Daily WHUFC News - 10th November 2017

Belgium coach Martinez lauds Chicharito ahead of Mexico friendly
WHUFC.com

Chicharito will face one of his biggest fans on Friday evening when Mexico
take on Belgium in an international friendly. Speaking ahead of the showdown
in Brussels, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez was full of praise for the West
Ham United striker Interviewed by ESPN FC, the former Everton boss said that
Chicharito is "a pure winner, a player who always finds a way to succeed, in
any team he plays."

In addition, he mentioned the qualities that have led him to score 140 goals
in 358 appearances in his club career and a national record 49 in 98 games
with the Mexican national team. "I think the greatest quality of Javier
Hernández is being an exceptional player in the box, which is still one of
the areas with the least differences in the different leagues," Martinez
added. "The difference of what happens in the Premier League compared to the
other leagues is what happens between the two boxes, where the physical game
is clear and in more contact is allowed. That can affect certain players a
lot. "Chicharito is a born goalscorer, who always plays off the last man,
and has that quality in finishing, which is less affected by the
characteristics of one league or another."

The Belgium coach revealed that he always wanted to sign him when he was at
Everton. "We always followed him a lot because he was a footballer who
surprised us, because of the way he adapted to Manchester United and his
ability to finish. "It was never possible to sign him but he was one of the
players we had been following closely."

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Burr relishing new Ladies responsibility
WHUFC.com

Goals. Goals. Goals.

They were the essence of Chloe Burr's game last season. The speedy attacker
impressed with her finishing ability, precise shots and movement for the
West Ham United Ladies, making her the club's top scorer last campaign. She
netted her first of the current campaign this past weekend against QPR as
well. Once a player has a taste for goals, it can be difficult to convince
them to focus on anything other than replicating that feeling, but with a
change of responsibility comes a shift in role, and therefore targets, for
Burr this campaign. "Last year I finished top goal-scorer for the team, but
this year I'm playing in a few different positions," Burr said: "I've been
used on the wing a lot so I'm not aiming to be top goal-scorer this season.
"Obviously, I'd love to keep scoring goals but, if I'm not the one putting
them in the net, then I want to be the one getting the assists."

Pacey and possessing a great touch, Burr has already been utilised across
the team in Greg de Carnys's side this year. She started the season in the
middle of the park, but a switch to the wing coincided with an upturn in
form for the Ladies side, and she has remained there ever since. "If I'm
honest it's hard for me to say what my best position is now, but if I was
pushed I'd go with out on the wing. I have played in centre midfield a lot
this season but in recent weeks I have been out wide on the right. I feel
like right now that's my strongest area."

It is not surprising to learn that, much like her teammate Molly Peters,
Burr has a background in running competitively. The winger's speed has
become a useful asset for West Ham and supporters can thank her mum for her
outings on the pitch, after she pushed Burr to choose between football and
running at 14-years-old.
Burr said: "I used to do athletics when I was younger. My mum told me when I
was 14 I had to choose either the running or football, and I opted for
football.
"Football is a team sport and I love being a part of a team. Athletics is
fun but it's all about an individual, whereas football is about working as a
unit, winning together and being a family. I've made some great friends
through football."

Burr has been one of West Ham's most improved players since the start of the
season, a feat she puts down to the hard work of the coaching staff. The
winger has praised manager De Carnys, assistant – and first-team fitness
coach – Josh Ewens and general manager – and former player – Karen Ray for
their work with her throughout the season, as she continues to drive towards
getting even better. "Greg is an excellent coach. He's come from the men's
academy and has so much experience and works us really hard. Josh is such a
valuable resource for the team as well – he's brilliant when it comes to
fitness. We all know we can go to him for help when we're feeling fatigued
or just uncertain. "Karen has been in our situation. We know we can go to
her for advice when we need it. She's a brilliant person to work with."

With such a team around her, Burr can certainly be confident of hitting her
new targets this term.

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Remembering the incredible bravery of the West Ham Pals
WHUFC.com

One hundred years on from their biggest battle of World War One, historian,
author and Hammer Elliott Taylor recalls the courage of the West Ham
Battalion...

Since the unveiling of the memorial to the West Ham Battalion at the Boleyn
Ground in 2009, West Ham United has continued to show its dedication towards
the Remembrance of those who died in the service of their nation.

This was most recently illustrated by the dedication of the new memorial to
the Hammers Battalion at London Stadium, unveiled by Sir Trevor Brooking
back in February at the match against West Bromwich Albion.

This month sees the centenary of the largest action the West Ham Pals were
involved in during World War One.

During what became known as the Battle of Cambrai, the West Ham Battalion
were again alongside their Brigade friends 'The Footballers Battalion' (made
up of professional players) and facing the German front line ('The
Hindenburg Line'), beside the small town of Mouevres.

The West Ham Battalion itself was split, on either side of the Canal Du
Nord, with B Company on the right bank and D Company on the left. This canal
was still under construction and empty of water, with the tile-lined sides
being 30 feet high. The Germans were facing down the canal and so any effort
to cross was met by a hail of machine-gun fire.

The Germans launched a sudden and unexpected assault on the British Line
held by the West Ham Battalion during the early morning of 30 November 1917.
The onslaught was so fierce and unrelenting that B Company was forced to
make a hair-raising tactical withdrawal.

D Company, however, made a magnificent last stand at their Lock 5 position
and even managed to capture more than a dozen Germans and took them
prisoner. However, the rifle ammunition and grenades were starting to run
worryingly low. Many men of D Company were killed, and the survivors quickly
became aware that they were virtually surrounded. Captain Robinson, one of
the original local volunteers from West Ham, duly shortened the Line and
began a 'harassing action' with sniping to conserve ammunition.

Captain Robinson then held a meeting with the only other Officer capable of
fighting, before informing the Company Sergeant Major Edwards and Platoon
Sergeants that he had decided to continue resistance for as long as possible
and hold their ground at all costs until relieved, as per their original
orders.

Regardless of it being hopeless, the surviving men of D Company, on being
given this news by their Sergeants, were in excellent spirits and in
absolutely no mood to give up an inch of ground. They repaired the fire
steps and reorganised themselves for all-round defence. Some were using the
bodies of dead Germans as extra cover.

The resultant redoubt was immensely strong and easily defended. Yet the
German hold on both sides of the canal was rapidly strengthening all around
them. A call for two volunteers to attempt to get a message back to HQ was
answered by Sgt Laurie Legg and one other man. As they set off into the
maelstrom of grenades, pistol and rifle fire, snipers, sweeping Maxim
machine guns, trench mortars and heavy artillery shells, I doubt many
thought much for their chances.

Laurie Legg was an Original volunteer to the West Ham Battalion. Born in
Leytonstone and growing up in Wathamstow, he lived at home with four sisters
in Forest Road just before the Great War broke out. His Dad had been a piano
tuner, but Laurie worked in the Docks as a shipping clerk.

Laurie volunteered in the West Ham Battalion very early on and served all
through the battles of the Somme and Ancre in 1916, making the rank of
Sergeant along the way. His old house was hit by a V1 in 1944, but you can
see how it looked judging by the houses which remain in the street.

The German attacks on the British Line either side of the canal finally
tailed off as night arrived. Both sides were completely exhausted but there
was to be no 'Stand Down'.

As darkness fell, Lt-Col Walsh in the Hammers' Battalion HQ dugout was
feverishly trying to create a semblance of order out of the battlefield
chaos.

Brigade HQ was also desperately trying to make contact and they were both
asking the same question: where was D Company? Nothing had been heard of
them since 10.20am that morning. At 8pm, they finally received their answer.

From in front of the West Ham lines crawled a mud-drenched and weary Sgt
Laurie Legg. He immediately headed to Walsh at HQ and in the smoky and
flickering light of the cramped, damp dugout Laurie's report was heard in a
wide-eyed hush.

He described the 'Council of War', held four hours earlier by the remaining
Officers and NCOs, who were determined to fight to the last but were now
surrounded and extremely low on ammunition.

Laurie's effort to get this message through had been regarded as a 'forlorn
hope' but, as military history has often witnessed, it succeeded. The news
spread like an inspirational wildfire throughout the Hammers and to the
whole Brigade.

Numerous signal flares were sent up to indicate to the survivors of D
Company that Legg and his companion had made it through. Less than two dozen
survivors were heard giving a hearty cheer. All through the night, violent
attacks were made to reach the beleaguered men of D Company but, sadly, none
of them were successful. Fighting continued for another three days before
the stalemate of trench warfare settled down again.

Laurie was awarded the Military Medal for his incredible actions getting the
message through and he received his ribbon and handshake on Christmas Day,
1917.

By February 1918 the West Ham Battalion was disbanded and Laurie was posted
to another Battalion of the Essex Regiment, where he was killed on 12 April,
1918. He was just 24 years old and unmarried. Sadly, he has No Known Grave
but today his name is remembered on the Memorial at Pozieres.

*Elliott Taylor is the author of Up The Hammers!: The West Ham Battalion in
the Great War 1914-1918.

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Ayew wins Hammers goal of the month award for October
WHUFC>com

The winner of the West Ham United Goal of the Month for October has been
determined with supporters voting Andre Aydew's strike against Crystal
Palace the winning effort. Ayew collected the ball on the half-way line at
Selhurst Park, running the length of the pitch before firing a powerful
effort from outside the penalty area into the roof of the net. The
27-year-old's goal was also nominated for the Premier League's October Goal
of the Month. And Ayew's finish has been named West Ham's best finish in
October, earning 39% of the vote. In second place, with 26%, was
Chicharito's goal from the same match, against Palace, while Amber Stobbs'
excellent long-range effort for the Ladies versus QPR came third with 16%.

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Moyes: I've learned from my experience
WHUFC.com

David Moyes has said that he will call upon all his managerial experience
gained from 19 years in the hotseat as he embarks upon his role as the 16th
permanent manager of West Ham United. With eleven years in charge of
Everton, added to spells at Preston North End and latterly Manchester
United, Real Socieded and Sunderland, Moyes is well versed in the art of
management. He arrives in east London with West Ham in the bottom three, but
his assessment of the squad is that they should be climbing the Premier
League table sooner rather than later. He said: "You learn from your
experience, and I've got reams of it now, seeing good things and bad things,
what works and what doesn't. I'd like to think I can bring what works into
play "The squad here is a good squad, with good talent. Maybe it needs a
tweak here and there, but hopefully we'll find what we need in the coming
days. "We need the supporters to get behind the players. West Ham is really
a tough place to play for the opposition, and I want [our players] to feel
the support."

Moyes led the team for the first time on the training pitch on Tuesday,
before overseeing a double session on Wednesday, and he sees hard work as
laying the foundation for improving the Hammers' fortunes. He added: "If the
players are thinking they haven't been working hard enough [beforehand], I
hope they're not going to complain when we work them hard or come back and
say this or that is too much. Responsibility has to be taken by the players
as well. "They look fit enough, it's been brought to my attention that they
think they could do a bit more, so I'll try and implement and see if it
works."

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FROM SUPER SLAV TO THE MOYSIAH. WILL OUR FORTUNES CHANGE?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 9 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 10:06PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Article by @jasoninge

So like a lot of fans, Monday felt like a very sad day for this football
club, with one of our own in, Slaven Bilic losing his job as manager of the
club. I'd like to firstly pass on my gratitude to him for playing a huge
part in taking this club a step forward and getting us back to playing the
sort of football that we West Ham fans believe is our philosophy. The final
season at Upton Park, in particular, will live long in my memory, with us
breaking our record points total in the Premier League and beating the top
six clubs convincingly multiple times, under Slaven's stewardship. The final
game of that season against Manchester United will never be eclipsed in my
mind as the greatest football match I have ever seen and I wouldn't have
wanted any other manager in charge that day.

The second season was always going to be problematic with the stadium move
and with Slaven's talisman deserting him, however, he showed nothing but
great character and dignity to turn what could have been a dreadful season
to an average one with us being one point off 8th place. It's unfortunate
how it has panned out this season, when we should have pushed on. The
players unforgivably have let him down on the pitch with consistently bad
errors, but it's a results business and the manager ultimately loses his
job.

Slaven can leave the club with his head held high with an extremely
respectable 38 win percentage and therefore one of the most successful
managers in our illustrious history.



The following day, saw what had gained quick momentum over the weekend in
the media with David Moyes being appointed on a 2 and a half deal, with a
6-month break clause, that can be operated by the club should they wish.
From a board perspective, it suits them down to the ground. It's someone
that they have targeted previously, available with no compensation and has
worked with our Director of Player Recruitment, Tony Henry at Everton. They
will be in no doubt that he will be able to turn back the clock to his
Everton days, where he was able to build relative success over a period of
time. However in reality, football has evolved since then and you don't get
that luxury of time anymore.

I've reflected a lot over the past few days and I can't shake the feeling
that the appointment is a mistake. It has left me fearing for this club's
short-term future of staying in the Premier League, which I was never
concerned about under Slaven Bilic, due to him digging us out of a bad
situation last season. For me, David Moyes, in the same way as Roy Hodgson,
is damaged goods. Every manager can have a failure, but two or three on the
spin and that's a trend. I truly believe he is in a no-win situation by
taking over the club. If he inconceivably takes us down, he won't manage
again and if he keeps us up, he will undoubtedly have to be kept on after
other options are targeted and failed to secure. He will then be left as the
man that the owners don't really want long-term and the one the fans
definitely don't want, without any significant backing in the transfer
market, which will just lead to yet more unrest at the club.To credit David
Moyes, he did speak very well in his press conference and you certainly get
the impression he's hungry to succeed. The club too is desperately trying
their utmost to put a good spin on the appointment, by latching on to the
view about training intensity and lack of fitness being the main issue for
our current league position. However, as someone who works in Digital
Marketing, I see right through this as nothing more than a deflection tactic
to try to manipulate the fan base to believe Moyes is the best man for the
job, which I maintain he isn't.

So an interesting remainder of the season lies ahead. I will back the team
that I love as always and hope we can turn it around, finishing in a still
attainable mid-table finish. The first two games are crucial to getting off
to a good start, with the likes of Man City, Chelsea, and Arsenal to follow.
Come the summer, it will be time for the board to prove me wrong about
whether or not they can actually achieve their high ambitions with a world
class managerial appointment and a budget to match or will it prove to be
another reality check for us fans that the West Ham managers job has become
a poisonous chalice under Gold, Sullivan, and Brady, with the club falling
further away from the Champions League.

I conclude with how I started, thank you for everything Slaven, you deserved
so much better than how it ended. I hope to see you back in management
sooner rather than later, displaying your class, charisma, and passion on
the touchline once again. Our loss will be someone else's gain.

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THE OPPOSITIONS 12TH MAN AND THE MOYES SIGNING
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 9 NOVEMBER 2017 AT 9:51PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

I recently came off Twitter because I could not stand the negativity
surrounding my beloved West Ham. Shortly after I came off Facebook as well.
The negativity and arguing or a West Ham supporters group I run there too
was getting unbearable. I run a West Ham supporters group called
"HammerSinghs". We are a group of supporters of Punjabi/Sikh origin, all
with roots in the East End, and have followed West Ham since the 1950's.

My motto is "Love banter, Hate insults", and the latter is all I have been
seeing recently. West Ham fans at each other throats, compounded by a West
Ham Board, that "appears" aloof and not to care. Like everyone else I could
not believe that David Moyes had been appointed the new manager.

I believe the time was right for Bilic to go and I really do not share some
West Ham fans views that he was clueless. The man had a plan, that was
destroyed by the Payet debacle. He was building a team around a "special"
player, and he through it back into Bilic's face. All his signings (if you
analyse them) were around Payet up until then. The problem for him was two
fold.
1) He had no plan B
2) He could not find another "special" player (at a price the owners would
pay)
In the end, Bilic looked a broken man and I think he will come back
re-energised and will be a success somewhere else.

Anyway, enough about Bilic, and back to Moyes. I could not believe he was
Bilic's replacement. I was livid. Where was the so called next level the
board promised? We all swallowed the move from our spiritual home (the
Boleyn Ground) on the promise of competing with the so called "big" teams.
If teams with a lesser fan base like Tottenham can do it, why cannot we?



The board say he was the only man available in effect, and yes that is true
to an extent, but the reality is, the Board did not want to pay compensation
to get managers from other teams. Top managers like Ancelloti will never
come to West Ham as we are currently set up, and anyone who thinks they will
are deluded. I don't think we have the right people at the top to attract
such managers.

So, in effect we are where we are. Moyes is our manager. Our Board appears
not to be showing the ambition we had hoped for. So, what do we do as fans?
I think the answer maybe in a recent interview
(https://talksport.com/football/exclusive-sam-allardyce-insists-hungry-david
-moyes-will-be-success-west-ham-manager ) I heard on Talk Sport with Sam
Allardyce where he stated "my concern is always this…..sometimes the players
fear playing on their own ground for the criticism they may get off the
fans" .

One thing we cannot do, is create further negativity. We've seen it on
social media, we've also seeing it in the stadium with some fans booing
players and manager, just for substituting players. This clearly cannot
carry on. We are creating a 12th man for the opposition. We are giving our
team an impossible task. My plead to all West Ham fans would be this:
1) Get behind Moyes
2) Get behind the players
3) Stop the booing of OUR team
4) Let's try and reenergise our team with some positivity
Onwards and upwards. COME ON YOU IRONS!!

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Chairman pleas for fans' support
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 9th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

Co-Chairman David Gold has taken to social media in order to ask supporters
to get behind new manager David Moyes. Gold, who has been in the firing line
in recent weeks as a result of West Ham's poor form since moving to
Stratford urged the fans to support the club's new manager, who was unveiled
on Tuesday.

"Hello all West Ham fans," he wrote. "The board have made their decision to
appoint David Moyes as the new manager - can I ask you to get behind him and
the team to help push us up the table to safety. "Together I believe we can
achieve our dreams. dg"

Hello all West Ham fans, the board have made their decision to appoint David
Moyes as the new manager can I ask you to get behind him and the team to
help push us up the table to safety. Together I believe we can achieve our
dreams. dg pic.twitter.com/G8dwBI9f43

— David Gold (@davidgold) November 9, 2017

Gold's message appears to be part of a concerted effort by the club to
garner support for Moyes via a social media push. However vice-chair Karren
Brady, who wrote scathingly about the 54-year-old Scot in a recent newspaper
column is yet to comment publicly on his appointment. "I really hope that
from now on he starts to think before he speaks," she wrote in The Sun back
in April, after Moyes was fined £30,000 by the FA. "Lots of people have
said, in defence of Moyes, that it was "just a joke", as evidenced by the
fact [Ms] Sparks laughed when he said it. But the reality is it's just
another brilliant example of the pressure women are under to laugh off these
everyday moments of sexism as a joke."

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David Moyes not frightened by 'supportive' West Ham board
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 09/11/17 9:41am
SSN

David Moyes insists he has not been "frightened" by anything the West Ham
board have told him to expect at the club. The former Manchester United,
Everton and Sunderland boss has been given only a six-month contract to
succeed Slaven Bilic and attempt to keep the Hammers in the Premier League -
a decision that has left Tony Cottee baffled. The club's co-owner David Gold
insists they have appointed the "best man available" and Moyes told Sky
Sports News: "David Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady have all been
really supportive. I think we've got the best man that's available at this
time and I'm sure he's going to take us forward. "They've told me what to
expect. There's nothing they've said to me that frightens me. The job is not
easy for any manager and you need good owners behind you."
Moyes will oversee his 500th Premier League game when he takes charge of
West Ham against Watford on September 19, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
The former Manchester United manager was left one game shy of the landmark
figure when he resigned as Sunderland boss following their relegation from
the top flight last season. "When you start you never know how many games
you're going to get but to get 500 in the Premier League I'm very proud, and
very proud to be doing it as a West Ham manager," said Moyes. The
54-year-old has already confirmed he is in talks with Stuart Pearce to join
his backroom staff as the club look to move clear of their current
18th-place standing, while there could be more additions next week. "I'm in
talks with one or two," said Moyes. "I'm hoping to have a good, strong staff
with me because we know what we need to do and we want it done quickly."

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THE SCOTTISH CONNECTION – LET'S HOPE DAVID MOYES IS MORE LYALL THAN LOU
By Goatygav 9 Nov 2017 at 17:00
WTID

When I first started writing this piece it was before the managerial change.
I'll be including some of what I began to pen as it's very relevant in terms
of, what I perceive to be, David Moyes' intended MO. So I was considering
the question 'whose responsibility is a player's fitness?' The problem with
my question was that it, in essence, was looking to apportion blame.
Listening to DM's first press conference he's quite clear in his approach.
He may well put the players through their paces but woe betide them if they
don't 'run'.
The international break is a blessing and a curse for our new gaffer. It's
great that he has time to settle and put preparations in place for the
Watford match but unfortunate that many players are away on international
duty. From what I could gather he's not deterred by the negative aspect of
the timing of his appointment and has got stuck straight in to training
sessions and player engagement.

They need a bit of confidence, a bit of self belief – one or two tweaks in
organisation and hopefully I can get a positive looking team
Although John Angus Lyall wasn't born in Scotland both of his parents were
and moved to Ilford not long before he was born. With the notable exception
of Lou Macari Scottish links with West Ham have been mostly successful down
the years. Let's hope that, Macari apart, David Moyes is another successful
Scot.

From his first press conference I was particularly encouraged to hear, what
I consider, to be the meat on the bone of his view of the current situation
with the first team. DM commented "I think I've got good players," adding
"They just need a bit of confidence, a bit of self-belief." He continued
with an encouraging degree of certainty "One or two tweaks in organisation
and, hopefully, I can get a positive looking team." Telling and heartening
stuff IMO. We've all had our differences about how Slaven has organised his
team but we've also been virtually unanimous in our recognition that he's
made tactical errors. It's quite clear that David Moyes is well aware of
those errors and, from what he's already had to say, whilst paying due
respect to Slaven, he fully intends not to make the same mistakes.

I think I've got good players
Stuart Pearce has stated that he's keen to speak with David about a role in
his coaching team. As far as a work ethic is concerned Moyes has been clear
that he won't put up with any, as he phrased it, "you know what." With
Stuart Pearce alongside him in training I rather suspect the mission of
introducing that work ethic and discipline will be more successful. I would
love to see 'Psycho' on the coaching team. I also think he'd work extremely
well with Moyes.

My most recent article discussed the position that Slaven found himself in
when he joined the club making it less of a priority to 'Build from the
back' (in terms of building the team and not in terms of building moves
during a game). During the press conference the new manager has made it
quite clear that being more organised in defence is a key requirement and
one that he will give a good deal of focus to. He, quite cleverly, answered
a question about Mr Allardyce's inability to recognise a 'West Ham Way' by
stating that the first order of business is to win but that if this can be
done by playing 'attacking' and 'entertaining' football then all well and
good – whether that's immediately or further down the line. Frankly this is
how Mr Allardyce should have answered the, similar, question when he first
took over but his obsession with 'Rhino Skin', at the time, seemed to get in
the way of paying any respect to the traditions of our club. Bravo David
Moyes! You're winning us over already.

The only area that I thought he could have approached better was his 'year
to year contract' comment. You can't build for what you want, and how you
want to play, when you don't know if you're going to be around this time
next year. David's ten years at Everton proved that. David is a football
manager. David is good planning long term. David doesn't do speedboat turns
because he's more of an ocean liner. Be more like David. I also thought the
comment was made with just a smidgeon of sycophancy towards the owners and I
want to see him stand up and be strong whilst not being pushed around by the
board. That said David Moyes needs to gain a strong foothold by securing
West Ham's Premier League status this season so, I guess, he's new and
doesn't want to start by rocking the boat but I'd have expected him to state
his intention to make the job his own for years to come.

So our new first team boss thinks that the squad is good enough. To be good
enough they need to be fit enough. Well, frankly, get them fit enough and
they'll be good enough. Good to hear that this is another priority. Also
good to hear DM say "Need to find ways and room to get young players in"
when discussing academy prospects.

Need to find ways and room to get young players in.
For me, being on record on this blog for stating 'Moyes will take us down,'
I'm beginning to lean in to a little bit of a speedboat turn myself. A
Stuart Pearce appointment would certainly give me more confidence –
especially where getting, and maintaining, squad fitness is concerned and
I'd be rotating the metaphorical steering wheel of my opinion boat with more
assurance if he does join. I sincerely hope that I am proved wrong about my
prediction and I genuinely wish David Moyes all the best in his time as
manager of our great club. Another one who I like as a person. He wears his
heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind and I find that far easier to trust
than the more corporate type who generally say the opposite of what they
think.

I couldn't write this without saying a huge thank you to Slaven Bilic. I
liked him a lot and really, really wanted him to do well. In my mind I saw
him winning a cup, this season, for the first time in 38 years. He had a
good go at that with three, consecutive, quarter finals and for those cup
runs I thank him. It's been a huge roller-coaster and, perhaps, I've had a
tinge of rose tint in my glasses when viewing this season. I genuinely
believed that he would learn, grow, improve to take West Ham in to the top
eight and win a cup and held on to that belief until the bitter end. Some
truly brilliant memories in there and, because of that, I'm going to finish
by posting a few of images that I'll remember of his time managing the club.
I hope he continues to enjoy the journey and becomes a top manager to
disprove those that believe he's not got it in him.

All the best Slav – may the road rise up to meet you fella.

COYI! West Ham 4 The Cup!

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EARNING THE RIGHT TO PLAY THE WEST HAM WAY.
By Blind Hammer 9 Nov 2017 at 08:00
WTID

Blind hammer considers if Bilic really understood the "West Ham Way"

Many of us will have had a heavy heart at the departure of Slaven Bilic.
There was an enormous amount of good things about the man. He was
intelligent, genuinely passionate for West Ham, and tried to embrace the
culture and philosophies of the club. I believe he did believe in what he
thought was the "West Ham Way".

However I also believe the key, eventually fatal weakness in Bilic's
approach was his flawed interpretation of the "West Ham Way".

As a lifelong Hammer I too believe that there is a West Ham Way but I ALSO
BELIEVE THERE IS A widespread MYTH about what it is.

For me there are 3 main components. We can all agree with the commitment to
attacking, entertaining football. The second accepted component is
intelligence and innovation. Younger supporters may not realise how much of
modern football tactics were born on the fields of Upton Park and Chadwell
Heath. For example, the near post header was a West Ham invention of the
60s, executed with great effect by Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Harry
Redknapp used to joke that West Ham invented the near post header as he did
not have the strength to cross the ball to the far post. The squad of the
late 1950s and 1960's produced an astonishing amount of innovative Football
tacticians from Malcolm Allison to John Bond, Ken Brown, Dave Sexton to Phil
Woosnam and Noel Cantwell, and of course Harry Redknapp had a long career at
West Ham and many other clubs. John Lyall Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard Snr and
Ronnie Boyce came from the ranks to serve the club in notable senior
coaching and Managerial capacities. Greenwood and Brooking had critical
roles at a national FA level. Incoming players like Bryan Robson and Bobby
Gould were amazed after their arrival when their eyes were opened to new
tactical ideas.

What I will never accept is that the West ham way is about mindless gung ho
attacking football. Arguably our greatest ever exponent of the West Ham way
was Bobby Moore, a defender. This third defensive aspect has also been part
of our great tradition. The perfectly timed tackle, the composed break up of
play as well as passionate last ditch defending is also celebrated. For
every Trevor Brooking and Alan Devonshire we have had a Billy Bonds and a
Julian Dicks, for every Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie we have had an Alvin
martin and tony Gale. In my youth on the Chicken Run we used to cheer just
as loudly, if not louder, for the committed tackle in defence and midfield,
as it did for the exquisite pass forward. Those players not prepared to put
in a defensive shift would soon know about it. The West Ham of yesteryear
also reflected this commitment in recruitment. Despite our legendary failure
to recruit Gordon Banks West Ham have twice broken the world record transfer
fee for a Goalkeeper, recruiting first Bobby Ferguson and then Phil Parkes.
Our campaign culminating in the success of winning the European Cup Winners
Cup in 1965 was built upon the composure of a Bobby Moore marshalled defence
marching through the ties as much as any attacking brilliance. Lyall's
tactical smartness in the 1980 win delivered the Cup because of our
defensive nullification of Terry Neill's tactics rather than playing Arsenal
off the Wembley pitch with our attacking flair. Our 1975 win was based on
restricting Fulham as much as Alan Taylor's goal scoring streak of a
lifetime.

. Our Academy produced stars like Defoe, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Frank
Lampard. However it also produced the more defensive talents of Rio
Ferdinand and Glen Johnston. Paul Ince developed his skills as a resolute
tackler as much as his other passing and shooting skills. Paul Allen played
as the youngest player in our 1980 Final because of the tackling tenacity
and running he offered, as much as his creative talents.

Our tradition then is not just about developing attacking capacities and
tactics. It is also about defending with intelligence, commitment, passion
and skill. It is about building from the back, certainly, Bobby Moore was a
trail blazer in that respect, but we should never celebrate a false,
mythical tradition of giving silly goals away.

I will not dispute for a moment that we, have in reality, over the years
have had defensive weaknesses. We have at crucial times failed to rectify
these weaknesses. We certainly have never celebrated this weakness as a
tradition. Brooking and Moore both criticised the club for not recruiting
more to strengthen defensively. To suggest that players like Moore, Bonds,
Gale and Martin would have been unconcerned about conceding goals is a
travesty of our tradition. Players like this would never have shrugged their
shoulders and said we simply have to score more than them. Our finer
tradition of success relied just as much on sound defence as it did on
attacking excitement.

So not recognising this need for balance between defence and attack was the
key strategic error when the club embarked on its recruitment strategy over
the summer. Bizarrely, despite our long running defensive weakness, the club
analysis concluded that we had "flirted with relegation" because we did not
have enough fit attacking flair. On the contrary the real problem then and
now is that for large period of the season we concede at least 2 goals a
game, fatally undermining confidence and providing a mounting for our
attacking resources to climb.

For a while, last season, I thought Bilic had solved this shocking defensive
record by playing 3 at the back. Unfortunately he never believed in this
more secure system. He abandoned it as soon as he could. His self-proclaimed
"dream team" and preferred formation had no hint of 3 at the back and relied
on expansive attacking potency rather than any plan for defensive solidity.
In the end, partly because of injuries, he ran out of defensive options,
personnel and ideas. The tragedy is that this was all entirely predictable.

Our concern over the summer with replacing injury prone striking options
completed ignored our similarly injury prone central defensive choices.
Fonte arrived with an injury record. Obonna missed half a season with
injury. Read also has periods of injury and Collins has not in my memory
ever completed a season without injury disruption. I forecasted in multiple
articles over the summer that our baffling reluctance to address this would
result in Cheikhou Kouyaté having to spend a large parts of the season
playing out of position, either in central defence or at right back. You did
not need a crystal ball to foresee our current predicament.

The problem cannot be simply put down to weak recruitment. The irony is that
Bilic, a defender who served the club with such distinction in his short
stay, proved incapable of coaching and organising our defence. When we
conceded 3 against Brighton people were shocked. I don't know why, it is a
defensive weakness we have had for nearly 2 years now. A year ago we
conceded 4 at Home to Watford whilst leaking 4 goals away to West Bromwich
Albion. This defensive frailty is persistent, and not only against top six
sides. Whilst we looked most vulnerable to a break last week against
Liverpool when we had a corner, this merely echoed last season's performance
against Hull. Then they repeatedly caught us on the break after our corners.
But for the woodwork, and poor finishing WE WOULD HAVE SUFFERED a similarly
heavy defeat then. The unpalatable truth is that we have been vulnerable on
the break for over 18 months now. Swansea and Andre Ayew exploited this in
our penultimate Upton Park game.

The reality is that against all sides, not just top six sides we have leaked
goals. Southampton was on a goal drought not just before but also after we
played them. Against us they managed to score 3, this is still the majority
of goals that they have scored at home this season. We encountered a
Newcastle side bereft of confidence and reeling from defeats to Huddersfield
and Nottingham forest but leaked 3 goals to them. In Bilic's last 3 games at
the London Stadium we conceded 10 goals. We have the worst defensive record
in the Premier League. This problem has nothing to do with the new Stadium
but existed even at Upton Park. The last glorious season at the Boleyn masks
the fact that most of our best results came early in Bilic's tenure. Then,
arguably, the defence will have inherited much of the previous regime's
discipline. Even in that season, we were, after January conceding goals at
an average 2 a game. In the last 2 games at Upton Park we conceded 6 goals,
4 against Swansea and 2 against Manchester United.

I was desperate for Bilic to succeed and hoped he would sort out the
defence. In the end I think the most competitive league in the world
defeated his ambitions for an exciting side which would thrill.

Safety from relegation now supersedes all other considerations. When
thrilling football returns to West Ham, and I must believe it will, it must
be based on defensive solidity. The cream of the world's footballing talent
will not simply sit back and let us play. We will have to earn this right.
We will need defensive grit, determination, organisation and not a little
skill. This will pay the highest respect to the West Ham way.
COYI
David Griffith

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West Ham happy for David Moyes to sell Marko Arnautovic four months after he
was club record buy
The £25m forward was sent off in his second game and hasn't impressed since
— so could be sacrificed to fund new signings
The Mirror
ByDarren Lewis
22:30, 9 NOV 2017

David Moyes could axe £25million flop Marko Arnautovic in January — after
receiving the green light to bin any under-performing West Ham players. New
boss Moyes will get full backing to make whatever changes he sees fit when
the transfer window reopens. Austria international Arnautovic, the Hammers'
record signing after his summer move from Stoke, is already under threat
after failing to impress either the fans or the club's hierarchy.
Bournemouth's Harry Arter is a potential target as West Ham want to
strengthen in midfield rather than up front. The club could also revisit a
move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, who was a summer
target. Arnautovic, signed by previous manager Slaven Bilic, was sent off in
just his second appearance for the Hammers, away to Southampton in August.
Since returning from suspension, the £100,000-a-week forward has been poor.
Moyes is an admirer of 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international Arter,
who only signed a new four-year deal in July. The new manager also wants to
strengthen in defence. West Ham were keen on defender Lamine Kone during
the summer following the Black Cats' relegation — under Moyes' management.
Kone was, however, key to helping the Wearside club to stay up two seasons
ago when ex-Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was in charge. He would now be
available for a cut-price fee with managerless Sunderland bottom of the
Championship. The 28-year-old currently has a knee problem which has ruled
him out of international duty with the Ivory Coast, who have a massive World
Cup qualifier against Morocco this weekend. It will keep him out for around
six weeks.

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