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Preview - Middlesbrough
WHUFC.com

When and where?

Middlesbrough v West Ham United
Premier League
Saturday 21 January 2017, 3pm GMT
Riverside Stadium

What's the story?

West Ham United make their first trip to Middlesbrough in five years on Saturday as Slaven Bilic's men look to make it back-to-back Premier League wins.

Boro ended a seven-year absence from the top flight when they finished second in the Sky Bet Championship last term, pipping Brighton & Hove Albion to the second automatic promotion slot.

Aitor Karanka's success in leading the club back to the Premier League came just a year after they suffered the bitter disappointment of defeat to Norwich City in the play-off final.

They've made a decent start to life back at the top table, with 20 points from their first 21 games leaving them 16th in the table – a place above last season's champions Leicester City.

Karanka's team have been frugal at the back this term – 22 goals conceded gives them the joint-fourth meanest defence in the division – but they have been equally economical with their goals scored. 17 is the fewest scored by any Premier League team in 2016/17.

Their two league games of 2017 have both ended goalless, against Leicester and Watford, while their meeting with the Hammers back in October also ended in stalemate, with Dimitri Payet cancelling out Cristian Stuani's opener.

The Hammers bounced back from defeats to Manchester United and Manchester City with a comprehensive beating of Crystal Palace last weekend.

Sofiane Feghouli, Andy Carroll and Manuel Lanzini were all on target to help fire the Hammers up to 12th in the Premier League standings, just four points behind West Bromwich Albion in eighth.

Team news

Andy Carroll is expected to recover from a whiplash injury sustained against Crystal Palace in time to take on Boro, while the Hammers will also hope that Winston Reid, Sofiane Feghouli and Sam Byram shake off knocks.

Dimitri Payet will not be involved, while Alvaro Arbeloa, Arthur Masuaku and Gokhan Tore are all injured.

New Middlesbrough signing Patrick Bamford could feature in Saturday's game. The striker joins from Chelsea having enjoyed an excellent 2014/15 season on loan with Boro.

Gaston Ramirez and Antonio Barragan are injured, while Daniel Ayala will miss the game due to suspension.

Any links between the two?

Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing spent two years with the Hammers between 2013 and 2015, scoring seven goals in his 69 league games for the Club.

He left the Boleyn Ground to rejoin his hometown club in the summer of 2015 and helped them win promotion last term.

The Hammers won 2-0 on their last trip to Middlesbrough, when goals from Frederic Piquionne and Carlton Cole sealed victory.

How do I get to the game?

Click here for directions to Riverside Stadium.

The latest news on the trains can be found here, and click here for up-to-the-minute traffic news.

How can I watch the game?

The match is not being broadcast live in the UK. However, you can follow all the action as it happens with our whufc.com Match Centre. With live audio commentary, social media updates, and in-running stats and photos, it is the place to catch all the action.

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'Sofiane deserves his chance big-time'
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic backs Sofiane Feghouli to establish himself in the West Ham United team
Algerian scored on his full Premier League debut against Crystal Palace on Saturday
Manager says an early-season injury had slowed the 26-year-old's progress

Manager Slaven Bilic believes Sofiane Feghouli can make up for lost time and become a first-team regular for West Ham United. The Algerian winger scored a fine goal on his home debut in a UEFA Europa League win over NK Domzale in August, only to suffer a hamstring injury in the Betway Cup defeat by Juventus at London Stadium just days later. That issue kept Feghouli out for a month and set back his chances of establishing himself in Bilic's side following a summer move from Spanish giants Valencia CF. After making nine substitute appearances, the 26-year-old was handed his full Premier League debut against Crystal Palace on Saturday – and he responded with a goal to cap an eye-catching performance in the Hammers' 3-0 victory. Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough, where Feghouli is again expected to start, the manager says he has faith in his No7's ability to make his mark in English football. "I said about Sofiane that he didn't have a great start but that was mainly because he got injured against Juventus and that was before Chelsea in our first game of the season," the boss recalled. "Then, instead of being three or four days out, he was out four or five weeks. "Then, when he came back it was hard to put him straight into games. I gave him the second half against West Brom when we were losing 3-0, then half-an-hour here, 15 minutes there, and he played in the cup games he but couldn't get rhythm.
"In the last six weeks I told him he improved a lot, he's making a difference in training. For me, that's the key. The players nowadays come with agents and say 'Why am I not playing?' but it's not a clash of interests, because I want you to play and you want to play. "A lot of time the starting position is different. Many of them go 'Give me five games and then I'm going to show you, so I go 'Show me a bit in training, because that's what training is for'. "We are not talking about pre-season when you have five or six friendly games, but the Premier League, where you also have the pressure of getting points. "Sofiane deserves his chance big-time because he was really good and has got better and better in sessions, then you think about him more, you give him a chance because he is a good trainer, he is fitter and because he makes a difference on the pitch because he gets more minutes. "Then it can end with him becoming a very regular player for us – it's so simple."

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Feghouli – The boss can count on me
WHUFC.com

Algerian winger Sofiane Feghouli said Slaven Bilic can count on him as West Ham look to improve their Premier League position
The 27-year-old insisted the confidence is high after the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend
Feghouli scored the opener in last weekend's victory at London Stadium

Summer signing Sofiane Feghouli is ready to play a major part for West Ham United as the Club look to move up the table following last weekend's win over Crystal Palace.

The Algerian scored in the side's 3-0 London derby win and hopes the Hammers can put back-to-back league wins on the board on Saturday with a win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Since signing from Spanish outfit Valencia in the summer, the winger has suffered with injuries but, now fit and firing, Feghouli hopes he can show his quality in Claret and Blue on a consistent basis.

He said: "I haven't played that much in recent months, and I must say that I thought adapting to English football would be much harder, but it shows that I must be fit and adapted to the game.

"I scored the other day and the coach [Slaven Bilic] knows he can count on me. I'm ready to play every week, and hopefully I will stay clear of injuries and help the Club move up the table.

"I am very happy at the moment. I was delighted to score in my second start here. My first start, I think I was quite unlucky to get sent off against Manchester United after only 15 minutes, but on the weekend I played the whole game and the whole team, the supporters and everyone was very happy."

Slaven Bilic's side could only record a 1-1 draw with Boro earlier this term at London Stadium, but having beaten Palace comfortably, Feghouli insisted the confidence is high ahead of the clash on Saturday.

"It's always tough to predict how matches go in the Premier League," he continued. "It will be a very intense game and they're very good at home, so it will be hard.

"The win against Crystal Palace was a big boost to our confidence but of course there are areas in our game that we need to work on.

"Every game in the Premier League is difficult and Middlesbrough are a very hard team to beat, especially at home. We go there with lots of confidence and we will be going for the win.

"As a team, we have been conceding too many goals, and I'd say that the defensive work does start with our attacking players. The win against Palace did boost our confidence and we're aiming high now. We're all very humble players that are capable of improving.

"We want to get the win but we know that we will need to be patient and take our chances. If we go there in good spirits there is no reason why we can't win the game."

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Browne joins Wigan on loan
WHUFC.com

Marcus Browne has joined Wigan Athletic on loan until the end of the season
The midfielder signed a new three-and-a-half year deal at West Ham last week
He joins fellow Hammers Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle on loan at the DW Stadium

Attacking midfielder Marcus Browne has joined Sky Bet Championship side Wigan Athletic on loan until the end of the season.

The dynamic playmaker has been in great form for the U23s this season and was rewarded with a new 3-and-a-half year deal last week.

The 19-year-old now joins fellow Hammers Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle on loan at the DW Stadium until the end of the 2016/17 season.

Browne joined West Ham at the age of eight and quickly became known as one of the brightest young prospects in the English game.

After three seasons of progression with the U18s and U21s, he made his breakthrough into the first team setup, appearing on the bench in last season's 2-2 draw with Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Browne played a key role for the U21s during the 2015/16 season, helping the young Hammers win the Premier League Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Hull City in May.

The U23s' playmaker has carried on in the same vain this year scoring five times and proving a real driving force in the midfield, behind top scorer Toni Martinez. Both were nominated for Premier League 2 Player of the Month in December.

Browne's form this season has not only seen him rewarded with a new contract, but also a place on Slaven Bilic's first team substitutes bench yet again.

Browne joins the Latics who are 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship, but only three points from safety.

Everyone at the Club would like to wish Marcus the best of luck for his loan spell.

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Middlesbrough betting preview with Betway
WHUFC.com

That's better. An emphatic 3-0 win at London Stadium last weekend against Crystal Palace restored some much-needed cheer to east London and moved West Ham United up to 12th in the Premier League table.

This weekend is a chance to climb even higher as the Hammers travel to Middlesbrough hoping to secure back-to-back wins.

But despite their superior league position, West Ham are slight outsiders for this one. There looks to be good value on an away win at 11/5, while a Middlesbrough victory is 7/5. The draw is priced at 11/5.

Three of the last four wins for the Hammers have been achieved with clean sheets. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have scored the fewest goals of any team in the league.

So could another clean sheet be on the cards? You can get 11/5 for West Ham not to concede, or 15/4 on the Irons to win to nil.

But even though the Teeside side don't score many, they don't concede many either. If you think it'll be a tight affair, you can back under 1.5 total goals scored at 7/4.

The Hammers haven't lost to Middlesbrough in the league for eight games, a run stretching back over ten years. Their previous meeting in October saw a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium – a repeat of the same scoreline is 5/1.

With Boro's blunt attack, one goal may be enough for a West Ham win. It's 7/1 for a 1-0 Hammers win.

One of the most encouraging aspects of last weekend's victory was the spread of goalscorers. If the likes of Manuel Lanzini can chip in with more goals from midfield, it bodes well for the London side.

The Argentine is 100/30 to score at any time while Michail Antonio – in good form after three assists last time out – is 11/4 to grab a goal.

Although West Ham's second half performance against Palace was outstanding as a whole, there was one moment that stood out.

Andy Carroll's stunning scissor-kick volley will live long in the memory. His next goal may not be as spectacular, but it could be even more important. He's 11/2 to open the scoring on Saturday afternoon and 7/4 to score at anytime.

All three goals in their last outing were scored in the second half. If you think the Hammers will score their first goal of the game after half time, you can bet with odds of 21/10.

There are more than 100 markets on Middlesbrough vs. West Ham available at Betway. And if you're an existing customer, you can join our Free Bet Club.

It's the simple way to guarantee yourself £10 in Free Bets every week. Just opt in at Betway and place at least £25 on football multiples (trebles or higher) before midnight every Friday*. And why not include West Ham in your multiple?

Visit betway.com or download our app from the App Store or Google Play for more.

*Available to new and existing customers. Opt-in required. Minimum stake(s) per week: £25. No minimum stake per multiple. Enhanced prices excluded. Single Line Multiples including 3 or more Football selections only. Min. overall odds: 2/1. Real money bets only. Total Amount of Free Bets Awarded: £10. Two £5 Free Bets, per customer, per promotion week. Free Bets credited in two instalments on Saturday and Monday. Bets must be settled between Saturday 00:00 GMT and the following Friday 23:59 GMT to count towards the promotion for that particular week. Other conditions apply. All odds and returns shown may fluctuate. Correct at time of print.

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Five Talking Points – Middlesbrough
WHUFC.com

Clean sheets, bottom-feeders, Alvaro Negredo and Michail Antonio are among the big topics for discussion ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to the Riverside Stadium...

Clean sheets – Part One

Middlesbrough's success over the past season-and-a-half has been based on their miserly defence, with Aitor Karanka's side conceding just 53 goals in their last 67 league matches.

In that time, Boro have kept no fewer than 29 clean sheets, including three in their last five Premier League matches.

This season, only leaders Chelsea (12) and second-place Tottenham Hotspur (nine) have kept more clean sheets than Middlesbrough's seven, while Liverpool and Chelsea are the only sides to have scored at the Riverside Stadium in Boro's last six home matches.

It is organisation that has seen Boro compile the best defensive record outside the top six, too, with goalkeeper Victor Valdes making just 51 saves in 18 appearances – Brad Guzan made ten in total in Boro's other three league games.

In short, West Ham United can expect to find it difficult to break their hosts down on Saturday.


Clean sheets – Part Two

West Ham United have visited the Riverside Stadium eleven times in the Premier League since losing 4-2 in December 1995 – and never kept a clean sheet!

In eleven visits, West Ham have conceded 22 goals, scored only nine, lost on eight occasions and won just once – a 2-1 success courtesy of Scott Parker's late winner in December 2007.


Bottom-feeders

Unlike last season, when they feasted on the Premier League's big guns, West Ham United have dined out on clubs in the bottom half this term.

The Hammers have won just six of their 25 points from teams who currently occupy places in the top-ten – from a home win over Burnley and draws with Stoke City, Manchester United and Liverpool.

The other 19 have been collected from six victories over clubs in the bottom half – AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace (twice), Sunderland, Hull City and Swansea – and a home draw with Saturday's opponents Middlesbrough.

A seventh win at the Riverside and West Ham could well find themselves in the top half of the table come Sunday evening.

Negredo nightmare

It is three years this month since Alvaro Negredo almost single-handedly ended West Ham United's hopes of reaching the League Cup – now EFL Cup – final.

The Spanish striker scored five times as Manchester City romped to a 9-0 aggregate semi-final victory, including a hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium and two more in front of just 14,390 fans at the Boleyn Ground.

The striker, who won UEFA Euro 2012 with Spain playing alongside West Ham full-back Alvaro Arbeloa, is Middlesbrough's leading Premier League goalscorer with five this season, and will no doubt have his targets trained on the back of the Hammers net again this weekend.

Main m-Antonio

With no Dimitri Payet available for the trip to the Riverside, Middlesbrough need not worry about the man who danced around half of their team to score at London Stadium back in October.

Instead, however, Boro have to be concerned about West Ham United's new creative spark – Michail Antonio.

After failing to register an assist in his opening 19 top-flight appearances, the 26-year-old chalked up three in the space of 18 minutes against Crystal Palace last Saturday – becoming the first West Ham player to do so in a Premier League match since Paolo Di Canio against Coventry City in 2000.

Playing off centre forward Andy Carroll, the No30 was a constant threat to the Eagles defence, and Boro will need to keep a close eye on the south Londoner if they are not to suffer the same fate this weekend.

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Wigan Athletic: Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne join Championship side
BBC.co.uk

Wigan Athletic have signed midfielders Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne from Fulham and West Ham on loan until the end of the season. Tunnicliffe, 24, worked with Wigan boss Warren Joyce when he was coming through the Manchester United youth system. Browne, 19, made his professional debut in the Europa League this season and has also played in the EFL Trophy. "Marcus is a young player with great potential and will strengthen our group," said manager Joyce.
"Ryan has got a terrific attitude first and foremost. He has built up considerable experience now in this division and we are confident he can be a really positive influence to the group in the immediate future." Both players are available for Wigan's Championship game against Brentford on Saturday.

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2019 Cricket World Cup: London Stadium major step closer to staging matches
By Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport

London Stadium is a major step closer to hosting matches at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, after it was found to have a potential playing surface big enough for one-day internationals.

It emerged last month the England and Wales Cricket Board was considering high-capacity venues at the request of the International Cricket Council.

The 60,000-seat London Stadium is much larger than any UK cricket ground.

However, a number of other feasibility issues must be addressed.

To stage cricket, the stadium's seating configuration would be similar to that used for athletics, rather than as employed by tenants West Ham United for football matches.

Obstacles to overcome include the cost-effectiveness of turfing the entire playing area and the suitability of drop-in pitches, which are rarely used in the UK.

And, even though the tournament, which runs from 30 May to 15 July, is unlikely to encroach on either the football season or athletics' Anniversary Games, there must be sufficient time to convert the stadium.

If all of these challenges can be met then it is likely the stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympics, will be used for a small portion of the World Cup, perhaps a one-week window, rather than throughout the seven-week competition.

Eleven traditional cricket venues - Lord's, The Oval, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, Old Trafford, Headingley, Cardiff, Southampton, Chester-le-Street, Taunton and Bristol - are in line to host matches.

Of that list, Lord's has the highest capacity - about 30,000.

However, the ICC is keen to replicate the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which saw attendances in excess of 90,000 in Melbourne, and games held at other large stadiums in Sydney, Adelaide and Auckland.

Of those, Auckland's Eden Park, traditionally a rugby ground, has dimensions that left the straight boundaries incredibly short.

London Stadium has previously been considered by Essex for domestic Twenty20 matches.

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Middlesbrough v West Ham United
SAT, 21 JAN 2017PREMIER LEAGUE
15:00
Venue: Riverside Stadium

TEAM NEWS

New signing Patrick Bamford could feature for Middlesbrough after joining from Chelsea on Wednesday. Gaston Ramirez and Antonio Barragan are injured and Daniel Ayala is banned.

Sofiane Feghouli, Sam Byram and Winston Reid should all shake off knocks for West Ham, and Andy Carroll is expected to recover from whiplash. Unsettled playmaker Dimitri Payet will not be involved, while Cheikhou Kouyate and Andre Ayew are both at the Africa Cup of Nations.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Martin Fisher: "Sixteenth in the table and four points clear of safety, Middlesbrough would definitely settle for that on the last day of the season. However, some improvement between now and May would be welcomed. "Aitor Karanka's team have conceded fewer goals than the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City but they're the lowest scorers in the Premier League so it's easy to identify their chief problem. "Resolving it is much harder. If Patrick Bamford can rediscover his form when with the club in the Championship, he'll prove a bargain. "While the Dimitri Payet saga rumbles along, Andy Carroll has inspired the Hammers' recent improvement. "On a day when chances will be scarce, he might be writing the headlines again rather than the want-away Frenchman."

Twitter: @martfisher1

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka: "It's an important game because if we win we can open a big gap at the bottom, but it's a tough league and I'm sure we will be fighting until the end. "The game we played against (West Ham) in London was the game that changed everything. "We arrived after losing against Tottenham and the reaction of the players to that game was really good. From that day we've improved and I hope we can continue to improve."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on Dimitri Payet's future and reports of a bid for Southampton defender Jose Fonte: "His (Payet's) departure is not inevitable. I like to solve situations in-house to protect the team. I said everything then and what has changed now? Nothing. "It is not a good situation for the club, it is not good for football in general. We took our stand very clearly and it stays the same. We aren't going to sell our best players on the cheap just because somebody wants to sign them. "(Fonte is) not having a medical. We are not talking about transfers, we are working on some though. There are one or two players we need; it won't be easy, but we are trying."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Middlesbrough have bolstered their attacking options by signing Patrick Bamford.
A point would probably suit them and the Hammers because it will keep them ticking over.
Prediction: 1-1

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

West Ham have won four of the last five league meetings with Middlesbrough, drawing the other.
There have been only two away wins in the 23 Premier League matches between Middlesbrough and West Ham.

Middlesbrough

Boro have only won one of their last seven league matches, and failed to score in five of them.
They and Hull have failed to score in a joint league-high nine matches overall this season.
Middlesbrough could register three successive goalless draws for the first time in the top flight.
Patrick Bamford scored 19 goals in 44 appearances on loan at Middlesbrough in 2014-15.
West Ham United

The Hammers have earned four wins in six league matches - as many as they managed in the previous 18 attempts.
Michail Antonio has scored or created 11 league goals this season.
Dimitri Payet has created a league-high 74 goalscoring chances this season, 51 more than any other West Ham player.
Since the beginning of last season, West Ham are winless in all six league away matches in which Payet has not played (D3, L3).

SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 33%
Probability of home win: 37% Probability of away win: 30%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.

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Middlesbrough v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Preview Percy

We swear we saw Preview Percy smiling after THAT goal last week. He'll deny it of course. Here's his look at this weekend's visit to Middlesbrough. Extra information provided as ever by www.kickoff.co.uk

Next up its up to the frozen North we go where our opponents will be Middlesbrough. Kick off at the Riverside is 3pm which is ok. Trains in the area should be ok – though there are diversions for East Coast trains via Hartlepool which might have a knock on effect on the connections between Darlington and Middlesbrough. Check before you leave and all that.

So Boro' then. Safe to say that they have been under everyone's radar this season. I mean everyone is sort of vaguely aware of the fact that they are in the Premier League but nobody could tell you precisely where. Until I got the work-experience girl wearing the Chris Rea t-shirt without knowing who he is to do the research I had absolutely no idea of where they were in the league or how they had been getting on. It was as if nothing of interest ever actually happened in their matches and, had they not been Watford's opponents on the weekend that football said farewell to Graham Taylor, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell you who they played last week. The suspicion was that they were just phoning in their results every Saturday evening. For the record it seems that they have actually played 21 matches from which they have gained 20 points. This leaves them in 16th place, four points clear of Palace and Hull in 17th and 18th spot respectively, and another point away from Hull and Swansea who seem to be playing pass the parcel with each other over the bottom two places. Their last two games (away at Watford and at home to Leicester) have finished goalless and the Watford match was their fourth such result this term so maybe it's not surprising I'm struggling to remember their matches - the effects of 8 pints of Byram's Old Peculiar in the Swan and Superinjunction means that I'm usually asleep by the time they turn up on Match Of The Day on a Saturday evening here at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The Bewildered.

In what (outwardly anyway) has been a relatively quiet transfer window so far, Boro' are one of the few clubs that has actually signed anyone, though even that didn't actually make too many headlines. An undisclosed fee (or £6m if you read the papers) was enough for them to obtain French-born Benin striker Rudy Gestede. Gestede marked his debut by breaking a record as the 0-0 draw against Watford (you'd forgotten already, hadn't you?) marked his 32nd consecutive Premier League match without a victory. This seems amazing until you factor in the fact that his previous club was Aston Villa. Those of you who are nervous of our past reputation as sequence-busters might like to look away as I tell you that Gestede is available for selection as he was not selected for the African Cuppasoup for Benin.

At the time of writing Boro' look set to spend another £6m (+£4m in add-ons) on Chelsea Loan FC striker Patrick Bamford. A curious one this. He's been up on Teesside before, becoming their top scorer with 17 goals in the league that season, an effort that gained him the Championship Player Of The Year award. However since then he has played for three different clubs in the Premier League without once troubling the goalscoring statistic monitors. He was supposed to spend 2015-16 at Palace but the loan was cut short after Christmas with a lack of first XI opportunities being cited as the reason. Sometimes that happens because a player can't dislodge someone who is performing well (see Moses/Antonio). However you might recall from last week's preview that Palace are a side for whom strikers simply do not score. In the middle of a goal drought Bamford wasn't considered as an option. With bridges burnt at Palace, Norwich stepped in to take over the loan documents. That spell ended in tears as the Canaries went down. Burnley were next to have a look at the player, signing him up on a season-long deal for the current campaign. However, again chances were few and far between and he was recalled from Turf Moor prematurely as a deal was struck to take him back to Boro'. A (possible) £10m fee seems a lot for someone with his mixed record but should they go down at least they will have someone proven at that level.

Top scorer so far this season is former Man City striker Alvaro Negredo. Negredo is on a season long loan from Valencia and has hit 6 goals in all competitions this term (5 in the league). He also has 21 caps for Spain but with the last one having come back in 2013 it's probably fair to describe him as a "former" Spanish international rather than a current one. He had a spot of bother a season or so ago as he went public on exactly what he thought of the tactics employed by the then Valencia manager Nuno Espirito Santo. My Spanish isn't that hot but reading between the lines I think it translates as "not a lot". Esprito Santo left the player out before he himself got the push. Negredo was welcomed back to the fold by the new boss, a certain Gary Neville. However, Neville's spell at Valencia was not the greatest of times, unless you happen to be one of the many players he's criticised over the years as a Sky pundit of course. Neville went and, at the end of the season, Negredo decided to seek fresh pay packets, I mean challenges, in the Premier League.

At the time of writing the future of Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramierez is less than clear. His injury listing is rather ambiguous – he's listed as having both "no return date" and as a "slight doubt". Given that he wants away from Boro' that probably means that the former applies on Teesside, the latter to any new club that might be interested. The Fray Bentos-born (that's only amusing to those of us of a certain age I suspect) midfielder is another who has had problems with his bosses (I see a theme developing here). He had a bit of a contretemps with the then Southampton manager Ronald Koeman who eventually told him he would never play for Southampton again. They shipped him up to Boro', presumably as some kind of punishment. He spent the last few months of his Saints career up at Boro' as his contract – which he had theatrically torn up in a display of how much he wanted to leave – came to an end. He signed a three year deal with the Smoggies in July but sometime between then and now he changed his mind – possibly they had carefully planned his route to the ground so he didn't see all the chemical works beforehand. It looks like Leicester are favourites to take him off their hands at the moment. He will no doubt have a good time there until someone points out that it was LAST season's league table that they had shown him. In the meantime rumour has it that they will bring in the out of favour Bojan from Stoke as a replacement.

Another who may be on his way is ex-Hammer Stewart Downing. It was alleged that crowd-favourite Downing was at the centre of the storm that saw manager Karnaka take an unscheduled weekend off last season. The full circumstances are not clear but following a team meeting on the Friday the team travelled south to an away fixture at Charlton sans manager. Having lost 2-1 at the Valley a crisis meeting was held between manager and Chairman at which point Kaenaka was put back in charge. Whatever the relationship between Downing and his boss the player has not been a regular starter this season – being on the pitch at the start of only half of their games. Even the simple way out of sending the player out on loan seems to have become complicated though. Allardyces's ears pricked up at the player's possible availability for a move to Selhurst Park, a move that one would have thought would have been right up Downing's street. However, Karanka threw in a "…but you can only go to a Championship club" clause into the deal. Since presumably everyone wants the deal to go through this season rather than next the additional clause would appear to have killed off the potential move at birth. Still Stewart, at least you won't have to spend any time in Croydon.

Elsewhere in the world of football I see that, about 20 years too late, The FA are to consider retrospective bans for diving. Liverpool and Manchester City are said to be getting their lawyers on the case as we speak. Personally I would prefer points deductions to player bans. That would hit the clubs where it hurts. Some clubs are known to drill their players in such "dark arts" or blatant cheating as we should call it. I still recall the depressing sight of a youth team player from one of this country's top clubs being slated by his coach for failing to go down in the box in a youth team match against our kids a few years back. When the player, not unreasonably, pointed out that nobody had touched him the coach reminded him that that was irrelevant and he had been brought up to go down whether or not there had been a foul. "Then it's for the referee to decide". Just suspending players might actually prove popular amongst some of them – Zabaletta is probably even now thinking of how much extra beach time his exploits will be able to earn him from suspensions.

Which brings us on to us. Well as I'm sure you will have read elsewhere the events of the last week or so appeared to unite players and crowd alike. Bilic found his name being sung from early on in the match – something that must have irked his predecessor quite a bit as I don't recall his name being sung in the four years or so he was at the helm – well not without the previous two words being "**** off" anyway. Now we are well used to Allardyce's ability to rewrite history instantly in his post-match musings. However the suggestion that the three goals we scored were "gifted" can't go unchallenged. Goal one owed much to a sublime pass. Yeah Hennessy came rushing out but frankly he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. The third goal was a breakout while his side were trying to undo 80 minutes of not conceding too many (rather than trying to score). And as for that second. Gifted? Yeah right. That goal was simply magnificent and to comment that your team "gave it away" would prompt me to ask which part of Churl it is you actually hail from.

It wasn't all sweetness of course. The first 45 were a bit nervy and, had the second half in any way shape or form resembled the first my 0-0 prediction would have earned me the easiest money I have ever gotten out of Winstone's The Turf Accountants. As it was Slav saw that in typical Allardyce fashion, the visitors had failed to smell the blood that had been let over the preceding week or so and, Tomkins' miss notwithstanding, had clearly come to suck the oxygen out of the place in an attempt to get a point – with the extra two coming as a bonus if they could snatch something on the break. This resulted in something of a midfield stalemate in the first 45 as Carroll held the ball up well but was far too isolated.

The switch to a flat back four was key to the change of fortunes. With Antonio a willing foil, Carroll could afford to come deeper and bring the midfield into the game more. Yes it took us a while to break through but the main point is that we did so. The goal brought confidence flooding back and the final score was justified. In that respect we can be thankful that Palace were thrown up for this particular weekend by the good people at Atos. A team managed by any other manager might have looked at the turmoil and wondered exactly how they could go about making it worse for us. Thankfully the Allardyce preoccupation with starting off with a point makes it difficult to get out of that headspace and when you do have to react it can often be difficult to push up a gear. Good.

Incidentally the next time a Palace supporter bangs on at you about how wonderful their so-called "ultras" are, ask them where all but 7,149 of them were the other night when they played Bolton in the Cup. Yup they found something better to do. On a Tuesday night. In Croydon.

We are down to four on the sicklist. Sakho is listed as 4 March at the moment whilst Masuaku, Tore and, er, Arbeola are all shown as no return date. At least Arbeola has been given the dignity of being given a proper injury next to his listing. Up to now he has been shown as having that "knock" that players seem to pick up all the time now. He's been upgraded to "calf injury" which presumably refers to his leg rather than to any young cattle that he may be looking after at present while he's not playing for us.

Payet? Well that smoke you can smell comes from the bridges that he has burnt over the last week or so. Marseilles have possibly dropped a clanger here you know. Years ago we'd have been had over a barrel as our usual lack of funds that everyone knew about would have found us selling the player for less than his proper value. Now we have a figure in mind and we don't actually NEED to sell. So coming in with a second bid of £1m more than the first was probably not the wisest of moves. I mean at least go up in £5m increments guys if you don't want to annoy us. I suggested that Payet's departure might bring Lanzini out of his shell and, though it's early days, the signs from Saturday were encouraging.

So prediction then. Team spirit is good as is confidence in the camp after a decent win last weekend. This is not an unwinnable match but we need to keep our feet on the ground a bit. They've had trouble scoring this season – only 17 in the league - and they are without a win in a month. I was going to go for a draw but since this paragraph started I have talked myself into throwing caution to the wind and going for an away win like the wild-eyed, devil-may-care life-on-the-edge sort of chap that I am. So the £2.50 that I was going to spend on a taxi to the Eurostar Terminal for Payet will, instead, be placed on a forecast wager of a 2-1 away win down at Winstone's The Turf Accountants – and to hell with the consequences!

Enjoy the game!

When Last We Met At Not The Ayresome Park: Won 2-0 (Championship November 2011) An early goal from Piquionne and a late one from Carlton Cole saw us home despite the handicap of playing against Mike Dean.

Referee: Martin Atkinson. For the last couple of years they have thrown this referee at us like we were some sort of dumping ground. Then we had him at Palace when he managed to send off Cresswell for two non-existent yellows. Had we been able to appeal yellows that would have been another red chalked off against us. After that someone appeared to notice that we had had him more than twice than any other ref in recent seasons so they inflicted him on someone else. Now he's back…

Danger Man Alvaro Negredo – Top scorer in a side that doesn't seem to have too much in the way of goal threat.

Percy's Poser: Last week we asked how bad a dive had to be before a ref will issue the caution one deserves. Congratulations to Mrs Dymphna Fine-Fare for her correct answer which was " if you are wearing a Man City Shirt the question would appear to be irrelevant – the referee will award a penalty anyway". Mrs Fine-Fare wins a leg of lamb supplied by Dicks The Master Butchers. Well done Dymphna.

For this week's poser we look at the Teeside area and ask: If we assume that Chris Rea still lives on Teesside, and that he drives home for Christmas, what time will he have to leave to ensure that he arrives home on Christmas Eve and how bloody early will he be if he starts driving the day they first play that bloody song on the radio every year.

First correct answer out of the digital hat will wear a set of earplugs for use the next time that song comes on the radio.

Good luck!

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It's just not cricket!
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

The Olympic Stadium could be one of the venues used to stage cricket matches at the forthcoming 2019 World Cup, it has been revealed.
And that is because it is one of the few football grounds considered to have a large enough playing surface to host the nation's summer sport. Should the OS be chosen as one of the 2019 venues, it would provide the largest capacity by some margin, with its closest rival like to be Lord's, which can cater for approximately 30,000 fans - around half that of the OS. However any cricket played at the venue would necessitate the overlaying of turf on the running track to produce a circular playing surface - and the installation of a pitch (or) two at the ground's centre.
The ten-team tournament (reduced from 14 in 2011 and 2015) is scheduled to take place between 30 May and 15 July 2019 and is being staged in the UK for the fifth time, following previous tournaments in 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999. Essex County Cricket Club had previously expressed an interest in playing occasional 20/20 fixtures ta the ground, although those plans have never come to fruition.
The current seating configuration at the Olympic Stadium takes in the region of three weeks to either dismantle or reassemble.

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Pollution campaigners claim Olympic Park victory
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

Plans to build up to four new factories on the site of the Olympic Park have been shelved - for now. KUMB revealed last November how residents of Stratford had launched a petition aimed at preventing the erection of four factories adjacent to the Olympic Stadium.
And it was revealed earlier today that the London Legacy Development Corporation had snubbed developers by recommending that the plans be withdrawn. "The LLDC has recommended the applications for the three concrete batching plants and an asphalt plant at Bow East be withdrawn," campaigner Hanan Maayan said. "This is a direct result of our campaign and the pressure that we have put on our representatives and the media for the right to clean air and less noise in East London. "However, the war is not won yet. While this represents an important benchmark and means that the applications in their current state will be probably dropped, the applicants may still re-apply with a different scope. "We will keep our eyes and ears open, stay vigilant, and update on any development that arises."

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Marseille to pull out of Payet race?
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

Marseille are reported to be on the verge of pulling out of the race to sign West Ham United's Dimitri Payet. The 29-year-old has spent the week training at the club's Chadwell Heath base with the Under 23s after effectively going on strike, having refused to feature for the first team again. However his chances of forcing through a move to the Ligue 1 club received a major blow this lunchtime (Friday) when, it was claimed, L'OM informed West Ham they will not be pursuing their interest in Payet again during the current transfer window. That's accoring to journalist Kaveh Solhekol, who claims to have the inside track on the deal. "Marseille are resigned to not signing Dimitri Payet from West Ham during this window," he told SSN. "They do not think it will be possible to sign him during this window and they will be moving on to other targets this month. They have almost given up on signing him this month. "West Ham are demanding £30m and Marseille are not willing to pay more than £25m so is this just a game of poker between the clubs? What I'm being told is they're resigned to not signing him in this window."
Payet, who is currently being paid £125,000 per week to train with Academy staff for two to three hours per day has not featured for West Ham since the 0-5 home defeat against Manchester City earlier this month.

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L'OM lodge third Payet bid
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

No more than an hour after it was claimed Marseille have pulled out of the race to sign Dimitri Payet, news of a fresh bid has emerged...

Whilst Sky Sports' journalist Kaveh Solhekol was busy shring the news that L'OM have declared they are no longer interested in signing Payet during the January transfer window, L'Equipe have countered that information by insisting a new offer has been made.

According to the French source, Marseille have today (Friday) lodged a third bid for the 29-year-old, said to be worth around €30million - considerably higher than their previous offer but still some way short of West Ham's £35million valuation.

And the Ligue 1 club - who have already invested heavily elsewhere during the current transfer window - are reported to have announced that they will enter no further negotiations with West Ham regarding the sale of Payet.

Two previous offers - said to be in the region of £18m and £20m - have both been rejected byu West Ham. Meanwhile Payet, who has indicated that he no longer wishes to play for West Ham continues to train with the Academy staff at Chadwell Heath.

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MIDDLESBROUGH V WEST HAM PREVIEW
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 20 JANUARY 2017 AT 5:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
This is written by @Deportivo Hammer

I love writing these previews after a good performance and 3 more points. Which is exactly what the team gave us last weekend against Palace. With our backs firmly against the wall we came out fighting and put as good a performance as we have seen all season. Not only did we see a magnificent goal from Andy Carroll, but I loved seeing Manuel Lanzini running through on goal and rounding off a great day with a superb finish. Lets hope for more of the same tomorrow afternoon up North.

Middlesbrough are struggling this year as most newly promoted teams do. With only 17 goals scored this year they need to find a better way of finding the net and bringing back striker Patrick Bamford who made his name at Boro while on loan a couple of seasons ago. He joins Rudy Gestede who joined from Aston Villa earlier this month. At the back though they are doing well and have one of the best defences in the league. They are at the wrong end of the table in 16th place, 4 points away from the relegation zone. But they are only 5 points away from The Hammers up in 12th.

West Ham United have jumped up the table thanks to the victory against Big Sams Palace and if you look at our last 6 games we have won 4 from our last 6 which is pretty good form at the moment. We have drawn only 4 games this year where as last year we seemed to have drawn alot of games so maybe this is the time to go on a consistent run and go some games without defeat and climb into the top 10 of the table and take a lot of pressure off of Bilic.

Earlier this season we managed to fight back from a goal down at the London Stadium, thanks to a good goal from a Frenchman whose name escapes me now. But I do fancy our chances of getting a positive result against a team who have not found the net in 5 of their last 7 games.

Team news for Middlesbrough is obviously the two new strikers available for Karanka but also Daniel Ayala misses out due to suspension while Antonio Barragan and Gaston Ramierez are out injured.

West Ham United have the usual suspects out, Diafra Sakho and Gokhan Tore while Andy Carroll hopes to be fit after a whiplash injury received during the Palace game. Winston Reid, Sofiane Feghouli and Sam Byram have sat out of training due to small knocks, but all should be available for the visit to the Riverside Stadium. Cheikhou Kouyate and Andre Ayew are still on international duty.

Predicted Line Ups :

Middlesbrough : Valdes, Espinosa, Chambers, Gibson, Da Silva, Friend, De Roon, Leadbitter, Forshaw, Negredo, Bamford.

West Ham United : Randolph, Byram, Reid, Collins, Cresswell, Feghouli, Noble, Obiang, Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll

I am hoping that Bilic keeps with the formation and personnel that impressed during the 2nd half of our previous game.That we also really take the game to an organised, but limited Middlesbrough team. I can only predict a win for us and think it will be a comfortable 0-2 victory. Antonio and Cresswell getting the goals. There are lots of reports of Fonte and Hogan joining us soon but I try not to get excited till people sign on the bottom line. At the moment it seems our want away midfielder will not be joining anyone just yet, so expect more drama regarding him until window closes.

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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: FONTE FEE AGREED, FEGHOULI WANTS TO STAY, PAYET'S CAR VANDALISED, CALLERI ON HIS WAY OUT
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 20 JANUARY 2017 AT 1:06PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Good afternoon Hammers, here is Friday's lunchtime round up.

AC Milan star M'Baye Niang is not interested in a move to West Ham or Manchester United. (Talksport)

Never heard of him, not interested in this one. Stick to Hogan.

Andre Gray has ruled out a move to West Ham, and says he is happy at Burnley. (Express)

He is another one who doesn't interest me. I don't think he is as good as what he is being made out to be.

Dimitri Payet's car has been vandalised outside his home. (Mirror)

He has done wrong, but this is too far. He wants to leave but he shouldn't have to face stuff like this from our fans.

West Ham have agreed a fee of £8m for Southampton captain Jose Fonte and are now closing in on the signing of the defender. (Teamtalk)

A great signing. He will make our defence a lot more solid alongside Winston Reid.

Sofiane Feghouli says he is happy at West Ham and wants to stay at the club. (HITC)

I'm happy that he is starting to find his feet in England. He has proved to be a good player for the team in his last few games for us.

Jonathan Calleri is set to leave West Ham and sign for Las Palmas. (Talksport)

He won't be missed by many in my opinion. A poor signing from the start, and we need to avoid these signings in the future.

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Ayew contracts Malaria
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

Andre Ayew's contribution to the African Cup of Nations could be over - after he was suspected of contracting Malaria. The Hammers forward, who is currently representing Ghana at the AFCON tournament is almost certainly out of this weekend's clash with Mali as a result of the illness. The news was confirmed by Black Stars boss Avram Grant, the former West Ham United boss, who addressed the press during a conference. "He wasn't feeling good on Wednesday or this morning as well," Grant told the media. "But we have our last training on Friday evening to take a final decision on him."
Meanwhile 61-year-old Grant, who spent one season at West Ham (2010/11) has hinted that he will step down as Ghana's coach at the end of the tournament.
"I came for two years in Ghana, we extended to two years and three months because we qualified for the Nations Cup," he told the BBC. "I will always take good memories from here, but hopefully the last memory will be the best one." Ghana currently top Group D of the competition having beaten Uganda 1-0 in their opening fixture - the only goal coming from Ayew via the penalty spot.

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Fonte completes medical
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United are on the verge of completing the capture of Jose Fonte from Southampton. According to reports, the 33-year-old Portuguese international completed a medical this afternoon (Friday) and will be announced as a Hammer within a matter of hours. Fonte, who had 18 months left to run on his existing contract at St Mary's is set to cost the Hammers in the region of £8m with add-ons. He is unlikely to be available for tomorrow trip to Middlesbrough.

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Jose Fonte completes West Ham medical ahead of £8m move - Sky sources
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 20/01/17 6:38pm
SSN

Southampton defender Jose Fonte has completed a medical at West Ham ahead of a planned move to the London club, Sky sources understand. Sky Sports News HQ reported on Thursday that Southampton and West Ham were in talks over the move, with an £8m fee being agreed. Southampton manager Claude Puel confirmed earlier this week that Fonte had "different possibilities" regarding a transfer, and it now appears that he has chosen a move to the London Stadium.
The Saints captain informed the club that he wanted to leave in the first week of the transfer window and he was forced to clarify on social media reports that he had rejected a new deal. He said: "Just to set the record straight I did not reject a new contract. In fact, I have been informed by Southampton that they are not offering me a new contract."
Liverpool were also reported to be interested in Fonte but Sky sources ruled the Reds out of the running earlier in the window. Fonte has made over 280 appearances for the South Coast club, but he hasn't been included in the squad since requesting a transfer.

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Marseille make new €30m offer for Dimitri Payet
http://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/

West Ham United have received a brand new offer from Marseille worth €30m for French international Dimitri Payet, according to L'Équipe. Will this be enough to convince the Premier League side? Not certain. West Ham were previously demanding €35m. Marseille remain deep in negotiations to bring Payet home, contrary to reports emanating from the other side of the Channel that suggested that OM were resigned to not signing the French international this month. Not a single Marseille representative when approached by the French media outlet said that negotiations had stopped for the moment. This is however likely to be Marseille's final offer for Payet, and if it is not accepted, they will very likely move on. OM have already began activating talks for other targets in the meantime.

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Marseille table new £26m bid for Dimitri Payet: West Ham to make decision
MARSEILLE have made an improved £26m bid for Dimitri Payet, according to reports.
By Luke Gardener / Published 20th January 2017
Daily Star

L'Equipe claim the Hammers want £30m for the France ace but Marseille will struggle to meet them demands. Payet has made it clear he wants to leave West Ham but Slaven Bilic will not sell his star man on the cheap. The new bid was tabled today amid reports suggesting Marseille had pulled the plug on chasing the 29-year-old. Yesterday Bilic made clear what he expected from Marseille if they want to complete the signing of Payet. He said: "The ball is in their court. They are the ones who expressed interest. Now they should act. "I don't talk about numbers. All I'm saying is we were very firm, we know the market, we know how good or great he is as a player. Like everybody he has his price. "Dimi took his stance clearly. We took our stand very clearly and it stays the same, we are not going to sell our best players on the cheap just because someone wants to sign them or even because they want to go home."

West Ham bought Payet for £10.7m in 2015 from Marseille. The midfield maestro has made 18 Premier League appearances this season, scoring twice and providing seven assists. But since the news became public that he wanted to leave the London Stadium, Payet has been training with the Under-23 squad.

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Middlesbrough v West Ham United preview: Patrick Bamford in line for debut
Last Updated: 20/01/17 10:47am
Daily Mail

Middlesbrough could hand Patrick Bamford his second debut when they host West Ham United on Saturday. Boro, who have the fourth best defence in the Premier League but have scored just 17 goals - a league low - have struggled to find the balance between attack and defence. However, they are four points above the relegation zone and have won three of their last six home Premier League matches.
West Ham, who are in the midst of a transfer saga involving Dimitri Payet, are 10 points worse off than at this stage last season.
Slaven Bilic's side were dropping towards the bottom three after a run of three straight league defeats, but last weekend's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace has eased some of the pressure on the former Croatia boss.

Team news

Bamford, who scored 19 times in 44 appearances on loan for the club during the 2014-15 season, has played little football in the last 18 months after making temporary moves to Crystal Palace, Norwich and Burnley and is likely to be involved only as a substitute. Daniel Ayala sits out the second game of his three-match ban, while fellow defender Antonio Barragan (hamstring) and midfielder Gaston Ramirez (knee) remain on the sidelines.

West Ham striker Andy Carroll hopes to shake off a neck injury in time to make the trip. Defenders Winston Reid and Sam Byram and winger Sofiane Feghouli have also sat out training this week with knocks, but Bilic expects all four players to be available.
Payet will not be in the squad as he is reportedly linked with a move to Marseille.

Opta stats

Boro are winless in their last eight league meetings with West Ham (D3 L5), including two games in the Championship in 2011-12.

West Ham have only won one of their 11 Premier League trips to the Riverside Stadium (D2 L8), winning 2-1 in December 2007.

Middlesbrough have never failed to score in any of their 11 Premier League home games against West Ham.

In fact, Middlesbrough are the only side West Ham have visited at least 10 times without keeping a clean sheet in the Premier League.

The Hammers have won four of their last six Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 18 matches.

Merson's prediction

For 70 minutes against Palace, West Ham weren't very good. Then they got the first goal and the confidence flooded back into Bilic's side. However, Boro are very tight at home and don't let in a lot of goals. They are very hard to beat in front of their own fans.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0 (11/2 with Sky Bet)

Betting

Middlesbrough are 11/8 favourites as they play host to West Ham on Saturday. The visiting Hammers are 21/10 for the victory, while Sky Bet offer 11/5 against the draw. Boro are 11/2 to pick up their second 1-0 victory of the season, while the correct score betting is topped by 1-1 at 9/2.

The hosts' Alvaro Negredo heads the first goalscorer odds at 5/1 and he's closely followed in the betting by team-mate Rudy Gestede and West Ham's Carroll, who are both 11/2.

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Dimitri Payet transfer saga takes fresh twist as West Ham consider complaint to FIFA over Marseille 'tapping up'
The Hammers believe that the Ligue 1 club are to blame for turning the 29-year-old's head in recent weeks
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
09:20, 20 JAN 2017UPDATED09:40, 20 JAN 2017

West Ham are considering a complaint to FIFA over Marseille's pursuit of Dimitri Payet . The France playmaker, 29, has been vilified by fans for refusing to play or train since becoming aware of his former club's determination to re-sign him. Claims that Payet's car and home have been vandalised by angry fans are being investigated but have not yet been verified by the Hammers.But as the increasingly acrimonious affair takes another twist, the club believe the whole controversy has arisen from th e manner in which Marseille have gone about their business. Marseille, sixth in the French top division, have already made two offers for Payet but both have been way below West Ham's £30million valuation. The French club, however, are believed already to have made contact with Payet's camp behind West Ham's backs, to make him aware that they want him. The club were bought by American businessman Frank McCourt in October. He has pledged to lift them to the top of Ligue 1 and to make them a force once more in Europe. He is understood to have be ready to invest substantial funds into reaching his goal and, despite the insistence that Payet would be taking a pay cut, there is understood to be a lucrative deal on the table for him.Payet's camp continue to maintain he wants to return to France for family reasons. Claims that Payet's wife, Ludivine, has already left however have also been dismissed by West Ham.

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