Daily WHUFC News - 18th October 2016

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic says his team can change the course of their season if they
perform as they did at Crystal Palace on Saturday. West Ham United shrugged
off their lethargic start to 2016/17 to score a hard-fought 1-0 Premier
League victory at Selhurst Park, lifting morale and confidence and rising
out of the bottom three. Much was made of the 3-1-4-2 formation Bilic
employed in south London, but the Croatian said it was his side's attitude
rather than tactics which won the day. While the manager was pleased with
three welcome points, he insisted that his players show the same qualities
in every game going forward, starting with the visit of Sunderland to London
Stadium this weekend. "The system wasn't the problem in the last few games,"
he began. "For me, it wasn't about the system, even though I could say now
'Yes, it was the system!' but it was more about attitude. It wasn't that we
didn't want it in the last few games, but it was obvious there was a
difference. "Saturday's win was all about attitude and focus and hunger and
resilience and a determination that we were going to do it and we are going
to come back. "Now we are in a position that we can build on this and we
cannot let this opportunity slip away through out own faults. It can happen,
as this is football and the opponent can have a brilliant day and you can be
unlucky, but we're going to come at every game like we did on Saturday. "If
I knew why that focus hadn't been there, it wouldn't have happened four
times, it would have happened one time. It's a chain-reaction. "The game
against Watford was a big shock for us. We were 2-0 up and suddenly we were
4-2 down and then we went to West Brom and were 4-0 down and we were losing
a bit of everything, and this league is so cruel that you don't have to lose
a lot and it can go wrong. Hopefully that is over.
"It's hard to get this across in my press conferences, but I have seen that
they care for the team and hate to be in this position. We are still not in
the position we want to be, of course, but we were always one win from the
opportunity to come out of it. "We are still there, but this has to be our
minimum, with the ball and without the ball. This has to be our minimum."

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Kemp - Checkatrade Trophy experience will benefit us
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 take on Aston Villa away from home on Monday (7pm KO)
The Hammers are currently third in Premier League 2 Division 2
Winger Dan Kemp thinks they'll use their previous Checkatrade Trophy
experience to their advantage

Dan Kemp believes experiences like the Checkatrade Trophy will benefit West
Ham United's youngsters for the season ahead. The Hammers PL2 side have been
competing in the newly-formatted Trophy this season, although they've been
beaten on both outings away at Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers so far.
However, Kemp is an advocate for the competition and says it provides a real
benefit to younger players. "I was a great experience in the Checkatrade
Trophy, playing against professional players and teams," he said. "We don't
get exposed to that in the U23 and U18 matches. It was a great learning
curve and I hope we get more opportunities like that because it certainly
benefits us."

West Ham United face Aston Villa (7pm kick-off at the Bescot Stadium,
Walsall) in Premier League 2 on Monday, having not played a league fixture
since the 0-0 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the end of September.
Since then, cup competitions have been the primary focus for Terry Westley's
men as they began the defence of their Premier League Cup title with a 2-0
victory over Leicester City. In the same period, they were beaten 3-0 by
Wycombe in the Checkatrade Trophy but performed admirably against
experienced opposition. But attention now turns back to the league and the
Hammers will hope to build on their promising start to the season, having
only lost just once in six matches. Kemp has been part of both youth sides
this season, more recently appearing for the PL2 side against Coventry and
Wycombe, and he hopes his hard work can maintain a place in Terry Westley's
squad. "I'm very pleased with the start I've had. But it is only the start
of the season so now I'm looking to continue that," Kemp continued.
"Obviously I've had a couple of starts for the U23s and starting and scoring
for the U18s so it's been a good start to the campaign and now I'm looking
to go even further and forward to the rest of the season. "It's a valuable
experience [playing for the PL2 side], obviously it's the next step up from
my age group at the moment, so I'm working hard every day in training and
hopefully I can get some more games for them."

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Ladies beaten by strong Eagles
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies 0-4 Crystal Palace Ladies

There wasn't a fairytale ending to the West Ham United Ladies' first match
as members of the West Ham family, but they showed plenty of potential
throughout their clash against Crystal Palace. Manager James Marrs had
parted company with the club earlier in the week through mutual consent with
coach Colin Bennett standing in until a new appointment. West Ham Ladies
had suffered a 4-0 reverse earlier in the season to a very strong and
skillful Palace side and were determined to not be overrun again. They
started much the brighter with Shannon Albuery and Chloe Burr linking up
well on the right. And it was Albuery who teed up Burr for West Ham's first
shot on target which unfortunately went straight into keeper Chanelle
Yardley's hands. West Ham were putting their passes together and looked the
most likely until a defensive mix up after 17 minutes between Aditi Chauhan
and Chantelle Mackie allowed Palace striker Roscelle Shakes to nip in and
toe poke the ball into an empty net. Shortly after, a swift interchange
between Albuery and Burr set up Whitney Locke but she scooped her effort
well over the bar. On half an hour, Burr and Mackie put in Albuery who had
her fierce shot blocked by a last ditch tackle. Five minutes later Albuery
made another great solo run but blasted over from close range.
Crystal Palace came out for the second half and seemed to step up a gear.
West Ham couldn't seem to match their first half performance and five
minutes in, Shakes doubled her tally after being put clean through one on
one with Chauhan. Ten minutes later Chauhan's short goal kick put Amy Cooper
under too much pressure, and Gemma Bryan dispossessed her before finishing
clinically. On 62 minutes, it was Bryan again who found the back of the net
whilst the West Ham defence were appealing in vain for offside. With a
quarter of an hour remaining, hard working midfielder Sasha Kelly made way
for club captain Karen Ray's swan song. It was her last game as a player
before taking on a coaching role at the club. With Palace reduced to ten
players through injury, they decided to shut up shop and reduced West Ham
Ladies to one last shot on goal, a 30-yard effort from Katie Bottom which
Yardley comfortably dealt with. History had repeated itself, but as the game
drew to a close, even in defeat, the winter sun could not cast a shadow over
the Ladies' bright future as an integral part of West Ham United Football
Club.
Manager for day Colin Bennett said after the game: "It was a good game and
the girls played well, especially in the first half. The second half was a
slightly different story, but we worked hard and it was pleasing to see
their attitude right until the end of the game rather than letting their
heads drop. "Overall, it's another step forward in our development towards
the success we are looking for as a club, and as we build for the future."

West Ham Ladies: Aditi Chauhan, Olivia Sammons, Hannah Wheeler, Katie
Bottom, Chantelle Mackie, Amy Cooper, Kat Clifton, Sasha Kelly, Whitney
Locke, Shannon Albuery, Chloe Burr.
Subs: Karen Ray, Sarah Wilson, Steph Bent.

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#WHUAREYA - Joe Powell
WHUFC.com

What do golf, the Hammers' new Stadium and Justin Bieber all have in common?
They're all loved by Academy winger Joe Powell, apparently! The U18s'
creative force sat down with West Ham TV for the latest episode of our new
#WHUAREYA feature and revealed all, from his strengths on the pitch to his
favourite TV series. The 17-year-old enjoyed a great weekend as part of
Steve Potts' side's 5-2 win over Norwich City on Saturday, and hopes he can
continue along similar lines for the rest of the campaign.

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Martin Samuelsen, fresh from scoring his first international goal for
Norway, started for Blackburn on Saturday
There was also action for Josh Cullen and Lewis Page in League One with
Bradford City and Coventry City respectively
Doneil Henry made his second AC Horsens appearance

As the Hammers recorded their first away win of the season at Selhurst Park
on Saturday, four of the Club's players were also in action elsewhere at
their respective loan sides. Starting and playing 62 minutes in the
Championship was Norwegian winger Martin Samuelsen, who scored his first
ever senior goal for his country against San Marino during last week's
international break. Rovers recorded their first clean sheet of the campaign
against Ipswich Town in the second tier, drawing 0-0 with Mick McCarthy's
side. The hosts, who remain in the relegation zone, created their best
opportunity just before the break when Ben Marshall shot straight at the
Tractor Boys' stopper Bartosz Bialkowski. Samuelsen was making his fourth
appearance for the Lancashire outfit before he was replaced by Elliot
Bennett with just under half an hour to play.

Down a division, Josh Cullen – who has missed just two Bradford City league
matches this season, both due to international commitments – played 90
minutes for the Bantams as they were beaten by Oxford United. It was a shock
first league defeat of the season for Stuart McCall's side, who still occupy
an automatic promotion spot in League One. Chris Maguire's stoppage time
winner ended City's unbeaten run as the forward struck a 25-yard free-kick
to give the hosts all three points.

Elsewhere in the third tier, Lewis Page started for Coventry City in their
3-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic, but lasted just 24 minutes as he was forced
off through injury. And at least five of those 24 minutes were disrupted in
south east London as both sets of fans hurled toy pigs onto the pitch in
protest of their respective owners. Ricky Holmes struck during the first
half to give the Addicks the lead before Ademola Lookman and Josh Magennis
scored late on to seal the three points for the hosts.

George Dobson and Josh Pask were both unused subs for Walsall and Gillingham
respectively as the Saddlers beat Shrewsbury Town 3-2 and Justin Edinburgh's
Gills lost 2-1 at Bristol Rovers.

Finally, Doneil Henry returned from international duty with Canada to make
his second appearance for Danish side AC Horsens on loan. Coming on to play
32 second half minutes, the defender helped his side record a 1-1 draw
against AFG, which leaves them seventh in their 14-team Superliga division.
Gambian defender Bubacarr Sanneh gave Horsens the lead in the first period
before Danny Olsen equalised on 63 minutes.

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Ladies appoint new manager
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce the appointment of Greg de Carnys
as the Club's new Ladies manager.

De Carnys, who will combine his new role with his position of Head of
Performance at the Academy, has extensive coaching experience and is
currently studying for his UEFA A Licence.

The new manager will be assisted by Josh Ewens, who will work with the
Ladies alongside his role as first-team fitness coach, and captain Karen
Ray, who will take on the position of first-team coach.

Manager De Carnys replaces James Marrs, who has resigned his position, and
the new coaching staff will take charge of their first training session at
Chadwell Heath on Tuesday evening.

"With the support of Josh, who joins us alongside his role with the first
team, and Karen, who brings her invaluable experience, I am really looking
forward to working together with the Ladies in this new chapter as they
become part of the West Ham family," De Carnys began.

"Karen has been an integral part of the playing staff and is currently the
Women and Girls' manager at the club.

"It's an exciting time for everyone involved, I can't wait to get started
and, with the support of the Club, I think we can take the team to new
levels."

Prior to joining the Hammers, De Carnys worked as a coach within the Arsenal
and Derby County Academies and served as a first-team assistant at Watford.

A fluent Spanish, French and Italian speaker, De Carnys graduated with a
degree in Coaching Science from Liverpool John Moores University before
completing his Masters qualification at Loughborough University.

He possesses a range of qualifications in coaching, including a UEFA B
Licence, which will stand him in good stead as he begins his new challenge
with West Ham United Ladies.

"I have been with West Ham for eight seasons in my role as Head of
Performance in the Academy," he confirmed.

"Before joining the Club, I held several coaching roles at clubs across the
country, as well as completing a degree in Coaching Science and a Masters in
Sports Science.

"I am in the process of completing my UEFA A Licence and I believe this
opportunity to coach the Ladies whilst continuing my role as Head of
Performance at the Academy is the perfect mix."

West Ham United Ladies' two senior and four junior sides will be operated by
the Club following a move to formally bring them into the structure was
agreed with the Ladies' committee earlier this month.

The Ladies, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2016, currently
compete in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division, the third tier
of women's football in England.

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Steinberg - This was a very encouraging performance
WHUFC.com

Guardian football reporter Jacob Steinberg saw the Hammers record a crucial
win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and picked out a number of
individuals for playing their part in a memorable victory.

Steinberg is now hoping the Hammers can maintain their winning feeling and
get another crucial victory over Sunderland at London Stadium on
Saturday.....

A lot of West Ham fans were expecting a difficult game against Palace
considering the form they had shown coming into the game.

Manuel Lanzini got the early goal and although Palace came back strongly in
the second half, I thought the Hammers produced some great defending and
deserved to come away with all three points.

All the talk after the game was about the system that Slaven Bilic used and
you have to say it had a lot to do with the return of Aaron Cresswell.

He should never have been sent-off, but he showed the quality he can bring
to the team and brings the balance back on the left hand side.

He has played so well over the last two seasons and losing him for the start
of the season was a big blow.

But we all saw the quality he gives you with his assist for the goal and he
made a big difference.

I think that is the best West Ham have played all season and Slaven had them
so well organised.

The players had the desire to run for every ball and work hard until the
final whistle was blown.

I know Slaven won't get carried away and this is only one victory. The Club
now need to get a few wins under their belts to move towards the top half of
the table, but this was a very encouraging performance.

It was great to see Lanzini get on the scoresheet. He has had a slow start
to the season and got dropped for the Middlesbrough game.

But he came back with a point to prove and got the crucial winning goal. He
didn't have much of a pre-season following his injury for Argentina at the
Olympics.

But this was the first time he looked properly at it and he puts it all
together in the midfield.

He links up so well with Dimitri Payet and the formation that Slaven played
on Saturday freed those two up to show their attacking qualities.

I also think Pedro Obiang has made a big difference to the team. He has been
unlucky not to get more playing time and it was hard for him to break into
the side.

But his importance to the team has become more evident in recent weeks and I
hope he can kick on now and keep his place. He looks a really good player.

We saw a different side to Simone Zaza and his work-rate was fantastic on
Saturday playing as the lone striker.

He was winning headers and holding up the ball and the next step for him is
to get on the scoresheet.

Cheikhou Kouyate switched back into a defensive role and this was not the
first time he has been asked to do that. I remember he did a good job
playing there against Tottenham and Manchester United in recent seasons.

With Cresswell suspended for the next game, it is hard to see how they can
play the same system but I would probably expect Angelo Ogbonna to play
left-back.

Sunderland have yet to win a game, but this is a huge match for West Ham and
they need to start winning at London Stadium and feel comfortable playing
there.

It will not be easy and the Hammers have struggled against teams managed by
David Moyes over the years.

But I would expect West Ham to win the game.

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THE REASON WHY WE MAY HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING BEFORE PALACE BY NIGEL KAHN
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 17 OCTOBER 2016 AT 9:38PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
This article is written by @mywhufc

Leading unto the palace game it's not been the start to the season anyone
probably would have imagined, well almost anyone, I admit that I wasn't so
confident with the changes the club were going through, but even I didn't
think it would be anything like this. When a point at home against
Middlesborough is seen as good then we must all admit that what went before
that game wasn't what is expected, yet the time is not to panic, the season
is still young and just another 3 points against Sunderland to follow up
from the 3 gained last Saturday will put a different reflection on our
predicament.

Quite how it came to this is open for discussion in that many people have
eluded to many different reasons, The move, The pitch, the fans off field
disagreements so many reasons its literally take your pick time but for me
one that hasn't been picked up on is the signings made in the summer and I'm
not talking about the quality.

I have long subscribed to the thinking that foreign players new to the
Premier league should be allowed 6 months settling in period before really
being judged, problem is that with todays social media fan base there're
lucky to get 6 games let alone 6 months.

The Premier League has a reputation for fast paced football played at twice
the pace of the continental style preferred by the French and Spanish
leagues and when you watch the Italian league on a Sunday after watching a
Premier league game you'll struggle to stay awake with their slow paced
defensive orientated style of play. Yet nearly all our signings in the
summer have come from the continent and have been thrown in at the deep end
going straight into first team action due to injuries and to loss of form of
others so they haven't been afforded a bedding in process and most have
looked at times like rabbits startled in the headlights of an oncoming lorry
about to squash them without noticing.

Nortveidt bought from Germany, looks slow and sluggish, but then most
football I have watched played in the German top division is slow in its
build up, possession football, if you have the ball then the opposition cant
score against you style. His introduction to the Premier league has been
sometimes in midfield sometimes in defence, problem is the outcome looked
the same, it's as if he is watching the game go past him.

Feghouli at least has pace so he has not looked too much out of place when
he has been fit enough to play, but theres something about him I just cant
put my finger on, he reminds me of Julien Faubert, a player who often
flattered to deceive in his time at the club. I think its the end product
that he suffers from, yes he has the pace but if you cant then convert that
into goalscoring opportunities its really not worth having. David Beckham
was a winger with no pace, but he proved if your delivery is perfect you
don't need to beat the defender in front of you.

Gohkan Torre is much like Feghouli just without the pace, Slav obviously
enjoyed having him as a player at Besiktas and he also had his
apprenticeship in part at Chelsea, but he has not enjoyed at all the best of
starts and to top it off it turns out he is now injured, out for 5/6 weeks.
What was disappointing was the reaction I saw to that news, many fans were
disappointed it was only 5/6 weeks, witty it may be to laugh at him but is
that what we have sunk to now actually being pleased a West Ham player is
injured, not for me no matter how bad a player is should we ever take joy
from an injury, hardly likely to inspire him when he is fit.
Jonathan Calleri was feted across the web when it was revealed we were after
him, endless replays of his rabona chip goal scored in the colours of Boca
juniors were posted across Twitter and Facebook, yet in his first appearance
against Bournemouth he had the chance to put the game out of sight late on,
he blasted wide when in on goal. The chance reminded me of Carlton Coles
debut for us at The Boleyn, he fired home after literally just coming onto
the pitch, like Calleri he ran onto the ball through on goal except Carlton
slotted it home.

Simone Zaza, a player that was chased by the club but it seemed only joined
us when there was only us to join, with Andy Carroll's injury and Sakho's
bad back? he has been left to it, problem was in the early games with Payet
missing so was the service to him but he did himself no favours that when he
did get the ball, his first touch was generally poor which meant his second
touch was sometimes non existent has he'd lost it after the first. After the
Southampton game I wondered that if he was a mafia hit man he'd struggle to
shoot himself. Poor taste maybe but it just seemed he has not got the
tactical awareness to get into the positions in the box to receive the ball,
he is very stationary for me at times making it easy for the defender to
mark him out the game.

Whether that though warrants the missing posters on social media asking has
anyone seen Zaza I'm not sure, but as my comment above shows, its very easy
to mock when they are so poor. Granted, he had his best game for us at
Palace, but with still no sign of that killer instinct in front of goal and
his appearances climbing near to the 20 million buy clause good performances
are no longer making him look worth it. If he wants to stay goals are the
only thing that will make that happen, and quickly.

Its been long since known that signing foreign players, especially in the
market we shop in, is a gamble. For every Payet, Di Canio, Tevez & Lanzini
there is a Raducioiu, Labant, Maiga and Boogers.

Luckily the successes have far out weighed the losses. Payet and Lanzini
both unknown in this country started well last season, imposing themselves
early on to gain the affection of the fans quickly, Sakho hit the ground
running and even Enner Valencia started brightly, Hull away on a Monday
night springs to mind the season before, so as well as the perception that
you get better value for money buying abroad than buying British and the
fact that we had by and large done well following that model you can see why
we continued that model. That though ignores the fact that constantly two of
our best players last season were Antonio and Cresswell, both had no Premier
League experience but coming from the championship they didn't need the
bedding in period foreign players should be afforded.
But like all gambles, when it goes wrong it goes badly wrong. Not one out of
those listed above has managed to get themselves into pushing for a regular
first team start, its almost out of desperation that they have been played
in the first team and the fact none have been championed by the crowd tells
you all you need to know, and that has reflected in the fact we sit around
the bottom of the league. So for me the problem this season is not the
stadium, its not the fans, its purely the gamble of foreign signings have
caught up with us.

Somewhere out there is another Dimitri Payet just waiting to be found, its
just how many Torre's or Feghouli's we sign to find him could be the
problem.

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Ref Watch: SSN with Dermot Gallgher

Crystal Palace v West Ham, Premier League, Saturday

INCIDENT: Aaron Cresswell is booked for simulation following a challenge
from Yohan Cabaye in the penalty area.

SCENARIO: Cresswell receives a yellow card after being adjudged to have
dived by referee Martin Atkinson. Replays show there was contact between the
two players.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.

DERMOT SAYS: Having seen the replays, Cresswell shouldn't have been booked.
From Martin's angle he sees Cresswell go down dramatically but it's not
simulation and, unfortunately, he gets a yellow card. Perhaps more
unfortunate are the consequences that arise from that decision.

INCIDENT: Aaron Cresswell sent off for second bookable offence following
collison with Wilfried Zaha

SCENARIO: Just 51 seconds after his booking for simulation, Cresswell is
sent from the field for impeding Zaha. The incident was brought to referee
Atkinson's attention by his linesman, who instructed him to issue a second
yellow.

DERMOT'S VERDICT: Incorrect decision.

DERMOT SAYS: I don't think this is a yellow card offence, it's just a foul.
A free-kick is enough but the problem is that the assistant, who has Zaha's
body in his line of sight, hasn't seen things as clear as the replays show.
He's alerted Martin to the incident and tells him to issue a second yellow,
leaving Martin with nowhere else to go.

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Dermot Gallagher has his say on controversial Cresswell red card
HITC
Sean Lunt

The West Ham United defender was controversially sent off in the win over
Crystal Palace. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has told Sky
Sports that West Ham United's Aaron Cresswell should not have been sent off
against Crystal Palace. Cresswell made an immediate return to the Hammers
line-up on Saturday afternoon after missing the beginning of the campaign
through injury. The game started off well for him as he provided a superb
assist for Manuel Lanzini to score the winning goal of the game. West Ham's
Aaron Cresswell in action with Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha It was a
return that ended in disaster though as he picked up a red card for two
bookable offences within a minute. The first of those yellow cards was for
simulation but Gallagher insists it was an undeserved one. "It is easy
seeing this [the replays] that he shouldn't have been booked [for
simulation]," he told Sky Sports. "It's not a simulation and it's
unfortunate he gets a yellow card. What's unfortunate is the consequence
that arises from it a minute later."
The second yellow came about as Cresswell tussled with Palace winger Zaha
when they competed for the ball on the right wing. The Eagles man ended up
on the floor with assistant Peter Kirkup flagging for a foul and then
visibly telling referee Martin Atkinson that the foul was a second yellow.
That left the referee with little choice but to send off the Hammers man but
Gallagher says a free-kick would have been enough. "I think it's just a foul
and a free-kick is enough" added Gallagher. "The problem is the assistant
thinks differently. He says to him [the referee] 'it's a second yellow card
and the ref has nowhere to go."

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West Ham wouldn't have won without 'different class' Simone Zaza, says
Slaven Bilic
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic praised a "different class" Simone Zaza as the
deciding factor in his side's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Zaza
is still yet to find the net since his arrival on loan from Juventus at the
end of August but looked much improved at Selhurst Park on Saturday, winning
10 aerial challenges and providing a vital out-ball as Palace built pressure
on the Hammers. Such had been the struggles of the Italian international
since his arrival in the Premier League it had been speculated that Zaza
could return to Serie A or move to Valencia, a suggestion that Bilic has
been keen to dispel. Indeed if the 25-year-old can replicate his display
against Palace in the coming matches he will have made his manager very
happy. "He was different class," Bilic said. "I told him after the game that
this is the Zaza I know from Sassuolo and Juventus. "The goals will come,
the goals are very important for the strikers but I want to see him like
this. "I told him after the game, 'Zaza, tonight you won more balls in the
air against two centre halves than you did in four or five games so far.'
"Without him we wouldn't have won, it's as simple as that."

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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic blasts rule denying him right to appeal Aaron
Cresswell's red card against Crystal Palace
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has expressed his frustration against rules
denying him the chance to appeal Aaron Cresswell's controversial dismissal
against Crystal Palace. Cresswell, playing his first match of the season
following a knee injury in pre-season, was sent off in the second half
following two yellow cards in less than a minute. The full-back was given
his first yellow by referee Martin Atkinson for simulation after going down
in the penalty area following a clash with Yohan Cabaye and his second for
an innocuous challenge on Wilfried Zaha. West Ham are unable to appeal
against the sending-off because FA rules only allow for clubs to appeal
yellow cards for cases of mistaken identity. Bilic said: "I don't understand
it when you can appeal against a red card and yet not two yellows. "The
first one was a penalty for us and then the second yellow was just wrong.
There are no hard feelings, though, because we won the game."
Cresswell, who played a major part in West Ham's 1-0 victory, their first
away from home this season, will now miss Saturday's home match against
Sunderland. The Hammers, meanwhile, will continue to monitor the form of
Italian striker Simone Zaza before making a decision about whether to sign
him permanently. The 25-year-old is on a season-long loan from Juventus with
an agreement in place that West Ham will pay them £20million after he has
played 14 matches. The club will continue to assess Zaza's form and although
he has yet to score, his performance against Palace drew praise from Bilic.
"He was different class," said the West Ham manager. "I told him straight
after the game, 'this is the Zaza I know from Sassuolo and Juventus'.
"Without him, we wouldn't have won, it's as simple as that."
With Cresswell returning from injury, Bilic changed to a wing-back system
and it was the former Ipswich star who played a major part in West Ham's
goal after 19 minutes, crossing from the left for Manuel Lanzini to score.
"The people are talking about the system but it wasn't for me about the
system. It was the change in attitude," said Bilic. "There was a difference.
Attitude, focus, hunger and that resilience that we are going to do it and
come back."

Palace striker Christian Benteke missed a penalty just before half-time,
floating his effort wide.

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Garth Crooks claims West Ham star Aaron Cresswell is owed an apology
HITC
Jordan Harris

The pundit included the West Ham United defender in his Team of the Week.
Garth Crooks has praised Aaron Cresswell's performance in West Ham United's
narrow win over Crystal Palace at the weekend and insisted that the
left-back deserves an apology from the referee, BBC Sport reports.
Cresswell was making his first appearance of the campaign at Selhurst Park
after recovering from an injury that he sustained in pre-season. And he
made an immediate impact as it was his cross that led to Manuel Lanzini's
winner which handed the Hammers their first victory in the league since
August and moved them out of the bottom three. However, Cresswell did not
see the game out as he was controversially sent off following two yellow
cards. The first came when the defender was deemed to have dived when he
went down inside the Palace box while the second card came when the referee
judged that he had blocked Wilfried Zaha off as the winger made a run down
the line. But after including the Irons full-back in his Team of the Week,
Crooks hit out at both decisions made by the official. "His ball for
team-mate Manuel Lanzini to score was of the highest quality and further
indication of what he can produce," he told BBC Sport. "However, what then
followed was a travesty. Referee Atkinson made two of the worst decisions I
have seen in a long time. "His first error was the yellow card given to
Cresswell for diving when the full-back was clearly tripped in the box.
Atkinson then went on to compound the mistake 51 seconds later by giving
Cresswell a second yellow for putting an arm across Wilfried Zaha, even
though the defender was legitimately making life difficult for the Palace
winger. "What was Cresswell supposed to do? Give Zaha directions? Atkinson
owes Cresswell a public apology for the first caution and should have the
decency to rescind the booking for diving when the player clearly did not."
Unfortunately for Bilic, the nature of the dismissal means that Cresswell
will have no chance to appeal the decision, and will thus miss the home game
against Sunderland on Saturday.
But the West Ham boss will also be taking plenty of positives from how the
former Ipswich man got on in his first game back, and may appreciate the
fact that he will be fresh for the run of seven games that follows the clash
against the Black Cats, which will see them come up against six of the
current top seven in the Premier League.

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Adrian credits Slaven Bilic's change of system for West Ham's victory over
Crystal Palace
ANDY SIMS
Evening Standard

West Ham goalkeeper Adrian admitted a change of system, and a change of
mindset, was responsible for their 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. The
under-pressure Hammers travelled to south London lying second from bottom,
without a win in five matches and with one of the worst defensive records in
the Premier League. Yet a switch to a three-man defence paid dividends as
they hung on to Manuel Lanzini's 19th-minute goal to secure three
much-needed points. "It's very important to keep a clean sheet because if
you score one goal, like we did, you win three points," Spaniard Adrian told
the club's website. "It is a change of our mind. We need to start winning
games and getting points because we want to climb the table. "This system
worked for us. Every game is different and we went with this one, and
luckily for us it worked."
West Ham rode their luck at Selhurst Park, not least when Christian Benteke
missed a penalty and moments later saw a header hit the post. They also had
to play out the last 20 minutes a man down after Aaron Cresswell's
controversial red card, and were indebted to Adrian in stoppage time for a
point-blank save to deny Connor Wickham. "We fought until the end with one
player less, which was very difficult because they pushed and their fans
pushed a lot," he added. "We defended so well until the last minute and
finally we got the win, and it's a massive three points for us. "It would
have probably changed the game if he'd scored the penalty, but he missed and
we continued fighting in the second half, and I think we deserved the win."
For Palace it was a first defeat in six matches and manager Alan Pardew was
not happy with their sluggish start. "Maybe we thought it would be an
afternoon for us where it all went well, that can happen when you've been
winning," he said. "Forget about shapes and systems, we missed the boat in
that first 20 minutes and it was difficult from there."

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Manuel Lanzini shares what West Ham boss Slaven Bilic tells him
HITC
Sean Lunt

The midfielder was the hero for West Ham United in the win over Crystal
Palace. West Ham United star Manuel Lanzini has told the Daily Star that
Slaven Bilic is always telling him to simply play and make the team better.
The Argentine midfielder proved to be the Hammers' hero on Saturday
afternoon as he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Crystal
Palace. It was a much-needed victory for West Ham, just their second of the
season, moving them out of the bottom three and up to 15th in the table. It
was also Lanzini's second strike of the season in a much-improved showing
than he has managed previously. And he says that the main message Bilic
gives him is to go out there and help the team to play football. "[Bilic]
always tells me more than anything to play, to make the team play and get
into scoring positions, as well and to defend," he told the Daily Star. "He
always tries to give me the confidence to score He congratulated me, he has
a lot of faith in me and I have a lot of faith in him. Luckily I was able to
score so I'm happy for the team, we needed this victory."
The Hammers will now be hoping that Lanzini can add more goals to his tally
as they look to bounce back from a poor start to the season. While the win
was a positive one for them it does not change much, with the Hammers still
just a point outside the relegation zone. That is far from where they
expected to be and they will need the likes of Lanzini to start hitting top
form quickly to turn the situation around.

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Slaven Bilic heaps praise on Simone Zaza after West Ham triumph over Crystal
Palace: 'He was different class'
Slaven Bilic singled out Simone Zaza for his performance on Saturday
The Italian had failed to make an impact since joining from Juventus
Bilic described Zaza as 'different class' after West Ham's 1-0 win
By AMITAI WINEHOUSE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 22:55, 16 October 2016 | UPDATED: 00:12, 17 October 2016

Slaven Bilic hailed striker Simone Zaza for his key role in a much-needed
West Ham win against Crystal Palace. The 25-year-old Italian striker has
struggled since joining on loan from Juventus, with some suggestions he
could be sent back to Turin early. He was in fine form against Palace,
however, as West Ham triumphed despite seeing Aaron Cresswell sent off after
two questionable yellow cards. Bilic was unhappy with that decision by
referee Martin Atkinson and admitted he wished English football would follow
the lead of other leagues in allowing clubs to appeal sending-offs for two
bookings. Two of Aaron Cresswell's three red cards in league football have
come against Crystal Palace. Cresswell had provided the low cross in the
19th minute which was converted by Manuel Lanzini for West Ham's first win
in six Premier League games, dragging them out of the bottom three. The West
Ham boss was less keen discuss the sending-off than he was to focus on Zaza,
saying: 'He was different class. I told him after the game that this is the
Zaza I know from Sassuolo and Juventus. 'The goals will come, the goals are
very important for the strikers but I want to see him like this. 'I told him
after the game, 'Zaza, tonight you won more balls in the air against two
centre halves than you did in four or five games so far'. 'Without him we
wouldn't have won, it's as simple as that.' One of those centre backs, James
Tomkins was sold to Palace by Bilic in the summer for £10 million. 'I didn't
want to sell him, he didn't want to go. Maybe it was my mistake not to say,
'I don't care if you are happy or not, stay', but I didn't want to do that,'
Bilic said.
Palace might have earned a draw after Christian Benteke won a penalty, but
the Belgian sent his spot kick high and wide. Alan Pardew, the Palace
manager, admitted he might have to work on his side's issues from the
penalty spot. 'We've missed two this year,' Pardew said. 'Yohan Cabaye has
missed one. So it's something that perhaps we need to look at — I'm not
going to say everything's OK.'

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He is going to be an exciting player
Posted: Mon 17 Oct 2016
Author: rovers.co.uk

Boss Owen Coyle believes Martin Samuelsen will be better for the experience
of playing in Saturday's match against Ipswich Town. Fresh from scoring his
first goal for Norway in the win over San Marino on Tuesday night, the young
attacker was handed his home debut in the weekend draw. Coyle felt that
Samuelsen showed glimpses of his undoubted talent, and hopes that he learns
from his first league start. "I thought there was lots of nice bits about
his play," the Rovers boss told Radio Rovers after the game. "You have to
understand that he is a young lad and I've said to him that the nice stuff
is fantastic but once you've beaten that player in the box then the cross
has got to come in as he has a tendency to over-do it. "He is young, he will
learn, he is going to be an exciting player there is no doubt about that. "I
thought it was important that we gave him his opportunity and I think he did
some nice things in the game. It is just getting that cutting edge because
when you are a forward I always feel that ultimately for all your good play
you must have goals, you must have assists, and there must be an end
product."
Rovers and Samuelsen are back in action this Tuesday night when Nottingham
Forest are the visitors to Ewood Park. Tickets will be on sale up to the
7.45pm kick-off priced from £18 Adults, £12 Seniors/18-21 year-olds and £7
for Juniors aged 17 and under. Book now online at
www.eticketing.co.uk/onerovers and collect on the day of the game from the
Roverstore collection point.

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Michail Antonio claims West Ham knew win was coming
HITC
Sean Lunt

West Ham United beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on Saturday. West Ham United star
Michail Antonio has claimed to the club's official website that they knew a
win was coming before the victory over Crystal Palace. The Hammers travelled
to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon looking to turn around their dreadful
start to the season. They managed to do just that as a goal from Manuel
Lanzini saw them to a 1-0 win, just their second of the campaign so far. The
result came as something of a surprise given the two teams' recent form,
with Palace having gone five games unbeaten beforehand. Not to Antonio,
though, who claims that he and his Hammers teammates knew the win was
coming. "We knew it [the win] was coming – we just needed to make sure we
gelled together and kept a clean sheet because we always believe we will
score goals," he told the club's official website. "It's nice to get that
clean sheet and a win, so onwards and upwards. The boys are buzzing and
can't wait for the next game."
West Ham will now be keen to continue their form with another victory next
time around. This result took them up to 15th in the table but they are
still only a point outside the relegation zone and will need to put a run
together to open up a greater gap in the weeks ahead. West Ham have a strong
chance to make it back-to-back wins next weekend when they take on bottom of
the table Sunderland at the London Stadium.

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Andy Carroll lookalike thrown about and sung to by West Ham fans prior to
Crystal Palace win
09:10, 17 OCT 2016 UPDATED 09:10, 17 OCT 2016
BY THOMAS BRISTOW , FREDDIE HARDING
It turns out the 27-year-old striker was somewhere else altogether
The Mirror

Does anyone know what Andy Carroll is actually injured with anymore? The
Geordie-born striker is out of action so often he's fast becoming this
decade's Dean Ashton. But the striker's lack of minutes doesn't appear to be
affecting the West Ham faithful, who seemingly still love him just as much
as when he first signed. Take the video above for example. In the footage,
which was shot by Mirror Football's Freddie Harding, an Andy Carroll
lookalike is being raised in the air and sung to like a god. The chap, who
has Carroll's long hair and oddly smart dress sense, is loving it. Moving
his arms and encouraging his band of merry men, the lookalike is having a
great time. The real Andy Carroll however, as spotted by a separate Mirror
employee, was in fact having a pint at the Slug and Lettuce bar in Canary
Wharf with teammate Joey O'Brien . We're sure the towering centre forward
will be pleased to know he is held in such high regard. But all of this begs
the question: which Andy Carroll would you rather be?

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