Daily WHUFC News - 18th December 2017

Adrian: It could have finished five or six-nil at least!
WHUFC.com

Adrian believes West Ham United would not have been hard done by if they had
thrashed Stoke City by five or six goals on Saturday. After ignoring the
hardship of a power cut that delayed kick-off by an hour, the Hammers had to
make do with a 3-0 Premier League victory at the bet365 Stadium, but the
goalkeeper was full of praise for the way his outfield colleagues played.
Mark Noble, Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho got the goals as David Moyes'
side made it three clean sheets and seven points in the space of a week to
climb out of the relegation zone, with every player in Claret and Blue
putting in a huge shift for their team. "It's a massive three points and a
massive win," said the No13. We played very well in defence and in attack.
It could have finished five or six-nil at least! "Everyone deserved it. We
have been working hard for the last few weeks and we are in a positive way
now and so everyone has to enjoy this massive three points. "It was strange
but we knew the game would be delayed, so we went back to the dressing room
and started again. We played very well at three or four o'clock. The time
didn't matter."

It could all have turned out differently had Ryan Shawcross's first-half
headed nestled inside the post rather than hitting Adrian's upright. Thirty
seconds later, Manuel Lanzini had been fouled and West Ham had a penalty.
While Stoke did have chances themselves after falling behind, it was the
Hammers who created a succession of clear-cut opportunities and thoroughly
deserved their first away win of the season. Arnautovic was irrepressible,
ignoring the jeers from the stand to rattle the Stoke woodwork twice, hit
the side netting on two occasions and see at least two other chances fly
narrowly off target, earning praise from his goalkeeper. At the other end,
the returning James Collins' display was just one of a host of truly
outstanding defensive performances. "This is the Premier League and one
second of the game can change it for you or the other team. The luck was for
us in the moment they hit the post and then Manu ran the whole pitch and won
the penalty. "The boys playing very well. It was a very important game for
Marko, going back to his old team and he scored, so he's really happy. "We
play as a team and we are showing that we're a good team and a good squad
and we are attacking and defending like that. "We have to stay working in
this moment. We have to enjoy this great win, but we have an important game
on Tuesday against Arsenal in the cup."

Adrian himself made it three clean sheets in four games since returning to
the starting XI at Manchester City last month – a feat recognised by an
admiring Claret and Blue Army. Next up is a Carabao Cup quarter-final at the
Emirates and the Spaniard is targeting another big performance and positive
result on Tuesday evening. "I really appreciate it, every time I hear my
name from the fans. I have a special relationship with them from my
beginning at West Ham. "This is a good run. I try to help the team with my
saves. I was not very busy because everybody defended well, so this clean
sheet is for everyone. "We are in a positive way now so we want to win this
game. We are out of the bottom three, but we're working game by game and now
we have a cup tie on Tuesday. We will think about that one and then the next
one and the next one."

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Collins: We can keep clean sheets against anyone
WHUFC.com

James Collins believes the confidence of West Ham United's back line is so
high at the moment, they can keep a clean sheet against any side they face,
providing they defend well. The centre-back made his return to the Hammers'
starting XI in their superb 3-0 victory at Stoke City on Saturday and
starred alongside the likes of Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell as the
visitors kept their third consecutive clean sheet. The previous two, against
London giants Chelsea and Arsenal, had secured David Moyes' men four points
and the side carried their confidence up to Staffordshire to comfortably
beat Mark Hughes' team. The three points at the Bet365 Stadium propelled
West Ham up to 15th in the Premier League table, and the Ginger Pele
believes his team can climb even higher with the current mood in the camp.
He said: "It was great for me to be back first of all, but to get the three
points made it even better. The body's a bit sore now, mind! "The win was
deserved after the last few weeks of playing very well and defending well.
Our confidence is high at the back. "That's what clean sheets are all about,
and if you play against anyone, if you defend well, we can keep a clean
sheet. "Adrian and the boys at the back, when I haven't been playing, have
been superb and I've obviously slotted in and got another clean sheet, so
that should be our basis for every game – a clean sheet – and we have goals
in the team. "We had a look at ourselves after the first ten games – I'd be
angry at my son's U10 team if they conceded some of the goals we did. "We
knew we had to change and get back to the basics and defend well. We have
done a lot of work on that, but the gaffer's come in and got us doing the
basics against and we're getting the clean sheets.
"Going into these last games, people would probably have said we'd lose all
four. To come away with seven points and play the way we have, with desire
and urgency, is great. That's the minimum we need."

With the back three ahead of goalkeeper Adrian complimented by attacking
wing-backs Arthur Masuaku and Pablo Zabaleta, the Hammers were a constant
danger going forward at Stoke, while also staying solid at the back. Marko
Arnautovic hit the woodwork twice before scoring, Manuel Lanzini tested Jack
Butland and sub Diafra Sakho spurned a good chance before grabbing a goal
from the bench himself. Going forward has never been the problem, according
to experienced centre-back Collins, who was also delighted to make his
return to the side after a couple of months' absence. "If you look at the
game, no disrespect to them, it probably should have been more, to be
honest," he continued. "Arnie had a few chances and yeah, it was convincing
in the end. "Marko stood up to the fans; he's a top player. That's the way
football is, you get stick at your old club but he's big and strong enough
to take it. He could have got a few more on another day. He did well.
"Originally, I had the ankle injury up at West Brom, and then I had a niggle
in my hamstring which I couldn't seem to shake off, but I've trained the
last week and a half solidly, so I was ready to go and I full enjoyed it.
"You miss the aches and the pains on a Saturday night! Hopefully I can have
that for most Saturdays this season. "We have a big game on Saturday against
Newcastle, and hopefully we can move right up the table."

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Arnie is back - but why? Analysing Marko's resurgence
WHUFC.com

Arnie is back.

After a frustrating start to life as a West Ham United player, Marko
Arnautovic is most definitely starting to show why the Club spent a record
fee to sign him in the summer. The 28-year-old was sent-off on his second
appearance for the Hammers at Southampton, before a lack of form and illness
initially curtailed his comeback. In the last three Premier League games,
however, Arnautovic has been back to somewhere approaching his best –
powerful, direct and comfortable in possession, and aggressive when out of
it. The No7 started each of David Moyes' first two games in charge against
Watford and Everton, but was withdrawn in both, before appearing as a
substitute at Manchester City. There, he set up a late chance for Diafra
Sakho which, although the Senegalese missed it, may have been the turning
point in his season. At home to champions Chelsea and Arsenal and away at
his former club Stoke City, Arnautovic has been very impressive.
While statistics do not tell the whole story, Arnie has undoubtedly upped
his game, and is combining with the likes of Michail Antonio, Manuel Lanzini
and Arthur Masuaku to give West Ham a versatile and sustained threat in the
final third.

Across the three matches, he unleashed 13 shots and scored twice, while also
rattling the woodwork on two more occasions. In all three games, Arnautovic
was West Ham's most advanced player by average position. Despite nominally
being a midfielder, he has ostensibly been playing as a forward. At Stoke,
he was clearly keen to make a mark against his former employers, having six
goal attempts (see shot map), all of them from inside the penalty area,
scoring an outstanding goal in combination with Lanzini and adding two key
passes to his teammates. It was also perhaps telling that Arnautovic made 15
of his 22 passes inside the Stoke half, answering manager David Moyes' call
for West Ham to carry more of a threat going forward. Less eye-catching,
maybe, but certainly equally as important in the view of Moyes, Arnautovic
has run nearly 30km (18.75 miles) in his last three matches. Against
Arsenal, no West Ham player sprinted more times than Arnautovic's 67. At
Stoke, he was more selective about when he went into top gear, but still
managed 50 sprints – the same number he made against Chelsea the previous
weekend – and gave his former teammates all kinds of problems. Arnie is
back. Now, as his manager has said, repeatedly, the challenge for Arnie is
to stay there.

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THE STEPFATHER COMETH
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 17 DECEMBER 2017 AT 8:27PM
TheWesTHamWay.co.uk
Written by @AndyJPhipps

So…the last three games? Performances. Check. Points. Check. Beating a team
that you should be beating after putting in a shift against top sides.
Check.

It's been a really good week to be a West Ham fan and, moreover, it's
probably the first weekend in a long time that we can sit back and actually
enjoy the results. As West Ham fans, all we ask for is a performance. We can
beat Swansea & Huddersfield and we'll take it… but if the performance isn't
there, 'papering over the cracks' becomes a phrase that your phones
predictive text recognises all too well. But the performances have been
there, topped off with oh so sweet points. I watched Goals on Sunday for the
first time in ages this morning and my mood was even taken to watch the 0-0
between Brighton and Burnley because all was good in the footballing world.
As a side note, Slaven Bilic will be on as a guest next week, so definitely
one to watch or set to record.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and I think 99% of people (including myself!)
were underwhelmed to say the least when David Moyes was appointed manager.
It was a very, very difficult time for the West Ham family in general. The
fact of the matter is, the children of the West Ham family, the fans, had
lost a father figure in Super Slav. A gentleman that always said, and did,
the right thing, he was and remains to this day, West Ham through and
through. His dismissal was not without good reason, however. We were losing
games in shockingly abysmal ways and scraping all too infrequent points
against teams that were having off days- not because we'd outplayed them.
Also, basic things like fitness just weren't there. The West Ham fans did,
and do, love Slav. He's part of the family. Like families that are going
through their troubles, though, separation can sometimes do wonders for
damage limitation to relationships. It was incredibly sad to see him go but
it was the right thing to do and he still has great rapport with the fans
and the club.

So. In this state of mourning, a new man walks in. It all feels a bit fast.
Will he be good enough for 'My Club'? He's an outsider, not a West Ham man.
His stock has fallen greatly from a promising past to a less than mediocre
present. He doesn't cut an inspiring figure. At least somebody like Alan
Pardew would have known the club, does well in six months and brims with
more confidence than a party fountain does with chocolate. Instead, we're
left with this guy who has a past and is looking to heal from his own
experiences. Brilliant. Just Brilliant… But the club likes him and if the
club is happy, then we must get behind the club. He's not our father figure.
Moyes is our stepfather figure.

So, weirdly, what started off as a light hearted way of creating an analogy
has become almost deeply psychological. Basically, let's not be hypocritical
about this, Moyes was indeed the best of an uninspiring lot. That doesn't
mean he is without merit though. I for one never predicted that he'd be
exactly what we needed for getting the team fit. I did know he was a manager
who likes to organise his teams defensively but I didn't know he also likes
fast and quick passing football. From what I've seen so far, he's far from a
long ball merchant. I guess what I'm saying is that (again with the benefit
of hindsight) it was always going to be difficult for somebody out of work
who didn't count as a top, classy manager to come in and be accepted. Heck,
Pardew was my six month choice as you've probably guessed but I understand
how many had their reservations about him too. Whatever has happened in the
past, Moyes is part of the club for the moment. He is our Step-father
figure. It's taken a few weeks for him to settle in but (hindsight!) that's
okay as we've built fitness and gotten used to his new tactics. He's an
outsider, yes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want what's best for the
club and won't work his nuts off. Also, unlike one survival manager we've
had, he doesn't make it all about him. It's not the 'David Moyes Show'. He
hasn't sought to pour honey into our ears, either. It's nice when managers
acknowledge the fans but we've been fed so many sickly sweet promises and so
much false positivity of late that it's nice to have somebody who wants to
get on with the job, back our players and not make a fuss. The two wins and
a draw have really put us back on the right track. Who knows, maybe this
could be the start of a beautiful relationship?

@AndyJPhipps

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Stoke 0-3 West Ham: David Moyes feels it should have been more
Last Updated: 16/12/17 8:44pm
SSN

David Moyes hailed West Ham's performance in West Ham's 3-0 win at Stoke,
but insisted his side, especially Mark Arnautovic, should have scored more
goals.
West Ham came into the match on the back of a victory over Chelsea last
weekend, and then a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, but stepped up once more to
comfortably sweep Stoke aside. A penalty from Mark Noble, then goals from
the returning Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho, made sure of the three
points that moved West Ham out of the relegation zone. Moyes, however, feels
the margin of victory could have been even more comprehensive. If you think
about the games we have had and the performances we have needed, we were
always a bit worried about the energy," Moyes said. "We had a day less to
recover after the Arsenal game, but we did the basics well, defended well,
and on another day we should have had more. "I told him [Arnautovic] at
half-time I was annoyed with him, he should have scored two. I told him if
he kept up he'd score in the second half. He probably had three or four
chances and should have come away with the matchball.
"He's beginning to become a really important player for us. I'd still like
to get him up to even higher levels but his work-rate has been phenomenal."
"It was just a really good performance and three really good goals. The
decision to award Stoke an early penalty at the bet365 Stadium really irked
the Stoke players, who believed Manuel Lanzini had gone down too easily.
Moyes does not share the sentiment, though.
Stoke City boss Mark Hughes says he felt aggrieved with the decision to
award West Ham a penalty in the first half of their 3-0 defeat to the
Hammers in the Premier League. "I thought the defender gave the referee a
decision to make," Moyes added. "I think Manu [Lanzini] has run about 60 or
70 yards with it.
"I think he is just going down with fatigue. I don't think he has done
anything wrong."

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STRATFORD DIARY: POPCORN, HOW TO TURN(ER) A SEASON AROUND AND FOREVER EATING
BUBBLE
By HamburgHammer 17 Dec 2017 at 21:00 48 comments
WTID

Another highly enthralling and exciting trip in the bag, with a lot of
surprise experiences along the way. It was a trip where I hadn't exactly
overloaded my travel itinerary.
In fact nothing at all was scheduled in advance, apart from the home games
against Chelsea and Arsenal of course, but other than that I was aware it
was the busy Christmas period, so I knew my friends from the blog might not
be able to be at my disposal 24/7 resulting in my having to improvise
somewhat – but that led to some other good experiences, so it was eventually
another worthwhile trip.

But let's try to start, well, from the start. First day.

Friday, December 8th – Day of departure
Another early morning on the bus and tube to the airport. And the first
scare of several to follow. Due to some family related health issues my
nerves were playing tricks on me. So I briefly forgot my suitcase after I
had just finished the security procedures at Hamburg airport. For five
minutes I panicked, but got assisted brilliantly by airport staff and after
retracing my steps I found my luggage sound and safe where I had left it. So
I could board the flight to Heathrow on time, ready to start my trip.

The trip from Heathrow to Stratford is a lengthy one at the best of times.
But if you get on the wrong DLR train on top of that it gets even worse.
Still, I made it to my airbnb accommodation by way of Abbey Road Station
(not the Beatles one though but the one in East London). My hosts were a
lovely Colombian lady (sometimes hard to understand, especially as she
sometimes was talking in Spanish to me for no apparent reason and with no
regard to the fact I don't speak or understand Spanish) and her husband
whose parents were of West Indian heritage, but he was born and raised in
Whitechapel, it doesn't get more Cockney than that surely, we had some nice
chats during my stay and he made me laugh after I talked to him about the
Arsenal game the next morning.

I told him about the goalless draw and he asked when the replay would now
take place, being unaware that there are no replays for draws in league
fixtures.
Not a football fan then I suppose…:-))
I made use of the excellent transport links and took a bus to Upton Park,
briefly mourned the vast emptiness that used to be the Boleyn Ground and got
some grub.
As there were no customers in Nathan's Pie&Mash Shop I decided to have some
fish&chips at Ercan Fish Bar in the Barking Road before moving on to the
Newham Bookshop.

As usual I was made to feel welcome with open arms, a cup of Rosie, mince
pies and a good chat. Needless to say I returned the favour and got myself
some West Ham and general football related books. I also filled out a
petition card to the local MP to keep the statue at its current location.
I feel it belongs there and is one of the few remaining objects that remind
us that West Ham United FC used to be such an important part of this
neighbourhood.
If we want a statue there our board should commission a new one (can't be
costing the world) and put that at London Stadium, but not the original one.

Either way I returned to Stratford late afternoon for a quick "Welcome back
to London" pint in a pub I passed on the way (I think it was the "Queen's
Head" on West Ham Lane) and then settled down in my room for the rest of the
evening as I knew an early kickoff was awaiting the next day – and I wanted
to be ready for that.

Saturday, December 9th – Matchday 1 – Chelsea at home
I didn't expect anything from the two games I was going to attend. I fully
expected zero points and two almighty drubbings. And even that was being
optimistic in my book.
But I was looking forward to it anyway as it meant meeting some of my good
friends from the blog again, in this instance BSB and Russ (still the
original one).
As my lodging was en route they picked me up in Arthingworth Street (E15)
and when I got into the motor I was greeted with a familiar tune.

Yes, the unofficial Hamburg anthem sung by Hans Albers, the one I had
treated them with upon their arrival to my town. It was a nice touch
although to be frank I would have prefered a London themed ditty like
"London Calling", "Streets of London" or "The Battle of Barking". But you
can't have everything…;-))
After parking the car near the stadium we ventured into Stour Space where
the Supporters Club has found its new home. I had recently become a member
and was desperate to try it out and I found it to be pleasant and cosy
enough, with a good group of fellow Hammers in there to share a pre-match
drink and some banter before taking the short walk into the stadium.

Luckily enough I could sit with the gang again (BSB, Russ, VOR and Gramsci),
so I had a reasonably decent view of our demolition of Chelsea, never in
doubt that one!
I kept asking myself during the game: Where do those aliens actually live
who abducted our team and replaced them with clones that could play
organised and utterly professional football against one of the top sides in
the country ?

We kept our shape, we kept a clean sheet, Adrian had a reasonably quiet 90
minutes and the outfield players all looked like they gave a monkey's. That
effort didn't go unnoticed by the crowd who created a brilliant wall of
noise at times, the rocking atmosphere we had been missing for so long. It's
still not a football stadium.
But that fact becomes far less important when the team are playing their
collective guts out.
It was a pleasure seeing yet another of my customary 1:0 wins at London
Stadium and just as lovely to meet HammersWest in person who had travelled
all the way from her surely much warmer home base in California.

As nobody else had time and desire for a pub crawl I joined BSB at his
little palace in Dagenham East where we settled down for some football
watching, rabbitting on about football (and life) before ordering some giant
pizzas to celebrate our win over Chelsea in style.

It had been a long day, but BSB was good enough to drive me "home" to
Stratford later that evening which was obviously very kind. He's a gentleman
anyway, but I suppose our win had put him in a jolly good mood as well.

Sunday, December 10th
Essentially this was going to be a lazy Sunday as I couldn't be bovvered to
venture out on my own if I could avoid it and BSB once again offered his
hospitality as there was a triple bill of football on the telly, and why
not! First though it was a Full English for us at one of the best caffs the
Enjoy Cafe in Dagenham.
I enjoyed my breakfast with a nice helping of bubble on the plate, despite
initially not being entirely sure what it actually was.
Once again though my threadbare nerves were playing up as just before we
left I couldn't find my wallet. I knew that I had taken it to the cafe as I
had been handing some money to BSB when we ordered our food.

I checked the usual pockets and went into full panic mode with BSB staying
unbelievably calm. In my mind a terrible movie was being played out, with
some geezer nicking my wallet from the table where I had left it unattended
for a few seconds, containing not only my money and cash card, but also my
ID.
The next stage of my inner movie saw me having to inactivate my cash card
and go to the embassy to sort out new documents so I could actually get back
on the plane and travel back to Hamburg. Still BSB remained totally calm,
claiming he couldn't imagine the wallet getting nicked just like that.

And then I found it, in a pocket of my jacket I never use. So why did I use
it this time ? Well, we had switched tables just before our orders arrived
and my jacket was hanging over the chair. So I suppose when I put the wallet
back into the jacket I wasn't actually wearing I must have used the nearest
pocket which wasn't the regular one.
Once my blood pressure had returned to customary levels we could settle down
in BSB's living room, enjoying a triple bill of football (including the
brilliant personality analysis of Jose Mourinho from Oasis founder and Man
City nut Noel Gallagher).

We could then enjoy his wife Karen's famous chili con carne, BSB still
claims it was beef, I reckon it was a concoction of squirrel, badger and
peacock, but either way it was yummy and if it is yummy I will eat it…:-))

Monday, December 11th – Matchday cancelled
Bugger! If there was one game I had been looking forward to for this trip it
was our U23's game against their Spurs counterparts on Monday evening in
that great little football ground in Dagenham, but the snow bomb that had
exploded the previous day made sure the pitch was waterlogged and in no
condition for the fixture to go ahead.
BSB gave me those news just as I had left Tate Britain. Yes, you read that
correctly. Usually during my trips I don't do touristy stuff in London
anymore, but I made an exception this time as I didn't want to stay in
Stratford all day and as I am a massive fan of William Turner's paintings I
was keen to see some of them again, having last seen them probably ten years
ago.

As museums tend to overwhelm me I joined two guided tours that gave me some
nice insights and also pointed me to some of the many highlights in the
gallery.
Did you know that Tate Britain was erected on the site of a former prison ?
That Mr.Tate made his fortune from selling sugar to the world in large
quantities ? And that William Turner bequeathed most of his paintings and
sketches to the British nation rather than selling them so that normal folk
can now marvel at them rather than just millionaires and posh people ? No ?
Neither did I.

I had to improvise later on as the West Ham U23 game wasn't on. So I grabbed
a bite to eat in Stratford before going to see a film at Stratford East
Picturehouse.
What film did I choose ? Well, I was feeling a bit lonely as a foreigner in
London and I like my food, so I chose Paddington 2.
I could empathise with a peckish visitor in London and I was happy enough
that the film was taking me to various locations in and around London
(including a prison) and unsurprisingly food was again a major theme
throughout. Just my kind of flick!

As it was an early evening showing it was a bit if a bizarre experience as I
was watching the film in the company of just two other paying customers. At
least that minimised the chances of somebody spoiling things for the rest by
fiddling around with their smartphones all the time. Very enjoyable film.
Money well spent. And I finally got to eat some popcorn in Stratford! I
wouldn't dream of buying the stuff when watching West Ham, but a cinema
surely is the perfect environment for munching some popcorn!

Tuesday, December 12th
I returned to the arts again, having enjoyed myself so much the day before,
so I started out in Tate Modern, being greeted in the giant turbine hall by
grown up people swinging about on various swings, like on a playground.
Apparently this is a statement from the artist how swinging can solve most
of our current problems in the world, therefore some of the swings will soon
be moved to various locations in London and Britain. Maybe if readers of
this blog do some copious swinging it will help West Ham to stay up!

I cannot claim to be an expert on art, but I have to confess I struggle
somewhat with modern art. Some of the stuff at Tate Modern looked right
ridiculous, weird or even disturbing to me. Some of the items looked like my
ten year old nephew might have done a better job. There was a thing called
"Yellow Curve", an oil painting that looked like a plain yellow triangular
shape (which in fact wasn't triangular, but that's not the point). maybe I
just don't get it. Maybe there IS nothing to get actually. Maybe it's just
supposed to look nice on a wall. Which it kind of did.

I then got a message that Iron Liddy, Longtime Lurker and a surprise guest
(or two) would be meeting me later that evening for a drink. That gave me
the chance to return to Tate Britain first and do the guided tour of Turner
I had missed the day before. It was highly entertaining (I bought three
books on Turner alone from the museum shop afterwards) and after the tour I
got chatting to the tour guide (who was obviously a big Turner fan too) who
enquired if I had come to London just for the Turners.

When I told her i was there mainly for footballing reasons she asked what
club I was supporting. When I told her West Ham she smiled and said her son
was an Arsenal fan which added some personal spice for the derby the
following day. As nice as that lady was and even though we both shared a
fondness for certain paintings I wanted our boys to demolish her son's team
on the pitch of the London Stadium on Wednesday. But first it was off to my
old stomping ground in Barking.

I had a drink or two with Liddy and the Lurker in The Barking Dog pub (which
brought back some memories from when I was actually living there, in Barking
that is, not in the pub!). It was great to see them again and they helped me
to keep my chin up despite the already mentioned family issue of mine.
Thanks for that guy and gal!
We then hopped on the District Line for the quick ride to Upminster where I
could put another face to a name when Hugh Jardon joined our round in the
pub.
To be followed by Mr.Lids shortly after who had just finished a his weekly
dose of playing indoors three a side football.

We talked football and West Ham all evening and all had a jolly good time. I
had the good fortune that the Lurker put me on the fast train to West Ham,
so that I was back in Stratford in no time, ready for a good night's sleep
before another matchday!

Wednesday, December 13th – Matchday 2 – Arsenal at home
Yes, the night was a bit rough to be fair as I rarely drink more than two
pints these days and it had been more than two the previous evening. So I
didn't venture out to Central London on my final full day in England,
instead I began to pack my bags and lay low before it was time to walk over
towards the stadium. This time I actually managed to find The Ribman (who
had eluded me somehow at the Chelsea game) and I got my customary pork roll
with hot sauce, of course we also shared some banter.
I told him that his stall was one of the few good things about the London
Stadium and he just grinned at me. I suppose he hears that a lot!

Before kickoff I met briefly with some more regulars from on here, including
Ray the Hammer, CRB, Irons1959 and his sister, AndyHammer (if I'm not
mistaken) plus Dan Coker and his dad. Nice as usual, but unfortunately I
couldn't deliver another 1:0 home win. A goalless draw against Arsenal was
another welcome result though, helping to consolidate our climb away from
the relegation zone, so I was quite happy with that result under the
circumstances.

After the game I quickly said Hello to the guys from West Ham Fan TV. It was
interesting to see them doing all their reaction videos and fancams, also
how they were interviewing their counterparts from Arsenal Fan TV and vice
versa. It seemed like everyone was recording with their smartphones to
create content for their individual channels on social media.

I walked back to Stratford Station with the lads and had a chat with one of
their main presenters, Ryan Archer, who is a Canning Town boy, and as I have
stayed in that area during a previous trip we had a chinwag about what
Canning Town used to be like during his childhood, growing up there – and we
also agreed that West Ham were looking as if they had now turned a corner
and could steer their way to a midtable position.

The West Ham Fan TV crew is a good bunch and I can really recommend their
stuff on Youtube. It's an especially good watch for overseas supporters like
me who can only attend so many games in person. Keep up the good work lads!

Thursday, December 14th – Day of return to Hamburg
Back to Heathrow Airport midday, killing time at the airport with the flight
back being delayed for over an hour. Still, it was a very decent trip,
albeit it a slightly different and improvised one this time. I still find
myself enjoying going back to London immensely. It may not be the most
beautiful place in the world or the best city to live in, but without a
doubt it is probably the most interesting city there is.

As for West Ham ? Well, the matchday experience is beginning to grow on me.
I still don't like the stadium much, but I will continue to watch my beloved
Hammers, if I can get a ticket. Not sure if I will buy another season
ticket, I may just as well buy a club membership and buys single tickets if
and when required.
Thank God our team is looking much better now and on course for staying up.
Of course I would also watch us in the Championship. But staying in the
Premier League will make my future trips slightly more appealing of course.
COYI!

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West Ham's Manuel Lanzini sweating on 3 game ban for diving with incident
now under FA review
If found guilty of cheating to earn vital penalty at Stoke, he'd miss
Carabao Cup quarter-final and two league games
The Mirror
ByDavid AndersonFootball And Boxing Correspondent
22:30, 17 DEC 2017

"There is contact — but that's easy when he runs into you" said Stoke's Erik
Pieters of this challenge

Manuel Lanzini could be hit with a three-game retrospective ban for diving
to win West Ham's controversial penalty at Stoke. It is understood the FA
will review the incident and a suspension would rule playmaker Lanzini out
of Tuesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal and the Hammers' next
two league games, against Newcastle and Bournemouth. The penalty was the
game's turning point — Mark Noble converted it for the opening goal which
set West Ham on their way to a 3-0 win that lifted them clear of the bottom
three. Lanzini went down under a challenge from Erik Pieters and the Stoke
defender says the Argentinian ran into him. Pieters added it is of little
consolation to Stoke if Lanzini is charged retrospectively and said: "It
doesn't mean much for us now. "I've seen the replay and there is contact —
but that's easy when he runs into you. He came through and I made a tackle
straight, not into him. He came into me rather than me into him. He had a
bad touch. "The only thing I was doing was to make sure the ball didn't come
across. That's why I made a straight tackle. Then he fell over me. "I've
seen a replay and I don't think it's a penalty, for sure. Maybe West Ham are
going to say it's not a dive, but when you see the challenge on Shaqiri just
before, which wasn't given, and then mine, they're the same."

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West Ham's Marko Arnautovic did well to reach changing room after taunting
abusive Stoke fans, says Mark Hughes
Forward made a scoring return to club he left under a cloud last summer and
gave as good as he got before being subbed
The Mirror
ByDavid AndersonFootball And Boxing Correspondent
22:30, 17 DEC 2017

Mark Hughes claims Marko Arnautovic might have been scragged by Stoke fans
for provoking them. Returning old boy Arnautovic responded to the constant
jeers from the Stokies during Saturday's 3-0 win by crossing his arms to
make new club West Ham's famous 'Hammers' sign and thumping the club badge
on his chest before gleefully celebrating his goal in front of them. The
Austrian forward infuriated supporters who used to love him by forcing
through a £25million summer move to the Londoners, and Hughes says he should
have shown more respect for the club that relaunched his career. "He was
doing all sorts by the end, and did well to get back to the dressing room
safely," said the Stoke boss, who signed Arnautovic in 2013 after a nomadic
career that saw spells with FC Twente in Holland, Italy's Inter Milan and
German side Werder Bremen. Hughes berated the 28-year-old when he was
substituted 11 minutes from time, and said: "He should have risen above any
criticism or abuse he had. "This place was very, very good for him. The fans
loved him here, so just to burn all your bridges after just one game I
thought, you don't need to do that." Arnautovic's goal was his second in a
week and the Austrian forward has been transformed under David Moyes.
The West Ham boss reveals he gave him an ultimatum to knuckle down and says
could become a fan favourite in the style of ex-Hammers hero Paolo Di Canio.
"I think he could be," said Moyes. "I think we were previously a little bit
disappointed with him and said to him, 'You'd better run around, because if
you don't, you won't play'. He said, 'OK, I'll do that'. "Most of the people
round here who have watched him know he's a good technician and he has
ability. So, if we can marry those two things together, we will have a good
player."

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