Daily WHUFC News -

Cresswell hails 'new philosophy'
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell says West Ham United now approach each and every game with
the intention of winning it. The Hammers have made an eye-catching and
hugely entertaining start to life under manager Slaven Bilic, rising to
third in the Barclays Premier League, scoring in every one of their ten
matches and scoring 22 goals in total. Bilic's side have won at Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City and followed that up by beating champions
Chelsea at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday – a result that Cresswell told West
Ham TV they thoroughly deserved. "We definitely have a different philosophy
this season," said the No3. "The signings that the gaffer made in the summer
have helped: Lanzini, Dimitri Payet looks a fantastic player. We just have
to continue the form we are in at the minute, especially away from home. "We
are going into each game full of confidence – we don't fear anyone, whether
away or at home against the top sides as we have shown this season. We have
beaten four of the top teams in the Premier League so long may it continue."

Of West Ham's six victories, the left-back said Saturday's success against
Jose Mourinho's Blues was the Hammers' best so far – eclipsing their wins at
the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad.
"I think it was our best win, for obvious reasons," he continued. "We are
sitting third in the league after ten games. "Don't get me wrong, it is
still early doors but I think we were fantastic, especially first half. They
got the goal back early on in the second half and then after they scored, I
think we controlled the game after that and obviously got the winning goal."

That winning goal came courtesy of Andy Carroll's towering header on the end
of a teasing cross from Cresswell – his third assist of the season. Speaking
to the media after Saturday's game, Carroll told how he has been ribbing
Cresswell for not setting him up sooner, so the defender was pleased to have
shut the striker up with his inch-perfect delivery. "I think he might keep
quiet for a couple of games hopefully!" Cresswell smiled. "He is fantastic
in the air, is Andy. He is a fantastic player. He has been unlucky with his
injuries and all his hard work over the last few months has paid off for
him. We are all delighted for him. "Of course, especially with Andy being
out for such a long time and getting the winning goal against Chelsea at
home, it is always nice personally to get an assist."

Earlier, Cresswell had also played his part in a blistering start to the
game made by Bilic's Hammers, who tore into the struggling Blues and went
ahead through Mauro Zarate's rasping finish. The defender explained that the
decision to harry and hustle Chelsea from the kick-off was one which planned
meticulously by Bilic and his coaching staff. "Especially away from home we
have always been pressing them and starting well away from home which we
haven't done at home apart from Newcastle, when we were excellent," he
explained. "In the first half, I thought we were excellent. We didn't give
them any time on the ball, we were always in their faces, we pressed and
when we got the ball, we attacked in numbers."

The Hammers will seek to extend their unbeaten run to eight league matches –
and maintain their unbeaten away record – when they travel to newly-promoted
Watford on Saturday. Kick-off at Vicarage Road is at 3pm, with live audio
and text commentary available on whufc.com and coverage across our social
media channels.

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke provides an update
from the Treatment Room – in association with Spire Roding

Hello everyone,

We had a great result on Saturday, beating Chelsea, and picked up a few
niggles from the game, but we now have everybody back fit and all of the
players have joined back in during the course of the week.

Winston Reid has returned to training, while Alex Song will join the
Development Squad in training on Saturday before joining the first-team
squad on Sunday.

Doneil Henry will also join the Development Squad in training on Saturday,
while Joey O'Brien returned and played for 62 minutes for the Under-21s on
Monday evening without any problems, which was very good.

Hopefully we will not pick up any injuries at the Watford game and we will
have a fully-fit squad available to train next week.

Having a fit squad is of course what we all want, but our work never ends.
The main focus we always have is on the fit players and those who are
available for selection by the manager.

Availability for matches is the most important thing and, for that reason,
we have players who do different levels of training and individual work
every week.
Players get ill, players pick up niggles and miss a day's training, while
some players do extra work or extra training.

As the manager Mr Bilic has said, training is individualised for every
player. Some players train more and some players train less.

For example, Andy Carroll has had full training weeks for the first time in
years recently, while others are given days off to prevent over-training and
to keep them fit and available.

Now, we are focused on having a good week of training and sufficient rest in
the final international break of the year and putting down the foundations
for the winter, and then it is all about keeping the players fresh.

We have a deep and strong squad which helps us to be able to take the
long-term approach and Mr Bilic, his staff and the Medical and Sport Science
department all play an important role in this.

The challenge ahead is to get the players through a busy period without a
winter break, which is going to be a new experience for some of them coming
from European leagues.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Boleyn People
WHUFC.com

Having worked at West Ham United for ten years, the final season at the
Boleyn Ground is especially poignant for Hammers fan and Head of Elite
Performance and Sports Medicine at the Academy Tom Smith. During his time
studying physiotherapy at the University of Hertfordshire, Smith enjoyed a
student placement with West Ham United in the summer preceding his final
year. Having clearly impressed his senior colleagues in the Club's medical
department, he was offered part-time work at the Academy of Football. It was
not long before Smith was offered a full-time position in December 2005 as
Head Academy Physiotherapist. Ten years on, Smith's passion and commitment
to the job and to the Club remain plainly evident. "I enjoy every minute of
it," says the Essex-based Smith. "It is hard work and time consuming, but
it's what you commit to. I always knew this is what I want to do. "You have
to go wholeheartedly into it, but I'm fortunate enough to do something I
really enjoy, at the Club I've always supported."

After two years working in the Academy, Smith became increasingly more
involved in working with the first-team squad as a physiotherapist. After
working in the role for just under five years, and several different
managers, Smith returned to the Academy as Head of Elite Performance and
Sports Medicine. Reflecting on his differing roles, Smith said: "One of the
most positive things is that I've worked with players at every level. I've
worked with everyone from Under-9s who are just starting out to the first
team to working with international players who are worth millions of pounds.
"To have worked with players like Carlos Tevez who have gone on to be
massive at international level and across Europe is special. That variety is
one of the biggest positives; to have worked across a broad spectrum at West
Ham is a real standout memory."

Another highlight for Smith, and everyone connected to the Academy, is being
part of the development and progression of highly-rated youngsters into
first-team professional players. "It's one of the things that motivates me
most, and is the reason why I'm doing the job I do. I take a huge amount of
pride seeing an Academy player make their way into the first team. "Every
time an Academy player makes their debut and goes on to be involved more
frequently is special, and I feel like I've contributed to that success. You
get a real feeling of reward every time they play."It's an exciting time at
the moment, with the likes of Burke, Oxford, Cullen, Lee, and Page."

With the Club's future generation in good hands, Smith reflected on his
favourite memories at the Hammers' place of worship, the Boleyn Ground. "I
remember coming to my first game in 1991. We played Barnsley and we won 3-2.
Colin Foster, Frank McAvennie and Iain Dowie scored," he recalled. "Another
personal highlight includes doing the matchday 'run-on' for the first team
on a couple of occasions. "I have a lot of fond memories, some classic
games, play-offs, relegations, debuts. And that's just in terms of what I've
seen as a spectator. Then there's all the fond memories I have from behind
the scenes."

Last weekend's win over Chelsea was the Irons' fifth home league fixture of
the season, and with potentially only 14 games remaining, the countdown to
the final home game, against Swansea City on Saturday 7 May has well and
truly begun. "It's an honour to be working for the Club during the final
year at the Boleyn Ground. As a fan and a staff member, 25 years is a
massive chunk of my life to have been coming here, and to think that is
going to come to an end in May is going to be emotional. "I've thought a lot
about the last game here. I'm hoping to bring my daughter Sienna and son
Oscar to a game before the move. "We need to enjoy this season, and savour
it. But also we need to remember what we're moving onto. It's a new era in
the Club's great history, and we'll be playing in another amazing stadium,
one of the best in England, if not Europe."

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Exclusive - Hodgson on the Hammers
WHUFC.com

England manager Roy Hodgson was full of praise for West Ham United on his
recent visit to the Boleyn Ground. Hodgson was in the Betway Stand to watch
the Hammers put Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea to the sword on
Saturday, with a winning goal created and scored by two Englishmen with
hopes of being named in his squad in the near future – Aaron Cresswell and
Andy Carroll. With James Tomkins and Carl Jenkinson shackling the Blues
attack and Mark Noble outshining Chelsea's star-studded midfield, the Three
Lions boss would have left east London with plenty to ponder ahead of next
month's friendly internationals with Spain and France. Speaking exclusively
to West Ham TV, Hodgson said he was keeping a close eye on West Ham's five
Englishmen. "There are five English players and we know them well," he said.
"Carl Jenkinson has already played for us, of course, and Andy Carroll was
an important part of our Euro 2012 team. "In Tomkins, Cresswell and Mark
Noble, there are good football players who are quite capable of playing for
England, but they face competition because one or two others who have done
well over the last few years. "It's all a question of competition and
keeping an eye from my point of view to make sure I'm not missing any."

West Ham have fielded nine English players in total this Premier League
season, including promising youngster Reece Oxford, as well as a
cosmopolitan mix of outstanding talents from across Europe, Africa and South
America. Hodgson has been hugely impressed by what he has seen from the boys
in Claret and Blue. "It's very good. I think they've started the season
quite brilliantly and some of the players brought in by Slaven and the
owners have really shown that they are top-class players," the England
manager told West Ham TV. "Not only do they have potential, but they have
shown they are top-class players straight away, so I assume that everyone at
West Ham must be delighted with the way the team is playing, the way the
atmosphere is at the club and in the dressing room, because you can see a
tremendous unity of spirit on the field. "I imagine it is praise all-round
and long may it continue. Everyone here knows and is wise enough the season
is long and it's great to get off to a good start, but there is still a lot
of hard work to do to maintain this position until the end of the season."

Hodgson has been a regular guest at the Boleyn Ground since becoming England
manager in 2012, but his visits to E13 date back more than 50 years. "I love
coming here," he enthused. "The whole club is a real football club, this
one, steeped in tradition with fantastic roots. The owners and Karren Brady
look after me so well, as does Sir Trevor Brooking of course, who I worked
with for three years and admire enormously. "It's a real pleasure to come
here just to see friends and I always see a good game here, so it's well
worth the effort coming from south west London to east London, as it's
always worth it when I get here! "My memories go back a long time to the
Ron Greenwood days and, of course, watching all those famous players who
went on to win the World Cup for England. "And also coming to watch a guy
called Johnny Byrne who might also have been in that 1966 team had he not
got injured just before the World Cup, as he was a large part of the build.
"He was a favourite player of mine and my friends at the time, so we'd come
over from Croydon to watch him whenever we could. "I've also had some good
memories with club teams when I've played here but, having said that, not
too many victories because of the teams I managed here have lost more often
than they won."

Looking forward, Hodgson's immediate concern is guiding England to glory at
Euro 2016 but, past that, he is looking forward to paying a visit to the
Hammers at their new home next season. While he will always have fond
memories of the Boleyn, the 68-year-old said West Ham have much to look
forward to at their 54,000-capacity stadium in Stratford. "Traditions are
important and this club always has traditions, but I understand the owners
and the Chief Executive because these days you can get more than 30-odd
thousand people," Hodgson continued. "You can fill a stadium with 60,000, so
if you have the opportunity you have to take it. "You can't live in the past
and say 'I want to stay in my traditional home' – you have to move on, just
as Arsenal did in leaving their traditional home."

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Cresswell hails 'new philosophy'
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell says West Ham United now approach each and every game with
the intention of winning it. The Hammers have made an eye-catching and
hugely entertaining start to life under manager Slaven Bilic, rising to
third in the Barclays Premier League, scoring in every one of their ten
matches and scoring 22 goals in total. Bilic's side have won at Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City and followed that up by beating champions
Chelsea at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday – a result that Cresswell told West
Ham TV they thoroughly deserved. "We definitely have a different philosophy
this season," said the No3. "The signings that the gaffer made in the summer
have helped: Lanzini, Dimitri Payet looks a fantastic player. We just have
to continue the form we are in at the minute, especially away from home. "We
are going into each game full of confidence – we don't fear anyone, whether
away or at home against the top sides as we have shown this season. We have
beaten four of the top teams in the Premier League so long may it continue."

Of West Ham's six victories, the left-back said Saturday's success against
Jose Mourinho's Blues was the Hammers' best so far – eclipsing their wins at
the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad. "I think it was our best win, for
obvious reasons," he continued. "We are sitting third in the league after
ten games. "Don't get me wrong, it is still early doors but I think we were
fantastic, especially first half. They got the goal back early on in the
second half and then after they scored, I think we controlled the game after
that and obviously got the winning goal."

That winning goal came courtesy of Andy Carroll's towering header on the end
of a teasing cross from Cresswell – his third assist of the season. Speaking
to the media after Saturday's game, Carroll told how he has been ribbing
Cresswell for not setting him up sooner, so the defender was pleased to have
shut the striker up with his inch-perfect delivery. "I think he might keep
quiet for a couple of games hopefully!" Cresswell smiled. "He is fantastic
in the air, is Andy. He is a fantastic player. He has been unlucky with his
injuries and all his hard work over the last few months has paid off for
him. We are all delighted for him. "Of course, especially with Andy being
out for such a long time and getting the winning goal against Chelsea at
home, it is always nice personally to get an assist."

Earlier, Cresswell had also played his part in a blistering start to the
game made by Bilic's Hammers, who tore into the struggling Blues and went
ahead through Mauro Zarate's rasping finish. The defender explained that the
decision to harry and hustle Chelsea from the kick-off was one which planned
meticulously by Bilic and his coaching staff. "Especially away from home we
have always been pressing them and starting well away from home which we
haven't done at home apart from Newcastle, when we were excellent," he
explained. "In the first half, I thought we were excellent. We didn't give
them any time on the ball, we were always in their faces, we pressed and
when we got the ball, we attacked in numbers."

The Hammers will seek to extend their unbeaten run to eight league matches –
and maintain their unbeaten away record – when they travel to newly-promoted
Watford on Saturday. Kick-off at Vicarage Road is at 3pm, with live audio
and text commentary available on whufc.com and coverage across our social
media channels.

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Jose Mourinho lost bet with West Ham mascot
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho wasn't only facing a £25,000 FA fine as a
result of his team's defeat to West Ham last weekend - but he was a shirt
down too. Mourinho, who was hit with the fine as a result of his antics at
half time when challenging referee Jonathan Moss bet one of West Ham's young
mascots before the game that his side would beat the Hammers, according to
former Irons star Stuart Slater.

Slater, who was the star guest on this week's KUMB Podcast - which you may
download or stream here - was in the tunnel prior to the match in his
capacity as one of the club's match day hosts, when he witnessed the
manager's challenge. "Before the game Mourinho was talking to the ball boys
and mascots," explained the former winger. "One of the mascots said to him
'we're going to beat you!' "When he returned from the warm-up he came back
into the tunnel and asked which one of the mascots said West Ham were going
to beat Chelsea. One of the boys put his hand up and said 'it was me!'
"Mourinho told the boy he was going to have a bet with him. He said, 'If we
win I'll have your shirt - and if you win, I'll get you a signed Chelsea
shirt'. Whether it happened or not, I don't know - but it was brilliant that
he could have a little bit of banter before the game!"

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Sport Football Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho loses bet with West Ham ball boy after Blues' defeat at Upton
Park
19:41, 28 OCT 2015
BY JAMES WHALING
The Portuguese could be left counting the cost of a fine for being sent to
the stands by referee Jon Moss - but also lost this wager
The Mirror

Jose Mourinho may be facing a fine for his antics during Chelsea's defeat to
West Ham on Saturday - but his debts didn't stop there.
The Portuguese was sent to the stands by referee Jon Moss after a half-time
discussion during the Blues' nightmare 2-1 reverse at Upton Park - their
fifth loss in 10 Premier League outings so far this season. More bad news
for Mourinho has now been revealed, courtesy of a pre-match bet with a
Hammers ball boy. The cheeky youngster had told the Chelsea boss that the
Irons would take all three points in the East End, and Mourinho took him up
on the bet. Former West Ham player Stuart Slater told the Knees Up Mother
Brown podcast: "Before the game Mourinho was talking to the ball boys and
mascots. One of the mascots said to him 'we're going to beat you!' "When he
returned from the warm-up he came back into the tunnel and asked which one
of the mascots said West Ham were going to beat Chelsea. One of the boys put
his hand up and said 'it was me!' "Mourinho told the boy he was going to
have a bet with him. He said, 'If we win I'll have your shirt - and if you
win, I'll get you a signed Chelsea shirt'. "Whether it happened or not, I
don't know - but it was brilliant that he could have a little bit of banter
before the game!" The misery continued for Mourinho and Chelsea last night,
as they crashed out of the Capital One Cup following a penalty shootout
defeat to Stoke.

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This Hammer's a wanted man!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 28, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Pedro Obiang remains a wanted maObiangn in January with Napoli continually
tracking the Irons midfielder. With so many options in the area Slaven Bilic
may be tempted to allow the No 14 to join the Serie A outfit for the rest
of the season should he receive a firm offer. Napoli were keen in the summer
when the Hammers moved in with a £4 million bid for the former Sampdoria man
but the Italian outfit have been carefully watching his progress at the club
this season. The player has been unable to nail down a regular place in the
line up and that has given the Italian outfit hope that they may be able to
do a deal with the Irons. A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh said: "This
will be for later – we have had no contact at this stage but we were aware
of their interest in the player.

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Four down, two to go!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 27, 2015 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H

So we beat Arsenal at the Emirates 2-0 on the opening day of the new season
to set the tone under our new manager. The first time in eight years we had
beaten the Gooners when Bobby Zamora scored the only goal when we became the
first team to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. Then came that historic 3-0 win
against Liverpool at Anfield, the first time in 52 years to beat the Reds
away from home. In 1963 we relied on Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst to score
our score our goals in the old money division one before the Premier League
was even dreamed of. Next came a 2-1 win against former champions Manchester
City at the Ethiad, West Ham had never beaten Man City away in the League at
their new stadium. Our last league away win came in 1982 at Maine Road when
Paul Goddard scored the only goal. Last weekend it was Chelsea's tun to come
under Slav's sword with a 2-1 home win against the reigning champions. We
beat the Blues as recent as 2012 when Carlton Cole, Mo Diame and Maiga
scored in a 3-1 win. Collins and Tomkins also played in that win to remember
on a December day. These four wins have already made the 2015/2016 a season
to remember already but we have two important games coming up to complete a
magnificent half dozen run by Super Slav. On Sunday 22nd November we take
on our old foes Spurs at White Hart Lane, then on Saturday 5th December we
play Manchester United at Old Trafford. Away wins against both of these
teams this season would raise Slaven Bilic to god like status among Hammers
folklore and hopefully we can add to the impressive graphic above very soon.

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Give West Ham the credit
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 27, 2015 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H

It is about time football pundits and the media at large gave West Ham
credit to what they have achieved this season. Large parts of the media
love to knock West Ham when they are down or there is a bad news story but
they seem reluctant to pat them on the back and say well done. Even match of
the day pundits seem to struggle to anything more than a couple of words
before concentrating on describing the woes on the major teams we have
beaten.

Leicester City on the other hand seem to get all the praise and the credit
from the same people. While there is no doubt Leicester have also had a
great start to the season and remain the only 'top six' to beat us this
season it could be argued that our opposition has been much stronger than
their's. Leicester's wins have come against a poor Sunderland, Villa,
Norwich and Palace in addition to ourselves.

Would it kill the media to pat West Ham on the back occasionally and say
well done and give credit where it is due?

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Landslide win for Payet
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 28, 2015 in News
C and H

Dimi Payet has won a landslide victory as London's Player of the month for
October in the London 24.com October Twitter poll. Now with the PFA Player
of the Month Awards closing tomorrow the 28 year old Frnchman could be set
to make it a double. Supporters retweeted the player they believed was
London's finest Premier League performer during the month and Dimi finished
up with 69 per cent of the vote. Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil finished in
second place after a goal and four assists during a memorable month of
Premier League football for the German. Tottenham's Christian Eriksen also
gained his fair share of votes after three goals and an assist. Chelsea
attacker Willian and Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha also featured on
the shortlist.

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THERE IS NO NEED TO RUSH ALEX SONG'S RETURN!
By S J Chandos 28 Oct 2015 at 08:00
WTID

There has been some optimistic reports that Alex Song could be fit for a
first team return against Watford this Saturday. Song is back in training,
but it is surely unlikely that he will make an appearance so soon. Other
reports (presumably based on David Gold's tweets on the subject) have
identified the Everton match as the more realistic target. And that is more
than likely to be true, given that there is an imperative to build up Song's
match fitness ahead of any return.

The fact is that with the strength of our squad there is no need to rush
players back before they are ready. We have good cover and results are
excellent, so lets give Song the extra bit of time that he needs, including
a couple of run outs in the Development Squad. We can easily afford to do
that and ensure that he is 100% ready; thus, avoiding the risk of further
injury that often accompanies players returning before they are fully match
fit. It is also probable that any such return will commence from the bench
and involve a gradual re-introduction to the 'cut and thrust' of PL
football. The prospect of Song combining with Lanzini, Moses and Payet is
very exciting indeed. If Song does make an appearance against Everton then
great, but it is surely far more important that the club get it right. The
same argument applies to Enner Valencia, although the striker is further
down the comeback road than Song. Consequently, I feel that it is more
likely that we will see Valencia make some sort of contribution over the
next two PL matches.

Elsewhere, the speculation about the club's January transfer targets has
commenced already. The latest story is that West Ham could make a January
move for 26 year old Brazilian International striker, Alexandre Pato. He is
currently on loan to Sao Paulo from his parent club, Corinthians, having
signed from Italian giants, AC Milan, in 2013. During his stint in A Serie,
Pato scored a very decent 63 goals in 150 matches. His scoring record in
Brazil has been 17 goals in 62 games (for Corinthians) and 37 goals in 94
matches (to date – for Sao Paulo). We know that Corinthians are looking at
sell, hence their President. Roberto de Andrade's comment this week that the
club 'would rather sell Pato than keep him.'

It is also thought that there is real rival interest from Spurs. Make of the
story what you will. I guess the key questions are, do we really need him
and what qualities does he bring to the squad that our present strikers do
not possess? The probability is that this is the work of agents, trying to
drum up interest in the player ahead of the winter transfer window.
Alternatively, perhaps Tony Henry has actually identified him as a potential
target? We shall see?

What is certain is that if we enter the new year in the top four and in
close points proximity to the leaders, then the club's board will have a
tough decision to make. Will they adopt a plan B, to commit transfer
resources to bring even more quality in to the squad in a concerted effort
to clinch a Champions League place or even boost a title challenge. Or will
they go with their probable plan A, which is to stick with the current squad
until the end of the 2015/16 campaign and implement the next stage of their
transfer plans in the summer? It is tough because if there is any chance of
CL qualification and a serious title challenge than it will be very tempting
to invest again and really go for it. Of course, a lot will depend on how
the current squad continues to perform and which quality additions are
available in the January window. Once again, time will tell?

Finally, the Watford (away) and Everton (home) fixtures are two further
tests of our progress. The Watford match is a classic example of one in
which West Ham in the past would have slipped up. Yet another away victory
here would indicate that type of inconsistency is a thing of the past. While
Everton have been a real 'bogey' team for us over recent seasons. So, a win
over the Goodison club would be another very positive indicator. I am going
for an efficient 0-2 victory over Watford and an entertaining 2-1 win over
Everton! COYI.

SJ. Chandos.

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Player Focus: Impressive Lanzini Quickly Becoming West Ham's Jewel
by Josh Wright at Tuesday, Oct 27 2015 16:00
whoscored.com

The decision to replace Sam Allardyce a year before moving into the Olympic
Stadium suddenly didn't feel like the right play when West Ham were dumped
out of the Europa League by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu before the Premier
League had even started. Since then, however, victories away to Arsenal,
Liverpool, Manchester City and Crystal Palace and at home to Chelsea on
Saturday have left them two points off top spot.

Their extraordinary start to the campaign makes it hard for West Ham fans
not to dream of moving into their new home with the prospect of European
football, but it's worth remembering they were also in the top four as late
as Christmas before their season unravelled last year. Nevertheless, you
sense the Hammers are far better equipped this time around.

Dimitri Payet has been credited as the driving force behind their meteoric
start to the season. The Frenchman was regarded as a coup when West Ham
signed him for £10.7m over the summer and his breathtaking performances only
make you wonder why more teams weren't in for him. As it stands, only two
players have played a direct hand in more goals than Payet (8), and only
Mesut Ozil (42) has created more goalscoring chances than the former
Marseille creator-in-chief (41) in England's top-flight.

However, the foundations of West Ham's early season success extend beyond
the creativity of Payet. Enner Valencia was the fan favourite at the Boleyn
Ground this time last season, but so much has changed since then that the
Ecuador international may now struggle to even get in Slaven Bilic's
starting line up when everyone is available for selection.

A summer of upheaval included nearly a dozen new faces arriving at West Ham
and Bilic is quickly discovering he has match winners all over the pitch.
The Hammers were able to take players from the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea,
Arsenal, Marseille and Juventus in the off-season, but it's one of their
less familiar faces that is quickly endearing himself to the supporters.

Unlike the media fanfare that followed Payet's arrival, there was little
hype when Manuel Lanzini touched down from Al Jazira in the United Arab
Emirates. However, his early season performances would suggest David Gold
and David Sullivan would be wise to tie up the Argentine on a permanent deal
sooner rather than later.

The former Argentina U20 international's latest display against Chelsea was
packed with the sort of craft, intelligence and awareness you would expect
from a player accustomed to the rigours of the Premier League, not one that
has just spent the last year in the Middle East.

Lanzini, nicknamed 'The Jewel', completed more dribbles than any other
player (5) - including Payet (2) - misplaced just four of his 32 passes (88%
pass success rate) and even made a vital clearance off the line just as it
appeared Kurt Zouma had drawn Chelsea level. Mauro Zarate finished as the
WhoScored man of the match (7.93 rating), but Lanzini ran him a close second
(7.73).

It was no one off. He's been doing it all season and his performances are
already starting to earn glowing endorsements from his manager. "I have
never seen a player who reminds me of Luka Modric as much as Manuel
Lanzini," said Bilic in his London Evening Standard column last week, having
previously compared his style to David Silva's. That's some hybrid!

Player Focus: Impressive Lanzini Quickly Becoming West Ham's Jewel

Lanzini still has a long way to go before being earning the right to be
regarded in their company, but it's certainly not a bad starting point, and
you can already see where Bilic is coming from.

When in possession, Lanzini rarely concedes it. The Argentine is the most
accurate passer at the club (87.6%) and is also among the top 25 in the
division – above the likes of Eden Hazard, Yaya Toure and Bastian
Schweinsteiger – of those to have started at least half of the 10 league
matches thus far. Additionally, Lanzini has only been dispossessed five
times in eight appearances, compared to Payet who has been robbed of
possession more than three times that amount (17), accentuating his
statistically calculated strength of 'holding on to the ball'.

"What I do know is he is making our other players better," Bilic continued,
revealing more behind what kind of player West Ham have on their books.
Lanzini's influence in the final third has been particularly noticeable and
it had been this sort of positivity that fans felt was missing during the
bulk of Allardyce's tenure.

Lanzini averages more dribbles per game than any other teammate (2.5) and
only two West Ham players have averaged more forward passes and successful
final third passes per game than the midfielder (20.9 & 9.9, respectively),
while only Payet (4.5 per game) is joining play together with more
regularity via accurate lay-offs than the former River Plate graduate (1.5).


Not only that, but Lanzini has also shown a desire to help out defensively,
where he averages the same amount of tackles per game as defenders James
Collins and Carl Jenkinson (1.5).

In Bilic's mind there had never been any doubt over Lanzini's ability. The
47-year-old had been tracking him during his two-year stint as Besiktas
manager before replacing Allardyce at West Ham, but even he admits he's been
blown away by how quickly Lanzini hass settled.

"I am only surprised that he hit it off straight away," Bilic said. "I
thought he was going to need more time because last year he played in the
Emirates with Al Jazira. It's a good level but you can't compare that with
the Premier League. He's a phenomenal player, a really quality player and
feels comfortable when he is on the pitch."

What's exciting for West Ham fans is that you sense this is only the
beginning for Lanzini.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com




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