Daily WHUFC News - 16th February 2016

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic insists he saw plenty in West Ham United's stirring revival at
Norwich City on Saturday to prove that there will be no let up from his side
in the final third of the Barclays Premier League season. Following the
weekend's breathless 2-2 draw at Carrow Road, the Hammers are one point and
one place better off than at this stage last season. And while the Hammers'
form dipped dramatically in the latter stages of last term, Bilic expects an
altogether different story this time around, not least with the likes of
Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho soon to return to action. Next up for Bilic
and his charges is Sunday's trip to Ewood Park in the fifth round of the
Emirates FA Cup and an opportunity to go one better than the Hammers' last
16 exit at West Bromwich Albion this time last year. "We're going to try to
be different [to last season] and we're going to give everything," the Croat
confirmed. "This kind of performance gives us hope that it will be
different. We have the quality, we have the team spirit, we have the
character, we have legs, the only problem is the injuries. But we are
expecting a few players to come back after the Blackburn game and it gives
us hope, but only if we continue to play like the last half an hour, or if
we improve and raise our level of the game. "But we will not put the season
to bed now, no way, we have no right to do it. Even if you have no chance to
move up and down, this is the Premier League. We have fans, we have a team,
we are representing West Ham, no matter if it's a friendly or the Premier
League. So no way is that going to happen."

In all likelihood, Dimitri Payet will be pivotal to the Hammers' charge for
European football, just as he was at Carrow Road. Less than 48 hours after
pledging his long-term future to the Club, the Frenchman scored the first
and created the second. Reflecting on Payet's summer switch to east London,
Bilic is thankful that the Hammers stole a march on their rivals for the
midfielder's signature. Bilic continued: "It wasn't a record deal for West
Ham. Nowhere near that, I don't think. But we were first to react, or we
used the situation that for some reason bigger clubs didn't try to get him.
I don't know why, it was a bit of a surprise. "To be fair, I thought it was
going to be possible, but I didn't believe we were going to do it that
quickly. Credit to the Chairman, he did it very, very quickly, in the space
of ten days and he was our player. I was happy then and I'm happy now."

Meanwhile, the Hammers' exertions at Carrow Road is proof, says Bilic, of
the quality that now exists throughout the Premier League, with increased
spending power enabling clubs across the board to invest heavily in their
playing staff. "It's the Premier League and every team is good enough. I'm
not talking about resilience, I'm not talking about physical presence or
character, that is all Premier League clubs, I'm talking about the quality.
"Because with the money in the league, look at Norwich and how much money
they have spent a few weeks ago, that gives the so-called smaller clubs the
chance to improve and to close that gap to the big guns and that's what
we're trying to do. But not only us. You have Leicester, which is the best
example in Europe. But Leicester are not where they are because of the team
spirit and the character, they are there because they have quality players
and that goes with every club."

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Sam savours Norwich 'battle'
WHUFC.com

Don't let Sam Byram's baby-faced appearance fool you – West Ham United's new
No22 loves a battle! The right-back was at his combative best at Norwich
City on Saturday, enjoying an enthralling personal tussle with the Canaries'
equally feisty forward Steven Naismith. Thankfully for Byram, he avoided
being shown a tenth yellow card of the season and a two-match ban, but the
youngster is certainly not planning on retreating into his shell anytime
soon! "We had a good battle!" he smiled. "It's a big step up and I'm still
trying to ease my way in and learn on the training pitch and in games, so
hopefully I'll keep getting better and be able to express myself, the more
game time I get."

Byram was heavily involved in what was a fraught game at Carrow Road, where
West Ham came from two goals down to snatch a valuable Barclays Premier
League draw. Indeed, with substitutes Victor Moses, Andy Carroll and
Emmanuel Emenike adding to the firepower already on the pitch, the defender
said the Hammers could even have pulled off an unlikely victory. "I think it
was a very frantic game at times," he observed. "It was a back and forward
and I think we were a bit disappointed not to nick it at the end there. "I
think the changes we made and the players who came on made a big impact.
They changed the game and we showed great spirit and fight in the team to
get it back to two-all, and I think we were unlucky not to go on and get the
winner."

Coming hot on the heels of a last-minute Emirates FA Cup fourth-round replay
victory over Liverpool, Byram says the determination and team spirit in the
West Ham dressing room is there for all to see. "The fans were great and you
could hear them all game, while the set of lads we've got is brilliant, and
the spirit and the togetherness in the group have been brilliant to come
into," he revealed. "You can see the togetherness and the results we
achieved against Liverpool and Norwich showed the fight that we do have."

One player who epitomises the spirit and attitude within the squad is
Dimitri Payet, who provided another goal and another assist to turn things
around at Norwich – days after delivering the free-kick for Angelo Ogbonna's
winner against Liverpool. "He is some player and everyone is over the moon
that he has signed his future here and he is part of a very good squad of
players we have got and is key for what we're doing going forward," Byram
enthused. "We have got a great squad. You could see the impact made by the
people off the bench and it is not only down to one player. We all have to
dig in together to keep picking up the points."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Josh Cullen got off to a perfect start to life with Bradford City as he
helped inspire the Bantams to a 4-0 away win at Peterborough United.

The midfielder played the full ninety as James Hanson scored twice before
goals from Kyel Reid and Steven Davies finished the rout.

Fellow Hammer Reece Burke also played the full game, meanwhile Martin
Samuelsen started for Posh, being substituted by Chris Forrester in the 48th
minute.

Elliot Lee's Colchester United slipped to a 4-1 home defeat to Swindon Town.
The hosts were second best throughout the contest and were punished with
braces by Nicky Ajose and Michael Doughty. Joe Edwards' half-volley gave
Colchester a small glimmer of hope.

Stephen Hendrie played the full match as Southend United slipped to a 1-0
defeat away at Scunthorpe United. Paddy Madden's 11th minute goal sealed the
victory.

Clarke Bogard played the full game as Tilbury FC slipped to a 3-2 defeat
away at Cheshunt. Midfielder Ross Elsom played the match, and was replaced
with four to go.

Diego Poyet came on for final 15 minutes as Charlton drew 0-0 at home with
Cardiff City. The point takes the Addicks off the bottom of the
Championship, six points off safety.

Kyle Knoyle was unused substitute in Dundee United's 0-0 away draw at
Hamilton Academical.

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From the Terraces - Ollie Knight
WHUFC.com

Fan blogger Ollie Knight looks back at Saturday's draw against Norwich
City...

West Ham United demonstrated their fighting spirit against a resilient
Norwich City team on Saturday.

Despite going two goals down early in the second half with goals from Robbie
Brady and Wes Hoolahan, the Hammers showed their grit and determination by
clawing back two goals from Dimitri Payet and the influential Mark Noble to
gain a share of the points.

New loan signing Emmanuel Emenike came within inches of grabbing the winner,
but he failed to make proper contact on the ball to nudge it past a
scrambling John Ruddy.

The draw sees Southampton leapfrog us into sixth place, but with Big Sam's
Sunderland side getting the better of Man Utd, there is just one point
between all three sides in the battle for fifth place and Europa League
qualification.

A fast paced first half ended 0-0 despite a powerful strike from Enner
Valencia, which was tipped just over Norwich's bar by John Ruddy.

Dimitri Payet was rewarded with a new contract this week keeping him with
the Hammers until 2021, Saturday's game proved just why he's thought of so
highly as the Frenchman played a part in both goals, scoring the first and
assisting Mark Noble for the second.

Inspired substitutions from Slaven Bilic saw Victor Moses, Andy Carroll and
Emmanuel Emenike come on in the second half for Enner Valencia, Michail
Antonio and Alex Song.

It was Moses that made the difference after a surging run stunned the
Norwich defence before a powerful shot was parried away by John Ruddy into
the path of Dimitri Payet who made it 2-1.

Payet then demonstrated his ability to create chances as well, as he laid a
perfectly weighted ball across the box to Mark Noble, who smashed the ball
into the top right corner.

West Ham showed no signs of tiredness following their 120 minute run out in
the FA Cup win against Liverpool midweek, as they kept going until the 90th
minute and came so close to clinching a winner at the end.

The Hammers travel to Blackburn in the FA Cup on Sunday and will be eager to
put themselves in the draw for the quarter-finals. Up to 7,200 Hammers are
expected to make the trip to Lancashire.

The FA Cup tie will be a good chance for Bilic to rest a few key players
that could be tired following a congested fixture list. It could also be a
good opportunity to give Andy Carroll a start following his return from a
hamstring injury.

West Ham's next Premier League outing is a final return to the Boleyn Ground
for Sam Allardyce's Sunderland team, which will be an excellent opportunity
to pick up all three points and make fifth place our own.

The trio of Manuel Lanzini, Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate are all
expected to return from injury over the next few weeks in what will be the
first time since the start of the season West Ham have had a full strength
side at their disposal.

For more West Ham fan views or to join the conversation visit www.90min.com

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those
of West Ham United

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Ladies suffer Addicks' defeat
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies suffered another heavy defeat as a rampant Charlton
Athletic secured an 8-0 victory on Sunday 14 February.

After being knocked out of the FA Women's Cup in the third round by
Blackburn Rovers, the Ladies returned to league action and found themselves
4-0 down at half time through goals from Kit Graham, former Hammer Gemma
Shepherd, captain Kim Dixson and Stefanie Simmons.

The scoreline went from bad to worse in the second half, when Shepherd fired
home twice more, before skipper Dixson did the same to extend the Addicks'
lead to eight.

Manager Marc Nurse made a number of changes to his starting eleven in an
attempt to end the poor run of results. Development Squad goalkeeper Jodie
Sanderson was called on to replace Lauren Picton in goal, whilst Natalie
Strange stepped in for Erika Campesi and birthday girl Cindy Ferreira was
dropped to the bench to allow new signing Elizabeth Berkeley to start.

Before kick-off at Bridge Avenue, there was a minute of silence to remember
former West Ham and Charlton midfielder Katie Sheppard, who died at the age
of 22 in July 2014 and is forever loved and missed by all that knew her.

The Hammers started well and were getting plenty of time on the ball where
midfielders Gemma Abela and Danni Ritson were able to get the ball moving
and getting the speedy Whitney Locke and Romina Pinna away down the wings.

However, a defensive mistake from the Hammers allowed the Addicks to take
the lead as defender Strange was dispossessed by Shepherd, before giving the
ball to Graham to fire home from 18 yards.

Just a matter of minutes later, Graham turned from scorer to provider as she
laid the ball on a plate for Shepherd who confidently buried into the far
corner.

Hammers heads started to drop and around six minutes later, another
defensive lapse gave the ball away to Dixson, who fired an unstoppable
volley into the top corner to extend the visitors lead to 3-0.

There was little that Sanderson could do to stop the scoreline getting even
worse before the break, when a fantastic deep cross by Jenny Newman found
Simmons at the back post, where she fired in the top corner with power.

Nurse needed to spark some energy and inspiration into his team at the break
if they were to have any chance of grabbing a consolation goal.

The scoreline continued to get worse for the hosts though as a fifth goal
was scored after good work from Katie Flack, Simmons and Graham worked the
ball to Shepherd, who fired low into the corner.

Shepherd added her hat-trick goal just nine minutes after the break when
Simmons' whipped cross was slid home.

With around quarter of an hour left, Dixson took the captain's duty to
sealing the victory with two further goals of her own. First, she buried
home from close range after Shepherd blocked a West Ham clearance in the
penalty area, before she was well placed in the box to finish from
substitute Amy Howlett's cross.

That result leaves the Hammers in eighth place in the FA Women's Premier
League South, with just 14 points from their 16 league fixtures this season.

LADIES: Sanderson, Strange (Smith), Wheeler, Bottom (c), Sammons, Abela,
Missen, Ritson, Pinna (Ferreira), Locke, Berkley (Hinz)

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Monday Musings: A decent week
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th February 2016
By: Graeme Howlett

It's often said that in order to enjoy a productive season, a team should
aspire to win its home games and try not to lose too many away. In that
sense, it's been a pretty perfect week for West Ham United.

Slaven Bilic's side began it in superb fashion last Tuesday evening in front
of a full house at the Boleyn, enticed to this FA Cup fourth round replay by
cheaper tickets. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool team were put to the sword for the
third time this season - although it took extra time plus a very late and
wildly-celebrated Angelo Ogbonna goal to separate the two on this occasion.

That left West Ham with a record against the Reds this season of played
four, won three and drawn one - with a goal tally of 7-1. That's
unprecedented in modern history and indicative of the positive progress West
Ham are making this season, their last before moving to Stratford's Olympic
Stadium.

The reward for that success was a fifth round trip to Blackburn, who are
currently struggling in the Championship having recently sold their key
player, striker Jordan Rhodes to rivals Middlesbrough. Which, as all
long-suffering Hammers fans know only too well, probably points to a Rovers
win next weekend!

Prior to that it was back to the Premier League with the Hammers facing a
trip to Norwich on Saturday, a team against whom the Irons had managed to
snatch a point against at the Boleyn earlier in the season having come from
behind twice to grab a 2-2 draw.

And it was a similar story in the return leg at Carrow Road, where an
out-of-form Canaries team that had suffered five defeats in its last six
games swept into a 2-0 lead having scored twice within nine minute at the
beginning of the second half. At least the Hammers kept a clean sheet in the
opening 45 minutes this week!

In years gone by that may have been the catalyst for a claret and blue
capitulation. However Bilic's side are made of stronger stuff and can always
count on the brilliant Dimitri Payet, who signed a new, improved contract
this week in order to stave off interest from elsewhere in England and
abroad.

With little more than quarter-of-an-hour remaining, Payet was well-placed to
convert a Vic Moses shot that had been spilled by John Ruddy to halve the
deficit - and within two minutes of that, Mark Noble fired home a superb
equaliser after being teed-up by a sublime pass from Payet.

Bilic admitted in a post-match interview that he had hoped to win the game,
but was happy with a point given the circumstances that led to it. Even
though his team have won just four of their last 16 Premier League outings,
it was enough to keep the Hammers seventh in the Premier League having
finally reached the magic 40-point mark - and with 12 more league games
still to play this season.

Next week Bilic will be accompanied on his travels by more than 7,500
travelling fans as the Hammers attempt to book a place in this year's FA Cup
quarter finals at Ewood Park. Should his team manage to win that, a home tie
at the Boleyn Ground in the last eight might just be the perfect send-off to
the club's spiritual home.

* An abridged version of this article first appeared in The Echo.

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David Sullivan's Exclusive Column: Players who have left the club that I
have really missed
February 14, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
David Sullivan

I am proud to have been asked to write my second article for The West Ham
Way, there is a good reason why it has been so long in the making, relating
to the theme of the article.

This article is on players who have left West Ham, who I have exceptionally
missed upon their departure or feel they would have been better off staying
with us at Upton Park. As I am sure many of you are aware, Mauro Zarate-the
love of my life, left us in the January transfer window. After coming to
terms with this and after a lengthy grieving process, consisting mostly of
crying and copious amounts of vodka, I feel it is time to talk openly about
this subject. For all of you wondering, yes my waist line has taken a huge
battering and I'm glad I've moved on and have since re-joined a gym, so
please don't worry about my physical or mental wellbeing.

Where can we start with Mauro Zarate. I will never forget when I first met
him, he was 17, fresh off a flight from Argentina and going to try and keep
Birmingham in the Premier League. Mauro had scored 12 in 19 during his
first full season in Argentina, at the age of only 16. He instantly became
very hot property and somehow my dad managed to secure a loan move for the
youngster, who scored 4 in 14 for Birmingham from the wing, just over 1 in 3
(a record any winger would be proud of). Birmingham got relegated and Mauro
moved to Lazio, but for the next couple of years we kept tabs on Mauro, even
featuring in my ultimate team during FIFA 13. Long story short, Mauro moved
back to Velez after stints in Italy and The Middle East, Velez being the
team who we signed him from during our Birmingham years. Mauro was the top
scorer in Argentina, so it made sense to continue the Sullivan love affair
with obscure South American strikers by signing him. I felt sad both times
Mauro left, as I feel he is a very passionate player and one all fans can
identify with. Look back to Arsenal away, the look on his face when he
scored and running straight into the away fans, this is part of what I feel
makes him so endearing. He is adored by the Lazio fans to this day and they
even sing his name (I doubt they do as of his transfer last week, but you
get the idea). Lastly, he has amazing natural ability, you only have to
look at all of the long shots and skills he performs in matches. I know
some fans were often frustrated by his almost unwillingness to give up the
ball, but I think every good player must want to do well and be greedy.


When you ask most West Ham fans to name an enigmatic young player who could
be capable of playing at the top top level, a large proportion would say
Ravel Morrison. When he left in the summer for Lazio, many likened the move
to that of Paul Gascoigne, both of which appeared to have troubled
situations and moved to the Italian team. Initially I was very happy for
Ravel, he had many distractions in the UK which aren't conducive for him to
develop as a player and a person. I feel that he really does love West Ham
and adored his time here. He can always be seen tweeting messages of
support, which he never does to his previous club Manchester United. Due to
this bond with West Ham I thought there was always a possibility he would
"come home". Ravel has showcased on many occasions, in flashes, what he is
capable of. If you haven't already, I'd recommend you search on YouTube for
a "Ravel Morrison welcome to Lazio" he looks as good as anyone and his
moments of genius are just that. However sometimes these moments come a bit
too few and far between, but in my eyes memories such as the third goal at
White Heart Lane are priceless. The main reason I was upset for his
departure, was I wondered to myself how Ravel would cope alone in a new
country with all new cultures. It is very rare English players move abroad
and possibly for this reason. I just hope that Ravel does reach his
potential and does himself proud, as he is a very nice man with too much
potential to go to waste. I don't want to imagine Ravel in 10 years time
being 33 years old and looking at what he has squandered. Right now it is
make or break for Ravel. Time shall tell.

Demba Ba is a player I was disappointed with when he left. I feel if we had
a Demba upfront for us now, I would see no reason why we couldn't be on a
similar points total to Leicester. There was no doubting Demba's quality
during his time at West Ham, scoring on many occasions, but unfortunately
not enough to keep us in the league. I do not blame Demba for leaving, as I
feel moving to the Premiership was used as a stepping stone for him and
playing in the championship was obviously not going to be as big of a stage
to show his talent. He is also a lovely man, we saw him a couple of years
ago in the street and he came in to have a drink and a look around.

Despite this being a West Ham blog, I feel it would only be fair to include
a Birmingham player or two who I wished had come to West Ham with us. I
promise I'll make this short for the West Ham fans. I was a huge fan of Seb
Larrson during his younger years, due to his set pieces and work-rate.
Similar to Seb was Cameron Jerome, who many knock for not being clinical
enough, but he reminds me of a Diafra Sakho character, a very large imposing
player with great speed and strength. Jerome also played upfront along side
Zarate in my FIFA 13 ultimate team….good times.

I want you all to let me know on Twitter which players you have missed the
most, send me your suggestions @davesulley or @westhamwaycouk

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and I hope you enjoyed
it!

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Matthew Etherington's column: Build this team around Payet
February 14, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Matthew Etherington

The overriding factor I feel since my last column, is how much I'm enjoying
this West Ham side play and how it is so obvious we have a very good
manager. We had a difficult period over Christmas with injuries etc, but the
thing I liked most is we didn't lose games we easily could have lost. Trust
me, I know and have heard that means the players are playing for the
manager. Speaking of Slaven, I think the performances show how much they
respect and want to play for the manager. Tactically and most importantly as
a man, they cannot speak highly enough of him. I think it shows on the pitch
as well.

I am speaking since the FA Cup win over Liverpool, I was at the Villa game
the week before and in the end via the sending off, it was a comfortable
win. The Liverpool result, maybe the last cup game under the lights, was yet
another special night at the Boleyn. I really have the feeling this could be
our year!! It would be the most amazing send off, maybe I'm dreaming but
this club and that amazing ground deserves that kind of send off.

I had seen talk of Payet to China before he signed his new deal, it was all
paper talk I know, but surely with the club moving into the new stadium and
the aspirations of this great club moving forward, all the key players will
want to stay. Build this already very good team around Payet and add more
quality, how special could these next few years be!

Lastly, it was an honour to be asked to play in Mark Noble's testimonial. A
chance to play at the Boleyn one last time, it means a lot to me. I'll go
into it more and about Nobe's in my next column.

#COYI

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Mark Noble says West Ham United are up for the fight
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 14/02/16 2:09pm
SSN

Mark Noble insists West Ham proved they are up for the fight after battling
to a point at Norwich on Saturday. aving won a marathon FA Cup replay after
extra time against Liverpool on Tuesday, the Hammers found themselves 2-0
down with less than half an hour to go at Carrow Road.
Midweek goal hero Michail Antonio's mistake let in Robbie Brady for the
opener and Wes Hoolahan looked to have wrapped up a precious three points
for the struggling Canaries. But West Ham refused to throw in the towel and
Dimitri Payet pulled one back with 16 minutes remaining, before setting up
Noble to crash home the equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw. "Especially after
the midweek game, the lads put in everything to get the point, which was so
important for us after being 2-0 down," skipper Noble told West Ham TV.
"Sometimes you've got to hold your hands up and we made a mistake, obviously
with Michail, but you can't blame him for that. "He's been fantastic for us,
and Robbie scored a great goal. But the fight, the character and the spirit
we had in coming back was great. We probably should have won it in the end.
We were gutted in there that we hadn't won. "We scored two really good goals
and what a great comeback for the club, especially after the winning in the
120th minute against Liverpool. To come back from that just finishes the
week off on a good note."

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Nikica Jelavic completes move to Chinese SECOND division side from West Ham
21:54, 15 FEB 2016 UPDATED 21:54, 15 FEB 2016
BY JAMES WHALING
The former Everton striker has joined Beijing Renhe in a £4million deal
after starting just one Premier League game for the Hammers
The Mirror

Nikica Jelavic has become the latest big name to move for the riches of
China - joining second division outfit Beijing Renhe in a £4million deal
from West Ham. The former Everton striker only moved to Upton Park in the
summer, but has managed just one Premier League start for the Hammers,
scoring only one goal. Jelavic fell further down the pecking order with the
loan arrival of Emmanuel Emenike in January, and has now secured a lucrative
move away from the East End. It ends a six-year stay on British shores,
representing Hull and Rangers as well as the Toffees and Irons during his
time in the UK. Beijing Renhe finished 15th in the Chinese Super League last
season, relegating them to the second tier. The transfer window remains open
in the country until February 26, with several household names having
already secured big-money moves to the Far East.
Jelavic joins the likes of Jackson Martinez, Ramires and Gervinho in
switching to China.

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Obiang form bad news for Irons hopeful
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 15, 2016 in News
C and H

Pedro Obiang has staked a massive claim to become part of a regular midfield
involving Mark Noble and Cheik Kouyate. And that's very bad news for
contract-chasing Alex Song whose hopes of landing a permanent end of season
deal are now rated at less than 50/50 by a number of Irons insiders. The
loanee returned to the team from injury in November and has since been
involved in 12 games either as a starting player or sub. He has failed to
recapture the form seen when he first arrived at the club and key insiders
now believe that a permanent deal is not a serious option. One told
ClaretandHugh: "It hasn't happened for Alex whilst Pedro has impressed more
and more over recent weeks, notably against Liverpool in the Cup replay when
he was outstanding. "There's now a very strong feeling that he should get a
real chance at an extended run and that of course is bad news for Alex. If
we are brutally honest his chance may not be as good as even money."

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Bilic makes a pledge
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic has given an assurance there will no repeats of last season
with the Hammers sliding down the table. The draw at Norwich, following the
defeat at Southampton, has set up the spectre of an end of season similar to
last year when we sunk after a brilliant start. The Irons of course started
their fall after being beaten by West Brom in the FA Cup on Valentines
eventually finishing in 13th after that fine start. Such was the slide, the
Hammers won just two more games in a dreadful second half of the season.
Bilic won't hear of such a decline this season pledging that it's simply not
going to happen under his stewardship. Speaking after the game against
Norwich he said: " No way will we put the season to bed now – we have no
right to do that and it will not happen. "Maybe we will lose games, because
mistakes can happen, but there's no chance that we are going to stop. No,
no, no."

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Jack makes Noble 'testimonial' decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Jack Collison claims he "can just about get out to play " in Mark Noble's
Testimonial on March 28. Having retired from the game because of a knee
injury Jack will turn out in the game even if it turns out to be for short
time. Speaking to the ClaretandHugh interview section of
MooreThanJustAPodcast tonight – he declares: "Nobes was a massive
inspiration for the likes of myself, James Tomkins, "Junior Stanilas and all
the younger boys who were trying to make it through at the same time. "Nobes
had been there and done it and we were all aspiring to make that
breakthrough." "I was excited when I got the call, luckily enough I can just
about get out to play. it's going to be an amazing event, last season at the
Boleyn, "What better way to honour one of the best servants that West Ham
have had in the modern era. Nobes has been fantastic, he has probababy
played under seven or eight managers now and he has always been a regular
and even more so this season."

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Jelavic arrives in China
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham striker Nikica Jelavic has arrived in China to complete his move to
Beijing Renhe. Jelavic has landed in China to wrap up the formalities of the
transfer to Renhe, who were relegated after finishing 15th in the top flight
last year. The Croatia forward joined the Hammers on deadline day last
September for around £2.5m from Hull and the 30-year-old has since scored
two goals in 14 appearances. He is said to have been offered £60,000 per
week on a three year deal worth over £9m to himself but West Ham are thought
to see very little of it.

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Jelavic fee agreed …but not at £9m!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are set to receive a humble £1.5 million for Nikica Jelavic.
Despite reports that the club is set to receive anything from between £4
million to £9 million for the striker we revealed on February 2 that the fee
would be less than they paid for him. The fee of £9 million mentioned in
fact relate to Jelavic's wages whilst the £4 million suggested by a national
newspaper some days ago is incorrect. Jelavic has today arrived in China as
he aims to complete the deal and the club confirmed to us today: "There is a
fee involved of around £1.5 million which of course represents a loss on
what we paid. " The story first appeared in CandH under the headline
http://www.claretandhugh.info/irons-reveal-jelavic-fee/ Jelavic follows the
likes of Chelsea's Ramires who moved east earlier this month to join Jiangsu
Suning in a stunning £25million deal. Newcastle United's Cheikh Tiote is
also wanted to play in Beijing. Jelavic joined West Ham from Hull City in
the last transfer window and has scored three goals in 13 appearances, 11 of
them as sub.

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Zarate sent off for love bite
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former Hammer Mauro Zarate was sent off after grabbing and possibly biting
Inter Milan's Jeison Murillo by the neck on Valentine's day evening. However
Zarate claims he was punched twice during the scenes that marred the end of
Fiorentina's 2-1 win on Sunday night. After Khouma Babacar scored the winner
in stoppage time, Zarate initially refused to give the ball back to Inter. A
scuffle ensued, and Zarate was sent off after grabbing Inter's Jeison
Murillo by the neck. Zarate apologised for his red card in a message on
Twitter, but he claimed he had been assaulted before he was sent off.
"Apologies to the television viewers for the ugly scenes!" "Three points and
still third! I am very happy, shame about the red, but when you receive two
punches from two different players it is difficult to stay calm. Obviously I
should not react even in these situations. Forza Viola."

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Slaven Bilic admits he was surprised West Ham United signed Dimitri Payet
from Marseille last summer
The Guardian

Dimitri Payet celebrated committing his long-term future to West Ham United
by creating one and scoring another as the Hammers came from 2-0 down to
draw at Norwich City on Saturday.
The French playmaker signed a five-year deal with the Hammers on Thursday
evening after several days of speculation about his future. Canaries winger
Robbie Brady opened the scoring after 55 minutes, breezing into space on the
edge of the area before curling into the top corner. Eleven minutes later
Alex Neil's strugglers doubled up. Steven Naismith hit a shot which
deflected into the path of Wes Hoolahan. The Irishman promptly slammed under
Adrian to give the hosts an unassailable lead. Payet kick-started the
Hammers' revival with 16 minutes remaining, sliding in to hook the ball into
an empty net after Victor Moses had been denied by John Ruddy. The former
Marseille man then laid on West Ham's equaliser three minutes later. After
getting to the byline he cut back to the edge of the penalty area for
skipper Mark Noble to lash into the top corner.
Head coach Slaven Bilic admitted afterwards it was a surprise to bring Payet
to Upton Park in summer in a deal worth £10.5 million. "It wasn't a record
deal for West Ham. Nowhere near that – I don't think," he said. "But we were
first to react, or we used the situation that for some reason bigger clubs
didn't try to get him. "I don't know why, it was a bit of a surprise. "To be
fair, I thought it was going to be possible, but I didn't believe we were
going to do it that quickly. "Credit to the chairman, he did it very, very
quickly. In the space of ten days and he was our player. I was happy then
and I'm happy now."
The Hammers go to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday
looking to go one better than last season's defeat by West Bromwich Albion
at the same stage. "We're going to try to be different [to last season] and
we're going to give everything," Bilic said. "This kind of performance gives
us hope that it will be different. We have the quality, we have the team
spirit, we have the character, we have legs, the only problem is the
injuries. "But we are expecting a few players to come back after the
Blackburn game and it gives us hope, but only if we continue to play like
the last half an hour, or if we improve and raise our level of the game.
"But we will not put the season to bed now, no way, we have no right to do
it. Even if you have no chance to move up and down, this is the Premier
League. "We have fans, we have a team and we are representing West Ham, no
matter if it's a friendly or the Premier League. So no way is that going to
happen."

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Martin Samuelsen agrees with David Gold regarding West Ham first-team
chances for next season
HITC
Mathew Nash

The Norwegian looks like a future star at West Ham. Last night saw
Peterborough United push Premier League side West Bromwich Albion all the
way in the FA Cup. The League One side went to a penalty shoot-out but lost
after misses from Lee Angol and West Ham loanee Martin Samuelsen. The
Norwegian's game was blighted slightly by the miss from 12 yards, after he
has shone in the Posh midfield. The teenager, on loan from West Ham United,
attracted plenty of attention for his performance in the game and prior to
the fixture he had spoken to the press in his Norwegian homeland. He spoke
to Verdens Gang about the fixture and also mentioned his plans for next
season. He made it clear that he hopes to be in the West Ham first-team next
term:
"I hope to play in the Premier League next season. That's my goal. "One of
the owners wrote on Twitter that he thought I could be ready as early as
next season. I also feel that I can be."

West Ham chairman David Gold in fact stated his belief that Samuelsen could
go on to become as good as West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking. West Ham
fans were no doubt excited by the performance of the baby-faced midfielder.
His ball control and energy is fantastic and he looks like being a potential
star of the future at West Ham. He will still only be a teenager next season
and West Ham might in fact decide to send him out on loan to the
Championship next term. But if he can impress in pre-season enough than the
Norwegian might very well be in the West Ham first-team sooner rather than
later.

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