Daily WHUFC News - 5th March 2017

Slaven: This season has made us all stronger
WHUFC.com

Asked this week to identify the turning point in a season that has seen West
Ham United bounce back from early troubles to climb into the top half of the
Premier League table, Slaven Bilic's answer was clear. There hasn't been
one. "It isn't a turning point that has made the difference," said the
Hammers boss. "We can talk about the game against Crystal Palace away in
October, we can talk about the two wins we had at home against Burnley and
Hull in the space of three days - two 1-0 wins, two penalties. "We can talk
about that period when we had four big games against Tottenham, Manchester
United, Arsenal and Liverpool, and got two points away at United and
Liverpool. "But the reason we have turned things around is that we didn't
stop believing. "We continued to fight and knew that the only way that we
were going to get out was, basically, by sticking together and working hard.
And that is the key."

As he prepares to take his team into Monday night's mouth-watering London
derby against Premier League leaders Chelsea - for which tickets are still
available on the Ticket Exchange - Bilic is understandably proud of the
spirit and togetherness that has underpinned a run of six wins and three
draws in the last 12 league matches. And the Croatian, who is now
approaching his 12th year in management, admitted that he and his players
are stronger for the experience of the campaign so far. Nor would he swap
the ups and downs of this season for a less eventful ride. "I consider this
season as a great one," he said. "For me individually, and for the team, and
for the club, because this season we experienced some negative things, some
positive things, but mainly a lot of new things.
"I am 48 now. I was manager of my country and I was manager of Besiktas in
Turkey where the pressure is basically bigger than here. "So I got used to
the job a little bit. But was it hard? Yes. It's still hard. Of course I
wasn't enjoying the defeats but sometimes you have to sacrifice something to
get something. "They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
"It's great because now I can see it as a great experience. For me
personally, for the players, and for the club.
"I wouldn't change it. I would change September and October. But after that,
when you've made it and you get out of that, the experience is priceless and
you benefit from it in the future. "I wouldn't swap when I was under
pressure or the team was under pressure. I wouldn't swap it for a steady
season."

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Dicks - The boys have pulled together
WHUFC.com

Julian Dicks says everyone at West Ham United is working towards the same
goal
Coaching assistant believes team spirit has improved since departure of
Dimitri Payet
Fans' favourite has also been pleased for manager and long-time friend
Slaven Bilic

Julian Dicks says everyone at West Ham United is working towards the same
goal ahead of Monday's visit of Premier League leaders Chelsea. The Blues
visit London Stadium well clear at the top of the table, having lost just
four matches in all competitions all season long. However, the Hammers are
also in their best form of the campaign at present, having lost just three
of their last 12 league matches to climb to the relative comfort of ninth.
Coaching assistant Dicks puts West Ham's improvement down to the removal of
distractions and the squad's willingness to work hard for each other every
time they take to the pitch. "We've had some good results," said the fans'
favourite. "Obviously, things weren't so good when Dimi [Payet] was here,
because everything was focused on him, but now he's gone and we seem to have
a better team spirit, to be honest. The boys have pulled together and
results have shown that. "You have to stick together because nobody is
bigger than the Club. Yes, Dimi was a good player and, on his day, we miss
him, but it isn't about one player, but about the squad and we've come
through that period at the moment and results are good. "The boys are
grinding out results as well. We went 1-0 down at Watford and came back and
really dominated the game so, yes, things are good at the moment. "We've
always been a good team but a lack of work-rate was costing us in some
games. We've got good players and they have been brought closer together.
You can see that by the way they scrap for each other on the pitch and the
way they work incredibly hard in training. "They've all pulled together and
the results have been good over the last two or three months."

Dicks is also pleased for manager, former teammate and long-time friend
Slaven Bilic, who has silenced any doubters with his ability to come through
a challenging period with flying colours. "To be a manager is a difficult
position to be in became, when things are going well, the players get the
credit but, when things are going wrong, the manager gets the stick," Dicks
observed. "I've known Slav a long, long time and sometimes you have to bite
your lip when people are saying things about you when they don't know the
reasons why. "We talked and discussed the reasons why he had to make [the
Payet situation] public, and one of those was for him, and the other was for
the sake of the other players as well. "When it came out about Dimi, it
doesn't matter who you are, if you disrespect the Club, the fans are not
going to like it. That's the way it is. A few players have done it and I'm
sure there will be a few more in the future. "The fans are fantastic and it
was nice to hear them singing Slav's name, not just once or twice but for
the whole 90 minutes. It must give him a buzz, as well."

*Don't miss part two of our exclusive chat with Julian Dicks on Sunday
afternoon, when the Terminator discusses his passion for London derbies with
Chelsea.

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Rice signs new deal until 2020
WHUFC.com

Defender Declan Rice has signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal with West
Ham United
Rice has been in brilliant form this season, captaining the U23s and
appearing on the bench for the first team on Boxing Day
The 18-year-old said it's an "amazing feeling" to have signed his new deal

Defender Declan Rice has pledged his long-term future to West Ham United,
signing a new contract to keep him at the club until 2020. The 18-year-old
is captain of the PL2 side and has enjoyed a brilliant season under the
guidance of Terry Westley and Liam Manning. Rice was also on the bench for
Slaven Bilic's first team in the Boxing Day win at Swansea City and said he
is pleased to have been rewarded with a new 3-and-a-half-year deal. "I'm
delighted to have been rewarded with a new contract," said Rice. "It has
been an amazing season for me, I think I've kicked on and progressed. "I'm
happy now that the contract has been signed and I can just focus on trying
to improve even more and hopefully get a game for the first team before the
end of the season. "After the season I've had, being on the bench for the
first team and captaining the U23s in every game, it's been amazing. I've
trained with the first team quite a bit as well and that makes me want to
kick on even more."

Rice joined West Ham from Chelsea as a youngster and quickly became one of
the hottest prospects at the Academy of Football. He made his U18s debut in
2014 and was named the Dylan Tombides Academy Player of the Year at the end
of the following season. His development has continued this season after
being named as U23s captain at the start of the campaign. Rice has also
experienced playing on the international stage - he was selected for the
Republic of Ireland U21s at the age of just 17 after impressing for the
U19s. "I got my first call up for the U21s a couple of months ago and that
was a great experience to be with a different set of lads and learn from
coaches who have a different style," Rice continued. "We've got the Euros
with the U19s coming up next month and I haven't been with them in a while
so I cannot wait to play with them again."

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Lanzini - I like this pressure
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini is relishing the extra responsibility of being West Ham
United's playmaker
No10 has assumed a more influential role since the departure of Dimitri
Payet
Argentine tells Official Programme the Hammers are in good form ahead of
visit of Chelsea

Manuel Lanzini welcomes the extra responsibility on him to be West Ham
United's playmaker since the departure of Dimitri Payet. While some players
may have withered under the added pressue, Lanzini has relished the
opportunity to reprise a role he filled as a youngster with River Plate.
There, his outstanding technical ability, elusive dribbling, perceptive
passing, accurate shooting and winning mentality brought him 13 goals and 14
assists in 89 first-team appearances - the majority of which he made before
his 20th birthday - and an Argentine Primera Division Final Tournament title
in May 2014. For the 24-year-old, being relied upon is something to be proud
of, rather than something to be intimidated by, and he is hoping to rise to
the challenge again when Premier League leaders Chelsea visit London Stadium
on Monday evening. "I like this pressure," he told Monday's Official
Programme for the visit of the Blues. "I like to take the ball and play for
the team and I need this for my personality. "I need the pressure and I need
to feel that the team is relying on me. This is important for me."

With Lanzini at the hub of the majority of good things about West Ham
United's attacking play over the last three months, the team has lost just
three of their last 12 Premier League matches, rising from the edge of the
relegation zone into the top half of the table. The South American himself
netted a superb third in the 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace, before
scoring a long-range special in the 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion at
London Stadium. Add two assists in the 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough in
between and it is easy to see why the No10 has become such an integral part
of Bilic's starting XI. "The team is good and we're playing good football at
the moment and this is important," he confirmed."

Elsewhere in Monday's issue, Ian 'Moose' Abrahams chats to West
Ham-supporting Emirates FA Cup giant-killers Danny and Nicky Cowley of
Lincoln City and Jamie Collins of Sutton United, while Evening Standard
columnist Ken Dyer talks to Lincoln's goalkeeper coach and former Hammers
stopper Jimmy Walker. Steve Blowers hears from ex-West Ham and Chelsea
midfielder Alan Dickens in They Wore the Claret & Blue, while there is an
educational interview with East Ham-born University Challenge semi-finalist
Bobby Seagull in Final Whistle. Joint-Chairman David Gold, manager Slaven
Bilic and captain Mark Noble all pen exclusive columns, while there is
plenty of information about Antonio Conte's visitors. With the very latest
from the Club's Premier League 2, Academy and Ladies teams, including
Student of the Game Alfie Lewis, plus updates from around London Stadium and
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Monday's Official Programme is a must-read for
any fan.

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Slaven Bilic says this season has provided 'priceless' experience for
himself and West Ham
Last Updated: 03/03/17 11:22pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic admits West Ham's turbulent season has been one of the toughest
of his career, but says he would not swap it for a less exciting one. The
Hammers have had to deal with moving to the London Stadium, fan unrest,
crowd trouble, an early exit from the Europa League, and the saga of Dimitri
Payet's move to Marseille. But the Hammers have emerged from that tricky
period and have climbed into the top half ahead of Monday's visit from
leaders Chelsea, live on Sky Sports 1. And Bilic, who has also managed in
Russia and Turkey as well as his national team, Croatia, says he and his
players are stronger for the experience.
Bilic said: "I consider this season as a great one for me individually, and
for the team, and for the club, because this season we experienced a lot of
negatives, a lot of positive things, but mainly a lot of new things. "I was
manager of my country and I was manager of Besiktas in Turkey, where the
pressure is basically bigger than here. "So, I got used to the job a little
bit. But was it hard? Yes. It's still hard. But you know that saying: 'What
doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'? "It's great because now it's a great
experience. For me personally, for every player, for the team and for the
club. "We don't want to start next season like we started this one. Was I
enjoying September? No, of course I wasn't enjoying September. Or October.
"But I wouldn't change it. I would change September and October. But, after
that, when you've made it and you get out of that, the experience is
priceless. "I wouldn't swap when I was under pressure or the team was under
pressure. I wouldn't swap it for a steady season."

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"F*** him!" - West Ham fan Ray Winstone sends message to Dimitri Payet at
premiere of Iron Men movie
Funnily enough, the Hollywood Hammer is no longer a fan of the Frenchman
The Mirror
BYFREDDIE HARDING
15:53, 4 MAR 2017

When Dimitri Payet decided to turn his back on the West Ham fans that adored
him so much, and force through a move back to Marseille, there were few men
he would have wanted to run into less than Ray Winstone . When Raymondo's
not playing the intimidating villain on the big screen, or telling us the
latest live betting odds, he's almost definitely watching his beloved
Hammers. And given that he grew up less than a mile from the Boleyn Ground,
supporting the Hammers all his life, it's no surprise to hear what he though
of the Frenchman's lack of loyalty. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football
at the premiere of 'Iron Men', Ray said: "It just shows how easily
footballers can be upset. "When you box, you are one, you haven't got to
rely on anyone else, but when someone in the dressing room is upsetting
everyone else, well, the proof's in the pudding. "So, f*** him, he's gone."
Following Payet's departure, Slaven Bilic's side seemed to have turned a
corner, and after a tough start in their new home they now sit in ninth
ahead of Chelsea's visit to the London Stadium on Monday. And big Ray
believes the squad have started to play for each other now that last
season's Hammer of the year is back at Marseille. "I think this squad are
starting to knit together. We got bashed up against Man City, but we bounced
back. "We've got Chelsea on Monday, so let's see how we do."
Winstone featured heavily in the documentary about the Hammers' move from
Upton Park to Stratford's London Stadium, that followed what it meant to the
fans to leave the old ground behind. But if he had the opportunity to star
in a movie as one of the West Ham first team, there's only one man he could
see himself playing. "He's a bit shorter than me, but Mark Noble, I suppose.
"He's been the epitome of what West Ham's about and he's been there for a
long, long while. "I couldn't play the Geordie (Andy Carroll) because I
can't do the accent!"

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