Daily WHUFC News - 15th October 2015

Moses relishing Palace return
WHUFC.com

It promises to be an emotional day for Victor Moses when he heads back to
south London on Saturday, but despite his close connections with Crystal
Palace, the talented winger will be doing everything to extend the Hammers
impressive unbeaten run. Moses went to school just a few streets away from
Selhurst Park and was given his breakthrough into the professional game by
the Eagles after becoming one of the star performers at the Club's Academy.
The Nigeria international made his debut for the Club back in 2007 and spent
three-years at Palace before making a move to Wigan in 2010. Moses, who
joined the Club on a season-long loan from Chelsea during the summer, says
he will never forget his time in south London, but stresses he is now part
of a new challenge at West Ham United. And the 24-year-old is determined to
help the Club maintain their superb away form following memorable victories
at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Moses said: "I remember playing at Palace for Liverpool and the fans gave me
a great reception. "I grew up there and spent most of my years at Palace. I
really enjoyed my time there and it is good to see them in the Premier
League. "They have done really well this season and they will be a hard team
to beat away from home. "I am a West Ham player now and I just want to enjoy
my football and help us get the three points. "The West Ham fans always
stick with the players and it is amazing how they support you all the time.
I am very pleased to be here and enjoying my football. "Alan Pardew has been
at West Ham before and he is now doing very well at Palace. He organises the
team very well, but we are working hard in training to make sure we go there
and get the three points. "I believe in the team and we have a good manager.
I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams this season and will be up
there."

Moses has nothing but praise for the job Slaven Bilic has done since
arriving at the Boleyn Ground during the summer and feels he is getting the
best out of everyone in the squad. Moses added: "Slaven is a top manager. He
encourages you and gives you the right advice. He wants us to go out and
enjoy our football. He wants me to do more as a player and help the team.
"He changed the philosophy of West Ham and everyone can see the difference.
We are doing very well and we want to stick by him and do very well this
season."

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Dev Squad go free this Monday!
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce that the Development Squad's
meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 at Rush Green is FREE for all fans.
This is the perfect opportunity to see the Club's rising stars in action,
following a hugely successful summer for the Academy of Football. As many as
ten Academy products have made their senior West Ham bow this season already
and Academy Manager Terry Westley's side will now take on the Cottagers at
the Hammers' iconic Academy of Football base at Rush Green. Westley is
hoping Hammers fans will turn out in their numbers to support West Ham's
next generation and is confident that his charges will rise to the occasion.
"It is very important we get a crowd in on Monday night. We have a very
exciting group of young players coming through.
"Martin Samuelsen is back from international duty with Norway, and Josh
Cullen is also coming back from the Ireland U21s. It's a great chance to
come and see the future of West Ham play. "We don't know yet which first
team players will be available yet, Reece Oxford could well feature. Further
down we have younger players such as George Dobson and Marcus Browne who
have stepped up from the U18s and are doing well."

So far this season, the Hammers have struggled to convert impressive
performances into points this season; however Westley is confident that will
change on Monday evening. Opponents Wolves meanwhile have fared slightly
better, winning two of their opening six matches. Westley continued: "Wwe
haven't faced Wolves for a while. But like any team in this division,
they're a competitive side. They have players who will want to impress and
make their mark in the game, so we're expecting a difficult game on Monday.
"Monday's game is a fantastic opportunity for our supporters to see the next
generation play. It really does help the player's development as well as
raise the status and stature of the club."

Kick-off at Rush Green is at 7pm.

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

Hello everyone,

Everybody has been working hard during the international break, and we have
positive news regarding Enner Valencia, Andy Carroll and Angelo Ogbonna. As
you may already know, Enner and Andy both played their part in a friendly
match with Reading during the international break as they continue to work
their way towards the required fitness levels. Enner has been out for two
months with a high ankle injury and we were delighted with the way he came
through after playing for 20 minutes. Enner and Andy have been joined in
full training by Angelo, who joined the squad at the end of last week. All
three of them will enjoy another full week of training this week ahead of
Saturday's London derby at Crystal Palace.

Alex Song is now training with the first-team rehab fitness coach to get to
the necessary level of fitness after five months without football.

Joey O'Brien is back in full training from Thursday morning after his calf
injury, while we welcome James Collins, Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate
back to Chadwell Heath following their international duty with Wales and
Senegal respectively.

Winston Reid came off at Sunderland with an injury and Aaron Cresswell
suffered a minor injury in training. Both are working hard ahead of the game
on Saturday.

Finally, Doneil Henry's rehabilitation is going very well after he underwent
an operation for a hernia.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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A TALE OF TWO MANAGERS!
By S J Chandos 14 Oct 2015 at 08:00
WTID

Slaven Bilic has told the club's official website that he could not turn
down the opportunity to return because he missed the Hammers in the 18 years
that he was away. Of course, that period of absence included his abortive
move to Everton, the end of his playing career in his native Croatia and his
subsequent managerial career with Hajduk Split, the Croatian national side,
Locomotiv Moscow and, latterly, Besiktas. And during that whole time he
continually followed West Ham's results wherever he happened to be anywhere
in the world. He stated, 'I followed West Ham wherever I was.' Why? Well it
seems that 'once an Hammer, always a Hammer' and it also seems the fan base
has quite a bit to do with it. He asserts:

'Once you play for West Ham, or once you have been connected with West Ham,
it stays with you for life. I missed it during my time away from this club
because it is a special club, a cult club, but what really makes West Ham
special is the fans.'

This interview needs to be quoted because it provides the perfect antidote
to the critical stuff coming from Sam Allardyce, upon his appointment as
Sunderland's new manager. I know that the comments are in response to the
loaded questions of sports journalists, but why be drawn in to opening up
old wounds with former clubs? A less supremely self-confident manager would
have given a stalling, non-specific answer, and focused on his move to a new
club. Yes, praise your new fan base, but avoid making negative comments
about the fans of former clubs. The stuff relating to Mrs Allardyce reading
the comments on the Hammers fans websites is classic. Negative or offensive
comments on social media can only hurt you if you let it. There is always
the ultimate option of logging off and staying away from it. Perhaps Mrs
Allardyce should have tried that? Now (for the time being at least) all is
'sweetness and light' with the Sunderland fans. One Toon website did make me
laugh when they made the essential point that the difference between
Newcastle and Hammers fan (on one side) and Sunderland supporters (on the
other) is that the former have actually experienced the football that
Allardyce teams play at their worst! While the latter still have that
dubious pleasure to come.

There were undoubtedly aggressive and offensive comments regularly posted
about Allardyce during his managerial tenure. Some of it was unfair, some of
it was OTT and some of the criticism was understandable. I always sought to
be fair about Allardyce and attempted to provide a balanced appraisal and
critique. One factor that was always worrying was Allardyce lack of respect
for the traditions of the club, a questioning of the 'West Ham Way' that he
has popularised, with the likes of Alex Ferguson and media types, like Alan
Shearer, propagating that disrespect. Funny that – Alex Ferguson used to
know what the 'West Ham Way was' and he clearly stated so on previous
notable occasions, only to suffer a failure of comprehension by the time he
re-published his biography with those added chapters. He has clearly
acquired an antagonism towards the club after Man Utd lost two titles at
Upton Park and, latterly, suffered a 4-0 league cup humiliation at the hands
of Grant's poor (destined for relegation) side of 2009/10. Generations of
journalists knew as well, I grew up reading match and other reports that
regularly waxed lyrical about the Academy, our footballing philosophy and
role in winning the 1966 World Cup. Indeed in the 1960s and 1970s we were
referred to as the 'Aristocrats of English football.' What a accolade, that
has now apparently degenerated in to widespread, media disrespect. How that
happened is another story!

Anyway, my minor rant over, back to Allardyce and Bilic. The reality is that
Sam Allardyce created most of the problems that he had with the West Ham
fans (I cannot comment on his relationship with the Toon fans). The
questioning of our traditions and the cupping of the ear incident after that
Hull City match were major low points. When he became Manager, I urged him
to confound his critics and try to play attractive football within the
playing resources at his disposal at that point. Yes, be direct on
occasions, but also mix it up. Acquiring the Hammers post was a great
opportunity to draw a line under the 'long ball' reputation that he so
bitterly resented.Unfortunately he did not take that advice. Rather than do
it voluntarily and early in his tenure, he was forced in to it as board
policy in his final season at the club. And it has to be said (in fairness)
that Allardyce's improved squad (with superb players like Sakho, who he
allegedly did not even want!) did play some very good stuff that season,
especially prior to Christmas. But it become very obvious that a parting of
the ways was inevitable at the conclusion of last season and rightly so. It
is virtually impossible to argue for the retention of a manager with a
record of 3 PL victories after Boxing Day. Although that record was
conveniently forgotten when bewilderment at his exit was widely opined in
the media!

Still, 'what has been done, has been done'. Why cannot Allardyce just take
pride in his 'achievements' over his four seasons at the club, leave out the
controversial stuff and concentrate on his new club? In contrast, Bilic has
handled his public relations expertly and with some considerable skill. I
believe he has a genuine love for the club, but pragmatically, Bilic also
knows the value of having the fans on-side. However, where Bilic also scores
highly is with his ability to manage expectations and ground them where the
club actually is in its ongoing development. Similarly, he is also very
gracious to others and even publicly acknowledged the value of Allardyce's
work in the club's resurgence and re-building the squad. It is a great that
quality that many other managers really could learn from.

Incidently, and in conclusion, everyone talks about Bilic's brief stint at
the club, lasting under 18 months (January 1996-May 1997). But few recall
that he very nearly re-joined the club after he was released by Everton. In
fact, Bilic was training with the West Ham squad in pre-season and Harry
Redknapp was very keen to sign him again on a free transfer. Only for the
deal to be scuppered by the results of his medical, which revealed an
underlying major injury. He subsequently returned to Hajduk Split and played
for a final season until retiring and then entering management with his home
town club.

So, there could have been an earlier second coming as a player in 2000.
Instead, it happened in 2015, as Manager. If you doubt me, check it out! .

SJ. Chandos

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DON'T BE SURPRISED IF SAM COMES AFTER NOBLE, SAKHO & OTHERS
By Iain Dale 13 Oct 2015 at 08:00
WTID

I have a real sense that Sam Allardyce has come to the conclusion that he
was badly treated at West Ham. And he's a man who holds a grudge. He likes
to get even. Sadly for him he has to wait until January to do that.

It's my view that between now and then he will try to unsettle several of
our players. He may not do it overtly but do it he will, using his network
of media contacts. James Tomkins has been the player mentioned so far, but I
can't see any way that he'd want to move north. In fact, there is no way I
think any of our better players would want to go to Sunderland. Yes, Sam may
well save them from relegation, but they are a team which will never
progress beyond yoyo-ing between the Premier League and the Championship.

My bet is that Mark Noble is the player he may well set his sights on. Or
even Diafra Sahko. I'm sure the board wouldn't entertain selling either, but
Allardyce is the sort of manager who would get off on 'playing the game'.
All managers are tempted to raid their previous clubs and Sam will be no
different. I don't know who his 'pets' were at West Ham but be sure as night
follows day that he will come after them.

I'm sure I am not alone in getting slightly weary of Allardyce playing the
victim. The fact is that if he had won more than 3 in 21 in the second half
of last season I am sure he would still be in his job. He blames everyone
but himself.

Sunderland are welcome to him.

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YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING - OH NO, THERE IT IS!
By HamburgHammer 12 Oct 2015 at 08:00
WTID

You can Adam and Eve me, I tried. I really did whatwith the boring
International break, the OS issue simmering along as usual, players about to
return from injury and no new signings (or players leaving the club) to talk
about I was still determined to avoid the Sam Allardyce issue at all costs.
I wanted to be a good boy, let matters lie and not waste a thought,
nevermind an article about the man some like to call Big Sam as if they had
been drinking with him in the same pub for 30 years.
And indeed our club has moved on and very nicely at that, with a new manager
doing and saying all the right things at the right time, some new exciting
players to marvel about, much better football and an exciting (while also
being somewhat frightening and sad) move into the OS getting ever closer.


Samuel Allardyce has signed a two year deal to manage at Sunderland. After a
nice extended holiday on his part filled with some punditry to stay in touch
with football.
The move was not a surprise from Sunderland's point of view. They are
staring relegation right into the boat and need all the help they can get as
quickly as they can.
With Allardyce though I had the firm belief that he had had enough: Enough
of the pressure of the media circus, enough of the pressure arising from
(deluded) fans' expectations, enough of being criticised for his perceived
dinosaur tactics on the pitch and finally also enough money earned over the
years in order to be able to somewhat relax and forget about keeping teams
up for once.
I fully expected him to settle for a career as a TV or radio pundit. The
media people all seem to love him to bits, his unique mixture of
grumpy-jovial guy from the street kind of demeanour and ready quip.

I also seem to remember Allardyce saying he no longer needed to manage a
club just to keep it up as he had done that numerous times and was no longer
interested in that.
Listening to him I would have expected him (if at all) to join a big club in
Britain or abroad that would play regular Europa League or Champions League
football, but the harsh truth here seems to be none of those were really
that interested in signing Allardyce. He seems to have been filed by club
hierarchies in that drawer of managers who play a certain style of
no-nonsense football that keeps clubs safe more often than not, but not much
else beyond that.

Now why do I ramble on about Allardyce then I hear you asking ? Well, it is
because of some quotes from an interview in the Sun on Sunday I read upon
his arrival at Sunderland which got my blood pressure up to a less than
healthy level. Here they are:

"When I was at West Ham my wife, Lynne, would constantly read the supporters
website to see what new insults were being fired. It upset her but she
couldn't keep away from the screen. Now she's been reading the Sunderland
fans' site and she tells me the reaction has been very positive, which makes
me feel very excited to get going.
Everyone wants to be praised and to feel wanted and I just hope I can give
the Sunderland supporters some of the excitement they are looking for."


My first reaction is: Good on the Sunderland fans. They show their new
manager a lot of goodwill and support right from the start, they are
desperate for someone to help their club back on track and they are just
hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel.
As for Allardyce's wife I am sorry that she had to read a lot of bad stuff,
harsh stuff, undeserved over-the-top bile at times, but you know what the
internet is like.
It brings out the best and the very worst in people and should not be
confused with real life. On the other hand Allardyce gave the fans loads of
reasons to criticise him, on and off the pitch. Criticism should have been
expected and for that reason I would agree with Mr.Allardyce that his wife
maybe would have been better off NOT reading the West Ham forums.

What I am angry about is this notion that Allardyce (understandably) wants
to feel wanted and loved and how he apparently didn't find that kind of
appraisal and love at West Ham. It takes two to tango Mr.Allardyce. In my
view the relationship between a football club's manager and the fans is not
like love between two people. In love (or marriage) you are supposed to love
someone unconditionally. There is no reason for love. You love someone
because you do. You'd throw yourself into the way of a bullet for them,
You'd do everything in your power to make them happy without expecting them
to love you back or get anything in return (it would be nice of course but
it doesn't always work like that).

As a West Ham fan I do not love any manager like I would a woman. With
football it's more like a business relationship. I want him to treat the
club well, pay respect to our fans and traditions, play some decent football
and I'll be happy regardless of league position really. But I want the
manager to love the fans back to a degree so to speak.
Which brings me to Allarydce: If he was so desperate for appraisal or wanted
to be loved by the West Ham fans why didn't he show some love himself ?
Why did he have to start his reign by laughing off the West Ham way ?
Why did he never respect our traditions as a club and our way of playing
football which always contained a certain creative, a flair element to it
even if results didn't always go our way ?
Allardyce in my view got quite a lot of goodwill and support from West Ham
fans when he took us over. It's what he did in the following months and
years that turned the tide against him and rightly so.

In my view a manager will only be truly cherished and loved by the fans if
he loves them back, Bilic at Besiktas being a good example, Klopp at
Dortmund, Lyall at West Ham.
I don't remember Allardyce ever investing much into his relationship with
the West Ham faithful, so I am not surprised he didn't get much love back
At Sunderland it's early doors. Don't forget he also managed their rivals
Newcastle before, so once that honeymoon period at the Stadium of Light is
over and results are not going to plan the love affair may turn sour
quickly.

At that point Mrs.Allardyce may better want to refrain from reading those
Sunderland forums anymore. Love is a curious thing. Allardyce may well do
his usual thing again and keep Sunderland up. But he shouldn't expect much
appraisal or love coming his way if he pulls some of the stuff he did at
West Ham with the Sunderland fans.
In that respect Allardyce may want to take a leaf or two out of Bilic's book
about how to strike up and maintain fan relationships.

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West Ham can increase OS capacity beyond 54,000
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 14, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Fifteen year Jack Sullivan, son of West Ham Chairman David Sullivan has
revealed West Ham can increased their capacity beyond 54,000 if there is
enough demand. Asked by Hammers fan Alfie Sharman "Can the Olympic Stadium
be more than 54,000 if we keep selling out?" Jack simply replied 'Yes it
can!"

The Olympic Stadium has reduced from 80,000 seats to around 66,000 seats
with up to 12,000 of those screened off in football mode but Jack's comment
appears to confirm West Ham have the ability and ambition to go beyond
54,000 if demand is there.

Planning permission and the stadium safety certificate currently restricts
capacity to 54,000 but both those could be remedied if West Ham and Stadium
owner E20 Stadium LLP wanted to. They might need to add extra toilets and
facilities but again this should prove a major challenge. If capacity did
increase to 66,000 it would make West Ham's rented stadium the largest in
the Premier League in London surpassing the Emirates and Chelsea & Spurs
planned stadiums. It would become the second largest stadium in the Premier
League behind Old Trafford.

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Young Jack's January window verdict
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 14, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Jack Sullivan – sounding more like his Dad than his Dad – has given a pretty
strong indication there is unlikely to be any January signings.
ClaretandHugh revealed from its own sources yesterday that this January
could be the first ever when the two Davids fail to bring in p layers. The
arrival of the deadline day signings meant that the Hammers ended the summer
with every player they had sought, spending around £10 million more than
originally planned.

And asked on Twitter whether there was any likelihood of more arrivals Jack
gave the sort of answer Dad would have offered. In respnse to a follower's
question he said: "We are always looking for new players! Yet you rarely get
a good deal in January. You will have to wait and see."

Good answer but in de-coded form it means: "Probably not injuries
permitting." However, the squad could certainly do with another right back
and with the possibility of Joey O'Brien, James Collins or both heading for
the north east, the possibility remains we might see a new face.

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Sam: Irons spoke to managers behind my back
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 14, 2015 in News
C and H

Sam Allardyce has told the Sun newspaper that he knew that West Ham were
talking to other managers behind his back while he was still in contract
with them. As part of the serialisation of new autobiography, Allardyce
claims that he knew the Hammers hierarchy were secretly speaking to other
managers in a bid to replace him, and specifically named David Moyes as a
manager.
"I'd already decided that was going to be my last season at West Ham," said
Allardyce. "I knew David Moyes had been contacted about taking my job and
there were probably several others," he said. Moyes was once the odds on
favourite to join West Ham with bookies briefly suspending taking bets on
the 52 year Scot but he decided to remain in Spain with Real Sociedad and
West Ham turned their attentions instead to Slaven Bilic.

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"Dont give up" plea on leading Hammer
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 14, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham fans have been told not to give up on Andy Carroll The club's
record signing has recovered from a very minor injury to an ankle injury
which kept him out of the game against Norwich and ready to take his place
in the squad for the trip to Palace. The player's injury woes has almost
become the stuff of legends since his Upton Park arrival but co chairman
David Gold has pleaded with the fans to remain patient. Speaking to
ClaretandHugh exclusively the co chairman said: "Nobody should give up on
Andy. He's looking strong and fit and could remain fit for a long time. "We
were just being cautious when leaving him out of the squad against
Sunderland because there was no need for us to do otherwise. "But he's
raring to go again and we are al right behind him – there really should be
no question of giving up on the lad. He can have a very good career at West
Ham United."

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Bilic boost for Palace clash
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 14, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic will be spoiled for choice up front this weekend as the Hammer
head for Selhurst Park. ClaretandHugh understands that every forward at the
club is now fit for the first time this campaign thus presenting some
difficult choices for the manager. Andy Carroll, Enner Valencia and Mauro
Zarate – who has looked outstanding in training – are all in the frame and
will be battling for a role. However, it's quite possible that Manuel
Lanzini will hold on to his first team shirt as the player to take the
weight off Dimitri Payet up front. Manager Slaven Bilic made a point of
pointing to his contribution after the last game against Norwich City and
is likely to stick by him. Carroll is more likely to be handed a place on
the bench along with Valencia but the manager will wait until nearer the
weekend after running fitness checks on the remainder of his players before
naming the squad.

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Gold attacked on Twitter
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 14, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has been attacked by a Twitter follower upset at the club
leaving the Boleyn for the Olympic Stadium.
@MrTomEllmore launched his attack by snapping at the chairman: "come off it
gold all you see is the money. What about the history."
He followed up in a separate tweet adding that "the board didn't care about
the club or fans – only the money."
After the chairman responded that he and David Sullivan care passionately
for the club and hadn't made a penny out of it in six years, the follower
added that he wasn't the only fan who didn't want to leave the Boleyn.
That brought a one liner from DG who said:" I know and I'm disappointed with
you both. dg"
Still not content, his antagonist replied: "The fact you can only reply with
sarcasm shows how pathetic you are."
Given the Olympic Stadium deal is done and dusted, this does feel like an
exercise in wasted energy…but that's Twitter for you!

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Michael Carrick pays special tribute to his West Ham days on Twitter
HITC
Tim Poole

The Manchester United midfielder says he had some of his best days with West
Ham. Michael Carrick has paid special tribute to his West Ham United days on
Twitter. Replying to another former Hammer in Richard Garcia, the Manchester
United midfielder reflected on his days in a young West Ham side -
suggesting they were some of the best in his career. The 34-year-old spent
five years at Upton Park, although that included two loan spells elsewhere.
He then joined Tottenham Hotspur before leaving Spurs for Manchester United,
where he has played his football from 2006 to the present day, winning
multiple titles during his time at Old Trafford.

The experienced midfielder is currently one of three main central playmakers
who are rotated by Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, alongside Bastian
Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin.
For England, meanwhile, the 34-year-old could be one of Roy Hodgson's
starters at Euro 2016. Carrick clearly has fond memories of his West Ham
days, however, as do many of England's best players in the last few years -
Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and more. As for the Hammers these days, a
tough trip to Crystal Palace awaits Slaven Bilic's men this weekend.

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West Ham fans are 'deluded' and the players think it too, claims Sam
Allardyce
RICHARD PARRY
Evening Standard

Sam Allardyce stands by his claim that West Ham fans are 'deluded' over the
style of football that should be played by the club. The 60-year-old
returned to management last week having taken a break from the game
following his departure from Upton Park last summer. His relationship with
the Hammers fans was acrimonious at best, and there's clearly no love lost
between them. He first branded the West Ham supporters 'deluded' back in
2012, after the team was booed during a 2-0 win over Peterborough United
while playing in the Championship. In an extract from his forthcoming book,
Big Sam, serialised by the Sun, Allardyce accused Hammers fans of still
being deluded by the 'West Ham way', insisting the players thought it, too.
"As soon as I was appointed West Ham manager in 2011 the big debate was
whether I would follow the 'West Ham way', which nobody could ever define
but, whatever the hell it was, apparently I didn't play it," he said. "I
felt the West Ham was ought to be about wearing your heart on your sleeve,
showing passion for the club and winning. "But the fans were being
brainwashed into thinking that, historically, the club had a particular
style of play akin to Barcelona, which was potty," he continued. "I once
called the supporters deluded and I stand by that. I don't know who invented
the 'West Ham way' phrase, but it's a millstone around the club's neck.
"None of the players would admit it, but they used to sit in the dressing
room at half-time going: 'listen to them, never f***ing happy, slaughtering
us all the time.'"

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Jack Sullivan offers his opinion on Ravel Morrison
HITC
John Verrall

Ravel Morrison played for West Ham United for three years, but left to join
Lazio over the summer. Jack Sullivan, the son of West Ham United co-owner
David, has tweeted his admiration for Ravel Morrison. Sullivan hosted an
impromptu question and answer session on social media site Twitter earlier
today, and he was asked by a Hammers supporter to give his opinion on
Morrison.
The attacking midfielder is a player who divides opinion, but Sullivan had
nothing but praise for the 22-year-old. Morison played for West Ham for
three years between 2012 and 2015, and he showed glimpses of his talent
during that time. The England youth international was magnificent in bursts
during his time at Upton Park, but he was unable to sustain that form and
was often shipped out on loan as a result. In the end, Morison's attitude
was brought into question and he was eventually allowed to leave in the
summer of 2015, once his contract expired.
Morison is now playing for Lazio, but his time in Serie A has not been
particularly productive either, making just two appearances for his
Rome-based employers to date.

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Sam Allardyce will never truly understand West Ham fans
Date: 14th October 2015 at 2:11 pm
Written by: Matt Bourne | Comments (0)
foreverwestham.com

Sam Allardyce's comments about West Ham have been well documented the past
couple of days and it's easy to understand why. The former Hammers boss has
a new book to sell and he mentions the West Ham fans, painting them in quite
a negative light: "I felt the West Ham way was about wearing your heart on
your sleeve and showing passion for the club and winning. "But the fans were
being brainwashed into thinking that, historically, the club had a
particular style of play which was akin to Barcelona, which was potty. "I
once called the supporters deluded and I stand by that. I don't know who
invented the 'West Ham way' phrase, but it's a millstone around the club's
neck. "I've talked to my predecessors Alan Curbishley, Alan Pardew and Harry
Redknapp and they got it in the neck from the crowd as much as I did."

On the whole, Big Sam's reign at West Ham was efficient. The club are now a
secure Premier League side with high ambitions for the future. However, to
call the fans deluded for a second time seems harsh. Also, Hammers fans
don't expect Barcelona-esque football; they just want to be entertained.
There were times last season when the fans were right to voice their opinion
as the football being played was tedious, especially in the latter half of
the season.

Allardyce mentioned how Bilic has a big challenge on his hands: "The fans
won't turn up if West Ham are playing fantasy football and losing 5-3 every
week. Slaven Bilic is the new man in the hotseat and good luck to him. He
will need it."

The thing is, if West Ham lose a game of football 5-3, chances are it'll be
entertaining. The Bournemouth game this season was a bit of a disaster and
it certainly wasn't boring. If a West Ham team wants to entertain and please
the crowd, that is all most Hammers fans ask for. So, Mr Allardyce, the West
Ham Way is not some delusional fantasy, it's a plea for a bit of footballing
entertainment. In all fairness, Slaven Bilic is delivering that in abundance
right now.

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ALLARDYCE HITS OUT AT "BRAINWASHED" & "DELUDED" WEST HAM FANS
By Ste Hoare
readwestham.com

Sam Allardyce, who has just been appointed as manager of Sunderland, has hit
out at the fans of his former club West Ham, saying they've been brainwashed
into thinking that the West Ham way of playing is a necessity and that
nobody can even describe what it is.

As soon as I was appointed West Ham manager in 2011 the big debate was
whether I would follow the 'West Ham way', which nobody could define but,
whatever it was, I apparently I didn't play it. I felt the West Ham way was
about wearing your heart on your sleeve and showing passion for the club and
winning. But the fans were being brainwashed into thinking that,
historically, the club had a particular style of play which was akin to
Barcelona, which was potty.

In his new autobiography Big Sam, the new Sunderland manager says he doesn't
regret calling his former club's supporters deluded, and that the demand to
play "the West Ham way" holds the team back.

I once called the supporters deluded and I stand by that. I don't know who
invented the 'West Ham way' phrase, but it's a millstone around the club's
neck.
Big Sam also says that previous managers and the current playing staff also
agree with his criticism of the level of expectation placed upon them by the
supporters.

I've talked to my predecessors Alan Curbishley, Alan Pardew and Harry
Redknapp and they got it in the neck from the crowd as much as I did. None
of the players would admit it, but they used to sit in the dressing room at
half-time going: 'Listen to them, never f*****g happy, slaughtering us all
the time.
Allardyce says that the label he had as a long ball manager was unfair.

My 'long ball' label was started by Graeme Souness, who got upset whenever I
beat him when he was at Blackburn or Newcastle and was picked up by Arsene
Wenger and Rafa Benitez.
West Ham move into a new stadium next summer, and Allardyce says that the
demand to both win and to play attractive football could lead to some
anxiety at ownership level, and that could put pressure on new manager
Slaven Bilic.

It must be a big anxiety for the owners, who need to fill the 54,000-seater
Olympic Stadium with entertaining and successful football next year. The
fans won't turn up if West Ham are playing fantasy football and losing 5-3
every week. Slaven Bilic is the new man in the hot seat and good luck to
him. He will need it.

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Dimitri Payet reveals the warning he gave Slaven Bilic before summer
transfer
11:48 14 October 2015
London 24
Jack Green

West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet looked for assurances from Slaven Bilic
about his side's playing style before he made the move. Payet moved to Upton
Park from Marseille in the summer for a fee in the region of £12m and he has
been hugely impressive this season. The Frenchman has contributed four goals
and three assists in just eight games as the high-flying Hammers sit eighth
in the Premier League. Payet has been a revelation during his short time in
English football but he could easily have turned down the chance to join
West Ham in the summer.
The 28-year-old has revealed that before he signed he told Slaven Bilic he
would be of little use if the the team was going to play long-ball football
and not utilise his talents. Payet told l'Equipe: "I told the coach before I
signed: 'If I come here and the balls are going over my head, I am not going
to be of much use.' "He assured me about the project that he wanted to put
in place. We have quality up front. We are still struggling in certain games
to play our game, but we are improving."

Payet admits the step up from Ligue 1 to the Premier League is not an easy
one to make, but he says that he was ready for the challenge at this stage
in his career. "It is not easy to go from a club in the second half of the
Ligue 1 table to the Premier League," he said. "At 28 and after having
played for Marseille, I felt ready. "I had offers in the past, but, when I
look at the level, it would have been difficult to come here when I was
younger. Ok, if your name is Eden Hazard, then, you know there is not going
to be a problem. "At West Ham, we have enough to make two starting XIs. If
you are not good, they can quickly put someone in your place and forget
about you."

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