Daily WHUFC News - 17th March 2015

Macca on Monday
WHUFC.com

Neil McDonald knows West Ham United must deliver in their remaining nine
fixtures if they are to achieve their improved targets for the season.
Saturday's 3-0 loss at Arsenal capped off a tricky run of fixtures that had
seen Big Sam's side line up against all of the current top six in their last
seven games. In contrast, West Ham's final nine games will only see them
face top ten sides on two occasions, something the West Ham United assistant
manager knows the team must capitalise on. "Our progression is trying to get
into the top eight if we possibly can," McDonald said. "At the start of the
season it was top ten and with the points we started off with it was
realistic to set the target a little bit higher. "We just fell short over
the last four or five games against the top teams in the league. Hopefully
we can pick up a few points now and believe in ourselves as we have done
against the top teams. "We've been finished off sometimes and let a couple
of goals in so we need to be smarter in how we manage the rest of the games.
"We all know that we have had a lot of tough games against a lot of the top
six teams and the manager is happy with certain aspects of the game and
unhappy with others. We have had some really good performances but we just
haven't had the results and we have just got to marry that up now in the
next six games now to try to push us back up the table. "They are all
difficult games in the Premier League but we feel as though we've got a good
chance of putting more points on the board and pushing up that table towards
the target that we set."

Saturday's scoreline at the Emirates was a little unfair on the Hammers, who
created some good openings and were much improved after the interval. At
just 1-0 down with just ten minutes left on the clock, there was still hope
for the impressive 3,000 travelling fans but goals from Aaron Ramsey and
Mathieu Flamini snuffed out any late hope of leaving north London with any
points. "The manager was angry at the way we conceded the two goals towards
the end. He felt as though the players did not pass the ball well enough in
the first half and yet in the second half they certainly did that, so the
response was there, which was great. "They scored their first just before
the break, which knocks the stuffing out of you, but that does not really
change the team-talk at half time. We just needed to pass the ball a little
bit better and needed to move up the pitch a little bit better and get in
behind them a little bit better. "And the players certainly did that, so
they listened to the manager so that was fantastic and the response was
really good. And then, us conceding two goals at the end, it's what Arsenal
usually do if you leave the space. We left that space and they have
clinically finished us off."

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Noble reacts to Poyet departure
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble is unsure how Gus Poyet's departure will affect West Ham United's
home match with Sunderland on Saturday. Poyet parted company with Sunderland
on Monday following a 4-0 home Barclays Premier League defeat by Aston Villa
– a result which left the Black Cats just a point above the relegation zone
after just four wins in their opening 29 matches. For the third time this
season, following the trip to Crystal Palace in August and the visit of West
Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, the Hammers will face an opponent with a
new face in the dugout. Speaking on the second episode of the new West Ham
TV 'Hammertime' discussion show, which will be available to view shortly on
whufc.com, Noble says Sunderland will either react with an upturn in form,
or they will continue to struggle under Poyet's replacement.

"As we say, another one bites the dust in this league and the 4-0 defeat to
Aston Villa at the weekend was obviously the last nail in the coffin," said
the No16. "It was a massive result for Villa, but it has cost Gus his job
and I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing with Sunderland coming
to us at the weekend."

While Sunderland have struggled all season long, West Ham themselves have
also found wins hard to come by in recent weeks, tasting victory just once
in their last 12 Barclays Premier League matches. The Hammers have come
within seconds of important wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester
United, while they also pushed leaders Chelsea all the way before going down
to a 1-0 home defeat. After going down 3-0 at Arsenal at the weekend, Noble
says West Ham need to stick together, show the team spirit that has served
them so well in recent seasons and get back to winning ways against
Sunderland. If they do that, the Hammer of the Year is confident that the
east London side can end the season on a positive note. "I think last year,
when we were struggling, one of the reasons we stayed in the league was
that, even though we weren't the best at scoring goals, we had a group of
players who worked hard for each other. For that reason, we were able to
grind out results which got us safe in the end. "We know the 3-0 defeat by
Arsenal was quite comfortable for them in the end, but we had a couple of
spells in the game when we were on top. You have to score goals when you are
in that time in the game. "In the last month or so, we've been seconds away
from six points and ended up with only a couple, and it would be a whole
different season if we'd beaten Spurs away and Manchester United at home.
"That would be another four points on the board and we'd still be looking at
a firm spot in Europe. Now, we've got games against teams below us and we
need to win them."

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From the Newsroom - Matty Lawless
WHUFC.com

The Mail Online's Matty Lawless gives his opinion on a disappointing day at
the office for the Hammers at Arsenal...

You may have noticed a Twitter exchange between myself and one of West Ham's
media team, Rob Pritchard, on Saturday. It wasn't a spat. It wasn't a row.
It was merely a difference of opinion. Rob rightly looks for a positive
outlook for such instances. Heaven knows he's had a lot of practice in his
seven years at the club. Usually I do too. But there was a massive sense of
frustration from me and, like most do these days, I used social media as the
forum to get it off my chest and into the open. I labelled the defeat -
adding to a woeful run of just one win in our last 12 games - as 'abject'.
"Was it really 'abject'?" Rob responded. "I've seen abject performances over
the years and that was far from the worst." Well, yes, in my frank opinion
it was. One shot on target over the entire 90 minutes (compared to Arsenal's
nine). Total passes 271 (Arsenal 591). Possession of just 32.2%. And most
importantly, 3-0 to Arsenal. West Ham were never at the races in this game.
Admittedly, when one parts with £36.50 (a fair price in comparison to many
other Premier League clubs by the way) of his hard-earned money, one fully
expects to be backing the wrong horse as a visiting fan to the Emirates
Stadium. But you expect to put up a bit more of a battle in a London derby.
One shot on target? In 90 minutes? If that's not abject, I'm struggling to
fathom what is.
You can't blame the striker. I thought Diafra Sakho worked tirelessly and
could have been a threat had he been adequately supplied. I thought the
defence played well. Adrian, Chiekhou Kouyate and James Collins were
particularly decent in the opening 45 minutes before Olivier Giroud produced
a moment of magic in stoppage time. It felt unfair. They deserved better in
truth.

But that was it. Game over. Resigned to a defeat.

What rankled more was that only Kouyate had the decency to come and thank
the travelling support yesterday. Whether you play well or not, regardless
of the result, the team should do always do that. Not one fan there booed
them yesterday. All united in support. A small show of appreciation, for
that wouldn't have gone amiss. Nevertheless, I agree with Rob that we have
been dreadfully unlucky at times in this second half of the season. In fact,
there's a mighty good argument to say we ought to have beaten Manchester
United and Spurs. We were unfortunate not to take anything away from Chelsea
too. In all of those games we were excellent. And so when you change from
the Hammersmith and City line at Kings Cross onto the Piccadilly line for
the short trek to Arsenal, you go in hope that the team will be there to
give it another good go. Of course, it wasn't to be.

The break to Dubai was intended to rejuvenate the players. We came back to
action with unexpected injuries (not sustained on the mini-break, I should
add) to two key players, while some of the others simply played like they
were still on the beach. It just wasn't good enough for me. The past run of
fixtures have been massively difficult. However, we have a rather more
forgiving run-in from here on in, so it's time to be putting points back on
the board. I genuinely believe that this is one of the finest squads we have
had at this club in some time. I'm a big supporter of the manager and his
staff too. And I believe they will finish this season with a flourish. They
owe it to the supporters but most of all, they all owe it to themselves.
After that exceptional start to the season, it would be an incredible shame
to let all that hard work go to waste. See you all at Upton Park for
Sunderland on Saturday. Come on you Irons!

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Tim Brown played the full 90 minutes as Canvey Island drew 2-2 with Margate.
Brown made a string of impressive saves throughout the match as Jay Curran's
late penalty ensured a point.

Doneil Henry played 70 minutes in Blackburn Rovers' 3-1 win away at Charlton
Athletic. Rovers took an early 2-0 lead through goals from Jordan Rhodes and
Craig Conway. Yoni Buyens' penalty halved the defecit yet Rhodes' second of
the afternoon secured the victory. Henry was replaced by Jay Spearing with
20 minutes to go.

Sean Maguire played 82 minutes in Accrington Stanley's 3-0 defeat at Burton
Albion. A Damien McCrory penalty put the hosts ahead before second half
goals from Stuart Beavon and Matthew Palmer secured the victory. Maguire was
replaced by Shay McCartan with eight minutes to go.

Modibo Maiga played 46 minutes of FC Metz 3-2 home defeat to Saint Etienne.
The Ligue Un strugglers were 2-0 down at half time after goals from Max
Gradel and Mevlut Erdinc.

Into the second half, Metz were handed a lifeline when Kevin Lejeune netted
in the 56th minute, however Yohan Mollo restored St Etienne's two goal
advantage. Maiga's replacement Yeni Atito N'Gbakoto reduced the arrears in
injury time from the penalty spot.

Elliot Lee was an unused substitute in Luton Town's 2-0 defeat away at
Portsmouth. An early Matt Tubbs goal put Pompey on their way before Ryan
Taylor doubled their advantage just after the hour mark.

Raphael Spiegel was an unused substitute in Carlisle United's 0-0 draw away
with York City. Currently three points off the relegation zone, the point
could prove valuable as they try and avoid the drop.

Nathan Mavila was an unused substitute in Wealdstone FC's 3-1 defeat away at
Havant & Waterlooville.

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Kinsman rescues point for Ladies
WHUFC.com

Vicky Kinsman netted her 11th goal of the season to secure a 1-1 draw for
West Ham United Ladies against Queens Park Rangers at AFC Hornchurch. Sophie
Fogarty had put the R's ahead with an outstanding long range strike, before
Kinsman stepped up with a similarly impressive goal from distance that
secured Julian Dicks' side a point. Dicks made two changes from the side
that drew away to Plymouth Argyle Ladies a week earlier, with the
unavailable Kerry Stimson being replaced in defence by Vicki King and Lily
Mellors stepped into the starting line up in place of Adele Sale.

In the opening 20 minutes, QPR had the majority of possession and the
closest efforts on goal, Fogarty was denied by Hammers keeper Nikki Duncan
while fellow attacker Natalie Adams rushed her shot when through on goal.
Down the other end, captain Stacey Little had a chance when she headed wide
from Emma Sherwood's corner, before left back Katie Bottom watched her goal
bound floating cross cleared from danger. The visitors should have really
taken the lead when Fogarty's cross from the left ended with centre half
Lauren Gage narrowly turning the ball inches wide of the Hammers' goal from
inside the six yard box. Just after half time, QPR deservedly took the lead
when Fogarty picked the ball up around 30 yards from goal and unleashed an
unstoppable strike into the top right hand corner of the net, leaving
Hammers keeper Duncan helpless. The Hammers rallied after going behind and
Dicks' side started to enjoy the majority of possession as striker Kinsman
watching her low shot being held by QPR stopper Trippoli Witney. It was
Kinsman though that got the goal to bring the Hammers level. With around ten
minutes left, the former Barking forward matched Fogarty's effort earlier in
the half by volleying the ball into the corner of the net. With the game
level, the Hammers pushed to the winning goal and almost found it when
Sherwood's 24-yard strike was heading towards the top corner, until Witney
palmed the ball wide of the post.

The Ladies' next home league fixture is on Thursday 19 March 2015 when they
host Gillingham Ladies at Aveley FC. Kick off is at 7:45pm.

LADIES: Duncan, King (Smith), Baxter, Revell, Bottom, Bowers, Little,
Blanchflower, Mellors, Sherwood, Kinsman.
Subs not used: Sale.

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Poyet departure leaves next opponents managerless
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 16th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's next opponents were thrown into disarray this afternoon when it
was confirmed that Sunderland manager Gus Poyet had been dismissed.
Sunderland's 4-0 home defeat at the hands of previously goal-shy Aston Villa
last weekend proved to be the final straw for the Uruguayan, whose son Diego
has been on West Ham's books since moving from Charlton last summer. And
with the Black Cats firmly established in a relegation battle at the wrong
end of the Premier League table, the Wearside club decided to act ahead of
this coming's weekend's trip to the Boleyn Ground. A brief statement posted
on Sunderland's website this afternoon confirmed Poyet Snr's immediate
departure from the Stadium of Light. Chairman Ellis Short said: "I would
like to thank Gus for his endeavours during his time at the club, in
particular last season's 'great escape' and cup final appearance, which will
live long in the memory of every Sunderland fan. "Sadly, we have not made
the progress that any of us had hoped for this season and we find ourselves
battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made
the difficult decision that a change is needed."

With just nine games left to play this season Sunderland are 17th in the
table, one single point ahead of Burnley. At time of writing neither
permanent nor temporary replacement had been confirmed, although rumours
linking current West Ham boss Sam Allardyce with the post appear to be
little more than wishful thinking on the part of some. However the news does
throw up some interesting possibilities ahead of Saturday's clash, from
which both teams need a win - albeit for very different reasons. United
midfielder Mark Noble, who recently signed a new long-term contract is
naturally keen for the Hammers to return to winning ways - even though he
himself is unsure whether Sunderland arriving managerless will prove
beneficial or not! "The 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend was
obviously the last nail in the coffin," he told whufc.com. "It has cost Gus
his job and I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing with
Sunderland coming to us at the weekend. "We know the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal
was quite comfortable for them, but in the last month or so we've been
seconds away from six points and ended up with only a couple. It would be a
whole different season if we'd beaten Spurs away and Manchester United at
home. "That would be another four points on the board and we'd still be
looking at a firm spot in Europe. Now, we've got games against teams below
us and we need to win them."

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IF YOU WERE SAM AND SUNDERLAND CAME CALLING...
By Iain Dale 16 Mar 2015 at 08:00
West Ham till I Die

Gus Poyet is set to lose his job as Sunderland manager, and it could happen
this week. Their performance against Aston Villa was so abject that it's
almost a surprise that it hasn't happened already. They are one point and
one place above the relegation zone. And only going one way. And guess who
we play on Saturday?!

The one manager being mentioned in connection with the Sunderland job if it
becomes available is Sam Allardyce, and you can see why. Apparently at risk
of not being reappointed at West Ham in the summer, he wouldn't be human if
he didn't have the occasional 'sod you' thought in his head. From
Sunderland's viewpoint they will want to appoint someone with a proven track
record who can stop the rot. Who better than Big Sam? And what a way for Sam
to show the Newcastle fans what he thinks of them…

Perhaps it's time for the West Ham board to make their minds up. Is Sam
Allardyce the man to lead us into the Olympic Stadium or not? S***t or get
off the pot. You know his strengths. You know his weaknesses. If you want
him, make him an offer now. If you don't, let him go to Sunderland with our
good wishes.

If you were Sam, what would you do if Sunderland came-a-calling?

UPDATE 1.25pm: Gus Poyet has just been sacked.

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Stoke chief's bets firm cools Sam/Sunderland link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 16, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce's much speculated chance of taking over Sunderland have been
sharply addressed by the odds on offer from a major betting firm owned by
Stoke city chairman Peter Coates. ClaretandHugh reported earlier today that
despite widespread rumours, Allardyce would not succeed sacked Gus Poyet
although whilst saying he will be on his way from Upton Park in the summer.
Dick Advocaat was being offered at even money to become the Black Cats boss
this morning but tonight Coates' firm Bet 365 had shortened those odds
dramatically to an incredible 10/1 ON! Coares has ben involved in the game
for years and has many contacts whilst Sky Bet – who have their own network
of spies at clubs via the news service – are offering Advocaat at 1/6
suggesting this is very much a done deal. Allardyce has been pushed out from
6/1 to 7/1 against by both firms with others having him as big as 9/1
against.

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Sam on way but not to Sunderland
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 16, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sunderland will not be seeking permission to speak with Sam Allardyce!
Despite Hammers vice chairman Karren Brady claiming in her Sun column that
her friends reckon the Irons boss is on his way to the north east,
ClaretandHugh has learned the Black Cats will be looking elsewhere. Gus
Poyet's sacking from the Stadium of Light in the last couple of hours
sparked immediate speculation that the Hammers boss could be on his way to
the club. He is priced at 6/1 second best behind even money shot Dick
Advocaat and well clear of 16/1 third favourite Paul Lambert. But
ClaretandHugh sources in the north east insisted this afternoon: "Sam is not
in the frame for the job. It would have been perhaps convenient for West Ham
had be been but he's not a runner." However, it now looks nailed on that
Allrdyce's Irons reign will come to an end after the last game against
Newcastle this season. Upton Park insiders continue to insist a change is
now nailed on. One said: "Nothing's forever and the search for a new
manager has taken on a fresh urgency after the weekend. The run of results
since Christmas is just not acceptable. It would take a miraculous series of
results yo change that."

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Sam's disappearing act continues
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 16, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce's disappearing act continued this morning after he missed the
Saturday press conference following the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal. The assistant
boss Neil McDonald was back on duty with a 'Macca on Monday' column on the
club website – a duty normally taken on by the the manager. It's one of
those with which the conspiracy theorists can have some fun particularly as
McDonald had explained that Sam was missing on Saturday evening because he
was angry and picking the team up after the Arsenal defeat. Whether he's
still upset or the lads are still feeling sorry for themselves and need him
around is a vexed question!!!! We have no doubt Mr Allardyce will emerge
sometime soon but that he should go missing at a time when his future is
under the fiercest possible spotlight raises its own questions.
Meanwhile, the Irons Number 2 was left to recite a script we have heard from
his boss on numerous occasions. He said: "Our progression is trying to get
into the top eight if we possibly can. At the start of the season it was top
ten and with the points we started off with it was realistic to set the
target a little bit higher. "We just fell short over the last four or five
games against the top teams in the league. Hopefully we can pick up a few
points now and believe in ourselves as we have done against the top teams.
We've been finished off sometimes and let a couple of goals in so we need to
be smarter in how we manage the rest of the games."

He added that the manager is happy with certain aspects of the game and
unhappy with others. We have had some really good performances but we just
haven't had the results and we have just got to marry that up now in the
next six games now to try to push us back up the table.
"They are all difficult games in the Premier League but we feel as though
we've got a good chance of putting more points on the board and pushing up
that table towards the target that we set."

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Noble on slide: "Not a massive concern"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 16, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Mark Noble – as would be expected – is putting as positive a spin as
possible on the fact that only Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers have taken
less Premier League points since Christmas than the Irons. The recent
shocking run of results has focused the minds of the board on their major
end of season decision regarding Sam Allardyce's future with his position
looking bleaker with every successive setback. And with the likes of Crystal
Palace now on our shoulders, the position may be even harder to take given
manager Alan Pardew's Hammers history. Upcoming games against Sunderland and
Leicester City look to give us a chance of a couple of wins but Noble's
optimism needs to be tempered against the reality that these are games from
which both teams desperately need something. Commenting on the slide, the
midfielder said: We have been through a tough patch after a great first half
of the season, so we need to kick on in the last quarter of it. "It's not a
massive concern but it is obviously a little one. We know with the
performances we have had over the past eight games that we are due a win."

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Home Opinion So what's happened to the player West Ham wanted to sign
permanently?
WestHamWorld.co.uk
By Will Burden - Mar 16, 2015

Whilst the former Gunners and Barca star thrived at the Boleyn in the
opening part of the season, Alex Song has seemed to fall short in recent
weeks. He has publicly stated how much he is enjoying his time with West Ham
and has not ruled out a permanent deal in the summer, though his
performances would say otherwise. Song is inconsistent to say the least.
Yes, the occasional eye of the needle pass successfully finds its way
through, and often provides us with a goal scoring opportunity, but his
unwillingness to play the simple pass is more costly than beneficial in my
point of view. I would still like to see Song in claret and blue this time
next season, but changes on his part need to take place before he will truly
earn the respect of the West Ham faithful.

With clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona on his CV, it is impossible to deny
that he is one of the most gifted players we have in our ranks. Nonetheless,
that isn't to say he should automatically start every week if he isn't
performing. Although being an avid critique of Allardyce, dropping Song for
the game against Chelsea does show a change in attitude from last season, in
which Big Sam would not dare to leave out his captain Kevin Nolan.

Every fan can see that Song is a great player, but his work rate and fight
seems to be a lot lower than the likes of Mark Noble and Scott Parker, for
example. We want that heart and desire, win or lose.

Song isn't a player who will instinctively put everything on the line for
the cause. He likes to play at his own pace and conduct the game. When he
does this effectively its brilliant to watch, but far too often he has been
sloppy on the ball. I believe that with some more winnable games still to
play, we can be optimistic that Song will get back to the form in which he
thrived at the start of the season.

I think we also need to take into consideration how much Barcelona would
sell him for. I don't know if his performances and consistency really
justify a hefty price tag that Barca would likely demand for him. On the
contrary, if he could consistently perform as he did throughout the earlier
stages of the season, I doubt many would be opposed to the Catalan club's
demands.

I must state that I am a fan of Song. I believe he has all the credentials
needed to be a top player at this level. If Barcelona saw something good in
him, who are we to judge? Nevertheless, consistency is key in a league such
as this.

If he is to sign, for what I imagine will be a rather large sum for a club
of our stature, he needs to prove he can consistently play to the standard
we all know he can.

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West Ham hire key figure to tempt ex-Manchester United boss in summer
HITC
Billy Hawkins

West Ham United have moved one step closer to securing David Moyes as their
new manager, according to a report. It looks well set that Sam Allardyce
will be leaving the Boleyn Ground in the summer, and West Ham have lined up
former Everton and Manchester United manager David Moyes as his replacement,
according to The Telegraph. The Telegraph reports that the Scotsman is being
considered alongside former Hammers star Slaven Bilic, although the former
is the prime target. Currently in charge at La Liga side Real Sociedad,
Moyes is by all considerations enjoying life in Spain, and it could be
extremely hard to tempt him back to England. Regardless, the Hammers have
been moving ahead in their plans to secure Moyes - who most recently endured
a dreadful spell in England with Manchester United - and they have made a
key move that could see the highly-rated coach want to return to the Premier
League.

Former Everton scout Tony Henry was appointed to the Hammers coaching staff
earlier this season, and a new report in the Telegraph has claimed that
Moyes's former scout has been promoted to the chief scout role for this
summer's recruitment, ahead of Allardyce's favourite Martin Glover.The move
is expected to increase the interest in the role to Moyes, who will know
that he will have the backing of West Ham co-chairmen David Sullivan and
David Gold as soon as he arrives at the club. It remains to be seen whether
Moyes will accept the chance to return to England in the summer, but this
latest move by West Ham certainly hints at the planning of a future without
Allardyce
at the helm.

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