Fonte - We didn't deserve late disappointment
WHUFC.com
Jose Fonte admitted that Saturday's 2-2 draw with West Brom at London Stadium was tough to take after West Ham had come from behind to deservedly lead with just seconds remaining. Jonny Evans' late, late equaliser was a huge blow for Slaven Bilic's men after goals from Sofiane Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini had wiped out Nacer Chadli's early strike. With the Hammers also on the receiving end of some controversial decisions from referee Michael Oliver and his assistants, recent arrival Fonte said the feeling at the final whistle was one of severe frustration. "We are disappointed in the dressing-room obviously," he said. "It was tough to take, we didn't deserve it at all. "Even when we conceded so early in the first half, I thought we showed personality and belief in how we wanted to play. We created many chances, got back in the game and were 2-1 up in the last minute. "We are also disappointed with some decisions that went against us, but if we keep playing like this, then we will win more often than not. We need to keep believing in what we are doing."
With a two-week break before the next Premier League encounter, at Watford on February 25, Fonte and his team-mates will head to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp and the Portuguese international sees it as the perfect opportunity to recharge the batteries ahead of the final run-in. "Exactly that," he said. "It's time to get some Vitamin D, we are going away as a squad and hopefully we will come back stronger."
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Dagenham action in the Premier League Cup
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U23s are back in action on Monday night in the Premier League Cup
They host Nottingham Forest at Dagenham and Redbridge's Chigwell Construction Stadium
The hosts could secure their place in the knockout rounds of the competition
Hammers fans have the opportunity to support the Club's U23 side on Monday night at Dagenham and Redbridge's Chigwell Construction Stadium in the Premier League Cup. Terry Westley's team – current holders of the competition – entertain Nottingham Forest knowing a win would seal their place in the knockout rounds of the competition. Monday's hosts were 2-1 winners, thanks to goals from Jahmal Hector-Ingram and Marcus Browne, when they travelled to Nottinghamshire earlier this season. And after Thursday's 2-2 draw with Leicester City in the tournament, boss Westley hopes a big crowd will be in attendance at Victoria Road to cheer the side onto progression to the last-16. He said: "We got a good point against Leicester and because of that, they didn't get any closer to us in Group E.
"After that game, our attentions turned to Monday when we take on Nottingham Forest in this competition. "It's a good opportunity for us [as we won the competition last season]. A win last week would have probably guaranteed our place in the last-16, but hopefully we can now do that against Forest."
Last season's side, led by influential skipper Reece Oxford, beat Hull City over home and away legs in the final, which included a nerve-wracking penalty shooout, to clinch the trophy. And this season's starlet, Domingos Quina, believes his side can go all the way once again. "I reckon we can do it and reach where the team did last season. I wasn't involved last year, but I feel we can do it again and hit those heights. "We need to keep working hard in every game and build confidence and work in training and we'll have the chance."
West Ham United Season Ticket Holders can enjoy proceedings at the Chigwell Construction Stadium for free, while adults and concessions are priced at £5 and £3 respectively.
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From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
It is bitterly disappointing to be reflecting on a draw rather than a victory against West Brom. Not only were we so close to winning, but we also fully deserved the three points. Our performance overall was excellent – even West Brom's directors told me in the second half that we were the best side they have played all season. A mixture of bad fortune and poor decisions cost us dearly, and it will be interesting to see what some of the pundits say about the key incidents that counted against us. It wasn't a great start to the afternoon, with the loss of Andy Carroll through injury beforehand and then conceding an early goal, but I was hugely impressed with the way both the players and the fans responded so positively. The second half performance was dominant, against a very efficient and well-organised West Brom side, and the atmosphere was magnificent – there was a real sense of the fans spurring on the players. Sofiane Feghouli showed great opportunism to follow-up the rebound from Manuel Lanzini's fantastic effort, and then when Manu fired in the second goal we again heard that fantastic roar around the stadium. I thought Lanzini was excellent. Although it was a real team performance, his display had great impact and influence on the game and, along with Slaven and the other players, he didn't deserve to end up with anything less than a victory. Although conceding a last-minute equaliser in that fashion can almost feel like a defeat at the time, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is another point on the board, and a run of six wins and a draw from our last 10 league matches is genuine cause for optimism. The players have shown on several occasions this season that they are capable of bouncing back when the going gets tough, and we have made enormous progress since the early part of the season.
With a two-week break until our next game, the squad are flying to Dubai this week for a warm-weather training camp. It is an important trip that will provide the opportunity for the players to work hard in beneficial conditions, and I am sure they will come back refreshed, re-energised and ready for the Premier League run-in. Before then, we will welcome thousands of Season Ticket Holders to London Stadium on Wednesday for the free Family Fun Day during half-term week. I hope everyone who attends has a great day and enjoys the various events that are taking place. Despite the late sucker-punch today, I really felt the stadium was alive. The supporters were fantastic – it was great to see more flags decorating the stands following the recent new initiative, and we can look forward to the final third of the season with great hope as we aim to finish as high up the table as possible.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman
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Ferdinand in hot water with Millwall fans
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 12th February 2017
By: Staff Writer
Southend United defender Anton Ferdinand almost caused a mini-riot at the New Den yesterday when he greeted Millwall's fans with a traditional West Ham salute.
Ferdinand - who was the target of some dreadful abuse from the home fans as a result of his affiliation with West Ham - was booked by referee Andre Marriner at the end of the game after he approached the away fans and crossed his arms to mimic West Ham's 'Irons' sign. The central defender had spoken earlier in the week about the hostile welcome he expected to receive as a former Hammer. "I'm a West Ham fan and former player who is now with Southend so I'm sure I'll get a few jeers," he told the Echo. The 1-0 reversal (the 'highlights' of which you may see above) was only Southend's second defeat in their last 18 games and leaves them two places behind Millwall in League One in eighth place.
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"The referee was very, very bad!" Slaven Bilic explains his sending off… for slamming TV mic into the ground
The West Ham boss was visibly angered after his side blew their lead in the dying moments of the game against West Brom
The Mirror
BYAARON FLANAGAN
12:49, 12 FEB 2017UPDATED12:50, 12 FEB 2017
Slaven Bilic has described referee Michael Oliver as "very, very bad" after he was sent to the stands during West Ham's draw with West Brom. Bilic was given his marching orders are throwing a TV microphone in frustration after the Baggies netted a stoppage time equaliser at the London Stadium. His assistant, Nikola Jurcevic, was banished from the sidelines earlier in the game following a first-half rant. West Ham were left furious with the match officials after a string of decisions went against the Hammers throughout the match. They felt Chris Brunt had fouled Sofiane Feghouli in the build-up to the visitor's opening goal, before feeling the decision to rule our a Feghouli strike for offside was incorrect. "We are disappointed and frustrated," Bilic told Sky Sports. "It is not easy to turn the game around against a team like this, but we did that. "To concede like this [in stoppage-time], especially after everything that has happened in the game with decisions, it is very, very frustrating. "The big decisions went against us, all of them. It is hard for referees, I know, but in such an important game, when you are on the wrong side of all the decisions, it makes you very, very angry. "It is nothing personal, but the referee was very, very bad."
Feghouli and Manuel Lanzini scored in the second half to give West Ham a 2-1 lead, but Jonny Evans' header deep into the additional minutes ensured the spoils were shared. As the Baggies celebrated, fuming Bilic launched a touchline microphone into the air in anger, resulting in his removal from the technical area.
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West Ham eye move for Pablo Zabaleta if Manchester City fail to offer defender new deal
The Argentinian's contract expires this summer and the Hammers could move for him and his City team-mate Bacary Sagna
The Mirror
BYNEIL MOXLEY
West Ham will step in and offer Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta a new home at the Olympic Stadium – if no contract offer is forthcoming from Manchester City .
The Hammers have been alerted to the potential availability of the duo as their contract negotiations at the Etihad have hit the buffers. Both players might be the wrong side of 30, but West Ham have the trump card of a base in the capital that will appeal to the defenders. City boss Pep Guardiola has challenged the pair to prove themselves flexible enough to warrant fresh deals. But so far there has been little movement and Slaven Bilic could use both full-backs in his defence.
And the fact they are available on free transfers would enable the club to get near their sky-high wages at the Etihad. Hammers boss Bilic has been rocked by a long-term injury to Sam Byram and needs cover on the right-hand side of his defence. As he has played a three-man rearguard in past weeks, he would be able to accommodate Sagna and Zabaleta – despite the fact they have been rivals for the right-back berth in Manchester.
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David Sullivan hoping that Andy Carroll is NOT called up by England for Germany friendly next month
The Three Lions travel to Germany in March and the Hammers co-owner is crossing his fingers that the 28-year-old does not make the cut
The Mirror
BYTOM HOPKINSON
22:30, 11 FEB 2017
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is praying striker Andy Carroll is NOT called up by England next month. The big Geordie has been in great form in recent weeks with four Premier League goals in as many games and his stunning scissor-kick against Crystal Palace was voted Goal of the Month for January. England boss Gareth Southgate saw West Ham's 2-2 draw with West Brom yesterday, but Carroll, 28, had to miss the game after suffering from a groin injury. Sullivan said: "Andy has been in great form for us. "His goals and all-round contribution to the team have been invaluable. "There's been talk of him being called up by England again, but I'm going to be politically incorrect and say I hope he isn't included. "It is important that Andy gets good rest periods in between his games for West Ham."
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Robert Snodgrass says West Ham teammate is a game changer
HITC
Antony Martin
@antonymmartin84
West Ham United have managed to turn their season around in recent weeks. When speaking to reporters, Hammers new-boy Robert Snodgrass raved about the ability of teammate Manuel Lanzini, labelling the diminutive Argentine a game changer, as quoted by the club's official website. The 23-year-old playmaker scored what looked to be the winning goal against West Bromwich Albion yesterday, before Jonny Evans' stoppage time equaliser left the East Londoners disappointed.
And Snodgrass, who moved to West Ham during the latter stages of the January transfer window, hailed Lanzini's quality, whilst highlighting the need to get him on the ball in advanced areas more regularly, as quoted by WHUFC.com: "Lanzini is terrific and he's a game changer. We need to always get him on the ball in those areas and let him do what he does best and that's making those moments of magic like that." The Argentine moved to West Ham in the summer, for a fee believed to be in the region of £9 million, having spent the previous season on loan with the club, and has scored 11 goals in 48 appearances for the Hammers.
He has flourished since the departure of Dimitri Payet, and seems to be relishing his new-found role of West Ham's go-to man. And if Slaven Bilic's men are to continue their surge up the Premier League table, they will need Lanzini to maintain his high performance levels for the remainder of the campaign.
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Ajax defender Joel Veltman produces the most unsportsmanlike move of all time
12 FEBRUARY 2017 • 6:58PM
Ajax's Joel Veltman has taken gamesmanship to the brink of acceptability.
The Telepgraph
The issue of whether play should be stopped to allow an injured player to receive treatment has long been contested, but the 25-year-old defender used the confusion to his own benefit on Sunday afternoon. The Dutch centre-back was rumoured to be a January transfer target for Arsenal and West Ham, but it's unlikely his epic display of skullduggery would go down well in the Premier League. With Ajax sitting comfortably on a 2-0 lead over 16th placed Sparta Rotterdam, Veltman received the ball on the right wing with his opposite number closing him down fast.
Telegraph Football ✔ @TeleFootball
Sportsmanship is dead in Holland
6:12 PM - 12 Feb 2017
1,133 1,133 Retweets 1,075 1,075 likes
The 25-year-old defender controls the ball before acknowledging his own teammate, Bertrand Traore, who is clutching his leg and apparently in some pain.
Veltman appealed for play to be stopped, raising his hand and momentarily pausing before galloping down the right wing to the bemusement of Sparta Rotterdam.
Ajax were expected to make light work of Sparta Rotterdam, but the visitors frustrated the hosts in the early stages. Bertrand Traore, who was making his comeback from injury in the game, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time. Four minutes into the second half Ajax doubled their lead with Hakim Ziyech tricking his way to the byline before finding Kasper Dolberg for a tap-in.
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