Daily WHUFC News - 11th January 2016

Cresswell - We need to keep the run going
WHUFC.com

It's a quick turnaround for Aaron Cresswell and his West Ham United
teammates as they follow Saturday's FA Cup victory over Wolverhampton
Wanderers with a trip to AFC Bournemouth in the Barclays Premier League on
Tuesday. The Hammers are currently on a run of eight games unbeaten and
could move into the division's top five with victory at the Vitality
Stadium. Cresswell is keen to keep the positive momentum going, especially
as the Hammers suffered one of their few defeats this season to the Cherries
back in August. He said: "It's back to the Premier League on Tuesday and we
want to pick another three points up against Bournemouth. "No game in the
Premier League is easy and we'll have another tough one at Newcastle on
Saturday, but they are two games we are relishing. "We do feel like we owe
Bournemouth one and we want to get three points to look forward to the
Newcastle game with. "It's been a good time for us defensively. We've only
conceded a couple of goals in the last six games or so and it was another
clean sheet on Saturday but the main thing was to get the win.

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Reid – 'We're in it for the long haul'
WHUFC.com

The fit-again Winston Reid has his sights set on a prolonged stay in this
season's Emirates FA Cup, after seeing off the challenge of Wolverhampton
Wanderers at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Reid, making his first
appearance since an exceptional display at Old Trafford in early December,
helped the Hammers keep a fifth clean sheet in seven. And after a month
spent working his way back from a hamstring problem, 90 minutes will have
done the New Zealander the world of good, not least with a hard-earned win
to enjoy. He told West Ham TV: "It was good to get back out there after a
long while out. The team's been doing really well since I've been injured,
so it's been really good and maybe the players who haven't played as much
came in on Saturday and did their job and got the win." "I did my job on
Saturday. I've been for out for four weeks and trained with the guys for
three and a half, four days, so I had to feel my way into the game and just
get out of it what I could. I had to make sure I did my job and make sure we
got a win."

Though Wolves proved a trickier proposition than the Hammers might have
hoped, Reid was little concerned by the manner of victory, preferring
instead to contemplate what will hopefully be an exciting cup run. "We said
beforehand that we wanted to go through and you know they're a tough team,"
he confirmed. "I've been in the Championship before, it's a tough league, so
they sat back, they were good on the break and we tried to break it down
and, fortunately enough, we did at the end. "We haven't done so well in the
tournament over the last couple of years, but I think our league position
allows us to have a bit more of a go and we intend to. We're in it for the
long haul and we'll try our best."As for the winner, Reid believes Nikica
Jelavic's moment of magic is evidence of the quality that this squad now
possesses, no matter who manager Slaven Bilic decides to call upon. "Andy
[Carroll] showed a bit of ability, took the ball down and laid it off to
Jelavic, and he showed even more ability by finishing it off. "I'm really
happy for Jelavic, he's had to wait for his opportunities and he did well on
Saturday. It was a good finish. "He showed the quality that I think we've
got in the squad now in depth. It was good and most importantly for the
team, we're into the next round."

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ExWHUEmployee Column: Jelavic set to leave! Zarate could follow. Zaza in?
January 10, 2016
WestHamWay.co.uk
ExWHUEmployee

So the Wolves game wasn't the greatest spectacle but we got the job done.
It was a solid performance and they didn't really bother us at all but again
this could be the strength of our defence. I thought Collins and this time
Reid were extremely good and dealt with any threat that they offered.
Another player who stood out for me was Obiang especially in the second
half. He really controlled the play and does his job quietly but
effectively.

Ok on to transfers as I know this is what you are most interested in. You
will read these stories in the papers and other sites within the next day so
please remember where they originated from as this is often forgotten. We
have to sell to buy. This is the theme that I have maintained throughout my
columns particularly because our wages are so high and at the limit. This
however is much more likely to happen now.

The person most likely to leave in January, and this will shock a few, is
Jelavic. He has received a big money offer from abroad and they have
offered him huge wages compared to what he is on now. This is obviously a
massive temptation for him and we do not want to stand in his way we just
want a bit more cash for his signature as we paid money to Hull. Jelavic
has played for two clubs this season (us and Hull) so it cannot be a team
whose season is running in line with ours. I cannot say the club and
league but it is one that offers big contracts. If this is the case it frees
up a lot of cash and a forward position. This is where we go for another
forward on loan with Zaza likely to be the number one option. There are
other targets on the list as well including a couple of forwards who we went
for last summer (these are not hard to work out).

The £20m forward that the insider also spoke of in his column plays abroad
too so he is unproven in England however he is a top talent and has scored
regularly in his current league which is of a good standard, he is highly
rated and has a great goalscoring record. We also have strong links to his
agent and the deal could happen despite the competition. I cannot reveal
who it is because it is far from being concluded yet despite him being
watched many times. We have some brilliant players on the target list and
it is so exciting. I have covered Byram and Tore in previous columns and
they are just two of many potential signings.

Another player who could leave is Zarate. We have had some distant interest
in him and the club would entertain a decent offer. His most likely
destination is Spain and if a club was to pay around £3-£5m we would accept
but we are not desperately looking to sell.
Another player who we had considered moving on and again this may shock you
is Alex Song. He hasn't been himself since he has returned and for me this
was shown in the Wolves game. He is now behind Lanzini, Kouyaye, Noble and
Obiang in the order and with Oxford coming through too his importance is not
seen as great as it once was. It is now unlikely he will be signed in the
summer but this could all change, the interest in him seems to have died
down though so he probably will not move in the January window.

We have also been watching a Derby County youngster who is extremely highly
rated and would be part of the academy for a few years first! It is great to
see Slaven valuing youth so much and seeing Samuelsen doing so well at
Peterborough. We are open to any youth player moving on loan and we expect
that there will be a few that go in January for vital experience.
Today I have again experienced another part of the new website being taken
from us from another site. This seems to be happening quite frequently and
I guess this is what competition brings and should be a complement. All I
can say is stick with us, there are loads of exciting plans and features
coming soon.

The forum is the next project and we have two brilliant admins on board to
get that up and running. If you think you can bring something to the site
then please get in touch. If I don't reply it really isn't personal it is
just there is quite a large volume at the moment. Thanks for the support so
far and all feedback is appreciated.

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Manuel Lanzini: West Ham midfielder out for six weeks
BBc.co.uk

West Ham midfielder Manuel Lanzini faces up to six weeks on the sidelines
after the recurrence of a thigh injury. The 22-year-old, who has impressed
on a season-long loan from Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira, was hurt in the 2-0 win
over Liverpool on 2 January.The Argentine will be out for "five to six
weeks", club co-owner David Gold wrote on Twitter. Lanzini sustained the
initial injury in training last month and spent three weeks on the
sidelines. He returned earlier than expected as a substitute in the 2-1 win
over Southampton on 28 December, but then went down after hitting the post
with a swerving drive in the subsequent game against Liverpool. Manager
Slaven Bilic said after the game that it was a tendon problem.

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TIN FOIL DREAMS
By Mike Ireson 10 Jan 2016 at 17:00
WTID
The magic of the FA Cup'.

It's a well-used phrase and at this time of year bandied around in a scatter
gun fashion. Although I think everyone appreciates the FA Cup and has a
special affection for it, dependant on your age is how you really feel about
it. If your first memories of football are from the Premier League/Sky
Sports era, then you only know the game as being a readily accessible one. A
choice of live games to watch each weekend, and every goal scored captured
by camera's. If you are older than that then the FA Cup probably means a
little more to you.
When I was growing up media coverage of football was a whole different ball
game, if you excuse the awful pun. Highlights of only 3 or 4 games each
weekend and no live coverage of any game. Except one. The FA Cup final. The
joy of being able to watch a whole live game was amazing. And not only that
but the final was not only about the 90-minute game. It was a day event.

BBC and ITV would go to town on providing a televisual build up. Cup final
special programs throughout the day, coverage of the teams at their hotels
and live coverage from the team buses as they travelled to Wembley. As a kid
this was just amazing. We forget that pre 24 hour rolling sports news and a
bucket full of dedicated sports channels it was a barren land. Football
focus and On the Ball were your Saturday lunchtime fix of football. Match of
the Day/|The Big Match, depending on which company had the rights at the
time, and maybe a bit of midweek action on Sportsnight if you were lucky.
That was your lot. About 4 hours of football programming per week. So to
have a live game and 4 to 5 hours of build-up was like being given your
birthday and Christmas presents all at once. This 3rd round weekend you can
watch 5 live games and see every goal from every game. If the 12-year-old me
were teleported in to the future and to this weekend he'd pass out. And to
be honest, although I didn't get to see every goal from every game at that
age, I wouldn't change it. Only being drip fed media coverage gave me an
appreciation of the game you can't get now. It felt special. It was exciting
to see football action and programs about the game. And so to me and many
others the FA Cup was always the most important competition. The nation
would stop and watch the cup final. Regardless of the teams involved, you
would watch and wish it were your team there. And when you look at the
trophy itself, it has this magical quality. A thing of beauty. None of us,
not one, would not have a little wee if we got within 10 foot of thing. It
adds to the magic of this competition where David can meet Goliath. Heroes
will be made. Lifetime memories forged.

And there is one thing that proves beyond reasonable doubt that this is the
most special competition in the world……….. Nobody would ever dream of
spending hours making a tin foil replica of any other trophy.

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WHY WOULDN'T OUR MIDFIELDERS PASS TO JELAVIC?
By Blind Hammer 10 Jan 2016 at 08:00
WTID

Blind Hammer examines Bilic's game management and the enigma that is Jelavic

Slaven Bilic is becoming a master of managing pressure on opposition teams
from the bench. He has now undone Chelsea, Southampton and now Wolves with
his game management. It is an obvious comment to say that the introduction
from the Bench of Carroll and Payet changed this game in West Ham's favour
in the second half. Bilic has again done unto an opposition team what had
been done unto West Ham many times in the past. Quality coming off the bench
against a tiring defence made all the difference.

However what is more interesting for me is the way that Bilic set up this
pressure at a crucial time from the Bench and managed this victory with
depleted resources. Despite the presence of Payet and Carroll on the bench
this was a team which was still shorn of Lanzini, Moses, Sakho and Valencia.
In other words four attacking players who would normally have played at
least a part in this game.

Bilic had announced during the week that he would prefer to win the FA Cup
than finish fourth and claim a Champions League place. Given this is his
priority the temptation must have been there for him to start either Payet
or Carroll or both. This is certainly what I felt before the game and it was
with some disbelief that I saw Jelavic was starting the game by leading the
attack. Bilic clearly has some faith in Jelavic. However it appeared he has
some work to do to convince the West Ham midfield of Jelavic's qualities. I
listen carefully to the in-stadium commentary through the first half and
surprisingly when Jelavic received the ball he did OK, forcing a throw in on
one occasion and holding the ball up on two further occasions. The problem
was that the West Ham midfield appeared to be voting on Jelavic's selection
with their passes. They appeared not believe in his ability to retain
possession and the idea appeared to be anybody but Jelavic. Zarate, Antonio
and even Jenkinson and Cresswell were all much more likely to receive
possession from the midfield trio of Song, Noble and Obiang. I never heard a
single pass from Song that was directed towards Jelavic. On the face of it
this can only mean one of two things. Either the West Ham midfield decided
independently that they simply did not trust Jelavic with the ball or this
was actually a Bilic game plan all along.

Jelavic on joining West Ham said he wanted to join because Bilic "knew how
to play him". If Jelavic's weak point is his hold up play it makes perfect
sense to starve him of the ball whilst attacks are being constructed.
Sometimes Managers seem to have blind spots about players and I began to
think Bilic had a blind spot about Jelavic. However maybe it is us who are
not seeing the point in Jelavic, it may be that he is making runs off the
ball and dragging defenders about. As this is rarely commentated on it I is
difficult for me to judge.

So this team structure may have been set up by Bilic to ensure Jelavic was
not exposed in his weak points. Jelavic will never be a Sakho or Carroll.
During the game I was convinced it was lack of trust from the West Ham
midfield in Jelavic which was causing the pattern of play. Now I am not so
sure. I wonder now if Bilic is seeing something we simply are not.

West Ham laboured into the second half, but crucially never looked under
threat from Wolves. When the first substitution came I was amazed it was not
Carroll for Jelavic but Payet for Noble who was having one of his more
ponderous games. When Carroll was called off the bench into the fray I was
again amazed that again it was Zarate rather than Jelavic who was
substituted. Zarate despite his over-elaborations had held the ball up far
more than Jelavic. I judged, at the time, that Zarate was unlucky to leave
the game.

Bilic's thinking and continued faith in Jelavic was rewarded when on 85
minutes he seized on a Carroll pass, swivelled and hammered a superb winner.
I would probably not have started with Jelavic and would certainly have
taken him off at half time. Luckily for us all I am not the West Ham Manager
though. Bilic saw a threat there and persevered with his game plan. There is
no doubt about it; Bilic had proved me and probably many others in the
ground wrong with his game management.

Bilic had got all the crucial decisions right. He judged that he could
manage his resources better by not starting Carroll and Payet. Wolves's
early running and commitment was expended against a less threatening West
Ham outfit. There were bad consequences for Wolves as they expended all this
energy against players like Zarate and noble, they were more vulnerable to
the quality unleashed in the second half as a result. If Carroll had started
he may not have had the decisive crucial influence he had in the 85th
minute.

Payet was spared a long match and freed from the potentially clumsy and
dangerous attentions of the Wolves midfield. Carroll was largely preserved
for the challenges to come in the weeks ahead.

What is certain is that Bilic has confidence in his squad. He was very
obvious in his praise of Jelavic when he was eventually substituted by
Oxford. After the game he did not refer to injuries but again stressed that
he was happy with his squad's depth and ability to cope with replays. This
is a refreshing approach. I remember Alex Ferguson being asked who he
directed his post-match comments to. The fans? His Directors? He was
unequivocal in saying all his post-match press conferences were targeted
mainly at his players. It was the public message he wanted them to hear.

I believe Bilic's loud support of the depth of his squad, despite injuries
is certainly targeted at his players and is an important part of his
psychological management. He needs all his squad to step up to the plate if
we are to have a Cup run, the fringe players need to perform as much as the
main men. In the end today's performance was a vindication of Bilic's squad
management as much as it was his game management.

David Griffith

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West Ham listen to ONE DIRECTION in the changing rooms - and even have
Julian Dicks singing along
09:57, 10 JAN 2016 UPDATED 09:59, 10 JAN 2016
BY AARON FLANAGAN
The peculiar dukebox decision turned the heads of the Hammers' management
team but they appear to have been won over by the selection
The Mirror

Metal head managers Slaven Bilic and Julian Dicks have admitted their West
Ham team have got them singing to One Direction . The Hammers management
team were sceptical when Mark Noble first blasted 1D in the dressing room
and admits that the dukebox selection still gets mixed receptions. Bilic is
still uneasy with the musical choices in the changing room, being a big
heavy metal fan, but his assistant Dicks says he can't get the tunes out of
his head. Dicks was nicknamed 'Terminator' during his playing days, but now
finds himself bopping along to 1D hit History. He told The Sun : "At first I
thought 'what is this load of s***' but now I can't get the bloody tune out
of my head. The lads played it after we won too and even I'm singing along
to it now. "I'm not sure Slaven's taken with it. I like everything. I'm a
heavy metal fan but I also love Elvis, 60s music, anything, although I never
thought the day would come when I'd say I liked One Direction. To be honest,
any kind of music is good for lifting the spirits. "Team spirit is so
important. When things are going well it manages itself."
Bilic, keen to stick by his musical tastes, invited Iron Maiden front man
Steve Harris to Upton Park earlier this month to watch their 2-0 win over
Liverpool. The Hammers followed that up with a 1-0 win over Wolves in the FA
Cup this weekend, extending their unbeaten run to eight matches in all
competitions - keeping five clean sheets in that spell.

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Smiling Slav's FA Cup preference – the fans respond
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has declared that he'd sooner win the FA Cup than
reach the top four. And he reduced a recent press conference to helpless
laughter when holding an imaginary FA Cup over his head to demonstrate the
point. He then declared this was infinitely preferable to looking at a
magazine and trying to find out where the team stood in its Champions League
group repeating over and over to a keen journalist: "FA Cup!" even shrugging
off the "Oh come on Slav" with the same response. It was a genuinely
hilarious moment and members of the ClaretandHugh Facebook forum at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/ have been responding to
Slav's New Irons approach and his honest and direct approach.

Here's some of their responses.

O Love him, incredible man

O This man is making us everyone's second team again!
O It's that enthusiasm -you can see the joy of winning his imaginary cup,
all over his face-love him! COYI!
O Slav's a Superman X
O He's a hero
O He deffo gets what a football fan wants ..love this guy
O While Sam is still shaking his head wondering why we don't love him. Slav
has one thing 25 statisticians can't buy. He understands this club and is
fans. Simples
O You can see real relish in Slavs face thinking about winning the FA Cup

O Yes I'd enjoy a pint with him seems a real genuine nice guy
O We are Super Slaven's Claret and Blue Army. I can see why he was lifted
high and carried out in farewell from his last club. And I don't believe
it's one way. He loves us too.

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Why Antonio couldn't 'show' on training pitches
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham coaches have realised why early training ground judgements on
Michail Antonio may have been a little unfair on the £7 million signing. The
former Nottingham Forest player of course took a while to break through and
although that was down to positive performances from those in front of him,
there was another reason. One source explained that it wasn't until the
flying winger had got onto a full sized pitch that they could see what his
game was truly all about – pace, power and endurance over 90 mnutes..
Antonio could not show himself to full advantage of the three-quarter sized
pitches at Chadwell Heath but once he was up to fitness it became obvious
that his game in general was well suited to full-size pitches. We were told:
"It was obvious when we scouted him that he is all strength and power but we
were a bit taken aback at his relentless running once he hit Premier League
pitches. He goes from one end to the other over and over again. You can't
judge that stuff on the training ground pitches "He's been a revelation and
now he is up to full fitness and we know the extent to which he can keep
going it's going to be a hard all to drop him."

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DG's surprise man of the match
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has put forward a surprising name as his man of the match against
Wolves. Whilst The Sun impossibly opted for Nikica Jelavic as their choice,
DG came up with an infinitely more realistic if unconsidered choice.
Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh the co chairman declared: " I thought
Pedro Obiang was terrific all afternoon. He was always looking to make
things happened, passed the ball forward positively and had a great
completion. "We weren't at our best and it was a dour old affair but we got
the job done and that's really all that matters at this point in the FA Cup.
Pedro kept going through out and I really think he deserved to pick up the
award." DG is looking forward to tomorrow night's draw and said: 'I'd be
happy to get Eastleigh or Bolton at the Boleyn and then we'll move on all
the way to Wembley and meet my old mate Barry Fry's Posh at Wembley where of
course our youngster Martin Samuelsen will not be allowed to play!"

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Great injury news from Slav
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic is expecting Diafra Sakho way ahead of schedule. The manager
has reported the striker is in decent shape and said: "We would look for
him to return by the beginning of February." And he added that Victor Moses
too was close to a recall explaining: "He will rejoin the first team squad
this week – that's the plan." He said: "I don't believe we will have a
repeat of the situation we have had in the first half of the season with
injuries but were we to, we have show we can cope with situations, however
big. "So we are not going to be active in the transfer market. We always
believed we had done our business in the summer and we will not buy simply
because it is time to buy. "There is no point in having two or three back up
players who are not going to play – we have a squad that can cope. It would
have to be something exceptional to come along"

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Sameluson scores another great goal for Posh
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 10, 2016 in Videos, Whispers
C and H

West Ham Loanee Martin Samuelson scored another great goal for Peterborough
yesterday in the FA Cup third round to help the Posh beat Preston 2-0 and go
forward to the fourth round. It was the eighteen year old's debut in the FA
Cup but he scored from 25 yards on 7 minutes into the first half Last week
we spoke exclusively to Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry
who welcomed the news that West Ham have allowed Martin Samuelsen to stay
with the Posh until the end of the season and play in the FA Cup by
declaring: "We'll make him a £20 million player." Fry told
MooreThanJustApodcast: "He'll win us the League and if he stays another year
we'll turn him into a man on and off the pitch and send a £20 million player
back to Upton Park! Every Posh player looks up to Martin. He's a training
ground genius. "He will be knocked about and learn to mature at our level.
It's a better place to grow up and learn your trade than in under 21
football where nobody ever tackles."

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Posh to discuss long term Samuelsen deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Exclusive

Barry Fry will definitely be asking West Ham for permission to keep Martin
Samuelsen at Posh if the League One club are promoted to the Championship.
The young Norwegian smashed home the first goal in the club's Third Round FA
Cup victory over Preston North End yesterday and Fry said: "I'd love us to
draw Manchester City at their place tomorrow night – he would love that and
so would we." Martin's goal was his second in successive games and after
beating four men for his effort against Sheffield United, yesterday's gave
the keeper no chance. ( See the video below). Talking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh Fry said: "It couldn't have been more different. The guy is
pure quality. We are in the final play-off place at the moment and I've said
he is the difference between promotion and us staying where we are in League
One. "If we do get into the Championship we shall certainly be asking West
Ham the question about whether we can keep him for another season- he's a
player who gets the crowd on the edge of their seats every time he picks up
the ball." Fry confirmed that should West Ham draw Posh at any stage of the
season, Samuelsen would be unable to play under the conditions of the loan
deal.

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