Daily WHUFC News - 12th May 2018

Rice: We more than held our own against world class players
WHUFC.com

2017/18 has been a steep learning curve for Declan Rice, but the 19-year-old defender passed another test with flying colours on Thursday night by helping the Hammers to a creditable 0-0 draw against Manchester United.

Rice has now made 25 Premier League appearances in a breakthrough campaign and he was delighted to come out on top in a tussle with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.

The Red Devils' front three could find no way through against a Hammers backline who were keeping a second consecutive Premier League clean sheet for the first time in 2018.

West Ham's defensive solidity meant Rice could wear a broad smile as he left the London Stadium pitch on Thursday, able to tick off another useful experience.

"I think they've got some unbelievable players," he explained. "When you look at the team before the game and you see you're up against Sanchez, Lingard, Pogba, you know you're in for a tough night.

"I knew what I was up against, I analysed it, and we knew we had to come out with a clean sheet. It's another point and a good night all round.

"We have an understanding at the back and I think it's because we all get on so well. Off the pitch, me, Zab, Angelo, Cress, Arthur, they're all good lads. We talk to each other every day, we're always in meetings together analysing and we're ending the season strongly."

There is still one experience for Rice to come to round the season off as the Hammers entertain Everton on Sunday, and with the pressure of trying to secure Premier League safety off, he is convinced the team can go out and enjoy themselves.

He added: "To know we were safe at the weekend was a real relief and we could go out there on Thursday and enjoy it. Picking up another point was good, we've got Everton on Sunday now and we want to end strongly."

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Moyes: Finishing in the top half is a big incentive to beat Everton
WHUFC.com

David Moyes says the possibility of finishing in the Premier League's top ten is a 'big incentive' to defeat his former club Everton on Sunday.

West Ham United need to beat the Blues and hope five other results go their way to climb into the top half, but with Newcastle United facing Chelsea, Crystal Palace hosting resurgent West Bromwich Albion, AFC Bournemouth at Burnley, Watford at Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Liverpool, it is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Amazingly, with just one game to play, the Hammers could finish anywhere between tenth and 17th in the table, with a prospective extra £14million in prize money available should things go their way.

"Finishing in the top half is a big incentive, but the biggest thing for me and the real job was to ensure we remained a Premier League club, and we've got that job done," said Moyes.

"We're not celebrating staying up, but at times you do have to look at it as a good achievement from the position we were in.

"Also, when you look at the clubs who have gone down this year, as I don't think many people would have predicted the clubs who have gone down."


For Moyes, too, the prospect of managing against the club where he spent eleven seasons between 2002 and 2013, achieving nine top-eight finishes, and against one of his closest friends in the game, former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, are added motivation to finish the 2017/18 campaign on a winning note.

Moyes holds the upper hand over Big Sam historically, winning 12 of their 21 managerial clashes – the most victories he has over any single opposing manager – and losing just six.

"It's definitely still special for me Everton has always been a big game, so it'll be a big day, with Sam coming back here too, for both of us.

"In the years gone by, we've sat in opposite dugouts, not in this stadium, obviously, but in other stadiums."

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Noble: We can still finish this tough season on a high
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble believes West Ham United can end the season on a high when they host Everton on Sunday.

The Hammers could yet finish in the top ten should they beat the Blues at London Stadium and results elsewhere go their way.

Having won at Leicester City last weekend and more than held their own against Manchester United on home turf on Thursday evening, victory over Sam Allardyce's side will see West Ham go into the summer in a more positive frame of mind than they might have done following heavy defeats by Manchester City and Arsenal a few weeks ago.

"Our last two results have been very good, beating Leicester away and then drawing with Man U at home – four points, two clean sheets, safe in the Premier League with another home game to come," Noble observed.

"All in all, at the end of a ridiculously tough season, physically and mentally, to come away safe and potentially mid-table weirdly makes it OK. The feeling is it hasn't been a good season, but the league table might yet say it's been an OK season.

"Our target at the start of the season was to finish in the top half but, with all the stuff that has gone on this year, I'm proud of how we've come through it, particularly as a number of our players haven't been used to this sort of pressure. We've stuck at it and got safe."

On a lighter note, Noble also revealed that his son Lenny was none too impressed with his on-pitch altercation with Paul Pogba on Thursday evening.

The flashpoint occurred when Manchester United's France midfielder kicked out at the No16 near the end of a physical, hard-fought goalless draw, and Noble did not take the foul lying down.

Both players were booked for their part in the incident, but moments later enjoyed a light-hearted embrace at the final whistle.
The captain made light of the clash after the game, before revealing that Pogba is also one of his son's favourite players!

"The funny thing is that my son Lenny asked me if he could walk out with me before the game as he really wanted to see Pogba, then when I came out of the dressing room after the game, Lenny was having a photo with him, so I know where his loyalties lie!"

"I am one of Pogba's biggest fans. He gets more criticism than he deserves. He's at one of the biggest clubs in the world and is under a lot of pressure, but sometimes I think we should embrace players like that when they're in the Premier League, rather than criticise them.

"You can tell he really wants to do well and he's a top, top player. I just wanted to get close to him and tell him how good he is!

"At the end I wished him the best of luck in the FA Cup final and at the World Cup in the summer."

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Academy side complete Zurich tournament
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Academy finished their FIFA Youth Cup Blue Stars tournament campaign in sixth place on Thursday after a tough fifth-sixth play-off against Espanyol saw them defeated 2-0.

Having beaten hosts FC Blue Stars 3-0 before going down by the same scoreline on Wednesday to Dynamo Zagreb, the Hammers put themselves in a good position to finish high up in their Group B on Thursday.

First, they took on FC Zurich – playing in their own city – and put in a stellar performance to win 1-0.

The Hammers began the game on the front foot, and had their first meaningful attempt on goal when Joe Powell curled a free-kick over the bar after Vashon Neufville's speedy run towards goal was ended with a foul.

Some good play soon after from Nathan Holland and Sead Haksabanovic gave Domingos Quina the chance to shoot, but his effort was blocked.

West Ham continued to threaten in the first half, but Holland could only head narrowly over before Haksabanovic forced the keeper into a good save, meaning the sides went in at the break goalless.

ZurichInto the second half, it was clear a moment of quality wasting to be the deciding factor, and the Hammers got just that when Alfie Lewis slotted the ball through for Holland to calmly score and break the deadlock.

Holland continued to be a threat for West Ham, but the midfield trio of Conor Coventy, Lewis and Quina made sure it was three points for those in Claret and Blue.

And so it was into the final Group B match against SC Braga with the Hammers looking to finish in the top two.

And the early signs looked positive against the Portuguese outfit. Quina dictated the play, and Holland struck narrowly past the point early on.

But Braga took the lead against the run of play on the stroke of half-time when the Hammers failed to defend a corner, leading to a close-range tap-in to make it 1-0.

Early in the second half, Neufville had a penalty appeal turned down and Quina came close with a free-kick, before sub Korrey Henry forced a low save.

And in the closing minutes, Rosaire Longelo played Holland in down the left but his low effort flashed inches wide and the side could not quite find an equaliser as the game finished 1-0.

A third-place finish in the five-man group meant West Ham were to contest a fifth-sixth play-off against Spanish outfit Espanyol.

Early chances again came and went, as Holland had a low shot saved and Henry's long-range strike was batted away.

Espanyol took the lead after a cross from right was controlled in the box by a forward, who found the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

In the second half, Haksabanovic injected some energy into the attack and Henry was a handful, but as West Ham pushed for an equaliser, Espanyol broke and the striker slotted past keeper Rihards Matrevics after finding himself one-on-one.

And so the Hammers finished in sixth place overall, with their earlier opponents Dynamo Zagreb defeating Young Boys 2-0 in the final to take home the trophy.

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Five-star Hammers thrash Bermuda Select side
WHUFC.com

A five-star West Ham United U17 side were 5-1 winners over a Bermuda Select XI on Thursday in their second fixture at the Bermuda International Football Festival.

The east Londoners, who picked up a 1-1 draw in their opener against the country's U19s, took on the home outfit made up of the best young players in the top two Bermuda FA leagues.

The young Hammers started very well, playing on the front foot and attacking from the start. The early breakthrough came after a clever one-two from Bernardo Rosa and Evan Khouri, with the latter finishing superbly well on the volley to put the Hammers into the lead.

West Ham continued to dominate the game with the midfield players Bernardo Rosa, Louie Watson, Sebastian Nebyla, Evan Khouri and Jay Mingi, and it was no surprise when we went further ahead when again Evan Khouri landed on a lose ball to slot past the advancing keeper.

Early in the second half, the Hammers were again celebrating when Bermuda defender Seth Somner was caught in possession, allowing the impressive Emmanuel longelo to steam in on goal and sweep the ball home from close range.

Bernardo Rosa, playing as a withdrawn striker, extended West Ham's lead on the hour mark, crashing home a bouncing ball beyond substitute goalkeeper Shaquille Trott.

Summer signing Anouar El Mhassani missed a good opportunity for the Hammers soon after, forcing a fine save from Trott, while at the other end, Donovan Thompson, a second half introduction, saw an effort blocked and Jahiem Iris dragged a shot wide.

West Ham added a fifth when sub Kyle McGeachy effort took a wicked deflection off Somner before ballooning over the outstretched arms of Trott.

Bermuda Select pulled a goal back when Calin Maybury powered home a free-kick late on.

The Hammers will now prepare for a final group match against the Azores, heading into the fixture with a strong chance of qualification for the tournament's final having picked up four points already.

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West Ham United v Everton
SUN 13 MAY 2018PREMIER LEAGUE
15:00
Venue: London Stadium
BBc.co.uk

TEAM NEWS
West Ham forward Jordan Hugill could make his first start since joining the club in January, with Javier Hernandez still nursing a knee injury.

Pedro Obiang and James Collins might be involved after spells on the sidelines.

Everton's Wayne Rooney has a knee problem and will not be risked but Theo Walcott could return from a calf issue.

Defender Mason Holgate, who has not played since mid-March because of an ankle injury, is in contention for a place in the squad.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
John Roder: "West Ham and Everton will surely want to consign this season to the history books.

"It's been an unsatisfactory and sometimes turbulent campaign, with both clubs changing managers in an attempt to make progress.

"Injury has denied Wayne Rooney the chance to make a possible Premier League farewell before a move to MLS in the United States, while David Moyes may be in charge of West Ham for the final time.

"Everton will finish in the top 10, while West Ham only secured their Premier League place last weekend. The end-of-season report for both clubs probably is 'could and should do better'."

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager David Moyes on his future: "We'll have a chat next week and we'll see [whether I stay].

"It's been a tough job but a really good job. I've really enjoyed it and the players have worked hard when we came in; we had to get them in order a little bit and get them playing a bit better, and I think we've done that. It's a big achievement for us."

Everton manager Sam Allardyce on Wayne Rooney's future: "My understanding of the situation is there seems to have been some negotiation somewhere along the line.

"I don't get involved in anything with regards transfers so all I know is there appears to be interest from DC United. Where that lies and where Wayne lies with it I can't tell you at the moment."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Both men have done what was asked of them by keeping their sides up after being appointed in mid-season and, while David Moyes will get a say in his future, it could be that Everton decide that Sam Allardyce is surplus to requirements.

In terms of the game, I am going for Moyes to come out on top against his former club.

Prediction: 2-0

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head

West Ham have won just one of the last 19 Premier League meetings: 3-2 at Goodison Park in March 2016.
Everton are unbeaten in nine away league games against the Hammers dating back to April 2007.
The Toffees have won 24 Premier League games against West Ham, more than they have against any other side.
West Ham United

They are aiming to avoid becoming the first team to lose more than 10 top-flight matches by at least a three-goal margin in a single season since West Brom in 1985-86.
David Moyes has lost all five of his Premier League games against his former club by an aggregate score of 0-12.
However, the Scotsman has won seven of his last eight league meetings with Sam Allardyce.
Marko Arnautovic has scored 10 league goals this season. Bobby Zamora was the last West Ham player to score 11 goals in a single Premier League season back in 2006-07.
Everton

After a run of five consecutive away defeats, Everton are unbeaten in their last three. They've not won back-to-back top-flight away games since September 2016.
The Toffees have won their final match in 52 different top-flight seasons, three more than any other side.
Only against Newcastle (15) has Wayne Rooney scored more Premier League goals than he has against West Ham (14) - including a hat-trick against the Hammers in November.

SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-1 Probability of draw: 28%
Probability of home win: 42% Probability of away win: 30%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Liverpool that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.

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Marko Arnautovic's form and a fan protest kept West Ham up, says David Moyes
BBC.co.uk

A fan protest and the form of Marko Arnautovic were the turning points as West Ham secured Premier League survival this season, says David Moyes.

Supporters invaded the pitch during a 3-0 home defeat by Burnley in March.

Meanwhile, Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as boss in November, moving Arnautovic into a centre-forward position and seeing him score 10 times since.

"He's been a sensation up front, he's been playing as well as most strikers," Moyes told The Friday Football Social.

"Maybe he wasn't doing as much and not tracking back on the wing. Him going up front made a big difference."

The 29-year-old Austria international had predominantly been playing out wide since arriving from Stoke in the summer.

"The team think Marko has been the outstanding factor," added Moyes. "He's a big threat to whatever centre-half he is up against.

"Whoever he's up against he looks as if he can beat them, outrun them, he is stronger than them.

"At Stoke his technical abilities weren't in question. His attitude and commitment, at times you would look and think 'is he really interested?'. But he looks a different man up front, it's given him a bit of freedom, maybe not the responsibility of playing wide.

"It's made a big difference to the team."

'Risk for me taking West Ham job'
During the defeat by Burnley, at least two fans went onto the pitch after the visitors took the lead - with one approaching Hammers captain Mark Noble.

Another ran on with a corner flag shortly after Burnley scored their second, with further incursions after the Clarets struck a late third.

It was a third successive loss for Moyes' side and one that left them three points above the relegation zone. They have now climbed to 15th, securing Premier League football for next season.

"The other point was the game against Burnley when the supporters ran on the pitch," said Moyes.

"We went away afterwards as a group and we got a bit of criticism at the time, it may be the bravest thing I've done - the players pulled together and since we came back we picked up some really good points."

The 55-year-old Scot replaced Bilic with West Ham sitting 18th in the table, and says it was he who was taking a risk by going for the job.

"When we took over, we were on nine points in the bottom three," added the former Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland boss.

"People might have thought it was a risk for West Ham to take David Moyes - but I didn't think it was. It was a risk for me to take a job in the bottom three."

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So hard to say sorry?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 10th May 2018
By: Paul Walker

I've come round to thinking that David Moyes deserves an apology for the way he has been treated at our club.

In the week since we avoided relegation thanks to arguably our best away display of the season at Leicester, the torrent of abuse from the Twitter toads has continued unabated, to the point when you start to think you must be the only soul on the planet who thinks Moyes has done a half-decent job.

Not brilliant, not stunning flowing football, but he has just put a cheque for around £120m into David Sullivan's back pocket, and you would still think he is the most disliked man around, not a hint of thanks, of gratitude or relief that we are not on the point of financial meltdown.

David Gold, we know because he did it in front of a half dozen journalists in the tunnel at Leicester, sought out Moyes and congratulated him on the job well done. Since then nothing. Not a word on the official website from Sullivan. He doesn't have to give him a job, just say thanks because the world would be a much different place now had we followed Stoke and West Brom into the abyss.

When you have as much time to waste as I do now, you read every word from fans' forums and bloggers' websites, and in the end it gets on top of you. I started, tentatively this week, to answer back a bit.

Not a lot, because that just opens you up to a tirade of abuse yourself. But I soon realised that I had just scratched the surface, because out of the woodwork came plenty of folk who agreed that Moyes was not the anti-Christ he was being portrayed as .By the end of just one day I had fielded hundreds of posts in a similar vein.

No he is not Pep Guardiola, not the purveyor of brilliant football. But then he hasn't spent £400m in two transfer windows. So it's not likely to be the Beautiful Game at our place, is it?

But then when he arrived in November he wasn't told to change the world, just save us from the drop. Nine points then and in the bottom three, few thought he could do it. But with two games left we were safe.

But he still grates on many, and I can see why. Too defensive, too bland, too negative. No flair. Old school, the game had passed him by, we kept being told.

But by whom? The abuse was all over my phone before I even got home on Saturday. I worked out between Birmingham and Wolverhampton on the train that we were safe when Everton's equaliser went in. It did take many a few more hours, even days, to work out that Southampton and Swansea were playing each other and one of them could not get above us.

I celebrated with one of those overpriced warm gin and tonics in a can that trains serve up, but still the Moyes out, sack (Mark) Noble, brigade were at it. How many of them had seen the match remains to be ascertained.

These days our lives seem to be ruled by the mob, the ones with 50-word vocabularies of words that they can't spell. And, it seems, our Board are listening to them, being swayed by their decisions.

Now we can argue all those points fairly, but he was not told he had to stride the touchline in Pep's beautifully co-ordinated designer gear.

Not for him shopping at Oi Poloi, the trendy Manchester shop that flogs Pep all that Stone Island stuff (with the infamous badge taken off, naturally, sorry ICF) or the Dsqquqared shop where Manchester City players have accounts. (Go, on, you're impressed I know all this, aren't you?…I just have a son who does!)

Moyes looks like he has been dressed at Man at C&A. He never has been sharp or trendy, just not in his nature, maybe if he had Pep's money and team he would try.

The point being is he doesn't. He took over a dysfunctional, disinterested, unworkable squad, unbalanced, frequently injured and just not good enough. He was a bit shop-soiled himself, confidence battered, and he needed the job and his confidence back. Somehow he has got us to this stage.

Yes, he can sometimes look indecisive, but he has been trying to knock into shape a disorganised rabble who are capable of listening and producing a solid performance one game but forgetting everything they have been told the next. "Where did that come from?" Moyes once pronounced. Nobody knows, but the players made Moyes look bad. West Ham then were unfit and ill-disciplined, but he's taken on Michail Antonio and then Andy Carroll.

And no, I am not that bothered by all the talk about style and tactics. Any manager can coach whatever system you want given the right tools. Big Sam had Gary Speed, Nicholas Anelka and Jay Jay Okocha at Bolton and they were very entertaining then.

The Board, we heard were impressed by this and his hard work, scouting diligence and organisation for a potential new season. Someone had seemingly told him that if he saved us there would be a new contract.

That may have been only verbal, and Moyes will get £1m-plus for keeping us up. Small change from £120m, though. And a few weeks ago after the Chelsea away draw, the club were happy for the belief there was going to be a two-year contract for Moyes to gather credibility.

But then, of course, Moyes has had to endure the briefings from inside the club against him, as well as the shocking leaking of information from the training ground. The Board, we are told, have got the hump about this and have taken it as a slight on them. Good. If the cap fits, my old fella used to say, wear it.

It got so bad that experienced and respected journo Jacob Steinberg, a West Ham fan, from the Guardian was on Twitter slamming the "disingenuous PR campaign against Moyes" from inside the club, branding it "truly pathetic".

And he's right. Someone seemed to be testing the ground, searching for fans' opinions. And all this was coming ahead of the crucial Leicester game. You couldn't make it up sometimes… well, you don't have to at West Ham, such is the culture of such behaviour.

Whatever decision our board now make, I would plead with them to take no account of fans' polls, twitter campaigns, social media in any form. You should know more about this job than any of us do, you have had two decades doing it.

Fans are entitled to their opinions. Even when they are ill-informed. That's just the nature of football. But you should know more. If you have to make a decision fans don't like, so be it.

I bet Arsenal are not holding polls and twitter debates with their fans about Arsene Wenger's replacement, and I doubt Roman Abramovic gives the old boys from the Headhunters a call when he is replacing a manager. But of course Sullivan did ring the ICF for help, so anything is possible I suppose.

The point of issue this week is that Moyes has been blamed for the January transfer window shambles. Good grief. Now he took over on November 7, that's just 55 days before the window opened.

He was not given any real cash to spend, but saw three strikers, Toni Martinez (on loan), Diafra Sakho (£8m) and Andre Ayew (£18m) sold from under his feet in the last few days of the window.

With peanuts to spend he saw the Islam Slimani deal collapse overnight because of her Ladyship's daft column, and he had to find a body from somewhere at the last minute to make up numbers. Searching in the Championship was all he could manage, hence the arrival of Jordan Hugill.

A week before the window shut, Arthur Masuaku managed to get himself banned for six games and we didn't have a hint of a left back cover in the club. Patrice Evra was about all that was available. And then we sold Jose Fonte outside the window because Sullivan no doubt felt that £5m was the best he could get, and then Winston Reid and James Collins got injured, again.

And this is all Moyes' fault? Maybe someone could tell us exactly how much he had to spend and what deals had collapsed because he was dithering. But to blame him for January is a disgrace.

So now we have a new scenario. The transfer window opens on May 17 and closes on August 7, that's a few days before the Premier League season starts on August 11. Eighty-odd days to dismantle one squad of failures and buy new blood.

And the club still do not have a new head of recruitment (or whatever it's called), they lack scouting staff, an idea of what can be spent and any progress on the raft of improvements they have promised various fans' group. Not a day to lose then, as Tony Gale pointed out, straight-faced on Sky this week.

But, of course, there's a list of managerial names we are looking at. Some are laughable, hugely expensive and would want £150m to spend minimum. Next level managers that are beyond us financial, certainly in wages.

There's a group that will be gambles, however you look at it. Alan Sugar used to call the foreign hopefuls 'Carlos Kickaballs.' I suppose we are looking at a list of 'Mario Coachaballs' now are we? Sean Dyche will want to stay at Burnley now he is entrenched and in Europe, Eddie Howe has looked out of his comfort zone when he leaves Bournemouth. A real gamble that.

There's Slavisa Jokanovic at Fulham, a good shout maybe. But there's no Premier League experience for this product of Jordi Cruyff's coaching school in Israel, where his famous father's football beliefs are being taught.

Slavisa took Watford into the top flight, but never stayed. Then we have another former Watford man, Marco Silva, who took Hull down. He got the hump when he was tapped up by Everton and not allowed to leave. A gamble? Too right.

So unless Sullivan and Gold can pull a glittering rabbit from the hat in the next week or so, they may be left with Moyes.

But then Moyes knows his worth again now. He is held in far higher esteem in the football world, in particular the coaching and managerial world, than he seemingly is at West Ham. They never doubted his knowledge, experience or talent but wanted to see whether he had lost his nerve or not.

The way he breezed into Stratford and stamped authority of our rabble soon dispelled that. Now he has other offers waiting. One is at Stoke.

Interestingly, Steinberg alluded to this in his article this week. It, I say a little smugly, confirms an article I wrote on KUMB a few months back when I said that Moyes had been approached by a northern club.

That information came from a friend and former international I had a chance meeting with on a railway platform. I decided not to name the club then, but it was true and they are still very interested.

But Moyes has now cleverly put the ball back in the court of our Board, asking what their ambition is and how much money they are prepared to give him to carry out the detailed transfer plans he and Alan Irvine have already got in place.

Any potential new manager would ask the same thing of our leaders. So it's down to them. Will you spend big to give a manager the chance to compete for a top eight position, or will you carry on with the same discredited policy you have in place now, and having said you will change the whole thing from top to bottom.

Up to you Mr. Sullivan. If you want another season of discontent then keep going the way you are. If you want a steady hand to run the show, then Moyes looks about the best available. But don't take too long, time is ticking. And you still haven't said thank you.


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 Everton preview: Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott to be assessed
Last Updated: 11/05/18 11:56am
SSN

Everton will assess the fitness of Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott ahead of their trip to West Ham on the final day of the Premier League season.

Rooney (calf) and Walcott (knee) missed last weekend's draw at home to Southampton but could be in line for a recall, and the former could be making his final Toffees appearance after he was linked with a move to MLS side DC United.

But manager Sam Allardyce confirmed that Rooney has not yet asked to leave the club, saying: "My understanding is there seems to have been some negotiation along the line but as for clarity as to whether Wayne is staying or going we'll see later on.

"I'm comfortable with any player who wants to leave but let's get this clear. Wayne Rooney has not asked to leave and neither has Wayne Rooney had a confrontation with me. We have not been in any difficult situations with me. We are two adults and we talk."

West Ham manager David Moyes will be coming up against his former side on Sunday. The Scot has lost all five of his Premier League games against Everton since he left by an aggregate score of 12-0.

Team news
Gylfi Sigurdsson has still not recovered from a knee operation two months ago and will not feature for Everton but Mason Holgate, who has not played since mid-March because of an ankle injury, could be included in the squad.

West Ham could still be without Javier Hernandez for their final Premier League game of the season. The Mexico striker has missed the last two games with a knee problem and is likely to be absent again, with manager Moyes keen to give January signing Jordan Hugill a run-out.

Hernandez is the only fitness concern for the Hammers boss, who could bring Pedro Obiang and James Collins back into his squad after their own respective spells on the sidelines.

Opta stats
West Ham have won just one of their last 19 Premier League meetings with Everton (D6 L12), winning 3-2 at Goodison Park in March 2016.

Indeed, Everton are unbeaten in their last nine away league games against the Hammers (W6 D3) since a 1-0 loss in April 2007.

After a run of five consecutive away defeats, Everton are unbeaten in their last three Premier League games on the road (W2 D1). They've not won back-to-back top-flight away games since September 2016, which included a 3-0 win at David Moyes' Sunderland.

Everton have won their final match in 52 different top-flight seasons, three more than any other side.

However, the Scotsman has won seven of his last eight meetings with Sam Allardyce in the competition (L1), including each of his last five in a row.

Only against Newcastle (15) has Wayne Rooney scored more Premier League goals than he has vs West Ham (14), with the veteran netting his first Everton hat-trick in the reverse fixture in November.

Everton have won just one of their last 14 away Premier League games in London (D6 L7), winning 1-0 at Crystal Palace in January 2017, who were managed at the time by Sam Allardyce.

Merson's predictions
It depends what teams the managers put out but when I was playing for nothing on the final game of the season, I went out there and expressed myself.

They've picked up a bit recently, West Ham, and Everton aren't going to score a load of goals away from home. There's still some grumbling against the manager too. Narrow home win.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0

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