Daily WHUFC News - 10th October 2017

Cresswell to bring 'positive' England experience back to West Ham
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell will bring the 'positive experience' of making his first
England start back to West Ham United. The Hammers full-back produced an
assured and, at times, eye-catching performance on his full Three Lions
debut, helping Gareth Southgate's side to a 1-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying
Group E victory over Lithuania in Vilnius on Sunday. "A few of the West Ham
lads have messaged me saying 'Well done' and of course family and friends as
well," he told whufc.com. "It is my third cap but to start for your country
is what you dream of when you are a little boy. Thankfully I have done that
and felt I did OK. "We didn't know the team until late. We found out a
couple of hours before the game. The family didn't come over, they didn't
know if I was playing or not. I was delighted to see myself in the starting
eleven and I want to kick on now."

Playing wide left in a 3-4-3 formation, Cresswell was solid defensively,
delivered a succession of dangerous crosses and went close to scoring
himself when his powerful header was well-saved by Ernestas Setkus. "I think
Hendo (Jordan Henderson) crossed it. I didn't actually see it until late,
but managed to get the header. The keeper's made a good save and I am
disappointed it didn't go in. These things happen. Hopefully I will have
another chance to get one in future."

Having helped England complete an unbeaten campaign in reaching Russia 2018,
the 27-year-old's attentions now turn to Saturday and West Ham's Premier
League trip to Burnley. Slaven Bilic's squad head north on the back of a
dramatic home win over Swansea City last time out, and having kept three
clean sheets in four Premier League matches in September. Cresswell
naturally wants that recent run to continue at Turf Moor. "I will take this
positive experience back to the Club and into Burnley on Saturday. It has
been tough at the start but we have had some good results of late.
"Performances have been OK but all the lads will get back together in
training this week after the international break. Hopefully we will kick on
again and continue pushing higher up the league."

Back to international matters and England will begin their preparations for
next summer's finals by hosting Germany and Brazil at on Friday 10 November
and Tuesday 14 November respectively. As the man in possession of the No3
shirt, Cresswell is eager to feature again in those two mouth-watering
Wembley friendlies. "Germany and Brazil are going to be much tougher
opposition and certainly tougher games but that's something the lads relish
and look forward to. "You want to play [against] the best players in the
world and in the next two games that's what we want to do. Hopefully we can
learn from the experience and take it into the World Cup."

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Attacker Rosie Kmita signs for West Ham Ladies
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies are delighted to announce the signing of pacey
attacker Rosie Kmita. Kmita joins the Hammers from WSL2 side London Bees and
the 23-year-old will link up with twin sister Mollie at West Ham. "I'm
really, really excited to be a part of West Ham," Kmita told whufc.com:
"It's an exciting and ambitious team that is really going places and I
wanted to be a part of that journey. "I feel comfortable and happy at the
Hammers. I want to be here for a long time now. I'm settled and want to be a
big part of West Ham's project and future."

A quick and creative forward who is also comfortable on the wing, Kmita
prides herself on her pace and determination. "I'm a really attack-minded
player, on a good day," she laughed: "There's a lot of urgency in my game
and there's a lot of talking too. I don't shut up on the pitch. That's what
I'm about - good communication."

Despite her youth Kmita has already enjoyed experience at a host of top
clubs across Britain. The forward spent the majority of her youth career
with Tottenham - save for a single season in America - before joining
Brighton at 18 in 2013. A move back to Spurs followed before Kmita enjoyed
short spells with Cambridge United and Gillingham Ladies. The attacker then
spent pre-season with London Bees before joining West Ham. Departing the
Bees for West Ham includes leaving behind the WSL2 but Kmita is excited by
the ongoing project at the Club. She said: "Although I may have stepped away
from WSL2 I don't feel like I've stepped down with this move to the Premier
League Southern Division, but rather I look at it as a very good move both
for my career and my life in general. "The Club is very ambitious and is
definitely going places. We will get to the top level. It's just a matter of
when, not if."

Kmita made her debut for Greg de Carnys's side on Sunday, playing a crucial
role in the 5-0 rout of Swindon Town, with her pace and creativity shining
through in the win. That experience also meant Rosie was in the same team as
her twin, Mollie Kmita, once again. The two sisters have always played at
the same clubs apart from when Rosie opted to focus on her studies during
her time with Cambridge and Gillingham, and the new signing is thrilled to
be sharing the pitch with her sibling again. On Sunday's match, she said:
"It was lovely to make by debut against Swindon. I felt really welcome and
it was brilliant. "It's nice to be back with my sister too! We grew up
playing together so it was a great experience for both of us. It was a
really warm welcome from the fans. I was excited to get going and it was
amazing to start the game."

Will West Ham fans be seeing some sibling rivalry on the pitch in the Ladies
team from now on?

"No, because I always win!" Rosie laughed. "Playing alongside Mollie is
good. As a twin, you have a different kind of bond to other siblings and
it's awesome to have those experiences together. "If I'm not having a great
game then Mollie will be the first person to tell me and get on my back in
an effort to get me up, and it's the same the other way as well. It's good
though. It's fun for us both to be at West Ham. "We're very competitive but
we'd never get to a point where we would be envious of each other. We are
very supportive of each other and we have fun too."

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Rice and Cullen help Ireland U21s to thumping victory
WHUFC.com

Josh Cullen and Declan Rice (pictured) helped Republic of Ireland maintain
their unbeaten start to UEFA European U21 Championship qualifying with a
thumping 4-0 win over Israel. The West Ham United duo again partnered one
another in central midfield as the Boys in Green made it ten points out of
12 with a comfortable victory at Dublin's Tallaght Stadium. Queens Park
Rangers striker Reece Grego-Cox helped himself to a hat-trick, with Everton
midfielder Harry Charsley also on target. Ireland kicked-off their challenge
for a place in next summer's finals in Italy and San Marino with a 1-0 win
over Kosovo and 3-1 victory in Azerbaijan - Rice's U21 debut - before
holding Norway to a goalless draw in Dublin last Thursday evening. The Irish
will end the current international break top of Group 5, but could see their
lead cut to a single point when second-place Germany travel to Norway on
Tuesday evening.

Rice and Cullen return to international action on 14 November, when they
travel to Norway.

Elsewhere, former West Ham youngster Sean Maguire, who joined Preston North
End following a prolific two-year spell at Cork City, made his full debut
for Ireland as a late substitute in the 2-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group
D win at the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening.

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Chicharito: We want to qualify undefeated
WHUFC.com

Chicharito and Mexico want to complete an undefeated FIFA World Cup
qualification campaign for the first time in 40 years tonight. El Tri travel
to the Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula to take on Honduras in their final
Russia 2018 CONCACAF Round 5 tie on Tuesday evening. Mexico have won six and
drawn three of the nine Round 5 ties they have played so far to confirm top
spot in the North, Central America and Caribbean region. And having also won
2-0 at the same venue in Round 4, the West Ham United striker and his
compatriots will be confident of clinching a first unbeaten qualifying
programme since winning all five matches at the 1977 CONCACAF Championship
to secure their place at Argentina 1978. "Honduras is a special place, but
we want to go undefeated," said the No17, who scored his 49th international
goal in a 3-1 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Friday evening. "Whether we
win or we lose, we have a lot to learn. We have to take it each game at a
time, as four years ago we were not the worst and now we are the best. We go
very calmly, no matter what the outcome. We think only of Honduras."

The Caribbean island nation took a surprise lead through Shahdon Winchester
in San Luis Potosi, before goals in the final 12 minutes from Hirving
Lozano, Chicharito - on his 99th cap - and Hector Herrera turned things
around. "They could not hold the rhythm for the whole game. In the first
half, we also threatened quite a few times, but we did not finish our
chances. "The coach asked us to keep going, not to lower the intensity and
not take our foot off the accelerator."

Following Friday's victory, Chicharito paid tribute to the Mexican people,
who were honoured with a minute's silence before kick-off (below), praising
their resilience in the wake of the devastating 19 September earthquake in
his homeland. "We dedicate this victory in recognition of all the people who
supported the country in the difficult situation that was experienced in
recent days."

For the record, despite five goals from the 29-year-old, Mexico lost three
fourth-round ties in 2014 qualification before thumping Winston Reid's New
Zealand 9-3 on aggregate in the Intercontinental Play-Off. In 2010, El Tri
initially made an even bigger drama of qualifying, losing two of their
third-round ties to sneak past Jamaica on goal difference. They lost a
further three fourth-round matches but won six to finish as runners-up to
the United States. In 2006, Mexico won 13 of their 16 ties, losing two,
while in 2002 they lost four out of 16 and for both 1998 and 1994, two out
of 16. The Central Americans were disqualified from qualification for the
1990 tournament, hosted the finals in 1986 and lost two qualifiers for Spain
1982.

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Souness blasts 'unacceptable' Sullivans
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness has accused the son of West Ham United
co-chairman David Sullivan of undermining Slaven Bilic. The former Liverpool
and Scotland star had plenty to say about boardroom influence in yesterday's
Sunday Times, whilst blasting players for holding too much influence over
their clubs - to the detriment of Premier League managers. "The best
examples of player power undermining managers in recent seasons are Jose
Mourinho at Chelsea and Claudio Ranieri at Leicester, both disgracefully
sacked the season after winning the Premier League," wrote Souness. "That's
the power of the modern player. If you fall out with a couple of them, you
are toast. The board stop valuing your opinion and start to pay attention to
the opinion of others. "Look at the West Ham situation, where you have Jack
Sullivan, son of the owner David Sullivan, on social media criticising the
manager's selections, substitutions and signings.
"All of that is unacceptable."

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I cried every day for two weeks after joining West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Daniel 'Dani' Carvalho has revealed how he used to cry himself
to sleep after being sent to London as a teenager. The Portuguese forward
spent one season on loan at West Ham in the mid 1990s as Harry Redknapp's
'Foreign Legion', as they were dubbed by the media at the time, rose to
prominence.
But Dani, now 40, has revealed how he initially hated the capital - whilst
admitting that he used to weep every night when speaking to his family. "For
the first two or three weeks I cried every day," he said in a revealing
interview with tribunaexpresso.pt. "I spent hours on the phone with my
parents. I was 18, alone in London, living in a two-story apartment with no
driving license. I felt isolated and missed the day-to-day stuff as I used
to have dinner with my parents and my sister every day."
The then 18-year-old had been sent to England on loan an punishment for a
string of high-profile incidents - often involving the opposite sex - that
threatened to derail his career as a professional footballer. But as he
recalled, London was probably the worst possible place he could have ended
up given his love of the high life - and it was a world he soon embraced,
even if that was once again detrimental to his development. "One of the
newspapers wrote 'Lock up your daughters! Dani has arrived'! Then I was
contacted by a modeling agency who built and strengthened my image as a
'handsome boy'. "They started to take me to the film premieres and they
introduced me to producers etc - and that's when I began to live London life
in earnest. "I was suddenly with Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Kate Moss by my
side at movie premieres. The Twelve Monkeys was the first one I went to.
Sometimes I couldn't believe what was happening! I thought it was a joke to
be in those places so I tried to play and maintain that social life."
However it soon turned sour for Dani, who played just nine times for the
Hammers, after he fell out with then-manager Harry Redknapp. "West Ham had
an option to buy me, but the price wasn't set," he explained. "When I
arrived West Ham were were 16th in the table and after I got there we were
soon up to 7th or 8th. "A month or so before the end of the season we went
to Spain for a week and they spent the day playing golf and drinking beer.
The coach, Harry Redknapp, had the nerve to tell me, 'I'm going to pull you
out of the team until the end of the season so your price will go down -
then I'll buy you'. "I asked him not to do this because I had the chance to
go to Euro 96 [with Portugal] and if I did not play it would be difficult
for that to happen. He said 'I don't care, I want you here next season so
you won't play any more'. And it was at that point that Dani decided to
return to Portugal - albeit briefly. "I snapped and went home but my
manager, Jose Veiga, and father convinced me to return," he continued. "So
I came back but I wouldn't even look at him, we had no relation at all. He
began to say that I was a bad professional, said that I smoked and couldn't
behave myself - all this despite the fact that I was hoping to play at the
Euros at the age of 18. "I attended training because I had to go, but if he
talked to me and asked to do something I wouldn't do it. I'd totally lost
respect for him. Redknapp didn't do well with me, [Paulo] Futre, [Hugo]
Porfirio, or half the players I trained with."

Dani eventually ended up in the Eredivisie with Ajax, where he was to spend
the next four years of his career before moving to Atletico Madrid in 2000.
However less than four years later, and having represented his country nine
times, he retired from the game at the age of only 27, to take up a career
in TV.

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West Ham's Aaron Cresswell backs Andy Carroll to make England World Cup
squad
Last Updated: 09/10/17 11:41am
SSN

Aaron Cresswell believes West Ham team-mate Andy Carroll could play his way
into England's squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Carroll won the last
of his nine caps in October 2012 and has been blighted by injury for much of
his five-year international exile. But he is back in harness with West Ham
after missing the start of the season with groin trouble, and Cresswell
believes the 28-year-old's well-known aerial threat could be an asset in
Russia next year. Asked if the former Liverpool and Newcastle striker could
be part of the England squad again, Cresswell said: "Of course he can.
Everyone knows what Andy is capable of, especially in the air, and you could
say it's a different dimension and that different way of playing. "If Andy
stays fit between now and the end of the season, there is no reason why he
can't be in contention. "Everyone wants to be pushing for that World Cup
spot and all you can do is keep playing your best week in, week out and hope
to make that plane."
Cresswell's own prospects appear to be on the up after he made his first
England start during Sunday's 1-0 win in Lithuania. The left-back, who will
be vying with the likes of Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose and Luke Shaw next
summer, almost marked his big chance with a goal, producing a powerful
header only to be denied by home goalkeeper Ernestas Setkus. Southgate's
side could not deliver the kind of freewheeling display fans had hoped for
in Vilnius, despite top spot in Group F already being assured, but next
month sees prestige friendlies against Germany and Brazil at Wembley. Both
fixtures promise to provide greater spectacles than recent games against
Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta, and Cresswell says the dressing
room is already anticipating the double header. "To start for England was
something you dream of as a little boy. I'm proud to wear the shirt and play
for England, but these type of games are never easy," he said. "Germany and
Brazil are going to be much tougher opposition and certainly tougher games
but that's something the lads relish and look forward to. "You want to play
the best players in the world and in the next two games that's what we want
to do. Hopefully we can learn from the experience and take it into the World
Cup."

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