Daily WHUFC News - 14th December 2015

Zarate laments Stoke stalemate
WHUFC.com

Mauro Zarate says West Ham United 'need to do more' if they are to turn a
recent series of draws into wins. The Hammers have finished level in four of
their previous six Barclays Premier League fixtures – losing the other two –
including Saturday's stalemate with Stoke City at the Boleyn Ground. The
Argentinian came within inches of scoring the winner in an entertaining, if
goalless, clash with the Potters, but his second-half shot cannoned back off
the outside of the post. Zarate also completed 30 of his 36 attempted passes
- six of them key, including a number of dangerous crosses. "I thought it
was going in when I hit it and it was unlucky," said the No10, who also hit
the woodwork in a 0-0 draw at Manchester United the previous weekend. "We
created many chances but we can't score – we can't score against Man United
and we can't score."

While some players might have been content with another point added to the
tally, Zarate is not one of them. Instead, the former Velez Sarsfield, Lazio
and Internationale star insists the Hammers need to improve their
performances if they are to start winning again.
A rollercoaster match saw both sides enjoy periods in the ascendancy, with
West Ham creating 22 shots on goal – nine of them on target – and Stoke
substitute Mame Biram Diouf twice testing Adrian when clean through late on.

Finally, James Tomkins and Cheikhou Kouyate both saw efforts cleared off the
line in the final seconds, and Zarate was left to lament a draw that was
'not enough' to satisfy him. "I think it's tough on us," he continued, "but
we have to win at home. It was a good match and we did a decent match
ourselves, but we have to do better if we want to win. "They created some
chances in the second and Adrian had to be really good. The zero-zero was
not a normal result because they created some chances and we did our job
too, but a draw is not enough for us. "We needed that goal at the end and we
needed to do more if we wanted to win."

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From the Newsroom
WHUFC.com

BBC London Sport reporter Nick Godwin says there are still plenty of reasons
for West Ham United to feel upbeat about this season... Saturday's game was
terrific. It was a great game of football and West Ham created a lot of good
chances. To be honest, Stoke created some good chances as well, and it could
easily have finished three-all. I suppose, when you have got as many
injuries as West Ham have got in attacking areas, it is going to take time
to gel. Michail Antonio made his first start, Mauro Zarate is being asked to
take a lot of responsibility and Andy Carroll is a very different player to
Diafra Sakho. It's not all going to click automatically. There is going to
be a bit of time needed for these players to bed in. Enner Valencia has also
come back in after basically missing the whole season, aside from two games,
so I don't think people expect West Ham to be scoring a lot of goals at the
minute. The turnover of attacking players has been so great. Previously, it
was Sakho, Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Victor Moses, so basically this
is an entirely new front line.

The West Ham fans really appreciated the work of Carroll and Zarate and the
goals will come, but I think they're just going to take a little while
because the personnel keeps changing. That's understandable. At the other
end, West Ham have got some terrific defenders. Angelo Ogbonna has come in
and James Tomkins is playing well at right-back, and they've kept two clean
sheets in a row. The punch line these days is that keeping a clean sheet at
Old Trafford is easy but, let's be honest, it isn't.

Adrian made a couple of terrific saves on Saturday from Mame Biram Diouf,
who probably should have scored one of them, if not both.
There are positives to take from West Ham's recent run. The fact is they
have hung together when, more or less, they have lost their five best
players this season, and drilling out results away from home and not
buckling to a Stoke side who took Manchester City aside the previous
weekend. The fact West Ham have got through their last two games – and not
picked up any fresh injuries on Saturday, I understand – means they go into
the horrendously busy festive part of the campaign in relatively good shape.

Lesser teams would have folded, but West Ham haven't. Everyone said they had
a stronger bench this season and I think that's true – Antonio was fantastic
on Saturday, for one. I think the next few games will be interesting.
Swansea aren't in great form and Aston Villa aren't very good, so they are
games in which West Ham will have to try and make the weather themselves,
which has been difficult for Slaven Bilic's team. I get the feeling that, if
Payet is back in three weeks and Lanzini is back for the Swansea game, those
are massive boosts. If Enner Valencia gets some fitness into his legs as
well, you've got three of the four missing attackers back. I thought Andy
Carroll was excellent on Saturday, so these are all positive things going
into those games, where West Ham will have to do more of the playmaking. You
get the feeling that, because they've been so good for so much of the
season, West Ham know how well they can play and know the way back to those
high standards, so a couple of bits of luck should see them continue to
thrive.

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Michail Antonio fulfils dream with first Premier League start for West ham
By Paul Vinnell
Last Updated: 13/12/15 1:02pm
SSN

Michail Antonio shook off his 'missing man' tag as he finally got a chance
to impress for West Ham on Saturday. The winger had made just a handful of
appearances of the bench for the Hammers since his £7m summer switch from
Nottingham Forest. Even co-chairman David Gold appeared to have forgotten
about Antonio, mistakenly retweeting a picture of him after an internet
prankster appealed for information on a 'missing friend'. But amid an injury
crisis at Upton Park, Antonio was handed his first start against Stoke and
grabbed his opportunity with an all-action display in the goalless draw.
"Michail did really well," said manager Slaven Bilic. "He worked hard and
has been waiting for his chance. Now he has got it and he used it really
well. "Sometimes it is hard for a player to come in and take their chance
when they get it. But he did exactly that and I am really pleased for him."

Antonio went close to claiming all three points for West Ham but his
second-half volley was beaten away by City keeper Jack Butland.
With Victor Moses ruled out for around six weeks with the hamstring injury
he suffered against Manchester United, Antonio is likely to feature heavily
over the Christmas period. "It felt unbelievable to get a chance," he told
the club website. "This was my boyhood dream to play in the Premier League
and I've managed that. "Playing at Old Trafford last week set me up well for
this game. It showed me the levels of the league and it was a good 50
minutes. He added: "They have been 0-0 draws, but they haven't been 0-0
games. Against Man United we had quite a few opportunities, and in this game
I had quite a few opportunities. "We hit the post with Mauro Zarate as well,
so we definitely have the attacking threat, it's just putting it in the back
of the net."

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WHERE ART THOU ANTONIO?
By Zaman Siddiqui 13 Dec 2015 at 07:00
WTID

Antonio against two Stoke players
This is our third successive match that has ended in a draw. We won 2-1
against the champions Chelsea on the 24th of October and were 3rd that
gameweek, but a run of 4 points from 6 games has seen us drop down to 8th,
if not lower this week. A failure to get a win against Swansea, who nearly
beat City yesterday, would result in a winless run of two months! They are
currently without a manager having sacked former player Garry Monk on
Wednesday. I felt a draw against the Potters wasn't the worst result we had.
They had won three of their last four games with victories against last
season's top two along the way. Regardless, they started the day in 11th,
whilst we started off in 7th. If Liverpool win today, there will only be two
places between us just to show how well we need to perform to get back in
the mix for European qualification.

According to WhoScored, we were missing our top three players yesterday,
namely Payet, Lanzini, and Reid. Winston picked up a hamstring injury during
training at Chadwell Heath. Bilic made the decision to move into the new
training headquarters at Rush Green before schedule, despite the fact the
facilities are not completed. It is a good move, as we really can't afford
any more injuries. Additionally, the manager defended the training schedule.
Reid, alongside Moses, will be out until the New Year. Regarding the New
Zealander's injury, the gaffer said: "It's one of those they tell you is
four to six weeks but it doesn't look like a small one." On top of that,
Reid also felt it rupture. I am irate there has been another injury picked
up by a striker without any contact with another player. Valencia picked up
an injury against Everton without contact, but is back in action. Valencia
and Carroll could play quite well, if Bilic feels the need to play both
strikers next week, given that we have only scored 2 goals in 6 matches.

This match emphasised just how much depth we have in our squad. This is our
fourth season in the Premier League, and as such, we have built up our side
very well with cover in all areas. There is a lot of quality on show, with
Tomkins playing well in the RB position: we have not conceded a single goal
when he has played there. Our players are very flexible, with Kouyaté
capable of playing as a CB, CDM, and a presence in the box. Valencia is also
capable of playing as a winger. The Senegalese midfielder is also the joint
best goalscorer for us in the BPL this season along with Zárate. He
contributes well to our passing style of play. However, that is not the case
for Mauro, as he looks like that guy on Pro Clubs in FIFA who won't the pass
and try to do it all by himself.

The club has confirmed that they won't be spending big bucks in the January
transfer window. It is understood we are at the limit of our wage bill. We
have spent £32M in the summer, which is why we can't spend anymore. There
are two approaches we can take. The first is to spend more to ensure we have
improved in the league, and to keep our league standing high. The second is
to spend less, so that we free up our budget for our first season at the
Olympic Stadium. The lowest we have finished since being promoted in 2012 is
13th, so I am very certain that we won't be relegated. Most bookies have us
being relegated at 100/1, which is less than 1%, so I think we can redefine
the term 'mathematically safe'. I feel that a finish in the top 12 is enough
for us to build up momentum for the next season. Us and Everton finished in
12th and 11th last season, but are very likely to finish in the top 8 this
season.

This may have been another goalless draw, but there was a lot of action,
which should of led to quite a few goals. There was a bizarre chance for
Stoke, as a free header for van Ginkel was not met by him or Adrián. van
Ginkel missed a volley from about 8 yards out, which should of put the
Potters 1-0 up. Antonio got forward with a counter from a Stoke counter, in
which he ran into Pieters. Arnautovic missed another fabulous chance, in
which he was 6 yards out. Collins had a couple of chances from a free-kick,
which could have gone in, but for the number of players in the way.
Shawcross passed the ball into the path of Noble who doesn't have much pace,
as he got into the box, but lost possession to Shawcross who backtracked him
superbly. Noble went down, but there was not enough contact for a penalty to
be given by Andre Marriner. Cresswell's low cross across the box is cleared
by Wollscheid, which prevented Antonio from scoring before HT.

The game was adapted to suit Carroll's style of play. In the first half,
getting passes to him in the final third didn't work. Antonio hit a volley
well, but it was straight at Butland. The former Forest man beat Carroll to
the ball. Valencia came on for Song, and had a good impact on the game. An
Arnautovic free-kick hit the crossbar, in which a volley from Bojan was well
over. A cross from Zárate for Carroll is off-target with a strong challenge
from Pieters who was a rock. Valencia's free-kick is dipping from 35 yards
out, but is touched over by Butland. We know how good the Ecuadorian is from
distance. Mauro came closer, as he dribbled across the box, and hit the
crossbar with Butland beaten there. Diouf's shot is magnificently saved when
he is 1 on 1 against Adrián. In the final moment of the game, Kouyaté had a
chance to steal it, but his header was cleared off the line by Butland. The
game deserved a draw, but not a 0-0 draw. It should have been at least 1-1.
Michail Antonio had a great home debut today. I hope he continues his fine
form, as he has a lot of physicality and pace. The hologram has just been
fully projected onto the pitch!


The form in the Premier League never ceases to astound me! Swansea are
bottom of the form table, whilst we are 17th. It should be a cagey affair at
the Liberty Stadium. Bournemouth have won their last two matches against
Chelsea and now Manchester United. They could just stay up, despite the many
injuries they have. They are currently 14th. But the real praise should go
to Harry Arter, who lost a child at birth. He played yesterday on Saturday
Night Football against the side that won 2-1 against Man United. Eddie Howe
appraised him for how well he handled the incident with "real dignity".
Massive respect for him. Our thoughts are with Harry and his family.

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At last a pundit with Irons interests at heart
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 13, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

There wasn't a great deal of it but it was pleasing to get a positive MOTD
reaction from the studio pundits following the match. The match recording
confirmed the feelings of most of us during real time – that in the end a
draw was probably a fair result on the balance of play. Danny Murphy and
Alan Shearer both seemed pleased with the football on display and the former
Fulham man – during a very brief summary – said: "I'm really pleased for
West Ham that they are continuing to pick up points during all their injury
problems." And Shearer added: "It was a good game from two good sides."
After all the perceived knocking from a certain BBC pundit it was good to
see that at least one has our best interests at heart. Thanks Danny.

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Injury reports: good news looks likely
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 13, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

An interesting trend which is giving rising hope on the injury news front is
developing at West Ham. Yesterday saw the return of Enner Valencia from an
ankle injury he sustained against last month and the early reports were he'd
be out until the New Year. Instead he was back nearly three weeks early and
the same could be true of Manu Lanzini. He took a knock in training ahead of
the Manchester United game and after being informed he'd be back for
yesterday's game we were later told he could be out for six weeks. However,
that may now have been changed with the manager saying he is likely to be
fit for the Swansea game adding that: "Dimitri Payet is making good progress
so who knows?"

All of this follows a series of statements and predictions which have often
caused much public discussion whilst at times proving inaccurate. Even when
it was well known yesterday ahead of the game that Enner Valencia was
certain to be on the bench, David Gold in his 'From the Boardroom' column on
the official site referred only to "keeping fingers crossed for an early
return". One source told us: "People are being more careful and the longest
return date is now being quoted rather than the shortest or the 'hoped for.'
"As a result it's conceivable there could be some pleasantly surprising news
emerging, as we have already seen with Enner."

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"We create many chances but we can't score"
Posted by Sean Whetstone on December 13, 2015 in Videos, Whispers
C and H

Mauro Zarate told a TV interviewer post match "We create many chances but we
can't score, we can't score against United, we can't score against Stoke at
home, we need to score to win. We have to win at home, it was a good match,
a decent match but we have to do better if we want to win, we have to do
more. They created some chances in the second half, Adrian was really good,
0-0 was a result but a draw is not good enough for us, we need to more if we
want to win"

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Noble and corners? Oh dear!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on December 13, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Local boy Mark Noble might be a great skipper and a world class penalty
taker but he can't take corners. Yesterday, we saw the majority of Mark
Noble's corners go out of play before any advantage could be taken by the
home team desperate for a goal. This not a new problem. I for one, have
never rated Noble's corner taking but Sam Allardyce and now Slaven Bilic
continue to pick him as the primary corner taker. When Dimtri Payet joined
we saw a completely different level of corner taking for the Hammers but
since his injury we have drifted back to mediocre corners, many of which
have been wasted opportunities.

West Ham have won 82 corners this season in 15 games, averaging over 5
corners per game with a total of 11 during yesterday's 0-0 draw with Stoke
City. With a recent drop off in our creative attacking and goals from
players like Payet, Sakho and Lanzini we really need to take advantage of
these set pieces. Get practising those corners Nobes or make way for someone
else to take the corners!

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