Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic knows he needs to see a greater level of consistency from his
West Ham United side, after they followed an encouraging performance against
Manchester United by collapsing in the FA Cup against their city rivals on
Friday. The Hammers showed a defensive compactness against the Red Devils
which meant it took Jose Mourinho's men over an hour to make their extra man
count, but that solidity was absent against Manchester City. With important
Premier League assignments to follow against Crystal Palace and
Middlesbrough, the boss knows West Ham need to step up again. He said: "The
same players played really well a few days ago, with ten men. We showed how
we could defend as a team, even with ten men, so we have a good quality
within our team. "We have to come back from this against Palace next week.
"Always when you have a big defeat it affects confidence, but we have enough
days to work, get that confidence back and be ready for Palace."
Bilic was upset with how his team reacted to conceding the first goal to
Yaya Toure's penalty on Friday night, saying they lost their shape as they
started to chase the game. He explained: "What disappointed me the most was
that after the first goal we started to chase them all over the pitch. We
conceded one, then we conceded two more and it was basically all over for
us. "We gave everything but as a team it wasn't good enough, nowhere near
the performance we had against Man Utd. "At half time we wanted to not
concede more goals, at least stay at 3-0 or try to get one back, but we lost
two more from set pieces and it was a really bad night for us."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Eagles soar past Ladies
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies fell to a 6-1 defeat at Crystal Palace Ladies on
Sunday afternoon
Loss dropped the Hammers to the bottom of the FA Women's Premier League
Southern Division
Greg de Carnys's team will seek to bounce back at Swindon Town Ladies this
coming weekend
West Ham United Ladies unwittingly emulated their male counterparts by
falling to defeat by a five-goal margin at the weekend. The Hammers were
beaten 6-1 at Crystal Palace Ladies in the FA Women's Premier League
Southern Division at Bromley FC on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles went a goal up inside two minutes when Gemma Bryan tapped home,
before further goals from Roschelle Shakes and Ciara Sherwood made it 3-0 by
half-time. While the scoreline was not in favour of Greg de Carnys's side,
they were creating chances of their own, with Julie Melfald shooting wide
and Whitney Locke being denied by the legs of Palace goalkeeper Chanelle
Yardley before also firing wide of the target. Into the second half and it
was the visitors who continued to pass up opportunities to reduce the
deficit, with Yardley saving from Chloe Burr. West Ham were punished on 54
minutes, when Bryan added her second, catching out goalkeeper Latoya Smith
with a shot from an acute angle. Burr finally got the Hammers' reward for
their efforts with 25 minutes remaining, scoring with a superb lob over
Yardley and into the Palace net. However, the joy was short-lived as Byran
completed her hat-trick with a clinical finish, and the striker could have
added more to her personal tally had it not been for a fine save from Smith.
At the other end, Burr's long-range strike was tipped onto the crossbar by
Yardley, who later made another fine save from the goalscorer. However,
Palace had the final say when Shakes scored her second of the game and the
home side's sixth with three minutes of the 90 remaining. Defeat dropped
West Ham to the bottom of the table below Queens Park Rangers Ladies on goal
difference. However, the Hammers will climb above Swindon Town Ladies if
they can win at Shrivenham FC this coming Sunday 15 January, when kick-off
is set for 2pm.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers unveil Supporter Liaison Officers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have introduced new team of Supporter Liaison Officers
(SLOs) at London Stadium
SLOs will be on hand to help and assist supporters with any queries or
concerns they may have
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady says fans' happiness and welfare are the Club's
'No1 priority'
West Ham United are delighted to announce that a brand new initiative to
assist supporters has been launched at London Stadium.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing fans with a positive matchday
experience, a dedicated team of Matchday Supporter Liaison Officers (SLOs)
will be stationed at key points around the Stadium, on hand to help and
assist supporters with any queries or concerns they may have. The SLOs will
be positioned outside turnstiles on the Podium Level, welcoming supporters
as they arrive for the match. The SLOs will be wearing West Ham United
branded uniform, with their role title clearly visible on the back of their
jackets. After kick off, they will be present inside the Stadium on the
concourses to provide further help and advice, before heading back out to
assist supporters as they exit at the final whistle. The team of SLOs
consist of individuals who have combined experience and expertise in
football stadium operations, crowd safety, ticketing and supporter liaison,
along with a knowledge and understanding of West Ham United and our fanbase.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We have been working
extremely hard behind the scenes to finalise this initiative and I am so
pleased that we will be able to introduce it for the benefit of West Ham
United supporters attending the match tonight.
"Our carefully-selected team of Matchday Supporter Liaison Officers are
there to welcome you, to listen to you, and to resolve any issues that you
may have. "I want all of our supporters to know that, whatever concerns you
may have here on a matchday, there will always be a friendly face nearby who
is eager to help in any way they can. "Our absolute No1 priority is the
welfare and happiness of our supporters, and our Supporter Liaison Officers
will play an integral role in that objective. "Going forward, we will be
recruiting more SLOs at London Stadium, as we continue to explore ways of
enhancing the matchday experience for all West Ham United supporters."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Samuelsen - I'm enjoying loan spell
WHUFC.com
Martin Samuelsen appeared for Peterborough United in Emirates FA Cup defeat
at Chelsea
Norwegian teenager enjoying his second loan spell with London Road club
Josh Cullen assists both goals as Bradford City strengthen League One
promotion challenge
West Ham United loanee Martin Samuelsen relished the opportunity to test
himself against the best as his Peterborough United side took on Chelsea.
The Norway winger was a second-half substitute as the League One side gave a
decent account of themselves before falling to a 4-1 Emirates FA Cup
third-round defeat at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Samuelsen was introduced in the 58th minute with Antonio Conte's side
leading 3-0. John Terry was then sent-off before Tom Nichols pulled a goal
back for Posh, but Pedro's second of the game made the game safe for the
Blues.
"I was just learning from playing with the best," said the 19-year-old, who
made 20 loan appearances for Peterborough last season before returning to
London Road for a second temporary spell at the start of January. "Chelsea
are a good team and passed the ball well and even with ten men they did the
same.
"I think in the beginning we had chances to score at nil-nil, but that's the
difference between the best and the other teams. They are more clinical and
they scored their chances and we didn't."
Samuelsen made a name for himself during his first loan stint with
Peterborough and jumped at the chance of returning to the League One club,
where his manager is former Hammer Grant McCann.
With Posh just outside the Play-Off places, the teenager is looking forward
to playing a central role in the Cambridgeshire club's promotion challenge.
"I'm enjoying myself," he confirmed. "I've been here for two games now and
played for 90 minutes in the first game [in a 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe United]
and got 35 at Stamford Bridge, so it's been good so far.
"I know Peterborough and it was one of the main reasons I came here again. I
know the manager, the players and the coaching staff and they've got a good
thing going on here."
Elsewhere in the Emirates FA Cup, Reece Burke was an unused substitute as
Wigan Athletic made the fourth round by defeating Championship rivals
Nottingham Forest 2-0 at the DW Stadium.
In the Football League, midfielder Josh Cullen was in outstanding form yet
again as Bradford City beat Chesterfield 2-0 to climb to fourth in the
League One table. The Republic of Ireland U21 international set up both
goals for the Bantams in front of a bumper 17,416-strong crowd at Valley
Parade.
George Dobson was an unused substitute as Walsall fell 2-0 at home to
Rochdale in the same division.
In League Two, Jaanai Gordon played for 55 minutes but was unable to prevent
bottom side Newport County falling to a 3-1 defeat at mid-table Stevenage.
Finally, Sam Howes enjoyed a superb debut for Hampton & Richmond Borough,
making a series of fine saves as the Beavers came from behind to draw 1-1 at
Bath City in National League South.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Newsroom - Martin Samuel
WHUFC.com
Award-winning Daily Mail sports columnist Martin Samuel pens his views on
West Ham United...
Who remembers Fortress Upton Park? No, me neither.
And, yet, after another depressing capitulation, this time against
Manchester City, the airwaves and message boards were full of disgruntled
West Ham fans who could not recall their team rolling over like this at the
old place.
Shipping five goals to City and Arsenal at home in the same season is being
blamed on the move to the London Stadium, as if the best teams once shivered
when imagining a trip to east London.
Happily, there are record books for the times when memories fail, so we can
see Manchester City lost once in seven visits to Upton Park in the period
from March 1, 2009. West Ham's home record against Arsenal was even worse, a
single victory in 14 matches since October 3, 1999.
As for Manchester United — 2-0 winners on January 2 — they also recorded
two-goal margins of victory in 2014, 2011 and 2009, and Chelsea won by a
margin of three goals or more at Upton Park in 2013, 2010, 2008, 2007 and
twice in 2006.
So let's not pretend. Upton Park had its moments — not least in the final
year — but it was never mistaken for the Bernabeu by visitors.
The negativity felt by the locals towards West Ham's new stadium is a
contradiction anyway. On one hand, fans are furious because the team keep
losing, on the other they say they did not want to move to a new stadium,
because West Ham was more about community, good football, and having a laugh
with your mates, and it didn't matter that they wouldn't win the league.
So which one is it? It cannot be outrageous that West Ham keep losing, but
equally outrageous that the club should have left Upton Park because success
was never the aim. Does the result matter or not?
In the 17 years between 1964 and 1981, West Ham won three FA Cups and the
European Cup Winners' Cup, and lost in the final of the European Cup
Winners' Cup and the League Cup. In the 35 years since, the club reached one
FA Cup final, beaten by Liverpool, and were relegated four times between
1989 and 2011.
So whatever magic existed at Upton Park, it wasn't working, in finite terms.
Stay, and West Ham could only get smaller and smaller, onwards to
irrelevance, as their London rivals expanded. Leave and there was a hope of
becoming more competitive if the club pulled together.
Sadly, the stadium has now become an excuse for failure. This has to change
if West Ham are not to plunge headlong into catastrophe. Buying poorly in
the summer has more to do with West Ham's poor form this season than
concrete.
*The above column was originally published in the Daily Mail and on
MailOnline on Monday 9 January 2017.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not
necessarily those of West Ham United
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Faubert's pride at Hammers return
WHUFC.com
Former Hammer Julien Faubert returned to West Ham United on Friday evening
Winger received a warm welcome from fans and former teammates and staff
alike
France international brought his son Noam along to celebrate his eleventh
birthday
Julien Faubert had a proud look on his face on his return to West Ham
United. The former winger made his first visit to London Stadium on Friday
evening and, while the result did not pan out as Faubert would have hoped,
he was full of emotion. The Frenchman, who totalled 121 appearances across
five seasons in east London, was joined by son Noam, who celebrated his
eleventh birthday with a trip to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. "I've always
got a big smile on my face when I come back here," the 33-year-old told West
Ham TV. "I still have my heart for the team, for the Club and for the
players, some of whom I played with, and it's always a pleasure to come
back, even if it is in a different stadium. The love is still here. "The
fans give me love back as well and it's normal when you play for this kind
of club and these kind of fans that you have to give 100 per cent. "To be
honest, I had the best five years in my career here and when I was outside
the stadium I met some fans and it made me happy."
For Faubert, being able to introduce Noam to the likes of former teammates
Mark Noble and Winston Reid and members of the backroom staff gave him great
pride and satisfaction. Faubert's close relationship with West Ham fans was
strengthened still further in early 2010, when he received many messages of
support after playing against Blackburn Rovers just 48 hours after the death
of his mother.
"My son was young when I was here and now he is a little bit older and can
realise what kind of club West Ham is," said the former France
international, whose final game in Claret and Blue was the triumphant 2012
Championship Play-Off final win over Blackpool at Wembley. "That match was
one of the best moments of my career. Even the scenario was amazing as we
scored at the end and got back into the Premier League. It was a great
season for us." I've only got the best memories here, really. Even when I
lost my Mum, I had big support from the fans straight away, so I'll never
forget my time here."
Perhaps Faubert's finest moment in a Claret and Blue shirt came in March
2010, when he scored one fine goal and set up another in a 3-0 Premier
League win over Hull City at the Boleyn Ground. "My performance against Hull
was my favourite, where I did an assist and I scored a goal," he confirmed.
"It was a great performance and a great feeling to do this in front of the
fans, so I think it's my favourite."
Faubert believes the present-day Hammers have a bright future and believes
that, in the long term, the move to London Stadium will prove fruitful. "I
think West Ham are going to take a different step," said the Le Havre-born
player, who hopes to continue his own playing career with a new club this
month. "They want to play at the highest level at the top of the Premier
League and I think it's normal. The Club has a different stadium and a
different future. "I want to see West Ham play in the Champions League one
day and this move and buying players like Dimitri Payet will help them do
that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Westley – My phone will be ringing
WHUFC.com
Academy boss Terry Westley says plenty of clubs will be looking to secure
loan deals for his Hammers this month
The U23s were in action against Norwich City on Monday night
Goals from Ashley Fletcher and Marcus Browne gave the hosts a 2-1 victory
West Ham United Academy manager Terry Westley admitted he could have a busy
month ahead with other sides looking to take players on loan from the Club's
Academy of Football this January.
The U23s were in action on Monday night, beating Norwich City for the second
time this campaign, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Ashley Fletcher and
Marcus Browne.
And after recording the victory, the boss stated it was a great chance for
his young Hammers to shine in front of the watching eyes of plenty of scouts
in the stands.
He said: "There was a big attendance by scouts tonight. The loan window
closes at the end of January for the rest of the season and I think we had
50 clubs here.
"But we also had our own staff, the management were here tonight and I said
before, when the first team haven't won a game, it's a chance for them to
twist the manager's arm.
"We played well tonight. Hopefully it gives the players an opportunity and
that is what you crave. They haven't done themselves any harm tonight.
"I'm sure my phone will be hot with requests to taking our players out on
loan. Josh Cullen is a great example of what can happen. He's been man of
the match eight times for Bradford and he's leading a surge to try and get
them promoted."
Westley named a strong starting XI with both Reece Oxford and Sam Byram
pulling on a claret and blue shirt for the first time since their respective
injury lay-offs.
Having gone two goals up at Dagenham and Redbridge's Victoria Road, Westley
said his outfit could have put the game to bed before the Canaries got
themselves back into the clash with Joe Crowe's goal.
"In the end, it was a bit sticky and a bit tight when maybe it shouldn't
have been," he continued. "Our dominance was clear. We had 70 per cent of
the ball or something, but the scoreline suggests it was tight.
"If we had taken our chances, we would have finished as really good winners.
We stayed with it but we could have made the job a hell of a lot easier for
ourselves, especially at 2-0 with some game management and taking some of
the chances we created.
"It was great to see Byram and Oxford back, Fletcher having a run out,
Marcus Browne caught the eye with those fast counter attacks. We showed that
tonight with our second goal.
"Toni Martinez didn't score tonight but he was a real handful for their
team. Domingos Quina in the middle of the pitch was also excellent.
"We're still young and had five youth team players in our starting XI. I'm
proud of the way we played and fought."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FT - West Ham United PL2 2-1 Norwich City
WHUFC.com
FT: After a nervy final few minutes, the Hammers eventually hold out for a
2-1 victory thanks to goals from Ashley Fletcher and Marcus Browne. It
should have been a lot more comfortable than the scoreline suggests but in
the end, the boys just held on! 2-1 the final score!
90+1: The Hammers are being urged to keep the ball by Terry Wesley and Liam
Manning and they're doing a good job so far. 2-1
90: 3 added minutes at the end of this one. 2-1 still.
88: Apologies for the lack of updates, but we're having slight issues with
our blog. The score is still 2-1 and both sides have had chances to score.
Nervy final few minutes for the Hammers. 2-1
73: But the Canaries respond immediately. A corner is whipped in and it
finds the centre-back Crowe who manages to sneak the ball into the corner.
2-1
71: GOALL!! It's 2-0. Wonderful counter attack - Martinez finds Browne with
the cross and the No10 cooly chips the ball over Killip!
67: Glorious chance for his second. Martinez stops a clearance by a Norwich
defender and it's on a plate for Fletcher. Luckily for the Canaries.
Fletcher puts his shot wide! Should be two. 1-0
63: Martinez is freed on the left but his pullback just misses Quina. Sub
for Norwich - Middleton is replaced by Ashley-Seal. 1-0
58: Sub for the home side. Great to see Sam Byram back out on the field
after a frustrating month out injured. He's replaced by Kyle Knoyle. 1-0
55: And the Hammers relentless pressure pays off. Makasi has time and space
on the left to pick out Fletcher in the area. He doesn't miss from six yards
and the boys are ahead, deservedly so! 1-0
54: The Hammers again go close. First Martinez has a long range effort
blamed away by Killip - the Norwich keeper does well to react again to
Fletcher's rebound attempt. 0-0
52: Browne whips a great cross in after being freed by Oxford on the right.
Unfortunately, his cross misses Martinez and Fletcher in the penalty area.
0-0
50: Even start to the second half. Fletcher is flagged offside after a nice
ball from Quina. Looked tight that one. 0-0
46: The teams are back out and ready to get back underway. No changes by
either side at the break. 0-0
HT: The referee brings an end to an eventful first half, which has seen a
lot of action on the Norwich goal. Killip has been very busy, keeping out
two Martinez efforts. Norwich have rarely threatened and the Hammers are
well on top. Still goalless though. 0-0
45: DOUBLE CHANCE! First Martinez forces Killip into another strong save,
then Dobson finds space but volleys wide of the goal. The Hammers are very
unlucky to still be level in this first half. 0-0
44: Rare chance for the Canaries. Morris's knock down almost finds Jarvis,
but Howes does well to clutch the ball under pressure. 0-0
40: Worrying sign just now - Oxford was down receiving treatment. Luckily,
the Hammers captain for the evening was able to continue. 0-0
36: Best chance of the game so far. Quina skips past a few challenges and
finds Martinez on the left. The Spaniard tries to square it to Fletcher but
Killip manages to grab the ball. 0-0
34: Quina is now booked for what seems like his first foul. Strange
decision, but Mr Rock deems his foul on Jarvis worthy of a yellow card. 0-0
30: Norwich striker Carlton Morris is booked for kicking the ball away. 0-0
28: Marauding run by Rice from the back and he places a decisive ball to
Fletcher. This time, Fletcher's touch evades him. The Hammers' No11 has been
heavily involved early on. 0-0
23: The Hammers are continuing to probe but Norwich are happy to sit off
them and counter attack at the moment. The home side will have to be patient
this evening. 0-0
19: Nice interchange between Quina and Martinez. The midfielder finds
Fletcher but his shot is blocked behind. The resulting corner comes to
nothing. 0-0
16: Meaty challenge by another former Hammer Louis Ramsay. He scythes Browne
down near the corner flag, but somehow escapes a booking. 0-0
12: Byram tries a one two with Fletcher on the right hand side but the
return pass is just in front of the right back. Nice stuff by the Hammers in
the early exchanges. 0-0
11: Nice through ball by Browne slides Fletcher in. The frontman tries to
gain a yard but his shot deflects into the arms of Killip. 0-0
7: The Hammers line up with Fletcher and Martinez up front. Browne plays
just behind them, so a very attacking formation tonight. Fairly even so far.
0-0
4: A familiar face in the Norwich eleven - Matt Jarvis continues his
comeback from injury. He left the Hammers for Norwich a few seasons ago.
2: Early chance as well. Reece Oxford heads Marcus Browne's free-kick just
wide! Great start by the boys! 0-0
1: We're underway at the CCS - COME ON YOU IRONS!!
6.50pm: Both sets of players have made their way back to the changing rooms
and we are around ten minutes from kick-off at the CCS!
6.20pm: So a number of changes tonight. In come George Dobson, returning
briefly from his Walsall loan spell and Moses Makasi; Sam Byram and Reece
Oxford begin their comebacks from injury as well. Strong line-up coming up
against a Norwich side who've only won three times in the league this
season.
West Ham United: Howes (gk); Byram (Knoyle, 58), Rice, Oxford (c) (Powell,
71), Pike; Dobson, Quina, Makasi, Browne; Martinez, Fletcher.
Subs not used: Matrevics (gk), Kemp, Diangana.
Goals: Fletcher, Browne.
Bookings: Quina, Knoyle
Norwich: Killip (gk), Efete, Ramsay, Grant, Godfrey, Crowe, Middleton
(Ashley-Seal, 63), McGrandles, Morris, Jaiyesimi, Jarvis.
Subs not used: Hallett (gk), Odusina, McIntosh, Lewis.
Goals: Crowe.
Booking: Morris, Efete
6pm - Good evening from the Chigwell Construction Stadium for tonight's
Premier League 2 encounter between West Ham United and Norwich City. It's
the Hammers first game since their 4-0 victory over Wolves on 19 December
and they will be keen to build on that victory this evening against a
Norwich side who have only won three league games this season. With Martin
Samuelsen and Jaanai Gordon both out on loan, joining a long list of young
Hammers currently at other clubs, expect to see changes tonight!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TIME TO GET OVER OUR GRIEF
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 9 JANUARY 2017 AT 8:47PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
This is written by Greg Richardson (twitter @rakis14)
We all experience loss in our lives, whether it's a beloved toy, a family
pet, or a near and dear family member, everybody suffers the feeling of
losing someone or something that a has been a significant part of our lives,
wrapped up in nostalgic memories and forever associated with a deep rooted
sense of love and belonging. It can be heartbreaking and soul destroying and
many people seek help to get themselves through their feelings of grief. To
that end that there has been research done that suggests there are 5 stages
of the grieving process – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and
acceptance. Once people reach the acceptance stage they are then able to
move on, never quite the same, but fuller, more complete than their loss has
left them. People find a new favourite toy, get new pets, remarry etc. They
begin to look forward with hope rather than sorrow.
On 10th May 2016 West Ham fans suffered a loss that has left many of us
incomplete, unable to see a future in which we will ever be happy again. The
Boleyn ground was taken from us. Our spiritual home was no longer ours. Once
the fireworks and celebrations were over, we were left without a place that
was very much a central aspect of our identity. Since then I have seen many
a twitter rant, Facebook post and fan written blog or vlog that would fit
comfortably into the denial, anger, bargaining and depression stages. The
question is, will the majority ever reach the acceptance stage of their
grief and be able to move forward with the club and it's new home? And how
much greater and harder has the grieving been because of last seasons
nostalgic drawn out goodbye?
Following a string of unimpressive performances at The London Stadium,
culminating in the lack lustre display versus City in the F.A cup, twitter
and the blog-esphere where awash with claims that this type of embarrassing
performance would never have happened at Upton Park. Martin Keowns comments
that City will have enjoyed playing at our ground cut deep with those who
remember the Boleyn as an intimidating place that noone wanted to visit. And
whilst there is an element of truth in that reaction, it's not an entirely
realistic representation of our 100+ years at our old home. There were many
a time where the atmosphere was electric and hostile and the 12th man that
is the fans, really helped drive the team on to perform at elevated levels,
not least last season as the whole squad rode a tide of emotion. But
likewise there have been times when the atmosphere was lacking. And there
have certainly been times when performances have been as bad or worse that
last night's abject display.
The suggestion though seems to be that because we as fans are now further
away from the pitch we cannot create the intimidating environment and so the
opposition have an easier time and that it is this that is causing or at
least contributing to our poor home displays. It also seems to connote that
we are unable to inspire our own players and give them the support of the
12th man in our new surroundings.
Now ignoring the actual footballing side of these issues (the tactics we
employ to stop the opposition from playing, the work rate and effort
insisted on by the manager etc.), I don't believe that the issue is the
distance from the pitch or in fact the stadium itself but more the
reluctance of many to move onto the acceptance stage of their grief. I
refuse to believe that the matter of a few additional yards has killed our
ability to support our side effectively. Against Chelsea in the cup and
United in the league (following Mike Dean's 'look-at-me' performance) the
atmosphere was brilliant. It has had its moments I other matches too. But
too often I hear moans of a lack of atmosphere from people who don't sing
when echoes start to reach us from other parts of the ground and who leave
once we go behind.
The stadium is not to blame for people not joining in with singing. It is
not the reason that people are choosing to leave rather than support the
team in the hopes they can turn a deficit around. It's all part of their
grief about the loss of the Boleyn. It's their denial, their anger, their
depression. It is understandable. But it needs to stop. We can support the
team as we always have regardless of our grounds location and our distance
from the pitch.
Of course it isn't as clear cut as all that. There are problems with the
stewarding at the stadium and more consideration need to be given to the
allocation of seats to bring like minded supports together etc. The way the
Boleyn supported the local community has not followed us to Stratford either
and this should be rectified. But the club we know and love has. Our history
has. West Ham United is not defined by being close to the pitch but by the
passion of our fans. We have moments, seasons full of joy and seasons where
it all falls apart. Great players that come through the academy. Mavericks
that get us out of our seats. All of this is just as possible now as it has
always been. Our DNA is the same. Our ability to roar on our team and to
intimidate opponents remains. We just need to be open to it, to move beyond
our anger, to stop the hypothetical 'back to the Boleyn' notions. To accept
our loss and look forward with hope that the next 99 years will bring us
more of the West Ham we love.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 0-5 Man City (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th January 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
1. Here Comes The Night Time
One of the joys of parenting is little tasks like getting up at 4.15am every
Saturday morning to drop my daughter to her ice skating lessons.
Due to that early morning appointment she couldn't come to this game, but
when I began the delicate process of negotiating her wake up at 4.20am, her
first question was "Did we win last night?". She is only 11 and therefore
hasn't progressed on to the more relevant "How much did we lose by?" but no
doubt she will reach that stage soon enough.
As I looked into her naive young eyes I couldn't help but savour the moment.
The innocent years before you hit secondary school and suddenly there are
lots of Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd fans with displaced fathers to
highlight the true horror of being a young Hammer.
Upon telling her we had lost 5-0 she pondered this for a moment before
looking at me with the pure face of someone who has never heard of Oldham
and asked me "Is that our worst ever cup defeat?".
And there is the rub. Because after losing 5-0 at home it doesn't seem
unreasonable to ask that question, and yet this wasn't even our worst Cup
defeat against Manchester City in the last three years.
2. We Used To Wait
This game didn't start well. Outside the ground there were queues at each
set of turnstiles, which appeared to be a mix of the post work kick off
ensuring everyone turned up at the same time, several new fans taking
advantage of the cheaper prices, tighter security and some good old
fashioned garden variety West Ham incompetence.
By the time we got through there was barely enough time for my ears to start
bleeding from the megasonic PA before we were off. Dimitri Payet was on the
bench having looked totally uninterested against Man Utd on Monday, but Pep
Guardiola wasn't feeling quite so relaxed as his counterpart, Bilic. City
started with Aguero, Toure, De Bruyne, Sterling and the magician that is
David Silva meaning that watching this one was rather more an exercise in
hope than optimism.
Curiously, we weren't too bad for half an hour. Manuel Lanzini was at the
heart of all our best play as he flitted about with intent and showed the
ability to transition us from one third of the pitch to another with a slip
of the shoulder. Sadly, Silva decided he'd had enough of that sh*t and
suddenly took hold of the game like Wayne Rooney grabbing his first Stella
of the evening.
Despite the vague promise of our early play, Winston Reid was our busiest
player, turning in a heroic thirty minutes of blocking and tackling as the
rest of our back four took the opportunity to update their iPads and
generally stand around doing anything other than actual defending.
Sadly this couldn't last indefinitely and when Pablo Zabaleta popped up in
the corner of our box he dangled out a leg, felt some Italian skin and then
Phil Jones'd the f*ck out of it. As is required under FA rules the team with
the better looking balance sheet gets the decision, so referee Michael
Oliver took a quick gander, snorted at our turnover and gleefully pointed to
the spot.
Reid and Ogbonna had an almighty moan, but it made no difference and Toure
barely squeezed his shot past the diving Adrian. Thereafter followed an
entertaining couple of minutes as Ogbonna dramatically removed his gloves,
raising the brief hope that he might challenge Zabaleta to a duel which
would at least have raised the entertainment quotient, but sadly he was just
being dramatic, as was Sofiane Feghouli who somehow managed to put a shot
wide of an open goal moments later, thus summing up his entire West Ham
career in one fell swoop.
3. Cold Wind
The problem with West Ham circa 2016/2017 is that going a goal behind is the
death knell for any hopes we may have of winning a game. We have regained
just two points all season from losing positions (Middlesbrough (h) and
Liverpool (a)) and have won only two games where the opposition have scored
a goal (Chelsea (h) and Swansea (a)).
Armed with that knowledge, and with no positive memories at all of the
stadium in which they play, the team fell apart with impressive speed. Ten
minutes later Havard Nordtveit turned into his own net under pressure from
Raheem Sterling, before the wizard Silva made it three just a minute later.
By now Toure was just shuttling up and down in a straight line like a less
mobile version of Shaquille O'Neal, as various £50m players rotated around
him and we essentially gave up.
It should be noted that at this stage Silva had changed in to a top hat and
tails and was waltzing around looking like the game changing maestro that we
wish Payet was. His performance was brilliant and he should have got a
standing ovation when he was removed but I think most of us felt that would
have been a bit embarrassing as it was only against us.
Sergio Aguero, anonymous all evening, popped up to score a fourth
immediately after half time to kill everyone's spirit, and then John Stones
- who couldn't win an aerial duel if you gave him a f*cking Messerschmitt -
rose unchallenged to head in a fifth.
Guardiola apparently doesn't like Bilic much, as he then brought on Fabian
Delph which is like going down to ten men and is frankly just taking the
piss.
4. Black Mirror
Objectively I actually can't get too upset about this result. The four
players who scored for Man City tonight cost them £135m (£179m if you
include Sterling). Our most expensive ever signing is Andre Ayew, who was
ludicrously over priced at £20.5m and would still have been the cheapest
player in Man City's attack tonight.
But the result pales against the performance. The manner of this defeat was
so abject, so pathetic and so predictable that it can't help but raise
concerns. After the Man Utd game it actually felt like there was something
there. We had won three in a row before turning in two consecutive decent
performances in defeat, and the players had seemingly pulled together in
distressing circumstances. Small crumbs to be sure, but something to cling
on to. It would have been impossible to say that the players hadn't played
for their manager having seen them strive manfully with ten men for an hour
against Mourinho's boredom boys.
And now - well, who knows? For reasons I cannot fathom, Bilic decide to
bring Payet on after 70 minutes with the score at 4-0 and with the only
conceivable benefit being to cup tie him, which isn't a good reason to do
anything. This soul destroying, interminable waste of a season was perfectly
summed up as we brought on our global superstar to run around pointlessly to
try and stop us going 5-0 down.
I actually can't figure out what I think of Bilic anymore. We could easily
have won at Spurs and Liverpool, and should have taken a point at Chelsea
but by the same token could have easily lost at home to Sunderland, Burnley
and Hull. There appears to be no consistent tactical plan or shape,
partially driven by the absence of a right back which is his fault and
therefore engenders no sympathy.
To be honest, this performance was like this Babyshambles appearance on
French TV. It started pretty well, and then by the end you're just thinking
to yourself "God, I hope they all survive this".
Just occasionally we flicker into life, like at Palace or Spurs, and
suddenly the mind wanders back to last year and the exhilaration of seeing a
West Ham side go toe to toe with everyone. Points taken off every side in
the division and no backwards steps taken anywhere. I'd waited my whole life
to see a West Ham side do that and it buys him huge amounts of emotional
currency with me. But there's no getting away from it - this season has been
a shambles. The only top half team we have beaten in the league all season
is Bournemouth, who we robbed, and other than that we've laboured to
victories against the dregs whilst saving our best performances for glorious
rearguards against the top teams.
I could even stomach a result or performance like this if I had faith that
the Club was actually heading in the right direction. If we had a cohesive
transfer plan with an obvious strategy and lots of young players obviously
recruited with that in mind, then it would be easy to ask us to buy into
that. A "project" if I dare utter the word, after the failures of the Scott
Duxbury/Gianfranco Zola era, is what we probably need.
Sadly, there is no such wagon that we can hitch our stars to. This aimless,
directionless season has sucked so much life from the Club that optimism is
as absent as that mythical stadium Wi-Fi we were promised eons ago.
I wrote last week that I would have rested Payet, and I stand by that - he
wouldn't have made any difference - but that capitulation was unacceptable.
Tellingly it was that similarly risible 6-0 defeat at Eastlands which marked
the moment that many fans turned their backs on Allardyce. Many more of
these and Bilic will be getting a lot more time to spend with his new baby.
5. Une Année Sans Lumière
If you spend any time on social media, you'll have seen everyone get very
excited at Dimitri Payet "liking" a Tweet from a Marseille fan suggesting he
return there after this debacle. If there is one thing that being on social
media has taught me it's that social media is not the world, and doesn't
reflect terribly well the real universe outside. I mean, how much credence
should we be giving a platform that allows men to send unsolicited pictures
of their genitalia to women, and does absolutely nothing to weed out racism,
anti-semitism, xenophobia or any of the other platforms on which Donald
Trump won the US presidency?
As an echo chamber, Twitter is loud and useless and best ignored. But let's
be honest, Payet is not long for this corner of East London. I can see the
attraction of Marseille, although I keep looking at these fees from China
and wonder if he wouldn't fancy Shanghai for a year or two.
Honestly, I hate that we have got to this position but we are clueless, he
has lost interest, is nearly thirty and so many players simply fall off a
cliff at that age. Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robin Van Persie, Fernando Torres,
Wayne Rooney - all have sparkled brightly before declining precipitously
somewhere close to the big 3-0.
In an ideal world I envision lots of one sided deals where we ship him off
somewhere and get young, affordable players in return. To Arsenal for Iwobi
and Ramsey. To Man Utd for Martial and Rashford (we should actually offer
this - never fail to give Man Utd an opportunity to do stupid things). To
PSG for Rabiot and Moura. Except those are all ridiculously lopsided and of
course, I doubt we'd have the nous to ask for those players back anyway.
Instead it will be for cash which is terrifying as it means David Sullivan
will be spending it which means no plan, no strategy, just lots of money
thrown at lots of players (and agents, of course). It'll be Rio all over
again.
Our best case scenario is now is that he hangs on for a while, doesn't sulk
and then a drunk Chinese club decides to try and one-up that £60m deal for
Oscar.
6. Wasted Hours
As all this destruction was being wrought around him, Andy Carroll stood
watching impassively like our very own Colossus of Rhodes. You wouldn't want
to have to outjump him but going round him doesn't seem too tricky.
There was no pressure on the ball anywhere tonight, but in the modern game
that starts from the front and Carroll simply isn't mobile enough to get
around to do the necessary pressing.
Our best periods in the last couple of years came when Sakho and Valencia
were able to hound opposition back lines and force them into ceding
possession in bad areas. Now there were two of them, so a direct comparison
to Carroll is unfair but the reality is that Bilic seems unwilling to pair
him with anyone, meaning that better sides are able to pick us apart. It
also seems clear that Bilic wants to play him at any opportunity - and why
not given that I suspect an old centre half like Bilic hated playing against
players like Carroll - but has no clear plan for playing to his strengths.
It seemed we might have stumbled upon such a method against Swansea but on
reflection it does seem like that really was "only" Swansea after all.
I think there is a clear role for Carroll but it has to be with a partner,
or alternatively as a thirty minute battering ram at the end of games. It's
one of the things that makes this transfer window so fascinating/terrifying
[delete as applicable]. Are we trying to augment Carroll and make him more
dangerous or are we moving away from him with a view to trying to recapture
the mobile pairings that served us so well over the last twenty four months?
Or Option C - are we writing out the names of all the players we've heard of
and using a magic eight ball to decide whether to bid for them, and how
much? Hence, "Robert Snodgrass - £3m".
7. Intervention
By far the most entertaining moment of the night came when two highly
inebriated Hammers fans ran on to the pitch with seconds remaining and
re-enacted Zabaleta's dive. I felt that Iron Man made a little too much
contact on Spider-man if I'm honest, but it was still the most well put
together move of the evening by anyone in a West Ham shirt.
8. Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
With eight days gone of the transfer window, we've already got off to the
kind of start fans have been dreaming of. In case you missed any of it:
- an article appeared on the Club's official website written by the West Ham
"Insider" revealing ill disguised bids for Moussa Dembele, Scott Hogan and
Jermain Defoe. Primarily this article was a crime against grammar, looking
as it did like a GCSE submission, but it was clearly produced with the
blessing of somebody very senior within the Club.
- brilliantly, the following day, David Sullivan then denied in print that
we were interested in Dembele (despite the fact we should be), thus creating
possibly the first ever situation where a professional football club have
removed tabloid newspapers from the chain altogether and are just starting
and denying their own rumours.
- as our transfer plans were leaked all over the place, it became clear that
two of our top targets were Defoe and Glen Johnson. You'll remember them
playing in our relegated 2002/03 team. Fourteen years ago.
- a column then appeared on The Sun website written by @exwhuemployee
confirming all of the various targets and deals.
- Karren Brady then announced publicly that the "Insider" column would no
longer appear, despite the fact that it can only have appeared with Board
approval in the first place.
Now whether you're a fan of our Board or not, that is an astonishing amount
of mismanagement to cram into eight days. It's like Basil Fawlty is running
our PR operation.
Let me say this - I have a full time job to which I sometimes give over 40
per cent of my effort, a family, this blog and season two of The Man in the
High Castle to get through, and I will still willingly offer up my services
to manage West Ham's public communications strategy. I'll basically be doing
it on the train home, and I'll still do a better job than is currently being
done.
The worst thing about all of this is that these leaks are at least partly
deliberate in order that the Club can gauge how supporters feel about the
potential signings. You may remember them deploying this tactic previously
and deciding not to sign Joey Barton and El Hadji Diouf as a result. Here's
the thing about that - it's beyond stupid. For the love of God, have some
faith in your own processes and discard public opinion.
The decisions makers at the Club need to settle on a strategy and stick to
it. Ideally that strategy would involve them hiring other people to make the
decisions, but that seems unlikely, so if nothing else it would be
preferable if they simply went ahead and did their business in private like
every other team.
9. Ocean Of Noise
Which brings me to the thorny business of "in the know" West Ham fans. The
most prevalent of these is ExWhuEmployee, who started as a Twitter user and
then started The West Ham Way website. Now I have never met Ex, never
attended any of his live events and I only listened to his Podcast on
Wednesday for the first time given that I knew I'd be writing this column.
I've had no personal interaction with him and I doubt I ever will.
Truthfully, I read his update columns and that's about it. I take the
columns as fact as they are clearly from very reliable sources within the
Club. In fact, Jack and David Sullivan have been guests on the podcasts, so
I'll be honest and say that I consider the columns to be direct from the
Sullivan family. Indeed, several columns have referred to "the Sullivans"
really liking certain players which is somehow horrifying and yet not even
remotely surprising.
If the Club wanted to shut this leak down it wouldn't be terribly difficult,
and therefore one can only assume that they are happy for the information to
be public. I have yet to come up with a viable reason as to why this could
ever be a good thing.
Tangentially, I once went to a gig when I was a hip young thing to see the
then up and coming band The Bluetones. It was a weird gig as they played
their songs and the crowd responded at best half heartedly. I read the NME
review a few days later and it described the audience as a "hands behind
their back, impress me, London crowd".
Well, here's the thing; we should put our hands behind our backs and simply
say to the Board... "impress us".
No more bullshit leaks, no more promises of £30m strikers followed up by
loan signings, and no more unofficial Twitter polls on players. Just do
whatever the hell you're going to do in silence and when we see the signings
standing three miles from the pitch at the London Stadium with a scarf above
their head in a £300 designer t-shirt that looks like a rag, then we'll give
it all some thought.
As for Ex, scrolling through my Twitter timeline last night I can see that
some fans are suggesting he no longer writes his columns or tweets his
updates, to which he seems to be suggesting he'll simply give out his
information on his podcast and write no more articles.
I'm not interested in any kind of online spat with another West Ham writer,
not least because I am very well aware of the difference in reach between
our two sites. The H List is read by a few hundred, most of whom I related
to, as opposed to the many thousands who read the other sites. I doubt I
speak for very many.
But my tuppence worth is this: if there is even a 1% chance that having our
transfer affairs in public is placing us at a disadvantage then why bother?
Satiating the interests of fans who demand to know the Club's every move as
they are being made is not a good reason to do anything.
So yes, personally, I would like to see all the online transfer updates stop
and West Ham announce their transfer business through Sky Sports News when
the deals are complete. Just like every other team does.
10. Suburban War
I see that the board are now the subject of various online petitions and
action groups. I can't deny that I can see why people are frustrated. The
unprofessional nature of the transfer activity, the team is crap, the
stadium is divisive and Phil Jones is still rolling around the concourse.
It's not earth shattering to say that things could be better.
But I did notice that there were Supporter Liaison Officers at the exit
gates on Friday night. This was something Karren Brady had promised during
the week and there they were, in one case listening dutifully as some
lunatic seemed to be berating them about a lack of a right back.
This is a good example of why I don't understand how Brady gets vilified. I
get the very many charges levelled against her, but to me she seems
determined to try and solve problems when they arise. I have no idea if
other supporters found the SLO's to be useful or not, but as someone who has
fallen foul of our ticket office frequently this year, I could see clear
benefits to them being around outside the ground.
Now Karren, about that Director of Football...
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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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: HOGAN DEAL CLOSE, FEGHOULI ON HIS WAY?, DEMBELE TOLD TO
STAY AT CELTIC
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 9 JANUARY 2017 AT 12:39PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Hello Hammers, Here is a round up of the news this Monday Lunchtime.
West Ham are closing in on a £12m deal to sign Brentford striker Scott
Hogan. (Mirror) A great signing if we pull it off. He is a brilliant
striker and could be exactly what we are missing.
West Ham will allow Sofiane Feghouli to leave the club this January, with
Robert Snodgrass being lined up as his replacement. (Evening Standard) Its a
shame that Feghouli hasn't had much game time because I think he is good,
but if we can replace him with Snodgrass then I think it is well worth
doing.
Moussa Dembele is better off staying at Celtic and learning, rather than
joining West Ham and fighting the drop, according to Celtic captain Scott
Brown. (Evening Standard) Scott Brown is one of the worst players in
football history. No one should really be too bothered about what he says in
my opinion.
Ray Wilkins says West Ham must do all they can to sign Robert Snodgrass this
month. (Football Insider) I agree. Robert Snodgrass would be a brilliant
signing for us. I would definitely take him for the right fee.
Jonathan Calleri's move away from West Ham will be confirmed in the coming
days. (Sports Witness) He didn't want to join us, and we didn't want him
either. Goodbye Jonathan, you won't be missed.
Sam Byram will make his long awaited return to the West Ham team for this
weekend's clash against Crystal Palace. (Football Insider)
Finally we have a right back available. Hopefully he can reclaim his place
in the team now, although I still think we need to sign another right back
this window.
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West Ham interested in loan move for Michy Batshuayi - Sky sources
By Michael Cantillon
Last Updated: 09/01/17 9:40pm
SSN
West Ham are interested in signing Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi on loan
this month, according to Sky sources. The Hammers made a £31m bid to
Marseille for the forward during the summer transfer window but the
23-year-old Belgian moved to Chelsea in a £33m deal instead. However, with
Batshuayi struggling for game time at the league leaders and linked with a
move away to Swansea City, West Ham look set to enter the fray for him once
again. Batshuayi scored 26 goals in 62 games for Marseille in Ligue 1 over
two seasons, convincing Chelsea to splash the cash on him in July. Since
his move though, the Belgium international has found himself firmly behind
the in-form Diego Costa, and has yet to start a league game so far this
campaign. Chelsea are currently in talks to loan Batshuayi to Swansea in a
move which will see a swap deal with Fernando Llorente moving to Stamford
Bridge. West Ham want to sign at least one striker this month and have
already made bids for Sunderland's Jermain Defoe and Brentford's Scott
Hogan.
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Manchester City lead chase as big clubs vie for classy Barnsley right back
James Bree
Aston Villa are keen on the classy right back while Tottenham, Arsenal, West
Ham and Southampton and Man United have also monitored his progress
The Mirror
BYJOHN CROSS
17:10, 9 JAN 2017UPDATED17:12, 9 JAN 2017
Big spending Manchester City are leading the Premier League chase for
Barnsley defender James Bree. Manchester United, City, Tottenham, Arsenal,
West Ham and Southampton have all been monitoring the 19-year-old's progress
this season. Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is ready to make a £4m move after
watching Bree in the FA Cup at Blackpool this weekend. But City are unlikely
to sit back and allow Bree to go to Villa and the Premier League giants are
all ready to pounce for the classy right back who can also play midfield.
There are clear similarities with Manchester City's England defender John
Stones who started at Barnsley before moving to Everton. Bree made his debut
in May 2014 and has made rapid progress ever since with Premier League
scouts watching him week in and week out.
Villa are keen to do a deal but the Premier League big guns will move
quickly if Barnsley decide to sell.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Report outlines lucrative deal West Ham are willing to offer Joe Hart
HITC
Tom Nightingale
The Hammers want England's number one to replace Adrian. West Ham are
willing to pay a £15 million transfer fee and up to £100,000 per week in
wages to make England number one Joe Hart their new goalkeeper, according to
a report from the Sun. The Hammers are looking for a new goalkeeper after
previous first-choice Adrian fell out of favour under Slaven Bilic, with his
replacement Darren Randolph considered an able deputy but not a leader
between the posts. Reports have suggested that the Hammers will be willing
to listen to offers for the Spaniard as long as they can recoup around £5
million for him this window before his contract expires in the summer, as
they have little interest in taking up their option to extend his deal for
another two years. According to the Sun, Irons chairmen David Sullivan and
David Gold has identified Manchester City stopper Hart as their primary
target. Hart is committed to a season-long loan at Serie A side Torino but
could be allowed to leave the Etihad side in the summer with Pep Guardiola
seeing Claudio Bravo as his full-time number one. The England number one is
likely to be an expensive target despite falling out of favour at City, but
the Sun account claims that the owners will sanction a £15m, £100,000-a-week
offer to ensure they get their man. However, the Irons do have other irons
in the fire, so to speak. Liverpool's Simon Mignolet and Chelsea's Asmir
Begovic are back-up targets if a move for Hart is unsuccessful. Much will
likely depend on whether or not West Ham can salvage their poor season. The
East London club are currently 13th in the table, some 17 points off a spot
in the top six, which was considered a minimum requirement at the start of
the season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Silence is golden, but maybe our fans have found their voice
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th January 2017
By: Paul Walker
For heaven's sake, let's have some quiet out there. Silence from the
corridors of power, or Sullivan towers, take your choice.
If West Ham's board are supportive of our manager as Ken Dyer in the
Standard says, and he should know with his track record at the club, then
they have a funny way of showing it.
My old fella used to say, "if you haven't got anything worth saying, then
keep your mouth shut". I wish he was still around to make that point to the
Davids and Karren.
Nobody can claim that our manager is not in a hole at the moment. Just 11
wins in the last 30 matches, says all you want to know. We all know the
business, keep that record up and he is history.
But in the wake of the FA Cup disaster against Manchester City, more the
manner of the defeat than anything else, it did not help one bit for David
Sullivan to launch into a "we don't understand what is going wrong" tirade,
and then for Karren Brady to say something very similar.
And why wasn't the manager able to reproduce last season's performances with
"virtually the same players"? No pressure there then.
And of course they reckon that defeats against Sam Allardyce's Crystal
Palace and Middlesbrough in our next two games would see the end of the
Croatian. Frankly, my dog could have worked that one out.
Slaven Bilic has been under pressure for weeks, it's the nature of the job,
from the media and from a sizeable section of our exasperated fan base. What
he didn't need was much of the same from his bosses. It gave the media the
obvious "two games to save your job" headlines.
Their intervention just made the situation worse. Were we going to sack a
manager halfway through the transfer window? Mind-blowingly stupid that. Or
were we going to wait until the end of January and then axe him?
What sort of message does that give to prospective new players? Or even the
ones we already have and fancy a way out, maybe back to the sun in the South
of France? Yes, Dimitri Payet, who would probably have to take a 50 per cent
cut in wages to return to Marseille. I think not.
Our board have no track record in keeping quiet. They always seem to be
shifting the blame elsewhere in times of stress, or trying to ingratiate
themselves with the fans. Best of luck with that one in the current climate!
And Sullivan in transfer windows has a dreadful record for foot in mouth
stuff. Remember the almost actionable Charlie Austin slur, or the daft
claims about Andre Ayew's wage demands. Answers on a postcard for just how
much he has finally cost us.
The major complaint from fans about the owners, and there are plenty, is
that they cannot keep their mouths shut. You would have hoped that with a
new director of communications, a bright young press officer from
Bournemouth (bet he wished he was still on the south coast) and plenty of
advice about mouth shutting, that the penny would have dropped. SHUT UP.
Very simple, isn't it?
Let matters unfold if you are not happy with the manager, don't make life
worse for him, unless of course this is all a not so subtle ploy to isolate
the man and set him up for the bullet. Many felt they would try that during
the five-game haul at the end of last year against the very best clubs in
the country.
He got through that, so now the same sort of thing looks like it is
happening for real this time.
And what is worse is that tame bloggers and sites who have the chairman's
ear are doing their dirty work for them. Making all-too-obvious pops at
Slav, Tony Henry, the fitness coach, Milijenko Rak etc. That's not news
gathering, it's massaging a situation from within the corridors of power to
make something happen. To put too much pressure on the current regime.
That comes all too easily from outside without people ITK helping to twist
the screw from inside, if you get the point. There is a fine line between
reporting and comment. This piece here is comment, look elsewhere on the
site for news, don't mix the two..Even less while using un-attributed quotes
and 'sources claim". Sounds more like Sky all the time.
And all this when the board seemed to have embarked on a charm offensive.
Sullivan's remarks about talking to the fans, Brady's decision to take on
twitter and answer fans' questions, along seemingly with the usual abuse.
Which she claims she is thick-skinned enough to cope with. Few would argue
with that one.
Which brings me to the point of all this. I know, it has taken some time, I
hear you say! There's been little to enthuse about with regard to the Irons
for months, but the formation of a new West Ham United Independent
Supporters' Association is one of them.
You have to be brave to take on something like this, as many who have tried
in the past will vouch for, You have to handle everything, all the one
syllable, one brain cell nutters, all the people with good intentions who
stray off message when clear sensible thought is needed, and everyone,
everywhere who wants a piece of you 24 hours a day. And it's all voluntary.
WHUISA is very new, they are only just open for membership and looked to
have acquired a few hundred in the first week. To be any sort of voice they
need a few thousand.
But the club's charm offensive seems to have stretched out to the new group.
West Ham's one SLO (Support Liaison Officer) Jake Heath has asked if the
Indi boys want to be part of the new SAB, a much-maligned group that has
floundered in the past because it looked too much like a club stooge.
Now there's reasons for and against that, but if they want a voice and one
that is listened to, they surely must give it a crack.
A few of the lads I watch matches with have thrown themselves into this new
venture, and I can only wish it genuine success. The club needs an
organised, realistic, calm, co-ordinated, professional fan group like this.
There is a lot that needs saying, but in the right way and tone. Shouting
and being abusive won't help, and I know they know this.
I had some experience of the formation of similar groups 'up north' during
my working years; Spirit of Shankly at Liverpool and the Independent
Manchester United Supporters Association. The latter in particular, which
became famous for taking on the formidable ownership at Old Trafford.
In my previous life, I was able--purely professionally, it was Man Utd for
heavens sake--to give them some early publicity. They never really got what
they wanted and ended up moving on to form the FC United of Manchester
non-league club, now in the National League. But they made a massive impact.
It was a tough ask, and they had some very serious, cunning opposition from
within Old Trafford, Alex Ferguson would never have anything to do with them
eventually. But they had a genuine force and some clever, sound advice from
PR professionals.
We must have some of those amongst our support who could help our boys.
So if our lads need any advice, they should get in touch with some of the
veterans of IMUSA's halcyon days, Andy Walsh if my memory serves me. The
same with the Liverpool lads, who managed to stop the current ownership
upping season ticket prices at a stroke.
What happens in the future there with prices and their new stand remains to
be seen, but everyone walking out in the same minute from a match was very
obvious on cross-Atlantic TV, where the owners were watching.
So go for it folks, be careful, polite, realistic and eloquent. This voice
is better than being ignored. I can only encourage everyone to join this
group, give them substance and the club something to think about. Good luck.
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.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michy Batshuayi wants West Ham move over Swansea
HITC
Graeme Bailey
Swansea City agree deal as part of Fernando Llorente switch but player not
keen. Chelsea have agreed to send Michy Batshuayi to Swansea City as part of
a deal for Fernando Llorente, but the Belgian wants to join West Ham United
instead, HITC Sport understands.
Batshuayi arrived at Chelsea from Marseille in the summer in a deal worth
£31million, but he has started just one Premier League game and Antonio
Conte wants other options. Conte signed Llorente during his time in charge
at Juventus and he clearly believes the big Spaniard is the ideal man to
compete with his fellow countryman Diego Costa. Swansea are not keen on
letting Llorente - who signed in the summer from Sevilla - leave the club,
but they were more than happy to be getting Batshuayi on loan in the other
direction.
However, HITC Sport understands that Batshuayi is far from convinced about a
move to South Wales and West Ham are very keen to keep him in Lonon. The
Hammers are still interested in Jermain Defoe and Scott Hogan, but Batshuayi
would be their first choice and they are pushing hard to try to broker a
loan deal with Chelsea. Chelsea would have no qualms about him joining West
Ham, but they also want Llorente and are therefore trying hard to convince
the striker to move to the Liberty Stadium until the summer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic retains support of the West Ham board but club chiefs insist
results 'have to improve'
KEN DYER, GIUSEPPE MURO
Evening Standard
Slaven Bilic is not in imminent danger of losing his job as manager of West
Ham, despite the disastrous 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester City. The manner
of the mauling by City at the London Stadium on Friday — and the subsequent
comments by West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Karren
Brady — increased speculation that Bilic had the next two matches to save
his job.
Sullivan, on the official club website, wrote: "We know we have to improve
quickly and upcoming fixtures against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough now
become cup finals." Brady, meanwhile, tweeted: "We know we have to improve,
Palace and Boro are now vital games."
A West Ham source today, however, said that the club "hope and expect him to
be our manager for the next 18 months as we proudly like to honour
contracts". It is understood the club's board remain supportive of Bilic and
want him to succeed, especially after a highly successful first season but
acknowledge that results such as that against Manchester City plus the 5-1
defeat by Arsenal — both at home — have put added pressure on the Croatian.
Saturday's visit of Palace, who are managed by Bilic's predecessor Sam
Allardyce, has added another ingredient to what is a crucial London derby
for both clubs. There is no concerted clamour among West Ham supporters for
Bilic's head but he will know that his side need an immediate and major
improvement against a side who themselves desperately need points after a
poor start to the season.
West Ham, meanwhile, continue to close in on Brentford striker Scott Hogan.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham close in on Brentford striker Scott Hogan after improved £12.5m bid
KEN DYER, GIUSEPPE MURO
Evcening STadnard
West Ham are continuing to close in on Brentford striker Scott Hogan. The
East London club have already had two bids of £10million and £11.5m rejected
by Brentford but are understood to have now improved their offer to £12.5m.
The Championship club are holding out for £15m for the 24-year-old, knowing
that 30 per cent of any transfer fee will go to Hogan's previous club,
Rochdale. Hogan missed out with a minor glute injury as Brentford thrashed
non-league Eastleigh 5-1 to book thier place in the FA Cup Fourth Round on
Saturday. Many at Griffin Park believe Hogan has already played his last
game for the club. West Ham's other target is a right-back, with Arsenal's
Carl Jenkinson one possibility. Jenkinson has not been involved in the
Arsenal squad recently and could return to West Ham for a third time on
loan. The 24-year-old made 52 appearances for West Ham across two
season-long loan spells between 2014 and 2016.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to let Sofiane Feghouli leave if they sign winger in January
transfer window
PIETRO LAZZERINI, KEN DYER
Evening Standard
Feghouli has made just one start in the Premier League since joining in July
when his contract expired at Valencia. However, he is a target for Roma, who
have proposed a loan deal during this window with an option to sign the
27-year-old in the summer for £12million.
The Hammers are searching for a new winger with Hull's Robert Snodgrass on
their list. Feghouli was left out of Algeria's squad for the Africa Cup of
Nations and that is partly why Roma want a deal this week as they are
without former Chelsea player Mohamed Salah, who is at that tournament with
Egypt. Marseille could provide competition for Feghouli with coach Rudi
Garcia telling the club's sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta he is also
interested.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham closing on £12million deal for Brentford striker Scott Hogan
The Hammers believe they can finally land Hogan this week after having a
second £10m bid rejected
The Mirror
BYDAVID ANDERSON
10:56, 9 JAN 2017UPDATED11:03, 9 JAN 2017
West Ham are set to sign striker Scott Hogan from Brentford for around
£12million. West Ham believe they can finally land Hogan this week after
having a second £10million bid rejected by Brentford. The Bees value Hogan,
who has scored 14 goals this season for the Championship side, at £15m and
West Ham feel they can agree on a compromise figure following talks over the
weekend. Brentford are set to make a substantial profit on Hogan and signed
him from Rochdale for £750,000 in July 2014. Brentford left Hogan out of
Saturday's FA Cup match against Eastleigh in a sign that he will soon be on
his way and have lined up Sam Winnall from Championship rivals Barnsley to
replace him. Winnall has scored 11 goals this season for Barnsley to help
fuel their surprise promotion push and he will move for around £3m.
Brentford are also closing in on a £1.5m deal for Coventry's highly-rated
teenage midfielder Ben Stevenson.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jermain Defoe posts photo with E.T. as Sunderland stand firm that West Ham
target will not phone home to return
Jermain Defoe posted the picture via his Instagram account on Sunday evening
The 34-year-old has scored 11 goals in 20 Premier League games this season
West Ham have had a £6million bid for Defoe rejected by Sunderland
By Luke Augustus for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 11:00, 9 January 2017 | UPDATED: 11:06, 9 January 2017
He's been out of this world for a struggling Sunderland this season and it
appears Jermain Defoe has also met someone who can relate to him - albeit
differently. Defoe took to Instagram on Sunday evening to show himself
alongside E.T. in the iconic bicycle scene of the 1982 sci-fi film.
Accompanied with the caption: 'E.t phone home #funday,' Sunderland's star
was a picture of delight alongside a model of the fictional character as he
posed on the bike against a background of the moon. Although he fired a
blank in their 0-0 FA Cup third round tie with Burnley at the weekend, Defoe
will be hoping to mirror E.T.'s happy ending with his own as the Black Cats
look to beat relegation once more. Sunderland sit 18th in the Premier League
on 15 points after 20 games.
Despite the club's struggles, Defoe has netted 11 goals in those matches -
attracting interest from his former club West Ham. And speaking about the
Hammers' interest in his player in the build up to their FA Cup tie with
Burnley, manager David Moyes was quick to dismiss their £6million offer for
his 'priceless' striker. Moyes insisted there is no way the club are willing
to sell the 34-year-old — with avoiding relegation worth an estimated £70m
in TV revenue alone. The Scot pointed to the £11m paid by Everton for
Charlton teenager Ademola Lookman and prices quoted for Brentford striker
Scott Hogan to question the level of West Ham's bid. He said: 'Jermain is
priceless because his goals are so important for us and what is at stake.
'That is why when you think of the figure that was bid, you go "hmmm".
'Everton bid for a boy at Charlton and West Ham bid £10.5m for a striker at
Brentford. 'You see values like that and then you look at Jermain's level
and where he is in our ambition to stay up. It's hard to get good forwards
with experience and he is a player who is scoring regularly.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Is Hogan the hero of West Ham's torrid tale?
Irons go after Brentford striker after humiliating 5-0 cup exit revives all
the old question marks about Slaven Bilic
wharf.co.uk
BYGILES BROADBENT
09:16, 9 JAN 2017
Few had heard the name Scott Hogan before recent days but now he appears to
have become the answer to West Ham United's woes. On the back of a
humiliating 5-0 FA Cup defeat by a strolling Manchester City and rejections
from Jermain Dafoe and Moussa Dembele, the east London club is wooing the
Brentford striker with a £10million bid. Hogan, 24, has hit 14 goals in 26
games and cost Brentford only £750,000 from Rochdale but West Ham see in him
the potential to succeed where a succession of summer flops have failed.
Simone Zaza has already left and is seeking a berth with Valencia. The gulf
in class between Pep Guardiola's team and West Ham has again raised
fundamental questions about the direction of the club. The recent upturn in
form in the Premier League has been quickly snuffed out and confidence
levels are falling again. On Saturday, West Ham face another crucial test of
their resolve with a derby against Crystal Palace. Supporters will be keen
to see their team beat their fellow strugglers, now under the management of
Sam Allardyce who divided opinion during his tenure at Upton Park. After
that it's Middlesbrough. Those two games could represent Slaven Bilic's last
chance to proof to the board that he has the ability and energy to reverse
what has been a gloomy first season in the club's new home. Although a
popular figure, too much is riding on West Ham's prosperity to let matters
slide unanswered. Captain Mark Noble said: "It's up to us to scrap for the
manager and win ugly. Every manager is under pressure. If you don't win two
or three games you're under pressure. That's the nature of the game. "You
can imagine how I feel right now. We knew it was going to be tough against
City but they were just too good on the night, it's as simple as that.
Co-chairman David Sullivan said the performance didn't match the turnout at
the London Stadium and he was critical of his side. He said: "Manchester
City may be an excellent attacking side, but we allowed them to carve us
open time and time again, which was very disappointing. "Although it's hard
to take any positives out of the game, for 25 minutes, until we conceded
what many experts thought was a marginal penalty, we were holding our own.
"At 1-0 down we had what seemed a simple tap-in to equalise, but the
performance after that, and the result, was simply not good enough.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jermain Defoe would help West Ham get the best out of Dimitri Payet... the
old master guarantees you goals
It would be mad for fans to still resent Jermain Defoe for his transfer
request
Defoe can be the master goalscorer that West Ham need in their new stadium
Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini would benefit from him joining West Ham
Even at his age, Defoe can play an important part in West Ham's future
By Chris Sutton for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 20:46, 5 January 2017 | UPDATED: 15:36, 7 January 2017
I've heard there are some West Ham fans who still resent Jermain Defoe for
handing in a transfer request at the age of 20, the day after they were
relegated. Are they mad? Fourteen years later, he is a brilliant goalscorer.
The club have bid £6million this week but I would go through £10m and even
as high as £15m. Sign him. He guarantees you goals, he will guarantee their
survival and their progress. He will be the master goalscorer they need in
that new stadium. I can't begin to explain how distressing it must have been
for Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini to look up and see Simone Zaza. His
runs were rotten. Payet and Lanzini have been criticised for being off
colour, but they have had nothing to hit, nobody to find. It has been
uncomfortable viewing. No wonder West Ham are in the bottom half of the
table.
JERMAIN DEFOE'S 2016-17 PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Appearances: 20
Goals: 11
Chances created: 12
Shot accuracy: 53%
Pass accuracy: 79%
Duels won: 40%
Defoe has clever movement. He has developed into being a leader of the line,
he shifts the ball quickly and then — bang. I know he is 34 but he looks
after himself and has another two years after this season of scoring goals
in the Premier League. And Payet especially should be licking his lips at
the prospect.
It has taken the move to Sunderland to realise how good Defoe is. With
Tottenham and England it has always been about what he can't do — we tend to
do that with our footballers in this country — and now we can all see what
he can do.
The mood among West Ham fans is to complain about the stadium, the team, the
owners — and some of their complaints are justified — but every West Ham fan
should be chomping at the bit at the prospect of signing Defoe, although I
can see why Sunderland and David Moyes are putting up a fight. He kept them
up almost single-handedly last season and what message does it send out if
they let him go now? It could get nasty. The player may have to try to force
the move but he needs to be selfish and think 'What is right for me?' The
right thing for him is to move and West Ham would be a good move. He hasn't
always made the right call. Going to Canada to play in MLS was a poor call.
Asking for a transfer the day after his team were relegated wasn't the best,
either. But it's in the past and even at his age he can play an important
part in West Ham's future.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham need speed to sharpen attack
Adrian Clarke 08/01/2017
premeirleague.com
With the January transfer window open, Adrian Clarke analyses where some
teams need to strengthen. In the third edition, he looks at West Ham United.
Slaven Bilic has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his forward line
this month, and it is easy to see why he is so determined to. West Ham's
finishing has been below par this season. Excluding blocked shots, West Ham
have hit the target with only 35.4% of their shots on goal in 2016/17. That
is the poorest accuracy in the division, and a noticeable decline from the
Hammers' 44.1% last term. Their drop-off in chance conversion is even more
alarming. En route to seventh last season, West Ham were the third most
lethal side in front of goal. This season, they are the third worst, and
this profligacy has been at the heart of their struggles (see table below).
Shot conversion rates (incl. blocks)
2015/16 2016/17
Top 5 Rate Bottom 5 Rate
Leicester 13.03% Southampton 6.51%
Everton 12.02% Hull City 8.13%
West Ham 11.65% West Ham 8.24%
Man City 11.54% Man Utd 9.09%
Man Utd 11.40% Middlesbrough 9.34%
Injuries have not helped. Bilic has lacked continuity in attack, using
Simone Zaza, Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho, Andre Ayew, Michail Antonio,
Jonathan Calleri and As hley Fletcher at various intervals. Aside from the
powerful Antonio, and with Sakho making only two appearances, a lack of
speed and sharpness inside the final third has also restricted them.
Relying on the aerial threats of Carroll and Antonio, West Ham do not create
enough clear-cut chances on the floor, especially from close range. Perhaps
frustrated by a lack of movement in front of them, the West Ham midfielders
are making too many long-range efforts. This season almost half (45%) of the
team's shots have come from outside the area, the second-highest percentage
of the 20 teams. This in part explains their wastefulness.
Most shots off target from outside box
2016/17 Shots
Spurs 71
Man City 60
Man Utd 59
West Ham 59
Arsenal 53
The introduction of a livewire striker, or forward who can function anywhere
across a front three, would be a welcome fillip. This would explain the
unsuccessful bid to buy Sunderland's Jermain Defoe. But Bilic may consider
signing a left-footed striker. West Ham have tested goalkeepers with only
nine left-footed shots all season, the joint lowest with Sunderland. Aaron
Cresswell provides good balance down the left, but in advanced areas most
shots and crosses are struck with the right, making them more predictable
for opponents. Carroll and Antonio will score goals, often with their heads,
but West Ham need a natural finisher who is sharp and can create chances for
others, or snatch opportunities laid on inside the box. If they find one,
far fewer hopeful efforts from distance will be attempted.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce planning to battle West Ham in race to sign Hull star Robert
Snodgrass
HITC
Olly Dawes
Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce is reportedly keen to battle West Ham
United for Hull City winger Robert Snodgrass. According to The Guardian,
Crystal Palace's new manager Sam Allardyce is interested in challenging West
Ham United for the signature of Hull City winger Robert Snodgrass. Allardyce
was appointed as Palace's new manager last month following Alan Pardew's
departure, but is still waiting for his first win as Eagles boss having
drawn twice and lost twice in his four games in charge. A 2-1 home defeat to
Swansea City and a 0-0 draw at League One side Bolton Wanderers mean that
Allardyce needs reinforcements during this month's transfer window,
especially as winger Wilfried Zaha is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations
with Ivory Coast. Now, The Guardian report that Palace boss Allardyce wants
to battle his former club West Ham United in the race to sign Hull City wide
man Robert Snodgrass. Snodgrass, 29, has starred for the Tigers this season,
hitting seven goals and two assists in the Premier League, with the Scot
serving as Hull's leading light in their fight against relegation to the
Championship. The winger's performances have unsurprisingly attracted
interest, and having snubbed a long-term deal at the KCOM Stadium, it's
claimed that West Ham offered £3million to sign Snodgrass – only for Hull to
reject that bid. Palace boss Allardyce is now believed to be interested in
joining the race for Snodgrass' signature, though whether he'd be willing to
trade Hull for Palace – who lie just three points ahead of his current club
– remains to be seen. It's suggested that, if Hull are to sell Snodgrass
during this month's transfer window, then it would cost around £9million;
treble West Ham's opening offer. Allardyce should be backed with funds, and
Snodgrass would provide him with another dangerous winger, if he can beat
his former club to the Scot's signature.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moussa Dembele is better off learning at Celtic than fighting the drop at
West Ham, says Scott Brown
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard
West Ham target Moussa Dembele has been urged by his club captain not to
trade in his starring role at Celtic for a Premier League relegation scrap.
Standard Sport understands that Dembele will not look to force his way out
of the Scottish champions despite interest from West Ham, who are eager to
add to their squad in January and are believed to have submitted a
£20million bid for the forward. Dembele, a one-time target for Tottenham,
arrived at Celtic from Fulham during the summer and swiftly settled in the
Scottish league. He has 19 goals in 36 games, including a hat-trick on his
Old Firm debut and a brace against Manchester City in the Champions League.
The French youngster is almost certain to win the Scottish Premiership in
his first season north of the border – Celtic are current 19 points clear of
second-placed Rangers – and captain Scott Brown believes Dembele should
follow the example of other high-profile Parkhead departures by taking his
time before returning to England. "Moussa has been on fire in the last five
or six months," Brown told reporters. "Fair play to him, he does it in the
big games as well and it's been great for us to have him and hopefully we'll
have him for another good six months or so, anyway. "He's going to learn a
lot more under the gaffer than probably, without being disrespectful, going
to someone who is fighting relegation. "The manager [Brendan Rodgers] has
been a great boss, he's been at Liverpool, and Moussa will learn a lot from
him and the coaching staff. Brown added: "People can go and chance their
luck and you never know, Moussa can go down there, do what he's been doing
at Celtic and be in flames and go to a top four club. "Look at Virgil van
Dijk, Victor Wanyama. That's what can happen if you take your chance at the
right time."
West Ham, seven points clear of the drop zone but fresh from a 5-0 hammering
by Manchester City in the FA Cup third round on Friday, have also failed in
bids for Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe and Hull winger Robert Snodgrass
so far this window, though the Hammers hope to sign £15m-rated Scott Hogan
this week.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Darren Randolph or Adrian? West Ham winger makes his pick
HITC
Subhankar Mondal
Michail Antonio, Darren Randolph and Adrian are key players in the current
West Ham United team. West Ham United winger Michail Antonio has suggested
to Sky Sports that Darren Randolph is a better goalkeeper than Adrian is.
Randolph joined West Ham in the summer of 2015 after leaving Birmingham City
at the end of the 2014-15 season. Adrian has been at the Hammers since the
summer of 2013 following his move from Spanish club Real Betis. The
30-year-old Spaniard is recognised as the first-choice goalkeeper at West
Ham, but he has not been in great this season. Randolph, who is 29 years of
age, has played nine Premier League matches so far this season. West Ham
winger Antonio has picked the Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper
as one of the best players he has ever played with ahead of Adrian. "I am
stuck between Kelvin Davies, Darren Randolph and Adrian, who are all quality
'keepers," Antonio told Sky Sports. "I was at Southampton with Kelvin Davies
and he was unbelievable, commanding and takes charge in the box. I could say
the same thing about all three 'keepers I have got here…
"I am thinking Darren, my gut is going Darren, but I think I am going to
have to go Adrian. You know what, I am going Darren, I feel Darren is
commanding, he knows his box and in every game I have played with him he is
just reassuring. "Like when you are in there for the corner, he is
constantly speaking, in training the saves that he pulls off are just
unbelievable."
West Ham are 13th in the Premier League table at the moment with 22 points
from 20 matches. The Hammers are seven points above the relegation zone and
are still in with a chance of finishing the season in the top 10. Slaven
Bilic's side will return to action this coming weekend when they take on
Crystal Palace at the London Stadium in the Premier League.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WE'VE HAD PAYET - I JUST DON'T THINK ANYONE UNDERSTOOD, INCLUDING OUR BOARD
By HamburgHammer 9 Jan 2017 at 08:00
WTID
Warning ahead: Usually my posts tend and try to be rather positive, but this
one may get rather gloomy and our atrocious performance against Man City was
merely the latest punch, not the main reason for my downcast demeanour here.
Quick positive sidenote (obviously not West Ham related): My Concordia boys
won their first football of 2017, a local indoors tournament against nine
other local sides. The 300 quid or whatever the winning fee was will come in
handy for the clubs finances…:-)
Now then, where to begin in terms of my beloved West Ham (or what is still
left of it anyway) ? I will put my neck on the line here and predict that
Dimitri Payet, one of the best players ever to wear the claret and blue,
will be gone in January. I have no club source and neither do I socialise
with Payet's agent, but I look at Payet's body language, especially compared
to last season's, I look at current performances and for me it is evident
that this relationship is coming to an end. We all know he has signed a long
term deal at West Ham, but if a player's head's been turned contracts don't
mean a lot anymore these days, they merely add a few millions to the
transfer fee.
What I believe has happened is that Payet, like a lot of fans, players and
Bilic, bought into the project of moving West Ham into the Olympic Stadium,
growing and developing as a club, bringing in better players along the way
and subsequently getting to the proverbial next level. Our board had (just
like the one after the Boys of '86 season) a window of opportunity to grow
the club and take the next step forward. Instead we have gone cheap on the
project though, cheap on the stadium rental deal, cheap on the new players
coming in (a lot of them on loan deals, others being unknown quantities or
young lads for the future). In that respect the board deceived not only
Payet, but also the manager and last but not least, the fans who still
forked out for season tickets and merchandise.
Our club has a plethora of issues to deal with and sort out. On various
fronts. The matchday experience is still suffering from stewards not being
used to oversee football games and subsequently antagonising a lot of fans
in the process. The atmosphere is unlikely to improve significantly while
the distance between the front row seats and the pitch remains as it is
(which also goes for the gaps between Upper and Lower tier). It'd also help
if fans were made to feel welcome to attend games as actual football fans,
not as audience members going to see a play at a theatre or a West End show.
I know that times have changed and are still changing, also in terms of
watching football. We've gone from proper football grounds with standing
terraces to all seaters, and now we seem to get to an era where West Ham
fans are expected to sit all game, politely clap a great pass or a goal and
otherwise remain shtum, but still buy loads of merchandise and overpriced
food and drink. It's not a trend I particularly agree with and like others
it'll cause me to make a decision if I still want to go and see games in
person or prefer to watch from my armchair or in the company of fellow fans
in a pub.
Embed from Getty Images
As for our club the cold hard truth is that while us fans are the one
constant factor in the ups and downs of West Ham it actually no longer is
our club. Our current owners have changed the club on so many fronts that
it's hard to find any reminders of the club most of us started supporting.
They seem to have a very clear idea what the club should look like and
especially what the new supporter should look and behave like.
I have said it before, but our board appear to be out of their depth of
running a club playing in a 60K seater stadium. It requires a certain type
of team to fill a stadium like that on a regular basis. Payet was a good
start, but Payet cannot do it on his own. I am aware we are not in the
financial situation (yet) to buy several 20-30 million players in one
transfer window, but the least we could and should have done is to bring in
players of a decent enough quality to bring out the best in Payet.
Payet losing interest is an indication we are moving in the wrong direction
(coupled with the fact that most of the players who arrived in the summer
have already left again or are in the process of leaving West Ham).
We have missed a massive window of opportunity in the summer and that window
is closing fast now, Payet was the one to build the club around. If he
really decides to leave we are back at square one. I find myself hoping for
new owners more and more each day and while I know that we'll still be stuck
with the stadium at least we may be able to find owners who can actually
back up their words with actions in the transfer market. How did we end up
going from offering 25 or 30 million for Bacca to offering 3 million for
Snodgrass (or money plus Fletcher who was supposed to be a great talent for
the future) ?
It is yet another crucial game coming up, against our favourite former
manager, Mr. Clean Sheet himself and a pretty weak Palace side. Of course I
shall be watching and of course I will be rooting for a Hammers win of any
sort really. But the truth is: West Ham winning or losing no longer stirs up
the same kind of emotions it used to, not for me.
There are just too many things going on at West Ham now that seem to drive
me away from the club emotionally. It's a weird feeling.
I still love the club, of course I do! My interest may still wane further
though as long as our current board are still in charge. Should they start
to listen to the fans, my interest and involvement may grow again, also if
new owners came in showing some respect for the fans, the history and
traditions of our club, similar to what the owners at Man City did. I have
seen some crap games, players and performances at West Ham in my time so
far, but none of them had such a farfetching effect on my support than the
current lot.
Let's hope we get a few convincing wins under our belt to lift the mood.
Let's hope Bilic can turn things around and stay for a few more years. Let's
hope we bring in some decent signings in January to help him with that. And
let's hope we can regroup, even if Payet leaves West Ham. No man bigger than
the club and all that!
Will West Ham ever be united again? COYI!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 10
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