Daily WHUFC News - 13th March 2017

From the Boardroom
WHUFC.com

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan was left disappointed by the nature of
Saturday's defeat at AFC Bournemouth...


Hello everyone,

Like you all, I was very disappointed and frustrated with the manner of our
defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. We went down there determined to bounce
back from the Chelsea game, but we didn't play as well as we know we can at
Vitality Stadium. Slaven, the players and the staff all know we have to do
better.
Bournemouth had been on a difficult run of results and hadn't won a game
this year, but they were at home and their crowd were right behind them. You
could see from the kick-off that they really wanted that game and it showed
on the pitch throughout the 90 minutes. They missed a penalty and we went
straight up the other end and scored through Michail Antonio, which I
expected to settle us down. However, the game remained really open and they
got an equaliser, then missed another penalty before going ahead from a set
piece just after half-time. We have conceded too many goals early in halves
in recent games and, while we've managed to get ourselves back into games
like the ones at Southampton and Watford and at home to West Bromwich
Albion, there will be matches where we cannot equalise. That situation
cannot go on.

We managed to level this time around, with another goal from Andre Ayew, so
I was really disappointed when we let them score a third so late in the
game.
I am sure that Slaven, his backroom staff and the team were not happy with
what happened and they will think about it a lot over the next few days. We
have a week to prepare for our next game at home to Leicester City and I
really urge you to give everything you can to support the team at London
Stadium, as it is a massive game for us. Before then, we have a special Iron
Men DVD signing event with our Final Game goalscorers Diafra Sakho, Michail
Antonio and Winston Reid at the Stadium Store on Thursday between 4-6pm.
Please head along, meet the players and grab a copy of a piece of our
history. Thank you again for your loyal support – particularly the 1,340 of
you who travelled to Bournemouth and did not once stop singing.

Come on you Irons!
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman

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Carroll - It was shocking
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll admits West Ham United produced a 'terrible performance' at AFC
Bournemouth
Striker said the Hammers 'didn't really get going' in their 3-2 defeat at
Vitality Stadium
No9 felt the visitors could have had a penalty awarded for handball late on

"It was a terrible performance from us." Andy Carroll gave that brutally
honest assessment of West Ham United's 3-2 Premier League defeat at AFC
Bournemouth.
Despite their hosts missing two first-half penalties, Michail Antonio firing
the Hammers into the lead and Andre Ayew equalising with just seven minutes
remaining, Joshua King's hat-trick ensured Carroll and company departed the
Vitality Stadium with nothing. "We didn't really get going and their two
penalties could have really finished the game, but we kept ourselves in it
and got back into it late on, luckily, but I don't know what went on from
then on," he observed. We went gung-ho and lost the game. "We were just all
over the place. We spoke in the dressing room after the game and every
player agreed they just weren't at it. I think it was just a shocking game
for everyone. "We came down and felt well but didn't really get going at
all. Obviously we got the two goals, but it wasn't good enough."

The Hammers trained hard in the days leading up to the game, having pushed
Chelsea all the way at London Stadium on Monday evening. With a near
fully-fit squad and Michail Antonio returning from suspension to score the
opening goal at Bournemouth, one might have expected West Ham to go on and
condemn Bournemouth to a sixth defeat in nine matches. Instead, they allowed
Eddie Howe's side to play their open, attacking brand of football. "I
haven't got a clue what happened, but it was a bad day at the office,"
Carroll confirmed. The No9 admitted both Bournemouth penalties were rightly
awarded, but felt referee Bobby Madley could have given the Hammers a
spot-kick of their own when his cross hit Adam Smith on the upper arm late
on. "With the way I saw them, I thought they were both penalties, to be
honest, but we could have had one when I crossed the ball and it has hit his
hand when it wasn't in a natural position," he said. "I thought we could
have had one, but it wasn't given. "Their second goal also hit their lad on
the hand and it's bounced into King's path, so that could have been
disallowed. "It was just one of those days when we didn't get the decisions
and it didn't really happen."

While Carroll was clearly hugely frustrated by Saturday's performance, it
should be said that the defeat was West Ham's first on the road since New
Year's Eve.
"We need to get this performance and whatever caused it out of our systems,"
he concluded. "We need to start again against Leicester next weekend, put it
right and get the three points."

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PL2 Hammers travel north
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 face Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Monday
The Hammers can strengthen a PL2 Division 2 play-off place with a victory
Newcastle are currently a place and a point above Terry Westley's men in the
league table

West Ham United PL2 make the long trip up north on Monday to face fellow
Premier League 2 Division 2 promotion hopefuls Newcastle United.

The Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke City at London Stadium last
week but can strengthen a play-off position at St James' Park.

Newcastle are a place above the Hammers in fifth position and a win would
see Terry Westley's side leapfrog their opponents in the league table.

The match also signals the start an exciting period for the U23s, as they
will be playing at three Premier League stadiums in their final three
matches.

Assistant coach Liam Manning believes his players should make the most of
the opportunity to perform at such big arenas.

"We need to pick up some results in the last three games to get in the
play-offs and the pleasing thing in we have three games in three stadiums;
Newcastle on Monday at St. James', back here [London Stadium] against
Middlesbrough and then away to West Brom at the Hawthorns," he said.

"They're really good experiences for the boys and hopefully we can kick on
and finish in that top five.

Newcastle have only won one of their last five fixtures and were beaten 2-1
by Norwich City at home last week.

Meanwhile, a strong Hammers XI could only draw at home to Stoke City,
despite dominating possession and creating a host of chances to take all
three points.

Speaking after the draw, Moses Makasi said: "We wanted to beat them so we
could go towards the top of the play-offs but it is what it is and we'll go
again next week against Newcastle.

"We dominated possession but when a team like that gets a goal in a game,
they've got something to hold on to. Once it went 1-1, they were fighting
for their lives. We needed to try and break them down but we've just got to
take the positives out of it."

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Stat's A Fact - Ayew's Impact
WHUFC.com

West Ham United left the Vitality Stadium extremely frustrated as a late
Joshua King goal compounded Slaven Bilic's side to a 3-2 defeat against
Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

King had a memorable afternoon as he bagged all three for the hosts, while
West Ham's goals came from Michail Antonio – his first of 2017 - and Andre
Ayew.

Despite the disappointing result, there was one positive to come from
Saturday's south coast outing as Andre Ayew came off the bench to score
again - his second goal in successive away Premier League matches.

Playing for only the last 32 minutes of the game, Ayew attempted two shots
on goal with only Michail Antonio (six) and Sofiane Feghouli (three), who
both started, having more.

The Hammers enjoyed slightly a higher pass-success rate than the hosts (76
per cent) and the impact of Andre Ayew was fundamental in that.
Individually, his 92 per cent completion rate was the best by any West Ham
United player on the day.

After joining the Hammers from Swansea City for a club record fee in August,
Ayew was ruled out for three months after picking up an unfortunate groin
injury during the opening Premier League game of the season.

Ayew celebrates his goal against Bournemouth

However, since scoring his first league goal, against Swansea, on 26
December and returning from a successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign with
Ghana, Ayew has begun to show his true colours.

Despite not starting in either game, Andre has now scored in consecutive
away matches after he netted in the 1-1 draw with Watford, as well as on
Saturday against Bournemouth. Not only through his goals has he made an
impact but his high work rate and clever movement have made him a
threatening game changer for Bilic whenever he comes off the bench.

Saturday's goal was his third in the claret and blue of West Ham United.
Such is his impressive form of late, though, that all of those three have
come in just six matches since December 26.

Ayew is now up to five goals in all competitions in that period after he
also netted twice for Ghana, against Uganda and DR Congo, during the 2017
Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Of course, Andre will be hoping to force his way in to Slaven Bilic's
starting XI plans and there is no doubt that if he can continue his goal
scoring form of 2017, his call up may not be too far away.

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A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A WEST HAM FAN
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 12 MARCH 2017 AT 8:57PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Steve Claydon

Welcome to my world. I'm planning to give you a weekly game re-cap, my five
thoughts for the week and if a topic that comes up that excites me, makes me
mad, or I want to give you my opinion on something then I'll be posting an
extra topic.

Strap yourself in and let's go.

**Game Recap**

### Bournemouth 3-2 West Ham

I'd like to say I was hoping that the day at the seaside would make
everything ok. I mean it worked for me as a kid, and for a fleeting moment I
thought lady luck had finally turned up on our door step.

We started S.L.O.W.L.Y again for the umpteenth time. I'm not sure what gets
said inside the dressing room before the game and I'm sure Bilic gee's them
up but we come out of the blocks in almost every game like Jeff Capes
carrying a couple of spare wheels. Maybe it's complacency and the thought
that we are better than the other team and by us showing up we will bag all
us all three points, whatever the problem we found ourselves on the other
end of some attractive football with our goal constantly under threat. Every
attack left me in fear. Our right side was being bullied, Feghouli lacks the
presence to track back on a consistent basis, and Kouyaté is playing in a
position that does not utilize his skills. Within minutes we gave away a
cheap penalty via Bournemouths movement and strength and our lack of
discipline to do the right things, which at this level should not be
happening.

Up stepped King who opened his hips, sent Randolph the wrong way and placed
the ball outside the upright. Let off number 1.

Then from the ensuring goal kick, a flick on by Carroll, a poor square pass
by a Bournemouth defender allowed Feghouli to snatch the ball just outside
the box, a nice pass to Antonio allowed him to turn his defender a and steer
the ball into the corner of the net. 1-0. COYI. Lady Luck is with us.

For the next ten minutes or so we withstood the pressure from Bournemouth
and then we finally settled down, with both teams having chances but nothing
to write home about. I was starting to feel better about where this game may
go.

Then, had been the case during the first thirty minutes our defense got
stretched and nice piece of skill saw King flick the ball over Fontes and
beat Randolph on the side of the goal he was covering. Fair play, it was
coming, they had been the better side in the first 30 minutes.

To compound our misery Pugh drove into the box made Fontes (that name keeps
coming up) look silly, who stuck out a foot, and down when the Bournemouth
attacker. Penalty. Afobe placed the ball down, checked on his run up and
dribbled the ball into the diving arms of Randolph. Let off number 2.

And so we made it to the first half tied at 1-1. We should have been 3-1 or
more down but Lady Luck was hanging around for us.

The second half started like the first; slow out of the blocks again, and
this time King punished us right away with a close range finish. A free kick
outside the box had Reid beaten by a double team and as the ball fell to
King he volleyed the header home.

A little drama though for this goal. King was in a offside position, but not
interfering with play when the kick was taken, and watching the replays
showed that Antonio played him onside after the header. The referee
conferred with his linesman and they both decided the goal should stand.
2-1.

Sparring continued for the next thirty-five minutes with it increasingly
looking like they would grab a third before we got our second.

To switch things up we introduced Ayew and Snodgrass, and Snodgrass within
minutes of coming on looked like he was going off as he chased down a lost
cause and twisted his ankle, he stayed on but was pretty much invisible the
rest of the game.

Lanzini dropped deeper and was getting more involved and starting to make
things tick a little quicker and we started to see the odd chance but it
still never looked like we were dominating or really going to get that
equalizer.

Kouyaté was substituted for Byram and I have to admit that seemed a weird
decision, however it was Byram who got behind the defense, via a sublime
pass from Obiang, who Fifa'd the ball backwards to Ayew who calmly put the
ball into an open net. 2-2.

Game on, until Ayew tried to be clever in the middle of the park, had the
ball stolen from him and the counter attack was on. Swift movement down the
middle by Wilshire with West Ham backing off allowed him to play a ball out
to the left, who received the retuned pass and shot low and hard towards our
goal. Randolph deflected this to the on coming King who thumped the ball
high into the net. 3-2.

G.A.M.E.O.V.E.R

We could talk about the loss until the proverbial cows come home and there
will be the usual requests for Bilics head after another poor showing and if
I'm honest that flirtation with a relegation battle still looms a little
close, especially if you consider we have to play a number of those teams in
that battle. We play with a lack off intensity a lot of the time and look
labored. I look at our fixture list and wonder where we will get additional
points.

**Steve's Fives.**

1) Cresswell has not been the same player the year as he was last year. The
injury he sustained in preseason seems to have slowed and actually regressed
his development. He looks less assured on the ball, doesn't seem up for a
fight and in general his positioning has been poor throughout the season. He
was chasing shadows most of the game against Bournemouth.

2) No CB partnership. From week one our CB's have had no partnership.
Injuries and the constant change of formation may account for a lot of this,
but the game against Burnley highlighted even more the lack of communication
and how weak this partnership makes the whole defense. While we are on CB's,
I thought Fontes would be a good option and cover for the injured Ogbonna
but so far he has been slow, bullied, moved out of position too easily, a
liability 1 on 1 and lacks the West Ham passion. I need to see more from him
the rest of the year.

3) Carroll has been ineffective since returning. Carroll is only useful when
he is fit and when decent crosses are coming, the last two games (Chelsea
and Bournemouth) have shown us that neither is true. Carroll lacks a step or
three and the wing backs and wide men are not providing him decent service,
and to be honest I'm not convinced that should be plan A – I'd like to see
Carroll coming on for the last 30 minutes, after we have played a little
more on the ground and run the other team around but we have no player
(hurry up Sakho) that can offer that to us at the moment, even Antonio is
played as a target man.

4) We must protect this right side. Move Kouyaté into the middle of the park
with Obiang. Put Byram at right back and have Antonio support him and tell
Obiang to keep an overall eye on that side too. Sorry Noble, I love you more
than you know, but I want to see what this team can do with Kouyaté in the
right position and both he and Obiang are better than you at the moment. And
I can hear you, Byram and Antonio would be a liability there. Any worse than
what we have right now?

5) Pitch Size, what pitch size?. Upton Park – 110 x 70 yards – 7700 sq.
yards, Olympic Stadium 115 by 74 yards – 8510, Southampton, St Mary's
Stadium, 115 x 74.5, 8740, Swansea, Liberty Stadium, 115 x 74 yards, 8510.
We don't win at home because it does not feel home, It's not the pitch size.
We beat Southampton 3-1 at their ground even though it's larger than ours.
I'm going to cover my naïve view of the move in an up coming blog.

Thanks for reading – I'm excited to write and give you the West Ham
perspective from a life long fan living in Coatesville, PA.

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REF ANALYSIS – BOBBY MADLEY
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 11 MARCH 2017 AT 6:54PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

A less than convincing first half by Robert Madley and his overall game in
general. Madley awarded two penalties to Bournemouth in the first half. I
had no question about his decision to award the first penalty however I
thought his positioning was poor for the second penalty which I felt could
have been a lot better.
The first penalty was as obvious as you could get. Sofiane Feghouli was the
wrong side of Daniels before bringing him down. It was a poor decision by
Feghouli and it was an easy decision for Madley. After the penalty had been
given, Madley cautioned Mark Noble for dissent. Feghouli wasn't punished for
his foul however, it could have easily been a caution. Feghouli wasn't
denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity so a red card wasn't warranted.
The second penalty was a difficult one for me because there was contact by
Fonte but it was clear that Pugh was looking for contact with Fonte's
planted leg. Madley's position was completely wrong to see this in my
opinion.

I noticed on a handful of occasions that whenever West Ham fouled
Bournemouth, the Bournemouth players were surrounding the referee moaning
and gesturing for a stronger punishment than a foul. This is unacceptable
behaviour and the FA & the IFAB have been keen to stamp this out. However,
it's the duty of the referee to manage the players and this showed a lack of
authority from Robert Madley and a lack of respect by the players. This was
apparent after Pedro Obiang was cautioned for brining down Joshua King 30
yards outside of West Ham's goal. The swarm of Bournemouth players were
indicating that other players, including Mark Noble, attempted to bring down
the Cherries striker.

There were a couple of decisions that Madley choose not make during the
first half. Firstly, Madley could have sent off Mark Noble for a second
bookable offence after sliding into a challenge and catching a Bournemouth
midfielder late. Madley could have also cautioned Bournemouth's Gosling
after a high foot on Mark Noble that caught the West Ham captain.

There was uproar in the second half from the West Ham players for
Bournemouth's second goal of the afternoon. The biggest question was whether
Joshua King was offside or not. The answer is that we wasn't offside when
the goal was scored. The offside law is one of the laws that is still a huge
grey area. To clear up King's goal, during the first phase, King was at
least 5 yards beyond the last West Ham defender in an offside position, not
interfering with play. When the ball was delivered, King was still in an
offside position, but once the Bournemouth player flicked the ball towards
the direction of King, Michail Antonio already tracked and played King
onside. Even though West Ham players were questioning the linesmans decision
to not signal for offside, Madley consulted his assistant referee before
awarding the goal.
There were two handball shouts by West Ham in the second half. Handball has
to be deliberate, it's extremely difficult for a player to move his arm out
of the way, when the player is in close proximity and at high speeds. The
question I always ask, is it deliberate?

Madley issued a handful of cautions in the second half for Bournemouth
players. Madley remained consistent after Pugh brought down Kouyate, a
similar challenge to Obiang who was booked in the first half. I think Afobe
was particularly lucky only receiving a yellow card as the big Bournemouth
striker was extremely late when challenging Randolph. Not only was the
challenge late, but Afobe wasn't in control and his studs were raised which
caught Randolph high on the top of the ankle.
As mentioned previously, Gosling could and should have had a yellow card for
his high boot on Mark Noble. Ironically, Gosling was cautioned for
completely preventing Antonio advancing after the West Ham man cleverly put
the ball past the Bournemouth man.

For West Ham's second goal, it appears that Sam Bryan was offside when the
ball was played by Pedro Obiang. The West Ham substitute was at least a yard
offside when the ball was played forward – this just sums up a pretty woeful
afternoon from the officials.

I do struggle to give Madley credit as I feel that his decision making is
often incorrect and he shows a lack of authority and player management. I
felt that his decision making was poor throughout the game and I feel his
position was poor for the awarding of the second penalty and he struggled to
maintain consistency.

It's hugely frustrating that after going level at 2-2 on 83 minutes, you'd
expect experienced Premier League players to be well drilled and ensure that
after a difficult game, which West Ham were obviously second best
throughout, to shut up shop and take the point. You have to question the
mentality of the players as this season has been below average and if it
wasn't for the scrappy wins against Burnley and Hull over the Christmas
period, we would be in horrible trouble. There needs to be some serious
improvement on recruitment in the summer transfer window as players are not
pulling their weight this season.

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PRO MANAGER ARTICLE
BILIC IN
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 12 MARCH 2017 AT 8:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @WHU_Forever

Hello everyone, as this is my first time writing I would like to say what a
pleasure it is to be writing for The West Ham Way and am grateful for the
opportunity to express my opinion on such a well-established Fan site.

Bilic In or Bilic out? A question which has caused debate between West Ham
fans all over social media. Following our form throughout the season it
really isn't a surprise. An early exit from Europe, followed by stadium
issues, Payet and awful form has put serious question marks the man's
ability to take us to the next level.

Bilic has avoided a lot of stick because he is "proper West Ham" and I can
understand people's loyalty to him, after the highs we got from last season.
Emotions running high last year, he delivered some truly unforgettable
memories, and wrote his name in the history books. He got everything right
last season. Tactics, transfers, and had everyone bang behind him. He has a
lot of reasons to be offered another year in my opinion. Was he fully backed
in the summer? Absolutely not. Cheap loans and missed targets impacted the
season massively and had our season starting off in a frustrating manor. The
Payet saga was handled with class, and really reunited the players and the
fans, leading to us picking up important points. He looks to be securing
Premier League football for another year despite all the difficulties.

But, is there more he could have done? Most definitely. It's safe to say
Bilic is a very suborn man who, when he has a plan in head will not change.
We learnt the hard way that we desperately needed a Right Back, but Antonio
was continued to be played there even when it was clear for all to see it
was damaging him as a player. To make it worse, instead of buying a right
back in the window, he decided to play Kouyate in RB. Kouyate being one of
our most influential players in the midfield being wasted at RB. All this
happening while we have a young, hardworking RB on the bench in Sam Byram,
who must be devastated by the lack of game time he has been getting. I do
think we have better options in the midfield than Mark Noble too, who he
seems to have a loyalty too. I think Noble gets some seriously undeserved
stick, although he isn't our best option, he isn't a bad player. But poor
performances and being persistently played has put serious pressure on him,
which he clearly can't handle.

For me, if Slaven can reach 40 points, and keep us up comfortably, he should
be offered another year. He loves the club, and we have seen he can provide
success from his first season. He needs to adapt, needs to properly backed
and trusted.

Thanks for reading,

COME ON YOU IRONS!!

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ANTI MANAGER ARTICLE
BILIC OUT
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 12 MARCH 2017 AT 8:23PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Ian Barnard @onebarian1

There's no doubt that as a person Slaven Bilic appears to be a really nice
chap, he's an educated man that shows warmth and humility and in just about
every interview comes across as one of life's good guys. Add to this the
fact that he had one whole playing season with us, where he was quickly
adored by the faithful for his committed playing style, and it's easy to see
why he retains the unwavering support of the majority of West Ham fans, but
does that necessarily mean a good man is a good manager?….lets take off the
claret and blue tinted specs for a minute and take a look.

A manager needs a number of things in his armoury, clearly tactical
awareness is paramount but communication skills, people skills, decision
making and trust all form part of good leadership, and in essence good
managers not only display all of these elements but they use them all in
conjunction, take one element out and the strength of the individual is
lessened.

Taking those individual elements in order let's start by looking at his
tactical awareness, the man knows his onions, listening to him as a pundit
last year it's clear he knows what it takes to win matches, be that
nullifying opposition threats, setting up a team to attack or counter attack
and making those fine 'in game' adjustments to win or at least not lose
matches. He's done it with reasonable success as the Croatia national team
manager and to some degree with Besiktas, his spell in Russia was a bit of a
disaster but that aside from a purely technical perspective he has a tick in
the box.

So to communication skills, not just language but body language, he's a
highly intelligent man and his command of the English language poses no
problems, he clearly works on tactics and strategy during the week and again
I've no doubt there are no issues getting his methods and work ethic across.
Similarly on the touch line he's involved barking out instructions and
gesturing those little 'in game' tweaks that are required, so again I think
it's fair to say outward communication isn't a major issue. However
communication is a 2-way thing and I do wonder how much, if at all, he
listens to those around him, surely his coaching staff are flagging issues
which clearly means his blinkered Alladyce like pigheadedness dictates that
he won't listen to them, or more worryingly is there a detachment between
him and his staff?

Now let's look at people skills and this is where I perceive there's a
gaping whole in his armoury, having good people skills as a manager isn't
just about being fair or understanding, there are times when difficult
decisions need to be made and ultimately upsetting individuals comes with
the territory. Being loyal is great but good managers have the ability to
detach themselves, take a step back and take stock of the situation, and to
be honest Slaven can't or more likely won't do this. Yes he handled the
Payet situation well once things had come to a head but this had clearly
festered for nearly half of the season. I think Slaven as a Manager likes to
be liked and it's clear he shows unwavering faith in those players closest
to him, what he doesn't have is that hard streak which allows him to make
those unpleasant decisions. If he was at Man Utd he'd find a spot for
Rooney, if he was at Man City and Aguerro would have been found a spot even
with Jesus in the side, if he was at Liverpool Sturridge would probably be
in goal, but that's the difference Mourinho, Guardiola, Conte and Klopp will
bench players for the betterment of the side. Bilic trusts Noble despite the
fact we've got stronger options available, Obiang is our Kante and Kouyate
has the ability to be another Viera, what he'll never be is a right back,
but because those Bilic adores his core men those difficult decisions will
always be averted.

I like and respect Slaven as a man but personally I think his people skills
are his Achilles heel, he needs to be more detached and see what tens of
thousands of fans have seen since the start of the season.
Now let's quickly look at decision making, this obviously follows on from
people skills as its so closely linked, again this shows major short
comings, some of his starting formations are baffling to say the least,
Lanzini a man who can be a modern day Berkovic is deployed wide left when
he's clearly more dangerous in the centre, Snodgrass brought in but used in
a variety of positions and then there's Antonio. Slaven also has this
ability to make changes at the end of games which invite pressure on us,
surely it's no coincidence that we top the charts when it comes to giving
points away at the death of matches, the Tottscum one in particular still
pains me! I'd hate to think how many points we've dropped through poor
management decisions this season.

Finally trust, again sadly a deficiency from my perspective. How long did it
take Antonio to break into the team last year, and low and behold once he
was given the chance he turned out to be rather good! We've the best crop of
youngsters coming through for ages but I just can't see them getting a
chance with Slav at the helm, Martinez was scoring for fun in PL2 but didn't
get a sniff, we've got several out on loan but will they get a chance when
they return?…I personally doubt it. Sadly Mr Bilic has serious trust issues,
ok so he sees Byram in training but give the lad some proper game time to
really appraise him. Look at Koeman at Everton and before at Southampton,
he's not afraid to blood youngsters and watch them flourish. An 18 year old
scored a champions league goal for Dortmund this week, would he have got
that chance if Slav were their manager I somehow doubt it.

So to summarise, yes our Slav is a genuinely nice fella, he's tactically
astute, he's sadly detrimentally loyal and clearly falls short when those
difficult decisions need to be made, which is why he'll never manage a top 5
club. For us to push on its my belief that the board need to make one of
those decisions that sadly Slaven cannot make, either that or settle for
being a mid table side like Stoke, I for one want us to push on not slip
back and as much as I like Slaven the man, sadly I've lost faith in Slaven
the Manager. COYI

Ian Barnard @onebarian1

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David Sullivan urges Slaven Bilic and West Ham to improve after Bournemouth
loss
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 12/03/17 11:53am
SSN

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan insists manager Slaven Bilic and his
side must improve following their 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth. Sullivan
expressed his frustration after West Ham produced a below-par performance at
the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, which left the Hammers without a win in
four matches.
Josh King netted a hat-trick, including a 90th-minute winner, to secure
Bournemouth's first victory of 2017 after he and Benik Afobe had both missed
from the penalty spot Michail Antonio opened the scoring for West Ham and
Andre Ayew had made it 2-2 with less than seven minutes remaining before
King grabbed the decisive goal.
West Ham welcome a revitalised Leicester side to London Stadium on Saturday
and Sullivan is expecting a response from Bilic and his players. "I was very
disappointed and frustrated with the manner of our defeat at Bournemouth on
Saturday," Sullivan told the club's official website. "We went down there
determined to bounce back from the Chelsea defeat on Monday, but we didn't
play as well as we know we can. "Slaven, the players and the staff all know
we have to do better. "We have conceded too many goals early in halves in
recent games and, while we've managed to get ourselves back into games like
the ones at Southampton and Watford and at home to West Brom, there will be
matches where we cannot equalise. That situation cannot go on. "I am sure
that Slaven, his backroom staff and the team were not happy with what
happened and they will think about it a lot over the next few days."

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West Ham's Michail Antonio backed for England recall by admittedly biased
Slaven Bilic
"I'm his club manager and I'm not objective, but I don't see many strikers
or wingers playing better than him"
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 10 MAR 2017

Slaven Bilic believes Michail Antonio's red-hot form for West Ham this
season should see him back in the England fold. The versatile 26-year-old is
back from suspension for Saturday's Premier League trip to Bournemouth ,
having scored the winner against them in the Hammers' first top-flight game
at their new London ­Stadium home back in August. With boss Gareth Southgate
­finalising his Three Lions squad for this month's games against Germany and
Lithuania, West Ham counterpart Bilic sees no reason why forward Antonio
should not be in the frame. "I'm his club manager and I'm not objective,"
admitted Bilic, "but I don't see many strikers or wingers playing better
than him. "Dele Alli got his chance and grabbed it in the first game
against France, the friendly game [last November]. He scored. Same with
Jamie Vardy. "If Mikey continues like this, or improves, it's going to come
to him."
Antonio was called up for Sam Allardyce's one and only squad last summer,
but did not play in the victory away to Sloavakia. He was not in the parties
for Southgate's four games in interim charge during the autumn. This season,
he has eight goals in the league and three assists, to attract interest from
Chelsea.
Bilic added: "The categories that really matter are high intensity and
sprinting. They are the most important ones. Mikey is our best player in all
of them. He gives you that kind of boost of energy. "He opens the spaces and
then, if you add goals that he scores, he's vital for us. "Players like
Kante, Michail, they can run always. Cheikhou Kouyate. They can run for fun,
­because they're born like that. Their muscles, their heart most of all,
their lungs are ideal for that. "Then you have some players who can do it
naturally but are a little bit lazy. You have to push them. "Michail has all
three: He has natural ability, he wants to do it and maybe the most
important one he can do it at high intensity. He's quick, he's got pace,
that's why we talk about him a lot."
West Ham have lost only two of their last seven games — and they were to
champions-elect Chelsea and third-placed Manchester City. Although
Bournemouth are struggling at the other end of the table with five defeats
in their last seven, Bilic believes their point at Manchester United last
weekend — secured despite playing the second half with 10 men — served as a
warning for his players not to take them lightly. He said: "Sometimes the
wounded lion is the most dangerous one. But are we going to be afraid? No."

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Winston Reid in line for West Ham contract extension worth more than £70,000
per week
The 28-year-old New Zealander only signed a six-year deal in 2015 but he is
set to pen another contract with improved terms
The Mirror
BYFOOTBALL SPY
22:30, 11 MAR 2017

Winston Reid is in line to have his contract renewed by West Ham – earning
him a pay rise that will bring him in line with Jose Fonte. The New Zealand
star, 28, signed a six-year agreement in 2015, but is now set to be handed a
fresh deal. Fonte, 33, moved from Southampton on wages of over £70,000 a
week and Reid is among a number of the current Hammers squad set to be given
similar. Fonte's January arrival has done little to improve West Ham's
defence and they have conceded in every league game since he joined for
£8million. Michael Antonio is one player revising his demands following
Fonte's arrival.
Antonio is the Hammers' top scorer this season with nine goals in all
competitions and is likely to ask for more money to reflect his contribution
on the field.

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