Daily WHUFC News - 18th January 2018

Samuelsen heads to Championship side Burton on loan
WHUFC.com

West Ham United youngster Martin Samuelsen has joined Championship side
Burton Albion on loan for the rest of the 2017/18 season. The 20-year-old
midfielder will begin his second loan spell in English football's second
tier, having spent three months of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.
Burton have only been a Football League side for nine years but have already
risen up to the Championship and are in their second consecutive season at
that level. Nigel Clough's side are looking to pull clear of the relegation
zone and have called upon Samuelsen ahead of their trip to Fulham on
Saturday. Samuelsen linked up with the Hammers' Academy in 2015 and has made
great strides during his time in east London, appearing in two UEFA Europa
League qualifiers in his debut season and going on to make his full Norway
debut in 2016. Alongside his loan at Blackburn, he has also made 28 Football
League appearances across two loan spells with Peterborough United.

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Irvine: We want to extend our unbeaten run on Saturday
WHUFC.com

Alan Irvine says West Ham United want to maintain their winning feeling when
they welcome AFC Bournemouth to London Stadium on Saturday. The Hammers have
lost just two of their last eleven matches in all competitions, with the
most-recent victory being a 1-0 Emirates FA Cup third-round replay win over
Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening. Another game in that recent run came at
the Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day, when the Cherries snatched a dramatic
3-3 draw through Callum Wilson's controversial late equaliser. Manager's
assistant Irvine hopes the Hammers can go one better in the return fixture,
when they tackle opponents who they could yet also face in the FA Cup fourth
round later this month, should Eddie Howe's team overcome Wigan Athletic on
Wednesday night.
"It's always good to win and keep that momentum going," confirmed Irvine.
"Our run of form has been very good for a number of games now and we're
unbeaten in six matches. "We're delighted with that, but we still feel there
is plenty of scope for improvement. We're in a better place than we were
when we first came in and it's vitally important we continue to build on
that. "Bournemouth have got a strong squad. Everybody thinks 'little
Bournemouth' but they're a very well-run club and a club who have built a
very good squad over the years and they play a lot of very attractive
football. "We'll have a very difficult game at the weekend and a very
difficult game in the next round of the Cup, if they get through."
Two players who will be eager to feature again this weekend are Tuesday's
matchwinner Reece Burke and fellow Academy graduate Josh Cullen, who both
impressed in the two FA Cup ties with Shrewsbury. Irvine confirmed the
decision on whether the pair stay with West Ham or return to loan club
Bolton Wanderers will now rest with manager David Moyes. "I think, overall,
they can be very pleased with how they did. Reece Burke, in particular, must
be absolutely delighted to have got the goal that got us through. "They can
all take a lot of positives from the game and also all realise they have got
a lot of things to learn, but they're young players, so that's to be
expected. "Reece and Josh Cullen certainly didn't do themselves any harm. I
actually spoke to them when they both came back and told them the worse-case
scenario was that they go back to Bolton, but the best is that they play
really well, stay here and their Premier League careers start to take off.
"They've given David decisions to make with the way that they have performed
when they have come in."

*Standard Tickets for Saturday's Premier League fixture with AFC Bournemouth
are available here via the Ticket Exchange now!

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Andria Georgiou - West Ham Ladies' new-found optimist
WHUFC.com

It is safe to say it has been a busy couple of months for West Ham United
Ladies – a situation Andria Georgiou has relished since being with the Club.
The 21-year-old only signed for the Hammers in November, moving to the Irons
after a spell in Women's Super League 2 with London Bees, and the midfielder
could not be happier with her choice. "I'm really enjoying being at West
Ham", Georgiou exclaimed. "Everyone around the Club – the other players, the
staff, everyone – has been incredibly friendly and, since my first week,
I've felt really welcome. "I think you can tell I enjoy playing for the
Hammers. When I'm out there, on the pitch, I'm really happy. I try to get
that across in training as well."

Georgiou admitted a couple more wins 'would make me even happier' and feels
these results are just around the corner. The departure of Greg de Carnys as
manager saw Karen Ray, the Ladies' general manager, take over as interim
head coach. In her three games in charge the side have collected one win,
one draw, and one defeat, and Georgiou can see a big improvement. "I think,
since Karen came in, the team has done really well, and so has she," she
continued. "She took charge and in our first game we went and won 13-0 away
in a Cup game, which was a huge confidence boost. "Then we took on a top
side in Crystal Palace and our level of performance didn't warrant a defeat.
I feel like we could have even won that match. There's a real positivity in
the side right now and we need to build on that."
Confidence is everything for Georgiou. The midfielder is confident in her
own abilities on the field and wants to see the rest of the team having that
same self-belief. Only through that, according to her, will winning on a
weekly basis become the norm. She reasoned: "Confidence begins to develop in
training. When you train well during the week you go into the games at the
weekend with a lot more confidence. If you then collect a good result, or
put on a positive performance, that confidence begins to snowball and you
take that into the next game. "With that built in self-belief and continuing
to play well, you begin to get results, and that in itself also breeds
confidence. It's a cycle. We have to believe in ourselves."

West Ham currently sit ninth in the Premier League Southern Division, but
Georgiou is optimistic the team has the ability to climb the table between
now and the end of the campaign. "Every game is unwritten. You have to go in
positive and focused. You can't just hope for a win, though. You have to
work for the wins and hopefully we can get more victories in 2018. "We're
building a strong team and we want to we get a few more points and finish as
high up the table as we can."

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Martinez: Making my full debut is a great feeling
WHUFC.com

January 16, 2018. Toni Martinez will always remember the date, for that was
when 18 months of hard work as a Hammer paid off with his full debut. The
20-year-old striker played the 120 minutes as David Moyes' men battled past
valiant Shrewsbury Town thanks to fellow youngster Reece Burke's extra time
winner and he was thrilled to step out onto the London Stadium turf in
competitive action. Martinez left Valencia in his homeland to join West Ham
in summer 2016, and now he wants to build on the experience of helping the
east Londoners past the Shrews as they progress to the Emirates FA Cup
fourth round. "It felt great to make my full debut," he beamed. "It was very
good for me to get 120 minutes and I'm really happy to get the confidence
from the manager to do that. "I'll take [even more] confidence from it and
finally we got the win to progress in the FA Cup. "I've been working for 18
months to get this opportunity since I arrived and I'm very happy to get
this chance."

Martinez played a key role in Burke's 112th minute goal – the only strike
across three-and-a-half hours' football in Shropshire and east London – and
he felt the Hammers deserved their hard-fought victory. He explained: "To be
honest I didn't see Reece there, I just tried to put the ball in the box and
it was lucky for me that he scored that great goal. "I've not been surprised
by Shrewsbury's level away or on Tuesday here. The League One level is so
physically tough and it was a hard couple of games for us. "We're into the
next round and I'll keep working in every training session to get more
chances."

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West Ham United Foundation Launch Referees Academy
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Foundation are delighted to launch their innovative new
16-18 year old Referees Academy – creating the next generation of football
referees.

Refereeing is a great way to be involved in football. There are
opportunities for everyone, whether you only want to referee at your local
club or progress to the international stage. It gives you the opportunity to
be active in the game away from the playing side, to make new and lasting
friends within the game and to play a huge role in ensuring the players
enjoy their match day experience.

The Referees Academy will give young people across East London and Essex a
fantastic opportunity to be active, healthy and the chance to earn money and
forge a potential career.

This full-time, two-year education programme will include:

FA Referee Course
FA Level 1 Coaching Qualification
BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Sport
BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport
Opportunity to support and work alongside West Ham United Foundation and
Academy fixtures and festivals
Masterclasses from current and retired industry experts
Access to local FAs and other grassroots organisations
Opportunity to attend FA CPD events throughout the course
Cost: Free

Entry Requirements: 3 GCSEs at A-C or 8-4, preferably one Maths or English

Open Day for interested participants to be held at London Stadium during
Easter Half-Term.

Janie Frampton, Director at Sports Officials Consultancy who will be working
with the Foundation on the Academy, said "Sports Officials Consultancy are
delighted to be working in partnership with West Ham United's Foundation to
deliver their Referee's Academy. This programme is hugely exciting and the
first of its kind to link with accredited qualifications and to the wider
football industry in order to create individuals with a 'rounded' knowledge
of football from several perspectives. It is hoped with this innovative
style of development; new referees will be better prepared to be promoted
through the system and maybe even provide a top referee in the future."

Bryan Glover, Head of Football Development, said: "Having seen the
development needs of refereeing from grassroots level to the professional
game, we are launching this programme to help generate the next generation
of top-quality referees."

"I am also excited about the prospect of linking in the FA Level 1 Coaching
qualification with this Referees Course. We are confident that this will
give future referees that complete this programme the insight into both the
playing and officiating side of the game, that will allow them to be
effective and quality referees."

There will also be opportunities for fans to link in with the Referees
Academy alongside Football Supporters Federation, Kick it Out and Fans For
Diversity later in the year with a 'From The Refs Eyes' workshop.

If you are interested, please email foundation@westhamunited.co.uk

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West Ham reaping the rewards of Stratford move
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 17th January 2018
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United made plenty of noise about bringing affordable football to
the masses when moving from Upton Park to Stratford in 2016.

However a new benchmarking survey assessing the average yield per
match-going supporter suggests that on average, Hammers fans are
contributing considerably more to their club than their closest rivals since
moving across the Borough of Newham.

According to the new report, which was commissioned by UEFA for the ninth
year running in order to show how effective FFP has been, West Ham earn on
average £35.30 for each fan passing through the turnstiles at the Olympic
Stadium.

And that's a figure beaten by only nine clubs across the entire continent,
all of whom play regular Champions League or European football.

"The average yield provides a benchmark for the price of attending football
matches," say UEFA. "It reflects all types of gate receipts including season
tickets, match day tickets, membership fees (where tickets are part of that
membership), premium ticketing and hospitality.

"The average yield underlines the positive impact stadium development can
have on increasing the revenues of a club and on diversifying their
revenues."

Which the results are goods news for those who stand to benefit financially
from the additional income generated since moving to Stratford, West Ham's
long-suffering supporters may view the results somewhat differently.

With the club very much in the midst of a relegation battle and yet to spend
a single penny in the current transfer window - despite manager David Moyes
having indicated on several occasions that he has an unbalanced squad - fans
could be forgiven for asking why the results on the pitch have been far less
successful than those off it.


UEFA's 'average yield per supporter per match' table

1. Arsenal: £74.09
2. Chelsea: £68.71
3. Real Madrid: £55.91
4. Liverpool: £55.68
5. Bayern Munich: £54.92
6. Man Utd: £53.41
7. Barcelona: £51.59
8. Galatasaray: £48.64
9. Man City: £40.83
10. West Ham Utd: £35.30


Additionally, attendances in Europe were down by an average of 1 per cent
compared to the previous year's report although 11 clubs welcomed more than
one million spectators to their home matches - including West Ham United,
for the first time ever.


The one million club

1. Barcelona: 1.48m
2. Man Utd: 1.43m
3. Borussia Dortmund: 1.35m
4. Real Madrid: 1.32m
5. Bayern Munich: 1.28m
6. Arsenal: 1.14m
7. West Ham Utd: 1.08m
8. Celtic: 1.04m
9. Schalke: 1.03m
10. Liverpool: 1.01m


Finally, West Ham enjoyed the greatest rise in average attendance across the
whole of Europe last season as a result of the move to Stratford, increasing
the weekly gate considerably in comparison to any other European club.


Biggest attendance increases

1. West Ham Utd: +22,062
2. Celtic: +9,876
3. Liverpool: +9,106
4. Spartak Moscow: +7,581
5. Kradnodar: +6,422

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West Ham 'must not sell' Andy Carroll, says Nigel Reo-Coker
Last Updated: 17/01/18 3:51pm
SSN

Nigel Reo-Coker says it is vital West Ham keep hold of Andy Carroll, despite
reports linking him with a move during January's transfer window. Sky
sources believe Chelsea are keen to sign the striker while the Hammers are
reportedly happy to sell Carroll for £20m. owever, Reo-Coker who played for
West Ham between July 2007 and May 2011, feels the England international is
an important member of a team still in danger of slipping back towards the
relegation zone of the Premier League. He told Sky Sports News on Wednesday:
"Andy Carroll is a vital player for West Ham, even though they have picked
up a few results lately. "There's still a long way to go this season and
he's a player they need to keep right now - for the team, the system and the
way they play. "On his day he can be a handful for even the best defenders
in the Premier League and selling him in the January window is not the right
thing to do. "And, despite what you might get for him, you have to remember
what position it could leave your team in. Or have they someone in mind who
can fit in right now? "For West Ham, and where they are right now, Carroll
is a player they need to keep in this window."

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WEST HAM OPEN TALKS WITH INTER MILAN FOR JOAO MARIO
MICHAEL OLIVER @MichaelOIiver
ReadWestHam

West Ham are eager to add to their midfield this month and they're trying
their luck with a move for a Euro 2016 winner – but it's not William
Carvalho.
According to French source RMC, as cited by GFFN, the Hammers have opened
talks with Serie A giants Inter Milan regarding a loan move for
out-of-favour midfielder Joao Mario. The 24-year-old was part of the
Portugal side that were victorious at Euro 2016 in France and later that
summer he completed a £36m move to the San Siro from Sporting Lisbon but
he's struggled in Italian football over the last 18 months. So far this
season, Mario has made just 14 Serie A appearances, starting on five
occasions and he's provided five assists in those games without scoring –
not the return Inter are looking for. Mario has completed the 90 minutes
just once since mid-September and is free to leave Inter if the right offer
came in, but his interest in a loan move to the Premier League with West Ham
is iffy at best, the report claims. West Ham are keen to add a midfield
ballplayer following links with Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey but a player of
Mario's calibre aren't available often and it appears David Moyes is eager
to see whether he can strike a deal to bring him in, albeit on a temporary
basis to begin with.

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With Reece Burke now in contention, is it the end of the road for Jose
Fonte?
HITC
Paul Joannou


Jose Fonte's move to West Ham United has not quite worked out as well as
hoped. West Ham United reached the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to an
extra-time winner from young defender Reece Burke. The 21-year-old returned
to the London Stadium at the start of January following a successful loan
spell at Bolton Wanderers during the first half of the season. Since
returning, Burke has impressed in both games against Shrewsbury Town, which
could be enough to persuade manager David Moyes to give him more
opportunities. The Evening Standard report that Bolton want him back but
the defender is desperate to stay and fight for a place in West Ham's
back-line. The goal cannot have been good news for Jose Fonte. The
Portuguese defender has been sidelined with a calf injury since the end of
October and Burke could push him further down the pecking order. Fonte has
not had a great time at the London Stadium since joining from Southampton a
year ago. Inconsistent performances and injuries have seen his form dip. He
is now 34, so Moyes may feel it is time to bed in players like Burke, Declan
Rice and Reece Oxford. Fonte's place in West Ham's back three has also not
been helped by Ryan Cresswell's move to left centre-back from full back, so
it is looking increasingly likely that his days at the London Stadium are
numbered. Fonte will not want to end his career sitting on the sidelines so
a move away may be best for all concerned.

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Besiktas eye West Ham ace Sakho, agent jets into London
HITC
Will Butcher

West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is expected to leave the club this month.
Turkish newspaper Fanatik claim Slaven Bilic's former side Besiktas are
interested in signing West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho this month for a
bargain fee, as his Hammers future looks all but over. The 28-year-old has
just a matter of months remaining on his current contract at the London
Stadium, with David Moyes' side seemingly unwilling to extend his deal and
are willing to offload him instead.
The report claims Besiktas manager Senol Gunes has given the green light to
land the eight-time Senegal international, with well-known Turkish football
agent Ahmet Bulut jetting into London to discuss a move. Besiktas are fully
aware that the former Metz striker's contract ends in the summer and that
will see them look to land West Ham's number 15 in a cut-price deal this
month. Claret & Hugh claim six clubs are interested in Sakho, including
French quartet Bordeaux, Rennes, Nice and Marseille as well as Premier
League clubs West Brom and Brighton - and now Besiktas have seemingly
entered the race. Sakho is now expected to leave as he looks to secure a
place in Aliou Cisse's Senegal squad ahead of the World Cup in Russia this
summer, after scoring 24 goals in 71 games for the Hammers.

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