Daily WHUFC News - 1st November 2015

Watford 2-0 West Ham United
WHUFC.com

West Ham United slipped to their first away defeat of the season following a 2-0 defeat away to Watford. Two goals from Odion Ighalo, one either side of half-time helped the Premier League new boys to their second consecutive win. While the Hammers initially started full of verve and confidence, it was the Hornets who set about dictating play. Nathan Ake and Ikechi Anya's pace combined with Ighalo and Troy Deeney's guile and strength proved too much to handle. The first moment of real note came ten minutes into the match as Almen Abdi's corner led to a goalmouth scramble. First Ake, then Deeney fired goalward but the Hammers had Andy Carroll to thank for a fantastic block. The Watford faithful screamed for a penalty yet replays showed the big number nine got his head to it. However, the Hammers were not without chances of their own. Victor Moses, reinstated to the side after missing the Chelsea game, looked dangerous down the right flank, shooting just wide of Heurelho Gomes' far post. Moments later it didn't take long before Dimitri Payet showed his eminent class. He picked the ball up with seemingly little on, a couple of flicks later; he shot goalward which tested Gomes' reflexes. Down the other end the Hammers had Adrian to thank as Ikechi Anya had the beating of Tomkins yet the Spaniard dashed off his line and cleared in the knick of time. With five to go before the break, the hosts made their dominance count in somewhat fortunate circumstances. Carroll dallied on the ball in his own box and was robbed by livewire Ake. He pulled a dangerous cross into the six yard box which was steered in via a combination of Ighalo and Aaron Cresswell.

During the interval, Slaven Bilic knew he had to make changes and utilised a strong looking bench by bringing on Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia in place of Manuel Lanzini and Victor Moses. However any shift in momentum was soon dented as Ighalo doubled Watford's advantage following a quick break away. The Hornet's top goalscorer showed his typical composure by finishing well. As the second half progressed, the Hammers grew into game, desperate to try and avoid losing their first away game of the season. A huge lifeline went begging when Valencia anticipated Cathcart's short backpass, yet could only prod his effort onto the post. The onrushing Carroll couldn't capitalise on the rebound and Watford cleared their lines. Bilic's last role of the dice was to go hell for leather by bringing on Nikica Jelavic for Mark Noble and his added presence helped the Hammers look more dangerous without enjoying too many clear cut chances. As frustrations grew, James Collins was sent off after his tackle was deemed reckless, replays seemed to suggest the Welshmen had been hard done by but the Hammers' protestations fell on deaf ears. The hosts used their man advantage to see the game out and could have netted a third save for Carl Jenkinson's clearance off the line.

Watford: Gomes, Nyom, Britos, Deeney ©, Cathcart, Ake, Anya (Paredes 68), Abdi (Behrami 76), Watson, Ighalo (Guedioura 86), Capoue
Subs not used: Arlauskis, Prodl, Ibarbo, Diamanti
Bookings: Nyom, Ake, Capoue
Goals: Ighalo 34, 48

West Ham United: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Kouyate, Carroll, Jenkinson, Noble © (Jelavic 75), Collins, Moses (Valencia 46), Payet, Lanzini (Zarate 46)
Subs: Randolph, O'Brien, Ogbonna, Antonio
Sent off: Collins 84

Referee: Keith Stroud

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From the Newsroom
WHUFC.com

Recorder Series West Ham United correspondent Dave Evans reflects on Saturday's disappointing defeat at Vicarage Road

We never saw Saturday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Watford coming, which is the part of the problem, because the fans and perhaps some of the players went there expecting to win, with the way they have played in recent games and won at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Having also beaten Chelsea last week, perhaps some travelled to Watford and thought they only had to turn up to win, and you can't do that in the Premier League.

Watford were up for it and they had just back come off a good away win at Stoke City the weekend before and they thoroughly deserved the win. Apart from the first five minutes, West Ham were just not at their best.

Losing Diafra Sakho to injury changed the dynamic of the team and West Ham had to play slightly differently. Although Andy Carroll wasn't bad up front, Sakho just works so hard, he gets down the channels and he brings Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet, in particular, more into the game.

Andy can't quite do that. He is a different sort of player who relies more on crosses coming into the box. Andy starting shortened the pitch and reduced the space for West Ham to play in and, unless you can get those crosses in, he is not quite so good at bringing other people into the game.

Mistakes have been costly in games before, particularly the home match with Bournemouth, and they were costly again on Saturday.

I don't quite know what Andy was doing for their first goal, and once Watford got in front I think their confidence grew and their tails were up. They appeared a little bit wary of West Ham initially, but once Watford got in front they looked comfortable and could have won by more, really.

Slaven Bilic looked like he was kicking every ball out on the touchline and he looked as frustrated as all the fans were, but he made a couple of selection decisions before the game which I don't feel were quite right.

Mauro Zarate played so well and scored a goal against Chelsea, so to be left out, he must have been very frustrated and he looked as if he was when he came on. He looked as if he was sulking at times and it didn't work out. I know Slaven rates Victor Moses very highly, but Mauro perhaps deserved to stay in the team.

I would have stuck with the defence that started against Chelsea, but Watford were really up for it and Odion Ighalo is a good little player, isn't he?

West Ham have a chance to bounce back against Everton next weekend and let's hope we have a similar game to the FA Cup third-round replay back in January, which was a fair old match!

Everton are a bit up and down and have been inconsistent this season, while West Ham won their last home game against Chelsea, which was important for West Ham to get back to winning ways at home.

Again, West Ham will be expected to win that game, which puts a different pressure on them, but they are capable of winning it. They won't have too many off-days, because they have a quality team.;

It's also Slaven going up against his other old English club, so he'll be wanting to get one over them and I think they can do it.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United

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Tonks unhappy with Halloween horror show
WHUFC.com

James Tomkins admitted West Ham United's Halloween horror show resulted in a deserved defeat at Watford. The Hammers saw their unbeaten away record and seven-match unbeaten run ended by a Hornets side which took advantage of two terrifying mistakes. First, Andy Carroll was robbed by Nathan Ake, who crossed for Odion Ighalo to score seven minutes before half-time, before the Nigerian doubled his side's lead when a cross slipped through Tomkins' legs four minutes after the break. "It's obviously disappointing because of the manner in which we lost, that's the biggest thing," the No5 began. "I think everyone wasn't at the races like we normally are, so that's the most disappointing thing. "We went down to ten men and that gave us no hope, but it was always going to be hard to come back from 2-0 down, who are hard to beat at their place. "The manner of the goals, obviously AC could have done better and I could have cleared the second one. The striker has finished them well, but they could have been stopped and prevented, which was disappointing. "Everyone can probably hold their hands up and say they did not do as well as they could, so that's the massive disappointment."

While most West Ham fans would have expected at least a draw from a trip to the newly-promoted Hornets, Tomkins said the Hammers did not take their hosts lightly. With Troy Deeney leading the line and Ighalo running in behind and harassing Tomkins and James Collins – who was sent-off for a late tackle on the match-winner – all game long, the No5 praised Quique Sanchez Flores' hard-working Hornets.
Everyone can probably hold their hands up and say they did not do as well as they could, so that's the massive disappointment
James Tomkins "It's a hard place to come," he continued. "People say that we were going to one of the lesser teams, with no disrespect to Watford, but this is a hard place to come and give full credit to them because they did well and are a hard team to beat.
"They play with two up front, which can be quite a handful. Not many teams play two up front now, but they were physical and hard to deal with. "We thought maybe we could dominate in midfield with the numbers we had in there, but we didn't seem to do that, so that's another thing. It's hard to put your finger on why, but there were a number of things we didn't do well. "They pressed us in numbers and they have good spirit here, which are good things. We didn't get complacent. We expected a tough game here. "We went in at half-time 1-0 down but thought we could get back in the game, then went 2-0 down and couldn't do it, so it just wasn't to be."

Next up comes the visit of Everton, who Tomkins made his West Ham debut against as a teenager back in March 2008. The Essex-born defender says the Hammers will not lick their wounds, but will instead look to extend their recent good form at home when they host Roberto Martinez's Toffees. "We'll look to put this behind us as quickly as we can. We will reflect on the few positives we can take out of the game – AC got a full 90 minutes and obviously Enner Valencia played and different things like that – and look at what we can improve on. "Everton at home is a massive game for us and hopefully we have turned our home form around, so we look forward to that."

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Bilic - There are no excuses
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic had no excuses for his side's disappointing display against Watford but hopes it is a one-off and wants to see his team get straight back on the winning trail against Everton next weekend. Two goals from Odion Ighalo inflicted the first away defeat on the Hammers this season who failed to hit the standards that have seen them record memorable victories over Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. The day was compounded when James Collins received a red card late in the game and Bilic says the performance was unacceptable. Bilic said: "I am very disappointed with the defeat. It is normal to be beaten but not in this way. "With the greatest respect to them we helped them with our approach and it was more down to attitude. If you start like this they are growing with confidence and you are on the back foot. "I said to the guys it is unacceptable but we have to make sure it is a one-off. We deserved to be beaten. "We can say their goals were down to our own mistakes but they should have scored before and they were simply better than us. They were more hungry and were ready for our mistakes. There are no excuses. "Andy made a mistake and you can't gamble in front of your goal. You cannot take that risk and he should have kicked the ball out to the stands. He opted to dribble and they scored from it.
"We made a couple of changes at half-time and to be fair I wanted to make more but it was too early in the game. Unfortunately we conceded a goal from an error early in the second half. "If we could have scored after that we would have a chance to get a point, but we didn't deserve it and that is why I am very disappointed."

Bilic wants to see an immediate response from his players when they face Everton next Saturday and hopes the players will quickly regain the form they have shown in the opening ten games of the season. Bilic added: "That is what we have to do. Nobody likes to be beaten but not like this. We gave them a hand and they took the opportunity. "We paid the price but let's be sure we can work as hard as them to win a Premier League game."

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Watford 2 West Ham 0
31 October 2015
Last updated at 17:08
By Patrick Jennings
BBC Sport

Watford secured their second win in a row with victory over West Ham as Odion Ighalo continued his goalscoring form. Ighalo turned home the opener after Nathan Ake robbed a dallying Andy Carroll in defence and crossed low. The Nigerian doubled Watford's lead just after the break, firing home from Ikechi Anya's cut-back for his seventh goal of the season. Enner Valencia intercepted Craig Cathcart's poor backpass but hit the post, before James Collins saw red. The centre-back was dismissed for a foul on Ighalo, who was then replaced by Adlene Guedioura. Watford's win, their second at home since promotion from the Championship last term, moves them up to ninth, while West Ham drop to fifth.
If Slaven Bilic had been wondering whether striker Carroll could cut it in defence he need wonder no longer - Watford's opener came from his mistake. The striker sliced a clearance under no pressure at all, but still had time to clear with Ake bearing down. Instead though, he tried to turn the Watford man, who stole the ball and crossed to Igahlo. Bilic will be wondering, too, why his team seem incapable of giving their best in matches they are expected to win. Watford had scored and won just once at home this season, but this Hammers performance was a world away from their victories at Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton on Final Score: "I don't know what Andy Carroll was thinking? Just put your foot through it, get rid or put it out for a corner, anything. "It's a dreadful mistake. I think he's tried a Cruyff turn in his own box. Never do that."

Man of the match - Odion Ighalo

Ighalo has now been involved in Watford's last nine Premier League goals, scoring seven and setting up two. His partnership with Troy Deeney up front looks a real strong point for Quique Flores's Hornets, who followed up on their impressive victory at Stoke last weekend with another three points today. If there was an element of slight fortuity about Ighalo's first goal - the cross might have eluded him had Aaron Cresswell not got a touch - his second goal was all power and purpose. Smashed home past Adrian, it sucked the life out of the Hammers right after half-time and capped a deserved win for the home side.

Manager reaction: Watford manager Quique Flores, speaking to BBC Sport: "I'm really pleased, very happy with the result and the performance. "I think we enjoyed the game a lot. The players played with real confidence on the ball, with high pressure, it was an amazing performance. "It's been important to change the mentality when you come in from a lower division, to win gives you the respect of the other teams."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, speaking to BBC Sport: "What happens weeks before and all the statistics is interesting but it doesn't mean a thing once the referee blows his whistle. "From the start we were basically second best. They were better in every football department and totally deserved to beat us. "We didn't have energy. They were quicker, more hungry than us. Today it was just that."

The stats you need to know

Odion Ighalo is now the highest scorer in Watford's Premier League history, overtaking Heidar Helguson and Hameur Bouazza.
This is the first time Watford have scored more than once at home in a Premier League game since April 2007 (4-2 v Portsmouth).
West Ham have received the most red cards in the Premier League this season with four.
This was West Ham's first defeat at Vicarage Road since April 1985, having been unbeaten in 11 games at the ground since then.
The Hammers lost their first away game since the last day of last season (2-0 vs Newcastle).

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Watford 2-0 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 31st October 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham marked Halloween with a horror display of their own as they fell to their first league defeat on the road this season.

Two individual errors - one either side of the half time interval - condemned Slaven Bilic's side to defeat against a Watford side who won at a canter, without having to be at their best.

And the reversal means that West Ham have now picked up just one point from nine against last season's three promoted teams, in complete contrast to their form against the league's better sides.

Watford deservedly took the lead seven minutes ahead of the half time break, although it was an error by Andy Carroll that led to the goal.

Having collected the ball inside his own 18-yard box, the striker bizarrely attempted to perform a Cruyff turn on the byeline but lost possession - and the subsequent cross was turned into his own net by the unfortunate Aaron Cresswell.

Bilic, no doubt concerned at what he had seen in the opening half rang the changes during the break bringing on Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia for the disappointing Victor Moses and Manuel Lanzini.

However they proved to be no more influential than those they replaced, as the home side doubled their lead within three minutes of the restart. This time James Tomkins was guilty of failing to deal with a cross and Ighalo snapped up the chance, finding the top corner with Adrian well beaten.

West Ham barely registered a chance of note during the entire 90 minutes but did manage to hit the woodwork via Enner Valencia midway through the second half. A dreadful back pass was intercepted by the Ecuador international who beat Hornets 'keeper Gomes, but not the woodwork.

Had Valencia converted that chance from nothing, West Ham could have entered the final 20 minutes with renewed vigour. Instead they were to play most of it with only ten men, when James Collins was dismissed in absurd fashion for a strong tackle that warranted a booking, at worst.

The Welsh defender's expulsion summed up West Ham's day and the game petered out with little drama thereafter.

And despite Bilic stressing on Thursday morning that West Ham did not consider a lack of motivation to be an issue following under-par performances against Bournemouth and Norwich previosly, many will see it differently after yet another disappointing performance against a team who were still playing Championship football only six months ago.

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Slaven Bilic: 'We were unacceptable'
Last Updated: 31/10/15 7:43pm
SSN

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says his side were beaten fair and square by Watford as they lost 2-0 at Vicarage Road due to two defensive errors. Slaven Bilic described West Ham's performance as "unacceptable" in their 2-0 defeat at Watford. The Hammers, who were third in the Premier League following last week's win over Chelsea, had beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City on the road this season. But their unbeaten away record was shattered by Watford, who scored goals either side of half-time through Odion Ighalo and dominated the contest throughout. Bilic said: "It was a collective bad day. I told the players it was unacceptable and to make sure it was a one-off. "You are going to lose games in this league but we weren't good today, apart from in the first 10 minutes. "We gave them the win. Watford were full of respect for us - but when they smelt that we weren't penetrating enough, and that our movement and passes were slow and backwards, they smelt the opportunity to go at us. "We learned a lesson, and I see no reason why we won't come back and play like we did before."

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YOU MESS WITH THE BULL, YOU GET THE HORNETS
By Zaman Siddiqui 1 Nov 2015 at 08:00
WTID

WAT 2 - WHU 0 Carroll
That was a stinging defeat against Watford. It is fair to say this result has taken us all by surprise. We are capable of winning against the champions (amongst others!), but have failed to win against any of the newly promoted sides. From these opening games, it is evident Watford will fair better than Norwich City and Bournemouth. The last win against us in the league came back in 1985 for the Hornets when David Bowie and Mick Jagger's "Dancing in the Street" was top of the charts. Going into this match, we were the second highest goalscorers in the league. Moreover, Flores' side have only scored one goal at Vicarage Road this season. The latter two factoids were the reason why I was confident it would be another away win. It is worth pointing out our last defeat came against Newcastle the previous season.

I hope Bilic truly understands why we West Ham fans don't like seeing Carroll in the starting XI, more so as a lone striker. We tend to prosper with a fast and accurate goalscorer such as Sakho or Valencia. They are the only ones who are capable of playing well week in week out, as they add a bit of urgency with their pace. Playing long balls is not the style of urgency our club should ever grace, as it is the wrong kind of urgency – it reeks of desperation. The best teams are the ones who are capable of building pressure overtime in the final third and persistently taking chances. That was what the Hornets did really well. The big man himself spoke with high praise of the gaffer and the new training plan that has been implemented. Andy has only made 37 appearances since his permanent move in July 2013, so it is important to make more serious changes rather than only appointing a coach to keep a close eye on Carroll's training before a match. The Geordie acknowledged that in his past regime training everyday wasn't "wasn't the best thing to do". I am proud Andy has more faith in Slaven than Big Sam, but at the same time worry that he may not at his top game. However, Carroll said he still prefers the old system ,and I personally agree with him.

Why on earth is Carroll being played for 90 minutes when he usually misses "a day during the week"? Carroll has always been an impact player. He is a player you sub on if you are missing some flair, have fatigued players or to add a new element to the game. There is nothing wrong with our most expensive signing sitting on the bench for the entirety of the first half. Edin Džeko was the second highest goalscorer when Mancini's City won the Premier League, despite eagerly waiting on the bench. There was no reason why Bilic needed to play Carroll yesterday, especially given that Carroll is not fit enough to feature for 90 minutes (as of yet). It goes without saying that the big man feels highly appreciated by the whole team. It is good to see Bilic experimenting, but we needed at least a win against the newly promoted sides. A victory wasn't needed, but you know what I mean!

Bilic talking to Carroll
There won't be too many teams who will fail to defeat at least one of Watford, Norwich and Bournemouth, but we are part of that infamous group. Playing against teams in the bottom half has been a growing concern for us this season. The only reason I can offer for this phenomenon is that we haven't wanted it enough. We managed to get more points against teams in the bottom 10 in that disastrous second half under Sam Allardyce last season than we have with Super Slav. Even if all matches were accounted for in those final 19 games, we would have been relegated under Big Sam. I can't help but blame the gaffer a bit. The Croat isn't fully to blame, but the way we have attacked against these teams has been lacking in quality. The mentality needs to be looked at more carefully if we are to stay in the top 8. There aren't enough dragons to slay for us to stay where we are if we can't win against sides with considerably lower quality. Moreover, I feel that Bilic at times gives more plaudits to opposing managers than teams. I am much the same, but from reading his weekly Evening Standard column, I feel he doesn't give enough credit to lower ranked teams. I mean he had the audacity to play with Carroll up front for the whole match! I feel he should have given Valencia a chance to play at Vicarage Road in the normal style the players are accustomed to. We should only experiment when we are in a strong winning position. Manchester City have done it so often in cup fixtures that it is almost became a basic algorithm for winning.

The moment I saw that scramble in the box with Ighalo's shot deflected off by Carroll was when I envisaged Watford are serious contenders in this match. Going back to why Carroll doesn't work as a lone striker is that he we need someone on our highly effective counter-attacks. Carroll uses his heading prowess defending corners and set-pieces which is why yesterday's system didn't work, and why Watford managed to treble the number of goals they scored in a single match after 10 games! The fact he made an absolute blunder epitomises why having a faster no. 9 works for us. That individual error was absolutely unforgivable.

Many would have included Moses in their Fantasy Football, but it was that other Nigerian who put on a performance. Odion Ighalo scored his second of the afternoon with yet another individual error this time from James Tomkins of all people! Enner Valencia is far more instinctive than Carroll and we definitely saw more from him than Andy seizing on a sloppy back pass from Cathcart to Gomes. His effort hit the post, but Carroll took an atrocious first touch and completely scuffed the chance. I nearly forgot to mention our Spanish starlet Adrián who was our side's MOTM. If it wasn't for him, we would have lost by at least 4-0. Just to put this defeat into further perspective, this is the first time Watford have scored more than once at home in a BPL game since April 2007 (4-2 vs Portsmouth).

There were many missed players today at Watford. Our conversion rate is the highest of all BPL teams. This has to be attributed to Sakho's form. I just hope he is ready for our next fixture against Everton. Likewise, Reid is one of our most important players in defence. Not only that, but he captures that feeling of camaraderie. He helps those in defence and in holding midfield. I remember watching 16 year old Reece Oxford congratulating the team for helping him against Arsenal on the inaugural day. He couldn't have done it on his own, he needed some leadership and guidance which the holding midfielders and Reid have in spades.

James Collins definitely deserved a red card for his disgraceful tackle on Ighalo who had the 32 year old in his pocket. Reid, as a CB, has very good communicational skills which is partly why he has flourished ever since joining us in the Championship. With Reid around, that communicational barrier would have prevented Collins from making such a rash challenge. Finally, I want to extend my good wishes to Quique Sánchez Flores who has managed his side superbly with a possibility for a top 10 finish already with a team that is hard to break down, very well organised, and has a good attacking duo in Deeney and Ighalo.

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West Ham want Manuel Lanzini to sign permanently after impressing on loan spell
22:30, 31 OCT 2015
BY DARREN WITCOOP
The Argentinian winger has scored two goals and made two assists and Hammers bosses are concerned he's caught the eye of their Premier League rivals
The Mirror

West Ham want to land loan star Manuel Lanzini on a permanent basis in January, reports the Sunday People. The Argentine winger's impressive start to life at Upton Park has seen Hammers bosses open talks with UAE side Al Jazira. West Ham fear Lanzini's form has caught the eye of their Premier League rivals. And Slaven Bilic wants the East London club to strike a deal now rather than risk being gazumped at the end of his season-long loan stint. Lanzini, 22, is rated in the £8million bracket by his Middle Eastern club. But West Ham hope to snap up him up for less by pushing through an early deal. There are no plans for West Ham to do any major business in the January window in a bid to kick on and finish in the top four but they will hope to bring in at least one big name next summer ahead of the move to the Olympic Stadium. Meanwhile, James Collins is now unlikely to leave West Ham in January after impressing new boss Slaven Bilic with his performances this season. The Wales defender, 32, feared for his future following Angelo Ogbonna's arrival in the summer and having found himself behind Winston Reid and James Tomkins in the pecking order. But his form has led the Hammers to have a rethink and they are now set to keep hold of him until next summer at least.

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Huge Everton choice can change Irons season
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 31, 2015 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H

We could be heading for a high watermark of our season next weekend – a choice may have to be made and it could have an enormous effect on our season. It was unfortunate for him that skipper Mark Noble saved one of his poorest outings for a game that could easily precede the return of Alex Song. Reports from the Irons medics in the week suggest he returns to first team squad training tomorrow and the Everton game was firmly penned in as the one on which he returns. He's very unlikely to start but should he appear later on against the Toffees it could mean the start of a descent into the sticky stuff for Noble. For whilst we have all the creativity in the world up front in Payet and Lanzini when things are going wel,l little comes out of the back and those killer passes of which Song is capable look perhaps the final piece of a missing jigsaw. Next Saturday afternoon is going to be fascinating and possibly the start of something very big. It's important that Sakho returns to make the sort of runs which create space for the play makers. He's the key up front just as Song will be at the back if he comes right back to his best holding and creative best. I look on today as a blip. Even the best teams get beat when the small clubs lift their games against big boys! There's a store of good things ahead and the first of them is called Alex Song!

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CandH exclusive: Gold gives Sakho update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 31, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Diafra Sakho is set to return to action for the game against Everton next weekend. Sakho was a big miss against Watford this afternoon but co chairman David Gold – speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh – was keen to assure fans the striker was not suffering from a long term problem. He told us: "It's a minor problem he picked up on the training pitch and I'm certain he will be back for the match against Everton. "He's been playing brilliantly and it was a shame he had to miss but we are not a club to take chances on players fitness these days."
Gold was disappointed at the defeat but said: "It was again a case of individual mistakes rather than anything else although we accept that Watford were the better team on the day. "There are always going to be those down matches but it's important the manager and the team have the fans on their side in those circumstances. "I'm going home. I'll have a glass of wine, get over this quickly and move on to Everton next weekend expecting a good win."

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Slav's "we" word tells us all WE need to know
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 31, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

How good to hear Slaven Bilic referrring to "we" even though the situation he was addressing concerned last season. His reference to luck may not be right because there's no question we were playing some very good football at times which sadly was sussed out a little too easily later on. But it's the use of the word "we" that's important because it demonstrates he was carrying the Hammers in his heart even as Beskitas manager. And one source close to him – when I asked about that earlier this morning – said: "He's been a Hammer from the day he arrived at the club. When he speaks of the club it's always been we."

In an interview at more or less the same time with Sky Sports, Andy Carroll was explaining that the new manager's tactics changed from game to game. That explains why at times we have perhaps looked a bit disjointed but the players are quickly "getting" the new boss and that's great because with a more fluid and flexible approach, oppositions will find us a much tougher proposition than last year.
Slav doesn't strike me as a guy who is out to score points because he's a Hammers to his backbone – club and team first. Terrific to hear him using the word "we" – Love it! It tells us everything WE need to know about our manager.

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