Daily WHUFC News -17th February 2018

West Ham United Ladies sign WSL star Molly Clark
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies are delighted to announce the signing of Molly Clark
from Portsmouth Ladies. Midfielder Clark brings a host of experience to the
Irons, having played in the FA WSL Spring Series with Yeovil Town last
season. Clark also previously represented Bristol City in WSL1 and helped
the club reach the FA Women's Cup final in 2011. The 26-year-old is thrilled
to sign for the Irons and is eager to get going, having been sold on the
commitment the Club has to developing women's football. And Clark is ready
to help West Ham United Ladies keep winning, with the side currently
unbeaten in 2018, and climb up the divisions. "I am really excited to be
joining West Ham United Ladies," Clark told whufc.com. "I think the league
has seen a different side to West Ham since the turn of the year and I'm
delighted to be a part of the journey. "This is a great opportunity for me.
As soon as [General Manager] Karen Ray told me about the vision that she and
[Managing Director] Jack Sullivan have for the Club, I knew I had to take it
with both hands. "I just can't wait to get started now. I just want to get
in amongst my new teammates and show them, the coaches, and the fans what I
can do on the pitch."

Ray, currently also serving as the team's interim head coach, is thrilled to
welcome a player of Clark's quality to the side, and is looking forward to
working with the new signing. She said: "We are really excited to welcome
Molly Clark to West Ham United Ladies. She is an experienced midfielder, who
has the ability to turn and play forward because she finds herself great
pockets of space, which really suits our newfound attacking prowess. "Having
played at the very top of the pyramid, Molly will naturally lead with her
professionalism and understanding of what it takes to play at the highest
level of the women's game. Personally, I am really looking forward to
working with Molly and developing her further within our environment."

Clark, having played for hometown club Portsmouth on three occasions, as
well as representing Southampton, Yeovil Town and Bristol City, has been
struck by the commitment and positive attitude of her new colleagues
already. "I've played for a few teams but I was struck by the determination
to win that all the girls, and Karen, have," she admitted. "I'm on the same
wavelength in that regard. I just really want to win matches. "There's a
really professional environment here and that is really important to me. The
girls show it, Karen shows it, and I just want to be in a team that has the
same attitude as I do. I truly believe I've found that here."
A player driven by her passion for the game, and giving her all on the
pitch, Clark is keeping her cards close to her chest about her actual
playing style. However, the midfielder is eager to give her all for her new
side and show the supporters what she can offer on the pitch. "I'll be
surprised if you see anyone else with my style of play, let's just put it
that way," Clark hints. "I'm comfortable doing a number of things and
performing a number of roles on the pitch. "I'm all about giving 100 per
cent in every game, and I expect the same from my teammates. That's the
feeling I've got from the girls and I love that attitude. I want to have to
fight for my place in the team every week, both on the training pitches and
in matches. "I'm just really excited to get going and pull on the shirt for
the first time. The team understands what it means to wear the badge, and I
can't wait to get that feeling and get stuck in."

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U18s coach Phillips 'quietly confident' of Brighton result
WHUFC.com

West Ham United U18's coach Mark Phillips says he is quietly confident of a
victory against Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of Saturday's contest at the
Little Heath Sports Ground. A win over Saturday's opponents will see the
Hammers leapfrog Reading into 10th and move within one point of Brighton in
the Premier League U18. The Hammers' coach is hoping for another positive
showing following last week's 2-1 win over Leicester City. However, winning
is a second priority for Phillips, who believes the players' attitude and
performance on and off pitch is more important for their devolvement. We've
won our last game and have a reasonably strong team, we're quietly confident
of getting the three points, but most importantly, we're hoping for a
positive performance.

Mark Phillips

He told whufc.com: "We've had good training sessions this week and are in a
positive frame of mind. We are in good shape. "We've won our last game and
have a reasonably strong team, we're quietly confident of getting the three
points, but most importantly, we're hoping for a positive performance. "I'm
more interested in the performance [than the Leicester game], it was a very
good performance from the lads. "Sometimes players play and win a game where
they didn't deserve to win. However I felt that our win was justified by our
performance." He continued: "We never mention the word 'winning' to the
players, we tell them to keep on installing the good habits in the team,
keep working hard and staying focused on the job in hand." Phillips has
revealed that Hammer's centre back, Ajibola Alese, has returned from England
duty and could be involved this weekend. The 17-year-old was called up to
Steve Cooper's side to feature in the Algarve Tournament.
Alese suffered a lengthy injury that has largely interrupted his campaign
campaign this season but now the centre-back is back and ready to show what
he can do for West Ham. "It will be nice to have him back in the squad, he's
an important player who hasn't played for us much this year. It's a big
bonus for us."

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West Ham United legend Ken Brown turns 84!
WHUFC.com

A truly unique figure in West Ham United history celebrates his 84th
birthday today. Ken Brown Senior is the only Hammer to win the 1958 Second
Division championship, the 1964 FA Cup and 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Brown, who played 474 times in Claret and Blue between February 1953 and
February 1967, was crowned Hammer of the Year and capped by England in 1959,
personified the transformation of West Ham from also-rans to one of the
finest teams in the country. A tough centre-half on the field and a true
gentleman off it, Brown mentored dozens of future first-team stars through
the Academy of Football and partnered the 17-year-old Bobby Moore on his
debut in September 1958. He was rewarded for an outstanding career with a
Testimonial match in May 1967, when he captained a Select XI including
Gordon Banks and his fellow 1964 FA Cup winners John Bond and Johnny Byrne
against a West Ham side captained by his long-time friend and teammate
Moore.
This May, Brown will be honoured by the Club when he receives the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 2018 Player Awards brought to you by Betway in aid
of the Academy, continuing a relationship with the Hammers dating back more
than 65 years. "I was brought up at West Ham and had the best years of my
life at the Club," said Brown, who now lives in Norfolk with his wife
Elaine. "I used to come into the Boleyn Ground in the early days with a
fella called Dick Walker who taught me how to approach football and I have
never forgotten that. "There have been lots of other people at the Club who
have all made me feel welcome and always wanted me to do well. "I didn't
expect to be named Hammer of the Year but when I look back now it is
something that I fully appreciate. No matter what anyone says no-one will
ever take my memories away from this place. "From day one it was such a
pleasure to play with all my old team-mates. Dick Walker encouraged me how
to behave as a footballer and everyone loved him. I would always try to live
in his footsteps. "Bobby Moore was different class. He was two or three
steps ahead of anyone he played against and he was an incredible player. It
was a privilege to play next to him. He certainly made my life a lot
easier!"

Born in Forest Gate, played for Dagenham-based Neville United before Brown
was given his big chance by West Ham in 1951, when he signed his first
professional contract at the age of 17. Two years later, between two stints
of National Service, Brown was given his first-team debut by Ted Fenton in a
1-1 Second Division draw with Rotherham United in February 1953. Five years
later, he partnered Moore on his own debut against Manchester United at the
Boleyn Ground, before going on to enjoy great success under Fenton's
successor Ron Greenwood. Brown played all seven ties as the Hammers won the
FA Cup for the first time in 1964, and all nine as Greenwood led them to
European Cup Winners' Cup glory at Wembley a year later. Despite those
outstanding achievements, the modest defender never felt he was a good
enough to satisfy his visionary manager. "The wonderful managers including
Ron Greenwood who was fantastic for me and put so many ideas into our heads.
"I sometimes thought that I wasn't good enough to play under Ron because he
had so many brainwaves of perfection that I could never live up to that, but
I had so many magical memories!"

Brown ended his time as a professional player alongside Bond at Torquay
United before embarking on his own successful managerial career, leading
Norwich City to League Cup glory in 1985 and a then-record high league
finish of fifth a year later. Son Kenny played under his father at Carrow
Road before moving to West Ham himself in 1991, spending five years at the
Club. The elder Brown also managed Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth Argyle and
scouted for England managers Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle and Kevin Keegan.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish Ken a very happy birthday!

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Cresswell: We're doing well, but there is more work to be done
WHUFC.com

West Ham United might have collected 20 points from their last dozen Premier
League matches, but Aaron Cresswell says there is still plenty of work to be
done. The Hammers have won five and drawn five of those 12 games, climbing
seven places in the table, but remain just four points above the relegation
zone. With away matches at high-flying Liverpool and resurgent Swansea City
next on the fixture list, Cresswell knows West Ham need to maintain their
own level of performance to steer clear of the bottom three. "I didn't
realise we'd collected that many points from those games and if we were to
do that over the course of a whole season, you'd be sitting sixth or seventh
in the league at the end of it, if you kept that tally up," said the in-form
No3, who has started eleven of those 12 matches. "Twenty points in 12 games
is a good return and certainly since the new manager has come in, we've had
a turn in fortune and some good results. "We didn't get off the best of
starts at Watford and Everton, but 20 points from our last 12 games is a
good return for any manager. "It's certainly not over, though, and we have
eleven games to play and a lot of points to play for, so we've got to keep
pushing and striving and hopefully we will be OK."

While most clubs experience a 'bounce' when a new manager is appointed, West
Ham have continued to bounce for three months since David Moyes' arrival in
November. Cresswell has enjoyed working under the Scot and his experienced
and hard-working assistants Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay.
The quartet, with the support of a committed backroom staff, have left no
stone unturned in their quest to turn West Ham's fortunes around – an
approach welcomed by the England international. "We feel we-prepared for
every game," he confirmed. "That was the manager's thing from day one, that
if you don't work hard and put your effort in for the team, your teammates,
the manager, the staff and everyone here, it's clear you wouldn't play. "I
think he set his stall out well and everyone understands what their role is
and what the job is and you could arguably say we're a lot more organised
going into a game. "The performance analysts work tirelessly to make sure
we're well-prepared and well-organised for every game."

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Liverpool v West Ham United U23s: All you need to know
WHUFC.com

Liverpool v West Ham United U23: All you need to know

Terry Westley and his West Ham United side take on Liverpool in Premier
League 2 on Saturday at the Kirkby Training Ground.

Read on for more team news and how to follow this weekend's tie.

Where and When?

Saturday's game will be contested at the Kirkby Training Ground, kick-off at
15:00.

How to follow:

We'll have all the action live, minute-by-minute, on our matchday blog on
whufc.com. Make sure you tune in at 14:00, while you can also follow our
Twitter feed for updates. After the fixture, we'll have plenty of post-match
reaction, along with match highlights the following morning.

Team news:

Exciting new signing Oladapo Afolayan is in contention to start against
Liverpool after two impressive starts since his deadline day arrival.
Long-term injuries sustained to Dan Kemp, Nathan Holland and Noah Sylvester
mean they are still unavailable for team selection.

Meet the opposition:

Although they are top of the League, Liverpool are on a bad run of form,
only winning two of their previous five games and were beaten 1-0 by
Tottenham last time out. West Ham and Liverpool played each other in the
early stages of the season with the Hammers losing 2-0.

Player to watch:

Exciting attacking midfielder Marcus Browne is our player to watch for
Saturday. The 21-year-old had a fine game against Tottenham and opening his
account for the season with a cool penalty finish.

Last time out:

The points were shared in an entertaining London derby. Goals from Domingos
Quina and Marcus Browne ensured the Hammers fought back twice from behind to
draw 2-2 against Tottenham.

Interestingly both teams' previous games were against Tottenham with the
Hammers fighting back to a 2-2 draw while Liverpool were 1-0 losers.

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KIERON DYER: CRAIG BELLAMY, LEE BOWYER & MY INJURY HELL
By Dan Coker 16 Feb 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Kieron Dyer's autobiography, Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late, is currently
being serialised in the Daily Mail. Passages relating to former Hammers
Craig Bellamy and Lee Bowyer, and Dyer's own time in east London have been
collated here.

Craig Bellamy

"There was one game where Sir Bobby Robson brought Craig Bellamy off early
because he thought the game was won and he wanted to save Craig's legs. When
we got back to the changing room, Craig was cursing about how he was always
the first one to be hooked. Sir Bobby grew exasperated and said: 'Will you
shut up.' Craig kept jabbering away about the injustice and finally Sir
Bobby snapped. 'I'll squash you, son, like an ant.' Craig looked a bit taken
aback but after a brief pause, started complaining again. 'Who are you?' Sir
Bobby said. 'Ronaldo, Romario, Stoichkov, Hagi, Guardiola, Luis Enrique,
Gascoigne: these are the people I deal with. And who are you?' The changing
room went quiet. Even Craig went quiet. And then Craig looked over at me and
said: 'He's got a point, hasn't he?'"

"We had played Charlton and Graeme Souness had substituted Craig Bellamy.
The TV cameras caught Craig muttering 'f****** p****' in his direction as he
walked off. Souness didn't see or hear it, but when he was shown footage, he
was livid. Craig had been warned by Dean Saunders, Souey's assistant, not to
answer back, but it wasn't in Craig's make-up to keep quiet. He started
protesting that there hadn't been any argument. 'See, this is the problem,'
Souness said. I could see he was about to go. He mentioned a few of the
trophies he had won and some of the clubs he had played for. 'And then
someone like you calls me a f****** p****,' he said to Craig. 'I'll f******
knock you out.' He tried to grab Craig by the throat. 'In the gym now,' he
said. 'Let's sort this out like men.' Alan Shearer had to pull Souness off
him. That was the first time in my life I've seen Bellers completely
speechless. They never made it to the gym, but it knocked the stuffing out
of Craig. Souness had put down a marker."

With Souness and Bellamy's relationship reaching breaking point (and after
David Gold talked up a potential move for Bellamy to Birmingham in January
2005, saying personal terms and a medical were a mere formality), the
Welshman joined Celtic on loan. After spells at Blackburn and Liverpool,
Bellamy joined the Hammers in the summer of 2007; his nine goals for the
club can be viewed in my video below:

Lee Bowyer

Dyer famously had an on-pitch brawl with Bowyer in April 2005, during a
Newcastle match against Aston Villa at St James' Park. Bowyer had played for
the Hammers in the second half of the 2002/03 campaign and returned to Upton
Park in the summer of 2006, departing for Birmingham in 2009.

"I could see him marching towards me, eyes bulging. Graeme Souness was
shouting 'don't do it' from the touchline but Lee Bowyer kept on coming. I
grabbed him by the shoulders and the neck to keep him off me and then he
started raining in punches. It was like slow motion. When the punches were
hitting me in the head, I was thinking: 'I cannot believe he is hitting me
in front of 52,000 people. What the f*** is he thinking?' I was trying to
let him punch himself out. I thought it was just going to be handbags. It's
the kind of thing that might happen in training but not in a match. No one
in their right mind would do that — but Bow had lost his mind. I think he
hit me four times. The punches didn't hurt but by the time the fourth punch
came in, I thought 'f*** this' and launched one back at him. Gareth Barry
rushed in to restrain Bow and drag him away. Bow's shirt was ripped down to
his chest and he was still snarling and snapping and trying to get himself
free. I was relatively calm, but I looked over at Bow again and he was
frothing and raging. I didn't realise that you could get sent off for
fighting your team-mate. The referee came over and showed me the red card.
Then he sent Bow off, too. The crowd had been on our case because we were
3-0 down at home to Aston Villa. On the pitch, tempers were fraying. Bowyer
had come to show for the ball. He was available, but I thought there were
better options and passed to another team-mate. Bowyer went crazy. 'F******
pass me the ball,' he screamed. 'What are you talking about?' I said. 'You
never pass me the ball,' he said. I told him to do one but he chuntered a
bit more. A few minutes later, he wanted me to lay it square to him. I
thought there were better options. It wasn't personal. Bow went absolutely
nuts. 'F****** hell,' he yelled, 'you never pass me the ball.' 'The reason I
don't pass you the ball,' I said, 'is because you're f****** s***.' His
whole demeanour changed. He had gone and I knew he had gone. I'd always got
on well with him. I still do. The media have portrayed him in a certain way,
and sure, he had his moments."

Injury Hell

The 28-year-old Dyer signed for West Ham United on 16th August 2007 in a
deal believed to be worth in the region of £6m. He played the full 90
minutes in his first two games in claret and blue, a 1-0 win at Birmingham
and 1-1 home draw with Wigan, but disaster struck at Bristol Rovers in a
League Cup second round match when Dyer broke both the tibia and fibula of
his right leg following a tackle by Joe Jacobsen.

"Breaking my leg in 2007 was the beginning of a long, debilitating,
dispiriting process that killed my career. It led to the West Ham hierarchy
trying to shame me, because I played so few games for the club. I'd tell any
young injured player to get the best person available to look after you.
West Ham didn't feel it was necessary to do that. I wish I'd taken control
and stuck up for myself. You start to hate yourself because you can't get
back to doing the thing you love – and you get slammed by the press, owners
and fans."

Dyer made his return just over 16 months later as a substitute in a 3-0 FA
Cup third round home win against Barnsley. He didn't start a match until
April 2009. He didn't score in 35 appearances for the club and donned the
claret and blue for the final time as a substitute in a 3-1 League Cup
semi-final second leg defeat at Birmingham in January 2011.

"After I left West Ham, joint chairman David Gold said I had cost the club
£16million in fees and wages. That was a classy touch. When Gold and David
Sullivan bought the club they talked about the extraordinary wages West Ham
were paying and how one player who had barely played ought to have the
decency to retire. The arrow was pointing right at me. West Ham fans would
say what a waste of money I was. I didn't score a goal for them in four
years and didn't play four or five games on the trot, ever. But you know
what? Every time I went out there, they were brilliant with me and I will
always remember that. It kills me that they didn't even see a fraction of
what I once was."

Dyer goes on to discuss how he became embarrassed to say he had an injury,
saying that he had played on after suffering an injury on more than one
occasion to avoid the "shame" of walking off the pitch.

"Later at West Ham I felt my thigh pop with my last kick of training. My
heart sank. I was in pain but it was nothing compared to the dread,
disappointment and embarrassment flooding over me. I couldn't tell the
physio so I said my thigh was tight, even though I knew I'd pulled it. I was
trying to convince myself too. On the morning of our first game of the
2009/10 season [at Wolves] we did a fitness test in the hotel corridor.
Stabbing pains were shooting through my thigh with every stride I took but
somehow I passed and played with a grade one tear in my thigh."

Dyer had a loan spell at Ipswich in 2011 as the Hammers struggled vainly
against relegation and moved permanently to QPR on a free transfer in the
summer of that year.

"After QPR, I knew it was over. I wasn't sad when I stopped. People ask if I
miss playing and the answer is that I don't. Not because I didn't love the
game, but because in the last five years of my career, I was never fit and
always doing rehab. It was miserable. I got used to missing football. It's
not like it all came to a sudden stop. I was delighted that I didn't have to
feel embarrassed in front of my family any more. I was relieved I didn't
have to feel embarrassed about myself in front of the fans any more. I was
delighted I wouldn't be embarrassed in front of the physios any more. I'd
had enough of letting people down. When people pour scorn on players like
Darren Anderton, Michael Owen and Daniel Sturridge because of their injury
record, I don't think they realise how much embarrassment there is when you
injure yourself."

Dyer, now 39, retired after a short spell at Middlesbrough in 2013.

Adapted from Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late by Kieron Dyer with Oliver Holt,
published on February 22 by Headline at £20. As serialised in the Daily
Mail.

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Manuel Lanzini ready to return to West Ham training next week ahead of
Liverpool trip
JAMES BENGE
ES Sport

Manuel Lanzini says he will return to first-team training next week as he
steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury. The Argentina playmaker has
not featured since the 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth on January 20,
missing a run of four games in which West Ham have won only once. Hammers
boss David Moyes has also had to cope without Andy Caroll and, until
Saturday's 2-0 win over Watford, record signing Marko Arnautovic. However
Lanzini's optimistic assessment of his recovery will raise hopes that the
West Ham No.10 will be available for Saturday's trip to Liverpool, against
whom the 25-year-old has scored twice, including in a famous 3-0 win at
Anfield in August 2015. "I'm feeling good," Lanzini told the club website.
"My injury is getting better every day and I'm expect to be back very soon.
"I'm training hard and I expect to go back with the team next week. "It's
great that Marko is back now. He is a very good player and we need him. "I'm
also looking forward to playing with Joao Mario. He is an important player
and together we have good qualities." Moyes is also set to welcome Winston
Reid back to the squad after he missed the win over Watford with a throat
infection but Carroll, Pedro Obiang and Edimilson Fernandes remain long-term
absentees.

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