Daily WHUFC News - 23rd March 2018

West Ham United Statement
WHUFC.com

West Ham United can confirm that swift and decisive action has been taken
against a number of spectators who breached stadium regulations or were
found to have committed acts of severe violence and physical aggression at
our recent Premier League match against Burnley.

Lifetime bans from all West Ham United matches, both home and away, have
today been issued to five individuals who crossed safety barriers to enter
the field of play – a criminal offence that is a severe breach of stadium
safety regulations - while a number of individuals have also been banned for
life for violently throwing coins or objects with intent to injure or harm
on the bridge directly in front of the Directors' Box.

Furthermore, a number of additional incidents, including attempted pitch
incursions and acts of violence, are currently being investigated in
collaboration with stadium operators LS185 and the police. The Club expect
to issue further bans based on witness statements and the high quality CCTV
footage available, prior to our next home match against Southampton on 31
March.

West Ham United would like to reiterate that the safety and security of our
supporters, players and staff remains our absolute priority at London
Stadium. We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of violence that
endangers the welfare of others, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and
comfortable environment for all spectators.

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Antonio: Positive vibes are spreading through the West Ham United camp
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio says 'positive vibes' are spreading through the West Ham
United camp after a team-bonding trip to Miami and a positive 3-1 friendly
win at Dagenham & Redbridge. The No30, who continued his fine scoring form
with two more goals in Wednesday's fundraising match at Chigwell
Construction Stadium, believes the squad's visit to Florida was just what
was needed after three disappointing Premier League defeats. And Antonio
believes the Claret and Blue Army will see the effects of that when they
kick-off a vital eight-match run-in at home to Southampton a week on
Saturday. "Going away got the boys to gel together and kind of bond," he
revealed. "Every day you come to training, you can come in and not really
speak to players and there was be a bad vibe going around as we're not
winning games. "The gaffer thought to take us away and change the mood, get
a bit of sun into our systems and play a couple of bonding games and then we
could come back and kick forward. "The atmosphere is good. We went out there
and we've come back in a good place. All the boys are enjoying and hopefully
we can go out there and show what we can do."

The forward, who netted in the recent defeats at Liverpool and Swansea City,
also implored the Club's supporters to get behind the players as they fight
to keep West Ham in the Premier League. "The message is 'Don't give up on
us' as in the situation we're in, we're going to need them. It's not just us
or just them in this situation, we're all in this situation together so
we'll keep fighting and keep pushing together."
Antonio is arguably in his best form of a season that has been affected by a
succession of niggly injuries, having found the net four times in his last
four appearances, including Wednesday's win at east London neighbours
Dagenham & Redbridge. The hosts' competitive approach made for a good
workout for David Moyes' men on a night when the cash-strapped National
League side raised much-needed revenue. The 28-year-old said every West Ham
player would have benefitted from the game, too. "To be honest, it was a
decent game. They turned up and they tried to play a bit of football, so it
was all positive, there was a nice vibe and we enjoyed it. "I hate to see
other football clubs struggling, especially with me coming from non-league,
so it's just one of those things where any way we could help, we can. "I
feel I've got the goals in me to keep West Ham up. I've got nine goals in
each of the last two seasons and this season hasn't been going well for me
as I've had quite a few injuries, but I've come back now and scored two
goals in the league and got a couple today, so hopefully I can keep pushing
forward."

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Lewis 'delighted' with debut win against Dagenham
WHUFC.com

Alfie Lewis could not contain his delight at playing a large role in West
Ham United's 3-1 friendly win against neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge. The
18-year-old was given the nod by manager David Moyes to play in midfield in
Wednesday's contest, marking his first appearance for the senior side at the
Club. Lewis would play the full 90 minutes in the fundraising friendly
against the Daggers, earning praise for a mature performance in the centre
of the park. "I'm delighted," Lewis confirmed to whufc.com: "It was a good
experience for me tonight, to play with the likes of Patrice Evra, and Mark
Noble in midfield. It was a good challenge and a good test for us as well,
and I think I did well." The youngster's appearance for Moyes's senior team
comes after Lewis spent a lengthy period on the sidelines in 2017 with a
knee injury, with the midfielder out of action for almost eight months.
Lewis returned to playing in December and, after two appearances in Premier
League 2 for the U23s and seven outings at U18s level this campaign, the
teenager admits he was thrilled to get the nod in Wednesday's match. The
youngster was also happy with his side's overall performance in the contest,
with a pair of finishes from Michail Antonio and Jordan Hugill's first goal
for the Irons securing the 3-1 win. Lewis continued: "I got told yesterday I
would be playing, and yeah I was really excited. I've been thinking about
it. I was given a chance and hopefully I took it. "I think we moved the
ball quite well on the pitch. We stopped them, especially during their
aerial duels in the box. We stopped them and we took our chances as well. It
was a good performance."
Despite impressing on his first outing for the first team, Lewis is
concentrating on becoming a regular in Terry Westley's U23s side first
before contemplating a competitive appearance for West Ham this season. "I
just want to play for the U23s really and train with the first team a few
times. I'm not sure about a competitive first team appearance yet. I'm not
the one to answer that but we will see."

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Moyes to use international break for European scouting trip
WHUFC.com

David Moyes revealed he will spend part of the international break on a
European scouting trip. While Stuart Pearce and Alan Irvine oversaw a
recovery session at Rush Green on Thursday morning, the West Ham United
manager and assistant Alan Irvine flew out to inspect prospective venues for
the Hammers' pre-season training camp this coming summer. Irvine will spend
two days in Germany, while Moyes will take in a selection of prospective
sites in Austria. From there, the manager will head to his native Glasgow to
watch Scotland take on Costa Rica in an international friendly at Hampden
Park on Friday evening. "I'm actually going to use the end of the week and
over the weekend to go and visit the pre-season sites for where we're going
to pre-season, so I'll try and go and get that done correctly," he
confirmed. "On route, I'll take in a game or two and see if I can see some
of the players play in international games. "I want to do it myself and make
sure that we get things right. There are things that I'm doing that I've
done in the past and I've got to go and see two or three training sites and
I'm going to spend this weekend going and looking at pre-season camps and
getting everything in place for the start of next season, really."

On his return to Rush Green on Monday, Moyes will likely bolster his
training group with a number of young professionals, who will join the squad
prior to the return of the Club's full internationals throughout the week.
The likes of Nathan Holland, Alfie Lewis and Josh Pask all featured in
Wednesday's 3-1 friendly victory at Dagenham & Redbridge and could all be
given further opportunities to impress in training in the early part of next
week. The thinking behind that is twofold – not only will it give the
youngsters a chance to impress, but their presence will also enable the Scot
to hold full-scale sessions ahead of the return to Premier League action at
home to Southampton on Saturday afternoon. "We're training with a smaller
group of eight or nine players and we'll also use it to bring up some of the
young players and give them a chance to show what they can do at the
training ground as well."

West Ham return to Premier League action with a home game against
Southampton on Saturday 31 March.

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New date for Arsenal away
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Premier League trip to Arsenal will now be played on
Sunday 22 April, with a 1.30pm kick-off. The Hammers were originally due to
make the short journey to Emirates Stadium a day later for the Sky
Sports-televised game, but the London derby has now been rescheduled.
Meanwhile, the Hammers' home match against Manchester City will remain on
Sunday 29 April at 2.15pm, unless Pep Guardiola's side qualify for the UEFA
Champions League semi-finals. In that scenario, the game would be played on
Saturday 28 April with a 12.30pm kick-off. The game would still be broadcast
live on Sky Sports.

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West Ham youngsters Quina and Belic star in international victories
WHUFC.com

Domingos Quina played a central role as Portugal kicked-off their UEFA
European U19 Championship Elite Round Qualification challenge with a
thumping 5-0 win over Kosovo. Wearing the No10 shirt, the West Ham United
teenager grabbed an assist for his country's fifth and final goal in a
comprehensive victory at Boavista's Estadio do Bessa XXI in Porto. Group 5
hosts Portugal welcome Slovakia to Pacos de Ferreira's A Mata Real stadium
on Saturday before tackling Republic of Ireland at Cidade de Barcelos on
Tuesday, with both matches kicking-off at 5pm local time. Portugal, who were
runners-up to England at the 2018 staging of the tournament, sit top of the
table after the Slovakians and Irish drew 1-1 on Wednesday.

West Ham had interest in that game, too, as midfielder Conor Coventry played
for the opening 67 minutes at Sports Center CF Fao, receiving a yellow card
for a foul on Slovakia's goal-scorer Michal Tomic before being replaced.
Coventry and Ireland will return to action on Saturday, when they take on
Kosovo in at Rio Ave in Vila do Conde.

Finally, Academy midfielder Kristijan Belic played the full 80 minutes as
Serbia defeated Group 1 hosts Czech Republic 2-0 in their opening UEFA U17
Elite Round Qualification match at the Ander Stadium in Oloumouc. With
Ukraine and Spain drawing 1-1 in the other opening round match, Serbia can
put themselves in full control of the group with victory Ukraine in Postejov
on Saturday afternoon. Belic and his compatriots will then hope to clinch
qualification for the finals when they take on Spain in the same venue next
Tuesday.

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West Ham give lifetime bans to pitch invaders at Burnley game
BBC.co.uk

West Ham United have given lifetime bans to five supporters who invaded the
pitch during the team's 3-0 defeat by Burnley at London Stadium. Several
fans have also been banned for life for throwing coins or objects "with
intent to injure or harm". Hammers joint-owner David Sullivan was hit by a
coin as fans protested in front of the directors' box. The club said it had
taken "swift and decisive action" after acts of "severe violence and
physical aggression".
It expects to issue further bans for attempted pitch invasions and violence
before the next home game against fellow Premier League strugglers
Southampton on 31 March. Vice-chairman Karren Brady apologised for the
events on 10 March, calling it "one of the most painful days" in the club's
history. "We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of violence that
endangers the welfare of others, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and
comfortable environment for all spectators," said the Premier League club in
a statement. The Hammers have struggled since moving from Upton Park to the
former Olympic Stadium in August 2016, winning 12 and losing 13 of their 33
home league matches there.
David Moyes' team are two points and one place above the relegation zone.
Tighter safety and security measures, including an increased police
presence, will be in operation for the visit of Southampton. London
Stadium's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which includes representatives from
the club, police, Newham council, and stadium owners and operators,
announced the decision after an emergency meeting last week. It also warned
that future trouble could lead to closures.

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The price of a pitch invasion
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 22nd March 2018
By: Staff Writer

Five supporters who entered the field of play during the Premier League
meeting with Burnley have been banned from the Olympic Stadium for life. And
a number of other supporters who are said to have been captured on CCTV
throwing objects towards the Directors' Box have also been told not to
return to the Olympic Stadium.

"West Ham United can confirm that swift and decisive action has been taken
against a number of spectators who breached stadium regulations or were
found to have committed acts of severe violence and physical aggression at
our recent Premier League match against Burnley," read statement, published
on Thursday.
"Lifetime bans from all West Ham United matches, both home and away, have
today been issued to five individuals who crossed safety barriers to enter
the field of play – a criminal offence that is a severe breach of stadium
safety regulations - while a number of individuals have also been banned for
life for violently throwing coins or objects with intent to injure or harm
on the bridge directly in front of the Directors' Box. "Furthermore, a
number of additional incidents, including attempted pitch incursions and
acts of violence, are currently being investigated in collaboration with
stadium operators LS185 and the police. The Club expect to issue further
bans based on witness statements and the high quality CCTV footage
available, prior to our next home match against Southampton on 31 March.
"West Ham United would like to reiterate that the safety and security of our
supporters, players and staff remains our absolute priority at London
Stadium. We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of violence that
endangers the welfare of others, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and
comfortable environment for all spectators."

Co-owner David Sullivan claimed to have been hit in the face by a coin
during the fracas, although no video evidence is yet to have emerged.
However a season ticket holder who was sitting close to the chairman told
KUMB that he very little very little being thrown in their direction. I was
sat directly behind the Directors' box and had a pretty good of the entirety
of the demonstrations," said the unnamed fan. "When Sullivan et al got up to
leave it looked like there was a couple of things thrown, but it wasn't easy
to see. It could well have been coins. I wouldn't describe it as 'quite a
few' though. "I did not see any 'severe violence' nor did I see any pitch
invasion attempts 'thwarted', although after the first bloke ran on the
pitch and was pushed over by Noble there were a few in the North/East corner
that seemed to make a half-arsed attempt to enter the pitch, and were
'dissuaded' by a steward."

One of the supporters to have been issued with a lifetime ban is corner
flag-carrying Paul Colborne, 61, who has been following the club for 49
years.

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IS A DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL THE ANSWER?
By Blind Hammer 22 Mar 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Blind Hammer looks at the director of Football Debate.

It looks certain now that West Ham will appoint a Director of football at
the conclusion of this season. David Sullivan is reported as seeking to
scale down his involvement. There is also a gap in recruitment following the
departure of tony Henry. David Gold has also indicated that they are
interested in appointing a Director of Football with previous PL experience.
Speculation has already begun that former Arsenal director of football Dick
Lawis is in prime position to take on this new role.

However there has long been a debate about the usefulness of a Director of
Football. Ex-Hammer John Hartson immediately criticised West Ham's apparent
new strategy. He queried this on Twitter.
"Top managers won't always work with a director of football. If your head is
on the block then why would you want someone else bringing the players in?
Never got it!"

Hartson's tweet went to the heart of the Director of Football debate. Who
should have the final say in transfers? The two longest standing managers in
Premier League history, Wenger and Ferguson, would never have conceded power
to effect key transfer decisions. On the face of it Hartson's tweet has
considerable force. Why don't clubs simply leave transfer dealing to the
Team manager? The Manager is, after all, the man who has to, in the end,
pick the team. Such a structure gives clear lines of responsibility and
accountability. The team Manager could assemble a recruitment team to
support him in this strategy. Scouts as well as coaches can feed into player
identification. The time consuming process of negotiating with Agents over
contractual issues simply requires a Commercial Business Manager with a
legal background rather than anybody in the Director of Football role.
Negotiating contracts is an entirely separate skill to player
identification.

So why would West Ham even consider restricting the hand of their Manager
with player recruitment? The fact is that something has to change. As I
reported some weeks ago West Ham have, in fact, been amongst the highest net
investors outside of the traditional top six when looked at over 5 years.
However they have equally been amongst the poorest performers in player
resale value. They have a dreadful record in achieving any income when
players depart the club. The stats point to a historic and long term problem
with player recruitment. Putting it bluntly we recruit too many duds.

There is a valid argument that Team managers may have priorities for
Transfer Recruitment which is not in the longer term interest of a club.
Nowadays it seems rare for a Manager, even at a top club, to survive more
than 2 to 3 years. It is not surprising then if a manager has his eyes
firmly fixed on the next 6 months rather than the next 5 years. There is a
risk that Recruitment can be skewed to short termism, rather than
progressive squad development. Arguably the quantity rather than quality
recruitment in Bilic's second summer, where we ineffectually tried to
prepare for a Europa League challenge fell into this mistake.

A way forward may be for a Director of Football to have this longer term
perspective and responsibility for recruitment. In a more secure role the
director of Football will not feel so pressured to take the short term fix
but instead focus on a more extended term, directing investment in younger
players with potential, possibly then harnessing greater rewards. This will
imply a split recruitment strategy. A shorter term strategy focussed on
immediate squad weaknesses would have to be led by the team manager.
Logically a Director of Football may then be more focussed on the Academy
development rather than the squad members pressing now for inclusion in the
first 11. Such a split strategy does beg the question though, why should a
person focussed on the Academy have such a Senior role within the club?

A Director of Football will come because what went before has not worked.
There is little evidence, though, that such a role will be any immediate
panacea for West Ham. In the end recruiting the right person with the right
skill, who can assimilate and work positively with the existing team is
probably more important than any formal Job description. Moyes has made the
right noises to indicate he recognises the dangers of short term investment,
even if it is his heads which is ultimately on the block. Gold insisted in
his recent interview it was Moyes and not the Board who led the decision to
not invest in poor value available in January.

Despite the noises about a director of Football the key role in any club
will remain the team Manager. Everybody knows this, including the Media who
point the spotlight that way. A Director of Football should be providing, at
best then, the supporting infrastructure.

COYI
David Griffith

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WHAT HAS 'LEADER' PATRICE EVRA BROUGHT TO WEST HAM SO FAR? CAN HE REALLY
HELP GUIDE WEST HAM TO PREMIER LEAGUE SURVIVAL AS THE GOING GETS TOUGH?
By DavidBlackmore 22 Mar 2018 at 17:00
WTID

One observation many fans have made of West Ham in recent times is the lack
of leaders on the field.

Mark Noble wears both the armband and his heart on his sleeve and certainly
does plenty of shouting and geeing up, but beyond that, the team seems
somewhat lacking in leadership.

So to bring in someone who has played at the World Cup, Euros, captined his
country and two of the biggest teams in Europe, won the league in two
countries and played in five Champions League finals should remedy that
problem. And in Patrice Evra, that is what West Ham have got.

But the former Manchester United, Juventus, Marseille and France star is 36
now, so aside from that, what is he bringing to the team?

In the latest edition of Blowing Bubbles , Greg Richardson runs the rule
over Evra

"It is safe to say he is probably one of the most decorated players to pull
on the West Ham shirt in recent memory. And that experience and winning
mentality brings with it other desirable qualities. Behind the smile and
joker image on social media is a man who hates to lose. He is a consummate
professional.

"His positive outlook, experience and his acute professionalism likewise
make him a good role model for our other French left back. Arthur Masuaku,
before his ban, was one of the bright sparks of another thus far dull
season.

"Under the tutelage of Evra, he could learn to add defensive solidity to his
evident attacking qualities and blossom into a player truly worthy of his
King Arthur nickname. But then, we have had older players before, whose
expertise was meant to help bring on younger players.

"Alvaro Arbeloa, and to a lesser degree Pablo Zabaleta, were signed with
half an eye on mentoring and improving Sam Byram. There is little evidence
either had any success in doing so. An additional downside to signing a
player of such vast experience is the age that comes with the wisdom.

"Evra is 36 years old, and similarly to his fellow full back Pablo Zabaleta
– whilst the qualities remain, the pace that is so desperately needed in the
modern game is gone. Evra has the further issue of having not played any
football for over three months following his ban for an altercation with a
fan."

To find out more about Evra and what he offers West Ham, pick up a copy of
the new edition of Blowing Bubbles, out now. In it, you will find exclusive
columns from former Irons greats Phil Parkes and George Parris, giving their
views on what is passed in the transfer window, what is present, and what
lies ahead on the end of season run-in.

There is a look at what the club can do to restore its reputation after the
Tony Henry scandal and amid increasingly ill-tempered relations between fans
and the board, the Pub Talk team pick over the comings and goings of the
transfer window, and in a startlingly honest interview, Kieron Dyer talks
about his unfulfilled ambitions after his injury-ravaged four year stint at
West Ham – and passes his own verdict on how history will judge him.

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Should West Ham trigger Rafa Benitez's £6m release clause this summer?
HITC
Jordan Harris

West Ham United should consider a move for Newcastle United boss Rafa
Benitez at the end of the season. With the relationship between the West Ham
fans and board at a real low point, the Hammers hierarchy undoubtedly need
to pull something out of the bag at the end of the season which sends a real
statement that the club's big plans are not as crazy as they currently
sound. David Moyes' men need to maintain their Premier League status first
before thoughts turn to the summer, and that is certainly no guarantee and
their battle to beat the drop looks set to go right down to the wire. As
soon as the campaign ends however, the pressure will be back on the board.
Moyes is currently on a contract until the end of the season, according to
The Telegraph, and if he keeps the Irons in the top flight, keeping him on
may be a tempting option. But perhaps it would be the wrong move with the
Scotsman's tenure not exactly capturing the imagination barring a few
fantastic results.
Instead, they should perhaps make sure that they try and take advantage of
the uncertainty at one of their Premier League rivals by triggering the
release clause and offering the control that may tempt Rafa Benitez away
from Newcastle. The Telegraph reported in February that Benitez is one of
the names that the West Ham board have their eye on, and the Chronicle is
now suggesting that the Spaniard has a £6 million release clause in his
contract that is set to expire at the end of next season at St James' Park.
The Chronicle adds that talks over a new deal at Newcastle are likely to
begin in the middle of May at the earliest, so perhaps the opportunity is
there for West Ham to swoop in if Benitez has concerns over the Magpies'
long-term vision - the Chronicle suggested that he has been disappointed
with the club's last three windows.
Benitez staying with Newcastle this far, despite all of the apparent
complications, hints that he would be extremely reluctant to move on at the
end of the campaign. But if Mike Ashley does not give him some of the
answers that he is looking for, then West Ham undoubtedly need to make a
move and offer him the platform and control he has been waiting for at St
James'.
After such a disappointing time for the club, West Ham fans will generally
not want to hear about potential seven-figure deals and will want the board
to show some real ambition in the market. But perhaps one more seven-figure
deal should be considered by the West Ham hierarchy - as long as it involves
spending £6 million on luring a heavyweight-calibre manager away from a
rival.

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