Daily WHUFC News - 9th March 2017

Vice-Chairman voted 'Most Influential Woman in Football'
WHUFC.com

Karren Brady has been voted the 'Most Influential Woman in Football' by
supporters
Vice-Chairman 'extremely proud' to win award in celebration of International
Women's Day
Since being appointed in 2010, Vice-Chairman has overseen unprecedented
growth of the Club

Karren Brady has been named the 'Most Influential Woman in Football' by
supporters.

In celebration of International Women's Day, which is being marked worldwide
on Wednesday, the West Ham United Vice-Chairman was presented with the award
and a £5,000 donation was made to her chosen Wellbeing of Women charity.

Since joining the Hammers in January 2010, the Vice-Chairman has
masterminded the successful move to London Stadium and overseen the Hammers'
rapid financial growth into one of Europe's top 20 clubs.

"It's a great honour to receive this award and my sincere thanks go to
everyone who took the time to vote," she said. "To top a poll of what I am
delighted to say is now an ever-growing group of distinguished and talented
influential women in the game, is more than I could have imagined a quarter
of a century ago when I first started kicking down doors!

"I say it often but there is still a lot of work to be done. My hope is that
the talented women on this list will continue to pave the way and open doors
for others to follow. My ultimate aim is to see more women occupying
executive positions throughout the business community helped by those who
led the way.

"I give credit to The Football Pools for bringing awareness to this
important issue through the creation of this award to celebrate
International Women's Day. There are more women occupying key roles within
the game than ever and to be recognised among them makes me extremely
proud."

The Vice-Chairman has been a leading light for women in football since her
appointment as managing director of Birmingham City in 1993, aged 23,
overseeing the Blues' flotation on the stock market.

A mother-of-two, she was appointed as the Government's Small Business
Ambassador in 2013 was made a CBE for her services to entrepreneurship and
women in business in January 2014, before being elevated to the House of
Lords as Baroness Brady later the same year.

The Vice-Chairman has regularly been lauded for her inspirational support of
women in business, being listed in The Sunday Telegraph's '100 Most Powerful
Women in Britain', named CEO of the Year at the 2012 Football Business
Awards and among The Guardian's '50 Most Influential Women In British Sport'
on International Women's Day 2014.

The Vice-Chairman took 42% of the vote, with was held by The Football Pools,
with BBC broadcaster Gabby Logan taking second place, ahead of Soccer AM
host Helen Chamberlain, England Ladies' captain Steph Houghton and former
England boss Hope Powell.

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Makasi - It was two points dropped
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 drew 1-1 with Stoke City at London Stadium
The Hammers were frustrated by their opponents, after Julien Ngoy (pen)
cancelled out Edmilson Fernandes's opener
Moses Makasi felt it was a case of two points dropped

Moses Makasi conceded it was a case of "two points dropped" as West Ham
United PL2 drew 1-1 with Stoke City at London Stadium. The Hammers knew
before kick-off that a victory would have taken them to third in Premier
League 2 Division 2, and subsequently enhanced their place in the play-offs.
But after Stoke equalised from the penalty spot on the half hour mark, the
home side found it difficult to break their resilient opponents down. "It
was two points dropped," admitted Makasi. "We wanted to beat them so we
could go towards the top of the play-offs but it is what it is and we'll go
again next week against Newcastle. "We dominated possession but when a team
like that gets a goal in a game, they've got something to hold on to. Once
it went 1-1, they were fighting for their lives. We needed to try and break
them down but we've just got to take the positives out of it."

The Hammers came out of the traps firing and took an early lead when
Edimilson Fernandes latched on to an Ashley Fletcher through ball to slot
past Harvey Isted in the Stoke goal. Arthur Masuaku looked threatening in
his first appearance for the U23s and shot a dipping volley just over as the
Hammers looked to double their lead.
Against the run of play though, Stoke scored an unlikely equalier. Ryan Hill
was brought down in the penalty area and Julien Ngoy smashed home the
penalty. The Hammers dominated throughout the rest of the contest but found
it extremely difficult to break the Potter down – in the end, they had to
settle for a point. Makasi, who's been one of the most consistent performers
for Terry Westley's side this season, enjoyed partnering Fernandes in the
midfield and was also pleased to see on-loan Martin Samuelsen back in claret
and blue as he aimed to get some valuable minutes. "It was really good. He
(Fernandes) is very energetic and gets up and down and he produced a great
finish for the first goal. "It's always good to see Martin Samuelsen. He
brings the creativity factor to the team so it was good to see him and
hopefully he can get some more games at Peterborough.

The PL2 Hammers are back in action on Monday as they travel to St James's
Park to face Newcastle United in Premier League 2.

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Carroll – I feel good
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll played the full 90 minutes of Monday's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea
Visit of the Blues was Carroll's first appearance since 4 February
Carroll felt Hammers started well and caused the league leaders a few
headaches

Andy Carroll believes the Hammers were not too far away from upsetting the
Premier League leaders on Monday night. Chelsea left London Stadium with a
2-1 victory which maintained their ten-point lead at the top of the table,
but not before they had been given an examination by Slaven Bilic's side.
The Hammers enjoyed a strong opening before Eden Hazard put Chelsea in front
and Carroll says his team should take heart from that. He said: "We've got a
good team. We're working hard and it was just mistakes that led to them
going in front. "We were playing well and had a few chances. The ball was
coming into the box but we couldn't quite get a clear-cut chance. "Then
they punished us for our mistakes, but we never gave up and scored at the
end."

For Carroll himself, the visit of the Blues was his first appearance since
suffering a minor groin problem the previous month and he was delighted to
come through the workout – even if he did pick up a sore head in a
clash-of-heads with former West Ham loanee Victor Moses. He added: "The ball
came to the back post and I thought I was in. Vic jumped out of nowhere and
I caught the back of his head. It's not too bad and I'll just get on with
it. "I feel good. I was obviously a bit tired at the end as I only trained
three or four times in the weeks before. To get 90 minutes was great and the
groin's fine."

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Randolph - We want to end the season strongly
WHUFC.com

Darren Randolph felt the Hammers were unfortunate to be beaten by Chelsea on
Monday
Goalkeeper produced a number of decent saves, including a world-class stop
from Diego Costa
No13 says the squad are determined to bounce back by winning at AFC
Bournemouth

Darren Randolph felt West Ham United gave a good account of themselves
against Premier League leaders Chelsea on Monday night and were unfortunate
to go down to a 2-1 defeat. Randolph and his teammates made a fine start at
London Stadium, only for a breakaway Eden Hazard goal to give the Blues the
lead midway through the first half. Diego Costa bundled home a second
shortly after half-time, before Manuel Lanzini scored a consolation in added
time. The Hammers face AFC Bournemouth next at the Vitality Stadium on
Saturday and the Republic of Ireland No1 is sure they can bounce back to set
themselves up for a strong end to the campaign. "We started the game very
well and stuck to the gameplan, and then conceded the goal when we had the
ball. It was always going to be hard from there," the stopper observed.
"They didn't have too many chances, but when you play the top teams they are
clinical when they get their chances."

Randolph was in good form himself against Chelsea, making a sensational Goal
of the Season contender to tip Costa's shot around the post in the second
half. Despite his heroics, however, the No13 was left with nothing to show
for his efforts other than an impressive show reel. "It was probably my best
one of the game, but it would have been nicer to make it if we were winning
1-0 instead of being behind." "Chelsea are a good side and are top of the
league for a reason. They're well-organised defensively and quick on the
break. "They broke on us a few times in the game, changing defence into
attack in just about ten seconds and we knew it would be tough because they
are a top team."

Next up for the Hammers is a trip down the M3 to AFC Bournemouth, where the
Hammers won 3-1 last season. A win would complete a Premier League 'double'
over Eddie Howe's men, following the 1-0 success at London Stadium back in
August. Victory this weekend will take Slaven Bilic's side back into the top
ten, but Randolph is taking nothing for granted against the Cherries. "It
will be another tough game for us," the Bray-born goalkeeper confirmed.
"It's not the easiest of places to go, but we want to end the season
strongly.
"We've worked hard to get ourselves out of the position we were in and we
don't want to let that fade away."

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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com

Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an injury
update – in association with Spire Roding Hospital…

Hello everybody,

We had a very demanding game, both physically and mentally, against Chelsea
on Monday night, when we unfortunately did not get the result we had hoped
for.Now, we recover and prepare for the next Premier League test at AFC
Bournemouth on Saturday. We picked up the normal bumps and bruises during
the game on Monday, with Winston Reid coming off with a leg injury in the
second half. Winston has joined a recovery training today and we will work
hard to prepare him for Saturday.

As you will have seen, Andy Carroll suffered a cut to his face in an aerial
challenge with Victor Moses. After treatment on the touchline, he was able
to return to the action with no lasting ill-effects.

Michail Antonio is also fit and training and will be available to Slaven
after his one-match suspension. We saw three first-team players get some
important game-time and match rhythm at London Stadium on Tuesday, when
Arthur Masuaku, Ashley Fletcher and Edimilson Fernandes played in the
Premier League 2 game with Swansea City.

All three came through well and Edi scored a goal, which will be good for
his confidence. Unfortunately, Domingos Quina came off before half-time with
an ankle injury suffered in a challenge and he will be assessed further on
Thursday. We have good news regarding Diafra Sakho and Angelo Ogbonna.
Diafra has returned from a visit to the specialist in France, where they
were happy with the progression of his rehab after his surgery and he will
now step up his work with the rehab fitness coach, with a view to being
reintroduced to full training in April. Angelo is continuing his rehab
following his knee surgery and is progressing well.

Finally, we wish Gokhan Tore, who has had a difficult season, all the best
as he continues his rehab, after suffering a knee injury, with his parent
club Besiktas.

Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science

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Antonio – I can't wait to return
WHUFC.com

West Ham No30 had to sit out Monday's defeat to Chelsea due to suspension
Antonio thought Hammers started well against league leaders
Club's 2016/17 top goalscorer itching to return for Saturday's trip to AFC
Bournemouth

Michail Antonio admitted he hated the experience of having to watch on from
the sidelines as West Ham United lost out to Chelsea on Monday.
The Hammers No30 has been a virtual ever-present in every competition his
team have been involved in this term, so the suspension picked up for his
sending off at Watford led to a rare break from action. With Eden Hazard and
Diego Costa on target, Antonio was frustrated at not being able to influence
proceedings and cannot wait to return when the east Londoners head to AFC
Bournemouth this Saturday. "I hate having to watch and didn't really know
what to do with myself when I was watching the game," he admitted. "You
always want to play your part, but I wasn't able to. Hopefully we can turn
it around on Saturday. "Playing Bournemouth brings back memories of my goal
against them earlier in the season. It's a good memory and good to be in the
history books for the first goal at London Stadium, so hopefully I can get
another one down there. "We've been on a good run away from home, and
Monday's game won't knock us back in any way. We'll we raring to go. "We
started off so well against Chelsea and had a lot of possession. I thought
we were running the game, and then one slight mistake led to a
counter-attack and they punished us. "I think we lost to the champions. They
are a good team – a good attacking team – and that's why they're clear by a
few points at the top of the table."

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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: SULLIVAN MAKES A PROMISE, RANDOLPH WARNS TEAM-MATES,
HAMMERS CHASE BORO DEFENDER?
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 8 MARCH 2017 AT 12:51PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Good afternoon Hammers, here is today's lunchtime round up.

The London Stadium has been named the 2016 Stadium of the Year. (Sky Sports)

I love the London Stadium, but I am pretty certain that this award is not
for football stadium of the year. It has many good things about it, but it
also has many bad things. However, I am certain that in time we can make it
one of the worlds top football stadiums.

West Ham have joined the race to sign Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson.
(Daily Star)

I think Gibson is a good player. He seems a very tidy defender who keeps it
simple, but also loves a hard challenge. I think he would be a good signing,
but not for the £30m fee that is being suggested.

The West Ham fan who ran on the pitch to confront Eden Hazard on Monday has
been arrested, and is set to receive a lifetime ban from the London Stadium.
(Daily Mail)

I don't think there was any real need for the fan to run onto the pitch. He
has just dug himself a hole and is now in a lot of trouble due to his
actions. I do hope that he does not receive a lifetime ban though, because I
think that would be incredibly harsh of the club.

West Ham's Boleyn Ground will turn into Upton Gardens, and a one bedroom
apartment is set to cost £350,000. (Essex Live)

Darren Randolph has warned his team-mates that they face another tough
battle against Bournemouth on Saturday. (Clubcall)

Bournemouth away is not an easy game at all. We should win in my opinion,
but it will not be that straight forward. No game in the Premier League is
easy, and the boys need to be switched on at all times to pick up the
points.

David Sullivan has given fans a transfer update and made a promise to West
Ham fans ahead of the summer transfer window. (HITC)

I know that fans are going to criticise him for this, but just have faith. I
really do believe that the board will spend big and bring some good players
to the club this summer so that we can push on in the league next season.

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West Ham 1-2 Chelsea (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 8th March 2017
By: HeadHammerShark


1. Cat's In The Bag....

As a teenager in the mid 90's I learned to play the guitar. I did this
because Oasis and Britpop were big at the time and having heard some of the
output produced in that era it didn't seem inconceivable that the simple act
of owning an instrument and having a functioning pair of arms was enough to
guarantee a career in the music industry. I'm pretty sure I formed this
opinion after seeing the singing mannequins that were Menswear at the
Reading Festival in 1995.

But the path to learning a musical instrument is quite challenging. Most
people give up before getting anywhere as the literal sound of it is painful
to listen to, particularly for your family. It's a frustratingly long
process that is illuminated only when you are finally able to get the
instrument to produce something recognisable as music. And then it's
brilliant.

My formative few months as a guitarist were spent trying to figure out how
to master "Mr Tambourine Man" and it was only when I eventually figured out
the chord change for the chorus that I would finally feel I was a musician.
No one could deny - that sounded like The Byrds. Move over Roger McGuinn,
there's a new sheriff in town. But the sad truth is that the one moment when
you finally make a sound that resembles the song you're trying to play is
but a fleeting instant. The rest of it still sounds like a cat being thrown
into a bottle bank.

Last night was our "Mr Tambourine Man". I won't say that nothing good
happened as it would be untrue. Manuel Lanzini was a delight, Pedro Obiang
showed something and Darren Randolph made a couple of tremendous saves. They
were our chorus key changes. The rest of it was borderline unwatchable. I
kept having visions of me excitedly asking my nonplussed sister whether she
liked that version and her responding, crushingly but honestly, with "Well,
what were you trying to play?".

Some of you criticised me last week for not being more positive about a 1-1
draw at Watford. Fair enough too, opinion pieces should invite other
opinions, but at some point it doesn't seem unreasonable to demand that we
have ambitions beyond beating only those teams below us in the table.

And somewhere Andre Ayew and Mark Noble just went hurtling into a bottle
bank.

2. ...And The Bag's In The River

Any analysis of this game has to start with Antonio Conte and Chelsea. It
may be painful to admit it but the Mewling Muscovites are a damn good team.
I had the pleasure of seeing Conte's Italy play in the summer against Spain
at the Euro's and the way in which they casually dismantled them was a
worrying prelude to this season.

They aren't a high pressing team in the style of Spurs or Liverpool, but
instead prefer to block passing lanes and funnel teams infield where
everything inevitably gets gobbled up by the human threshing machine that is
N'Golo Kante. There is an alleged weakness at the back in the air, which we
demonstrably tried to exploit by bombarding the back post with crosses.
Sadly, and shockingly, Andy Carroll was clearly struggling physically and
both Gary Cahill and David Luiz were imperious in dealing with that threat.
As evidence, consider that Snodgrass attempted 15 crosses in this game and
was successful with three. Aye Carumba, people.

Our best moments, as ever, came when Lanzini got on the ball. On the couple
of occasions he ghosted past Kante the game seemed to open up, but with our
wide players largely ineffective he had nowhere to go. It was a sobering 90
minutes that reminded me of nothing so much as the last days of Allardyce,
as we had only one plan for scoring. The only difference being that our
defensive organisation is shot to shit these days as a result of the
embarrassingly unbalanced nature of the squad.

Kouyate was once again wasted at right back because reasons, and in fairness
to him made a decent fist of trying to coral Eden Hazard, but it wasn't hard
to look at the centre of the park and feel that his energy and mobility
might have provided a useful counterbalance to Kante.

We actually had more possession tonight, primarily because Chelsea let us
have the ball knowing full well that our tendency to overload when going
forward left us terrifyingly susceptible to their rapid counter attacks. For
all that, we looked decent in the opening twenty minutes and had the better
of the early exchanges. As seems to be the way against the big teams,
however, we were punished for a mistake in the second quarter of the game
and the hope rushed out of the stadium like foam from an exploding fire
extinguisher.

This is where the London Stadium kills us. At Upton Park, even when we
weren't playing well, there was something to cling to. There was a history
that could be drawn upon, some muscle memories of famous victories and
hopeful chants could arise without seeming like a complete waste of time.
Here, there is nothing. Each home defeat follows the same script - plucky
start, defensive error, loss of atmosphere, 70 minutes of futility,
mystifying Andre Ayew appearance, rapidly emptying stadium, crowing away
fans and then a Tweet from a board member about how crazy it would be to
expect to ever beat the likes of {insert name of team we beat last year}.

As usual, @11tegen11 captures the action nicely. Chelsea created one very
good chance for Hazard and were gifted an even better one for Costa. We
huffed and puffed and worked undeniably hard, but created nothing until
Lanzini tucked one away skilfully in the 92nd minute. This was done in front
of the now customary swathes of empty seats, as we hardy remaining few all
cheered, looked at the clock and then realised we all had Azpilicueta in our
Fantasy League teams and had just lost a clean sheet.


3. Crazy Handful Of Nothin'

My great concern as I watched this game, is that in a certain context we
didn't actually play that badly tonight. That is not to say we played well,
but more that this might well have been about the best level this team could
produce. With no Antonio, no Payet and no credible goal scoring threat we
perhaps have to ask ourselves what more could they have managed?

I know that we failed miserably to exploit the gaps in behind Chelsea's wing
backs, and the defending on the second goal was risible, but isn't that what
you get when your team is bang average? So many players have lost form, and
so many are simply mediocre that it's perhaps the unpalatable truth that
right now this is just about the best we can hope for.

Take Lanzini, who was excellent tonight but wasn't even among the best five
performers on the pitch (Kante, Luiz, Cahill, Alonso, Hazard as I know
you'll be asking). There is a distressing lack of quality in the side right
now that no amount of hard work or good intentions can mask. Feghouli and
Snodgrass both flickered briefly last night but can't be reasonably compared
to their Chelsea counterparts - and all this just a year after we outplayed
the Sibneft Squad home and away.

Snodgrass is an interesting player as we overpaid for him and therefore are
presumably invested in him being in the side for the foreseeable future, and
yet it shouldn't escape our attention that he was Hull's best player and
having sold him to us they have improved markedly. That's not a comment on
Snodgrass specifically, but more that with some clever recruiting it's
possible to lose good players and replace them....and as I type that I think
I might have realised the flaw in my plan.

4. Negro Y Azul

Andy Carroll deserves praise for tonight. He played, obviously injured and
never gave up. It's easy to expect that as standard from players who are
paid fortunes but we all know it's not that simple. In fairness to the whole
team it wasn't a lack of effort that did for us here, but a lack of quality.

Frustratingly Carroll has the latter attribute but a groin injury is clearly
going to impede his jumping ability and he never looked like winning a
header all night. He looked knackered after an hour, and I assumed he was
being replaced when Bilic made his substitutions but in the five minutes it
had taken Ayew to take his trousers off Winston Reid got injured and thus
Carroll was left to struggle on.

Say what you will, but the man never gives anything less than his all -
whether he's in a Shoreditch pub or a Premier League penalty area.

But, and it's a huge but, we have not yet discovered a viable way of playing
against good teams with him in the side. He lacks the mobility to play alone
up front in the style of, say, Diafra Sakho and thus has to play with a
partner. Antonio did that role well for a while, but was banned tonight,
seemingly paving the way for Ayew to get a game. Instead Bilic stuck with
Feghouli, which is fine as he's been good recently, but he couldn't get
anywhere close to Carroll leaving him like some sort of avant grade tribute
to the Angel of the North, marooned on his own, arms out, staring longingly
at Newcastle.

It's noticeable that on the only occasions when we have given decent teams a
game (Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs - all away, tellingly) Carroll has not
played. It might well be the case that he is a flat track bully - fine to
bring on and roll over the weaker teams in the division and simply a luxury
we can't afford against the better ones.

Of course, this ignores the six goals he scored against the Big 6 last
season, and the fact that when he has players up next to him he continues to
look a threat. It seems clear to me that the priority in the summer has to
be to find a striker who can play alongside Carroll, and for Bilic to
construct a way of playing that allows that pairing to get some service
against the best defences in the country.

5. Over

Just look at the state of this, from @SimonGleave at Gracenote Sports. Our
season laid out in all it's dubious glory, with each result essentially
entirely predictable based solely on the league table. Now, after years of
losing games against poor teams and indeed losing a Champions League spot
last year because of it, there is some comfort to be had in seeing that we
are beating exactly who we are supposed to.

Simon Gleave @SimonGleave
West Ham's only win against a team from the #PremierLeague top half was the
3-1 win at Southampton. Only 2 defeats v bottom half #COYI
6:54 AM - 7 Mar 2017
11 11 Retweets 9 9 likes

However, and this is key, there is absolutely nothing coming back against
the best. This isn't a failure specific to us as the Top 6 are decimating
the rest of the division regularly, but our failure to be even competitive
in those games is more embarrassing than a Harry Kane/Dele Alli goal
celebration.

Part of this can be explained by acknowledging that our performance last
year was extraordinary. We picked up 25 points in our games against the
current top 6, which Simon notes is the best return of any team outside that
group ever. By contrast, the best outcomes this year have been from Everton
who have nine points. Our crash back down to earth has been as predictable
as it has been painful. Home games against Man City, Man United, Arsenal and
Chelsea have seen us manage a total of 10 shots on target as opposed to a
combined 35 for our opponents. That's not losing - that's being brutalised.

The sad thing is that a trip to West Ham used to be an acid test of a
title-chasing team's credentials. Plenty of teams saw their challenges
falter at Upton Park, most recently last season when Spurs visibly shat
themselves and threw away any hope of the title. A public service on par
with 1966, I'm sure you'll all agree. Not so this season, as any half decent
team has turned up and rolled us over easily.

Simon points out that we actually have exactly the same number of points
from our games with teams 7-20 as we did at the same stage last season. Our
decline is therefore due entirely to our failure to compete with the likes
of Man City, Arsenal and the Rouble Rabble.

Whether you consider this to be a simple regression to the mean, or a woeful
underperformance, it is irritating to me that there seem to be some around
the Club who view these defeats as inevitable. I don't buy the "no shame in
losing to these teams" argument. Give me a fucking break. Or more accurately
a refund. On the day the Club start charging less for games they don't
expect to win then they can roll out that line. Until then - find a way to
win. There is always a bit of shame in losing when you are a professional
football team.

6. No Más

So where does all of this leave Bilic? With a year left on his contract
there is talk of an extension in the summer, which doesn't seem unreasonable
given that two consecutive top half finishes would be an achievement not
managed by any of his predecessors since Harry Redknapp did it three years
in a row from 1998 - 2000 before losing his mind and spending the Rio
Ferdinand money on a family of travelling acrobats.

Yet, Bilic has been bequeathed a windfall that none before him could dream
of having. The final season at a stadium generally always produces a lift,
just as the first three seasons in a new ground usually see a decline - hey,
come back and renew those season tickets folks! As he benefitted from the
Allardycian staples of a strong defence and unlimited chewing gum in the
manager's office, he also had a world-class playmaker around which to build.
And in his defence, he did it majestically. There were flaws of course, and
these are being brutally exposed this season, but for one heady,
intoxicating year he could do no wrong.

On to that was then tacked the gleaming new stadium, allowing us to pack in
an extra twenty thousand fans a week, get them all to pay £6.50 for a
chicken burger and simultaneously attract a better class of player. It was
everything we'd ever dreamed it would be.

In reality, we now play in a Scaffolded Palace of Mediocrity with a team who
are probably improving but play so far away from my seat that I can't be
entirely sure. I think he probably deserves the security of an extension and
the benefit of a summer of decent spending, but I also accept that he is not
the manager who is going to breach the now monumental gap to the Big 6.

In truth, therefore I am forced to admit that whilst I dream (nonsensically)
of Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone, I am in favour of keeping Bilic simply
because I don't think the people who would choose his replacement have any
fucking idea what they are doing.

7. Half Measures

This game once again brought a nasty subject to the fore. Is Mark Noble
worth his place in the side? I'm always slightly wary of this question
because I'm not sure I can be all that objective. Mark Noble is me if I had
any talent. He is literally living my dream by captaining West Ham, playing
professional football and having a rather saucy tattoo on his hips.

But with Obiang growing in stature each week and Kouyate displaced, there is
a focus falling on the skipper. To some he is slow and predictable, without
the necessary athleticism to survive in the 'roided-up world of Premier
League midfields. To others he is our heartbeat, a leader with experience
and grit who sets the tone when it needs to be set.

The truth doubtless lies in the middle, although the Chelsea opener didn't
help as he inexplicably failed to cross into a packed penalty area and
instead shifted it to Snodgrass before watching helplessly as Hazard and
Pedro cut us to ribbons on the counter attack.

I think that part of the issue is that with Kouyate visibly being displaced,
it clearly shines a light on Noble. With all the other problems in the team
- conceding goals, no right back, no fit strikers, no one can take a fucking
corner - I don't think that central midfield is going to make to much of a
difference. Obiang and Kouyate would be better but probably not materially
enough to paper over any of those problems. A spell out of the limelight
might make a few people appreciate that Noble, for instance, is our best
midfielder at coming deep and using the ball with a view to getting Lanzini
in advanced central positions.

His form has dropped from last year, as it has for most, but he still has
much to offer. One thing that was obvious here however, was that his lack of
pace was brutally exposed when Chelsea broke on us with the speed of John
Terry nipping round to his neighbour's house.


8. Hazard Pay

Talking of fast counter attacks, that first goal was frighteningly good. It
seems churlish to critics Randolph given that the ball was lost 70 yards
from his goal and none of his team mates would get a foot on it again before
it was past him. Still, his effort to save it rather resembled a fat guy
falling slowly into a swimming pool, whilst trying not to spill his beer.

At the other end of the spectrum, his save from Costa's turn and shot was
stunning. And therein lies the conundrum with our goalkeepers. Both seem to
produce roughly similar results, suggesting that the defence in front of
them isn't brilliant, and yet neither inspire total confidence.

In his sixteen games since winning his place, Randolph has kept three clean
sheets and I can't decide if he's average or really quite good seeing as how
he is often both in the same game. If we really are after Joe Hart in the
summer, I wouldn't really think that was a great use of limited funds given
that goalkeeper is the easiest position to upgrade cheaply, but I could see
the underlying reason for thinking that was a good buy.

9. Cornered

When they weren't singing "Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea" and muttering words of
thanks to their Russian Mafia benefactors, the visiting fans goaded us with
a round of "You're not West Ham anymore". If you're like me your eyes
probably just about rolled out of your head hearing that, but on some level
it might be worth paying some attention.

See, if any fans know about having the soul ripped out of their club, and
watching it turn into a soulless vampire squid, then it's Chelsea. I don't
say that in criticism of them - it's not their fault after all - even if the
nouveau fans with their Super Frankie Lampard scarves are a bit much to
take. The irony is that the Leningrad Lemmings are pretty much where we want
to be.

I get that people will be disgusted at the thought of being compared to a
plastic plaything club, who are built on money accumulated during Russian
aluminium wars, but the output is the thing to look at here. Their
transformation from mid-table mediocrity to the finest team roubles could
buy is the path we're trying to tread. It's the reason we had our Mayor of
Casterbridge moment and struck out in pursuit of future glory, leaving our
past behind.

The issue is that the mediocrity we have been served up this season simply
isn't going to suffice. The fans are owed a debt. You can't turn us into
Chelsea 2017 off the pitch and leave us as Chelsea 1994 on the pitch - it's
not what we signed up for.

I've read plenty of fans who tell me they don't want success if the price is
being Chelsea, but I have no idea why. The "game", whatever you might think
it is, disappeared some time ago. We're paying a grand a year to watch TV
games we got for free as kids, Man Utd players are advertising X-Men films,
Chelsea have 30 players out on loan largely to deprive them from their
competitors, the FA Cup is sponsored and Paul Pogba is the most expensive
player in the world despite not being remotely close to the world's best.

Whatever Corinthian ideal that those fans are clinging to is dead in the
water. I want to win. My money is just as good as anyone else's and if the
price I have to pay is some Japanese tourists or opposition fans telling me
I'm a glory hunter, then that's a price I'm willing to pay.

This summer feels hugely significant in this sense. We've done the transfer
failures to death, but they've got to get this team on an upward tilt, and
soon, before those fans who were lured by the new stadium and the prospect
of a Payet-fuelled revolution start to lose the faith.


10. Say My Name

Last night was another game where, upon reaching a designated time, the
crowd (including our visiting friends from Russia, good on them) broke into
a minute's applause. This has become customary all over the country and
isn't unique to West Ham, although there seem to have been a number of
instances at our home games recently.

On this occasion the stadium stood to applaud eight-year-old Zara Witherall
who tragically died of cancer recently and it was touching and heartbreaking
in equal measure. My own daughters are seven, nine and 11 so I can barely
type this without tearing up. I can't even imagine the pain her family must
be feeling, and completely understand the desire to remember her at a place
where they came in the same spirit as the rest of us - more in hope than
expectation, but as a family to share the experience.

So let me be clear that I know her grieving family and friends don't need
some twat of an internet blogger telling them how to grieve. If this gave
them - and particularly her father, if you'll allow me to project my own
fears for a moment - a crumb of comfort, then it was worth it. Indeed, I
felt rather proud that the Club agreed to do it.

But I wonder at what point does this end? We are a big club with a big
fanbase and it feels like a decent number of our fans must pass away each
fortnight. How do the Club determine who gets afforded this particular
honour? What happens when two families want it to be offered to their
relative and the Club have to make some sort of terrible decision about who
deserves it more?

In this era where social media allows some to publicise their every emotion
and demand immediate acknowledgment from distant acquaintances, we are being
press ganged into public displays of grief for people we don't know. On
every single occasion it has been a tragic story and I've convinced myself
that it was the right thing to do, I'm a bit worried that at some point I'm
going to read up on it and find myself saying "I'm sorry - but he's only
died". Christ, I feel like a bastard just writing that, but there you go.

So, a suggestion. The Club are in an invidious position here. They seem
cruel and unfeeling if they turn down the requests, but can't acquiesce
every time without turning games into remembrance services. However, you may
not know this but we have the largest digital wrap in Europe. It's enormous
and can be seen from Stratford Station - roughly the same distance as the
touchline to the bench, if you're wondering - and is visible to at least
40,000 fans a game.

Could the Club not display the messages there in the lead up to matches? In
that example it wouldn't just be a minute, but the messages could be
replayed throughout the build up to the game, allowing people to take a some
time to remember those who have passed away without shoehorning it in to a
game of football. For example, I can't imagine it having quite the same
poignancy if the picture goes up during the game and the referee chooses
that moment to wrongly send off Sofiane Feghouli, or award Spurs a penalty
or we concede to Millwall.

I'm sure you'll all let me know if I'm way out of step on this particular
point.

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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Michail Antonio's revelations prove embarrassing for Fulham, QPR and
Brentford
HITC
Damien Lucas

West London trio Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford have been
embarrassed by revelations from a West Ham United star. The Hammers have
turned their season around in the last three months with Michail Antonio a
key figure in that rejuvenation. In truth the former non league player has
been one of the club's key players over the last year, with Andy Carroll
recently describing the former Nottingham Forest man as West Ham's best
player - even when Dimitri Payet was still with the Hammers. His form, goals
and assists resulted in England call-ups and reported interest for West
Ham's bitter London rivals Chelsea. The Sun claim Chelsea's Antonio, Conte,
wants West Ham's Antonio and will be back in for him in the summer but West
Ham are hoping they can tie him to a new deal.

His rise to prominence is all the more embarrassing for Fulham, QPR and
Brentford, though, after the player - who cost West Ham just £7m from Forest
- revealed all three passed up the opportunity to sign him. Speaking on BBC
5 Live, Antonio told a story that is enough to make fans of the West London
trio cringe. "When I was around 10, 11, 12 I used to play community for
Fulham and the one day I didn't go the Fulham scouts came in," he told
Jermaine Jenas and Carl Fletcher on 5 Live. "All the players the coaches
said I was better than, got scouted. I think it was a christening I went to.
"I was at AFC Wimbledon, but they didn't want to pay for my registration
fee, it was £7. "I went to QPR on a six-week trial before I went to
(non-league) Tooting and Mitcham. I passed every fitness test, I did
everything I needed to do. "Then they've gone 'This reserve game, if you do
well here then you could get signed'. I scored one and I set one up. They've
come back to me and said 'You didn't put enough crosses in'. "I went to
Brentford after QPR didn't sign me, played in two games, scored in one game
and set (a goal) up in the other game. They said 'He's a good player but
there's other things that he needs to work on, we'll keep an eye on him' and
within three months of that I signed for Reading."

The powerful Londoner has been a breath of fresh air since bounding into the
West Ham first team last winter. The ultimate grafter, his pace, energy,
effort, workrate, enthusiasm, versatility, assists and goals have been
crucial. All those clubs who turned down the chance to snap him up earlier
in his career will be cursing themselves now with the player worth at least
£40 million in the current market.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ref watch: Bobby Madley to referee AFC Bournemouth v West Ham United
Posted: Wed 08 Mar 2017
Author: afcb.co.uk

Wakefield referee has been the man with the whistle at 20 games ahead of his
second trip of 2016/17 to Dorset this weekend. Madley's other AFC
Bournemouth match this season was a memorable one, the 31-year-old taking
charge of the 4-3 win over Liverpool at Vitality Stadium. Madley has shown
just the one red card so far during this campaign and took to the field last
weekend for the big game at Anfield where Arsenal lost 3-1 at the hands of
Liverpool. Older brother Andy is a also a referee, officiating games in the
EFL, with Bobby in charge at Wembley last season for the Championship play
off final between Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday. Assistants at Vitality
Stadium on Saturday will be Peter Kirkup and Stephen Child, with Roger East
acting as the game's fourth official.

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West Ham challenging Arsenal for Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson - despite
astronomical fee
HITC
Olly Dawes

Arsenal and West Ham United are reportedly vying for Middlesbrough defender
Ben Gibson. According to the London Evening Standard, West Ham United are
interested in signing Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson this summer, with
Arsenal also keen. Boro have struggled for goals in the Premier League this
season, with just 19 goals to their name – by far the lowest total in the
top flight this term.
Whilst Aitor Karanka's men have found putting the ball in the net difficult,
they have been impressive at the other end of the pitch, conceding just 30
goals in 27 games. That's the best defensive record in the bottom half of
the table, and only four teams have conceded few goals – Chelsea, Tottenham,
Manchester City and Manchester United.
The leader of the Boro defence is centre back Ben Gibson, who played a key
role in the club's promotion to the top flight last season before becoming a
star Premier League defender this season. Gibson, 24, is the nephew of Boro
chairman Steve Gibson, and his outstanding performances have seen him tipped
for a call-up to the England squad under former Boro manager Gareth
Southgate. The left-footed centre back has played every single minute of
Middlesbrough's Premier League campaign, and the London Evening Standard now
report that Arsenal and West Ham United are both keen to sign him at the end
of the season.
Whilst Middlesbrough's possible relegation could weaken their position, it's
stated that they would use John Stones' move to Manchester City last summer
as a gauge for their valuation of Gibson, and they will slap a £30m price on
his head. That may well be beyond West Ham this summer, whilst manager
Slaven Bilic does already have Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna, James Collins
and January signing Jose Fonte at his disposal in the heart of defence. As
talented as Gibson is, it's hard to see West Ham splashing so much money on
him unless Reid leaves this summer, with Arsenal almost certainly in a
better position to land one of English football's top young centre backs.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manuel Lanzini continues coming of age
by Scott Johnson33 minutes agoFollow @greensthammers

Many fans felt the departure of Dimitri Payet would leave the side devoid of
creativity in the midfield. But West Ham have a new midfield maestro in the
form of Manuel Lanzini. It's always a tough feeling when you come away from
a match like West Ham did against Chelsea. In a real footballing sense they
played well. But they took no points from the match and once again the
attack looks lost for ideas.

However Manuel Lanzini looks well at home in the Premier League. His quick
feet and eye for a pass almost got the Hammers in at Chelsea a few times,
even if his shooting was a little off until his goal late on. The Hammers
have a real gem in their squad, but they need to take advantage of it.

Lanzini is the type of player who benefits from the work rate of others
around him. He is exceptional at exploiting space but if the defence can
simply track him without worrying about the other players then he will not
be able to do his job.

Everyone saw little glimpses today that he would be able to get into the
Chelsea defence, but not often enough. His work with Carroll is good,
because the big front man always drags defenders away. However the wingers
let him down today.

Snodgrass is more of a ball player than an out and out winger. There have
been very few occasions where he is going to knock the ball past his man and
beat him for pace. However he can present a danger with his wicked left
foot, although I'd like to see him cut inside more to present a different
option.

Feghouli I was disappointed with for a different reason. He has bags of pace
yet very rarely did we see him come in to try and use it against the back 3.
Changing up your runs is essential for a winger so you can lose your market,
but it wasn't done often enough. Add to that the fact his crossing was all
over the place and he didn't have a great game going forward.

West Ham have to start making use of Lanzini's talents, before they lose him
to a Premier League rival. Liverpool were said to be interested last year,
and I can see him fitting right in there.

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West Ham fans post heart-warming tributes to Dylan Tombides on his birthday
The Hammers star would have been 23 today
Football London
BYADAM JONES
08:36, 8 MAR 2017

West Ham fans have been paying heart-warming tribute to Dylan Tombides on
what would have been the Hammers star's 23rd birthday. The striker sadly
passed away in April 2014 after a battle with testicular cancer. West Ham
retired the number 38 shirt in the youngsters honour and, in February 2015,
The "Dylan Tombides DT38" foundation was launched raise funds and awareness
for testicular cancer. The Australian made one professional appearance for
West Ham, coming on as a substitute in a League Cup game against Wigan
Athletic, replacing Gary O'Neil. And this morning, on the day that Tombides
would have turned 23-years-old, the tributes have been pouring in from
Hammers fans across the world for a player that was taken away from us far
too soon.

Tom King @TomFredriKing
Happy Birthday Didge ?? @Dylantombides
7:33 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Donna @DHammerLesurf
Happy heavenly birthday @Dylantombides. Gone but not forgotten
#WestHamFamily #COYI
6:53 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Neil Thompson @NeilWHUThompson
Happy 23rd birthday @Dylantombides Gone but never forgotten. We miss you
brother.
7:22 AM - 8 Mar 2017

West Ham HQ @WestHam_HQ
The late Dylan Tombides was born on 8 March 1994. Forever in our thoughts
#DT38
8:05 AM - 8 Mar 2017

West Ham Edits @WestHamEdits_
On the 8th March 1994 Dylan Tombides was born, and has never been and never
will be forgotten????? @Dylantombides
8:13 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Stuart Fazakerley @stuartfaz
Happy 23rd birthday, @Dylantombides. A life, though lost too soon, that will
forever be an inspiration to footballers everywhere #coyi
4:34 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Claret & Blue Army @ClaretBlue_Army
Birthday thoughts for our young player Dylan Tombides... snatched away at
such a young age... ??#DT38 #COYI #WestHamUnited ?????
7:33 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Donna @DHammerLesurf
Happy heavenly birthday @Dylantombides. Gone but not forgotten
#WestHamFamily #COYI
6:53 AM - 8 Mar 2017

Adam Dowie ? @1990_Dowie
R I P DYLAN TOMBIDES ?????? #WHUFC #COYI
7:16 AM - 8 Mar 2017 · Bexley, London

danny? @dxnnyy_
Rest in Peace @Dylantombides???
Forever in our hearts.??????
8:08 AM - 8 Mar 2017

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Has West Ham's right-back solution been staring them in the face all along?
By James Jones - Mar 8, 2017 0
westhamworld.co.uk

As players get older they tend to take on a much deeper role on the pitch so
that their energy levels are reserved. We've seen this is many players over
the years, more recently Wayne Rooney as he moved from striker to attacking
midfielder. Could Mark Noble take on the role for the right-back position?
Noble is West Ham through and through, and I'm sure he would even play in
goal if that meant he was still playing for the club.

West Ham's larger pitch means that the central midfield spot requires a
player that has speed, whereas the Upton Park pitch was smaller, which meant
players without much pace had little ground to cover. Due to the openness of
the London Stadium, players with pace thrive on counter attacks with quick
passing to cut open the midfield and defence in a matter of seconds. Noble
has never been gifted with pace and always made ground by his distribution.

Some would say that the right back-position requires a defender to run up
and down the line constantly, but if you push both full backs up, that
leaves a huge space for our centre backs to cover. This means the centre of
the park is exposed and our centre midfield players have to drop back as
quick as they can.

Noble cannot get there in time, but Obiang can, and with Kouyate trying to
get back from an attacking position, he is already out of the game. Now, if
we swapped Noble for Kouyate, we would see two tall and quick midfielders
filling the void left by Reid or Fonte, whilst an attacking Noble is
trudging back.

The main threat of conceding a goal is down the middle because that's where
the goal is. Crosses can come in, but if the middle of the park was covered
by centre backs and midfielders, it would provide a mobile wall in front of
the goal, preventing any shots or possible through balls.

We need to keep the ball away from the goal and out wide where angles are
narrowed. It's very rare you see a direct goal from a position near the
corner flag or in the opposition's half.

Noble is a great tackler and has a very good passing ability, switching the
play from left to right. This is what Obiang is now doing. Noble can sit
back, linking up with Fonte and Kouyate to enable passes to feed in current
right winger Sofiane Feghouli. Noble would still be able to take deep free
kicks, which would also allow another midfielder in the box as we would be
using a defender, who would be behind the ball anyway.

I believe that our captain marvel Noble can cover this position, leading by
example until the end of the season. We would see an attacking Michail
Antonio on the right hand side, linking up with Nobes, and we could see a
formidable partnership between Kouyate and Obiang, a very similar pairing
like Arsenal's Petit and Vieira.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
GETTING READY TO STAND STILL OR LAYING FOUNDATIONS FOR THE NEXT STEP?
By HamburgHammer 8 Mar 2017 at 08:00
WTID

I can't feel too much disappointment about the Chelsea defeat really.
Chelsea are where they are for a good reason, their squad is one of the most
expensive in the League and they are led by a very shrewd and experienced
manager. If you want to beat Chelsea this season you need a near perfect
performance from your side with a minimum number of mistakes plus some luck
on top of that and maybe also Chelsea having a bad day at the office at the
same time. Too much to ask really and all academic as soon as we made those
costly mistakes gifting them their goals.

Teams like Chelsea don't need written invitations when presented with
goalscoring opportunities like this, they pounce, they perform, they punish,
calm, cold-blooded, clinical, it's what they do.

The 1:2 scoreline doesn't quite reflect that it was very much men against
boys on the night, we had as much possession as we did because Chelsea
allowed that to happen and because they pretty well knew that we lacked the
kind of pace needed to be a hazard to them, pardon the pun. Chelsea have
more hazards than just Hazard. That's the problem here.

The game simply showed the gulf that exists between a small elite group of
clubs and the rest making up the numbers, merely jogging along, quite
literally. Just playing in a massive stadium, especially if you only rent
it, doesn't really change matters in that respect. It also doesn't
miraculously make players want to play for West Ham, there are other factors
which are much more at the forefront of players' minds than the stadium they
play in. West Ham over the last 12 months had to learn this the hard way it
seems…

I actually wanted to focus on a lot of positives coming out during the last
few days in terms of West Ham United. The best news from my point of view is
that Bilic will sign a contract extension soon. It appears to be just a
rolling contract rather than a five year deal, but we all know that long
term deals don't prevent a club hierarchy from sacking a manager two months
later if need be. It also doesn't really force a manager to stay put despite
getting more attractive offers from bigger clubs.

As you know I consider Bilic to be pretty much a perfect fit for our club.
Don't confuse this with me saying Bilic is the perfect manager, he is not,
he has his flaws, he makes mistakes. And he still needs more experience
(which comes with making said mistakes and learning from them). But he is a
person oozing class and charisma. As a manager he continues to learn and he
clearly loves West Ham.

A love which is being reciprocated tenfold by the vast majority of our
fanbase. As a manager he is not the finished article yet, in truth very few
managers are and they do already have jobs at big clubs paying them a
fortune anyway, so I am more than happy to see Bilic at the helm of West Ham
for the next two seasons at least.

There have also been rumours of contract extensions including better terms
for both Antonio and Obiang. It's all they deserve really and while I am not
as naive to think this will be enough to fend off the interest from the
vultures at bigger clubs come the summer, at least it is an expression of
acknowledgment from our board of those players' contributions to our
performances this season.

It's all you can do as club owners in order to keep players happy really and
persuade them to stay at West Ham rather than riding the bench at Chelsea or
Man United. Oh yes, there actually is another thing you can do: Add some
quality in the summer by signing proper players that significantly and
immediately improve the team.

That costs money obviously and if, as Mark Noble claimed after the final
game at the Boleyn, the club is indeed no longer being run like a circus,
then our transfer dealings need to change significantly:

a) Don't announce to all and sundry how much money is in the transfer kitty.
b) Don't announce your targets publicly until the moment they have changed
their status from target to new signing, holding up the shirt as West Ham
players, grinning from ear to ear on the OS.
c) Go for realistic targets you actually have a chance of signing, not guys
who will only sign for clubs playing CL football. Don't waste time on pie in
the sky players.
d) Make realistic offers if you are really interested in signing someone.
Don't make a lowball offer that only insults both the player and the selling
club. You can haggle for a leather jacket on a Turkish street market. You
cannot haggle in the same manner for a player of Premier League standard.

On another note there will be a lot of Rice on the menu at Rush Green in the
coming years, Declan Rice that is. The young Irish defender has signed a new
deal that will keep him at the club until 2020. I cannot claim to have seen
him play a lot obviously, only on the rare occasions when I have had the
pleasure to see our development squad play. But he already was on the bench
for our first team for our Boxing Day win against Swansea. He also has
captained the U23 side which also says a lot about the development of the
player.

Of course there can be no guarantees. Declan's best position is CB and in
first team terms there are Reid, Ogbonna, Fonte and Collins ahead of him in
the pecking order. Plus other young prospects like Oxford and Burke. So Rice
will have an uphill struggle to force his way into the side. But if he has
what it takes it's going to happen eventually. Another plus is his
versatility. From what I've read he can also play as a holding midfielder
and a decent taker of set pieces. It'll be exciting to see his progression
in the near future.

As for the progression of our club in general it really boils down to what
the owners do, starting with the upcoming transfer window. Will there be a
real statement of intent in the summer or more business as usual ? Good
quality signings and highly rated prospects or more dodgy loan deals/players
taken from the scrapheap of other clubs?

Like many others I ordered the DVD of "Iron Men", the docudrama portraying
some West Ham characters and diehard fans throughout our final Boleyn
season. I can't wait to watch it in full, but the trailer already gave away
a fascinating quote from Karren Brady:

For our supporters this is a church, a holy place. It's a huge
responsibility to take that away from them.
That quote bears massive significance as it shows that the board was very
aware of what Upton Park means to the fans. Some will say the very fact we
moved to London Stadium which isn't a football stadium at all shows that the
board failed in terms of taking responsibility.

Others will be a bit more patient, give us a bit more time to settle in the
new surroundings. I can live with this compromise of a stadium as long as
it's balanced out by a squad worthy of playing in a 60k or even 66k stadium
where the pitch is as far removed from the first row of seats as it is.
We've gone from a very beloved smallish church with rusty old charme to a
giant but somewhat cold and artificial cathedral.

To stay in the picture I now want one hell of a priest exciting the crowd,
sorry, congregation from his pulpit with some outstanding performances. Plus
a great choir with silky voices, praising the footballing gods by singing
glorious hymns that will make the people come back for more time and time
again.

The Boleyn is almost gone now and we will never play there again. The London
Stadium will change and evolve over time, but will it ever be a proper
football stadium? I'm not convinced we will still see the same stadium there
in 40 or 50 years and I doubt the running track will stay much longer than
10 years. But if we are to remain in a massive stadium such as this the
owners need to deliver in terms of the quality of players wearing the West
Ham shirt.

Our club has changed almost beyond recognition as it is. The board have
taken the deliberate decision to take away the holy place from the fans.
They really need to get their act together now. Otherwise the London Stadium
will be a holy place for an entirely different reason than the Boleyn was.
The London Stadium could be holy as there may soon be plenty of holes of
unsold seats throughout the stadium if we continue to field midtable teams.

We didn't make this move to be midtable. We didn't make the move to tread
water. The summer will be crucial. It'll tell us a lot about the owners.
COYI!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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