Daily WHUFC News - 19th December 2017

Arsenal v West Ham United: All you need to know
WHUFC.com

West Ham United take a break from Premier League action on Tuesday night when they head to Arsenal for a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie. The Hammers have their sights on a trip to Wembley having defeated Cheltenham Town, Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur to get this far, but they will have to overcome an Arsenal side who have lost only one of their last seven league games.



Where and when?


Arsenal v West Ham United
Carabao Cup Quarter-Final
Emirates Stadium
Tuesday 19 December 2017, 7.45pm GMT


How to follow:


This game is not being broadcast live on television in the UK. A list of international broadcasters of the Carabao Cup can be found here.

Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter account.

You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.

You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat channels.

Live radio coverage of the match will be available on BBC London.

Meet the opposition:

0:18

Team news:


David Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Joe Hart will return in goal for the trip to Emirates Stadium.

Meanwhile, James Collins made a successful return from injury in Saturday's game at Stoke City, helping the Hammers to a clean sheet and 3-0 victory against the Potters. The Hammers are also likely to have Andy Carroll available again after he missed the bet365 Stadium game with a back problem.

For Arsenal, Aaron Ramsey is out until the New Year with a hamstring injury, but Shkodran Mustafi could return following his thigh complaint.

Theo Walcott could be fit to play a part, despite missing the 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at the weekend.

Match Officials:


Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and Mark Scholes
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh

Last Five Meetings:

0:39

What they Say:

"We got the three points at Stoke and we go again on Tuesday, when we go to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and we want to get through to the next round"
Marko Arnautovic
How to get there:

Arsenal (Piccadilly Line) is the nearest tube station, around 3 minutes walk from the ground. Finsbury Park (Victoria, Piccadilly Lines and National Rail) and Highbury & Islington (Victoria Line, London Overground and National Rail) are also nearby.

By Train
Supporters should be aware that on Tuesday the A1 Holloway Road will be closed by Digswell Street and Highbury Corner roundabout due to bridge replacement works.

By Car:

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Premier League 2 clash on Merseyside postponed
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Premier League 2 clash against Everton on Monday night has been postponed due to fog. The officials at the Toffees' Finch Farm training ground decided, due to visibility, the match could not be played. It is the U23s' second fixture in a row to be called off, after last week's home London derby game against Tottenham Hotspur was postponed due to the effects of some more adverse weather conditions in east London. A new date for the Everton game will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, the meeting with Spurs has been re-arranged for Monday 12 February. The Hammers' Academy now play their next round of fixtures after Christmas. The Club's next match in Premier League 2 will be on Monday 8 January after Manchester United, while the U18s face Southampton a day earlier on Saturday 6 January.

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Moyes: Manu, Marko, Arsenal and transfers
WHUFC.com

David Moyes was asked about a range of topics during his press conference ahead of Tuesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal. The manager discussed Manuel Lanzini's FA charge for 'successful deception of a match official' in Saturday's Premier League win at Stoke City, as well as Marko Arnautovic's performance in the same game. The Scot also talked about Tuesday's tie and the Club's plans for the January transfer window. Here is what he had to say.

All I told Manu was 'You were brilliant!'

I'm a bit surprised Manuel Lanzini has been charged by the FA for 'successful deception of a match official' following Saturday's win at Stoke City because, when the incident happened in the game, the referee was ten yards from the ball and had nothing blocking his vision. It was clear to see the defender makes an attempt to go for the ball and doesn't get it so, in my view, they're going against the referee if that's the case, whoever the panel were. The Goals on Sunday panel said it was a definite penalty and nothing to talk about, so I don't know how you can judge that one a dive. It was a really tough call and a really hard call and on the day the referee gave a penalty kick. We're going to have a talk about it this afternoon and decide what we're going to do in terms of an appeal. We'll look at it, but again I find it really strange that three people on Sunday think it's a penalty and wake up on Monday and three people all say it's not. To be as clear as that is very difficult. After his performance on Saturday, the only thing I said to him was how well he had played. He made the first goal and created the other two, so it was a brilliant performance and there was nothing we had to say after the game to Manu at all about the incident. Let me be clear, I'm the first one who says let's get rid of diving and make sure it's not in the game. That's why I'm annoyed at this one, because nobody can be sure it was.

Marko made his mark on his Stoke return

Marko Arnautovic put in a good performance and played well on Saturday and I've got no problems at all with the way he conducted himself. After he scored, he celebrated by sliding on his knees, so I don't think he did anything out of order at all. We've only been here a short time, but all I can say is that he's been very good since we've been here. I watched him a lot when he was at Stoke and I think he played very well for them as well. He's worked hard, got himself a few goals and should have had a few more, so overall we're delighted with his performances. Marko has always been capable of these performances. I think you need different things and a bit of hard love at times with him, but he's very good for us at the moment, and the supporters are taking to him because of his performances. With supporters, what happens is, if they can see your efforts are big, then it turns people around very quickly. Marko's efforts, coupled with his really good technical ability, are making him a crowd favourite at the moment.

We face Arsenal again, but this time it's completely different

It is less than a week since we held Arsenal to a goalless draw in the Premier League at London Stadium and now we go to the Emirates in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night to take them on again. This will be a completely different game against, most likely, a completely different Arsenal team. We'll go there and try to put in a good performance. Our performances have gradually been getting better, our defensive work has been good in recent weeks and I think our attacking play and using the ball has got better and we're making and creating more chances.

Our transfer window plans have not changed

My plans for the January transfer window have not really changed, as they are the Club's transfer plans and they'll know exactly what they need to do. Me coming in for a month wouldn't necessarily mean I have all the solutions as to what is needed. I've worked with the players and there are still some I've not seen who are coming back from longer-term injuries, but I think we have an idea of what we'd like to do if possible and we'll keep moving along towards that. My job when I came in was to work with the players that I've got, so I've said all along that you don't talk about the players who are at other clubs, but talk about your own players. I've got to say, we've not discussed our players much, apart from one or two, but you'd have to say they are playing very well. Our performance at Stoke was excellent and our all-round team performances have been very, very good.

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Ray delighted with Hammers effort despite Palace defeat
WHUFC.com

Karen Ray is delighted with the effort shown by her West Ham United Ladies side despite falling a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace. A late change in opponent saw the Hammers take on the high-flying Eagles in their final match before the festive break, with a deflected shot and a late tap-in giving the away side the victory.
It was a harsh result for West Ham, who looked composed and more than played their part in a competitive fixture, and General Manager and interim head coach Ray couldn't be prouder of the fighting spirit her team displayed. "Today the players showed us a different side to their game," Ray told whufc.com: "We had one training session to work on some defensive organisation and the understanding demonstrated against arguably the best attacking team in the league was undeniable. As a team, we made three mistakes and they capitalised on two of them. "To watch the girls outrun, outwork and at times outplay a side like Crystal Palace, who are second in the league, is a huge compliment to the players, but also to the staff who have fully supported the change over the last ten days. "For the majority of the game we frustrated them and made it very difficult for them to get any real momentum. I am struggling to point out any individuals because nearly everyone gave every last bit of effort, I honestly can't find many faults in the team's overall performance."

With the Ladies now without a contest until mid-January, when the season resumes, Ray reckons the side have proven they are more than ready to climb up the table in the second half of the campaign, with the help of the new first team manager, who is yet to be appointed. She added: "We can't deny how disappointed we are with Sunday's result, but we showed great signs for the future. Palace are a good side on a brilliant run, but we were solid for 98% of the game and I cannot fault the girls for their grit and determination. "We have a young team who showed plenty of character and a lot of quality, something we had been lacking recently. I am extremely proud of the girls, and the new coach will be walking into a team with a bit of confidence ready to take on the second half of the season."

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Team news: Hart to start, Carroll to return?
WHUFC.com

David Moyes has confirmed that Joe Hart will start the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal. The England goalkeeper has missed West Ham United's last four Premier League matches, with Moyes preferring Adrian, but the Scot says Hart will be given a chance to impress at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.
"Joe Hart will definitely start at the Emirates," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference at Rush Green. "I've said all along that we have two really good goalkeepers and the two of them have been excellent. "Adrian has had some really good performances and everyone knows of Joe's experience and the level of games he's played in. "Joe has been very good around the place and he's ready to play."

West Ham go into Tuesday's tie full of confidence after keeping three clean sheets in succession in the process of picking up seven points out of nine in the Premier League. The Hammers defeated champions Chelsea 1-0 and held Arsenal to a goalless draw at London Stadium before going to Stoke City and winning 3-0 on Saturday. With another home game against Newcastle United to come on Saturday, Moyes admitted he would like to rotate his squad, but Manuel Lanzini's FA charge for diving injuries to Jose Fonte, Sam Byram, Cheikhou Kouyate and Edimilson Fernandes mean his options are somewhat limited.

However, Winston Reid is available again after a one-match ban and Andy Carroll could be fit again after missing the trip to Stoke with a back problem. "We've got the same sort of squad available as we had for the game at Stoke, with a couple of injuries and a couple of young players too. We won't be a million miles away from the squad that has been available for most of our recent games. "Andy Carroll ought to be back. He's done a bit of training on Monday and he's had a bad back, so we'll make a call on that on Tuesday. There will be some players we do play and some players we don't play, just like every game. "Ideally, we would make some changes, if we had the players but we're very short at the moment with injuries. I would like to make one or two changes as our priority is to get away from the bottom end of the Premier League, but nothing would give me more pleasure than getting to a cup final. "I go into every game I manage wanting to win and I'll try to win our Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night."

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Defensive platform has given us something to build upon - Noble
WHUFC.com

West Ham United skipper Mark Noble believes his side's solid defensive line has given the rest of the team the platform to go and win games. David Moyes' Hammers have now kept three clean sheets in a row and just two goals have been conceded in their last four matches, an impressive record given the side's opposition in recent weeks. West Ham followed up a 1-0 win over Chelsea and a goalless draw with Arsenal with Saturday's comfortable 3-0 victory over Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium. And Noble, who set the Hammers on their way in the Premier League fixture at the weekend, scoring a first half penalty, is confident the east Londoners will continue to improve given their superb defensive displays. He said: "Our defence have been fantastic. The whole squad were fantastic [on Saturday], in particular the back five. They gave us the platform to go on and win the game. "You look at Arnie [Marko Arnautovic] and Michail [Antonio] up front, they've run themselves into the ground and it starts there. "They've both come off last couple of weeks, but we need that. We need that power and hungriness every week and they're giving it at the minute. It's been really good. "I believed in the way we were defending to be fair, and I knew if we had enough chances we'd score. It took Marko quite a few! He hit the bar twice, but he got one and I was so happy for him. "I honestly believed that we could have won it more, but are we happy with 3-0 at Stoke? Yes, I'm not going to get greedy!"

Arnautovic grabbed West Ham's second after hitting the crossbar twice and going close on three other occasions, before Diafra Sakho was introduced and added a late third. And Noble, although watching from the touchline at this point having been replaced due to injury in the first half, was delighted for his Senegalese teammate. "I was really buzzing for Diaf. He's sat and waited patiently, but he's got his chance. Diaf loves scoring goals and to see him score, I'm so happy for him. "I tweaked my hamstring during the Arsenal game and I hadn't played for three weeks, coming into Chelsea and Arsenal. They were two massive results and a lot of ground was covered, so I came in Thursday with a sore hamstring. "I thought I could get away with it today; but I got the goal, got that penalty and managed to get a standing ovation in the 30th minute! "I was a nervous wreck in the second half. I'd rather be in a dark room and you can let me know the result!
"If we play like we have the last week [against Newcastle on Saturday], we'll be fine. I'll make sure the players don't get complacent and I really believe that we can push up the table."

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Arsenal v West Ham United
TUE 19 DEC 2017EFL CUP - QUARTER-FINAL
19:45
Venue: Emirates Stadium
BBC.co.uk

How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

TEAM NEWS
West Ham's on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart will start Tuesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal. Adrian has started the past four games instead of the England international, keeping clean sheets in the past three. "He's been very good around the place and he's ready to play," said boss David Moyes of Hart, who is on loan from Manchester City.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is planning to rotate his squad, with Theo Walcott starting after a groin injury. "Some players are a little bit on the edge," said Wenger, whose side are unbeaten in four games. "We have so many quality players who did not start on Saturday [a 1-0 win over Newcastle]. You cannot say that you prefer to play a player who has played three games in six days to a guy who is at the same level and is completely fresh. "The players who will start are basically all international players."

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey could return at the start of January from a hamstring injury, while defender Shkodran Mustafi is fit after a thigh injury but will not play in the cup tie.
Hammers playmaker Manuel Lanzini is set to miss the game, unless the club successfully contest a two-game ban for diving.
Moyes added: "Andy Carroll could return. He's had a bad back but he trained today and we will make a call on him tomorrow. "Ideally we would have changed one or two players, but we're a bit short and our priority is the Premier League, but nothing would give me more pleasure than reaching a cup final."

MATCH FACTS
This will be the third meeting between these sides in this competition, with West Ham winning a third-round tie in October 1966, and Arsenal winning at this stage at Upton Park in January 1998.
Both winners of League Cup ties between these clubs have ended up being losing semi-finalists in that competition.
West Ham were the first side to beat Arsenal in a competitive game at Emirates Stadium, back in April 2007. Since then however, they have lost seven of their nine visits to the ground (W1 D1), with an aggregate score of 19-4 to Arsenal.
The Gunners have lost their past four home League Cup games against fellow Premier League sides, losing 2-0 against Southampton at the last-eight stage last season.
The Hammers are looking to reach the semi-finals for the second time in the past five seasons, having only reached the last four in one of their previous 23 campaigns.
Despite reaching the final on two occasions, the League Cup is the one English domestic trophy Wenger has yet to win with Arsenal. This will be his 14th quarter-final tie in the competition, and he has progressed from six of the previous 13.
Eddie Nketiah netted twice in the last round to send Arsenal through - in doing so he became the first player born after Wenger became Arsenal manager to score for the club.
No player has had a hand in more Carabao Cup goals this season than West Ham's Andre Ayew (3 goals, 1 assist).

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West Ham's Manuel Lanzini is charged by the FA for diving against Stoke
BBC.co.uk

West Ham playmaker Manuel Lanzini has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for diving during Saturday's Premier League win at Stoke. The Argentine fell to the ground as he was challenged by defender Erik Pieters and the Hammers were awarded a penalty, which put them 1-0 up in a 3-0 victory. Lanzini is expected to contest the charge. "The referee was 10 yards from the ball with nothing blocking his vision," said West Ham manager David Moyes. "It is clear to see the defender makes an attempt to go for the ball and doesn't get it. "From my point of view, they are going against the referee, whoever the panel were."

Lanzini has until 18:00 GMT on Tuesday, 19 December to respond to the charge.

The incident was referred to an independent three-person FA panel who deemed he had deceived the referee. If the charge is upheld, he is set to get a two-match ban that would rule him out of Tuesday's League Cup quarter-final against Arsenal and Premier League game at home against Newcastle on Saturday. The FA panel includes one former match official, one ex-manager and one ex-player, and all three had to agree for a ban to be enforced. Everton forward Oumar Niasse was the first Premier League player to be banned for diving after new FA laws to punish simulation were introduced in May. He was banned for two games after winning a controversial penalty, under pressure from Scott Dann, in a draw at Crystal Palace on 18 November. Graham Scott was the referee for West Ham's win over Stoke, who were left in 17th place - one point above the relegation zone - after a third league defeat in a row. "He's clearly dived. He's a clever player, he'll draw a foul or some kind of challenge but he wasn't clipped," said Stoke boss Mark Hughes after the match. "Referees need to get match-defining decisions correct and he certainly didn't get that one correct."

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CAN HERNANDEZ AND CARROLL FORM A DEADLY STRIKE PARTNERSHIP?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 18 DECEMBER 2017 AT 8:40PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Matt Buck

We have seen many variations of the 'little and large' striking partnership in the Premier League over the years, but is it time for West Ham to have one of their own? Can Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll form a partnership that works, allows the club to play two up front and gives them more attacking options? Scoring less than a goal per game suggests that something needs to change, and perhaps it is time for Hernandez and Carroll to be given a long stretch playing together in the first team.

While West Ham's team goal scoring has not been good enough through the first part of their season, neither has the strike rate of Hernandez and Carroll, so this does require a leap of faith. However, when you are in the bottom three and occupying a relegation spot because the start to the season has been so poor, it is time to start making drastic changes to rectify the problems.

The current league standings make for pretty uncomfortable reading if you are a West Ham fan, but that gap between the bottom and those in mid-table is certainly something they can close over the coming weeks. The festive period is a busy time for all football clubs, and if West Ham can perform during that period, they could make a rapid climb up the table.

Any number of clubs in the bottom half will think they can climb the table with a good couple of weeks, West Ham included. The latest Premier League betting has the Hammers at 15/2 to finish in the top half, something which may seem a long way off right now, but a good run over their next few games and all that could change.

If they are to go on a good run then the one thing that must change is their goal scoring. Playing Andy Carroll as a target man, with Javier Hernandez making runs off him, looks to be a realistic proposition and one that should be explored by West Ham. While Carroll will never contribute hugely on the goalscoring front, he can help others and if that means more service for Hernandez then that can only be a good thing for the club.

When at Manchester United, Hernandez never really had the opportunity to stay in the first team for a long period, but despite that, he had three seasons where he scored double-figure Premier League goals. Add to that his Bundesliga record in recent seasons, and it is clear he knows where the back of the net is, and will put the opportunities away when given them. The key to Hernandez is service, and Carroll could be the one to unlock the door and provide him with that.

West Ham are looking for ways to improve and playing Andy Carroll alongside Javier Hernandez could be the next method they try. Carroll won't provide them with many goals, but his service to Hernandez could be what propels them up the league table and towards safety.

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Moyes considering Lanzini appeal
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th December 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United manager David Moyes admitted to being a tad surprised upon hearing that Manuel Lanzini had been charged with simulation by the FA. The Argentine midfielder was this morning charged with the "successful deception of a match official" - following West Ham's 3-0 win at Stoke on Saturday. And Moyes, who has enjoyed an otherwise fantastic week with his team taking seven points froma possible nine out of fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal and the Potters, insisted that the club would be consdiering an appeal. "I'm going to think about it. I'm a bit surprised," Moyes told the press this lunchtime in his pre-match press conference. "Let me be clear. I'm the first one who wants to get rid of diving. That's why I'm surprised by this one because nobody can be sure. "The referee was ten yards from the ball, nothing was blocking his vision, the defender made a challenge for the ball and didn't get it. So, I think they're going against the referee.
"We're going to think about whether we appeal or not. I think it's strange that three people on Sunday thought it was a penalty and three people today think it probably wasn't."

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Stoke 0-3 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 18th December 2017
By: HeadHammerShark


"Honey, it's been a long time waiting
Such a long, long time
But I can't stop now"
- Embrace, 'Gravity'

We may be into territory where we need to admit something here. It's been around eighteen months since I started writing The H List again on a regular basis, inspired by the nascent exhilaration of the 2015/16 season, and during that time the club have managed to get pretty much everything wrong. The stadium move was a painful disappointment, the transfer dealings have resembled a Brewster's Millions remake and the ongoing saga over when Slaven Bilic would be fired did little to suggest that the Directors of the club had any idea what they were doing.

I've finally found a manager in a worse position than me!

But as David Moyes' new look West Ham side swept away a woeful Stoke City, it occurred to me that we probably need to acknowledge that David Sullivan may have played a blinder here. When Moyes was first mooted as a possible successor to Bilic I fell into the same trap as many, painting him as a cheap, busted flush who had failed for five years and somehow managed to threaten a female journalist in his last job.

I'm still uncomfortable at the last point, but that might be a discussion about contrition and punishment for another day. As it is, Moyes seems rejuvenated. He no longer has the thousand yard stare of a three tour Vietnam veteran and instead looks like a man in control of his own destiny once more. By contrast, Mark Hughes wears the permanent sneer of a man who haggles in Poundland, and I don't mind admitting I'll raise a glass when he gets his P45 for Christmas. I suspect it will be bitter, much like the Welshman.

It's too soon to be feting Sullivan as a genius, especially given that the reason for the precarious nature of our current position is that he persisted far too long with Bilic when he'd clearly lost his way. But if he has to carry the can for that inertia, then he should also get the credit for this - currently - good looking appointment.

It has been a long time since I've seen a West Ham team go away from home like this and simply dismantle an opponent with fast, incisive counterattacking and a solid defence. It won't always be this way, of course, but if we can't take a moment to drink in a victory like this, and simultaneously revel in the disappointment of our vanquished opponent, then what the hell are we here for? It's this misplaced sense of superiority which binds us all together as football fans, after all.

***

"I went out into the night, I went out to find some light
Kids are swinging from the power lines, nobody's home so nobody minds"
- Arcade Fire, "Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)"


This game ended up kicking off an hour late because Mark Hughes got into an argument with a traffic warden and staged a one man sit in outside the Britannia Stadium gates. This prevented electricians from getting in to restore power to the area and the stand off was only ended when some local children agreed to pay the £60 fine for Hughes. I imagine.

Uncle Mark's coming for Christmas, kids!

It's always a little disconcerting for fans when things like this happen, as you never quite know how players will react to small changes in routine. The extra hour of warming up, or physio or sitting around listening to music affect different people in different ways. We came flying out of the traps, however, and settled into a nice looking style of play where Manuel Lanzini was able to get forward in support of Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio. Without the constant need to worry about losing the ball and not getting it back for ages - as with recent weeks - we pushed our wing backs further forward, and noticeably sought to play higher up the pitch than we did against the good teams we've been playing lately.

I am slowly coming to terms with our front two comprising a pair of converted wide forwards, because both are physically strong and have enough mobility to stretch defences. It is a far cry from watching us smash it long towards Andy Carroll in the manner of kids launching water balloons at an abandoned tree house, after all. So it was that we had a number of early long range chances, as we used our smaller share of possession much more incisively than the home team. Antonio and Lanzini had sighters and generally we carried a sense of menace that has been absent for a while, as that front pair pushed and pulled the immobile Stoke backline out of their preferred positions, and received a few bruised ankles for their troubles.

We were very fortunate to take the lead, however, as Ryan Shawcross took a break from kicking Antonio to head a cross against a post. Thereafter followed the big controversy of the game as Lanzini carried the ball seventy yards before falling under the challenge of Erik Pieters. I thought that Masuaku committed a foul before it got to the Argentine anyway, but there's no denying that his run was brilliant and also that Pieters was stupid to go to ground in the box and not get anywhere near the ball.

But we also have to accept that diving is a blight on the game and, while I feel no sympathy for Stoke, we do need to try and eradicate it because decisions like this can just as easily go against us. So, although I thought Lanzini went over slightly in anticipation of a physical contact that never really came, he bought the penalty with a dive and had it been at the other end I would have been fuming.

As I write this, Lanzini has been charged and will miss the next two games. I'm not unhappy about divers being punished but there are a couple of points to observe here. One is that players will now have to take oncoming contact in incidents such as these. I guess that's fine until you have to play against, well, Stoke and Ryan Shawcross comes a knockin'. Secondly, this creates a huge imbalance in the disciplinary process whereby players who are booked for a foul cannot be punished later, even when a red card is merited. Therefore we get a situation where Harry Kane and Dele Alli can commit red card tackles in the game at Manchester City and yet neither will miss a match, while Lanzini misses two for an offence that didn't physically endanger anybody. That isn't fair.

It's worth keeping an eye on who gets punished under these rules too. We all like to highlight opposition players who dive - Kane, Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling and Ashley Young off the top of my head - but don't like to accept it when it's closer to home. Lanzini dived and deserves a punishment, but there will be plenty of others who will do the same this season and I will be very interested to see how many Top Six players are hit under the same rules. I'm also slightly perplexed that players who go down in a game and are noticed will get either a booking or nothing, but players punished retrospectively get a two game ban. That seems...inconsistent.

After all of that, Mark Noble stepped up on his 300th Premier League appearance for us and gave us a deserved lead. As we saw at Everton a couple of weeks back, it's very useful to have a man who can hold his nerve in such situations.

***

"But now it's come to distances and both of us must try
Your eyes are soft with sorrow
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye"
- Leonard Cohen, 'Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye'


Stoke fans have not reacted well to Marko Arnautovic heading south in pursuit of fame and glory and, well, yes loads more money. We're in no position to talk, of course, given that there are West Ham fans who were not born until the Nineties but still boo Paul Ince's son, for reasons they know not why. We hold grudges better than anyone, and in fact I feel it might very well be our defining feature as supporters. Cross us and we will boo the shit out of you forty years later when you're trying to buy a mobility scooter.

What is odd though, is that even the most one eyed Stoke fan can surely see the logic behind his decision. West Ham can pay far more in wages than Stoke, so it's perfectly logical that a 28-year-old, signing his last long term deal, would plump for the club that can pay him the most.

I won't even descend into the parochial rabbit warren of arguing whether London is a better place to live than Stoke, but just purely from a financial standpoint it is an obvious decision. Stoke fans will of course argue that West Ham is a basket case club, but when the options on the table are "earn the same and stay at this middling Premier League club" or "earn more and move to this basket case middling Premier League club" I simply cannot see how there can ever be any surprise when a player chooses the latter.

Arnie, here, Adebayoring it very nicely indeed

It probably didn't hurt that good ol' Slaven was doing the buying because you get the sense that Moyes wouldn't ever buy a player like Arnautovic, even if he is doing a substantially better job than Bilic of utilising him. It also couldn't have hurt to have been leaving Mark Hughes behind, given that he has the permanent expression of a man who heckles children at school assemblies.

What is even stranger about all this is that the Stoke fans then dished out all the abuse they could manage and then still seemed utterly shocked - SHOCKED I TELL YOU - to discover that Arnautovic would then want to give them some back when he scored. Even better was Hughes giving him some abuse as he walked off, and then later expressing his disappointment that Arnautovic had responded at all. Then we got the usual bullshit about how Stoke had "taken a chance" on him when nobody else would, and he should have repaid that faith.

Yeah, calm down Sparky - you're making it sound like you recruited him to the Dirty Dozen from Death Row. Arnautovic is a professional footballer who was playing for Werder Bremen at a level very similar to the one he found in England. Football fans and managers love to pull out the sanctimony card, but the reality is that clubs like Stoke can drop £2m on a player like him without blinking an eyelid, so portraying that as a huge risk is mendacious and patronising.

So, he played very well for Stoke and then saw an opportunity for a big payday and took it, and in doing so displayed all the loyalty to Stoke that they would have shown him if he'd broken his leg six months from the end of his contract. And talking of that, it's worth remembering that when Stoke fans try and clamber on to the high ground they do so as a bunch who booed Aaron Ramsey for having the temerity to have his leg shattered by one of their players. Football fans are a strange bunch.

This is a ruthless business and while I understand the frustration at losing players to a team they think (incorrectly) that they are better than, I struggle to get how Stoke fans feel that some type of blood oath has been shattered. I would give them the same advice I give myself whenever we encounter our own Arnautovic types - Hi Dimitri! - forget about the players, we're cheering for laundry.

***

"Well, I'm so tired of crying
But I'm out on the road again, I'm on the road again"
- Willie Nelson, 'On The Road Again'

I feel I should also point out, for any of you who missed the game, that although a 3-0 win where the opposition are restricted to no shots on target sounds like a comfortable win, it didn't necessarily always feel that way. This was primarily due to us missing more chances than one could have conceivably believed without prior knowledge of a match fixing scandal. Arnautovic alone had five clear chances before scoring, and hit the woodwork twice, and generally looked like he would never score, until he did. After Diafra Sakho was introduced he also had a couple of good chances himself, including one where he attempted to manoeuvre the ball in using just his groin, which was an admittedly interesting development.

Thus, there was a cavalcade of "Mighty Ducks" style misses before Arnautovic finally scored in the 75th minute. He then left the field four minutes later to the sound of Hughes berating him for not signing up to his petition demanding that spikes be placed in doorways all through Stoke to deter homeless people from sleeping there, 'cos "they'll never learn otherwise, Beryl". Probably.

Sakho then popped up with a third, and we could easily have grabbed a fourth but for Hernandez shooting from a tight angle when Lanzini was unmarked about eight fucking inches from goal. It is superbly churlish to say it, but we actually missed out on a chance to massage our goal difference a bit in this game.

The Caley Graphics shot map does show that Stoke had some decent chances, albeit they never managed to direct any on target. The best of them fell to Ryan Shawcross when the score was still at 1-0, but because he was unmarked in the area he had nobody to kick, and thus with all his focus on an actual footballing skill, he headed it over.

What is immediately noticeable about our chances is how many were inside the box and how many were really high quality chances. By contrast, Stoke had a lot of efforts but had nine blocked compared to just one for us. We managed to get seven efforts on target, compared to none for Stoke, and also hit the bar twice. That is a good day at the office.

We also absorbed the loss of Winston Reid to suspension by bringing in James Collins, a man with the distribution qualities of an Amazon delivery driver. Still, even with Collins smacking it over the neighbour's gate every so often, we still built nicely from the back, and really got purring late in the day when Stoke advanced and left space for Lanzini to run riot. I continue to be astounded at the deathbed conversions of Ogbonna and Cresswell who have transformed themselves from shell shocked Tommies to confident SAS types in the space of a month, and it says much for the system that Moyes is building that this was the third different iteration of his three at the back system, and we've still only conceded to Manchester City using it. Rice for Reid for Collins and everything has kept on rolling as it is. That's how it's supposed to be.

When Bilic left we had one wheel firmly in the ditch by the side of the road, the airbags had gone off, the hazard lights were flashing and someone had left the radio tuned to bloody Capital, with a broken volume setting. In short...hell. What Moyes has done is dragged us out of that ditch and put us firmly back on the road again. We're only at the beginning of the journey, but I'm certainly encouraged by the fact that the driver at least appears to know which way he's supposed to be going.

***

"No sweeping exit, or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter, or treat you unkind"
- Gram Parsons, 'Wild Horses'


With a corner definitively turned and everything on the up, it could be argued that we could really have done without an away cup quarter final at Arsenal. Unfortunately, given the size and quality of their squad it's hard to see that we'll get much change out of a well rested set of Arsenal reserves, especially without Lanzini and Arnautovic who both look like they will be missing.

It's worth pointing out that if we didn't get bad draws in cup competitions we wouldn't ever get pulled out of the hat. Of course, we can't say for certain that's what happened this time as Carabao conducted entire thing offscreen in a not-at-all-suspicious draw that miraculously kept all of the biggest teams apart. Presumably someone had overheated the balls before hand and one had burst in to flames and set the whole set on fire.

As it is, our draws since the beginning of the 2014/15 season are as follows:

2014/15

League Cup
Sheffield United (h) : 1-1 (Lost on penalties, those useless bastards)

FA Cup
Everton (a) : 1-1
Everton (h) : 2-2 (Won on penalties, those wonderful bastards)
Bristol City (a) : 1-0
WBA (a) : 0-4 (That's right - four. FOUR fucking nil to West Fucking Brom)

2015/16

League Cup
Leicester (a) : 1-2

FA Cup
Wolves (h) : 1-0
Liverpool (a) : 0-0
Liverpool (h) : 2-1
Blackburn (a) : 5-1
Man Utd (a) : 1-1
Man Utd (h) : 1-2

2016/17

League Cup
Accrington Stanley (h) : 1-0
Chelsea (h) : 2-1
Man Utd (a) : 1-4

FA Cup
Man City (h) : 0-5

2017/18

League Cup
Cheltenham (a) : 2-0
Bolton (h) : 3-0
Spurs (a) : 3-2
Arsenal (a) : Erm

FA Cup
Shrewsbury (a) : Double erm

"Do you think they'll notice we haven't actually done a draw?"

So for anyone keeping score at home that's each of the self styled Big Six, including Manchester United twice away from home in quarter finals. In addition, we managed to get Leicester away in their title winning season, and of the eighteen draws made in that time we've been away on twelve occasions. I've not got too much time for conspiracy theories on that last point, as rigging draws to keep us from playing at home really would be a spectacular waste of time and effort, but in general nothing would surprise me less than a revelation that Cup sponsors are able to request that bigger teams are kept apart in the draw.

So it's a bit unlucky, and tomorrow nights game comes in the middle of a run of important league fixtures where we absolutely have to pick up points. At this early stage, with Lanzini suspended, Noble and Fernandes apparently injured, and Kouyate still a doubt, it does rather beg the question of who plays in midfield. People might be yelling for Sead Haksabanovic and Domingos Quina, but chucking two 18 year olds in to face Arsenal seems like a recipe for disaster, especially as another - Declan Rice - will presumably be playing as well. It's at times like this that it seems even more foolhardy to have the likes of Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford warming the benches of other clubs when they could be playing in games like these, but perhaps that's hindsight gone too far.

So we travel to the Emirates more in hope than expectation, although that was pretty much the same deal when we went to Spurs and that turned out alright. If nothing else, this will be another chance for the now famous Moyes defensive resilience to be tested, as well as a chance for a run out for Joe Hart which will be nice, so long as nobody shoots in that one side of the goal where he can't save anything. And here's a thing I noticed on Saturday, that gives me a little bit more confidence going in to this game than I probably should own up to - there were players laughing and smiling at Stoke, during the game. There was a confidence in the team that I can't really recall seeing for a year or two. PLayers like Cresswell and Lanzini suddenly look as though they are living their lifelong dreams once again, rather than being pressganged into a bank robbery that they really think is going to end badly.

Contrast that with Mark Hughes, a man replete with a face like he's just stung a bee.

***

It occurs to me that I never mentioned my big night out at the FSF Awards. I appreciate that not all of you waste your time on Twitter so may not know that I didn't win the Best Blogger Award, despite investing in an expensive and - I now realise - fraudulent Russian hacking scam offer.

I would, though, like to thank all of you who voted for me either for the nominations or in the vote itself, and I am very appreciative of all the good luck messages on the night. Kieron at The Swiss Ramble won the award and is a very worthy winner. Still, one should never turn down a free meal and I did get a nice cheer in the room from the Hammers in situ. My thanks to all, it was a nice ride.

This is not me, it's Ledley King, but I forgot to take any pictures

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

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Carroll set for Arsenal return
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th December 2017
By: Staff Writer

Andy Carroll has been pencilled in to start against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow night. The oft-injured striker, who failed to travel to Stoke City on Saturday with the rest of the squad is in line to start against the Gunners in the Carabao Cup quarter final - but only if he successfully navigates a late fitness test.
And he is set to be joined in David Moyes latest team selection by Joe Hart, who is poised to make his first start since the 4-0 defeat at Everton last month.
"Andy Carroll could return," manager Moyes told the media this lunchtime. "He's had a bad back but he trained today and we will make a call on him tomorrow.
"Joe Hart will definitely start tomorrow night. He's been very good around the place and he's ready to play. Ideally we would have changed one or two more players, but we're a bit short. "It'll be a totally different game, but we'll go there and try to give a good account of ourselves and win the game. We've got the same sort of squad, but with a couple of injuries and a couple of young players around. "Whilst our priority is the Premier League, nothing would give me more pleasure than reaching a Cup final."

Andy Carroll: West Ham stats

2017/18: Pld 9; Gls 0; Bkd 4; Red 1
2016/17: Pld 22; Gls 7; Bkd 3
2015/16: Pld 32; Gls 9; Bkd 3
2014/15: Pld 16; Gls 5; Bkd 2
2013/14: Pld 16; Gls 2; Bkd 0; Red 1
2012/13: Pld 24; Gls 7; Bkd 5

Average: Pld 20: Gls 5; Bkd 3

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Ginge not missing 'Sunday league' defending
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th December 2017
By: Staff Writer

James Collins believes that a determination to get the fundamental basics right has led to West Ham's abrupt change of fortune. Three successive clean sheets have made a considerable contribution to United's escape from the relegation zone, which was ensured by Saturday's 3-0 win over Stoke at the bet365 Stadium.
And according to Collins, the hard work ordered by David Moyes and his backroom staff is finally beginning to pay dividends. "Looking back at the goals we let in, if my son's under-10s team did that you would be angry with them," Collins told the Recorder's Dave Evans with view to West Ham's calamitous start to the campaign. "We have done a lot of work on the training pitch. The gaffer has come in and got us doing the basics again - and it has worked. We knew we had to change and, if we could do that, we knew the lads would score at the other end. "That should be our basis for every game - a clean sheet and, with the players we have got up front, we are always capable of scoring goals."
And with regards to Saturday's win - a result that took West Ham out of the bottom three for the first time since ealy November - Collins added that he was delighted to be involved again, following a length spell on the sidelines. "It was great to be back in the team - and to get the three points was even better," he added. "Winning 3-0 was great and when you look at the game, no disrespect to Stoke, it could have been a few more."

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Arsenal v West Ham: Carabao Cup quarter-final preview
Last Updated: 18/12/17 4:10pm
SSN

Manuel Lanzini is set to miss West Ham's Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday after his FA charge for deceiving a match official. The Argentine midfielder was charged for going to ground and winning a penalty in West Ham's win at Stoke at the weekend and could also miss the visit of Newcastle on Saturday. West Ham have been in good form since David Moyes' appointment, picking up wins against Chelsea and Stoke as well as a point against Arsenal last week. However, Moyes has a depleted squad to pick from for the Carabao Cup clash, particularly in midfield with a number of players set to miss out through injury or suspension. Arsenal have also been in good form recently, losing just once in their last seven fixtures in all competitions although Arsene Wenger is expected to rotate his side for the game.
Arsenal beat Norwich City 2-1 in the last round thanks to teenage striker Eddie Nketiah's double, while West Ham came from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal's north London rivals Spurs 3-2 at Wembley.

Team news
Wenger will be without Aaron Ramsey who has been ruled out of action until January with a hamstring injury. Jack Wilshere has stepped in to replace the Welshman in recent matches and could retain his place. Shkodran Mustafi is fit again after sustaining a thigh injury against Manchester United but is unlikely to feature against the Hammers on Tuesday. The likes of David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchy, Mohamed Elneny and Danny Welbeck will be hopeful of coming into the side as Wenger freshens things up ahead of Friday's league clash against Liverpool - live on Sky Sports Premier League.

West Ham will be without Jose Fonte, Edimilson Fernandes (both ankle), and Sam Byram (thigh) for the game, while Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble (both hamstring), Pablo Zabaleta (thigh), Marko Arnautovic (calf) are all rated as doubtful for the trip to the Emirates. Moyes is more hopeful about the fitness of Andy Carroll, though, saying that the striker could return from a back injury, while he will also give a start to Joe Hart in place of Adrian.

Opta stats
This will be the third meeting between these sides in this competition, with West Ham winning a third-round tie in October 1966, and Arsenal winning at this stage at Upton Park in January 1998.

Both winners of League Cup ties between these clubs have ended up being losing semi-finalists in that season's competition.

West Ham were the first side to beat Arsenal in a competitive game at the Emirates Stadium, back in April 2007. Since then however, they've lost seven of their nine visits to the ground (W1 D1), with an aggregate score of 19-4 to Arsenal.

The Gunners have lost their last four home League Cup games against fellow Premier League sides, losing 2-0 against Southampton at this exact stage last season.

The Hammers are looking to reach the semi-finals for the second time in the last five seasons, having only reached the last four in one of their previous 23 campaigns.

Despite reaching the final on two occasions, the League Cup is the one English domestic trophy Arsene Wenger has yet to win with Arsenal. This will be his 14th quarter-final tie in the competition, and he's progressed from six of the previous 13.

Eddie Nketiah scored a brace in the last round to send Arsenal through - in doing so he became the first player born after Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager to score for the club.

No player has had a hand in more Carabao Cup goals this season than West Ham's Andre Ayew (3 goals, 1 assist).

Charlie's prediction
Arsenal v West Ham (Tuesday, 7.45pm)

I think the West Ham boys will be given a deserved rest here. I'm a strong believer in momentum but it has been an intense run for them and they were fantastic at the weekend. I'm biased toward David Moyes because he's a friend of mine but it was always going to be a graft for him. The tools are there for him with the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Winston Reid, who was being touted as a £20 signing for Liverpool 18 months ago, but it has been impressive. However, the league has to be the priority here despite climbing a few places and I'd expect seven or eight changes. Arsenal will play some of the kids again but I can see them wearing the visitors down, with the quality of Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott being enough to get the job done.

Charlie predicts: 2-0 and Walcott to score first (20/1 with Sky Bet)

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West Ham boss David Moyes may appeal Manuel Lanzini's charge for deceiving a match official
Last Updated: 18/12/17 2:57pm
SSN

West Ham boss David Moyes says he is "surprised" Manuel Lanzini has been charged for deceiving a match official in the 3-0 win at Stoke, and is considering an appeal. The Hammers midfielder was charged by an Football Association independent panel after going to ground and winning a penalty following a challenge by Stoke defender Erik Pieters on Saturday. West Ham and Lanzini have until 6pm on Tuesday to decide whether to accept a two-match ban or to contest the charge, and Moyes claims he is surprised that the Argentine was charged. He said: "I'm going to think about it. I'm a bit surprised. The referee was 10 yards from the ball, nothing was blocking his vision, the defender made a challenge for the ball and didn't get it. So, I think they're going against the referee. "The Goals on Sunday panel all said it was a definite penalty. "We're going to think about whether we appeal or not. I think it's strange that three people on Sunday thought it was a penalty and three people today think it probably wasn't." "He had a brilliant performance on Saturday, he made two assists, so I only said to him after the game about how well he played. "Let me be clear. I'm the first one who wants to get rid of diving. That's why I'm surprised by this one because nobody can be sure."

West Ham face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and Moyes has confirmed that Joe Hart will start in goal at The Emirates, while Andy Carroll could make a return from injury. "Joe Hart will definitely start tomorrow night," he said. "He's been very good around the place and he's ready to play. "We've got the same sort of squad but with a couple of injuries and a couple of young players around. "Andy Carroll could return. He's had a bad back but he trained today and we will make a call on him tomorrow. "Ideally we would have changed one or two players, but we're a bit short and our priority is the Premier League, but nothing would give me more pleasure than reaching a cup final."

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