Daily WHUFC News - 15th March 2016

Everton await replay winners
WHUFC.com

The winners of the Emirates FA Cup replay between West Ham United and
Manchester United will face Everton in the competition's last four. Monday
evening's draw paired either the Hammers or the Red Devils with the Toffees,
who saw off Chelsea in their quarter-final tie at the weekend. West Ham will
have to do battle again with Louis van Gaal's side after Anthony Martial's
late equaliser cancelled out Dimitri Payet's wonderful free-kick. A date for
the replay will have to be set after the outcome of Manchester United's UEFA
Europa League tie with Liverpool is known later this week. The semi-finals
will take place at Wembley Stadium over the weekend of 23 and 24 April.

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From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com

It shows how far we have come to feel let down by a late goal and only a
draw at old Trafford. What more can I say about Dimitri Payet. It was
another outstanding piece of skill to execute that type of free-kick and it
is not the first time we have seen him produce something like that.
He gave one of the best keepers in Europe in David de Gea absolutely no
chance with his curling effort and it once again shows why he is rated so
highly by everyone at the Club. Our 9000 supporters who went up to
Manchester were magnificent and it could have been 20,000 if we could have
got the tickets. We will be pricing the replay at home far cheaper than the
away game even though its the quarter final of the Cup. It was disappointing
that we could not hold onto the lead, but there is still everything to play
for and it promises to be another special night under the lights. It will be
the last ever cup tie to be played at the Boleyn Ground and I know our fans
will make it an evening to remember. Maybe we should have scored more with
the chances we had, but nobody scores all the time. We now switch our
attentions back to the Premier League and a big London derby against Chelsea
on Saturday. Despite their recent results in the cup competitions, it is
still a very, very hard game.

We are 9/2 to win and the bookies only give us a 38% chance of getting
anything out of the game, but I don't feel we will come away empty handed.
We have a good record against the London clubs this season and I hope that
will continue at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

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Gates start journey to new home
WHUFC.com

A section of West Ham United's iconic John Lyall Gates have begun their
journey to the Club's new home on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Following
respectful discussions with the family of the late, great Hammers manager,
the decision was taken to relocate three leaves of the landmark gates, which
were originally constructed in 1956 before being renamed in Lyall's honour
in 2009. The delicate task of removing the gates was completed on Monday,
with installation at the new Stadium Store scheduled to take place later
this week.

While the Gates would ideally have remained in place until the end of the
Farewell Boleyn season, construction timelines dictate that this week's move
is necessary to ensure they receive pride of place in their new home. A
revered figure in West Ham's history, Lyall led the Club to FA Cup glory in
1980, a record-breaking promotion to the First Division a year later and a
best-ever top-flight finish of third in 1986. The Hammers' fifth full-time
manager sadly passed away in 2006 at the age of 66, but his memory will now
live on after the Club move to Stratford later this year.

Son Murray said he and the Lyall family are happy that the gates named in
his father's honour will be in position for fans to pay their respects for
years to come. "We're honoured that Karren Brady has delivered on her
promise to take the John Lyall Gates with us to the new Stadium," he said.
"That means so much to us as a family. "Dad left a great legacy at Upton
Park and the gates were a testimony to that. I think he'd have been thrilled
about the move. "He'd have said the timing was right and obviously since
the new owners have come in, they've taken the Club forward on many, many
fronts. The culmination of it is the move to the new Stadium."

Over the last six decades, the gates have witnessed many scenes of
jubilation among Hammers fans after West Ham's home victories, but also
moments of great sadness. After the passing of Bobby Moore in February 1993,
they were decked in flowers and shirts left in tribute to West Ham's
favourite son and similar scenes have followed annually on the anniversary
of the legendary captain's death. Tributes were also paid following the sad
passing of young Australian striker Dylan Tombides in April 2014. The John
Lyall Gates are now set to take pride of place inside the dedicated Club
Store at the south entrance to the new Stadium. For Hammers fans, the
opportunity to visit the John Lyall Gates before every home game will act
both as a reminder of those glory days, and of the heritage that the Club is
bringing from the Boleyn Ground to our new home.

Supporters should keep a close eye on whufc.com and our social media
channels for further announcements regarding the John Lyall Gates and the
opening of their new home in Stratford.

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Joint-Chairman excited by FA Cup draw
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold is excited by the FA Cup
semi-final draw and feels the Club will relish the chance to take on Everton
if they can beat Manchester United in the quarter-final replay.

The Hammers will face United next month after Anthony Martial scored a late
equaliser to cancel out another wonder goal from Dimitri Payet at Old
Trafford.

Although Mr Gold was disappointed to only come away with a draw, he is full
of confidence ahead of the last ever cup tie to be played at the Boleyn
Ground and knows it is going to be another memorable evening under the
lights.

The winners of that tie have been drawn to face Everton in the semi-finals
and Mr Gold said he had a feeling the Merseyside Club would be pulled out of
the hat.

He said: " I said to my daughter and son-in-law that I bet the winners of
our game would face Everton.

"We have not had an easy route having played both Liverpool and Manchester
United away from home and we will certainly have to do it the hard way.

"But I am very confident we can get the right result in the replay under the
lights in the last ever FA Cup tie to be played at the Boleyn Ground.

"Hopefully it will be a great ending to a memorable last season at Upton
Park and there is no doubts we have the quality to win the FA Cup this
season.

"You cannot rely on luck and it is down to skill and the will to win and we
have got both of those. It is another tough draw but I would say 'bring it
on.'

"I am sure Everton would not want to face us if we get through, especially
after our impressive comeback at Goodison Park last weekend.

"We are still only 90 minutes away from playing at Wembley. I am sure a lot
of fans would have taken this situation at the start of the season that we
would be sitting fifth in the table and facing Manchester United in an FA
Cup quarter-final replay.

"But we are now dreaming of bigger things and the difference is we have won
the right to dream."

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Former Player Blog - Trevor Sinclair
WHUFC.com

Trevor Sinclair made more than 200 appearances for West Ham United between
1998 and 2003 and was at Old Trafford to witness Slaven Bilic's side earn a
replay in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-final. He now thinks the Hammers have
what it takes to go on and reach the last four...

It was a pleasure to watch West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday as they played
very well and looked as though they were heading for the semi-finals. Early
doors in the game, the Hammers took control at times, looked more dangerous
and limited Manchester United to very little chances.

Dimitri Payet's free-kick was absolutely unbelievable. I was sat next to
Mark Noble's Dad and he said to me that before the game he saw Payet score
an identical one before hitting about five into row Z!

We were all anticipating row Z but we should have known better. When it went
in we all went mad in the stand!

On Mark Noble, he had a great game and I'm looking forward to playing in his
Testimonial in two weeks' time.

Everyone knows that Mark is a terrific midfielder but there was one moment
in the United game where he received the ball and took it between two Man
United players before spinning off. It just showed what a quality all-round
player he's become.

For me, Payet was unlucky with the penalty incident. He had no reason to go
down at the time and he got a nick.

For the Man United goal, watching the replays back, there was definitely an
offside and I think Darren Randolph, who did well when called upon, was
impeded. A foul and offside would have been the correct call, but the
officials failed to see that.

The other appeal, for United, when the ball cannoned up onto Winston Reid's
arm was never a penalty, either. There is nothing he can do about that so
you can't give those types of decisions.

I felt West Ham just about did enough to win it, but it actually could be a
blessing in disguise because it gives the Club another humongous game under
the lights at the Boleyn Ground. It will be packed out and if the side can
get themselves over the line and into the semi-finals it will be a wonderful
evening once again.

The fact that those in the stands came away from Old Trafford disappointed
shows how far the Club has come. The belief has grown, not just on the
pitch, but in the stands too. They've seen what this side can do.

The lads on the bench proved how strong this squad is. There was real
quality there and every player could have come on and affected the game in a
positive way for West Ham.

Slaven Bilic will probably be able to recruit even further in the summer so
there are going to be new faces and arrivals and his scouting system is
doing wonders. I think that sets West Ham apart from others in the Premier
League and he's already proved himself with his recruits last summer.

The players will be a bit gutted they didn't get the job done at Old
Trafford but like I say, for me it's a blessing in disguise.

This team knows they can go on and beat Man United in the replay so let's
have another great night under the lights and finish the job off.

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of West
Ham United.

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From the Terraces - Joe Difford
WHUFC.com

Fan blogger Joe Difford reflects on Sunday's 1-1 draw at Manchester
United...

Sunday afternoon's clash at Old Trafford might not have been our ticket to
Wembley, but it has set up what is expected to be another magical night
under the lights at the Boleyn Ground.

For the first time in years, the sense of belief going into the FA Cup tie
was incredible, and having already beaten Arsenal, Manchester City and
Liverpool away from home this season, fans knew we could beat United.

Slaven Bilic knew this too, and set-up his men with two up front, something
rarely seen in the modern game, and it almost paid dividends. Andy Carroll
saw a bullet header fly over the bar and Emmanuel Emenike headed his effort
straight at David de Gea in the opening exchanges.

Manchester United, who currently sit one place below us in the Premier
League table, grew as the game went on, and the home support got behind
their men. A few half chances came and went as Ander Herrera fired into Row
Z from a very promising position.

It is impossible to look at this game without highlighting referee Martin
Atkinson, who was forced to make a number of tough calls throughout. He
correctly waved away protests for a Man United penalty when the ball bounced
off the thigh of Winston Reid and onto his arm mid-slide tackle.

Dimitri Payet was perhaps unlucky to not win a penalty himself up the other
end, but much like Christian Benteke's a week or so ago, the contact,
although crucial, was not much nor obvious, so the referee ignored the
Frenchman.

The moment of magic came when the magic number 27 won a free kick about 35
yards out, and although he has proven himself to be one of the best set
piece takers in the league, even this one seemed too far away from goal.

But up stepped Payet to prove people wrong and stun yet again, as he curled
the perfect free kick up over the wall and into the far left corner, off the
post and into the back of the net. It was a free kick of world class
quality, and even the league's best goalkeeper couldn't keep it out.

As expected, the home side controlled the play in the second half,
especially after the opening goal, and Memphis Depay and Bastian
Schweinsteiger came off the bench to make an impact.

Depay was causing all sorts of trouble for Michail Antonio, but he failed to
capitalise when he found some space, perhaps a lack of confidence given his
recent dip in form.

The heart-breaking equaliser came when Hammers were already planning their
trip to Wembley, and Anthony Martial got on the end of a cross to net from a
tight angle. Replays showed that Schweinsteiger took out Darren Randolph,
preventing him from getting to the ball, but considering the referee's good
decisions throughout, you can forgive him for not calling this one back.

A draw might not have been the ideal result, especially given Payet's
sensational free kick, but it does mean fans get to experience another night
under the lights at the Boleyn Ground.

Games there are coming thick and fast and there are only a handful left to
play at the ground we have made a fortress this season, so the addition of a
replay is not a concern. The last FA Cup tie there was the dramatic game
against Liverpool and given our home form, not losing since August, United
certainly won't be too excited for what could be the game to send us to
Wembley.

It's a measure of the wonderful work Slaven Bilic and the board have done
that we can go to Old Trafford and hold our own against the biggest club in
England, and we must be a side no one wants to face at the moment.

For more West Ham fan views or to join the conversation visit www.90min.com

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those
of West Ham United

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Academy relishing return to Hong Kong
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce that a select group of Academy
players will take part in the HKFC Citibank Soccer Sevens 2016 tournament.
Having got to the final in last year's competition, losing narrowly to
Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, the Hammers will be aiming to go one step
further this time round. Speaking ahead of the prestigious event, which
takes place between 20-22 May, Academy coach Mark Phillips said: "We are
absolutely delighted to have been invited back to compete in the Hong Kong
Soccer Sevens tournament. "It is an absolutely fantastic competition to play
in; from experience it is one of the best organised events I've ever
participated in. "Despite not winning the tournament last year, we came
close, and everyone, the staff, the players really enjoyed it and got a lot
out of the experience."

Alongside West Ham, fellow English sides Leicester City, Aston Villa,
Newcastle United and Stoke City will also be competing in the 16-team
international tournament while defending champions Atletico, New Zealand's
Wellington Phoenix and Japan's Kashima Antlers will also be present. Last
year, the Hammers' squad included the likes of Djair Parfitt-Williams and
Marcus Browne, both of whom have gone on to be included in the first team.
And while this year's squad is yet to be announced, Phillips is looking to
take an even stronger squad. He continued: "The tournament is over two
months away so we haven't finalised the squad list yet, however it'll be the
strongest team we have available. "It's a great learning curve for everyone
involved, but make no mistakes, we want to win it, that's our aim and I
firmly believe we can do it. If we do well, to get the international
recognition will be fantastic for the Academy and Club as a whole."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Elliot Lee scored his first goal for Colchester United in an enthralling 3-3
draw with Wigan Athletic. The Lancashire club took the lead through Yanic
Wildschut before Alex Gilbey's thunderbolt levelled the proceedings. Ryan
Colclough restored their lead however Lee was on hand to square things up
just after half-time with a fine finish. Former Hammer George Moncur then
gave the U's the lead with an emphatic penalty however Will Grigg equalised
in the 90th minute.

Defender Leo Chambers also played the full 90 minutes – his third appearance
for Kevin Keen's side – Colchester haven't lost a game since Chambers joined
on loan.

Reece Burke and Josh Cullen both played the full 90 minutes as Bradford City
beat Doncaster 2-1 to climb in to the Play Off positions. With ten games to
go, the Bantams are sixth, with 58 points.

Clarke Bogard's Tilbury secured a 3-1 win over Bury Town thanks a Kurt Smith
brace and substitute Neil Richmond's goal.

Jaanai Gordon played the full game as Sligo Rovers slipped to a 1-0 defeat
away at Bohemians, Kurtis Byrne's early goal proving to be the difference.

Sam Westley was an unused substitute as VVV Venlo drew 2-2 with Ajax II in
the Eerste Divisie. The partner club are going strong in the league,
currently second behind Sparta Rotterdam.

Diego Poyet was an unused substitute as Charlton Athletic beat Middlesbrough
2-0 at the Valley.

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Payet - One of the best I've ever scored
WHUFC.com

Dimitri Payet believes his stupendous 30-yard screamer against Manchester
United on Sunday is up there with the very best he has ever scored. The
Frenchman's third goal in this season's Emirates FA Cup fired West Ham
United in front at Old Trafford after 68 minutes, only for Anthony Martial
to ensure the sides would do it all over again at the Boleyn Ground. Payet,
who has now netted five in his last six outings in all competitions,
naturally felt the hosts' late rescue act had taken the shine off his
brilliant opener, but was nonetheless delighted with such a goal on such a
stage. He told West Ham TV: "It's true that it was a lovely goal but I
wanted it to give us victory. Unfortunately, they caught up with us at the
end, we are a little disappointed, but I think we played a good game here at
Old Trafford and we'll have to be very good at home to reach the
semi-finals. "I think it's one of my most beautiful goals, and on top of
that at a ground that I particularly appreciate. Past a very good goalkeeper
as well, so everything came together to make for one of my best goals this
season."

Payet expects the replay – the final ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground –
to be a memorable occasion under the lights, just as the Hammers' fourth
round triumph over Liverpool proved to be. But the Hammers' talisman is
taking absolutely nothing for granted and says it will require another big
performance to secure a semi-final spot at Wembley. He continued: "We will
have to be strong at home, as we know how to be, because we're up against a
very good team. We've the opportunity to replay at home, as we did against
Liverpool and we have to beat Manchester United if we're going to go further
in the competition. "We all have the dream of playing the semi-final at
Wembley. There have been surprises in these quarter-finals and it's going to
be open right until the end. We have to get past Manchester United to have
the opportunity to play at Wembley. "I think it is going to be an
extraordinary match, the supporters want us to progress, they will be there
and we will need them. It's still Manchester United and we'll have to
produce a big game to get past them. But firstly there's the league and
Chelsea next week."

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Ladies gain credible draw in Wales
WHUFC.com

West Ham Ladies' turn in fortune continued with an impressive 2-2 draw away
to Cardiff City Ladies on Sunday afternoon. Having beaten rivals Tottenham
Hotspur 1-0 as part of the Farewell Boleyn celebrations at Upton Park on
Tuesday night, the Hammers came close to securing six points in a week
through goals from striker Laura Curtis and captain Katie Bottom. The
visistors started brightly in the FA Women's Premier League South after the
long coach journey to Wales, but it was actually Cardiff who pushed
themselves ahead when defender Hannah Wheeler gave away a penalty which was
converted by the home player. West Ham responded well to going behind and
were soon level, after good work from tricky midfielder Gemma Abela opened
up the chance for striker Curtis to tap the ball over the line. Cardiff came
out strong after the break and were applying plenty of pressure, but Marc
Nurse's side's passion and determination kept Cardiff at bay. Then, in
similar fashion to the winning goal over Spurs, West Ham went ahead when
Curtis was tripped in the penalty box. Skipper Bottom stepped-up once again
to bury her second penalty of the week. Nurse's side led until the final ten
minutes of play when a Cardiff corner, cleared by Erika Turner, only found a
home player, who fired home an equaliser from five yards. It's an impressive
result for Nurse's side though, who with the four points from two fixtures
this week, have overtaken Lewes Ladies into ninth in the league, with 18
points from their 20 league fixtures to date. The Hammers will now be full
of confidence as they host the reverse fixture against Cardiff City Ladies
on Sunday 20th March at AFC Hornchurch, with kick-off at 2pm.

After that, the Ladies close their campaign by hosting Queens Park Rangers
at AFC Hornchurch on Sunday 10 April.

LADIES: Turner, Ritson (Hinz), Wheeler, Bottom (c), Sammons, Abela, Missen,
Ray (Marriner), Ferreira, Curtis, Locke (Charles). Subs not used: Adeyemo.

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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic believes the Boleyn Ground will give West Ham United a 'big
advantage' when they take on Manchester United in an Emirates FA Cup
sixth-round replay. The Hammers will host the Red Devils in April following
a dramatic 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, when Dimitri Payet's wondrous
free-kick was cancelled out by Anthony Martial's volley with just seven
minutes remaining. West Ham had chances throughout, with Emmanuel Emenike,
Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio all going close, while Manchester United
were thwarted by a series of heroic blocks and clearances that kept Darren
Randolph largely redundant. When the equaliser did come, it was marked by
controversy as the Ireland goalkeeper appeared to be blocked off by Bastian
Schweinsteiger as he tried to keep out Martial's shot. While admitting to
being slightly disappointed not to see his side go through to the last four
at Wembley, Bilic is confident the Claret and Blue Army can help them get
the job done second time around. "Dimi has it in him – we all know this,"
the boss began. "He's got that kind of magic but before he took it I thought
it was quite far out so it's got to be perfect, and it was perfect! "There
was still a long way to go when Dimitri scored and we knew that they were
going to take risks and make situations to put pressure on us. "We played a
really good game of football, and it's hard to play at Old Trafford, but if
you ask what we should have done after the goal because they were very open
and risking things, I would have said I was expecting us to create from
these situations two or three clear-cut chances, which we didn't do. The
last pass, we failed to make and then we conceded a goal. "OK, the
atmosphere in the dressing room was very silent. I said to the guys it's
nice on the one hand to feel like that, because that shows me that we were
feeling confident despite being totally on the ground and we are moving in
the right direction. "On the other hand, we are in the game and we play the
replay at home, which is a big advantage for us."

Bilic admitted his players were feeling low at the final whistle, but said
that being frustrated by a draw at Old Trafford is a measure of how far his
squad has come this season. "We could have been one goal up at half-time,
and they also had a few situations where we made brilliant blocks and all
that, but in the game we played a good game of football and we are very
confident that we can win the replay."

That confidence will be boosted further by the home crowd, who will surely
mark the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground with an atmosphere akin to
that which welcomed Liverpool in the fourth-round replay in February. That
match was settled by Angelo Ogbonna's late header, and Bilic would love to
see West Ham beat another of English football's most-famous clubs on home
turf in similarly exciting fashion. "We thought the last one against
Liverpool was going to be the last FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground and the
atmosphere was special, and I can't imagine a better one because it was a
replay against Liverpool and we scored a goal in the last minute with a
great header from Angelo. "Now this one is like Manchester United, the
biggest club in the country, in a quarter-final with the winner going to
Wembley in the semis. It's going to be brilliant."

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Randolph - Replay is going to be a special night
WHUFC.com

Darren Randolph is already counting the days to the Emirates FA Cup
quarter-final replay against Manchester United and knows it is going to be
another special night at the Boleyn Ground.
The Hammers were forced to settle for a replay after Anthony Martial grabbed
a late equaliser to cancel out another wonder goal from Dimitri Payet. Few
could forget the last cup encounter under the lights when Angelo Ogbonna
scored the dramatic winner against Liverpool with just seconds left on the
clock. It promises to be another memorable evening in the last ever cup tie
to be played at the Boleyn Ground and Randolph feels his side stand a strong
chance of reaching the semi-finals at Wembley. Randolph said: "It is going
to be a great atmosphere for the replay and the standout moments for me this
year atmosphere wise have been the Liverpool and Tottenham games. "It is
going to be a special night and we fancy our chances against anybody. We are
all looking forward to it. "We are still only ninety minutes from playing at
Wembley and it is the last ever cup match at the Boleyn Ground so it is
going to be another special occasion. "It was probably a bit too early for
us to be thinking about Wembley after the first goal but we played well and
it was a good afternoon. "When you see a free-kick like that go in you start
to think it is going to be your day but it was not meant to be and we settle
for a replay. "Dimi actually said after the game that he thought the
free-kick was going wide but it caught the inside of the post and went in.
It was a great free-kick. "I think it was a foul for their goal but it was
one of those things and we have got a second chance."

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Gone! Lyall gates removed
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

The John Lyall Gates - which have stood at the entrance to the Boleyn Ground
for the last 60 years - have been removed. As you can see in the following
picture, taken by surprised onlooker and KUMB reader Dominic Hoey, the
iconic gates - which were renamed in honour of the former West Ham manager
in 2009 following his passing three years earlier - were removed from their
existing site by workers this morning. The gates are scheduled to be
re-situated at West Ham United's new home at the Olympic Park, Stratford, in
time for the start of next season. The oft=pictured gates, which millions of
football fans have walked past over the years were constructed in 1956. They
have been seen in several films and TV programmes and also cropped up in the
odd music video over the years. The late Micky Smith used an iconic image of
the gates for the cover of his 2003 book Both the gates and the surrounding
area of land on which they stood for more than half-a-century - now
predominantly the club's car park - were paid for by the (£25,000) sale of
Harry Hooper to Wolverhampton Wanderers that same year.

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Police 'kettling' causes mayhem in Manchester
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

Thousands of travelling West Ham supporters were caught in a near riot at
Manchester's Piccadilly station lat night thganks to the actions of the
Greater Manchester Police. Having made their way back to the city central
station following West Ham's 1-1 draw with Man Utd at Old Trafford, scores
of fans were unable to reach their allotted trains as a result of Police
'kettling' supporters through a single entrance. And regular travellers were
also caught up in the brouhaha as ugly scenes broke out between Police and
travellers. One eye-witness told KUMB: "We got to Manchester Piccadilly
just before 8pm and there was a massive scrum of West Ham, Man U and
civilians all just wanting to get home. People were climbing over, tripping
over or just pinned up against the barriers. "By the time I got to the front
of the queue myself and two gentlemen in front of me told the Police that we
were booked on that train. They said it was now declassified and we'd have
to take it up with Virgin. "GMP were pretty much out their depth trying to
control the crowds and drip feeding people onto the trains."

Another eye-witness, who was attempting to board an earlier train added: "We
got to Piccadilly at 6.45pm for my 7.15pm train, which was fine. The problem
was the way GMP made people queue all together - and put everyone on a
train. disregarding whether you booked it or not. "If I hadn't joined the
queue early I'd have missed my train. I mentioned it to a Policeman and his
words were: 'Don't be daft, this is the most sensible way'. "One guy was
very agitated as he was at the back of the queue and clearly going to miss
his train. Not only that, there was plenty of Man Utd fans that would've
booked as well. It wasn't Virgin's fault, it was the shoddy management by
the GMP in my opinion."

The sheer weight of numbers travelling to the game caused major disruptions
on the roads leaving Manchester too; fans travelling by car had to queue for
around two hours just to reach the M6 motorway, just a few miles south of
the city.

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FA Cup semi final draw: Everton await
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 14th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United will face Everton in the semi finals of this year's FA Cup,
should they overcome Man Utd in the quarter final replay. The draw was made
this evening by TV chef Heston Blumenthal and former Spurs midfielder
Jermaine Jenas. In the other semi final, Watford will face Crystal Palace
Both ties are scheduled to take place at Wembley on the weekend of April
23/24. The date for the quarter final replay between United and Man U is
yet to be confirmed, but will take place on either 6th or 13th April. West
Ham have previously met Everton 11 times in the FA Cup - most recently last
season, when the Hammers knocked the Toffees out via a penalty shootout.
From those 11 meetings, both teams have four wins to their name with three
draws - with West Ham's most famous win coming in the 1980 semi final

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Crystal Palace draw Watford, Everton face Manchester United or West Ham in
FA Cup semi-finals
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 14/03/16 8:21pm
SSN

Everton will play either Manchester United or West Ham in the FA Cup
semi-finals at Wembley on the weekend of April 23/24. In the other
semi-final, Crystal Palace will take on Watford in a match also to be played
at Wembley. Palace, who have knocked out three Premier League teams and
Reading in the competition, have the chance to reach their first final since
they were beaten in a replay by Manchester United in 1990. The Eagles have
never won the trophy and neither have their opponents Watford, who lost 2-0
to Everton in their previous final appearance in 1984.
Quique Sanchez' Flores side have beaten Newcastle, Leeds, Nottingham Forest
and Newcastle to reach the last-four. Everton avenged their FA Cup final
defeat of 2007 to Chelsea by beating the Blues 2-0 in a thriller at Goodison
Park on Saturday, and they could set up a repeat of 1995's final with
Manchester United if Louis van Gaal's side can triumph at West Ham. Dimitri
Payet had seemingly won the game for the Hammers on Sunday but Anthony
Martial equalised to earn a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

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Ticket Master in line for Hammers contract
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Claret and Hugh understand that West Ham will cease their partnership with
'See Tickets' at the end of this season. See Tickets is the trading name of
a British ticketing services company owned by French company Vivendi SA.
They have provided ticketing systems and software to West Ham at the Boleyn
ground.

West Ham are understood to have awarded to a new contract to American
company, Ticket Master who will be the Hammers new ticket partner at the
Olympic Stadium.

The current West Ham Ticket office website has come under heavy criticism
this season as it has failed several times to cope with demand with big
games which left many to call the premium line hotline in desperation
running up large bills on their mobile phones.

Another recent criticism has been the ticket trader system with Epurse
credit balances disappearing from the website and a limitation of not being
able to spend Epurse credits online or to use it as a deposit for an Olympic
Stadium season ticket.

A source close to club told Claret and Hugh "Everything will be reviewed at
the end of the season with regards to ticketing and that will include
whether to retain the 0871 premium number for the ticket office."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Time to end the Ticket Office premium call rip off
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham's last season at the Boleyn Ground together with a terrific FA Cup
run and a sell out Mark Noble testimonial has led to an increase in
complaints about the premium line telephone number used used by the club for
the West Ham ticket office hotline.

One West Ham fan received a phone bill of £105 this week for three phone
calls to the West Ham ticket office and another paid a £75 bill but they are
not alone with many others making similar complaints.

Many of the fans have been caught out by using their mobiles to call the
West Ham ticket office. 0871 numbers are regarded as premium numbers and not
included in mobile call plans.

West Ham do point out the costs in the small print on the website. The cost
to the ticket office phone line it is 13p per minute plus an access charge
from phone operator.

Vodafone charge their customers up to 45p per minute access charge to call
0871 numbers so the combined cost is 58p per minute or £34.80 per hour to
wait on the West Ham ticket hotline.

EE charge their customers up to 44p per minute access charge to call 0871
numbers so the combined cost is 57p per minute or £34.20 per hour to wait on
the West Ham ticket hotline.

O2 charge their customers up to 35.8p per minute access charge to call 0871
numbers so the combined cost is 48.8p per minute or £29.28 per hour to wait
on the West Ham ticket hotline.

If you use a BT landline it would be cheaper at a combined 23.24p per
minute so £13.94 per hour.

Speaking to one of the supporters who faced a £75 bill Steve told Claret and
Hugh:

"My wife rang the ticket office on her mobile to try and get tickets for the
Liverpool FA Cup replay she was on hold for a long time but was gradually
working her way down the queue when she got to number 4 in the queue it
jumped her back up to number 70 for no reason.

"I have emailed the club the same complaint twice and had no reply and if I
do not get a reply will be taking them to the small claims court. We
eventually got tickets online as we never actually managed to get through on
the phone. I have spoken to citizens advice about it and they have basically
said I have a case against the club and as bad as it is to have to take
action against my own club I feel the lack of communication and lack of care
shown by the club needs action."

Another supporter said " We rung from an EE mobile and got a £45 bill, it
was for the Watford tickets. I am a member and it said I could buy up to 4
tickets, so when I called the first time and eventually got though they said
I could only purchase 1 and had to wait until they went on general sale to
get the other 3 as they wasn't members!! I called at least 3 times I also
tried to book online to no avail :-("

Another fan said "My lad just had a 02 bill in for £42 when trying to get
tickets for the Liverpool cup game. He got cut off! Rang club twice and was
told they would be in touch but still nothing"

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Exclusive: Winston Reid update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Worrying news concerning Winston Reid emerged fro the Hammers camp tonight
after the central defender was taken off in Sunday's game against Manchester
United. Reid rushed himself back into action after the Hammers boss Slave
Bilic was hit with a crisis following an injury to Reece Oxford in training.
The central defender answered the call to play and as reported on this site
earlier was praised by co chairman David Gold for his attitude. But Reid may
have paid a heavy price for his bravery as it seems that it wasn't only the
hamstring injry from which he has just recovered that he 'felt'during the
game but the other as well. It is a big blow and his chances of making the
game against Chelsea at the weekend look no better than fifty/fifty at this
stage. ClaretandHugh was told exclusively by our major source tonight:
"Winston was taken of as he was feeling both hamstrings. It was semi
precautionary and we will know more in the next 48 hours."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Gold hits out at goal decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has made it clear that unless Darren Randolph decided to "dive
into his own net" Manchester United's Old Trafford equaliser was illegal and
should have been ruled out. The Hammers keeper was clearly nudged and left
unable to do anything about Martial's leveller six minutes from time in
Sunday's quarter final. And Gold made it clear he was very unhappy with the
decision to allow the goal to stand as Randolph lay incapable of helping
beore the Reds players ran off celebrating. Gold said: "It was a foul –
plain and simple. The goal should never have stood. I didn't want a replay
and I didn't want the cash it will generate – I want the Cup." Gold –
speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh – admitted though: "At what point in
history have we come away from Manchester United feeling so disappointed
with a draw. "It demonstrates again the extraordinary distance we have
travelled this season and that's a consolation but nothing can wipe out the
memory of that goal which should never have stood."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Boleyn Ground redevelopment gets green light
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Newham Council has finally passed a planning proposal by Barratt Homes and
Galliard Homes to redevelopment the Boleyn Ground.

The meeting of the council's Strategic Development Committee last week ends
more than a year of arguments and debate between the council, local
campaigners and the developers over the future of the Hammer's old ground.

BoleynInitially, the developers offered no affordable homes on the site
which was unacceptable under Newham council's core strategy. A fresh offer
of 25 per cent affordable housing equates to 211 homes out of the 842
planned for the site. Under the new deal, more than half will now be family
sized units.

Additionally, developers promised to deliver a neighbourhood centre to
provide facilities for local residents. On the night of the committee, The
Mayor of Newham who is a West Ham fan, Sir Robin Wales, announced his
intention to invest an additional £18 million into affordable housing on the
site.

GreenStreet1This, the committee heard, will provide a further ten per cent
of affordable homes which the council will ensure are offered at rents that
residents can afford. This money is expected to come from affordable housing
funding available to the council bringing the total amount of affordable
housing on the site to 35 per cent or 295 homes. Overall, the development
is expected to create 185 jobs.

Sir Robin said: "I want to open this historic development up to even more
of our residents, other developers must provide affordable housing as part
of any regeneration proposals they bring to us – we will do all we can to
ensure as many homes as possible are within reach of our residents."

Green-Street2The developer's proposal will see the current ground demolished
when West Ham move out and replaced with 15 blocks of varying heights
providing new homes made up of a mixture of different tenures and a
community neighbourhood space.

To commemorate the design of the Boleyn ground stadium, two 13 storey blocks
will reflect the castle tower gatehouses which currently greet visitors to
the ground and four to eleven storey low rise blocks will mark the location
of where the stands currently sit.

Castle-StreetA pedestrianised legacy route will run through the centre of
the development with two trees which make up the memorial garden currently
by the main gates of the stadium retained. These trees are used by the
club's supporters to commemorate the death of family and friends. Both the
halfway line and centre circle of the ground's existing pitch will form part
of this route – is also proposed to retain some of the existing stands.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Ref Watch: 'West Ham deserved penalty at Old Trafford, Gabriel should have
seen red'
By Gerard Brand
Last Updated: 14/03/16 1:38pm
SSN

In his weekly Ref Watch, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher
gives his view on the weekend's big issues.

MATCH: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham, Sunday

INCIDENT: At 0-0, Dimitri Payet goes over in the area from a challenge from
Marcos Rojo. Referee Martin Atkinson waives play on.

GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Penalty

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: It is difficult for Atkinson in real time, but I think
he's [Rojo] caught him. The assistant probably had the best view, but
whether Atkinson has asked him, we don't know.
There is no tangible evidence as to what has happened between the referee
and his assistant. When a big decision comes, we are not aware if the
assistant has had impact on the decision through their headset.

MATCH: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham, Sunday

INCIDENT: As a cross comes over to the far post, Anthony Martial equalises
for United, but replays show Bastian Schweinsteiger impeded West Ham
goalkeeper Darren Randolph as Martial's effort went goalwards.

GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Foul

GALLAGHER'S VIEW: He blocks the goalkeeper off. There is so much going on
there, and I can understand why this is missed. To illustrate that, we've
had to have it pointed out and watched many times.

The key issue here is when the ball is going into Martial, that's where the
referee's attention has to be, because if Martial commits a foul or a foul
on him that's going to be priority.
He's watching Martial and watching the defender in case he takes him, and
the actual block off by Schweinsteiger happens six or seven yards off the
ball, and by the time he looks back the damage is done.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
West Ham striker Andy Carroll reveals triple target
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 14/03/16 1:51pm
SSN

West Ham striker Andy Carroll is hoping to secure a triple target before the
end of the season. The 27-year-old is targeting an FA Cup win and a top-four
finish with the Hammers, as well as a place in Roy Hodgson's England squad
for Euro 2016. West Ham's final season at Upton Park has been a memorable
one, with Slaven Bilic's side fifth in the Premier League, just two points
off a Champions League berth. A trip to Wembley is also on the cards, if
they can defeat Manchester United in their FA Cup quarter-final replay,
after a late strike from Anthony Martial cancelled out a stunning free-kick
from Dimitri Payet. Hodgson was at Old Trafford for the 1-1 draw as Carroll
impressed on his first start since January, a display he hopes might earn
him a seat on the plane to France. "I have three things to aim for with the
club pushing for top four, the FA Cup final and making the England squad,"
he told the Evening Standard. "I don't want to be getting injured now, it
would be the worst thing. I don't know why (the setbacks) happen, it just
does. It's upsetting, really. "It's been hard, I have been injured a lot. My
run in the side hasn't been continuous, but it's still a dream to play for
my country. It's something I want to do and I will never give up on it. "I
have great memories of Euro 2012 and would love to be there again. "My love
for my country is never going to go away. Hopefully, I will stay fit, keep
playing, score goals and I will get a chance to go."
Carroll scored as England beat Sweden 3-2 at Euro 2012, one of nine caps he
has earned so far, the last of which came against San Marino in October that
year. Asked if he had heard from Hodgson, Carroll added: "No, nothing at
all. I know he has been at the games watching a few of us. "We have some
great English talent in the team. He is watching everyone and he has a tough
job to do. Hopefully, I can cause a bit of a headache for him and get myself
in there. "Having so many players to choose from means you have to leave a
lot more out. It's a tough job for him but he knows how to deal with it."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
West Ham's fixture chaos
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham are facing a serious fixture pilie up with an FA Cup replay set to
be squeezed in an already bursting schedule.

We are still awaiting the official confirmation of the re-scheduling of the
Watford and Manchester United Premier league matches due to our FA Cup run.

And UEFA's rules are making re-scheduling difficult with their insistence
that domestic games including FA Cup games do not clash on nights that
Champions League is shown on TV.

With a congested fixture schedule for the remainder of the season, there are
few dates that West Ham will be able to play Watford and Manchester United
twice whilst still avoiding international breaks, Champions League nights
and Manchester United's continued progress in the Europa League last 16.

Last month, the FA announced the FA Cup replay between Arsenal v Hull will
take place on Tuesday 8th March after 72 hours of debate and argument and
the FA could be forced to seek UEFA's agreement again.

Much could depend what happens with Manchester United in the Europa League
against Liverpool on Thursday evening with West Ham confirming

"We cannot confirm the replay date until Man Utd's Future future is settled
v Liverpool this coming Thursday"

Here's our 'schedule' currently:

19th March Chelsea Away

22nd- 30th March International Break

2nd April Crystal Palace at home

5th/6th April Champions League Quarter Final 1st leg

9th April Arsenal at home

12th/13th April Champions League Quarter Final 2nd leg

17th April Leicester City away

20th April Watford Rescheduled league game provisionally on the Wednesday

23rd/24th April FA Cup Semi Final. West Ham v Manchester Utd Postponed

26th/27th April Champions League Semi Final 1st leg

30th April West Bromwich Albion away

3rd/4th May – Champions League Semi Final 2nd leg

7th May Swansea City at home

10th/11th May Manchester United League likely to schedule on one of these
two dates

15th May Stoke away (last day of the season)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Courageous defender showed squad spirit
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has heaped praise on Winston Reid for taking his place in the
Irons side at Old Trafford despite not being ready to play in such a high
profile game. The co chairman had tweeted earlier in the week that the
central defender would not be able to make the game as he'd barely rejoined
the first team squad. But when Reece Oxford took a knock in training the
manager was left with no alternatives Reidy agreed to play although he
could easily have pleaded he was unable to make the game. Instead he
immediately agreed and Gold told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "It's a tribute
to him Winston demonstrated just how the squad ready the squad are to play
for this manager. He deserves a lot of praise for stepping up in the hour of
need."
Reid, however, was forced off after feeling his hamstring and will be
checked out by the club's medical staff but Gold said: "Hopefully it was
just a precautionary thing. However, as I say, he deserves enormous praise
for stepping into the fray"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
OK Slav…what's with the Emenike thing?
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic has me confused for the first time! Sorry Slav but I'm afraid I
really don't get the Emenike thing at all. As fas as I can make out he has
had one decent game against a Championship side in the last round of the
Cup. By common consent he performed OK against Rovers for his couple of
goals but yet again he missed an easy chance at the start of yesterday's
game, as he did against Sunderland. It may be of course that Sakho wasn't up
to the level of match fitness for the United game that the manager would
have wanted and that therefore the Nigerian got the shout. But it was
perhaps possible to do things the other way round by starting Sak and bring
EE on when perhaps the main man started to tire. One thing's for sure –
given that Sak managed half an hour against Everton and around the same
yesterday he could surely have managed the first half at the very least. I
don't want to knock the bloke unnecessarily but with both Sak and Enner
Valencia on the bench it all seemed a little odd. Emenike was a cheapish
winter loan and is maybe an upgrade on Carlton Cole but right now it's hard
to go much further than that. Thankfully yesterday's missed chance at the
start didn't really hurt us but things may have turned out a bit
differently had he stuck it away. Jury remains very much out!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
Sad Van Gaal dubs Dimi a diver
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 14, 2016 in Whispers
C and H

Manchester United's excuse finding under pressure boss Louis van Gaal
ridiculously claimed that Dimi Payet dived in a bid to win yesterday's
match. Mind you, he had little if anything to say about his team's equaliser
which should have been ruled out at a stroke after goalkeeper Darren
Randolph was clearly fouled in the build-up. Instead he implied that Payet
should not have been on the pitch to score the 68th-minute goal after
accusing him of diving to try to con referee Martin Atkinson. Payet was
already on a booking when he went down in the United area under a challenge
from Marcos Rojo, but Atkison chose not to award a penalty. Van Gaal said:
"Payet was more or less diving. He was maybe touched, but not enough to fall
like that." But Hammers boss Slaven Bilic had no doubt that Payet was the
injured party in the accident saying: "For me, it should have been a penalty
on Dimitri.. "A dive? Come on. If you have a screen I am going to show you
and defend my point at Cambridge [Union]. "You can clearly see there is
contact. So it's definitely not a dive, 100 per cent not a dive."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;
The Hammers £5m FA Cup run
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 14, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The FA Cup Quarter-Final replay at the Boleyn Ground against Manchester
United should net the Hammers another £1m on top of the estimated £3.8m they
have earned so far in their FA Cup run this season. Assuming West Ham set
ticket prices around the £40 mark, a sell out 35,000 capacity crowd will
bring in around £1.4m in gate money which will be shared with Manchester
United. The replay will definitely be shown on TV earning another £247,500
in TV facility fees for both sides. The eventual winners of tie will win
£360,000 of prize money on top of a trip to Wembley where the serious money
starts. In the third round of the FA Cup West Ham earned £67,500 in prize
money and an estimated £294,000 in gate money for beating Wolves at the
Boleyn Ground. We received another £90,000 in prize money for beating
Liverpool in the Fourth Round over two games and we earned £288,000 to have
both games screened live on BT Sport. The Anfield FA Cup tie had an
attendance of 44,000 at £35 per ticket, netting us around £647,000 in gate
money. The replay at the Boleyn Ground earned us around £294,000 with
tickets reduced to £20.

In the fifth round, the 5-1 win over Blackburn Rovers earned West Ham
£180,000 in prize money from the FA as winners of the tie, together with
£247,500 to have the game screened live on BT Sport. We also received a 42%
cut of the Ewood Park gate money with an attendance of 18,793 earning a
further £158,000, based on tickets priced at £20.

Yesterday we received a 42% share of the 75,000 gate at Old Trafford at £45
per ticket. The 75,000 sell-out would bring in £3.37m of revenue of which we
would get a healthy £1.43m. Live TV coverage added another £247,500 to the
pot.

FA Cup Third Round earnings = £361,500

FA Cup Fourth Round earnings = £1,222,900

FA Cup Fifth Round earnings = £585,500

FA Cup Sixth Round earnings so far = £1,677,500

Estimated FA Cup Sixth Round Replay should we win = £1,195,500

Total Estimated Earnings after victory in Sixth Round Proper = £5,042,900

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 14th March 2016

Man Utd 1-1 West Ham United
WHUFC.com
Emirates FA Cup sixth round

Dimitri Payet scored another wonder goal but West Ham had to settle for a
replay after Anthony Martial grabbed a late equaliser for Manchester United
in Sunday's Emirates FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. The Hammers fans
were dreaming about a return to Wembley after Payet netted a superb
free-kick from 30 yards which gave David de Gea no chance in the United
goal. But despite another impressive performance, United forced the replay
when Martial met a cross from Ander Herrera and struck the ball past Darren
Randolph. The tie is still firmly alive and it promises to be another
special night under the lights at the Boleyn Ground for the replay. Few
could forget Angelo Ogbonna's winning goal against Liverpool earlier in the
competition and the Hammers fans will be hoping for another famous night in
east London. The Hammers enjoyed a strong start to the game and could have
opened the scoring after just four minutes. Andy Carroll played a great ball
into the path of Emmanuel Emenike who was through on goal but he struck his
shot just past the post. The away side came close again on nine minutes when
Aaron Cresswell burst clear down the left hand side and played in the
perfect cross for Carroll who superbly attacked the ball and saw his header
fall inches over the bar.

Roared on by 9,000 Hammers fans inside Old Trafford, the away side continued
to create the best openings and had another golden chance to break the
deadlock on 19 minutes. Mark Noble played a great ball into Payet who sent
Cresswell away with an overlap. The Hammers full-back crossed the ball in
for Emenike who was unmarked inside the area but directed his header
straight at De Gea. In an open contest United then raced down the other end
and Martial played the ball in for Herrera who volleyed wide of the goal.
Bilic was forced to make a change just after the hour mark when Winston Reid
was forced to leave the field through injury and was replaced by Pedro
Obiang. But despite the enforced change, the Hammers still looked the most
likely to open the scoring and had strong claims for a penalty turned down
on 64 minutes after Payet appeared to be brought down inside the area by
Marcos Rojo but referee Martin Atkinson ignored the pleas from the players
and waved for play to continue.

The deadlock was finally broken on 68 minutes and it was that man Payet who
got on the scoresheet once again after he was brought down by Daley Blind 30
yards from goal. The French star picked himself up and curled an unstoppable
free-kick past De Gea into the top corner. It was another superb strike from
Payet and took his tally to eleven goals this season. But the Hammers were
forced to settle for a replay after United grabbed an equaliser on 84
minutes. Herrera's cross picked out Martial at the far post and he managed
to strike the ball past Randolph and into the back of the net.

The Hammers could have won it late on when Michail Antonio's low shot
produced a superb save by de Gea diving low to his right hand side and he
then had the ball in the back of the net, but his effort was ruled out for
offside. Both sides had to settle for a draw and it promises to be another
great contest when the replay takes place at the Boleyn Ground.

Manchester United: De Gea; Varela (Darmian 87), Smalling, Rojo, Blind;
Carrick, Fellaini (Schweinsteiger 76), Lingard, Herrera, Martial; Rashford
(Memphis 76)
Subs not used: Romero, Williams, Schneiderlin, Januzaj
Goal: Martial 83
Bookings: Fellaini, Carrick

West Ham United: Randolph; Antonio, Reid (Obiang 62), Ogbonna, Cresswell;
Noble, Kouyate, Lanzini; Emenike (Sakho 64), Carroll (Valencia 81), Payet
Subs not used: Adrian, O'Brien, Song, Moses
Goal: Payet 68
Bookings: Reid, Payet, Kouyate, Antonio

Referee: Martin Atkinson

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic - We'll be confident for the replay
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic admitted to a tinge of disappointment after his West Ham United
team were pegged back in their Emirates FA Cup quarter-final tie at
Manchester United on Sunday.

The Hammers and the Red Devils will have to face off again at the Boleyn
Ground for a place in the competition's last four after Anthony Martial's
late equaliser cancelled out Dimitri Payet's wonderful free kick.

With the score locked at 1-1 after 90 enthralling minutes, a replay is
needed to split the teams and Bilic says the Hammers can approach that with
real confidence.

He said: "At Old Trafford, it is very hard to play with 75,000 fans and this
atmosphere. It [the replay] is going to be a tough game, but I fancy us
because we're going to be even more confident.

"We could have held on for 1-0 and on counter-attacks I was expecting to
create one, two or three more clear-cut chances. Our dressing room was, and
still is, very silent. I'm not over the moon but it means we are moving in a
good direction."

Bilic also felt the Hammers could have had more luck with the big calls in
the game.

He added: "There were a couple of appeals for handball, but nothing in them.
The one on Payet, for all the neutrals, is a penalty. You know you are
taking a big gamble [going to ground] in the box.

"And then for the equaliser, it is hard for the referee to see it, but for
me it is a clear foul from Schweinsteiger, when the ball is nowhere near
him.

"If Randy wasn't fouled, then he would have been there to stop the ball.
It's hard for the referee, but if you ask me, two crucial decisions have
gone against us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Noble - What Dimi's doing is special
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble says the Hammers will take great confidence from Sunday's game at
Manchester United, even if they had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Anthony
Martial's late equaliser for the Red Devils.

West Ham looked set for Wembley when Dimitri Payet's unstoppable free kick
gave them the lead midway through the second half, only for Martial's far
post finish to level the scores.

However, Noble took great heart from his team's performance and is looking
forward to taking Louis van Gaal's men back to the Boleyn Ground.

He said: "Coming to Old Trafford and playing the way we did, especially in
the first half [is great]. We probably should have been two up in the first
20 minutes, Emi had a couple of great chances, Andy had a couple too.

"What a fantastic goal it was from Dimi, another great free kick. What he's
doing at the minute is special.

"We're a little disappointed to be honest because we should have come away
with the win, but credit to Man Utd, they fought back.

"We'll take a look of confidence from that today and now we've got them at
Upton Park which is another great game for us there."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic: West Ham boss confident of beating Man Utd in replay
BBC.co.uk

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic "fancies" his side to beat Manchester United in
the FA Cup quarter-final replay at Upton Park - the last cup tie there. The
teams drew 1-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday with the winners of the replay
moving into the semi-finals at Wembley. "It's going to be a tough game, but
I fancy us because we're going to be even more confident," Bilic told BBC
Sport. "Manchester United are a different team when they play away from home
and don't have that same confidence."

West Ham are moving to the Olympic Stadium next season so the game against
Manchester United will be the last at the Hammers' current Upton Park home.
"With the history of our stadium it's going to a be another historic game
and you can't ask for more," added Bilic. "But to make history we have to
beat them - we won't put it in the books if we lose the last game. "It's
going to be another epic home FA Cup match and we couldn't ask for more -
it's like Spielberg."

Dimitri Payet went to ground under a challenge from Marcos Rojo. West Ham
wanted a penalty and Manchester United wanted Payet, who was on a yellow
card, to be sent off for diving West Ham had an appeal for a penalty
rejected after Dimitri Payet appeared to be brought down by Marcos Rojo, but
referee Martin Atkinson ignored the appeals. Manchester United's players
believed Payet, who was already on a yellow card, had dived but no action
was taken against him before he scored from a 40-yard free-kick minutes
later. "For me it is a penalty, Rojo slides from behind and is nowhere near
the ball - a clear penalty," said Bilic. "When you are sliding in the box
you are taking a big gamble and a big risk. Nobody in the world can say
there wasn't a touch. It is definitely not a dive."

The Hammers boss was also unhappy that Manchester United's equaliser, which
was scored by Anthony Martial, was allowed to stand as midfielder Bastian
Schweinsteiger appeared to block West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph. "It is
an obvious foul from Schweinsteiger on Randy," added Bilic. "He would've
definitely got to the ball. "There were two crucial decisions but I don't
want to spoil the game by moaning about the referee."

Manchester United's 'amazing spirit'

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal refused to comment on the referee's
performance, but praised his side's effort three days after playing on
Thursday in their 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the first leg of their last-16
Europa League tie. "The difference was that we have played a match on
Thursday and they have the whole week of preparation," said Van Gaal. "In
the second half we were the better team, they scored a free-kick, we are
behind and have also played against WBA and Liverpool this week and lost.
"But when you can come back from that I think it is amazing spirit in the
team in spite of a very nasty week."

On the two controversial decisions by Atkinson, Van Gaal said: "We can
discuss every decision of the referee but I only can say we are very unlucky
this season with referees' decisions. "He has to decide within one second.
That is more difficult than I can do."

'A perfect moment of pure class'

Hammers boss Bilic also praised Payet for his spectacular free-kick that
gave the Hammers the lead. "My assistants told me he scored a similar one in
the warm-up," said Bilic. "He also scored against Blackburn in the FA Cup
and I said to myself: 'It is a bit too far, it has got to be special.' "It
was a perfect moment of pure class and even David de Gea couldn't do
anything about it."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manchester United 1-1 West Ham United
SUN, 13 MAR 2016FA CUP - SIXTH ROUND
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Old Trafford

Anthony Martial's late equaliser earned Manchester United an FA Cup
quarter-final replay at West Ham United after Dimitri Payet's magnificent
free-kick threatened to heap further misery on manager Louis van Gaal.
Payet's 68th-minute strike, curved high past United keeper David de Gea from
30 yards, looked to have put the Hammers on course for a semi-final at
Wembley. United, however, were revitalised by the introduction of Bastian
Schweinsteiger for the struggling Marouane Fellaini and Martial ensured the
teams would meet again at the Boleyn Ground with a far-post finish seven
minutes from time.

Michael Carrick shot just wide and De Gea saved superbly from Michail
Antonio in a frantic finale - while West Ham were frustrated earlier when
referee Martin Atkinson ignored penalty appeals after Payet fell under
challenge from Marcos Rojo.

Martial offers Van Gaal salvation

In amongst the wreckage of this traumatic season for Manchester United, the
£36m purchase of Martial has been one of the few shining lights.
And the 20-year-old came to the rescue of Van Gaal just as West Ham looked
on course to knock the home team out of the FA Cup. Martial was tireless
throughout and got his reward when he reacted first at the far post, turning
in Ander Herrera's cross as Diafra Sakho hesitated.
If United had gone out here, Van Gaal would have been left banking on his
side delivering the sort of comeback they currently look incapable of
producing as they try to overturn Liverpool's 2-0 lead in the last 16 of the
Europa League at Old Trafford on Thursday. It would have left Van Gaal
effectively facing the end of United's season - and almost certainly the end
of his reign at the end of the season. Martial's goal at least gives Van
Gaal and United something extra to fight for in the quarter-final replay.

The genius of Dimitri Payet

West Ham brought 9,000 fans to Old Trafford - and the name of one man was on
their lips before, during and after this FA Cup quarter-final.
"We've Got Payet, Dimitri Payet" has become an anthem at the Boleyn Ground
and the 28-year-old signed from Marseille for a fee in excess of £10m last
summer justified every part of his status as the new idol of West Ham. When
he lined up his free-kick, it looked almost too far out even for a player
who has made a habit of producing the spectacular this season. However, he
somehow found the only part of the net that was out of reach of the
outstretched arm of De Gea. World class. Payet's impact at West Ham has been
so big he was swiftly rewarded with a new, extended contract to ward off
potential interest from elsewhere. West Ham will have a new beginning at the
Olympic Stadium next season - the brilliant Frenchman will be the symbol of
that fresh start.

Fellaini symbol of Man Utd's woes

In the first half Fellaini made no tackles, interceptions, blocks or
clearances. He also lost possession 11 times, more than any of his
team-mates The giant figure of Fellaini has always been a square peg in a
round hole at Old Trafford, a player out of step with United's traditions of
fast, attacking play. It has not always been the Belgian's fault, but the
regard in which he is held was emphasised by the loud cheers that greeted
his substitution, the loudest of the day at that point. And his cause was
not helped by the transformation in United's play once he went off and the
veteran Schweinsteiger was introduced with 16 minutes left. United had been
one-dimensional and stodgy, with too many long balls and unimaginative ideas
that proved easy for West Ham's defence to deal with.

Van Gaal's changes saw United finally produce width and threat, with the
31-year-old German showing all his experience to spread the play and give
the Hammers something to think about. The sudden build-up of pressure led to
Martial's equaliser - so perhaps a lesson learned for Van Gaal.

Man of the match - Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
Frenchman Payet has also picked up 10 assists in his maiden campaign with
the Hammers

What did the managers say?

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal: "West Ham were the better team before
they scored but then we created chances too. It was a fantastic free-kick.
"We have played a game against Liverpool on Thursday and they had the whole
week to prepare and we could come back and show a big revival. I have to
give a lot of compliments to my team. They were mentally tired after
Liverpool and also in the body. "It was a fantastic match between two good
sides and I am very happy that my team showed their spirit after a nasty
week."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "Manchester United are a different team when
they play away and don't have that confidence. "Here, it is very hard to
play with 75,000 fans and this atmosphere. It (the replay) is going to be a
tough game, but I fancy us because we're going to be even more confident. We
could have held on for 1-0 and on counter-attacks I was expecting to create
one, two or three more clear-cut chances. Our dressing room was, and still
is, very silent. I'm not over the moon but it means we are moving in a good
direction."

The stats you need to know

Man United are unbeaten in their past 10 home meetings with West Ham in all
competitions, though the last two have ended in draws.
The Red Devils have had 39 shots (including blocked) in their two meetings
with West Ham this season, though just three have been on target (one goal).
Every one of Dimitri Payet's last eight goals in all competitions for West
Ham have been away from home.
Willian of Chelsea (six) is the only Premier League player to score more
free-kicks in all competitions this season than Payet (three).
Only Wayne Rooney (18) has been directly involved in more goals than Anthony
Martial (16) in all competitions for Man United this season.
However, this was Martial's first goal in six games, since a 2-1 loss at
Sunderland in February.

What next?

Manchester United next play in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday, taking
on Liverpool at Old Trafford with a 2-0 deficit from the first leg (20:05
GMT). The Hammers' next game is on Saturday, away to Chelsea in the Premier
League (15:00 GMT).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manchester United 1-1 West Ham: Anthony Martial forces replay after Dimitri
Payet's cracker
By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 13/03/16 8:56pm
SSN

Anthony Martial kept Manchester United's FA Cup hopes alive as his late
equaliser earned a 1-1 draw against West Ham at Old Trafford and forced a
quarter-final replay. Dimitri Payet's sumptuous 68th-minute free-kick looked
to have sent the Hammers to Wembley but the hosts rallied, with Martial
levelling the score seven minutes from time. The result sees both sides join
Crystal Palace, Everton and Watford in Monday's semi-final draw, while West
Ham's Boleyn Ground will play host to Manchester United in its final FA Cup
game before the Hammers move to the Olympic Stadium.

With holders Arsenal falling out of the competition at the hands of Watford
earlier in the day, the winner of Sunday's tie would have been tipped as cup
favourites. The contest was the second game in a defining week for Louis van
Gaal, who made three changes to the side which was overpowered in Thursday's
Europa League defeat at Liverpool. Slaven Bilic made three changes too, with
Andy Carroll and Winston Reid recalled into the starting line-up as the
Hammers looked to extend a four-game winning streak.

And it was the visitors who created the better chances in a cautious first
half. First Carroll played strike partner Emmanuel Emenike through on goal,
only for the Nigerian to drag his shot wide on six minutes, before Carroll's
thunderous 10th-minute header missed the target. Emenike should have put the
Hammers in front on 18 minutes but he headed Aaron Cresswell's cross
straight at David de Gea, who gratefully gathered.

West Ham struggled to deal with Martial's pace down the left but nothing
came of the Frenchman's attacking threat as the home side failed to register
a shot on target in the first half. Ander Herrera missed the clearest
opening shortly before the half-hour mark, firing Marcos Rojo's cut-back
wide. The second half was strewn with a host of penalty claims, but referee
Martin Atkinson chose not to penalise Angelo Ogbonna or Reid for alleged
handballs, before Rojo escaped punishment for appearing to trip Payet at the
other end.

Atkinson did award Payet a free-kick after he was clipped by Daley Blind
shortly after, and West Ham's talisman produced a stunning 30-yard effort
which beat De Gea at full stretch. As the 9,000 travelling away supporters
began to sing Wembley chants, Payet could have sealed their passage 13
minutes from time only for Guillermo Varela to keep the home side's hopes
alive with a last-gasp interception, after a deflection fell kindly for the
forward.

Six minutes later the hosts were level. Jesse Lingard and Herrera combined
to tee up Martial and the 20-year-old hooked the ball past Darren Randolph,
who appeared to have been impeded by substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Michael Carrick came close late on, dragging a shot wide against his former
club, before the visitors' late assault proved to be fruitless, with De Gea
thwarting Michail Antonio in the closing stages.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Louis van Gaal accuses Dimitri Payet of diving before his spectacular West
Ham opener in Old Trafford draw
20:14, 13 MAR 2016 UPDATED 20:14, 13 MAR 2016
BY DAVID MCDONNELL
The French playmaker netted a superb free-kick in the FA Cup quarter-final,
which was cancelled out by Anthony Martial's late equaliser
The Mirror

Louis van Gaal accused Dimitri Payet of diving as Manchester United scored
late to earn an FA Cup replay. Anthony Martial's 83rd-minute equaliser
denied West Ham a semi-final place, after Payet had given them the lead with
a stunning 35-yard free-kick. But Van Gaal suggested Payet should not have
been on the pitch to score the 68th-minute goal after accusing him of diving
to try to con referee Martin Atkinson. Payet was already on a booking when
he went down in the United area under a challenge from Marcos Rojo, but
Atkison chose not to award a penalty. Van Gaal said: "Payet was more or less
diving. He was maybe touched, but not enough to fall like that. "But there
are always discussions about the decisions of the referee."

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic rejected van Gaal's claim, insisting Payet was
fouled, and also claimed United's equaliser should have been disallowed for
a foul on his goalkeeper Darren Randolph by Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Substitute Schweinsteiger clattered into Randolph as Martial swept the ball
into the net for United's late leveller, leaving Bilic furious. For me, it
should have been a penalty on Dimitri," said Bilic. "A dive? Come on. If you
have a screen I am going to show you and defend my point at Cambridge
[Union]. "You can clearly see there is contact. So it's definitely not a
dive, 100 per cent not a dive. "If you're sliding in your own box from
behind, then you're taking a risk. It wasn't nasty, it was mistimed, nowhere
near the ball. "And it was an obvious foul from Schweinsteiger on Randloph,
because if he didn't, then he would have got to the ball."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet hailed by Slaven Bilic after scoring 'the
perfect' free-kick
21:40, 13 MAR 2016 UPDATED 22:13, 13 MAR 2016
BY DAVID MCDONNELL
Payet scored a long-range free-kick to give them Hammers the lead at Old
Trafford, which Bilic admitted he thought was too far out to beat David De
Gea
The Mirror

So Upton Park will play host to a final FA Cup tie before West Ham say an
emotional farewell to their home for the past 112 years. When that replay
against Manchester United will be is anyone's guess, given the lack of
available space in the already congested fixture calendar. But West Ham were
fully deserving of another crack at Louis van Gaal's side and, in truth,
should have already booked their semi-final place after outplaying them at
Old Trafford. A remarkable season for Hammers, which has seen them win at
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton, looked set to yield another
famous win at the Theatre or Dreams.
Whether Dimitri Payet should have been on the pitch when he opened the
scoring in the 68th minute is open to debate. The playmaker had earlier been
booked for a tug on Jesse Lingard, when he went to ground in search of a
penalty under a challenge from Marcos Rojo. Referee Martin Atkinson was not
convinced, although he chose not to show Payet a second yellow card for
simulation - and a subsequent red, meaning he remained on the pitch to
plunder the opening goal. If Payet was perhaps lucky to remain on the pitch,
there was nothing fortuitous about his stunning opener, an
expertly-dispatched free-kick from 30 yards which gave United goalkeeper
David De Gea no chance.
Payet's moment of magic was no surprise to his team-mates, who watch him
produce such heroics on a regular basis. "He practises those free-kicks a
lot and eight times out of 10 they go in," said West Ham keeper Darren
Randolph. "He can produce them in the big moments." Hammers boss Slaven
Bilic called Payet's strike "a pure class of magic" and it was hard to
disagree with that assessment of such a majestic strike. "My assistants tell
me he scored as similar one during the warm-up," said Bilic. "He scored one
like that against Blackburn in the FA Cup. "So he's got it. But before he
took it I said to myself 'it's a bit too far out to beat De Gea and has to
be special to beat him from there'. "But, make no mistake, it was a pure
class of magic. The perfect one."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nordtveit confirms German exit
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

25-year-old Norwegian midfielder Havard Nordtveit has today confirmed he is
leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach in the summer when his contract expires.
Gladbach have also confirmed that Nordtveit is heading to England. German
newspaper Bild backs rumours in the UK that Nordveit's destination in
England is West Ham where he is said to join on a free transfer this summer.
Nordtveit spent three years with Arsenal youth between 2007 and 2010,
however, he never made a first team appearance, spending most of his time on
loan. This season Nordtveit has scored four times in 23 Bundesliga matches
for Gladbach. However, Nordtveit is more of a defensive midfielder, who, if
signed by the Hammers, could challenge replace Alex Song whose loan expires
at the end of this season. Borussia Dortmund, Schalke,Atletico Madrid and
Arsenal were also said to be keen on signing the player. The midfielder has
been rumoured to have signed a pre-contract with the Hammers.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slav angry at two poor decisions
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic is no moaner but he was upset with two crucial decision which
cost the Hammers big time at Old Trafford this afternoon.

Dimi Payet was clearly brought down in the box by Marcus Rojo but
refereeMartin Atkinson allowed play to go on when it was clear the fould ha
been committed.

And if that wasn't enough Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph was clearly
fouled for the United equaliser.

Slav said: There were two crucial decisions for the penalty on Payet – every
neutral would see that as a penalty.

"And it was clear that Schweinsteiger had pushed Randy before Martial
scored. It's a fact- they were two critical decisions.

"Now we take them back to Upton Park and we are confident. We have players
coming back so we can afford to be even more confident."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reece Oxford mystery solved
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Young Hammer, Reece Oxford has solved the mystery of his exclusion from the
FA Cup squad that travelled to Manchester over the weekend.

The 17 year old central defender who can also play in midfield has revealed
he suffered a small injury in training yesterday which ruled him out.

Speaking on his personal twitter account this afternoon Ocford said:

"Unfortunately, I got a small injury in training yesterday, but massive game
for the boys today"

Slaven Bilic was forced to include Winston Reid in his squad who started
against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-final
despite only resuming training on Friday after 5 weeks out with a hamstring
injury.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Deschamps warms to Payet French recall
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 13, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

French National coach, Didider Deschamps says he remains open minded about a
recall to the France national side for West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet. He
told the French media: 'Dimitri has always been good with his club,' said
Deschamps. 'That was already the case at Marseille. 'For the national team,
he made good entrances, he was good against Denmark, I do not forget that.'
Deschamps added: 'It is not necessarily because there is huge competition
that I will not pick him. And it is not necessarily because of a media
campaign that I will pick him.' Previously, Deschamps told the French media
"Dimitri is a quality player, who performs well for his clubs. He is good in
a certain position and I am here to judge.
For France, the demands are greater. Everyone deserves a shot in life. But I
do not have only lambs, I have players with character."

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


http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 13th March 2016

Preview - Man Utd
WHUFC.com

The background

A place at Wembley is up for grabs on Sunday when West Ham United travel to
Manchester United for their Emirates FA Cup quarter-final tie.

The Hammers will be looking to book a first trip to the national stadium
since their 2012 Championship Play-Off final success, and move a step closer
to their first FA Cup final since 2006 in the process.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers have all fallen
victim to the Hammers in this season's FA Cup so far, while Manchester
United have battled past Football League trio Sheffield United, Derby County
and Shrewsbury Town.

The tie brings together the teams fifth and sixth in the Barclays Premier
League, with Louis van Gaal's team currently two points behind the Hammers.

The Red Devils have lost their last two games, coming up short against both
West Bromwich Albion in the league and Liverpool in the Europa League over
the last week.
The history

Manchester United have won eleven FA Cups to the Hammers' three, with their
last success coming back in 2004.

West Ham and the Red Devils have met in eight previous FA Cup ties, with
both teams winning four each. The last meeting came in 2012/13 when a 2-2
Boleyn Ground draw was followed by a 1-0 replay win for the north west club.

Earlier this season the teams played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, when
both Winston Reid and Mauro Zarate struck the woodwork for the visitors.
The match

Team news

West Ham United

Enner Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey O'Brien are available for the Hammers
again after shaking off their respective injuries.

Winston Reid returned to training this week, but James Tomkins and James
Collins are injured, while Sam Byram is cup tied.
Manchester United

Juan Mata is banned after being sent off in Manchester United's defeat to
West Brom. However, Jesse Lingard is available after serving a European ban.

Wayne Rooney, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young are the Red Devils' long-term
absentees.
Match info

- Sunday's match referee is Martin Atkinson. He has refereed 37 games
this term, dishing out 132 yellow and just one red card.
- West Ham's last two cup triumphs over United were at Old Trafford, the
most recent being by 1-0 in 2001.
- United have conceded only once in their three previous FA Cup games
this campaign.
- They have scored 12 goals in their last four games at Old Trafford in
all competitions, as many as they had managed in their previous 13 home
matches.
- West Ham have won 10 of their last 15 games in all competitions (D3,
L2).
- The Hammers have scored seven goals in their last two FA Cup ties.
- They last reached the sixth round in 2010-11 season, where they were
eliminated 2-1 at Stoke.
- Michail Antonio has scored in his last three appearances in all
competitions.
Coverage, ticketing, travel and other info

- All 9,000 tickets for Hammers fans have sold out for this fixture.
- Click here for the latest news on the roads and here for the trains.
- The sun is expected to be shining at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon,
with temperatures reaching 12C (54F) by mid-afternoon.
- If you're not heading to the game, make sure you stay abreast of all
the action on our digital channels. The whufc.com Match Centre will have
live audio commentary, text updates, in-running stats, photos and more. You
can get involved in the conversation on social using the hashtag #MNUWHU

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Antonio - Old Trafford was a turning point for me
WHUFC.com

Michail Antonio has fond memories of playing at Old Trafford and hopes to be
celebrating another famous victory so he can show off his new goalscoring
celebrations against Manchester United. Antonio has been a revelation for
the Hammers in the last three months and has played a major role in helping
the Club move back into the top five in the Premier League and reaching the
last eight of the FA Cup. The 25-year-old has scored three goals in his last
three games which has taken his tally to 11 goals this season and played his
part in a memorable comeback over Everton last weekend. Antonio has also
caught the imagination of the West Ham fans with his goalscoring
celebrations and few could forget his Simpsons breakdance when he scored the
winning goal against Sunderland. The talented winger then followed that up
with his match-winner against Tottenham when he did the Carlton Dance and he
is now preparing another special celebration if he gets among the goals
against United. Antonio has no doubts that the turning point in his West Ham
career came at Old Trafford when he appeared as an early substitute for
Victor Moses and has never looked back since that moment. Antonio said:
"It's always been one of my boyhood dreams to play at Old Trafford and I
managed to get on during that game and before that I wasn't really playing.
It is crazy how Victor got injured during the first half and I managed to
get my longest spell in that game at Old Trafford. "It was definitely a
turning point for me and that was the game that got me into the team and
earned me a couple of starts. "From there, I haven't looked back and now
I've got seven goals this season (for West Ham) so far and I hope I can keep
adding to it."

The 9000 West Ham fans who are heading to Old Trafford would love to see
Antonio stay among the goals on Sunday and they could be in for an extra
surprise if he gets on the scoresheet. Antonio added: "I have already
started to think of new celebrations, so hopefully I will be able to use
them. I believe in it and I can see my goal and see the celebration that
goes with it. All I need now is to happen now. "I watched an episode of the
Simpsons the night before the game and I was in the shower in the hotel room
and I thought to myself, I might start doing some crazy celebrations and to
try to interact with the fans more. "At the end of the season, we can get
the fans to vote for the best celebration of the season. "I am a massive
Simpsons fan. I am probably most like Bart, I am a bit mischievous. "Growing
up, I didn't celebrate much. At Southampton, I used to do the 'Bogul' and
the fans used to do it back to me."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carrick expecting tough encounter
WHUFC.com

Former West Ham United midfielder Michael Carrick is relishing the chance to
come up against his old side at Old Trafford in the Emirates FA Cup
quarter-final and feels Dimitri Payet has been one of the signings of the
season.

Payet, who recently won the Premier League Player of the Year at the London
Football Awards has wasted no time becoming a cult hero at the Boleyn Ground
and Carrick knows that his Manchester United side will need to stop the
French star if they are to take progress to the next round.

Carrick enjoyed a memorable four-year spell with the Hammers where he made
159 appearances and scored six goals.

The England midfielder knows it will be a special atmosphere inside Old
Trafford on Sunday and feels his side will have to be at their very best if
they are to come away with a victory as West Ham are enjoying a memorable
season under Slaven Bilic.

Carrick said: "They've impressed me an awful lot this season, they started
off well with a couple of big results against Arsenal and Manchester City
and they have carried that on.

"They've got a good mix and Payet has had a fantastic season and now he is
back from injury, he's flying again.

"They may not have expected to be where they are now, but as a squad they
look strong and they've got good quality in depth and full credit to them.

"Payet has been their main man this season, I hadn't seen much of him before
coming to West Ham, but he has been a huge hit in the Premier League, with
his performances, goals, assists and everything else that he brings to their
side. He has almost been the catalyst for their season.

"We know this is a big week for us and this is the time of the season when
things are won or lost. We want to stay in the competitions right until the
very end."

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

Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill is a big fan of the Hammers this
season and relishes the chance to interview Slaven Bilic at the pre-match
press conference. He has no doubts that Dimiti Payet has been one of the
signings of the season and expects West Ham to get a positive result against
Manchester United on Sunday.


I think West Ham will win on Sunday. United are playing like a team where
they know that changes are going to be made during the summer.

It does a lot of damage to your morale when you are beaten by your biggest
rival following their defeat against Liverpool in the Europa League on
Thursday night and playing so badly.

I suppose there is an argument that they will be licking their wounds and
will want some revenge, but you have got to be good enough to get that
revenge and West Ham's away form has been impressive.

They have already been to Old Trafford this season and done a good job
before and I am sure West Ham fans would settle for another 0-0 draw and
bring them back to the Boleyn Ground.

I am big fan of Slaven Bilic. He is just a nice man and he impresses me
every time I come to interview him.

You get a straight answer to any type of question and when you get someone
like him who is honest, it is very refreshing.

Even away from the press conferences you can see that he is down to earth
and is very passionate about what he does.

All the headlines have been about Dimitri Payet this season and rightly so
as he has been magnificent.

When West Ham first went for him a lot of people didn't know too much about
him. But I can remember seeing him during the pre-season and I was doing
some updates from the game and I looked at my cameraman and thought wow he
is a player.

From what I was told no-one else really went for him and West Ham pulled out
all the stops to get him and they are now getting their just rewards.

I think he should be the Player of the Year because of what he cost, how
well he has done and the way he wasted no time settling into the Premier
League.

If the Club do get into the Champions League which I think they will, a
large part of that will be down to him.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those
of West Ham United

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Westley - We were good
WHUFC.com

Academy director Terry Westley spoke of his pride at the impressive
performance his young Hammers put in away at St James' Park. Captained by
Marcus Browne, Westley's charges started with six players who are still
eligible for the U18s, and a further two came on off the bench to record an
emphatic 4-1 win. The Hammers got off to a terrific start as Browne opened
the scoring after just eight minutes volleying Stephen Hendrie's searching
cross in off the post. Speaking at full-time Westley said: "We had a lot of
youngsters out there tonight, and it could have gone one of two ways.
Thankfully we've come through it, and we've also played well. In parts some
of the best football we've played. "Players like Noha and Matty Carter will
learn a lot from tonight, so there are a lot of positives for us to take
away."

Things got even better as Moses Makasi, ever-present at the heart of
midfield doubled the lead, slotting home coolly after an intricate one-touch
move involving Tunji Akinola and Sam Ford. An excellent first half was
rounded off when Dan Kemp scored on his first start for the U21s, converting
Stephen Hendrie's pinpoint cross from close range. Into the second period
and the Hammers were just as clinical. Youngster Matt Carter got in on the
goalscoring act as he lifted the ball over goalkeeper Pearson from distance.
The midfielder was rightly delighted. Westley continued: "I thought Marcus
Browne in particular was fantastic, he really took the captaincy on well and
really led from the first minute onwards. "He's done ever so well recently
in among the first team and he's enjoying his football. When he's on this
type of form he's a joy to watch and it'll be interesting to see how far he
goes."

Following tonight's convincing win, attentions will quickly turn to
Wednesday's mouth-watering semi-final with Liverpool on Wednesday 16 March.
Westley finished by saying: "In terms of preparation, tonight was about as
perfect as it could have been. We wanted to win tonight, and thankfully we
did, but we had half an eye on Wednesday. "A lot of people have put
themselves in contention for a start, and that's exactly the situation we
wanted to be in. "It's a headache, but a good one, we are in a good position
and very much looking forward to the tie."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kemp delighted with first Dev Squad goal
WHUFC.com

On an outstanding night for the Development Squad up in Newcastle which saw
the young Hammers despatch their counterparts 4-1, youngster Dan Kemp's
performance was one of the highlights.

The winger has been in scintillating form recently for the U18s, scoring
four goals, and more than took his opportunity during his first start for
the U21s by scoring.

The former Chelsea player ran on to Stephen Hendrie's pinpoint cross and
finished with the cool calm collectiveness of a seasoned professional.

Reflecting on an impressive showing, Kemp said: "I'm delighted to have
scored on my first start for the U21s but it was a great performance and a
great result more importantly. We played really well as a team and it was
great to get on the scoresheet.

"We had a game plan to get into their faces and get to the ball, try to win
it back early and then exploit the space and I think we did that well. My
won it back high up the field and scored some great goals on the counter.

"We broke on the counter with pace, Stephen ran down the left and put in a
great cross and I thought I finished it quite well at the backpost.

"That was the third goal it kind of killed the game off, even though it was
still pretty early on. We were a bit disappointed to let them back in just
before half-time. After the fourth goal went in it was game over really."

With a number regular U21 players rested, some due to their involvement with
the first team, Westley named a young side which captained by Marcus Browne,
had six U18s with a further two coming off the bench.

It was Browne who opened the scoring early on, before Moses Makasi, Kemp and
Matt Carter all got on the scoresheet.

Kemp continued to describe how crucial getting the early goal was: "The
early goal was very important, it set the tone for the game and in general I
think we dominated really. Terry said in the dressing room afterwards that
that was one of our best performances of the season, so we're all pleased.

"It would be brilliant if we could make it into the play offs and get
promoted, we just need to keep going now."

Now, Kemp and his teammates will have to refocus quickly as they host
Liverpool in the semi-final of the U21 Premier League Cup at Rush Green on
Wednesday 16 March.

In what is no doubt the biggest game of the season, Kemp will be hoping his
sparkling performance may be enough to see him continue in the side.

He continued: "Wednesday is a massive game, I'd love to involved, I think
everyone would. It's a cup semi-final, at home, so a massive game and one we
really want to win.

"I've played against Liverpool at U16 level, they're always a good side at
every level so it'll be tough but we've got a lot of quality and know, on
our day, that we can beat anyone."

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Manuel Lanzini: 'I feel at home at West Ham, so why would I leave?'
Exclusive: The Hammers loan is keen to a complete a £7.4m permanent deal
KEN DYER Friday 11 March 20160 comments
Evening Standard

Manuel Lanzini felt moved to issue an apology this week. He had impishly
posted a video on his Instagram account of a few moments of a training
session this week at West Ham's Chadwell Heath training ground. In the video
(below), Lanzini slides the ball through the legs of bemused club-mate Alex
Song and then does something similar to Angelo Ogbonna, who then playfully
wrestles him on the ground. "Perdon [excuse me]," posts Lanzini. "Sorry for
this, hahahaha." The on-loan 23-year-old is unlikely to attempt anything
quite as audacious in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United but
it remains a light-hearted example of the ability possessed by the man they
call 'La Joya' — The Jewel — back in Argentina.
Slaven Bilic tried to sign Lanzini when he was coach of Turkish club
Besiktas. The Argentine, who begun his career at River Plate and then moved
on loan to Fluminense, was in the United Arab Emirates with Al Jazira. Bilic
was unsuccessful but when he arrived at West Ham last summer, the top two
players on his wish list were Dimitri Payet — and Lanzini. Lanzini's role
model is compatriot Pablo Aimar but Bilic believes his midfielder's style is
more reminiscent of Real Madrid and former Tottenham star Luka Modric. "He
is everything as a player," says Bilic, who coached Modric with Croatia. "He
reminds me of Modric the way he plays. He is always around the ball, he's
always an option for other players, he comes out of difficult situations, he
can help bring the team 30 yards up the pitch and he is very good in
defence. He's still very young but if he carries on improving, he can be a
great player."

Lanzini appreciates his manager's kind words. "Modric is a fantastic player
and I am proud to be compared to a player as talented as him," says the 5ft
6in playmaker. At first sight, you would think, Lanzini might struggle in
the muscular environs of the Premier League. In fact, there is more fat on a
chip. So how has he coped?

"I knew it was going to be difficult to adapt to the English game but I was
confident in my body and ability," he says. "I know at times I need to adapt
my game and that sometimes I need to battle and fight more than I am used to
but I feel that I am pretty smart like that."

Given his performances, it is not surprising that West Ham are keen to make
Lanzini's season's loan permanent. Al Jazira are prepared to let him go for
£7.4 million and Bilic expects the deal to be sealed in the near future. A
thigh injury had delayed the issue but Lanzini returned to action at the end
of last month and says: "I would obviously like to reach an agreement to be
able to stay here. "I feel at home here, London is one of the great cities
of the world. At West Ham the coaching team, the players and the fans treat
me really well. When you feel at home, why would you want to leave?"

England is the latest stop on a rather unsual footballing journey with
Lanzini cutting his teeth in Argentina and Brazil before taking the rare
step for a young emerging player of a switch to the UAE Gulf League. "It
isn't the most typical of career paths for a young player I know but every
decision that I made was focused on my future and allowed me to improve as a
player," says Lanzini, who had a season in the Middle East. "At each club, I
tried to learn as much as I could from the more experienced players."

Lanzini knows he has some way to go before emulating another West Ham
favourite and fellow Argentine, Carlos Tevez. He says: "Although River Plate
are great rivals with Tevez's club, Boca Juniors, I have to say he is a
fantastic player. He is a real champion."

It is Lanzini's partnership with Payet, though, which has really thrilled
the West Ham fans, 9,000 of whom will be at Old Trafford. "He is capable of
changing a game on his own," he says. "We all put our confidence in him and
given the way we both play, I always look to link up with Dimitri. Together,
we try to drive the team forward."

They will look to do that on Sunday when victory will take West Ham to
Wembley. "It will be a great match," he says. "We know if we stick to the
plan and play well, then we can win this game. We want to excite the fans
with an entertaining performance."

There is little doubt about Lanzini's own entertainment value — just ask
Song or Ogbonna.

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Man Utd v West Ham preview: Juan Mata suspended for hosts
By Jack Wilkinson
Last Updated: 12/03/16 3:55pm
SSN

Manchester United will be looking to make it five home wins in a row when
they welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford for Sunday's FA Cup
quarter-final. Although their form has been strong at home, Louis van Gaal's
men go into this clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the
Europa League - a game in which they had just one shot on target. West Ham,
who last won the FA Cup in 1980, are enjoying a fine spell of form under
Slaven Bilic, winning their last four games in all competitions.

Juan Mata will miss the game with through suspension. Jesse Lingard returns
to the United squad having served a ban in the Europa League clash with
Liverpool, while Adnan Januzaj and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are available having
been ineligible for Thursday's match. Wayne Rooney (knee), Luke Shaw (leg),
Ashley Young (groin/pelvis) and Will Keane (groin) remain absent, but
Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson are nearing
returns.

West Ham can welcome back Enner Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey O'Brien.
Valencia has recovered from a sprained ankle, Moses is fit after a quad
injury and O'Brien has shaken off hamstring trouble. Winston Reid is close
to returning after a hamstring problem but the Old Trafford clash is likely
to come too soon, while fellow defenders James Tomkins (calf) and James
Collins (hamstring) are still injured and Sam Byram is cup-tied.

Opta stats

This is the ninth time these sides have been drawn in the FA Cup - the
previous eight have alternated between West Ham progressing twice and United
progressing twice.

The Red Devils have progressed the last two times they've faced West Ham in
the FA Cup, meaning West Ham would go through if the sequence was to
continue.

The Hammers are winless in their last nine trips to Old Trafford in all
competitions (D1 L8), since Carlos Tevez's strike kept them in the Premier
League on the final day of the 2006/07 season.

Manchester United have lost their last two FA Cup home games against fellow
Premier League sides, both by a 2-1 scoreline (Swansea in 2014 and Arsenal
in 2015).

West Ham scored as many goals in their last FA Cup away game as they had in
their previous 11 in the competition (5).

Louis van Gaal's side were eliminated at this stage last season, to eventual
winners Arsenal.

West Ham have reached the quarter-final stage for the first time since 2011,
when they were eliminated by eventual runners-up Stoke.

Michail Antonio has scored in his last three appearances for West Ham in all
competitions.

Merson's prediction

Oh my God. I have never seen anything like that Man Utd performance against
Liverpool on Thursday night. I know it wasn't great at the start of the
season but this was different.

Did anybody tell the players it was Liverpool against Man Utd? It is
supposed to be the ultimate game in English football, but if you looked at
the Man Utd players, you can't tell me they saw it like that.

You felt for their supporters because they know what that match means.
Everybody had a bad game but you have to show desire.

After that display, I'd be shocked if United beat West Ham and I'm going for
a draw, setting up the last FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground. You couldn't
handpick a better game with the winner playing at Wembley, and it's all set
up for West Ham.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (Sky Bet odds 5/1)

Betting

United are 19/20 favourites with Sky Bet to reach the last four while West
Ham can be backed at 3/1 to record another victory on the road. Dimitri
Payet has been amongst goals lately for the Hammers and for him to score and
West Ham to win in 90 Mins Sky Bet have boosted his price from 7/1 to 9/1.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ROB GREEN HAD WEST HAM MEDICAL
By Iain Dale 12 Mar 2016 at 12:10
WTID

In the last transfer window there was a bit of chatter that West Ham would
re-sign Rob Green from QPR. I didn't think much of it at the time but Green
has confirmed it all in an interview with the Daily Mail

Perhaps the main source of frustration is how close he came to leaving last
summer and in January. Some have suggested moves to West Ham and Crystal
Palace fell through because of his wage demands. Green insists that was not
the case, having agreed terms with both clubs and even passing a medical at
Upton Park.

The truth is QPR's owners had an issue with selling to West Ham, while
things did not quite fall into place in terms of squad numbers at Palace.
'The newspaper reports weren't far off the mark,' he says. 'I was pretty
close to leaving.'

It's difficult to understand why we would have wanted him when we are
blessed with two excellent goalkeepers in Adrian and Darren Randolph, along
with Raphael Spiegel and Sam Howes.

It's also difficult to understand why Tony Fernandes would have a problem
selling to West Ham, a club he supports and wanted to own. Or maybe he has
had a big falling out with David Gold and David Sullivan.

All in all, rather odd.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic rules out shock summer move for ZLATAN
IBRAHIMOVIC
22:30, 11 MAR 2016
BY NEIL MCLEMAN
Swedish superstar is out of contract at PSG in the summer and has hinted at
a move to England but Hammers manager accepts he's "out of our league"
The Mirror

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has admitted Zlatan Ibrahimovic is "out of our
league". The Swedish superstar is out of contract at PSG this summer and has
hinted he could come to the Premier League. But the Irons boss said: "We are
moving to a new stadium. We are doing well but Ibra is out of our league,
­unfortunately. "If he leaves Paris, I don't know where he is going to go,
but I can't see him coming to West Ham." The former Croatia coach insisted
Ibrahimovic will be a great free signing for someone. "He's 34 only on
paper," he said. "He's still the leading scorer in France, so he's very
consistent. "I was at the game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, and he was
playing like he was 21. Thirty-four is only on paper."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manchester United STILL not over Alex Ferguson's exit according to FA Cup
foe West Ham boss Slaven Bilic
22:30, 11 MAR 2016
BY NEIL MCLEMAN
Hammers manager is eager to exploit hosts' woes — though he also warns they
will be like "wounded lions" after the midweek Europa League loss to
Liverpool
The Mirror

Slaven Bilic has claimed Manchester United no longer have the stars to scare
other sides – and are still ­suffering a hangover from the departure of Sir
Alex Ferguson three years ago. Although West Ham boss Bilic also warned
Louis Van Gaal's side will be like "wounded lions" in Sunday's FA Cup
quarter-final against his Hammers after their Europa League ­defeat by
arch-rivals Liverpool on Thursday, he insisted the Londoners will travel to
Old ­Trafford without fear. "With Ferguson, if you see the names that played
up front for them, they were either at a better age or were ­bigger names or
better goal-scorers," said Bilic. "Now he has some really young, talented
players who are ­definitely going to be that but simply they are not that
consistent because of their age and because the situation – it is very hard
to be confident if you are a Manchester United player. "But to be fair, they
don't have Aguero or Van Nistelrooy or Ronaldo and Rooney is injured."

Midfielder Dimitri Payet, with 10 goals, will be the biggest star on the Old
Trafford pitch on Sunday afternoon. And although Bilic predicted "a better
Manchester United" than were fortunate to escape Anfield only 2-0 down on
aggregate, he confessed his surprise at the Dutchman's continued struggles
in his second season. "Everywhere he has been he has done a tremendous job
and he has left his legacy at every club – not just one season then leave
the club ruined," he said. "He did great with Ajax, he did great with
Barcelona, he did great with Bayern Munich. "It is his second season, so it
is strange they are so inconsisent. But [it was the] same with David Moyes
so it might not be the manager's fault. It might be something deeper. It
might be Ferguson. "Sir Alex is impossible to replace." Bilic added: "I
remember also United had difficult games even when Ferguson was there. Now,
because he has become such a legend, you don't remember those things. I
remember games like that. "Okay, you can say they were playing with more
energy, most of the games were played in front of your box if you were the
opponent and now they don't have it since he's gone. "I don't think it's one
problem. If there was one problem they would have solved it. It's a little
bit more than that. But their problem is not my problem. we will try to use
the situation."

The Hammers travel to the north-west for the seventh time this season and
are still unbeaten in the region, including a ­Premier League draw at Old
Trafford in December. Bilic's side are on a four-match winning streak,
including last weekend's thrilling 3-2 victory at Everton after falling 2-0
behind. It is all in contrast with the current mood at Old Trafford. "They
are like a wounded lion, they have a massive game against us," said Bilic.
"It would be dangerous — suicidal — if we approach the game like, 'Yeah,
they are playing badly, we are playing well. We are going to cruise it.' No
way we will do that. "But if you are asking me if we are confident, we are
confident because we are playing good, we are training good. We are buzzing,
we are training hard. "That is the biggest secret. We have good players who
are hungry, who are motivated."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fan coalition calls for LLDC to "respect decision"
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

OSA previously adjourned hearing concerning the appeal by the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) against the Information Commissioner's (ICO)
order to publish the full financial terms of the deal between itself and
West Ham United FC will reconvene on Thursday March 17th at 10am at Court 4,
15 Bream's Buildings, London, EC4A 1DZ.
A football fans coalition spokesman said:

"We have already demonstrated to the tribunal that it is impossible for
another football club to share the stadium, despite the LLDC's insistence,
and the fact that West Ham United were perfectly happy to contradict the
LLDC view only serves to underscore the strength of our case."

"We hope, given this, and the weight of other evidence presented to support
our case, that the LLDC and anyone else with influence over them, respects
the decision of the tribunal and doesn't seek a further appeal. During a
time when the LLDC itself is struggling to make a commercial success of the
Olympic legacy, racking up thousands more on top of the £21,000 of
taxpayers' money already spent on this appeal alone does seem to be
frivolous."

The coalition led by the Charlton Athletic Supporters' Trust (CAST) and
Leyton Orient Fans' Trust demand to know:

How much the stadium costs West Ham to hire
How much the stadium maintenance will cost, and who will pay for it
How much each party will earn from stadium naming rights
What happens to the stadium in the event of financial difficulties at
stadium company E20
What happens if West Ham United is sold by its current owners
How much West Ham United earns from matchday catering
How many jobs are being 'created'
How much office space is being provided to West Ham United and on what terms

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Devonshire on Payet and the Man Utd clash
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
CandH Exclusive

The word legend is thrown around far too loosely but today a true Hammers
hero more worthy of the title than most – the one and only Alan Devonshire –
has chosen to speak exclusively with ClaretandHugh as we continue our guild
up to Old Trafford tomorrow.

He also gives his opinion on the amazing Dimi Payet and the comparisons
drawn between the French international and himself.

It's another top exclusive from your favourite Hammers website.

By Alan Devonshire

These are very exciting times at West Ham and I really do fancy us to beat
Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow and go back to Wembley for the
semi final.

And so long as I can get a ticket I'll be there because this Hammers team
seriously excites me. I believe this is a really good time to be playing
Manchester United. I watched them against Liverpool the other night and they
really don't look a good team.

I really don't see us coming away from OT with nothing and genuinely believe
with the team we have the win is very much on.

In Dimi Payet we have a player who is capable of most anything. He has great
ability, balance, creativity and his set pieces are brilliant.

It's important to have someone in the team that the players trust completely
and Dimi is that man. The players know that if they give him the ball in a
tight situation he will sort things out. I like to think I was the same so I
understand the comparisons between him and me.

He's 28 now of course and in his prime. Hopefully we are going to get four
or five good seasons from him and he's what I understand a West Ham player
to be.

I also love Cheik Kouyate who s a really great tackler, gets around the
pitch and is a terrific high energy player. I love him in midfield and
that's where he needs to be as a priority but he will also do a fantastic
job at the bck in an emergency.

Sakho is key to the system and to have come where we have without him shows
the type of squad we have and I'm also a fan of Enner Valencia who has great
skill. Give him an injury free run and you will see a great player.

Everywhere you look in this team there is creativity, energy and a wonderful
spirit and that's a tribute to Slaven who has done a remarkable job in his
first season.

He deserves Wembley and I believe there's every chance we will make it into
the Final after seeing off United tomorrow

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic kills off superstar signing speculation
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic has finally killed off suggestions that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will
be joining the Irons this summer declaring: "He is out of our league". It
is now well known, the 34 year old is out of contract at Paris St Germain in
June and has dropped some pretty heavy hints that he may like to make a move
to the Premier League. And it had been widely reported that the Irons had
discussed the player as they do many others. Indeed it would have been a
surprise if they hadn't. But the Irons boss has made it clear the striker
will not be joining the club saying: "We are moving to a new stadium. We are
doing well but Ibra is out of our league, ­unfortunately. "If he leaves
Paris, I don't know where he is going to go, but I can't see him coming to
West Ham."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG's 'perfect storm' becoming Hammers hurricane
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

David Gold has regularly been referring to the final Boleyn season as "a
perfect storm."

Tomorrow it can become an unstoppable Hammers hurricane.

The incredible league form, the FA Cup run, the form of our new signings,
Dimi Payt's magic and fifth place are all making it possible that this – our
final season at the dear old lady – could be our finest.

From the moment Slaven was appointed as boss there was a change in the air
and Gold says: "He has been the reason for everything that's happened. It's
been an incredible season.

"And to beat United tomorrow and find ourselves back at Wembley would be
utterly extraordinary in such a season. I've said for weeks but this really
is becoming a Hammers hurricane!

"We would have loved a home draw but with such a string of results behind us
we can go anywhere with great confidence. It's an amazing season and as I do
every week I go to Old Trafford this week fully believing we will come back
with something."

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