Daily WHUFC News - 30th November 2016

Westley - The test was needed
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 were beaten 4-1 by Fulham in Premier League 2 Division 2
Toni Martinez scored on his comeback from injury
Terry Westley was pleased with the test that Fulham provided his side

Terry Westley said he was delighted with the test his players received,
despite going down 4-1 against Fulham at Craven Cottage in Premier League 2
Division 2. The Hammers found it tough against a side that boasted a number
of regular first team players and goals from Steven Humphrys (2), Dennis
Adeniran and Lasse Vigen Christenen made sure Toni Martinez's penalty was a
mere consolation. Westley said afterwards the test that presented itself on
Monday evening was hugely worthwhile. "They had close to 400 appearances out
there and they've played in a number of different leagues. That was the
clinical difference," he said. "I'm delighted with the test my players
received tonight. Our centre halves had a real challenge with their front
two and they can get back on the bus and think they've put in a real shift
tonight." "I can't say that about everybody but in our job, if that's the
learning curve and we get better then it's worth doing."

The Hammers started the brighter of the two sides and almost took the lead
when Marcus Browne's free kick just evaded Marcus Bettinelli's right hand
post. But the Cottagers went ahead against the run of play after Humphrys
found the bottom corner from 25 yards.
They doubled their lead shortly after when Adeniran headed in from a corner
before Humphrys added his second and Fulham's third ten minutes before
half-time. Toni Martinez, on his return after seven weeks out through
injury, got the Hammers back into the contest with a penalty on the hour
mark, but the comeback was effectively stopped when Christensen found the
roof of the net from close range. The result ends the Hammers five match
unbeaten run, as they quickly prepare for the visit of Brighton and Hove
Albion in the Premier League Cup on Thursday. "We haven't got a big break
now, we play again on Thursday. If we can beat Brighton that'll be three
wins on the trot in the Cup. "That'll nearly guarantee that we go through to
the next stage so it's a big game for us and we'll turn our attention to
that."

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Slaven Speaks - Manchester United
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic faced the media ahead of the big EFL Cup quarter-final tie with
Manchester United and says he would love to steer his side to the semi-final
stage of the competition. The Hammers manager also provided the latest
team-news including the latest on Diafra Sakho and the hamstring injury he
sustained at Old Trafford on Sunday....

Slaven, can we start by asking you the latest surrounding Diafra Sakho and
how long he will be out of action?

SB: "Diafra picked up a hamstring injury and we are waiting to see how bad
the injury is. He will definitely not be available for the game on
Wednesday. "We will have to wait for the results of the scan to see how many
weeks we will be without him. "It is a big blow for us because we know what
he can give to us and he showed that against Tottenham and Manchester United
on Sunday. I can only hope it is not going to be long. "It is very
frustrating, especially for the player who was working so hard to come back
and made an impact straight away. "To be sidelined again is awful for him,
but I am sure this injury will not be like the one that forced him to miss
the start of the season."

Are you optimistic about Andy Carroll and his return to first-team action.
Is there a chance he could play on Wednesday night?

SB: "We are going to see what happens today. Andy has a good recovery and
has been training with us. If he progresses well and there are not any minor
setbacks, he will definitely be ready for Saturday and we will make a
decision about the United game after training.
"We will assess him after training to see how he is. With Andy we take it on
a daily basis."

Is there any other team-news ahead of the Cup game and how do you view the
game on Wednesday night?

SB: "We are facing the same opposition and the rest of the players are good.
A draw will not be enough on the night and there has to be a winner. "The
league is always the priority but this is a big game for us and the cup
competitions are important for us. "It will be a big thing to reach the
semi-finals and that is why we are approaching the game in a positive way.
"I said against Chelsea we were the underdogs but we put a strong team out
and beat them. "We then got another tough draw away from home, but we have
played three games there and have not lost. We could have won all of them
and remain very positive. "We will make a few changes, but it will still be
a very strong team."

How much encouragement do you take from the fact that you secured a 1-1 draw
on Sunday?

SB: "I take a lot of encouragement from that and positives from the game. We
had moments in the game where we played very well. We need to be brave and
positive."

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan believes the Club have turned a corner. Do you
agree with him?

SB: "Every point counts and I think we have turned a corner in terms of the
team performances and individual performances. "We are still not in the
position that we want to be, but when you look at the performances since the
Watford, West Brom and Middlesbrough games, we are playing good football
now. "Since the international break we have not gained a lot of points, but
the performances are the ones that are giving us the right to think that we
are on a good path now."

Would reaching the semi-finals set you up nicely for the next two games
against Arsenal and Liverpool?

SB: "It would give us a lot of confidence if we could win the game and we
will be doing everything to do that. If we change a few players like United
will, it doesn't mean we are going there just to play a game. "It is a
quarter-final and to reach the semis is a big thing and we are just a couple
of games from the final."

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Kemp - Quick turnaround is a benefit
WHUFC.com

Dan Kemp believes the quick turnaround before West Ham PL2's next game is a
benefit
The Hammers were beaten 4-1 at Fulham in Premier League 2 on Monday
Their next match is on Thursday against Brighton in the Premier League Cup

Dan Kemp believes the lack of rest before West Ham United PL2's next match
is much needed as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Fulham on
Monday evening. The Hammers lost 4-1 at Craven Cottage against a Fulham side
which boasted over 400 first team appearances and Kemp believes the quick
turnaround is beneficial to the young Irons. Attention swiftly turns to the
visit of Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League Cup on Thursday,
when the Hammers can make it three wins out of three in the competition.
"As long as we learn from and keep trying to play the way which we did
afterwards, it'll positive in the long run. Obviously we're very
disappointed with the result, we know we can do better on the goals that we
conceded," said Kemp. "There's no time to dwell on it though, we've got a
big game on Thursday against Brighton. "There's a chance to put it right and
hopefully we can get 3 out of 3 wins in the Cup and go through. That's the
plan and that's what we want to do."

The PL2 Hammers were aiming to go six matches unbeaten in all competitions
on Monday but came up against a vastly experienced Fulham side which
featured the likes of Marcus Bettinelli, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Cauley
Woodrow. Terry Westley's troops did have their spells of dominance in the
match, but the Cottagers' cutting edge saw them score four times. "We had a
spell in the first half where we were controlling possession, creating
chances and looked like the better team. But they scored and it put us on
the back foot. We tried to keep playing but we conceded some sloppy goals,"
added Kemp. "Second half I thought we did better as a team. We got the ball
moving again. When Toni scored, we thought another one would get us back in
the game but unfortunately we conceded another."

Kemp has been a familiar name on the PL2 team sheet over recent weeks, after
impressing for the U18s during the early part of the season. "Obviously I'm
very happy getting lots of games for the U23s at the moment. The aim is to
keep playing well and keep my place in the team."

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Noble wants cup glory
Whufc.COM

Noble West Ham United skipper Mark Noble would love to see his side reach
the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and hopes to record another memorable victory
over Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Noble was part of the last West Ham team to record a victory at Old Trafford
back in May 2007 when Carlos Tevez scored the famous goal to keep the
Hammers in the Premier League.

It was a day that the experienced midfielder will never forget and hopes for
similar celebrations if the Hammers can make it through to the semi-final
stage.

Slaven Bilic has confirmed that he will make a few changes for the game, but
is still taking the competition seriously and would love to see his side win
major silverware this season.

Noble says there is no better venue to showcase your talents and hopes his
side can build on the 1-1 draw with United last Sunday and make it through
to the last four of the competition.

Noble said: "The Premier League is important to us because of the position
we find ourselves in and we need the points. We have tough games coming up
against Arsenal and Liverpool.

"But we can now look forward to a big game in the Cup against Manchester
United once again and going to play at Old Trafford is everyone's dream so
we hope for another good result."

Noble insists his team-mates can take a number of positives from the draw
against United last Sunday and hopes it will in their favour when they face
Jose Mourinho's side once again.

Noble added "It was a tough game on Sunday, especially after we took the
lead so early on. We knew they were going to come at us and they did during
the opening 45 minutes.

"But in the second half I thought it was more even and both teams had
chances to win the game.

"Sometimes you just need that bit of luck and Darren made some great saves
for us. I thought the defence played really well and we were really
resilient as a team.

"You need that when you come to a place like Old Trafford and it is a
special place to play but I thought we matched them man for man."

Tickets are still available for the game on Wednesday night. Fans should
visit the ticketing and membership services office at Old Trafford which is
open from 8am on Wednesday.

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Manchester United v West Ham United
WED, 30 NOV 2016EFL CUP - QUARTER-FINAL
20:00
Venue: Old Trafford
BBC coverage
How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC
Sport website

TEAM NEWS

Midfielders Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini will both miss Manchester
United's EFL Cup quarter-final against West Ham United due to suspension.
Both were booked for the fifth time this season when the teams drew 1-1 in
the Premier League on Sunday.

West Ham striker Diafra Sakho, who scored at Old Trafford at the weekend, is
out with a hamstring injury. Andy Carroll is close to returning from a knee
problem while defender Winston Reid is available after suspension.

Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera said his side wanted "revenge"
after failing to win at the weekend. "It's positive that we are playing on
Wednesday, when we can get revenge," the Spaniard added. "We can turn our
luck in the next game in the EFL Cup. "It doesn't matter the competition, it
doesn't matter the game, we just want to win. We want to fight for
everything and we want to make our fans proud. "It's positive that we are
playing on Wednesday, when we can get revenge."

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said he would be making changes to the team but
said he was confident the players coming in could help the Hammers reach the
semi-finals. "It would give us a lot of confidence if we could win the game
and we will be doing everything to do that," added Bilic. "If we change a
few players like United will, it doesn't mean we are going there just to
play a game. "It is a quarter-final and to reach the semis is a big thing
and we are just a couple of games from the final.

Another semi-final for West Ham?

West Ham are looking to reach the League Cup semi-final for the 10th time in
their history, and the first time since 2013/14.
Manchester United and West Ham last met in the League Cup in 2010/11, where
the Hammers won 4-0 in the quarter-final. It remains their largest win over
a Premier League side in the competition.
The Red Devils have lost only one of their last 24 home League Cup games
against fellow top-flight sides (W22 D1), losing 1-2 against Chelsea in
January 2005.
Jose Mourinho has not lost a game in the League Cup since December 2013,
winning eight and drawing two since then.
West Ham have won just two of their last 11 away games against Premier
League opposition in the League Cup (L9), conceding at least once on each
occasion.
Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford have combined for two goals in the EFL Cup
this season; the most of any duo still in the competition.
Mark Noble has assisted twice in the EFL Cup this year, while no other
player set to feature in the quarter-final has done so more.

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E-purse fiasco resolution close?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th November 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's new Head of Ticketing has confirmed that supporters will
be able to use 'e-credits' to purchase match day tickets THIS season.

Last month one supporter commenced legal action against the club after they
were continuously denied access to the funds which had been held by West Ham
for what they considered to be an unreasonable length of time.

But following further dialogue between a number of addected supporters and
the club, Nicola Keye - a recent arrival at WHUFC - has confirmed that those
s will be able to use their credits to purchase not only season tickets for
netx season, but match day tickets for Cup and away fixtures this term.

KUMB member Phil S confiemed the news via the KUMB Forum this afternoon,
following a conversation with Keye. "Nicola confirmed e-purse is a priority
and that she has already been in discussion with a company she has used
before," he wrote.

"It will be working again in the near future and you will be able to use it
to either renew your season ticket or purchase cup and away tickets, which
is good news."

Back in May, West Ham confirmed that supporters who had e-purse credits in
their old online Box Office accounts would be able to use them once the club
had introduced the new ticketing system following the move to Stratford.

However fans began to complain when they were unable to access their funds -
a situation that led vice-Chair Karren Brady to tell fans at a recent
meeting that a new system should be in place by the end of October.

Still unable to access their cash, the supporter in question served papers
on West Ham United four days after that deadline had passed.

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Man Utd 1-1 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th November 2016
By: HeadHammerShark


1. In Dubious Battle

Imagine getting sent off trying to defend this shithousery though.

"Of course this a foul" says Jose "Do you know how much he cost?"


2. The Wayward Bus

The first West Ham away game I ever attended was on March 17 1984 and we
lost 4-1 to Leicester. The most recent was our 5-1 demolition of Blackburn
in the FA Cup last season. Those two absurd bookends serve as a nice
reminder of the riches and rewards as well as the pitfalls of following a
football team around the country with any degree of regularity.

I saw us lose 5-0 to Newcastle while allowing Leon Best to score a hat
trick. This bordered on the impossible as Leon Best is a large, flat piece
of wood and is not capable of kinetic movement. And yet it happened.

I've seen us lose 3-0 to Notts County as the fans staged a sit down protest,
blissfully unaware that we would one day lose 7-1 at Blackburn, making that
day in Nottingham look like a right laugh.

I vividly recall the 4-2 midweek defeat under Roeder at Charlton that
precipitated the legendary, and never successfully answered, chant demanding
a new back four.

But I also watched a 3-0 win at Bolton when Danny Williamson ran 80 yards to
score a wonder goal and briefly made us dream of home grown talent again,
before disappearing off the face of the earth and becoming a "Who remembers"
contender on the KUMB podcast. There were soul nourishing wins at Arsenal,
Spurs, Man United and that bananas 3-0 win at Wigan that made everyone dare
to dream that the Great Escape might actually be possible, and had the added
effect of making Neil Warnock cry.

The point is that West Ham have been pretty crap away from home for a long
time, but there is always that small kernel of hope that drives us on. This
game never really looked winnable, and yet we came within a James Collins
aneurysm of nicking it. Those fans who braved the Arctic conditions, the
terrible Old Trafford track record and Sunday train services deserve our
unstinting admiration.

The reality is that in the last thirty years, West Ham fans travelling to
this fixture have seen almost as many six goal defeats as they have
victories. To paraphrase Alan Pardew - and why wouldn't we given what he is
currently giving to the football world at large - travelling away with West
Ham has always been done Moore in hope than expectation.


3. East Of Eden

Let's be honest, points gained at Old Trafford don't carry quite the same
cachet that they used to but when you've been as bad as West Ham have been
this season you take what you can get. This was a workmanlike performance
that owed much to Darren Randolph, some to good fortune and a lot to a
disciplined defensive unit who rode their luck to the last.

It helps, of course, when you have a forward who can score, and Diafra
Sakho's 2nd minute bullet header should have been the platform for a
stirring away performance. As it was, we seemed a little confused by how to
approach the game at 1-0 up, and seemingly abandoned all pretence at going
forward. It wasn't a huge surprise, therefore, that Pogba picked out
Ibrahimovic twenty minutes later and dreams of an away win turned into
seventy minutes of hiding behind the sofa in search of a point.

The big Swede was able to head his equaliser unopposed as James Collins was
caught up discussing the new series of "The Affair" with Angelo Ogbonna and
thus forgot to pay any attention to the man he was marking, but still, you
can't have everything.

There were lots of good things today, however, and while we seem to have
lost the counterthrusting ability that served us so well last year this can
at least be partially explained by the fact that we've been operating
without a striker for three months. Diafra Sakho has remedied that and his
hard work and general physical presence was enough to put opposition
defenders under the kind of pressure they haven't had to face all season.

Randolph also built on a sort of good start last week by performing well
here in the face of much pressure. There were fine saves from Lingard and
Ibrahimovic and best of all from Rashford when he was clean through. I'm
still not entirely convinced by either of our keepers, and suspect that
Adrian probably remains the better of the two, but the Irishman has waited a
long time and seem some genuinely postal fuck ups by the Spaniard so he
deserves his run.

Curiously, our best part of the game was the last five minutes when we had a
couple of decent looking breaks, and Ashley Fletcher nearly stole the points
in the last minute but was denied by a fine De Gea save. Rather like the
Spurs game last week, had we found Payet on one of those breaks we'd have
been going home with the points and this column would need to acknowledge
some green shoots of recovery.

As it is...Avram Watch!

2010/11 (Worst West Ham team in living memory) after 13 games: W1 D6 L6 (9
points)
2016/17 (This lot) after 13 games: W3 D3 L7 (12 points).

Relax guys. Everything is fine.


4. The Winter Of Our Discontent

Unrelenting Avram hatred aside, there actually were some green shoots today,
and indeed last week. One thorny issue, however, is Mark Noble and whether
the captain should remain the automatic selection he has been for so long.
Last week, Lanzini dropped deeper and was a key influence on the game as his
neat passing helped us pass out of trouble, and he did enough defensively to
keep Spurs at bay for 88 minutes before....sobs uncontrollably.

The problem is that with Noble needing to be accommodated, Lanzini was
pushed further forward here and reverted to flitting ineffectually in and
out of the game as he had done for most of the season. Man United probably
aren't as good as Spurs and yet we struggled to create too much today until
those last few minutes, and our front players were horribly isolated.
Interestingly, I thought we actually sparked into life when Andre Ayew came
on, which is handy given that he cost £20m.

What the broader point highlights, however, is the slightly one dimensional
nature of some of our players. You need central midfielders to be able to
break up play, and then transition you from deep on the pitch into forward
areas from which to launch attacks. Noble does the latter, and Lanzini the
former and thus we need both of them on the pitch to make those things
happen. If you're Manchester United or Chelsea you just buy Pogba or Kante
and get them to do both, but without that sort of financial muscle or an
actual scouting network, we need two players to do the work that can be done
in better teams by just one.

We're hardly unique there though, and must say I consider myself a Noble
fan. He has been undeniably less effective this season, however, and it's
worth examining why. Maybe his legs have just caught up with his hairstyle,
which has been the same since he was 19 and he has actually transformed into
the 45 year old man that he has looked like since about 2004. I do wonder if
the bigger pitch at the London Stadium is having an effect as there is more
real estate to cover and no centre forward to pass to, and that's a recipe
for putting miles on the clock.

His discipline and determination is important in keeping our defensive shape
but the reality is that we've still been crap at the back. It took Obiang's
belated introduction to give us the required ability to regain the ball in
central areas, and despite that we have a goal difference worryingly close
to Sunderland's - and they're not even a professional football team. It's
just Jermain Defoe plus the first ten paying customers to arrive.

Whatever is ailing Noble needs fixing soon. Winning the ball back is not
much help if your use of it is then so slow that it can't allow the team to
break. And if you review the highlights from this game you'll see that the
late Ibrahimovic chance, ultimately snuffed out by Kouyate, came as a result
of Noble taking a truly godawful free kick which he floated on to Valencia's
chest and then had to watch helplessly as Collins decided the best way to
deal with the resulting threat was to have some kind of seizure.

I don't know the answer to this problem, but the beating heart of our team
is out of sync. One for Bilic to focus on.


5. The Pearl

I've seen mixed reactions to Payet's performance today. I liked his industry
and willingness to do some pretty decent defensive work, all the while
shouldering the burden of playing for a team whose tactics whiteboard has
one sole entry, simply saying "I dunno - give it to Payet".

Others seem to think he looked uninterested and shirked his duties, but I
can't say I really saw that. Having the ball is an underrated aspect of
defensive play, and there has been a season long trend of us giving away
possession way too easily. Payet remains our best asset in this regard,
added to the fact that he can put in crosses that lead to things like this.

It was a bit odd that Mourinho dared to Zlatan there, but dare he did and
Sakho capitalised brilliantly.

There is even a mad rumour going round today that Mourinho wants to buy
Payet himself in January. There might be a germ of truth in this as United
have only spent £400m on attacking players in the last year or two and still
can't defend, but nothing they do is surprising anymore.

I'd sell if we can get Martial and Rashford back in the deal but I doubt
that's likely. Still, any football executive not ringing up Manchester
United and seeing if they'll do something stupid isn't doing their job
properly.


6. Once There Was A War

Not to belabour the point, but take a look at our bench today and see if you
can spot the common link between the outfield players:

Adrian, Nordtveit, Feghouli, Zaza, Ayew, Fletcher, Fernandes.

When you don't improve your first team at all in a £40m summer spending
spree that's terrible business. And make no mistake, this was the worst
shopping trip since John Terry's mum said to her mate: "Don't worry - I'll
take care of this".


7. To A God Unknown

The absence of Winston Reid could have been damaging today, but our back
three generally stood up pretty well except for the couple of times they
channelled the lost spirit of Aston Villa.

That said, I think we may be seeing the decline phase of James Collins as a
Premier League player. Ibrahimovic simply ran past him for the goal, and
whilst there were a couple of typically heroic last ditch interventions, it
wasn't a shock to see him then nearly scuttle the whole thing with a
terrible late back pass, and it's fair to say that he may have been more
successful than Pope Francis in getting East Londoners to pray this Sunday.

It's a shame that Reece Oxford is injured as he could probably have got some
playing time this week, which is apparently a sticking point with his new
contract. That said, picking up a poorly timed injury suggests an
understanding of the Club's history that bodes well for him sticking around
a while.

Collins, meanwhile, has been a great servant but with Kouyate, Reid and
Ogbonna looking semi decent in the new formation, I don't expect him to play
too much for us in the future. Like Noble, it's the glaring lack of pace
that causes consternation.


8. The Grapes Of Wrath

No sooner does Diafra Sakho return to the team and provide us with our first
goal from a forward all year than he injures himself and is out for two
weeks, per David Gold.

Gold also tweeted that Andy Carroll wasn't risked yesterday and will instead
be subject to a week of "high intensity training" ahead of the Arsenal game,
which doesn't sound like it should be an issue for a guy who once injured
himself getting off a barstool.

This means he'll be rushed back half fit for Arsenal, and thus increases the
future risk of injury fairly substantially. It's really difficult to see why
West Ham struggle so much with injuries.

But, returning briefly to Sakho, his (latest) injury is a killer as we had
been so utterly awful in attack this year. Take a look at this:

This graphic is taken from Experimental361, a great website run by Ben
Mayhew, who was gracious enough to allow me to use this chart, which
highlights the truly pathetic state of our attacking threat.

In fact, I haven't seen anything this tragic since someone at the BBC's
flagship political programme Question Time searched through their email
address book for a guest to help us make sense of Brexit, Trump, the rise of
far right nationalism and the attendant economic uncertainty, and settled
upon Huey from the Fun Lovin' Criminals.

What Ben's graphic tell us, in broad terms, is how frequently our players
are scoring, and how often we might expect them to be scoring based upon the
Expected Goals value of their shots. This last concept may be alien to some,
but it's a widely used statistic in the analytics community that looks at a
huge range of historic data and then tries to quantify how likely a player
is to score based upon how often a player in his position, taking that shot,
has historically scored. I might be slightly off in that description as
there are some moving parts, but that's essentially it.

For Michail Antonio, he is scoring about 0.5/per game but his XG would
suggest that he should have a rate of around 0.35/per game. So he is
actually outperforming what we might expect from him. (It should be noted
that Antonio is something of an analytical darling due to his tendency to
perform exactly as we might expect with great frequency. And also possibly
the Simpsons celebration, I don't know). What you should take from this is
that Antonio is probably the real deal, and that playing him at right back
is absolutely insane.

Elsewhere though - it's a disaster. It's Mariah Carey's acting career. It's
that time London decided to celebrate the Millennium by setting the River
Thames on fire. It's Southern Rail. It's Eurovision.

We actually don't have any forwards who have either played enough minutes or
taken enough shots to make this chart other than Zaza. It also probably
highlights that we are not taking enough shots from decent areas which
probably isn't too much of a surprise if you consider that Lanzini alone has
twice tried to score with a Rabona from outside the area.

That's what makes Sakho getting injured again so frustrating. Now we'll be
back to Zaza huffing and puffing, Ayew out of position and Fletcher, the boy
being asked to do a mans job. It would be great to get Sakho back for
Liverpool, but at this stage it's hard not to wonder about this
back/hamstring injury he has and quite why the Club have yet to successfully
fix it.

To put all of this in context, Toby Alderweireld is on the Spurs chart.
Repeat after me; Our centre forwards are less threatening than Spurs centre
backs.


9. Burning Bright

On the subject of Ashley Fletcher, I thought he looked alright yesterday.
There has been a bit of a clamour for him to be playing more frequently,
which might be more of a reflection of the performances of his fellow
strikers than anything specific that he has done.

That said, if Zaza is now persona non grata due to his stupid transfer
clause, and Ayew is clearly better suited to a support striker role, then
it's possible he may be a stop gap until one of Carroll or Sakho are fit
enough to play regularly.

I can't help but feel he might be better served by more regular game time in
the Championship, but the sad fact is that we probably need him until the
Club can overspend hugely on someone in January.


10. Cup Of Gold

Wednesday sees us return to Manchester for yet another Cup meeting with the
Red Devils. With our league position so precarious and our form improving, I
wouldn't be tempted to risk anyone important. So no Payet, no Lanzini, and
therefore I accept, no hope.

I know plenty of fans who have said to me that they would take relegation if
we could win a cup. I've always found this false equivalency as this is a
binary choice that doesn't exist, but if there comes a time when Cup games
could potentially negatively impact on the league then the latter takes
precedence in my eyes.

I know that honours are unforgettable and stay with you forever, but trust
me - so do league trips to Rotherham.

Let's face it, our league status is non-negotiable given the stadium
situation and the riches on offer for Premiership football. Liverpool and
Arsenal will remain in the EFL Cup after Wednesday, so whatever chance we
have can't exactly be characterised as more than "average". If this were a
more open competition I could see us throwing a bit more at Wednesday but
I'd rather play it safe and see how the reserves get on.

Those terrible summer signings were brought in for nights like this and we
should live or die by that. The idea of Payet getting injured on Wednesday
and missing any time is terrifying. Oh, and I'm sure you're all aware that
Kouyate, Ayew, Feghouli and whatever remains of Sakho's body after medical
science have picked him apart, are all off to the African Cup of Nations in
January.

For all that, we bent but we did not break here, and that's important. We've
been to Spurs and Man Utd, scored three times and trailed for a total of one
minute. In some regards it's almost impossible to only get a point from that
combination but here we are. This is the key part of our season, where we
can push away from the bottom three and off up to the promised land of mid
table mediocrity, or slide down with the dead men and prepare for a
relegation fight.

So yes, I want us to prioritise Saturday over Wednesday, and I duly
apologise to the dreamers amongst you.

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Bilic anxiously awaiting Sakho diagnosis
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th November 2016
By: Staff Writer

Slaven Bilic fears that West Ham could be without the services of Diafra
Sakho for several weeks.

Bilic, speaking ahead of tomorrow night's second trip to Old Trafford inside
five days revealed that whilst the club are still awaiting diagnosis to
confirm the extent of the injury sustained during Sunday's 1-1 draw, Sakho
is likely to miss a number of matches.

"Diafra picked up a hamstring injury and we are waiting to see how bad the
injury is," Bilic told the media. "He will definitely not be available for
the game on Wednesday and we will have to wait for the results of the scan
to see how many weeks we will be without him.

"It is a big blow for us because we know what he can give to us and he
showed that against Tottenham and Manchester United. I can only hope it is
not going to be long.

"It is very frustrating, especially for the player who was working so hard
to come back and made an impact straight away. To be sidelined again is
awful for him, but I am sure this injury will not be like the one that
forced him to miss the start of the season."

Bilic, whose front line has been decimated by a string of injuries this
season could also be without the services of Andy Carroll, who had been
tipped to appear in the 18-man squad at Old Trafford last weekend.

"We are going to see what happens [in training] today," he said. "Andy has a
good recovery and has been training with us.

" If he progresses well and there are not any minor setbacks, he will
definitely be ready for Saturday and we will make a decision about the
United game after training. We will assess him after training to see how he
is. With Andy, we take it on a daily basis."

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West Ham set to welcome Andy Carroll back for Man Utd clash
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 29/11/16 12:24pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic is unsure how long he will be without Diafra Sakho, but has
revealed he could welcome Andy Carroll back for West Ham's EFL Cup tie away
at Manchester United on Wednesday. Carroll has not featured for West Ham
since August after suffering a knee injury in the Europa League play-off
match against Astra Giurgiu. He returned to full training last week and
Bilic says he will make a late call on whether to include the forward in his
squad for the quarter-final tie at Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports 1 HD
from 7.30pm.
"We're going to see today whether Andy Carroll is ready, we will make a
decision after training. Maybe tomorrow, definitely Saturday [v Arsenal],"
the West Ham manager said. Bilic also confirmed Sakho would undergo a scan
on Tuesday on the hamstring injury he sustained in the Hammers' 1-1 draw
with United in the Premier League on Sunday. The Senegal forward scored
inside the opening two minutes, but was withdrawn in the 66th minute after
pulling up with the problem. Sakho only returned from a three-month lay-off
with a back injury in the 3-2 defeat away at Tottenham on November 19 and
Bilic admits he is facing an anxious wait over the fitness of the
26-year-old. "Diafra is now in hospital and he is having a scan, the scan is
of course going to show us how big the injury is," he said. "It's a
hamstring, so we don't know how long will be out for yet, but he's
definitely not available for tomorrow. "I don't whether it's going to be one
week two weeks, three weeks or four weeks, we have to wait for the results
of the scan and then we'll know how many weeks we'll be without him. "We
know how important he is to us, he gives us a lot so it's a big blow and I
hope he returns as soon as possible."
West Ham defeated United 4-0 at the same stage of the EFL Cup in 2010 and
Bilic believes the competition provides his club with a "big opportunity" to
claim their first piece of silverware in 36 years. "The rest of the squad is
good, we played well against Man Utd. But tomorrow, a draw is not enough,
there has to be a winner," he said. "We were underdogs against Chelsea, and
we are underdogs again now. This cup is a big opportunity for us. "Tomorrow,
we will do everything we can to beat Man Utd. We will give a few players a
chance, but we are going there to win."

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Gareth Southgate the right man for England, says West Ham's Michail Antonio
Last Updated: 28/11/16 10:07pm
SSN

Gareth Southgate is the right man for the England job because of his special
relationship with the players, according to Michail Antonio. Antonio was
included in Southgate's first England squad for games against Malta and
Slovenia in October and the West Ham midfielder was impressed with the
interim boss. Southgate has completed a formal interview with the Football
Association's five-man panel and could be confirmed as permanent manager
this week. The 46-year-old spent three and a half years with England U21s
and oversaw two wins and two draws from his four matches in temporary
charge. "I feel he does look like the right man for the job," Antonio said.
"He's young enough to bond with the boys and he's got a relationship with
quite a few of the boys through the U21s. "We haven't had that for the last
few years, someone who is young, who has actually got a relationship with
the boys before he's met them so he knows what to do with them, and it shows
because he's doing well. "The 2-2 draw with Spain, people say it's a
friendly and they didn't turn it on, but Spain are still a quality team."
Some have questioned Southgate's experience in motivating top players but
Antonio insists the former Middlesbrough manager has all the right
attributes. "I'd say he's a great tactician," Antonio said. "He wants us to
play and the way he trusts the players, he believes the boys can do it, that
they are good enough to do it. "To play for England you have to be quality
so it's just about working out the kinks and making the players believe in
themselves and have the confidence to play. "He knows all the players. You
can't be around players and not know what makes them tick. That's the
difference between him and other managers. Antonio has scored six goals this
season and believes that if he keeps his form then more England caps will
come, and said he would have the faith of Southgate. "I've only spoken to
him the one time I wasn't in the squad," Antonio said. "He just said I
wasn't in it, that players were back from injury but that if anyone got
injured he wouldn't hesitate to give me a call. "I know it's about working
hard and playing well enough in the Premier League that it makes it
difficult not to choose me."

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Ladbrokes News

West Ham may have a number of issues to deal with right now, but while most
concern the defensive side of Slaven Bilic's team, things aren't so hot on
the striker front. That could all change though with reports AC Milan are
now ready to sell Carlos Bacca. The Hammers' registered strikers have
totalled one Premier League goal between them this season, and summer
signing Simone Zaza has failed to impress. Indeed, Zaza was only signed by
the east Londoners after a deal for Bacca fell through. But now it seems the
San Siro outfit are ready to cash in on their disgruntled striker. It's
believed AC could land as much as £25m for the Colombian, enough for them to
splash out on their own purchases during January's window.
Signing the 30-year-old would be sizeable boost to the Hammers, who face
continued reports that Dimitri Payet could leave the club unless they
improve their Premier League fortunes. But a Payet-Bacca combination is
certainly one to get the West Ham faithful excited.
The former Club Brugge striker fired in 18 goals in 36 Serie A appearances
last term, following 34 strikes in 72 La Liga games for Sevilla. There's no
doubting his quality and it's Bacca's eye for goal which has also drawn
attention from PSG and Valencia. But before January's window opens, Bilic
will be hoping his side can find an upswing in form. West Ham head to
Manchester United this week, hoping to bag a place in the EFL Cup
semi-finals. The bookies make Bilic's men 6/1 to win in 90 minutes at Old
Trafford.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic bracing himself as he awaits news on Diafra
Sakho's hamstring injury
Diafra Sakho scored in West Ham's 1-1 draw against Manchester United
Hammers are awaiting news on injury after he limped off on 66 minutes
Slaven Bilic confirmed the striker will miss Tuesday's EFL Cup clash
By Riath Al-Samarrai for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 13:44, 29 November 2016 | UPDATED: 13:46, 29 November 2016

Slaven Bilic has braced himself for the worst as West Ham wait on news of
Diafra Sako's hamstring injury. The 26-year-old scored in the 1-1 draw with
Manchester United on Sunday but limped off 66 minutes into the Premier
League fixture. Bilic confirmed on Tuesday that he would miss the EFL Cup
quarter-final tie with United on Wednesday and fears he could be out for up
to a month, depending on results of a scan. That would be a crushing
eventuality for West Ham and Sakho, given he only returned to the side on
November 19 after a three-month lay-off with a back injury. Bilic said:
'Sakho is at hospital having a scan – the scan will show how bad injury was.
He is definitely out for the United game on Wednesday. One week, two weeks,
four weeks, whatever I don't know. 'It's a big blow for us - he showed
against Spurs and Man United what he brings the team. Unfortunately it's a
big blow to lose him for tomorrow. I can only hope it isn't going to be
long. 'It's very frustrating, especially for the player to work hard, come
back and make an impact straight away. It's bad for us but it's awful for
him. But I'm sure this isn't like the one which kept him out since
pre-season. Compared to that should be a minor one but it's a big blow
because he just came back.' Bilic, meanwhile, is convinced West Ham have
turned a corner in their underwhelming season. They sit 16th in the Premier
League after a woeful start in which they lost five of their first six games
and were also dumped out of the Europa League. But having lost only twice in
the last six games, Bilic believes they have stabilised their campaign. They
have the chance to significantly alter their outlook in the EFL Cup
quarter-final against United.
In referencing the point West Ham took at Old Trafford in the league on
Sunday, Bilic said: 'Results wise it's only a point, but one point can't
lift you a lot. I think we have turned a corner in performances as a team
and individuals. 'If you compare our position in the table from September
and now we are still not where we would like to be but if you look at
performances I'm saying we are playing good football now but paying the
price for our bad start to the season. Since the international break we
didn't gain a lot of points or places in the table, one point from Spurs and
Man United, but the performances have improved. 'We have to beat Man United
on Wednesday - It would give us confidence. We are going to do everything we
can to beat them. It's a quarter-final, which means if you win you are in
semis and that's a big thing, only a couple of games to final.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michail Antonio urges West Ham to find their consistency
HITC
Sean Lunt

West Ham United are currently just a point outside the relegation zone.
Speaking to Sky Sports, West Ham United winger Michail Antonio has urged his
side to find their consistency this season. The Hammers have endured a
disappointing first half of the campaign and currently sit just a point
outside the relegation zone. They are without a win in four games, having
drawn 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Consistency has
been a major issue for them so far, with the Hammers managing back-to-back
wins just once all season. A drastic turnaround in form is needed if West
Ham are to avoid a relegation battle and Antonio has urged them to find
their consistency to do so. "It's just about getting that consistency in the
Premier League," he told Sky Sports. "As a player, you have to be consistent
and as a team, you have got to be consistent to be up and around the big
boys. "Hopefully we've now put everything behind us, we find our shape, we
find our bond and now we can push on and get up the league."
This weekend could provide West Ham with the perfect opportunity to turn
things around. They take on Arsenal at home and a win against their London
rivals could provide them with the impetus they need to pull away from their
current predicament. The Hammers come up against a Gunners side full of
confidence and in good form, though, and they will need to find the
consistency that Antonio talks about to ensure they leave with all three
points.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho set for four weeks out after West Ham striker suffers hamstring
injury
The Senegal international will undergo scans over the next 24 hours to
determine the extent of the problem
BY DARREN LEWIS
22:30, 28 NOV 2016UPDATED18:13, 28 NOV 2016
The Mirror

West Ham fear Diafra Sakho could be out for another four weeks with his
hamstring injury. The Senegal international will undergo scans over the next
24 hours to determine the extent of the problem, picked up in the Hammers'
1-1 draw at Manchester United on Sunday.
Sakho, 26, opened the scoring for Slaven Bilic's side in that game. Another
enforced absence for the frontman would be a huge blow for Bilic whose men
meet United again in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
Sakho only came back from three months out with a back injury in the Irons
3-2 defeat at Tottenham on November 19. The marksman has struggled with
injuries ever since his first season at the club he joined in the summer of
2014. Although he began that campaign with eight goals from his first ten
games, injuries struck and have done ever since. Sakho fell out with the
club over his contract last season and was set to join West Brom during the
summer before failing a medical. The Hammers are keen to rebuild bridges
with him - with potential carrot of a new deal - if he can recapture his
form from his debut season.

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WEST HAM STRIKER SPOTTED AT MATCH IN ARGENTINAFeatured Image
Date: 28th November 2016 at 11:06pm
Written by: David Tully

West Ham striker Jonathan Calleri was a spectator at the Argentina Primera B
Nacional match between All Boys and Atletico Parana at the weekend. Calleri
used to play for All Boys at the beginning of his professional career in
2013, and the A Puro Boca Twitter account tweeted a picture of Calleri in
the crowd during the 0-0 draw.

The Argentine has not been included in the match day squad by Slaven Bilic
for the last two matches against Spurs and Manchester United. Calleri was
last on the bench for the game against Stoke City but he hasn't made an
appearance for the first team since he came on as a substitute against
Sunderland in the 1-0 win last month.

Speculation has been rife about the 23 year old's future at the club and he
is expected to leave for Spain the January transfer window with Sevilla,
Valencia and Malaga all tipped to make a move for the player.

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West Ham star Dimitri Payet on coming to Manchester United: Warning sent
DIMITRI PAYET admits West Ham must defend from the front at clubs with
Manchester United's stature - but insists the Hammers can compete.
By JACK STAPLEHURST
PUBLISHED: 05:20, Tue, Nov 29, 2016
Express.co.uk

Slaven Bilic's side picked up a hard-earned point at Old Trafford on Sunday
as Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw. Diafra Sakho's early header
from a Payet free-kick was cancelled out by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Jose
Mourinho's dismissal to the stands highlighted the hosts' frustration. West
Ham have struggled this season to replicate their impressive results home
and away from last term, but a recovery is underway with performances
improving under Bilic. Key man Payet was even linked with a £35m switch to
United over the weekend as West Ham face a battle to keep the Ballon d'Or
nominee amid their 16th-place position in the table. However, the France
international insists he is happy with how things are heading now having
hinted during the international break he could be open to an exit. And ahead
of tomorrow's second trip to Old Trafford in the space of four days, Payet
has warned Mourinho's men West Ham have proved they will provide strong
competition in the EFL Cup tie (8pm). "Obviously it was an important point
for us," Payet told the club's official website. "It is never easy to come
to Old Trafford and get a result, but that is what we have succeeded in
doing. "We came close to taking all three points at the end, so we are very
happy with that. "We played a good match last weekend at Tottenham and
unfortunately we didn't take the points, but thankfully we have succeeded in
getting something against United. "We are trying to put together a good
little run to move ourselves a bit higher up the table into a more
comfortable position. "Against these two tough teams, and we know what they
are capable of - we've showed that we can compete at this level. "When you
come to a place like Old Trafford you have to defend and the system is in
place for perfectly good reasons. "I'm happy right now because the decision
has paid off, but yes, of course, I am more happy with the ball."
West Ham are expected to name a full-strength side for the cup tie against
Mourinho's team, although Sunday's goalscorer Sakho won't feature. The
Senegalese became the Hammers' first striker to score this season but later
picked up a hamstring injury, and Express Sport understands he will be
sidelined again for three weeks. Europa League football awaits the winners
of the competition though, and West Ham are taking the quarterfinal tie
seriously. Meanwhile, United will be without suspended midfield duo Paul
Pogba and Marouane Fellaini. Jose Mourinho is likely to make changes to the
team who faced West Ham on Sunday, but the boss, who has now been charged by
the FA following his bottle kick at the weekend, is in need of a home win.
United have gone over two months without a victory at Old Trafford in the
Premier League, and EFL Cup success would help appease fans.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dimitri Payet: West Ham showed against Manchester United and Tottenham we
can compete at highest level
VAISHALI BHARDWAJ
Evening Standard

Dimitri Payet believes West Ham's performance against Tottenham and
Manchester United in the last two weeks has demonstrated the Hammers are
good enough to compete with the best teams in the league. Slaven Bilic's men
have struggled for results this term, with West Ham having won just three
Premier League games so far. The Hammers were close to making that four
victories last weekend but conceded two late goals to lose 3-2 to Tottenham
at White Hart Lane. But the east Londoners responded by going to Old
Trafford on Sunday and securing a hardfought 1-1 draw against United, which
Payet was heavily involved in. The France international delivered the free
kick which Diafra Sakho converted early on in the clash although Zlatan
Ibrahimovic restored parity 20 minutes later. With West Ham facing United
for the second time in three days in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, Payet
believes the club's recent performances demonstrate that the Hammers are
good enough to compete with all of the big teams in the top flight. Speaking
to West Ham's official website, Payet said: "Obviously it's an important
point for us. It is never easy to come to Old Trafford and get a result, but
that is what we have succeeded in doing. "We came close to taking all three
points at the end. So we are very happy with that. "We played a good match
last weekend at Tottenham and unfortunately we didn't take the points, but
thankfully we have succeeded in getting something against United. "Against
these two tough teams, and we know what they are capable of - we've showed
that we can compete at this level. "We are trying to put together a good
little run to move ourselves a bit higher up the table into a more
comfortable position."

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