Daily WHUFC News - 22nd November 2017

Obiang agrees that hard work is the only way forward
WHUFC.com

Pedro Obiang says hard work on the training ground and on the pitch is the
only way West Ham United will turn things around. Instead of dwelling on the
disappointing nature of Sunday's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Watford, where
the Hammers were made to pay for defensive lapses and missed chances, the
Spaniard said the players have to give everything to put new manager David
Moyes' plans into action. West Ham play again on Friday night, when
Leicester City visit London Stadium, and Obiang knows only 100 per cent
effort and commitment will be good enough. "It is a bad result, everybody
knows that," said the midfielder, who made more tackles (three) than any
other West Ham player at Vicarage Road, while also touching the ball more
times (69) than any Hammer bar Pablo Zabaleta. "I don't think we need to
talk too much about the game because everybody could see what happened. We
have to continue to work hard and that's it." "Of course, we had some
chances but in the situation where we are, we have to make the chances and
keep going. "We can continue to think about what we are doing and what we
did before. We have to keep going and think about it."
West Ham's players have a few more days to heed Moyes' words, with the Scot
determined to mould a team that is disciplined, fit and does not make errors
at either end of the pitch. The Hammers did record much-improved physical
statistics in Sunday's loss, running further than they have run in any
previous Premier League game this season. Even so, Watford outran and
out-sprinted their opponents and Obiang, for one, believes his manager's
demanding approach is the right one if the east Londoners are going to turn
things around against the Foxes. "We need time to understand better what he
wants and we have to work a little bit more to be fit to do the things he
wants. "I'm agreeing with him because he is angry we lost the game. He
thinks we can do something better and we have to do more. "We have to work
hard for the next game and forget about the last one because what happened,
happened."

Standard Tickets for Friday's 8pm kick-off are available now via the Ticket
Exchange.

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Manning pleased with International Cup experience
WHUFC.com

West Ham United U23s coach Liam Manning was proud of the Hammers' young side
despite a 2-0 defeat to Benfica on Tuesday. The hosts, facing the Portuguese
outfit in their final Premier League International Cup fixture, battled hard
against an experienced Benfica B team – who play their football in the
second tier in Portugal. 24-year-old Alan Junior Oliveira scored both the
visitors' goals, lobbing Rihards Matrevics with the first and heading over
the big Latvian to score a second before the half hour mark. But Terry
Westley's team kept their heads up and went close on a number of occasions.
Their third and final group fixture ended in defeat, but Manning was pleased
nonetheless. He said: "We're really pleased with the outcome of the game and
how we've come out of it. We always knew it was going to be tough given the
age of our side but it was a brilliant experience. "We had two U16s playing
and we looked at the age of some of theirs and two were 24. "The whole
experience of playing in this competition has been great. The games
programme is terrific this year, it's a step up from last year and the
variation in games is great. "It's been a great experience for us. It's been
completely different to the teams we play in Premier League 2 and in the
Checkatrade, so it's great."

Josh Okotcha and Will Greenidge, both of whom are 15-years-old, started at
Billericay Town's AGP Arena, and although full-back Greenidge was
substituted after picking up an early injury, Okotcha impressed. "Josh did
well," Manning continued. "He has been playing in the youth team regularly
and he was in the team tonight on a combination of merit and injuries. "It
was a great opportunity and him grasping that opportunity, he will be really
pleased. He's now got to keep working hard week-in, week-out in the youth
team. "Now the focus [for the U23s] is on Friday [when we take on Arsenal].
It's a big game, and hence our line-up tonight. "It's a tough game and we
want to put in a good performance and get a positive result."

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 21 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 10:29PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Where to start? Hard to write this but has to be done so enjoy… If that's
the right word…

Firstly no blame can be aimed towards Moyes after Watford, He has a lot of
work to do and it hurts me to say this but probably still our best
performance in a while. Fitness and high work rates should come naturally in
football but towards the end of Slav's reign training lacked tempo and was
poor especially not helped with an ageing squad. Moyes was lucky to come in
during an international break to give him some time but had half the squad
and fitness doesn't come over night unfortunately. I do think the training
videos gave us a false sense of belief and an easy but smart way from our
media team to win fans over for a short period of time (including myself)
and although I do actually think Moyes training is exactly what we need it
will take time because of how bad things got under Slav with injuries not
helping at all. I have been upbeat on twitter last couple of weeks and in my
last article but deep inside knew it would take more than a few videos and a
new face to get us playing the "West Ham way" although hoped for a better
reaction from the players. Watford was a massive game and think had we have
won we'd be more motivated than ever for the season and would have won the
fans over but we didn't and move on to our even bigger game on Friday.

As I say the club is in a bad place with past management leaving us in
pieces quite frankly but I still think Moyes and his backroom staff will get
us back to basics, disciplined, organised and most importantly improve our
tempo (on and off the pitch) and fitness (all sadly takes time) also one of
the only options to bring in within such a short space of time unless we
wanted to do an Everton, I hope we can also make a difference in every game
but most importantly during this managerial transitional period by getting
right behind the team and making the OS a fortress which I know we are
capable. I know we have quality players but do lack depth and is an ageing
squad. I do think Christmas will be tough for West Ham fans because of the
fixtures and deeper problems but urge you to stay strong as I know we have
the quality to turn it around. I know there is a big protest right now
around the board which is fair in some aspects but being honest I don't
blame them for our league position and there has been much worst seasons
than this but social media doesn't help, We have a quality team (on paper)
and a 60k+ seater stadium which was the right move bar leaving to soon and
not getting enough control which were huge mistakes on the owners and
Brady's behalf. They have transformed us as a team and have brought in
quality players but again let themselves down with the shady Carvalho deal
and right now seems like he would have been the perfect acquisition. I do
think they were the best option for us and thank them but do feel they are
dinosaurs of the game now and do question whether they can compete nowadays
with money so high in the game. I do think fans being upset is well
justified but again in our position when we should be getting behind the
team is it all worth it? Do we want to become another Sunderland? Seen
people plan walk outs, not turning up and violence towards staff, fans with
different views and the board but that will only make the situation worst.
I've said it before keep up the fight on social media, before and after
games etc etc as you have the right to an opinion but I'd rather stay up
than "try to get relegated so we can get rid of them (the owners)".

Looking to Leicester I do think we will need to start strong and win the
fans over early on otherwise it will be a hostile atmosphere. We have a few
players back and another week training can only be beneficial. I am again
confident and again it is a must win game especially with the upcoming
fixtures, I would mix experience with youth because as we all know we do
have quite an experienced team that could offer guidance but also lacks legs
and energy the youngsters would provide. I think we could create a team
hungry to succeed and put my faith in Moyes and co to turn us around like we
all should and hope to see all of us supporting the team against Leicester,
Hopefully the start of our season!

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HOW THE FANS REACT ON TWITTER-MY EXPERIENCES
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 21 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 10:23PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Claire – @silvervexcebo

When I posted a frustrated tweet whilst watching the game with my Dad on
Sunday afternoon, I could never have predicted that 24 hours later, my tweet
would have been viewed over 10,000 times.

For those who haven't seen it, my tweet read: 'Singing 'sack the board' 8
mins in, seriously, some of these so called West Ham fans are a joke. We
have a board who are West Ham supporters and who spend a hell of a lot of
money. Who would be better exactly? How about you get behind your team,
manager and board?!'

The tweet was born out of frustration and embarrassment at the behaviour of
some of my fellow Irons.

I've supported West Ham all my life and have been a season ticket holder for
over 20 years. I've seen the highs and lows. I remember the previous boards
and our ups and downs to the Championship. It appears some fans have short
memories, it was no bed of roses under our last two administrations. Being a
West Ham fan is no easy ride, but what I've learned is you have to take the
rough with the smooth.

The response to my tweet was mixed, some agreed with my sentiments, some
didn't, that's the beauty of football, it's subjective and everyone is
entitled to an opinion. However, my tweet was one of positivity and about
pulling together, so some of the abuse I was given by my fellow Hammers was
shocking. It's so easy to hide behind a keyboard and spew hatred. I was
called, a Cu*t, a Sl*g, a 'R*tard, an 'A*se-licker' told I should, 'get back
in the kitchen' and to, 'f*ck off and go and support the Y*ds'. That's only
to mention a few of the comments and replies. All that for voicing my
opinion. (I should also mention I received lots of support, agreement and
many very level-headed responses and nice DM's, so thanks for that guys). I
get that not everyone will agree with what I wrote, but since when do we
turn on each other? What happened to the West Ham Family?

When @ExWHUemployee contacted me today and asked if I would like to write an
article on my experience of voicing my opinions and the reaction of the
fans, I was happy to do so because the response from some, was genuinely
shocking.

I am of the opinion that negativity breeds negativity. The players hear the
chants. Fans have a right to express their view, but why did it need to be
done right at the beginning of the game? How can that possibly help a team
with an already shattered confidence?!

Frustratingly, a lot of people are still complaining about leaving Upton
Park and used my tweet as a platform to voice their negative views. I, like
most fans, loved Upton Park. I saw my first game there and shed a tear as I
watched the closing ceremony on our last game. But, we moved, it happened,
where's the use in continuing to moan about it 18 months later? What can be
achieved by that?! We are at the London Stadium now, let's make it a
fortress, it's the fans that make this club, not the stadium. I had people
on Twitter yesterday telling me that they would rather be in League One and
still be at Upton Park, which, to me, is insanity. You're complaining that
we're not playing well and losing games, but if you want to drop down 2
leagues we'd have to lose a lot more games – where's the sense in that?

There has been a lot of board bashing, which is understandable when things
aren't going well. They are an easy target. I don't know who in their right
mind would want to own a football club, all they get is abuse, yet Gold and
Sullivan travel to every game and sit there and take it. Everyone is
entitled to their opinion, but mine is that actually; we aren't in a bad
place. Have a look at what's happened to Blackpool, Leeds, Luton Town and so
many other clubs over the years. We are in the Premier League, we play at a
large stadium that draws over 50,000 supporters every week and we've made
some great signings over the last few years. Payet, Snodgrass, Fonte,
Arnautovic, Zabaleta, Hernandez, to name but a few – All great players, how
is it the boards fault that some of these haven't fulfilled their potential?
Who wasn't excited when they heard about some of these lads joining us? Same
with Moyes, he wasn't my first choice, but he's our manager and now he's
here, I will back him and remain optimistic that we can turn this season
around.

It appears that there's a really bad feeling amongst some of the fans at the
moment, but I for one, will be at the Leicester game on Friday night,
singing to bubbles, backing the players, the manager and the board. I've
never booed a West Ham player, manager or board member in my life and don't
intend to start now.

I'm hoping the majority of West Ham fans will pull together on Friday night
and get behind the lads and get us those much needed 3 points.

Come on you Irons!

Claire – @silvervexcebo

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Allardyce rejected West Ham return
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 21st November 2017
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce was offered the chance to return to West Ham in the wake of
Slaven Bilic's dismissal - but rejected the approach. The 63-year-old was
Hammers boss from 2011 to 2015, before leaving the club upon the expiration
of a two-year contract extension signed in May 2013. And according to a
source close to Allardyce, he was contacted by West Ham shortly before Bilic
was given his marching orders to gauge whether there was any interest in a
potential return to the club. "He was offered big money to return", the
source told KUMB. "But he turned it down straight away."
Allardyce, who has also been linked with the vacant positions at Everton and
West Bromwich Albion is currently in Dubai weighing up his options. During
his four seasons at West Ham - one in the Championship and three in the
Premier League - he led the team 181 times, winning 68 (37.6%), drawing 46
and losing 67 games. Since leaving West Ham, Allardyce has worked for
Sunderland, England (briefly) and Crystal Palace - managing to keep both
clubs in the Premier League during his tenure.

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Marko Arnautovic scan reveals West Ham winger did not break his thumb at
Watford
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 21/11/17 7:59pm
SSN

Marko Arnautovic could feature for West Ham in their Friday Night Football
clash against Leicester after a scan revealed he did not break his thumb in
last Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Watford. The Austria winger was withdrawn in the
74th minute at Vicarage Road after being accidentally trod on by Watford
defender Marvin Zeegelaar. It was feared Arnautovic could join a growing
injury list at West Ham, but a scan has revealed no damage to his thumb. He
is likely to figure in manager David Moyes' matchday squad for the game
against the Foxes at London Stadium, live on Sky Sports. Arnautovic has made
10 appearances for the Hammers since his £24m summer move from Stoke but is
yet to score for his new side. His availability will be a welcome boost for
Moyes, who is set to oversee his first home game for West Ham against Claude
Puel's side.

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THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY AND THE BOOKIES
By Tony Hanna 21 Nov 2017 at 08:00
WTID

With just about a third of the season gone a change of manager, a place in
the bottom three and the travelling fans singing "sack the Board" (amongst
some other more colourful stuff aimed at Brady and G&S) illustrates that all
is not well with West Ham at present. However the team plays we seem to
shoot ourselves in the foot nearly every game. Giving the ball away in
dangerous places, players being sent off, unnecessary fouls in our own box
leading to penalties, conceding late goals and a plethora of missed
opportunities are typical traits of a struggling team. You see it season in,
season out. Teams down the bottom don't get the rub of the green but
arguably they don't deserve it either? Good work ethics together with first
class effort and commitment, whilst working for a good company will nine
times out of ten lead to a good outcome. Take out of that what you like!

The Good

We still have 26 games to rectify our position
We have played two more games away than at home. We have won two of our five
at home and two of our losses have been to top 6 teams.
We have not had any significant long term injuries so far this season.
The Bad

We have conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League
We haven't won away from home in seven attempts this season
Our disciplinary record has cost us dearly. Red cards have almost certainly
deprived us of valuable points this season.
The Ugly

The Table. It speaks for itself
Take a look at our December fixture list!
Once you have the fan base offside, it is an uphill battle.


Regular readers of the site know by now I like to get a guide from the
bookies. I wrote a column a few years ago when relegation loomed under Sam,
which delivered a different view to most who thought the Championship
beckoned. It was all doom and gloom amongst most West Ham fans at the time
but the bookies had us at very reasonable odds for relegation – suggesting
they didn't share our pessimism. Our loyalties, rose tinted glasses or
indeed that pessimism us older fans are renown for do not come into the
calculations of the unbiased calculating statisticians that work for the
bookmakers that have no heart strings being tugged. So what do they think
now? It is not that promising but they certainly haven't written us off
either! However, we are much shorter odds for relegation than during our
troubled time under Big Sam. Currently we are 4th favourites to go down at
7/4 which represents a 36% chance. That is probably less of a chance than
most people on here think judging by the majority of comments on the blog.
Swansea are favourites to go down but there are still nine teams under
double figure odds which suggests another clogged bottom half of the ladder
come May. What this basically means is that it is still just too early to
start to panic. There will be many twists and turns, especially when
injuries and suspensions start to take their toll amongst the clubs with
thinner squads. In many ways I think we the fans have developed the symptoms
of the Board – the two game syndrome that rightly or wrongly saw the demise
of Bilic.

Personally, I haven't watched as much Premier League this season as I
normally would but I still think I have a good feel for what is going on
around us. I do think Swansea and West Brom are currently inferior to us and
I also think that teams like Huddersfield and even Newcastle will get drawn
into the relegation battle as the season progresses. One factor that will
continue to work against us though is our physical approach to the games. I
certainly don't think we are a dirty team, in fact we probably don't commit
enough of the professional or "take one for the team" fouls, especially with
teams on the counter against us – when I say "enough" I mean compared to
others. But the long ball approach is naturally a more physical approach to
the game and it is noticeable that teams playing against us are making the
most of nearly every challenge. Whilst it may be argued that the game is
trying to rid itself of any type of aggression in the tackle and challenges
it is amazing how well some players recover with the sight of a yellow or
red card waved at an opponent. In no way am I admonishing Andy Carroll's
sequences of arm flailing, but when you set yourself up for a physical
battle you can end up playing right into the hands of the divers all over
the pitch. The crowd at Watford certainly magnified any disputed challenge
and together with Carroll's own recent brain snaps these factors would have
gone a long way into Moye's judgement of replacing him early in the second
half. Anyone watching the Brighton v Stoke game would have noticed that the
home crowd were vocally counting down the six second rule for the away
keeper (Grant) to clear the ball. It is a rule that referees have ignored
for some time now but the crowd did influence Grant to stop wasting time and
obey the rule – in fear that the ref would be similarly influenced. These
are the sorts of things that make playing at home an advantage, if anyone
can remember those times?

Post-match comments from David Moyes suggest that the underlying problems
within the team squad will take some fixing. Moyes stated he was
disappointed at a few of the regular starters suggesting that they have been
playing on the back of their reputations but certainly didn't show him why
they deserved their places on the weekend. We have a quick back up with our
next match on Friday night against Leicester. It will be interesting to see
if we can match their work ethic and what changes Mr Moyes will make, if
any? A first goal in that game could be crucial.

An addition since writing my original article

Our fans who attend matches, and especially our fans who travel to away
games on a regular basis are the salt of the earth of our club. I have
followed West Ham for over 50 years but from afar for too many of those
years. When fans who have followed our great club home and away for 40 plus
years speak from the heart I listen. The feedback I am getting from these
fans that travelled to Watford is that the away fans have turned on the
Board and on a smaller scale the players. When toxicity has even crept into
the normally very forgiving away fans, things are bad. Here is an edited
message to me from one such guy who follows the club home and away. I thank
him for giving me the permission to post it here. There is also a Guest Post
from another away fan in the next day or two that will go further into the
toxic nature developing.

"back to yesterday Tone, not a good feel at all. Football wise we've played
a lot worse this season but I'm afraid the toxicity has set in amongst the
away mob, they were baying for the boards blood and even turned on the
players singing " you're not fit to wear the shirt ". Personally I think
that was wrong and I'd stop going before I'd sing that as it would mean I'd
believed they ain't trying and I don't think that's the case ,
Andy Carroll got dogs abuse Tone, nothing to do with his performance but
solely down to his Liverpool post-match comments about fans leaving. I've no
sympathy mate as he should've kept his gob shut, better and more admired
players than him have found out it's not a good idea to criticise the fan
base. It needs to be made clear though Tone, the songs aimed at him only
started once he was off the pitch and not before !!!! We could well go down,
I genuinely believe it. As for the bigger picture, I believe the board now
feel the full force of feeling over the move. The first football crisis was
always going to unleash the deep rooted resentments many fans feel and the
disconnect between them and the fan base wont easily be mended, if ever.
(Name withheld) has also been going home and away for years, he said he's
never felt so low about the club, says it all really".

It certainly does.

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