Preview - Charlton Athletic
WHUFC.com
The background
Another day, another game for West Ham United as they head through the
Blackwall Tunnel to take on Charlton Athletic on Saturday.
The Hammers' latest pre-season friendly comes less than 48 hours after their
dramatic penalty shootout victory over Birkirkara in the UEFA Europa League
and matches them up against Sky Bet Championship opposition for the first
time this summer.
The first team's other friendlies have seen them draw 3-3 with Peterborough
United and defeat Southend United by the odd goal in five and a healthy
contingent of senior players will be on show at The Valley.
Charlton have had a packed schedule so far in pre-season, and Saturday's
match will be their seventh friendly.
Previous results include a 2-0 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge and a win
by the same scoreline at Welling United. A trip to Belgium saw the Addicks
lose 1-0 to KRC Genk and 4-0 to Sint-Truiden.
The history
West Ham and Charlton have been regular opponents over the years, although
this will be the Hammers' first trip to The Valley since 2007.
In all, the two teams have faced off 40 times in competitive action, with
West Ham leading the head-to-head by 16 to 14.
The Addicks have been outside the top flight since 2007, and dropped down to
League One two years later, but bounced back to their current level in 2012.
Charlton had a season-and-a-half as tenants at the Boleyn Ground in the
early 1990s with their Valley home out of use, but they returned to south
east London in 1992.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
Slaven Bilic will continue to mix his squad with a heavy schedule over
pre-season, so the first team stars who missed out at Birkirkara are likely
to feature at Charlton.
That means new signings Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna are set to be
involved, with the likes of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and former Charlton
keeper Darren Randolph also at Bilic's disposal.
Charlton Athletic
Addicks boss Guy Luzon has added three new players to his squad this week,
with Ahmed Kashi, Cristian Ceballos and Zakarya Bergdich all making their
way to The Valley.
Rhoys Wiggins is doubtful after picking up an ankle injury, while former
Hammers goalkeeper Stephen Henderson is also a doubt.
Match facts
West Ham have played two friendlies so far this summer, alongside their four
UEFA Europa League games, and have a win and a draw to their credit.
Darren Randolph and Diego Poyet both played for Charlton at the start of
their careers, the latter winning the Addicks' Player of the Year award in
2013/14.
The Addicks' Stephen Henderson spent two years as a West Ham player between
2012-14, making two appearances for the Club in the League Cup.
The Valley seats 27,111 and has been Charlton's home in two spells, between
1919-1985 and from 1992 onwards.
Tickets, travel, weather and coverage
Directions to The Valley can be found here.
The Jubilee line serving North Greenwich has no planned disruption on its
eastern end, while Southeastern trains serving Charlton from London Bridge
are also scheduled to be running as planned.
Tickets for the game are priced at £10 Adults and £5 Concessions.
Friday's rain should have cleared by the time the game kicks-off, with sunny
intervals forecast for Saturday afternoon. Temperatues will reach 19C (66F)
Head to whufc.com for live text commentary, photos and more, while you can
get involved on our social media channels.
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Saturday, July 25
Daily WHUFC News - 25th July 2015
Poyet spot on in shootout
WHUFC.com
Diego Poyet's winning penalty against Birkirkara in the UEFA Europa League
second qualifying round on Thursday was about as cool as they come. The
20-year-old midfielder waited for the 'keeper to make his move and then
nonchalantly rolled his decisive spot-kick into the right corner. Though he
is hardly a regular from 12 yards, Poyet was as keen as anyone to step up
and after Nikola Vukanac had blazed over in ugly fashion, the youngster made
it look so very easy. "I took one last season in a pre-season game against
Schalke and I was lucky enough to take one in the Capital One Cup at home,"
he recalled. "Luckily I had one with the Uruguay U20s at the World Cup this
summer, so as soon as the whistle went, I asked for a penalty. "I wasn't
sure, because obviously I'm one of the younger players here, so I wasn't
sure they'd give me the responsibility, but I felt comfortable and
confident, so it was pleasing to score the last one to put us through."
Poyet rounded off a supreme set of spot-kicks, with Mark Noble, Mauro
Zarate, Aaron Cresswell and Joey O'Brien each having dispatched their
penalties in style. Not that a shootout was ever part of the master plan, of
course, with the Hammers keen to settle it a whole lot sooner. He
continued: "We wanted to win it, with penalties, you know what it's like,
anyone can win. It obviously helps to have the talent and the quality of
players, but it can go either way. We were trying to win it extra time but
we couldn't convert any of our chances, so we had to do it the hard way.
"They were very good penalties. I think every one was well struck and in the
corners. We hadn't practiced. No disrespect to them, but we didn't think it
was going to go to penalties. "Especially with the 1-0 lead we had at home,
we thought we'd be comfortable here, play our game, but obviously things
happen in football and you've got to be ready. Credit to all the boys for
the way they took the penalties."
As turbulent an evening as it was, qualification is ultimately all that
mattered and Poyet conceded that the visitors had had a lot to contend with
at the Ta' Qali National Stadium.
"The most important thing was to get through and we did it. It was obviously
tough going a goal down and then going down to ten men as well before half
time. "It was a strange game, especially with the crowd and some decisions
that didn't go our way, but we're just happy to be through to the next
round."
Romanians Astra now lie in wait in the third qualifying round and West Ham's
No23 urged the Hammers to learn the lessons of their European adventure to
date, not least the perils of playing with ten men for long periods. "We
need to be careful, the further we progress the harder the games will be, so
I don't know how many times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very
pleased to get through again."It [Astra] is another game in the unknown, we
don't know what to expect. We've got to learn from the two games, the things
we've done well and the things we've done wrong, against this type of
opposition. "We want to win at home and away, get through and see what
happens. We have to start off well, get ahead and take it to their place,
but we need to be in the lead."
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Diego Poyet says West Ham must improve following Europa League win
Last Updated: 24/07/15 3:22pm
SSN
Diego Poyet has warned West Ham they must improve to stand any chance of
extending their run in the Europa League. The Hammers needed a penalty
shoot-out to beat Maltese side Birkirkara – ranked 200 places below them in
UEFA's club rankings - on Thursday having slipped to a 1-0 defeat on the
evening courtesy of a goal from former Juventus and Italy forward Fabrizio
Miccoli. Poyet came off the bench to score the decisive spot-kick, following
a gruelling 120 minutes in which James Tomkins, who netted the winner in the
first-leg at Upton Park, was sent off for a tussle with Nikola Vukanac in
the penalty area. West Ham face Romania's Astra Giurgiu in the third
qualifying round and Poyet says he and his team-mates will need to produce a
better performance to reach the play-off stage of the competition. "The
most important thing was to get through and we did it," the 20-year-old told
the club's official website. "It was obviously tough going a goal down and
then going down to 10 men as well before half-time. "We need to be careful,
the further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't know how
many times we'll get away with it. But we're obviously very pleased to get
through again."
Having seen off Birkirkara and Lusitans of Andorra in previous rounds, West
Ham continue to come up against teams they know little about - and Poyet
believes that could also cause problems as they face Astra, who saw off
Inverness Caledonian Thistle in round two. We need to be careful, the
further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't know how many
times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very pleased to get
through again "Astra is another game in the unknown, we don't know what to
expect," he added. "We've got to learn from the two games, the things we've
done well and the things we've done wrong, against this type of opposition.
"We want to win at home and away, get through and see what happens. We have
to start off well, get ahead and take it to their place, but we need to be
in the lead."
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Slaven Bilic encouraged by West Ham's grit in Malta after shoot-out success
Last Updated: 24/07/15 7:22am
SSN
Slaven Bilic believes West Ham's penalty shoot-out composure in Malta bodes
well for their next Europa League qualifier. The Londoners came close to a
second-round exit as Birkirkara won 1-0 on the night to force extra-time and
then penalties, but all five visiting takers scored to secure a 5-3 victory.
James Tomkins was sent off just before half-time, and Bilic was impressed
with a backs-to-the-wall performance that set up a tie with Astra Giurgiu of
Romania who saw over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Mark Noble, Mauro Zarate,
Aaron Cresswell, Joey O'Brien and Diego Poyet were West Ham's successful
penalty-takers, and Bilic said: "They were very confident when I asked them.
"That is good because I have seen the character and confidence in their
eyes. They were all brilliantly taken. We now go to Romania and it will be
the same kind of atmosphere. "The most important thing is that we are
through. They started better and they were very aggressive. But after they
scored we took control of the game. "We had a man sent off and we had to
adjust to that. But the guys showed their spirit and commitment and the most
important thing is that we got no injuries and we have got through."
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ClaretandHugh's ExWHUemployee Column
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in ExWHUemployee's Blogs, News,
Whispers
C AND H
So we are lucky to still be in the Europa League after last night's
performance and victory via an penalty shoot-out.
I thought it was a very poor performance and there are some things that we
really need to eradicate if we are to continue with our European adventure.
The first thing that the players don't seem to have adjusted to are the
niggling tackles and off the ball tactics of European opposition. We have
had two players sent off for straight reds in both of our away games and
that is a result of reacting to provocation for the opposition. We really
need to learn to ignore it and rise above it otherwise we will continue to
get penalised.
It was also very clear yesterday (as it has been for a while) that we cannot
have a central midfield of Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan. It doesn't provide
enough pace, movement or creativity.
I would rather Poyet played in there than one of them. He provides energy
and is determined to prove his worth to Bilic to make himself selected for
the premier league squad. Each time he has been on I felt we have played
better.
We are also crying out for at least another winger and forward. In each of
the games both Zarate and Maiga have struggled to make much impact and with
Andy Carroll's ongoing fitness issues, Valencia's inconsistency and Sakho
being prone to the odd injury I think it is too much of a risk to not
strengthen in this area.
The Hernandez situation has not progressed any further because of Manchester
United only having one forward, Rooney. They are in the market to
strengthen in this area but until they do I cannot see anything happening as
mentioned hre over recent days.
Whilst there is some interest still in Austin, with his club saying he will
go, word I have is that we face very strong competition for his signature.
There has been talk that we will look abroad now for a forward if there is
no further progression with these two.
We may bring in Marko Livaja who has been on trial and Bilic knows well from
the Croatian national teams. Other Croatians that we are looking at are
Alen Halilovic who would be a loan signing from Barcelona and Milan Badelj
who plays for Fiorentina and is a midfielder.
Dennis Praet who plays for Anderlect is another who has been brought to our
attention but whether we will follow up on this interest I am not sure. He
is a Belgium international and it has been well documented that we are after
another in Kevin Mirralas. We have already had at least one bid rejected
but it seems like we will continue to follow up this interest with another
bid being prepared.
It seems today from reports in the French media that we have lost out on the
signing of Diarra. Marseille have offered him a four year deal which is a
lot longer than we were prepared to offer so you can understand the player's
decision.
This is still however very frustrating as he had trained with the club for a
number of months whilst he was in contract limbo. Diarra was seen as a
good short term alternative to signing Song, who is still suffering from his
injury and no closer to being able to complete his move. The saga seems to
have dragged on a while meaning we have looked at other options.
The club do want to sign a big name forward and have been working actively
to secure a big name. If there is no further movement the club may be
tempted to consider moves for Moussa Sow of Fenerbache, who Bilic admires
from his time in Turkey and is an international team mate of Sakho and
Kouyate or other lower down the list targets.
One thing that is for sure, is that the chairmen wish to sign as many
quality players for the club as they realistically can. They are as keen
for success as we all are and it is great to know this. The chairmen want
to have more players coming through the academy as well and we have a number
of players on trial from other clubs, the latest being Devante Cole, Andy
Cole's son, who is also a forward. We have already signed more than most
clubs in this window and it is important to remember this.
A few players who could still leave are Maiga, Nolan, Jarvis and a few
youngsters out on loan. I think Jarvis has looked a lot better in the
Europa leagues than I expected but he is still isn't performing to the
standard that we all expected, time and time again he delivers poor
crossing, which really surprises me as he was meant to be brilliant at this
whilst at Wolves.
Photos have emerged on mine and others twitter feeds with images from the
Olympic stadium in recent weeks. Today I had a picture of the retractable
seats sent to me.
The band 2 season ticket holders have started snapping up their tickets now
and the club are well on track to sell their target amount of season tickets
which is a real indication of the bright future that the club has.
I go on holiday for a couple of weeks now but will try my best to update my
twitter regularly, Claret and Hugh will continue to provide excellent daily
Hammers updates too so you won't miss any news as it happens! Come on you
Irons
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Nolan: "I've made my feelings known"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Kevin Nolan has made it clear he will be off if he doesn't find himself part
of new boss Slaven Bilic's plans.The 33-year-old is of course in the last
year of his contracy and has captained the team in our two Europa League
qualifiers. Now, speaking to the Express, he has made it clear he does not
wish to spend any time on the sidelines. He said: "I have made my feelings
known that I don't want to be sitting on the bench. I want to be playing and
give my all in training. "If that's good enough, then great. If not, we'll
have to sit down and see where we go from there."I'm coming to the tail-end
of my career and I've got to do what's best for me and my family. To be
fair, we haven't got that far yet but we'll see."
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FC Astra are NOT from Vauxhall! Here's their facts
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
OK, just to clear up any misunderstanding, West Ham's next Europa Cup rival
Astra FC is not some outfit from Vauxhall, south London, but a Romanian team
on the up!
The club was founded 94 years ago and after spending most of their time
trawling around the lower divisions they are now performing in Liga 1 – they
are nobody's pushovers!
The club first qualified for the Europa Competition at the end of 2012-13
after a fourth placed finish.
astrastdiumAstra moved to Giurgiu in September 2012, playing its last game
against Dinamo Bucharest and winning 1–0. The club now plays in the Marin
Anastasovici Stadium
The 2013–14 season was the most successful season in the club's history,
reaching 2nd place in Liga 1 losing the title by only five points to Steaua
Bucharest and winning the Romania Cupon penalties to the same team.
A month later they defeated Steaua on penalties again, and won the Romanian
Super Cup.
In terms of world rankings, however, the International Federation of
Football History and Statistics puts the Irons in at 231st position with the
Romanians not in the top 500.
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Cheap away day to Romania
Posted by Hammers Newshound on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Hammers fans thinking about travelling to Romania for the second leg of the
third qualifying round of the Europa League against Astra FC will find it
much cheaper than Thursday's trip to Malta.
Despite being the middle of the school summer holiday season you can get a
return flight from Whizz Air leaving at 9pm on Wednesday 5th August from
Luton airport and returning 8am Friday morning for £188.
For West Ham fans thinking of making the 3,000 round trip to the away leg on
Thursday August 6th, the average price of domestic beer is 5 leu, which is
less than £1!, while an imported beer will set you back 7 leu, just over
£1.10. A triple room in a Giurgiu hotel room will cost as little as £20.
The Stadionul Marin Anastasovici stadium has a capacity of 8,500
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Report: Diarra destination decided
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Lassana Diarra – who has been training with the Hammers for months – looks
set to join Marseilles – according to morning reports. The Frenchman has
been in dispute with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow and has been training
with the Hammers squad but now free to move, it appears his future may be in
France. Leading French newspaper L'Equipe claim he has decided to move to
Marseille and should complete a switch before the weekend. The newspaper
says the French club has offered the 30-year-old a four-year deal and beat
off several sides in securing his signature.
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Calm down calm down calm down :-)
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
You really would have thought the end of the world was due in an hour or at
the very least, that Third World War was about to break out. The reaction of
some of our fans to a very disappointing performance last night was entirely
and totally OTT out there in the parallel universe we call Twitter.
Just look at some of these tweets:
O Bilic should be sacked and bring back Big Sam who actually knows how to
stay in the prem. Absolute disgrace of a result #Bilicout
O 0-0 to a pub side #Bilicout
O Imagine struggling against a Maltese pub team #Bilicout
O West Ham are going down this season – 100pc
O It's gonna be embarrasing when Bilic takes West Ham down
Point One: Sam ain't coming back
Point Two: Bilic said ahead of the Lusiens match any game against a Maltese
team would be an entirely different and more difficult proposition
Point 3: Pre-season games are no indicator of what will happen in the PL
Point 4: Slav was given players he needed to look at and decide the futures
of such as O'Brien, Nolan, Jarvis and Zarate. How else would he do it – by
playing them in the Prem?
So let's all settle down a bit, remember we are through to the next round
and realise this is almost certainly the end of the line for several of
Sam's men – as it should be.
As Harry Enfield's scousers would say: "CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN. CALM DOWN"
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Ramsey admits Austin likely to leave
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Queens Park Rangers boss Chris Ramsey has admitted that Charlie Austin is
set to leave the club. And although West Ham have been regularly linked with
the striker, ClaretandHugh sources claiming he is far too expensive at £15
million. The 18 goal hitman from last term has been the most discussed
frontman of the summer and this morning Ramsey told talkSPORT: "We have to
be realistic. It's unlikely he'll stay. We want to keep him but it's
unlikely. "The club is in a financial position that it needs to recoup some
money and I think for his ambitions he wants to keep playing in the Premier
League to go to the Euros. "We've been offered £12million and turned it down
so we're looking in excess of £15million. Goalscoring is something you can't
coach, it's just a habit that some people have." ClaretandHugh has been told
that the player has been discussed by the Irons but regularly rejected as a
serious target with a source telling us following Ramsey's declaration: "We
have always believe he's overpriced. We are unlikely to be headed in that
direction."
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Palace Name Their Bolasie Price
Posted by whufc_news@hotmail.com on July 24, 2015 in News, Transfer Rumours
C AND H
Crystal Palace have quoted interested clubs £20m for star winger Yannick
Bolasie. According to Sky Sources, West Ham, Aston Villa and Spurs have all
lodged enquires for the 26 year-old, who massively impressed for the Eagles
last season. The Hammers are searching for a new winger following Stewart
Downing's move to Middlesbrough, and are weighing up their options – with
Everton's Kevin Mirallas also on their radar. Palace's huge price-tag on the
Congolese international is likely to put off the East London club, as they
cannot afford to pay such a high fee.
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West Ham must take greater care in order to progress in Europe, warns Diego
Poyet
Daily Mail
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 14:20, 24 July 2015 | UPDATED: 14:20, 24 July 2015
Diego Poyet knows West Ham will not be able to push their luck in future if
they are to keep their Europa League qualification hopes alive. The Hammers
needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Maltese side Birkirkara on Thursday night
having slipped to a 1-0 defeat on the evening. Poyet came off the bench to
score as all five of West Ham's penalty takers were successful following a
gruelling 120 minutes in which James Tomkins was sent off for a tussle in
the penalty area. Birkirkara had won on the night courtesy of a goal from
former Italy international Fabrizio Miccoli but did not do enough to find a
second, decisive goal - settling instead for the lottery of the shoot-out,
especially having been reduced to 10 men themselves in extra-time.
A third qualifying round tie with Romanian outfit Astra Giurgiu now awaits
and Poyet wants a better performance from the team if they are to reach the
play-off stage. 'The most important thing was to get through and we did it,'
he told the club's official website. 'It was obviously tough going a goal
down and then going down to 10 men as well before half-time. 'We need to be
careful, the further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't
know how many times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very pleased
to get through again.' Having seen off Birkirkara and Lusitans of Andorra in
previous rounds, West Ham continue to come up against teams they know little
about - and Poyet believes that could also cause problems as they face Astra
- who saw off Inverness to set-up a meeting with the Hammers. 'Astra is
another game in the unknown, we don't know what to expect,' he added. 'We've
got to learn from the two games, the things we've done well and the things
we've done wrong, against this type of opposition. 'We want to win at home
and away, get through and see what happens. We have to start off well, get
ahead and take it to their place, but we need to be in the lead.'
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Report: Long-term West Ham target Lassana Diarra to join Marseille
HITC
Mathew Nash
The Frenchman has reportedly agreed a four-year deal in France. West Ham's
apparently revamped interest in former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder
Lassana Diarra has fallen on deaf ears, as he is all set to join Marseille –
according to L'Equipe. They claim the French international will return to
his homeland on a free transfer after FIFA finally cleared him to play for
another team. He will sign a four-year deal at the club. In the winter West
Ham tried to sign Diarra on a free transfer. The former Portsmouth man had
been released by Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow after a contractual
disagreement. The Frenchman spoke of the failed move and FIFA in an
interview with L'Equipe at the time of the first failed transfer. He
revealed that deals to join both West Ham and Inter Milan had been stopped
by FIFA after Lokomotiv complained, suggesting he was still their player.
Now the summer is here he is free to go where he wishes and back home
appears to be his preferred destination. This comes despite reports this
week in The Daily Mail that West Ham remained keen on the player, who
trained with the club for several months in 2015. However it is becoming
increasingly apparent that Diarra will continue his footballing career back
in his French homeland for the time being.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic facing headache over trip to Romania before
Arsenal opener
Evening Standard
KEN DYER
Published: 24 July 2015 Updated: 12:57, 24 July 2015
West Ham face a daunting trip to Romania just three days before they kick
off their Premier League campaign against Arsenal. The Hammers needed
penalties to beat Maltese minnows Birkirkara last night and the
competition's demanding schedule has already become a harsh reality for
Slaven Bilic's team. West Ham will play the second leg of their third
qualifying round tie against Astra Giurgiu on August 6 — three days before
they face title contenders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Bilic, who has
promised to "respect" the Europa League, must now manage his squad carefully
to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
The Croat is likely to pick a strong team for next Thursday's first leg
against Astra in the hope they can gain a big enough advantage to make
changes for the match in Romania. Astra, who beat Inverness Caledonian
Thistle in the previous round, qualified for the Europa League group stage
last season and held Scottish champions Celtic to a goalless draw in
Giurgiu.
James Tomkins is expected to miss both legs after being sent off just before
half-time last night. The defender is likely to incur a three-match ban
after wrestling Nikola Vukanac to the ground and with striker Diafra Sakho
having already seen red in the previous round, Bilic admitted his team must
learn from their mistakes. "It was stupid, even naive," said the West Ham
boss. "We cannot react like that to provocation." West Ham, who led 1-0
after the first leg at Upton Park, went behind early on to a Fabrizio
Miccoli goal but sneaked through on penalties after Diego Poyet scored the
decisive spotkick.
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All you need to know about West Ham's next Europa League opponents FC Astra
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United will face Romanian opposition in the Europa League third
qualifying round next week, here's everything you need to know about FC
Astra. First things first, no they are not named after a car. The Hammers
only just scraped through on penalties after drawing 1-1 on aggregate after
two poor performances against Maltese minnows Birkirkara. But Astra will
undoubtedly provide West Ham's toughest test in the competition so far after
they saw off Scottish Premiership side Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 on
aggregate in the second qualifying round.
FC Astra: The full lowdown
So what do we know about the Hammers' next opponents?
The club's full name is FC Astra Giurgiu reflecting where they are based, in
Giurgiu, and they were founded in 1921. They finished fourth in Romania's
Liga 1 last season and are nicknamed the Dracii Negrii (Black Devils). Astra
play in white and black and their home ground, the Stadionul Marin
Anastasovici, holds 8,500 fans. The Black Devils' boss Marius ?umudica is a
former journeyman footballer who has continued his nomadic tendencies into
management having taken charge of no fewer than 16 clubs in nine years.
The Romanian version of MK Dons?
The Romanian side have something in common with Wimbledon and MK Dons in
England as they used to be known as Astra Ploiesti until September 2012 when
they were moved from Ploiesti to Giurgiu by owner Ioan Niculae. While
Premier League West Ham will be hot favourites, Astra actually have far more
European experience than their English counterparts having played in the
Europa League for the last three seasons. They famously beat French giants
Lyon to qualify for last season's group stages on away goals after a 2-2
aggregate draw. They were drawn in a group with Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb and
Red Bull Salzburg. Astra finished bottom of the group but not without a
fight, holding Celtic to a 1-1 draw in Giurgiu and beating Croatian side
Zagreb to claim their first ever group stage win. Their squad is, as you
would expect, mostly made up of Romanian players. But they also have three
Brazilians, four Portuguese players and a Japanese midfielder.
The Astra player probably best known to English fans will be 34-year-old
French-born Portuguese attacking midfielder Filipe Teixeira, who has played
for both West Bromwich Albion and Barnsley as well as Paris St Germain. SEE
ALSO: West Ham player ratings vs Birkirkara: Poyet's poise as Nolan fades
away For West Ham fans thinking of making the 3,000 mile round trip to the
away leg on August 6th, the average price of domestic beer is 5 leu, which
is less than £1, while an imported beer will set you back 7 leu, just over
£1.10. A triple room in a Giurgiu hotel room will cost as little as £20.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Inter Milan set to land Germany starlet ahead of West Ham
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Friday, July 24, 2015
Inter Milan have moved into pole position ahead of West Ham in the race to
sign out-of-contract Schalke wonderkid Thilo Kehrer. The 18-year-old
defender has been labelled as one of European football's next big stars,
attracting interest from many clubs, including Slaven Bilic's Hammers.
According to the La Gazzetta dello Sport, the teenager has rejected a new
deal to stay in the Bundesliga and will join Inter on a free transfer,
although the Italian giants will have to pay a compensation fee. It is
reported that the Germany under-19 centre-back does not have to sign a
three-year extension clause at Schalke due to the fact he is still a youth
player, allowing Inter the chance to swoop in and clinch the deal.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lassana Diarra expected to snub West Ham's interest in favour of Marseille
move
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Friday, July 24, 2015
Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra is set to join Marseille -
despite interest from West Ham. The Frenchman almost joined the Hammers in
January but a dispute with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow scuppered the
deal. That disagreement regarding compensation was resolved by FIFA last
week and the player is now free to join any club he wishes. And, according
to L'Equipe, Diarra has decided to move to Marseille and should complete a
switch before the weekend. The French club have offered the 30-year-old a
four-year deal and beat off several sides in securing his signature.
Fenerbahce reportedly made an approach, along with three Premier League
clubs - including one who played in the Champions League
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Why West Ham should go all out for Manchester United's Javier Hernandez
HITC
Subhankar Mondal
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is reportedly on the radar of
Premier League rivals West Ham United. West Ham United are reportedly
looking for a striker and have allegedly identified Manchester United's
Javier Hernandez as a key target. According to The Daily Mail, the Hammers
are preparing a bid of £8 million to secure the services of the Mexico
international. It remains to be seen what plans United have in store for
Hernandez and indeed what the striker himself wants to do about his future,
but West Ham should go all out to snap him up before the start of the
upcoming 2015-16 campaign. Although the 27-year-old was not in United's
plans last season and was sent out on loan to Spanish giants Real Madrid, he
remains a proven Premier League quality player. The former Guadalajara
striker has been on the books of the Red Devils since 2010, and over the
years he has shown his quality and importance.
Even last season when he struggled for playing time at Madrid, Hernandez
scored seven goals, provided four assists, had a pass accuracy of 82% and a
shot accuracy of 64%. The Mexican is a mobile player who is powerful with
his shots and has loads of experience. Moreover, the United man will bring
with him a winning mentality and a hunger for success which will benefit
West Ham. The London outfit are aiming to make themselves a force in English
football and break into the top eight of the Premier League. Hernandez's
arrival is certainly going to make the Hammers' genuine top-eight
challengers and add more goals to Slaven Bilic's side's game.
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Spurs, West Ham and Aston Villa make shock move for £40m Liverpool winger
target Bolasie
CRYSTAL PALACE have received three enquiries for winger Yannick Bolasie.
By DAVID WRIGHT
PUBLISHED: 08:02, Fri, Jul 24, 2015 | UPDATED: 08:30, Fri, Jul 24, 2015
Express.co.uk
The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in January, but
Brendan Rodgers baulked at the club's inflated valuation of the player. The
DR Congo international, who cost £400,000 from Bristol City in 2012, has now
attracted interest from top-flight rivals Tottenham, West Ham and Aston
Villa. And the Sky Sports say Palace are expecting bids from at least two of
those clubs this summer. Bolasie impressed last season with four goals and
11 assists to help the Eagles to a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
Selhurst Park boss Alan Pardew said in January: "I'll sell Yannick, if
someone wants to give me £40m to £60m, somewhere in there, that would be
good. "I'll take it and we'll build the team around that money. Every player
has a price, of course."
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West Ham vs Birkirkara match report: James Tomkins sees red as Hammers
require shootout victory to keep Europa League hopes alive
West Ham 0 Birkirkara 1 (Agg. 1-1 - West Ham won 5-3 on penalties): Defender
sent off for shove as Hammers ride their luck
JAMES MARINER Author Biography Friday 24 July 2015
The Independent
West Ham United's European adventure nearly came unstuck last night as they
were taken to penalties by Maltese minnows Birkirkara. Fabrizio Miccoli's
strike early in the first-half levelled the aggregate scores at 1-1 as both
sides ended the game with 10 men, James Tomkins seeing red for West Ham
before Mauricio Mazzetti was dismissed in extra time for the hosts, before
the Hammers progressed to the third qualifying round after a successful
penalty shootout.
The hosts began much the stronger, Ryan Camenzuli shooting over before the
Maltese side took a deserved lead after 15 minutes. Former Italy
international Miccoli, 36, beat Joey O'Brien to a cross to level the
aggregate scores in front of a raucous crowd and score the first goal
conceded by the Hammers this season.
Miccoli continued to cause problems for the visiting side and was involved
in an argument with Mark Noble before West Ham's task grew even more
daunting on the stroke of half-time when they were reduced to 10 men for the
second away tie in succession.
Tomkins, whose late effort at Upton Park had given the Premier League side a
slender advantage, wrestled Nikola Vukanac to the ground inside the area and
was dismissed by Albanian referee Enea Jorgji. The decision was ridiculed by
injured team-mate Andy Carroll, who tweeted: "What am I seeing!!! Shocking
decision."
Andy Carroll ?@AndyTCarroll What am I seeing!!! ????
SHOCKING DECISION #COYI 8:30 PM - 23 Jul 2015
Marcelina had a shot saved by Adrian while Miccoli saw penalty appeals waved
away after going to ground under a challenge from James Collins. Matt
Jarvis's calls for a spot-kick were also denied with 20 minutes remaining
after he appeared to be caught by Mauricio Mazzetti before Adrian was again
called into action, by Camenzuli.
West Ham's James Tomkins argues with Nikola Vukanac after he was sent off
West Ham's James Tomkins argues with Nikola Vukanac after he was sent off
West Ham began extra time with renewed purpose, Jarvis having a shot
deflected wide. Vito Plut went close at the other end before Mazzetti was
sent off. West Ham eventually secured the victory thanks to a 5-3 penalty
shootout triumph.
Romanians Astra Giurgiu await the winners in the third qualifying round
after ending Inverness Caledonian Thistle's debut European campaign last
night. The Scottish side managed a goalless draw at the Caledonian Stadium
but lost 1-0 on aggregate.
Aberdeen progressed despite being held to a 2-2 draw by HNK Rijeka at
Pittodrie. Leading 3-0 from the first leg in Croatia, the Dons fell behind
to a fine effort from Marin Tomasov before Zoran Kvrzic induced frayed
nerves as he pulled a second back midway through the second half.
Home nerves were soothed almost instantly when Niall McGinn converted David
Goodwillie's cross, with the latter then setting up Jonny Hayes to restore
Aberdeen's three-goal cushion with 20 minutes remaining and secure a trip to
Kazakhstan to face Kairat.
University College Dublin's run came to an end, losing 5-1 at home to Slovan
Bratislava for a 6-1 aggregate exit, while fellow Irish side Shamrock
Rovers, who made the group stages of the competition four seasons ago, lost
2-1 at Norwegian side Odd, 4-1 overall.
Welsh interest in the competition came to an end as Newtown were beaten 3-1
at home by Copenhagen, losing 5-1 on aggregate, while Northern Ireland's
Linfield also went down 3-1 at home, going out 5-2 to Spartak Trnava, of
Slovakia.
Selected Europa League third qualifying round ties:
Thursday 30 July (first legs)
Kairat v Aberdeen
Southampton v Vitesse
West Ham v Astra
Thursday 6 August (second legs)
Aberdeen v Kairat
Astra v West Ham
Vitesse v Southampton
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison reacts on Twitter to West Ham's Europa League win
HITC
Dan Coombs
Ravel Morrison congratulated West Ham on their Europa League progression.
By the narrowest of margins, West Ham squeezed into the next round of the
Europa League. The Hammers made desperately hard work of their tie against
Maltese side Birkirkara, losing the second leg 1-0, sending the game to
extra-time, as it equalled their narrow lead from Upton Park a week ago.
It took a penalty shootout for the Hammers to progress, and set up the next
round against Romanian side FC Astra, who beat Scottish club Inverness.
Their win caught the attention of former attacker Ravel Morrison, who took
to Twitter to comment...
R ?@morrisonravel
West Ham Great win ?? ???? ??
10:49 PM - 23 Jul 2015
It is unclear whether Morrison is being genuine, or sarcastic, but to give
him the benefit of the doubt, it appears he is glad his old side have
progressed. The England youth international is currently with Italian side
Lazio, and revealed via his Twitter page earlier the same day he has been
handed the number seven shirt this coming campaign, after impressing in
pre-season.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic unhappy with 'stupid red cards'
442.com
Another red card left Slaven Bilic unhappy despite watching his side
progress in the UEFA Europa League. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic slammed
his team's poor discipline after they scraped through in the UEFA Europa
League on Thursday. The Premier League side battled past Maltese club
Birkirkara 5-3 on penalties after losing the second leg 1-0 to leave the tie
locked at 1-1.
James Tomkins was sent off for retaliating to a Nikola Vukanac push in the
45th minute, marking West Ham's second red card in two European away games
this season. Bilic said his team had a lot to learn before their third
qualifying round meeting with Astra Giurgiu. "That two rounds, two stupid
red cards, first in Andorra and now here," the Croatian said. "We didn't get
used to playing in Europe in this kind of atmosphere. We have to adjust,
because we cannot react like that to provocation. "It will happen again, 100
per cent. Both of them were a little bit hard for me but we gave them a
chance to give us to give red card. "After that, it was much harder for us.
We were the better team at [the] end of the game, but we didn't create a lot
and we didn't penetrate enough."
Bilic lauded his team for their character and determination despite the
unconvincing nature of their progression. The 46-year-old, who praised his
penalty takers, said West Ham were unable to create as many chances as he
would have liked. "The most important thing is that we are through," Bilic
said. "They started better, they pressed up front, they definitely knew they
would get used to conditions in this heat, they started better. "We took the
control of the game, but we didn't create chances, even though we we were
around the box a lot and passing the ball. "We lacked either the
determination or quality to go into the box and create clear-cut chances."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Stewart Downing explains how conversation with Bilic helped decide West Ham
exit
HITC
Olly Dawes
Stewart Downing says he wasn't convinced that Slaven Bilic wanted to keep
him at West Ham. Stewart Downing has told the Daily Express that he joined
Middlesbrough after a conversation with West Ham manager Slaven Bilic.
Downing, 31, completed an emotional return to boyhood club Middlesbrough,
heading back to the club where he started his career - despite enjoying a
strong season with West Ham. The winger-turned-playmaker hit six goals under
Sam Allardyce last season, but the Hammers have since signed French
international playmaker Dimitri Payet. Many believed that having lost his
place to Payet, Downing made his move back to Teesside - but the former
Liverpool man has told the Daily Express that it was a conversation with new
manager Bilic that helped convince him to leave Upton Park, suggesting that
the Croatian didn't seem to really want him to stay. "The change of manager
was a big factor," said Downing. "If Sam had stayed, then I'm sure he'd have
had a good sit down to try to persuade me to stay." "After speaking to
Slaven, I didn't get that feel of someone who really wanted me there. He
said, 'I'd love you to say', but I didn't get the feeling that I got when
Sam signed me," he added. West Ham are moving forward into an ambitious new
era, and that has involved a number of new, big money signings - including
Payet. Downing would seemingly have been tempted by a move back down to the
Championship with Middlesbrough regardless of whether Payet was signed or
not, and the deal works out great for all parties. West Ham get funds to
reinvest elsewhere, Downing gets his move back to Middlesbrough and Aitor
Karanka's men get a player who is clearly too good for the Championship -
and whilst Downing may have been disappointed that Bilic didn't put up more
of a fight to keep him, he will be delighted to be back at the Riverside
Stadium.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham fans react on Twitter to Diego Poyet performance against Birkirkara
HITC
Lewis Doe
West Ham United scraped through in the Europa League qualifying match
against Birkirkara. West Ham United came very close to going out of the
Europa League before their challenge had even started, as they scraped past
Birkirkara last night following a tense penalty shoot-out. West Ham were
nowhere near their best as the Malta side secured a 1-0 win after extra
time, which cancelled out the Hammers' first leg win and forced the match
into a spot kick situation, to determine who would go through. One player
who held his nerve during the shoot-out was talented youngster Diego Poyet,
who came on for the final half an hour and extra time, producing a very
professional and mature performance for his age. All players can do in
Poyet's situation as a youngster looking to make an impression, is work hard
and do the right things with the right decisions in the high pressure
moments, which will equate to something positive for the club.
That's exactly what Poyet did last night and manager Slaven Bilic is likely
to be impressed by the maturity and calmness he saw in the young midfielder,
which was missing from some of his more senior players. The downside for
Poyet looking ahead to the return of the Premier League is the midfield
signings the club have made this summer. West Ham's midfield looks well
stocked in terms of the options the manager has and it could take a piece of
misfortune for another player, in order for Poyet to get a chance to play
through the middle of the team.
He's got to be ready for his next chance and he's certainly done his chances
of more game time no harm at all based on the ability and bravery he showed
during the match last night.
Here's what West Ham fans had to say about Poyet's performance and penalty
last night.
Lee Powell @leepowell83
@WHUFC_News - Nolan constantly runs away from play for knock downs. Poyet
wants the ball be part of build up. Nolan wants to be on end. Gaps
Craig Jackman @75_chicoIron
@WHUFC_News sad when the lump Nolan is played ahead of the likes of a hungry
Poyet IMO
Claret and Hugh @ClaretandH
Give it up for young Poyet - well done my son! … #coyi #whufc
ST-ST-ST-STAN @stutterinstan
@RockyWhu Poyet should not be left on team sheet at all. Love his work rate.
Not a "fringe" player. Deserves to play more. #WHUFC
11:01 PM - 23 Jul 2015
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic slams lack of 'determination and quality' as well as 'stupid'
red card in Europa League scare
London 24
07:25 24 July 2015
Slaven Bilic at his first press conference as West Ham boss West Ham boss
Slaven Bilic was relieved after his side edged Birkirkara on penalties but
insisted they have to learn from the experience. The Hammers relinquished
their first-leg advantage early on to Fabrizio Miccoli's strike for the
Maltese side, before they went down to 10 men as James Tomkins saw red just
before half time. Bilic's charges held firm to deny Birkirkara, who also had
a man sent off in extra time, and take it to penalties, which they won 5-3
to advance to the third round of Europa League qualifying. "The most
important thing is that we are through," he said on www.whufc.com. "They
started better and they were very aggressive. After they scored we took
control of the game, but we didn't create chances, even though we were
around the box a lot and passing the ball. "We lacked either the
determination or quality to go into the box and create clear-cut chances."
Bilic was particularly frustrated with the red card, which was issued to
Tomkins for retaliating after Nikola Vukanac pushed him in the back before a
set piece. It was a second dismissal for the Hammers in as many rounds -
after Diafra Sakho's red card against FC Lusitans - and Bilic wants his side
to get more streetwise on the European stage. "That's two rounds, two stupid
red cards, first in Andorra and now here," he added. "We didn't get used to
playing in Europe in this kind of atmosphere. We have to adjust, because we
cannot react like that to provocation. "It will happen again, 100 percent.
Both of them were a little bit hard for me but we gave them a chance to give
us red card. "After that, it was much harder for us. We were the better team
at end of the game, but we didn't create a lot and we didn't penetrate
enough." The most pleasing aspect of the evening for the new Hammers boss
was the penalties, though, after Mark Noble, Mauro Zarate, Aaron Cresswell,
Joey O'Brien and Diego Poyet were all successful. "When it came to the
penalties, they are a lottery, but all five guys took them really, really
good. I saw confidence in their eyes when I asked them who would take them,"
he said. "More than five wanted to take them, we were confident and it
happened and we are through."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Diego Poyet's winning penalty against Birkirkara in the UEFA Europa League
second qualifying round on Thursday was about as cool as they come. The
20-year-old midfielder waited for the 'keeper to make his move and then
nonchalantly rolled his decisive spot-kick into the right corner. Though he
is hardly a regular from 12 yards, Poyet was as keen as anyone to step up
and after Nikola Vukanac had blazed over in ugly fashion, the youngster made
it look so very easy. "I took one last season in a pre-season game against
Schalke and I was lucky enough to take one in the Capital One Cup at home,"
he recalled. "Luckily I had one with the Uruguay U20s at the World Cup this
summer, so as soon as the whistle went, I asked for a penalty. "I wasn't
sure, because obviously I'm one of the younger players here, so I wasn't
sure they'd give me the responsibility, but I felt comfortable and
confident, so it was pleasing to score the last one to put us through."
Poyet rounded off a supreme set of spot-kicks, with Mark Noble, Mauro
Zarate, Aaron Cresswell and Joey O'Brien each having dispatched their
penalties in style. Not that a shootout was ever part of the master plan, of
course, with the Hammers keen to settle it a whole lot sooner. He
continued: "We wanted to win it, with penalties, you know what it's like,
anyone can win. It obviously helps to have the talent and the quality of
players, but it can go either way. We were trying to win it extra time but
we couldn't convert any of our chances, so we had to do it the hard way.
"They were very good penalties. I think every one was well struck and in the
corners. We hadn't practiced. No disrespect to them, but we didn't think it
was going to go to penalties. "Especially with the 1-0 lead we had at home,
we thought we'd be comfortable here, play our game, but obviously things
happen in football and you've got to be ready. Credit to all the boys for
the way they took the penalties."
As turbulent an evening as it was, qualification is ultimately all that
mattered and Poyet conceded that the visitors had had a lot to contend with
at the Ta' Qali National Stadium.
"The most important thing was to get through and we did it. It was obviously
tough going a goal down and then going down to ten men as well before half
time. "It was a strange game, especially with the crowd and some decisions
that didn't go our way, but we're just happy to be through to the next
round."
Romanians Astra now lie in wait in the third qualifying round and West Ham's
No23 urged the Hammers to learn the lessons of their European adventure to
date, not least the perils of playing with ten men for long periods. "We
need to be careful, the further we progress the harder the games will be, so
I don't know how many times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very
pleased to get through again."It [Astra] is another game in the unknown, we
don't know what to expect. We've got to learn from the two games, the things
we've done well and the things we've done wrong, against this type of
opposition. "We want to win at home and away, get through and see what
happens. We have to start off well, get ahead and take it to their place,
but we need to be in the lead."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diego Poyet says West Ham must improve following Europa League win
Last Updated: 24/07/15 3:22pm
SSN
Diego Poyet has warned West Ham they must improve to stand any chance of
extending their run in the Europa League. The Hammers needed a penalty
shoot-out to beat Maltese side Birkirkara – ranked 200 places below them in
UEFA's club rankings - on Thursday having slipped to a 1-0 defeat on the
evening courtesy of a goal from former Juventus and Italy forward Fabrizio
Miccoli. Poyet came off the bench to score the decisive spot-kick, following
a gruelling 120 minutes in which James Tomkins, who netted the winner in the
first-leg at Upton Park, was sent off for a tussle with Nikola Vukanac in
the penalty area. West Ham face Romania's Astra Giurgiu in the third
qualifying round and Poyet says he and his team-mates will need to produce a
better performance to reach the play-off stage of the competition. "The
most important thing was to get through and we did it," the 20-year-old told
the club's official website. "It was obviously tough going a goal down and
then going down to 10 men as well before half-time. "We need to be careful,
the further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't know how
many times we'll get away with it. But we're obviously very pleased to get
through again."
Having seen off Birkirkara and Lusitans of Andorra in previous rounds, West
Ham continue to come up against teams they know little about - and Poyet
believes that could also cause problems as they face Astra, who saw off
Inverness Caledonian Thistle in round two. We need to be careful, the
further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't know how many
times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very pleased to get
through again "Astra is another game in the unknown, we don't know what to
expect," he added. "We've got to learn from the two games, the things we've
done well and the things we've done wrong, against this type of opposition.
"We want to win at home and away, get through and see what happens. We have
to start off well, get ahead and take it to their place, but we need to be
in the lead."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic encouraged by West Ham's grit in Malta after shoot-out success
Last Updated: 24/07/15 7:22am
SSN
Slaven Bilic believes West Ham's penalty shoot-out composure in Malta bodes
well for their next Europa League qualifier. The Londoners came close to a
second-round exit as Birkirkara won 1-0 on the night to force extra-time and
then penalties, but all five visiting takers scored to secure a 5-3 victory.
James Tomkins was sent off just before half-time, and Bilic was impressed
with a backs-to-the-wall performance that set up a tie with Astra Giurgiu of
Romania who saw over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Mark Noble, Mauro Zarate,
Aaron Cresswell, Joey O'Brien and Diego Poyet were West Ham's successful
penalty-takers, and Bilic said: "They were very confident when I asked them.
"That is good because I have seen the character and confidence in their
eyes. They were all brilliantly taken. We now go to Romania and it will be
the same kind of atmosphere. "The most important thing is that we are
through. They started better and they were very aggressive. But after they
scored we took control of the game. "We had a man sent off and we had to
adjust to that. But the guys showed their spirit and commitment and the most
important thing is that we got no injuries and we have got through."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ClaretandHugh's ExWHUemployee Column
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in ExWHUemployee's Blogs, News,
Whispers
C AND H
So we are lucky to still be in the Europa League after last night's
performance and victory via an penalty shoot-out.
I thought it was a very poor performance and there are some things that we
really need to eradicate if we are to continue with our European adventure.
The first thing that the players don't seem to have adjusted to are the
niggling tackles and off the ball tactics of European opposition. We have
had two players sent off for straight reds in both of our away games and
that is a result of reacting to provocation for the opposition. We really
need to learn to ignore it and rise above it otherwise we will continue to
get penalised.
It was also very clear yesterday (as it has been for a while) that we cannot
have a central midfield of Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan. It doesn't provide
enough pace, movement or creativity.
I would rather Poyet played in there than one of them. He provides energy
and is determined to prove his worth to Bilic to make himself selected for
the premier league squad. Each time he has been on I felt we have played
better.
We are also crying out for at least another winger and forward. In each of
the games both Zarate and Maiga have struggled to make much impact and with
Andy Carroll's ongoing fitness issues, Valencia's inconsistency and Sakho
being prone to the odd injury I think it is too much of a risk to not
strengthen in this area.
The Hernandez situation has not progressed any further because of Manchester
United only having one forward, Rooney. They are in the market to
strengthen in this area but until they do I cannot see anything happening as
mentioned hre over recent days.
Whilst there is some interest still in Austin, with his club saying he will
go, word I have is that we face very strong competition for his signature.
There has been talk that we will look abroad now for a forward if there is
no further progression with these two.
We may bring in Marko Livaja who has been on trial and Bilic knows well from
the Croatian national teams. Other Croatians that we are looking at are
Alen Halilovic who would be a loan signing from Barcelona and Milan Badelj
who plays for Fiorentina and is a midfielder.
Dennis Praet who plays for Anderlect is another who has been brought to our
attention but whether we will follow up on this interest I am not sure. He
is a Belgium international and it has been well documented that we are after
another in Kevin Mirralas. We have already had at least one bid rejected
but it seems like we will continue to follow up this interest with another
bid being prepared.
It seems today from reports in the French media that we have lost out on the
signing of Diarra. Marseille have offered him a four year deal which is a
lot longer than we were prepared to offer so you can understand the player's
decision.
This is still however very frustrating as he had trained with the club for a
number of months whilst he was in contract limbo. Diarra was seen as a
good short term alternative to signing Song, who is still suffering from his
injury and no closer to being able to complete his move. The saga seems to
have dragged on a while meaning we have looked at other options.
The club do want to sign a big name forward and have been working actively
to secure a big name. If there is no further movement the club may be
tempted to consider moves for Moussa Sow of Fenerbache, who Bilic admires
from his time in Turkey and is an international team mate of Sakho and
Kouyate or other lower down the list targets.
One thing that is for sure, is that the chairmen wish to sign as many
quality players for the club as they realistically can. They are as keen
for success as we all are and it is great to know this. The chairmen want
to have more players coming through the academy as well and we have a number
of players on trial from other clubs, the latest being Devante Cole, Andy
Cole's son, who is also a forward. We have already signed more than most
clubs in this window and it is important to remember this.
A few players who could still leave are Maiga, Nolan, Jarvis and a few
youngsters out on loan. I think Jarvis has looked a lot better in the
Europa leagues than I expected but he is still isn't performing to the
standard that we all expected, time and time again he delivers poor
crossing, which really surprises me as he was meant to be brilliant at this
whilst at Wolves.
Photos have emerged on mine and others twitter feeds with images from the
Olympic stadium in recent weeks. Today I had a picture of the retractable
seats sent to me.
The band 2 season ticket holders have started snapping up their tickets now
and the club are well on track to sell their target amount of season tickets
which is a real indication of the bright future that the club has.
I go on holiday for a couple of weeks now but will try my best to update my
twitter regularly, Claret and Hugh will continue to provide excellent daily
Hammers updates too so you won't miss any news as it happens! Come on you
Irons
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Nolan: "I've made my feelings known"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Kevin Nolan has made it clear he will be off if he doesn't find himself part
of new boss Slaven Bilic's plans.The 33-year-old is of course in the last
year of his contracy and has captained the team in our two Europa League
qualifiers. Now, speaking to the Express, he has made it clear he does not
wish to spend any time on the sidelines. He said: "I have made my feelings
known that I don't want to be sitting on the bench. I want to be playing and
give my all in training. "If that's good enough, then great. If not, we'll
have to sit down and see where we go from there."I'm coming to the tail-end
of my career and I've got to do what's best for me and my family. To be
fair, we haven't got that far yet but we'll see."
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FC Astra are NOT from Vauxhall! Here's their facts
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
OK, just to clear up any misunderstanding, West Ham's next Europa Cup rival
Astra FC is not some outfit from Vauxhall, south London, but a Romanian team
on the up!
The club was founded 94 years ago and after spending most of their time
trawling around the lower divisions they are now performing in Liga 1 – they
are nobody's pushovers!
The club first qualified for the Europa Competition at the end of 2012-13
after a fourth placed finish.
astrastdiumAstra moved to Giurgiu in September 2012, playing its last game
against Dinamo Bucharest and winning 1–0. The club now plays in the Marin
Anastasovici Stadium
The 2013–14 season was the most successful season in the club's history,
reaching 2nd place in Liga 1 losing the title by only five points to Steaua
Bucharest and winning the Romania Cupon penalties to the same team.
A month later they defeated Steaua on penalties again, and won the Romanian
Super Cup.
In terms of world rankings, however, the International Federation of
Football History and Statistics puts the Irons in at 231st position with the
Romanians not in the top 500.
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Cheap away day to Romania
Posted by Hammers Newshound on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Hammers fans thinking about travelling to Romania for the second leg of the
third qualifying round of the Europa League against Astra FC will find it
much cheaper than Thursday's trip to Malta.
Despite being the middle of the school summer holiday season you can get a
return flight from Whizz Air leaving at 9pm on Wednesday 5th August from
Luton airport and returning 8am Friday morning for £188.
For West Ham fans thinking of making the 3,000 round trip to the away leg on
Thursday August 6th, the average price of domestic beer is 5 leu, which is
less than £1!, while an imported beer will set you back 7 leu, just over
£1.10. A triple room in a Giurgiu hotel room will cost as little as £20.
The Stadionul Marin Anastasovici stadium has a capacity of 8,500
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Report: Diarra destination decided
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Lassana Diarra – who has been training with the Hammers for months – looks
set to join Marseilles – according to morning reports. The Frenchman has
been in dispute with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow and has been training
with the Hammers squad but now free to move, it appears his future may be in
France. Leading French newspaper L'Equipe claim he has decided to move to
Marseille and should complete a switch before the weekend. The newspaper
says the French club has offered the 30-year-old a four-year deal and beat
off several sides in securing his signature.
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Calm down calm down calm down :-)
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
You really would have thought the end of the world was due in an hour or at
the very least, that Third World War was about to break out. The reaction of
some of our fans to a very disappointing performance last night was entirely
and totally OTT out there in the parallel universe we call Twitter.
Just look at some of these tweets:
O Bilic should be sacked and bring back Big Sam who actually knows how to
stay in the prem. Absolute disgrace of a result #Bilicout
O 0-0 to a pub side #Bilicout
O Imagine struggling against a Maltese pub team #Bilicout
O West Ham are going down this season – 100pc
O It's gonna be embarrasing when Bilic takes West Ham down
Point One: Sam ain't coming back
Point Two: Bilic said ahead of the Lusiens match any game against a Maltese
team would be an entirely different and more difficult proposition
Point 3: Pre-season games are no indicator of what will happen in the PL
Point 4: Slav was given players he needed to look at and decide the futures
of such as O'Brien, Nolan, Jarvis and Zarate. How else would he do it – by
playing them in the Prem?
So let's all settle down a bit, remember we are through to the next round
and realise this is almost certainly the end of the line for several of
Sam's men – as it should be.
As Harry Enfield's scousers would say: "CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN. CALM DOWN"
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Ramsey admits Austin likely to leave
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Queens Park Rangers boss Chris Ramsey has admitted that Charlie Austin is
set to leave the club. And although West Ham have been regularly linked with
the striker, ClaretandHugh sources claiming he is far too expensive at £15
million. The 18 goal hitman from last term has been the most discussed
frontman of the summer and this morning Ramsey told talkSPORT: "We have to
be realistic. It's unlikely he'll stay. We want to keep him but it's
unlikely. "The club is in a financial position that it needs to recoup some
money and I think for his ambitions he wants to keep playing in the Premier
League to go to the Euros. "We've been offered £12million and turned it down
so we're looking in excess of £15million. Goalscoring is something you can't
coach, it's just a habit that some people have." ClaretandHugh has been told
that the player has been discussed by the Irons but regularly rejected as a
serious target with a source telling us following Ramsey's declaration: "We
have always believe he's overpriced. We are unlikely to be headed in that
direction."
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Palace Name Their Bolasie Price
Posted by whufc_news@hotmail.com on July 24, 2015 in News, Transfer Rumours
C AND H
Crystal Palace have quoted interested clubs £20m for star winger Yannick
Bolasie. According to Sky Sources, West Ham, Aston Villa and Spurs have all
lodged enquires for the 26 year-old, who massively impressed for the Eagles
last season. The Hammers are searching for a new winger following Stewart
Downing's move to Middlesbrough, and are weighing up their options – with
Everton's Kevin Mirallas also on their radar. Palace's huge price-tag on the
Congolese international is likely to put off the East London club, as they
cannot afford to pay such a high fee.
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West Ham must take greater care in order to progress in Europe, warns Diego
Poyet
Daily Mail
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 14:20, 24 July 2015 | UPDATED: 14:20, 24 July 2015
Diego Poyet knows West Ham will not be able to push their luck in future if
they are to keep their Europa League qualification hopes alive. The Hammers
needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Maltese side Birkirkara on Thursday night
having slipped to a 1-0 defeat on the evening. Poyet came off the bench to
score as all five of West Ham's penalty takers were successful following a
gruelling 120 minutes in which James Tomkins was sent off for a tussle in
the penalty area. Birkirkara had won on the night courtesy of a goal from
former Italy international Fabrizio Miccoli but did not do enough to find a
second, decisive goal - settling instead for the lottery of the shoot-out,
especially having been reduced to 10 men themselves in extra-time.
A third qualifying round tie with Romanian outfit Astra Giurgiu now awaits
and Poyet wants a better performance from the team if they are to reach the
play-off stage. 'The most important thing was to get through and we did it,'
he told the club's official website. 'It was obviously tough going a goal
down and then going down to 10 men as well before half-time. 'We need to be
careful, the further we progress the harder the games will be, so I don't
know how many times we'll get away with it, but we're obviously very pleased
to get through again.' Having seen off Birkirkara and Lusitans of Andorra in
previous rounds, West Ham continue to come up against teams they know little
about - and Poyet believes that could also cause problems as they face Astra
- who saw off Inverness to set-up a meeting with the Hammers. 'Astra is
another game in the unknown, we don't know what to expect,' he added. 'We've
got to learn from the two games, the things we've done well and the things
we've done wrong, against this type of opposition. 'We want to win at home
and away, get through and see what happens. We have to start off well, get
ahead and take it to their place, but we need to be in the lead.'
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Report: Long-term West Ham target Lassana Diarra to join Marseille
HITC
Mathew Nash
The Frenchman has reportedly agreed a four-year deal in France. West Ham's
apparently revamped interest in former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder
Lassana Diarra has fallen on deaf ears, as he is all set to join Marseille –
according to L'Equipe. They claim the French international will return to
his homeland on a free transfer after FIFA finally cleared him to play for
another team. He will sign a four-year deal at the club. In the winter West
Ham tried to sign Diarra on a free transfer. The former Portsmouth man had
been released by Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow after a contractual
disagreement. The Frenchman spoke of the failed move and FIFA in an
interview with L'Equipe at the time of the first failed transfer. He
revealed that deals to join both West Ham and Inter Milan had been stopped
by FIFA after Lokomotiv complained, suggesting he was still their player.
Now the summer is here he is free to go where he wishes and back home
appears to be his preferred destination. This comes despite reports this
week in The Daily Mail that West Ham remained keen on the player, who
trained with the club for several months in 2015. However it is becoming
increasingly apparent that Diarra will continue his footballing career back
in his French homeland for the time being.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic facing headache over trip to Romania before
Arsenal opener
Evening Standard
KEN DYER
Published: 24 July 2015 Updated: 12:57, 24 July 2015
West Ham face a daunting trip to Romania just three days before they kick
off their Premier League campaign against Arsenal. The Hammers needed
penalties to beat Maltese minnows Birkirkara last night and the
competition's demanding schedule has already become a harsh reality for
Slaven Bilic's team. West Ham will play the second leg of their third
qualifying round tie against Astra Giurgiu on August 6 — three days before
they face title contenders Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Bilic, who has
promised to "respect" the Europa League, must now manage his squad carefully
to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
The Croat is likely to pick a strong team for next Thursday's first leg
against Astra in the hope they can gain a big enough advantage to make
changes for the match in Romania. Astra, who beat Inverness Caledonian
Thistle in the previous round, qualified for the Europa League group stage
last season and held Scottish champions Celtic to a goalless draw in
Giurgiu.
James Tomkins is expected to miss both legs after being sent off just before
half-time last night. The defender is likely to incur a three-match ban
after wrestling Nikola Vukanac to the ground and with striker Diafra Sakho
having already seen red in the previous round, Bilic admitted his team must
learn from their mistakes. "It was stupid, even naive," said the West Ham
boss. "We cannot react like that to provocation." West Ham, who led 1-0
after the first leg at Upton Park, went behind early on to a Fabrizio
Miccoli goal but sneaked through on penalties after Diego Poyet scored the
decisive spotkick.
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All you need to know about West Ham's next Europa League opponents FC Astra
HITC
Damien Lucas
West Ham United will face Romanian opposition in the Europa League third
qualifying round next week, here's everything you need to know about FC
Astra. First things first, no they are not named after a car. The Hammers
only just scraped through on penalties after drawing 1-1 on aggregate after
two poor performances against Maltese minnows Birkirkara. But Astra will
undoubtedly provide West Ham's toughest test in the competition so far after
they saw off Scottish Premiership side Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 on
aggregate in the second qualifying round.
FC Astra: The full lowdown
So what do we know about the Hammers' next opponents?
The club's full name is FC Astra Giurgiu reflecting where they are based, in
Giurgiu, and they were founded in 1921. They finished fourth in Romania's
Liga 1 last season and are nicknamed the Dracii Negrii (Black Devils). Astra
play in white and black and their home ground, the Stadionul Marin
Anastasovici, holds 8,500 fans. The Black Devils' boss Marius ?umudica is a
former journeyman footballer who has continued his nomadic tendencies into
management having taken charge of no fewer than 16 clubs in nine years.
The Romanian version of MK Dons?
The Romanian side have something in common with Wimbledon and MK Dons in
England as they used to be known as Astra Ploiesti until September 2012 when
they were moved from Ploiesti to Giurgiu by owner Ioan Niculae. While
Premier League West Ham will be hot favourites, Astra actually have far more
European experience than their English counterparts having played in the
Europa League for the last three seasons. They famously beat French giants
Lyon to qualify for last season's group stages on away goals after a 2-2
aggregate draw. They were drawn in a group with Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb and
Red Bull Salzburg. Astra finished bottom of the group but not without a
fight, holding Celtic to a 1-1 draw in Giurgiu and beating Croatian side
Zagreb to claim their first ever group stage win. Their squad is, as you
would expect, mostly made up of Romanian players. But they also have three
Brazilians, four Portuguese players and a Japanese midfielder.
The Astra player probably best known to English fans will be 34-year-old
French-born Portuguese attacking midfielder Filipe Teixeira, who has played
for both West Bromwich Albion and Barnsley as well as Paris St Germain. SEE
ALSO: West Ham player ratings vs Birkirkara: Poyet's poise as Nolan fades
away For West Ham fans thinking of making the 3,000 mile round trip to the
away leg on August 6th, the average price of domestic beer is 5 leu, which
is less than £1, while an imported beer will set you back 7 leu, just over
£1.10. A triple room in a Giurgiu hotel room will cost as little as £20.
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Inter Milan set to land Germany starlet ahead of West Ham
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Friday, July 24, 2015
Inter Milan have moved into pole position ahead of West Ham in the race to
sign out-of-contract Schalke wonderkid Thilo Kehrer. The 18-year-old
defender has been labelled as one of European football's next big stars,
attracting interest from many clubs, including Slaven Bilic's Hammers.
According to the La Gazzetta dello Sport, the teenager has rejected a new
deal to stay in the Bundesliga and will join Inter on a free transfer,
although the Italian giants will have to pay a compensation fee. It is
reported that the Germany under-19 centre-back does not have to sign a
three-year extension clause at Schalke due to the fact he is still a youth
player, allowing Inter the chance to swoop in and clinch the deal.
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Lassana Diarra expected to snub West Ham's interest in favour of Marseille
move
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Friday, July 24, 2015
Ex-Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra is set to join Marseille -
despite interest from West Ham. The Frenchman almost joined the Hammers in
January but a dispute with his former club Lokomotiv Moscow scuppered the
deal. That disagreement regarding compensation was resolved by FIFA last
week and the player is now free to join any club he wishes. And, according
to L'Equipe, Diarra has decided to move to Marseille and should complete a
switch before the weekend. The French club have offered the 30-year-old a
four-year deal and beat off several sides in securing his signature.
Fenerbahce reportedly made an approach, along with three Premier League
clubs - including one who played in the Champions League
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Why West Ham should go all out for Manchester United's Javier Hernandez
HITC
Subhankar Mondal
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is reportedly on the radar of
Premier League rivals West Ham United. West Ham United are reportedly
looking for a striker and have allegedly identified Manchester United's
Javier Hernandez as a key target. According to The Daily Mail, the Hammers
are preparing a bid of £8 million to secure the services of the Mexico
international. It remains to be seen what plans United have in store for
Hernandez and indeed what the striker himself wants to do about his future,
but West Ham should go all out to snap him up before the start of the
upcoming 2015-16 campaign. Although the 27-year-old was not in United's
plans last season and was sent out on loan to Spanish giants Real Madrid, he
remains a proven Premier League quality player. The former Guadalajara
striker has been on the books of the Red Devils since 2010, and over the
years he has shown his quality and importance.
Even last season when he struggled for playing time at Madrid, Hernandez
scored seven goals, provided four assists, had a pass accuracy of 82% and a
shot accuracy of 64%. The Mexican is a mobile player who is powerful with
his shots and has loads of experience. Moreover, the United man will bring
with him a winning mentality and a hunger for success which will benefit
West Ham. The London outfit are aiming to make themselves a force in English
football and break into the top eight of the Premier League. Hernandez's
arrival is certainly going to make the Hammers' genuine top-eight
challengers and add more goals to Slaven Bilic's side's game.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spurs, West Ham and Aston Villa make shock move for £40m Liverpool winger
target Bolasie
CRYSTAL PALACE have received three enquiries for winger Yannick Bolasie.
By DAVID WRIGHT
PUBLISHED: 08:02, Fri, Jul 24, 2015 | UPDATED: 08:30, Fri, Jul 24, 2015
Express.co.uk
The 25-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in January, but
Brendan Rodgers baulked at the club's inflated valuation of the player. The
DR Congo international, who cost £400,000 from Bristol City in 2012, has now
attracted interest from top-flight rivals Tottenham, West Ham and Aston
Villa. And the Sky Sports say Palace are expecting bids from at least two of
those clubs this summer. Bolasie impressed last season with four goals and
11 assists to help the Eagles to a 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
Selhurst Park boss Alan Pardew said in January: "I'll sell Yannick, if
someone wants to give me £40m to £60m, somewhere in there, that would be
good. "I'll take it and we'll build the team around that money. Every player
has a price, of course."
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West Ham vs Birkirkara match report: James Tomkins sees red as Hammers
require shootout victory to keep Europa League hopes alive
West Ham 0 Birkirkara 1 (Agg. 1-1 - West Ham won 5-3 on penalties): Defender
sent off for shove as Hammers ride their luck
JAMES MARINER Author Biography Friday 24 July 2015
The Independent
West Ham United's European adventure nearly came unstuck last night as they
were taken to penalties by Maltese minnows Birkirkara. Fabrizio Miccoli's
strike early in the first-half levelled the aggregate scores at 1-1 as both
sides ended the game with 10 men, James Tomkins seeing red for West Ham
before Mauricio Mazzetti was dismissed in extra time for the hosts, before
the Hammers progressed to the third qualifying round after a successful
penalty shootout.
The hosts began much the stronger, Ryan Camenzuli shooting over before the
Maltese side took a deserved lead after 15 minutes. Former Italy
international Miccoli, 36, beat Joey O'Brien to a cross to level the
aggregate scores in front of a raucous crowd and score the first goal
conceded by the Hammers this season.
Miccoli continued to cause problems for the visiting side and was involved
in an argument with Mark Noble before West Ham's task grew even more
daunting on the stroke of half-time when they were reduced to 10 men for the
second away tie in succession.
Tomkins, whose late effort at Upton Park had given the Premier League side a
slender advantage, wrestled Nikola Vukanac to the ground inside the area and
was dismissed by Albanian referee Enea Jorgji. The decision was ridiculed by
injured team-mate Andy Carroll, who tweeted: "What am I seeing!!! Shocking
decision."
Andy Carroll ?@AndyTCarroll What am I seeing!!! ????
SHOCKING DECISION #COYI 8:30 PM - 23 Jul 2015
Marcelina had a shot saved by Adrian while Miccoli saw penalty appeals waved
away after going to ground under a challenge from James Collins. Matt
Jarvis's calls for a spot-kick were also denied with 20 minutes remaining
after he appeared to be caught by Mauricio Mazzetti before Adrian was again
called into action, by Camenzuli.
West Ham's James Tomkins argues with Nikola Vukanac after he was sent off
West Ham's James Tomkins argues with Nikola Vukanac after he was sent off
West Ham began extra time with renewed purpose, Jarvis having a shot
deflected wide. Vito Plut went close at the other end before Mazzetti was
sent off. West Ham eventually secured the victory thanks to a 5-3 penalty
shootout triumph.
Romanians Astra Giurgiu await the winners in the third qualifying round
after ending Inverness Caledonian Thistle's debut European campaign last
night. The Scottish side managed a goalless draw at the Caledonian Stadium
but lost 1-0 on aggregate.
Aberdeen progressed despite being held to a 2-2 draw by HNK Rijeka at
Pittodrie. Leading 3-0 from the first leg in Croatia, the Dons fell behind
to a fine effort from Marin Tomasov before Zoran Kvrzic induced frayed
nerves as he pulled a second back midway through the second half.
Home nerves were soothed almost instantly when Niall McGinn converted David
Goodwillie's cross, with the latter then setting up Jonny Hayes to restore
Aberdeen's three-goal cushion with 20 minutes remaining and secure a trip to
Kazakhstan to face Kairat.
University College Dublin's run came to an end, losing 5-1 at home to Slovan
Bratislava for a 6-1 aggregate exit, while fellow Irish side Shamrock
Rovers, who made the group stages of the competition four seasons ago, lost
2-1 at Norwegian side Odd, 4-1 overall.
Welsh interest in the competition came to an end as Newtown were beaten 3-1
at home by Copenhagen, losing 5-1 on aggregate, while Northern Ireland's
Linfield also went down 3-1 at home, going out 5-2 to Spartak Trnava, of
Slovakia.
Selected Europa League third qualifying round ties:
Thursday 30 July (first legs)
Kairat v Aberdeen
Southampton v Vitesse
West Ham v Astra
Thursday 6 August (second legs)
Aberdeen v Kairat
Astra v West Ham
Vitesse v Southampton
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison reacts on Twitter to West Ham's Europa League win
HITC
Dan Coombs
Ravel Morrison congratulated West Ham on their Europa League progression.
By the narrowest of margins, West Ham squeezed into the next round of the
Europa League. The Hammers made desperately hard work of their tie against
Maltese side Birkirkara, losing the second leg 1-0, sending the game to
extra-time, as it equalled their narrow lead from Upton Park a week ago.
It took a penalty shootout for the Hammers to progress, and set up the next
round against Romanian side FC Astra, who beat Scottish club Inverness.
Their win caught the attention of former attacker Ravel Morrison, who took
to Twitter to comment...
R ?@morrisonravel
West Ham Great win ?? ???? ??
10:49 PM - 23 Jul 2015
It is unclear whether Morrison is being genuine, or sarcastic, but to give
him the benefit of the doubt, it appears he is glad his old side have
progressed. The England youth international is currently with Italian side
Lazio, and revealed via his Twitter page earlier the same day he has been
handed the number seven shirt this coming campaign, after impressing in
pre-season.
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Bilic unhappy with 'stupid red cards'
442.com
Another red card left Slaven Bilic unhappy despite watching his side
progress in the UEFA Europa League. West Ham manager Slaven Bilic slammed
his team's poor discipline after they scraped through in the UEFA Europa
League on Thursday. The Premier League side battled past Maltese club
Birkirkara 5-3 on penalties after losing the second leg 1-0 to leave the tie
locked at 1-1.
James Tomkins was sent off for retaliating to a Nikola Vukanac push in the
45th minute, marking West Ham's second red card in two European away games
this season. Bilic said his team had a lot to learn before their third
qualifying round meeting with Astra Giurgiu. "That two rounds, two stupid
red cards, first in Andorra and now here," the Croatian said. "We didn't get
used to playing in Europe in this kind of atmosphere. We have to adjust,
because we cannot react like that to provocation. "It will happen again, 100
per cent. Both of them were a little bit hard for me but we gave them a
chance to give us to give red card. "After that, it was much harder for us.
We were the better team at [the] end of the game, but we didn't create a lot
and we didn't penetrate enough."
Bilic lauded his team for their character and determination despite the
unconvincing nature of their progression. The 46-year-old, who praised his
penalty takers, said West Ham were unable to create as many chances as he
would have liked. "The most important thing is that we are through," Bilic
said. "They started better, they pressed up front, they definitely knew they
would get used to conditions in this heat, they started better. "We took the
control of the game, but we didn't create chances, even though we we were
around the box a lot and passing the ball. "We lacked either the
determination or quality to go into the box and create clear-cut chances."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Stewart Downing explains how conversation with Bilic helped decide West Ham
exit
HITC
Olly Dawes
Stewart Downing says he wasn't convinced that Slaven Bilic wanted to keep
him at West Ham. Stewart Downing has told the Daily Express that he joined
Middlesbrough after a conversation with West Ham manager Slaven Bilic.
Downing, 31, completed an emotional return to boyhood club Middlesbrough,
heading back to the club where he started his career - despite enjoying a
strong season with West Ham. The winger-turned-playmaker hit six goals under
Sam Allardyce last season, but the Hammers have since signed French
international playmaker Dimitri Payet. Many believed that having lost his
place to Payet, Downing made his move back to Teesside - but the former
Liverpool man has told the Daily Express that it was a conversation with new
manager Bilic that helped convince him to leave Upton Park, suggesting that
the Croatian didn't seem to really want him to stay. "The change of manager
was a big factor," said Downing. "If Sam had stayed, then I'm sure he'd have
had a good sit down to try to persuade me to stay." "After speaking to
Slaven, I didn't get that feel of someone who really wanted me there. He
said, 'I'd love you to say', but I didn't get the feeling that I got when
Sam signed me," he added. West Ham are moving forward into an ambitious new
era, and that has involved a number of new, big money signings - including
Payet. Downing would seemingly have been tempted by a move back down to the
Championship with Middlesbrough regardless of whether Payet was signed or
not, and the deal works out great for all parties. West Ham get funds to
reinvest elsewhere, Downing gets his move back to Middlesbrough and Aitor
Karanka's men get a player who is clearly too good for the Championship -
and whilst Downing may have been disappointed that Bilic didn't put up more
of a fight to keep him, he will be delighted to be back at the Riverside
Stadium.
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West Ham fans react on Twitter to Diego Poyet performance against Birkirkara
HITC
Lewis Doe
West Ham United scraped through in the Europa League qualifying match
against Birkirkara. West Ham United came very close to going out of the
Europa League before their challenge had even started, as they scraped past
Birkirkara last night following a tense penalty shoot-out. West Ham were
nowhere near their best as the Malta side secured a 1-0 win after extra
time, which cancelled out the Hammers' first leg win and forced the match
into a spot kick situation, to determine who would go through. One player
who held his nerve during the shoot-out was talented youngster Diego Poyet,
who came on for the final half an hour and extra time, producing a very
professional and mature performance for his age. All players can do in
Poyet's situation as a youngster looking to make an impression, is work hard
and do the right things with the right decisions in the high pressure
moments, which will equate to something positive for the club.
That's exactly what Poyet did last night and manager Slaven Bilic is likely
to be impressed by the maturity and calmness he saw in the young midfielder,
which was missing from some of his more senior players. The downside for
Poyet looking ahead to the return of the Premier League is the midfield
signings the club have made this summer. West Ham's midfield looks well
stocked in terms of the options the manager has and it could take a piece of
misfortune for another player, in order for Poyet to get a chance to play
through the middle of the team.
He's got to be ready for his next chance and he's certainly done his chances
of more game time no harm at all based on the ability and bravery he showed
during the match last night.
Here's what West Ham fans had to say about Poyet's performance and penalty
last night.
Lee Powell @leepowell83
@WHUFC_News - Nolan constantly runs away from play for knock downs. Poyet
wants the ball be part of build up. Nolan wants to be on end. Gaps
Craig Jackman @75_chicoIron
@WHUFC_News sad when the lump Nolan is played ahead of the likes of a hungry
Poyet IMO
Claret and Hugh @ClaretandH
Give it up for young Poyet - well done my son! … #coyi #whufc
ST-ST-ST-STAN @stutterinstan
@RockyWhu Poyet should not be left on team sheet at all. Love his work rate.
Not a "fringe" player. Deserves to play more. #WHUFC
11:01 PM - 23 Jul 2015
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Slaven Bilic slams lack of 'determination and quality' as well as 'stupid'
red card in Europa League scare
London 24
07:25 24 July 2015
Slaven Bilic at his first press conference as West Ham boss West Ham boss
Slaven Bilic was relieved after his side edged Birkirkara on penalties but
insisted they have to learn from the experience. The Hammers relinquished
their first-leg advantage early on to Fabrizio Miccoli's strike for the
Maltese side, before they went down to 10 men as James Tomkins saw red just
before half time. Bilic's charges held firm to deny Birkirkara, who also had
a man sent off in extra time, and take it to penalties, which they won 5-3
to advance to the third round of Europa League qualifying. "The most
important thing is that we are through," he said on www.whufc.com. "They
started better and they were very aggressive. After they scored we took
control of the game, but we didn't create chances, even though we were
around the box a lot and passing the ball. "We lacked either the
determination or quality to go into the box and create clear-cut chances."
Bilic was particularly frustrated with the red card, which was issued to
Tomkins for retaliating after Nikola Vukanac pushed him in the back before a
set piece. It was a second dismissal for the Hammers in as many rounds -
after Diafra Sakho's red card against FC Lusitans - and Bilic wants his side
to get more streetwise on the European stage. "That's two rounds, two stupid
red cards, first in Andorra and now here," he added. "We didn't get used to
playing in Europe in this kind of atmosphere. We have to adjust, because we
cannot react like that to provocation. "It will happen again, 100 percent.
Both of them were a little bit hard for me but we gave them a chance to give
us red card. "After that, it was much harder for us. We were the better team
at end of the game, but we didn't create a lot and we didn't penetrate
enough." The most pleasing aspect of the evening for the new Hammers boss
was the penalties, though, after Mark Noble, Mauro Zarate, Aaron Cresswell,
Joey O'Brien and Diego Poyet were all successful. "When it came to the
penalties, they are a lottery, but all five guys took them really, really
good. I saw confidence in their eyes when I asked them who would take them,"
he said. "More than five wanted to take them, we were confident and it
happened and we are through."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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