Daily WHUFC News - 25th April 2018

West Ham Ladies' Karen Ray nominated for Sport Education Award
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies General Manager Karen Ray has been nominated for an
award in Outstanding Services to Education at Premier Sport Network's 2018
Behind the Scenes awards. Ray, who has overseen the Ladies' 13-match
unbeaten run at the start of 2018 - a sequence that has yielded two trophies
- will discover whether she has won the award, which recognises the work she
has done in spearheading the Ladies' programme at the Hammers, at a ceremony
in Manchester next week. Speaking during the FA's Girls' Football Week,
which aims to raise participation among girls in the game, Ray paid tribute
to the work of her entire team of staff behind the scenes. She said: "I had
no expectations other to go and enjoy the event, so to find this out and be
recognised for the things that go on behind the scenes is nice. It's
exciting, but there are so many more people who should be awarded this, so
it's not only for me! "Without Jackie Ferdinand's [Head of Safeguarding]
trust in me to look after the girls, we wouldn't be where we are in terms of
the care we are able to offer the girls. As a whole there are so many
individuals who give back to what goes on, and so many departments support
me to give the support the girls need both on and off the pitch.
"It's about breaking down barriers and changing people's perceptions of
women's football. The club have really taken everything on board and
respected my pushes, and the fact I'm able to educate people about the sport
– it's nice to be recognised for it. "The biggest thing I can say is that we
have a managing director, Jack Sullivan, who has chosen this as his
department to dive in to. He's been brilliant at educating people in and
around the club about the women's sport. "The intrinsic learning which
happens in the football environment is really important, but ultimately the
education part for me is beyond the football pitch. "The natural thing for
me is coaching the team, but when we step away from that I like to think I'm
educating the girls so far beyond the sport, in terms of things like time
management and empowering the girls – it's really important to me, teaching
them how to be resilient both on the football pitch and off it."

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Adrian eager to take Manchester City opportunity
WHUFC.com

Adrian is eager to make the most of the opportunity to help West Ham United
secure Premier League safety when they welcome Manchester City to London
Stadium. With City loanee Joe Hart ineligible, the Spaniard will return to
the starting XI against the champions on Sunday and is likely to have plenty
of chances to show his goalkeeping ability. With four games left to play,
Adrian wants his performance against the Citizens to give manager David
Moyes no option but to select him between the sticks for the remainder of
the season. "Obviously I am ready to help the team and to help us get some
good points and to be safe as soon as possible," said the No13. "I want to
be in the team until the end of the season and to show everyone that I am
still here and performing at a good level. I will always do my best on the
pitch. "I feel I am more than ready to play. I was waiting for the
opportunity to play after my last game, so I have been working with
intensity and so hard over the last few weeks and now my moment has arrived.
"This is a different situation because Joe can't play, but nevertheless it
is an opportunity for me to play and I have to show how I am now."

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THE MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND!
AUTHOR: KEVIN SLADE. PUBLISHED: 24 APRIL 2018 AT 8:20PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Kevin Slade @KevinSladeSDCC

David Moyes; A man who was once hand-picked by undoubtably the most
successful manager the game has ever seen, to take over one of the most
successful football clubs in world football. Since then, his career has
plunged into a downward spiral leaving him with a severely damaged
reputation. I had to empathise with David during his miserable eight month
tenure with the 20x league champions, as any manager was destined to fail in
the first season after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. But his failure to
attract and sign playing staff of the highest quality for one of the world's
super clubs is a testament to his ability, or lack of, as a football
manager. After Manchester United's worst ever campaign in the Premier
League, he was sacked after just eight months into his six year contract.

It was no coincidence that he was also handed the P45 after just twelve
months in charge at Real Sociedad for a dismal start to the 2015/2016 season
with his defensive style of play which led to a string of unflattering
results. We all know what happened at Sunderland – signing over-the-hill
dross and packing the squad to the rafters with loanee's that wouldn't make
the cut on a Sunday morning on the Hackney Marshes. Relegation soon loomed,
and after pledging to stay with Sunderland the day they were mathematically
relegated, he jumped ship the day after the season ended. Classy!

Surely after four disastrous years with three different clubs, & still out
of a job, nobody would touch David Moyes with a barge pole, right? Enter
David Sullivan, David Gold, and Karren Brady of West Ham United. The Board's
choice ahead of Slaven Bilic to succeed Sam Allardyce (Yes, you read that
correctly), has now ironically replaced Slaven Bilic to rescue us from the
grasp of the relegation trap door. I still stand by my word that I believe
we would have gone down under Slav. He had to go. Purely because he had more
than enough time to turn it around, and couldn't. Whilst I'm beginning to
sound like a spoilt brat, just bare with me for second and think about this
– Slaven Bilic is a man with class that had a fairy tale relationship with
the supporters, but as a manager, he completely lost it and we were heading
for the championship without a shadow of a doubt. David Moyes instilled
fitness, structure, and discipline to a fragile squad of players that were
vast becoming the Premier League whipping boys. But that's all he's done.
Apart from beating Chelsea, nothing has convinced me that moyes deserves a
contract. The Huddersfield, Stoke away, and Southampton results aren't
convincing enough either – we should be dispatching of those teams with the
team we have anyway.



So, six months to save us from the clutches of the championship David was
given, which seemed like a good deal for all parties last November. A change
of manager & backroom staff for the lads, a chance for Moyes to restore his
reputation by saving West Ham United from relegation, and a bit of a lift
for the fans in the hope we will actually see a few decent results. If David
can achieve what he was brought in to do by finishing 17th or above, happy
days for all parties. However, having heard David Gold on our radio show
state that he in fact interviewed David Moyes originally and wants to see
him "Manage West Ham for many years to come" has left me completely &
utterly deflated for many years to come! His record with the Toffees isn't
impressive enough to warrant him A full time job at West Ham, as Mr Gold
continually reminded us of this particular passage of time that he plucked
from his managerial career. His biggest achievement was getting Everton into
the Champions League in 2005, which to his credit, was of course a fantastic
achievement. Well if that's a reason to employ him full time for an
achievement thirteen years ago, then we might as well offer David O'leary a
job for doing the same with Leeds!

He was brought in to do a job – keep us up by any means necessary, and we
can start again in the summer. That, I can live with. I can live with
watching defensive, negative, ugly, long hoof ball football for six months
if it ensures safety. What I can't live with is mediocrity and flirting with
relegation for another few years playing the same style of football, if not
worse, than the man the board had to relieve of his duties on the request of
the fan base back in 2015. We've moved to Stratford totally against our will
for what we believed in on the absolute basis we would progress as a
football club. Challenge for European football, challenge for the domestic
cups, challenge our rivals, just to give us something to be excited about
for once. Not to be given David Moyes and his negative/defensive style of
play and inability to attract top players. For as long as I can remember
we've been searching for an out & out goal scorer, and we finally have our
hands on one in Chicharito. He will be the first player demanding to leave
in the summer if Moyes is kept on, and if he does leave the board need to
pack their bags & go too for their lack of ambition and plethora of below
average managerial appointments. Avram Grant, Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic,
David Moyes (Potentially). Excuse me for the lack of enthusiasm but I didn't
give up my life & soul for this!

Lanzini is another player i can see following Chicharito if David Moyes is
appointed full time, which is my biggest fear. Manu will flourish under the
right manager and really fulfil his potential to become a top, top player.
With our strongest starting eleven we could compete for the top 7-8 with the
exception of a few additions in some areas, which will leave the task to
maintain equilibrium and consistency, to put a stamp on the club with a
brand of football that we can actually be identified with and lay the
foundations to build from the bottom upwards and really turn West Ham United
into competitors… The man to carry out such a job is Rafa Benitez. He's been
at the helm of the top clubs and has the medals to prove it. He dragged
Newcastle up from the second tier on a shoe-string budget and has stabilised
the club in the premier league with a championship squad. He is concrete
proof that a good manager doesn't have to spend £200m in a transfer window,
which will be music to the board's ears. He will get our players playing and
will attract the players to progress and compete. I didn't choose to give up
so much history at the Boleyn Ground to continually watch our board take
cheap gambles and walk the tight rope of relegation. I gave up everything
that meant so much to me, my family, and my friends to watch little old West
Ham finally become a club that we could only ever dream of becoming…

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COULD THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPEN…..
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 23 APRIL 2018 AT 9:47PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @gingesteel

Earlier this week a legend of the game retired his role of manager at
Arsenal Football Club. Aresene Wenger will retire as one of the best
managers to ever grace the game of football. In his time, he earned three
premier league titles and managed the only team to not lose a single Premier
League match – the Invincibles. He never finished outside of the top 6 and
only twice did he fail to finish in the top 4. Without a doubt, Arsene
Wenger will be missed from the world of football managers.

Earlier this week news also broke that Arsene Wenger might be interested in
a chief management position, such as Director of Football, but was not
interested in doing so at Arsenal. This has been reported in a number of
newspapers such as the Daily Star and the Telegraph.
(https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/697542/Arsene-Wenger-Arsenal-Eve
rton-news-gossip &
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/04/20/monaco-everton-may-offer-rap
id-arsene-wenger-routes-back/). Of course, with football journalism you can
never be too sure how much truth there is behind a story like this. But if
this story begins to materialize in summer, I believe, that in the wake of
recent transfer windows, it would be the board's obligation to place an
honest-to-goodness attempt to bring Wenger as a DoF of West Ham.

Is this realistic? The honest answer is that the chances are slim to none.
On our end, it seems that the board have decided they want David Moyes to
lead West Ham next year without a Director of Football. Furthermore, it is
not confirmed that Wenger will become a DoF in the first place. And if he
did, it is much more realistic that he may join his former club, Monaco as
their DoF, or perhaps even Everton as they look to more on from Big Sam. If
Wenger joins Monoco or Everton, it is not the end of the world. If anything,
it was always the expected outcome. But I would at least like to see the
board actually look into the possibility of bringing him to the club. While
it is a long shot, West Ham is a new project with loads of potential (great
fans, large stadium, London club) and Wenger may be interested in joining a
budding club with high aspirations.

In my opinion, this would be a massive step in the right direction towards
bridging the gap between the fans and the board, created by DS and DG. They
have been promoting this façade of "World class team in a world class
stadium" for years and hiding behind their empty promises. Earlier this
year, David Gold stated that he believes West Ham will be competing for
Euorpa League football in 5 years. For me, this is simply impossible without
an ambitious move like this. Furthermore, it would be long, long overdue.
Even the most patient and level-headed fan who supported the board until
only very recently (such as I) would admit that they are beginning to look
like con-artists in the football business for a quick buck. Their business
skills are hard to deny, but their football skills are very poor. So far
they have failed to show anything that even resembles ambition.

The reality remains that Moyes is likely not the man to take us to Europe
(much more on that later). So while it is highly unlikely we will see Wenger
as DoF for the Claret and Blue next season, West Ham have no hope of moving
on to this "next level" without a big name in charge. It is time to see the
board take some action and at least attempt to bring Arsene Wenger to East
London if he does indeed take a DoF position in the Premier League.

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TRANSFER TARGETS IDEAL FOR PENNY PINCHERS: A SELECTION
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 24 APRIL 2018 AT 9:06PM
TheWesThamWay.co.uk
Written by Steven McCarthy @StevenMcCarthy9

First up, the ultimate penny pinchers market – the Free Agent!

I know, there is never really such a thing as a "free" transfer anymore,
with those pesky agents demanding huge sums, but this is a season when there
really is a number of top players available with no Club or pesky Wine
Loving Chairman for our owners to be branded with dildo tags or fall out
with, so these could all be smart moves. Before I get into the article, I
have left out the obvious choices of Fellaini and Blind, with the chosen
representing what I think would be the most tempting to the board
financially. Remember how much the 2 Daves love a bargain or ability to be
sold for profit….or at least just consider me an eternal optimist and go
easy on me with some of the choices!

First up, is the most obvious of all on this list – Jack Wilshere:
The Great White Hope of the English National Side, we saw him compared to
the likes of Xavi, Scholes and Pirlo from day one and whilst we all know he
is a West Ham fan, that love of the club seems to have been symbiotic with
him having a fondness for injuries, as if he were already a Hammer in more
than just mind!
I don't want to be too harsh on the lad, because I love watching him as a
footballer and I think if we were able to get him on a reduced wage of
around 70,000 a week or a high, pay as you play, to match his Arsenal wages,
then it could be a fantastic move! However this move has all the signs of a
Gold & Sulli special, the "ambitious" signing to state our intent and add
quality only to just hide our clear lack of depth till he inevitably picks
up a knock. Therefore, unless we get Jack late on after a couple more
Central Midfielders are signed, I think we should him avoid at all costs! At
26 he still has the potential to be a long term addition and even turn a
profit should Lewin be able to keep him on the pitch regularly.

I've also chosen not to include more CM's yet, as I think this is an area we
need to spend in and if the likes of Southampton and Stoke go down, then
Badou NDiaye, Joe Allen, Ward-Prowse, Lemina and Romeu should be near the
top of our shopping lists!

Up next a player who I genuinely had to Yahoo search check because he's been
around so long, I didn't believe Google when it told me he doesn't turn 23
until July. That is the talented comfort eater that is, Luke Shaw! (I'm
sorry Luke, I saw too many memes of you as Üter from The Simpsons being
whipped by Mourinho's towel!) Now I know that at Left Back we have a couple
of options available in Cresswell and Masuaku, however both are susceptible
to either lapsing in concentration or not quite performing their defensive
duties fully. Which is why I would sign Shaw to give us the option of
pushing Masuaku forward with his quick feet and excellent eye for a pass,
with the fallback of 2 young English left footers to overlap with pace or
allow Cresswell to move into a Left sided Centre Back position. With the
incredibly good PR machine that is Evra hopefully retiring at the end of the
season, he would be an ideal replacement.

Moving over to the opposite side of the pitch, two choices are players who
both offer very different approaches in terms of club level. Ryan Fredericks
being the more realistic of the 2, with a solid frame, 6ft height and
blistering pace, he is more than built for the English game and with Zaba as
his mentor/rival for a spot in the starting lineup I think you could see his
weakest element of composure going forward improve. Fredericks is versatile
and can play a midfield and defensive role on both the left and right sides,
making him a handy addition to a side not exactly known for staying injury
free!

The ambitious choice, well….I'll get my hard hat on for this because this
one really is a long shot. Achraf Hakimi, a fast, athletic and talented on
the ball, 19 year old whose contract at Real Madrid runs out in July. Very
much a raw talent at the moment, he has huge potential, he shows a work rate
and reading of the game I've seen in a certain young Hammer this season. And
although rumours of Italian Clubs and a potential new contract are out
there, the last solid rumour I can remember, was a move to Newcastle! I
think we have a lot to offer with Premiership game time under the guise and
teaching of Zaba being a tempting proposition to any young player.

I personally like both the above players and if we signed Fredericks, I
think Byram's days could be numbered, so why not try and sign a youngster
who signals a chance to turn a huge profit for the club should he develop as
projected. The players chosen give us numerous options on both the left and
right side of the pitch in defence and attack, so we should be able to field
a strong bench even with West Hams famous Ancient Burial Ground style injury
curse on the squad. Moving into the forward areas of the pitch we have some
attacking options, my last somewhat realistic pick is Jonathan Bamba, a
player we have been linked with previously. I am a big fan of the young
French man who is out of contract at St.Etienne in the Summer, and he has a
big future ahead of him. Bamba's pace, skill on the ball, great passing and
wicked right foot should make him a hit with fans at any club, however the
area that impresses me the most for such a young player is his work rate!
Bamba isn't a juggernaut of a player physique wise like Antonio, but he uses
his frame and low centre of gravity incredibly well to stay on his feet and
often win back possession for his side, which was something an incredibly
talented French player we previously signed did not do half as much…
Whilst I am not going to build up expectations of a youngster too much,
there is a lot to like about this player and signs he could go one to be at
any top club in European football. For me, his ability to play across the
front 3 and performances lead me to believe this would be a costly free
transfer, but one I can see being the most fruitful on and off the pitch.

I'lll end my round up with a bit of a long shot! But with rumours of 2 of
our highest profile players in Lanzini and Hernandez potentially looking to
leave, we could well see a huge sum in transfers and wages available. So why
not go all out and aim big with my Pie In The Sky Pick! Shakhtar Donetsk's
small, pacey and creative attacker Bernard! The 25 year old Brazilian has
made no secret of his ambition to play in one of Europe's top leagues and
with some good performances in the Uefa Champions League and a great goals
and assist record in Europe I think he will be monitored by numerous clubs.
3 goals and 3 assists in said Champions League, 3 goals and 4 assists in the
Europa League and a great 14 goals and 24 assists in 95 Ukrainian League
games I think he won't come cheap, but why not look to make a statement. I
believe Leicester is a winnable games for us, with the clubs around us
facing tough fixtures, and relegation a mathematical long shot, I think we
can get safe and look to chase signings in the window! Let's finish the
season behind the team and voice our desire to see change and ambition in
the market from our owners, away from the 90 minutes on the pitch!

I'm @StevenMcCarthy9 on Twitter and if you let me know what you think of the
picks and article below, I'll pick more transfer targets and free agents to
sign.
COYI's!!!!

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ARE WE LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES?
By Tony Hanna 24 Apr 2018 at 08:00
WTID

Moyes in or Moyes out? Moysiah or Dinosaur? Well, if we go down he will be
gone for sure and in my opinion if we stay up he will be with us for at
least another season. Personally, I thought he pulled all the right strings
on Sunday with the possible exception of playing Mario instead of Lanzini.
But there again I am not privy to just how fit the latter is following his
injury lay off. Moyes made all the right substitutions at the right time –
again in my opinion. Hart deserved another game as Adrian's chance will come
next weekend anyway, against City. We were never going to take the game to
Arsenal. They have a 100% home record against teams outside the top six and
even with weakened team selections they put three past Stoke and Southampton
in recent weeks. At the 80 minute mark we looked like we were getting a
point which in our current predicament would have been gold. Until that
mistake from Rice. Hart last week – Rice this week, but players are human
and the only thing we can hold onto is that they learn from their mistakes.
But do they? Do they really go back on the training ground and work on their
own weaknesses, or is it just back to the same stuff they were doing last
week. I would really like to know. I am sure the best of the best do, but do
our players?
When I was eighteen I had joined a new football team. The manager soon had
me taking all the free kicks and corners. But a few games into the season we
were playing a Cup match and we were 3-0 down at half time against Leyton, a
team we were expected to beat. We pulled the deficit back to 3-2 and with
the last kick of the game we were awarded a penalty. The manager was
pointing at me to take the penalty. I had never taken a penalty in senior
football before and as I placed the ball on the spot I had no plan other
than to blast it as hard as I could. I managed to do that but the ball
sailed over the bar. Walking off after that game I felt distraught having
let my team mates down. "Don't worry Tone, it's Ok" was something I heard
several times from my team mates, but I knew deep down it was me that had
let the team down. The manager came up to me and said "you better put some
practice in lad because you will be taking the next penalty we get". Good
job my best mate was one of the best keepers in the district because I spent
hours with him on a routine that included my run up, body shape for
deception on delivery and hitting the exact same spot inside the post to the
keepers right. I only missed one more penalty in my playing days. So when I
see the National team getting beaten in penalty shoots outs and they turn up
for the next World Cup and the manager says "no, we don't practice
penalties" I just cringe. These players are far more talented and dedicated
than I ever was, but now they are at the top are they practising the right
things, ironing out their weaknesses and really working on improving rather
than just stagnating or staying comfortable. With some of the things I keep
seeing with West Ham I have my doubts.

My self- indulgent journey back in time to my own playing days was a prelude
to Declan Rice's error against Arsenal and even to Joe Hart's the week
before. When I see a young player making a game changing mistake it often
takes me back to how I felt after that penalty miss. Moyes defended Hart for
his error against Stoke but put blame on Rice a week later. He knows the
players better than us and hopefully his remarks are well judged
psychologically. I would like to think that there was a rational reasoning
for his different responses. But at training this week will we be practicing
crosses coming in at Joe Hart with Rice in front of him? Will their
communication be worked upon? Should the keeper be calling "away" or only
calling when the ball needs to be left. I could go on but you get the drift.
Because for some time our free kick and corner kick routines have been
pathetic. There has been almost no creativity in working on new set piece
variations to catch out opponents. Bang it into the box but fail to beat the
first defender is a common theme. Another area where we are really poor is
keeping possession from our own throw ins. I was listening to an ex player
the other day, forgive me as I can't remember who it was, but he was a
player who moved from the Championship to the Premier League. He said the
first thing that struck him in training was that his PL club didn't practice
throw in routines. "In the Championship we would spend several hours every
week just on those" he stated. I bet you we don't practice ours at West Ham!
Monreal scored the first goal for Arsenal from a corner – a set piece. He
was Cresswell's "man" but found three or more yards of space from the moment
the corner was taken to the time he shot home. Before the ball went in
Masuaku was protecting the near post but seemed to move away from his
station to allow Hart more room to make a save – for the first two goals it
was all about our defenders not taking responsibility. It really was a
comedy of errors but they seem to be occurring every week.

The other area that leaves a lot to be desired is keeping the ball in the
corner from corner kicks or playing the short one. The one in the last
minute at Chelsea that went pear shaped was followed by the very next corner
West Ham had at home to Stoke where the pass back to the corner taker put
him offside. Both were abysmal and totally inept. Surely, if we are going to
waste time then put Arnie and Kouyate in the corner, rather than Cullen and
Noble. Makes sense doesn't it – getting around those two big lumps would be
rather more difficult! So, back to my first paragraph about Dinosaur or
Moysiah? He told us he would get the players fitter, which he probably did
but we don't know for certain. But has he made the players better? Has he
got them working on their mistakes and deficiencies or are we just going
through the same motions at training every week. Because the manager we need
is the one that is doing the former.

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