Arnautovic scores as Austria defeat Serbia in World Cup qualifying
WHUFC.com
Marko Arnautovic was on target as Austria defeated Serbia in a five-goal thriller in World Cup qualifying on Friday night. Arnautovic's 16th international goal gave Austria the lead for the first time at 2-1 after Guido Burgstaller had cancelled out Luka Milivojevic's opener. With the West Ham man's goal coming after 76 minutes, a final scoreline of 3-2 might have seemed unlikely, but there was still time for Manchester United's Nemanja Matic to level before Louis Schaub won it for Austria at the death.
Wins for Wales and the Republic of Ireland mean Austria can no longer qualify for next summer's finals in Russia, despite their three point haul on Friday, and Chris Coleman's Wales now sit just a point behind Serbia at the summit of Group D.
Meanwhile, Winston Reid played the 90 minutes for New Zealand as they prepared for next month's inter-continental World Cup play-offs with a narrow 2-1 friendly defeat to Japan. The All Whites looked set to take a share of the spoils when Burnley's Chris Wood equalised in the second period, but a last-gasp goal from Shu Kurata secured victory for the home side.
Also on Friday, Dan Kemp was an unused substitute as England U19 were defeated 1-0 in a friendly by Czech Republic U19 in Znojmo.
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Hart named Man of the Match as England seal World Cup spot
WHUFC.com
Joe Hart helped England secure their place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on Thursday night as the Three Lions beat Slovenia 1-0. Gareth Southgate's men looked as if they were going to have to settle for a goalless draw for much of the Wembley Group F clash, however Harry Kane popped up in injury time to slide Kyle Walker's cross over the line to seal the three points. West Ham United goalkeeper Hart, who has been in fine recent form for the Hammers, had little to do at Wembley as Gareth Southgate's men were winners courtesy of the Spurs forward's goal. However, a superb double save to deny first Tim Matavz and then Aljaz Struna in the remaining ten minutes – when the score was still 0-0 – was worthy of a Man of the Match award. Hart has kept three clean sheets in his last four matches for the Hammers and has now conceded just six goals in eleven matches in an international jersey since the Three Lions exited Euro 2016. The goalkeeper, making his 74th appearance for his country, overtook Gordon Banks in overall caps on Thursday and is now just behind two stoppers – Peter Shilton and David Seaman – in the appearance standings.
Aaron Cresswell, who was also named in Southgate's squad, was left on the bench during Thursday's clash and awaits his third England cap. Marcus Rashford thought he had spurned England's best chance to win the match, racing clear following Raheem Sterling's pass just past the hour mark, but the Manchester United forward's chip, despite evading the Slovenia goalkeeper, was cleared inside the six-yard-box. Soon after, there was another opportunity to break the deadlock when the ball fell kindly to Raheem Sterling on the penalty spot, but the winger's effort was terrifically blocked by visiting skipper Bostjan Cesar. But deep into injury time, a lung-busting Walker run down the right yielded the all important goal as Kane – captain for the night – converted from close range. It meant that Scotland's 1-0 victory over Slovakia, thanks to a late Martin Skrtel own goal, was of little importance as the Three Lions celebrated securing their World Cup spot.
Southgate's side have joined the likes of Brazil, Belgium and Mexico in securing their qualification to next summer's tournament. Should England No1 Hart be selected to travel to Russia next year, it will be the Manchester City loanee's third World Cup and fifth major international tournament. He did not feature under Fabio Capello in South Africa seven years ago, but has been England's preferred choice between the sticks in all three competitions since.
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Michail Antonio honoured at London Stadium
WHUFC.com
Michail Antonio has become the latest Hammers hero to be honoured with a giant hanging shirt bearing his name and number at London Stadium. The 27-year-old winger has been celebrated in recognition of his status as the reigning Hammer of the Year – the first recipient of the prestigious award at our new home last season. Antonio's number 30 shirt was unveiled this week and will now hang in the concourse for the entire 2017/18 season, alongside permanent tributes to Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Sir Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds. "It's a great honour," said Michail. "To be named Hammer of the Year last season was a fantastic achievement and this is a really nice touch from the Club. "To have my name and number up there with the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Sir Trevor Brooking makes me feel very proud and humble. "It's thanks to the fans who voted for me. I'm so grateful for their support and hope that I can continue to repay them with goals and good performances this season."
Hammers fans will be able to see Michail's giant shirt for the first time at the next home match against Brighton on Friday 20 October, located by Block 131 at the corner of the East and Sir Trevor Brooking Stands.
Until midnight on Sunday, you can get free ANTONIO 30 printing on 2017/18 shirts purchased. Simply click here to buy now.
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Rowland 'dying' for clean-sheet against Swindon Town
WHUFC.com
Goalkeeper Cherie Rowland has admitted she is 'dying' to keep a clean-sheet when the West Ham United Ladies take on Swindon Town on Sunday. The Ladies side are yet to play a match without conceding a goal this campaign in what has been a difficult start to the season for Greg De Carnys's side. Swindon, who sit bottom of the WPL Southern Division with no points from their six matches so far, represent a good opportunity for the Hammers to get their own campaign back on track.
And Rowland is desperate to get a first clean-sheet of her West Ham career but insists that her hopes for this cannot turn into expectation and complacency against Swindon. "I am dying to get a clean-sheet," Rowland told whufc.com: "It will be lovely, absolutely lovely, but we can't go into this game expecting to come away with anything – not a clean-sheet and certainly not the three points. "It something we can hope for and fight for, and work as hard as we can to achieve, but it's paramount we don't just expect it."
Since joining the side Rowland has been West Ham's first-choice goalkeeper, an honour that the shot-stopper is intent on keeping for the foreseeable future, despite her admittance that Lottie Ivison and Layla Prior are pushing her to her best. She added: "We've got Lottie and Layla and they're both pushing on. I never expected to come over to the club and play first team football as soon as I did. That's something I want to keep hold of. "I love those other girls to death but that first team spot is something I continue to fight for."
After a run of losses, the Ladies have stepped up their efforts on the training field in the last week with the majority of the team volunteering their own time for extra sessions. Rowland has been impressed with the level of commitment she has seen from her colleagues at Rush Green and wants that determination and self-belief from the training pitch to carry over into Sunday's fixture. "It's been a really good week of training," she said: "The girls seem to now realise that we can play football and play football well, and we need to start showing that now. "The commitment from the girls in terms of getting into training – whether that shows itself as an extra day or coming in early – shows that we are now showing our willingness to give our absolute best for West Ham. Sometimes on matchday I think the self-belief for everyone, including me, falls away. "The girls need to realise that we can do it and keep that self-belief high when we play Swindon this week."
West Ham United Ladies vs Swindon Town Ladies
Kick Off: 2pm, Sunday 8 October
Location: West Ham United Training Ground, Rush Green Road, RM7 0LU
Cost: Free for Season Ticket Holders or Claret Members, Adults: £2, U16s: Free
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Newcastle United 'abused tax system', HMRC alleges
4 October 2017
BBCco.uk
Newcastle United "systematically abused" the tax system to "secretly" make payments to agents and players during transfers, a court has heard. The allegations emerged after the Tyneside club challenged a raid by HM Revenue and Customs in April. United argued no reasonable grounds existed for believing it had engaged in tax fraud, but High Court judges ruled the warrants were "lawfully issued". The club said it was "disappointed" and "considering its options". St James' Park and West Ham's London Stadium were raided as part of a £5m fraud investigation. Business and financial records were seized, along with computers and mobile phones, and Newcastle's managing director Lee Charnley was among several men arrested and later released without charge. The club challenged the legality of the search-and-seize orders obtained by HMRC, and a hearing has been held at Leeds Crown Court.
'Secret' payments
HMRC argued that reasonable grounds existed for believing Newcastle United was ''knowingly involved'' in a multimillion-pound tax fraud, and the club's application for judicial view was dismissed. The full judgement has now been published. It reveals Operation Loom is looking into whether the club knew payments to agents were being "secretly" funnelled to other unlicensed agents and players themselves in a bid to circumvent income tax and National Insurance. Regarding Demba Ba's transfer to Newcastle from West Ham, HMRC said: "It appears NUFC paid agent's fees for services of £1.9m in full knowledge that the majority would be passed on to other agents... and to a company associated with the player." There were "further suspicions" arising out of his transfer to Chelsea in January 2013.
HMRC said it believed "NUFC systematically abused the tax system... and all payments to agents made were potentially the subject of criminal proceedings".
A spokesman for HMRC said: "We are very pleased with the court's decision which we are studying in detail. We do not comment on individual cases or ongoing investigations." Newcastle United said in a statement: "We are disappointed with this decision given the court's findings. "We are considering all of our options with our advisers, including whether to pursue an appeal."
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The questions they don't want you to ask
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 4th October 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
"Jim stops and gets out the car, goes to a house in Emperor's Gate
Through the door and to his room, then he puts the TV on
Turns it off and makes some tea, says "Modern life, well it's rubbish"
I'm holding on for tomorrow"
- Blur, "For Tomorrow"
Those plucky underdogs win again
The Premier League clubs are meeting today, with a view to taking a decision so momentous it has the possibility to change English football forever. I had originally planned to write a series of articles laying out my proposals to make modern football fairer, and less rubbish, but time passed by and now we're here on the day of the vote. As such I've slung this together and I'm hoping for the best. A little like Slaven Bilic and his West Ham squad. You may know about this vote, but if not this is a primer. Put simply, the self styled "Big Six" (Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool for those who aren't immediately sure) want a bigger slice of the TV income to reflect their belief that they are the primary reason for such riches. That money is currently shared equally among all the Premier League teams, which those at the top somehow have the temerity to label as "unfair". Equal sharing of revenue is unfair. It should be divided on "merit".
Spurs last won the league in 1961. Liverpool in 1990.
I have questions.
Many questions.
And these are questions they don't want us to ask.
***
High Cool
What, I wonder, is the point of being a modern day fan of a smaller Premier League club?
The Premier League makes much of it's competitiveness, but my team cannot win it. For those fans of the select few clubs at the top of the money tree it promises to be a season of great excitement, and for the rest of us it will be the customary race to 40 points and praying for a decent cup run.
For this privilege we get to pay...the same ticket prices as everyone else.
Why, I wonder, do we so meekly accept this?
West Ham splurged plenty of money this summer, with their customary lack of planning and "darts into the Panini album" style of scouting, and yet would have to spend another £300m to even dream of nudging their way up against the top four. Everton spent heavily and will most likely finish seventh again.
This is not enough for The Big Six.
It's not even a case that there is an established cycle of success and we smaller Joe's just need to wait and bide our time to get good again. European football doesn't work that way. Nobody even pretends that it does.
And still we come, in our droves, to watch our teams playing in a competition that doesn't even pretend to be equitable or fair. We have become so used to being cannon fodder for the rich that we have succumbed to a footballing Stockholm Syndrome where Phil Thompson and Paul Merson stare balefully at us and tells us we've had a great year if we come 8th.
Not for me, Jeff.
How, I wonder, did we all come to accept this as perfectly normal?
By now I'm sensing a few furrowed brows. Am I suggesting we all just give up and go home? No, I want to end the dominance of Big Clubs™. Let's fix modern football. And by "fix" I mean "mend" rather than conspire to rig it in favour of certain teams. That's pretty much the problem as it stands now anyway.
For you see, there is a cancer at the rotten core of European football. An environment has developed in which an elite cabal of teams have, with UEFA's blessing, carved up the modern game for their own ends. Money, players, sponsors, success - they all flow firstly to this small group of clubs, and then trickle down to the rest of us.
The Champions League - a misnomer right up there with the People's Game - was the seismic shock that changed the game irrevocably. Suddenly, those elite teams who already ruled Europe due to their huge fanbases and commercial advantages, were now being subsidised by UEFA. With every passing season, and every £30m cheque from the continental governing body, those teams separated themselves yet further from the rest of us.
The prize money for simply being big enough to qualify for the Champions League then became the guarantee that ensured that qualification forever more. It was a beautifully circular arrangement, supplemented nicely when the UEFA Cup was reconstituted into the Europa League, a competition so arduous and difficult to win that it rendered those clubs on the cusp of the Champions League unable to take the extra step up to the Promised Land.
There were lots of near misses, and many a team has nearly destroyed themselves in the pursuit of such riches. But the elite have largely survived, with another large cheque arriving each summer to allow them to buy those players from any teams genuinely threatening the arrangement.
And when the likes of Manchester City and PSG arrived, with oil revenues dripping from their pockets, the Financial Fair Play rules were drawn up to try and enshrine the principle that the only allowable way to be good was to be rich, and the only allowable way to be rich was to always have been rich.
What a bunch of charlatans.
What, I wonder, were we thinking when we let that happen?
For fans of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern, Dortmund, Roma, Juventus et al it is probably hard to understand what I am saying. There's will be a belief that their teams have earned their dominance and supremacy. After all, to paraphrase the wonderful Marina Hyde, nobody wants to accept they were born on second base when it's easier to believe they hit a double.
This is the upshot of privilege.
So now, as the rest of us stare in bemusement as Manchester United genuinely try and convince Swansea to give up their TV revenues so that United can better compete with Barcelona, we have to remember that this is the simple outcome of allowing such privilege to go unchecked for so long.
Manchester United can't understand that we want to keep the Premier League competitive because in reality it never has been. So why not just accept that they will always finish in the top four and give them a better chance of winning the Champions League? This seems to be a genuine part of the argument.
And this stranglehold has conspired to make football smaller for the rest of us. We aren't allowed to measure our success in terms of league titles and instead our aspirations have had to be revised downwards. For us it is now the small triumph of avoiding relegation or a once in a generation cup final appearance. The simple thrill of our players being in international squads or the emergence of a decent young player.
Put simply, we don't matter as much as them.
This is the upshot of privilege.
But, what can we do?
And folks, I know that none of this will ever change. There is too much power and too much money tied up in the current structure to ever allow the likes of West Ham, Getafe, Lorient or Padova the chance to dream of winning the league or making Champions League finals.
This is little more than the ranting of an angry and frustrated man, watching in utter disbelief as Chelsea bring a begging bowl to our doorstep and ask the rest of us to give them money to have a better chance of beating Bayern.
The state of it.
***
Repetition
If we take the creation of the Premier League as an entirely artificial starting point for "modern football", then we can see that the major European leagues have been won as follows across that twenty five year span:
England: Man Utd (13); Chelsea (5); Arsenal (3); Man City (2); Blackburn (1); Leicester (1)
Germany: Bayern (15); Dortmund (5); Werder Bremen (2); Kaiserslautern (1); Stuttgart (1); Wolfsburg (1)
Spain: Barcelona (12); Real Madrid (8); Valencia (2); Atletico Madrid (2); Deportivo La Coruna (1)
Italy: Juventus (11); AC Milan (6); Inter (5); Roma (1); Lazio (1)
(*) No title in Italy in 04-05 due to the Juventus match fixing scandal
(**) I have excluded France for the moment as their resurgence is more of a recent development, although Lyon and PSG still account for roughly half their titles in this period.
So of the last 99 titles awarded in the main four European leagues, 51 (52%) have been won by the single most successful team in that country. That number rises to 75 (76%) if we include the second most successful team in each league.
To lay that out starkly, eight clubs have won 76% of the main European league titles for the last quarter of a century. As far as entertainment goes, this doesn't strike me as being terribly, well, entertaining and instead seems a bit more "Ed Sheeran headlining Glastonbury for the next seven years".
Stereotypes
And what about that prize money? Well, in 2014-15, UEFA paid out a cool €1.08bn to the 32 participants in the group stages of the Champions League.
Of that, a stunning €543m went to Juventus, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Dortmund, Man City, Roma, Bayern, PSG, Barcelona and Chelsea. A third of the clubs trousering half of the money. That's some nice work if you can get it.
Particularly galling was Liverpool taking home €33.5m for getting knocked out in the group stages, whilst Porto received €27m for making the quarter finals. This was due to UEFA rules favouring teams from countries with bigger TV deals and giving a nice insight into what it must be like for Hollywood actresses when they try and negotiate their pay.
What's great about this is that you'll remember that the Big Six want a bigger slice of the English TV money because they "merit it". But when they play in Europe they feel they should just get more money for the simple fact that they come from a country where BT Sport were stupid enough to shell out a billion quid for the rights to the competition.
Worse still, is the latest development whereby part of the Champions League prize money will in future be distributed with the amount being dependent upon the historic success of the club involved. That's right folks, we're now giving more money to Real Madrid because they were good in the past.
IT'S LIKE A FUCKING BOND VILLAIN IS WRITING THESE RULES.
At some point I feel I have to ask fans of these clubs...is this actually fun any more? What kind of mental gymnastics are you having to perform to convince yourself that winning is actually an achievement for you? You're cheering for the Empire to beat the Rebel Alliance. You're screaming for the house in a casino. You're standing at the side of the road lauding the naked Emperor. Don't look now guys, but you're in Slytherin.
I'm not being facetious when I say this, but I honestly don't understand how being a fan of one of these clubs can be as enjoyable as supporting a smaller team. Our victories are fewer, but they aren't earned with loaded dice.
I'm Just A Killer For Your Love
But, I hear you say, why does any of this actually matter? We've had imbalance for years and stadiums are still full and the great God television continues to rule all. If this was all so unfair then why has this construct persisted for so long?
Well, it matters because when we pay for our tickets, or buy our Sky subscriptions nobody is giving us a discount because our teams won't win anything. In fact, they love us right up until it's time for us to take our seats, at which point we immediately become less important than Liverpool fans. And that's a club that haven't won the league at all in a quarter of a century, although it's not for the want of UEFA giving them money.
The table below, which I've picked up from a Daily Mail article, highlights the point. West Ham and Spurs fans are paying way more at the top end for their tickets than Manchester United and Manchester City and yet neither have won the league in this time. In fairness, Spurs are giving it a good go right now, but are well behind rivals Arsenal in terms of actual silverware over this time span, and yet had the second highest average ticket price in the league in 2015/16. West Ham, meanwhile, are just incompetent.
West Brom though. Still a rip off.
Of course each club has it's own financial model and supply and demand, metropolitan location and demographic all play a huge a part in what clubs charge their fans. But the broader point is this; football fans are treated identically in every area except one - expectations.
If you are a fan of a Big Club™ you are entitled to expect success. Manchester United not challenging for the league for two seasons is considered a genuine issue by the British press. It takes up a lot of time on Monday Night Football and Sunday Supplement.
But compare the prices shown above for Manchester United and Southampton and see if you can figure out why one set of fans are "entitled" to demand success and why the other must be content with getting a good price from Liverpool for their players.
It feels to me like paying money for an Odeon annual cinema pass but being told I can't see the 3D releases, unlike other customers who are also paying less than me because they once won a competition thirty years ago. We are in a curious thrall to a world order that was created either many years ago by old money (Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal) or on the whim of billionaire new money investors (Chelsea, Manchester City).
There Are Too Many Of Us
It also matters because there are more of us than them. If you take the Big Six then they comprise about 44% of last year's Premier League attendances. That percentage drops hugely once you factor in the entire football pyramid - particularly well supported clubs like Newcastle, Aston Villa, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday - and it's amazing how often those fans are ignored completely.
At no juncture in this latest power grab has it ever entered the discussion that concentrating more money in England's six biggest clubs might be detrimental to the wider game, despite the fact that the vast majority of those who attend football games in this country don't watch the Big Six.
Team/Total Attendance
Man Utd 1,430,502
Arsenal 1,139,177
West Ham 1,082,464
Man City 1,026,358
Liverpool 1,007,311
Chelsea 788,645
Sunderland 784,450
Everton 746,890
Leicester 605,968
Spurs 601,143
Southampton 587,787
Middlesbrough 578,539
Stoke 521,230
Crystal Palace 478,052
WBA 453,646
Hull 394,466
Swansea 391,766
Watford 390,849
Burnley 390,609
Bournemouth 212,464
Big Six: 5,993,136
Others: 7,619,180
TOTAL: 13,612,316
As you can see, the Big Six have big attendances - it's almost as though they are resident in huge metropolitan areas with a massive population base to call from - but they aren't the majority. And, sure, they have big followings on Facebook and Twitter, but the notion that armchair supporters of Arsenal are more important than fans who actually attend games at Bournemouth isn't one I'm prepared to accept.
So yeah - the "Big Six"? More fans don't watch them than do.
No Distance Left To Run
What all of this does is to bring in to focus the existential questions I raised above. Put simply - why do the majority of us still bother to follow our football teams?
For some, simply asking this question is treasonous. We follow because we are, and we are because we follow. The team is part of our blood, and we a part of theirs. It is simply not a question that one asks. A bit like when my daughter tells me about her favourite YouTubers and I ask the unaskable by saying "What do these people actually do?".
Crucially, the very absence of winning anything is worn like a badge of honour because it proves our worthiness as fans. We look down upon those Surrey based Man Utd fans who pretend their fathers were from Stretford in order to attach themselves to a winning club. We measure our mettle as supporters not by the number of Cup finals we have attended, but instead by miserable, unsuccessful away trips on frozen midweek nights when lesser men or women would have simply given up. And when we do make a Cup final we are told that we are "tinpot" for caring at all. This is our lot.
"Tinpot"
But to me, that badge of honour is a symbol of stupidity. We all have a neon sign saying "idiot" writ large upon our breast. We buy our tickets that are more expensive than those sold to Man City fans, we buy our TV subscriptions that cost the same as they do for Arsenal fans and we wear replica shirts sold on the same rack and for the same price as Chelsea's and we still accept it as a central core of our fandom than our teams do not have any right to compete with those same Big Clubs™ because of history.
"Not tinpot"
**
To The End
So, with that context offered and those problems identified, how exactly is it possible to make football fairer? Well, look, I have lots of ideas about that and at some point I plan to get round to publishing them. I have them drafted and some great other writers lined up from other teams to tell me why they will or won't work, but ultimately this vote got here before I could finish up. Veyr simply they involve limiting squad sizes, limiting loans, fairer distribution of income and probably abolishing Chelsea.
But let me be clear - opposing this is important for all English football fans irrespective of any future changes. It isn't a West Ham thing. It's a football thing.
Put simply, I think Richard Scudamore should be fired because his dumbass plan is predicated upon making his six biggest members more successful in a different competition to the one he is responsible for.
Put slightly less simply, here are the reasons this proposal must be rejected:
1. The Premier League has convinced the world it is more competitive than other leagues, and foreign audiences seem to agree. The act of taking £15m a year income from Bournemouth and giving it to Liverpool will inevitably damage this, although it would be helpful if Bournemouth stopped doing this themselves voluntarily, ahem, Jordon Ibe. Once the league becomes even more utterly predictable than it is now, and the Big Six enshrine themselves in the top six places, those TV rights will no longer be as valuable because the league will no longer be able to sell the idea that anyone can beat anyone.
2. The counter argument that having more than two big clubs will always make the league more attractive than La Liga is bullshit. It's been thirteen years since one of Liverpool, Spurs or Arsenal won the league. The table above shows that having more big clubs hasn't changed the balance of power in England.
3. Leicester wasn't proof of parity. I can't explain Leicester other than to say I think it was the perfect confluence of luck, planning and every good force in the universe coming together at once. A 5,000-1 shot winning the league doesn't strike me as great evidence of equality, however. And the very fact that the Big Six now want more money to stop another Leicester should tell us all we need to know about how much they value competition.
4. They already play in a European Super League, so they aren't going to create another one. Liverpool won't give up playing Everton. Spurs won't give up playing in the FA Cup. And there won't be room for all six of them anyway.
5. English clubs are disadvantaged when playing in Europe, they tell us. Fuck 'em. They've rigged it so the rest of us can't qualify and now they want us to care? Don't let the door hit you on the way out, lads.
6. The West Ham board think this is a good idea. This should give anyone in support of this pause for thought.
7. When foreign fans tune in to watch Burnley play Manchester United, they actually are tuning in to watch Burnley. Otherwise, it would just be a Manchester United training session. Competitions need, you know, competitors.
***
I suspect this proposal will be rejected, even though Everton, West Ham and Leicester are allegedly in support, but the very fact it is on the agenda is bad news. We will now hear the rumblings of discontent for a while until the next power grab.
But, in the meantime, we need to make ourselves better heard. We, the fans of the majority of English clubs, need to stop silently acquiescing to the idea of our own inferiority. These clubs take the money, the players, the power and now they want the very soul of the game.
So, ask the questions they don't want you to ask.
And then demand some answers.
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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Join Bianca and legends live!
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 6th October 2017
By: Staff Writer
Sky Sports presenter and Hammers fan Bianca Westwood is hosting an evening with two Hammers legends in London later this month.
Later this month, on Tuesday, 24 October Westwood - who also co-presented Series 4 and 5 of the KUMB Podcast - will be compering a special event featuring West Ham legends Tony Cottee and Tony Gale in Holborn, London.
The two former Hammers will talk about their time as players and recollect their exploits both on and off the pitch, whilst the second half of the evening is scheduled to conclude with a Q&A session giving you the opportunity to ask them your questions.
Tickets are available for just £35 each and are available from pizzaexpresslive.com now. Fans are advised to book early in order to avoid disappointment.
Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee began his career at West Ham aged 17, where he made his professional debut in the First Division against Tottenham on New Year's Day 1983.
He was a prolific goalscorer in the claret and blue of West Ham and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1986, when West Ham finished third and recorded their highest league finish to date.
It was during this successful spell that Cottee crossed paths with namesake Tony Gale, who played a key role in the side forming a notable defensive partnership with Alvin Martin.
During a 19-year career, Tony Cottee made over 600 appearances and represented England seven times.
Tony Gale
Tony Gale made 636 appearances as a defender during a 22-year career from 1977 until 1998, winning the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995. He also played for Fulham, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
After progressing through the youth ranks of Fulham, Gale narrowly missed out on promotion to the First Division during the 1982-83 season. The following season he joined The Hammers for £200,000 in order to play in the First Division and went on to make over 300 appearances.
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PLAYER CHEMISTRY – WHEN PARTNERSHIPS CLICK
By Goatygav 7 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID
On a day when England could qualify for the forthcoming World Cup in Russia I was thinking back to the great understanding that Sir Trev and Kevin Keegan cultivated in their time together for the National side. On so many occasions the pair of them came up with important goals made for and scored by each other. I've searched for footage but not been able to find the TV interview where they tested the 'telepathic understanding' claims using shapes on cards. Sir Trev and Kevin got remarkable scores in the experiment however Keegan later admitted that he had cheated as he could see the shapes on the cards being held up in the reflection in the TV Camera's lense in the studio.
Keegan later admitted that he had cheated as he could see the shapes on the cards
Some examples of the pairing working so well can be viewed on Youtube at the following links. The first of which was a lovely 1-2 to set up the second goal against Scotland at Wembley.
& Keegan for Brooking before Keegan for Brooking's lovely strike, that got wedged in the top corner of the net, when hugely up against it away in Hungary in a vital World Cup qualifier in 1981.
The 2-0 win against Italy was another great example.
It's a beautiful thing when two players with great footballing intelligence combine in this way. For me Brooking and Keegan typified this 'chemistry' and became a terrific partnership. So often either would put the ball exactly where the other wanted it. In the overwhelming majority of occasions this would have been in front of the other player, maintaining the momentum of an attack, which I don't think we see often enough nowadays. Passes played behind players make me groan at times. Yes there's a time and a place for it however it generally gives the opposition time to re-shape and start to press which puts pressure on the team in possession. Not that I suspect it will make much difference to our national team but I will always encourage kids I coach to play passes in front of the player on the other end of the ball.
Sir Trev and Keegan were brought on too late in the day against Spain, in the 0-0 draw that prevented our progress, in the last game of the World Cup in '82 IMO. A shame that injuries prevented them spending much time together on the pitch in that particular tournament. For me one of those games that you remember exactly where you were.
I wish the pair's partnership could have been for club and country but I'm not too sure that Mr Len would have forked out the amount it would have taken to bring Kevin Keegan to West Ham back in those days. Perhaps those teams in the early '80's would have achieved so much more if he had've come.
In terms of partnerships that did flourish at West Ham those old enough to remember the famous 'Boys of '86' will fondly recall the lethal Cottee/McAvennie strike partnership that was so effective and took us to the brink of the League Title. There were other great partnerships in that side between those like Alan Dickens and Alan Devonshire, Dickens also combined beautifully with Mark Ward too. I remember Geoff Pike linking up well with almost any player – extremely underrated IMHO. At the back you had our great captain, and all round top bloke, Alvin Martin alongside the charismatic Tony Gale who was solid as a rock – the pair of them combining to form a formidable partnership for the season. I could go on – there were so many that 'Cliked' in that best ever league campaign.
It's, potentially, a lethal combination that could yield a great number of goals
Of course it doesn't always work. Players that you think would be great together just don't seem to be able to gain an understanding. By now I think you've probably guessed where I'm going with this in relation the current season. Although it's too early to call, and they've not had sufficient time to gel, I think it's fair to say that we've all expected much more of an Andy Carroll/Javiez Hernandez partnership. The long ball tactic that has been employed so many times this term, with the flick on or lay off coming from AC, just hasn't been read by Chicha and/or Chicha hasn't got it where he's wanted it. It's something that I would expect the pair of them to have been working on as it's, potentially, a lethal combination that could yield a great number of goals. Instead of that the two of them look like strangers up there. If this partnership doesn't come to fruition it will be a crying shame. I'm still hopeful, though, as there's time for it to 'Click'. Like Cottee and McAvennie I get the feeling that there's a hint of 'this town's not big enough for the two of us' sentiment knocking around. Looking back those two got over the gunslinger 'style cramping'. Perhaps the international break might give the pair enough space, and Slaven enough time to find a better formation, for them to flourish by feeding off each other. Playing in correct positions to get the best out of your key players is important and it's clear that Slaven is, very much, still finding out about the current squad with it's quality additions this Summer. Food for thought for him ahead of the Burnley game.
Could this be the start of something good between the pair of them?
I'm not a big fan of the '5 reasons why' type internet posts. Whilst they bring up some interesting stats they very rarely give the whole picture on a specific subject. To a degree that was the case on the official club site this week in their "5 Reasons Why West Ham United's Defensive Record Has Improved" "click here" :https://tinyurl.com/y9els4fk . That said it was an interesting piece that suggested that Reid and Fonte are developing a good combination at Centre Back. If you've read it I'd like to hear your thoughts on it and if you haven't then please give it a look if you have time. I did think there was an element of blue sky optimism about the stats quoted. For one thing it doesn't really consider the teams that we've been playing in September compared with August but the specific part about Reid and Fonte still stood out. There's no denying that Fonte has looked better lately. Could this be the start of something good between the pair of them? Hope so – especially with Ginge out for a while.
Back to England Luthuania shouldn't pose to difficult a question. A genuine 'good luck' to Scotland from me. Would be great to see a Scottish team at a World Cup finals again. Same goes for Northern Ireland who I've enjoyed watching. Between the ROI and Wales it's only going to be one of the two who qualify, by the looks of things, so it's down to a straight shootout between them in the final game to decide who goes through or gains a place in the play offs.
COYI – West Ham 4 The Cup!
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Hernandez, Lozano lead Mexico rally past Trinidad and Tobago
Javier Hernandez scored the winner for Mexico against Trinidad and Tobago. Hector Vivas/Getty Images
4:26 AM BST
ESPN staff
Mexico roared back from a second-half deficit to beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 in its second-to-last CONCACAF World Cup qualifier of the Hexagonal round on Friday night. A lacklustre first half gave way to a four-goal second, with Shahdon Winchester scoring in the 66th minute to give the second-choice visiting side a 1-0 lead. But Mexico, who haven't lost in qualifying and are already guaranteed a spot in Russia next summer, could not be denied. Hirving Lozano levelled matters in the 78th minute, before Javier Hernandez hit the winner 10 minutes later. Hector Herrera added a third in stoppage time to reach the final scoreline to put Mexico on 21 points, two shy of the CONCACAF record of 23 set by Costa Rica in the 2002 World Cup cycle. Mexico faces Honduras away on Tuesday, while Trinidad hosts the United States on the same day on the last day of qualifying for the region.
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West Ham United starlet scores beauty
HITC
Shane Callaghan
Anouar El Mhassani was West Ham United's second signing of the summer. Very little known was known about Anouar El Mhassani when West Ham United made him their second signing of the summer transfer window. In fact, the former Ajax academy product could probably walk past David Gold and David Sullivan on the street and neither of the Irons co-owners would have a clue who he was. But they might in the coming years if his goal for West Ham's Under-18s is anything to go by. Frustrations were reaching boiling point in East London at the time of El Mhassani's arrival on July 19. The Hammers hadn't paid money for anybody (Pablo Zabaleta had joined on a free transfer) and exciting transfer links to big players weren't materialising. So it didn't exactly help matters when Bilic went and signed a 16-year-old who was let go by Ajax's academy after struggling with injury. As a result, United fans mocked his arrival - evident by HITC Sport's fan reaction article - but El Mhassani scored a fine goal in an Under-18 game for West Ham last weekend.
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AjaxDaily Youth @ajaxdailydotya
Former Ajax-talent Anouar El Mhassani (16) scored his first goal for West Ham United U18 last weekend! ⚽️👌@WHUFC_News @UberWestHam
7:44 PM - Oct 4, 2017
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At just 16, it might be a while before West Ham catch a glimpse of El Mhassani in a senior game, though it's by no means a guaranteed sight, but they might be slightly more excited about him now than they were when he joined.
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