Daily WHUFC News - 15th February 2017

Noble - I want to end my career here
WHUFC.com

Captain Mark Noble wants to end his playing career with West Ham United
Midfielder has made 394 first-team appearances since debuting at the age of
17 in 2004
The 29-year-old Academy of Football graduate has a contract until summer
2021

Mark Noble wants to end his playing career with West Ham United. The Academy
of Football graduate, longest-serving player and captain is closing in on
400 appearances in Claret and Blue and will become just the 19th player in
Hammers history to pass the landmark.
The two-time Hammer of the Year turns 30 in May, nearly 13 years after
making his debut as a fresh-faced teenager in October 2004, and is one of a
rapidly dying breed of one-club men plying their trade in the Premier
League. Born in Canning Town into a family of West Ham fans, Noble was
appointed captain of his boyhood club in August 2016, completing an amazing
personal journey that shows no sign of ending in the near future. "To me,
looking at myself at the age of nearly 30, I've still got a contract until
I'm 33 and thinking about playing for another football club would be funny –
I think Steven Gerrard said that as well," said the married father-of-two,
who is looking forward to welcoming 8,500 fans to London Stadium for a
bumper free half-term Family Fun Day on Wednesday. "Walking around the
place, I know all the coaches at Under-7, Under-8 and Under-9 level,
sometimes I go and watch the youngsters train and I feel like I've been
there and done it myself, coming up through the ranks with the Club. "I've
managed to captain this fantastic Club, which is something very few players
get to do, captaining the club they support, so it's a major honour for me.
I don't think I'll appreciate it fully since I stop playing. "There aren't
many of us now, because football is forever changing, managers change and
obviously relegation battles mean players move on, so I think it would be
very hard for players now to keep in the team they support and stay there
after coming through the Academy. I can't see it happening. "I would like to
finish my career here, that's what I've always thought. I can't see myself
playing for another football team, but football is such a changing world so
you can't ever tell what's going to happen next season. "As I said, I've got
three years left on my deal here and I'm not sure my body will let me go far
past the age of 33, to be honest!"

Noble will get the chance to rest and recover his tired limbs when West Ham
fly to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp later this week. There, the
squad will recharge in temperatures of around 80 degrees, refreshing bodies
and minds for the final 13 games of the Premier League season. So, what are
the skipper's targets for the remainder of 2016/17? "Do you know what? After
what happened with the big move and winning our first game against
Bournemouth at home, it's been tough, I'm not going to lie to you," said
Noble, with typical honesty. "It's been a tough season with ups and downs
but we're tenth in the league now and our form over the last couple of
months has been fantastic, so we're looking up, to be honest. "We just want
to finish with many points as we can, and obviously it would be nice to
reach that 40-point mark as soon as possible, then we can really push on."

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Powell - Pre-match talk helped us
WHUFC.com

Joe Powell scored twice as West Ham United PL2 beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in
the Premier League Cup
The Hammers made it through to the knockout phase our the competition with
victory
Powell said Terry Westley's pre-match team talk helped the side take all
three points

Joe Powell said the pre-match team talk was a key factor as West Ham United
U23s comfortably beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League Cup. The
victory means the Hammers have made it through to the knockout phase with
one game to spare in Group E. Powell score twice and the victory was given
extra gloss in the dying embers when January signing Nathan Holland raced
through to score. "We had quite strict words before the game," said Powell.
"Be aggressive, get tackles in and win headers. Everyone went out and per
formed the way we expected and we're very happy. "In the last two or three
games, we've conceded needless goals so he [Terry] is definitely buzzing off
that [a clean sheet]."

Powell has predominantly played for the U18s this season but has recently
started a few games for the U23s and impressed. The forward role is unusual
for the 18-year-old because he has only played across the midfield for the
U18s this year, but Powell has warmed to his new advanced position, scoring
his first and second U23 goals in the win over Forest. "The header just came
over and I thought to just stick my head on it and to try and get something
on it," added Powell. "I don't want to blow my own trumpet but it was a
great finish to get it back across goal and over the keeper. "I said to Kyle
[Knoyle] before the game that I was coming to feet a lot more in the
previous game so I told him that I was going to try and get in the box a bit
more. Luckily he found me and we got the goal.
"I said to the boys after the game he [Fred Nielsen] was always going to
make a mistake. Sometimes in them situations, when you have the most time,
it's harder because you have so many things running through your mind. But I
put it underneath the keeper because he's quite big."

The Hammers are back in action on Monday 20 February for the first time at
London Stadium, in a Premier League 2 match with Fulham. Ticket information
can be found here.

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The Big Interview - Arthur Masuaku
WHUFC.com

Arthur Masuaku is ready to get his career back on track at West Ham United
and has vowed to show his best form for the Club in the final few months of
the season. Masuaku has only played six Premier League games for the Hammers
following his £6million move from Olympiacos during the summer after he
suffered knee ligament damage during the 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley in
the EFL Cup back in September. But the French defender has now made a full
recovery and is back training with the first-team squad. The 23-year-old is
now hoping to put himself in contention for the next game against Watford
and wants to repay the faith that Slaven Bilic has shown in him....

Arthur, how frustrating has it been for you following the serious knee
injury you sustained at the start of the season and when do you hope to be
back in action?

AM: "The injury is much better now. I was out for a while with knee ligament
damage and it was my first serious injury so it was a tough time for me. You
have to wait for the ligaments to heal and it was very frustrating. "You can
run and can do everything but no work with the ball so it was hard at the
time. "I tried to stay strong and to stay positive. I feel much better now
and am back training with the first-team."

How much praise have you got for the medical team and the way they have
helped you regain full fitness?

AM: "I have got a lot of praise for the medical team. They helped me stay
positive because sometimes it was very hard for me. "When you are injured it
can be so hard because you are not able to help the team. But I want to
thank Stijn (Vandenbroucke), Eamon (Swift), Fraser (Young) and everyone in
the team for their help."

Do you feel you have come back a much stronger player following the
frustrating times you had on the sidelines?

AM: "I am much better in my head now because you come back a lot stronger
mentally. You want to be stronger than what you were before and I feel that
way. "I feel fit now and I want to help the team in the future."

You are certainly coming back into the first-team at a good time with the
recent good run of form. How excited are you to be playing when the team are
producing their best form?

AM: "It is much better than before. The team has a lot more confidence and
we are playing a lot better. It is always a pleasure to play when the team
is doing well.
"I think we have more confidence and we trust each other. We were unlucky in
recent games and we are now playing great football."

What have you made of the recent new signings and how much quality will they
bring to the squad?

AM: "They are two very good players and both of them are very strong. I have
seen Fonte play for a long time with the Portugal national team. "I can also
see that Robert has a very good left foot and he is going to be a very good
player for West Ham."

Do you relish the competition with Aaron Cresswell for the left back
position and how much does that improve your own game?

AM: "For me it is not about competition. Aaron is a very good player and we
are just here to play our football and help the team. "I want us to play the
best that we can play and I don't see Aaron as a rival. He is my team-mate
and we are all here to help each other."

The team are flying out to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp. How much
will this benefit the team and improve the spirit in the squad even more?

AM: "It is good for everyone because we can go there and clear our minds.
Dubai has good weather and we can come back even stronger for the next game
against Watford. "It can only bring us closer together because we will be
spending every day together and I think we will get a lot from the trip."

Before the trip, the Club will be hosting a Family Fun Day at London
Stadium. How much are you looking forward to that and getting the chance to
meet a number of the fans?

AM: "It is nice for the fans and nice for the players because we can show
them what we do and can make them happy. We are going to spend some good
time with them."

What are your aims and targets for the rest of the season?

AM: "I want to come back stronger and to play in more games. This is the
first time since I played football that I have been out for almost four or
five months.
"I just want to play football and do the best I can."

How pleased have you been to Sofiane Feghouli back in the starting line-up
and getting among the goals in recent games?

AM: "I am so happy for Sofiane and he is really enjoying his football now.
The most important thing for him was to get fit because he was not playing
at the beginning. "I am very happy for him because he is a nice guy and a
very good player. He is helping the team a lot at this moment."

You still feel that you have yet to show your best form West Ham United. How
confident are you that will happen in the coming weeks and months?

AM: "I hope that I can show my best form to the fans now. This is my
target."

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Hammers through to last 16
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 14th February 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's Under 23s are through to the last 16 of the Premier League Cup
after beating Nottingham Forest at Victoria Road last night.

A brace from Joe Powell and a second goal in claret and blue for recent
arrival Nathan Holland secured passage to the next round for Terry Westley's
side, whilst simultaneously ending Forest's hopes of progressing in the
competition.

Having seen an early penalty claim for the visitors waved away and Josh Pask
- who was treated on the field for several minutes - stretchered off, West
Ham took the lead 11 minutes ahead of the half time interval when Powell's
header - from a Kyle Knoyle centre - opened the scoring.

And West Ham found themselves two ahead a matter of minutes later as Powell
stole in to intercept Fred Nielsen's under-hit back pass before slotting the
ball beyond 'keeper Jordan Wright.

Although both sides enjoyed numerous chances to score after the break, it
wasn't until the final minute of normal time that West Ham added a third
following a clever one-two between Djair Parfitt-Williams snd Holland, which
the latter finished with aplomb.

The win means West Ham remain second in qualifying Group E; a win at
Brighton in their final match of the current stage would ensure the Hammers
qualify for the next stage as group winners.

Group E current standings
(Format: W-D-L Pts)

1, Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0-1 12
2. West Ham Utd 3-1-1 10
3. Nottingham Forest 1-1-3 4
4. Leicester City 0-2-3 2

Remaining matches: Monday, 27 February - Nottingham Forest vs Leicester
City; Brighton & Hove ALvbion vs West Ham Utd.

West Ham Utd: Trott, Knoyle, Pask (Akinola 23), Rice, Neufville, Makasi,
Quina, Kemp (Sylvestre 63'), Diangana, Holland, Powell (Parfitt-Williams
78).

Subs not used: Matrevics, Hector-Ingram.

Goals: Powell (34, 40), Holland (89).

Booked: Kemp, Quina.

Nottingham Forest: J.Wright, Charlesworth, Crookes, Edser, Nielsen,
Iacovitti, Otim (Johnson 78), Coleman (Taylor 78), A.Smith, Pereira, Thorne
(McClean 61).

Subs not used: Marques, Re.

Booked: Otim, Edser.

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No autographs for young Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 14th February 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham supporters intending to visit tomorrow's 'Family Fun Day' at the
Olympic Stadium are reminded that there will be no opportunity for young
fans to obtain players' autographs.

With West Ham claiming that "up to 10,000 supporters will descend" upon the
venue on Wednesday morning, the club have taken the decision to announce
that "due to the large number of supporters" expected to attend, "players
won't be able to sign individual autographs on the day".

News of the club's decision has met with a rather cool reception on social
media, examples of which you may see below.

Although there will be no opportunity for young fans to obtain autographs,
there will however be a large Fan Zone (complete with various inflatables),
face painting and a penalty shootout competition on site.

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West Ham's Andy Carroll 'without question' benefiting from yoga, says expert
Sharon Heidaripour
By Dev Trehan
Last Updated: 13/02/17 10:06pm
SSN

Andy Carroll's prolific recent form shows he is reaping the benefits of
practising yoga, says expert Sharon Heidaripour. Carroll, 28, has been
practising the ancient Indian discipline in recent years as he bids to
sustain fitness and get back to his goalscoring best after a number of
different injury setbacks during his career. The striker missed West Ham's
2-2 draw with West Brom at the weekend, but had been in blistering form
since returning from a knee injury at the end of last year, scoring four
goals in four matches, including January's Goal of the Month for his
spectacular effort against Crystal Palace last month. "Absolutely without
question Andy Carroll is reaping the benefits of yoga," football yoga guru
Heidaripour told Sky Sports. "I know he's been doing it for a few years now
because he posted that photo of himself doing yoga on the beach in Dubai in
2014. "You only need to look at his posture for that scissor kick he scored
against Palace. Normally when a player tries to score a goal like that, the
knee on the player's standing leg bends due to a lack of flexibility in the
hamstring. "But the fact that he could keep his standing leg so straight
while executing that goal demonstrates how good his hamstring flexibility
is. "If the hamstring is tight, the knee will automatically bend because the
straighter, the leg the greater the stretch on the hamstring. "But in
general, footballers practising yoga is growing."

Heidaripour was a right winger for Swedish Damallsvenskan side Jitex before
training as a sports therapist after her football career was cut short due
to a series of knee injuries. She spent eight years working at the academies
of Arsenal and Chelsea, and four years working with FIFA referees at
tournaments including the 2015 Women's World Cup and the football
competition at the London 2012 Olympics. After doing a master's degree in
football rehabilitation, Heidaripour undertook a yoga teaching qualification
in Mexico and now delivers football-specific yoga sessions to a host of
professional players and clubs. "I've been practising yoga religiously for
well over a decade now and I am very much a believer in the whole yogic,
holistic lifestyle," the football yogini added. "Some of the injured players
I have done yoga with have returned to action months ahead of schedule but
of equal importance is the fact that yoga helps to prevent injury. "The link
between yoga and football is definitely getting stronger and I foresee a
growth in independent programmes tailored and personalised according to the
player. "But for footballers to fully reap the benefits of yoga, the
instructor needs to have an understanding of football or come from a
sporting background in order to make it specific and put all the components
together. "Having one or the other will simply not allow football players to
fully harness the benefits of yoga."

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The five West Ham problems Slaven Bilic must solve during their Dubai
warm-weather training camp
Slaven Bilic takes his West Ham players on a warm-weather trip to Dubai this
week and there are some things he and his players must work on
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
12:55, 14 FEB 2017UPDATED12:58, 14 FEB 2017

West Ham's first-team squad jet off to Dubai tomorrow for a five-day warm
weather training camp in the Emirates city. Not before they get put through
their paces at the London Stadium for a family fun day for season ticket
holders and junior members, with around 10,000 supporters expected in E20.
Five days is a long time in football and Slaven Bilic has said the Hammers
will probably train harder in the more conducive weather than they would do
at Rush Green in the sleet and bitter cold. The Hammers have won six of
their past ten Premier League games but did take a bit of a knock with the
94 minute equaliser conceded against West Brom on Saturday, but they are in
the top ten of the league heading into the trip. So, what could Bilic, his
staff and the players work on while they are on their break? Here's a few
ideas.

Keeping clean sheets

West Ham have kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League since December
17 when they beat Hull City 1-0. The other shutout was the 3-0 win over
Crystal Palace in Stratford. Clean sheets breed confidence for the rest of
the team. The defensive unit looks much more solid since the purchase of
Jose Fonte (Manchester City debut aside), they are much stronger than the
dismal displays at the start of the season. Look at the some of the upcoming
fixtures – Watford, Bournemouth, Leicester City and Hull (we're discounting
Chelsea) especially – if the Hammers can keep a clean sheet, you'd back them
to score at least one to win the game.

Getting other strikers to find their shooting boots

Ashley Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri – step up. You could apply this to
Michail Antonio as well, who hasn't scored since Boxing Day but he's done
enough this season, so maybe that's harsh. West Ham can't just rely on Andy
Carroll and his sketchy injury record. If Fletcher and Calleri want a future
at the London Stadium then they are going to have to start hitting the net
in Carroll's absence, be that for a full game or as he rarely lasts 90
minutes, one of them will be a substitute. So, shooting drills for the squad
should be a priority.

Instilling some confidence in Aaron Cresswell

The left-back is a shell of the player he was last year. Whether that is
down to his knee injury he suffered in pre-season, who knows, but he's not
the outlet he once was. When he bagged the assist for Manuel Lanzini's
winner on his return against Crystal Palace last October, we all though
"Cress is back" but in reality, he's not been good for the past three
months. He seems scared to go into challenges, scared to push too far
forward from left wing back, looks nervy defensively, his passing is off and
he is making so many basic errors that gets his team into difficulty. Slaven
needs to use this trip to put his arm around his shoulder and remind him
just how good the Liverpudlian is. We know he is a quality player, he needs
to start showing it again.

Getting the squad fit

The primary purpose, surely? The likes of Andre Ayew and Arthur Masuaku are
close to returning, as is Sam Byram after his injury and while they may not
start, the depth of the squad will be crucial in the run in. Ayew has a
point to prove so needs to get back up to speed quickly following his Africa
Cup of Nations trip with Ghana and put pressure on Sofiane Feghouli for a
starting spot. We've already spoken about Cresswell's lack of confidence
right now, and Masuaku will be pushing him hard when he returns to fitness.
Minus his dodgy performance away at West Brom, the Frenchman is a solid
acquisition. He was bought to provide cover for Cresswell but if the regular
left-back doesn't improve his form, Masuaku should step in. With Byram, he
is by no means the finished article but having a proper right-back in the
side will work wonders in the closing stages of the season because it solves
a problem, which is my next point…

Find a solution that doesn't see Cheikhou Kouyate at right wing back

Seeing the big Senegalese bruiser high up the pitch on the wing putting
crosses into the box bugs me. That's not his game, he shouldn't be there.
He's a midfielder, or an emergency centre back. Seeing Kouyate in the AFCON
with Senegal in his midfield role was a joy. He is a brutal tackler,
powerful runner, no nonsense monster and that's what the Hammers need in
midfield. Kouyate has played on the right of a back three for the past
couple of games and while the Hammers haven't lost those games, Kouyate is
nowhere near as influential as he could be. He needs to be incorporated back
into the midfield.

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West Ham coach hails Nathan Holland after Everton switch
HITC
Dan Coombs

West Ham coach Terry Westley hails Nathan Holland's performance. West Ham
United coach Terry Westley spoke glowingly about his under-23 squad after a
3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. The Hammers won through goals from Joe
Powell (2) and new signing Nathan Holland. Holland is an England under-19
international who made a January switch from Everton, much to Westley's
delight. Westley spoke to West Ham United's website after the win, and
picked out 18-year-old Holland as one of three players who stood out,
hailing his acquisition. He said: "The captain Declan Rice was outstanding,
a nine out of ten, Nathan Holland; what a signing that looks to be. And
Domingos Quina, for a first year scholar, lightens the pitch up every time
he plays."

Holland has now made three appearances for West Ham's under-23 side since
signing, having played only once in the same age group for Everton in the
first half of the season. The winger signed a three-year-and-a-half year
deal with the Hammers in January, and the Hammers are clearly feeling good
about his early progress. West Ham fans will also be encouraged by Westley's
praise of Domingos Quina, who left Chelsea's youth system to sign a pro deal
at the Hammers last summer. He is under contract until 2019. The victory put
West Ham into the last 16 of the Premier League Cup with one group game
remaining.

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