Daily WHUFC News - 15th October 2017

Late Burnley goal sees Hammers draw at Turf Moor
WHUFC.com

West Ham United were forced to settle for just a point at Turf Moor after a late Chris Wood finish cancelled out Michail Antonio's first-half goal. The opening goal came in the 19th minute as Antonio met a pass forward from Joe Hart, slotting home comfortably after skipping past the Burnley goalkeeper.
The Hammers then saw Andy Carroll shown a pair of yellow cards in the space of three minutes, leading to the striker's dismissal and leaving the away side with ten men. West Ham battled hard and looked set to achieve an impressive away win at Burnley, but Wood's header found the bottom corner in the 85th minute to ensure the points were split between the two teams.
Slaven Bilic named an attacking starting XI for the contest at Turf Moor with the likes of Andy Carroll, Chicharito, Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio all opening the match. That bravery paid off less than 20 minutes into the game as Antonio put the away side ahead. A long pass by Hart eluded the Burnley defence, which Antonio latched onto, rounding goalkeeper Nick Pope to slot into an empty net.

An impressive opening by the Hammers was marred slightly a few minutes later after Carroll was shown two yellow cards in quick succession by referee Stuart Attwell. The striker was deemed to have committed fouls which were both worthy of bookings, seeing Carroll sent off in the 28th minute. Despite losing Carroll West Ham remained composed defensively against Burnley's threat, limiting the home team to shots from distance in the opening period through Steven Defour, Scott Arfield and Robbie Brady. And the Irons could have doubled their advantage moments before the half-time whistle as Manuel Lanzini carved out some space just outside the box, only to see his shot well held by Pope.

The second half presented an early opportunity for Antonio to grab his second of the match but the forward just narrowly missed Lanzini's ball across the face of the Burnley goal, which trickled agonisingly away from his outstretched boot. Pedro Obiang, brought on at half-time for Marko Arnautovic, then saw a powerful shot well held by Pope, before Antonio forced another save from the Burnley goalkeeper. The effort came following a flowing team move involving Lanzini, Chicharito and finally Antonio – a certain goal-of-the-season contender had Pope not stopped the attempt at his near post. Burnley substitute Johann Berg Gudmundsson struck the base of the post with an effort from distance. The ball then bounced back off Hart but the England international was able to claim. But West Ham's resolve could not hold as Chris Wood headed home in the 85th minute to draw Burnley level, bringing an end to a run of five consecutive wins for the Irons against the Clarets.

Burnley: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward (Barnes 81'); Arfield (Gudmundsson 46'), Cork, Defour, Brady, Hendrick (Vokes 46'); Wood
Subs not used: Lindegaard, Taylor, Westwood, Long
Goals: Wood 85'
Yellow Cards: Defour 41'

West Ham United: Hart; Zabaleta, Reid, Fonte, Cresswell; Kouyate, Lanzini (Masuaku 88'), Antonio, Arnautovic (Obiang 46'); Carroll, Chicharito (Sakho 75')
Subs not used: Adrian, Noble, Ayew, Ogbonna, Masuaku
Goals: Antonio '19,
Yellow cards: Carroll 25' 27', Obiang 80'
Red cards: Carroll 27'

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Antonio hails 'good point' earned at Burnley
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio is delighted to have netted his first goal of the season and to have earned a 'good point' away at Burnley on Saturday. West Ham United looked set for an impressive victory at Turf Moor courtesy of a first-half finish from Antonio, but had to settle for a draw after Chris Wood headed home in the 85th minute. Despite being frustrated with the result, having held the lead for so long, Antonio can see the positives from a tricky away test at Turf Moor – including his first finish of the campaign and another point on the board.

Antonio said: "It's my first goal of the season. I was getting a bit frustrated but I was able to get one today. It was a nice little assist by Harty. We managed to hold out for 85 minutes and then they managed to get their goal. I reckon it's a good point, away at Burnley. "We had started off with a nice goal from myself and we seemed in control. Then Carroll got sent off but we still seemed in control and, although they had more of the possession, they didn't create opportunities."

West Ham's strong start to the contest was marred by two quick yellow cards for Andy Carroll, who was given his marching orders in the 27th minute after a succession of aerial challenges. Antonio admitted that it was frustrating to be reduced to ten men so early in the game but the 27-year-old insists that the rest of the players are not annoyed with Carroll, suggesting the No9's first booking was unfair. "It's very frustrating cause we've got the lead and we were in control at the time," Antonio added: "But it's just one of those things in football. I do believe the first yellow was harsh. The second one is definitely a yellow but the first one was harsh. It's a part of football and we have to deal with it. "Obviously once we come in Andy said sorry to us, but it's just one of those mistakes. I did it myself last season. We can't hold him to it. We just need to carry on."

The pacey forward came close to doubling his – and West Ham's – tally in the second period after a beautiful flowing move. Antonio linked excellently with Manuel Lanzini and Chicharito to create a chance, only to see his shot saved. Antonio confessed: "I played that chance back in my mind ten times just on the pitch. It would have been one of the goals of the season had I managed to finish it off but I took it a little early. "In hindsight, I reckon I should have taken it onto my left and then shot. More opportunities will come for me though and hopefully I can go on a run now."

The No30 is remaining positive and believes the point gained from this weekend's trip to Turf Moor is a sign that the Hammers are improving and can continue to climb the table. He added: "Last month we did well. We got seven points on the board and now we've come here against a very good Burnley side and we've got a point with ten men. We're go on from here and we're already looking to next week. "We are showing what we can do. We are coming away and we are picking up points. The future is looking bright for us."

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Bilic: I've got mixed emotions after Burnley draw
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic felt a mixture of pride, anger and disappointment after his ten-man West Ham United side conceded late to draw 1-1 at Burnley. The Hammers looked on course for a first away Premier League win of the season when Michail Antonio scored after 19 minutes at Turf Moor, only for Andy Carroll to be sent-off for two bookable offences in the space of 100 seconds a short time later. The manager admitted to being frustrated with his centre forward, who was shown two yellow cards by referee Stuart Attwell after catching Burnley centre-backs James Tarkowski and Ben Mee in the head with his arm.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, West Ham defended resolutely and even created chances of their own to add a second goal, only for Chris Wood to head home Johan Berg Gudmundsson's right-wing cross with just five minutes of the 90 remaining. "I've got mixed emotions," Bilic told the press. "I'm proud of the team and how we played. When we were eleven against eleven, we were passing the ball and created a lot. "We scored the goal and we had the momentum but then that momentum was ruined or stopped by that couple of bookings in the space of two minutes which, for a player of Andy's experience and everything, basically you can't do that. "It wasn't deliberate, but you can't do that very early in a game and that was of course a big blow for us, although we defended well until half-time. "We wanted to put on extra legs with Pedro Obiang in the midfield with Manu Lanzini on the left side and to try to get the ball and create when we had the chance. Then we looked really good in the first 15 minutes of the second half and had two really good chances to score a goal which would have given us extra strength. "But it's very hard to stop an opponent for a long time who has an extra player getting in the position to put a good ball in or to shoot from 25 yards. We coped really well with those crosses, because they had bodies up front and we had bodies in our box, apart from that one good cross that we should have stopped because we had it two against one [out wide]. "Then again they had bodies in the box and put in a lot of crosses and we defended 95 per cent of them really well but it wasn't enough to get three points. When it happens really late in the game, you have those mixed emotions that you don't value this performance and this point as you would normally, or as it normally deserves to be. Because if it had stayed 1-0 it would have been heroic, but still one moment doesn't make it less heroic, as it's not easy to play with ten."

Bilic was asked repeatedly about Carroll's actions – for his reaction, whether he had spoken to the striker and what action he planned to take against him – but preferred to concentrate his answers on the incidents themselves, rather than any potential fallout. "I'm very frustrated and very angry," he admitted. "I have not spoken to Andy yet and I don't think about that [any punishment] now. "I said that I'm very disappointed, not with the referee's decision because it was [correct]. The first one can happen, but the second one cannot happen, especially when you play away, then you are asking for trouble. "I didn't speak with him at half-time, as I was concentrating on what to do in the game. I didn't see the challenge [from Tarkowski which left Carroll complaining moments before his bookings]. I only saw his couple of bookings. "It is extremely frustrating. What can I do? He is a very brave player and not a lazy player, he is a player who is committing himself and that's his virtue and is a big part of his game. [For the second booking], he wants to win all the balls in his space and it was just an unbelievably bad decision to even go there."

Bilic also conceded that his side could have had a penalty awarded against them when Joe Hart challenged Wood inside his area shortly after Carroll's dismissal. The England goalkeeper, who was otherwise exemplary, appeared to get ball and man, and referee Attwell opted to give a corner rather than a spot-kick – a decision the Hammers boss agreed with. "To be fair, I've seen that incident and if we were in that situation, make no mistake, I would expect a penalty but it wasn't like a blatant one because Joe didn't put his arms there and the ball went out sideways. I think Joe touched the ball and it was also after the red card and you can't give them all. It wasn't a blatant penalty, so you can't give every decision."

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REF WATCH – BURNLEY VS WEST HAM – STUART ATTWELL
AUTHOR: SAMTWHWREF. PUBLISHED: 14 OCTOBER 2017 AT 6:17PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

After a pretty dire 1-nil win at home to Swansea before the international break, we visited Turf Moor to play a Burnley side sitting 7th in the league before this game and only conceding five goals this season.

The referee appointed for this Saturday afternoon fixture was Stuart Attwell. Attwell has had a challenging career as an elite referee. He was demoted back in 2012 and has spent the majority of his time in the lower leagues. This is Attwell's third Premier League appointment of the season, in which he's made 61 appearances in total during his career, with over 200 appointments in the Championship, League One and League Two – I feel that Attwell needs to get an early foothold in the game with special focus and emphasis on player management and controlling the game without making rash decisions.

During the first half, Attwell looked nervous and looked like an official that was lacking confidence and I can only sympathise but to be within the Elite Select Group, you have to be up to the task.

Attwell did start the game well and within the first two minutes he had to make a decision on a foul from Cheikhou Kouyaté just inside his half. Attwell made the correct decision in my opinion to just speak to Kouyaté rather than branding a yellow card too early in the game. There wasn't anything cynical from the challenge, it was careless and slightly late. There are better ways to control the game in the early stages and player management is key.

Attwell did let a few challenges go in the first half, one being when Kouyaté was climbing to challenge the ball in the air but caught and clattered the Burnley man. Another was when Scott Arfield was late into a challenge with Michail Antonio and he caught the West Ham man on the half way line.

The biggest talking point of the half was Andy Carroll getting sent off for receiving two yellow cards with both incidences within 1 minute 40 seconds of each other. Referees this season have been harsh on occasions with the bigger men in the league, particularly those strikers who are big and strong like Chris Wood, Romeu Lukaku, Andy Carroll.

When it comes to jumping to challenge for a ball, you naturally use your arms for leverage but as a referee you have consider the following: Does the striker lead with the elbow? Was there intent to injure and/or harm the opponent? Is the players fist closed or open? The first challenge by Andy Carroll I genuinely thought he was unlucky to get a yellow card, there was contact but the contact wasn't deliberate to harm this opponent and leverage was key to win the ball. However, the second yellow card was a completely different situation and I understand why Attwell made his decision. The challenge by Carrol was extremely poor and I'll explain you why; When you saw Andy Carroll lead with his elbow and a closed fist, there was intent to harm from my perspective and it's an incredibly, stupid decision from Carroll.

In the second half, Attwell began to struggled and it's difficult especially when the decisions were simply a couple of metres in front of him and I have no defence for why he made those decisions. During the second half, Burnley's Ben Mee made at least three fouls, majority on Javier Hernandez, which accompanied a handful of fouls in the first half but Attwell had no intention to caution Ben Mee. I like to see referees manage the game without showing cards at every foul, like Attwell did well in the first half, however there is only a certain amount of times that a foul can be careless and persistently infringing laws of the game.

There were a handful of cautions in the second half with Pedro Obiang going into Attwell's notebook after an incredibly late challenge on Steven Defour. Obiang couldn't have had any complaints with Attwell's decision to caution him for this challenge.

Chris Wood and Winston Reid were both cautioned after Wood scored the equaliser in the 85th minute. Both players tangled in the goal mouth with Wood showcasing excessive force to push Winston Reid into the net, whilst Winston Reid was time wasting by holding on to the ball.

Overall, Stuart Attwell's performance was overshadowed by a number of decisions that were incorrectly awarded. It's about understanding the mindset of the referee performing on the biggest stage in the Premier League: the players are quicker, more talented, powerful – it's a completely different level to the Championship and other lower leagues in England. Attwell has a lot to do in terms of game management and player management to be up there with the best Elite's in England.

A note on West Ham, it's hard to comprehend that a team full of defensive minded coaches can't get experienced, professional players to close out a game with 5 minutes left. Am I being too harsh that we had 10 men for majority of the game? Maybe so, but these decisions are key for surviving in the Premier League and not being pulled into a relegation battle. The performance was a lot better than Swansea which I heard from multiple people that it was one of the worst games since moving to the London Stadium. Up next is Brighton at home for Friday Night Football live on Sky Sports – Another big game for us to secure the maximum points.

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Condemnation for Carroll
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 14th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham fans believe West Ham would have won at Burnley this afternoon - had it not been for Andy Carroll's lack of professionalism. The striker was dismissed after just 27 minutes of this afternoon's match with Slaven Bilic's side leading 1-0; the game ended up 1-1 after the hosts grabbed an equaliser five minutes before the end of full time.

Unsurprisingly the instant reaction from Irons followers was to condemn Carroll for his antics, which led referee Stuart Atwell to show two yellow cards within the space of just 90 seconds for two heavy, aerial challenges. "Thanks a lot Carroll!," wrote KUMB member Colours never run. "Same footballing intellect moment as Arnautovic, all of his own doing. The referee called it bang on sending off the idiot. A wasted opportunity to take all three points and really push on."

Meanwhile Clucking Bell believes the recent examples of indiscipline may require the manager's intervention. "Whilst AC wasn't quite as stupid as Arnie against Southampton, committing a worse offence less than two minutes after his first booking cost us the win," he argued. "Slaven needs to address the discipline within the squad."

And Peaches went a step further by suggesting that it would perhaps be prudent to cash in on Carroll during the next transfer window. "Everton want Carroll, I think we should sell," he added.

"We played a lot of good football with 10 men because we kept the ball on the deck. With 11 men we would have won. I'd like to see the same team [against Brighton next week], but with Sakho in for Carroll."

Finally, brothernero agreed that Carroll's dismissal was the game's main turning point - but believes West Ham were nevertheless unlucky not to hang on for all three points. "Before Carroll was sent off we were winning and passing the ball around nicely and looking to create and get in behind Burnley," he surmised.

"The red card changed that and was always going to make things tougher for us. In the end we were undone but a great cross and header after we had had to play with 10 men for an hour.

"Burnley are a decent side and one that is very very hard to beat at home - so it was a good point, with some luck and some bad luck on our part and a half decent performance. Carroll aside, you cannot knock the team or the manager tonight."

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Slaven Bilic angry with Andy Carroll red card as West Ham draw at Burnley
Last Updated: 14/10/17 8:08pm
SSN

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic lamented Andy Carroll's failure to use his experience after being sent off in the 1-1 draw with Burnley. Since Bilic took over at West Ham, the Hammers have picked up 12 red cards in the Premier League, three more than any other side and there were just 99 seconds between Carroll's first yellow card and his second in the 27th minute. The former Liverpool striker was booked after referee Stuart Attwell judged he led with his elbow in a challenge with James Tarkowski, and the game had barely resumed when he launched himself into another aerial challenge with Ben Mee, earning the third red card of his career.
West Ham were leading thanks to Michail Antonio's first goal of the season, but they were ultimately pegged back with five minutes remaining as Chris Wood met Johann Gudmundsson's cross to break their resistance. Bilic said of the game's key talking point: "Of course I'm angry [with Carroll]. He's a very experienced player. It wasn't deliberate but a player of his experience, you cannot do that two times in a couple of minutes - especially when you play away it's very likely you're going to get minimum a yellow card. "That's what happened very early in the game, and after that we knew it was going to be very hard, but we defended well and we were so close to getting all three points."

Failure to see out the match means that West Ham have won only one of their last 12 away games in the Premier League, so they will welcome returning to the London Stadium next to face Brighton in the Friday Night Football game in their bid to move further away from the relegation places. Having been denied a record-equalling sixth Premier League win against a single side, Bilic added: "It's a bit of mixed emotions. I have to praise the guys as we got a point and we played for so long with 10 men. We had some good periods in the game even when we were down by one man.

"In the first 15 minutes of the second half, we had a couple of really good chances. It's hard to stop them crossing the ball from good areas. They put bodies up, but we defended most of those good crosses but we didn't mark well for the goal. "But I would say we played good, especially when we were 11 against 11 when I thought we were dominant and dangerous, which I expect now that we have most of the squad back and fit. "I'm quite pleased with the work-rate, with the fitness and also with the quality. If we continue to play like this we should get many more points."

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BURNLEY 1, WEST HAM 1. PLEASED AND DISAPPOINTED.
By David Hautzig 14 Oct 2017 at 17:09
WTID

When your teenage daughter is able to cut through the truly neurotic thinking that is part and parcel with being a football supporter, you're probably in a pretty weak position debate-wise.

"Dad. There were no games last weekend. You were pretty calm, didn't go through any f-ed up mood swings. Things were good. But this morning you're a wreck again and yet you say you're happy it's back. How on earth is that healthy"?

Pause.

"Did you do your Spanish homework"?

It's become virtually cliche to call a game like this crucial. Mathematically it wasn't. Psychologically it was pretty damned important. The stats showed that starting Carroll would be a good move, with Burnley giving up more corners than any team in the EPL thus far. They also have given up more total shots than any other side, but a large percentage of them have come from outside the eighteen yard box. So a poacher like Hernandez would be sensible at the very least. But we've seen how Bilic handles having those two on the pitch together, and needless to say the reviews have been Luke warm. But with Lanzini in the starting eleven along with Arnautovic and Antonio, it had to be called a positive lineup from our manager.

The first five minutes were a punchfest. Too bad I don't write about ice hockey because that wording could have been fun. West Ham won a corner thanks to Lowton's face, but after taking it short the ensuing delivery into the box was punched away by Pope. A moment later Hart showed his version of Football Fisticuffs when he punched away a cross from Defour. I had a feeling we would see a lot of this today.

In the thirteenth minute, Burnley likely should have opened the scoring when Wood lost Zabaleta on a run into the West Ham penalty area. Lowton sent a deep cross that found Wood all alone in front of Hart. Left would have scored. Right would have scored. But straight ahead was an easy save for Hart.

You cannot teach pace. I don't know who said that, but I know it's a sports cliche. In the 19th minute, Hart intercepted a long cross. He took one look and saw Antonio off to the races. The ball landed at the right foot of Mee, but he couldn't control it. Yes, that will go down as a mistake by the Burnley defender. But Antonio stayed with it, touched it around Pope, and slotted it home.

Burnley 0
West Ham 1

In the span of seconds, West Ham's day went from promising to dumb. Andy Carroll went up for a header against Tarkowski, and caught him with an unintentional elbow. Atwell showed him yellow. It could be argued that Carroll did catch him in the face, so intention isn't as relevant. But the second one was pure knuckleheadedness. Carroll flew into Mee, chasing a long ball, and flattened him. NFL scouts would have been impressed. You didn't need to wait for Atwell to reach into his pocket to know what was coming. The lack of discipline from Carroll, knowing he was on a yellow, was as infuriating as the idiocy shown by Arnautovic at Southampton.

I guess we will see Sakho and Hernandez against Brighton on Friday.

The day should have gone from very bad to incredibly awful in the 32nd minute when Brady threaded a ball to Wood, who had split open the West Ham defense. Hart dove out to meet the ball, met Wood's feet, and a penalty would have been no surprise. But Atwell pointed to the corner instead, and West Ham could be thankful for the charity.

The first half carried on as one would expect, with Burnley using the extra space on the pitch to dominate possession. The moved the ball side to side, but The Hammers back line did their job well. Burnley couldn't manage anything other than a few long range shots that didn't find a target. In fact, West Ham had what could be considered the best chance of the half post Carroll lunacy when Arnautovic and Lanzini combined at the top of the Burnley area but The Jewel's shot was deflected harmlessly into the waiting arms of Pope.

Halftime
Burnley 0
West Ham 1

The second half started with a sensible substitution. Arnautovic and his 25 million pound price tag gave way for Obiang and his, what was it, four million pound receipt? Even though that was a defensive move, West Ham started the second half on the attack and came inches from scoring a second. Hernandez rolled a perfectly weighted pass for Lanzini in the box, who then whipped the ball across the face of goal where Antonio just missed it at the far post.

A few moments later West Ham again showed more endeavor with ten men when Zabaleta, Lanzini, and Obiang worked the ball well at the top of the Burnley eighteen yard box but Obiang couldn't get much power into his shot and it floated softly into Pope's arms.

Burnley had a chance to level the game in the 55th minute when Fonte gave up a silly foul twenty five yards from goal, giving Brady a chance to show what he can do from a set piece. But the West Ham wall showed what they can do and West Ham averted danger.

The 57th minute brought us the best bit of football West Ham have shown all season. A back heel pass from Obiang set off a series of quick passes that culminated with Pope making a diving save on Antonio. Moments later a long cross from Defour somehow eluded everyone in the West Ham penalty area, including a diving Lowton and went out for a goal kick. Minutes later Brady sent a beautiful ball in between Reid and Fonte that Vokes chased down, but there was nobody there to poke it in. Minutes later Gudmundsson fired a long range curler that beat Hart, bounced off the post, and landed right in front of a grinning Hart. Two minutes later Defour tested Hart with a long range shot, and the England number one handled it easily.

Burnley had another chance handed to them by Atwell in the 71st minute when they were awarded a free kick from thirty yards out. The ball bounced off the wall, and the rebound shot went off Lanzini and out for a corner. West Ham handled it well, but all they could do was hoof it down the pitch and wait for the next Burnley onslaught.

Bilic removed Hernandez in the 74th minute and inserted Sakho. Hernandez was clearly angry at the move. Ian Dowie on television thought it was the correct move. I would have taken Antonio off, both because he looked spent and because Hernandez had shown what he can do in a ten man setup at Southampton. That's not a criticism of Bilic. Just an opinion.

My goodness, Obiang has a longer name than I was aware. Pedro Mba Obiang Avomo. That's what the FotMob app calls him. Very formal app I must say.

Burnley continued to search for a late equalizer, and they finally got it in the 85th minute when Gudmundsson beat Cresswell down the right and sent a

Burnley 1
West Ham 1

The announcement of four extra minutes could not have been met with joy by the visitors. It was likely very easy for West Ham supporters to visualize a late Burnley winner. But despite the disappointment of Wood's late goal, our version of Claret & Blue held on for the point.

Final Score
Burnley 1
West Ham 1

Mitigating circumstances. Other than stupidity, that's the term that will dominate West Ham's thinking. It's hard to judge how much we have improved since Newcastle. The results absolutely indicate an upward trajectory. But the performances have been mixed. But had Carroll not….OK, no more pejorative adjectives about him, I think we would have won. But you never know.

At the end of the day, with the still fragile state we are in as a club, I'll stay satisfied with the point.

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