Daily WHUFC News - 25th January 2016

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Reflecting on Alex Song's man-of-the-match performance against Manchester
City, manager Slaven Bilic is hoping that the Cameroonian international can
maintain the same level for the rest of the season. Since re-joining the
Club for a second year on loan, Song has struggled to reach the heady
heights of last season as injuries have hampered his fitness. However, Song
looked as hungry as ever against title chasers Manchester City, snapping
into tackles while demonstrating his impressive range of passing. When asked
about the midfielder, the manager responded enthusiastically: "Song had a
great game; we need him to play like that week in, week out. He is a very
important player. "He has already had some good games, at Old Trafford he
was really good. He is coming back from a long injury and it is hard, so it
has taken some time. But he has all the qualities in every area, he is a big
player for us. I am a big Song fan."

Another positive for the West Ham manager to take into his preparations for
the FA Cup tie away at Liverpool this weekend is the sense of
disappointment at only drawing with the Citizens.
Despite taking four points from Manuel Pellegrini's world class side, Bilic
and his players were left disappointed at not being able to make it a
historic double. The manager continued to explain why he thought this was a
good reaction: "My staff and the players are disappointed, but that is a
good thing because it shows the level we are at, the level our expectations
are.
"I am more proud than disappointed, we were fantastic. We had some great
individual performances but they were only the cherry on the pie and the pie
was the team performance. I am very proud of the guys. "This league is
impossible to predict, especially this season, every team is good enough to
beat anyone. I don't know where we are going to end up, but if we play like
this every week we'll be in a good way."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com

The Joint-Chairman shares his thoughts on the Manchester City game,
Saturday's FA Cup trip to Liverpool and the latest transfer news...

Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City was a fantastic game and everyone
gave their all. You can see some of the players were totally exhausted at
the end. You thought we might go on to nick it but it wasn't to be as
Kouyate's header clipped the crossbar. Whether their first goal was a
penalty or not I don't know. With Payet's free-kick I think there are only
three goalkeepers in the Premier League who would've saved that and
unfortunately we got one of them. It is also worth remembering that we were
missing three key players in Lanzini, Carroll and Sakho. I thought Sam
Byram, who wasn't expected to play, did very well on his debut. He had cramp
at the end as he'd missed a few days of training. It's a big jump and he's
got to adapt but I think he did well. On the other side they hit the post
twice so realistically it was probably a fair result. I thought the crowd
were phenomenal and really got behind the team.

Let's not forget how good Manchester City are and the quality they have.
They were bringing £50m players off from the bench. They had a strong team
out and their main striker is back to form and if he wasn't playing I think
we would've won. It's a strange feeling when you're coming away feeling
disappointed that you've only drawn. It was a phenomenal game and it shows
just how far we've come. As a Board we're very proud of the team. I was also
proud to welcome one of the world's great sportsmen to the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday – Gennady Golovkin. I am a big boxing fan and Gennady is a World
Middleweight champion, has won 34 of his fights and is rated as one of the
best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. I hope Saturday's performance can
give us even more confidence going into Saturday's Emirates FA Cup fourth
round tie at Anfield. I have said before we have nothing to fear as we have
shown repeatedly this season that on our day we are a match for anyone. If
we do get through I would love a home draw as we are now undefeated at the
Boleyn Ground since August. Let's hope we can maintain that run for as long
as possible. Another reason for hope is that we always seem to perform well
when the game is on TV. I do still hope Liverpool play a weakened team as
they've got a busy run of fixtures coming up. That's not to say that I don't
think we can beat their first team but it is a big asking winning at Anfield
twice in a season. Finally, just to update you all on transfers, we may look
to bring another forward in. We're working on a very complicated deal at the
moment, which may or may not come off, so we will have to see how that
progresses. We have always said we didn't plan to do any business in this
window so if nothing more materialises we will be more than happy with our
squad.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Song - We're doing very good things
WHUFC.com

Man of the Match Alex Song made no bones about his disappointment after
Sergio Aguero's late second denied West Ham United a famous Barclays Premier
League double over Manchester City on Saturday. The Cameroon man felt his
side did everything in their power to leave the Boleyn Ground with all three
points and so were hard done by to concede a late leveller in an enthralling
contest. And though he was stewing about the result, Song was determined to
take the positives from another exceptional team display. He told West Ham
TV: "When you see how we started the game in the first minute and then in
the last minute we had a chance [to win it]. I think it's very disappointing
because we need more, but sometimes the game is like this.
"We had opportunities. Cheik hit the crossbar, it was unbelievable, everyone
thought it was in. Dimi has a great free-kick and then I think the way we
played we need to go back home with three points. "We're doing very good
things when we start and at the end of the game. Maybe sometimes we lose a
bit, maybe one second, we lose concentration and they scored again, but
sometimes this happens. We have to keep focused to look forward to the next
step. "But it's good as well that we didn't lose, we have to look forward,
we have to produce the same performance when we play away like we did on
Saturday."

Having had to bide his time, the 28-year-old was thrilled with his own
performance against title-contenders City, and hailed his fellow midfielders
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate.
"I'm very happy," he confirmed. "I didn't play for seven months and I knew
it would not be easy. "I need time to come back, but at the moment the team
are doing very well and you have to be patient, work very hard and wait for
the manager to give me the opportunity. Then I have to take it. "On
Saturday I had the opportunity to play and I'm very happy, I want to thank
my team-mates because they helped me a lot. "When you have Yaya Toure in the
midfield, David Silva, great players, it's always a pleasure to play against
those players. "We did it altogether, the players in the middle, Kouyate,
Nobes, I think we did very well and we had a very good team performance. We
are very happy how we managed the game in the middle."

Song insists the Hammers' fortunes will be improved further still by the
return of players in the coming weeks and reserved special mention for young
Sam Byram who looked every bit at home in the Premier League. He continued:
"We are happy because we have some players who are coming back from injury,
Lanzini's coming back as well. "Jenks was injured, but we have a young
player who came in for his first game, it was brilliant. He shows he's not
scared of anything. It was a very good start for him and I told him 'good
luck, you have a very good future.'"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Stephen Hendrie continued to impress for Southend United as he helped the
Shrimpers to a 3-0 win over Coventry City. The hosts got off to a great
start Jack Payne put them ahead before Tyrone Barnett scored twice to seal
the convincing win.

Reece Burke played the full game on his return from injurt as Bradford City
came from a goal behind to draw 1-1 away at Port Vale. The hosts got off to
a great start as Ajey Leitch-Smith scored after just two minutes yet the
Bantams refused to be cowed and were rewarded when Jamie Proctor equalised
on 65 minutes. Bradford are tenth in League One, five points from the Play
Off spots.

Lewis Page played the full game in Cambridge United's 1-1 home draw with
Hartlepool United. Jake Gray fired the visitors into the lead however a 90th
minute Ben Williamson equaliser shared the spoils. The draw leaves the U's
four points off the Play Offs spots in League Two.

Martin Samuelsen played the full game for Peterborough United as they let a
1-0 lead slip to a 2-1 defeat away at Gillingham.

Former Dulwich Hamlet midfielder Erhun Oztumer gave Posh the lead; however
two second half goals for the Gills were enough to seal the points.

Diego Poyet was an unused substitute as Charlton Athletic secured a valuable
point at home against Blackburn Rovers.

Harry Lennon's deflected strike before Jordan Rhodes equalised just before
half time.
The Addicks are 23rd in the Championship, four points from safety.

Tim Brown's Chelmsford City edged a seven goal thriller with Whitehawk 4-3.
The Clarets led throughout the match, leading 3-1 at half-time yet they
suffered a late scare when the visitors pulled it back to 4-3 in stoppage
time.

Clarke Bogard and Ross Elsom both started in Tilbury's 3-0 away win at
Barkingside. The visitors were much the superior the side throughout and
came away deserved winners. Elsom was substituted after 73 minutes.

Sam Howes completed his second 90 minutes in consecutive days as Wealdstone
slipped to a 3-0 defeat at Eastborne Borough.

On Friday evening Howes impressed during the Development Squad's 3-1 away
win at Fulham.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold's latest twitter gaffe
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 24th January 2016
By: Staff Writer

Co-owner David Gold has retweeted a message referring to West Ham's on-loan
defender Cark Jenkinson as "utter w*nk". Gold, who has come under fire
several times previously for his errant use of social media retweeted the
message following yesterday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City. And despite
being urged to remove it by a number of supporters, the tweet remains on his
timeline. The message began by thanking Gold for helping improve West Ham's
recent fortunes - before launching into a vile attack on Jenkinson, who was
responsible for conceding a penalty against the Citizens at the Boleyn
Ground yesterday.

A number of supporters leapt to Gold's defence in the immediate aftermath of
his re-post, insisting that he probably didn't read the entire message.
However that would appear to be wide of the mark given that it remains on
his time line, more than 12 hours later. Gold has fallen foul of twitter
trolls several times previously. Last November he retweeted a prank
"missing" message about Michail Antonio, who had barely featured since his
£7million move from Nottingham Forest. And previously, in July 2014, he was
forced to apologise after accidentally re-tweeting a message calling for the
dismissal of then-manager Sam Allardyce - an error he blamed on having just
completed a 33-hour flight from New Zealand.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz attracting interest from West Ham
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 24/01/16 4:25pm
SSN

West Ham are interested in signing Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz, Sky
sources understand. Galatasaray are said to be open to letting Yilmaz leave
during the January transfer window and value the forward at around £5m. Sky
sources also understand the Turkish club would prefer to sanction a
permanent transfer, but would agree to loan Yilmaz out for the remainder of
the season with an obligation to buy in the summer. Yilmaz, who has scored
81 goals in 140 appearances for Galatasaray, is also understood to have
attracted interest from four other Premier League clubs. Last week, West
Ham co-chairman David Sullivan confirmed to Sky Sports News HQ the club were
hoping to sign a new forward within the next seven days and is believed to
have submitted a loan bid for Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike. Mauro
Zarate has since departed for Fiorentina for a fee believed to be in the
region of £1.6m, leaving manager Slaven Bilic with only two fit forwards
currently at his disposal - Enner Valencia and Nikica Jelavic. Diafra Sakho
(thigh) and Andy Carroll (hamstring) are currently on the sidelines because
of injury, but are expected to return to first-team action in February.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rio grateful for time to make mistakes at Irons
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 24, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former Hammer Rio Ferdinand says he is grateful that he was given time by
West Ham staff and fans to make mistakes while at the club as a young
player. Speaking on his twitter account while watching Everton lose to
Swansea this afternoon Rio said: "The Everton fans have got their young
players in a nervous state here!! Looks like they wont allow them time to
make mistakes & learn…." "Makes me even more grateful that I was brought up
at West Ham, where the fans & staff allowed for me to make mistakes while
learning the game" When challenged that he didn't have the same pressure as
John Stones in the media Rio added: "Mate… you sure… I was hyped… The next
Bobby Moore… Madrid & Barca interest etc…" John Stones has been reported to
be at the centre of a £50m transfer scramble this summer, with Real Madrid,
Barcelona, Machester City and Chelsea all keen to sign him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Top four awaits and a bold prediction
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 24, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic nailed it with one 'on the money quote' following last night's
wonderful game. A million words have appeared this morning praising the
Irons to the sky as we have all attempted to find the words to express our
admiration and delight at such an incredible performance. Slav summed it up
like this in his usual straightforward manner: "If you're disappointed when
you draw with Man City, you know you have a good team" LanzcarrIt's so easy
to forget one majorly important point amidst all the joy – we are still
without Lanzini and Sakho and I genuinely believe that if we can get them
back by early February there is every chance we can hit the top four. OK we
are six points of those places but with the main men back it's possible and
of course there's a revenge job to be done on the team from North London
which currently holds fourth place.
That one comes up on March 2 – a Wednesday evening after clashes against
Villa (home), Southampton (away), Norwich (away) and Sunderland (home) –
that will be fun!

The return of Sakho allows the manager to return to the way of playing which
gave us such amazing early results with the main man running the channels
and allowing Payet and Lanzini to move into the holes he creates and cause
havoc. If we can get to grips with the lower level teams who are more
interested in stopping us than playing us, we are going to be in a very good
place come May and I will make this bold prediction. I see ten points from
the next four games because I agree whole heartedly with the boss: "This is
indeed a very good team indeed which has surpassed every expectation."

It's been said many times but this is an amazing tome to be a Hammer.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The 'old lady' rock n rolled and it suddenly hit me
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 24, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

I really don't think any one of us is going to know just how bad it's going
to feel until we have moved on. It hit me hard last night as the old lady
rock n rolled to one of the best games of football most of us had seen at
the ground for many years. I understand that we have to move on. I really
do. I accept it and understand that nothing stays the same forever – that
doesn't stop us wanting it to though does it? A quick look down the Premier
League table shows that the likes of Arsenal, Leicester, Saints and
Sunderland have gone through the agony of waving goodbye to their old
grounds. But somehow it feels different with Upton Park – the place is
unique with the close proximity to the players and we don't talk about
"Upton Park under the lights" for no reason do we? The Mail's Rob Draper
poses this question in his match report this morning when he says: "Will the
roar of that crowd shake the expensively-constructed new stands as it does
at Upton Park, so that visiting teams with their multi-million pound squads
visibly wilt under the glare of the rickety floodlights?"

The answer is of course No but given the team and squad that's being built
at our club that in itself is not going to matter too much because we are
showing every sign that we can indeed join those clubs.
Boleyn_Ground_Upton_Park_4What Rob has forgotten is that we have of course
gone to the major clubs and beaten them on their own manor but the fact
remains: "We are going to miss the Upton Park so badly – it's going to be
like cutting an arm and a leg off." Sorry to throw such an emotional moment
into our celebrations but I had a very weak moment when I suddenly realised
it will soon be gone forever.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham paid homage to their DNA, under the dimming lights of the Boleyn
JOHN DILLON
Evening Standard

There won't be many more of these gripping winter nights at the Boleyn
Ground, but this one will serve as one of the outstanding final reminders of
what the old place has been about for all these years. On a cold, dank
evening when east London's ancestral stadium throbbed with its uniquely
earthy brand of noise and soul, West Ham twice led Manchester City and made
them look weary outsiders for the Premier League title. They also delivered
a display of the kind of electric, dynamic attacking football the locals
will sometimes try to convince you was actually invented and then patented
on this pitch. That isn't strictly true, of course. But with only eight more
league games remaining here, this energetic new Hammers team forged a
late-edition memory of an evening of thrills, spirit, endeavour and
adventure which prompted a standing ovation from the stands at the end. This
is the new landscape of the Premier League, where the financially mighty
clubs like City escape from places like Upton Park relieved to have earned a
point against the odds.

It went on show at a stadium which is soon to be vacated and left behind.
Perhaps there was an irony in that. Perhaps, too, though, the fact that the
Irons are on the move transmitted even more emphatically the idea that the
ground is shifting in this mightily ferocious competition, too. Slaven
Bilic's team have been major participants in the uprising of the
middle–rankers which has taken place this season, along with teams like
Stoke City, Crystal Palace, Watford and, of course, high-flying Leicester
City.

West Ham have won at Arsenal, City and Anfield and beaten Chelsea here. They
have completed a Double over Liverpool. At the beginning of the season,
many wondered if this was an early fluke. But just as Leicester have
maintained their place among the leaders , so West Ham have kept going; just
ticking over sometimes while hampered by a serious injury crisis. But
refusing to fall away all the same. And now this, one of their finest
performances of the campaign, illuminated once again by the dazzling
trickery and brilliance of Dimitri Payet and by two goals from Enner
Valencia, whose return to fitness has now been marked by four goals in the
last three league games. Let's face it. It is going to be a struggle to
replicate this atmosphere and this kind of game at the sparkling new Olympic
Stadium simply because…well, because it is all going to be so sparkling and
new. Nothing wrong with that, of course.

The change is inevitable. But it will take a long time for the roots of the
place to burrow as deeply into the fabric of this ragged part of the city as
those upon which this fabulous occasion was supported. True enough, too -
and without wishing to over-egg the wistfulness too much - the result fitted
the long-established DNA of West Ham perfectly. After all this, they still
didn't win, with the point rubbed home by the fact that Cheikhou Kouyate
headed against the cross-bar with the very last touch of the game. Twice,
they let slip that lead as they fell victim to the unquenchable genius of
Sergio Aguero, who, on this display, may virtually alone have to keep City
in touch with Arsenal and the other front-runners, given the vague
performances of some of the other superstars around him. You could argue
that City showed true title credentials by snatching a point from this. But
you would be wrong. It was merely the individual brilliance of Aguero which
did the job. His work as he pounced on Aaron Cresswell's mistake in the
81st minute was an exemplary demonstration of his art. And if he stays fit,
well, yes, he can do that for the rest of the season and it will keep City
respectable.

But in reality, this was a limp and low-key team performance. Too many of
Aguero's team-mates – Yaya Toure stood out in this respect – quite clearly
failed to match his hunger to keep going. Then there was the debacle of poor
defending from Nicolas Otamendi which allowed Valencia to score his second
goal from Michail Anotinio's throw-in in the 56th minute. This is a side
which knows that its coach, Manuel Pellegrini, will be on his way come May.
It is showing. By contrast, West Ham's renewed effervescence was illustrated
by the fact that Valencia put them in front after just a minute. Aguero
equalised from a penalty. But if Joe Hart hadn't pulled off a stunning save
to thwart a long-free kick from Payet, West Ham would rightly have led at
the break.

Again, perhaps this illustrates that City's individuals may do enough on
their own to keep them going. But it is a fragile concept in comparison with
the roaring sense of drive, eagerness and togetherness which is fuelling
teams like West Ham in this astonishing season. Somewhere inside this
stadium, the countdown clock is ticking. For 90 minutes here, West Ham's
supporters could kid themselves that time was standing still – and that they
might revel in this kind of magic for ever. They can't. But they have one
more, winter-burnished memory to take with them to Stratford.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM 2, MANCHESTER CITY 2. WHAT A FANTASTIC GAME OF FOOTBALL!
By David Hautzig 24 Jan 2016 at 01:00
WTID

My mother, who passed away in 2009, wasn't one of those moms who thought her
darling baby boy was perfect. She did, however, have some rather inflated
notions of him. When I was applying to universities back in the early 80's,
she was so convinced I would be accepted into Harvard due to my many and
varied extra curricular activities that she was not only willing to pay the
application fee she was willing to bet me one hundred bucks on the matter.
Thus, to me it was a win-win. I lose, I may have had to pay her but I could
have beaten my chest while crowing "I got into Harvard". If Harvard rejected
me, which of course they did, I got the money.

Which of course I did.

City looked to be regaining their Mojo of late. Aguero has been scoring,
Toure has been caring a bit, and even their not so top-notch defence has
looked a bit less porous. But they still had only won one match in their
last seven on the road, while we hadn't lost at home in five months. I
expected to lose today and not feel any shame whatsoever. Well, we didn't
lose and I feel an intense sense of pride at the way we performed..

If West Ham have been criticized of late for anything, it's been the slow
starts that have allowed the opposition to jump all over us. But today
looked to be a polar opposite when Kouyate stormed into the area down the
left, going right past Toure. The announcers spoke of how Toure is notorious
for not tracking in the defensive zone. I don't watch City, nor do I care
what their players do or don't do. But Kouyate had free reign, and Valencia
was unmarked in the box when Kouyate slid him the ball, and he calmly
slammed it past Hart.

West Ham 1, Manchester City 0.

City came back with a vengeance, and the side of any West Ham supporter that
can sense danger was set on full alert. In the 5th minute, Navas nutmegged
Cresswell before looking for de Bruyne in the box. The man-boy from Belgium
who is younger than some of my socks had his shot deflected out for a corner
by Collins. Then Silva found Navas in the middle but his shot was weak.
Moments later, Toure lofted a lovely lob pass to Aguero who then spun and
tried his own lob over Adrian. He beat the keeper, but couldn't beat the
lumber and the ball came off the post to Reid who then calmly chested it to
Adrian.

The equalizer that looked imminent finally made its appearance in the 9th
minute. Aguero took the ball down the left, with only Jenkinson to beat.
Unfortunately for the loanee from north London the outcome was rather
predictable based on his play this year. Clumsy challenge, Aguero went down,
ref pointed to spot, Aguero kicked the ball into net. Simples.

West Ham 1, Manchester City 1.

The not so simple part of that sequence was that Jenkinson went down with
what looked like a knee injury after toppling over his victim. So with
Tomkins already out with an injury, Byram was called into his baptism by
fire far earlier than expected. We can all agree that the boy did just fine,
thank you very much….ROBERTO!

In the 19th minute, de Bruyne found Delph with a good pass and the relieved
to be a former Villa man charged towards the West Ham box before attempting
a low shot that went off Byram and out for a corner. The resulting set piece
was intercepted by Kouyate and the counter was on. Payet raced forward and
sent a lofted pass for Antonio that should have been too far. But this is
Antonio, so of course he ran it down and won the ball from Sagna before
earning a throw.

What is a clear-cut goal scoring chance? If there is one decision a referee
must make that is utterly up to one person's interpretation, it is that. In
the 32nd minute, West Ham broke on the counter again. Payet made some of his
dance moves near the center of the pitch before he sent the ball down the
right for Antonio. There was nobody between Demichelis and Hart, so when the
defender took Antonio down that could have been the last man. Red card? But
it was also 25 yards out, with Antonio coming in on an angle, and time for
other defenders to get there in support. Yellow card was the decision,
setting up a West Ham free kick.

And what a free kick it was. Payet sent a curling effort at the top left
hand corner of the goal that Hart did magnificently to dive to his left and
palm the ball over the bar for a corner. A few minutes later Noble and
Cresswell combined on the left before Cresswell sent a cross that Hart did
well to grab before Valencia could get to it and possibly head it home.

Halftime. West Ham 1, Manchester City 1.

West Ham had the first real chance of the second half to grab a second. In
the 50th, West Ham won a free kick when de Bruyne crashed into Collins. The
kick was taken quickly and sent downfield where Valencia ran it down and won
a corner off Clichy. Moments later, Payet and Noble combined deep in Man
City territory before Noble sent a cross into the box. Antonio was able to
beat his man and get a head on it, and from that range he really should have
scored. Instead he put it wide.

Five minutes later it was City that came within a whisker of taking the
lead. Demichelis sent a pass to Aguero at the top of the West Ham penalty
area. Aguero one timed his pass to Delph on the left, who then fired low and
off the post. Minutes later the ball came to Navas on the right but his low
shot was no problem for Adrian.

Remember Rory Delap at Stoke? He of the monster throw in? He's currently a
coach at Derby County. Maybe there was someone before him, but he was the
first player I saw that could turn an ordinary throw into a serious
offensive weapon. Antonio might be as good at throws at Delap, and in all
likelihood is a better player in every other facet. In the 56th minute, West
Ham won a throw and Antonio took it quickly, sending the ball into the box.
Valencia timed his run perfectly, outmuscled Otamendi, and poked the ball
past Hart.
Embed from Getty Images

West Ham 2, Manchester City 1.

Embed from Getty Images

There have been suggestions that Alex Song has done quite a lot to play his
way out of a permanent deal with West Ham at the end of the season. Yet in
those suggestions, many have said there is still time for him to show the
kind of form that could make him an invaluable asset. Today we saw the Song
that is far closer to an asset than a liability. He was calm on the ball,
likely with the knowledge that unlike last season there are others who
actually can play this game. In the 65th minute, after some nice ball
handling to steer clear of danger, Song tried an audacious 35 yard one
bounce volley that definitely surprised Hart, and then almost beat him
before going just wide.

While there were quite a few substitutions in the game, the one that made
the most impact was Iheanacho in the 76th minute for Delph. He immediately
linked up with Sterling, Aguero, and Toure to apply pressure on the West Ham
defense. And in the 80th minute, the pressure paid off when Iheanacho broke
forward on a good run into the West Ham area. He was dispossessed by
Cresswell, but the clearance was cut off by Aguero who then beat Adrian to
the bottom left hand corner.

West Ham 2, Manchester City 2.

West Ham came inches away from a dreamlike winner on the final kick of the
game when Fernando fouled Moses 35 yards out from goal, giving Payet one
last chance. West Ham's newest talisman sent a ball into the box that
Kouyate was able to get a glancing header on. The ball looked destined for
the top corner. Instead, it glanced off the crossbar.

Final Score. West Ham 2, Manchester City 2.

Here's the truth. Hart had to make two very good saves, Adrian none. City
did hit the woodwork, but so did we. To me, this game was a calling card. An
announcement that West Ham are truly an evolved side, one that could
continue to grow and improve. If Leicester City weren't having the ride of a
lifetime this season, we would be the story of the year.

I think our story is just beginning.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Byram: Payet hands down the best player I've played with
Goal.com
By Matthew Galea1
24 Jan 2016 08:49:43

The new West Ham signing, who made an unexpected debut against Manchester
City, is already delighted with how things are going at his new club
Sam Byram was not even meant to be on the bench for West Ham's 2-2 Premier
League draw with Manchester City on Saturday, but he ended up playing 77
minutes as he made his Premier League debut. The highly rated full-back
signed from Championship outfit Leeds United during the week and was a late
call-up to the bench for the game against title challengers City. An injury
to Carl Jenkinson forced manager Slaven Bilic's hand to give the 22-year-old
his top-flight debut earlier than expected. "It was unbelievable," he told
Sky Sports. "To come on in 13th minute wasn't something I was expecting, but
I've dreamt about this moment since I was a little boy and to be able to
come on and make my Premier League debut, I'm unbelievably pleased." Byram
said just making the bench was a surprise. "One of the lads had a bit of a
knock in training. That meant he wasn't involved and I got the call up onto
the bench," he said. "I was just pleased to be involved and to be able to
come in and see how everything works on a match day. "I wasn't expecting to
come on as soon as I did, but I enjoyed it." So far, coming up against
team-mate Dimitri Payet has proven the the most eye-opening part of life at
Upton Park. "Training has been tough, [Payet is] hands down the best player
I've had the chance to play with," Byram added.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
No substance to Burak Yilmaz to West Ham rumours says Slaven Bilic
HITC
Sean Lunt

The Fenerbahce striker has been linked with a move in recent weeks. West Ham
United manager Slaven Bilic has dismissed talk that his side are lining up a
bid for Fenerbaçhe striker Burak Yilmaz, reports London 24. The Hammers were
reportedly eyeing up a move for the Fenerbaçhe striker, with Turkish radio
station Radyospor reporting a move could be on the cards this month. Bilic's
side are in need of reinforcements up front at present, with both Diafra
Sakho and Andy Carroll currently on the injury list. They have already been
linked with a number of potential signings this month, but the Croatian
manager has confirmed that the rumours about Yilmaz are just that at
present. "He is a good player you know," London 24 reports him saying after
the 2-2 draw with Manchester City. "At the moment it is only rumours. He is
a very important player for Galatasary and we are well covered in those
positions. "We are still expecting all our strikers to come back from injury
in a couple of weeks time. Players like Yilmaz are always linked with clubs,
not just West Ham."

While Bilic has claimed any move for the Turkish forward is just speculation
at present, there is no denying that he would be a welcome addition.
He has been nothing short of a goal-scoring sensation during his time in
Turkey over the last five years, having first managed 55 league goals in 75
games for Trabzonspor, and currently sitting on 64 in 104 for Fenerbaçhe. A
move seems unlikely though, with owner David Sullivan recently saying they
were over their wage limit, as reported by the London Evening Standard, and
the capture of Sam Byram from Leeds United not likely to have helped that
situation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Joey Barton is still reflecting on West Ham move that fell apart
HITC
Tim Poole Profile Pic

The 33-year-old thought he was going to join West Ham last summer. Joey
Barton is still reflecting on his failed move to West Ham United over the
summer, according to the Daily Telegraph. The midfielder has set his sights
firmly on returning to the Premier League with Championship side Burnley but
can't forget the fact he almost joined West Ham during pre-season. The east
London club's owners looked into the possibility of signing Barton but
backed out of any deal when supporters made their feelings clear on the
matter... And Barton is quoted as saying by the Telegraph: "Getting back
into the Premier League with Burnley was the plan. At the age of 33 you are
probably only one bad injury away from being finished but I came here to go
and play in the Prem. "I thought I was going to play in it with West Ham but
that fell apart and so I came to Burnley to do it."
As ever, Barton seems awfully confident in his own ability and believes he
is good enough to play in the Premier League. The Hammers certainly won't
have any regrets over passing up the opportunity to sign the midfielder -
and may in fact regret ever expressing an interest in him, such was the fan
backlash the owners received. But Barton could well be back in the top
flight next season with the Clarets. Then again, so could Hull City,
Middlesbrough, Brighton, Derby County and more...

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham chief reveals 'exceptional' Reece Oxford's record breaking contract

London 24
07:55 24 January 2016 Pete Evans

Reece Oxford is the highest paid 17-year-old in the history of West Ham and
is on the longest possible deal allowed, chairman David Gold has revealed. 2
The England youth international made the headlines when he made his West Ham
bow on the opening day of the season in a memorable 2-0 win at Arsenal at
just 16. He has gone on to make another seven appearances for West Ham and
is a regular in their matchday squads while also playing for their Under-21
side. Co-chairman David Gold has spoken of his optimism that Oxford will be
with the Hammers 'for a long time' but admits he does worry Oxford will be
tempted away, despite having tied him to a two-year deal, "He is the
highest-paid 17-year-old in the history of the club and has the highest
signing-on fee of any 17-year-old who has ever been here," he told the Daily
Mail. "He signed for two years at the age of 17 and that's the maximum
length allowed. That can make a club who has invested in and developed a
player very vulnerable and it can make you worry. "But we are optimistic he
will be here for a long time. We will keep him. He is an exceptional
talent."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com