West Ham United Ladies win WPL Plate with Luton victory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies secured their second trophy in two weeks – the FA WPL
Plate – with a 5-0 victory over Luton Town Ladies in the final. A great
goal from Amber Stobbs and a fantastic Kelly Wealthall finish put the
Hammers in front at the break, before Ellie Zoepfl made it 3-0 to the Irons
just four minutes after the restart. Rosie Kmita curled home a terrific
finish not long after the hour mark before Zoepfl killed the game in the
dying minutes, tucking home and securing the Plate for Karen Ray's side. The
first period displayed its first shot of the game on eight minutes as
captain Kmita fired an effort across goal, which was just wide of the far
post. Zoepfl next came close for the Irons, sending a header just wide,
before some stern Luton defending saw the last defender clear the ball off
the line three times in quick succession. The deadlock was broken on 25
minutes. Stobbs collected the ball inside Luton territory and turned,
driving into space. Her shot from 25 yards found the back of the goal via
the crossbar. Just four minutes later it was 2-0. An error from Luton's
defence allowed Wealthall to slip in and the 17-year-old, who scored twice
in the semi-final win over Hull City, was clinical in adding to the Hammers'
advantage. The defence impressed in the first half, keeping Luton largely
at bay, although the away side did see an effort kept out by Cara Connatser
while also looked dangerous on the counter.
Just a couple of minutes into the second period, the Hammers had their third
goal, as Ellie Zoepfl collected possession and calmly slotted under the
goalkeeper to increase the Irons' lead. The forward also saw an effort come
back off the base of the post, while Kmita's header was wide from two yards
out. Luton goalkeeper Kezia Hassall gave a fine account of herself, making
crucial stops to deny Kmita, Stobbs and Zoepfl, but eventually the Irons
found their fourth through the captain.
Hassall rushed out to meet a through-ball, challenging Wealthall. The ball
fell kindly to Kmita who calmly lobbed the defence from the edge of the
penalty area, adding the Hammers' fourth goal. Kmita's finish was West Ham's
50th goal in 2018 but there was still time for the 51st, as Zoepfl adding a
fifth – and her second of the game – late on, sending the WPL Plate back to
London with the Ladies.
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West Ham United v Stoke City: All you need to know
WHUFC.com
West Ham United welcome Stoke City in the Premier League to London Stadium
for a match under the lights.
Read on for all the information you need ahead of this weekend's contest.
Where and when?
The Hammers will welcome Stoke City to London Stadium on Monday 16 April
2018.
The contest is scheduled for a 8pm kick-off.
How to follow:
This match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. Coverage begins
at 7pm.
Channels: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter
account.
You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.
You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and
Snapchat channels.
Team news:
West Ham should be given the boost with three players returning to training
recently. The trio, Andy Carroll, James Collins and Manuel Lanzini, could
potentially be fit for the match this Monday, after manager David Moyes said
the three players were back on the training fields. Andy is back in
training," Moyes confirmed. "We got him back at the start of the week and we
will keep monitoring him. He's trained for a few days, so we'll see how he
is. He's obviously not played for eleven weeks, and I've got that in my mind
as well. "He's champing at the bit, but that's the same for the other
players we've had out like Manuel Lanzini and James Collins who have only
been out for four or five weeks."
Pedro Obiang, Winston Reid and Sam Byram remain unavailable for the Hammers
What they say:
"A win would be a big step. This game is massive. It's a big game for us,
for the Club, and for the fans. We will go all together on Monday and we
will try as hard as we can to get the three points." Marko Arnautovic
Match Officials:
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and Daniel Cook
Fourth Official: Craig Pawson
How to get there:
There are four stations that supporters should utilise to reach London
Stadium: Stratford Station, Stratford International, Hackney Wick and
Pudding Mill Lane.
By Train
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Betway Insider's View of the Opposition: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have returned to form at the perfect time, with their 1-1
draw at Chelsea last time out maintaining the momentum that was created by
an emphatic 3-0 win over Southampton at the London Stadium two weeks ago.
That four-point haul lifted the Hammers to 14th in the Premier League prior
to the weekend, six points clear of the relegation zone – and their climb up
the table should continue against Monday's opponents, Stoke City. Paul
Lambert's side find themselves second-bottom of the league after losing
their last four fixtures. They have failed to score in three of their last
five, and are without a win of any sort since January – a sequence that
currently extends to nine matches. The Potters' travelling record isn't
impressive, either. They have recorded just one away win this season –
against Watford in October – and have lost 12 of their 18 matches on the
road in all competitions. Marko Arnautovic has been integral in West Ham's
resurgence, having netted twice against Southampton and provided the assist
for Javier Hernandez's equaliser at Chelsea. Arnautovic has scored nine
times in his last 14 Premier League appearances and will once again be the
Hammers' most likely goalscorer. The 28-year-old relishes facing his former
club, as shown when he netted against Stoke in the reverse fixture back in
December.
Recommended bets
West Ham to win
Marko Arnautovic to score
West Ham to keep a clean sheet
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Kouyate: We need everyone – the players, the fans, everybody
WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate is a man who has made a habit of rising to the big occasion
during his career – and he plans to do so again as West Ham United seek a
vital Premier League victory over Stoke City. The 6'4 midfielder won four
Belgian Pro League titles with Anderlecht before he turned 25, attracting
the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs and earning a move to east
London. While many Hammers supporters knew little of Kouyate's achievements
in Brussels, the Senegalese star quickly showed his quality with a series of
powerful displays, including an Individual Performance of the
Season-winning, goal-scoring showing against Manchester United in February
2015. The first game of the 2015/16 season saw Kouyate head in the opener in
a memorable 2-0 win at Arsenal; In August 2016, he scored the historic
first-ever goal at London Stadium in a 3-0 UEFA Europa League qualifying
round victory over Slovenian side NK Domzale; A year ago, he scored a vital
Premier League winner against Swansea City to help steer West Ham away from
the bottom three.
Fast forward to the present day and, after securing four points from six
from a convincing home win over Southampton and creditable draw at Chelsea
to rise to 14th in the table, West Ham face another important moment in the
Club's recent history on Monday evening. And the No8 knows victory over
Stoke will go a long way towards securing the Hammers' Premier League
status. "We need to go up again because nothing is finished," Kouyate told
the Official Programme. "We have another final on Monday night against
Stoke, because they need points and we also need points. "We need to win
this game and we need everybody to know this game is a final. If we win this
game, we are going up because we need to go up, not down. "All home games,
we need to win, because this is a very, very crucial point of the season and
we need everyone – the players, the fans, everybody. "The last home game was
unbelievable. In the first half, all the fans were behind us and it makes it
easier for all the players. When you play at home, you need the fans, and in
the game against Southampton they were unbelievable. "We need them again on
Monday night to win some more points."
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Johnson: Hammers full of confidence ahead of Derby clash
WHUFC.com
Ben Johnson says West Ham United's U23s will be full of confidence heading
into Monday's Premier League 2 away fixture at Derby County. The Hammers
head to the Rams' training ground sitting in fifth in the league table, only
five points behind leader Leicester City. And after two wins in successive
matches this month – at Manchester City and Everton – Terry Westley's
youngsters have set their sights on a potential top-three finish. Johnson,
the side's right-back, has been part of the defence which has kept clean
sheets in three of their last four matches, and is raring to go on Monday.
He said: "The two wins have filled the back four and Nathan [Trott] in goal
with confidence and we were ecstatic to keep another clean sheet. "We just
want to go onto the Derby match, keep going, keep this form up into our last
two fixtures. We are fifth at the moment and maybe now we can aim for the
top three if possible. "We really controlled the game at Everton last week
and we were comfortable under pressure. We were strong and resilient and we
played our game and kept our good form going. "Hopefully we will be able to
do the same at Derby and end the season strongly."
After captain Marcus Browne had fired in a terrific free-kick winner at
City's Football Academy, the forward put in an even more impressive display
on Merseyside, scoring four times in the 4-0 win at Southport FC. Johnson
was full of praise for his teammate, who has led the line since the loan
departure of skipper Moses Makasi to Plymouth Argyle. "Marcus was really
good on Monday [last week]," Johnson explained. "He got a yellow in the
first few minutes but after that he showed his experience and played
superbly well. "He has so much quality and we know we can rely on him when
he has the ball in the opposition's half. "It was a very good week, last
week, in general. In the first game, we dug deep and it was a very difficult
match. "We played our game more against Everton and we really showed our
quality in the final third and it was an extremely good performance and we
now want to keep that going."
The Hammers play Derby on Monday 16 April away from home before hosting
their final Premier League 2 game of the season at London Stadium against
Arsenal.
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West Ham United v Stoke City
MON 16 APR 2018
PREMIER LEAGUE
20:00
Venue: London Stadium
TEAM NEWS
West Ham manager David Moyes could be boosted by the return from injury of
Andy Carroll, James Collins and Manuel Lanzini. However, Sam Byram, Pedro
Obiang and Winston Reid are all still on the sidelines.
Stoke will again be without forward Maxim Choupo-Moting, who is not yet
ready to return from a groin injury. Manager Paul Lambert has no further
injury concerns to contend with for the trip to the London Stadium.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "Q: Which current Premier League clubs can boast that they
have enjoyed ten consecutive seasons in the top flight?
"A: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs,
Everton ………. and Stoke.
"That decade might be about to come to an end with Stoke six points off
safety with only five games to play. There have been some positives in their
performances under Paul Lambert - but only one win. "The game is barely any
less crucial for West Ham who have five games remaining after Stoke - but
all of them against teams in the top nine. The Hammers will probably just
survive - but it's been a long and troubled campaign which will fill nobody
which much optimism for the immediate future."
Twitter: @Wilsonfooty
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager David Moyes: "It was a great point at Chelsea. It's not
enough yet but the last two games have given us a lift. "The ideal situation
is to go unbeaten between now and the end of the season, there is no reason
why we can't do that."
Stoke manager Paul Lambert: "We have to come away (from West Ham) with
something without a doubt. The intent is to go and win and we will do
everything we can to get three points. "If we get a win it drags a few back
in and that's the most important thing. "You need a little bit of luck at
certain times but the performances have been incredibly high and the way we
have played I couldn't ask for any more from the team."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Things are pretty rosy for West Ham at the moment after their point at
Chelsea gave them a bit of breathing space above the bottom three. The
Potters need to start winning games but they just don't have enough
firepower in their side and they are not good enough defensively to buy
themselves time to nick a goal.
Prediction: 2-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham ended an eight-game winless streak against Stoke by winning the
reverse fixture 3-0 in December.
The Hammers are aiming to complete their first league double over Stoke
since the Potters' first season in the Premier League in 2008-09.
The Potters are unbeaten in their last five league visits to face West Ham,
although four of those matches were draws.
West Ham United
West Ham have only won back-to-back Premier League games at the London
Stadium on one previous occasion back in December 2016.
Former Stoke player Marko Arnautovic has been involved in 13 Premier League
goals this season (nine goals, four assists), five more than any other West
Ham player.
Only Stoke (63) and Watford (60) have conceded more league goals this than
West Ham (58) this season.
They are one loss short of reaching 1,000 defeats in the top flight and
would become the 16th club to reach this landmark.
Stoke City
Stoke have scored just seven Premier League goals in 2018, fewer than any
other side.
The Potters have lost on their last seven Premier League visits to London,
conceding 26 goals while scoring just five in reply.
They could equal their longest top flight away unbeaten run against a single
opponent of six games set against Bolton Wanderers (1902-1937), Birmingham
City (1934-1938), West Ham (1965-1969), Sunderland (1969-1983) and Aston
Villa (2011-running).
They have already matched their club record of 18 defeats in a single
Premier League season.
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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 15th April 2018
By: Preview Percy
The BBC website is currently carrying a story about an American teacher who
claims that he was a teacher for 17 years without ever having learned to
read or write. Preview Percy has 7 years to go to catch up then. Here's this
week's ramblings which may or may not feature Monday night's visit of Stoke
City...
Next we play host to Stoke City. Having had a break from tv games we now
face the second of four in a row that will appear live on the box, this one
kicking off at 8pm on Monday. No weekend engineering work to worry about
then only the usual trials and tribulations of the joys of rush hour travel.
And the prospect of having to climb over the walls here at the Avram Grant
Olympic Rest Home For The Bewildered to get back in after Matron locks all
the gates after sundown.
When last we met up at their place they were managed by Mark Hughes and,
it's fair to say, the 3-0 win we got up there, if not the final nail in the
coffin, was definitely one of the later bits of carpentry that saw his
dismissal. After that Hughes tried to be a bit cute in his team selection,
resting players for the Chelsea match prior to them playing Newcastle. Which
might have been a plan but for the fact that they lost both games – 5-0 to
Chelsea and 1-0 to the Geordies. Going down 2-1 to Coventry in the 3rd round
of the Cup was enough to see Hughes depart, his arrival at Southampton and
subsequent form down there leaving him with every chance of ending the
season having helped to relegate two clubs, instead of the more traditional
one.
Paul Lambert replaced Hughes, with Quique Sanchez Florez and Martin O'Neill
both having allegedly turned down approaches from the club. They did win
Lambert's first game in charge 2-0 at home to Huddersfield, but in the
subsequent 9 games they have picked up 4 draws and 5 defeats, suggesting
that the win against Huddersfield may have been more indicative of the
Terriers' form than it was of the Potters.
Tellingly, those four draws came against Watford (0-0), Brighton, Leicester
(both 1-1) and Southampton (0-0). Southampton are well in trouble and,
whilst safe now, both Brighton and Watford were on the fringes of the drop
zone. Only Leicester were really clear and you'd still file them in the
folder marked "matches we might get something from". As the old joke goes,
if you are being chased by a wild animal you don't have to outrun the
animal. You only have to outrun one of your mates. Such zoological analogy
sees them in 19th place with 27 points from the 33 played so far. They are
six points adrift of Swansea who are currently in the final safe zone spot.
After us their run-in comprises Burnley (h), Liverpool (a), Palace (h) and
Swansea (a). If you have a few bob to spare I'd invest it in pharmaceuticals
if I were you. Prescriptions of blood pressure medications are about to
rocket in Staffordshire.
The work-experience kid of as yet to be determined gender wearing a hoodie
who seems only able to communicate with some strange grunting noises informs
me that three players arrived in January. A reported £14m went on Senegalese
midfielder Badou Ndiaye, who arrived from Galatasaray on deadline day. It's
been a somewhat circuitous route from Senegal to Stoke. The player's first
European club was Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt. It took a bit of time for the
player to adapt to the sub-Arctic conditions up there ("I had only seen snow
on tv before") but having done so he won the Norwegian equivalent of the
Championship/Division 2's player of the season as Bodo/Glimt (not many clubs
with a forward slash in their name) got promotion to the top flight. His
experience of cold desolation will no doubt come in quite handy in the
Potteries.
The fee paid to in no way dodgy Russian outfit (no nerve agents here please)
Rubin Kazan for right back Moritz Bauer was undisclosed. Or £5m as everyone
seems to know. Though Swiss-born he qualifies for Austria through his dad
and is therefore a team-mate of Arnie's at international level. Quite an
interesting chap by all accounts he speaks five languages, which is five
more than Harry Kane, and is a fully qualified pilot which is probably the
next thing on the list that Kane will be claiming after that "goal" he never
scored last weekend. He can also play the piano, though not quite as well as
Harry Kane who regularly appears as a featured soloist with the London
Symphony Orchestra according to his official biography. Bauer signed a four
and a half year deal when arriving from Russia but the Cessna may well be
warming up already in the event that they go down.
The loan signing was a Greek international with the reassuringly Greek name
of Kostas Stafylidis. He's primarily a left-back but he can apparently turn
himself to more advanced positions down the left hand side. Stafylidis has
come in on a deal to the end of the season from Augsburg, having spent much
of his career to date in the Bundesliga where his previous employer was
Bayer Leverkusen. This isn't the player's first spell on loan in England. He
made 38 appearances in the Championship for Fulham in 2015-15. The Cottagers
apparently had an option to buy at the end of the season but didn't exercise
that option. He has a tattoo on his leg depicting a footballer going into a
slide tackle. The tattoo was designed and installed by Harry Kane. Sadly we
won't see the player or his artwork this weekend as he is recovering from a
rib fracture.
Also missing will be Charlie Adam who is currently suspended as a result of
his straight red after a late challenge on Wayne Rooney a couple of weeks
back. The spud-faced granny-botherer is expected to say "ouch" as the pain
signals reach his brain some time during the early hours of next Tuesday.
There will be a number of absentees due to "internal disciplinary reasons".
Ex-Barca midfielder Ibrahim Affelay was told to stay away from the club for
the rest of the season foe unspecified reasons. He hasn't played for the
Potters since the turn of the new year and you'll get long odds on him ever
pulling on a Stoke shirt ever again.
Then there was striker Jese. On loan from PSG he was given compassionate
leave to tend for a poorly infant, which is fair enough. He was then due
back last week but failed to turn up and the club haven't heard from him
since. One hopes that his sprog is ok. On the basis that he is the player
will be looking at a hefty fine and probably a P45 on his return.
Then there is Berahino. Remember when Spurs wanted him? For £20m? Well he
has problems with timekeeping and has been banished to train with the
kids.It is said that there was a file on Lambert's desk that suggested that
the player had a "possible attitude problem". It didn't take Lambert much
time to delete the first of those three words.
In amongst those who do turn up for training, another international
team-mate of Arnie's, Kevin Wimmer, is struggling to make this one. He is
said to be "lacking match fitness" and has only a 50-50 chance of making the
squad. Having arrived from Spurs last summer and one can't help but feeling
that it would have been more apt for him to have stayed there, what with his
surname also being not quite "Winner". (I'm here all week you know).
Enough of them. What about the wild and wacky world of Association Football.
In the so-called Champions League we saw a Spanish ref in Manchester doing
his damnedest to hand the trophy over to Real Madrid. It was clear from a
very early stage in the match that the ref had no intention of letting Man
City side progress if he could help it. Amazingly, the presence of Glenn
Hoddle in the commentary box meant that the ref was only the second most
ignorant person in the ground that night when it came to the laws of the
game.
Talking of referees I see Mike Dean altered the outcome of another match at
the weekend. You'd think that an organisation such as PGMOL which has
supposedly got the protection of refereeing standards amongst its aims might
want to have a look at someone who continually and deliberately ignores the
laws of the game he is supposed to uphold. Of course you'd need someone more
honest than Dean in charge of things. Instead we have Mike Riley.
Elsewhere, Spurs have put in a bid for Harry Kane to take credit for Dixie
Dean's record 60 goals for Everton in 1927-28 on the grounds that "the
players' names nearly rhyme don't they?"(I might have put in some sort of
one liner about Dixie and Mike being related but since Dean is an insult to
everyone who has ever played the game honestly I wouldn't wish to sully the
good name of Everton's finest).
And as I write this West Brom have just beaten Moan Utd to give the league
to Moan City, whose owners have agreed to suspend the torturing of political
opponents. For a bit.
And what of us? That was a welcome point then. Yeah we rode our luck a bit
at times and Mr Head & Shoulders had to have the sort of game that we have
seen all too little of from him this season but, to counter that, we stuck
in there and Arnie's hard work to set up Chicharito merited a goal in
itself. Good finish too. Ogbonna and Rice were given a torrid time as one
might have expected from the embarrassment of riches that constitutes the
Chelsea squad. However, they stuck in there and did not look overwhelmed. It
must have been particularly pleasing for Rice who was shown the door by
Chelsea as a kid.
Talking of youth, it was interesting to hear the Chelsea announcer at half
time boasting of how the youth team (dunno what age group) had been unbeaten
for something like 3 years. Now given that each year there will be a group
of players who cease to qualify for that team for age reasons you'd expect
there to be more of them making the breakthrough to the first XI. I guess
that's what happen when you have a bottomless pit of cash to play with, you
can buy trophies at all levels.
There was one down side to Sunday's match – inevitably we suffered an injury
with Cresswell hobbling off after damaging his knee. The full list at the
time of writing:
1. Andy Carroll (foot) – There are suggestions that he might actually be
available to play some sort of part in this one, which would be a return
about a week earlier than previously thought. Rated 50-50.
2. Manuel Lanzini (knee) – Has missed the last two games after picking up a
knee injury on international duty. Rated 75% likely to be involved.
3. James Collins (hamstring) – Pretty sure he would have loved a runout
against this lot. Rated no better than 75% likely to be involved – like
Lanzini he will have a late fitness test.
4. Aaron Cresswell (knee) – Tried to play on with a knee injury at the
weekend. Gamely, but /possibly unwisely. However, the extra day off will
have helped and he is given a 75% chance of being involved.
5. Michail Antonio (hamstring) – In tears when he hobbled off early on
against Southampton. It transpires that this is the same injury that he got
last year which never healed. Will have an operation shortly Which will give
him a nice long pre-season in which to recover.
6. Pedro Obiang – see you next season
7. Winston Reid – ditto.
8. Sam Byram – ditto.
And so to the thorny question of a prediction. If anyone from Winstone's the
turf accountants is reading this could you pop over a few betting slips.
Normally one sends the Avram Rest Home's resident Geordie Preview Alastair
out to run such errands. However, he's in the sick bay at the moment. I
asked the silly sod to pick up a Chinese takeaway on his way back from the
Swan & Superinjunction the other night. Unfortunately the daft fool had a
nasty trip as he arrived back, which was especially annoying as I had asked
for barbecue spare ribs, not broken ones. I know some of you will be
concerned so I should point out that everything was ok in the end. I was
able to telephone the takeaway and have a replacement meal delivered.
I think that the results since Burnley have boosted the confidence levels as
well as the points. On the other hand, Stoke will mention that they have
been playing better than their results suggest. Yeah well I'm in a good mood
– the sight of a drunken Geordie covered in chow mein is enough to make
anyone laugh – so I'm going to plump for a home win. Call it 2-1 Mr Winstone
and I'll send Matron over once she has finished Preview Alastair's bed bath.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Olympic: Drew 1-1 (Premier League November 2016)
A game that will live long in the memory of only the most anal of supporters
of either side. Antonio's header was credited to Whelan as an o.g. having
hit the back of the defender's nut on it's way in, though Harry Kane is
putting in a late bid for it. Bojan equalised after Adrian had one of his
"moments".
Referee: Michael Oliver
Spotted a two handed push that was right in front of him in the Real Madrid
v Juventus match the other night. Missed an even worse push that he was even
better placed to see in our home match against Spurs. Some praised him for
the Juve decision. For what it's worth it was correct. Just a shame that he
allowed Juve to get away with murder throughout the rest of the game.
Danger Man: Peter Crouch
Possibly not the most dangerous of players in their squad and is more likely
to be a visitor from the bench. However, this may be the last time we see
him and we always loved the "virgin" story (look it up if you don't know) so
he gets the accolade for old time's sake.
Percy's Poser:
Last week we asked you for the odd one out from a list of clubs including:
Partizan, Woking, Vitesse. Swansea, Huddersfield, Groeningen, Rostov, Forest
Green, Hull, Crystal Palace, PSV Eindhoven, Barnsley, Charlton Stoke,
Chelsea, Chippenham Town, Birmingham City and Stevenage.
Congratulations to Mrs Sharon Fine-Fare of Flamsted for being the first out
of the digital hat to point out that Chelsea were the odd ones out as, of
all those clubs, they were the only club not to have had a player on loan
from Chelsea this season. A stale bit of the short chubby one's birthday
cake is on its way to you.
For this week's preview we ask you: Stoke is famous for its ceramics injury,
the most famous exponent of which was possibly Josiah Wedgewood. However,
what major problem did Wedgewood have to overcome to get his business off
the ground?
A cracked tea mug from the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The
Bewildered's dishwasher goes to the first correct answer out of the digital
hat.
Good luck everyone!
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.
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West Ham v Stoke: Relegation rivals meet on Monday Night Football
Watch live on Sky Sports Premier League from 7pm on Monday
Last Updated: 15/04/18 8:27pm
SSN
West Ham will be looking to take a big step towards Premier League survival
when they face relegation rivals Stoke on Monday Night Football. The Hammers
have taken four points from their last two games to move six points clear of
the relegation zone. Stoke, meanwhile, are four points from safety heading
into the weekend and will be aiming to avoid a fifth successive defeat.
While the situation might look bleak, Potters boss Paul Lambert saw some
positive signs in the 2-1 loss to Tottenham last weekend. "The atmosphere
here last weekend was incredible," he said. "I've been in the game a long
time and I've not seen that reaction to a team that's lost a game. "The
fans are with us which is the most important thing and if we can keep doing
what we're doing, we'll certainly win games.
"As I said before, you need a little bit of Lady Luck on your side but
performance-wise I'm really happy with the way the team's played."
West Ham face a tricky finish to the season as they face Arsenal, Manchester
City and Manchester United in their last five games. The Potters are
unbeaten in their last five league visits to face West Ham, though four of
these have ended level (W1). Stoke have scored fewer goals than any other
Premier League side in 2018 (7), failing to score in six of their 12 games.
Javier Hernandez's first 11 Premier League appearances at West Ham were all
starts, in which he scored four goals. Under David Moyes, he's started just
five of his 14 appearances in the competition, adding another four goals (2
as starter, 2 as a sub).
The Potters have lost their last seven Premier League visits to London,
conceding 26 goals while scoring just five in reply. Stoke have lost just
one of their last nine Premier League games against the Hammers (W3 D5),
though it was in the reverse fixture back in December (0-3).
Merson's predictions
It's a cup final for Stoke, a game they have to win to have a chance of
staying up. But I think they are going to lose and they are going to be in
major trouble. Marko Arnautovic has looked good recently and could cause
problems against his former side.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
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NEVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED
By rapidhammer 15 Apr 2018 at 08:00
WTID
In football one thing is for sure: you never can take anything for granted.
The Champions League and Europa League ties last week again proved very well
that even the highest favoured teams, leading by a comfortable margin from
the first leg, may struggle or be eliminated against all odds. And as West
Ham fans we know only too well that never opposition should be taken
lightly, especially in cup games. And the game under the floodlights on
Monday at the London Stadium is a cup final.
Well, West Ham's engagement in the domestic cups didn't really set the world
alight this season, and the Hammers have no more cup ties to play at this
stage of the proceedings. And they haven't won a real cup final since 1980.
But now we virtually have a cup final – or at least a semifinal – on Monday
night! If the Irons manage to win the crucial game against second from
bottom Stoke City, their unwanted flirt with relegation will be more or less
over and our season is saved.
The other results this weekend could have gone a little better so far from
West Ham's perspective (if Crystal Palace and Huddersfield had dropped
points and Swansea had lost, there would still be a gap of 2 or 3 points
between these teams and West Ham before the Stoke game). But with third from
bottom Southampton losing 2-3 at home to Chelsea (squandering a two goal
lead) the gap of 6 points between the Hammers and the relegation zone is
still there before the game against Stoke. Alas, in case of winning on
Monday night West Ham will be 9 points away from the drop zone with only 5
games to play until the end of the season! And with playing at home against
a team that has managed only one win in 15 games since Christmas and has the
worst defensive record of the league, this win should be all but ensured.
But as we said before, in football never anything can be taken for granted,
and West Ham have already lost games with similar prospects and expected
outcomes this season (just think of losing to Newcastle, Swansea, and
Burnley – or drawing with Crystal Palace at home). And we also should be
aware that West Ham haven't managed any back to back Premier League home
wins since December 2016, and have not won twice in one season over Stoke
City since the Potters' first PL campaign in 2008/09.
But the last two games can make us quite optimistic with Marko Arnautovic
still in top form, benefiting from Arthur Masuaku's return from suspension
and thriving in his role as a central striker which David Moyes has handed
to the Austrian international. Arnie has completely lost his odeur of
instability and sloppiness, of wasting chances and disappearing for large
parts of games. Asked on my thoughts about him when he came to West Ham last
summer I praised him as Austria's recently most talented player, but I added
that I had been happy that I was made angry by him only some times a season
(when I watched him in the Austrian national team), and now I was going to
be disappointed or annoyed by him every weekend… He seemed to prove me right
right from the beginning of his West Ham career, but since David Moyes has
come in as the new gaffer and lined up the record signing as West Ham's
central striker, Arnie has supplied nine goals and five assists from 14
starts. Statistics say that since gameweek 16, only three players have fired
more shots on target: Harry Kane with 36, Mohamed Salah with 28, and Sergio
Aguero with 25. And since the Austrian's return from injury in gameweek 27,
no player can better Arnautovic's 12 shots on target. He has been directly
involved in 13 PL goals this season, with nine goals and four assists.
That playing him in the central and only striker role has proven so
successful doesn't make it easy for the manager to include Chicharito in the
starting eleven. „Little pea" is a born goal scorer with an impressive
record of scoring from inside the box and his inclusion in the starting
eleven is requested by a lot of fans and, I think, also expected by himself.
He has already got 8 goals this season though he has been played out of
position under Slaven Bilic, been injured and often only has come from the
bench. It will be very interesting to see if David Moyes will find a system
in which West Ham's two top scorers can work together in the last 6 games of
the season…
David Moyes's team selection against Chelsea last Sunday (the third game in
London I was able to fly over for and watch live this season by the way) has
been spot on, and bringing Hernandez in the second half has proved highly
successful. I was very sceptical about the appointment of Moyes back in
November, but, as was said in a previous post here, „he has brought
improvement to a number of players, steadied the ship, improved morale and
also given a few opportunities to youngsters which we have all been asking
for".
If he could do at West Haw what he achieved at Everton from 2002-2013 (8 top
seven finishes in his eleven seasons) that would be the „next step" that
West Ham realistically can make. Promising us more, even Champions League
football, was a highly unrealistic vision that has not gone well with the
problems West Ham's supporters faced with the loss of Upton Park, the
transition to the new stadium which has not emerged as a proper football
ground so far and the underachievement in the transfer market with a lack of
clever and sufficient investment. Karren Brady, Sullivan and Gold have
underachieved (to put it mildly) in the first two seasons in the London
Stadium. This summer, after having secured Premier League football, will be
crucial for the direction in which West Ham is heading.
Now let's hope for our first back to back wins at the new ground after
almost one and a half year!
A cup final ahead
As I've already said, Monday under the lights is a cup final for West Ham.
Though West Ham haven't won a real cup final since 1980, the Hammers have
won a final back in 2012 when they beat Blackpool in the play offs at
Wembley to secure their comeback to the Premier League. Monday's game is of
similiar significance, I would not only call it a "six pointer" but a nine
or ten pointer: a win will move the Irons 10 points away from the Potters
and 9 points away from the drop zone. One more win is all but important and
could make us virtually sure that the fear of relegation is over! And with
the confidence the win over Southampton and the draw at Stamford Bridge have
brought, the squad looks capable of seizing this opportunity to make a giant
step towards safety.
This massive game must be won. But you know, in football and especially with
West Ham nothing can be taken for granted.
Come on you Irons!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, April 16
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