Daily WHUFC News - 27th October 2017

Hammers drawn to face Arsenal in Carabao Cup quarter-finals
WHUFC.com

West Ham United have been drawn to face Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the
Carabao Cup. The Hammers will travel to Emirates Stadium for the last-eight
tie, which will be played in the week commencing 18 December. Slaven Bilic's
men booked their place in the quarter-finals with a thrilling comeback
victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Trailing at the break to goals
from Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli, the Hammers came roaring back with Andre
Ayew's double and Angelo Obgonna's header sealing a 3-2 victory. Arsenal,
meanwhile, left it late to overcome Norwich City in their fourth round tie
on Tuesday, cancelling out Josh Murphy's opener through a debut double from
Edward Nketiah.

Carabao Cup quarter-final draw

Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth
Arsenal v West Ham United
Leicester City v Manchester City
Bristol City v Manchester United

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Cresswell: Spurs win gives us momentum and confidence
WHUFC.com

West Ham United need to use the momentum Wednesday night's comeback win
against Tottenham Hotspur provided when they face Crystal Palace on
Saturday, according to full-back Aaron Cresswell. The Hammers came from two
goals behind to beat their London rivals at Wembley in the Carabao Cup
thanks to Andre Ayew's double and Angelo Ogbonna's headed winner. And with a
massive Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace to come on Saturday,
Cresswell thinks the victory has given his side a huge amount of confidence
going into their second consecutive London derby. He said: "Beating a team
like Tottenham is great because they're a fantastic team. It gives us
momentum and confidence. We have to take that momentum into Saturday because
Palace are fighting for their lives.
"Every game is massive. It's not as if one game is more important - every
game is. We want to get three points and push up that league. "Obviously we
read and hear these things [in the press] but as professionals, we have to
deal with that in a positive way and nights like these hopefully turn these
things away and we're looking forward to the Crystal Palace game now."

Cresswell was a constant threat for the Hammers particularly in the second
period, crossing dangerously from the left on a number of occasions to put
the hosts under pressure. It was the full-back's initial delivery which was
only half cleared before Manuel Lanzini set up Ayew's second - the Hammers'
equaliser. However it was the third goal, and particularly the resulting
celebrations, which Cresswell particularly enjoyed on the famous Wembley
evening. "For the third, I turned round and I think Adrian had got to Angelo
before I could even get there!" the England international laughed. "I turned
round and there he was! "You could see how delighted we all were with the
win. After the second goal went in, the momentum really swung our way. "It
wasn't good enough first half from us but second half was a different game.
Once we got that first goal, it felt like we could go onto win. It was a
strange match. "I spoke to Nobes [Mark Noble] about it; when the first goal
went in, we knew we were coming. We were on the front foot from there. "At
half time, we all pulled together and realised it was unacceptable, so we
game out fighting and we turned the game around. To do that in the way we
did and to get into the next round was brilliant."

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Bilic: Hard work, taking opportunities and setting the standard for Saturday
WHUFC.com

Manager Slaven Bilic was in good form in his post-match press conference
following West Ham United's 3-2 Carabao Cup fourth-round win over Tottenham
Hotspur at Wembley. The Croatian praised his players for their work-rate,
commitment and quality and challenged them to show the same qualities in
Saturday's Premier League fixture at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Here is what he had to say...

We definitely put the hard work in at Wembley

I was asked before the match to comment on the statistics which Sky Sports
showed after our defeat by Brighton on Friday, which said we had run and
sprinted less than any other Premier League team this season. Nobody can say
we did not run and sprint on Wednesday. And nothing effects the running of
any football team, their closing down and their tempo, with or without the
ball, as much as goals do. We scored the first goal and, all of a sudden, we
were in the rhythm and they were a little bit not in a rhythm, then the
second goal came. Of course, we could still have gone on to lose the game
3-2 or 4-2, but it was us who was in charge and, to be fair, the lads
deserved it.

It was a great night for the Club.

In my opinion, whatever anyone says, we won the game, rather than Spurs lost
it. Mauricio Pochettino knows his Spurs team better than me and, if he
thinks their level dropped in the second half, fair enough. They don't
concede three goals very often - I don't remember the last time when they
did - and when he says they were a little bit 'Job done' and took it easy,
it is very hard to come back in a game, and that's what happened. OK, maybe
that happened a bit, but nothing can take one per cent from our guys. We
showed it and we deserved it. Maybe they gave us the opportunity to attack
them five against four or four against three, but still it's not easy to
score three goals against Spurs away.


We put things right in the dressing room at half-time

I said after the game, both to the television and the radio reporters and
then to the press, that our first half was not, for me, that bad. The result
was very, very bad, but I also saw a lot of good things from us. We were
passing the ball from the back and we were coming through into good areas,
but our crossing or passing in the final third of the pitch was very bad and
our movement in their penalty area was not good enough. So, at half-time, I
told them that the result was very bad, to calm down and to do some things
better when we had the ball, and Manuel Lanzini and Edi Fernandes to close
down Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli when they had the ball and I told one of
the strikers he has to be on Eric Dier, who had a lot of time and space in
the first half. I also told them that, when we had the ball, we had to show
more bravery and more quality with our crosses and all that, that we were
very much in the game and the next goal would be the decisive one.
That's exactly what we did brilliantly in the second half. We were closing
them down much better and were bursting out with the ball through Fernandes
and Lanzini. We scored the goal and we gained energy and our crosses started
to be world-class crosses and it was very hard for them to defend. From a
few of them we scored goals and we deserved it.

Wednesday's win set the standard for Saturday

Wednesday night's game should set the standard for us, in terms of closing
teams down, in terms of compactness, in terms of team play, in terms of
sacrificing everything for the team. We will win some games and we will lose
some games, but I am quite confident we are on a good way. We improved a
lot, the Brighton game aside, and we should use this game as a standard. It
gives us a lot of confidence going to Crystal Palace on Saturday and we need
to use this game, to do the same in training, to do the same to prepare and
to do the same on Saturday. If we think suddenly everything is OK, then it
would be better if we had lost on Wednesday, because we have to be focused
and use this opportunity to continue to work hard and sacrifice for the
team.

There were no long faces on Thursday morning

I made nine changes to the team on Wednesday night and the boys who came
into the side have given me and my staff a positive headache when it comes
to picking the team for Saturday. I've always said it is about the squad and
there is no space for individuals. Whoever plays on Saturday knows that. We
will need all of them over the course of the season. We wanted to go through
to the quarter-finals. OK, one or two of them were rested, but only because
we believe in the guys behind them and that they deserve to play - the likes
of Sam Byram (pictured, above), Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Edimilson
Fernandes and Andre Ayew - and they took their chance. We have two days to
prepare for Palace, which is not ideal, but the win gives us energy and
freshness and nobody felt tired and there were no long faces at the training
ground on Thursday morning.

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Sprint king Ayew and the other key numbers behind West Ham's Wembley
fightback
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's sensational comeback Carabao Cup fourth-round victory over
Tottenham Hotspur was the result of a real team effort. After external
criticism targeting a perceived lack of fitness in the Hammers ranks
following Friday's home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, official Opta
statistics revealed West Ham outran their opponents at Wembley by more than
2,700m, covering 114.17km to Spurs' 111.48km. West Ham also ran 8.35km at
high intensity, compared to Tottenham's 7.68km. While the two teams' sprint
statistics were almost identical - 1,724m to 1,725m - the Hammers
outsprinted Mauricio Pochettino's side by 799m to 694m during their
resurgent second half. No player on either side covered more sprint (327m)
or high-intensity (1,318m) metres than two-goal Andre Ayew, with the
Ghanaian's 662m of high-intensity running in the second half an amazing 180m
higher than Spurs right wing-back Kieran Trippier in second place, and 298m
further than the next-highest Hammer, Edimilson Fernandes.

Indeed, while Ayew and Angelo Ogbonna got the goals, every player in Claret
and Blue stepped up to the plate during the Hammers' revival. After an
opening 45 minutes which saw them concede twice and rarely test the Spurs
defence, Slaven Bilic's team were a different proposition after the break.
Of West Ham's seven shots on target, five came in the second half and four
of them led either directly or indirectly to goals, with Ayew converting his
first goal after Edimilson Fernandes' fine half volley was parried by Michel
Vorm. It should come as no surprise that West Ham's three goals all resulted
from crosses from the left, seeing as the Hammers launched 48 per cent of
their attacks down that flank. With Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini
combining to good effect, with support from left centre-half Angelo Ogbonna,
West Ham clearly targeted an area filled by the attack-minded Kieran
Trippier and young Argentine defender Juan Foyth.

With the above in mind, unsurprisingly Lanzini had more touches, 86, than
any other West Ham player, and registered two assists, followed by
Cresswell's 68, Mark Noble's 67 and Ayew's 65. The Hammers were generally
good on the ball overall, too, with Andy Carroll the only outfield player
with a pass-completion of less than 86.5 per cent. Match-winner Ogbonna had
the best completion percentage of the starters, with a near-perfect 97.3 per
cent. The Italian completed 36 of the 37 passes he attempted, while
defensive partner Declan Rice completed 27 out of 28.

Defensively, West Ham gave it absolutely everything in the second half, with
ten of their 16 successful aerial battles coming in the final 30 minutes.
Seven were won by Carroll, including the header which led to Lanzini's cross
for Ayew's equaliser, while Ogbonna won four and Ayew himself three. The
Hammers made 39 clearances. Centre-backs Ogbonna, Kouyate and Rice made 22
between them, while no fewer than eleven individual players made at least
one clearance. Teenager Rice, playing as the middle centre-back, led the way
with four interceptions, while Fernandes, Noble and Byram made three each,
and the Hammers made 21 interceptions in total, while Spurs made just six.

Behind them, Adrian was at his eye-catching best, making four vital saves to
first keep his team in the game and, later, keep them on level terms and
maintain their advantage. The Spaniard's first stop came on 18 minutes, when
he made an instinctive one-handed save to keep out Dele Alli's header and
keep Spurs' lead down to 1-0. Then, moments after Andre Ayew had drawn the
Hammers level at 2-2, Adrian made another decisive save from Alli's volley.
Having raced 80 yards to celebrate Ogbonna's winner, the No13 showed his
concentration had not waivered by pushing Moussa Sissoko's curler to safety.
And finally, with full-time approaching, he dived to his right to push Ben
Davies' goal-bound effort aside. All in all, the Hammers showed yet again
that, when their backs are against the wall, and with Ayew leading the
charge, they really are West Ham United.

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Lanzini: We need to take the winning mentality to Crystal Palace
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini says the wonderful Carabao Cup comeback against Tottenham
Hotspur has given West Ham United an 'enormous morale boost'. The Hammers
were in need of a metaphorical shot in the arm after a shattering 3-0 home
Premier League defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, and got it at Wembley on
Wednesday night. Playmaker Lanzini was key to the terrific turnaround,
supplying the corner which led to Andre Ayew's first goal and the assists
for the Ghanaian's second and Angelo Ogbonna's stunning winner. "I hope it's
the turning point of the season," said the talented Argentine, who continued
his own personal trend of excelling in London derbies. "These games, beyond
winning them, give you an enormous morale boost. "Obviously, it was
important for us because it wasn't just a big match but a derby, and you
always have to win derbies. But hey, we have to continue this way. We know
that we have to play like this, with this desire, with this attitude. We
have great players and we want to continue this way. "I'm happy for the two
assists but above all pleased by the performance of the team in the second
half. We were looking for, something like this [since the first match
against Tottenham], we couldn't do it in the League but luckily it happened
in a major tournament like the Cup and we hope to continue this way. Lanzini
also had words of praise for manager Slaven Bilic, citing his half-time
tactical adjustments and motivational team talk as reasons for West Ham's
resurgence.
It was a strange match because in the first half we started very badly. We
were uncomfortable on the pitch and we left huge spaces in midfield. In the
second half we went different, a couple of indications that made us change
the formation and pressure system, and that's what made us turn the game
around. "We are with the manager, we have known him for three years, he
knows us. He is a very good person and we are going to do everything
possible to help him continue on our bench."

Next up for the Hammers is a trip to Crystal Palace - another opponent that
Lanzini has enjoyed success against in the past, with four goals and an
assist in just four meetings. "Of course, we go into Saturday in good
spirits now. On Saturday, it is a big game for us also with a good team in
Crystal Palace, so we need to keep going like this, to train hard and put
the same mentality into that game. "Wednesday's game was good for us, for
the manager and the team, and we need to keep going like this, and that's
it."

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Noble: Spurs comeback was down to belief and character
WHUFC.com

Club captain Mark Noble praised his team's belief and character after West
Ham United produced a terrific second half performance to beat Tottenham
Hotspur in the Carabao Cup at Wembley. The Hammers went 2-0 down against
their London rivals and looked beaten at half time, but came out all guns
blazing in the second half and were soon level thanks to Andre Ayew's brace.
And Angelo Ogbonna - bagging his second goal in as many starts - headed in a
winner from Manuel Lanzini's corner with 20 minutes remaining to book West
Ham's place in the quarter-finals of the competition. Despite making the
worst possible start in the clash, Slaven Bilic's men never believed it was
over, according to skipper Noble, and were playing for their boss. "I said
to the boys you have always got to believe," he said after the victory. "You
can't give up. We are Premier League footballers; you can't just give up.
"In all honesty, no [I don't believe it!] But do I believe in the team? Yes!
Do I believe in the players? Yes, but 2-0 down at Wembley to a fantastic
Spurs team, not only for us, but for any team, is a massive mountain to
climb.
"Obviously Spurs scored two goals, they can do that, but in the second half,
we showed a lot of character. "I thought we deserved it. They deserved it in
the first half and scored two, we did in the second half but scored three -
that's why we won the game. "I don't think you get that second half
performance if you aren't playing for your manager. Slaven is a proud man -
it kills him when we lose, you see it in his interviews. "It was a fantastic
night for everyone at West Ham. The fans loved it, the players loved it."

The Hammers went into the cup tie on the back of a disappointing defeat
against Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday and have another huge Premier
League clash in south east London on Saturday, against Crystal Palace. And
Noble hopes the Wembley win against Mauricio Pochettino's men can now act as
a catalyst to reignite their form in the league. "I hope it is [a defining
moment] for us," he continued. "It would be an absolute waste if we don't go
to Palace now and get points. It was a fantastic night for everyone and we
all worked hard. "I think we said a lot in the week, I said a lot after the
Brighton game and we did sit down as a team. "But we have to take this now
into the next game - it's about belief and confidence. You build momentum
and that's what you need. Sometimes it doesn't matter how you win, you just
need to win. "We know we haven't been doing ourselves justice. I know the
players we have got in that team and we are accountable for the performances
we put in. I said that we needed to have pride in their shirt and tonight,
in the second half, we did that." The midfielder also had huge praise for
forward Ayew, whose two goals dragged the Hammers level after a
disappointing first half. "We had a fantastic ball in from the corner [for
Ogbonna's goal], but the others, we've seen this from 'Dre before. "He knows
where the ball is going to drop. They were two fantastic goals from him. "He
has had a bit of stick, this player, but he's kept on grinding and he
deserves that tonight."

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Ayew: Wembley win shows we are West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Two-goal Andre Ayew insists West Ham United's never-say-die attitude
inspired them to come from 2-0 down to defeat Tottenham Hotspur in the
Carabaco Cup.
The Hammers' hopes of reaching the quarter-finals looked all but dead and
buried when first half goals from Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli sent them
back to the dressing room two goals behind at the break. However, a pair of
typically predatory finishes from the Ghana star, followed by a towering
header from Angelo Ogbonna, completed a sensational and unforgettable
comeback victory at the Home of Football. Now, Ayew says the challenge is
for West Ham to maintain the same levels of intensity and commitment when
they travel to Selhurst Park for an important Premier League derby with
Crystal Palace on Saturday. "I think the game started really tough as
Tottenham took the lead after five minutes, but we stayed confident and we
weren't down," said the Sky Sports' Man of the Match. "The coach [Slaven
Bilic] had the words at half-time, so I want to congratulate the whole team
for what they have done today. "It's a massive win, but we need to stay calm
because we've got a massive game on Saturday. We need to enjoy this win
tonight, because it's a derby and it's Tottenham and because it's always a
great victory, but prepare for Saturday because it's very, very important.
"We knew if we scored a goal early in the second half, we would have a
chance, but we also knew Tottenham have a big squad and great players and a
great manager. Tonight, we have shown we have character and we have quality,
but we need to relax and work hard, because Saturday is a big one. "Saturday
is very important so we're going to prepare, have a good rest, then work
hard and hopefully we can collect the three points."

Ayew said the Hammers' second-half performance showed the team are not only
united, but united behind manager Slaven Bilic. "We showed a lot of
determination in the second half. It was a very good win, considering what
we've been going through in the Premier League. "It's not been easy, it's
been a tough time, but we have a lot of quality players and we need to stick
together and keep fighting as a team and we'll get out of this situation.
"When you're in a Club like West Ham and the results are difficult, the
manager is under pressure, and the players are too, but we just need to keep
working hard. The manager knows the players are behind him and will give
everything, not just for him but for themselves too, because we have to wear
the shirt with pride. "We're going to do everything to get some points and
get out of that zone. There is a fighting spirit and we need to do it
week-in, week-out. "This is a good win for confidence. It's a derby with
Tottenham at Wembley and we were losing 2-0 at half-time, so there are a lot
of things from this which smell good, but in football we cannot get carried
away. We need to work even harder on Saturday if we want to get something."

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IF SLAV DOES GO, WHY ARE PEOPLE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MAN AS A POTENTIAL
BOSS?!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 26 OCTOBER 2017 AT 5:39PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Today West Ham have been linked to 30 year old Hoffenhiem manager Julian
Nagelsmann. The German boss is in his second season for the Bundesliga club
and us catching the eye of some the biggest clubs in Europe. But should West
Ham start Investing in foreign youth and focus on young English managers
within our own successful pyramid system?

As much as I would love West Ham to start investing in the world's best
managers for short term successes, I feel the club should start Investing in
a manager who could build the squad. I'm not talking about the obvious young
English managers that are in the spotlight such as Eddie Howe, but I'm
looking further down the leagues and towards a manager who has grown from
the non-league not only as a player but now as a manager. A man who has
guided Lincoln City into League 2 using the bare minimum resources available
but thanks to the clubs progression, he has installed the resources back
into the club.
I'm talking about Havering born, childhood hammers fan Danny Cowley.

Danny Cowley has been a breath of fresh air in the lower leagues, by using
his grounded philosophy, consistent confidence and installation of trust in
his players to get the best out of his team. Likened to a modern day Harry
Redknapp, he has reaped the benefits and gained popular status in Lincoln,
putting the city back on the Footballing map. Having successful spells at
Hornchurch and Braintree Town as manager, he had built squad off players he
has trusted and used that players commitment to install a spine within his
team's. Something West Ham clearly lack.

If Danny Cowley became manager at West Ham, he would've like a child in a
toyshop with his mum's purse. Imagine the resources he would have at his
hands! A very good youth academy, premier league quality players, a good
scouting team, a transfer kitty he could swim in and a training facility
Lincoln city could only dream about. My logic here is this man has done well
with no money and no real setup, pure managerial qualities is why he is
doing well. And at only 39. Now give that person everything and see how well
he will do. I cannot see Pep or Jose doing well at Lincoln City and I feel
this is where West Ham's next long term managerial solution could be.

Let me know your thoughts coyi.
Adam Leatherbarrow (BA Hons & Dip Arch)

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Quarter Final draw: West Ham to face Arsenal
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham will face Arsenal at the Emirates in the quarter finals of the
Carabao Cup. The draw, which was eventually broadcast on twitter - though
not live as promised and more than 90 minutes late due to "technical
difficulties" - pitched Slaven Bilic's side against The Gunners as a reward
for their defeat of Tottenham last night. The full draw for the quarter
finals was as follows. As you can see, by some extraordinary coincidence
Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd managed to avoid each other:

Chelsea v Bournemouth
Arsenal v West Ham
Leicester v Manchester City
Bristol City v Manchester United

All ties will be played in the week commencing 18 December. News of which
ties are to be broadcast live will be announced in the coming days.

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Leave the flag alone
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

A request to remove a flag referring to West Ham's Board as 'lying, thieving
cheats' from the away end at Wembley stadium last night was rejected by
stewards.

The flgag, which featured the slogan "Brady, Sullivan, Gold - next level?
Lying, thieving cheats" was the subject of a removal request by an employee
of the club, according to the West Ham Football twitter account.

However the club's lackey was apparently ignored by the Wembley officials
and the flag remained in full view for the remainder of the match, which
West Ham won 3-2 thanks to a stunning second half comeback.


Although chants berating the club's owners have been heard on a regular
basis away from home this season, West Ham club have previously blocked
attempts to bring flags bearing anti-Board slogans into the Olympic Stadium.

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Spurs 2-3 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th October 2017
By: HeadHammerShark

Sometimes it's easy to take things for granted. Sometimes it's easy to
forget what made us fall in love with people, or places, or things or even,
yes, football teams.

Since I started writing The H List again at the start of last season, I
think I've forgotten a little of what it is that brings me to games, and
that drives the love I have for my team. What it is exactly that has me
excitedly texting my Dad before matches to see if he's listening, or rushing
home from work so I can tune in to some far off evening game in the North.

There's plenty of things wrong with West Ham, but Christ when she dances she
can really move.


Pretty, pretty, pretty good


So this isn't a night to talk about boardroom structures, managerial
changes, xG or the training pitches at Rush Green. Tonight is a night to
truly kick back and revel in the simple joy of being a football fan.

These are the nights we live for. Sure, Spurs fans are going to have spent
all evening sending you sarcastic text messages, before deciding that this
was suddenly a game they didn't care about. Forget them, our joy needn't be
defined by anybody else. These are the games that make it all worthwhile.

Forget the jibes about it being our Cup Final too. Who gives a shit? If it
was, well, we just went two nil down and came back to win it three - two. At
Wembley. And you're trying to somehow use this to mock us? Fuck off and go
and relearn what it is to be a football fan, brother.

Because on nights like this, when it all comes together and elevates us
above our circumstances and grown men hug perfect strangers and people can't
stop smiling and goalkeepers run seventy yards to celebrate a goal - that -
that, is what being a football fan is all about. Certainly we have to put up
with a lot of abject misery to get to this point, but that's just the base
that flavours the cake.

It's that same feeling of lightning in the veins that has me sat here at
1.30am with The Stone Roses for company, pouring all of this out on to the
page. For it's easy enough to take pot shots at the board week after week,
but it's a rare treat to write about a match like this when young kids, old
hands and unlikely heroes stepped out of the shadows and firmly on to the
stage when we needed them most.

But this feeling....man, I love my children dearly and the best thing I can
do for them is to let them know they are loved, keep them safe and help them
grow up as decent people. But I wish I could bottle this feeling for them
too and leave it under the Christmas tree. Maybe I'm in a post match
adrenaline fuelled frenzy, but right now there is an awful lot to savour in
this moment.

***

The crazy thing about this game is that the first half was awful. After
forty five minutes we were two-nil down, and I had literally no idea what we
were doing to attempt to score a goal. Andy Carroll was once more marooned
up front like a pissed Geordie lighthouse and the formation behind him was
so confusing that after twenty minutes I was reduced to assuming it was some
sort of homage to Brownian Motion.

Mauricio Pochettino went full Spurs before the game by telling everyone that
he was only interested in winning important trophies and that this wasn't
one of them, before naming a team that had seven changes from Sunday but
still had a very "Jesus, Poch, I thought you weren't taking this seriously"
vibe to it.

By contrast, Bilic made nine changes and put out a group with a very "I got
drunk and picked this out of a hat" feel. Two central midfielders, Rice and
Kouyate, were in a back three while Andre Ayew came in to play in that weird
netherworld between here and Narnia, which still didn't put him close enough
to Carroll to have any impact on anything.

Meanwhile, Wembley was strangely flat as the home fans kept their powder dry
for Real Madrid next week, and the atmosphere got lost in the wide open
spaces. In fairness, we should have felt right at home.

Moussa Sissoko opens the scoring


Yet things began in customary style as Spurs scored after just six minutes,
while our guys were apparently still doing an introductory ice breaker
session in the centre circle. I'm not saying Moussa Sissoko was in a lot of
space when he broke on to a Son through ball, but he could have been in a
scene from the fucking English Patient, so isolated was he.

With that goal went the light canopy of hope that covered the West Ham end
and attentions soon turned to the World Posturing Championships being held
between home and visiting fans at the periphery of the away section. It's
half term so both teams were strongly represented.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, after long periods of not very much, Dele Alli
doubled the lead with a deflected effort, coming shortly after he had been
brilliantly denied once already by Adrian. With that, all optimism went
south and chants of "Sack The Board" could be heard in full-throated roar.
When the away following turns, it won't be long before others follow. It
felt like the start of a long night, especially as Spurs seemed to be barely
out of first gear.

While this isn't a time for long detailed analysis, there was much to lament
about that first half. Carroll has been roundly criticised this season, but
it's hard to find fault with him when he's being played in a system so
manifestly unsuited to his strengths. That said, his effort in the first
half wasn't sufficient and with no pressure on the ball anywhere Spurs were
dominating us as though we were a lower league team having a jolly day out
in the Big Smoke.

To watch Spurs attack is to really see the difference between us and the
business end of the league. Here they zipped and spun and glided and built
their attacks like they were wearing ice skates on a frozen pond. By
contrast, we seemed to be attempting to push a trebuchet up a hill, and so
poor were we that our only effort of any note was a long range Noble strike
that Michel Vorm could have kept out with a fairly solid exhale.

At half time some people left and I can't say I would ever do the same, but
I also didn't have any more optimism than them. After a performance that
seemed to scream "and you thought Brighton was bad", the only question was
how much we could limit the damage.

***

When I was a kid I spent hours playing in my back garden, and my absolute
favourite scenario was Spurs in the Cup Final at Wembley. We'd go two down
and then I would lead a stirring fightback to claim the trophy with a
stunning 3-2 win. I was a centre back at the time, so it did require quite a
lot of imagination, some patient parents and also many daffodils died to
bring you that little reminiscence.

So on a night of childhood fantasy, it seems fitting to me that the guy who
probably had the exact same dreams as me was there to lead our fightback.
Mark Noble gets plenty of criticism from people like me, but this was a
beautiful two fingers to us all as he combined with the electric Lanzini to
start, finally, pushing Spurs back.


I mean, you wouldn't want to have to explain this to your wife


Some seem to think it was the Noble fisticuffs with Danny Rose that got
things moving, or maybe that the lads were injected with "passion" at half
time but I'm not sure I'd ascribe it to any of those things. Fernandes and
Ayew went further forward and got closer to Carroll, Noble began to win the
ball in midfield and Lanzini just started to run riot. As we began to win
some loose balls, and finally get on top of Son, their best player, we edged
into the contest.

Carroll too, began to work, with all the lugubrious effort of a shire horse
in the rain and then in fifteen glorious minutes we were back in it. First,
a Lanzini corner fell to Fernandes on the edge of the box and his low drive
was only parried by Vorm to the waiting Ayew, who poked it home. The Ghanian
does a very passable impression of Chicharito, it has to be said.

Five minutes later he was at it again, as this time Carroll produced a
lovely deft header to free Lanzini, who in turn gloriously pulled it down
with his left and crossed with his right for Ayew to finish sumptuously. At
this point, there was a palpable sense of disbelief around the national
stadium.

Spurs fans were perplexed at how their brilliantly coached, fluidly moving
team were capitulating in the face of the first flush of competition they'd
faced all evening and West Ham fans were wondering where the hell this had
been all season and whether their half time pints had been laced with LSD.
Better was to come as Ogbonna rose unchallenged to nod home a Lanzini
corner, and in the space of fifteen minutes Slaven Bilic had written another
one of his famous survival stories into the annals of his West Ham history.

And, in truth, that was that. As dangerous as they looked before the break,
Spurs were completely toothless afterward. In the cold light of reflection
they never threatened, and as our Ayew-led frontline continued to stretch
them and harry them and dog them, it was tempting to wonder quite how much
lasagne the home team had eaten at half time.

***

And what of Slaven Bilic? Well, if he has to take the criticism for losing
3-0 at home to Brighton, then he surely gets to stand on his desk and give
people like me the bird after this. There are whispers that there was a team
meeting in the week, but when you start giving credence to stuff like that
you're on the slippery slope to believing in things like fairies and the
existence of decent Vin Diesel films. Bilic is the manager and we don't get
to attribute the wins to the players and the defeats to him. That's not how
this works. It's not a US Presidential election - there are rules.

For Bilic, I hope this is the start of him saving his job. That might seem
odd, given that I think he should have been sacked ages ago, but if he puts
together a long run of fantastic results and drags us up to a top eight
finish then that would be a very pleasant way to be wrong.

I don't want Bilic to fail - I just think he has, and will continue to do
so. But here, when the spotlight was at it's brightest he did what managers
are supposed to do. His team were awful in the first half, and he galvanised
them to come back and beat a better opponent simply through the force of his
own will. Had Pochettino done it, we'd be hearing about it forever.

I repeat, that's what managers are supposed to do.

It's happened again


Likewise, Andre Ayew deserves his moment of sticking it to the man. While he
may be yet another confused signing with no discernible position or obvious
use, there can be no denying that on this night he was a leader. His work
rate and mobility, particularly in the second half, was the beacon that lit
the way for others to follow. And when we needed him, his preternatural
positioning allowed him to poach two goals that one assumed couldn't be
scored without Chicharito on the pitch.

We can't get too carried away, but he is now our top scorer and surely
deserves a place on Saturday at Palace, but crucially in whatever position
it is that best serves him. I maintain that as best as I can determine, that
is as a second striker. All the best with that, Slav.

Behind him, others stood tall when we needed them. Adrian continues to make
a mockery of the notion that he is somehow inferior to Joe Hart, while Byram
and Rice showed that there is at last some genuine competition in the squad
for places. But perhaps the best thing about tonight was less the individual
performances and more the collective pulling-together when it was most
needed. Teams like us must be more than the sum of our constituent parts or
else we will fall in the face of the greater firepower of teams like Spurs.

Take tonight, when Son was the best player on the pitch in the first half
and yet isn't a regular starter for them. The gulf is huge, and while I tend
to place my faith in analysis and proper metrics, I also accept that
sometimes a team like ours can benefit from more prosaic qualities. Bilic
took some abuse this morning for his confusing comments about the team not
running enough, as though that was something outside of his control and also
as though running around a lot is the sole reason for a team to be doing
well.

But here tonight was a reminder that greater graft and the great drug
confidence can be enough to pull a team back into a game. We should perhaps
all remember that when times get tough again, and the choice is to either
support our players or abuse them. Men like Arnautovic and Carroll could
assuredly use a little more, y'know, support from their supporters.

***

So where to from here? I would suggest nowhere. Enjoy this moment and forget
about the Palace game, or the continued slow starts, or the constant
tinkering with the formation and instead take a moment to take in what
happened tonight. I know it's only a Carabao Cup round of sixteen game, but
never let people tell you what you're allowed to be happy about.

No, take a minute to savour the idea of brining on Marko Arnautovic when
you're trying to defend a lead. Smile at the memory of Andy Carroll and
Andre Ayew combining to snuff out last minute attacks in our box with the
demented fervour of banshees. Laugh yourself silly at the shenanigans on
Wembley Way because, let's face it, we're probably not going to be having
that experience again any time soon.

Live in the moment, folks. We haven't had many of them lately, and whether
you've been dreaming about this since you were a little boy or girl, or you
came to this Club later through some unfathomably bad decision making on
your part, it doesn't matter. Who cares if you're in England or overseas. It
matters not if you were there or at home. All that matters is that you are
West Ham and tonight our team gave us a gold plated reminder of why we
follow.

3-2 in our cup final? Sure. Why the fuck not.

After all, that's pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.

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Eight arrests at Tottenham game against West Ham at Wembley
Last Updated: 26/10/17 2:41pm
SSN

Eight people were arrested at Wednesday night's Carabao Cup match between
Tottenham and West Ham at Wembley. Two men were arrested by police on
suspicion of possession of class A drugs, two others were arrested on
suspicion of assault, while others were arrested on suspicion of assault on
a police officer, violent disorder, affray and of being drunk and
disorderly.
Videos have emerged online following the game which allegedly show the two
sets of fans clashing, and there were reports of fighting in the Club
Wembley section. Some footage has also emerged on social media which appears
to show a fan throwing a plastic cup full of urine towards the West Ham
fans. The video allegedly shows someone in the home section urinating into a
pint glass before preceding to throw its contents at the travelling fans.
Tottenham have told Sky Sports News they are investigating the footage and
have urged fans who have information about "anything untoward" at last
night's game to contact either the club or the police. A spokesperson has
told us: "This behaviour is completely unacceptable and we are currently
investigating and working to identify the individual responsible."
In the second clash of the season between these two clubs, Mauricio
Pochettino's side led 2-0, but Slaven Bilic's West Ham managed to score
three second-half goals - ensuring their place in the quarter-final of the
competition.

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VILE MOMENT SPURS FAN URINATES IN A CUP AND THROWS IT OVER WEST HAM
SUPPORTERS
The Mirror

This is the vile moment a Tottenham fan urinated in a cup and it was thrown
towards West Ham supporters. The two clubs clashed at Wembley in the Carabao
Cup on Wednesday evening in the second meeting between the two rivals this
season. And footage shows a man in the home section at Wembley relieving
himself into a plastic container before it is launched at the away fans.
Spurs took a 2-0 lead in the tie but three second-half goals for the Hammers
meant it was Slaven Bilic's side that took their place in the last eight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andre Ayew: West Ham players will 'give everything' for manager Slaven Bilic
Sam Dean
26 OCTOBER 2017 . 10:30PM
Telegraph.co.uk

Andre Ayew has insisted the West Ham United players are behind under-fire
manager Slaven Bilic after they battled back to defeat Tottenham Hotspur in
the League Cup at Wembley. Ayew scored two goals in West Ham's 3-2 win,
which relieved some of the pressure on Bilic after another difficult start
to the season.
West Ham have faced accusations that they are failing to run enough during
games, but Ayew said the team is giving "everything" for the manager. "When
you are at a club like West Ham and the results are difficult, the manager
is under pressure for sure," Ayew said. "But so are the players. We have to
keep working hard and the manager knows the players are behind him. We will
give everything we can. "Not only for the manager but for ourselves too. We
have to wear the shirt with a lot of pride. There is a fighting spirit."
West Ham will hope to be buoyed by the comeback against their London rivals
as they face struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday. "It is a good win for
the confidence to come from behind to beat Spurs at Wembley," Ayew said. "We
can't get carried away." Spurs face Manchester United on Saturday and
defender Toby Alderweireld said the loss will serve as a "reality check"
after impressive performances against Real Madrid and Liverpool. "We were
not flying or anything in our heads but I think it is a good reality check
that you still need to work very hard, even if you are 2-0 up, to get
results," he said. "Everybody's disappointed but we have to learn from this
moment. On Saturday there's a big game coming up and we have to focus on
this."

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