Daily WHUFC News - 23rd January 2018

Sir Geoff Hurst pays tribute to fellow World Cup winner Jimmy Armfield
WHUFC.com

West Ham United legend Sir Geoff Hurst has paid tribute to fellow 1966 FIFA
World Cup winner and England teammate Jimmy Armfield, who has passed away at
the age of 82. Armfield was a member of the 22-man squad which lifted the
Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley 52 years ago, when Hammers trio Sir Geoff,
Bobby Moore and Martin Peters played an influential role in the Three Lions'
historic success. The full-back, who spent his entire professional career
with Blackpool, for whom he came up against West Ham many times in both the
First Division and FA Cup in the 1950s and 1960s. An outstanding defender
and leader, he was capped 43 times and skippered his country on 15 occasions
between 1961-66, preceding Moore as England captain. And Sir Geoff, who led
the line in Armfield's final game for his country, a 3-0 pre-World Cup win
in Finland, and retained huge affection for a man with whom he also shared a
birthplace, the Greater Manchester town of Ashton-under-Lyne. "Jimmy was the
established full-back prior to the World Cup and then George (Cohen) came
in, and Alf wanted to pick George," Sir Geoff told the BBC. "He always dealt
with it with great dignity, that's typical of Jimmy. "It must have been a
huge blow not playing at that time and in the Final. But dealing with it
over the years, there was never any bitterness, he was always part of the
squad and turned up at most of the golf days. "That could easily happen to a
player who was unhappy with that part of his life, but he continued to be
part of that group right up until the last year or two."

After hanging up his boots in 1971, Armfield managed Bolton Wanderers and
Leeds United, leading the latter to the European Cup final in 1975, before
working as a consultant to the Football Association and as a popular
journalist and expert summariser for the BBC and a number of newspapers. He
was made an OBE in 2000 for his services to football and a CBE for his
services to the community in his native Lancashire in 2010. Everyone at West
Ham United would like to pass on their sincere condolences to Jimmy's loved
ones at this sad time.

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Masuaku: A full week will mean we're ready for Wigan
WHUFC.com

Arthur Masuaku says a full week of rest, recovery and preparation will serve
West Ham United well ahead of their Emirates FA Cup fourth-round trip to
Wigan Athletic. The Hammers looked a little leggy in the closing stages of
Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw with AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium –
hardly surprising when you consider David Moyes' injury-hit squad were
playing for the sixth time in 19 days, including a 120-minute FA Cup
marathon against Shrewsbury Town last Tuesday evening. And Masuaku, who has
played all but 17 of a possible 1,350 minutes since mid-November, says a
free midweek has come just at the right time. "We have been busy," he said.
"I think we were all a bit tired after 60 or 65 minutes against Bournemouth,
so it's important to have some rest now and get ready for the next round of
the FA Cup at Wigan on Saturday."
Despite their tired legs, the Hammers recovered from falling a goal behind
just 19 minutes from time on Saturday, equalising within 64 seconds through
substitute Chicharito. Masuaku felt his team were good value for their
point, particularly after forcing Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic into
a number of vital saves when the game was still goalless. "We played pretty
well in the first half and then after we dropped a little bit and they
scored. I don't think they deserved to score, but we reacted straight away
and scored, so it's a good point as we were the best team. "Bournemouth have
a good, strong team, but we also have a good team, so the point is a good
one. "We had a few chances but we didn't score. The thing is, we need to be
more aggressive in front of the goal and we must score. But we got a point,
at least, so this is what we have to think about."

The left wing-back was again to the fore himself against the Cherries,
completing 85.7% of his passes and putting in six crosses as the Hammers
dominated for long periods, particularly in the opening 45 minutes. A
constant outlet, the No26 also provided support at the defensive end of the
pitch, repeatedly bringing lifting the pressure on his team with his ability
to run at pace with the ball at his feet. Masuaku has become one of the
first names on Moyes' teamsheet and is eager to repay his manager's faith,
and that of the West Ham supporters, over the closing months of the season.
"The manager has just given me confidence. Last year I was injured so I
couldn't play and couldn't show my best. Now, since he came, he has given me
the opportunity to play and I just try to give him back the confidence that
he has given me. That's it. "I also want to show my best to the fans on the
pitch. I need to keep well and try to get some assists and goals."

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Zabaleta hails 'true professional' Chicharito
WHUFC.com

Pablo Zabaleta has hailed the Impact of 'true professional' Chicharito after
the Mexican scored West Ham United's equaliser in the 1-1 draw with
Bournemouth.
Chicharito came off the bench in the 64th minute of Saturday's contest with
the Cherries and would net the Hammers' goal less than ten minutes later,
slotting home after some excellent interplay with Marko Arnautovic. The
finish came 64 seconds after Bournemouth had taken the lead, thanks to a
Ryan Fraser effort at the near post, marking Chicharito's fifth goal of the
season for the Irons. And Zabaleta has praised the 29-year-old's work rate
and focus during training, saying the attacker did exactly what he needed to
do after entering the fray. "Chicharito is a true professional," Zabaleta
said after the match. "Even though he's not played as much as he would like
recently he's kept training well and he's remained focused. He's been a
great professional. "This is what you need from substitutes. He came on and
made a big impact in the game and he scored today. It was a great finish
from Chicharito."

The defender also had kind words for Manuel Lanzini, who put in a strong
performance before exiting the field with what looked to be an injury. On
his fellow Argentinian, he added: Hopefully, it's not too bad. We need to
wait for the scan. Manuel is one of the most important players for our team
and he played 120 minutes on Tuesday. Players like him make so many sprints
during the game."

Zabaleta was delighted with how his side began Saturday's contest but admits
he and his teammates were suffering from fatigue as the game came to a
close.
"I thought we were really good for the first half an hour of the game," he
continued. "We were really intense and we created a few chances. We couldn't
score and the second half was similar for about 20 minutes, but then the
rest we looked a bit tired." "I thought we put so much effort in during the
game and some of the players played 120 minutes in midweek. Apart from this
it was a good game. Both teams had chances. A point is a point and
sometimes, when you can't win, you have to try to get something."

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A MISSED JANUARY OPPORTUNITY?
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 22 JANUARY 2018 AT 9:15PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @StevenMcCarthy9

I really hope I am wrong about this at the end of the season, but I think
failing to secure early signings in January could well be a massive wasted
opportunity to leave the teams around us behind, and push up the table more
than we have done! We performed really well going forward against
Huddersfield, however there were some cracks that were glossed over by the
nature of the final score. The 2 main issues I see in terms of the squad are
in our midfield and sheer lack of depth with an injury prone squad.
No bones about it, yesterday against Bournemouth, we dropped 2 points. We
had all the opportunities to go 2 or 3 goals up, however we couldn't finish
them off successfully. This happens in football, but I think the owners are
playing a dangerous game by waiting for moves when we are playing teams
around us! Upcoming fixtures against Brighton and Watford are 6 pointers,
and we may well have missed an opportunity to go into these games with a
bolstered and settled squad, unknown entities and the ability to rotate our
squad with more than youth players.

The central midfield issue is glaringly obvious and it is one that has
bitten us in the backside numerous times this season. Kouyate's season is
something that I think has been covered enough both in articles and the
excellent West Ham Way Radio Show (free little un forced plug for you guys
there!) but it is blindingly obvious that he has been either killed and
replaced by his doppelgänger, or he simply had a Jason Bourne esque accident
and has lost all his skills instead of his memory!

Yesterday was without a doubt his best game of the season, he charged
forward and he showed far more desire and effort than he has in every single
match of the season combined. But I wonder if buying a Central midielder
earlier in the window could have inspired this dramatic change sooner,
whilst also offering us an option to change our style of play.
We have a great attacking line up, on our day – but when you have the injury
prone players of Carroll, Sakho and Ayew. Combined with the seemingly long
term injury of Antonio (that was inevitably coming).

We are now reliant on 2 strikers for consistent options, one of who'm is an
incredibly well performing player who's natural role is on the wing! And the
other is a striker who appears low in confidence, not entirely rated by our
manager and at a loss in our system. A goal from him yesterday is vital for
us and the team! Had we lost yesterday, combined with our robbery away at
Bournemouth, I think morale would have been seriously low on and off the
pitch.
What I thought before the Bournemouth game, was that we needed to spend on a
striker and central midfielder (I can hear the laughs already). But with
Lanzini's injury and a rumoured Carroll spell on the sidelines we now need
to lengthen the list…..Lanzini has been vital for us over his seasons at the
club, and our recent points and positive performances have largely been down
to him and Arnie's link up play. With Lanzini out, we now have to change our
system or spend on a similar creative player and I wonder if signing sooner
in the window would have been the much smarter option for us!

I'm @StevenMcCarthy9 and let's all get behind the team and hope we can climb
up the table!
COYI's!!!!

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IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN…..
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 22 JANUARY 2018 AT 9:30PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Kevin Slade @KevinSladeSDCC

Here we go again… Twenty two days into the January transfer window and still
no activity as of yet. Although David Moyes has expressed his intent to
strengthen in certain areas, nothing has remotely suggested that we're in
the transfer market to add to the current squad – apart from a few rumours.
I've said in previous articles that the January window in particular is an
all round headache; It's extremely difficult to get a player out of their
current club at this stage of the season unless you're paying over the odds.
In the current market the inflation on transfers has given clubs outside of
the top 6 very little hope to sign a top quality player without spending a
ludicrous amount of money. Let's not forget, signing a player isn't as easy
as calling the chairman of another club and bidding £30m for a player. We
have to take the transfer fee, signing on fees, player wages, bonuses, and
most frustratingly, agent fees all into consideration. Agents play the most
integral part of any transfer in football, and as a result (in my opinion),
it has ruined the game. Example:- The Alexis Sanchez transfer to Manchester
United from Arsenal is supposedly going to amount up to over £600m in total
which includes his wages over the 3 year contract which has been offered to
him. At least £50m of that figure is believed to be in agent fees, which
brings me to my point at hand. £50m in agent fees! We don't even have that
type money for a transfer fee. So what hope does that give us as supporters
when we desperately need additions to the current squad?

It's no mystery that we're crying out for a central midfielder. William
Carvalho, anyone? Or how about Samir Nasri? I roll my eyes at some of the
names that are being touted about this month!
As much as people give him stick, Nobes is and has been our best midfielder
this season & has shown us just how much we've missed him when he hasn't
played. I think it's time to move on Kouyate in the summer as he's been
woeful for the past eighteen months, and Obiang has been out of sorts &
incredibly inconsistent this season. The recall of Cullen and Oxford tells
me that the board aren't looking to invest heavily this window, however, Ex
mentioned today via twitter that there could be movement with Jonjo Shelvey
should Newcastle secure one of their targets, which looks to have moved a
step closer today. Shelvey is a player that I've always liked, and think he
would be a decent addition to the squad. He has that bite that we currently
lack in the centre & the determination to win a ball. He can also pick a
pass going forward which is what we have also lacked in the centre this
season. However I do think we should be aiming a bit higher with a signing
for this position come the summer.
Leander Dendoncker is another player that's been mentioned in the past week
or so. A central midfielder I don't know much about, but has a big
reputation & has four caps for Belgium and champions league experience. At
6'3, my intuitive is he could be a replacement for Kouyate should we decide
to move him on.

Another position we need to be looking at is a new face for the frontline.
Earlier today it was confirmed that Andy Carroll will miss the rest of the
season after a scan revealed he has a broken foot. I've always been a big
fan of Andy, but I'm afraid my patience has finally ran out with him after a
plethora of injuries. There's absolutely no question that there's no player
in world football in the mould of Caz, but he just can't complete a full
season which has always been so frustrating. For the wage that he's earning
with the handful of games he plays a season, Personally I think it's time to
move him on in the summer and concentrate on accommodating Chicharito – give
him the right service, he will give you goals in abundance. But of course,
it costs money to employ a player of that ilk.
It's also time for Sakho to leave as his petulance is wearing for everyone,
so this will leave us with very little options.

It's been very quiet, but here's to hoping that the board delve into their
pockets and show us some ambition. Whether it be now, or in the summer…

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Slaven Bilic: Changing manager may not satisfy fans in long term
Last Updated: 22/01/18 8:25pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic has warned that clubs like West Ham will enjoy short-term gains
by changing their manager, but it will be difficult to keep fans happy in
the long term.
Bilic was axed by West Ham earlier this season and replaced by David Moyes,
who has picked up 17 points from 13 matches so far and seen the team climb
to 11th in the Premier League table Watford became the eighth top-flight
team to change manager this season when they replaced Marco Silva with Javi
Gracia on Sunday - and all of the previous seven have seen their
points-per-game improve under their new boss.
Bilic feels the new managers have succeeded by adopting a "back-to-basics"
approach - but does not feel that is sustainable. "It's one of the biggest
reasons why clubs are changing the managers," he told Monday Night Football.
"It's one of the old cliches, you can't change the mentality, you can't
change 22 players so you change the manager and he takes responsibility.
Unfortunately, it's a part of the job. "I totally agree you are only as good
as your last few games and what is common to all of them [the new managers]
is going back to basics. "When you are struggling, you want a clean sheet
and you don't want to lose games." He added: "It's always easier for a new
face to go back to basics, which is about being on your toes, being
aggressive and all that. "Don't get me wrong. All of them are doing a great
job. I am most interested in West Ham and David Moyes is doing a great job
so far and I wish him all the best. "But all of them have done
back-to-basics type things which is understandable because you need points.
That's one of the reasons why clubs are changing. "But every fan wants his
team to play like Man City or Barcelona. Back to basics long term doesn't
satisfy the fans or the board because people want spectacle."

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West Ham want to sign Leander Dendoncker from Anderlecht
By Sky Sports News
Last Updated: 22/01/18 12:46pm
SSN

West Ham are very interested in Belgium midfielder Leander Dendoncker, Sky
Sports News understands. Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur of HLN has
reported that Hammers assistant manager Stuart Pearce was in Genk over the
weekend to watch the player in action for Anderlecht in a 1-0 win. The
22-year-old is a Belgium international with four caps following his debut in
2015. He has also made 155 appearances and scored 10 goals for Anderlecht
already in his career. West Ham boss David Moyes has been keen to bolster
his squad in certain areas this month. Sky Sports News understands he feels
he has inherited an unbalanced squad.
The Hammers have been keen to move on a number of attacking players - they
are willing to listen to offers Andy Carroll, Andre Ayew and Diafra Sakho -
and want to sign a centre-back and a defensive midfielder. They have
rejected two bids from Rennes for Senegal striker Sakho, the second worth up
to £10m. Bordeaux's new manager Gus Poyet is also keen.

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West Ham suffer double hammer blow as Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll get
confirmation of injury lay-offs
Lanzini limped out of the Premier League draw with Bournemouth at the
weekend, joining Carroll in the treatment room
The Mirror

West Ham have suffered a double hammer blow as Manuel Lanzini and Andy
Carroll's injury lay-offs were confirmed. Lanzini, who limped out of the
weekend draw with Bournemouth, is out of action for one month after
suffering a hamstring problem. Carroll will miss up to three months worth of
action, after a scan revealed that he has suffered a hairline fracture of
his foot - all but ending his hopes to making it to Russia with the England
World Cup squad this summer. David Moyes and his backroom staff were stunned
by Monday's setbacks, and will now rule out a January exit for £17million
summer-buy Javier Hernandez. The Irons had been willing to listen to
acceptable offers for the Mexican striker, but their plans changed
dramatically after Carroll underwent surgery on his broken foot. Carroll had
an ankle operation after initial scans failed to flag up a problem. It was
only after a third, more detailed scan last Thursday that the issue was
finally detected. A decision was taken after consulting with another
specialist on Monday. Although the Hammers considered using a protective
boot to rehabilitate Carroll, they decided to take no risks and opt for
surgery. Giant striker Carroll's injury also denied him a January move to
Chelsea, as the reigning champions were prepared to spend up to £20million
on his signature.
For the Hammers, who are on a run of seven games unbeaten in all
competitions, it is a bitter blow as they continue their resurgence under
David Moyes in the Premier League. West Ham could still allow forward Andre
Ayew to rejoin previous club Swansea for around £20m to fund the signing of
reinforcements up front, but Hernandez is deemed too important to lose.
Moyes is also tracking midfield targets in Real Betis' Fabian and Andre
Gomes of Barcelona. Anderlecht's £20m defender Leander Dendoncker, who can
also play further forward in the engine room, is another on the Scot's list.
Speaking following the Bournemouth game, Moyes admitted that he was
concerned with the club's current injury situation. Winston Reid, Diafra
Sakho, Jose Fonte and Michail Antonio have all also had problems in recent
weeks. "We've had a few injuries and we're just getting through. Behind the
scenes we're just trying to nurse boys along," Moyes told Sky Sports. "We
hope Mano's [Lanzini] isn't serious. Cressy [Aaron Cresswell] is okay, but
it's more the Lanzini one that we're worried about. "I don't think you can
suddenly say, okay we'll go out, see if someone else is out there waiting to
be bought of the level of Lanzini, because I don't think you've got that. "I
think we will work with the players we've got, but we've got too many out
injured at the moment. Ideally, if we got a couple of players to add to the
squad, it would help us, but it's not always that easy to get the players
you want. We're working hard and we'll keep trying to get someone."

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