Daily WHUFC News - 8th November 2015

West Ham United 1-1 Everton
WHUFC.com

West Ham United maintained their sixth place position in the Premier League
table with a 1-1 draw with Everton. Argentine Manuel Lanzini opened the
scoring with an absolute peach of a finish, curling the ball majestically
into the top corner. However the Hammers were pegged back by perennial
thorn-in-the-side Romelu Lukaku who ran onto Gerard Deulofeu's through-ball
to round goalkeeper Adrian and slot home coolly. During an unseasonably mild
November day both sides approached the game in a positive manner. The first
chance of the game fell to the hosts as Dimitri Payet, not for the first
time this season, opened the defence up with seemingly little on. He burst
into the box and fed Victor Moses whose shot flew narrowly wide of Tim
Howard's near post. Moments later the Hammers again went close. A well
worked free-kick between Aaron Cresswell and that man Payet fashioned a
second chance for Moses, this time a leaping header skimmed the roof of the
net. West Ham's third chance came courtesy of the Frenchman yet again. His
deep free-kick found James Tomkins lurking at the back post, his effort was
hooked off the line setting up a counter attack for the Toffees. Arouna Kone
sprinted downfield and played in strike partner Romelu Lukaku, just as he
was about to pull the trigger, Manuel Lanzini put a foot in top stop the
powerful forward. The breakthrough came on the half-way mark and what a
sublime finish it was. Moses cutback caused havoc in the box which the
Blues' defence could only scramble into Manuel Lanzini's feet. The Argentine
drove forward and looked to have taken a touch too many however the
explosive winger showed unnervingly composure to pick out the top corner
through a crowd of players. How the Boleyn Ground faithful enjoyed it. With
two minutes remaining of the first half, one of football's most recent
cliché's – a Romelu Lukaku goal against West Ham – was yet again witnessed.
The Belgian ran on to Deulofeu's defence splitting pass and kept his
composure admirably to round Adrian and roll it home.

Everton started the stronger of the two halves in the second period and went
close to making their advantage count as Ross Barkley fired a free-kick
narrowly wide. The atmosphere was notably subdued when star man Payet had to
be replaced through injury. The Frenchmen took one knock too many and
received a standing ovation as Enner Valencia came in for him. The
Ecuadorean, making his first appearance at the Boleyn since suffering an
injury in July, quickly set about reminding the West Ham faithful what he
can do by beating Coleman before delivering an exquisite ball. Unfortunately
it whistled inches over Moses and Carroll. Even more unfortunate was when a
strong challenge ended with Valencia being carried off by a stretcher, Mauro
Zarate slotted in on the left. The Hammers came closest to scoring their
second of the afternoon through Winston Reid who climbed highest to connect
with Moses' arrowed corner, again the roof of the net bustled. Into the
final ten minutes and with a draw looking like the most likely of outcomes
two heart in mouths moments occurred. First, Jenkinson burst forward 60 odd
yards before shooting from the edge of the box. It would have been the most
the most exquisite of goals yet Howard was equal to it. The American
launched it forward and ball somehow found its way Lukaku who prodded just
wide from a tight angle. All in all, an exciting game of football which both
teams could take positives from.

West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Noble ©,
Kouyate, Payet (Valencia 49) (Zarate 65), Moses, Lanzini, Carroll (Jelavic
85)
Substitutes: Randolph, Ogbonna, Antonio, Cullen
Goals: Lanzini 30

Everton: Howard, Stones, Coleman, Funes Mori, Galloway, Barry ©, McCarthy,
Deulofeu (Lennon 79), Barkley, Lukaku, Kone (Mirallas 60)
Substitutes: Robles, Gibson, Naismith, Osman, Holgate
Bookings: McCarthy, Funes Mori
Goals: Lukaku 43

Referee: Paul Tierney

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Reid raving about Lanzini
WHUFC.com

Winston Reid reckons goalscorer Manuel Lanzini is right up there with West
Ham United's best performers this term, after bagging an absolute beauty
against Everton on Saturday. The Argentine brilliantly beat Tim Howard with
a deft, curling right-footed effort on the half-hour mark, his fourth
Barclays Premier League goal to date. And though Romelu Lukaku, scoring in
an uncanny seventh successive outing against the Hammers, denied the hosts
all three points, Reid was quick to shower praise on the 22-year-old loanee.
"He's been brilliant, he has been one of the players of the season so far
for us," Reid told West Ham TV. "He has been really good and he keeps on
improving. He's not just an attacker, he also defends and he can run from
box to box. He's very creative, so it's good. "He's only a young kid, there
are going to be some difficult games for him, but fortunately for us he's
having really, really good games at the moment. The main thing's that he
keeps developing and keeps playing well."

As for Lukaku, Reid could hardly be blamed for wishing the Belgian were
anywhere but the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, as he unpicked the Hammers'
defence yet again. But, all in all, the New Zealander felt that honours even
was probably about right in the end. "I was hoping he [Lukaku] was
injured but he wasn't," Reid joked. "To be fair, we should have dealt with
it a little bit better, but they're a good team. "I think the fans saw two
open teams that wanted to go at it and play football. We tried to get the
three points but maybe we lacked a little bit of quality in the final third
and I guess a point was a fair result at the end of the day."

Making his first start since the trip to Sunderland back on 3 October, the
returning Reid slotted seamlessly back into the Hammers' rear-guard
following a hip injury and hailed the quality of the Club's four senior
centre-halves. He continued: "That's one of the things that the manager
wanted to address before the season, with Angelo [Ogbonna] coming in, and
he's been brilliant as well. "Unfortunately he got injured and Ginge is out
for a couple of weeks with his red card, so I stepped in and did a job.
"I'm feeling a good. Obviously I had a problem, so it's going to take a bit
of time to get up to 100 per cent. I'll work hard on the training pitches
and hope for the best. "For me personally, after the injury I had it's more
to assess where am I now and prepare myself in the best possible way for the
next game after the international break."

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U18s lose unbeaten run
WHUFC.com

West Ham United fell to their first Barclays U18 Premier League defeat in
eight games on Saturday, losing 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur at Spurs' Training
Centre in Enfield.

After an impressive run of form which has seen the Hammers win six of their
last seven league fixtures prior to Saturday's London derby, the visitors
looked to be on their way to yet another win when Tunji Akinola headed home
past Spurs keeper Alfie Whiteman.

The hosts got themselves back in the game shortly after through Jon
Dinzeyi's headed finish, before Jaden Brown stole all three points midway
through the second half.

Former Arsenal Academy midfielder George Dobson came off the bench, but was
sent off in the closing stages of the game.

The Hammers made just two changes to the side that extended their unbeaten
run to seven games just a week ago at Little Heath against Fulham. Full back
Jake Eggleton returned from an injury to regain his spot in the West Ham
defence, meaning U16 defender Mason Barrett dropped to the bench, whilst Sam
Howes replaced Tim Brown between the sticks.

In the early moments, the visitors were playing some very entertaining
football, similar to the brand of football that has seen them pick up 19
points since their undefeated stream started. The Hammers were getting the
ball down on the floor well and playing some free-flowing attacking
football, with Grady Diangana again playing as the link man in the middle.

It was that style of football which saw them force the openings inside the
the Spurs penalty box which eventually resulted in Akinola's goal. First,
winger Joe Powell watched his shot palmed off the near post by Whiteman,
before Idris Kanu's scooped effort was denied by the opposite upright.

The breakthrough did come on 21 minutes though when Akinola latched onto a
stray ball inside the penalty area and looped his finish over Whiteman and
into the back of the net.

Just a few minutes later though, Spurs reacted in the best way by levelling
the scores. It was their defender, Dinzeyi, who rose highest from a Keanan
Bennetts cross to head past Hammers goalkeeper Howes.

In the lead up to the break though, it was still West Ham who were having
the better chances on goal, but neither Matty Carter nor Oscar Borg could
keep their efforts on target.

As the game continued into the second half, it was again the defenders who
looked like they were going to steal the show, with three of the Hammers
back four all having opportunities to again put them ahead. Eggleton,
Akinola and England U16 full back Vashon Neufville all failed to beat
Whiteman.

In the traditional way that many football games go though, Spurs punished
their guests in Enfield when Kazaiah Sterling broke through the Hammers back
line to run clear on goal at Howes, only for the England U19 goalkeeper to
deny him. Unfortunately for the visitors, Spurs left back Brown took the
opportunity to seal the points.

West Ham will look to return to winning ways on Saturday 14 November when
they face Leicester City U18 away at the Foxes Training Ground.

U18s: Howes, Eggleton, Akinola, Rice, Neufville, Carter, Sylvestre (c),
Borg, Diangana, Powell, Kanu. Subs: Dobson, Longelo, Alese, Barrett,
Metravic

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Bilic - We reacted strongly
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic felt his players showed a good reaction against Everton and
says he cannot be unhappy with only taking a point from the 1-1 draw at the
Boleyn Ground.

The West Ham United manager was determined to see his side bounce straight
back from their 2-0 defeat against Watford last weekend and felt they played
as a team for the full ninety minutes.

Manuel Lanzini scored a wonder goal on the half hour mark but the Hammers
failed to stop Romelu Lukaku getting on the scoresheet once again when he
grabbed an equaliser just before half-time.

There was more bad news in the second half when influential duo Dimitri
Payet and Enner Valencia were both forced to leave the field through injury,
but Bilic felt his side showed enough character to take something from the
game.

Bilic said: "It was a good performance from us and it was important after
the game against Watford to come back and show a good reaction in front of
our own fans. I cannot be unhappy with the way the team played.

"I thought for ninety minutes we looked as a team. We are never happy with a
point, especially when we play at home, but we tried and had chances.

"We played against a very good team and I have to praise the players.

"It was a cheap goal to give away. We lost the ball deep in their half and
at a time when we didn't need to lose it.

"But I thought our two central defenders played really well against him and
the other forwards."

Bilic had nothing but praise for Lanzini once again after the talented
forward produced a great piece of skill to direct the ball past Tim Howard
into the corner of the net.

Bilic added: "He has got it. Some of our players prefer to pass the ball
when they are in and around the box and we want them to shoot more.

"For his goal the ball went in exactly where he wanted it to go. He has that
skill and the power and he is a good player."

The worrying news for Bilic and the Hammers fans was the injuries sustained
by Payet and Valencia in the second half.

The West Ham manager says he will wait to see the results from their scans
before they can make an assessment on how long they will be ruled out of
action.

"I don't want to talk about the latest news until we see the scan. The
latest can be very different to what the real news is so I would prefer to
wait until we have the results of their scans.

"It doesn't look good. The first one on Dimitri was a bad challenge, the
second one was on Enner's ankle although he did get the ball.

"It was a big blow for us to lose both of them because we had been planning
to play both of them together at some stage in the game.

"But the two injuries stopped us a bit. We would have been more creative and
more dangerous.

"We can only hope they are going to be okay for the Spurs game but the
latest doesn't sound very good. I hope that is not the case."

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West Ham 1 Everton 1
7 November 2015
Last updated at 17:59
By Chris Bevan
BBC Sport

West Ham moved up to fifth in the Premier League despite having to settle
for a point at home to Everton. Manuel Lanzini put the Hammers ahead with a
superb curling finish after Victor Moses' shot was blocked. But Romelu
Lukaku ran on to Gerard Deulofeu's perfect pass to level and extend his run
of scoring against West Ham to seven successive games. Winston Reid headed
over for the Hammers and Lukaku went close late on but neither side could
force a winner. Lukaku's remarkable run against the Hammers started on 21
September 2013, when he scored his first goal for Everton, the winner in a
3-2 Toffees victory.

The £28m Belgium striker has scored the decisive goal on two further
occasions against the east London side and, on top of two goals in FA Cup
ties, this was the 11th point his strikes have helped secure for Everton in
this fixture. "That is my game, going in behind and trying to be clinical in
a one-on-one," Lukaku said afterwards. "It was a great ball from Gerard and
the finish was good. "I am happy but I play to win games and I am
disappointed not to win."

West Ham's average positions show that Victor Moses (20) was their most
advanced player and 43% of their attacks went down the right wing compared
to 29% down the left
West Ham had scored at least two goals in nine of their 11 league matches
going into Saturday's game but, as soon as Dimitri Payet hobbled off shortly
after half-time, they looked far less dangerous.
Payet tried to continue after he was hurt by a James McCarthy challenge
before the break, but his injured ankle lasted only five minutes of the
second half.
The French play-maker had fashioned three openings during his time on the
pitch, putting him level with Arsenal's Mesut Ozil as the players to have
created the most chances - 47 - in the Premier League this season.

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said afterwards: "We lost Payet because of a bad
tackle. We can only hope that he will be OK and it is not going to be
long-term, but we have to wait for the scan." Without Payet, the Hammers
struggled to break down the Everton defence, although Moses impressed down
the right flank. The threat Moses posed was as much to do with his pace and
industry as any silky skills, but he was behind his side's goal and also got
on the end of crosses when they were put in from the opposite flank. But
Andy Carroll was never able to make his presence felt in the box and, too
often, the Hammers' promising build-up play went to waste.

Man of the match - Everton's Gerard Deulofeu

It was Gerard Deulofeu's perfectly-weighted through ball that released
Romelu Lukaku to round Adrian and score Everton's equaliser, and the
Spaniard's skill and desire to run at defenders lit up the game

Manager reaction

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "We are never happy with one point, especially
at home, but I was happy with the performance. "We needed that kind of
positive reaction after what happened last week at Watford. "Everton
deserved a point but in my opinion we were slightly better than them."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "Once we got to grips with the intensity
West Ham play with, I thought we were very strong, especially in the second
half. "Our concentration levels were very high once we had conceded, and we
worked very hard as a unit defensively. "We had quality going forward too
and it seemed the winning goal would come but we just could not find the
final pass."

What next?

After the international break, Everton host Aston Villa and West Ham make
the short trip to north London to play Tottenham.
The stats you need to know

Romelu Lukaku has scored seven goals in seven games against West Ham for
Everton (five in the Premier League, two in the FA Cup).
Lukaku's goal equalled the most number of goals he has scored against a
single opponent in the Premier League; he has also scored five against
Newcastle and Liverpool.
Manuel Lanzini is the first West Ham player since Bobby Zamora in 2006-07 to
score against both Merseyside clubs in the same season.
Only David Silva (six) and Mesut Ozil (nine) have more Premier League
assists this season than Gerard Deulofeu (five).
The Hammers haven't beaten the Toffees in the league in 15 attempts (D5
L10), their last win coming in April 2007 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal.
Everton have lost just two of their last 10 Premier League away games (W4 D4
L2).

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West Ham Utd 1-1 Everton
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 7th November 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's dismal home run against Everton continued at the Boleyn this
afternoon - although at least they managed to avoid defeat on this occasion.

In the last ten meetings between the two sides here, West Ham have beaten
the Toffees just twice - and it took a penalty shootout in the FA Cup third
round last season to secure one or those.

Given that unhappy sequence, the squad could be forgiven for being happy
with a draw. And in truth, it was the very least both sides deserved from a
game in which neither excelled, nor looked particularly poor.

A veteran soldier was joined by 35,000 fans in a minutes' silence to mark
Remembrance Day

West Ham drew first blood on the half hour mark with a goal of the month
contender from Manuel Lanzini. The little Argentinian picked up the ball on
the edge of the penalty box after a cross was only half cleared before
steering it expertly into Tim Howard's top right corner.

The Everton goalkeeper, who loosely resembled a giant Stabilo marker pen in
his all-fluorescent yellow kit had no chance with the perfectly placed
strike - but rarely came close to being beaten again thereafter.

If anything has proved to be West Ham's Achilles Heel this season, it is
their propensity to give away cheap goals by conceding possession cheaply.
Sadly, that was to be the case once again here today.

With less than two minutes of the first half remaining Dimitri Payet - who
had been moving gingerly since being upended by a dreadful challenge from
James McCarthy ten minutes previously - gave the ball away deep in
Evertonian territory.

Quick as a flash, the visitors broke and it was left to West Ham's nemesis
Romelu Lukaku to round goalkeeper Adrian and pass the ball into an empty
net, to score for the SEVENTH successive occasion against the Hammers.

Rookie referee Paul Tierney, who cautioned McCarthy for the aforementioned
challenge when many other referees may have viewed it as a more serious
offence did little to suggest he should be elevated to the Premier League
rota on a regular basis.

As well as showing extreme leniency to the hosts following a string of
'earthy' challenges, he ended the first half just as Andy Carroll was racing
through on a potential one-v-one situation - and then blew the final whistle
at an equally bizarre moment, just as West Ham were preparing to launch one
final attack from a dead ball situation.

Yet Tierney couldn't be blamed for West Ham's inability to open up an
understrength Everton defence, missing the likes of England internationals
Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka.

Minus the injured Payet, who was withdrawn just five minutes into the second
period the Hammers looked bereft of creativity and struggled to make inroads
in the opposition half after Everton had restored parity.

For their part, the Toffees only really threatened Adrian on one further
occasions, that being when Lukaku's effort slammed into the side netting
when it appeared easier for him to hit the target. Thankfully, he does
occasionally miss against West Ham too.

The point takes West Ham back above Tottenham into fifth place in the
Premier League, although Spurs have a game in hand. The two London rivals
are set to meet each other following the forthcoming international break, a
game that promises to be one of the most tightly-contested derbies for some
years.

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Slaven Bilic annoyed with injuries to West Ham's Dimitri Payet and Enner
Valencia
Last Updated: 07/11/15 6:51pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic was left frustrated after Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia went
off injured in West Ham's 1-1 draw with Everton. Payet, the Hammers' leading
scorer in the Premier League this season, was caught from behind by a
scissor tackle from James McCarthy in the first half. He went off shortly
after half-time and his replacement, Valencia, was also forced off following
a sliding tackle from Seamus Coleman. Asked about the tackle on Payet,
Hammers manager Bilic told Sky Sports: "I didn't see it but I was told it
should have been red. "I saw it was a foul from behind and they made a few
of them. We had our player injured and we don't know how bad it is, but it
was bad enough for him not to finish the game. "It is a big blow for us.
Payet is our main player with the ball and I am not happy with the injury.
"Enner did really well when he came on and we looked dangerous but then he
got injured. Those are the only things I am not happy about." "Until the
scans nobody knows long they will be out for, hopefully they will be okay
for Spurs and it's good we have the international break."

The Hammers have not beaten Everton in the Premier League since 2007 and
they were pegged back by Romelu Lukaku's equaliser after Manuel Lanzini's
30th-minute opener. While Bilic said Everton's goal was "cheap", he was
pleased with his side's reaction after their 2-0 defeat to Watford the
previous weekend. "It was important to put in a good performance in front of
our fans and we looked like a good team," he said. "We are not happy because
we didn't win, but they deserved a point too. We tried to get all three but
it wasn't the case."

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WEST HAM 1, EVERTON 1. A COSTLY POINT.
By David Hautzig 8 Nov 2015 at 03:40
WTID

The new Peanuts movie comes out over here this weekend. I assume Charles
Schulz classic comic strip was part of your childhood regardless of which
country you grew up in. One of the prevailing themes of Peanuts through the
years was Lucy consistently fooling Charlie Brown into believing that this
time he would actually be allowed to kick the (American) football while she
held it steady against the ground with her finger. I remember in one strip,
Lucy produced a signed document stating she wouldn't pull the ball away at
the last second and allow Charlie Brown to sail through the air and land
flat on his back. Charlie Brown read the document and concluded that Lucy
had to let him kick the ball this time since he had what he thought was a
legally binding contract. He walked away, began his charge, and of course
just as he was going to strike Lucy pulled the ball away and Charlie Brown
went flying. As he lay on his back for the umpteenth time, Lucy looked down
at him and reminded him the document wasn't "notarized", a term over here
used when a document has to be signed by not only the two parties involved
but a "notary public" as well who basically certifies the deal. Every time
we play Everton, we seem to be Charlie Brown staring at the sky and the role
of Lucy has been played recently by Romalu Lukaku. Today, we may not have
struck the ball well, but we made contact.

West Ham looked bright in the opening minutes, with Jenkinson attacking on
the right and feeding Noble for a cross to Carroll that the big man just
couldn't reach. Then Payet and Moses combined inside the Everton penalty
area that ended with a Moses strike hitting the side netting. A minute
later, Moses was back in business in the box trying to lay off for Carroll
before Stones stepped in to relieve the pressure. Everton responded with
Deulofeu sending a through ball to Kone on the right, who then tried to find
Lukaku in the box but Adrian came out to meet the pass and punch it clear.

Everton had their first serious chance to open the scoring in the 15th
minute when Galloway passed to Barkley near the top of the West Ham penalty
area. Barkley turned quickly and shot, but while it was low and with some
pace it was right at Adrian. West Ham responded with Cresswell whipping a
cross into the Everton area but Moses couldn't keep his header on target.

The middle section of the first half was a game of one side threatening to
create a real threat but not quite getting there, followed by a repeat
performance from the other side. Kone broke in on goal from a quick free
quick only to shoot wide with Lukaku available inside the West Ham area.
Then Tomkins somehow turned his leg into a gummy worm and kept a Payet free
kick in play but none of his teammates could get to the ball. Cresswell
tried a curling shot with the outside of his right foot that went over the
bar, and McCarthy one timed a pass to Deulofeu whose shot went off Adrian
and out for a corner.

I occasionally check the table in Argentina. One of my friends is from
Buenos Aires and supports Argentinos Juniors, the original team of some guy
named Maradona. They have become my adopted team from down there, and thus
mate in turn holds our Hammers in high esteem. When we first signed Lanzini,
this mate of mine told me we had a player on our hands. He was right. In the
30th minute, Moses got the ball on the right from Payet and fired a low
shot. It deflected off Stones and out to Lanzini at the top of the box. Like
a surgeon making a precise cut, The Jewel curled a shot past Howard and into
the top corner. Pace and power weren't required. The precision was that
good.

West Ham 1, Everton 0.

I've never thought of Martinez as the kind of manager that would either
encourage or allow his players to play the kind of football a supporter
would be ashamed of. But there was a lot of that today. In the 34th minute,
McCarthy took down Payet with a scissor tackle that Tony Gale said could
have been a straight red. Instead he saw yellow, but it wasn't the first
overly aggressive tackle of the day by an Everton player and it certainly
wasn't the last. More importantly, Payet wasn't himself the rest of the game
before he came out in the second half.

When Lanzini scored, I joked to myself that the score was actually 1-1
because it was a foregone conclusion that Lukaku would score. Furthermore,
with time running down in the first half the narrative was almost
predictable that Everton would get the late equalizer to make halftime an
annoying chore. As it turned out, the inevitable and the narrative combined
when Payet lost possession in midfield. Deulofeu then sent a through ball as
Lukaku split between Reid and Tomkins before rounding Adrian and sliding it
home.

West Ham 1, Everton 1.

In the 49th minute, the inevitable consequence of McCarthy's malicious
challenge on Payet was at hand and our new Talisman had to be replaced by
Enner Valencia. Within seconds Valencia's speed made Everton think twice
when Carroll sent Cresswell down the left. The West Ham left back whipped a
cross in that Valencia couldn't reach and Moses couldn't handle.

Within minutes, Barkley took down Noble and Lukaku took down Reid. Neither
saw yellow, and Bilic started to let Martinez know he wasn't happy. The
Everton boss gave the kind of obnoxious and flippant smile that made my
respect for both him and his club go down a notch. Maybe two. And in my
minds eye I could see Slaven putting a cigarette out in his eye and smashing
a guitar over his head. It didn't get better because in the 59th minute Mori
took down Moses and saw yellow. Even knowing the result because I watched
the game on DVR, I started to see red and wished for the good old days of
hard tackles that were met by a bit of retribution. The fact that Everton
finished with 11 players is testament both to how lucky they were and how
awful Tierney was. West Ham weren't able to get the perfect revenge when
their free kick amounted to little more than Howard punching the ball from
danger.

In the middle of the second half there was a lot of end-to-end action but
very little in the final third. In the 63rd, Lanzini earned West Ham a
corner with a low shot from 25 yards out. Two minutes later, Everton's WWE
clinic continued when Coleman took Valencia out on the left side of the
Everton box. I'm guessing there was a prize in the Toffee's changing room
for whoever could get the stretcher out and Coleman wanted to collect. The
replays showed Valencia's ankle buckle and bend in an unnatural way. He was
replaced by Zarate. Bilic gave him a fist bump and an encouraging smile as
he entered the game. That's probably all I want to say about Mauro's day.

In the 73rd minute, Moses got on the end of a long pass from Tomkins and won
a corner. With Payet out, Moses stepped up to take the set piece and he
almost connected with Reid, but his header went just over the bar and a
diving Howard. Ten minutes later Jenkinson went on a run that started in the
West Ham half and ended with him taking a right-footed shot from 20 yards
out but it was right at Howard.

In the 86th minute the sum of all of our fears came inches away when
Galloway slid a pass into the path of an on rushing Lukaku inside the West
Ham area. The Belgian Hammer Killer got a toe on it and it beat Adrian, but
it just went wide in what was the final chance of the assault….I mean match.

As I said at the beginning, to go into this game with pessimism and doubt
would not only have been understandable it would have been pragmatic. Paul
Tierney had as bad a game as an official has had in quite awhile, but to get
mad at an EPL referee for being lousy is like getting mad at a cold virus
for getting you sick. It's what they do. Add the injuries and the story of
another loss was set up on a silver platter. But it didn't happen that way.
The result was by and large fair, but we played the second half not just to
respect the point but to win.

For that alone, I not only respect the point but I'm kind of proud of it.

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TOFFEES HARD TO BREAK DOWN
By Zaman Siddiqui 8 Nov 2015 at 08:WTID

Of all Premier League teams, Everton certainly have a lot of young talent,
none more so than Romelu Lukaku. It is a good thing I didn't publish this
post at night, otherwise there would've been nightmares all around the
world! The 22 year old has now scored 7 in 7 appearances against us in all
competitions. In recent years, he has made a habit of scoring very late on
against us. The last win for us in the BPL against the Toffees came in April
2007 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal. Additionally, we have lost four of our
last five matches in the league against Everton at Upton Park. Moreover, we
have defied the odds quite a few times this season. We have done the
magnificent at Anfield, as well as against Arsenal, and the champions from
the last two seasons Chelsea, and Manchester City. It is evident that any
game we expect to lose is one we turn up for. It is great to see the players
not going through the bag of excuses.

With one fit lone striker capable of playing to a high level, I felt that
Bilic made the right call playing Carroll for the entirety of the match.
Playing Valencia would have been problematic, as he was not at full fitness.
The gaffer couldn't have let the Ecuadorian striker play for a whole match,
as he wouldn't have been productive throughout. We needed a statement of
intent after that blunder at Watford, so there wouldn't have been any point
in playing him if there is a good group of eleven fit players on the pitch.
Personally, I am a bit worried that we need another number nine with the
qualities of Sakho, namely pace, and a bit of strength with a high
work-rate. Jelavic is certainly not capable of playing at the Senegalese's
level. The other problem that arises is that Valencia and Zárate now play on
the wings more often. They have less practise as strikers. Mauro does best
on the wings, but I don't we have seen enough of Valencia to say the same.
Unfortunately, he has been injured for most of his West Ham career ever
since signing from CF Pachuca for a reported £12M.

This is one of the most eagerly anticipated matches excluding the top six.
Everton, like us, have a lot of talented players. The Academy of Football
and the School of Science have a reputation for playing at a high calibre,
as well as signing and keeping hold of big players. Namely, we bought Payet
in from Marseille, and Everton bought Lukaku for £28M from Chelsea, as well
as keeping ahold of John Stones. It is fair to say Barkley, Lukaku, and
Stones (who are 21, 22, 21 respectively) are not playing the best football
of their lives, but are not better than our three best players. According to
WhoScored this season, Payet is playing better than Barkley, Lanzini is
playing better than Lukaku, and Reid is outperforming Stones. This was one
of the key reasons I wasn't surprised why West Ham and Everton had scored
before any of the other 3 o'clockers yesterday afternoon: we have potential
that, I feel, hasn't been fully harnessed. Playing without Payet, Valencia,
and Sakho, I feel we did really well out there. In the days of Big Sam, an
injury would have meant we lost our shape completely. Now, we have players
that can play with more flexibility. And I am not only talking about
Cresswell, and Jenkinson. This transformation from the gaffer has been
phenomenal. As the season progresses, I am adamant we will all get used to
watching Lanzini and Moses giving it their all on the flanks. They have
added a new dimension to our game that have changed our options up front,
and more importantly, our attacking mentality.

Andy Carroll Minimalist Footy.
After that shambles at Vicarage Road, all I wanted to see was a good start –
I was not disappointed at all. Payet drifted away to create an early chance
for Moses who hit the side netting. Both sides had decent chances to score.
There were half-hearted appeals from Ramiro Funes Mori for a penalty for a
tackle from Reid. It goes without saying, it wasn't a pen. The goal came in
the 30th minute with a shot rebounded off of Moses with a touch from Lanzini
on the ball to the right and an ice cool finish right into the top corner of
the net over Tim Howard. Mr Freeze went into hiding again after that finish.
There was a handball from Gareth Barry, as he moved his hands away from his
body towards the ball. While the players appealed, the Jewel wasn't fazed at
all. There was a nasty scissor kick on Payet which should have gotten James
McCarthy a red card. It was a malicious challenge which saw the Frenchman
limping. He wasn't covering back in midfield like he does as usual, so
something was up. I felt Bilic should have taken him off. There was no
sudden danger, but when you see your best player limping, don't take any
chances. Just before the break, the Toffees got the equaliser in the 43rd
minute. A wonderful ball from former Barcelona winger Deulofeu for Lukaku
was exquisite. Lukaku beating the two CB's with his pace and Adrián with
skill was not my main concern. Also, the Belgian was just onside, and was
already moving before the ball was played, so I can't fault any of the CB's
or the goalkeeper. I was irate with Kouyaté's marking of Deulofeu. He was
just jogging back when Deulofeu had a lot of space with the ball in the
middle of the park. It was careless marking which cost us a goal.

It was only when Payet was down that the gaffer subbed the 28 year old off
for Valencia. Given that the striker hadn't played for a while, I thought he
had built up quite a bit of fitness. He was fairly energetic up front. The
tackle on Valencia was very unfortunate from Coleman. There was nothing
wrong with his tackle at all, but he did accidentally catch Enner's ankle.
It was a sad sight as the striker had to be stretchered off the pitch in the
69th minute. I thought that was game over. There was a good header from Reid
off a Moses corner which flew slightly over the bar on the top of the goal.
Everton lacked clear cut chances today, but Lukaku nearly scored yet another
late winner. Brendan Galloway slided a ball for the Belgian which, only just
slided past the post. The game ended with injuries to Payet and Valencia.
Carroll was the one who got away. On the whole, 1-1 was the right result for
both teams. Both played really well in attack.

Tottenham have Arsenal today, and will play us after the international
break. Many of our players should return, namely Sakho, Obiang, and maybe
Payet. Valencia could take a while, as could Song. Spurs have only lost to
Manchester United this PL season. They have more players in the England
squad, so ours ought to be fully rested.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-1 Everton: 5 things we learned as Romelu Lukaku scores again
against Hammers
17:03, 7 NOV 2015 UPDATED 17:04, 7 NOV 2015
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
The Belgian raced on to Gerard Deulofeu's fine through ball to level the
scores after Manuel Lanzini's delightful opener
The Mirror

Romelu Lukaku continued his remarkable record against West Ham to earn
Everton a point at Upton Park.

Lukaku scored for the seventh game running against the Hammers to become
only the second Everton player to score in seven successive games against
the same opponent. The Belgian striker equalled the Toffees record set by
Dixie Dean who managed the feat against Aston Villa, Bolton and Bury. Lukaku
levelled in the 43rd minute when he raced onto Gerard Deulofeu's pass and
rounded Adrian to score. Manuel Lanzini had put West Ham in front with a
brilliant curling finish on the half-hour. West Ham also suffered two injury
blows when Dimitri Payet and his replacement Enner Valencia were forced off
in the second half.

Here are five things we learned.

Battle of No.9s

Slaven Bilic reckons big No.9s are back in fashion thanks to Andy Carroll
and Romelu Lukaku but his was outshone by Everton's. Carroll is better in
the air but Lukaku has the better all-round game. And, at just 22, the
Belgian has plenty of time to get much better. He posed West Ham's defence
more problems than Carroll did Everton's and it was little surprise when he
got in to score just before half-time.

Payet is West Ham's star man

Payet is an absolute joy to watch. The Frenchman was involved in all West
Ham's best bits before going off injured and sprinkled in some
audacious skill for good measure. His nutmeg on Ross Barkley was brilliant
and if his no-look pass to Victor Moses had come off it would have been one
of the passes of the season. West Ham had a free run at signing Payet from
Marseille in the summer. With every performance that becomes harder and
harder to believe.

The hatchet man won

James McCarthy was getting frustrated watching Payet run rings around
Everton's midfield and eventually took matters into his own hands when he
wiped out the Hammers man with an ugly 33rd minute scissor tackle. Payet
hobbled on but eventually succumbed to the injury and was taken off in the
50th minute. For McCarthy it was job done. For the Hammers the hope will be
that Payet's injury is not serious. For the neutral it was a shame that the
most entertaining player was forced off in the way he was and the hatchet
man had got his way.

Bilic's Way will please Hammers

Slaven Bilic's take on the West Ham Way will certainly be welcomed by
Hammers fans. The Croatian encourages his team to pass the ball and keep
possession and it's noticeable how comfortable they are knocking the ball
about.

Playing Andy Carroll only emphasises the point.

With the target-man up top the temptation would be to hit the ball long at
every opportunity but the Hammers preferred to play through the likes of
playmakers Dimitri Payet and the impressive Manuel Lanzini. It surely
wouldn't have been that way under former boss Sam Allardyce.

Starring role for Stones

With Phil Jagielka out injured long term John Stones is now Everton's senior
central defender by virtue of his experience in English football rather than
age. Andy Carroll should have been a big test but Stones, 21, nullified him
and passed it comfortably in a mature display in which he showcased his
reading of the game and ability on the ball and in the air.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slav's hopes rise on injured duo
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic was left to curse one moment of Romelu Lukaku magic after the
Everton striker continued his remarkable scoring record against West Ham.
And boss Bilic said: "My centre-halves dealt with Lukaku well – apart from
for the goal. "But it was a good game and I am really happy with the way we
played, especially after losing to Watford last week, and because it was in
front of our home fans against good team. Valencia_3191610"On one hand I'm
never happy when we don't win, but we can't be unhappy with the way we
played. "Everton deserved something from the game, although I think we were
a bit closer to winning." Bilic faces an anxious wait to learn the extent of
ankle injuries to Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia saying: "We will have to
wait on the scans. I am not a doctor but I am optimistic they will both be
ready for the Tottenham game. "We have to be happy with our start to the
season. We need to use this international break to come back even hungrier."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 7th November 2015

Preview - Everton
WHUFC.com

The background

West Ham United will look to return to winning ways this Saturday when they
play host to Roberto Martinez's Everton side.

The Hammers tasted defeat for the first time in eight matches last week when
an Odion Ighalo double downed Slaven Bilic's men at Watford.

It brought to an end a fine run which had seen the east Londoners rise up to
third in the Barclays Premier League table, so Bilic will be hoping to put
it behind him as soon as possible.

Everton arrive in E13 on the back of a thumping 6-2 victory over struggling
Sunderland, in which Arouna Kone notched a hat-trick.

That halted a run of two successive defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal
and took them to ninth in the table with 16 points – four less than the
Hammers.

The history

West Ham's record against the Toffees is notoriously poor, so after ending
lengthy waits for victories against Liverpool and Arsenal this term, the
Hammers will want to add Everton to the list on Saturday.

The teams have met 132 times, with Everton holding the edge with 67
victories. The Hammers have triumphed 37 times, with 28 draws on the record
books.

West Ham have not defeated Everton in the league for eight years, with 14
matches passing since Bobby Zamora secured a 1-0 victory in April 2007.

The Hammers did enjoy an FA Cup success over Everton last term, when
Adrian's winning penalty ended an epic shootout in a third round Boleyn
Ground replay.

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic played for both sides in his playing career,
turning out in 49 league games for the Hammers and 28 for Saturday's
visitors.

The match

Team news

West Ham United

West Ham will again be without striker Diafra Sakho, who was confirmed in
the manager's press conference to have suffered a small tear to his thigh.

However, Enner Valencia is closing in on full match fitness, while Alex Song
has resumed training with the first team.

James Collins serves the first game of a three-match suspension, so Winston
Reid or Angelo Ogbonna will come back into the reckoning.

Everton

Costa Rican Bryan Oviedo could miss up to three weeks of football after
suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend's win over Sunderland.

Leighton Baines is still not ready to return from his ankle problem, but
midfielder Tom Cleverley is in line for a return after being out since
August.

Match info

Saturday's referee is Paul Tierney. The official is new to the Barclays
Premier League and will be taking the whistle for the first time in a
Hammers fixture. He will be assisted by Dave Bryan and Adam Nunn, while the
fourth official is Martin Atkinson.
West Ham have lost just one of their last eight league games (W5 D2).
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last three home games (W2 D1), although
they have not won back-to-back home Premier League games since December last
year.
West Ham have scored at least two goals in nine of their eleven league games
this term.
All 19 of Everton's goals this season have been scored in open play.
Romelu Lukaku has been involved in seven goals in his last five appearances
(four goals, three assists), while he has scored in all six of his Everton
games against West Ham.
Ticket, travel, coverage and other info

Tickets for this game have SOLD OUT. However, they may become available
online as Season Ticket holders relist on Ticket Trader.
There are no closures planned on the eastern branches of the District and
Hammersmith & City lines serving Upton Park. However, supporters who use the
London Overground Barking-Gospel Oak line should note that replacement buses
will be operating on this route. Click here for full details on TfL services
and here for National Rail.
A rainy day is anticipated on Saturday, although temperatures are set to be
mild with 17C (63F) predicted for kick-off.
If you're not heading to the match, make sure you follow all the action on
our digital channels. Our live match centre will carry live audio commentary
and text updates, in-running stats, photos and more. Meanwhile, you can get
involved in the conversation on social using the hashtag #WHUEVE

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Everton betting preview with Betway
WHUFC.com

A victory over Everton will produce 23 points from West Ham United's first
12 matches of this Premier League season. That will equal the club record
for the start to a top-flight campaign, achieved back in 1983/84. Slaven
Bilic's team need to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at Watford last
weekend. A home win is priced at 6/4. The Toffees arrive at the Boleyn
Ground off the back of a thrilling win over Sunderland last weekend and
their price is just 7/4 to follow that up. A draw is offered at 5/2.

There might be Hammers fans with a deep sense of fear whenever a fixture
against Everton comes up. It's fair to say that the team from the blue half
of Merseyside have been on top in these clashes for a very long time. In the
last 64 league matches between the two sides a West Ham United win features
just 10 times. Roberto Martinez brings his team to East London on the back
of a 14 match unbeaten league run against this weekend's opponents. The
bright spot for the Hammers in this historical list is the FA Cup victory
(via a penalty shoot-out) last season.

The last league win for the home team came on 21 April 2007 by a 1-0
scoreline, Bobby Zamora finding the net. A 1-0 win for West Ham United this
weekend is offered at 17/2 on our 'Correct Score' market. Both sides have a
higher than average 'total goals' figure this season, reflected in a price
of 8/11 for 'Over 2.5 Goals' in this game. Bilic's team have kept just one
clean-sheet at home this season while Everton have had better defensive
performances on their travels – three clean-sheets away, compared to none at
home. 'Both Teams to Score' is 3/5.

Andy Carroll scored a fantastic winner against Chelsea in the last game at
the Boleyn and he is 11/2 to score the first goal of this game and 6/4 to
find the net at any time in the match. The 'First Goalscorer' market also
has hat-trick hero from last Sunday, Arouna Kone, at 6/1 to break the
deadlock. Dimitri Payet is always popular with Irons' punters on their
Betway accounts and we expect to take plenty of money on him to score first
at 15/2.

At Betway we have over 100 markets on Saturday's game and those throughout
the Barclays Premier League.

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Tactically Speaking - Everton
WHUFC.com

As you might expect for a club with such a versatile-looking squad, Everton
play a balanced, possession-based game.

While some teams are pigeonholed for using a particular style, the Toffees
are seemingly able to adapt their approach dependent on the opposition they
are facing, or the situation of the game they are contesting.

Roberto Martinez makes no secret of the fact that he likes his team to keep
the ball and pass their way through their opponents, if possible, but that
philosophy saw Everton struggle for consistency last season.

Too often, Everton passed the ball aimlessly around at the back, inviting
pressure on themselves and making a number of mistakes that led directly to
goals being conceded.

This season, the Blues have instead adopted a more direct style based
heavily on getting the ball into, and playing off, centre forward Romelu
Lukaku.

The big Belgian, so often the scourge of West Ham United, has become a vital
figure in Everton's game-plan as a focal point for balls forward from
goalkeeper Tim Howard, the back four or the two deep-lying midfielders.

This does not necessarily mean Everton play aimless long balls forward.
While this still occurs on occasion, the Toffees more often than not try to
draw the opposition out before knocking the ball into Lukaku's feet or chest
and asking him to bring others into play in the space created.

When Lukaku is able to take possession, he has a wealth of options
supporting him in attack. Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu and Arouna Kone all
backed up their striker superbly in last weekend's 6-2 victory over
Sunderland at Goodison Park, combining to score five of their team's six
goals.

All four are capable of collecting the ball and running at the defence at
pace, while each has his own individual qualities to cause problems. Lukaku
is tall and powerful, Deulofeu is small and skilful, Kone is quick and
elusive, while Barkley has an outstanding range of talents at his disposal.

West Ham will be eager to stop Barkley picking the ball up deep in pockets
of space, preventing him from using his pace and dribbling ability to draw
defenders and create shooting chances for either himself or his teammates.

Alongside him, James McCarthy is an underrated yet important member of the
Everton starting XI. Energetic and hard-working, the Irishman seldom gives
the ball away.

The flip side to Everton's preferred approach is that when Lukaku is off his
game, Everton's means of getting the ball into the final third can dry up
somewhat. West Ham, therefore, will be keen to cut off the No10's supply
line.

Defensively, Everton play a high line and can leave space in behind for the
opposition to exploit, particularly in the full-back positions.

Seamus Coleman and whoever fills the left-back position will be encouraged
to get forward and support the attack whenever possible, leaving
opportunities for the Hammers to counter-attack – arguably one of the
strengths of Slaven Bilic's side this season.

In the centre, England starlet John Stones has ability and composure that
bely his tender age – 21 – but alongside him Argentina international Ramiro
Funes Mori is new to the Barclays Premier League and has yet to fully settle
in.

Another sign of Everton's versatility is the strength of their substitutes'
bench. Steven Naismith has a hat-trick against Chelsea to his name and is
adept at popping up in dangerous positions, while Belgium winger Kevin
Mirallas is sharp and never afraid to shoot.

Saturday's teams have combined to score 41 goals and concede 30 in their
combined 22 league matches this season, so one can expect an open,
goal-filled game if those statistics are anything to go by!

Possible starting XI: Howard, Coleman, Stones, Funes Mori, Galloway,
McCarthy, Barry, Barkley, Deulofeu, Kone, Lukaku

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boris Johnson - West Ham have been brilliant
WHUFC.com

Mayor of London Boris Johnson paid tribute to the pivotal part West Ham
United are playing in delivering the legacy promise of the 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.

Speaking at a special event at the former Olympic Stadium on Thursday night
to mark ten years since London was awarded the Games in Singapore, the Mayor
said the Hammers have become a key player in Europe's biggest socio-economic
regeneration project.

And while West Ham will have to wait until August to take up residence of
their new home, the Mayor insists the 'magic' of the Stadium's
transformation is already there for all to see.

He exclusively told West Ham TV: "West Ham have been brilliant and they're
an integral part of delivering a massive social and economic legacy from the
Olympic and Paralympic Games here in east London.

"We're working with them on all sorts of projects for literacy, for helping
young kids, apprenticeships in the neighbourhood and really driving
aspiration in this part of London.

"It's changing so fast, you can see the magic happening already and so I
want to thank Karren Brady and everybody at West Ham for their
participation."

"This is just the beginning. I think people will look back, everyone
involved with West Ham, everyone who supports West Ham, I think they will be
very proud, actually, that they are part of something that is the biggest
economic social regeneration project anywhere in Europe.

"I think West Ham fans are part of something that is going to change the
face of London, bring the two halves of London closer together. The East and
West of London are converging in a way that we haven't seen for hundreds of
years maybe.

"The biggest decision I had to make when I became Mayor was what are we
going to do about this Stadium, because if you remember the plan was to have
an athletics Stadium, take down the top tiers and have a 25,000-seater bowl,
which basically would have been a dust bowl for most of the year, because
not enough people go to watch athletics.

"Or to knock it down completely, which would have been a complete waste of
about £400million or to spend some more money, £272million to be exact, on
the biggest cantilevered roof anywhere in the world and to turn it into a
truly world class Stadium.

The Mayor says he will be cheering on the Hammers when they play at the new
Stadium next season and is looking forward to seeing a new chapter in the
Club's history.

"I will be cheering West Ham in so far as it's good news for the Olympic
Stadium and the Olympic Park, otherwise I levitate, I support all London
teams."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham win prestigious Football Business Award
WHUFC.com

At Thursday's prestigious Football Business Awards, West Ham United won the
competition for 'Best Marketing of a Football Club', one of the premier
awards at the annual ceremony.

The awards, hosted at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium, are open to clubs
from all across Britain, and recognise the work that is done off the pitch
by each football club, ranging from their community engagement to their use
of online technology.

The 'Best Marketing of a Football Club' award, recognised the fact that West
Ham have faced a huge challenge in the past year ensuring that the move to
the Club's new Stadium is a success, planning a fitting farewell to the
Boleyn Ground, and continuing to expand West Ham's global reach.

Individual successes were highlighted, such as the popularity of the Final
Season home kit, the successful launch and subsequent sell out Club London
hospitality packages within the new Stadium, and the pricing strategy and
surrounding campaign that meant West Ham could offer the lowest Season
Ticket prices in the Premier League next year.

West Ham also won praise for the improved interactive features on the Club's
new website, the use of cutting edge virtual venue technology to help fans
choose their seats at the New Stadium Reservation Centre, and the release of
CGI images to show fans what the new Stadium will look like.

Whereas many other football clubs outsource their marketing activities to
expensive external agencies, it was noted that West Ham had managed all this
work over the past year through a small, in-house marketing team.

Tara Warren, West Ham's Executive Director of Marketing and Communications,
said she was proud of her team and their achievement: "We are delighted to
have won the 'Best Marketing of a Football Club' award, it's a wonderful
recognition for the team.

"I find it easy to talk every day about just how great West Ham United is
because I truly believe in the vision of our Joint-Chairmen and
Vice-Chairman and the exciting direction this great club is heading in under
their stewardship.

"I would like to thank them and Karren in particular for allowing creativity
and innovation to flourish at the Club.

"Success in our activity off the pitch is crucial as it produces the revenue
that is required to generate success on it.

"Our Board re-invest every penny we generate back into the playing squad and
into keeping ticket prices as low as possible for our fans. And we are now
reaping the benefits of that strategy, turning two consecutive annual
profits and boasting arguably the best playing squad in recent memory thanks
to their prudent investments.

"We run a tight ship and do not utilise external marketing agencies,
preferring instead to focus on employing the best people and investing in
their development.

"What gives us the most satisfaction from our work is that we get to serve
the West Ham United fans, who are the best in the country and provide a
constant source of inspiration

"We now have an incredible two years coming up, but the most exciting thing
of all is that the best is yet to come."

The Football Business Awards are recognised as the premier event within the
British football world to celebrate clubs' off-pitch activities. The
34-person judging panel for last night's awards included seven CEOs of
English football clubs, representatives from the Football League and
Scottish Premier League, and several other senior figures from the worlds of
business and sport.

The awards were hosted by former Liverpool star and BBC football pundit,
Mark Lawrenson, and chief football reporter for BT Sport, Ray Stubbs.

West Ham were also named as finalists at the awards in the categories for
'Best Marketing Initiative' for the Club's delivery of the Farewell Boleyn
campaign, and 'Best Corporate Social Responsibility' for the work of the
West Ham United Foundation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Valencia relishing Boleyn return
WHUFC.com

Having made his return to first team action against Watford last weekend,
sharp-shooting Enner Valencia is relishing his return to the Boleyn Ground
later this afternoon.

On an otherwise day to forget for the Hammers, the Ecuadorean forward made
his present felt almost immediately at Vicarage Road as he hit the post
after coming on in the second half.

Reflecting on his return to top flight action, Valencia said: "Last week, I
was very happy to be back on the pitch. Obviously losing the game was very
disappointing but now, I hope to be part of the team for a long time.

"I've had two very bad injuries in my time here which is very frustrating.
The last one was very difficult to take, but thank God I have been able to
make my return last week."

Having enjoyed his first taste of Premier League football, Valencia is
pushing for his first League start.
While his time on the pitch has been limited of late, the striker said his
time in east London so far could only be seen as wholly positive.

"I've settled in very well and that's thanks to the wonderful people that
run the club and the fantastic supporters. West Ham is a marvellous club and
I am really enjoying myself, everything is going well."

Looking ahead to today's encounter with Roberto Martinez's Everton, Valencia
is hoping to pick up from where he left off last time he took to the Boleyn
Ground turf.

It took the forward just 23 minutes to score his first goal of the season, a
close range header, and the 26-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on
Wednesday, is hoping to mark his return with another goal.

"Everton are tough opponents, they are full of confidence after such a big
win last weekend. Today is a huge game for both sides.

"My free-kicks are definitely something I want to improve on. I've been
practising a lot with Mauro Zarate, Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet, we
often stay behind to practise. I scored a few good ones; I hope to score in
a match soon!

"I celebrated my birthday by going out for dinner with my friends and
family. This age I am now is usually the best years for a footballer, I hope
that is the case for me. I am on the right path and I want to keep on
improving."

Following the Hammers' impressive start to the season, Valencia praised
manager Slaven Bilic.

While the pair have worked closely on the training pitches at Chadwell
Heath, the Ecuadorean is looking forward to putting that practise into
action on a regular basis.

"Slaven Bilic is a fabulous coach, he is ideal for this club because of his
style. I am fit and ready to go and help the team as much as I can.

"He is a coach who instils his ideas from the very first day, he is a winner
who likes playing attacking football. You can see that from the number of
chances we've created.

"To reach the Champions League is definitely in our heads. We would really
like to qualify for Europe, but if not the Champions League than the Europa
League is a great competition too."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com

We have been on an incredible run this season, but unfortunately that came
to an end against Watford last weekend. Every team is going to lose games
and the skill is how to bounce back.

We will be looking to win the game against Everton on Saturday and I am
confident that Slaven will be determined to get straight back on the winning
trail and put another three points on the board.

We have got off to a fantastic start and should still be thrilled with 20
points from 11 games.

I know everyone was disappointed with the defeat at Vicarage Road, but I
cannot stress how refreshing it is to see how honest Slaven was after the
game.

Even the top coaches in the world can make excuses when their team suffers a
defeat, but Slaven is honest and tells it how it is and I like that in a
manager because we all want to know the truth.

We have had some great games against Everton over the years and one of the
most memorable was under the lights at the Boleyn Ground in the FA Cup in
January when Adrian scored the winning penalty in dramatic style.

I know Everton have an impressive record when they play us, but we have a
much better team and a much better squad now than all the encounters I have
seen since we took over the football club.

The difference now is that we have confidence, the fans have great
enthusiasm and we have enjoyed an impressive start to the season.

We had some disappointments earlier in the campaign and managed to bounce
back and we have got to do the same again. Everton will be tough opponents
and they are a good side so we will have to be at our best to come away with
a victory.

I am thrilled that Alex Song is back in training because he is a key member
of our squad. We have got every confidence in Alex and we believe he will be
the player that produced such great form in the first half of last season.

If he does manage to do that and performs at that level for the rest of the
season, we have got a serious player who will contribute enormously to the
team.

I just want to clear up something that happened with Michail Antonio on my
Twitter site this week.

I was reading my tweets late at night and I try and read as many as
possible. I will re-tweet a number, particularly ones about people who are
raising money for good causes and tweets of interest.

I remember re-tweeting about four or five for charities and even a missing
dog! It is part of what I do to try to help people.

I read a tweet about someone who had a friend missing and I immediately
wanted to do something about it, but initially didn't realise it was about
Michail Antonio as I did it so quickly.

I have spoken to Michail and he was not troubled by it. People have said I
don't recognise him but that is nonsense.

It was an error and the bottom line is that Michail is fine about it and he
didn't for one minute believe I didn't recognise him. I see him on a regular
basis.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Newsroom
WHUFC.com

It was great to see Slaven again as I have not been down at West Ham to see
him since he took charge back in the summer.

I interviewed him quite a few times when he was Croatia manager and also
during the World Cup in South Africa.

I always found him very nice to deal with and he is just a nice guy. This
was a good press conference for me to cover as he was facing his former Club
and was good on facing Everton.

He provided us with good team news but it is obviously a blow that Diafra
Sakho will be missing once again. But there was better news on Winston Reid
and Alex Song.

It is amazing that everyone says he is a big guy, but has this small voice.
But he will always give you a long answer to a question and even when you
think he is finished, he will carry on saying something.

The difficulty with that is you get to ask fewer questions in a press
conference but at least you get a full answer!

Slaven believes the defeat against Watford was just a bad performance by the
team. They have looked at it this week and he believes the confidence is
there for them to get back playing to the way they have been in the opening
ten games of the season.

It has been an amazing start for West Ham and I know David Sullivan has been
saying they could possibly get into the Champions League, but why shouldn't
they aim high.

It will be difficult for them against Everton on Saturday as they have a
great record against the Hammers in recent years.

They will have to stop Romelu Lukaku who enjoys scoring against West Ham,
but Slaven said they have already stopped some of the best strikers in the
league this season, but I'm sure he has got a way of stopping him.

It is amazing to see what West Ham have done so far and with players like
Alex Song coming back and Andy Carroll fit again, they could finish in the
top four.

At the moment Leicester are there, but can you see them staying there? You
would not rule it out as David Sullivan has said and Slaven says they need
to aim high, so why can't they achieve that.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham: Karren Brady lauds Olympic Stadium possibilities
BBC.co.uk

The Olympic Stadium will be "one of the greatest arenas in world football",
according to West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady. The Hammers will
leave Upton Park and move in to the new stadium for the start of next
season. "The Olympic Stadium offers enormous commercial and brand
opportunities," added Brady. In August, BBC Sport revealed that West Ham
will have many of the running costs for the stadium met by the taxpayer. In
effect, it means the Premier League club will get their new £700m home -
which was built for the London 2012 Olympics - virtually rent free as a
large number of "facilities and services" will be paid for by the
publicly-funded London Legacy Development Corporation.
These include the cost of stadium utilities, maintaining the pitch, and the
goalposts and corner flags.
Other items - outlined in the agreement made public on Thursday - which the
Hammers will not have to fund are:
Undersoil heating and floodlighting
Ticket office and turnstiles
Drug testing and medical facilities
Concession areas cleared of snow and ice as required
Team changing rooms, plus changing rooms for ball persons and officials
Security, cleaning, pest control
Stadium Tannoy, generator, CCTV surveillance system and monitors
LED pitch-side signage, scoreboards and jumbo video screens at each end of
the pitch

West Ham's annual report revealed a profit after tax of just under £3m for
the 2014-15 season, while turnover was £120.7m, up from £114.8m. The wage
bill rose by £8.8m to £72.7m. In comparison, Manchester United showed a
turnover of £395.2m in their last report - the highest in the Premier League
- followed by Manchester City with £351.8m. West Ham are currently sixth in
the Premier League. "Retention of our Premier League status in the 2015-16
season is an absolute necessity for the future well-being of the club,"
added Brady. "The Olympic Stadium offers enormous commercial and brand
opportunities and we have a strategy in place to deliver sell-out crowds and
enter the stadium with a team that are befitting of such an amazing, iconic
venue. "As plans take shape it becomes even more apparent that our new home
will be one of the greatest arenas in world football and a platform to
transform the future of our great club."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Everton
KO 15:00
6 November 2015
Last updated at 11:19

Barclays Premier League
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 7 November

TEAM NEWS

West Ham will be without striker Diafra Sakho for a second successive league
game because of a thigh strain. Defender James Collins is suspended but the
Hammers have Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna back from injury.

Everton defender Bryan Oviedo could miss up to three weeks after suffering a
hamstring injury last weekend. Leighton Baines is still not ready to return
after ankle surgery, but Tom Cleverley could be involved for the first time
since August.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Alan Green: "Speaking to him for Match of the Day, how refreshing it was to
hear the honest appraisal by Slaven Bilic of his side's display at Watford.
Essentially, West Ham had been second-best all over the pitch. "All the more
reason for them to show against Everton that they're not ready to settle
amongst the also-rans in the Premier League. Why shouldn't the Hammers think
of European qualification? "But in their demolition of Sunderland, albeit
helped by some ragged defending, Roberto Martinez's Everton showed ambitions
of their own. "It's always nice going to a game being wholly uncertain of
the outcome. This is one of them."

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "Is it a special game for me? On one hand
yes, on the other no. "Every game is special for different reasons. Everton
are a great side, big club with good players. "It's a great test for us and
I am looking forward to it, definitely yes."

Everton manager Roberto Martinez: "Slaven plays in a very different way to
the one West Ham used to play. "As an ex-Evertonian, we know he is a
competitive man. He gained invaluable experience when managing Croatia and
his teams are always ready to compete. "From a psychological point of view,
to go to places like Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea and win shows they
have a fantastic mentality."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

The quality of Everton's goals last weekend was just outstanding. That was
just what the Toffees needed because, before then, they had been on a losing
run having played some of the top teams. In contrast, West Ham had a really
bad day at Watford and I just wonder what effect that will have on the way
they approach this game.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Everton are aiming for their seventh successive league victory over West Ham
this weekend.
However, West Ham did win their FA Cup third round tie with the Toffees last
January, courtesy of a penalty shoot-out.
The Hammers' last victory came in April 2007 when Bobby Zamora scored the
only goal at Upton Park.
West Ham
West Ham have lost just one of their last eight league games (W5, D2).
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last three (W2, D1) home matches, although
they haven't won back-to-back league games at Upton Park since December
2014.
They haven't kept a clean sheet for six Premier League matches.
Slaven Bilic's side have received a league-high four red cards this season.
The Hammers have scored at least two goals in nine of their 11 league games
so far in this campaign.
Everton
Everton have lost just two of their last nine Premier League away games (W4,
D3).
Their only league defeat in five games away from home this season came
against Arsenal (W2, D2).
All 19 of Everton's Premier League goals this season have been scored in
open play.
Romelu Lukaku has been involved in seven goals in his last five league
appearances (four goals, three assists), while he has also scored in all six
of his appearances against West Ham for the Toffees.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll's a Bilic fan!
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 6th November 2015
By: Staff Writer

Andy Carroll has hailed the Bilic factor as he dares to think big about West
Ham United.

The big striker was speaking to Sky Sports' Bianca Westwood last month and
she has reflected on her interview with the England international for this
month's Blowing Bubbles.

"The biggest thing I took away from my interview with Andy was that whenever
he spoke about Slaven, it was clear that he really has this likeability
factor about him," she wrote.

"He said the players respect him and they did so instantly. He has this aura
about him and he is a manager they all look up to because of what he has
achieved."

Elsewhere in the November issue of the magazine, there are interviews with
Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie as Blowing Bubbles celebrates the 30th
anniversary of the Boys of 86.

And in his column for the monthly magazine George Parris also explains why
their partnership was so special.

"They just had one of those seasons where everything clicked. So much so
they could've scored with their backsides!", he wrote. "Every time we walked
out to play, you just felt one of them was going to score. Even if they only
got one chance, you just knew they'd take it."

He later wrote: "I think it will be very tough for West Ham to match our
third place finish. Winning the FA Cup would be just as good a feeling
though."

Meanwhile, Blowing Bubbles has a moving piece by the Yellow Advertiser's
reporter Brian Jeeves on his father's West Ham passion.

They've also got a report from a Bradford City fan on how they've fallen in
love with Reece Burke and how great he has been for them this season.

"Even at this relatively early stage in the season, it's probably not
hyperbolic to cast him among the front-runners for the Player of the Year
award, he's been that good," Katie Whyatt writes.

Blowing Bubbles' writers also give their views on Morgan Amalfitano's exit,
this summer's Saido Berahino sage ahead of our game against West Brom, and
ponder whether Big Sam can get Sunderland out of relegation trouble.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United v Everton
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 5th November 2015
By: Preview Percy

Hello and welcome to the only match preview you will read this weekend than
mentions squirrels. Preview Percy hasn't actually lost the plot. It's just
that he never had it in the first place...

Next up we play host to Everton. Kick-off is 3pm on Saturday. Don't get used
to it though. Travel news is that the Gospel Oak to Barking line will be
shut with replacement buses the order of the day. Other than that the trains
and tubes all seem to be free of burly gentlemen digging holes in things in
the East London/Essex area. Well on the railways anyway.

So Everton then. They're currently 9th in the league with 16 points from 11
matches. Which is 4 behind us in terms of points and 3 in terms of places.
They have a goal difference of plus 4 which arises from their last match, a
6-2 win against hapless Sunderland. The Mackems, despite the heavy nature of
the defeat at Goodison last weekend, still gave the home side a few things
to think about to the extent that the opening goal for the Toffees was said
to have come "much against the run of play". They even managed to level
things at 2-2 before Sunderland remembered that they were, in fact,
Sunderland and therefore not actually any good. At this point Everton also
realised that their opponents were, in fact, Sunderland and therefore not
actually any good and went about their business scoring a further four
without response. Apart from that it's been something of a curate's egg of a
season with, including last weekend, them having won 4, drawn 4 and lost 3
this season.

One of those wins came against Chelsea where their 3-0 victory was assisted
in no small part by the fact that they are the only club in the known
universe who haven't signed anyone on loan from Chelsea and therefore can
chose from a full squad when they play them. In fact, if the work experience
kid with the Harry Potter spectacles is to be believed – and why wouldn't
you – they haven't got a single player in on loan at all at the moment. A
number have gone out, yes but all their summer arrivals seem to have been
permanent deals.

Out of the £16m or so that left the club bank account during the last
window, the biggest single amount was the £9.5m paid to River Plate for
Argentine international defender Ramiro Funes Mori. RFM, as nobody calls
him, is looking at an extended run in the side following an injury to Phil
Jagielka, whose knee ligaments will keep him out for a good couple of
months.

Although they haven't taken advantage of the loan system this time around, a
couple of the permanent new boys have a past in that respect. Winger Gerard
Deulofeu was previously on loan from Barcelona during the 2013-14 season. He
returned to Barcelona at the end of that season having been assured that
there was a role for him at the Nou Camp. That role turned out to be that of
"player we're going to send out on loan to Sevilla". A season there wasn't
the greatest - he turned up in one Spanish paper's "worst team of the year"
listing - so he was probably one of the few people ever to be pleased to
return to Merseyside whe the Toffees came in for him this summer.

Then there was Aaron Lennon who arived having fallen out of favour at White
Hart Lane – which is something of a badge of honour when you think about
it.He originally pitched up at Goodison Park on loan last term. At the
completion of the loan he returned to Spurs where, if he hadn't already got
the message as to how much he was loved there, he was left in no doubt when
they were told to go and train with all the other kids and reserves with no
squad number. An undisclosed fee believed (to be something like £4m) changed
hands and his Tottenham nightmare was over.

With all the ins and outs that took place over the summer, the big headlines
went to a player who, in the end, went nowhere. Chelsea tried every trick in
the book to unsettle John Stones, making ever increasing bids culminating in
a £30m offer which, like the others, was rejected out of hand. Head duly
turned, Stones handed in a transfer request which was treated in the same
manner as Chelsea's bids had been. Stones has been capped 6 times at full
level by England, which, in these days of "home-grown player" regulations,
is the reason a reasonable but unremarkable defender is apparently worth
£30m.

On the injury front it will be a week too soon for Leighton Baines who has
returned to first team training having been missing all season so far. A
midweek behind-closed-doors job has been arranged for him during the
forthcoming (and rather pointless) international break. He's been another
boil on the bum for us in the past, especially with dead balls from
free-kicks awarded just outside the box. His accomplice in this regard is
often Ross Barkley who is as fond of a dive as Steve Gerrard was over the
other side of Stanley Park. Must be a scouse thing.

In the absence of Baines, England U19 cap Brendan Galloway has had an
earlier run in the side than he might have anticipated, especially as
Baines' went lame just after they sent Luke Garbutt on loan to Fulham.
Galloway arrived in the UK from his native Zimbabwe as a six year-old in
2006 and became the youngest player in the history of Milton Keynes Dons
when making his debut in an FA Cup tie at the age of 15, at which point he
was still probably older than the club he played for. He made the switch to
Goodison Park in August 2014 and can either play for England or, should he
feel the need to play for a country run by the sort of murderous dictator
who would be getting bombed by all and sundry if his country actually had
any oil, he also qualifies for Zimbabwe.

Of course no talk of the visitors would be complete without mentioning
Romelu Lukaku who, no matter how bad he or his team are playing, always
seems to score against us. Git.

So what's been happening in the wide world of football of late? Well
Mourinho has finally got himself a stadium ban, and it is believed that
30,000 Chelsea season ticket holders have asked if they can be banned too.

Poor old Johan Cruyff is recovering in hospital from major heart surgery –
the world of football wishes him a speedy one of course. And of course the
FIFA-gate scandal rumbles on with the major surprise being that anyone is
surprised when each new revelation appears, it being common knowledge that
the whole thing has been bent from the moment Havelange took over from Rous
in the 70's. Ker-chingggg.

And then there's us. I've put it off for long enough and now I have to
revisit the horrors of last week. Well I suppose if we have to lose to a
small club that raises its game against its betters I'd rather it be Watford
than Spurs.

The fact is that far too many had off days last weekend. Worst 'mare of the
week was that suffered by Andy Carroll whose attempted Cruyff turn in his
own box is not something he'll be putting on the compilation DVD for the
grandkids. Much more of that and we'll be looking at a somewhat different
definition of the word "unplayable".

Carroll's selection caused problems in itself. Actually, to be fair to him,
the problems were caused more by the absence of Sakho than his own presence
in the ranks. Sakho is a willing runner from the middle to the outside
meaning that Cresswell and Jenkinson have an "out" ball down the wings. Even
if Sakho doesn't actually get on the end of the ball, more often than not
he'll force the defender into a throw-in or better. Contrast this with
Carroll, who is someone you look to play the ball to with back to goal, to
hold it up and to bring others into play. Nothing wrong with that but if you
concentrate on playing through your target man in that manner you run the
risk of losing width. As we saw on Saturday.

On the injury front it is to be hoped that Winston Reid's hip or thigh has
recovered from celebrating his country's egg chasing win last week. I wasn't
that fussed to be honest – though as ever we at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest
Home For The Bewildered invoked the clause in our rental agreements that
means the management have to provide free beers for us to celebrate the
defeat of the Aussies in any sport. Reid's return will be even more
necessary in view of Ginge's enforced absence which followed his sending off
at Watford. I'm sure the FA have actually fined Watford for surrounding the
ref last weekend and have just forgotten to publicise it.

Elsewhere, Sakho is out, his thigh muscle injury no doubt being exacerbated
by his leap for joy on hearing the news that he will face no charges over
the arrests he suffered back in August over a "domestic".

That leaves Song as the only long term absentee. Whenever I check on his
likely availability he seems to be perennially two weeks away but, like
Baines he has a behind-closed-doors job coming up to look forward to during
the week.

Well the one good thing about last weekend's result is that, when I make a
prediction from now on, I don't have to worry about jinxing a possible win
by predicting one. That particular superstition got a good kicking up at
Watford so I'm now free to predict whatever I like.

However, having said that this weekend's opponents have a habit of reverting
to scouse stereotype and stealing the points even when we've controlled the
game. Of course the FA Cup last season was the exception that proves the
rule but even then we went behind in a match we were looking comfortable in.
The match provided one of the old ground's memorable moments when Adrian
ditched his gloves in his run-up to take the deciding penalty in the
shootout which, had he missed, would probably still be going on.

I know "bogey team" runs come to an end eventually – and maybe after last
week it'll turn out that Everton is Allardyce's nemesis rather than ours per
se. However I still have this nagging feeling that they'll get something out
of this match even if it depends on a goal deflected in off a squirrel or
something. So with that in mind, I'll be off to Winstones The Turf
Accountants and placing the £2.50 that we at the Avram Grant Rest Home For
The Bewildered had collected to buy a bag of hazelnuts on a 1-1 draw.

Enjoy the game!

When Last We Met At The Boleyn: Lost 1-2 May 2015. Last home game of the
season. 1-0 up? Of course we didn't win. Osman and Lukaku with the statutory
late late goal saw them nick all three once again. It was the sort of
desultory afternoon where the biggest cheers of the day went to opponents
being given yellow cards, with the fair play league also being on Everton's
mind at the time. It turned out to be Allardyce's last home game in charge,
much to nobody's surprise.

Danger Man: Romelu Lukaku He's been a thorn in the side for a few years now.
No matter how much we look on top he'll get some rub of the green and score
against us

Referee: Paul Tierney For the second week running we have a non-"select"
group referee. Unlike last weekend at least this one hasn't already been
demoted from the mafia once already. Hopefully Tierney is being looked at
because of impressive performances at lower levels rather than, as is
normally the case, because they have mates in low places. He managed to
annoy Neil Lennon earlier this season but, there again Mother Theresa would
probably have been able to annoy Lennon had they ever met. He once
interrupted a QPR v Leicester match due to a squirrel on the pitch. Most
observers questioned his judgement in dealing with the situation and said
that he should have sent the players off because the squirrel was more
entertaining than anything else out there that day. Spurs later had a £10m
bid for the squirrel turned down and, with Chris Ramsey just sacked, the
bookies have "Tufty" down at 3/1 to take over as manager at Loftus Road.

Irritating Celebrity Supporter Of The Week: Freddie Starr. Although the
hamster eating thing turned out to be yet another Max Clifford invention
(great headline though), and all investigations into some very unsavoury
allegations of a sexual nature were dropped by the CPS due to lack of
evidence, Starr is still guilty of one of the greatest crimes of all: like
just about every scouse comedian ever born he's not funny. Remember laughing
at his "Hitler wearing welly boots" impression? No. Of course you don't.
Nobody does. In fact, he is so unfunny that he even beat Tom O'Connor into
second place in this category.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United v Everton preview: Hammers look to bounce back
Last Updated: 06/11/15 4:05pm
SSN

West Ham host Everton on Saturday looking to bounce back from their first
loss in seven games against Watford last weekend. The Hammers are sixth in
the Premier League after 11 games, and could go as high as third with a
victory at Upton Park. Everton, who beat Sunderland 6-2 last time out, are
four points behind in ninth place, and go in search of their third away
success of the campaign. The Toffees won both fixtures last season by a 2-1
scoreline, but were defeated in the FA Cup third round on penalties at Upton
Park.

Team news

West Ham striker Diafra Sakho will miss the visit of Everton due to a thigh
injury. Defenders Winston Reid (knee) and Angelo Ogbonna (hamstring) are fit
after spells out, and one of them will replace the suspended James Collins
at centre-back. Midfielder Alex Song will not be involved, but he has been
pencilled in for a friendly next week to build up his match-fitness
following a summer ankle operation.

Bryan Oviedo will have to come out of Everton's starting line-up against
West Ham, but Leighton Baines is not yet fit enough to replace him. The
Costa Rica international strained his hamstring in the first half of
Sunday's 6-2 win over Sunderland and could miss up to three weeks, meaning
19-year-old Brendan Galloway may have to fill in at left-back once more.
Baines, who is yet to play this season following ankle surgery, is back in
full training, along with Tom Cleverley (ankle) and Muhamed Besic
(hamstring), but his return will come in a behind-closed-doors friendly over
the international break. Steven Pienaar (hamstring) and Tony Hibbert (knee)
should also be back in the mix later this month.

Opta stats

West Ham United haven't won back to back home Premier League games since
December 2014.

Everton have lost just two of their last nine Barclays Premier League away
games (W4 D3 L2).

Romelu Lukaku has scored in all six of his appearances for Everton against
West Ham (in all competitions), netting in four PL games and two FA Cup
fixtures.

Mauro Zarate has scored in both of his Premier League appearances against
Everton.

Everton have won 10 and lost none of the last 14 Premier League matches
against the Hammers (D4).

There have been three red cards in the last three Premier League meetings
between West Ham and Everton at the Boleyn Ground.

The Toffees have won six and lost none of their last seven league visits to
the Boleyn Ground.

Arouna Kone has scored five goals from just seven shots on target in the
Premier League this season.

Merson's prediction

There will be goals in this one. Both teams will have a go but they'll also
be open at the back. It makes for an entertaining game. I'm sure West Ham
won't present Everton with as many chances as Sunderland did, but the
Toffees are still a threat regardless. West Ham aren't the same side when
they start with Andy Carroll. He hasn't got the pace Sakho has to get in
behind and I think he's better suited as an impact player from the bench.

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (Sky Bet odds 12/1)

West Ham striker Andy Carroll
West Ham striker Andy Carroll
Betting

West Ham are Sky Bet's marginal favourites for the victory at 7/5, with
Everton 7/4 for the win and 13/5 to share the spoils. Lukaku and Sakho share
favouritism in the first goalscorer betting, while Kone is 125/1 for a
repeat of his hat-trick heroics against Sunderland.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic likens Andy Carroll to Duncan Ferguson and says big number
nines are back in fashion
22:30, 6 NOV 2015
BY NEIL MCLEMAN
The Croatian believes Carroll and weekend opponent Romelu Lukaku have helped
update the traditional target man's role
The Mirror

Slaven Bilic reckons Romelu Lukaku and Andy Carroll are following in the
huge footsteps of his former Everton team-mate Duncan Ferguson now that big
No9s are back in style. The Belgium striker has scored six times in his last
six games against West Ham, including a 93rd-minute winner in the East End
in May. And Bilic has backed Carroll to win back his England place if he
retains his form and fitness. Ferguson, now back on the Goodison coaching
staff, always could cause chaos on and off the pitch. But the Hammers boss
believes the two modern centre-forwards have helped update the traditional
target man's role before they collide at Upton Park on Saturday. "Those
strikers were like very popular when we played, then they were not so
popular, now they are back in business," said Croatian Bilic. "Everybody
loves to have a big No9 because the midfield is so thick and so closed that
it is very difficult to go through there by passing. "But they can't be the
one-dimensional players that they were 30 or 40 years ago. "Now, they have
to be versatile. They can't be static. They have to be basically complete
players like Drogba and Ibrahimovic. "They are only old-fashioned because of
their size. They are very quick and very mobile players for that size. "That
is why it is so hard to find them."
Bilic signed for Everton from West Ham for a British record £4.5m fee for a
defender in 1997 before Scot Ferguson left for Newcastle the following year.
"He was really underestimated," Bilic recalled. "All right, he said he
wasn't interested in playing for the national team and he was his own worst
enemy.
"He's an Everton legend, but he could have achieved a lot, lot more. "I
remember him and I can't wait to see him. "I remember him as a really,
really good friend and he helped me a lot when I came to Everton. "I am
looking forward to the match. I didn't play for 10 clubs here, I played for
two – and one was Everton."

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Band 4 OS season ticket details revealed
Posted by Sean Whetstone on November 7, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Information has finally started to emerge from appointments about Band 4
season tickets in the Olympic Stadium for next season. Earlier this week,
band 3 season ticket appointments were concluded and band 4 season ticket
holders attended the Stratford reservation centre starting Wednesday 4th
November.

We understand the policy continues to be that the priority order of
appointments within band 4 starts at the centre of each stand and works
outwards and backwards. Early feedback from those who have chosen their
seats this week has been interesting.

They claim if you are currently in a band 4 lower tier seat then you can get
chose from lower tier or upper tier options but if you're currently in an
upper tier position at the Boleyn Ground you can only chose an upper tier
seat in the Olympic Stadium.

If you currently have a first row seat in the upper tier then you aren't
guaranteed front row upper tier at the OS as there are currently more first
row band 4's at the Boleyn Ground, however you will be guaranteed a second
row seat though.

If you or one of your group wants bring a new person along they will not be
able to take a seat in the lower tier so if you wanted to sit with him you
would have to move to the upper tier also, as all lower tier are reserved
for existing season ticket holders only.

Sections reportedly offered to Band 4 season tickets so far this week have
included 231, 232 sand 233 230, 244 and 250.

If you have been for your appointment since Wednesday and know any other
sections or other information on offer please let us know by emailing me
mrwesthamfootball@gmail.com.

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Hammers borrow £30m from pay day lenders
Posted by Sean Whetstone on November 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham financial accounts released earlier this week show that the Hammers
have borrowed £30.1m from 'Pay Day lenders' James Grant Funding (JGF).

The cash has been borrowed against future TV money and is paid directly by
the Premier League to the mysterious British Virgin Islands lender.

The sole director of JGF is called Jonathan McMorrow as recorded on the West
Ham loan paperwork filed with companies house, who was an employee of the
James Grant Group until April 2015 which is chaired by Spurs Chairman Daniel
Levy. Both companies shared the same registered address at companies house
until earlier this year when JGF moved changed to a P.O box.

However a West Ham insider told Claret and Hugh that "JG Funding Limited
confirmed to both WHU and the FAPL that it is not in any way connected,
affiliated or associated with the James Grant Sports Agency."

Just a complete coincidence then, the source of the investor or investors
behind JGF are unknown but they also recently lent money to Everton. Irons
financial accounts also reveal that joint Chairman David Gold and David
Sullivan injected none of their personal wealth in the previous financial
year after injecting over £49m over the previous 4 years in shareholder
loans.

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100,000 Free OS tickets – how it will work
Posted by Sean Whetstone on November 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

ClaretandHugh has discovered how the 100,000 free OS tickets will be
distributed.

Many readers have been in touch with us asking how the system will work and
today Newham Council explained exclusively how they will operate the
process.

We were told: "The intention is the tickets are used to reward residents for
being active and resilient members of the community."

Fears had been raised that it would prove very difficult to police the
distribution of these tickets to ensure there is no abuse such as the resale
of tickets.

A Newham Council spokesperson replying to ClaretandHugh Exclusively said:
"The original stadium deal includes 100,000 free tickets for stadium matches
every year from 2016.

The intention is the tickets are used to reward residents for being active
and resilient members of the community.

Lead councillors for each of our community neighbourhoods will have a role
in managing these rewards, and settling the criteria for distributing
tickets to their residents who are making a contribution to their community.

Anyone who is given a ticket will be made aware that it is non transferable.
We will monitor the use of the tickets to ensure the individuals nominated
to receive tickets are attending."

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Irons to remain "family affair" for years to come
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham United is set to remain in Sullivan and Gold hands long after the
present owners have gone to the great football stadium in the sky.

There are no plans to sell the club although the co owners would both
welcome further investors in the club to take it on to the next level.

Following the publication of the accounts to May 2015 where the club showed
a profit David Gold declared himself happy and claimed the future was in
good hands.

He told ClaretandHugh: "I've said many times that we have no desire to sell.
The children of the two families are all major fans of West ham United.

"My daughter Vanessa (pictured left) would sooner come with me to Watford
last weekend than go out with the friends and the Sullivan boys passion is
well know.

jacks-300x225"West Ham is our legacy to the children and both my daughters
are top businesswomen whilst the two boys have had a perfect background and
will be fine as club owners.

"Yes we would like more investment nothing has changed on that front but
there is no way I would want a a buy-out."

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AC look Slav's likely lad
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Andy Carroll looks set to start in tomorrow's clash against Everton.

The cub's record signing is currently being seen as the most realistic line
leader despite his less than impressive run out against Watford last
weekend.

Training ground sources have revealed that the centre forward has been
lining up with the probables against the possibles this weekend and is
likely to start with Enner Valencia taking his place on the bench.

Slaven Bilic made it clear in his press conference yesterday that Valencia
may not be 100 per cent up to speed although he will make no final selection
until later today.

Defenders Winston Reid (knee) and Angelo Ogbonna (hamstring) are fit after
spells out, and one – probably Reid – will replace the suspended James
Collins at centre-back.

Midfielder Alex Song will not be involved, but he has been pencilled in for
a friendly next week to build up his match-fitness following a summer ankle
operation.

Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Tomkins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell,
Jenkinson, Noble, Kouyate, Payet, Antonio, Moses, Lanzini, Zarate, Valencia,
Carroll, Jelavic.

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Bilic set to tame Lukaku threat
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 6, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is very well aware that the Irons must end Romelu
Lukaku's amazing goalscoring streak against them if they are to break their
Everton hoodoo. The Hammers have beaten Everton just once in their last 17
meetings, and that victory came on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the FA
Cup last season. Lukaku, who has scored in each of the last six meetings
between the teams, has been a pain in our butt for too long and a big double
over the two merseyside teams would be a massive tonic. . And the Upton Park
boss believes they can halt their drought against Everton – as long as they
keep the Belgium striker quiet. He said: That is more important than 17
(since we last beat Everton). He scored in six games out of six against us.
But that only proves how good he is as a player. "They have some great
players with experience, legs, width, pace, imagination – the likes of Ross
Barkley. But if you have to take one player out, then I wouldn't like to
play against Lukaku because he is a top striker and gets assists, and that's
why they paid 30-odd million for him. "But we have great defenders and we've
already stopped some of the great names this season with the help of the
other guys in front of them. "I didn't know it was that long since we beat
them the last time, but that only shows what we are facing; a big club with
the mentality of a club that has had its ups and down over the years. "I
didn't know it had been eight years. But that doesn't mean a lot. It's a new
game. We beat so many big teams this season but that didn't mean a lot when
we lost against Watford last week."

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Song heads for warm-up match
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 5, 2015 in News
C and H

Alex Song will return to Hammers action after the international break. But
in the meantime the midfielder is set to play in a 'get fit' friendly
against Chelsea next week against Charlton.
Manager Slaven Bilic revealed: "Song started training before Watford and
he's been with us for one week now." "He's okay, there's no problem
whatsoever, he's injury-free and now it's a matter of fitness and
match-fitness. "We have a friendly game on Wednesday which he will play in
and hopefully he's going to be fit soon."

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West Ham midfielder Alex Song set to face Charlton in behind-closed-doors
friendly as he closes in on his second Hammers debut
Alex Song signed for West Ham on a season-long loan deal this summer
Song also spent last season on loan at the club from La Liga Barcelona
However, the former Cameroon international is yet to feature this season
Song will face Charlton next week as he closes in on his second debut
By OLIVER TODD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:13, 5 November 2015 | UPDATED: 15:13, 5 November 2015

Slaven Bilic will hand Alex Song a behind-closed-doors comeback against
Charlton Athletic next week as West Ham's summer signing nears full fitness.
Song is yet to make his second Hammers debut with knee and ankle injuries
hampering his loan return to Upton Park from parent club Barcelona. But
while the 28-year-old won't be ready to give Bilic a midfield boost in
Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash against Everton, he will start in a
training ground friendly on Wednesday next week. 'He's just started training
with us, he's been with us for one week now,' Bilic said. 'His injury with
his knee and especially his ankle that was operated on is OK. He has no
problem with it whatsoever. 'Now it's just a matter of fitness and match
fitness. His first game for us after a long period is going to be a friendly
on Wednesday and he's going to be that. 'Hopefully, he is naturally fit guy,
he should be back soon but not tomorrow or in one week because he had a long
break.' Bilic welcomes back Winston Reid for the visit of the manager's
former club Everton after a knee injury lay-off of his own. Reid had been
mooted for a first-team return last month but the centre back is now ready
to step up in place of suspended James Collins. Diafra Sakho will be back
after the international break with Bilic labelling his thigh strain 'nothing
major'. The boss added: 'Unfortunately it is a small tear, a rupture in his
thigh. The prognosis is that he will be back for the game after the
international break.
'It's a set-back as he is a very important player to us. He dictates the
rhythm of the game a lot, with his pace, quality and determination and it's
a blow for sure. But it's not a major set-back. On Reid, Bilic said:
'Winston will be in the squad, he's back. Again, it's nothing major so now
he's back in training for a whole week and we're glad as he's very important
on and off the pitch for us.' The injury issues and a 2-0 defeat by Watford
last weekend have done nothing to dampen West Ham's confidence though.
Co-chairman David Sullivan has made it clear that a top four finish is in
their sights. Sullivan hopes to see Champions League football when West Ham
move into the Olympic Stadium next season, and Bilic is doing nothing to
dampen the dream. While most managers are wary of inspiring over-confidence
and arrogance in their side the former Besiktas boss is happy to keep up the
top-four talk. 'There's nothing wrong with being optimistic and thinking
about something that looks a little bit far away,' he said. 'When the
chairman talked it was in a positive way. We have to work hard and as long
as you work hard and stay with plan and philosophy there's nothing wrong
with that.'

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Andy Carroll can return for England IF he starts showing consistency for
West Ham, according to boss Slaven Bilic
Striker Andy Carroll has not played for England since a friendly in 2012
The 26-year-old was not included in Roy Hodgson's latest squad
Carroll scored the winner against champions Chelsea last month
It was his first goal in 10 months following an injury plagued year
By OLIVER TODD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 22:41, 5 November 2015 | UPDATED: 22:41, 5 November 2015

Slaven Bilic says Andy Carroll can only end his three-year international
exile if he starts showing consistency with West Ham. Carroll was left out
of Roy Hodgson's latest England squad on Thursday despite netting the winner
against champions Chelsea last month – his first goal in 10 months. The
26-year-old followed that up with a horror show in the 2-0 defeat at Watford
last weekend and Bilic believes his forward's patchiness does him no favours
in Hodgson's thinking. Ahead of the squad announcement nine-cap Carroll
spoke about his desire to get back into the England ranks but he was left
disappointed by Thursday's Wembley roll call. And Bilic reckons his
£15million man has what it takes to be a Euro 2016 option, but says he must
show regular quality in the day job first. 'It is very simple,' the former
Croatia national boss said. 'If he continues to play, and continues to play
as he did against Chelsea when he came on or against Crystal Palace or
Norwich, then he has got every chance to go there. Carroll played the last
17 minutes after replacing Wayne Rooney. 'So it is up to him. He has got a
chance. His manager is there, he is in the shop window. He has got to
perform.' There is no doubt that some Barclays Premier League managers would
rather see their players left out of the upcoming friendlies with Spain and
France, but Bilic is not one. Hodgson has not called on any Hammers players
– but their boss would have no problem in seeing more claret and blue
representation in future international breaks. Carroll, in particular, has
suffered with injuries and fitness worries but there are no qualms about the
work Hodgson would put his charges through. 'I know with Roy Hodgson they
are doing some quality work,' Bilic said. 'They are not going somewhere to
have a holiday. 'If it was the last international break, I would rather have
him (Carroll) here. But now he is fit. You can put him in a category with
all the other fit and ready players - players who are ready to go.'

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