Daily WHUFC News - II 21st September 2016

Manager on Matchday
WHUFC.com

Morning everyone,

I hope everyone is looking forward to the EFL Cup third round game against Accrington Stanley this evening and this is a competition which interests us a great deal. We are determined to get back on the winning trail at London Stadium and I have been speaking with the players to address the issues we have faced. We now need to see a reaction on the pitch. We speak all the time with the players. We have long meetings and short meetings. We are aware of the situation. The worse thing that can happen in football is to lose confidence. Our confidence is harmed a bit because of the results and the position we are in. But you can't lose it. If you lose your confidence as an individual and as a team then you've got no chance. It's got to be a balance. You have to criticise because it's not good. You have to point fingers. But there has to be a mix between the two of them. It's hard. But that's the nature of the job. You have to find the balance. We're in this situation and we made it. Me, my staff, the players. We simply need a reaction to the defeat. In none of these games…. You can't say we've been outplayed by the opposition. You can't be one second late when you lose the ball. That's enough for the opposition to have an extra yard, and every goal we conceded was like that. When it rains it pours. If you add on top of that the individual mistakes we were doing it's way too much. It depends on the other results as well but it would be perfect scenario if we could win all three home games coming up and climb away from trouble. The cup game doesn't affect the table but then we have two home games and if we win both we won't be completely out of trouble. In terms of the team news for tonight's game Arbeloa and Fernandes are ready to go and they have been training. Arbeloa's last game was last season against Real Madrid and Fernandes played for Sion and for the Swiss Under 21's ten days ago. We have that issue with a few players, but some of the players will get a chance because we want to see them. They have been training hard and we want to see them. It is a risk for the result, but I want to see them and I have full confidence in them. I watched Accrington's game against Burnley in the last round. They are a good team for that level of football but the lower you go, the better they are at closing down the opponent. They have already played a Cup Final against Burnley and tomorrow night will be a Champions League Final, they will be up for it, so it is a good test for us.

Come on you Irons!

Slaven Bilic

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A message from the Joint-Chairmen
WHUFC.com

A message from Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold...

Good afternoon everyone as we prepare for an EFL Cup third-round tie against Accrington Stanley this evening. We would like to extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters from Accrington Stanley and know this is going to be a big night for the League Two side, who will relish the opportunity to come up against Premier League opposition.
But we have aspirations to reach the latter stages of the competition and want to challenge for silverware this season. Following our exit from the UEFA Europa League, there are now three competitions that we can win, and realistically the EFL Cup and FA Cup provide us with the best hope of lifting a trophy. We know Slaven and the players will want to put things right on the pitch following a disappointing run of form in the early part of the season. Everyone was extremely frustrated with the result against West Brom on Saturday and Slaven was honest as always after the game and said there is a problem that we have to solve. We have no doubts that Slaven and his backroom team will be working even harder with the players on the training field to put things right.

CRUCIAL

THIS is a crucial period for us as we now prepare for three home games at London Stadium and we want to turn our new home into a fortress. When we first stepped into this Stadium back in August and heard your world famous support reverberating around it – it was spine tingling and we knew the heart of the Club had well and truly travelled with us. Clearly we have got things to work on, on and off the pitch – and rest assured we have been – tirelessly on both fronts.
Firstly, we would like to thank the more than 250,000 supporters who have come to the Stadium since August and have supported the team impeccably. We are also grateful for the thousands of letters of support and praise for our stunning new home during what has been a difficult few weeks. We would like to assure supporters that we want every West Ham United fan who comes to the stadium to enjoy their experience as well as the team's performance. We knew that a move of this magnitude would present us with some issues to resolve early on but we really believe by the West Ham family pulling together these are issues that can be resolved in the short term.

FOUNDERS

Thank you to everyone, especially our Founders who have shared their feedback with us over the last few weeks. We have been grateful and impressed by the time and detail that has gone into sharing your thoughts with us to help the Club get things right for you. Your effort in doing so is hugely appreciated by the Board. We take every piece of feedback very seriously and most importantly have been acting directly on it.

It is clear there are three key areas of frustration off the pitch: The quality of the stewarding, the segregation between home and away supporters and the need for likeminded supported to be more appropriately grouped. We have read reports talking of old and new fans – we can tell you this is simply not the case.

Every supporter writing to us is a life-long West Ham fan with a genuine love of the Club. It is clear though that supporters like to experience the game differently. Some like to watch with their young families while others come with groups of friends and like to cheer on the team loud and proud.

We know that supporting West Ham United is about showing passion and we never want to lose that. We also want everyone, including the 10,000 young supporters we are proud to have in the Stadium for every match, to enjoy the game. We also have 66,000 seats in the stadium and we, like you, want to use every one of them and become the biggest Premier League ground in London.

It's clear the migration process to a large extent did successfully group clear pockets of likeminded fans. However, finding the perfect place for 57,000 supporters first time is not easy and the Board accept there has been a need to relocate some supporters to the areas where they can have the best experience for the good of everyone in the ground.

This is not a simple process when you boast the highest number of Season Ticket Holders in the capital, but it is one Karren and her team have worked day and night to find solutions to. This has already delivered positive results in some areas of the Stadium and we expect this to continue and for these issues to be resolved in the coming weeks.

FEEDBACK

It is also clear from your feedback that the quality of stewarding in some areas has been varied, however it would be wrong to say this is an issue throughout the entire Stadium. Many of you have kindly taken the time to write in praise of stewarding in your area. That said, we have acknowledged where there are issues and set about resolving them.

We want all stewarding to be of the highest standard and have assurances from E20 and LS185, who control the safety and security at London Stadium, that they will significantly improve stewarding – by providing better training, contracting additional stewarding companies with more relevant football experience and by deploying stewards to man the same areas for every game to help build some familiarity between the Stadium staff and our fans.

We expect that you will see an improvement with more and higher quality stewards going forward.
As regards segregation, LS185 have agreed to implement an improved and increased segregation line between home and away supporters for all future matches. This will be implemented from tonight's game onwards, and you should be able to clearly see a difference in the scale of the line.

SAFETY

The safety of our fans is always our number one priority and we have to maintain a zero tolerance policy towards any behaviour which threatens this. Banning individuals is always our last option, but supporters have to respect each other and we cannot see any incidents like we did in the game against Watford.

The Board and all the staff at the Club really are working hard to smooth out any issues, and this is the time for everyone to come together and be United.

Since the day we took charge of the Club your support has always been exceptional. We all want to see the headlines going forward focusing on good results and all that is great about our famous and special football club.

We are confident that with you behind us we can put things right – both on and off the pitch.

David Sullivan and David Gold
Joint-Chairmen

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MY STADIUM OPINIONS. DO YOU AGREE?
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2016 AT 9:59PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

This is my first time doing this so I hope I haven't rambled on too much and I hope people can empathise with my view regarding Upton Park and the London Stadium.

I share the same view as a lot of people regarding the migration from Upton Park to Olympic Stadium or the London Stadium as it is now called, that I wish we had never left. I completely understand why we had to move in order to become a 'big' or at least a 'bigger' club. West Ham are an iconic club, there is something about West Ham, we may not be the most loved of clubs and have a reputation which dates back to our older days when it comes to fans fighting (or you could argue now!) but there is something that just makes us a little bit different. I feel that Upton Park was part of this reason. Although it has been said many times before, it simply is just irreplaceable. I feel this was proven in the lead up to the Farewell Boleyn game against Man United back in May, a send-off and a build-up I do not remember another famous ground like Highbury ever receiving in London.

I have been going to Upton Park full time since the 2004/2005 Championship season. Unlike most people who usually have the tradition of being fed West Ham through their old man, mine was actually through my brother and through my aunt who lives just next door to me. My Dad used to take my brother when he was a youngster in the 80s, but he had to stop due to family commitments at home. My brother stopped going in the late 90s before the flame was reignited in 2004 when my brother and my aunt who followed West Ham home, away and all over Europe in the 70's and 80's and I started going over Upton Park sitting in row A of the Century Upper before it was named to the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand. Speaking of the great man himself it brings me onto another story. Sir Trev paid a visit to my Nan's house which is now occupied by my Aunt down Cotswold Gardens in East Ham back in 1975 to visit the family after the tragic loss of my uncle Derek to cancer when he was just 16. My uncle Peter who moved to Australia, a passionate West Ham fan, had a friend who knew a lady down Cotswold Gardens who used to work for Trevor Brooking's plastic company in Barking. Through this connection, she kindly arranged for Trevor Brooking to visit my family who were grieving over the loss of my uncle a passionate and West Ham mad young lad to come to meet the family after his death. Of course, at this time I was not around but I have heard what a gentleman he was and how he gave everyone a lift at that time, one of my Uncle Derek's heroes who sadly was not there to meet him. To think such a legend, a true West Ham legend was just 20 feet to the right of my house all those years ago is crazy to think of. It is this history, of my family and the passion that runs through the family that naturally made its way into me. West Ham fans are a passionate bunch, it really is a club that you do not truly know what it means unless you are one, and it is not something you find your way into it is put in you.

Upton Park has been a special place for many years. It was a place I could call home. Living 5 minutes from the ground it was almost an extension of my actual house, that's how it felt, it was special. I used stand/sit in the East Stand upper front row with my mates and my brother after my aunt moved to Dr. Martins Stand with her childhood friend. Right next to the away fans, in that enclosed small place, giving each other stick having that electric atmosphere right on top of you, the rain blowing in and smacking you in the face from Priory Road roaring the team on as Michail Antonio heads home against Spurs on a freezing cold night in March. There are about as many low moments as there are high moments when I reflect on Upton Park. The lowest was probably the famous 3-4 defeat against Spurs in 2007. Gut wrenching. I still am not to this day over the 2006 FA Cup final however that is a story for the other day! There have been highs too of course, I have witnessed many famous wins at the Boleyn, with my personal favourite being the 2-1 win over Spurs in 2006, the classic 'We laughed ourselves to bits when Tottenham got the s***s' with Yossi Benayoun striking late to secure three points in the last home game of the season and in turn stopping Spurs getting a Champions League place.

Upton Park was a place for us all to come together it was a fortress at times, the atmosphere engulfed you, it was home, and it still is. But as the saying goes, 'all good things come to an end' and the start of the two David's reign in charge of us was the start of just that. That was the first thing on their list, get us that Olympic Stadium, and move from East Ham to Stratford. I firmly believe that Upton Park could have been re-developed I know there would have been some difficulty but I do believe if as much effort and desire were put into reforming Upton Park as there was obtaining the Olympic Stadium we would have had a result somewhere down the line. However, moving a club like West Ham who has the fan base to fill the OS as we have proved already, to a brand new stadium in Stratford, a reformed and up and coming area in East London, well it speaks for itself, we can be sold for big bucks. I am not saying the owners do not have the clubs best interests at heart, not at all, they have done a fantastic job for us, on the whole, I cannot deny that but that was the ultimate plan and at present it is backfiring but that is not to say it will not prove good. Things take time.

The standing/sitting debate is clearly the biggest issue inside the London Stadium at the moment, and the in-house fighting between fans and the steward control issue is all as a result of this. The way the stadium has been accommodated, accommodated being a key word here, it is simply not practical for football fans, especially West Ham fans that are extremely passionate and will not be bullied around. I sit in the East Stand upper row A, as I did at Upton Park as it is a 'like for like' seat. I do not see hardly any people from the East stand upper or lower seating near me.

The lower tier was standing up a lot in the first game or two in the Europa and Premier League games. Because the lower tier is accommodated, and by that I mean not designed so that the stand slopes down from the upper, I mean that it is directly attached meaning if the lower tier stands I literally can't see a thing. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem because I could sit in the East upper at UP whilst the lower stood and I would be unrestricted or I could stand as people behind me stood. It was literally a win-win situation. I cannot stand up to see over the crowd of people as the people behind me prefer to sit and I am then restricting them. This is the problem.

I have to respect that people have paid their £800 just as I did and we all have a right to view the game how we want to, it does not make anybody less passionate a fan. More recently it has been okay and I hope it continues like this. This, I believe, is the club's fault by not identifying and grouping West Ham fans into appropriate areas that clearly divides people who like to sit and people who like to stand. You knew the areas where people stood and where people sat at Upton Park you knew what you were getting so you could make your choice. I see a lot of the ends of the lower tiers both ends of the stadium stand. This I see as no problem. Nobody is being restricted at all and everyone seems happy to stand in these areas. Yet stewards and 'security' that have not the first clue of how to handle football fans are forcing fans out of the ground. Which, in turn, is causing anger amongst fans and results in fans bickering and has led to fights especially after a drink or 10. Whilst this is no excuse to fight or cause the scenes from the pictures we have seen with small children crying this is a result of the stewarding and of the way the stadium is. I didn't see anything like this in all my years at Upton Park, did you? Poor stewarding and useless security who would rather record fights on their phones than sort the issue, and with no police presence inside the ground and poor separation of the home and away fans could end in disaster if we are not careful.

Could you imagine what would happen if that was Spurs or Chelsea on Saturday instead of Watford? If this isn't sorted soon I generally foresee serious injury or god forbid worse. Safe standing is something we need to implement, and we need to in time make the OS like UP where we know where people want to stand and where people want to sit. I want to be in with crowds going absolutely mental, flying rows down when we score a goal as I did before. I do not want us to become Arsenal where we rise to our feet and clap a goal, I want to be covered in the aftermath of beer flying up and hugging complete strangers! This is what makes the experience for me, like a proper away goal! I appreciate not every game is like that but when it's a big one then the celebrations have to meet standards!

The gap between the stands to the pitch (which is separated by a cheap plastic cover which doesn't even look like an extension of the grass because of the colour difference) is a reflection of the growing distance I am feeling towards us and I never thought I would say that. I will always be West Ham and no matter what I say as long as I can afford to renew my Season Ticket each year and go away I will but I am feeling distant and it's not just me. The stadium change, the overwhelming amount of white seats compared to the claret and blue, the amount of 'fans' wearing different club and country football shirts, the badge change, everything is making me feel that we have sold out, and to be honest I think we have.

I walk out of my house 5 minutes down the road. I get to the Barking road; Nathan's Pie & Mash is literally dead. Four months ago, queues were right down the Barking road. East Ham working man's club, my local, was absolutely rammed, now you are lucky to find more than 10 in there.
The local trades which were promised a place with the club to carry on business and traditions – where are they? They were left behind struggling, in an area where only on a match day at UP would you see them booming, and that was enough to keep them going during the week. Nathan's Pie & Mash will carry on I believe as I feel enough fans will carry on traditions to keep it alive but the working man's club will not. Those who used to drink in there would know how busy that place gets. On a recent documentary 'The Last Whites of the East End' they said the working man's took in about £13,000 on a match day if memory serves me right. They will be lucky to make that a month now.
We have replaced tradition with a McDonald's down by Bow roundabout, an upmarket shopping centre too busy to get into because it is already overcrowded even without football on a Saturday (don't even want to think what that is going to be like in December) and popcorn stands in refreshments areas. It all has a very modern/American kind of feel to it. It is not West Ham, not the club I grew up with.

However, times change and we have to move on with the club. I have no doubt in time the teething problems will be sorted and some passion and atmosphere will be installed in the ground because I can see the place having its roof lifted off when its gets going. The ultimate concern for me now is what we do on the pitch. I could leave Upton Park after doing what we did Saturday pissed off but come back for more just as loud and just as proud the next week. When I left Saturday I felt like I didn't care if I went back or not. I have belief however, that if we can bring back the West Ham we saw last season and bring some great times to the OS, we will all feel better about the situation, leaving home and start to learn to love what we have now as there is no going back, which I am harshly reminded of every other Saturday when I have to walk past Upton Park, lonely and abandoned as I make my way to the station.

Fortunes are always hiding, but we will find them one day!

This article was written by Nick Lipman

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Club receive fresh security guarantee
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 21st September 2016
By: Staff Writer

Co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold say they have received fresh assurances from stadium operators London Stadium 185 regarding the standards of stewarding and security. Speaking in their programme notes for tonight's League Cup clash with Accrington Stanley the club's co-owners insisted that LS185 - who have come under heavy fire from supporters and were ordered to meet club officials last week - had promised a series of improvements. "It is clear there are three key areas of frustration off the pitch; the quality of the stewarding, the segregation between home and away supporters and the need for like-minded supporters to be more appropriately grouped," wrote Sullivan and Gold. "We want all stewarding to be of the highest standard and have assurances from E20 and LS185, who control the safety and security at London Stadium, that they will significantly improve stewarding. "That will be by providing better training, contracting additional stewarding companies with more relevant football experience and by deploying stewards to man the same areas for every game to help build some familiarity between the Stadium staff and our fans."

Sullivan and Gold also confirmed that the operators, a spin-off of French firm Vinci Stadium who also control venues such as Paris' Stade de France, were finally introducing a clear divide between opposing fans - even though League Two Stanley are expected to bring no more than 600 to east London tonight. "LS185 have agreed to implement an improved and increased segregation line between home and away supporters," he confirmed. "This will be implemented from tonight and you should be able to clearly see a difference."

Although the club's co-owners appear to be happy with the assurances they have been given, it was a rather different story when KUMB spoke with LS185 last week. Having expressed our concerns regarding the sub-standard stewarding and lax security measures employed prior to the recent Premier League fixture with Watford, LS185's Head of Commercial Michael Temple promised "lots of positive changes". The reality, of course, was somewhat different with more issues arising that ever before, which led to us contacting Temple again for his thoughts on the situation. His response was to provide a copy of a statement which failed to accept any responsibility for the problems, opting instead to essentially pin the blame on West Ham United supporters for LS185's inability to police the stadium effectively and ensure fans' safety. "London Stadium have identified a number of supporters involved in incidents of disorder during Saturday's Premier League match between West Ham United and Watford," Temple replied. "In line with our safety and security policies, these supporters will be banned from all stadium events. In addition, we will continue to review CCTV footage and take retrospective action where necessary. "We will continue to work closely with West Ham United to identify and take action against the small number of supporters responsible for these incidents of disorder."

Following this unsatisfactory response we contacted Temple again to ask that he reply to our specific concerns. Since then, neither he nor anyone from London Stadium 185 has responded to our emails.

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West Ham have taken action after fighting between fans during Watford game
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 21/09/16 11:10am
SSN

West Ham's co-owners have announced a three-point plan to solve crowd problems at the club's new London Stadium. The moves are a response to the unpleasant scenes which marred their most recent home game, a Premier League loss to Watford. During the 4-2 defeat, a small number of Hammers supporters fought among themselves and with visiting fans. The club subsequently met with the stadium owners and operators in an attempt to resolve the problems ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup clash with Acrrington Stanley. The three-point plan will entail more effective segregation between home and away fans, significantly improved stewarding, and the more appropriate grouping of West Ham fans so they can sit with like-minded supporters.
Stadium operators LS185 have also promised to provide better training for stewards and to employ stewards with football experience. Writing in the programme for the Acrrington game, co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold said: "We want all stewarding to be of the highest standard and have assurances from [stadium owners] E20 and LS185, who control the safety and security at London Stadium, that they will significantly improve stewarding."

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Slaven Bilic demands West Ham response and insists he must "point fingers" over poor start
11:24, 21 SEP 2016 UPDATED 11:24, 21 SEP 2016
BY LIAM PRENDERVILLE
The Hammers are back in action against Accrington Stanley on Wednesday and Bilic admits his players must do more
The Mirror

Slaven Bilic has given a frank assessment of West Ham's early season woes and admitted he has had to point the finger at some of his players. The Hammers sit 18th in the Premier League table, having won one of their last five matches. They have shipped 11 goals in their last three matches with Saturday's defeat to West Brom a particular low point. Bilic's men are back at the London Stadium to face Accrington Stanley in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night and the Croat has demanded a response. "The worse thing that can happen in football is to lose confidence. Our confidence is harmed a bit because of the results and the position we are in," he said. "If you lose your confidence as an individual and as a team then you've got no chance. It's got to be a balance. You have to criticise because it's not good. You have to point fingers. "You can't be one second late when you lose the ball. That's enough for the opposition to have an extra yard, and every goal we conceded was like that. When it rains it pours. "We are determined to get back on the winning trail at London Stadium and I have been speaking with the players to address the issues we have faced. We now need to see a reaction on the pitch."
Bilic is expected to hand a debut to summer signings Alvaro Arbeloa and Edmilson Fernandes. The pair have been working towards full fitness and Bilic has hinted he will make a number of changes. "Some of the players will get a chance because we want to see them. They have been training hard and we want to see them. "It is a risk for the result, but I want to see them and I have full confidence in them."

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West Ham's new three-point plan to solve stadium issues
HITC
Antony Martin

West Ham United's players and fans have struggled to adapt to life in their new stadium. Speaking live on Sky Sports Now at 10:23 am on September 21st, Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol reported that West Ham's owners have concocted a three-point plan to deal with the teething problems at the club's new stadium. The Hammers have started their 2016/17 campaign in truly dismal fashion, after being dumped out of the Europa League by so-called inferior opposition, and losing four of their opening five Premier League games. There has been just as much trouble off of the pitch as there has been on it thus far, and the club's hierarchy have devised a new plan to help with the continued problems in the stands at the London Stadium, and Solhekol relayed the details of the club's new blueprint to help matters, as reported by Sky Sports: "West Ham's co-owners have announced a three point plan to solve the crowd problems at the club's new stadium. There will be more effective segregation between home and away supporters. The stewarding will be significantly improved, and also, West Ham fans will be more appropriately grouped within the ground."
Slaven Bilic's men host Accrington Stanley tonight in the EFL Cup third round, with the stadium expected to be only half full. Sunday's home game against Southampton will provide more realistic feedback as to whether any of the proposed changes have been implemented already. The atmosphere inside the Hammers' new home has been growing increasingly more toxic as every game has passed, so something had to be done, and it must be pleasing for West Ham fans that the owners are taking the issue seriously.

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West Ham make changes to improve London Stadium crowd control ahead of Accrington Stanley match after spate of fan violence
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have promised improved segregation and stewarding at the London Stadium, starting tonight with their EFL Cup match against Accrington Stanley. There have been crowd problems in recent matches at their new home, with an inadequate buffer zone between rival fans leading to clashes, complaints about stewarding and even fighting among home supporters. Following trouble at the last game there, the 4-2 defeat by Watford, the club met the stadium's owners, E20 and operators, LS185, to try to resolve the issue. Writing in the programme for tonight's League Cup tie against Accrington Stanley the club's co‑owners have promised better and more experienced stewarding and improved segregation.
"It is clear there are three key areas of frustration off the pitch — the quality of the stewarding, the segregation between home and away supporters and the need for likeminded supporters to be more appropriately grouped," wrote Sullivan and Gold. "However, finding the perfect place for 57,000 supporters first time is not easy and the board accept there has been a need to relocate some supporters to the areas where they can have the best experience for the good of everyone in the ground. "We want all stewarding to be of the highest standard and have assurances from E20 and LS185, who control the safety and security at London Stadium, that they will significantly improve stewarding. That will be by providing better training, contracting additional stewarding companies with more relevant football experience and by deploying stewards to man the same areas for every game to help build some familiarity between the Stadium staff and our fans. "LS185 have agreed to implement an improved and increased segregation line between home and away supporters. This will be implemented from tonight and you should be able to clearly see a difference."
The third-round tie against League Two Accrington gives West Ham a chance to regroup following a poor run in the League. Back-to-back 4-2 defeats have left the club third from bottom of the Premier League. Manager Slaven Bilic said: "We can't lose our confidence, though, because if you do that, you've got no chance." Bilic has promised to make changes tonight, with Darren Randolph replacing Adrian in goal, while new signings Alvaro Arbeloa and Edimilson Fernandes are in line to play.

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Could Marcus Browne and Toni Martinez start on the bench for West Ham against Accrington?
HITC
Vincent Ralph

West Ham United have some very exciting teenage talent in their ranks. West Ham United have a chance to get a much needed victory under their belts when they welcome Accrington Stanley to the London Stadium for their EFL Cup third round clash later this week. Big things were expected of the Hammers this season but so far they have flattered to deceive, with their defence conceding four times in two consecutive matches. There is a lot of work to be done for manager Slaven Bilic and as a consequence he is likely to rest a number of star names for the upcoming cup clash, with some teenage talent likely to take their place on the bench.
One such player – Reece Oxford – should start against Accrington but here we take a look at two youngsters who could join him on the field in the second half if things are going according to plan:
Toni Martinez
Some West Ham fans will be hoping to see Toni Martinez start this match, such has been his form for the under-21s to date, but the 19-year-old Spaniard is likely to start on the bench.
Martinez is making quite a name for himself for the Hammers' second string, scoring seven goals in six appearances already this season.

Marcus Browne
Attacking midfielder Marcus Browne came off the bench against Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League and it would be no surprise to see the same thing happen against Accrington. The 18-year-old has scored three goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances at under-21 level and big things are expected of him in time.

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West Ham vs Accrington Stanley: Prediction, live coverage, team news, head to head, and betting odds – EFL Cup preview
STANDARD SPORT
Evening Standard

West Ham's London Stadium will host a domestic cup match for the first time in its short history as a football venue when Accrington Stanley visit on Wednesday. The League Two side arrive in Stratford unbeaten in three in the league and last month beat Premier League Burnley to reach this stage of the League Cup for the first time in their history. Their recent form is in stark contrast to that of West Ham, who have suffered successive 4-2 Premier League defeats and sit in the top flight drop zone after a difficult transition to their new home.
Slaven Bilic said: "We have to do it. Starting from [Wednesday] we have three mega games, three cup finals before the next international break. "This game is a good opportunity for us, it's an interesting competition for us. It's good to have a game tomorrow night."

Here's what you need to know ahead of the clash, plus information of how to follow the game live on Standard Sport.

DATE, TIME AND VENUE

The match will take place at London Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm on Wednesday September 21.

WHERE TO WATCH

This match is not being televised in the UK, but you can follow all of the action live with Standard Sport's match blog. Leave your email address below to receive an alert once our live coverage starts.

TEAM NEWS

Alvaro Arbeloa and Edimilson Fernandes could make their West Ham debuts against Accrington in the EFL Cup. Former Spain and Real Madrid full-back Arbeloa has been building up his fitness following his arrival on deadline day, while 20-year-old Swiss midfielder Fernandes is set for his first involvement since a £5.5million summer switch from FC Sion. Darren Randolph is expected to come in for first-choice goalkeeper Adrian. Winston Reid, Andy Carroll, Aaron Cresswell and Andre Ayew are still on the sidelines.

Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Arbeloa, Byram, Masuaku, Collins, Ogbonna, Oxford, Kouyate, Nordtveit, Obiang, Fernandes, Noble, Payet, Lanzini, Antonio, Feghouli, Tore, Quina, Zaza, Fletcher, Calleri.

HEAD TO HEAD

Wednesday's EFL Cup clash will be the first meeting between West Ham and Accrington Stanley.

PREDICTION

BETTING ODDS (888Sport)

West Ham: 6/25

Draw: 11/2

Accrington Stanley: 10/1

Over 3.5 goals: 53/50

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West Ham United employ agent to find missing £1.8m from Arthur Masuaku deal
HITC
Mathew Nash

The Hammers are not pleased with how the deal has occurred. It was reported last week by Sky Sports that West Ham United were investigating their deal for Arthur Masuaku. They reported that the club felt they had paid over £1 million more for the player than they had expected. Now a further report has detailed the issues. Inside World Football have reported that West Ham believed they paid £6.8 million to Olympiakos for the player – however, the Greek club claim they have managed to receive just £5 million for his services. The report includes a letter from West Ham club secretary Andrew Pincher mandating an agent to investigate the issues. The report seems to suggest that West Ham feel £1.8 million of their money has gone to unknown third-parties. French left-back Masuaku was signed after West Ham decided they needed a new player in the position. This came following a serious injury sustained by Aaron Cresswell. He impressed in his early games for West Ham, although had a poor game against West Brom at the weekend. Now West Ham may be finding his acquisition more trouble than it was worth.

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