Daily WHUFC News - 15th March 2016

Everton await replay winners
WHUFC.com

The winners of the Emirates FA Cup replay between West Ham United and
Manchester United will face Everton in the competition's last four. Monday
evening's draw paired either the Hammers or the Red Devils with the Toffees,
who saw off Chelsea in their quarter-final tie at the weekend. West Ham will
have to do battle again with Louis van Gaal's side after Anthony Martial's
late equaliser cancelled out Dimitri Payet's wonderful free-kick. A date for
the replay will have to be set after the outcome of Manchester United's UEFA
Europa League tie with Liverpool is known later this week. The semi-finals
will take place at Wembley Stadium over the weekend of 23 and 24 April.

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From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com

It shows how far we have come to feel let down by a late goal and only a
draw at old Trafford. What more can I say about Dimitri Payet. It was
another outstanding piece of skill to execute that type of free-kick and it
is not the first time we have seen him produce something like that.
He gave one of the best keepers in Europe in David de Gea absolutely no
chance with his curling effort and it once again shows why he is rated so
highly by everyone at the Club. Our 9000 supporters who went up to
Manchester were magnificent and it could have been 20,000 if we could have
got the tickets. We will be pricing the replay at home far cheaper than the
away game even though its the quarter final of the Cup. It was disappointing
that we could not hold onto the lead, but there is still everything to play
for and it promises to be another special night under the lights. It will be
the last ever cup tie to be played at the Boleyn Ground and I know our fans
will make it an evening to remember. Maybe we should have scored more with
the chances we had, but nobody scores all the time. We now switch our
attentions back to the Premier League and a big London derby against Chelsea
on Saturday. Despite their recent results in the cup competitions, it is
still a very, very hard game.

We are 9/2 to win and the bookies only give us a 38% chance of getting
anything out of the game, but I don't feel we will come away empty handed.
We have a good record against the London clubs this season and I hope that
will continue at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

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Gates start journey to new home
WHUFC.com

A section of West Ham United's iconic John Lyall Gates have begun their
journey to the Club's new home on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Following
respectful discussions with the family of the late, great Hammers manager,
the decision was taken to relocate three leaves of the landmark gates, which
were originally constructed in 1956 before being renamed in Lyall's honour
in 2009. The delicate task of removing the gates was completed on Monday,
with installation at the new Stadium Store scheduled to take place later
this week.

While the Gates would ideally have remained in place until the end of the
Farewell Boleyn season, construction timelines dictate that this week's move
is necessary to ensure they receive pride of place in their new home. A
revered figure in West Ham's history, Lyall led the Club to FA Cup glory in
1980, a record-breaking promotion to the First Division a year later and a
best-ever top-flight finish of third in 1986. The Hammers' fifth full-time
manager sadly passed away in 2006 at the age of 66, but his memory will now
live on after the Club move to Stratford later this year.

Son Murray said he and the Lyall family are happy that the gates named in
his father's honour will be in position for fans to pay their respects for
years to come. "We're honoured that Karren Brady has delivered on her
promise to take the John Lyall Gates with us to the new Stadium," he said.
"That means so much to us as a family. "Dad left a great legacy at Upton
Park and the gates were a testimony to that. I think he'd have been thrilled
about the move. "He'd have said the timing was right and obviously since
the new owners have come in, they've taken the Club forward on many, many
fronts. The culmination of it is the move to the new Stadium."

Over the last six decades, the gates have witnessed many scenes of
jubilation among Hammers fans after West Ham's home victories, but also
moments of great sadness. After the passing of Bobby Moore in February 1993,
they were decked in flowers and shirts left in tribute to West Ham's
favourite son and similar scenes have followed annually on the anniversary
of the legendary captain's death. Tributes were also paid following the sad
passing of young Australian striker Dylan Tombides in April 2014. The John
Lyall Gates are now set to take pride of place inside the dedicated Club
Store at the south entrance to the new Stadium. For Hammers fans, the
opportunity to visit the John Lyall Gates before every home game will act
both as a reminder of those glory days, and of the heritage that the Club is
bringing from the Boleyn Ground to our new home.

Supporters should keep a close eye on whufc.com and our social media
channels for further announcements regarding the John Lyall Gates and the
opening of their new home in Stratford.

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Joint-Chairman excited by FA Cup draw
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold is excited by the FA Cup
semi-final draw and feels the Club will relish the chance to take on Everton
if they can beat Manchester United in the quarter-final replay.

The Hammers will face United next month after Anthony Martial scored a late
equaliser to cancel out another wonder goal from Dimitri Payet at Old
Trafford.

Although Mr Gold was disappointed to only come away with a draw, he is full
of confidence ahead of the last ever cup tie to be played at the Boleyn
Ground and knows it is going to be another memorable evening under the
lights.

The winners of that tie have been drawn to face Everton in the semi-finals
and Mr Gold said he had a feeling the Merseyside Club would be pulled out of
the hat.

He said: " I said to my daughter and son-in-law that I bet the winners of
our game would face Everton.

"We have not had an easy route having played both Liverpool and Manchester
United away from home and we will certainly have to do it the hard way.

"But I am very confident we can get the right result in the replay under the
lights in the last ever FA Cup tie to be played at the Boleyn Ground.

"Hopefully it will be a great ending to a memorable last season at Upton
Park and there is no doubts we have the quality to win the FA Cup this
season.

"You cannot rely on luck and it is down to skill and the will to win and we
have got both of those. It is another tough draw but I would say 'bring it
on.'

"I am sure Everton would not want to face us if we get through, especially
after our impressive comeback at Goodison Park last weekend.

"We are still only 90 minutes away from playing at Wembley. I am sure a lot
of fans would have taken this situation at the start of the season that we
would be sitting fifth in the table and facing Manchester United in an FA
Cup quarter-final replay.

"But we are now dreaming of bigger things and the difference is we have won
the right to dream."

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Former Player Blog - Trevor Sinclair
WHUFC.com

Trevor Sinclair made more than 200 appearances for West Ham United between
1998 and 2003 and was at Old Trafford to witness Slaven Bilic's side earn a
replay in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-final. He now thinks the Hammers have
what it takes to go on and reach the last four...

It was a pleasure to watch West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday as they played
very well and looked as though they were heading for the semi-finals. Early
doors in the game, the Hammers took control at times, looked more dangerous
and limited Manchester United to very little chances.

Dimitri Payet's free-kick was absolutely unbelievable. I was sat next to
Mark Noble's Dad and he said to me that before the game he saw Payet score
an identical one before hitting about five into row Z!

We were all anticipating row Z but we should have known better. When it went
in we all went mad in the stand!

On Mark Noble, he had a great game and I'm looking forward to playing in his
Testimonial in two weeks' time.

Everyone knows that Mark is a terrific midfielder but there was one moment
in the United game where he received the ball and took it between two Man
United players before spinning off. It just showed what a quality all-round
player he's become.

For me, Payet was unlucky with the penalty incident. He had no reason to go
down at the time and he got a nick.

For the Man United goal, watching the replays back, there was definitely an
offside and I think Darren Randolph, who did well when called upon, was
impeded. A foul and offside would have been the correct call, but the
officials failed to see that.

The other appeal, for United, when the ball cannoned up onto Winston Reid's
arm was never a penalty, either. There is nothing he can do about that so
you can't give those types of decisions.

I felt West Ham just about did enough to win it, but it actually could be a
blessing in disguise because it gives the Club another humongous game under
the lights at the Boleyn Ground. It will be packed out and if the side can
get themselves over the line and into the semi-finals it will be a wonderful
evening once again.

The fact that those in the stands came away from Old Trafford disappointed
shows how far the Club has come. The belief has grown, not just on the
pitch, but in the stands too. They've seen what this side can do.

The lads on the bench proved how strong this squad is. There was real
quality there and every player could have come on and affected the game in a
positive way for West Ham.

Slaven Bilic will probably be able to recruit even further in the summer so
there are going to be new faces and arrivals and his scouting system is
doing wonders. I think that sets West Ham apart from others in the Premier
League and he's already proved himself with his recruits last summer.

The players will be a bit gutted they didn't get the job done at Old
Trafford but like I say, for me it's a blessing in disguise.

This team knows they can go on and beat Man United in the replay so let's
have another great night under the lights and finish the job off.

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of West
Ham United.

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From the Terraces - Joe Difford
WHUFC.com

Fan blogger Joe Difford reflects on Sunday's 1-1 draw at Manchester
United...

Sunday afternoon's clash at Old Trafford might not have been our ticket to
Wembley, but it has set up what is expected to be another magical night
under the lights at the Boleyn Ground.

For the first time in years, the sense of belief going into the FA Cup tie
was incredible, and having already beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and
Liverpool away from home this season, fans knew we could beat United.

Slaven Bilic knew this too, and set-up his men with two up front, something
rarely seen in the modern game, and it almost paid dividends. Andy Carroll
saw a bullet header fly over the bar and Emmanuel Emenike headed his effort
straight at David de Gea in the opening exchanges.

Manchester United, who currently sit one place below us in the Premier
League table, grew as the game went on, and the home support got behind
their men. A few half chances came and went as Ander Herrera fired into Row
Z from a very promising position.

It is impossible to look at this game without highlighting referee Martin
Atkinson, who was forced to make a number of tough calls throughout. He
correctly waved away protests for a Man United penalty when the ball bounced
off the thigh of Winston Reid and onto his arm mid-slide tackle.

Dimitri Payet was perhaps unlucky to not win a penalty himself up the other
end, but much like Christian Benteke's a week or so ago, the contact,
although crucial, was not much nor obvious, so the referee ignored the
Frenchman.

The moment of magic came when the magic number 27 won a free kick about 35
yards out, and although he has proven himself to be one of the best set
piece takers in the league, even this one seemed too far away from goal.

But up stepped Payet to prove people wrong and stun yet again, as he curled
the perfect free kick up over the wall and into the far left corner, off the
post and into the back of the net. It was a free kick of world class
quality, and even the league's best goalkeeper couldn't keep it out.

As expected, the home side controlled the play in the second half,
especially after the opening goal, and Memphis Depay and Bastian
Schweinsteiger came off the bench to make an impact.

Depay was causing all sorts of trouble for Michail Antonio, but he failed to
capitalise when he found some space, perhaps a lack of confidence given his
recent dip in form.

The heart-breaking equaliser came when Hammers were already planning their
trip to Wembley, and Anthony Martial got on the end of a cross to net from a
tight angle. Replays showed that Schweinsteiger took out Darren Randolph,
preventing him from getting to the ball, but considering the referee's good
decisions throughout, you can forgive him for not calling this one back.

A draw might not have been the ideal result, especially given Payet's
sensational free kick, but it does mean fans get to experience another night
under the lights at the Boleyn Ground.

Games there are coming thick and fast and there are only a handful left to
play at the ground we have made a fortress this season, so the addition of a
replay is not a concern. The last FA Cup tie there was the dramatic game
against Liverpool and given our home form, not losing since August, United
certainly won't be too excited for what could be the game to send us to
Wembley.

It's a measure of the wonderful work Slaven Bilic and the board have done
that we can go to Old Trafford and hold our own against the biggest club in
England, and we must be a side no one wants to face at the moment.

For more West Ham fan views or to join the conversation visit www.90min.com

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those
of West Ham United

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Academy relishing return to Hong Kong
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce that a select group of Academy
players will take part in the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens 2016 tournament.
Having got to the final in last year's competition, losing narrowly to
Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, the Hammers will be aiming to go one step
further this time round. Speaking ahead of the prestigious event, which
takes place between 20-22 May, Academy coach Mark Phillips said: "We are
absolutely delighted to have been invited back to compete in the Hong Kong
Soccer Sevens tournament. "It is an absolutely fantastic competition to play
in; from experience it is one of the best organised events I've ever
participated in. "Despite not winning the tournament last year, we came
close, and everyone, the staff, the players really enjoyed it and got a lot
out of the experience."

Alongside West Ham, fellow English sides Leicester City, Aston Villa,
Newcastle United and Stoke City will also be competing in the 16-team
international tournament while defending champions Atletico, New Zealand's
Wellington Phoenix and Japan's Kashima Antlers will also be present. Last
year, the Hammers' squad included the likes of Djair Parfitt-Williams and
Marcus Browne, both of whom have gone on to be included in the first team.
And while this year's squad is yet to be announced, Phillips is looking to
take an even stronger squad. He continued: "The tournament is over two
months away so we haven't finalised the squad list yet, however it'll be the
strongest team we have available. "It's a great learning curve for everyone
involved, but make no mistakes, we want to win it, that's our aim and I
firmly believe we can do it. If we do well, to get the international
recognition will be fantastic for the Academy and Club as a whole."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Elliot Lee scored his first goal for Colchester United in an enthralling 3-3
draw with Wigan Athletic. The Lancashire club took the lead through Yanic
Wildschut before Alex Gilbey's thunderbolt levelled the proceedings. Ryan
Colclough restored their lead however Lee was on hand to square things up
just after half-time with a fine finish. Former Hammer George Moncur then
gave the U's the lead with an emphatic penalty however Will Grigg equalised
in the 90th minute.

Defender Leo Chambers also played the full 90 minutes – his third appearance
for Kevin Keen's side – Colchester haven't lost a game since Chambers joined
on loan.

Reece Burke and Josh Cullen both played the full 90 minutes as Bradford City
beat Doncaster 2-1 to climb in to the Play Off positions. With ten games to
go, the Bantams are sixth, with 58 points.

Clarke Bogard's Tilbury secured a 3-1 win over Bury Town thanks a Kurt Smith
brace and substitute Neil Richmond's goal.

Jaanai Gordon played the full game as Sligo Rovers slipped to a 1-0 defeat
away at Bohemians, Kurtis Byrne's early goal proving to be the difference.

Sam Westley was an unused substitute as VVV Venlo drew 2-2 with Ajax II in
the Eerste Divisie. The partner club are going strong in the league,
currently second behind Sparta Rotterdam.

Diego Poyet was an unused substitute as Charlton Athletic beat Middlesbrough
2-0 at the Valley.

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Payet - One of the best I've ever scored
WHUFC.com

Dimitri Payet believes his stupendous 30-yard screamer against Manchester
United on Sunday is up there with the very best he has ever scored. The
Frenchman's third goal in this season's Emirates FA Cup fired West Ham
United in front at Old Trafford after 68 minutes, only for Anthony Martial
to ensure the sides would do it all over again at the Boleyn Ground. Payet,
who has now netted five in his last six outings in all competitions,
naturally felt the hosts' late rescue act had taken the shine off his
brilliant opener, but was nonetheless delighted with such a goal on such a
stage. He told West Ham TV: "It's true that it was a lovely goal but I
wanted it to give us victory. Unfortunately, they caught up with us at the
end, we are a little disappointed, but I think we played a good game here at
Old Trafford and we'll have to be very good at home to reach the
semi-finals. "I think it's one of my most beautiful goals, and on top of
that at a ground that I particularly appreciate. Past a very good goalkeeper
as well, so everything came together to make for one of my best goals this
season."

Payet expects the replay – the final ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground –
to be a memorable occasion under the lights, just as the Hammers' fourth
round triumph over Liverpool proved to be. But the Hammers' talisman is
taking absolutely nothing for granted and says it will require another big
performance to secure a semi-final spot at Wembley. He continued: "We will
have to be strong at home, as we know how to be, because we're up against a
very good team. We've the opportunity to replay at home, as we did against
Liverpool and we have to beat Manchester United if we're going to go further
in the competition. "We all have the dream of playing the semi-final at
Wembley. There have been surprises in these quarter-finals and it's going to
be open right until the end. We have to get past Manchester United to have
the opportunity to play at Wembley. "I think it is going to be an
extraordinary match, the supporters want us to progress, they will be there
and we will need them. It's still Manchester United and we'll have to
produce a big game to get past them. But firstly there's the league and
Chelsea next week."

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Ladies gain credible draw in Wales
WHUFC.com

West Ham Ladies' turn in fortune continued with an impressive 2-2 draw away
to Cardiff City Ladies on Sunday afternoon. Having beaten rivals Tottenham
Hotspur 1-0 as part of the Farewell Boleyn celebrations at Upton Park on
Tuesday night, the Hammers came close to securing six points in a week
through goals from striker Laura Curtis and captain Katie Bottom. The
visistors started brightly in the FA Women's Premier League South after the
long coach journey to Wales, but it was actually Cardiff who pushed
themselves ahead when defender Hannah Wheeler gave away a penalty which was
converted by the home player. West Ham responded well to going behind and
were soon level, after good work from tricky midfielder Gemma Abela opened
up the chance for striker Curtis to tap the ball over the line. Cardiff came
out strong after the break and were applying plenty of pressure, but Marc
Nurse's side's passion and determination kept Cardiff at bay. Then, in
similar fashion to the winning goal over Spurs, West Ham went ahead when
Curtis was tripped in the penalty box. Skipper Bottom stepped-up once again
to bury her second penalty of the week. Nurse's side led until the final ten
minutes of play when a Cardiff corner, cleared by Erika Turner, only found a
home player, who fired home an equaliser from five yards. It's an impressive
result for Nurse's side though, who with the four points from two fixtures
this week, have overtaken Lewes Ladies into ninth in the league, with 18
points from their 20 league fixtures to date. The Hammers will now be full
of confidence as they host the reverse fixture against Cardiff City Ladies
on Sunday 20th March at AFC Hornchurch, with kick-off at 2pm.

After that, the Ladies close their campaign by hosting Queens Park Rangers
at AFC Hornchurch on Sunday 10 April.

LADIES: Turner, Ritson (Hinz), Wheeler, Bottom (c), Sammons, Abela, Missen,
Ray (Marriner), Ferreira, Curtis, Locke (Charles). Subs not used: Adeyemo.

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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic believes the Boleyn Ground will give West Ham United a 'big
advantage' when they take on Manchester United in an Emirates FA Cup
sixth-round replay. The Hammers will host the Red Devils in April following
a dramatic 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, when Dimitri Payet's wondrous
free-kick was cancelled out by Anthony Martial's volley with just seven
minutes remaining. West Ham had chances throughout, with Emmanuel Emenike,
Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio all going close, while Manchester United
were thwarted by a series of heroic blocks and clearances that kept Darren
Randolph largely redundant. When the equaliser did come, it was marked by
controversy as the Ireland goalkeeper appeared to be blocked off by Bastian
Schweinsteiger as he tried to keep out Martial's shot. While admitting to
being slightly disappointed not to see his side go through to the last four
at Wembley, Bilic is confident the Claret and Blue Army can help them get
the job done second time around. "Dimi has it in him – we all know this,"
the boss began. "He's got that kind of magic but before he took it I thought
it was quite far out so it's got to be perfect, and it was perfect! "There
was still a long way to go when Dimitri scored and we knew that they were
going to take risks and make situations to put pressure on us. "We played a
really good game of football, and it's hard to play at Old Trafford, but if
you ask what we should have done after the goal because they were very open
and risking things, I would have said I was expecting us to create from
these situations two or three clear-cut chances, which we didn't do. The
last pass, we failed to make and then we conceded a goal. "OK, the
atmosphere in the dressing room was very silent. I said to the guys it's
nice on the one hand to feel like that, because that shows me that we were
feeling confident despite being totally on the ground and we are moving in
the right direction. "On the other hand, we are in the game and we play the
replay at home, which is a big advantage for us."

Bilic admitted his players were feeling low at the final whistle, but said
that being frustrated by a draw at Old Trafford is a measure of how far his
squad has come this season. "We could have been one goal up at half-time,
and they also had a few situations where we made brilliant blocks and all
that, but in the game we played a good game of football and we are very
confident that we can win the replay."

That confidence will be boosted further by the home crowd, who will surely
mark the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground with an atmosphere akin to
that which welcomed Liverpool in the fourth-round replay in February. That
match was settled by Angelo Ogbonna's late header, and Bilic would love to
see West Ham beat another of English football's most-famous clubs on home
turf in similarly exciting fashion. "We thought the last one against
Liverpool was going to be the last FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground and the
atmosphere was special, and I can't imagine a better one because it was a
replay against Liverpool and we scored a goal in the last minute with a
great header from Angelo. "Now this one is like Manchester United, the
biggest club in the country, in a quarter-final with the winner going to
Wembley in the semis. It's going to be brilliant."

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Randolph - Replay is going to be a special night
WHUFC.com

Darren Randolph is already counting the days to the Emirates FA Cup
quarter-final replay against Manchester United and knows it is going to be
another special night at the Boleyn Ground.
The Hammers were forced to settle for a replay after Anthony Martial grabbed
a late equaliser to cancel out another wonder goal from Dimitri Payet. Few
could forget the last cup encounter under the lights when Angelo Ogbonna
scored the dramatic winner against Liverpool with just seconds left on the
clock. It promises to be another memorable evening in the last ever cup tie
to be played at the Boleyn Ground and Randolph feels his side stand a strong
chance of reaching the semi-finals at Wembley. Randolph said: "It is going
to be a great atmosphere for the replay and the standout moments for me this
year atmosphere wise have been the Liverpool and Tottenham games. "It is
going to be a special night and we fancy our chances against anybody. We are
all looking forward to it. "We are still only ninety minutes from playing at
Wembley and it is the last ever cup match at the Boleyn Ground so it is
going to be another special occasion. "It was probably a bit too early for
us to be thinking about Wembley after the first goal but we played well and
it was a good afternoon. "When you see a free-kick like that go in you start
to think it is going to be your day but it was not meant to be and we settle
for a replay. "Dimi actually said after the game that he thought the
free-kick was going wide but it caught the inside of the post and went in.
It was a great free-kick. "I think it was a foul for their goal but it was
one of those things and we have got a second chance."

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Gone! Lyall gates removed
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

The John Lyall Gates - which have stood at the entrance to the Boleyn Ground
for the last 60 years - have been removed. As you can see in the following
picture, taken by surprised onlooker and KUMB reader Dominic Hoey, the
iconic gates - which were renamed in honour of the former West Ham manager
in 2009 following his passing three years earlier - were removed from their
existing site by workers this morning. The gates are scheduled to be
re-situated at West Ham United's new home at the Olympic Park, Stratford, in
time for the start of next season. The oft=pictured gates, which millions of
football fans have walked past over the years were constructed in 1956. They
have been seen in several films and TV programmes and also cropped up in the
odd music video over the years. The late Micky Smith used an iconic image of
the gates for the cover of his 2003 book Both the gates and the surrounding
area of land on which they stood for more than half-a-century - now
predominantly the club's car park - were paid for by the (£25,000) sale of
Harry Hooper to Wolverhampton Wanderers that same year.

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Police 'kettling' causes mayhem in Manchester
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

Thousands of travelling West Ham supporters were caught in a near riot at
Manchester's Piccadilly station lat night thganks to the actions of the
Greater Manchester Police. Having made their way back to the city central
station following West Ham's 1-1 draw with Man Utd at Old Trafford, scores
of fans were unable to reach their allotted trains as a result of Police
'kettling' supporters through a single entrance. And regular travellers were
also caught up in the brouhaha as ugly scenes broke out between Police and
travellers. One eye-witness told KUMB: "We got to Manchester Piccadilly
just before 8pm and there was a massive scrum of West Ham, Man U and
civilians all just wanting to get home. People were climbing over, tripping
over or just pinned up against the barriers. "By the time I got to the front
of the queue myself and two gentlemen in front of me told the Police that we
were booked on that train. They said it was now declassified and we'd have
to take it up with Virgin. "GMP were pretty much out their depth trying to
control the crowds and drip feeding people onto the trains."

Another eye-witness, who was attempting to board an earlier train added: "We
got to Piccadilly at 6.45pm for my 7.15pm train, which was fine. The problem
was the way GMP made people queue all together - and put everyone on a
train. disregarding whether you booked it or not. "If I hadn't joined the
queue early I'd have missed my train. I mentioned it to a Policeman and his
words were: 'Don't be daft, this is the most sensible way'. "One guy was
very agitated as he was at the back of the queue and clearly going to miss
his train. Not only that, there was plenty of Man Utd fans that would've
booked as well. It wasn't Virgin's fault, it was the shoddy management by
the GMP in my opinion."

The sheer weight of numbers travelling to the game caused major disruptions
on the roads leaving Manchester too; fans travelling by car had to queue for
around two hours just to reach the M6 motorway, just a few miles south of
the city.

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FA Cup semi final draw: Everton await
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United will face Everton in the semi finals of this year's FA Cup,
should they overcome Man Utd in the quarter final replay. The draw was made
this evening by TV chef Heston Blumenthal and former Spurs midfielder
Jermaine Jenas. In the other semi final, Watford will face Crystal Palace
Both ties are scheduled to take place at Wembley on the weekend of April
23/24. The date for the quarter final replay between United and Man U is
yet to be confirmed, but will take place on either 6th or 13th April. West
Ham have previously met Everton 11 times in the FA Cup - most recently last
season, when the Hammers knocked the Toffees out via a penalty shootout.
From those 11 meetings, both teams have four wins to their name with three
draws - with West Ham's most famous win coming in the 1980 semi final

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Crystal Palace draw Watford, Everton face Manchester United or West Ham in
FA Cup semi-finals
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 14/03/16 8:21pm
SSN

Everton will play either Manchester United or West Ham in the FA Cup
semi-finals at Wembley on the weekend of April 23/24. In the other
semi-final, Crystal Palace will take on Watford in a match also to be played
at Wembley. Palace, who have knocked out three Premier League teams and
Reading in the competition, have the chance to reach their first final since
they were beaten in a replay by Manchester United in 1990. The Eagles have
never won the trophy and neither have their opponents Watford, who lost 2-0
to Everton in their previous final appearance in 1984.
Quique Sanchez' Flores side have beaten Newcastle, Leeds, Nottingham Forest
and Newcastle to reach the last-four. Everton avenged their FA Cup final
defeat of 2007 to Chelsea by beating the Blues 2-0 in a thriller at Goodison
Park on Saturday, and they could set up a repeat of 1995's final with
Manchester United if Louis van Gaal's side can triumph at West Ham. Dimitri
Payet had seemingly won the game for the Hammers on Sunday but Anthony
Martial equalised to earn a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

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Ticket Master in line for Hammers contract
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Claret and Hugh understand that West Ham will cease their partnership with
'See Tickets' at the end of this season. See Tickets is the trading name of
a British ticketing services company owned by French company Vivendi SA.
They have provided ticketing systems and software to West Ham at the Boleyn
ground.

West Ham are understood to have awarded to a new contract to American
company, Ticket Master who will be the Hammers new ticket partner at the
Olympic Stadium.

The current West Ham Ticket office website has come under heavy criticism
this season as it has failed several times to cope with demand with big
games which left many to call the premium line hotline in desperation
running up large bills on their mobile phones.

Another recent criticism has been the ticket trader system with Epurse
credit balances disappearing from the website and a limitation of not being
able to spend Epurse credits online or to use it as a deposit for an Olympic
Stadium season ticket.

A source close to club told Claret and Hugh "Everything will be reviewed at
the end of the season with regards to ticketing and that will include
whether to retain the 0871 premium number for the ticket office."

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Time to end the Ticket Office premium call rip off
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham's last season at the Boleyn Ground together with a terrific FA Cup
run and a sell out Mark Noble testimonial has led to an increase in
complaints about the premium line telephone number used used by the club for
the West Ham ticket office hotline.

One West Ham fan received a phone bill of £105 this week for three phone
calls to the West Ham ticket office and another paid a £75 bill but they are
not alone with many others making similar complaints.

Many of the fans have been caught out by using their mobiles to call the
West Ham ticket office. 0871 numbers are regarded as premium numbers and not
included in mobile call plans.

West Ham do point out the costs in the small print on the website. The cost
to the ticket office phone line it is 13p per minute plus an access charge
from phone operator.

Vodafone charge their customers up to 45p per minute access charge to call
0871 numbers so the combined cost is 58p per minute or £34.80 per hour to
wait on the West Ham ticket hotline.

EE charge their customers up to 44p per minute access charge to call 0871
numbers so the combined cost is 57p per minute or £34.20 per hour to wait on
the West Ham ticket hotline.

O2 charge their customers up to 35.8p per minute access charge to call 0871
numbers so the combined cost is 48.8p per minute or £29.28 per hour to wait
on the West Ham ticket hotline.

If you use a BT landline it would be cheaper at a combined 23.24p per
minute so £13.94 per hour.

Speaking to one of the supporters who faced a £75 bill Steve told Claret and
Hugh:

"My wife rang the ticket office on her mobile to try and get tickets for the
Liverpool FA Cup replay she was on hold for a long time but was gradually
working her way down the queue when she got to number 4 in the queue it
jumped her back up to number 70 for no reason.

"I have emailed the club the same complaint twice and had no reply and if I
do not get a reply will be taking them to the small claims court. We
eventually got tickets online as we never actually managed to get through on
the phone. I have spoken to citizens advice about it and they have basically
said I have a case against the club and as bad as it is to have to take
action against my own club I feel the lack of communication and lack of care
shown by the club needs action."

Another supporter said " We rung from an EE mobile and got a £45 bill, it
was for the Watford tickets. I am a member and it said I could buy up to 4
tickets, so when I called the first time and eventually got though they said
I could only purchase 1 and had to wait until they went on general sale to
get the other 3 as they wasn't members!! I called at least 3 times I also
tried to book online to no avail :-("

Another fan said "My lad just had a 02 bill in for £42 when trying to get
tickets for the Liverpool cup game. He got cut off! Rang club twice and was
told they would be in touch but still nothing"

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Exclusive: Winston Reid update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Worrying news concerning Winston Reid emerged fro the Hammers camp tonight
after the central defender was taken off in Sunday's game against Manchester
United. Reid rushed himself back into action after the Hammers boss Slave
Bilic was hit with a crisis following an injury to Reece Oxford in training.
The central defender answered the call to play and as reported on this site
earlier was praised by co chairman David Gold for his attitude. But Reid may
have paid a heavy price for his bravery as it seems that it wasn't only the
hamstring injry from which he has just recovered that he 'felt'during the
game but the other as well. It is a big blow and his chances of making the
game against Chelsea at the weekend look no better than fifty/fifty at this
stage. ClaretandHugh was told exclusively by our major source tonight:
"Winston was taken of as he was feeling both hamstrings. It was semi
precautionary and we will know more in the next 48 hours."

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Gold hits out at goal decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has made it clear that unless Darren Randolph decided to "dive
into his own net" Manchester United's Old Trafford equaliser was illegal and
should have been ruled out. The Hammers keeper was clearly nudged and left
unable to do anything about Martial's leveller six minutes from time in
Sunday's quarter final. And Gold made it clear he was very unhappy with the
decision to allow the goal to stand as Randolph lay incapable of helping
beore the Reds players ran off celebrating. Gold said: "It was a foul –
plain and simple. The goal should never have stood. I didn't want a replay
and I didn't want the cash it will generate – I want the Cup." Gold –
speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh – admitted though: "At what point in
history have we come away from Manchester United feeling so disappointed
with a draw. "It demonstrates again the extraordinary distance we have
travelled this season and that's a consolation but nothing can wipe out the
memory of that goal which should never have stood."

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Boleyn Ground redevelopment gets green light
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Newham Council has finally passed a planning proposal by Barratt Homes and
Galliard Homes to redevelopment the Boleyn Ground.

The meeting of the council's Strategic Development Committee last week ends
more than a year of arguments and debate between the council, local
campaigners and the developers over the future of the Hammer's old ground.

BoleynInitially, the developers offered no affordable homes on the site
which was unacceptable under Newham council's core strategy. A fresh offer
of 25 per cent affordable housing equates to 211 homes out of the 842
planned for the site. Under the new deal, more than half will now be family
sized units.

Additionally, developers promised to deliver a neighbourhood centre to
provide facilities for local residents. On the night of the committee, The
Mayor of Newham who is a West Ham fan, Sir Robin Wales, announced his
intention to invest an additional £18 million into affordable housing on the
site.

GreenStreet1This, the committee heard, will provide a further ten per cent
of affordable homes which the council will ensure are offered at rents that
residents can afford. This money is expected to come from affordable housing
funding available to the council bringing the total amount of affordable
housing on the site to 35 per cent or 295 homes. Overall, the development
is expected to create 185 jobs.

Sir Robin said: "I want to open this historic development up to even more
of our residents, other developers must provide affordable housing as part
of any regeneration proposals they bring to us – we will do all we can to
ensure as many homes as possible are within reach of our residents."

Green-Street2The developer's proposal will see the current ground demolished
when West Ham move out and replaced with 15 blocks of varying heights
providing new homes made up of a mixture of different tenures and a
community neighbourhood space.

To commemorate the design of the Boleyn ground stadium, two 13 storey blocks
will reflect the castle tower gatehouses which currently greet visitors to
the ground and four to eleven storey low rise blocks will mark the location
of where the stands currently sit.

Castle-StreetA pedestrianised legacy route will run through the centre of
the development with two trees which make up the memorial garden currently
by the main gates of the stadium retained. These trees are used by the
club's supporters to commemorate the death of family and friends. Both the
halfway line and centre circle of the ground's existing pitch will form part
of this route – is also proposed to retain some of the existing stands.

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Ref Watch: 'West Ham deserved penalty at Old Trafford, Gabriel should have
seen red'
By Gerard Brand
Last Updated: 14/03/16 1:38pm
SSN

In his weekly Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher
gives his view on the weekend's big issues.

MATCH: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham, Sunday

INCIDENT: At 0-0, Dimitri Payet goes over in the area from a challenge from
Marcos Rojo. Referee Martin Atkinson waives play on.

GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Penalty

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: It is difficult for Atkinson in real time, but I think
he's [Rojo] caught him. The assistant probably had the best view, but
whether Atkinson has asked him, we don't know.
There is no tangible evidence as to what has happened between the referee
and his assistant. When a big decision comes, we are not aware if the
assistant has had impact on the decision through their headset.

MATCH: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham, Sunday

INCIDENT: As a cross comes over to the far post, Anthony Martial equalises
for United, but replays show Bastian Schweinsteiger impeded West Ham
goalkeeper Darren Randolph as Martial's effort went goalwards.

GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Foul

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: He blocks the goalkeeper off. There is so much going on
there, and I can understand why this is missed. To illustrate that, we've
had to have it pointed out and watched many times.

The key issue here is when the ball is going into Martial, that's where the
referee's attention has to be, because if Martial commits a foul or a foul
on him that's going to be priority.
He's watching Martial and watching the defender in case he takes him, and
the actual block off by Schweinsteiger happens six or seven yards off the
ball, and by the time he looks back the damage is done.

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West Ham striker Andy Carroll reveals triple target
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 14/03/16 1:51pm
SSN

West Ham striker Andy Carroll is hoping to secure a triple target before the
end of the season. The 27-year-old is targeting an FA Cup win and a top-four
finish with the Hammers, as well as a place in Roy Hodgson's England squad
for Euro 2016. West Ham's final season at Upton Park has been a memorable
one, with Slaven Bilic's side fifth in the Premier League, just two points
off a Champions League berth. A trip to Wembley is also on the cards, if
they can defeat Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-final replay,
after a late strike from Anthony Martial cancelled out a stunning free-kick
from Dimitri Payet. Hodgson was at Old Trafford for the 1-1 draw as Carroll
impressed on his first start since January, a display he hopes might earn
him a seat on the plane to France. "I have three things to aim for with the
club pushing for top four, the FA Cup final and making the England squad,"
he told the Evening Standard. "I don't want to be getting injured now, it
would be the worst thing. I don't know why (the setbacks) happen, it just
does. It's upsetting, really. "It's been hard, I have been injured a lot. My
run in the side hasn't been continuous, but it's still a dream to play for
my country. It's something I want to do and I will never give up on it. "I
have great memories of Euro 2012 and would love to be there again. "My love
for my country is never going to go away. Hopefully, I will stay fit, keep
playing, score goals and I will get a chance to go."
Carroll scored as England beat Sweden 3-2 at Euro 2012, one of nine caps he
has earned so far, the last of which came against San Marino in October that
year. Asked if he had heard from Hodgson, Carroll added: "No, nothing at
all. I know he has been at the games watching a few of us. "We have some
great English talent in the team. He is watching everyone and he has a tough
job to do. Hopefully, I can cause a bit of a headache for him and get myself
in there. "Having so many players to choose from means you have to leave a
lot more out. It's a tough job for him but he knows how to deal with it."

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West Ham's fixture chaos
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are facing a serious fixture pilie up with an FA Cup replay set to
be squeezed in an already bursting schedule.

We are still awaiting the official confirmation of the re-scheduling of the
Watford and Manchester United Premier league matches due to our FA Cup run.

And UEFA's rules are making re-scheduling difficult with their insistence
that domestic games including FA Cup games do not clash on nights that
Champions League is shown on TV.

With a congested fixture schedule for the remainder of the season, there are
few dates that West Ham will be able to play Watford and Manchester United
twice whilst still avoiding international breaks, Champions League nights
and Manchester United's continued progress in the Europa League last 16.

Last month, the FA announced the FA Cup replay between Arsenal v Hull will
take place on Tuesday 8th March after 72 hours of debate and argument and
the FA could be forced to seek UEFA's agreement again.

Much could depend what happens with Manchester United in the Europa League
against Liverpool on Thursday evening with West Ham confirming

"We cannot confirm the replay date until Man Utd's Future future is settled
v Liverpool this coming Thursday"

Here's our 'schedule' currently:

19th March Chelsea Away

22nd- 30th March International Break

2nd April Crystal Palace at home

5th/6th April Champions League Quarter Final 1st leg

9th April Arsenal at home

12th/13th April Champions League Quarter Final 2nd leg

17th April Leicester City away

20th April Watford Rescheduled league game provisionally on the Wednesday

23rd/24th April FA Cup Semi Final. West Ham v Manchester Utd Postponed

26th/27th April Champions League Semi Final 1st leg

30th April West Bromwich Albion away

3rd/4th May – Champions League Semi Final 2nd leg

7th May Swansea City at home

10th/11th May Manchester United League likely to schedule on one of these
two dates

15th May Stoke away (last day of the season)

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Courageous defender showed squad spirit
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has heaped praise on Winston Reid for taking his place in the
Irons side at Old Trafford despite not being ready to play in such a high
profile game. The co chairman had tweeted earlier in the week that the
central defender would not be able to make the game as he'd barely rejoined
the first team squad. But when Reece Oxford took a knock in training the
manager was left with no alternatives Reidy agreed to play although he
could easily have pleaded he was unable to make the game. Instead he
immediately agreed and Gold told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "It's a tribute
to him Winston demonstrated just how the squad ready the squad are to play
for this manager. He deserves a lot of praise for stepping up in the hour of
need."
Reid, however, was forced off after feeling his hamstring and will be
checked out by the club's medical staff but Gold said: "Hopefully it was
just a precautionary thing. However, as I say, he deserves enormous praise
for stepping into the fray"

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OK Slav…what's with the Emenike thing?
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic has me confused for the first time! Sorry Slav but I'm afraid I
really don't get the Emenike thing at all. As fas as I can make out he has
had one decent game against a Championship side in the last round of the
Cup. By common consent he performed OK against Rovers for his couple of
goals but yet again he missed an easy chance at the start of yesterday's
game, as he did against Sunderland. It may be of course that Sakho wasn't up
to the level of match fitness for the United game that the manager would
have wanted and that therefore the Nigerian got the shout. But it was
perhaps possible to do things the other way round by starting Sak and bring
EE on when perhaps the main man started to tire. One thing's for sure –
given that Sak managed half an hour against Everton and around the same
yesterday he could surely have managed the first half at the very least. I
don't want to knock the bloke unnecessarily but with both Sak and Enner
Valencia on the bench it all seemed a little odd. Emenike was a cheapish
winter loan and is maybe an upgrade on Carlton Cole but right now it's hard
to go much further than that. Thankfully yesterday's missed chance at the
start didn't really hurt us but things may have turned out a bit
differently had he stuck it away. Jury remains very much out!

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Sad Van Gaal dubs Dimi a diver
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in Whispers
C and H

Manchester United's excuse finding under pressure boss Louis van Gaal
ridiculously claimed that Dimi Payet dived in a bid to win yesterday's
match. Mind you, he had little if anything to say about his team's equaliser
which should have been ruled out at a stroke after goalkeeper Darren
Randolph was clearly fouled in the build-up. Instead he implied that Payet
should not have been on the pitch to score the 68th-minute goal after
accusing him of diving to try to con referee Martin Atkinson. Payet was
already on a booking when he went down in the United area under a challenge
from Marcos Rojo, but Atkison chose not to award a penalty. Van Gaal said:
"Payet was more or less diving. He was maybe touched, but not enough to fall
like that." But Hammers boss Slaven Bilic had no doubt that Payet was the
injured party in the accident saying: "For me, it should have been a penalty
on Dimitri.. "A dive? Come on. If you have a screen I am going to show you
and defend my point at Cambridge [Union]. "You can clearly see there is
contact. So it's definitely not a dive, 100 per cent not a dive."

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The Hammers £5m FA Cup run
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The FA Cup Quarter-Final replay at the Boleyn Ground against Manchester
United should net the Hammers another £1m on top of the estimated £3.8m they
have earned so far in their FA Cup run this season. Assuming West Ham set
ticket prices around the £40 mark, a sell out 35,000 capacity crowd will
bring in around £1.4m in gate money which will be shared with Manchester
United. The replay will definitely be shown on TV earning another £247,500
in TV facility fees for both sides. The eventual winners of tie will win
£360,000 of prize money on top of a trip to Wembley where the serious money
starts. In the third round of the FA Cup West Ham earned £67,500 in prize
money and an estimated £294,000 in gate money for beating Wolves at the
Boleyn Ground. We received another £90,000 in prize money for beating
Liverpool in the Fourth Round over two games and we earned £288,000 to have
both games screened live on BT Sport. The Anfield FA Cup tie had an
attendance of 44,000 at £35 per ticket, netting us around £647,000 in gate
money. The replay at the Boleyn Ground earned us around £294,000 with
tickets reduced to £20.

In the fifth round, the 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers earned West Ham
£180,000 in prize money from the FA as winners of the tie, together with
£247,500 to have the game screened live on BT Sport. We also received a 42%
cut of the Ewood Park gate money with an attendance of 18,793 earning a
further £158,000, based on tickets priced at £20.

Yesterday we received a 42% share of the 75,000 gate at Old Trafford at £45
per ticket. The 75,000 sell-out would bring in £3.37m of revenue of which we
would get a healthy £1.43m. Live TV coverage added another £247,500 to the
pot.

FA Cup Third Round earnings = £361,500

FA Cup Fourth Round earnings = £1,222,900

FA Cup Fifth Round earnings = £585,500

FA Cup Sixth Round earnings so far = £1,677,500

Estimated FA Cup Sixth Round Replay should we win = £1,195,500

Total Estimated Earnings after victory in Sixth Round Proper = £5,042,900

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