescu in the final third of the opening half.
Budescu nearly embarrassed Darren Randolph shortly after West Ham took the
lead, when a deep cross clipped the 'keeper's crossbar with him well beaten.
But on 32 minutes the former Birmingham man was picking the ball out of his
net when West Ham conceded possession before allowing Budescu to shoot
unchallened from 20 yards out.
With the home fans still celebrating Budescu's equaliser, the Astra captain
struck again - this time from far closer to goal, just four minutes after he
had restored parity. It was a goal that was to prove enough to send the
Romanians through to the next round.
Whilst the players - none of whom can be criticised for their efforts
tonight - make their way back to the UK, discussion will continue to rage on
the KUMB Forum and social media about tonight's team selection and the
message it sends to supporters.
Meanwhile tonight's exit will almost certainly add unnecessary pressure on
Bilic and his (first) team to produce a good performance at the Emirates on
Sunday against Arsenal.
West Ham Utd: Randolph, Nolan, Jenkinson, Maiga, Poyet ,Henry, Lanzini, Lee
(Brown 80), Page (Pike 89), Cullen, Knoyle.
Subs not Used: Spiegel, Pask, Chambers, Nasha, Mavila.
Goals: Lanzini (3).
West Ham Utd absentees: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, O'Brien, Ogbonna, Burke,
Oxford, Jarvis, Kouyate, Obiang, Noble, Amalfitano, Payet, Zarate, Sakho.
Astra Giurgiu: Lung, Alves, Seto, Enache, Budescu, Morais, Boldrin, Gaman,
Teixeira, Queiros, Amorim.
Subs not Used: Gavrilas, Alibec, Florea, Oros, Lovin, Dandea, Stan.
Goals: Budescu (32, 36).
Referee: Paolo Valeri.
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Slaven Bilic defends decision to rest West Ham players for defeat in Romania
Last Updated: 06/08/15 10:31pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic stood by his decision to rest a host of first-team regulars as
West Ham crashed out of the Europa League to Astra Giurgiu.
The Hammers boss had said in the days leading up to the game that he was
prioritising Sunday's Premier League opener at Arsenal over this third
qualifying round tie, and the much-changed side picked in Romania slumped to
a 2-1 defeat. Having come from behind to draw 2-2 at Upton Park last week,
Astra finished the job on Thursday evening to advance to the play-off round,
while West Ham's latest jaunt into European football ended prematurely.
Everything looked to be going well as Bilic, seated in the stands after
being sent off towards the end of the first leg, saw debutant Manuel Lanzini
open the scoring for his side inside the opening three minutes. But two
quick-fire goals from Astra skipper Constantin Budescu before half-time did
for West Ham's hopes, however Bilic was not left regretting his call. "You
can't be sorry," he said. "You can't be like that. I said it was tempting
but when you make a decision you stand by it and you know the consequences.
"I have to make decisions. It is me who is making them and then when you
make it you stand behind that. "I said (on Wednesday) that we had more
chances to win with some of the players who stayed in London but I think the
boys not only did everything, the effort was there, the quality was there as
well - especially until they scored two goals."
Bilic will now be under pressure to prove his decision to leave his key
players in London was justified by recording a positive result at the
Emirates Stadium - but he did not back down from his original call. "We
would want a result (against Arsenal) anyway," he said. "When the Premier
League starts, we have a game and of course we are looking to get a positive
result. "Do I need to justify the result here? I told you it was my
decision. I have spoken with the people from the club about the Europa
League and about next season, which is a huge one. I made this decision, not
only for this game but for the game in Malta (in the second qualifying round
against Birkirkara). "I wanted to go through. I believed that we could go
through with this team. I'm very proud of the effort they put in and
disappointed with the result."
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Astra Giurgiu 2-1 West Ham (4-3 agg): Hammers out of Europa League after
blowing early lead again
21:21, 6 AUGUST 2015
BY AGENCY STAFF
Visitors went ahead through Manuel Lanzini but won't be in the draw for the
final pre-qualifying round after conceding twice late in the first half
The Mirror
Slaven Bilic watched from the stands as his Europa League gamble ended with
West Ham going bust and crashing out to Astra Giurgiu on Thursday night. The
Hammers boss left a host of first-team players at home ahead of this tie -
despite the fact it was hanging in the balance following a 2-2 draw at Upton
Park a week ago. Bilic was sent to the stands late on in that game and was
not in the dugout as his Romanian roll of the dice did not see his side come
up trumps - with Astra captain Constantin Budescu scoring twice in four
first-half minutes to cancel out Manuel Lanzini's early opener and seal a
memorable 2-1 win for the hosts.
Hammers debutant Lanzini, who had already delivered a tempting free-kick and
a corner which led to Kevin Nolan's effort being hacked off the line,
collected the ball and his low shot squeezed in off the post with just two
and half minutes gone.
But Astra proved last week that they can be a potent attacking force and
almost levelled when the busy Budescu's whipped free-kick caught out Darren
Randolph in the West Ham goal and came back off the crossbar.
It was a different outcome when he next had a sight of goal as the
26-year-old collected the ball before driving forward unchallenged and
arrowing a low 25-yard effort out of Randolph's reach. West Ham's young
defence had started well but the leveller seemed to knock their confidence
and Budescu was on hand to capitalise on some indecisiveness at a cross as
he finished coolly to put the home team in charge at the interval. As many
as six of the visitors' starting line-up have never appeared in the Barclays
Premier League for West Ham - while defensive duo Doneil Henry and Kyle
Knoyle and new signing Lanzini were making their club debuts. Bilic had no
obvious options on the bench as his experimental side toiled in the humidity
inside the Marin Anastasovici Stadium, with skipper Nolan coming close on
the hour mark as he looked to inspire those around him.
It was Astra who started to threaten again as the second half wore on and
Fernando Boldrin almost followed up his goal from the opening leg with
another here, only for Randolph to tip his effort behind. Lanzini stung the
palms of Silvu Lung with West Ham's first effort of note since the break,
but there were only 12 minutes remaining and his side looked bereft of
ideas. Randolph was the busier of the two goalkeepers and was again at his
best to push away two late Denis Alibec shots - but his team-mates could not
find the equaliser they needed to force extra time and dreams of a lengthy
European campaign to mark the final season at Upton Park came to an abrupt
and feeble conclusion.
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Slav confident of a "big season"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Upbeat Slaven Bilic is convinced the Irons are heading for a "big season."
Speaking to www.whufc.com immediately after the defeat in Romania he said:
""We have a big season ahead of us which starts on Sunday and we are going
to be good in the Premier League. I am very confident about that." And he
told the critics of his team selection whic saw a shadow squad on duty: "We
had some youngsters in the team but mostly they were players we will count
on. "It is a good experience for a few of the youngsters but some of the
guys who played tonight showed us they are going to be very useful."
He added: "We had a good game and started well when we scored the goal. It
was a shame that we conceded a cheap goal because until that moment we were
controlling the game and I was expecting to us score another one because
Astra looked really nervous and started to panic.
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James and Owen slam miserable Maiga
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Former Irons goalkeeper turned BT Sport pundit David James waded into Modibo
Maiga's shocking performance in tonight's defeat by FC Astra. James made it
clear the striker's lack of mobility - and seemingly effort - was a massive
drawback as the Hammers crashed out of the Europa Cup. He said: "Maiga's no
show was a problem. Elliot Lee needed help but Maiga was offside too many
times and didn't really offer anything. It slowed the game down" And in-play
pundit Michael Owen was severely unimpressed declaring: "Maiga was pretty
poor and was out-run by Lee." James though was pleased with Manuel Lanzi and
Diego Poyet's contributions saying: "Both of them did really well and
overall the young boys can be very pleased with themselves." However, he was
critical of Doniel Henry who stood off danger man Budescu for one of the
goals saying: "He tried to block the shot instead of closing him down and
the ball went through his legs which is a nightmare for keepers.
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Keown living on Planet Allardyce!
Posted by Hammers Newshound on August 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
What planet is Martin Keown on? He continues his 'Sam Allardyce love in'
still practiced by certain parts of the media and select football
commentators by suggesting Sam Allardyce could return to West Ham on a
rescue mission if it all goes pear shaped for Bilic this season. In a Daily
Mail article today answering 'Which manager is under most pressure going
into this season?' Keown replied: "Slaven Bilic is another interesting one,
as I wonder whether West Ham truly appreciated the work that Sam Allardyce
did." "What are the odds that if West Ham get into a rough patch that Big
Sam comes in on a rescue mission!" Time to move on Martin, we have!
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Nolan: "I'll be sitting down with the gaffer"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Kevin Nolan revealed that he would be sitting down with Slaven Bilic over
the next couple of weeks to discuss the future but added: "I'd love to stay
at West Ham. "I'm 33 but I feel as if I have a few years left in me. I'm not
a guy who will be wanting moves if I'm not playing. But I will be sitting
down with the gaffer as I say to talk things through. He's been fantastic to
me all summer and we'll see what happens."
Nolan believes a youthful Hammers team did itself proud in the match against
FC Astra - despite the tam's exit from Europe following a 2-1 defeat -
adding: "Over two legs we are disappointed at the way it's turned out. "But
these young lads have done brilliantly and will have put themselves firmly
in the gaffer's mind. "We wanted a European campaign but the gaffer showed
tonight that his priority is the Premier League. We are all disappointed and
for the lads back home because we wanted to give them the opportunity of a
European campaign."
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West Ham issues OS Statement
Posted by Hammers Newshound on August 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The club have issued an official statement ahead of the planned documentary
on the Olympic Stadium this evening.
The statement on WHUFC.com reads:
"BBC One London will broadcast a documentary that will look to convey
certain viewpoints on our move to the former Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
"The Club were approached to take part but declined the invitation as we
were concerned that the programme would not fully reflect our views and
would look to regurgitate issues that have been discussed many times before.
Although we will reserve judgement until the programme has aired, the early
previews suggest that we might well be proved right.
T"he below comments were supplied to the producers for inclusion but, as
they are not likely to be featured in full, West Ham United are providing
them here as a reference point for any interested parties.
A West Ham United spokesman said: "It should be remembered that during a
fair, open and robust process that was open to any party or organisation in
the world, West Ham United were chosen as the group that delivered the best
long-term, viable future for the Stadium and the best return for the
taxpayer. Our presence underwrites the multi-use legacy of the Stadium and
our contribution alone will pay back more than the cost of building and
converting the stadium over the course of our tenancy.
"The worldwide draw of hosting the most popular and watched football league
in the world in such an iconic venue will add value to any sponsorship and
commercial agreements related to the Stadium, which the public purse stands
to further benefit from. It is clear that the linking of the naming rights
to West Ham United generates real cash value for the LLDC and the taxpayer.
"Our move to Stratford will also create more than 700 jobs, provide over a
million visitors to the Park each year and an opportunity to help tens of
thousands more disadvantaged youngsters through the expansion of our West
Ham United Foundation.
"In terms of the future ownership of the Club, anyone who knows David
Sullivan and David Gold will tell you that they realised a lifelong ambition
by becoming Joint-Chairmen of West Ham United. Having both grown up in East
London and waited decades to become custodians of the Club, it defies logic
that they would be looking to sell it at arguably the most exciting period
in its history.
"Thus, they both have made clear that they would like to pass their shares
on to their children to keep the Club in their families. To demonstrate
their commitment to the Club and its long-term future, they were also happy
to include a clause that would return a substantial sum of money to the
taxpayer should they sell the Club following our move to Stratford.
"Without us, the Stadium would lose money. With us, the public purse will
see a return on the hundreds of millions of pounds that were committed to
build the Stadium, long before West Ham's association had begun."
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West Ham player ratings against FC Astra Giurgiu: Lanzini offers promise as
Maiga infuriates
HITC
Damien Lucas
Here's our player ratings for West Ham United after their 4-3 aggregate
defeat to Romanian side FC Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League.
West Ham were the first Premier League side to be back in competitive action
after qualifying for Europe through the FIFA Fair Play rankings. And they
are the first out as suspensions and injuries eventually took their toll,
forcing Slaven Bilic to field a skeleton side full of young promise but
little experience. The Hammers took a 1-0 after just three minutes through
bright spark Manuel Lanzini on his competitive debut to get back in the
driving seat of the tie in Romania. But two goals in five minutes towards
the end of the first half from Astra Giurgiu's star man Constantin Budescu
turned the game and the tie on its head. Ultimately, though, it was the last
half an hour of the first leg at Upton Park which cost Slaven Bilic's side
dear in this third qualifying round tie. The Hammers were 2-0 up and
cruising before James Collins was sent off for two quick bookings. They lost
the plot after that and conceded two crucial away goals which meant they had
to win tonight. Being in the Europa League was desirable for some fans who
wanted to see some big European teams play under the lights for the last
time at the Boleyn Ground before next summer's move to the Olympic Stadium.
But many felt it was a distraction Bilic and his players did not need in
such an important year for the club.
Those fans have got their wish tonight but how did West Ham's players get
on?
Randolph - 4
Randolph's shaky start to life at West Ham continued with a very poor
display. Lucky not to have conceded after letting a free-kick from all of 40
yards sail over his head onto the upright on 15 minutes. Lucky again that it
did not rebound off him into his own goal. Did not command his box in any
way and could have done better, although unsighted, for Astra's second.
Knoyle - 7
Very impressive on his competitive debut and looks a real prospect. Got up
and down the right hand side and was not afraid to take people on. Looks
very much in the Keiron Gibbs mould. End product was the only thing that let
him down.
Henry - 5
First competitive game for West Ham was not one to remember for the
highly-rated Canadian centre back. At fault for Astra's first goal backed
off far too much allowing Budescu space to shoot. Booked and looked shaky
although improved as the game went on. In fairness he has been out injured
for six months with a torn hamstring.
Jenkinson - 6
Playing as a centre back instead of his usual right back role. Did ok but
was caught out of position on occasion and Hammers missed his pace and help
in attack which he provides in his natural position.
Page - 7
Got up and down the left and was one of the bright sparks for the Hammers.
Defended well and got stuck in. Perhaps could do with a loan move to cut his
professional teeth. Subbed in 90th minute injured.
Poyet - 5
Very average in the middle of the park and was at fault for Astra's second
goal allowing his man to waltz into the box to square the ball to Budescu
for a tap-in. Will have to do better to establish himself as a first team
player at West Ham.
Nolan - 4
Started ok and almost scored in the build-up to Lanzini's third minute goal.
But Nolan looks like a man on his way out of the club with another
pedestrian performance where he failed to do anything of note. For a man
with 99 career goals and the team's skipper you would expect much more.
Cullen - 5
Youngster was brave and looked for the ball but gave possession away far too
cheaply. Another who will need to go out on loan if he is to prove himself.
Lanzini - 7
West Ham's best player first half on his competitive debut which he marked
with a lovely goal. But his lack of fitness caught up with him in the second
half as he faded badly and was virtually anonymous second half apart from a
few wasted scooped passes to try and pull off the spectacular.
Maiga - 3
Why Maiga is still featuring in West Ham line-ups is beyond anyone. Another
truly awful display, summed up by the fact his only chance came in he 88th
minute where he showed great control before blazing over from five yards out
and an acute angle. No future at the club, but who in their right mind would
take him?
Lee - 6
Gets a six just for his workrate. Always a willing runner and tried to make
the Astra defence work but had very little of the kind of service he thrives
on and little or not support from Maiga who's job it was to hold up the ball
and bring his partner into play. Subbed late on.
SUBS:
Brown - 6
Late sub for Lee who hard run himself into the ground for no reward. Tried
to put himself about but lost the ball a few times and did not make an
impact as he did not see enough of the play.
Pike - 6
On in the 90th minute didn't touch the ball.
Subs not used: Spiegel, Mavila, Chambers, Nasha, Pask.
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