Daily WHUFC News - 15th August

A bumper digest today due to me being unable to post one yesterday.... my
apologies
Here's to a exciting and successful second season under Super Slav. COYI
Dave Witts

Preview - Chelsea- WHUFC Official Site

When and where?
Chelsea v West Ham United
Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Monday 15 August 2016, 8pm BST

What's the story?
Ninety-two days after the Hammers left the pitch at Stoke City to end the
2015/16 season, it's time for the action to start all over again.
Slaven Bilic's men get their Premier League campaign underway with a trip to
London rivals Chelsea, who will be under the leadership of new manager
Antonio Conte for the first time.
Chelsea will be looking to recover from a below-par 2015/16 campaign, which
saw them finish well off the pace in tenth position – just a year after
lifting the Premier League title.
As they look to turn their fortunes around they have turned to former
Juventus and Italy boss Conte, who led his country to a quarter-final place
at Euro 2016 this summer.
They spent big to bring in Leicester City's title-winning midfielder N'Golo
Kante and Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi this summer, while Mohamed Salah
and Papy Djilobodji moved through the exit door.
In pre-season, the Blues, like West Ham, spent time training in Austria.
They followed that by taking part in the International Champions Cup – a
tournament which saw them defeat Liverpool, lose narrowly to Real Madrid and
beat AC Milan, all in the United States.
They concluded their pre-season preparations with a 4-2 win over Werder
Bremen last weekend, with Eden Hazard, Oscar, Diego Costa and Pedro all on
target.

Team news
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slaven Bilic admitted that one
or two positions remained open in his thinking going into this game.
With Darren Randolph, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Dimitri Payet all
being involved at Euro 2016, they came back to pre-season training at
different times, with Payet last to return last weekend.
They have all played their part either in the Hammers' UEFA Europa League
qualifiers against NK Domzale or the Betway Cup clash with Juventus and it
remains to be seen if they will be involved at Stamford Bridge.
However, Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini will definitely be out with knee
injuries, while Gokhan Tore returned to training last week after a knee
injury of his own.

Any links between the two?
Angelo Ogbonna will be reunited with his former Juventus boss Antonio Conte,
who has taken the reins at Chelsea this summer.
Elsewhere, Chelsea winger Victor Moses spent last season on loan with the
Hammers, making 21 Premier League appearances with one goal, while current
Hammers loanee Gokhan Tore was in the Chelsea academy between 2009-11.
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Manager on Monday - WHUFC Official Site

Slaven Bilic is convinced his team will not be treated any differently
despite their impressive record against the big teams in the Premier League
last season.
West Ham started the season in superb fashion last year beating Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester City on their travels in the opening month of the
season.
Bilic's side showed they can be a match for any team and with the historic
move into the new Stadium during the summer, they are full of confidence
ahead of the first game against Chelsea on Monday night.
The West Ham United manager can see more big upsets taking place this season
and feels the gap is closing all the time on the bigger clubs in the Premier
League.
Bilic said: "I don't think they will treat us any different. They didn't
underestimate us last season.
"Our first three away games were Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – it
was kind of a shock.
"But it wasn't only us. Stoke for example, beat Manchester City and
Manchester United at home, Southampton beat Chelsea away, Arsenal at home,
Manchester United away.
"It wasn't only West Ham. It was a strange season. For the big ones, I would
say unusual.
"We started it because of the fixtures. So it is not like they
underestimated us. Just that smaller clubs improved because of the money,
more tactical, but mainly because they had the resources to attract and get
better players.
"It will definitely continue this season. The big ones, like you can see in
transfer window, some of them have reacted big time with players and
managers. It is going to be hard for them again."
One of the major factors behind West Ham's impressive campaign was the form
shown by Dimitri Payet who became a cult hero with the Hammers fans in just
his first season in English football.
Bilic is not concerned that his influential forward will become a marked man
in his second season in the Premier League and is confident he will continue
to show his best form for the Club.
Bilic added: "I don't believe he will be a marked man this season. People
are trying to mark great players all their careers because they are great
players and can get out of that situation.
"Psychologically it is a big season for him as he will want to repeat what
he did last season and we will do everything to help him and I see no reason
why he cannot repeat that.
"Dimitri will not do everything by himself and it was not the case last
year."
Bilic is also hoping to see Andy Carroll continue his impressive pre-season
form and become a major star for the Club this season.
Carroll showed his qualities again when he scored two goals against Juventus
last week and looks back to his best ahead of the opening game at Stamford
Bridge.
Bilic said: "It is a massive season for Andy Carroll. What gives us hope is
that he has done the whole of pre-season. He only missed a couple of games
but we wanted to give him a rest.
"When you want to sign a striker who will score 20 goals season if you look
at his stats he can get you that. But the amount of games he was available,
it was not 20 but only nine goals.
"It is not tiredness, but his situation that he was not available the whole
season. We hope he will be injury free this season."
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Five Talking Points - Premier League kick-off-WHUFC Official Site

The important points for discussion as West Ham United prepare to travel to
Chelsea on Monday evening...

Team selection

Slaven Bilic may be without injured trio Aaron Cresswell, Manuel Lanzini and
new boy Gokhan Tore on Monday, but he will still have plenty of options when
it comes to picking his team.
The manager has two fine goalkeepers to choose from, alongside three
international centre-halves. At full-back, he will opt between Michail
Antonio and Sam Byram at right-back, while new boy Arthur Masuaku could be
given a Premier League baptism of fire at left-back.
In midfield, Norway's Havard Nordtveit looks set to play an important role
in front of the back four, with Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate ahead of
him. The impressive Reece Oxford and dependable Pedro Obiang could also be
involved on the night.
Two more new boys look set to fill the wide positions in Sofiane Feghouli
and Andre Ayew, with Andy Carroll up front, but Dimitri Payet and Enner
Valencia will both hope to feature too.

The race for No1

Last season, West Ham benefitted hugely from having two outstanding
goalkeepers to call upon in Spaniard Adrian and experienced Irishman Darren
Randolph.
Despite some headlines suggesting he may seek a guaranteed starting place
elsewhere after starring for his country at Euro 2016, Randolph has signed a
new contract to remain in Claret and Blue. Adrian, meanwhile, has returned
to fitness in pre-season after missing the end of last term through injury.
Both men were given a chance to impress against Domzale in the UEFA Europa
League, but who will be between the sticks for the start of the Premier
League campaign?

A year ago, West Ham United travelled to a big-name London rival with a new
manager, new players and with, the pundits said, no chance of pulling off a
victory.
At the final whistle, the Hammers had beaten Arsenal 2-0 and those same
pundits were purring over Slaven Bilic's side and, in particular, the
performances of French playmaker Dimitri Payet and Academy youngster Reece
Oxford.
On Monday night, the stage will be Stamford Bridge rather than the Emirates
and the opposition Chelsea. Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is the
attitude of the pundits, who would not be at all surprised if West Ham
started the season with another landmark away win.

New Blues

Two players previously linked with West Ham United are likely to make their
Chelsea debuts against the Hammers on Monday evening – France midfielder N'Golo
Kante and Belgium striker Michy Batschuayi.
A Premier League title winner with Leicester City last season, Kante will
add bite and athleticism to a midfield that appeared pedestrian at times a
year ago. Batschuayi, meanwhile, enjoyed a fine personal season amid
turbulent surroundings at Marseille last term, following that up with a goal
for his country at Euro 2016.
Both will be keen to impress another new Blue in manager Antonio Conte,
whose tactical acumen has arrived at Stamford Bridge after a wildly
successful spell at Juventus and a decent stint as Italy manager.

A Bridge too far?

West Ham United's record at Stamford Bridge has been poor in recent years.
Indeed, the Hammers travel to west London on a ten-match winless Premier
League run at the home of Chelsea.
Last season, Slaven BIlic's side were the better team, led twice and
deserved to win, only to be denied at the last by a controversial Cesc
Fabregas penalty – awarded when Michail Antonio was penalised for bringing
down Ruben Loftus-Cheek a yard outside the box.
Paolo Di Canio scored twice on West Ham's last victory in SW6 back in
September 2002, but will that record be broken on Monday night?

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Day one delight for Manning - WHUFC Official Site

Dev Squad coach Liam Manning was delighted with his side's terrific start to
their Premier League 2 campaign on Saturday as the Hammers beat Stoke City
3-0.
New boys Ashley Fletcher and Toni Martinez were both on the scoresheet at
the home of Leek Town as the Potters went 2-0 down within half an hour.
Ryan Sweeney put into his own net to hand the visitors their third, as
Manning and the U23s celebrated a comfortable opening day win.
The coach said: "We played well on Saturday and it was a really good start
for us. I think the things we'd worked on and the messages we're reinforcing
every week were delivered really well. It was a great start.
"We've played some tough teams this pre-season, so to come away with a 3-0
victory shows that they were worthwhile fixtures for us. Our lads need to be
able to play at that level as part of their development and to prove their
ability.
"The challenge on Saturday was transferring that into a performance and to
be fair to them, we did exactly that."
Former Manchester United forward Fletcher has spent most of his early
Hammers career with the first team, but played alongside fellow summer
recruit Martinez against Stoke.
Martinez, who travelled with the senior squad to the US and Austria over
pre-season, scored his first goal in a West Ham shirt away at VVV-Venlo for
the Dev Squad earlier this month.
"It was good to see the pair of them – Martinez and Fletcher – get on the
scoresheet," Manning continued. "I thought the two played well up front
together.
"Although they both scored, both of them should have had more to be a
critical. They went away from the match thinking they could have had two or
three each, but it was a good start for them still.
"We hit the woodwork and the victory could have been far more convincing. We
dominated the game bar a small five or ten minute period where our levels
dropped a bit. We looked a constant threat."
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Joint-Chairman - We are ready for Chelsea-WHUFC Official Site

Joint-Chairman David Gold reflects on a busy summer of transfer activity and
looks ahead to the opening Premier League game against Chelsea on Monday
night.....
The countdown is finally over and we are now preparing for the first Premier
League game of the season.
It has been a long summer but I think the business we have done overall has
been incredible and I have to pay tribute to David Sullivan, Slaven Bilic,
Tony Henry and Andrew Pincher for all the hard work they have put in to
ensure we have had a near perfect window.
There are number of top clubs across Europe who are looking to sign a
striker who can score over 20 top flight goals a season, but when it comes
down to it there are probably only ten forwards who can do that and all the
top Clubs are chasing them.
We can still be very excited over the signings we have made and our fans
should not forget that we have made a Club record signing and the arrival of
Andre Ayew is a major coup for the football club.
Slaven has shown that he wants players who can show versatility and Andre
fits that bill.
He can operate anywhere along the frontline and when you get injuries, you
want players who can be that versatile.
Michail Antonio is a great example of that, while young players like Sam
Byram have also shown he can play in different positions and that is key.
Andre certainly gives Slaven options and he is a game changer. It is a big
factor that he has Premier League experience as some of the top players take
time to adapt and settle in. We know that he can play straight away.
It is also valuable that he has played with Dimitri Payet and they had a
great relationship together at Marseille. They know each other very well and
we are hoping they can have another great partnership at West Ham.
We also secured the £6.2million signing of Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos
and that would have been a Club record ten-years ago, so we are very excited
over his signing as well.
He is a talented player and will be a major addition to the squad. The
strength is key to our squad.
We have also brought in Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan who is one of
the best young prospects in South America and we are all excited to see him
in action.
All attentions now turn to the opening game against Chelsea on Monday night.
We have won the right to be optimistic ahead of these big games and I am
confident that wherever we go, we are capable of getting a good result.
Chelsea are one of the top clubs in Europe and have a top class manager who
is hugely experienced.
They have top players, but I believe we can get something from the game. We
showed against the big teams away from home last season that we were capable
of getting a result and there is no reason we cannot do the same thing
again.
Our fans will turn out in their numbers once again and we will have
magnificent support at Stamford Bridge. Why can't we make it the perfect
start to the season and come away with a positive result.
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Hammer Havard eyeing Premier League bow - WHUFC Official Site

On the eve of what could well be his Premier League debut, new signing
Havard Nordtveit is relishing what is arguably the biggest game of his
career.
Having begun his professional career at Arsenal aged 17, the Norwegian
international spent six-and-a-half years in Germany, first on loan at FC
Nuremberg, before joining Borussia Monchengladbach prior to his return to
England.
Now 26, the midfielder, who can also be deployed as a central defender,
cannot wait for his Premier League bow: "It's a very tough league, each game
is a fight. We just have to take each game individually, we are only
focusing on Chelsea, and then the next game after that.
"After Chelsea we will know where we are, it's a long season. Of course we
want to do as well as we can, we have a new stadium and a new training
ground, so everything is going well ahead of the new season.
"If I don't make my debut on Monday, I hope it comes very soon – it's a big
boy dream I've had seen I was little. Generally in Scandinavia the Premier
League is the most popular league, and I've seen many games from Upton Park,
I'm very happy to be part of this fantastic club.
Having joined the Hammers back in July, Nordtveit has enjoyed the benefit of
a full-preseason with his new teammates, first out in America, before
travelling to Austria and Slovenia where he made his competitive debut in
the first leg against NK Domzale.
Nordtveit continued: "Pre-season was good, we spent a lot of time together.
The two games we've had in the Europa League have been important.
"We are there fitness wise and now I am really looking forward to the new
season."
While Nordtveit, a hugely positive and engaging character, has already
settled into life in east London seamlessly, the Norwegian explained his
reasons for choosing the Hammers in the first place.
He said: "First of all the club is traditional, and now with the new stadium
it is a good combination. I was always watching West Ham in Norway growing
up.
"For me, it's like a family club, everyone is in one big group.
"Second, the new stadium is really fantastic. The atmosphere (in the first
two home games) was amazing. I didn't think it would be so loud, but walking
out in the tunnel, it was so loud, I couldn't believe it.
"The fans were amazing and hopefully it's like that at every home game.
Every player here is really keen that the fans enjoy the new stadium and
make it as loud as possible."
Another key factor for the midfielder was clearly the opportunity of working
with manager Slaven Bilic: "He was one of the biggest reasons why I joined,
after we met in London there was no going back. He said a lot of good
things, I couldn't wait to join!"
Just three months into his five year contract, Nordtveit has clearly hit the
ground running. Looking ahead to what promises to be a bright future, he
beamed: "I hope the next five years can develop me as a player and help the
club to take it a step further.
"There are a lot of games in a season, so over five years, I hope to impress
the manager, impress the fans and show I can play at this level."

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Ogbonna - We are friends but not on the pitch - WHUFC Official Site

It will be a case of friends reunited when Angelo Ogbonna meets up with
Antonio Conte once again at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Ogbonna knows the Chelsea manager more than most having played under him at
Juventus and for Italy – most recently at the European Championship Finals
during the summer.
The West Ham United defender believes he will be a great addition to the
Premier League and says his passion will be evident for everyone to see.
Ogbonna will enjoy linking up with the experienced manager, but says their
friendship will be put to one side as he focuses on helping the Hammers
secure their first three points of the season.
Ogbonna said: "I will just say hello to Antonio! We are friends but not on
the pitch. Every manager wants to do well in the first game and I think it
will really be a good game.
"I think he will bring passion to the Premier League. He likes to improve
his players with physical methods and likes to improve the character.
"I call him 'Tailor' because he arrived at Juventus when they were not
playing well and the same with Italy and can repair them. It is the same
with Chelsea.
"When I heard he was being appointed Chelsea manager and had the chance to
come into the Premier League, I think it is good for him.
"It is the same with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho as well. It is good for
the Premier League and something is changing. The football will improve.
"I am still excited to be playing here. The Premier League is the best in
the world and everyone wants to come and play here.
"Conte has improved me as a player and all the players he worked with. I
have a similar coach as well in Slaven who has the same character and both
of them can improve players."
Antonio sees a number of comparisons between Conte and Slaven Bilic and
feels they both help to get the best out of the players.
Ogbonna added: "He is similar to Slaven. Slaven has a good humour and good
passion and doesn't like to lose.
"When he loses he is so angry. I think he is similar, they look for the
human being first and after that the player, that is how you can compare."
After producing famous away wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City
at the start of last season, Ogbonna hopes to see his team produce a repeat
performance and feels the move into the new Stadium can help them move onto
the next level.
"We are excited. Last year we did well but maybe it was because it was the
last year at the Boleyn Ground. Maybe this year we can do well because it's
the first year in our new home.
"I hope the new Stadium can help us but nothing it certain. I think these
changes are very good for the team. We are going to do our job really well
because we have everything in place for us."
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New boys fire Dev Squad past Potters - WHUFC Official Site

West Ham United's Development Squad side kicked-off their Premier League 2
season with a 3-0 victory at Stoke City on Saturday.
Ashley Fletcher, Antonio Martinez and a Ryan Sweeney own-goal sealed the
victory for the Hammers at Leek Town's Harrison Park stadium, where Terry
Westley's sidfe controlled the game from start to finish.
It took the youngsters just three minutes to take the lead when Grady
Diangana provided a fantastic inswinging cross towards Fletcher, who nodded
past Potters goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai.
It was two on the half-hour mark when Fletcher saw his one-on-one effort
saved by Gyollai, but Martinez managed to divert the rebound in off the far
post.
The moment of the game went to Fletcher who tried an outrageous effort from
just inside Stoke's half which left Gyollai helpless, but the lob crashed
onto the bar and bounced out for a goal kick.
Fifteen minutes from time the Hammers got their third in fortunate fashion.
A corner from the left was unintentionally diverted towards the far post
where Oliver Shenton cleared the ball off the line, only for it to hit
team-mate Sweeney and bounce into the back of the net.
That completed a convincing win, providing the West Ham youngsters with a
perfect start in the new U23 Premier League division, where their next
encounter will be at home to Newcastle United a week on Monday.
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U18s record perfect start - WHUFC Official Site

West Ham United opened their Barclays U18 Premier League South campaign with
an entertaining 2-0 victory at Reading on Saturday.
The hosts came out strong in the first half but were unable to convert any
of the succession of chances they created in the opening 45 minutes.
After the break, West Ham rallied and pushed themselves ahead when captain
Tunji Akinola found space at the far post to head home from Anthony Scully's
cross.
Shortly after, Scully was again involved as the visitors doubled their lead,
setting up midfielder Alfie Lewis, who swept home whilst laying on the floor
in the penalty box.
U18s coach Mark Phillips admitted it had been a game of two halves, but
insisted the right team had won come the final whistle.
"I'm pleased with the second half, but I wasn't pleased with the opening 45
minutes," admitted Phillips. "Our general passing of the ball and shape
throughout the first half wasn't good enough and we totally got it all
wrong.
"We worked on it during training on Friday, making sure that our shape was
right and how the midfield three would rotate out of possession, but from a
defensive point of view, we got it all wrong in the first half.
"I have to say fair play to Reading though because they took advantage of
our play and were finding routes through our defensive whilst creating
opportunities.
"However, we rectified all of that at the break and I believe that we ran
out deserved winners by the end. We were getting more of the ball and
dominating territorially, whilst creating quite a few chances, some of which
we missed that probably should've been taken."
Reading, who defeated West Ham 3-0 in the same fixture last season, looked
set to repeat that feat early on, with their sharp passing and quick
movement causing all kinds of trouble for the visitors.
The visitors were chasing from the kick-off and really should have been 1-0
down on 23 minutes when a defensive slip-up allowed a number of home players
to crowd the West Ham penalty area, although Rihad Matrevics made fabulous
save to keep the ball out of the net.
West Ham tried to battle back and had their own efforts on target through
Scully and Kristjian Belic, but neither were enough to cause any real panic.
After the break, the Hammers opened the scoring. After a Scully corner was
cleared straight back to his feet, the young Irishman used his skills to
open up some space before whipping a cross towards the far post, where
Akinola finished with a precise header.
That goal shocked the hosts, and they were stunned again when the Hammers
doubled their lead five minutes later.
The ball was worked out to Jahmal Hector-Ingram on the right of the penalty
box, who clipped a cross to Scully at perfect head height. However, rather
than go for goal himself, Scully knocked the ball down to Lewis, who though
falling as his first shot was blocked, turned in from the floor at the
second time of asking.
Reading had little to offer in front of goal during the second half and the
Hammers secured an opening-day victory and three welcome points to kick-off
their 2016/17 campaign.

Next up for Potts' Academy side comes the visit of London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur to Little Heath on Saturday 21 August, with kick-off at 11am.

U18s: Matrevics, Johnson, Akinola, Wells, Hannam (Henry), Belic, Lewis,
Scully, Powell, Hector-Ingram (Constantinou), Longelo (Hamilton)

Subs not used: Hudson, Miller

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Reid - We're ready to start fast again - WHUFC Official Site

Winston Reid is keen for the Hammers to replicate last season's terrific
start when they face Chelsea in their first Premier League clash of the
season on Monday.
Slaven Bilic's side got off the mark on the opening day last campaign at
Arsenal and take on another of the division's top sides in Antonio Conte's
Blues at Stamford Bridge.
And Reid recognised the challenge the Hammers face, but sounded his
confidence ahead of the curtain-raiser.
He said: "Chelsea, who have a top new manager, will be raring to go and will
want to start well and it's tough against the top sides, but we hope to do
what we did last season at Arsenal and pick up a positive result.
"Last season, that game really kick-started the season and we hope something
similar will come our way. It would be the perfect start.
"It's going to be tough. Obviously they had a disappointing season last year
and have a quality squad, but we want to try and go there and get a good
result."
West Ham picked up four points from the west London outfit last season and
it could have been more had it not been for a moment of controversy late on
at Stamford Bridge in March.
And Reid thinks the disappointment felt after the clash was a sign of how
far the Club had come over the course of the season under Bilic's
leadership.
"We were disappointed last season and it of course showed that we've come a
long way," the New Zealand international continued. "But in any match in
which you concede a late goal to prevent you picking up three points, you'll
be disappointed.
"In that game, we produced a lot of chances and we should have won. We didn't
and we picked up too many draws around that time.
"But this is a new season and it's a chance for us to start from scratch. We
want to go there and get the best possible start at Stamford Bridge and we
believe we can do that."
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Chelsea v West Ham United - BBC Sport

TEAM NEWS

New signings Michy Batshuayi and N'Golo Kante are poised to make their
Chelsea debuts on Monday night.
Kurt Zouma remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has said Euro 2016 finalist Dimitri Payet will
not be fit to play the whole game after making a delayed start to
pre-season.
Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini are out with knee injuries but Andre Ayew
and Sofiane Feghouli could be involved.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Jonathan Pearce: "Many people are tipping Chelsea to challenge for the title
under new boss Antonio Conte. He's a charming passionate football man with
steely, ambitious eyes.
"N'Golo Kante will add a pacy engine to a flagging midfield. But it's a big
step up for £33m striker Michy Batshuayi. The Conte evolution may take time.
"West Ham surprised everyone by winning at Arsenal on the opening day last
year. They could spring another one here.
"New boys Sofiane Feghouli and Ashley Fletcher have looked sharp in
pre-season. Andre Ayew's a good signing. A top five challenge should lie
ahead.
"This is a thrilling score draw for me."

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants his players to channel the spirit of
champions Leicester City: "When you watch Leicester's games you understand
this great feeling between the players.
"Every player is ready to help his team-mate because he knows in another
situation his team-mate will help him.
"It's important to have this if you want to win. It's important to have
talented, fantastic players, but it's important as well to create the right
spirit."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "We have a good squad - we've kept most of
the players and we've added some players too.
"We are expecting them to improve us - we'd expect that even without them
because we have been together for a year now and had a good last season.

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

The Hammers have got some outstanding players but I think Chelsea will turn
them over on Monday night.
Prediction: 2-0

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 13 season-opening games at home
MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home matches
against West Ham (W7, D3).
The Hammers last won at Stamford Bridge in September 2002 when Paolo Di
Canio's late goal clinched a 3-2 victory.

Chelsea

Chelsea's tally of 50 points last season is the lowest of any reigning
Premier League champion.
They could go six home games without a win for the first time since a
12-match run between November 1994 and April 1995.
The Blues have amassed 51 points from their opening Premier League
fixtures, more than any other team.
Antonio Conte is unbeaten in 28 successive league home matches as a club
manager since January 2013 (W26, D2).
Chelsea have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 12 home
league matches since beating Norwich City 1-0 in November 2015. They last
went longer without a clean sheet in 1960-1961.

West Ham United

West Ham finished higher than Chelsea last season for the first time in
20 years.
They earned 15 points in London derbies last season, more than any other
club. Chelsea managed 12 points.
The Hammers have scored at least one goal in each their last 13 league
matches.

SAM's verdict
SAM's predicted score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 20%
Probability of home win: 68% Probability of away win: 12%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale
at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football
matches.
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Hammers make it a treble - thewesthamway
by Brian Knox on 14 August 2016 at 2:32pm

All three of West Ham's young teams won yesterday in their first competitive
games of the season.

The U23 side won 3-0 away to Stoke with goals from new signings, Ashley
Fletcher, Antonio Martinez and an own goal from a Stoke City player.
It took the U23 side just three minutes to take the lead when Grady Diangana
provided a fantastic inswinging cross towards Fletcher, who nodded past
Potters goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai.
It was two on the half-hour mark when Fletcher saw his one-on-one effort
saved by Gyollai, but Martinez managed to divert the rebound in off the far
post.
The moment of the game came when Fletcher tried an outrageous effort from
just inside Stoke's half which left Gyollai helpless, but the lob crashed
onto the bar and bounced out for a goal kick.
Fifteen minutes from time the Hammers got their third. A corner from the
left was unintentionally diverted towards the far post where Oliver Shenton
cleared the ball off the line, only for it to hit team-mate Sweeney and
bounce into the back of the net.
That completed a convincing win, providing the West Ham youngsters with a
perfect start in the new U23 Premier League division, where their next
encounter will be at home to Newcastle United a week on Monday.
West Ham United U23s: Nathan Trott, Moses Makasi, Declan Rice (c), Reece
Burke, Alex Pike (Noha Sylvestre 62), Grady Diangana (Dan Kemp 78), Diego
Poyet, Domingos Quina, Marcus Browne, Ashley Fletcher, Antonio Martinez.

Unused sub – Tyler Forde (GK)

The U18 side won 2-0 away to Reading with goals from Tunji Akinola and Alfie
Lewis whilst the U16's completed the Reading rout with a 5-1 victory with
doubles from Jeremy Ngakia, Sean Adarkwa along with a Benardo Rosa goal.
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Chelsea v West Ham Preview - thewesthamway
by ExWHUEmployee on 14 August 2016 at 9:20pm
Chelsea Badge

This is written by Deportivo Hammer

The Premier League is back, big name players and big name managers. Bright
lights, new stars and new stadiums. The Premier League is going to be
bigger and better than ever.
With the Euro Championship in France this year it seems to have disrupted
many teams pre-season plans ours included, with Dimitri Payet only being
back at the club a week.
During the off season our Chairman promised to bring in a big name striker
for a lot of money, while everyone was waiting for this big name to come, we
quietly managed to pick up free agents Havard Nordtveit and Sofiane
Feghouli, as well as adding exciting young talents Domingos Quina, Ashley
Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri.
We then waited and waited…Then suddenly along came Andre Ayew for a club
record fee of £20.5 million pounds a lot of money some people might say, but
in today's market i feel we have a bargain.
Pre-season for West Ham United hasn't been great results wise, but avoiding
injury is probably the most important thing unfortunately Aaron Cresswell
looks to be out for 4 months. This made the board go out and get a proven
player with Champions League experience Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos.
Playing 2 competitive games in the UEFA League against NK Domzale should
give us a little bit of an edge over Chelsea. Our opponents in the next
round are FC Astra Giurgiu.
Chelsea on the other hand have beaten Liverpool, AC Milan and Werder Breman
and lost to European giants Real Madrid, also managing not to pick up any
major injuries.
New manager Antonio Conte has been busy bringing in players such as N'Golo
Kante from Leicester City and Michy Batshuayi from Olympic Marseille. I
fully expect them to be more active in the transfer market before the window
closes.

Predicted teams –

Chelsea – Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Kante, Fabregas,
Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa.

West Ham United – Adrian, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Masuaka, Nordtveit, Noble
Kouyate, Ayew, Feghouli, Carroll.

Big decisions for Slav in the full back positions as he likes to play
Antonio there but I hope he gives Byram a run in the team in his natural
position. He could also play Byram at left back depending on the fitness of
Masuaka.
I would love to say Payet will start, but I think he will be given a role
from the bench as I think he still needs time training with the rest of the
squad.
One thing for sure there is going to be plenty of competition for places
this year with Tore, Obiang, Calleri, Oxford and Lanzini all pushing to get
into the team. With the hopeful extra Euro games all will be needed at some
point.
I predict this game to be very open and finish 2-2 with Carroll and Ayew
getting our goals on the night.

Deportivo Hammer
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Chelsea v West Ham preview: - SkySports
By James Walker-Roberts

Last Updated: 15/08/16 12:09pm

Antonio Conte will take charge of his first Premier League match when
Chelsea host West Ham on Monday Night Football.
The Blues, who are looking to bounce back after only finishing 10th last
season, have signed midfielder N'Golo Kante from Leicester and forward Michy
Batshuayi from Marseille.
Both could be in line for their debuts against the Hammers, who drew at
Stamford Bridge in the 2015/16 campaign.
West Ham have already played competitive matches in the Europa League and a
number of new signings could make their first league appearances.
Andre Ayew, Arthur Masuaku and Sofiane Feghouli are among those looking for
a place in the starting XI.

Team news

There are no new injury concerns for Chelsea, with Kurt Zouma still
sidelined as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered earlier in
the year.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has a number of decisions to make regarding his
team.
He has already confirmed Dimitri Payet will not be fit to play the whole
game after returning back to pre-season following his Euro 2016 exploits
with France, while new signings Ayew and Masuaku also need to prove their
fitness if they are to make their debuts.
Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini (both knee) are definitely out but former
Chelsea youngster Gokhan Tore (knee) is back in training.

Opta stats

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League meetings with West Ham
United at Stamford Bridge (W7 D3) and have not lost at home to them in the
league since September 2002 (2-3).
West Ham were unbeaten against Chelsea in the Premier League last season (W1
D1); the first time that they have achieved this since 2002-03.

Chelsea are unbeaten in each of their last 13 season opening fixtures played
at Stamford Bridge (W10 D3).
Antonio Conte has lost just one of his last 30 league games as a club
manager (W27 D2 L1).
Diego Costa has scored five goals in seven Premier League appearances for
Chelsea in the month of August.

Dimitri Payet had a hand in 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League
appearances of 2015-16 (three goals, eight assists).

Merson's prediction

It's a difficult start for both teams but I'm going for Chelsea to win the
league so I'm going for a Chelsea win here too. People say they weren't
great defensively last season but Conte is a great tactician and they will
improve.
If N'Golo Kante gets around Dimitri Payet, I don't see Payet touching the
ball too often. He's a top player and you don't want to be giving away
free-kicks around the box, but he's not really going to run away from
defenders.
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West Ham United's €10m bid for striker is enough for selling club -
Sportwitness
By Lucas Sposito -
15th August 2016
Aboubakar A Bola August 15thLast week, we've covered an article from A Bola
which said that West Ham, Middlesbrough and Leicester were interested in the
Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar.
Now A Bola has a short update on Monday, saying the deal with the Hammers is
quite possible.
First, they take claims from the British press which said West Ham would be
ready to make a €10m bid for the player.
This amount would please the Portuguese club and put the decision in their
hands. There's also information of Besiktas trying to sign the player on
loan as they would be offering €3m for the spell.
However, we've made a search in the British press and didn't find any
articles saying West Ham would be ready to advance.
We don't believe A Bola would make this up, since they could simply publish
the information as their own, but it's also quite possible they've
misunderstood some articles from the weekend which were republishing the
info from their own paper.
In any case, the claims saying Porto would like the €10m offer seem to be
their own, so it's now up to the Hammers to open negotiations or not.
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Jonathan Calleri to receive international clearance soon -ReadWestham

West Ham's latest summer arrival, Jonathan Calleri, is expected to receive
international clearance to complete his season-long loan move from Uruguayan
side Deportivo Maldonado.
Jack Sullivan took to Twitter this afternoon to give an update on the
situation surrounding Calleri and his move to West Ham.
Slaven Bilic confirmed last week that a deal had been agreed to sign Calleri
on a season-long loan move and the transfer will be completed once he
receives a UK work permit.
It's understood he has now received one and is awaiting international
clearance to finally complete the move, something Jack Sullivan cleared up
today.
"Calleri has signed on a season long loan, however he need International
clearance which takes a few days before he can play. #COYI" he posted on
Twitter this afternoon.
The 22-year-old Argentine striker is expected to join up with the first-team
squad after their Premier League curtain-raiser against Chelsea tonight and
could be in with a chance of featuring at the weekend against Bournemouth.
The former Boca Juniors and Sao Paulo star was part of the Argentina squad
which were prematurely knocked out of the Olympics this month which has seen
Calleri return to club action sooner than expected, which is positive for
the Hammers.






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