Daily WHUFC News - 3rd November 2017

Bilic: Michail Antonio, confidence & 'electric football'
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of this
weekend's Premier League clash with Liverpool. The manager offered insight
on his team, his game plan against Liverpool, and which youngsters have
impressed him this campaign…

'How West Ham can counter Liverpool's electric football'

This weekend's opponents Liverpool have developed a reputation for playing
attractive and fluid football. It's a style that has long been associated
with their manager, Jurgen Klopp, which Bilic described as 'electric
football'. Speaking on Saturday's opposition Bilic said: "They are not happy
with their position, or the press is not happy with their position. They are
a very good team who plays offensive football, which leaves them a little
bit open at the back. "Some teams like Spurs grabbed that chance and we
analysed them. It's not only Spurs that exploited that. When we play them we
have to be very solid. They are creating chances and using spaces. If you're
open they are destroying you. They have that pace and that quality up front
and on the flanks. "That's the way he [Klopp] plays. That is what makes him
such a big name in football. He was like that in Dortmund and he's like that
in Liverpool. It's very electric football."
The West Ham manager expanded on his belief that Liverpool can be a bit open
defensively and admitted this was an area his side would look to exploit.
"Of course, if you have a good transition and players in the right position
you can hurt them. You have to be solid. They are a very offensive team and
by knowing that, it's hard to defend for 90 minutes. But when you know they
are quite vulnerable that makes your willingness to defend better. "Every
time you have the ball for a quick transition you know you have a chance if
you take the ball out from them at the right time and in the right places
where you can hurt them. That's our game plan. Some other clubs have also
shown it."

'It was the wrong decision, but not the only wrong decision'

Last weekend's late equaliser conceded against Crystal Palace has been a
talking point for the last few days in the footballing world, particularly
the nature of the goal. Bilic has revealed that Michail Antonio, who will
miss this weekend's match due to a muscle injury, has taken responsibility
for Crystal Palace's second finish but has refused to pin the goal on the
winger. Instead the Croatian insists that conceding so late is down to the
team on a whole. Bilic said: "I know there were people, when they were
analysing that goal, that blamed Antonio. And of course, Antonio had
everything in his hands and he knew, and I spoke to him a few times, and he
took the blame for the goal. "The irony is in the last ten minutes of that
game he was keeping the ball in the corner, because they were pressuring us.
Antonio was the one – that was why we put him on the pitch – he was the one
giving us a breather far from our goal. He was doing that in the last ten
minutes. "In the moment we really needed it he unfortunately took a wrong
decision. He took the blame but I said after the game and to the players
that it wasn't only Antonio. It was three or four players. They were, if we
want to say it in a nice way, they were too optimistic. They were thinking I
am in a positon to score a third one but we didn't need a third goal. "The
game was over. What I'm saying is Antonio took a bad decision to cross the
ball but he wouldn't cross the ball if we didn't have three or four players
in the box. They shouldn't be there. We have to be in our positon, if
Antonio makes a mistake, to stop them having a chance to attack us."

'I remain confident'

The manager was questioned about how important a positive result is against
Liverpool, and if he had spoken to the Co-Chairmen after the draw against
Crystal Palace. "I know the situation and I spoke to the chairman after the
game, as I speak to him after every game. He doesn't have to tell me what we
are in or I am in. It means we need something from our next game. "Of course
[I need something from the game]. Of course, I do. We are in a position we
didn't want to be in. If we are talking about my position it's been there
for quite a time now. Every win, in the Cup but especially in the league,
will take me and us out of this position and closer to comfortable position.
Every bad result puts me or the team in a worse position. "I don't divide my
position and the team position. We are all in the same boat and my job is to
look after the team and prepare them for Liverpool. Thinking about a very
important game, not about my position."

Bilic insists that he still believes in his own ability as a manager and a
coach.

He added: "I remain confident otherwise I wouldn't be here in this position.
I would say 'look guys, West Ham is more important than any individual, me
first'. But I remain confident. "I know the schedule and I know the bigger
picture. But no matter what I was only concentrating on the next game, and
that has nothing to do with my position. It's difficult but it doesn't make
it more difficult to prepare for the game. You are preparing for the game
without thinking about something else. That doesn't change."

'The best way to put the young players in is in very comfortable situations'

Bilic was also questioned about the good form the PL2 side are currently
enjoying. Terry Westley's team have taken ten points from their last four
games in all competitions. The team boasts talents such as Nathan Holland,
Toni Martinez and Sead Haksabanovic – players who Bilic admits he has been
impressed by and enjoys working with. The manager explained however that it
is down to the current first team players to move the team up the table
rather than relying on the youngsters to do it for them. "People like Toni
Martinez and Martin Samuelsen – they were with us in the last pre-season.
They are doing well. I like young players. Declan Rice is becoming a very
important player for West Ham. "The Toni Martinez situation, I know he is
scoring goals for West Ham and I know him very well. But at the moment we
have a few strikers in good form. You asked me in this press-conference –
you mentioned Andre Ayew is in good form, you mentioned Chicharito is in
good form and you asked me if Andy Carroll is the ideal player to play
against Liverpool. "If we're talking about people like Nathan Holland, who I
like and who I rate – he came on against Bolton – he showed a big
improvement when he was with us in Germany and in Austria. But in that
department at the moment we have enough players. "Sead Haksabanovic - he's
always showed himself. I spoke with him and his father today. He's improving
and he's always there but at the moment, especially when the situation is
not ideal – the best way to put the young players in is in very comfortable
situations. "At the moment, we have to stick with those experienced players
who have to make it up and take us out of this situation. Then we have a
great platform for the kids to play. It was always like that and it is the
best way for them."

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In-form Hart relishing exciting England friendlies
WHUFC.com

In 2018, Joe Hart will almost certainly travel to a fifth major tournament
with England – the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. The 30-year-old
travelled to South Africa in 2010 before starting all four ties at UEFA Euro
2012 in Poland/Ukraine, twice at Brazil 2014 and four times at Euro 2016 in
France. Having started 46 out of England's last 49 competitive fixtures,
Hart is determined to extend his outstanding international record next
summer. In the more immediate future, however, he is relishing the friendly
visits of Germany and Brazil to Wembley Stadium over the coming fortnight.
"We've got some good games coming up," he confirmed. "We want to go into
them and learn as much about ourselves as we possibly can. "We've done the
hard task of qualifying for the World Cup, which many other teams found
difficult, but I felt we handled it very professionally. "Now, we've got
games to test ourselves and really see where we are at, work on our
strengths and work on our weaknesses."

With the likes of Stoke City's Jack Butland, Southampton's Fraser Forster,
Burnley's Tom Heaton and Everton's Jordan Pickford also vying for Gareth
Southgate's attention, Hart knows he needs to maintain his form if he is to
keep his starting place. "Every day is an audition when you go away with
England and it's highly-publicised before each game, who is going to play
and who isn't. "It's interesting how it is working out at the moment, but
I'm still in there fighting, trying to perform to my best levels, and that
will never change."

The two upcoming internationals will also hold personal importance to Hart,
who has faced both Germany and Brazil twice previously. Both meetings with
the Germans have ended in 1-0 friendly defeats, while he has not lost to the
Brazilians, famously saving a penalty and follow-up effort from the great
Ronaldinho in a 2-1 win at Wembley in February 2013. "Both my previous
appearances against Germany were frustrating one-nillers, admittedly in
friendlies, who while it would be nice to get the result this time, it would
be even nicer to do it in a major tournament. "The Brazil penalty save was a
nice one. While it wasn't a particularly important game, when you face
players like that – and it's easier to reflect on what a great player
Ronaldinho was now he has finished – it was a very nice moment!"

If everything goes to plan, Hart will enjoy more nice moments in Russia next
summer.

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Team news: Reid & Cresswell fit but Antonio & Byram join injury list
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic has confirmed Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell are fit and
available for this weekend's Premier League clash with Liverpool, but
Michail Antonio and Sam Byram will miss the contest with injury. The Hammers
welcome the Reds to London Stadium in the late kick-off on Saturday evening
and will be buoyed by the return of two regular defenders. Reid was ruled
out of last weekend's match with Crystal Palace due to a calf injury while
Cresswell came off at half-time and has been suffering with a dead leg. But
the defensive duo are back in the squad should the manager wish to call on
them against Liverpool. "Reid was injured, that's why he didn't play against
Palace," Bilic revealed in his press-conference. "Cresswell also, who went
out in the game against Palace because of a dead leg.
"They are fit and they trained today and they should be okay for
Liverpool."

However, the Irons will be without four players due to injury and one due to
suspension. Pablo Zabaleta collected his fifth yellow card of the season
against Palace and will serve a one-game ban, while James Collins is still
out. Jose Fonte limped off against Palace and will play no part of the match
versus Liverpool while Bilic also revealed Antonio and Byram would also be
absent due to muscle injuries the pair sustained in training. Bilic added:
"Obviously Zabaleta is suspended and can't play. Then we have Collins, who
has been injured for a few weeks now. Then in the game against Palace, Fonte
[was injured]. "In training, we had two injuries for players that won't make
it for Palace – [Michail] Antonio and Sam Byram. They are both muscle
injuries. Sam will be out for four or five weeks. Antonio should be fit for
the game against Watford after the international break."

A considerable number of set-backs in the last week puts Bilic in a
different predicament to his pre-match preparations against Palace, when
only Collins was injured at the time of his press-conference. The manager
recognises that these sorts of things do happen in football but admits he
finds the situation a peculiar one to adapt to, having been able to call on
almost all of his squad last week. "It happened so quick, so fast," Bilic
confessed. "Before Palace, apart from James Collins, we had all the players
fit. Then in the game we lost Fonte, then Zabaleta's suspension. Then in
training it was Antonio and Sam. "It is part of football but it's strange
because one week ago we talked about having a full squad. You asked me ahead
of the Palace game if I had a big headache because some of the guys who
played against Spurs played really good and we had a great result and the
headache was about which team to put on against Palace. "We had everybody
except James Collins and then Winston Reid, who we lost the day before the
game. Now we have another few, especially defenders, and it doesn't look
great now in that area of the team. "But we are in a positon to have a good
selection and put a good team out."

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Hart named in England squad for Germany/Brazil double-header
WHUFC.com

Joe Hart has been named in the England squad for international friendly
matches against Germany and Brazil with Wembley. The West Ham United star
will have the opportunity to draw level and potentially pass David Seaman as
the Three Lions' second most-capped goalkeeper of all all-time after being
selected by manager Gareth Southgate. England welcome Germany to the Home of
Football on Friday 10 November before hosting Brazil on Tuesday 14 November,
with both fixtures kicking-off at 8pm. Hart, who has 74 senior caps to his
name since making his debut in 2008, has faced five-time World Cup winners
Brazil and four-time champions Germany twice each during his illustrious
career. The 30-year-old kept goal for the 1-0 friendly defeats by the
Germans at Wembley in November 2013 and Dortmund in March this year. He has
fonder memories of facing the Brazilians, having saved Ronaldinho's penalty
in England's 2-1 friendly win at Wembley in February 2013 before helping his
country to a 2-2 draw at Rio's Maracana Stadium four months later. This
month's double-header will see Southgate's England commence their
preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. Meanwhile,
Hammers pair Nathan Trott and Reece Oxford have both been named in the
England U20 squad for their own international match with Germany in Zwickau
on Tuesday 14 November. Oxford, of course, is currently on loan with German
side Borussia Monchengladbach, for whom he made a Bundesliga debut last
weekend.

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Reece Oxford and Nathan Trott called up by England U20s
WHUFC.com

West Ham United duo Reece Oxford and Nathan Trott have been named in the
England U20 squad for their friendly international with Germany later this
month.
The Young Lions travel to Germany for the fixture on Tuesday 14 November,
with both Hammers players looking to build on their international
experience. Oxford, who made his Bundesliga debut for his loan club Borussia
Monchengladbach last weekend, already has three caps at this level, while
Trott has featured for the U20s in this season's victories over the
Netherlands and Czech Republic. England U20s were FIFA World Cup winners in
the summer and continue their programme of fixtures later this season with
tests against Poland and Portugal.

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Wales hero Collins retires from international football
WHUFC.com

Proud Welshman James Collins has retired from international football. The
West Ham United defender represented his country 51 times between 2004 and
2017, helping the Dragons to qualify for and reach the semi-finals of UEFA
Euro 2016. In a passionate Instagram post featuring images of the standout
moments in his Wales career, Collins reflected on the unforgettable memories
he has forged. "From the first time I pulled on the Wales shirt as a 14 year
old boy till today it has been one of my proudest moments in football," he
wrote. "I played with great players and for fantastic managers and they gave
me a chance to challenge myself against the world's best. "The time has come
to step aside to let the younger lads take our great country forward and to
great things. It's been a difficult decision to come to, to leave behind
such an amazing set of lads and a top manager in Chris Coleman and all his
staff, but feel the time is right!"

Born in the town of Newport in South Wales, Collins played for Wales at
age-group level and captained the U21s before being given his senior debut
against Norway in 2004 by Mark Hughes. He remained a regular member of
squads picked by John Toshack, Gary Speed and, since 2011, Chris Coleman.
Aside from his wholehearted defensive displays, Collins also chipped in with
three international goals, scoring against Cyprus in 2007, Russia in 2009
and Iceland in 2014. And he ended his Instagram post by pledging his future
support to the nation he has served with such commitment over the past 14
years. "I'd like to thank the gaffa [Coleman], his staff and the lads for
giving me the best time of my life at the Euros last year, it's a time
myself and my family will never forget. Thank you! "I'd also like to thank
the truly amazing Welsh fans who supported myself and the team through thick
and thin over the years we couldn't have achieved what we have without your
support. Thank you! "I'd like to thank everyone at the Football Association
of Wales for your help over the years. Thank you! "I'll always be there to
support our great country. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Together Stronger."

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De Carnys: I can't fault our work rate
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies boss Greg De Carnys praised his side's work rate as
they secured a second victory in the space of three days when they faced
Worthing in the Isthmian League Cup. The Ladies were 2-0 winners on the
south coast thanks to goals from Molly Peters and Amber Stobbs and that
followed a terrific 2-1 league win over Queens Park Rangers at Rush Green on
Saturday. And De Carnys was delighted with his team's effort on the pitch in
Worthing despite the rigorous schedule. He said: "We were just saying to the
girls, we've had two games in three games and I can't fault the work rate
when you play a team who are well organised. "It catches you off guard and
it's not always easy but the minimum we want is that the girls keep working
and keep trying to Hammer that door down for 90 minutes. "I think credit
goes to Worthing and the manager Cameron [Morrison] who got them really
organised in the second half and they made it really difficult for us."

The visitors took the lead after six minutes when Peters raced through and
finished past the keeper and it was two just ten minutes later, as Stobbs –
captain for the night in the absence of Amy Cooper – finished from close
range. It could have been more, however, as Stobbs struck the crossbar
before the break and full-back Jasmine Auguste also hit the woodwork in the
second period. "There were a couple of close calls when we could have scored
and maybe just that final ball and last couple of passes didn't go our way,"
De Carnys continued. "We were really pleased with the work rate and we've
had a really good month, winning four of our last six games which shows how
far we've come as a squad and a team and hopefully we can keep on going and
keep getting better. "If we can keep getting better in the Cup and hopefully
peak towards the end, that would be great. "We had a few of the girls who
have been playing more Development Squad football than first team football,
they got a run out tonight and that's important. It's definitely a squad
game at the moment and it was good to see them out there.
"Especially with two games in three days, you need your squad and the rest
of the players to step up, and they did."

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Johnson targeting regular U23s spot after Rovers win
WHUFC.com

Ben Johnson believes he has staked a claim to a regular starting place for
the West Ham United 23s after an impressive showing in the 3-1 win over
Bristol Rovers.
Johnson played a huge role in the Irons' Checkatrade Trophy victory at the
Memorial Stadium on Tuesday evening, winning the penalty that Toni Martinez
scored to draw the game level before half-time. From that position, the
Hammers would go on to win the match, thanks to another finish by Martinez
and a Martin Samuelsen goal, which sees West Ham secure their place in the
knock-out rounds of the competition. The 17-year-old played in a slightly
unfamiliar left-back role, with Vashon Neufville out injured, and Johnson
believes he has played well enough to command a regular starting position.
"I feel I did alright, Johnson told whufc.com: "I could have played forward
more and been more confident but it was one of my first Checkatrade Trophy
games and I felt comfortable out there.
"I think I've made a good showing for myself and staked a claim to a regular
starting position. I feel I've been consistent and I reckon I had a good
showing against Chelsea. In each of the games I've played I reckon I've done
well so I'm hoping I've earned a regular starting place."
Academy Director Terry Westley described the victory as a 'really good team
performance', a sentiment echoed by Johnson. The youngster added: "It was a
great team performance. We went one down in the opening minute of the game
but we came back. We kept playing the way we know we can and we were better
than them on the ball. We had time to make things happen. We kept moving the
ball and we were patient, and earned the penalty. In the second half, we
made our dominance count with two other great goals. The game was done."
With West Ham's place in the knock-out stages now secured with one game of
the group left to play, Johnson indicated that the side feel they can best
any other side and are targeting a successful run in the tournament. "Last
year we didn't do what we wanted to do. Now we're taking it more seriously
and we're doing well. We've learned from mistakes we made last year and
pushed on as a team. "We've got a great side this season and we're feeling
unbeatable."

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ANTONIO-MY THOUGHTS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 1 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 10:05PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Katie S @flump9

A topic that I have seen discussed a lot this week, is about certain
players' attitudes and the reason behind their mind-sets. The main man that
has been discussed is Michail Antonio and some of the comments riled me up
somewhat, so I thought I best get writing.

I am a great admirer of Antonio, he isn't the most technically gifted
player, but I have always regarded him as one the most valuable members of
West Ham's squad. When he came on the field against Crystal Palace on
Saturday, I was saying to my Dad how strong he is and how much that benefits
the team. What he did in the dying second was categorically inexcusable. I
am not blaming him for the result, at the end of the day it is a team
performance and we cannot say we were unlucky, we were dreadful the second
half and we could have easily lost the match. Nevertheless, his actions
were mindless, lazy, unprofessional and gave the impression he simply did
not care.

I would hate to start believing that he does not care, but some people deem
this is true and that Bilic is at fault. I have always thought fondly of
Slav but I believe his time is up, still regardless of all of that, I cannot
possibly apportion any blame on Slav for Antonio's actions at the end of the
game. Regardless of what is going on off of the pitch, whether he does not
respect Slav any longer, or simply is unhappy at West Ham United, Antonio
has to take responsibility for his mistake.

Lots of people say that Bilic should not have made Antonio play as a right
wing-back and you could tell that he was unhappy about being brought on in
this position. I could never understand why Bilic insisted on playing
Michail in the position, however, if you are brought on in the 62nd minute
of the game, you put a shift in. I don't care what position you are playing
in, it is a basic principal of the game, shield the ball, do whatever you
can to ensure you protect the lead, do not pass back to the only opposition
player in the box. I have also seen others say that he was not fully fit, I
watched him in the warm-up and he looked fine to me, I am not claiming to be
an expert, but his error was not down to fitness. It was an individual
mistake and one Michail has to live with.

Even if Slav has lost the players, do players not have professional pride
any longer? Put it this way, I get paid a fraction of what any of the West
Ham players receive, I get absolutely no thanks on a daily basis, I get
treated like I am a nobody, but regardless of all of that I still work hard
every day and do the best I can possibly do. Why? Because I have pride in
myself.

You can blame Slav for many things happening at the moment, but for me a
players' individual mistake is not one of them. Yes, negativity surrounding
the club can't be helping their mentality, but if they have any respect for
themselves and the fans, they have to put that out of their mind and focus
on the game.

I am not blaming Antonio for the loss, but I also won't blame Bilic for
Antonio's indefensible mistake. They are a team and that includes the
manager – therefore they lost as a team. Something is clearly wrong at the
moment and I think there must be bigger problems than we realise. A change
is needed, but in the meantime my message to the team is……..

"I respect you, (most of) the fans respect you, but it works two ways. Go
out and play with pride, if not for Slav, the fans or West Ham, but for
yourself."

@flump9 on Twitter

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Hart named in Southgate selection
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer

Goalkeeper Joe Hart is the only Hammer to be named in Gareth Southgate's new
England squad. The on-loan goalkeeper has been named in the squad to face
Germany and Brazil at Wembley in two friendlies on November 10th an 14th
respectively. However there is no place for Aaron Cresswell and Michail
Antonio, both of whom are or have been struggling with injury in recent
weeks. Meanwhile Reece Oxford and goalkeeper Nathan Trott have been named in
the Under 20 s squad for their forthcoming friendly against Germany in
Zwickau on 14 November.

Full England squad

Tammy Abraham (Swansea City - loan from Chelsea), Dele Alli (Tottenham),
Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Gary Cahill
(Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Joe Gomez
(Liverpool), Joe Hart (West Ham United - loan from Manchester City), Jordan
Henderson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Kane
(Tottenham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal
Palace - loan from Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Jordan Pickford
(Everton), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham),
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran
Trippier (Tottenham), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester
City), Harry Winks (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

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No plans to cancel West Ham's OS lease, say LLDC
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer

The LLDC have announced that they have no plans to cancel West Ham United's
99-year lease of the Olympic Stadium - despite the arrangement being
described by the group as "onerous". The Development Corporation's new
Chair, Sir Peter Hendy and Chief Executive, David Goldstone were quizzed for
two hours by City Hall this morning on a range of issues surrounding the
Olympic Park. Not surprisingly the stadium was at the centre of much of the
discussion, specifically the funding arrangements following the revelation
that there had been a reduction in operational losses with £24million of
public money saved since 2014. Yet according to Goldstone, although the
stadium continues to lose millions of pounds every year there are no plans
to investigate scrapping the current agreement with West Ham. "We have a
99-year concession agreement with West Ham," he told the assembly. "Those
contracts are onerous, we make a loss - but we are working to fix it so the
losses are dramatically less. "We are looking to ensure the stadium
contributes to the economic value of the regeneration that's being delivered
and want to get it to a position where it breaks even and isn't a drain on
resources. "Pulling out of the agreement is not one of things we're looking
as at as we've got a 99 year agreement - and I think having Premier League
football in the area is a big part of the benefit. "Such a [move] would
require analysis of the direct financial costs to buy a Premier League club
out of the home they're committed to for 99 years and the value that the
stadium generates to the wider regeneration, which would be in the billions.
"It's important that we recognise the value of working with West Ham as a
Premier League club as the tenant brings enormous value into the area."

Goldstone, who spoke to the assembly for two hours also confirmed that
stadium operators E20 were hoping to introduce a new seating system ahead of
the beginning of next season that would hasten the time required to convert
the stadium from football to athletics mode - potentially saving around
£4million (or approximately 50 per cent) per year. "There are various
challenges around running the stadium," he added. "Specialist engineers are
looking at possible ways to reconfigure the seating, to reduce cost which
will require initial investment. "For next summer's athletics, we've looked
at a different configuration that means the seats won't have to be moved all
the way back. We can do partial changes to each of the stands which
drastically reduces the costs of seat moves. "The East Stand is the largest
and most complex to move. When we hosted the 2016 Diamond League events we
took some of the rows off the front of the East Stand and moved some blocks,
but we didn't move the stand - and that dramatically reduces the cost. "The
opportunity to do that in future would bring down the costs very
significantly. "We're then looking at the same for the other stands and
asking how much do we need to move to make it work as an athletics venue and
also to host concerts (which also bring in significant income) - and how
much we can minimise the moves and therefore the cost and time. "It is still
work in progress, but we've got a configuration for next year we've agreed
with UK Athletics that saves more than half of the cost - plus we've got
work going on with the engineers to see if there's something we can do to
reduce those costs much further."

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No naming rights deal imminent
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer

The Olympic or London Stadium - depending on your preference - will remain
without a sponsor for the foreseeable future after it was confirmed that a
naming rights partner is not currently being sought. The news was revealed
by LLDC Chief Executive David Goldstein during a London Assembly meeting
today in which he took a number of questions relating to the Olympic Park
and, specifically, the loss-making stadium which West Ham have rented since
last summer - and retain a 99-year lease for. "As a result of the recent
Mayor's review, We're not actively marketing the venue," he confirmed.
"We've had a lot of interest in the past which has been reflected in the
media. "It's not unusual, where new venues are looking for naming rights
partners, for that to be an exercise that does take considerable time. So
I'm not unduly concerned that, just a year after the stadium opening, it
hasn't got a naming rights partner. "I should say we've had unprompted
interest from potential sponsors since the summer's athletic events which
created a resurgence of interest in it and we've had a number of
conversations as a result. I think we'd come back to it. "This is a
multi-million pound and multi-year commitment and I think the process of
finding a partner that is aligned in terms of its objectives and aspirations
and wants to be associated with the stadium is a situation that often takes
time, but I'm absolutely confident it will happen. "That said, it's
difficult to put a time on when the right partner steps forward with the
right commitment."

When pushed, Goldstone added that he hoped a naming rights partner would be
actively sought before the end of the current football season.

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West Ham's legal challenges cost us milions
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 2nd November 2017
By: Staff Writer

The LLDC's David Goldstone says that legal challenges made by West Ham have
cost the Olympic Park operators a small fortune to defend. Goldstone, who
was appearing in front of the London Assembly revealed that the
Corporation's legal costs had reached an astonishing £3.5million since 2013
- all, according to the Chief Executive, as a result of challenges from West
Ham pertaining to the stadium. "We have had some recent legal challenges
since the stadium became fully operational with West Ham moving in and weve
had issues where we've had strong legal advice saying we should defend E20's
rights and entitlements under the concessions agrement," said Goldstone. "I
should stress that we seek negotiated agreements where we can and there are
a number of issues on which we've reached a negiotiated settlement that
satisfied us that we were getting value from our agreements with Wets Ham.
"I can confirm that all the legal proceedings we've been involved in have
been insitgated by West Ham - and in all of them we've been the defendent
protecting our interests, we haven't instigated any of them."

Goldstone, who faced questions from the Asssembly for nearly two hours this
morning also confirmed that the Corporation could not state when they
expected the loss-making stadium to become self-sustaining. A mayoral review
regarding the funding and operation of it is currently being undertaken.
However one of the avenues the LLDC are preparing to exploit in order to
claw back some of their lost revenue is to reduce match day staffing costs
at the stadium, according to the Chief Executive. "On match days we're
looking at reducing the cost of stewarding - managing crowd movement is a
significant challenge," he added. "We're looking at simplyfying those egress
routes and providing less interface with the crowds coming out of Westfield.
"We're looking at all the contracts and agreements in place to make sure we
can maximise the benfit for further revenue and minimising costs."

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