Daily WHUFC News - 6th November 2016

Bojan volley forces Hammers to settle for point
WHUFC.com

West Ham United were forced to settle for a point after Bojan Krkic netted a
late volley for Stoke to cancel out an earlier own goal from Glenn Whelan as
the the teams drew 1-1 at London Stadium. After beating Sunderland and
Chelsea in the previous two home games, the Hammers were on course to make
it three in a row after Whelan headed the ball his own keeper. But Bojan
capitalised on a mistake by Adrian when he volleyed home from close-range to
ensure Stoke came away with a point. Slaven Bilic would have been hoping to
head into the international break with another victory and will be
disappointed that his side failed to hold onto the lead. The Hammers were
hoping to amends for the disappointing 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park last
weekend as they looked to build on recent home victories. But it was Stoke
who came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening exchanges.

Jonathan Walters broke clear of the West Ham defence on 13 minutes and burst
into the box before seeing his low cross well blocked by Cheikhou Kouyate
who denied Wilfried Bony getting on the scoresheet. The away side came close
again on 18 minutes when Bony saw his shot blocked by James Collins. The
rebound fell to Joe Allen who fired a right foot shot just over the bar. The
Hammers finally found a route back into the game and created their first
major opening on 24 minutes when Dimitri Payet laid the ball back to Manuel
Lanzini and he struck a 25-yard shot over the bar. Payet was involved in the
heart of the action once again on 27 minutes when his corner picked out
Angelo Ogbonna who towered above the Stoke defence and saw his powerful
header produce a fine save from Lee Grant diving away to his right.

There was some confusion over how much injury time was to be played at the
end of the first half after the fourth official signalled one minute but
referee Andre Marriner actually wanted three. The decision almost paid off
for the home side as the Hammers were awarded a free-kick right on the edge
of the box. The home fans drew their breathe as Payet put the ball down, but
on this occasion the French star saw his curling effort fall inches over the
bar. The danger signs were still there for the Hammers as Phil Bardsley
tried his luck from 30-yards on 55 minutes with a dipping shot which flew
just over the goal. Bilic knew he needed to do something to try and make the
crucial breakthrough and introduced Emilson Fernandes and Ashley Fletcher
into the action on 62 minutes.

The Hammers manager changed the system around with Antonio playing through
the middle and the move paid off straight away Payet's cross on 64 minutes
was directed for Antonio but Whelan headed the ball past his own keeper and
into the corner of the net. But the Hammers failed to hold onto their lead
and Stoke grabbed an equaliser out of nothing on 75 minutes as Adrian raced
out of goal but failed to get to the ball. Walters crossed the ball in for
substitute Bojan who did well to volley the ball past three defenders into
the back of the net. Adrian was determined to make up for his mistake and
kept the Hammers in the game on 88 minutes when he made a fine save diving
low to his left to keep out a free-kick from Charlie Adam.

The Hammers were forced to settle for a point as they head into the
international break, but will be hoping for a better outcome when they face
Tottenham in the big London derby at White Hart Lane on 19 November.

West Ham: Adrian; Kouyate, Collins, Ogbonna; Antonio, Noble, Obiang
(Feghouli 88), Cresswell; Lanzini (Fernandes 62), Ayew (Fletcher 62), Payet
Subs not used: Randolph, Nordtveit, Calleri, Zaza
Bookings: Antonio, Adrian, Obiang, Fernandes

Stoke City: Grant; Bardsley, Shawcross, M.Indi, Pieters; Whelan (Bojan 70),
Adam; Walters, Allen, Sobhi (Diouf 84); Bony (Crouch 70)
Subs not used: Given, Muniesa, Verlinden, Imbula
Bookings: Allen

Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 56,970

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Bilic - Nobody deserved to win
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic was left frustrated following West Ham United's 1-1 home draw
with Stoke City
The manager felt 'neither side deserved to win' a game low on goalmouth
action
Bilic refused to blame goalkeeper Adrian's mistake for his side dropping two
points

Slaven Bilic refused to blame goalkeeper Adrian's error for West Ham
United's failure to overcome Stoke City on Saturday.

The Spaniard's mistake enabled Potters substitute Bojan Krkic to equalise
out of next to nothing with 15 minutes remaining, cancelling out Glenn
Whelan's 65th-minute own-goal.

Prior to Krkic's leveller, West Ham looked likely to edge a match that was
otherwise low on excitement and goalmouth incident.

"It is frustrating and not what we were looking for," Bilic confirmed. "We
got a point at the end but we were looking for all three.

"It was not a very good game from both sides. It was a very physical game
and in the first half we didn't do well and were simply not good enough. We
started flat and without a tempo.

"In the second half, after ten minutes, we made some changes and put two
players up front and then scored the goal and had our best part of the game
from when we scored until when they scored.

"Then we conceded a very cheap one, to be fair. It was a fair result at the
end of the day, because neither team deserved to win. It's a point, we are
frustrated, but it's a point."

The first half was largely uneventful, with Angelo Ogbonna's powerful header
and a decent save from Lee Grant being the Hammers' sole chance of note.

At the other end, Adrian watched a succession of long-range Phil Bardsley
strike fly wide of his goal, but there was more to get the 56,970-strong
London Stadium crowd excited about after the interval.

Shortly after a personnel and tactical switch which saw Bilic introduce
Ashley Fletcher and Edimilson Fernandes and go from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2, West Ham
went ahead as Dimitri Payet's cross was flicked on by Michail Antonio before
going in off Whelan.

The Hammers looked like going on to win more comfortably, only for Adrian's
misjudgement in racing from his goal and bringing down Walters to lead
directly to Bojan's equaliser.

"It's a mistake," said the manager. "Adrian misjudged the ball. It looked
like he would never get the ball and we gave away a very cheap goal, but you
can't say that is the reason why we didn't win the game.

"OK, we were one goal up with 15 minutes to go, and it was a very cheap goal
to give away and it's cost us a win."

Finally, Bilic had words of praise for the Claret and Blue Army, who gave a
typically respectful display during the pre-match Remembrance Day
commemorations, before roaring their team on positively throughout the 90
minutes.

"The atmosphere was good, a normal football atmosphere. The fans were behind
us, but we didn't give them what they deserved today."

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Noble frustrated by Stoke draw
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble admitted to a feeling of frustration after seeing a one-goal lead
slip in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Stoke City. The Hammers looked set for a
third straight home win when Michail Antonio's header deflected past Potters
goalkeeper Lee Grant off his teammate Glenn Whelan. However, Bojan Krcic
pounced to net after Adrian couldn't prevent Jonathan Walters from reaching
a pass inside the box and it ended level. A point took West Ham's total to
eight from their last five games and Noble says that base gives his team
something to build on. "We are a little frustrated," the skipper said. "It
was a goal that could have been avoided, and having managed to get ourselves
in front, three points would have been massive but we didn't come away with
them "I've always said in this league that you respect the point. Obviously
we're not happy that we got a point on Saturday, but at the end of the
season it could be a massive point for us. "Adrian knows he probably should
have stayed on his line, but he's bailed us out of trouble a lot of times
over the last couple of years. "The small margins didn't go our way on
Saturday, but we're four games unbeaten at home and we're looking forward."

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West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
By Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport

Bojan Krkic earned Stoke City a draw at West Ham as the Potters extended
their unbeaten run to six games. Chances had been at a premium before the
Hammers took the lead when Michail Antonio's header from a Dimitri Payet
cross came off Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan and beat keeper Lee Grant at
his near post.
West Ham keeper Adrian might have conceded a penalty for a foul on Jonathan
Walters but the referee played on and Bojan volleyed in from his team-mate's
cross. Stoke almost snatched a late winner but Adrian palmed a Charlie Adam
free-kick wide.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic decided to take action after an hour's play
had produced only one real chance with Pedro Obiang's header smartly saved
by Grant in the Stoke goal. The Hammers boss brought on Ashley Fletcher and
Edimilson Fernandes, moving Antonio up front - and the switch immediately
paid off as the home side took the lead. Antonio was unhappy not to be
credited with the goal but Whelan admitted afterwards the ball had come off
the back of his head.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes followed Bilic's lead with a double substitution,
introducing Bojan and Peter Crouch. It was a move that produced similarly
quick results as the West Ham defence was finally breached. Adrian did not
cover himself in glory, coming a long way out of his goal in a failed bid to
stop a Walters cross from which Bojan, making only his seventh appearance in
2016-17, scored his second goal of the season. "We went a bit more direct as
we felt there was an opportunity there," said Hughes. "[Bojan has] been a
bit frustrated as he hasn't had a lot of game time of late but he showed his
quality."

Stoke boss Mark Hughes said his side went more direct following his
substitutions, and the approach worked as shown by a graphic of their goal

Are West Ham settling at London Stadium?

The Hammers were playing their first game at their new home since the crowd
trouble that marred their EFL Cup win over Chelsea. The match appeared to
pass without any incident as West Ham went four games unbeaten in all
competitions at London Stadium. However, Bilic's side have yet to hit the
heights of last season and are nine points worse off than at the same stage
of the 2015-16 campaign. Although they improved after the break following a
poor first half, they still lacked a cutting edge and managed only two shots
on target compared with Stoke's four. Only Hull City (13) have had fewer
shots on target at home this season than West Ham (14). West Ham's
frustration at not being able to hold on for the three points will be
heightened with tough-looking league fixtures against Tottenham, Manchester
United, Arsenal and Liverpool coming up next.

Man of the match - Pedro Obiang
Pedro Obiang (left) made six tackles and one interception as well as gaining
possession eight times for his side

What they said:

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It's a frustrating result but it's a fair
result. It's a mistake by Adrian. "It looked like he was never going to get
to the ball. We gave that goal away very cheaply. We were 1-0 up with 15
minutes to go. A very cheap goal has cost us a win."

Stoke boss Mark Hughes: "We felt we went behind against the run of play but
we responded in the right manner. "It's difficult to play on this pitch.
It's slow and we had to change how we played a little bit. "A lot was made
of our so-called difficult start. We have come up against decent teams and
haven't quite hit our levels. "But we are now fully into our stride and
where we want to be."

BBC Match Of The Day pundit Ian Wright: "West Ham goalkeeper Adrian has had
a bit of a nightmare. For the goal, where's he going? What's he doing? For
me, the goalkeeper has cost them the game."

The stats you need to know

Stoke have now gone seven league games unbeaten against West Ham (W3 D4),
their joint longest unbeaten run against a Premier League opponent
(Blackburn the other side).
Stoke have won just six of their 45 Premier League games in London, drawing
10 and losing 29.
Jonathan Walters has been directly involved in 57 Premier League goals for
the Potters (39 goals, 18 assists), more than any other Stoke player.

What next?

Following the international break, Stoke are at home to Bournemouth at 15:00
GMT on Saturday, 19 November, while West Ham return to action at Tottenham
for a 17:30 GMT kick-off on the same day.

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REF WATCH – WEST HAM V STOKE – ANDRE MARRINER
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 5 NOVEMBER 2016 AT 6:32PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Written by Sam Royden-Ryell

After a disappointing result against Everton last weekend with Lukaku
haunting us once again, we welcome a Stoke City team who are unbeaten in 5
games. West Ham are only 3 points above the relegation zone but have won the
last 3 games at the London Stadium. The referee appointed for this fixture
was Andre Marriner, who controversially failed to see Sergio Aguero's
blatant elbow on Winston Reid at the Etihad earlier in the season. The FA
subsequently banned Aguero for three games after a review by the independent
commission panel.

From a footballing perspective, I cannot remember a 45 minutes of football
this season where I was seriously thinking of switching the game off. In a
half where more Stoke players went down injured than shots on target, Andre
Marriner was merely a spectator issuing only one yellow card and missing a
handful of fouls. There were a lot of petty fouls throughout and none more
than an obvious trip on Dimitri Payet that again wasn't seen by Marriner.
The only caution of the first half came within the first 12 minutes when
West Ham lost the ball, which was the story of West Ham's first half.
Antonio brought down Martin Pieters on the half way line to stop a promising
attack and Marriner had no choice but to caution the West Ham midfider.

The second half was better than the first half, however it couldn't get much
worse. Andre Marriner was busier in the second half with three yellow cards
issued to West Ham and an overdue caution for a Stoke midfielder. The second
half started as the first half finished: slow, boring and painstaking. Phil
Bardsley doesn't shy away from a challenge nor from dissent. The Stoke
defender was fuming with a decision the assistant referee made which went
against him and Bardsley gave a foul mouthed response in return. Marriner
should have cautioned Bardsley for dissent which shows inconsistencies to
other referees throughout the league. A flurry of West Ham players found
their name in Marriner's book in the second half and the first being
Edimilson Fernandes. Fernandes got beaten by Ramadan on the inside and
Fernandes had to bring the Stoke midfielder down to stop a promising attack.
I respect Adrian and think he's a fantastic goalkeeper, but he's prone to a
big error once in a while and this calamity goalkeeping error gave Stoke
their equalising goal. Before this particular incident, Adrian was flapping
throughout the game at Stoke corners and after the introduction of Peter
Crouch, Adrian's panic levels increased. Jon Walters found himself in the
West Ham penalty area and steading himself to get a cross into the box.
Adrian ran 12 yards to try to block Walters cross, even though there were
enough West Ham defenders to cover. Adrian took Walters out and Bojan was
there, unmarked, to head into an open goal. If Bojan didn't score the gift
of a header, I believe Marriner would have signalled for a penalty. Adrian
was subsequently cautioned for jumping into Walters. Mark Noble, who hasn't
been on the kind of form as last season, is going to miss the London derby
against Spurs after the international break for unnecessarily getting his
5th caution of the season, for a challenge he didn't need to make.

There was a shout for a penalty from the West Ham fans including Antonio
after it appeared Pieters pulled Antonio down whist trying to get on the end
of a hopeful long ball 6 yards from goal. There was contact by Pieters, but
Antonio was nowhere near the ball to make a genuine attempt. if Antonio was
in a position to genuinely scoring and Pieter's was clearly denying an
obvious goalscoring opportunity, there would have been a strong case. Joe
Allen was booked in the final second of the game after clattering Michail
Antonio. I felt that Allen should have been cautioned earlier in the second
half after catching Aaron Cresswell. Marriner missed this challenge and only
gave West Ham a throw-in.

I felt Andre Marriner could have done better in this fixture and he did miss
some obvious fouls throughout the game. There was a scenario in the second
half where Marriner played advantage after a West Ham player was fouled,
however the ball was instantly won back by Stoke and was hoofed up the
field. Marriner should have blown for the previous foul as there was no
advantage played by West Ham.

It's clear that there are still a lot of issues that need to be resolved at
West Ham and we are nowhere near to seeing the type of performance that
entertained West Ham fans last season. It's concerning that none of our
strikers have scored this season and that the Zaza situation is becoming
more complex. The international break has come at a good time and Bilic
needs to sort out the team before the London derby away to Spurs. Regardless
of the form we're in, nothing less than 3 points is expected against Spurs.

On a side note, on behalf of everyone at TheWestHamWay, we would like to
thank everyone who voted for us in the Football Blog Awards. We've been
nominated for the Best New Football Blog and Ex has also been nominated for
Best Social Football Account.

Thanks,
Sam

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West Ham Utd 1-1 Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 5th November 2016
By: Staff Writer

Let's be honest. It's a rare thing indeed when this particular fixture turns
out to be one of the highlights of the season. Or even the month.

So it was perhaps little surprise when today's clash between West Ham and
Stoke failed to deviate from that particularly tedious path, much to the
irritation of the 50-odd thousand punters present who endured a thoroughly
uneventful 90 minutes of what can only be loosely-referred to as 'football'
at the Olympic Stadium - which itself can only be loosely-referred to as
West Ham's 'home' ground right now (more on that later).

A little on the match first - for amidst all the talk of 'enhanced'
security, additional police presence and other marvellous ideas the
powers-that-be had carefully evaluated and signed off (within the space of
seven working days) a Premier League fixture did take place.

A drab affair it was, with genuine highlights so few and far between it
would be a travesty of justice were this not the final game on MotD tonight.
However the match was lit up briefly by a couple of vital individual
contributions - one involving Michail Antonio (good) and the other by
goalkeeper Adrian (not so good).

Antonio's moment arrived 20 minutes into the second half when Dimitri
Payet's pinpoint cross found the England international lurking at the far
post. His header rebounded off the inside of the post and over the line,
although it was later adjudged that Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan got the
final touch.

The goal came minutes after Slaven Biiic had reshuffled his ineffective
pack, introducing Ashley Fletcher up front (for the woefully under-employed
Andre Ayew) and Edimilson Fernandes. Possibly inspired by Bilic's success,
City boss Mark Hughes decided to make his own changes (Peter Crouch and
Bojan) moments later - and he too was rewarded with the goal that ultimate
earned the visitors a point.

For Adrian - who had almost blundered moments earlier - it was a moment/game
he will wish to forget; Mark Walters' cross resulted in the Spaniard rushing
out of his goal to meet a ball he was always second-favourite to reach, and
his compatriot Bojan applied the finishing touch. West Ham's slender lead
had lasted for only ten minutes.

Bar the two goals there were just four other shots on target of which only
one was by West Ham, who have created the fewest shots on target in the
Premier League bar Hull City at home this term (just 14 in all).

So to the rather more interesting spectacle at the stadium this afternoon -
that of the new yellow-hatted stewards who mysteriously appeared in the
Trevor Brooking Lower exactly 30 minutes into the game (this appears to be a
favoured time for the stewards/security/anonymous, dodgy-looking geezers to
move in).

The previously-buoyant atmosphere inside the stadium turned to one of
collective anger almost immediately as it became clear that the new yellow
hats were removing season ticket holders from their seats and forcibly
ejecting them from the stadium, for what appeared to be little more than
refusing to sit in their seats upon demand.

(There was also a chant critical of vice chair Karren Brady that began
moments before the stewards arrived, but those suggesting the two events
were related in some way probably believe the moon landings never took place
either.)

Yet that is the reason why the atmosphere inside the venue at which West Ham
currently play (it isn't 'home' yet, many argue that it never will be)
remained toxic throughout the afternoon. That LS185 and those who conspire
with them keep managing to make the whole experience worse, for some, on a
weekly basis is a not insubstantial feat.

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West Ham 1-1 Stoke: Adrian error gifts Bojan and Stoke a point
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 05/11/16 9:42pm
SSN

Stoke preserved their unbeaten run with a little help from Adrian as the
West Ham goalkeeper gifted them a 1-1 draw in east London.

City substitute Bojan took full advantage of Adrian's impetuosity to volley
an equaliser (75) after a Glenn Whelan own-goal (65) threatened to give the
Hammers a third straight home win that looked unlikely for long periods.

Stoke - now unbeaten in six - were the better side for the first hour and it
took a Slaven Bilic reshuffle to give his side any consistent menace,
Michail Antonio being sent from wing-back to auxiliary centre-forward in
tandem with young substitute Ashley Fletcher.

Until that point, the disjointed action on the pitch would scarcely have
proved a distraction to the police officers newly installed inside the
London Stadium in the wake of last month's EFL Cup trouble. Bar some routine
finger-jabbing between stewards and persistent standers, there was little to
exercise them in the stands, either.

Denied the artistry of absentee show-stealers Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko
Arnautovic, Stoke reverted to a more robust approach, with the muscle of Jon
Walters in support of Wilfried Bony.

Bony's presence and willingness to accept the ball to feet gave the visitors
a first-half outlet the isolated Andre Ayew - on his first home start -
could not provide West Ham, though he should have done better when a Walters
cross presented him with the opportunity of a third goal in two games.

The Ivorian's back-heel gave Charlie Adam a half-chance, while West Ham,
though lacking any fluency, did test Lee Grant through Angelo Ogbonna's
header and see a Dimitri Payet free-kick just clear the Stoke goal.

The second half initially brought more of the forgettable same until Phil
Bardsley - implementing his own shoot-on-sight policy - fired in a 40-yarder
to go with two outrageously ambitious first-half volleys.

Bilic, like most in the ground, had seen enough and made a double change
that gave his side a double-pronged attack and freed up space for Payet.

It was West Ham's star turn who delivered the goal, as Antonio met his
whipped cross with a header that nicked Whelan's shoulder on its way in.
Antonio may yet argue the toss with the Premier League; on first glance it
appeared a legitimate sixth headed goal of the season for the England man.

There was no doubting the scorer of the equaliser, though Walters and a
reluctant Adrian will compete for the assist. Racing needlessly from his
goal, the Spaniard succeeded only in clattering Walters as the Irishman
lifted the ball over his head. A penalty would surely have followed had
Bojan not mopped up the loose ball.

It might have got worse for Adrian, too, but his unconvincing attempt at
keeping out Adam's free-kick just about smuggled the ball round the post.

Player ratings

West Ham Adrian (4) Kouyate (6) Collins (6) Ogbonna (6) Antonio (6) Noble
(5) Obiang (6) Cresswell (6) Lanzini (5) Ayew (5) Payet (7).

Subs used: Feghouli (5), Fletcher (6), Fernandes (5).

Stoke Grant (7) Bardsley (6) Shawcross (6) M.Indi (6) Pieters (6) Whelan (6)
Adam (7) Walters (6) Allen (6) Sobhi (6) Bony (6)

Subs used: Diouf (5) Crouch (6) Bojan (6)

Man of the match: Charlie Adam

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No win for West Ham, but no trouble in the stands either — and that is a
REAL result
22:30, 5 NOV 2016
BY TOM HOPKINSON
A Mirror reporter sat in the away section as a greatly-increased security
presence inside and outside the London Stadium saw Stoke draw pass off
peacefully
The Mirror

West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold might not wake up with the
sweet taste of victory in their mouths on Sunday morning. But at least they
will be headache-free after the reinforced security measures they
implemented for the visit of Stoke saw the game pass off without incident.
There had been trouble against Middlesbrough last month, when away fans
claimed to have been hit by coins launched from supporters in the home end.
And then those horrible scenes when Chelsea travelled to the London Stadium
in the EFL Cup followed last week. But Saturday saw a vast police and
steward presence outside the ground and, for the first time this season,
inside it, as well as greatly improved segregation. And the day passed off
with no more than a few handbags between rival fans as the East End club,
off the field at least, got it just right. A 1-1 draw , after Stoke
substitute Bojan cancelled out a Michail Antonio opener that deflected in
off Glenn Whelan, no doubt helped keep a lid on emotions.

But after the stick they have been given in recent weeks, West Ham's owners
and the others who run the stadium deserve credit for the control the police
and stewards were able to maintain. After the recent problems at the
stadium, problems which led some observers to state they would not take
their children there, Sunday Mirror Sport decided to live the experience of
an away supporter first hand. So I purchased a ticket in the Stoke end to
see what sort of hostilities the Delilah brigade would face. But the day
could not have gone smoother had I been given a police escort from the
moment I arrived at Stratford station at around 12pm to the time I reached
the Docklands Light Railway station to which away fans were directed after
the game.

A police helicopter hovering overhead helped ensure there was no trouble at
t' Pudding Mill Lane – the station at which we all ended up. From the moment
supporters arrived at Stratford there was a noticeable security presence. I
got there just as one teenage girl was asking her boyfriend, "Why so many
police?"
Security workers were highly evident and while the odd Herbert wandered
around trying to look menacing, it was certainly no more than you'd see
ahead of any football match. The walk to the stadium, which takes around 15
minutes, passed off without incident. And where I entered the ground, along
with those who had travelled down from Stoke, there was a police presence
that, while not exactly heavy, was certainly enough to deal quickly with any
flashpoints. Although, frankly, they were not needed.

Even during the game, and when those goals went in, there was nothing
particularly untoward. After all, what do threats issued from 15, 20 yards
actually mean anyway? Some might not have filed it under "Innocent fun" but
this is football and not, to steal a line from Ricky Hatton, a tiddlywinks
contest – everyone knows it's tribal. During the game, I did see a couple of
West Ham fans ejected and one Stoke supporter get led out, in separate
incidents, and in different sections of the stadium. But that happens week
in, week out the world over – after all, there are always going to be a
couple of morons who can't hold the pop they've had before a game. The
Stokies who had made the trip down from the Potteries were determined to
goad their hosts – all supporters would have done the same.
So within minutes of filing into the ground, they burst into a chorus of
"Sit down and behave yourselves! Sit down and behave yourselves...!"

And, by and large, the Hammers faithful did so. There will be some who argue
that Sullivan and Gold, and vice-chairman Karren Brady, deserve credit for
their response to the crowd safety issue but they now have to ensure this
isn't a one-off. Such stringent security measures must remain in place for
the rest of the season, whatever the cost to the club. Nobody wants the game
sanitised to the extent that there's no atmosphere, no hostility, but the
scenes from the Chelsea game were unacceptable. This, though, was a step in
the right direction.

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West Ham starlet Reece Oxford eyed for transfer to big-spending Bundesliga
side RB Leipzig
22:30, 5 NOV 2016
BY NEIL MOXLEY
Club who raided Nottingham Forest for 19-year-old Oliver Burke in August
think British players suit the German game and are keen on the Hammers'
teenager
The Mirror

West Ham's resolve to keep Reece Oxford is to be tested by RB Leipzig. The
high-flying Bundesliga outfit spent £13million when they grabbed Oliver
Burke , 19, from Championship side Nottingham Forest during the summer. And
they are ready to splash cash on 17-year-old Oxford, who is tipped as a star
of the future and has already captained England at Under-18 level. The
Hammers would be reluctant to cash in on a player who has come through their
academy. However, Leipzig have identified British players as having the
right spirit and character to succeed in German football. And they believe
if they can snare the likes of Burke and Oxford – who faces a month out with
a knee injury – early enough, there is room for them to improve technically
within the Leipzig system. But with Premier League clubs now holding
considerable power because of the riches of the new TV deal, the East Enders
can withstand most attempts to lever the likes of Oxford away.

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Liverpool outcast Mamadou Sakho a transfer target for Leicester and West Ham
in January window
22:30, 5 NOV 2016
BY TOM HOPKINSON
The France international defender has not played all season after being sent
home early from the Reds' summer tour in the USA by manager Jurgen Klopp
The mirror

Mamadou Sakho is on his way out of Liverpool in January... with Leicester
and West Ham ready to battle for his signature, writes Tom Hopkinson in the
Sunday People. France defender Sakho fell out of favour with boss Jurgen
Klopp over the summer and has not played a game all season for the Reds. The
26-year-old angered his manager when he arrived late for the flight taking
the squad on a pre-season tour of the USA, and was subsequently packed off
back home to Merseyside because of concerns about his attitude. This rift
followed Sakho's voluntary provisional ban in April in relation to a drugs
test. UEFA later dismissed the case against Sakho. This season, Dejan Lovren
and Joel Matip have established themselves as Klopp's first-choice central
defenders and Sakho has failed to get a look in. Both Liverpool and the
player are happy for there to be a parting of the ways in January and that
has opened the door to Leicester and West Ham, who are both looking for
reinforcements in defence. Last week, Sakho who has 28 caps, turned out for
Liverpool U23s in a 1-1 draw against Porto.

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