Daily WHUFC News - 18th February 2016

From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke with his latest update – in association with Spire Roding Hospital...

Hello everyone,

We will start with some really positive and encouraging news for all West Ham United fans, which is that Manuel Lanzini has returned to training with the squad. Manuel joined the team on the training pitch on Sunday after recovering from the thigh problem he suffered in the Barclays Premier League win over Liverpool on 2 January. He will train for the full week and will be available to play a part in Sunday's Emirates FA Cup tie at Blackburn Rovers.

To continue the good news theme, Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho will both return to training with the squad on Monday if this week's rehab progresses as planned. Winston has a good chance to be available for the Barclays Premier League visit of Sunderland on 27 February, while Diafra has been out for a longer period he needs more training days.

Unfortunately, two players suffered injuries in the 2-2 draw at Norwich City on Saturday and will not be available for Sunday's trip to Ewood Park. Enner Valencia suffered a right ankle injury in a tackle during the second half and came off, while Andy Carroll injured his adductor.
James Tomkins is progressing well with his treatment after suffering a calf injury at Southampton, but he will be sidelined for five to six weeks.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Antonio looking forward to Ewood return
WHUFc.com

Ahead of the Hammers journey to Lancashire to face Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup, inform winger Michail Antonio is looking forward to returning to Ewood Park.

Last season, the 25-year-old scored an impressive brace for Nottingham Forest which including an 88th minute equaliser in a thrilling 3-3 encounter.

Looking ahead to Sunday's cup tie, Antonio is hoping to add to his tally of four goals: "Last time I played at Ewood Park I scored two goals so it'll be nice going back there. One was a header; one was a volley from 25 yards out so, hopefully, I can do that again!

"Blackburn are a side where they are going to throw everything at us. They'll think 'Ah, they're a Premier League team, we've got nothing to lose here, and the pressure is off us.'

"So the pressure will be on us, especially with the form we are in right now. Having said that, I think it'll be a decent game."

The Londoner has already made his mark in the Hammers' blossoming cup run with a fine volley against Liverpool in the fourth replay to set up one of the most memorable game under the lights at the Boleyn in recent times.

And while such an important goal may have bloated some egos, Antonio is keeping his feet firmly on the ground: "For the rest of the season, I just want to keep performing well, try and stay in the team and I'll probably set more goals for myself next season.

"Right now I'm just focused on staying in the team; keep playing well and try and improving."
While the winger is impressively level headed, he can't help but be drawn in the history and the romanticism of the FA Cup.

He continued: "It's very important, growing up everyone watched the FA Cup, everyone believes that it's one of those cups where anything can happen.

"I'd go FA Cup over a Top Six finish. It's one of those things where you don't get remembered for coming sixth, but if you win the FA Cup everyone remembers that, you have a medal to show for the rest of your life. As a kid you always dream of playing in it and as a player you always dream to win it."

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From the Newsroom - Gary Jacob
WHUFC.com

The Times' football writer Gary Jacob casts his eye over everything West Ham United

They are putting the final touches to the refurbished Olympic Stadium and Dimitri Payet will be one of the star attractions when he runs out for West Ham United next season. He signed a bumper contract last week, which should prevent months of rumours linking him with bigger clubs, when the strong likelihood has always been he is going nowhere this summer. He turns 29 next month and that has always been a safeguard in West Ham's favour.

West Ham's stadium move, likely finishing place in the league this season and new television deal probably means they will have plenty of funds and could break their transfer record set when they signed Andy Carroll.

They have heavily watched Michy Batshuayi, as have Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City, Newcastle United and clubs in Italy. West Ham and Stoke wanted to agree the transfer deal last month and allow him to stay at Marseilles for the rest of season. The French club said no and believe his price can only go up especially if he is shines at Euro 2016. They want a summer auction and the Belgium striker is likely to go for big money, perhaps as much as £30million. He has 12 strikes and four assists this season, a third of the goals for Marseilles, and second top scorer in France behind Zlatan Ibrahimović.

In West Ham's favour is that they have a good relationship with Marseilles. They believe they can offer him a regular first-team place, not competing with the likes of Harry Kane. It would be a major statement of intent.

West Ham's recruitment team focus heavily on a player statistics. That was what drew them to look at Payet, because of his assists, and stoked interest in Wilfried Bony. That is what might draw them to look at Vincent Janssen who has 14 goals for AZ Alkmaar in his first season and a good credit for Holland youth sides.

Payet has contributed towards 12 league goals; five of them assists so far. After a slow start he helped to turn around the game against Norwich City on Saturday, just as he did against Bournemouth last month, keeping West Ham in contention for a European place. The only surprise is that he could not find the consistency or discipline earlier in his career.

It is not usual for West Ham to increase a player's pay so quickly after his arrival. Payet's pay rise is a reward, marks his influence and should prevent the ship being unsettled. He has been so heavily praised by his manager and club that he and his agent have been justified to ask, 'why aren't you paying me what is deserved?' Nearly 80 per cent of fans polled voted in favour of his improved deal, according to a poll on the excellent Claret and Hugh fans' website.

No player has brought so much excitement and expectation since Carlos Tevez rescued the team for near certain relegation nearly a decade ago. Supporters appreciate the players for being hard working and determined on the pitch, regardless of their tricks and skills.

Suddenly, his £10.5million transfer fee seems cheap. Manuel Lanzini has been the other attacking inspiration and Bilic had tracked him from the time he was handed the No10 shirt at River Plate at the age of just 20.

Payet has never before experienced the kind of affection he has received at Upton Park and a song on his honour. "It was posted a lot on my Twitter feed," Payet has said. "It is the first time I have a song with my name – it never happens in France. It really touched me."

"Do well and let others speak" is the motto of Saint-Philippe, situated south-west of Reunion where he grew up. It sticks to his skin. For so long they talked about Payet not quite fulfilling his potential, when he was shifted across the attacking line, until he found his place as a striker or winger at Lille. Even at Marseilles, he was slightly suffocated until Mathieu Valbuena left for Russia. At Upton Park, he has found a home.

*Views expressed in this article don't necessarily reflect that of West Ham United

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Joint-Chairman - We have amazing support
WHUFC.com

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan has nothing but praise for the West Ham United supporters after they sold out the 7200 allocation for the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Blackburn.

Despite the long trip to Ewood Park, the Hammers fans once again showed their phenomenal support and will travel in their thousands for a huge game in the north west on Sunday.

The remaining tickets had only gone on General Sale on Tuesday but they were snapped up within 24 hours.

Mr Sullivan is hoping the fans will make it another day to remember as the Hammers look to reach the quarter-final stage of the competition.

He said: "It shows the passionate way our supporters love the FA Cup and this is for a game on live TV. I'm humbled by our support.

"We asked for more tickets from Blackburn, but sadly there was no way they could segregate us and give us more.

"I'm sure the fans will provide an amazing atmosphere on Sunday and hopefully we will be too good for them, but in football you never know. We will be fielding a strong side."

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DO NOT RUSH BACK LANZINI AND SUCCESS BRINGS ITS OWN UNIQUE PRESSURES!
By S J Chandos 17 Feb 2016 at 08:00
WTID

There are optimistic reports circulating that Lanzini may return from injury against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup. I personally hope that he is fit enough to play some role from the bench, but the club should avoid the mistake of rushing him back in to action too soon. One gets the impression that last time he returned from injury, he was pre-maturely put back in to the side in an attempt to compensate for the absence of Payet. The club should learn from that episode and ease Lanzini back in to action this time. Fortunately on this occasion, Payet is back in the side and playing well, so there is not the same imperative. While everyone wants to see the Payet-Lanzini combo reunited in the Hammers midfield, the fact is that a bit of extra time and patience will probably ensure that happens without a recurrence of Lanzini's injury problem.

What Payet and then Lanzini's injury absences do underline is the need for an extra play-maker to cover and compete with them for a first team spot. The question is whether we need to bring someone else in this summer or if Samuelson and/or Cullen are ready to step up in the short-term? Having followed their respective performances on loan to Peterborough and Bradford City I suspect that they could very well be ready next season. Peterborough may well want to keep Samuelson for a further season and I can see that there is an argument that the Norweign youngster could benefit from a further loan period. However, if we do go down that road, we need to ensure that Samuelson is signed to a new long-term contract to keep Arsenal and the other such vultures at bay. As for Cullen, he looks a class act every time he plays and if he continues to develop can become a very good professional for the club.

We probably are well stocked with outstanding young midfield prospects, but if we were to go down the 'Cresswell-Antonio-Byram' road again then there are some good prospects still to be had in the Championship. One of the very best of these is Will Hughes of Derby County. Although he has been out with a knee injury, Hughes is very highly rated and will be snapped up by a big club at some point. He could be an option for the Hammers if they decide they need another under-study to Lanzini-Payet.

I must commend the club in the swift action that they have taken to renew players contracts to discourage interest from other clubs. Various parties were said to be sniffing around Payet, whilst there has also allegedly been interest in Cresswell and Oxford. With regard to the latter, Arsenal are supposed to be preparing a £8m or £10m bid, depending on which newspaper/media source you read. Again, the club have moved decisively recently to sign the likes of Burke, Oxford and Borg to new contracts, thus frustrating the plans of would be suitors. The club cannot be faulted in this respect and they deserve much credit for defending the club's long-term interests.

However, the fact remains that we will always suffer an element of vulnerability, to losing players to rivals, until we get to the point where we regularly qualify for European competition. It is that factor that gives the so-called 'top clubs' the extra financial muscle and makes them attractive to potential to new recruits. Put simply, we need to become one of those clubs and we are probably in a race to get there as soon as possible. There is to much complacent talk about long-term projects and moving forward incrementally. The problem is that we may have departed on a journey, but there is no guarantee that we will see the anticipated point of arrival. We have moved swiftly this season to compete for a top six position and we need to prepare for a big final push, up until May, to ensure that we finish as high as possible. Next season is about strengthening further, hopefully bringing some youngsters through and mounting a serious challenge for a coveted top four spot. We will be in the Olympic Stadium and we need to secure the Champions League football that the venue (not to mention our long suffering fans) deserve.

The club hierarchy can do all it wants to dampen expectations, but we all know that CL qualification is the pressing target, and the sooner it is achieved the better. We fans have suffered decades of disappointment and dampened expectations, now, personally, I want to see the club's potential finally realised with a minimum of further delay. It can be done, but I am convinced that it will require a third phase of major investment in the squad, which will see at least three class players added. This will inject the additional class in the squad and ensure that we have the capacity to cope with the likely extra demands of next season. We need a squad that can maintain a top four push, sustain a European challenge and compete in two domestic cup competitions. It is very demanding, but that is what divides the top clubs from the rest. And it is the challenge that West Ham United need to rise to this summer – not in the 'never, never' of some people's imaginations

To do that we need to achieve a genuine marriage of quality and quantity in next season's squad. We have to be able to rotate the squad to regularly cope with two matches a week and, if we end up qualifying for the Europa League this season, that particularly demanding schedule of Thursday and Sunday/Monday matches. No one said success was easy and sustained success is far harder to achieve. But these are nice pressures, very different from those of being engaged in desperate annual relegation struggles.

I think that we can all agree that challenging for honours and competing in Europe is the place where we all want to be. If so, this summer will be vital in laying the groundwork for achieving that enduring future success.

SJ. Chandos.

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THREE GAMES TO DETERMINE OUR SEASON?
By Bobby Shovels 17 Feb 2016 at 17:00
WTID

I am not going to go into the Norwich game in depth because, firstly, I'm a bit late, and secondly, I would simply be repeating myself and problems that have plagued us throughout this season: slow starts, inability to take on teams in the bottom half., another game where we have gone 2-0 down to a struggling side (Sunderland being the other). Of course, as with anything in football, you can use the statistics to match your own stance: either the Norwich draw adds to a good tally of two defeats in 13 league games., or the Norwich draw adds to a tally of just four wins in the last 13 league matches. Take your pick. I'm prone to take both: we're hard to beat, but we're finding it hard to win at times too.

Anyway, I really feel the next three games – Blackburn, Sunderland and Tottenham – could go some way in defining our season. Not just in what could lie ahead (an FA Cup quarter final) but in what we can achieve.

With the Sunderland game, there is much to prove. Not just because of what happened in the previous fixture against Sunderland – we played against ten men and still couldn't win – but because we have to show how far we have come since the days of Allardyce (technically, we're only a few points better off than this time last season, but obviously there's more to judge this season on than just a yearly comparison). Yet this fixture is not just about Allardyce; it's also about actually fighting for something. If we want to finish top five or top six, we must do better: Southampton's march up the table has seen them overtake us, and even though Manchester United appear to be sporadically imploding, we still have not capitalised on that. Furthermore, Sunderland come off the back of a hugely important 2-1 win against Van Gaal's men and a two-week break, while we will only have five days between Blackburn and the match. Allardyce will look to use that. We need to go into that game with a mindset separate to the one we seem to always have against relegation battlers: we can win this.

It's crucial for us to have something to fight for: we can't just do what we did last year and say, "We're safe, season over." Mid-table clubs get into that mindset far too easily. We need to crack on and get some wins under our belt.

I was listening to the Danny Dyer interview on the KUMB podcast and I thoroughly recommend you listen too. I haven't heard a West Ham fan make so much sense in a long time, as well as accurately summarise what it's like to be a Hammer. I particularly agreed with him describing the Crystal Palace play-off loss as one of the lowest moments – especially when he talked about the journey back to London from Cardiff. I remember being stuck in traffic on a club coach on the way back and feeling incredibly depressed. Anyway, Dyer spoke about the up and down nature of West Ham, and that's what makes me worried about the Blackburn game. As I've written before, they have a good recent record of Premier League scalps in the competition and we need to have our heads screwed on. Yes, it was fun to chant "We're going to Wembley" after the Liverpool win, but we've only passed through two rounds and there are tougher games ahead. I would love to win the Cup. Let's make sure we make the quarters.

And finally, the first game in March, two weeks from now, is against Spurs. There is not much more in life that I would hate to witness than Tottenham winning the Premier League, a club that likes to shout about how big it is and yet has not won any major silverware for a hell of a long time. I believe it was Sam Wallace who said something similar on the Sky Sports Sunday show. Anyway, we have shown ourselves to have an impressive run of form against the top clubs this season but the Spurs match was the heaviest defeat of the season and that was even with the likes of Lanzini and Sakho playing. There is nothing that will define our season more than coming back against Tottenham and giving them a thumping defeat, not just derailing their title hopes but showing how ruthless we can be as well – and making sure no one does the double on us. It is an opportunity for Bilic to right the wrongs of the 4-1 defeat and to give us a lovely victory against Spurs. Whatever you say or think about Allardyce, at least he gave us a lot of memorable games – and wins – against Tottenham.

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Emmanuel Emenike opens up about match-fixing hell which saw him spend four nights in PRISON
11:13, 17 FEB 2016 UPDATED 11:13, 17 FEB 2016
BY LIAM CORLESS
The 28-year-old West Ham striker was wrongly accused of faking an injury to miss a title-deciding match during his time with Turkish side Karabukspor
The Mirror

Emmanuel Emenike has opened up about the match-fixing allegations he faced five years ago which landed him in prison. The striker, who joined West Ham on loan until the end of the season last month, was playing for Turkish side Karabukspor when the unfounded claims surfaced. The 28-year-old missed a key Turkish league game against Fenerbahce in 2011 through injury before joining Fenerbahce two weeks later in a £9million deal. However, authorities alleged he faked an injury to miss the crucial title-decided game, which Fenerbahce won 1-0, in return for a big money move to the Istanbul-based club. Karabukspor and Emenike both vehemently denied the claims and the club's doctor provided a letter to confirm the striker's injury was genuine. However, he was locked up for four nights despite the doctor's letter before being released due to a lack of evidence. "My time in prison was a crazy nightmare that I couldn't wake up from," Emenike told The Sun. "I've never committed a crime in my life but I was treated like a criminal, living on bread and water. "It was not a good experience. It gave me a different perspective on life. When I was finally cleared I thanked God for letting justice

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Tottenham and West Ham set for £25m transfer fight over Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi
22:30, 16 FEB 2016
BY DARREN LEWIS
Title-chasing Spurs are confident — but the Hammers think his former team-mate Dimitri Payet's success with them will win the Belgian over
The Mirror

Tottenham are locked in a tug of war with London neighbours and rivals West Ham over £25million-rated striker Michy Batshuayi. The title-chasing north Londoners are confident of luring the Belgian, who they have been tracking for over a year, to White Hart Lane. Spurs believe their chances will increase even further if they win the league or secure Champions League football. But West Ham reckon the success of Dimitri Payet - a former team-mate of Batshuayi's at Marseille - will tempt the marksman to join them instead. The Irons have received enough encouragement to believe that the player could make their attack even stronger when they take up residence at the Olympic Stadium next season. Payet has been sensational at Upton Park since signing for the Irons last summer for just £10.75million. His performances have earned him rave reviews and a new £125,000-a-week deal. Batshuayi, 22, has scored 15 goals this season. Mirror Sport first revealed Tottenham's interest in him last July. But Marseille blocked his sale and the player resolved to focus on trying to force his way into the Belgium squad for this summer's European Championship. That did not stop Stoke joining the chase for his services, however, with a £21m offer on the final weekend of the January transfer window. Newcastle are also interested but the player is understood to be keen on a move to London, leaving Spurs and West Ham as favourites.

* WEST HAM striker Diafra Sakho is desperate to return from his thigh injury in time to deliveron his promise to score 20 goals this season.
The Senegal frontman has been out since November, and has netted just five times so far. He is expected back later this month and said: "I'm going to try right until the end to keep to my word. My recovery's going very well. "Even though it's been a lot quicker than what I'd thought, I'm in a hurry to come back because I promised to score 20 goals. "At the moment I'm only on five in all competitions. So that leaves 15."

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Hammers linked with Terry & Robben
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The Brentwood Gazette are back at making up headlines again and both the Metro along with the Daily Express seem happy to fall for their articles and repeat them without questioning their authenticity. The Metro and Daily Express claim "West Ham are lining up a shock move to sign Chelsea captain John Terry this summer, according to reports" Not to outdone by the Brentwood Gazette, another football blog called the SportsBlog has today linked the Hammers with Arjeb Robben. The blog says "According to reports in Germany, FC Bayern Munich is going to sell 32 years old Dutch winger for a solid price. Arjen Robben, who is injured often has offer from London, West Ham United are ready to pay 16 million pounds for him.It seems FC Bayern will accept West Ham United's offer, because Arjen is 32 years old and He is injured very often." Please don't expect either aging player at the Olympic Stadium any time soon 😉 Nice try guys but no sale!

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West Ham transfer target moves to China
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former West Ham transfer, Burak Yilmaz linked with the Hammers in the January transfer window has become the latest footballer to move to China.
The experienced Galatasaray striker officially completed his move to Beijing Guoan today, following a four-year stay with the Turkish team.
Galatasaray previously claimed that West Ham offered €5m (£3.8m) for the player, only to be turned down when it emerged that he did not want to leave. Slaven Bilic, meanwhile, made it perfectly clear that he was only willing to commit to a loan deal for Yilmaz. Bilic told reporters "With Burak, it's a different situation because they are looking to sell him. If they are going to let him go, they are looking to sell. And as I said, we are not buying now." The Shanghai Daily says the deal is believed to be worth in the region of €8m. The 31-year-old is thought to have signed a three-year contract at the Workers' Stadium.

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Irons hope Samulsen is ready next season
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are hoping the Martin Samuelsen will be ready to become a key member of the first team squad next season. Although the teenager has years in front of him his progress at Peterborough has excited the club ho believe he could well be ready to stake his claim next season. Although the club won't make any firm decisions until the summer Samuelsen is seen as a massive part of the club's future and they are ready to let him loose as soon as possible. The Norwegian youngster was very exciting in the recent FA Cup replay between Posh and West Brom which was seen on national TV and the club will be offering him a new deal in the summer. And ClaretandHugh was told: "We look at everything at the end of the season. We'd hope he could play for us next season or at worst just have a few months in the Championship as part of his development." Posh director of Football Barry Fry admits he has had several talks with David Sullivan about keeping the player but has had no positive feedback at this stage.

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Collison: Nobes England call-up is no brainer
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Former Hammer Jack Collison has said that Mark Noble's call up for England should be a no brainer and says if he isn't called up there is definitely something going on.

Speaking to MooreThanJustaPodcast as part of the Claret And Hugh interview series, Jack told the West Ham podcast:

"Nobes has been fantastic, he has probably played under seven or eight managers now and he has always been a regular and even more so this season. After his goal (at the weekend) it just shows that with a little push over the line he might get an England call before too long, you never know!"

"It's a no brainer, especially with the type and brand of football West Ham are playing at the moment. I think he would slot in there very easily considering that midfield is a very competitive place to try to get in with the likes of Dele Alli and Ross Barkley. I think Nobes has shown he can hold his own at any level with the amount of games he has played and the way he is driving West Ham forward at the moment and if he doesn't get a call up there is definitely something going on there!"

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Cottee applauds board's huge statement of intent
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Tony Cottee is thrilled with the Dimitri Payet deal declaring "it's a huge statement of intent by the board." And the former striker said: " There a lot of football supporters that complain about the huge wages that players get these days, but I can't imagine any West Ham fan moaning about the salary of Dimitri Payet." Cottee added: Full credit to them (the board) by securing the talents of our best player for the next five years."
Talking to London24.com he added "Everything is changing with the Hammers. As they move into a new stadium they are moving to a different level and that means keeping your best players. Over the last 50 or 60 years, West Ham have been a selling club, but this is now changing. Everyone has their price and I expect there may be a huge buy-out clause in his new contract, but with a five-year deal and that means any team will have to pay an absolute fortune to get him."

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Noble breaks West Ham testimonial record
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Mark Noble is on target to break a new West Ham record for the largest ever attendance of a Hammers testimonial match. We understand that very few tickets remain for the match in honour of Nobes on the 28th March and the game looks set to sell out completely.

Our source close to the ticket office told us: "There are a few single scattered seats left for Mark Noble these should be showing online at present if they remain, its been incredibly popular and until bond seats get released two weeks prior its unlikely that there is much left"

NobleSelfie (1)When Irons legend Bobby Moore received his testimonial on 16th November 1970 before terracing was abolished all he could muster was a crowd of 24,448.

The record is currently held by West Ham world cup hero Geoff Hurst who had an attendance of 29,250 23rd on November 1971.

Billy Bonds managed an attendance of 21,081 in December 1978 for his first testimonial while Julian Dicks pulled in a crowd of 14,224 in August,2000. Trevor Brooking's Testimonial in October 1977 was third most attended game with 23,220 attending.

In recent times Tony Carr's testimonial attracted a crowd of 13,000 in May 2010.

Noble is set to smash this record with over 35,000 fans attending his testimonial on Easter Monday.

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Slav weighs AC/Lanzini options
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 17, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Andy Carroll could be recalled to lead the line against Blackburn Rovers in Sunday's FA Cup Tie as the boss weighs his options for the weekend.

Co chairman David Gold tweeted earlier today that the player was available for the game declaring:" Andy is fit and I expect him to play against Blackburn."

The Irons are in increasingly good shape and Manu Lanzini look certain to join the squad this weekend as the club take the competition every more seriously.

We understand that the manager may be ready to rest Enner Valencia who looked particularly weary at Norwich whilst Michail Antonio may also be on the bench with Victor Moses starting.

Lanzini is now with the first team squad and according to insiders looking sharp and ready for action with one saying: "He's certain to be involved at some point ."

We are told that Sakho is about a week to ten days away.

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