Daily WHUFC News - 24th January 2016

West Ham United 2 Manchester City 2
WHUFC.com

Enner Valencia netted two goals but West Ham United had to settle for a
point after Sergio Aguero's late equaliser denied the Hammers another famous
victory over Manchester City. A pulsating game saw the Hammers lead twice,
only for City's talisman to deny the hosts a thrilling victory in what was a
wonderfully breathless game played out under the Boleyn Ground floodlights.
Valencia fired home two confident finishes, netting in the opening minute
before Aguero levelled from the penalty spot. The Ecuador forward put West
Ham back in front from Michail Antonio's superb long throw early in the
second half, only for his fellow South American to snatch a point nine
minutes from full-time. Earlier, Slaven Bilic's side had made the dream
start, with the No11 continuing his recent hot streak by netting after just
55 seconds. Cheikhou Kouyate showed great skill to burst past Yaya Toure
down the left-hand side before crossing the ball for Valencia, who made no
mistake, firing a low shot past Joe Hart. Valencia's goal was the second
quickest in the Premier League this season, with only Bournemouth's Matt
Ritchie beating it by scoring against Tottenham Hotspur after just 49
seconds. City could have been back on level terms on six minutes after a
quick free-kick over the top was well controlled by Aguero, who lobbed over
Adrian and the ball hit the inside of the post. The danger signs were
clearly there and the two-time Premier League champions drew level a few
moments later after they were awarded a penalty after Aguero was brought
down inside the box by Carl Jenkinson. The Argentine forward picked himself
up and slotted the spot-kick low to Adrian's right as the Spanish keeper
dived the wrong way.

There was more bad news for the home side as Jenkinson was forced to leave
the action on 13 minutes through injury – suffered to his left leg in
challenging Aguero for the penalty – allowing new signing Sam Byram to make
his debut at right-back. The Hammers could have taken the lead on 33 minutes
after Michail Antonio had been set clear by Dimitri Payet but he was brought
down by Martin Demichelis. The home support felt the City defender should
have received more than a yellow card as Antonio seemed to be through on
goal, but referee Craig Pawson deemed a booking as the appropriate
punishment. From the resulting free-kick Dimitri Payet saw his curling
free-kick superbly saved by Hart in the City goal, who produced a
sensational save with one hand to push the ball away. The teams went in
level at the break after an outstanding opening half, but if anything the
second period was even better...

City started arguably the stronger after the break and hit the woodwork once
again on 55 minutes when Fabian Delph broke clear into the area and saw his
left-foot shot clip the far post. The visitors were made to pay as Valencia
added his second of the game for the home side just a minute later.
Antonio's quickly-taken long throw-in caused all kinds of problems for
Nicolas Otamendi, who failed to hold off the challenge of the Ecuador
forward and Valencia struck the ball past Hart. The Hammers could have added
a third on 65 minutes when Alex Song fired a shot inches past the post.

The game continued to flow this way and that, with Manuel Pellegrini
throwing on a number of forwards in the hope of turning the game around
again, and it was that man Aguero who got on the scoresheet once again to
make it 2-2 on 81 minutes. City substitute Kelechi Iheanacho caused all
kinds of problems inside the Hammers penalty area and, as defenders made
desperate challenges, the ball fell to Aguero who struck the ball into the
bottom corner. The last chance of the game fell to Kouyate, as Payet's
free-kick landed on his head inside the box, but the ball bounced off the
top of the crossbar and over to Hart's relief. With that, Mr Pawson brought
a fabulous game of football to a close. The Hammers had to settle for a
point but it was another impressive performance and the players will be full
of confidence as they prepare for the Emirates FA Cup fourth-round tie
against Liverpool next Saturday.

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson (Byram 13), Collins, Reid, Cresswell,
Song, Noble ©, Kouyate, Antonio (Moses 65), Payet, Valencia (Jelavic 87)
Subs not used: Randolph (GK), Ogbonna, Obiang, Oxford

Booked: Noble, Byram

Goals: Valencia 1, 56

Manchester City: Hart, Sagna, Demichelis, Otamendi, Clichy, Toure, Delph
(Iheanacho 76), Navas (Sterling 67), De Bruyne, Silva (Fernando 83), Aguero
Subs not used: Caballero (GK), Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Tasende
Booked: Demichelis, Toure, Fernando
Goals: Aguero 9 (pen), 81

Referee: Craig Pawson
Attendance: 34,977 (2,997 away)

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Byram enjoys 'unbelievable' debut
WHUFC.com

A week ago, Sam Byram was helping Leeds United to a 2-0 FA Cup third round
win over Rotherham United. Eight days later, the 22-year-old was thrown into
the intensity of a Barclays Premier League clash between West Ham United and
Manchester City, played in front of 35,000 noisy fans under the Boleyn
Ground floodlights and a worldwide television audience. Byram opened up
against £54m man Kevin Bruyne, keeping the Belgian at arm's length before he
was replaced by £60m England international Raheem Sterling, who got nowhere
against the former Leeds star. You would not have guessed it, as Byram
emerged from the substitutes' bench to produce a performance full of poise,
confidence and promise as the Hammers secured a thrilling, if ultimately a
little disappointing 2-2 draw. "To be fair, I was surprised to come on that
early," said Byram, who celebrated by meeting Hammers fan Russell Brand and
former Oasis frontman and City supporter Noel Gallagher after the final
whistle. "I was over the moon to be on the bench and be involved and see how
they do things down here. "When I walked out of the tunnel and saw the
bubbles in the air and saw a full house with the fans cheering, it was
great. Then to be thrown on, I was really happy. "When you've got players
like we've got in our team, it makes it easier, because you've got two or
three options every time you get it and I think it really helps when you've
got players like that."

Byram's chance came earlier than expected, with the No22 replacing the
injured Carl Jenkinson within the opening 15 minutes. Despite having never
played a minute of Premier League football in his career, the youngster
settled immediately – especially after playing a ridiculous 40-yard one-two
with the sensational Dimitri Payet. "It was obviously a massive step up. At
the start of the game when I was watching, you could obviously see the speed
and it was very fast. "When you're on the pitch it's a different game. You
try to stay calm and cool and, with the players we've got in our team, it
makes it easier to play. "The crowd were unbelievable. Whenever I got the
ball and tried to do something, I got a cheer off them and it really does
help when you're making the step up to this level."

Taking the emotion of the game being his debut out of the equation, was
Byram disappointed not to be celebrating a victory over Manuel Pellegrini's
side? "I think we're a bit disappointed we didn't win the game, considering
we played very well in spells of the game," he said. "I felt we pressurised
them very well when they had the ball and we didn't give them the respect
they expected. "I think we created some very good chances and we're
disappointed not to get the three points."

Byram will miss next weekend's FA Cup trip to Liverpool as he is cup-tied,
but the new boy is hoping to have given manager Slaven Bilic food for
thought for the remainder of the season. "Hopefully I've given the manager
something to think about. That's what I've tried to do since I came in. I'm
just trying to get my head down and work hard and do my best for the team."

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Bilic - I'm proud
WHUFC.com

It is a marker of how far West Ham United have come this season that Slaven
Bilic could talk with a tinge of disappointment that his side were pegged
back by Manchester City in Saturday's 2-2 draw. The Hammers were denied a
famous double over the Citizens by Sergio Aguero's 81st minute leveller,
after Enner Valencia's double had sandwiched the Argentine's first goal.
West Ham were terrific, with Dimitri Payet pulling the strings in midfield
and Valencia leadling the line brilliantly – leading to Bilic's feeling of
pride overtaking that initial disappointment. He said: "When you play like
we played tonight and you are 2-1 up at home with ten minutes to go, of
course you are disappointed when you finish 2-2 – especially when you hit
the post in the dying seconds of the game. "We were closer to winning, but
nobody can deny that they didn't deserve the point, because they had
chances. They scored two goals and they hit the post twice too. "We are a
little bit disappointed but that only shows how well we played. You are
never happy with the point, but much more than that I am proud of my team
and the way we presented West Ham tonight."

West Ham's start could not have been better, with Valencia scoring inside
the first minute, but they then had to recover from adversity when first
Aguero equalised, then Carl Jenkinson went off injured – and Bilic was
pleased with their response. He continued: "It was a great start – a great
goal and everything. "Then, first it's 1-1 from a controversial penalty,
shall we say, then Carl Jenkinson was injured so we put young Sam in such a
demanding game when he was not even supposed to be on the bench. "It gave
him a chance to play and he played really well, if not excellently. For me
it was very important that we showed stability after 1-1. We were really
contesting the game tonight, that's my point of view. We were not good, we
were excellent. "You have to defend well, you have to defend with numbers,
you have to be aggressive then you have to be good on the ball if you want
to penetrate them and we were all that."

Bilic also had high-praise for his two-goal striker Valencia, who showed
just what he is capable of. He added: "We didn't talk about Enner since the
beginning of the season, only because he got injured before the start of the
season. "His quality has always been sky-high and not only goals,
everything. His contribution, he's great in the air, he's got a great touch
and he's torturing the defences that have to play against him.
"He deserved this kind of performance."

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Parfitt-Williams' hard graft paying dividends
WHUFC.com

After netting his fourth goal in three games, 19-year-old forward Djair
Parfitt-Williams said he was delighted that his hardwork is paying off.
The versatile player, who can play on either wing as well as upfront, is
enjoying his rich vein of goalscoring form which has contributed to the Dev
Squad's nine game unbeaten run. Speaking after bagging a brace away at
Fulham on Friday 22 January, he beamed: "I'm delighted of course, I mean,
I'm scoring goals and providing a few assists so I'm doing well. "I think
for me, and the team, we are all confident. We're winning games, we're
passing it well, and we're doing very well in general."

Having made his first team debut in the early rounds of the Europa League
campaign, Pariftt-Williams had to be patient for his first goal of the
season – a neat finish away at Exeter City's U21s. Now, with four to his
name in the last three games, he is certainly playing with renewed
confidence: "I work hard and do the best I can do every day, everyone here
does that's why we are playing as well as we are. "I'm not sure what it is
that I'm doing differently, maybe that extra bit of hard-work, thankfully
it's paying off now."

He and his teammates will now hope that the explosive player can maintain
his form for Wednesday's quarter-final U21 Premier League Cup clash with
Blackburn Rovers at Rush Green, 7pm, free admission. Looking ahead to the
game with Rovers, Parfitt-Williams said his side are relishing the prospect
of extending their cup run: "We've got a lot of confidence going into the
quarter-final, we know that we can beat anybody. "We did the same thing last
week as well, coming back from a goal down. I think that's the best sign of
our confidence that we're able to keep passing it around even if we're
losing, knowing that we're good enough to create chances and win games."

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West Ham 2 Man City 2
23 January 2016
Last updated at 20:11
By Gary Rose
BBC Sport

Manchester City lost ground on Premier League leaders Leicester City as
Sergio Aguero scored twice to rescue a draw at West Ham. Enner Valencia
struck from inside the area after 53 seconds for the Hammers but Aguero
equalised with a penalty after he had been fouled. The hosts retook the lead
when Valencia capitalised on hesitant defending by Nicolas Otamendi to stab
in. However, Aguero struck from 10 yards late on to earn his side a point.
The result means Manchester City are second, three points behind Leicester,
while West Ham are sixth.

A good point, but City's away form a worry

Of the sides in the top three, Manchester City boast the worst away record.
They have won just four games on the road all season, while their last five
away trips have seen them pick up just six points from a possible 18, a far
from ideal record for a side challenging for the title.
David Silva was not his usual, dangerous self against West Ham. He made just
one key pass (yellow arrow) inside the area, while several of his passes in
and around the West Ham area were unsuccessful (red arrows) Against West
Ham, it was their inability to complete the basics of defending that was of
particular concern. They switched off in the first minute to allow West Ham
to score, but their defending for the hosts' second was particularly poor.
Michail Antonio's quick throw initially caught out Otamendi, but he still
had the time to be able to clear before Valencia nipped in to poke home.
Luckily for City they had Aguero to rescue them, but with away trips to
struggling Sunderland and Newcastle coming up, Pellegrini's side can ill
afford such lapses in those games.

Hammers to challenge for Europe?

After a strong start to last season West Ham dropped away at the turn of the
year, winning just three more Premier League games. The Hammers were
similarly impressive in the first half of the current campaign but,
crucially, they look capable of continuing that through the second half of
the season this time. They had won three of their four games in 2016 prior
to the visit of Manchester City, and boast an impressive record against top
seven sides, having lost just twice to the sides around them. In Dimitri
Payet they have one of the most exciting player in the Premier League and he
tormented City throughout, with only a world-class save from Hart denying
him a goal. With West Ham six points behind fourth-place Tottenham, a
top-four finish might be a tough ask, but their recent form suggests they
will be prompting a few nervous glances over the shoulders of their rivals.

Toure struggles to make an impression

Yaya Toure made 36 passes in the opposition half - only David Silva made
more - but his accuracy was just 69.4% There has been plenty of uncertainty
about Yaya Toure's future in the newspapers this week, but City boss Manuel
Pellegrini has urged the midfield to concentrate on helping his side
challenge for the title. Pellegrini clearly felt Toure is fully focused on
the task at hand as he recalled him for the trip to West Ham, but was
sluggish at the start. He was left woefully wanting when Cheikhou Kouyate
ghosted past inside a minute to set up Valencia for the opener. In the end,
Toure had more touches of the ball than any other City player, but struggled
to make a telling impression in the opposition half, with only defenders
Fernando and Otamendi having a worst passing accuracy than the midfielder.

Man of the match - Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero scored twice, won a penalty and hit the post

What they said

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It was a great game of football. I'm so
proud of our team and Man City. There was everything in it. Four goals,
chances, yellow cards and a penalty. "We were a little bit disappointed, but
I said to the players they shouldn't be. But if you are disappointed after
playing Man City then that's good."We defended well and created many
chances."

Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini: "It [a draw] was not what we wanted
before the game. If you analyse the whole game we had two or three clear
chances. It was a difficult game - I was not happy the way we conceded the
second goal. "It was a close game for both teams and a good game for both
sets of fans. It was end to end because both teams play in an attacking way.
"Sergio Aguero played very well and scored. I think he is 100% again."

The stats you need to know

Valencia's opening goal was the second quickest goal (53 seconds) in the
Premier League this season - Matt Ritchie's goal for Bournemouth against
Spurs was timed at 49 seconds.
Sergio Aguero has been involved in eight goals (six goals, two assists) in
his eight league appearances against West Ham.
All of Man City's four penalties in the Premier League this season have been
taken by different players (Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony, Aleksandar Kolarov
and Aguero).
The Hammers have scored three goals via thrown-ins in the Premier League
this season - Arsenal are the only other team to score via this method (1).
Aguero's scored his 89th and 90th goals in his 136th Premier League
appearance - the same number it took Ruud van Nistelrooy to hit the 90-goal
milestone. Only Alan Shearer (90 in 113 games) has done it quicker.

What next?

West Ham are in FA Cup fourth-round action at Liverpool on 30 January while
Manchester City's next game is at Sunderland in the Premier League on 2
February.

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West Ham United 2-2 Manchester City
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 23rd January 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham were eight minutes away from completing the double over Manchester
City before Sergio Aguero's late strike earned the visitors a share of the
spoils.

In a pulsating Premier League affair, West Ham took the lead through Enner
Valencia within 60 seconds - before Aguero levelled for the Citizens seven
minutes later from the penalty spot.

And although West Ham regained the lead midway through the second half with
the Ecuador international's second of the game, his opposite number matched
his feat with just six minutes of normal time remaining to earn City a share
of the spoils.

Many fans were still making their way to their seats when Valencia opened
the scoring with just 53 seconds on the clock. Cheik Kouyate, back to his
best today surged down the inside left channel before squaring the ball.

Only half blocked, his cross fell to the Ecuador international some 10 yards
from goal who fired underneath a helpless Joe Hart - whose first task of the
game was to pick the ball out of his net.

It took the visitors, hot on the heels of surprise Premier League
front-runners Leicester City just six minutes to find a reply - and that
came moments after the ever-dangerous Sergio Aguero had hit the post, after
cleverly lobbing Adrian from an acute angle.

Carl Jenkinson, restored to the team after a couple of decent appearances
from the bench tripped the tricky Argentine inside the box; Aguero dusted
himself down and sent Adrian the wrong way from the spot, to level the
scores once again. Jenkinson, with left peg and pride equally injured was to
be replaced moments later by new signing Sam Byram.

The Hammers, who were always the stronger team - yet also the second-most
clinical - went mightily close to regaining the lead with 33 minutes on the
clock when Dimitri Payet's perfectly-placed free kick produced a stunning
save from England's Joe Hart.

West Ham's latest poster boy was eager to please an adoring public and some
of his footwork was a joy to watch, perhaps some of the very best we've ever
seen, as he tricked, teased and tantalised City's Superstars®. At 28, Payet
may already be at his creative zenith but he, as much as Slaven Bilic even,
has been the catalyst for the positive feeling surrounding the club - and
its supporters - presently.

United - and Payet, naturally - opened the second half in similar stirring
fashion and Michail Antonio grazed the wrong side of the post when presented
with a free header from Mark Noble's deep cross five minutes after the
restart.

Five minutes later and it was City's turn to rattle United's woodwork, as
Fabian Delph's shot beat Adrian - but not the post. Byram, playing like a
seasoned pro on his debut may not have known much about it, but a slight
deflection via his trailing foot was probably the difference between the
woodwork intervening and the Citizens going ahead.

Pellegrini's side were still reflecting on a good chance gone begging when
they found themselves behind for the second time in the game, as West Ham
broke from the resulting play.

Antonio's quick throw - the kind of which we used to deride Stoke's Rory
Delap for - was hurled into the penalty area from afar and met by the alert
Valencia, who got ahead of marker Otimendi and stabbed it beyond a surprised
Hart from the edge of the six-yard area - as much of the crowd refrained
from celebrating immediately, presumably awaiting for the officials to rule
it out!

That should have been good enough to secure successive victories against
City this season, but that man Aguero was to have different ideas. With West
Ham's centre exposed, the visitors surged forward and an unfortunate touch
from Aaron Cresswell put the ball on a plate for the City striker who
restored parity for a second occasion.

That was that as far as goals were concerned but there was still time for
West Ham to level the 'hitting the woodwork' tally too. Deep into injury
time Kouyate's header beat Hart but not the bar, hence each team had to
settle for a point. Which, on balance of play, was probably the right
result.

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West Ham 2-2 Man City: Sergio Aguero scores twice to rescue point
By Oliver Yew
Last Updated: 23/01/16 10:58pm
SSN

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City came from behind to rescue a
point in a 2-2 draw with West Ham at Upton Park. It took West Ham just 53
seconds to take the lead, with Enner Valencia firing a low shot past Joe
Hart and into the back of the net. But in a frantic opening Aguero, who had
hit the post minutes earlier, levelled the scores from the penalty spot (9)
after being brought down in the box by Carl Jenkinson.
After the break, it was the home side that regained the lead with Valencia
capitalising on some poor City defending (56) but Aguero had the final word
with an 81st-minute equaliser. The result means City move up to second ahead
of Arsenal - who face Chelsea on Super Sunday - on goal difference, but they
remain three points behind leaders Leicester following their 3-0 win at home
to Stoke earlier on Saturday.

Slaven Bilic's side stay sixth but move a point behind Manchester United in
the European places. West Ham, who named new signing Sam Byram on the bench,
raced out of the blocks with Cheikhou Kouyate bursting past Yaya Toure
before firing a cross into the box which rebounded off Fabian Delph and into
the path of Valenica, who fired a low shot past Hart. Upton Park was rocking
after witnessing the second-fastest goal in the Premier League this season
but Manchester City responded well with Aguero bringing down Toure's long
ball and in one movement lifting the ball over Adrian, only to see it canon
back off the post. City did not have to wait long for the equaliser, with
Aguero exchanging passes with Silva before turning Jenkinson, who brought
the Argentina international down in the box with a reckless challenge.

Referee Craig Pawson had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Aguero
picked himself up off the floor to send Adrian the wrong way to level the
scores. Jenkinson's night was called to an end just four minutes later when
an injury meant he was replaced by Byram, who came on for a
quicker-than-expected Premier League debut just three days after his switch
from Leeds. The frantic pace of the game continued at Upton Park but we were
made to wait until the 34th minute for the next clear-cut chance and it fell
to the impressive Dimitri Payet. The Frenchman, who helped win the free-kick
after Valencia was hauled down by Martin Demichelis, curled a left-footed
shot over the wall and towards the top corner but Hart got across to to make
a world-class save.

Minutes later, Hart was called into action again as Aaron Cresswell's cross
looked destined to pick out Valencia at the far post, but the England
goalkeeper just got a fingertip to the ball. After the break Payet was
involved again, sending Mark Noble to the byline and he stood up a teasing
ball to the far post which Michail Antonio headed inches wide. Bilic's men
were gaining the upper hand but City went close to taking the lead against
the run of play in the 55th minute when Fabian Delph's shot beat Adrian but
rebounded back off the post.

Moments later, West Ham were back in front. City switched off at Antonio's
quick throw-in as Valencia latched onto the ball ahead Nicolas Otamendi to
fire the ball past Hart. West Ham's defence was being pushed deeper and
deeper as City searched for an equaliser and with just nine minutes
remaining, City substitute Kelechi Iheanacho bundled his way into the
penalty and the ball fell to Aguero, who steered it past Adrian.
There was still time for a winner and Aguero fired a shot straight at
Adrian, while Kouyate's stoppage-time header clipped the crossbar as Manuel
Pellegrini's men escaped with a point.

Player ratings

West Ham: Adrian (7), Jenkinson (5), Reid (7), Collins (7), Cresswell (7),
Kouyate (7), Song (7), Antonio (7), Noble (8), Payet (8), Valencia (8).
Subs used: Moses (6), Byram (7), Jelavic (5).

Man City: Hart, Sagna (8), Demichelis (6), Otamendi (6), Clichy (7), Toure
(6), Delph (6), Navas (6), De Bruyne (7), Silva (6), Aguero (8).
Subs used: Fernando (5), Sterling (5), Iheanacho (6).

Man of the match: Dimitri Payet

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West Ham and Manchester City fans 'clash inside Upton Park following Premier
League draw'
22:15, 23 JAN 2016 UPDATED 22:15, 23 JAN 2016
BY STUART BRENNAN
Fans appeared to exchange words before clashing at full-time, forcing
stewards to intervene and separate the two groups
The Mirror

The Premier League clash between West Ham and Manchester City was marred by
apparent violence at full-time. Rival supporters appeared to have to be
separated by stewards after the players had left the pitch following the 2-2
draw at Upton Park, report the Manchester Evening News. City fans in the
3,000-capacity away end in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand appeared to
exchange insults with the Hammers fans sat near to the visitors.
The row escalated and the two sets of fans briefly came together before
stewards flooded into the area to separate the two factions - as seen in the
video above. The game is likely to be the last between the two at the famous
old East End ground, as West Ham will move into the Olympic Stadium next
season. Upton Park used to be notorious at the height of football
hooliganism in the Eighties, with visiting fans often running a gauntlet of
trouble as they walked the few hundred yards from the nearby tube station to
the ground. The road they walked along, Green Street, became the title of a
film about hooligans

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e are the real deal – the best in 30 years
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

It's the real deal, the whole package of a quality squad and a top class
manager which we haven't seen in 30 years at our club. But of course the
years of heartache and disappointment only make times like this seem
sweeter.

Match verdict
I was hunting for the right words to sum up the Irons magnificent
performance against City this afternoon when they appeared in the form of an
FB message which I have reproduced above. Apart from the result everything
you would want from your team was on display: skill of the highest order,
energy, passing, goals, team spirit, a never say die attitude – the list
goes on and yet we all feel disappointed. It's now a cliche but honestly –
that's how far we have come in this magnificent season under a manager who
simply wants to win – he got just the one point today but Slaven Bilic has
no real respect for a point as his post match quotes demonstrate.

Yes, Dimi Payet and Manu Lanzini – when available – are always going to be
the headline grabbers but what was so great today was that the often overly
maligned Mark Noble organised a midfield battle which saw us battle and
harass City all over the park and win the scraps that mattered.
It took two mistakes – one from Jenkinson which almost defies words – and
another unfortunate miskick from Cresswell – for the City 'aristocrats' to
get their point. Some will believe they deserved it. I don't. Any team that
fails to defend a long throw in properly deserves nothing!
It's hard to find more words to describe Dimi Payer so here's just a dozen.
He's SUPREME, probably the finest player of his kind I've ever seen."
Alex Song was awesome – right back to his best, Michail Antonio was
fantastic and I was astonished when he was replaced by Victor Moses who has
nothing like the same impact.

And we haven't even mentioned the fabulous Enner Valencia who is finally
showing exactly why we splashed out £12 million for him. Two more goals and
a great all round performance. Then there was the arrival of Sam Byram who
looks a class act and despite the "he's one for next year" chat from manager
and chairman he looks more than ready for the Premier League to me. Some may
believe it's wrong to single out individuals after a team performance of the
highest quality but each of those guys deserves a special mention as does
Winston Reid – who was excellent after his lay off.
This is the team that Slav has put together and he always gives the credit
to his squad when things go well and shoulders responsibility when it all
goes pear shaped. None of us could have imagined the levels he would take us
to when he arrived and I'm very glad I wasn't careful about what I wished
for! Irons v Man City 2016 that will live long in the memory but then it
really has been that kind of season. Toby says it all much better n that
short and to the point statement above.

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Slav's so proud of his Hammers heroes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic declared himself immensely proud of his Hammers this afternoon
but declared: "We are all a bit down in the dressing room."

He said: "When you take the lead, get back in front, have chances to go 3-1
up and hit the bar it's very disappointing to come in with a draw."

Speaking immediately after the game he added: " I am so proud of the way the
lads performed. We played a really good game and at times it was nearly
perfect.

"They made us defend deep at times but we kept the ball, switched it around
and were penetrative. There was individual quality and although in the end
the result is important it is also about the way you play and we were very
good.

"It's great to watch Payet but I see those touches and flicks every day in
training from him and he knows how to make exactly the right pass at
precisely the right moment.

"It was also good to see young Sam Byram. He wasn't supposed to be in the
squad this week but he was so cool and confident for his age.

"If we continue to play in the way we did tonight then we have a chance in
every game we play whoever it is against."

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