Daily WHUFC News - 23rd November 2015

Spurs take derby day spoils
WHUFC.com

Barclays Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 West Ham United

West Ham United's winless Barclays Premier League run stretched to three
matches as Tottenham Hotspur scored a 4-1 win at White Hart Lane.
Two goals from the in-form Harry Kane and one apiece from Toby Alderweireld
and Kyle Walker were enough for Spurs to secure the local derby spoils in
north London, and render Manuel Lanzini's late rocket a mere consoltation.
Cheikhou Kouyate saw his scissor-kick leave Hugo Lloris' crossbar shaking
seconds after Kane's opener, but in truth Mauricio Pochettino's side were
deserved winners on a cold afternoon in N17. Prior to kick-off, thoughts
turned to events in Paris nine days previously, where more than 130 people
lost their lives in a series of horrific terrorist attacks. The French
national anthem was played before both teams joined for a team photo in a
show of support and solidarity. When the game began, the Hammers started
brightly and forced a couple of corners, but neither caused any significant
alarm inside the home penalty area. The same could be said for Aaron
Cresswell's eighth-minute shot from 35 yards, which flew high into the stand
behind Hugo Lloris' goal. After making a slow start themselves, Mauricio
Pochettino's team sprung into life on 21 minutes, when a slick passing move
involving Walker, Hueng-Min Son and Mousa Dembele ended with Christian
Eriksen shooting left-footed and Adrian diving full-length to claw away for
a corner. Two minutes later, the Spaniard was helpless as Kane blasted high
into the net for his fifth goal in successive matches. The striker reacted
quickest after England squad-mate Dele Alli's shot had been blocked and span
into his path.

The game was now well and truly alive and West Ham could have been level
within two minutes themselves. Mark Noble's shot was blocked high into the
air and was met flush by Kouyate's scissor-kick, only for the acrobatic
effort to thump the same crossbar his header flew under last season.

West Ham's frustration grew still further on 33 minutes when Spurs doubled
their lead with a Premier League-leading eighth set-piece goal of the
season. While West Ham's defence failed to react quickly enough, Eriksen's
left-wing corner was met by the unmarked Toby Alderweireld, who powered a
glancing header into the net.

It could have been even worse for Bilic's side before half-time as Kane
raced onto Alli's fortuitous through ball, before scuffing his shot horribly
wide of Adrian's goal with only the No13 to beat.

The 22-year-old made no mistake when he was given another chance five
minutes after the break, though, smacking a low shot past Adrian after James
Tomkins' pass had been intercepted by Danish playmaker Eriksen.

Spurs were now in complete control and could have gone further in front had
it not been for Adrian, who made a fantastic double save to deny Son and
Eriksen.

Bilic made a pair of substitutions with just under half-an-hour remaining,
bringing on Mauro Zarate and Nikica Jelavic, but neither could find the goal
the Hammers needed to get back in the game.

Instead, Tottenham continued to create chances, with Kane testing Adrian and
Walker flashing a cross inches beyond Son's boot.

West Ham's first opportunity of the second half fell to Winston Reid, but
his header from Zarate's corner was grabbed comfortably enough by Lloris.

Frustrations threatened to boil over on a couple of occasions, with Noble
and Sakho both seeing yellow following altercations with Alli and Walker,
who were also booked.

Substitute Ryan Mason was then denied by Adrian before Walker made
absolutely sure by racing forward and curling his shot into the far corner
with the outside of his right foot.

Lanzini then lost goalscorer Walker before beating Lloris with an
unstoppable left-foot drive into the roof of the Tottenham net, but by the
time the Argentine's fifth of the season went in a large number of West Ham
fans had understandably made for the exits.

Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris (c), Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose, Dier,
Alli (Mason 70), Son, Dembele, Eriksen, Kane (Carroll 90)
Subs: Vorm (GK), Trippier, Townsend, Onomah, Davies

Goals: Kane 23, 50, Alderweireld 33, Walker 84

Booked: Alli, Walker

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Reid, Cresswell, Noble (c) (Song 79),
Kouyate, Sakho, Moses (Zarate 63), Lanzini, Carroll (Jelavic 63)
Subs: Spiegel (GK), Ogbonna, Oxford, Antonio

Goal: Lanzini 87

Booked: Noble, Sakho

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: 35,968

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Noble - This defeat hurts us the most
WHUFC.com

West Ham United captain Mark Noble admits the 4-1 defeat against Tottenham
hurts the players the most this season but they have vowed to put things
right when they face West Brom next weekend.

After recording memorable away wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester
City this season, Slaven Bilic's side failed to hit the same standards at
White Hart Lane.

Two goals from Harry Kane helped Tottenham record a 4-1 victory and not even
a late strike from Manuel Lanzini could help lift the spirits of the
travelling supporters.

Noble admits it could have been a different game if Cheikhou Kouyate's
scissor kick had gone in minutes after Tottenham's opener, but says they
want to get the defeat out of their system quickly and get straight back on
the winning trail in the next home game.

Noble said: "This defeat hurts us the most because it is a London derby. We
have been on the winning side a lot over the last few years.

"They scored from a set play in the first half and we were not out of the
game at that point. We had a couple of chances ourselves and Cheikhou hit
the crossbar.

"If that chance goes in it is a different game. But when you go 2-0 down in
a London derby it is tough to come back from.

"But they scored straight after half-time and that made it virtually
impossible for us. It was a disappointing day.

"Goals at home can lift the crowd and when Harry Kane scored it made life
that much harder for us. The third goal really killed us and it was sloppy
play from us.

"But we need to put this behind us and look forward to West Brom which is
another game on television and put things right."

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Bilic frustrated by Tottenham errors

Slaven Bilic apologised to West Ham United supporters after watching his
side finish up 4-1 Barclays Premier League losers at Tottenham Hotspur.
The manager admitted his team had been second best in all departments at
White Hart Lane, where two mistakes set Spurs on their way to a comfortable
victory. The Hammers snatched a late consolation goal through Manuel
Lanzini, but Bilic told West Ham TV he was sorry for the ribbing the Claret
and Blue Army will take from their Tottenham-supporting work colleagues or
schoolmates on Monday morning. "Of course I want to apologise to them
because it's a special kind of game and tomorrow it's not going to be very
good for our fans to go to work with the Spurs teasing them and all that,"
the manager stated. "First, I want to apologise to them and second I want to
promise them that we're going to bounce back and we're going to prepare for
a game against West Brom and we're going to be back on the winning track."

On a cold Sunday afternoon in north London, Bilic's team froze after a
bright-ish start, falling behind to Harry Kane's strike on 23 minutes after
Dele Alli's shot had been blocked into his path. Cheikhou Kouyate then
thumped the crossbar with a scissor-kick before the unmarked Toby
Alderweireld's header made it 2-0. James Tomkins' errant pass allowed
Christian Eriksen to set up Kane for Spurs' third five minutes into the
second half before Kyle Walker added a fourth with a well-placed finish,
rendering Lanzini's late rocket a mere consolation.

Having had two weeks to prepare his squad – albeit one without the injured
Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia – for the derby, Bilic could not hide his
disappointment. "I cannot pretend I am not disappointed because I am and the
dressing room is very, very quiet, of course," he explained. "We are all
disappointed and it simply wasn't us. We didn't play good. "We started OK
and had some points where we were good around their box. They were pressing
and are good in that and scored a goal from their first chance with a bit of
luck, but we were too deep in that situation and invited them to be close to
our goal a lot of times, and then there's always a risk you will make a
mistake. "To be fair, the second goal was a cheap one from the corner. At
half-time I said we were not happy but we were still in the game and I was
expecting us to bounce back and score a goal, then it is still open, big
time.
"Their third goal obviously killed us in that moment and after that
unfortunately, we have to be happy with 4-1, which is a very, very bad
result, especially against Spurs in a derby game."

At least two of Tottenham's goals could have been avoided with better
concentration from the Hammers, but Bilic was not making any excuses for his
side's defeat. "We can say that and we can say we hit the post after they
scored the first and their third was a big mistake from an individual error,
but they had a couple more chances in the first half so they could have had
four goals at half-time," he said, honestly. "I have no excuses for this
performance. We have to say they were much better than us. "On one hand,
we're going to analyse this game. On the other hand, we're going to put this
game to bed as soon as possible and prepare for our next gam e."

Bilic and West Ham will seek to end their three-match winless run when they
host West Bromwich Albion at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday 29 November.

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Ladies edged out by Brighton
WHUFC.com


West Ham United Ladies put in a strong defensive performance, but couldn't
stop Brighton & Hove Albion securing a 1-0 win at Sussex FA HQ on Sunday.

In a fixture where the Hammers had their backs to the wall for the majority
of the game, Brighton tested the Hammers Indian international goalkeeper
Aditi Chauhan several times, but just couldn't beat her.

That was until the 74th minute when Brighton struck the winning goal as a
stray ball into the box from Deanna Cooper found a way past Chauhan.

Marc Nurse had a reshuffle of his pack after the Hammers' recent defeat away
to Tottenham Hotspur a week ago. Chauhan was again named between the sticks
at the end of a week where she celebrated her 23rd birthday and being named
the Woman in Football winner at the Asian Football Awards, whilst Teni
Charles made her West Ham debut in attack and Kelsey Smith awaited her debut
on the bench.

Brighton narrowly missed out on victory over the Hammers a number of weeks
ago at AFC Hornchurch when midfielder Shirvae Edwards came off the bench to
fire in a vital equaliser against the run of play.

Fast forward to Sunday and the Seagulls instantly went about their business
as the aimed to go one better this time and secure all three points, but the
Hammers defence, led by captain Katie Bottom, were strong and continually
denied their hosts.

West Ham managed one shot on target in the whole of the opening 45 minutes,
but Italian midfielder Giulia Ferrandi could only find the grateful hand of
Brighton keeper Faye Baker from distance.

In the second half, Brighton continued their relentless attack of the West
Ham goal, but the visitors refused to be budged and ensured that they stood
strong.

The deadlock was broken with just over 15 minutes left when Cooper managed
to find the net from a cross which totally evaded all the Hammers defence,
including Chauhan.

West Ham tried their hardest to try and start an attacking move, but the
Seagulls were too strong and could have scored again in the closing stages.

The game went from bad to worse when Nurse's side had to end the game with
just nine players as Italian midfielder Erika Campesi picked up an injury in
a strong tackle, whilst Hannah Wheeler was unable to continue and had to be
taken off.

Brighton looked to make use of the extra numbers and extend their lead, but
again Chauhan was the last line of defence that refused to be beaten again.

Nurse's side will be hoping for three points when they head to Plymouth
Argyle on Sunday 29 November, with kick-off at 2pm.

Ladies: Chauhan, Ritson, Wheeler, Bottom (c), Strange, Campesi, Miller
(Anderson-James), Ferrandi, Charles (Smith), Pinna (Hinz). Subs not used:
Sammons, Edwards.

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Bilic slams team after derby day humbling
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd November 2015
By: Staff Writer

Slaven Bilic laid into his team after they were heavily beaten by neighbours
Tottenham at White Hart Lane this afternoon.

Bilic was hugely disappointed by his team's performance after they went down
4-1 in this afternoon's big Premier League clash and accused his team of
failing to raise their game for the occasion.

"The performance matches the result," said Bilic. "They were better than us.


"Up until the first goal they were pressing us but didn't create a lot. We
also had some situations in the last third of the pitch. The first goal
lifted them and we went into a bit of shock.

"We were two-nil down at half time but were still in the game. We needed to
raise our game, to be more focused and hungry on the ball and to be better
in the transitions when they were really good.

"But the third goal, which came out of a mistake just killed us and to be
fair, it could have been more."

And the manager, who saw his team fall to only their second away defeat in
the Premier League since he arrived at the club admitted that his team got
exactly what they deserved.

"On the one hand we've got to forget the result but we've got to talk about
this game because of the games we've got to play," he added.

"We've shown so many times that when we are focused we are a good team. But
we weren't good enough to get anything out of that game."

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Man stabbed ahead of Tottenham's match against West Ham
Last Updated: 22/11/15 9:05pm
SSN

A 35-year-old man is in a stable condition in hospital after being stabbed
in the abdomen outside White Hart Lane ahead of Tottenham's game with West
Ham. The Metropolitan police have confirmed they were called to an incident
at 3pm on the junction between White Hart Lane and Tottenham High Road prior
to Sunday's London derby, which ended in a 4-1 win to Spurs. The victim was
taken to an east London hospital, where he remains, and Haringey CID are
investigating. However, no arrests have yet been made. West Ham are aware of
the incident and are working with police but Tottenham were unavailable for
comment when contacted by Sky Sports News HQ.

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West Ham United are a mid-table team, says Scott Parker
Last Updated: 22/11/15 9:16pm
SSN

Scott Parker says West Ham are a mid-table team and are suffering a blip in
confidence after a good start to the season following their 4-1 defeat to
Tottenham on Sunday. West Ham have done well on their travels so far this
season with wins against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, but have
now lost their last two. Slaven Billic was without midfielder Dimitri Payet
for the trip to White Hart Lane, who was ruled out for up to three months
after a tackle by Everton's James McCarthy. "West Ham are a mid-table team,
they have some very good players and I see this as just a blip in
confidence," Parker said after the game on Super Sunday. "It depends how
quickly you can bounce back from it. Billic is right when he says 4-1 in a
London derby hurts a little bit more and they need to try and re-group a
bit. "I didn't think there was much in the first 15 minutes, their game plan
was going quite well. The space between the back four and midfield was quite
condensed and it looked like a bit of an early boxing match in terms of
trying to weigh each other up, but goals are important in games and after
the first one went in, it was a tough afternoon for them.

"At the start of the season, it was probably a surprise to see Billic come
in, probably a bit of a risk if anything. You know what you get with Sam
Allardyce but he's come in and done a fantastic job, got some early results
which were probably a bit false on the scale of where they were in the
league. "But confidence is key, so hopefully they can pick up some results
now and get going again."

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp echoed the same sentiments during the
post-match analysis, and thinks West Ham fans have been subject to some
'unrealistic expectations' so far this season. "I think they've been
punching above their weight. You only have to look at their results so far
and if you're a West Ham fan, you're in dream land because you're beating
Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City away and they're starting to have
unrealistic expectations. "Billic has done a great job and they're playing
good football but I think they're a mid-table team. I don't think we should
get too excited thinking they can get into the top four. Watford away and
today have been damaging on the team and you can see the confidence draining
out of them and they've got to pick themselves back up."

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Slav gets it all wrong as AC flops again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 22, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

It's hard to say it but whichever way you try explaining this afternoon's
disaster it started at Slav's door and was exacerbated by some very poor
performances from several players.

The minute I saw the team sheet – probably like most of you – I knew we were
done for! Andy Carroll through the middle and Diafra Sakho wide? Never…not
in a million years – we've been here before and it doesn't work. End of.

Sakho's effectiveness was reduced by about 50 per cent and Carroll didn't
reach that percentage in another awful display.

We really can't keep feasting off one winning goal against Chelsea from him
however tasty it was at the time.

He is not a threat and his reputation is rapidly becoming a myth perpetrated
by people with an agenda. Andy Carroll as the replacement plan for a team
that plays around Dimi Payet – err sorry how does that work?

Blimey, even the £2 million Nikica Jelavic looked a far better player than
him and produced a great ball for Lanzini's goal. In other circumstances
we'd be raving about it as Payet-like.

Sakho has to play through the middle. it's as simple as that and as has been
said many times, at best, Carroll is an impact sub.

Like the boss I didn't believe we were out of the game at half time but not
for the first time a defensive error – again by James Tomkins – sealed our
fate.

That was most certainly not JT's first error of the season that has led to a
goal and today's incident may be the moment when his run in the team came to
an end with Anglo Ogbonna fit and raring to go being recalled.

After all an £8 million signing can't sit out on the bench forever and
Tomkins may have made it very easy for the boss to do what some of us have
been hoping for over the last two weeks – recall the big Italian.

Talking of leaving players on the bench, where does Michail Antonio go from
here? Surely the perfect moment to see what he's got arrived when the third
goal went in and there was nothing to lose.

That he didn't get anywhere near the action was a shock to me and starts to
pose big questions about his future. Mauro Zarate gave us nothing and could
himself have been withdrawn to make way late on for the £7 mllion signing.

The sub-plot in all of this that went almost unnoticed was the arrival Alex
Song taking the place of the man everybody has been naming as the victim of
his recovery from injury – Mark Noble.

The captain can I think prepare for a difficult rest of the season should
Song come back to anything like his best.

The manager has had a bad day at the office but I refuse to throw stones. In
the words of an old song: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

We are gonna be fine but today was horrible. We simply have to suck it up
and move on.

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Police make statement on stabbed Hammers fan
Posted by Sean Whetstone on November 22, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Metropolitan Police have confirmed a 35-year-old male believed to be a West
Ham supporter was stabbed in the abdomen around White Hart Lane one hour
before kick-off in a statement this evening.

The statement says: "Police are called at approximately 15:00hrs on Sunday,
22 November, to reports of a stabbing in White Hart Lane at the junction
with Tottenham High Road. Officers and London Ambulance and London's Air
Ambulance attended and found a 35-year-old man with a stab wound to his
abdomen. He was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a
stable condition."

The injured fan remains in the Royal London hospital having sustained minor
injuries. The police have recovered a blade at the scene. Both clubs are now
working with the police to identify those responsible.

The police statement also commented on the reports of a 14 year old being
stabbed: "Detectives are aware of reports that a 14-year-old boy had also
been stabbed within the vicinity of White Hart Lane. At this stage we have
yet to receive a report of this nature and detectives are investigating only
one reported stabbing. We await details as to whether anyone has self
presented at hospital with injuries consistent with being stabbed."

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