Daily WHUFC News - 4th October 2017

Cresswell keen to impress England boss Southgate
WHUFC.com

If everything goes to plan for England over the coming week, the Three Lions
will book their place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. The Three Lions
host Slovenia and travel to Lithuania knowing one point from their final two
Group E qualifiers will book their passage to Russia. For Aaron Cresswell,
the fixtures – and training sessions before and in-between – present the
West Ham United left-back with another opportunity to impress Gareth
Southgate, with the target of securing his own spot at next summer's finals.
"I'm going away again and we've got a job to do and hopefully we can
qualify," said the No3, who has helped the Hammers keep clean sheets in
three of their last four Premier League matches. "We've only got to get one
point more and we'll have got the job done. "It would be nice to make my
competitive debut in one of the two remaining qualifiers and that's the
plan, but the main aim is to qualify and whoever plays, I'm sure we can do
that. "We've got two winnable games and, as I say, hopefully we can do that
and then look forward to the World Cup next year."

Cresswell joined up with England at St George's Park on Monday in a positive
frame of mind after helping the Hammers to a 1-0 Premier League win over
Swansea City on Saturday. "That was another thing I'd been saying before the
game, that there is nothing worse than going into an international break,
whether you are going away or staying back to train, than thinking about the
last game if you haven't won it," he confirmed. "To be fair, we had a bad
start to the season and we haven't been at our best, so I would have taken
the three points all day long. We know it wasn't pretty and wasn't good
enough, but three points were the main thing. "For us, moving forward,
especially with the international break and no games for two weeks, to get
the three points was massive and it was a great relief to see the goal go in
at the end."

Playing as part of a back four for the first time since the 3-0 defeat at
Newcastle United in August, Cresswell produced a solid display alongside
Jose Fonte, Winston Reid and Pablo Zabaleta, restricting Swansea to just one
shot on target and six goal attempts in the entire 90 minutes. "There
weren't many clear-cut chances and it was a strange game at times, but we've
been down in the relegation zone and I know there are 30-odd games left to
play, but for us to get the three points was massive, especially going into
a two-week break, to relieve that pressure on everyone for the foreseeable
future" he concluded.

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Wheeler: Team spirit is great ahead of Ladies' Swindon clash
WHUFC.com

Hannah Wheeler reveals how Nicki Minaj is keeping team spirit burning
brightly in the West Ham Ladies…

THERE will be a live Nicki Minaj concert at Rush Green on Sunday, when West
Ham United Ladies take on Swindon, according to Hannah Wheeler. There will
also be one the week after, at the contest against Queens Park Rangers, as
there has been for every match the Ladies have played so far this season.
That is because, according to the defender, teammates Chan Mackie and
Stephaney Bent are constantly singing the performer's songs on the touchline
– and their vocals aren't bad either! "It caught me by surprise," Wheeler
confessed: "I didn't expect that level of singing from either of them, which
actually made it even funnier. "Seriously, if anyone wants to see Nicki
Minaj live, they don't need to buy a ticket to one of her concerts. Just
come down to one of our games and listen to Chan and Steph!"

Wheeler's remarks about her teammates show the incredible team spirit
engulfing the West Ham Ladies this season. Although recent results have gone
against the side, the Ladies are still together and are still committed to
the project that the club has invested in. Wheeler admits that the opening
few weeks have been difficult but feels some of the results did not fully
reflect what actually happened on the pitch. She does, however, feel that
lessons need to be learned from that.
"It's been a challenging season so far," she admits: "But I feel as a team
we are improving. We played Cardiff on 27 August and for me that was our
best game of the season so far. We showed what we were about, put our stamp
on the game, worked for each other and enjoyed what we love doing the most –
playing football. "However, we have also seen some results not go our way,
despite our efforts perhaps deserving something from the match. But that is
football. A score doesn't always define a game, but we're learning quickly
that we need to take the chances that come our way."

Wheeler reckons she has had to develop her game significantly already this
campaign as expectations and standards at the West Ham Ladies continue to
rise.
That growth as a player has also yielded further confidence and a
willingness to take responsibility in the centre-back. Wheeler added:
"Personally I have had to improve on things in a short space of time.
Mentally I have had to go above and beyond to prove I have what it takes and
do the job effectively. "I feel also the way we are playing means I'm having
to grow as a player, become more confident and take more responsibility. "I
want to improve as a player and get as far in football as possible. It's got
to be both physically and mentally. It's about being smart and being able to
adapt."

West Ham United Ladies host Swindon Town at the Hammers' Rush Green Training
Ground this Sunday, kick-off 2pm
Admission is FREE for Season Ticket Holders, Claret Members and all
under-16s. Tickets for adults are priced at just £2 and car parking is free.

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5 reasons why West Ham United's defensive record has improved
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Premier League season may be just seven games old, but it
can already be broken down into two distinct parts – August and September.
The first month of the season was, a Carabao Cup win at League Two side
Cheltenham Town aside, largely forgettable, as the Hammers conceded ten
goals in the process of losing their opening three Premier League matches.
The second was much-improved, with Premier League victories achieved over
Huddersfield Town and Swansea City, a point earned at West Bromwich Albion
and just three goals conceded – all of them in a 3-2 home defeat by
Tottenham Hotspur – in four top-flight matches.

Here, we look into the numbers behind West Ham's dramatic defensive
improvement and ask how and why Slaven Bilic's side have tightened things up
at the back…

1. Changing the formation

Bilic opted for a flat back four in the opening three Premier League games
of the season, all of which were played away from home, at Manchester
United, Southampton and Newcastle United. The Hammers employed a 4-2-3-1
formation at Old Trafford and St James' Park, and 4-3-3 at St Mary's
Stadium, but results were not good – 4-0, 3-2 and 3-0 defeats, to be
precise. West Ham conceded ten goals and 52 goal attempts in those three
matches, at an average of 17.33/game. Following the international break,
Bilic switched – the Swansea home game aside, when he opted for a 4-4-2
'double six' formation with two deep-lying central midfielders – to a
three-man defence, with full-backs filling the wide midfield positions in a
3-4-3 system. With more defenders on the pitch, West Ham immediately looked
more secure and the space afforded to opposition forwards dried up. The
result? Just three goals and 37 goal attempts conceded – an average of
9.25/game – in four matches.

2. Putting in the hard yards

Put in the simplest terms, West Ham's players have run further in their last
four matches than they did in the previous three. In the opening three games
of the Premier League season, the Hammers covered an average of
101.41km/game. In the four since, they have covered an average of
107.08km/game. That is 5,670 metres or 3.52 miles more than they did in the
opening three matches. Individually, too, all six Hammers defenders upped
their 'distance covered' numbers in the four games played in September. As
these stats show, Winston Reid, Jose Fonte, Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell,
Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins all covered longer distances/game in
September than they did in August: 0:00

3. Players winning their individual battles

While football is a team sport, games are won not just by teamwork, but by
players winning their individual battles on the pitch. For defenders, that
means winning aerial battles and tackles, positioning themselves in the
right place to make interceptions and clear the ball from the danger zone.
That also means keeping the ball when in possession because, if the
opposition do not have it, they cannot score! With the above in mind,
consider the bullet points below and you can see why the Hammers improved
their defensive performance in September: James Collins (80 per cent)
Winston Reid (79.25 per cent) and Pablo Zabaleta (62.33 per cent)
particularly dominant in winning their individual aerial battles The same
six defenders are keeping the ball better, raising their overall
pass-completion percentage from 76.3 per cent in August to 77 per cent in
September Of the six, Fonte, Ogbonna and Zabaleta have all markedly improved
their individual completion percentages in recent weeks

4. The Fonte/Reid factor

Winston Reid and Jose Fonte did not spend a single minute on the pitch
together in West Ham's opening three Premier League matches. However, aside
from the final 16 minutes of the 3-2 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday
23 September, when Slaven Bilic changed formation in a bid to overturn a 3-1
deficit, the pair have been on the pitch for every second of the Hammers'
four top-flight fixtures in September. As part of a three-man central
defensive unit against Huddersfield and West Brom, and then as a pair for
the visit of Swansea City, the experienced duo have shored things up
considerably at the back. In the 344 minutes Reid and Fonte have shared a
pitch (not including added time), West Ham have conceded three goals – or
one goal every 114.66 minutes. In the 286 minutes Reid and Fonte were not on
the pitch together, West Ham conceded ten goals – or one goal every 28.6
minutes.

5. Keeping the opposition at arm's length

It stands to reason that, the further your opponents are from your goal when
they are in possession, the less likely they are to score against you. The
numbers prove that theory to be true, with the number of times West Ham's
opponents have brought the ball into their final third and penalty area both
much lower in September than the preceding month. In August, the Hammers
conceded an average of 58.66 final third entries, 37 penalty area entries
and 22.67 crosses/game.
With the opposition closer to West Ham's goal, they gave up 17.33 shots,
9.33 shots from inside the penalty area and 6.67 shots on target/game.
However, in September, all those figures had fallen significantly. West Ham
conceded just 37 final third entries, 23 penalty area entries and 17.75
crosses/game, leading to far fewer chances being created and taken by their
opponents. In four games last month, the Hammers allowed just an average of
9.25 shots, 3.5 shots from inside their penalty area and 2.5 shots on
target/game.

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Carabao Cup fourth round ticket details confirmed
WHUFC.com

West Ham United can confirm the Club's allocation and Standard Ticket prices
for the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

Slaven Bilic's side head to Wembley Stadium on Wednesday 25 October for an
8pm kick-off, with the winners going through to the quarter-finals.

The Hammers have been allocated 4,800 Standard Tickets, priced from £20 for
Adults and £10 for Concessions.

Standard Tickets in Level 1 will be priced at £20 for Adults and £10 for
Over-65s and Under-18s, with Level 2 priced at £25 for Adults and £10 for
Over-65s and Under-18s.

Standard Tickets will go on sale to Season Ticket Holders with 15+ Points on
Monday 9 October at 3pm, followed by Season Ticket Holders with 14+, 13+
Points and so on.

In the unlikely event that any Standard Tickets remain, these will go on
sale to Claret Members on Tuesday 17 October at 11am.
Full sale dates can be found by clicking here.

Supporters should note that Level 5 at Wembley will not be open for the
fixture, capping the capacity for the London derby to 50,835.
West Ham fans should also note that Official Travel will not be in operation
to/from this fixture.

The Club is currently awaiting finalisation of Accessibility Ticket prices.
Once confirmed, these will be published here.

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TUESDAY'S NEWS ROUND UP: BOARD BACKING BILIC, LANZINI HAS BEEN MISSED,
HAMMERS CHASING BRAZILIAN?
AUTHOR: DAN CHAPMAN. PUBLISHED: 3 OCTOBER 2017 AT 1:02PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Hello Everyone.

Apologies for not doing my round ups for a while, its just been a very busy
few months. However, I am back now and I can't wait to get these articles
going again. So here is what has been in the news today:

Slaven Bilic has been told that he has the full support of the West Ham
board until at least the end of the season. (Evening Standard)

I have to say, I think this is a poor decision from the board. I have been
one of Slav's biggest supporters during his time with us, but I just feel
that his time is now up. The performances on the pitch have not been good
enough, and Slaven's tactics have not been much better. I just feel like its
time to say goodbye, so that a new manager can come in with fresh ideas and
push us on to better things.

Pablo Zabaleta says that West Ham have missed Manuel Lanzini massively so
far this season. (Daily Star)

This is true. We have missed Lanzini greatly in the opening seven games of
the season. I do think that we will improve now that he is back, but that
remains to be seen whether we actually will. After all, the manager sets the
team up, and I have lost faith with the man in charge now, sadly.

Simone Zaza's father has lifted the lid on his sons miserable spell at West
Ham last season. (Daily Mail)

I feel sorry for Zaza. He had an awful spell with us, but I do feel that he
was misused by Slaven Bilic. I am not putting all the blame on Slav here,
but it is no coincidence that since leaving us he, Calleri and Feghouli have
all started scoring again. It makes you wonder.

West Ham have opened talks with Domingos Quina over a new contract, amid
reported interest from PSG. (Squawka)

I think we need to get him tied down quickly, before more teams come
calling. He is a talented kid, and the sooner this gets done, the better.

West Ham are interested in signing Brazilian midfielder Jesus. (Football
London)

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BILIC-THE STATS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 2 OCTOBER 2017 AT 9:00PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Adam Leatherbarrow

This weekend we saw Sakho score a 90th minute winner against Swansea so that
means Slaven lives another day at the club, but win, lose or draw this
weekend should have been his last.

I am sick, tired and fed up of watching this club build up our hopes by
signing established players, to not be fully trained or coached by a so
called legend. Let's face it, Slaven is no West Ham legend he is a CULT
player who had a 14 month stay at the club. It's become apparent that the
low intensity training levels are affecting the players work rate during
matchdays and it comes across Slaven and his staff have lost the dressing
room with a number of players, most notably Diafra Sakho. DIAFRA scored the
goal and during his celebrations, took off his shirt and showed the world
his name… that goal wasn't for the club, that was a protest. He is our most
consistent striker in the team scoring 3 goals in total and this form has
earned him to be recalled to the Senegalese National Team… not bad for a
player who has started two cup games and some cameo premier league
appearances. But why isn't he starting in the premier league? I didn't agree
with his actions on transfer deadline day, but for the player to result to
actions that could affect his relationship with the fans surely indicates a
difference of opinion with Bilic… how ironic for a player who is backed by
the board, scores a winner to keep a man he doesn't like in a job.

Slaven Bilic has had enough time to turn things around and his win ratio
record is poor. As a player he has four cup honours (only in his native
country) and as a manager he has no honours, going by his tactics and
philosophy he is going about his career the wrong way by relying on
individual talent to keep him in a job. Payet was his trump card and Lanzini
is now, but when he hasn't got those cards his tactics are flawed.

Did you know that Slaven Bilic's career win ratio was 53.6% over 14 years…
His West Ham win ratio is 38.7%… he has dropped around 15% worth of wins in
his 2 and half year tenure at the club… that is simply not good enough,
regardless of the comparative leagues he has managed in, he has not won 65
fixtures being West Ham boss, that is just three games shy of as many games
Sam Allardyce won! Stats don't lie and stats prove he needs to go and we
need to employ someone BETTER.

The board need to act in sacking Slav NOW, not in December, not in march,
but they have to take action today. His contract runs out end of this season
so the compensation is around £3.5m plus the contracts of his staff and most
importantly the board need to get a world class manager in on a long term
deal. No manager of the highest calibre will accept a three year deal, the
board need to offer a seven year deal to allow that world class manager to
build from the current team. The club have a fantastic opportunity to get
Carlo Ancelotti in, he is a guy who has managed the best clubs in world and
most notably won trophies with those teams. He even built a legacy with
Parma to make them one of the best in Europe, managing Buffon, Cannavaro,
Crespo and even worked with former West Ham manager Zola. But it is his
8-year tenure at AC Milan and his short spell as Chelsea boss are the two
spells the board need to refer to, to make him the next West Ham boss. Also
he has just been released from his Bayern Munich contract so the board do
not have to spend the money to get him in.

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No fanfare for new Board member
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd October 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham have defended their decision not to release a statement confirming
the sale of 10 per cent of the club to an American bussinesman. KUMB
revealed earlier this week that US-based J Albert Smith, a Founder of asset
management company GSO Capital Partners had purchased the shareholding
previously owned by representatives of Straumur.
And there was some surprise amongst fans when the club failed to announce
the change of ownership via their website - with the only reference to the
sale being tucked away on the website's 'Ownership' page. However when asked
why there was no information regarding the sale on West Ham's website, a
club spokesman rejected suggestions that the Board were attempting to
'hush-up' the change of ownership - insisting instead that the decision had
been taken out of respect to Mr Smith. "It's just an editorial decision,"
the spokesman told KUMB. "Our new 10 per cent owner doesn't desire a great
deal of fanfare." It is unclear at this stage whether Smith actively sought
to acquire a stake in West Ham, or if the shareholding is part of a larger
portfolio that included the West Ham shares. The price paid remains
undisclosed.

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I'm surprised he's here
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd October 2017
By: Staff Writer

The only English-born footballer to play in the Mexican first division
admitted that he was "surprised" to see former Hammer Ravel Morrison join
Atlas. The 24-year-old former Hammer recently joined the North American
outift, for whom he has already featured on three occasions, on a
season-long loan from Lazio - much to the surprise of Antonio Pedroza, who
moved from England to Mexico with his parents when he was a child. "I am
surprised he moved here," Pedroza, who played for Crystal Palace, Chiapas
and Cruz Azul amongst others told the BBC. "He has had a few problems but
that is football - sometimes you need to make this kind of move to be happy
to play and get back to a top league in Europe. Morrison will easily be the
star player for the team, but he needs to be really fit because the league
is very technical - less physical than the Premier League - but the players
can run and run and run for the whole game. "He should be OK because he is
technical and cleverer than any other player on the pitch. Teams are not
stacked with talent. If you are really good you can shine but you have to
take the initiative and I think that is what Morrison should aim to do.
"Though I find it difficult to understand why he joined halfway through the
season."

Despite Pedroza's concerns, Morrison's agent Dan Wilson insisted that
Morrison's team had done their homework before agreeing to send the former
England Under 21 to Central America for the season. "Atlas wanted a
statement signing," he added. "They got in contact and showed their serious
intent from the start to do everything to complete the deal. "We did some
research on the league and saw some big-name players playing there from big
European clubs. West Ham's Enner Valencia and Juan Iturbe of Roma to name
but two. It was a very difficult decision as he had options in Europe. "It
is a difficult decision to move to a new country, let alone a new continent.
But the club made him feel very important, went beyond their means and the
most important factor is that the coach counts on him."

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Pablo Zabaleta EXCLUSIVE: 'Sole creator' Manuel Lanzini been missed, West
Ham must improve
PABLO ZABALETA feels Manuel Lanzini's injury problems have hurt West Ham
dearly at the start of the season.
By Jack Staplehurst / Published 3rd October 2017
Daily Star

The Hammers' star playmaker has had two spells on the sidelines since
pre-season due to knee trouble. And that has seen Slaven Bilic's side
struggle for goals, having scored seven in as many Premier League games. On
Saturday, Lanzini was reintroduced to first-team action from the bench after
the hour mark to a rapturous reception at the London Stadium. With West Ham
players and Bilic earning boos from supporters for another drab performance,
they needed a spark.
Despite not being fully fit, Lanzini played his part in setting up the late
winner against Swansea. Breaking from deep, the 24-year-old Argentinian took
West Ham forward before passing to Arthur Masuaku, whose low cross found
Diafra Sakho at the back post, which saw all three substitutes combine.
Zabaleta was critical of the team's play in general, though, and openly
admits creativity in the side comes down solely to compatriot Lanzini. "I
think what we are missing at some points in the game is that creativity that
you need to create chances, to keep the ball," Zabaleta told Starsport.
"Sometimes we play so quickly that we gave the ball away so this is
something we need to improve. "We've been missing Manu so far this season
and he's probably the only player we have to create [chances], and at least
to keep the ball a little bit more. "[He is] a player to play in the hole,
between the lines, and that was a big difference when Manu came on."
Lanzini has taken on the mantle Dimitri Payet previously held, although he
needs support from those around him. Marko Arnautovic's absence against
Swansea due to illness further highlighted West Ham's problems with
consistency. Injuries and suspensions have often cost them under Bilic, who
has not been able to name his first choice front four of Javier Hernandez,
Arnautovic, Lanzini and Michail Antonio yet. On Arnautovic's absence being
felt too, Zabaleta added: "This is what I am saying, that's why we need to
improve. "It's seems like for a few moments we can play good [football], but
for some moments in the game we just gave the ball away so cheaply. "We need
to be more consistent, we need to be a good team from the first minute to
the end. With the ball, without the ball, sometimes we were so sloppy in the
game and that is no good. "We lost Marko [on Friday] with a high fever, he
was sick and ill, [Pedro] Obiang out too. It seems like every time we have a
problem with some players we cannot keep everyone fit for a long period,
everyone being consistent. "That is probably the only problem I can see at
this moment." West Ham are expected to finally have Lanzini, as well as
Arnautovic, back in their first XI at Burnley after the international break.
That will no doubt delight Hernandez who has been starved of service since
arriving in east London. The summer signing had just one touch inside the
penalty area against Swansea before being hooked. Andy Carroll's
availability has seen Chicharito pushed out wide, but Bilic could opt to
bench his target man at Burnley.

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West Ham hero Diafra Sakho undermines fragile Slaven Bilic as French
journalist posts online video
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United goal hero Diafra Sakho has undermined manager Slaven Bilic
with a video posted online. Sakho and Bilic have endured a fractious
relationship since the Croatian took over from Sam Allardyce in 2015. The
Senegal striker has spent much of that time injured but feels he has had a
lack of game time on the rare occasion he has been fit. Indeed in the summer
Sakho took matters into his own hands and tried to force through a deadline
day move to Ligue 1 side Rennes. But West Ham refused to budge and now he is
fit Sakho is starting to play a part in helping the Hammers move up the
table - and perhaps keep Bilic in a job - with his late winner against
Swansea City last time out a case in point. No sooner had Sakho scored that
goal than he was already undermining Bilic, though, with a video doing the
rounds online and social media. The video shows French journalist Claude
Atcheba speaking into the camera while sat in a car next to Sakho saying "So
this guy saved somebody's butt today."
The video is unprofessional in the extreme, disrespectful and entirely
unhelpful as it only serves to undermine a manager on the brink. It also
begs the question if Bilic is so well liked by the players then why would
Sakho do such a thing. With behaviour like this it looks likely the striker
will be on his way out of the club at the next opportunity in January.

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