Antonio grateful for Mum's advice
WHUFC.com
On Mother's Day, Michail Antonio has paid tribute to the sound advice given
to him by his Mum.
The No30 revealed how his mother was determined that he complete his
education before trying to embark on a career as a professional footballer
as a teenager.
The winger explained how he was told he could not join Tottenham Hotspur at
the age of 14 due to the travelling and late nights having a negative effect
on his schooling. And, looking back, Antonio said his Mum was right.
"I was going to go to uni," the Hammers leading goalscorer revealed. "At
that moment I was in college doing a BTEC and I actually got into
Southampton University to do Sports Science. So in the following September I
would have gone to uni, but I managed to get signed [by Reading in 2008].
"I was thinking of becoming a PE teacher, so I've had other plans, but there
was only one thing in my heart and that was football.
"At 14, the manager of my school also coached at Tottenham and he got a
scout to come down. Me and my friend both got scouted and he scored an
unbelievable overhead kick from outside the box! So, he went and my Mum said
'No' because, to be honest, I lived in south London and would have had to
travel to north London every day.
"I also had to do college, so I'd have got home at eleven o'clock at night
and then had to get up to go to school. My Mum said 'football isn't a
guarantee, but education is' and 'education comes first' and I think it's
one of the best things she could have ever done for me, to be honest,
because I've now got my education and I've also got my football."
Happy Mother's Day to Hammers-supporting Mums everywhere!
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Clean sheets galore
WHUFC.com
FIFA World Cup qualifying victories for Jose Fonte and Edimilson Fernandes
Darren Randolph, Fonte, Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford all kept clean sheets
for their respective sides
Oxford celebrated helping England qualify for UEFA European U19 Championship
finals
West Ham United's internationals have enjoyed a productive few days, with
Darren Randolph, Jose Fonte, Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford all keeping clean
sheets for their respective sides.
On Friday, Oxford kicked things off by helping England U19s qualify for the
UEFA European U19 Championship finals by beating Spain 3-0 at St George's
Park. Having beaten Norway by the same scoreline in their opening Elite
Round qualifier, England know they will go to Georgia in the summer,
whatever the result against Belarus on Monday.
Later on Friday, Martin Samuelsen appeared as a substitute as Norway U21s
were beaten 3-1 by Portugal in a friendly.
Randolph then kept a clean sheet as Republic of Ireland drew 0-0 with
ten-man Wales in Dublin in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Both sides remain
unbeaten in Group D, but Ireland have eleven points to Wales' seven and the
nations side second and third respectively. James Collins was an unused
substitute for Chris Coleman's side.
On Saturday, Declan Rice and Cullen were both in action for Ireland's
age-group sides in the afternoon, with different results. Rice's U19s had
beaten Italy 2-0 in their opening Elite Round qualifier, but lost 3-0 to
Sweden. They will need to beat Belgium on Tuesday evening and hope Sweden do
not beat Italy to join England at the final tournament.
Cullen captained Ireland's U21s to a 1-0 victory over Kosovo in Dublin in
their own opening UEFA European U21 Championship qualifier - and the
first-ever in Kosovo's history.
Finally on Saturday, after Edimilson Fernandes watched Switzerland defeat
Latvia 1-0 in World Cup qualifying, Jose Fonte played the full 90 minutes
for Portugal as Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Hungary
in Lisbon.
Slaven Bilic will hope the Hammers' band of internationals will bring the
confidence drawn from a successful weekend back to Rush Green ahead of
Saturday's Premier League trip to Hull City.
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TACTICAL ANALYSIS OF SLAVEN BILIC
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 26 MARCH 2017 AT 9:13PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Elliot Sheaf @topcornermag
There's been a lot of debate recently over the future of Slaven Bilic. I can
honestly say I currently don't fall either side off the argument, but recent
games have shaken my once blind trust is Super Slav. We can all agree that
his passion is indisputable and off the field issues have been less than
ideal, but to what extent does his commitment and these problems overshadow
any level headed analysis of his performance as a manger this season? I
wanted to try and see beyond this and have a look at what I think tactically
has gone wrong, and whether the responsibility all lies with Bilic for what
is happening on the field.
Our main problem tactically at the moment seems to be that we have no set
philosophy or system. Our starting lineup is often at odds with the style of
play, with none of our players strengths being utilised in a way that
improves team performance. Are we a direct team playing off Carroll? Are we
a free flowing passing side? Or do we soak up pressure and hit teams on the
break? Trick question. We are none of the above, and I'm not even sure what
we're trying to be.
Defence
Defensively we have been awful, not only this year but for large parts of
last season as well, leaking goals and making by far the most mistakes that
lead to goals in the Premier League. Fullback has become one of the most
important positions in the modern game, and we've been left woefully behind
in our attempts to keep up. It pains me to say, but Spurs and Chelsea have
clearly got it spot on in this regard, their wing backs often start
attacking moves and are always an outlet for the midfield, but they have the
freedom to play this way due to the security of the three centre backs or
energetic centre midfield covering in behind them if they're caught short.
This is where we seem to be in two minds.
The general feeling seems to be that its was Slav's choice not to sign a
right back in the summer, stating that Antonio could be converted to that
position, clearly a statement of intent for him and Cresswell to be bombing
forward whenever possible. However we combine this with only two centre
backs and having a ponderously slow centre midfield to try and cover when
the full backs get forward, whether this is Antonio, Kouyate or Byram at
right back. So when mistakes are made (which they always will be) our lack
of cover leads to the countless times where teams cut through us in just a
few passes and to us conceding yet again. This, I think, is how we can
concede so many but can still come out thinking Reid had a good game!
Problems with personnel along the backline can be overcome with
organisation, good positioning and knowing your individual responsibility,
so we either bite the bullet and limit the forward intent of the fullbacks,
or get back to scoring one more goal than the opposition. Easier said than
done.
Midfield
Our lack of intensity in the middle of the park has been shocking this year.
We consistently lose the second and third balls, always looking a yard to
short or not sharp enough to anticipate the bounce. I refuse to believe that
this is down to lack of effort, but rather I think due to a mix of physical
and psychological fatigue.
When fully fit and in form, it all comes naturally and looks easy to the
spectators, but when in a torrid run as we have been this season that
moments hesitation is the difference which makes you half a yard short. It
looks as if constant niggling injuries (that's an article for someone far
smarter than me) and all the off the field problems has seeped in to the
players mind set and meant we have never really looked 100% all season.
The most contentious issue with our midfield lies with Mark Noble. Now, full
disclosure on this issue, I'm biased when it comes to Nobes. I think I'm
right in thinking that there is no other club in the Premier League with a
local lad and boyhood fan of the club as captain. This is a truly special
thing in todays game, and I wouldn't be surprised to not see it happen again
at West Ham in my lifetime. However his season is a perfect representation
of West Ham's as a whole..No energy, too many mistakes, out of ideas.But
never doubt the effort.
However you feel about Nobes holding his starting spot, its Slav that keeps
picking him and not acknowledging the likes of Kouyate or Fernandes could
give us a boost in the centre of the park. Fernandes, incidentally, is
currently second in the entire league for pass completion rate, albeit with
limited play time. Think about that next time a wayward pass leads to a
goal.
Attack
Andy Carroll has arguably been one of our top performers this year, however
when he is on the pitch we cannot ignore that fact that we have to play a
certain wait to suit his skillset, not only because whipping crosses in when
he is on the pitch is our best chance of grabbing a goal but also because
his lack of agility slows down build up play through the middle.
However we continuously see Lanzini or Antonio breaking through the middle
with nobody to play off, especially since 'he who shall not be named' has
left. Combine this with the fact that we only ever seem to play one real
wide player in the team when Carroll is on the field, it often leaves the
fullbacks isolated when trying to overlap in an effort to get the ball in.
We can't have it both ways, and I would even go as far as saying I'm not
sure Lanzini and Carroll can play in the same team at all. Both represent
completely different attacking intent, and I think we have looked best when
embracing either one of these, but instead we get a confused mess of both.
To be fair to Bilic and to the board, they have always been searching for
that centre forward that combines our two systems of play, both direct and
with fluid, intricate build up, its just that Zaza wasn't that player. I
might be alone in thinking that even when fit, I prefer Carroll as a Plan B,
especially considering how many goals we scored all around the team last
year without Carroll in team.
Bilic
So how much of this lies with Slav? One way in which I have always been
impressed with Slav is with his willingness and speed to make a change
during the game. He often throws on a sub at half time rather than seeing
how it goes in the second half, and obviously can read the flow of the game
very well from the touchline. However these changes are often forced due to
us not setting out correctly in the first place and when we ae chasing a
game in which we have already fallen behind, such as with arguably our best
performance this season against Palace.
He all to often sticks with a team that got a result last game, even when
the next game requires an altogether different challenge to the last. But
the main factor that has me worried for the rest of the season and the
future of Slav is the mentality of players and how it effects the intensity
on the pitch.
I can only remember a handful of times when we have looked up for it this
season, with us regularly falling behind early whilst still looking half
asleep, which is a problem that I place right on Slavs doorstep. If he cant
get the team fired up and focused for games it hints at a bigger problem
within the dressing room and motivation of the players.
For what its worth, I'd like to see Masuaku back in the team, as well as
Fernandes, especially considering our recent injury news. I'd want to see a
centre midfield of Noble and Kouyate with Fernandes playing in a more
attacking role in the middle and Antonio and Lanzini out wide. This might
give us more bite to win the midfield battle and give us a bit more energy
and cover when defending.
But thankfully its not my responsibility to fix the current situation, its
down to Slav. No doubt about it, these last 9 games are crucial for his
future at the club, I just hope we show enough to prove that he's our
man.I'm not holding my breath.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th March 2017
Byram - I wish we had a game sooner
WHUFC.com
Sam Byram says Hammers would rather be playing this weekend than on an international break
West Ham United have not won in their last five Premier League matches
Byram and company return to action at Hull City on Saturday 1 April
Sam Byram says West Ham United would rather be in action this weekend than in the middle of an international break.
The Hammers went into two-week hiatus in Premier League fixtures on a five-match winless run and having lost their last three at the hands of Chelsea, AFC Bournemouth and Leicester City.
However, with no game this weekend, Byram and company have to wait another week before they can attempt to put things right at Hull City on Saturday 1 April.
"We need to get points on the board so, for me, it's frustrating to have to wait two weeks until the next game," the right-back told West Ham TV. "I wish we had one sooner so we could put it right and build on that second half performance [against Leicester].
"We will use the time to get some fitness and organisation work in and we will look towards the next game.
"It's getting towards the end of the season and teams like Hull need points as well, so no game is easy at this time of the year. We'll do what we can to make sure we come away with three points."
West Ham have struggled defensively in recent weeks, conceding 17 goals in the eight matches they have played since their last clean sheet – a 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace on 14 January.
Byram has started two of those games – a 4-0 loss to Manchester City in February and last week's defeat by Leicester, both at London Stadium – but hopes to contribute to a more solid defensive set-up going forward.
Next up is a trip to the KCOM Stadium and a chance to complete a 'double' over Hull, who will go into the game sitting inside the relegation zone. It is a game Yorkshire-raised Byram is determined to start on his return to the North East.
"It was over a month between my last two starts and I think I'm a bit rusty, but I think I grew into the Leicester game," he observed.
"I like to get forward and express myself, obviously there are things I can improve on and I'll keep working on everything and kick on from there.
"You see the way we play with the two midfielders sitting and the full-backs high and wide and it does suit me down to a tee. I just need to keep going and see where I can help out."
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Phillips - We didn't make most of possession
WHUFC.com
Mark Phillips felt West Ham United U18s should have made more of their possession against Blackburn
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 at Little Heath
They are back in action on Friday away to Liverpool
Assistant manager Mark Phillips felt West Ham United U18s didn't make the most of their possession in their 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Little Heath.
The Hammers knew a win would have taken them top of Merit Group A, but Callum Wright scored the winner in the second half after Jahmal Hector-Ingram had cancelled out Bradley Lynch's opener.
Ben Johnson was shown a red card late on after two bookings, and Phillips was left ruing a missed opportunity after the match.
"I think we probably deserved a draw out of the game but they'll probably think they deserved to win," he admitted. "I thought we had lots of possession but we didn't create that many chances.
"Our response to going behind was excellent and for the next 30/35 minutes we dominated the ball. We played some nice, intricate football but, if I'm honest, we didn't create that many chances.
"We didn't work their keeper that much in that spell and they had a little spell just after half-time when they could have gone two up. I thought we came out in the second half excellently and then we did create some chances.
"When we equalised, I thought we would go onto to win the game but Blackburn set themselves up well and scored a good goal on the counter. Even after we went behind again, we still had chances. But Blackburn were clinical."
The Hammers were aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time since January but found themselves a goal down inside 2 minutes. Lynch broke the offside trap and coolly slotted past Tyler Forde.
The hosts almost responded though ten minutes later – Hector-Ingram latched onto a long ball from Conor Coventry and was brought down in the penalty area.
The Hammers frontman stepped up but his penalty was brilliantly saved by Ben Ashcroft who, in doing so, maintained his side's advantage.
In the second half, the young Irons stepped up their search for an equaliser and were hugely unlucky when Anthony Scully's free-kick was tipped over by Ashcroft.
Moments later, the hosts got their reward. Coventry and Hector-Ingram combined again and the latter did well to stay on his feet and fire past the keeper.
Blackburn regained the lead though ten minutes later when Callum Wright ran and finished well from long range.
The Hammers probed in the final stages but their pressure was slightly halted when Johnson was showed a second yellow card for simulation.
But the game ended in defeat for the U18s and they are back in action on Friday (7pm) when they visit Liverpool. You can keep up to date with the action at whufc.com or on our social channels.
West Ham: Forde; Eggleton, Akinola, Wells; Johnson, Henry (Ngakia, 46), Coventry, Longelo (Hannam, 61); Lewis (Hamilton, 84), Scully, Hector-Ingram.
Subs not used: Constantinou.
Goal: Hector-Ingram.
Yellow cards: Johnson, Coventry.
Red card: Johnson.
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY?
By Sean Whetstone 25 Mar 2017 at 08:00
WTID
We hear very little about Financial Fair Play these days from the West Ham board for one very good reason.
Clubs have now been allowed to increased their wage bills by £7m per season – up £4m on the previous three-year scheme.
Last year Premier League clubs quietly voted to continue the self-governing Premier League FFP scheme which will run for a further three years including this season.
The Hammers published a total wage bill of £84.7m in their 2016 accounts for last season but this includes non-playing staff which aren't included in the FFP cap. That was an increase of £12m on the 2015 wage bill of £72.7m which saw a £9m increase from 2014 when the wage bill was £63.8m
A financial source close to the club told us:
"For 2016-2017, we elected (along with the most other clubs) to take our actual (player wage) spend from 2015-2016 and add our annual allowance of £7.0m plus our Club Own Revenue Uplift (CORU) to give us the maximum amount we can spend on players plus NI. We remain well within this cap and will comply with the STCC rules. We did not go back to the 2013 base year as it was not in our interest to do so as we have generated CORU each year and if we went back to the base year it would limit our spend."
"For next season, 2107-2018, we will again elect to take our actual (player wage) spend in 2016-2017, and add £7.0m, plus CORU, to give us our maximum spend. We will comply with the STCC limits as we have for the last four years.
"For 2018-2019, we will take our actual spend in 2017-2018, and add £7.0m plus CORU to give us our maximum spend."
"Rest assured, we know our obligations and we know that the Premier League looks at this closely, and we would never risk breaking the rules."
"We have complied every year and will continue to do so. Suffice to say we operate within the rules and have sufficient headroom when required."
A source close to club said on FFP:
"Suffice to say we operate within the rules and have sufficient headroom when required"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham eyeing Reading boss Jaap Stam to replace Slaven Bilic as pressure grows on Hammers manager
The Irons' co-chairman David Sullivan expressed his frustration on the club's website after a 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth
The Mirror
BYSTEVE STAMMERS
22:30, 25 MAR 2017
Jaap Stam has jumped to the top of West Ham's wanted list to replace Slaven Bilic.
Pressure is again growing on Bilic after a disappointing run of results and talks over a new contract for the Croat have been shelved until the summer.
The Hammers' co-chairman David Sullivan expressed his frustration on the club's website after a 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth and publicly apologised to fans after last week's 3-2 home defeat to Leicester.
Former Manchester United star Stam has impressed at Reading, taking them into the play-off positions in the Championship in his first full-time job in management.
Stam – who held the manager's job at Dutch club Zwolle on a temporary basis – has signed a two-year deal at the Berkshire club.
If he takes the club to the play-offs and the brink of a place in the Premier League, it will mark an impressive turn around for a club that finished 17th in the Championship last season.
The attraction for West Ham would be the need to pay compensation to Reading of only one season's salary for the Dutchman.
Stam has expressed frustration at ownership issues at the Madejski with Reading's Thai's chiefs previously in talks with a Chinese group which fell through.
Stam said: "I don't know what's going to happen in the future which I think is very important for myself and for the club.
"If you want to do something, you need to have a plan for what you eventually want to achieve.
"You need to know what you're going to do with the team, the staff and the structure of the club."
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Stoke and West Ham lead chase for Andrew Robertson and Josh Tymon
Stoke are keeping close tabs on Scotland international Andrew Robertson
West Ham are monitoring Josh Tymon as they are also chasing new left back
Hull are currently 18th in the Premier League with nine games left to play
By Joe Bernstein for The Mail on Sunday
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 25 March 2017 | UPDATED: 00:00, 26 March 2017
Premier League clubs are already circling around Hull City's players in anticipation of their relegation with Stoke City looking at Scotland international defender Andrew Robertson and teenager Josh Tymon attracting interest from West Ham. Despite improvements under Marco Silva, the Tigers are still three points from safety and likely to prune their squad even further following the January departures of Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore. Robertson, 23, is a potential target for Stoke who are looking to sign a left back in the summer to provide competition for Erik Pieters and are also keeping an eye on Charlie Taylor of Leeds United.
Burnley made a £10million bid to sign Robertson in the last transfer window. Meanwhile, 17-year-old prospect Tymon is on West Ham's radar after impressing in 13 first-team appearances this season. Tymon, whose best position is also left back, is still on an academy contract of just £160-a-week after failing to reach a professional deal at the KCOM Stadium West Ham are adopting a policy of trying to sign good young British players. They have landed Sam Byram, England Under 19s international Nathan Holland and former Manchester United forward Ashley Fletcher. They also considered a move for Brentford forward Scott Hogan before being put off by the Championship club's valuation. Hogan eventually joined Aston Villa in a £12million deal at the end of the January window.
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West Ham owner David Gold hits back at Jason Cundy's scathing attack
The former Chelsea man had some strong words for the Hammers supremo
Football London
BYOLIVER HARBORD
15:32, 25 MAR 2017
WEST HAM
West Ham's joint owner David Gold often has something to say on Twitter and this time he has looked to hit back at former Chelsea player Jason Cundy. The ex-Blues player is a regular on talkSport and he claimed yesterday that Slaven Bilic should move leave the Hammers, blaming the owners. Cundy said: "He should seriously look at his options. Last year, they over-achieved, they were brilliant in a season with so much pressure. "Then moving to the new stadium, there was huge excitement, the two David's [Gold and Sullivan, co-chairmen] have said they want Champions League football. I thought there was something really going on at West Ham and being a contender for doing something. "But the two David's [Gold and Sullivan], the transfers they have given Bilic to deal with, the players they have said 'here's we want you to press on with' is just not good enough."
But now Gold has taken to social media to hit back at the pundit after his scathing attack.
David Gold ✔ @davidgold
Cundy doesn't no what he's talking about, taking player on loan with a view to buy is a good way to do business. Lanzini worked Zaza didn't
2:18 PM - 25 Mar 2017
25 25 Retweets 163 163 likes
It seems that Cundy and Gold aren't really on the best of terms at the moment!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Sam Byram says Hammers would rather be playing this weekend than on an international break
West Ham United have not won in their last five Premier League matches
Byram and company return to action at Hull City on Saturday 1 April
Sam Byram says West Ham United would rather be in action this weekend than in the middle of an international break.
The Hammers went into two-week hiatus in Premier League fixtures on a five-match winless run and having lost their last three at the hands of Chelsea, AFC Bournemouth and Leicester City.
However, with no game this weekend, Byram and company have to wait another week before they can attempt to put things right at Hull City on Saturday 1 April.
"We need to get points on the board so, for me, it's frustrating to have to wait two weeks until the next game," the right-back told West Ham TV. "I wish we had one sooner so we could put it right and build on that second half performance [against Leicester].
"We will use the time to get some fitness and organisation work in and we will look towards the next game.
"It's getting towards the end of the season and teams like Hull need points as well, so no game is easy at this time of the year. We'll do what we can to make sure we come away with three points."
West Ham have struggled defensively in recent weeks, conceding 17 goals in the eight matches they have played since their last clean sheet – a 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace on 14 January.
Byram has started two of those games – a 4-0 loss to Manchester City in February and last week's defeat by Leicester, both at London Stadium – but hopes to contribute to a more solid defensive set-up going forward.
Next up is a trip to the KCOM Stadium and a chance to complete a 'double' over Hull, who will go into the game sitting inside the relegation zone. It is a game Yorkshire-raised Byram is determined to start on his return to the North East.
"It was over a month between my last two starts and I think I'm a bit rusty, but I think I grew into the Leicester game," he observed.
"I like to get forward and express myself, obviously there are things I can improve on and I'll keep working on everything and kick on from there.
"You see the way we play with the two midfielders sitting and the full-backs high and wide and it does suit me down to a tee. I just need to keep going and see where I can help out."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Phillips - We didn't make most of possession
WHUFC.com
Mark Phillips felt West Ham United U18s should have made more of their possession against Blackburn
The Hammers were beaten 2-1 at Little Heath
They are back in action on Friday away to Liverpool
Assistant manager Mark Phillips felt West Ham United U18s didn't make the most of their possession in their 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers at Little Heath.
The Hammers knew a win would have taken them top of Merit Group A, but Callum Wright scored the winner in the second half after Jahmal Hector-Ingram had cancelled out Bradley Lynch's opener.
Ben Johnson was shown a red card late on after two bookings, and Phillips was left ruing a missed opportunity after the match.
"I think we probably deserved a draw out of the game but they'll probably think they deserved to win," he admitted. "I thought we had lots of possession but we didn't create that many chances.
"Our response to going behind was excellent and for the next 30/35 minutes we dominated the ball. We played some nice, intricate football but, if I'm honest, we didn't create that many chances.
"We didn't work their keeper that much in that spell and they had a little spell just after half-time when they could have gone two up. I thought we came out in the second half excellently and then we did create some chances.
"When we equalised, I thought we would go onto to win the game but Blackburn set themselves up well and scored a good goal on the counter. Even after we went behind again, we still had chances. But Blackburn were clinical."
The Hammers were aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time since January but found themselves a goal down inside 2 minutes. Lynch broke the offside trap and coolly slotted past Tyler Forde.
The hosts almost responded though ten minutes later – Hector-Ingram latched onto a long ball from Conor Coventry and was brought down in the penalty area.
The Hammers frontman stepped up but his penalty was brilliantly saved by Ben Ashcroft who, in doing so, maintained his side's advantage.
In the second half, the young Irons stepped up their search for an equaliser and were hugely unlucky when Anthony Scully's free-kick was tipped over by Ashcroft.
Moments later, the hosts got their reward. Coventry and Hector-Ingram combined again and the latter did well to stay on his feet and fire past the keeper.
Blackburn regained the lead though ten minutes later when Callum Wright ran and finished well from long range.
The Hammers probed in the final stages but their pressure was slightly halted when Johnson was showed a second yellow card for simulation.
But the game ended in defeat for the U18s and they are back in action on Friday (7pm) when they visit Liverpool. You can keep up to date with the action at whufc.com or on our social channels.
West Ham: Forde; Eggleton, Akinola, Wells; Johnson, Henry (Ngakia, 46), Coventry, Longelo (Hannam, 61); Lewis (Hamilton, 84), Scully, Hector-Ingram.
Subs not used: Constantinou.
Goal: Hector-Ingram.
Yellow cards: Johnson, Coventry.
Red card: Johnson.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY?
By Sean Whetstone 25 Mar 2017 at 08:00
WTID
We hear very little about Financial Fair Play these days from the West Ham board for one very good reason.
Clubs have now been allowed to increased their wage bills by £7m per season – up £4m on the previous three-year scheme.
Last year Premier League clubs quietly voted to continue the self-governing Premier League FFP scheme which will run for a further three years including this season.
The Hammers published a total wage bill of £84.7m in their 2016 accounts for last season but this includes non-playing staff which aren't included in the FFP cap. That was an increase of £12m on the 2015 wage bill of £72.7m which saw a £9m increase from 2014 when the wage bill was £63.8m
A financial source close to the club told us:
"For 2016-2017, we elected (along with the most other clubs) to take our actual (player wage) spend from 2015-2016 and add our annual allowance of £7.0m plus our Club Own Revenue Uplift (CORU) to give us the maximum amount we can spend on players plus NI. We remain well within this cap and will comply with the STCC rules. We did not go back to the 2013 base year as it was not in our interest to do so as we have generated CORU each year and if we went back to the base year it would limit our spend."
"For next season, 2107-2018, we will again elect to take our actual (player wage) spend in 2016-2017, and add £7.0m, plus CORU, to give us our maximum spend. We will comply with the STCC limits as we have for the last four years.
"For 2018-2019, we will take our actual spend in 2017-2018, and add £7.0m plus CORU to give us our maximum spend."
"Rest assured, we know our obligations and we know that the Premier League looks at this closely, and we would never risk breaking the rules."
"We have complied every year and will continue to do so. Suffice to say we operate within the rules and have sufficient headroom when required."
A source close to club said on FFP:
"Suffice to say we operate within the rules and have sufficient headroom when required"
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West Ham eyeing Reading boss Jaap Stam to replace Slaven Bilic as pressure grows on Hammers manager
The Irons' co-chairman David Sullivan expressed his frustration on the club's website after a 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth
The Mirror
BYSTEVE STAMMERS
22:30, 25 MAR 2017
Jaap Stam has jumped to the top of West Ham's wanted list to replace Slaven Bilic.
Pressure is again growing on Bilic after a disappointing run of results and talks over a new contract for the Croat have been shelved until the summer.
The Hammers' co-chairman David Sullivan expressed his frustration on the club's website after a 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth and publicly apologised to fans after last week's 3-2 home defeat to Leicester.
Former Manchester United star Stam has impressed at Reading, taking them into the play-off positions in the Championship in his first full-time job in management.
Stam – who held the manager's job at Dutch club Zwolle on a temporary basis – has signed a two-year deal at the Berkshire club.
If he takes the club to the play-offs and the brink of a place in the Premier League, it will mark an impressive turn around for a club that finished 17th in the Championship last season.
The attraction for West Ham would be the need to pay compensation to Reading of only one season's salary for the Dutchman.
Stam has expressed frustration at ownership issues at the Madejski with Reading's Thai's chiefs previously in talks with a Chinese group which fell through.
Stam said: "I don't know what's going to happen in the future which I think is very important for myself and for the club.
"If you want to do something, you need to have a plan for what you eventually want to achieve.
"You need to know what you're going to do with the team, the staff and the structure of the club."
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Stoke and West Ham lead chase for Andrew Robertson and Josh Tymon
Stoke are keeping close tabs on Scotland international Andrew Robertson
West Ham are monitoring Josh Tymon as they are also chasing new left back
Hull are currently 18th in the Premier League with nine games left to play
By Joe Bernstein for The Mail on Sunday
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 25 March 2017 | UPDATED: 00:00, 26 March 2017
Premier League clubs are already circling around Hull City's players in anticipation of their relegation with Stoke City looking at Scotland international defender Andrew Robertson and teenager Josh Tymon attracting interest from West Ham. Despite improvements under Marco Silva, the Tigers are still three points from safety and likely to prune their squad even further following the January departures of Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore. Robertson, 23, is a potential target for Stoke who are looking to sign a left back in the summer to provide competition for Erik Pieters and are also keeping an eye on Charlie Taylor of Leeds United.
Burnley made a £10million bid to sign Robertson in the last transfer window. Meanwhile, 17-year-old prospect Tymon is on West Ham's radar after impressing in 13 first-team appearances this season. Tymon, whose best position is also left back, is still on an academy contract of just £160-a-week after failing to reach a professional deal at the KCOM Stadium West Ham are adopting a policy of trying to sign good young British players. They have landed Sam Byram, England Under 19s international Nathan Holland and former Manchester United forward Ashley Fletcher. They also considered a move for Brentford forward Scott Hogan before being put off by the Championship club's valuation. Hogan eventually joined Aston Villa in a £12million deal at the end of the January window.
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West Ham owner David Gold hits back at Jason Cundy's scathing attack
The former Chelsea man had some strong words for the Hammers supremo
Football London
BYOLIVER HARBORD
15:32, 25 MAR 2017
WEST HAM
West Ham's joint owner David Gold often has something to say on Twitter and this time he has looked to hit back at former Chelsea player Jason Cundy. The ex-Blues player is a regular on talkSport and he claimed yesterday that Slaven Bilic should move leave the Hammers, blaming the owners. Cundy said: "He should seriously look at his options. Last year, they over-achieved, they were brilliant in a season with so much pressure. "Then moving to the new stadium, there was huge excitement, the two David's [Gold and Sullivan, co-chairmen] have said they want Champions League football. I thought there was something really going on at West Ham and being a contender for doing something. "But the two David's [Gold and Sullivan], the transfers they have given Bilic to deal with, the players they have said 'here's we want you to press on with' is just not good enough."
But now Gold has taken to social media to hit back at the pundit after his scathing attack.
David Gold ✔ @davidgold
Cundy doesn't no what he's talking about, taking player on loan with a view to buy is a good way to do business. Lanzini worked Zaza didn't
2:18 PM - 25 Mar 2017
25 25 Retweets 163 163 likes
It seems that Cundy and Gold aren't really on the best of terms at the moment!
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