Stat's a Fact - Unstoppable AC
WHUFC.com
West Ham United completed back-to-back victories in the Premier League after an impressive 3-1 victory against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Andy Carroll's two goals either side of a Cristhian Stuani strike gave the visitors the advantage at half-time, before a late Jonathan Calleri goal – his first for the Hammers – stretched the unbeaten record over Boro to nine games. Carroll gave the Hammers an early lead through a trademark bullet header, whilst his second was nudged home when he reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box. The third came from second-half substitute, Calleri, who rounded-off an excellent counter-attack to slot home from 18 yards.
West Ham's third away victory of the season has lifted in them to tenth in the Premier League, their first visit to the top half since August, whilst Middlesbrough drop to 17th. Despite coming off as a 67th minute substitute, Andy Carroll continued his recent fine form to put together another excellent display in West Ham shirt. Carroll missed much of the first half of the season, but since his return, has now scored five goals in ten games and his performance yesterday was a perfect example of why he is so valuable to this Hammers side.
In the first half alone, he won five aerial battles – three more than anyone else on the field. After 67 minutes, he had made seven, which remained the most by any player by full time. Aerial duels were just a part of his impressive hold-up play though, as he also completed 27 passes and 43 touches during his time on the field. In fact, no West Ham player had made more touches of the ball at the 67-minute mark. The three goals came from five shots on target, with Carroll's two finishes his only attempts of the game – clinical!
Not just offensively was Andy influential, as he also made a total of six clearances. Only Winston Reid had made more when the big man went off. Eventually, a backs-to-the-wall closing 20 minutes meant the Hammers made an incredible 49 defensive clearances and 16 blocks yesterday.
Whilst the hosts controlled large portions of possession (61 percent), they failed to turn it into clear-cut chances with Darren Randolph tested only once after Stuani's goal. Middlesbrough's Adam Clayton completed the most passes (77) but his front-men, Negredo and Stuani, were rarely an option as West Ham gave no space in the middle of the park.
The Hammers are now not in action until 1 February when they welcome Manchester City to London Stadium. Bilic's side will head into the game with confidence following these recent wins and can hopefully call on Andy Carroll to lead the line exactly as he did yesterday.
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Sam stakes his claim
WHUFC.com
Sam Byram says West Ham United are feeling confident after back-to-back victories
Right-back keen to nail down starting place after making impressive return to action
Young defender was in good form in 3-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday
Sam Byram wants to make the right-back position his own after producing another assured display in make West Ham United's 3-1 Premier League win at Middlesbrough. Having returned from injury, the No22 was handed a start after impressing as a substitute in the home win over Crystal Palace, and took his opportunity with both feet at the Riverside Stadium. While social media and fan forums are awash with supporters demanding the Club sign a new right-back, Byram is hoping to save the Board a few million pounds. "I was glad to get the start after the last match," confirmed the Essex-born defender. "I'm still trying to find my feet with regards match-fitness, because I've not played a right lot of football since my injury, so I think I'm growing as a player in the team.
"I'm just enjoying my football at the minute and look forward to every game. I want to play as much as I can, but the squad needs strength in depth and whoever we bring in will challenge whoever is in that position. "I'm confident in my ability that I can play in this division and in this team and bring something to the squad. I'm just focusing on my game and hopefully I'll get to keep playing."
With 16 Premier League games still to play, Byram knows he could have a lengthy audition to cement his long-term future in the starting XI. "When I was out I looked at the fixtures and thought I would be back in mid-January and there are still a lot of fixtures to come," he continued. "I'm an optimistic person and try to keep smiling and will just stay positive and keep working hard."
On Saturday, the former Leeds United star stuck to his task on his return to the North East, particularly when faced with the lightning-quick Adama Traore in the second half, and wants to build on his performance over the closing months of the season. "I saw Cress laughing at half-time when he saw he (Traore) had come over to my side!" Byram said with a trademark grin. "He is said to be the fastest player in the Premier League, so it was a test I'd not faced before. "He's obviously a different type of player, so you've just got to do what you can to try and stop him. I think we dealt with the test well and everyone is feeling really positive at the moment. "I think you've just got to get as many people near him as possible! As you saw a few times, he can just run past players as if they're not there, so as a team we did our best against him, but I'm sure that won't be the last time it does it."
It will not get any easier next time out, as the Hammers host Manchester City – the team Byram faced on his debut a year ago – but he is relishing the challenge. "The atmosphere around the training ground and the changing room is probably the best it's been in a while," he confirmed. "I think the last two performances have really shown what we're about and that we can play and create chances and score goals. "If we can keep putting points on the board, we can keep looking up. "We've got ten days to prepare, which is a lot of time to get on the training pitch and work on things ahead of the next game."
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Premier League Cup game postponed
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Premier League Cup game against Leicester City on Monday night has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. Following the freezing conditions which have affected the majority of the country over the last few days, the pitch was deemed unplayable at the Chigwell Construction Stadium following a pitch inspection on Monday morning. A new date will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile, don't miss the chance to see Terry Westley's side in action again on Friday night when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League at Dagenham & Redbridge. New signing Nathan Holland could make his debut for the Club following his move from Everton over the weekend.
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Loan round up
WHUFC.com
Four Hammers were in loan action this weekend
Josh Cullen was crucial once again for Bradford as they drew 1-1 with Millwall
Martin Samuelsen, George Dobson and Alex Pike all also featured for their respective sides
Josh Cullen played 90 minutes for Bradford City as the Bantams looked to keep in touch with the automatic promotion spots in League One when they faced Millwall. It was never going to be an easy task hosting the in-form Lions however, and Stuart McCall's men were forced to battle hard to equalise after Lee Gregory had opened the scoring five minutes into the second half. It took only ten minutes, as the left-back poked in Mark Marshall's drive across the face of goal. Hammers midfielder Cullen, who has been in scintillating form for the Yorkshire side this season, did come close to giving Bradford the lead in the first half at Valley Parade, only to be denied by goalkeeper Jordan Archer.
Elsewhere in the same division, George Dobson and Martin Samuelsen both played their parts as substitutes in wins for their respective loan sides. Dobson's Walsall hosted Bristol Rovers and were comfortable 3-1 winners at the Bescot Stadium. Eoghan O'Connell, Simeon Jackson and Joe Edwards all found the back of the net for the west Midlans outfit before Rovers' top scorer Matt Taylor grabbed a late consolation. Dobson was brought on for the remaining ten minutes of the match as Walsall looked to hold onto their lead and record the three points which eventually boosted them up to 13th in League One. Meanwhile, Samuelsen played the final four minutes as Peterborough United stole maximum points at Swindon Town in a 1-0 victory. Chris Forrester caught the hosts napping as the second half began, bagging the winner thanks to Marcus Maddison's assist.
Finally, Alex Pike made his second appearance since joining Cheltenham Town on loan, playing 70 minutes in the side's 2-1 defeat to high-flyers Plymouth Argyle. The struggling Robins thought they had rescued a point when, five minutes before the end, Dan Holman cancelled out a Sonny Bradley opener. There was a late twist however, as Bradley popped up one minute into injury time to find the back of the net for the second time and keep Plymouth just four points behind Doncaster Rovers at the top of League Two.
Enner Valencia was an unused substitute for Everton in their 1-0 away win at Crystal Palace, while Marcus Browne also sat on the bench for the first time at Wigan Athletic since joining the Latics on loan last week.
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Reid hails Hammers hard work
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid proud of West Ham United's efforts over the past six weeks
Five wins and a draw in the last eight matches have lifted the Hammers up to tenth
Centre-back is looking forward to welcoming new boy Jose Fonte to the Club
Winston Reid said team spirit and a willingness to work for each other were key factors in Saturday's 3-1 Premier League victory at Middlesbrough.
The No2, who has been in eye-catching form during the Hammers' recent run of five wins in seven top-flight matches, again shone brightly on a dull day weather-wise at the Riverside Stadium.
The New Zealander put his body in the right place at the right time repeatedly as Slaven Bilic's side deservedly climbed into the top half of the table after collecting three points on Teesside.
"You know when you go away from home in the Premier League, you are going to come under pressure at some stage of the game and we did, but I thought we defended well," he told journalists.
"We got a little bit lucky in the second half with the one which ricocheted off the bar [via Aaron Cresswell and Cristhian Stuani] but we had so many chances throughout the game that I thought we deserved to win.
"It was important for us to beat teams around us like Palace and now Boro and it's a boost to be in the top ten. We started the season poorly and weren't playing the best, so we had to work harder for each other and the results have come – it's not rocket science."
Pre-match predictions and statistics suggested a tight game between a stingy Boro defence at home and a shot-shy West Ham attack on the road, but instead the match was an end-to-end affair with chances aplenty.
Was Reid surprised it was such an open game?
"No I wasn't surprised," he said. "I thought we could get a win from the game, so we tried to attack from the beginning and tried to get at them and they were at home, so they wanted to win as well.
"They probably thought they could get a win as well so that's why it was end-to-end. It was a good game to be part of. The most important thing was that we got the victory."
We started the season poorly and weren't playing the best, so we had to work harder for each other and the results have come – it's not rocket science
Winston Reid
The main reasons for that victory were the two goals scored by Reid's teammate and close friend Andy Carroll, who took his tally to the five since his return from injury last month.
"I'm happy for him," the No2 revealed. "Obviously he was out for a while with an injury but when he's fit and healthy, he scores goals and causes problems for the opponent, but he's also important for us in relieving pressure, especially from set pieces.
"You know that when's in the area, if the ball comes in to his area, he's going to attack it all-in and it helps it get the ball out."
Reid could have a new central defensive partner when West Ham host Manchester City at London Stadium on Wednesday 1 February – Portugal star Jose Fonte.
The former Southampton captain linked up with the Hammers on Friday and could make his debut in Claret and Blue alongside the Kiwi after Angelo Ogbonna was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
"We've had a bit of injuries so to get a good new signing in with Fonte will add to the group," Reid observed. "I'm sure the Club will still want to do more business, but in these last two games we've played better than we'd played previously.
"Bar when we played Manchester City at home, the last month and a half our performances have gone up a lot, which is what I expect from these players and so does the manager as well."
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Martinez joins Oxford on loan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United forward Toni Martinez has joined Oxford United on loan until the end of the season. Martinez has been one of the star performers for the PL2 side this season scoring 12 goals in 13 competitive games. The Hammers management have recognised his impressive performances and feel he will benefit from valuable first-team experience as he looks to help the League One side push towards the play-offs. Martinez will join up with Michael Appleton's squad this week and could go straight into contention for the big Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Newcastle on Saturday. The Spanish forward joined the Club from Valencia back in July 2016 and hit the ground running straight away in a claret and blue shirt when he scored on his U23 debut in the 3-0 win over Stoke City in August. Martinez has continued his rich vein of form in front of goal and everyone at the Club wishes Toni the best of luck for his loan spell at Oxford United.
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#WHUAREYA - Alfie Lewis
WHUFC.com
The Checkatrade Trophy - an opportunity for young Premier League talents to shine amongst senior professionals in the Football League. That's part of the idea, anyway, and it certainly this season worked for young Alfie Lewis.
The cultured midfielder started all three of West Ham's matches in the tournament this term, impressing with his range of passing and energetic displays, leading to starts and appearances from the bench for the Premier League 2 side.
He's enjoyed this season as a real breakthrough year at the Academy and, as he explained to West Ham TV in #WHUAREYA, he hopes to kick on even further in the second half of the campaign.
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New stewarding measures introduced
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have introduced a range of new measures with the aim of improving stewarding at London Stadium on matchdays. The Club have listened to supporters' feedback and is working very closely with London Stadium partners including Stadium operators London Stadium 185 to continue to raise the standard of stewarding.
New Measures Include:
- Writing to all ex-West Ham United stewards inviting them to work at London Stadium
- Former Boleyn Ground stewards deployed in areas where empathy with supporters is key
- Deploying the same stewards to the same areas wherever possible
- Increasing the number of Supporter Liaison Officers to 30 for the Manchester City fixture
- Club officials briefing senior stewards and supervisors about the Club, its traditions and fanbase
As Vice-Chairman Karren Brady told key fan website and forum owners at London Stadium earlier this week, the Club are determined to respond to fans's feedback and concerns from the Hammers' first six months at their new home. "As a Club, we are determined that fans enjoy the best-possible experience when they come to matches at London Stadium, and this includes having a productive and pleasant relationship with the matchday stewards," said the Vice-Chairman. "We want to hear from all former Boleyn Ground stewards and will do all we can to give them the opportunity to make the transition to London Stadium and form part of that vital link between stewards and fans. "While the vast majority of stewards, who are employed by LS185, are professional, approachable and do their jobs superbly, we know there is no substitute for those years of experience. This is just one of a range of initiatives to help build that crucial relationship between fans and stewards."
The Vice-Chairman confirmed that West Ham United will be writing immediately to all former Boleyn Ground stewards who have not taken up a role at the Club's new home for a second time, encouraging them to return to stewarding at London Stadium. The Club is also working encouraging former Boleyn Ground stewards to work towards the NVQ Level 2 Certificate in Spectator Safety qualification, which is required by LS185 for all stewards employed at London Stadium. "We always knew it would take time for everyone – the team, the Board, supporters and stewards – to settle into life at our new home, but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction," the Vice-Chairman continued. "We are working with the other stakeholders to ensure that we can take real action to deal with the issues our fans have raised. "We have introduced our team of SLOs, West Ham supporters who are there to assist their fellow fans on matchdays, and they have been very well received. I would like to have 50 SLOs on duty every matchday by the end of the current season. "In addition, we have launched a new bespoke Supporter Services Twitter feed @WestHamHelp, which is providing valuable information to fans throughout the week and on matchdays. "It is now our collective aim to continue to improve the level of stewarding to the satisfaction of every supporter who visits our iconic home, and I believe the steps we are putting in place will help us work towards that target."
*Are you a former Boleyn Ground steward interesting in taking on a similar role at London Stadium? Or are you a West Ham United fan keen to help your fellow supporters by becoming a steward for the first time?
If so, please email supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk for information about how to apply to join the London Stadium matchday stewarding team!
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LUNCHTIME ROUND UP: NEW PAYET OFFER, DOUBLE SIGNING ON THE CARDS, CHAIRMAN WORKING HARD, CARROLL FOR ENGLAND?
BY DAN CHAPMAN ON 23 JANUARY 2017 AT 1:21PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Happy Monday Hammers! Here is the news going around this lunchtime:
Marseille are set to increase their offer for Dimitri Payet this week. (Standard)
Increase the bid to what we want so we can just get rid of him now. We all want him gone as quickly as possible.
Roma are desperate to sign Sofiane Feghouli, but it is dependant on the situation with Dimitri Payet. (Daily Star)
I hope we do not sell Feghouli. He has proven to be valuable to the team in recent performances. He could become a key, key player.
West Ham are hoping to complete the double signing of Robert Snodgrass and Scott Hogan before the end of the transfer window. (Standard)
Let's hope we get these done now. Would be two brilliant additions to the team in my opinion. A winger who has a brilliant shot and also has a great delivery too, along with a man who has scored goals for fun in the Championship. Brilliant business if we get them both.
Andy Carroll says the Dimitri Payet situation will not derail West Ham. (Sky Sports)
The boys have shown real character ever since this whole Payet thing started, and I am so proud of them. Hopefully we can keep building as a team and push further up the league table.
Carroll also says that he hopes his recent form can get him back into the England frame. (Telegraph)
He deserves it more than some other obvious names, but we all know what England are like. Its always the same players and there is never a chance for any new blood.
David Sullivan says he will be working around the clock in order to bring new signings to the club. (Standard)
Keep working David, bring the signings in and the fans will be happy.
West Ham are set to finally sign Scott Hogan from Brentford this week. (Daily Star)
This story has been going on for ages, and I am so happy that is finally set to be completed. He is a brilliant striker and I am so excited to see him play upfront with Andy Carroll. It has the potential to be a brilliant strike force in my view.
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IT'S THE WEST HAM WAY BY DAISY LOWE
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 22 JANUARY 2017 AT 9:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Daisy Lowe @DaisyLoweX
After our second crucial win in a row I think it's safe to say that us Hammer's fans have certainly got something to smile about. The points are obviously crucial, but more importantly, we are gaining back our West Ham Way. The players have been smiling during games, running the length of the pitch, trying to get on the end of every ball and celebrating in style with the fans and (in some cases) ball boys! It has taken me a bit of time, but I'm starting to feel excited again.
I was lucky enough to spend the last ever season at The Boleyn Ground as a Hostess in the corporate area – some of you may even have had the pleasure of seeing me there! Coming from a West Ham family you can only imagine my Dad's pride when he could tell his mates that I was working at our club. Unfortunately with the move to the Olympic Stadium, us Hostess girls could not go over, which left a massive hole in my Saturday's. I missed seeing everybody and getting my Nathan's Pie n Mash. Although I have a season ticket (Bobby Moore Upper!) at the London Stadium, I just hated watching as a fan and not being involved behind the scenes any more.
Luckily for me, I was asked by an anonymous twitter account that some of you may know, to come and help out at the West Ham Way pre match events.
The events are held at arguably one of my favourite places – The East Ham Working Mans Club! Us Hostess girls used to always go down there after a game, and were sometimes even joined by a few of the legends! Everyone congregates upstairs where the guys set up a stage with a sound system that blasts out all our favourite songs – don't worry, I don't decide what we play. Once you're upstairs, it's time to get yourself comfortable on one of the many tables, and take full advantage of the unlimited beer and cider from the lovely ladies behind the bar. There is also pie n mash available to buy if you are feeling peckish.
About an hour in, Mark Ward will officially announce that tickets are available to buy for the raffle and that is when me and Bekka walk around chatting to everybody and handing out the tickets! The prizes have been great every week, and with 5 winners each event it is always something to look forward to, even if it's just the banter between Wardy and the lads when he is calling out winners.
Hammerettes
Possibly everybody's favourite part of the event is when Mark Ward holds a question and answer session with a former player, where nothing is off limits- and that's just Wardy! Fans are also welcome to ask questions before getting photos and autographs (myself and Bekka are more than happy to help with the photo taking!)
After the Q&A, we officially announce raffle winners, and normally have about 30 minutes left to get the last rounds in before the coaches set off to take everybody to the stadium. The coach journey is actually one of my favourite parts of the day, but be warned I always claim the back! Last week we even had Steve Lomas jump on with us which i am sure was a little bonus for those sitting with him!
If you aren't going to the game, that doesn't matter. The Working Mans Club broadcast the game on a big screen, and after watching it there last week I can say it is a lovely atmosphere that attracts nice proper West Ham fans.
Still not convinced? I get it, I mean, who would want to meet former players, win West Ham prizes, have unlimited drinks, mingle with other fans AND get your transport covered to the stadium…
The next West Ham Way pre match event is on Sat 11 Feb with special guest John Moncur! I can already tell it's going to be a lively one. Get your tickets here: http://bit.ly/TWHWTICKET5
Daisy x
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Hammers fans involved in unsavoury scenes
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 23rd January 2017
By: Staff Writer
Seven people have been arrested in relation to incidents that occurred before, during and after West Ham United's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough. Four 'Boro supporters and three West Ham fans had their collars felt in the wake of a number of disturbing scenes and flashes of violence that occurred both in and around the Riverside Stadium. Two of the travelling supporters were arrested before kick-off for drug-related offences whilst the third, a 57-year-old man was detained on Friday night in relation to a breached banning order. As for the Middlesbrough supporters, two - aged 23 and 24 - were arrested inside the stadium on suspicion of assault and a third for disorderly conduct. A fourth man was arrested outside the stadium after the game for affray.
Meanwhile several supporters have spoken about the hostile atmosphere which greeted West Ham's 3,000 travelling fans on Saturday - with one prominent KUMB member comparing the scenes to the dark days of football hooliganism. "I saw two West Ham fans going down and 20+ kicking them on the floor," he said. "Two separate incidents within 20 yards of each other, right outside the ground. "I tried to help and it was just chaos - then was also a group [of 'Boro fans] with knives further down before you went under the main bridge towards the subway. "I must have seen half-a-dozen regular [West Ham] fans take clumps from behind. One big lump had a go at me and gave it all the 'you stabbed our fans' caper. "When i told him he was just as bad, attacking normal fans, he replied 'you aren't wearing colours, so you're fair game'."
Another travelling KUMB member also witnessed similar scenes after the game. "Me and my mate walked back to the station going behind their stand," they said. "There was a lot of shouting, punches thrown and general bravado from them. "I saw someone get slapped and was told it was one of our fans, not a bloke looking for trouble. Even some older 'Boro fans said it was out of order. All the while there were no Police in sight. "The 'Boro lot lined up across the road waiting for our lot, who by now had grouped up - but still no Plod, They only got involved when our fans got together and gave it back. "They ['Boro fans] were mostly younger lads picking on ones, twos or small numbers. They didn't have a lot of bottle when ours got together. Definitely one of the more lively aways I've been to for a while."
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West Ham turn down Dimitri Payet bid of £22.5m from Marseille - Sky sources
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 23/01/17 8:02pm
SSN
West Ham have rejected a third offer from Marseille for Dimitri Payet worth around £22.5m, according to Sky sources. A source close to the French club's president claims the bid, which Marseille believe is significant, was made in pounds sterling. West Ham, who value the player at £30m and have turned down two previous offers, consider the latest approach unacceptable. Payet has made it clear he wants to return to Marseille for family reasons and continues to train with the Hammers' U23 squad. The 29-year-old cost £10.75m when he arrived in the summer of 2015 and signed a new long-term contract in February last year. West Ham have won back-to-back Premier League games without their France international, who was the club's player of the season last year. He has scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for West Ham and was rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year deal last February.
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West Ham forward Andy Carroll to undergo scan on suspected groin problem
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 23/01/17 3:42pm
SSN
Andy Carroll will undergo a full scan this week, despite being taken off only as a precaution during West Ham's 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough. The Hammers forward scored twice at the Riverside on Saturday, but was substituted in the 67th minute with a suspected groin problem. Sky Sports News HQ understand the injury was not serious and Carroll is expected to be fit to face Manchester City at the London Stadium in the Premier League on February 1. Carroll also played down fears over the possible injury following his successful afternoon in the north-east. "I'm all good and looking forward to the next game. I haven't trained all week. I had a couple of days off in the gym," he said. "My groin is a little bit tight. I didn't want to risk anything. It was a little bit stiff so maybe that's one of the reasons it's tight."
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Andy Carroll says Dimitri Payet situation will not derail West Ham
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 23/01/17 8:36am
SSN
Andy Carroll insists the ongoing situation with wantaway midfielder Dimitri Payet will not destroy the spirit within the West Ham first-team squad. The Hammers have recorded back-to-back Premier League victories since the influential France international informed manager Slaven Bilic of his desire to leave the club. Payet has not featured in the wins over Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough and is currently training with the club's U23s, with former side Marseille yet to agree a deal to re-sign him. "Our response just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves - our passion for football, for the manager and for our club," Carroll said. "No one player is going to destroy anything. I think the fight the lads have got, the fans standing behind us, it's all been great. "It is a very tight-knit group, the tightest it has been since I joined."
Carroll followed up his sensational bicycle kick against Palace with another two strikes in West Ham's 3-1 success at Middlesbrough on Saturday, taking his tally to four goals in his last six matches. The victory at the Riverside also lifted Bilic's men into the top half of the Premier League for the first time this season and Carroll believes the turnaround in West Ham's fortunes has been down to the spirit in the dressing room. "The atmosphere in and around the place is fantastic and that shows on the pitch," the 28-year-old added. "You go into the dressing room and the lads are laughing and joking. "It helps to bring out the best in players, as you can see because we're on a great run."
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Dimitri Payet and Ross McCormack have taken liberties - the FA should change rules to stop sulkers being paid
Players used to have to submit transfer requests if they wanted a move but now they can start throwing sickies or making ridiculous excuses - and the FA must prevent a similar situation repeating
The Mirror
BYSTAN COLLYMORE
20:00, 23 JAN 2017
The time has come for the FA to step up and make their rules relevant to 2017 to stop a Dimitri Payet or Ross McCormack situation happening again. Fifteen or 20 years ago if you wanted to leave a club you had to submit a transfer request and go on the transfer list. But that has now given way to a new phenomenon of players throwing in sickies or coming up with excuses like McCormack's that he couldn't open the gates outside his house to get out. There is no suggestion McCormack wants to leave Aston Villa but his training no-shows angered boss Steve Bruce. Agents and players have realised that by not turning up to training, staying at home, making threats or claiming the player is sick they can still avoid getting hit in the pocket. Because you lose money if you make it clear you want to leave and go on the transfer list. But this newer way you can have your cake and eat it. Clubs are fairly hamstrung when these situations crop up and a player wants to leave. All they have to do is be mardy, throw a strop and they can get a move without losing any bonus that they would lose if they handed in a transfer request. When I was playing, if you wanted to move to another club, the first step was go on the transfer list and everybody knew where they stood. I remember Pierre Van Hooijdonk doing it when he was at my old club Nottingham Forest and I was at Aston Villa at the time. I know Pierre and he felt at the time promises that had been made weren't being kept. Eventually he said 'enough is enough' and extricated himself from that situation. It is rare these days to hear about a player being transfer listed. But Pierre did that because in the Dutch football culture he came from that happened all the time. If the player was unhappy he would go on strike. Now, because of how players and agents are trying to get out of being punished, downing tools needs to be addressed and the FA needs to modify its rules to give clubs emergency permission to stop a player's wages until a resolution is found. They could set up a panel to assess a case where a situation similar to Payet or McCormack has happened. They would need to decide if - having gathered all the evidence about a player's behaviour and the circumstances ie if he was being linked with a £500,000-per-week move to China and then a week later he is sick or can't get out of his house - a standard two week fine is not enough. If it isn't they should be able to use emergency legislation to stop a player being paid. The PFA molly coddle players and back them up far too much when players are obviously taking liberties and the FA rules don't give clubs the teeth to deal with these situations. But if the rules are changed it will stop this spreading through other clubs.
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Oxford Sign West Ham Striker Martinez
oufc.co.uk
13:47 23rd January 2017
Spanish striker signs for the U's
Oxford United have completed the signing of West Ham United striker Toni Martinez on loan until the end of the season. The 19-year-old forward started his career at Valencia before a £2.4m move to West Ham last summer. He has been in great form for the West Ham Development side with a hat-trick against Wolves taking him to 12 goals from 11 appearances for the Hammers.
Head Coach Michael Appleton said: "It's an exciting signing. He has a terrific scoring record and is very highly thought of at West Ham so it is great that clubs think of Oxford United as a club where we help nurture talented young footballers and help their development. "He will certainly add some serious competition for us at the top of the pitch."
Toni told us : "This is a great opportunity at a very good club. It is an important step for me and one I am really looking forward to."
The striker is ineligible in the Checkatrade Trophy, having scored twice for West Ham against Coventry City earlier in the competition, but will be part of United's squad for the sold out FA Cup tie at home to Newcastle United on Saturday
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Seven arrests at Middlesbrough vs West Ham game including alleged stadium assault
By the end of Saturday, four Middlesbrough fans and three West Ham fans had been arrested for various reasons
BYJAMES CAIN
13:23, 23 JAN 2017
A total of seven men were arrested before, during and after Boro's Premier League clash with West Ham United at the Riverside Stadium.
Four Middlesbrough fans and three West Ham fans were arrested in and around the ground and town centre. Two West Ham supporters were arrested well before kick-off. Before they even got past the turnstiles at the Riverside, the two Hammers fans - aged 22 and 33 - were arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled drug. Both issued with an adult caution.
Inside the stadium – a man was assaulted leading to the arrest of two men, Middlesbrough fans aged 23 and 34, on suspicion of assault.
Both were released on bail pending further inquiries. Another Boro fan, aged 25, was arrested around the same time on suspicion of disorderly conduct. He was charged and will appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court in February. After the game and outside the stadium, a 28-year-old man - a Boro fan - was arrested on suspicion of affray. He was released with no further police action. And finally, a 57-year-old West Ham fan was arrested in a town centre pub later in the evening on suspicion of breaching a banning order.
He was charged and will appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court early in February.
In October, The Gazette reported how scenes of violence broke out following the final whistle of Middlesbrough's 1-1 draw at West Ham's Olympic Stadium. Travelling supporters described their "absolutely terrifying" experience following the game, with one Boro fan saying "all hell broke loose" when West Ham supporters broke through a cordon. Other fans also told of how bottles and coins were thrown into the away end during the game. And dozens of fans have also complained about the policing and stewarding at the ground.
Frightened Boro fans branded West Ham supporters a "disgrace to football" following unsavoury scenes after Saturday's game, which finished 1-1. Questions have been asked about the security in the London stadium since fighting broke out in the stands during West Ham's games against Bournemouth and Watford earlier this season. West Ham have been pushing for a police presence in the ground but the stadium operators, rather than the club, who are the anchor tenants, would be required to meet the financial cost.
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West Ham veteran James Collins joins in the fun at kids birthday part as he performs impressive backflip
West Ham defender James Collins posted a video of him doing a backflip
The central defender was at a children's birthday part at a trampoline centre
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic will have had his heart in his mouth watching the clip
The club are currently short at the back after losing Angelo Ogbonna to injury
By Harry Slavin For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 13:44, 23 January 2017 | UPDATED: 13:46, 23 January 2017
West Ham had plenty to celebrate at the weekend after they secured back-to-back Premier League wins with a 3-1 win against Middlesbrough. But centre back James Collins was still bouncing – quite literally – on Monday off the back of victory at the Riverside.
The Wales international, who has three children, was in high spirits at a birthday party attended by his own kids, so much so that he decided to join in the fun at the trampoline centre. Not that his manager may have approved all that much. Slaven Bilic lost Angelo Ogbonna for the rest of the season following victory over Middlesbrough after confirming that the Italy defender needed surgery to correct a knee problem. So his heart-rate might have gone up a notch had he seen his 33-year-old stalwart performing a backflip at a kids birthday party. To the manager's relief though, the defender lands his acrobatic stunt perfectly, pulling off the move with all the grace of a young Lomana LuaLua. Like his perfect landing, West Ham are also beginning to find their feet in what has proved a tricky season. The Hammers have taken time to bed into their new home at the London Stadium since their move from Upton Park in the summer, and the transfer fiasco surrounding wantaway winger Dimitri Payet has added further unrest to a difficult season. However, the players and staff have rallied in recent weeks and their win over Aitor Karanka's side have seen them move up into the top half of the table. With their new-found confidence, Collins and West Ham will be hoping to have Manchester City in a spin when they return to the London Stadium for the second time this season on February 1.
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Dimitri Payet continuing to train with West Ham U23s
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 23/01/17 1:02pm
SSN
Dimitri Payet is continuing to train with West Ham's U23 squad, with no agreement yet reached on a sale to Marseille. Reports in the national press claimed the wantaway France international had been turning up late for training and also walked out on a practice session on Sunday. Sky Sports News HQ understands those reports are inaccurate and that the 29-year-old has been following orders from the club since telling manager Slaven Bilic that he wanted to leave. West Ham have won back-to-back Premier League matches without Payet, which has lifted them into the top half of the table. Sky sources understand the Hammers have rejected two offers for Payet from his former club Marseille, including a £20m bid, and value him at £30m. Payet, who joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.75m in the summer of 2015, wants to return to the south of France because of family reasons. He has scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for West Ham and was rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year deal last February.
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West Ham still hope to complete signings of Robert Snodgrass and Scott Hogan after duo were omitted from weekend's games
KEN DYER, GIUSEPPE MURO
Evening Standard
West Ham remain interested in signing Hull midfielder Robert Snodgrass, who was left out of the squad at Chelsea yesterday with an injury. Hull want at least £10m for Snodgrass, £4m more than West Ham have offered, while struggling Crystal Palace are also reported to be keen on the former Leeds and Norwich player. The Hammers are yet to reach an agreement with Brentford for Scott Hogan, with the transfer saga set to rumble on into the final week of the window. Hogan was left out of the squad at Wigan on Saturday after manager Dean Smith said the striker has had his "head turned".
Brentford are holding out for £15m for the 24-year-old and have rejected bids from other Premier League clubs. Meanwhile, Marseille are expected to make an increased offer for Dimitri Payet. The Hammers remain reluctant to sell the France international unless the club match their valuation of £35million. Marseille's most recent offer for Payet, who wants to return to the south of France because his family are unsettled, was £26.5m which was rejected by West Ham.
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Robert Snodgrass Hull talks to be held today as Middlesbrough & West Ham interest grows
Aitor Karanka is keen to sign a winger before next Tuesday's deadline, with the Tigers winger on the club's wishlist
COMMENTS
BYJONATHON TAYLOR
11:32, 23 JAN 2017UPDATED11:37, 23 JAN 2017
Hull City manager Marco Silva will sit down with Robert Snodgrass today to discuss his future at the club. Boro and West Ham have been linked with a January move for the winger, who has rejected a new contract at the KCOM Stadium. The Hammers have seen three bids for the Scot turned down this month, while reports over the weekend claimed Boro had seen a £6m offer - rising to £8m - knocked back.
The 29-year-old did not feature for the Tigers against Chelsea on Sunday, with Silva insisting the player was ruled out through injury, and the Portuguese boss played down reports that Snodgrass had refused to play at Stamford Bridge. "He wasn't available for the game, that's all I can say," Silva said on Snodgrass' future. "It is a small injury in the knee. Nothing special but in the past the player has had problems in the knee. "I hope he will be available for the next game (against Manchester United on Thursday). I hope he will start training this week. "I hope he will not leave because he is a good player in our squad. We need to keep our good players. I don't want any important players to leave the club."
Despite his stance, Hull parted with midfielder Jake Livermore for £10m last week as the 27-year-old joined West Brom - and it remains to be seen whether the Humberside hierarchy are prepared to cash in on Snodgrass too. The player has 18 months left to run on his existing deal after Hull triggered an automatic one-year extension, but the club will loath to lose a key asset for free next summer. Asked if there had been fresh offers for Snodgrass, Silva added: "The player was not available for the game. About proposals, I don't know anything new about this. In the last days my focus was on the game and to prepare the match. (On Monday) I will talk about the player and see what has happened.
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Why Payet isn't a complete dead loss for West Ham
The French has added financial value to a club making the Irons among the sharpest dealmakers in the Premier League
The Wharf
BYGILES BROADBENT
11:44, 23 JAN 2017
Dimitri Payet may no longer be the darling of the London Stadium but he's add value to West Ham. The French was bought for £10.7million from Marseille and his likely exit – and it is likely – will probably net the Irons three times that amount. Some astute buying and talent development has added about €102million (£88million) to the value of the team's players. West Ham rank seventh in the domestic part of this value-added league compiled from research by the CIES Football Observatory with North London rivals Spurs leading the way. Tottenham have spent €274million (£236million at today's exchange rate) in transfer fees to assemble their current squad. That squad has now been valued at €799million (£689million), an increase of €525million (£452million).
That's the biggest increase in the Premier League and the second biggest across Europe's five major leagues. Only Barcelona's players have increased in value more, €586million (£505million).
Leicester's squad has increased the next most (€354million/£305million) which is the fourth biggest increase in the big five leagues.
Arsenal have the next biggest rise with €279million (£240million and sixth overall) followed by Liverpool with €237million (£204million and seventh overall) and then Southampton with €221million (£190million and ninth overall).
Manchester United and Hull are the only two Premier League sides whose players' values have actually DROPPED since they were purchased.
Hull's overall squad value is down €14million (£12million) while United's is down €18million (£15million).
Club: Increase (€m)
Tottenham: 525
Leicester: 354
Arsenal: 279
Liverpool: 237
Southampton: 221
Chelsea: 201
West Ham: 102
Watford: 84
Sunderland: 66
Bournemouth: 65
Swansea: 59
Everton: 50
Man City: 44
Middlesbrough: 38
West Brom: 37
Stoke: 36
Burnley: 24
Crystal Palace: 9
Hull: -14
Man United: 18
Meanwhile, Marseille have indicated they are no longer interested in signing Payet, who had his heart set on a return to France. The French club indicated they would pay no more than £25million for the unsettled international – but the London club believe it's just a negotiating ploy.
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Hogan's amazing Brentford bonusFeatured Image
ate: 23rd January 2017 at 11:50am
Written by: Joe McHugh
Scott Hogan will pick up a £750,000 bonus for LEAVING Brentford when he completes his £15m transfer to West Ham. That deal is expected to be completed this week with Hogan being left out of the Brentford side that lost at Wigan on Saturday. According to a report in The Sun the former Rochdale striker had a clause inserted in his Brentford contract giving him a 5% cut on any transfer fee. Hogan will also get a signing on fee from West Ham while his weekly wage will probably exceed his monthly cheque from Brentford.
With Rochdale also due 20% it means that Brentford will pick up just over £11m from the deal for the striker who has scored 14 goals in 25 Championship appearances. West Ham started bidding at £10m but after two weeks of negotiations it seems that Slaven Bilic is about to add some extra firepower to his side. With Andy Carroll already outscoring Dimitri Payet and Hogan on the way Bilic will be confident that the troubles he endured towards the end of 2016 are over with as the Hammers look to return to the top half of the Premier League table.
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Dimitri Payet latest: Marseille table THIRD bid for West Ham's wantaway rebel
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Monday, January 23, 2017
Marseille have made a third bid worth £25.8million for wantaway West Ham star Dimitri Payet, according to reports in France. The 29-year-old is desperate to leave the Hammers before the January transfer window shuts and he is refusing to play for them.
Marseille are ready to offer the attacking midfielder a route back to France, but so far they have had their opening offers of £19m and £20m rejected. That had led to speculation the French club may end their interest in Payet to pursue cheaper and alternative targets. However, according to L'Equipe, that is not the case and Marseille have in fact submitted a third bid worth £25.8m. That figure, though, is still short of West Ham's reported valuation of £29m. The Ligue 1 side remain desperate to sign Payet, who spent two years at the club before joining West Ham in the summer of 2015.
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West Ham's London Stadium 'could end up costing £1bn'
JONATHAN PRYNN
West Ham's new "white elephant" London Stadium could end costing £1 billion, a senior politician claimed today. The spiralling price of the former Olympic stadium in Stratford — almost entirely paid for by the taxpayer — is to be the subject of an inquiry ordered by Mayor Sadiq Khan. The cost of building it in time for the 2012 Games then converting it so it can be used for football and concerts has already reached more than £753 million and is still rising. Conservative London Assembly member Andrew Boff said: "As far as I can see there is no end to taxpayers' money being used to prop up this white elephant — they've been effectively given this stadium and the taxpayer is paying for it. "The money is mounting up. I wouldn't be surprised if we get rid of a billion on this thing." Mr Boff was speaking to BBC London's Inside Out current affairs show, which investigates the issue tonight. As part of its deal with the London Legacy Development Corporation, West Ham has contributed £15 million to the £321 million cost of conversion, and will pay £2.5 million a year as part of its 99-year lease to cover policing, security and other costs. West Ham have not commented directly on the criticism of the deal. However in December the club's vice-chairman, Baroness Brady, told members of the London Assembly that football clubs such as West Ham "contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy through their taxes and the way they run their businesses and the National Insurance they pay and so on. "This is not an industry that just sucks out of the system. It puts an awful lot back in." Inside Out is on BBC1 at 7.30pm
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Ghana play down malaria concerns for Andre Ayew
Published on: 23 January 2017
ghanasoccernet.com
Ghana officials have clarified Andre Ayew's health status saying the talisman has not contracted malaria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
They argue that malaria would have sidelined him for one week and could not have played in Saturday's match. But the West Ham United star was passed fit and lasted the entire duration in the 1-0 win over Mali.
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Andre Ayew defies claims of malaria to help Ghana at 2017 AFCON
Published on: 23 January 2017
http://ghanasoccernet.com/
Andre Ayew has revealed he played through the pain barrier to help Ghana beat Mali 1-0 on Saturday at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
The West Ham United star was reported ill with some quarters claiming he had contracted malaria but Ayew managed to last the entire duration. ''I wasn't feeling well. I had some temperature and therefore had little training yesterday and the day before but the medical team treated me well. I felt I could help and I gave it my all and I'm very happy we got the qualification,'' he said in a post-match interview. ''The sacrifices we are all making are paying off and make you know that hard work really pays off.'' The Black Stars who have six points in the basket have qualified for the quarter-final with one match to spare. Ayew should be available for their final Group match against Egypt.
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BEG, STEAL AND BORO - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?
By HamburgHammer 23 Jan 2017 at 08:00 0 comments
WTID
Being a West Ham fan is never dull, innit ? Another win, this time a very credible away success at Middlesbrough, plenty of rumours as could be expected of course during this time of the season and yes, the yellow-bellied toad from Reunion, is still officially a West Ham player. We have signed two new players (Fonte and Holland), will lose at least one in the coming days (Calleri), there will be more transfer rumours during the week and later today the BBC will broadcast another little nugget about the Olympic Stadium on the telly, about taxpayers' money being wasted and no doubt the BBC (funded by the taxpayer too of course) will be pointing fingers at West Ham as the main culprit yet again.
But let's try and keep things somewhat organised: Quick Concordia update, my lads won another winter break friendly on Saturday afternoon (Our Kevin scored again) which I obviously couldn't attend because I wanted to watch our game as it happened, screwdriver in hand, cup of tea and a biscuit sitting ready on the living-room table. And what a thrilling game to watch it was, end to end stuff and finally a game where we created numerous chances while playing some nice free-flowing, counter-attacking football.
Just like in the Palace game it was a proper team performance and nice to see. Carroll looks fitter and hungrier than ever – and when he does he seems like he can't and won't stop scoring, but forever hovering above is his tendency to suffer yet another knock or even lengthy injury layoff. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed that he can find a way, in tandem with the West Ham physios and medical team, to keep himself sharp and healthy. His playing style however is so refreshingly passionate and all guns blazing that injuries will always be part of the Carroll package I reckon.
It'd be unfair to just single out Carroll here, the entire team did their bit to get the three points, but one has to say our bench looked incredibly thin/young again.
Yes, Calleri came on, had a decent cameo appearance and even scored his first goal for the Hammers (I'm sure he will claim it despite the deflection taking the ball into the opposite corner), but it looks like the first may also be his last as rumour has it he will fly to Las Palmas and join them on yet another loan deal after all.
Which, coupled with Carroll's tendency to get injured, Sakho's current injury absence and Browne being out on loan, means we do need a signing or two upfront.
After lengthy contract negotiations with Brentford it seemed like we had a deal agreed for Scott Hogan, but apparently West Ham or rather Bilic weren't sure about him, being concerned about his previous knee injuries, and it now looks like Watford might have stepped in, offering a better deal and more money upfront.
Then again it could all be smokes and mirrors, bluff and counterbluff, it is that time of year again after all.
Defoe may or may not come, I'm sure we are still waiting and hoping he will submit a transfer request, but I wouldn't want to bet my house on a deal happening, Defoe remains Sunderland's only hope to preserve their top-flight status this season. So we do need a striker and maybe our club are following up different options as we speak, probably even working on a quick, behind the scenes deal like we did with Jose Fonte.
That came a bit out of the claret and blue and it was done, apparently, in a fashion I find exemplary. Due to Ogbonna needing season ending surgery to repair his knee (hats off to Angelo, he played through the pain barrier all season, obviously suffering in his performances as a byproduct of carrying that injury, but still played on regardless because we needed him, now, THAT is professionalism and sacrifice, talk about taking one for the team! Take notice, Monsieur Payet!) we identified Fonte and signed him for a few million less surely, due to keeping the Ogbonna injury secret enough not to impact contract negotiations.
We now have another very solid, experienced CB who may be just the ideal partner for Reid. I'm confident Fonte has still another two or three good seasons at the top level in him and don't underestimate the fact he used to be Southampton's skipper too. It can't hurt to have a seasoned veteran like him in the side, not just for his footballing skills and reading of the game on the pitch, but also his ability to teach and lead the youngsters off it. A great signing at a reasonable price.
Talking of which I know it is unwise to get sucked into all those transfer rumours in the January window, with social media spreading rumours about bids submitted, rejected, re-submitted and so forth. It seems to be the modus operandi of our owners though to do what we all seem to criticise Marseille for in their pursuit of Dimitri Payet, insulting a selling club with lowball offers that in no way reflect the quality and skill level of the player in question.
I know I tend to be naive in many ways, however, I still think there is long-term merit in submitting realistic bids in the transfer market, showing respect and appreciation for the player and the selling club alike. I am not talking about throwing money away left, right and center or hopelessly overpaying on average players. But don't insult the other party in a potential deal by making offers that are so far off the mark that you are essentially just wasting everyone's time. As a side effect you may also cheese the player off if you merely offer a pittance to sign him as that would suggest you don't really rate the player that much anyway.
Which brings me to Payet. Apparently various sources are claiming other clubs in France have woken up to Payet's availability, Nice may be interested in an initial loan while PSG have apparently also put their nose in now. Which can only be good in terms of finally establishing a proper market for the player, if only to drive the price up to a more realistic level for Marseille who seem to remain Payet's favourite option. It would be nice to see Payet accept a bit of a compromise solution here and go to any other club in France apart from Marseille as that would make sure that West Ham get a fair transfer fee for him – I think it is what our club very much deserve for helping massively to make him the player he is today.
We'll see how things develop further in this matter. Where then do West Ham go from here, after two wins on the trot for the rest of the season ? Well, I shall make some not very bold predictions here.
a) We will not get relegated.
b) We will not qualify for European competition.
c) Andy Carroll will miss more games through injury this season.
d) We will finish the season with a positive goal difference.
Looking at those predictions one might argue we don't need to make any more signings in January at all
(I think we have just signed one for the future in England U19 midfielder Nathan Holland, an attacking midfielder from the Everton Academy). But I would warn against that approach. Surely we need to try to finish the season in a positive fashion, on a high, and climb the table as much as possible. For our summer transfer negotiations we need to ride the crest of a wave of confidence. And we need to spend.
We have seen this season that just being a Premier League team in London, playing in a massive stadium alone doesn't attract top players. It also doesn't make top players want to stay. The simple truth is, you need money, and a lot of it, to attract top players, especially if you cannot offer Europa League or CL football.
So that means that eventually our board will need to spend some serious money if they are indeed serious about taking West Ham to the next level.
I wasn't unhappy with the previous level to be honest, happy with the occasional decent cup run at the Boleyn, surviving most seasons in midtable obscurity while sometimes having an extraordinary one. But our owners, for better or worse, decided to go ahead with the stadium move. That now means that the previous level will no longer do, we need to aim higher and show ambition. And like it or not, we will only be taken seriously if we are prepared to invest in the club and the team.
Are our owners prepared to do that ? Or are we just happy enough to bumble along and avoid relegation while waiting for the filthy rich investor in shining armour, riding into Stratford on his Arabian (or Qatari) steed and make an offer to the Davids they simply cannot refuse ? I suppose our upcoming transfer dealings will give us a bit of an indication in that respect.
What do West Ham fans want, after the stadium move? I cannot and will not speak for everybody, I can only tell you what I want. For me the team is everything, playing positive attacking football, running, fighting, tackling for each other. I am not sure if we will ever be a club, stockpiling £40 million players like Chelsea, Man United or Arsenal.
Maybe that just isn't in our DNA. I like the way Bilic acts, works and conducts himself. I want him to be a permanent fixture at West Ham.
And I want him to sign the right kind of player in future, one who will give his all for the greater good of the team, who will be happy to improve the play of their teammates and make them look good on the pitch too instead of just aiming to improve his own stats. Proper team players, ideally ones who will gladly settle at our club and be happy enough to play the best football of their careers at West Ham, rather than just seeing us as a convenient stepping stone for a move to another club where the grass may be even greener than the one covering the pitch at London Stadium.
Oh, and let's see what that upcoming investigation by Mayor Khan will bring to light. Things at the stadium surely haven't gone according to plan so far, neither for West Ham nor for the taxpayer. Will an ultimate sale to West Ham be the best option financially ? Will that even be feasible ? And at what stage will West Ham fans be able to call the new place home ? There are easier questions to muse about on a Monday I presume, but at least things have picked up at our club again. Which makes everything else a bit easier as well. At least for this German Mockney…:-)
COYI!
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WEST HAM LINKED WITH LUKA MILIVOJEVIC
MICHAEL OLIVER @themikeoliver_
readWestHam
With Cheikhou Kouyate at the African Cup of Nations, West Ham are short of cover in the midfield area. According to the Daily Mail, the Hammers are in a three-way tussle to sign impressive Olympiakos holding midfielder Luka Milivojevic during the January transfer window. West Ham signed Havard Nordtveit on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer to provide competition in central midfield but the Norwegian has been primarily used in defence so far this season. Pedro Obiang has stepped into a more increased role this season and has been very impressive but some extra depth wouldn't go amiss. Milivojevic joined Olympiakos from Anderlecht in a £2m deal in July 2015 and has enjoyed a great spell in Greece attracting the interest of several Premier League sides.
Sunderland are also interested in the 25-year-old, as is Hull manager Marco Silva who worked with the Serbian midfielder during his time as Olympiakos manager. Contracted until 2019, Milivojevic is valued at £13m and he's scored five goals in 16 Super League appearances for the Greek champions this season.
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David Sullivan vows to 'work around the clock' to bring signings to West Ham in January transfer window
JAMES BENGE
Evening Standard
David Sullivan has vowed to "work around the clock" to secure new players for West Ham as the January transfer window enters its final days. West Ham have already made two additions in the market this month, agreeing an £8million deal for Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte and on Sunday bringing in England youth international Nathan Holland. The Hammers are expected to be among the busiest clubs in the coming days – they hope to recruit another striker and attacking midfielder with Scott Hogan of Brentford and Hull's Robert Snodgrass among their leading targets with Dimitri Payet expected to leave the club for Marseille. On the field Slaven Bilic's side have won their last two fixtures but are now out of action until February 1, when they face the Manchester City side who eliminated them from the FA Cup. Joint-chairman Sullivan hopes West Ham will have new players to choose from when Pep Guardiola returns to the London Stadium. "We will all go in to that match buoyed by our last two performances and, I hope, with further new signings, which we hope to make between now and the end of the transfer window," Sullivan wrote on the club website. "The market is challenging, but we are positive and will work around the clock to secure the right players to take us forward."
England U19 international Holland put pen to paper on a deal this week. Formerly of Everton the midfielder will join up with the Hammers Under-23 squad. "It's amazing, I'm quite gobsmacked to be honest," he told the club website. "When I first came down, [academy director] Terry [Westley] introduced me to all the staff and they were all very welcoming. They've shown a lot of faith in me and I just want to repay that and kick on. "It's all a bit of a family thing down here. Everyone is close together. It's a brilliant set up they've got and I think it will only help me improve. I think I can do that."
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MERSON: WEST HAM SHOULD CUT THEIR LOSSES WITH PAYET
ALEX NAYLER @alexnayler
ReadWestHam
The ongoing Dimitri Payet saga won't end until the transfer window does, and even then there will be inevitable rumours and speculation running well into the summer.
Payet will be absent once again as his employers travel to the North-East to face Middlesbrough this weekend, and manager Slaven Bilic has hit out at how the Frenchman has conducted himself.
It's about how you move, how you go about everything. Especially the big players, they should respect themselves in the way they go.
Payet is after a move back to France to former club Marseille, but West Ham have turned down two bids so far and are reportedly holding out for £30m.
However, reports say that the club is alarmed with Marseille's reluctance to offer more than £25m. The French side appears to be resigned to the fact that they will not be able to sign the player this window.
The antics that have ensued have angered fans and club officials alike, and haven't done any favours for Payet's already estranged reputation.
Payet is contracted until 2021, and so the club are well within their rights to keep him in the reserves after his behaviour. However Sky Sports pundit, Paul Merson believes the club should cut their losses and sell.
None of the big clubs will touch him with a bargepole after this. He's pushing 30 as well so he's got no resale value
It is not up to the player to say if the move will happen or not but whilst he is a West Ham player, it's his decision as to whether his fate lies in the first team or not.
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Andy Carroll hopes West Ham form and fitness will give him another England chance
Jason Mellor, at the riverside
22 JANUARY 2017 • 10:30PM
The Telegraph
Constant sniping about his less-than-impressive fitness record has often added insult to injury for Andy Carroll, but with a career of peaks and troughs seemingly back on an upward trajectory, his focus is on a return to the England squad rather than the treatment table.
The West Ham United manager, Slaven Bilic, described his player's talent in terms of the perfect storm, and certainly Middlesbrough were unable to weather the battering they received, as a side based on defensive stability looked anything but on one of the forward's more unplayable afternoons.
Since breaking through at Newcastle a decade ago, it quickly became clear that Carroll always possessed the talent to thrive at the highest level, but the question was always whether his body was up to the physical demands.
Carroll, 28, scored twice to propel West Ham into to the top half of the Premier League with a fifth win in seven games. He said: "Everyone talks about my injuries, and I can't really say that's unfair because over the years I haven't been as fit as I've wanted to be. I've got to put up with it and I want and need those injuries to be in the past so I can play for the last few years of my career injury free.
"It used to annoy me when people described me as injury prone, but how many years has it been that I've been getting that? I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me any more. I can't deny that I've been injured more than I've wanted but that's over with and forgotten about."
Only a sustained run of games and goals will help erase that unwanted status, but such is the unique threat he poses when on song that talk of an England return swiftly resurfaces after only a handful of decent performances.
More than four years after the most recent of his nine caps, he added: "Obviously, I'd love to be back in the England squad, and if the call comes, fantastic. That's what I want, but instead of looking too far in front, I'm just concentrating on West Ham."
Andy Carroll
Carroll says he would love to work his way back into the England fold CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Ironically for a man intent on casting off his injury-prone reputation, Carroll was substituted as a precaution against adding a groin niggle to the litany of ailments that have made him unavailable for a fortnight short of 1,000 days in the past eight-and-a-half seasons, roughly one in every three.
He had connected with the ball just twice in the Middlesbrough area in a little over an hour, but what two touches they were. The first was to head home Manuel Lanzini's corner with such authority that the imprint of his forehead probably remains on the ball. The second, shortly before half-time, saw him follow up to score after Michail Antonio's shot had been saved by Victor Valdés.
Asked if Carroll's best is yet to come, Bilic was emphatic. "There is no reason to think otherwise," he said. "He's a great age, he's smiling and is settled, he has got three kids and he is happy in his private life. I think he has found his peace. There is no reason why he shouldn't now enter five years of his best football.
"For the position he plays, he's got everything, you know like the movie Perfect Storm. He's tall, he attacks the ball with great timing, he's got the leap and he's fearless. The only other player I came across like him is my former Everton team-mate Duncan Ferguson. Someone asked me if Andy is still worth £35?million, but I wouldn't sell him for any amount. It's impossible to replace him, because Duncan is retired."
The hosts threatened to make a game of it when Cristhian Stuani equalised at the culmination of an eight-man move. The Uruguayan struck the bar in the second half but hopes of salvaging a point were undone by Jonathan Calleri's deflected stoppage-time effort.
In the wake of one victory in the last eight league games and the continuing fight for top-flight survival, Aitor Karanka hit out at the "small memories" of Middlesbrough supporters, many of whom had irked the Spaniard, he claimed, by demanding long-ball tactics, making for an "awful" atmosphere and then leaving early when "only three years ago this club was heading for League One". It was a harsh, needless criticism which did the head coach few favours. "We pride ourselves on being an organised side," midfielder Adam Forshaw said. "So it's gutting to concede three goals at home."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Striking Dimitri Payet will not 'destroy' West Ham's season, says Andy Carroll
Louise Taylor
Sunday 22 January 2017 22.30 GMT Last modified on Monday 23 January 2017 00.50 GMT
The Guardian
Andy Carroll has revealed that West Ham United's players have resolved not to allow the striking Dimitri Payet to "destroy" their season and believes the squad's anger with the France midfielder is bonding them to match-winning effect. With Payet once again absent after downing tools in an attempt to provoke a transfer to Marseille, Slaven Bilic's side recorded their fifth victory in seven Premier League games at Middlesbrough on Saturday, with the near unplayable Carroll scoring twice. "Our response [to Payet's strike] just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves," said the centre-forward, whose link and hold-up play proved of the highest quality on a day when Bilic's erstwhile star creator was not missed. "It proves our passion for football, for the manager and for our club. It's everything. No one player is going to destroy anything. The fight the lads have and the fans standing behind us has all been great. It's a very tight-knit group, certainly the tightest it's been since I joined West Ham. It's great just walking into the dressing room every morning. "The lads have always got a smile on their faces, even when the manager has dragged us in on a Sunday morning when we don't really want to be there because we're supposed to be off. Instead of being upset, we're walking in smiling. It's just a tight, tight group. We're all in one big messaging group. Everyone has an input. Everyone's chatting every day. Everyone's together and we'll have banter about absolutely anything and everything."
Payet has already been excluded from that social media messaging network and, having seemingly burnt his bridges in east London, can only hope Marseille match West Ham's valuation by the middle of next week. "We're not asking for anything crazy," shrugged Bilic, who said he had "nothing new" to report on the errant player's movements but conceded he would be "ridiculous" to say his team were better off without his talent. Although West Ham's manager also reflected that the Payet furore had galvanised his team – "Sometimes you lose something and you gain something," he said – Bilic knows that Carroll's latest return to form and fitness has arrived at an opportune moment. Middlesbrough certainly had no answer to either the ferocious header with which he gave Bilic's team the lead or the left-foot shot that restored West Ham's lead before Jonathan Calleri – on after Carroll was withdrawn with a tight groin – made it 3-1 in stoppage time.
Maintaining his substitution had been merely "precautionary", West Ham's No9 felt sufficiently emboldened to talk of both an England recall and an injury-free future. "I'd love to be back in the England squad," said Carroll. "Right now, it's important to just concentrate on West Ham but, if the call comes, fantastic. That's what I want. "Everyone talks about my injuries and I can't really say that's unfair because over the years I haven't been as fit as I've wanted to be but hopefully that's all in the past. I'm looking forward to many years of injury-free football. I'm 28 now and I want and need those injuries to be firmly in the past so I can play the last few years of my career injury-free."
Bilic trusts that Carroll's new-found off-field contentment will help achieve this aim. "Andy's very happy in his private life," he said. "I think he's found his peace, he's 100% fit and there's no reason why he shouldn't now enter his best five years of football."
Aitor Karanka's mood was somewhat less sunny. Middlesbrough's manager was not only unhappy that Hull City had rejected his £8m offer for Robert Snodgrass, the Scotland winger, but, much more contentiously, with the Riverside crowd for urging his team to attack in the closing stages.
"The atmosphere was awful," said Karanka. "They have small memories. They demanded too much. I don't know how many thousands of people were asking for long balls but it's a style we don't know how to play and the team was broken on the pitch. I was really upset. It's something we have to fix – and while I'm here we won't be playing long balls."
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Andy Carroll insists Dimitri Payet's absence won't dampen the mood at West Ham after Middlesbrough win
West Ham defeated Middlesbrough 3-1 in the Premier League on Saturday
Andy Carroll scored twice as Slaven Bilic's side claimed a deserved victory
Hammers star Dimitri Payet is yet to return since refusing to play for the club
Carroll insists the situation with Payet will not 'destroy' the spirit in the squad
By Craig Hope for the Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 22:33, 22 January 2017 | UPDATED: 00:39, 23 January 2017
He had just destroyed Middlesbrough with a devastating double strike, but Andy Carroll had a message for wantaway star player Dimitri Payet - 'You won't destroy us'. It is less than two weeks since Payet downed tools and demanded to leave West Ham. In that time Slaven Bilic's side have won two matches, climbed into the top half of the table and found a new leader. This felt like Carroll's inauguration as the team's commander-in-chief and he spoke as well off the pitch as he had played on it. 'No one player is going to destroy anything,' he declared. 'Our response (to the Payet situation) just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves. Our passion for football, for the manager and for our club - it's everything. 'I think the fight that the lads have got, the fans standing behind us, it's all been great. It is a very tight-knit group, certainly the tightest since I joined West Ham. 'It's great just walking into the dressing room every morning. The lads have always got a smile on their face, even when the manager has dragged us in on a Sunday morning and we don't really want to be there because we're supposed to be off.'
Carroll and Co certainly enjoyed a well-earned day off on Sunday. They were brilliant against Middlesbrough, but it was their No 9 who made them tick. Carroll has been injury-free for two months now and his goals at the Riverside - a bullet header and predatory close-range poach - took his tally to five since his return, including his spectacular bicycle kick against Crystal Palace earlier this month. 'Everyone else has gone on about that goal, but not me,' added Carroll. 'I'm a centre forward and if I put the ball in the net off my back, my shoulder, my backside, an overhead kick, whatever, it comes up on the scoresheet as 'Andy Carroll' - and for me that's all that matters.' It was six years ago next week that Carroll joined Liverpool from Newcastle in a British record £35million transfer. Twenty-three of Andy Carroll's 48 league goals have been headers. Would Bilic sell him for that amount now?
'I wouldn't sell him for no money. No, no, no, no, no money,' he replied, emphatically. 'It's impossible to replace a player like that - because Duncan Ferguson has already retired!'
Bilic became even more animated as he continued: 'You know the movie 'The Perfect Storm', Andy is the only one who has that, he's got everything - it is God. Tall, attacks the ball, great timing, fearless, the leap, everything. 'There is no reason to think his best years aren't still ahead of him because he is a great age (28). 'He is totally happy, he is smiling, he is settled down, he has got three kids and he is very happy in his private life. I think he has found his peace. There is no reason why he shouldn't now enter five years of his best football.' There is no doubt that Saturday was an example of Carroll at his very best. For West Ham and Bilic, long may it continue.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll targeting England return after good spell of form for West Ham
The powerful frontman has scored five from seven Premier League starts this season
Martin Hardy @mhardysport
The Independent Football
"I'd love to be back in the England squad," said Andy Carroll, back in his native North East, getting on for near enough six years since he became the nation's most expensive footballer. He was stood in a corridor near to a side exit at the Riverside Stadium, but there was no need to hide from the limelight. Carroll, now 28, spoke of his frustration with the injury prone tag that has blighted large spells since the end of January 2011, when he flew off from Newcastle's training ground in a helicopter for £35 million, to Liverpool. It has been stop start ever since, but he is fit now, however; football's renaissance man ready to fulfil the potential that, on his day, renders the six foot five inch powerful forward largely unplayable.
A victory that took West Ham up to tenth place in the league table, two more goals, one a true throwback to a time when centre forwards looked differently in England, took his tally from seven Premier League starts this season to five. People had spent a week digesting the flying volley against Crystal Palace before he terrorised Middlesbrough's defenders. There seemed a collective sigh from those in red shirts when he was withdrawn with 23 minutes remaining for a groin niggle he and Slaven Bilic insisted was nothing to worry about. In the immediate afterglow, his manager was making reference to God, and the film, the Perfect Storm and about the next five years of Carroll's career being the best, about a player he believes is unstoppable.
Bilic insisted that the player finding a happy place in his life, settled in London with his partner and three children was also important, but the North East air, misty, sullen and almost claustrophobic as it hung over Teesside, seemed to help. Carroll almost looked 21, but for an overgrown beard.
"Everyone talks about my injuries and I can't really say that's unfair because over the years I haven't been as fit as I've wanted to be," he said. "That's just what it is. I've got to put up with it and hopefully that's all in the past. I'm looking forward to many years of injury free football. "I'm 28 now, so I want and need those injuries to be firmly in the past and I can play for the last few years of my career injury free. It used to annoy me when people described me as injury prone, but how many years has it been that I've been getting that? I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me any more. I can't deny that I've been injured more than I've wanted to be but that's over with and forgotten about.
"For the first goal I managed to lose my man and had a free run on it. I knew straight away with that connection that it was going in the back of the net. I haven't got a target on goals. It's just a case of keeping myself fit and working hard but obviously I'd love to be back in the England squad.
"Right now, it's important to just concentrate on West Ham. If the call comes, then fantastic. That's what I want, but instead of looking too far in front, I'm just concentrating on West Ham."
Carroll, whose second was from close range, on a rebound, spoke of a flourishing team spirit that has helped revive his and his football club's season. He spoke of Dimitri Payet and his possible departure being something the team could handle.
"Our response just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves, our passion for football, for the manager and for our club," he added. "It's everything. No one player is going to destroy anything. I think the fight that the lads have got, the fans standing behind us, it's all been great.
"It is a very tight knit group, certainly the tightest it has been since I joined West Ham. It's great just walking into the dressing room every morning. The lads have always got a smile on their faces, even when the manager has dragged us in on a Sunday morning when we don't really want to be there because we're supposed to be off. Everyone is together and we'll have banter about absolutely anything and everything."
Bilic could not have enthused more about the centre forward and his impact.
"He is the only one that's got that, you know, the movie Perfect Storm, he's got everything," said Bilic. "It is God. Tall, they attack the ball, great timing, fearless, the leap, everything, they have got everything.
"I wouldn't sell him for no money. No, no, no, no, no money. It's impossible to replace a player like that.
"There is no reason to think other than the best is yet to come. He is a great age, he is totally happy, he is smiling, he is settled down, he has got three kids and he is very happy in his private life. He is happy with us and I think he has found his peace. There is no reason why he shouldn't now enter five years of his best football."
Carroll was asked if he had enjoyed the crashing header that set his side on the road to their 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough as much as the scissor kick. "A goal is a goal, isn't?" he replied. "Everyone else has gone on about that goal, but not me. I'm a centre forward and if I put the ball in the net off my back, my shoulder, my backside, an overhead kick, whatever, it comes up on the scoresheet as 'Andy Carroll'.
"For me that's all that matters."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
No one player is going to destroy anything' - Carroll shrugs off Payet saga
Jan 23, 2017 01:01:17
Andy Carroll insists the uncertainty surrounding Dimitri Payet's future at West Ham will not be allowed to "destroy anything". The France international has expressed a desire to move on during the January transfer window and is currently refusing to play for the club as he holds out for a switch. The Hammers have fared admirably without him, though, claiming back-to-back victories over Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough. They have plenty of cover in the creativity department and have rebuilt confidence at London Stadium following a shaky start to the season in a new home. That bond will not be broken by one disgruntled individual, with Carroll adamant that Payet's actions are not a distraction to those still fully committed to the club. He said after netting twice in a 3-1 victory over Boro: "No one player is going to destroy anything. "Our response [to the Payet situation] just proves what the lads have got deep down in themselves. Our passion for football, for the manager and for our club - it's everything. "I think the fight that the lads have got, the fans standing behind us, it's all been great. It is a very tight-knit group, certainly the tightest since I joined West Ham. "It's great just walking into the dressing room every morning. The lads have always got a smile on their face, even when the manager has dragged us in on a Sunday morning and we don't really want to be there because we're supposed to be off."
While Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is bracing himself to lose one prized asset, he has been quick to point out that in-form Carroll is going nowhere, with it his opinion that a man who once cost a British record £35 million has become a priceless commodity. He said: "I wouldn't sell him for no money. No, no, no, no, no money.
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Tony Cascarino: West Ham should sign this striker
WEST HAM should sign out of work striker Robbie Keane says Tony Cascarino.
By Joel Watson / Published 23rd January 2017
The Republic of Ireland legend is a free-agent after leaving MLS side LA Galaxy when their season finished. And he's been linked with a host of Championship sides as he looks to resume his playing career in Britain. But former Ireland star Cascarino says Keane still has something to offer a top flight club. THE transfer window is open - which means West Ham will once again be linked with any striker who has ever pulled on a pair of footy boots. "Having been away from home from so long, living closer to Dublin will also appeal to him and his family," he told the Irish Sun. "The Ireland legend also looks after himself so he is a 'young' 36-year-old and he was never a frontman who relied on his pace. "If I was at West Ham, who are desperate for a striker, or a relegation-threatened Prem side, I would be wondering, 'Why not?' "Signing Robbie until the end of the season is virtually no risk. "He could get you the four or five goals that keep you up. "If I am wrong and Robbie is not up to top-flight standard anymore, he will still train well and will be good around the dressing room."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 24
Monday, January 23
Daily WHUFC News - 23rd January 2017
Dowie - Fonte is a fantastic signing
WHUFC.com
Iain Dowie is a lifelong West Ham United fan and former Hammers striker. The
52-year-old was a teammate of Slaven Bilic at the Boleyn Ground and coached
Hammers striker Andy Carroll at Newcastle United in spring 2009. Now a
broadcast pundit, Dowie spoke exclusively to whufc.com about Bilic, Carroll,
Dimitri Payet and new signing Jose Fonte…
I am a West Ham fan, used to stand on the old North Bank as a kid and I
always take a close interest in how my old club are getting on. First and
foremost, Slaven is a very, very good manager and wherever he has been he
has done a great job. He did a fine job last year and in terms of continuing
that this season, he has now started turning things around. Players are
coming back and Andy Carroll is fit. I think he is the perfect man for the
job and I believe some of the players have picked up their performances in
recent weeks, because they were performing below the level they were at last
year. That's a combination of Slaven working hard on the training ground and
players realising that, if they weren't careful, they would get dragged into
a relegation battle. I am pleased for Slaven, because he is a good friend of
mine. It's been difficult for Slaven at times this season. He has hardly had
Andre Ayew, who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, as is Cheikhou
Kouyate, who I believe is a special player. The scenario with Dimitri Payet
is a really difficult one to deal with as a manager. Firstly, Slaven will
feel let down personally. In my view, I think Slaven has handled it well. He
has been very firm and until the player changes his opinion, he won't train
with the team and I think he is right. You have to show a degree of strength
and he has been backed by the Board. Slaven will want a player of his talent
in his team, but for the morale of the other players, West Ham is bigger
than Dimitri Payet and he has been firm with it and that's fair enough.
One player who is playing really well at the moment is Andy Carroll. I
fortunately had a brief little spell with Andy at Newcastle and he has two
or three fantastic attributes. Firstly, his left foot is like a rocket and
second, he is almost unplayable when the ball is delivered with quality into
the box. Third, he is generally a really good lad. He is just a handful and
the quality of the goal he scored against Crystal Palace was just special.
He has had a run of games and got fitter and stronger and that's important
because when he is fit, the other team's defenders know they are in for a
game. He gives a different element to the way West Ham can play, and he's
also a good footballer on the floor and it showed how good he is technically
with that goal last week because that wasn't an easy technique.
Finally, I think Jose Fonte is a very good signing. He has won the Euros and
a lot of people thought he might go to Everton, so I think it's a coup for
Slaven that he has got the deal over the line, and credit to the Board,
David Sullivan and David Gold for doing a really good piece of business.
Jose is a leader, a calm influence and a good footballer. He brings size and
stature to the team and brings another threat from set pieces for other
teams to worry about with Carroll, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and others.
I think it's a fantastic signing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Trott hopeful of repeat performance
WHUFC.com
Nathan Trott hopes that the U23s can repeat their last performance against
Leicester in their return fixture with the Foxes on Monday
The PL2 Hammers' match with Leicester kicks off at 7pm on Monday at the
Chigwell Construction Stadium
Trott is also relishing the prospect of two games in five days
Nathan Trott hopes that West Ham United PL2 can match their last performance
against Leicester City when they host the Foxes in the Premier League Cup on
Monday night. The young goalkeeper was merely a spectator between the sticks
as the Hammers put in a masterful display in the previous fixture against
Leicester. Terry Westley's men ran out 2-0 winners in October and dominated
their opening Cup fixture of the campaign. Trott has urged his teammates to
try and replicate that sensational display, as they attempt to defend the
title they dramatically won in May. "Hopefully we can do another performance
like our last one against Leicester. If I'm honest, that's probably one of
our best performances this season," said Trott. "We all hope we can dominate
the game like last time. We have good memories in this tournament and we'll
try our best to win it again."
The Hammers will take confidence from their previous success in this
tournament after winning the competition last season with a penalty shootout
victory over Hull City. Westley's men will also hope to bounce back from
their 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in Premier League 2 last week.
"It was quite a tough game because we had a lot of players who don't usually
play for us from the first team," added Trott. "We had Ashley Fletcher and
Reece (Oxford), so we had to change formation and get used to that.
"However, we still dominated the game and we shouldn't be too angry with
ourselves after losing 3-0 because there were plenty of positives to take
from the game. We kept the ball quite well and our movement off the ball was
good. "One thing is having possession and another thing is using the
possession to your advantage. We've got great players in our team that can
help us win games."
The Hammers face the prospect of two matches in five days, with Friday also
providing a test in the league against Aston Villa. "It will be a big test
especially because now we have a bunch of younger guys coming into our team
at the moment. It's time for everyone to give it another push and step up."
West Ham PL2's Premier League Cup (Group E) match with Leicester City takes
place at 7pm on Monday from the Chigwell Construction Stadium. Admission is
free for season ticket holders – otherwise, it's £5 for adults and £3 for
concessions.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham close to Scott Hogan signing from Brentford
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 22/01/17 6:29pm
SSN
Scott Hogan is expected to move from Brentford to West Ham this week,
according to Sky sources. Sources close to the striker believe the deal is
being affected by Hammers playmaker Dimitri Payet's future, but are still
confident Hogan will move within 48 hours. Hogan has scored 14 goals in the
Championship for the Bees this season but the 24-year-old was not part of
the team who were beaten 2-1 at Wigan on Saturday. Brentford manager Dean
Smith told the club website after Saturday's match: "Scott Hogan has trained
all week with us but had a tight hamstring yesterday. "It is not the kid's
fault, he wants to play football, but he doesn't want to risk getting
injured. "I fully understand that but I think, if he has a tight hamstring
in February, he plays." Meanwhile, Payet continues to be linked with a move
from West Ham to his former club Marseille, although the French side said
last week they were resigned to not completing a deal during this transfer
window.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
PSG READY SHOCK MOVE FOR DIMITRI PAYET
MICHAEL OLIVER @themikeoliver_
ReadWestHam
Dimitri Payet is keen for a return to France this month but thus far,
Marseille have been unable to agree a deal to bring him back to the Stade
Velodrome.
Their lack of movement on the transfer front has opened the door for them to
be usurped by fellow Ligue 1 clubs, with PSG now reportedly interested in
signing the 29-year-old attacking midfielder according to the Express.
West Ham have put a £35m price-tag on Payet's head this month but Marseille
have yet to come anywhere near that valuation having made three bids for
him, the latest worth a reported £25m.
Payet spent two years with Marseille before completing a £10.7m move to West
Ham in July 2015. The former Saint-Etienne man made 66 appearances for the
Hammers, scoring 18 goals and recording 25 assists before handing in a
transfer request earlier this month.
Slaven Bilic has sent Payet to train with the U23s until his attitude
changes as the club hope they can convince the midfielder to commit himself
to playing for West Ham at least until the end of the season.
Marseille insist they are unable to meet his £35m valuation which has opened
the door for PSG to make their move.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions made an enquiry to sign Payet in the summer
which was flat out rejected by David Sullivan who was firm on his stance
that the attacking midfielder was not for sale at any price.
Earlier this month, PSG signed Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg. The German is
a similar player to Payet but manager Unai Emery has questioned Javier
Pastore's long-term future at the club and eyes Payet as a replacement.
Bankrolled by Qatari investment, PSG would have no issue meeting West Ham's
demands and matching, if not improving on Payet's £125,000-a-week wage
packet either.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Iain Dowie is a lifelong West Ham United fan and former Hammers striker. The
52-year-old was a teammate of Slaven Bilic at the Boleyn Ground and coached
Hammers striker Andy Carroll at Newcastle United in spring 2009. Now a
broadcast pundit, Dowie spoke exclusively to whufc.com about Bilic, Carroll,
Dimitri Payet and new signing Jose Fonte…
I am a West Ham fan, used to stand on the old North Bank as a kid and I
always take a close interest in how my old club are getting on. First and
foremost, Slaven is a very, very good manager and wherever he has been he
has done a great job. He did a fine job last year and in terms of continuing
that this season, he has now started turning things around. Players are
coming back and Andy Carroll is fit. I think he is the perfect man for the
job and I believe some of the players have picked up their performances in
recent weeks, because they were performing below the level they were at last
year. That's a combination of Slaven working hard on the training ground and
players realising that, if they weren't careful, they would get dragged into
a relegation battle. I am pleased for Slaven, because he is a good friend of
mine. It's been difficult for Slaven at times this season. He has hardly had
Andre Ayew, who is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, as is Cheikhou
Kouyate, who I believe is a special player. The scenario with Dimitri Payet
is a really difficult one to deal with as a manager. Firstly, Slaven will
feel let down personally. In my view, I think Slaven has handled it well. He
has been very firm and until the player changes his opinion, he won't train
with the team and I think he is right. You have to show a degree of strength
and he has been backed by the Board. Slaven will want a player of his talent
in his team, but for the morale of the other players, West Ham is bigger
than Dimitri Payet and he has been firm with it and that's fair enough.
One player who is playing really well at the moment is Andy Carroll. I
fortunately had a brief little spell with Andy at Newcastle and he has two
or three fantastic attributes. Firstly, his left foot is like a rocket and
second, he is almost unplayable when the ball is delivered with quality into
the box. Third, he is generally a really good lad. He is just a handful and
the quality of the goal he scored against Crystal Palace was just special.
He has had a run of games and got fitter and stronger and that's important
because when he is fit, the other team's defenders know they are in for a
game. He gives a different element to the way West Ham can play, and he's
also a good footballer on the floor and it showed how good he is technically
with that goal last week because that wasn't an easy technique.
Finally, I think Jose Fonte is a very good signing. He has won the Euros and
a lot of people thought he might go to Everton, so I think it's a coup for
Slaven that he has got the deal over the line, and credit to the Board,
David Sullivan and David Gold for doing a really good piece of business.
Jose is a leader, a calm influence and a good footballer. He brings size and
stature to the team and brings another threat from set pieces for other
teams to worry about with Carroll, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and others.
I think it's a fantastic signing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Trott hopeful of repeat performance
WHUFC.com
Nathan Trott hopes that the U23s can repeat their last performance against
Leicester in their return fixture with the Foxes on Monday
The PL2 Hammers' match with Leicester kicks off at 7pm on Monday at the
Chigwell Construction Stadium
Trott is also relishing the prospect of two games in five days
Nathan Trott hopes that West Ham United PL2 can match their last performance
against Leicester City when they host the Foxes in the Premier League Cup on
Monday night. The young goalkeeper was merely a spectator between the sticks
as the Hammers put in a masterful display in the previous fixture against
Leicester. Terry Westley's men ran out 2-0 winners in October and dominated
their opening Cup fixture of the campaign. Trott has urged his teammates to
try and replicate that sensational display, as they attempt to defend the
title they dramatically won in May. "Hopefully we can do another performance
like our last one against Leicester. If I'm honest, that's probably one of
our best performances this season," said Trott. "We all hope we can dominate
the game like last time. We have good memories in this tournament and we'll
try our best to win it again."
The Hammers will take confidence from their previous success in this
tournament after winning the competition last season with a penalty shootout
victory over Hull City. Westley's men will also hope to bounce back from
their 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in Premier League 2 last week.
"It was quite a tough game because we had a lot of players who don't usually
play for us from the first team," added Trott. "We had Ashley Fletcher and
Reece (Oxford), so we had to change formation and get used to that.
"However, we still dominated the game and we shouldn't be too angry with
ourselves after losing 3-0 because there were plenty of positives to take
from the game. We kept the ball quite well and our movement off the ball was
good. "One thing is having possession and another thing is using the
possession to your advantage. We've got great players in our team that can
help us win games."
The Hammers face the prospect of two matches in five days, with Friday also
providing a test in the league against Aston Villa. "It will be a big test
especially because now we have a bunch of younger guys coming into our team
at the moment. It's time for everyone to give it another push and step up."
West Ham PL2's Premier League Cup (Group E) match with Leicester City takes
place at 7pm on Monday from the Chigwell Construction Stadium. Admission is
free for season ticket holders – otherwise, it's £5 for adults and £3 for
concessions.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham close to Scott Hogan signing from Brentford
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 22/01/17 6:29pm
SSN
Scott Hogan is expected to move from Brentford to West Ham this week,
according to Sky sources. Sources close to the striker believe the deal is
being affected by Hammers playmaker Dimitri Payet's future, but are still
confident Hogan will move within 48 hours. Hogan has scored 14 goals in the
Championship for the Bees this season but the 24-year-old was not part of
the team who were beaten 2-1 at Wigan on Saturday. Brentford manager Dean
Smith told the club website after Saturday's match: "Scott Hogan has trained
all week with us but had a tight hamstring yesterday. "It is not the kid's
fault, he wants to play football, but he doesn't want to risk getting
injured. "I fully understand that but I think, if he has a tight hamstring
in February, he plays." Meanwhile, Payet continues to be linked with a move
from West Ham to his former club Marseille, although the French side said
last week they were resigned to not completing a deal during this transfer
window.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
PSG READY SHOCK MOVE FOR DIMITRI PAYET
MICHAEL OLIVER @themikeoliver_
ReadWestHam
Dimitri Payet is keen for a return to France this month but thus far,
Marseille have been unable to agree a deal to bring him back to the Stade
Velodrome.
Their lack of movement on the transfer front has opened the door for them to
be usurped by fellow Ligue 1 clubs, with PSG now reportedly interested in
signing the 29-year-old attacking midfielder according to the Express.
West Ham have put a £35m price-tag on Payet's head this month but Marseille
have yet to come anywhere near that valuation having made three bids for
him, the latest worth a reported £25m.
Payet spent two years with Marseille before completing a £10.7m move to West
Ham in July 2015. The former Saint-Etienne man made 66 appearances for the
Hammers, scoring 18 goals and recording 25 assists before handing in a
transfer request earlier this month.
Slaven Bilic has sent Payet to train with the U23s until his attitude
changes as the club hope they can convince the midfielder to commit himself
to playing for West Ham at least until the end of the season.
Marseille insist they are unable to meet his £35m valuation which has opened
the door for PSG to make their move.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions made an enquiry to sign Payet in the summer
which was flat out rejected by David Sullivan who was firm on his stance
that the attacking midfielder was not for sale at any price.
Earlier this month, PSG signed Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg. The German is
a similar player to Payet but manager Unai Emery has questioned Javier
Pastore's long-term future at the club and eyes Payet as a replacement.
Bankrolled by Qatari investment, PSG would have no issue meeting West Ham's
demands and matching, if not improving on Payet's £125,000-a-week wage
packet either.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 22
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd January 2017
Carroll at the double in Teesside win
WHUFC.com
After last weekend's heroics, it was back to the day job, so to speak, for
Andy Carroll as his brace helped West Ham United to a 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
With his cracker against Crystal Palace – one of the Premier League's
greatest ever – still fresh in the memory, the Hammers' big forward was back
doing what he does best on Teesside as he crashed home an unstoppable header
before bagging a second from close range.
Cristhian Stuani's strike sandwiched between Carroll's double meant the
hosts continually pressed during a tight second half, but Slaven Bilic's
held on before adding a late third through substitute Jonathan Calleri - who
found the back of the net for the first time in Claret and Blue - in injury
time.
It's bubbles that fly so high according to the song, but after just nine
minutes it was most definitely the Hammers' big man up front touching the
sky as he nodded home the opener.
Manuel Lanzini swung in an inviting corner from the left hand side which had
been won by Michail Antonio, and nothing was getting in Carroll's way as he
steamed in before planting a header past Victor Valdes in goal.
And though it was an early lead, it could have been greater had Antonio
converted from close range minutes earlier. The threat throughout could only
miscue from six yards after Aaron Cresswell's cross.
Delight can quickly turn to despair in the Premier League though, and so
Slaven Bilic's men learned with 26 minutes played.
Adama Traore was allowed the the time and space to charge down the right and
pick out a cross and, on his own at the back stick, it would have been
harder for Cristhian Stuani to miss from eight yards as he tapped past
Darren Randolph to level.
Time to dig in. As the hosts applied the pressure, West Ham stood firm
despite one or two scares. Traore was again the danger down the right,
though this time his driven centre across the face of goal found white
rather than red.
Moments earlier, skipper Mark Noble had audaciously chipped inches wide, but
if the Hammers' luck was out then, it returned to them two minutes before
the break as they once again took the lead.
Antonio worked the room for a shot and although Spaniard Valdes was this
time able to deny the forward, he pushed it only as far as Carroll who
tapped under the stopper.
Happy Hammers indeed at half time, though things could have got even better
as the second half began in the same lightening fashion the first.
First Antonio nodded over from a corner, before then Lanzini went through on
goal only to tamely fire into the hands of Valdes.
West Ham must have known it was going to be their day just after the hour
mark, when Boro came inches away from equalising for the second time.
A cross from the left found its way to the back post where Cresswell,
unaware of the onrushing Stuani, directed his clearance straight at the
winger and against the crossbar.
Previously, Randolph in goal had produced a marvellous save to deny Marten
de Roon, but the Irishman was not tested further as the travelling east
Londonders kept it tight at the back before breaking in the 94th minute to
put the icing on top of the cake.
A slick passing move, in which white shirts far outnumbered red, ended with
sub Calleri finding the back of the net with the help of a deflection to
score his first West Ham goal and ensure the points were heading back down
south.
And so into the top half the Hammers went – for just the second time this
season – after vital back to back Premier League wins. The Irons have
started 2017 as they mean to go on.
Middlesbrough: Valdes, Friend, Bernardo, Gibson, Clayton, Negredo, de Roon,
Stuani (Bamford 80), Chambers, Forshaw (Gestede 83), Traore.
Subs not used: Guzan, Fabio, Leadbitter, Fischer, Downing.
Goals: Stuani 26
Bookings: Gibson 80, Bernardo 83
West Ham United: Randolph, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Feghouli
(Collins 83), Obiang, Noble (Fernandes 54), Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll
(Calleri 67).
Subs not used: Adrian, Fletcher, Oxford, Quina.
Goals: Carroll 9, 43, Calleri 90+4
Bookings: Lanzini 6
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Obiang - I'm happy for Calleri
WHUFC.com
Obiang thrilled to see Jonathan Calleri end wait for first West Ham United
goal
Win was fifth for the Hammers in their last seven Premier League outings
Spanish midfielder says the Hammers can continue in this vein with the
attacking threat they possess
Pedro Obiang was delighted to see Jonathan Calleri get off the mark for West
Ham United in Saturday's 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough.
Calleri sealed the win in the closing moments with his first goal since a
summer loan move from Deportivo Maldonado, killing off a Middlesbrough
challenge which had already been dented by Andy Carroll's double.
With the Hammers strikers contributing strongly - Michail Antonio also took
his assist tally from the last two games to four - Obiang is not surprised
to see the goals, and points, flow.
"I am happy for Jonathan on many levels," he said. "It has been difficult
for him these last three months, but Saturday can be a big moment for him.
"Scoring the goal will give him confidence, for him and for the supporters.
It is hard for any striker when you don't score, so now he has his goal,
everybody is happy.
"When we win like this it shows we are a team. We work together, we fight
together and this is very nice for us and for the supporters.
"At the moment, the important reason is we aren't conceding a lot of goals,
and we are also scoring. This is because Andy and Michail Antonio have
played so well in these last two games - and Manuel Lanzini too.
"Everyone knows Andy Carroll, when he is in the area you can do nothing. It
is very hard to defend against him and we are lucky to have him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com
Like you, I was a very proud West Ham United fan at the Riverside Stadium.
Not only did the team win for the fifth time in seven Premier League
matches, continuing our fantastic recent form, but they did so as a team.
The whole team played well, both defensively and in attack, and we could
have scored more than the three goals we did against one of the Premier
League's best defences.
We are now in the top half and just a few points behind Everton in seventh.
Our recent run means we are looking up rather than down and I hope we can
ensure that is the case for the rest of the season.
The supporters were absolutely magnificent, as ever, and I want to thank
every single one of you for travelling such a long way to cheer the team on.
Slaven has really got the team playing for one another and I am pleased for
him, for the players and most of all for the fans.
It was brilliant to see Andy Carroll score two more goals – the first one
was an unstoppable header and the second one was a real striker's goal, with
him anticipating the shot being spilled and finishing clinically.
Michail Antonio got another assist, while Manuel Lanzini got two from his
role in the hole behind the striker. Manu has got real ability and he can
show everything in that No10 position.
Defensively, Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna were solid again, and we of
course wish Angelo all the best with his knee surgery and for a successful
rehabilitation. Angelo has showed his commitment to the Club by playing with
the injury for a while now, and we thank him for that.
We have signed Jose Fonte and he is a top-class defender who will add
strength, depth and leadership to our squad.
When we knew Jose was available, we made him a top target and were delighted
to beat off some big clubs for his signature. It is a big statement of
intent.
Talking of defenders, it was great to see Sam Byram back in the team at
Middlesbrough and playing so well. He is still young and I am sure, if he is
fit and has a run of games, he can be a real asset for us because he has
great ability.
The team now have a short break between matches and that will give the
players a chance to recharge their batteries after a busy period.
We have Manchester City next on a Wednesday night at London Stadium and I am
sure the atmosphere is going to be brilliant, as it was against Crystal
Palace last weekend.
We will all go in to that match buoyed by our last two performances and, I
hope, with further new signings, which we hope to make between now and the
end of the transfer window.
The market is challenging, but we are positive and will work around the
clock to secure the right players to take us forward.
Come on you Irons!
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman
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England U19 star Holland signs
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Nathan Holland
The former Everton youngster can play as an attacking midfielder or on the
left wing
The England U19 international says he can't wait to get started
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of England U19
international Nathan Holland on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The former Everton youngster joins the Hammers on a deal until 2020 and goes
straight into the PL2 squad to face Leicester City on Monday night.
Holland is an attacking midfielder and said he is keen to repay the faith
shown in him by Academy Director Terry Westley.
"It's amazing, I'm quite gobsmacked to be honest," he said. "When I first
came down, Terry introduced me to all the staff and they were all very
welcoming. They've shown a lot of faith in me and I just want to repay that
and kick on.
"It's all a bit of a family thing down here. Everyone is close together.
It's a brilliant set up they've got and I think it will only help me
improve. I think I can do that.
"I like to be direct. I like to get assists and get at people and just try
and dribble and combine with other people. Hopefully I can add more strength
to the team."
Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Holland joined Everton at the age of nine
and progressed with the Merseyside club through the age groups.
He was called up to the England U16 side as a 15-year-old and cemented a
place within the national setup, travelling to the UEFA European
Championships with the U17s in the summer of 2015.
Most recently, he made his debut for England U19s in September of last year,
and he hopes to progress with the Hammers to eventually become a senior
England international.
"The experiences were unbelievable. Obviously going to the Euros can only
help you improve and I'm privileged to play for my country," added Holland,
who already knows Hammers defender Reece Oxford from their times with
England.
"I think [London Stadium] is the best stadium in the Premier League by far.
If I could ever get myself out there, I think it would be a dream come true
to be honest.
"[Slaven Bilic] really welcomed me. He said that they will look after me.
I'm really happy to be here and happy that the contract is signed now.
"You've had the likes of Joe Cole, he was a legend, and I think the
attacking football that the Academy play is outstanding and hopefully that
will fit my style.
"I've met a few of my teammates already and they've all said how good it is
here. And been really welcoming. I feel at home already and I cannot wait to
get started. "
Academy Director Terry Westley, who will be working closely with Holland for
the rest of the season with the U23s, said he was delighted to get the deal
done.
"It's taken a while to get the player to us. He's someone who I saw two
years ago playing for England in the same team as Reece Oxford. I looked
down at my programme and circled his name because of the talent that I saw.
"He's an England international through the ages and he's got those late
developer signs which we like. We know he's going to mature and we are going
to give him the platform, a long enough contract, to develop with us.
"To come here now is a big challenge, but it's one I know he is looking
forward to."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic reveals Ogbonna injury
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic has revealed Angelo Ogbonna will miss the remainder of the
season with injury
The defender has been playing with a problem all season
He helped the Hammers to a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday and has
played 25 times this campaign
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic revealed after his side's 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough that defender Angelo Ogbonna will miss the remainder of the
season with injury.
The Italian, who played a major part in the Hammers' crucial victory at the
Riverside Stadium, will have an operation this week in an attempt to resolve
an injury problem he has been dealing with all season.
Ogbonna has played 25 times for the Club this season and, despite playing
with a niggle all campaign, racked up his 18th successive Premier League
start on Saturday.
Bilic sounded his disappointment over the loss of the centre-back but also
expressed his excitement at the prospect of seeing new signing and UEFA Euro
2016 winner Jose Fonte in action at the heart of the Hammers' defence.
"I have to praise Angelo Ogbonna, because he has played the whole season
with an injury," Bilic confirmed. "He needs an operation on his knee to be
fit long-term, and it was supposed to be a couple of weeks but we asked him
to play a couple more games.
"He will now have it after today's game which will rule him out until the
end of the season. But we have Fonte now. He wasn't even our target because
we didn't think he was going to be available but when we found out he was,
we jumped on it straight away because he's a great player.
"He has played here for eight, nine or ten years and he has won the Euros
and he's a great addition to our team."
Ogbonna signed for the Club in the summer of 2015 from Italian champions
Juventus and made 39 appearances in Claret and Blue in last season's
historic final campaign at the Boleyn Ground.
He began this season down the pecking order in the side's defence but forced
his way into the starting XI before becoming a key man as the Club turned
their fortunes around after a tricky start to 2016/17.
Meanwhile, the Club confirmed the £8 million purchase of former Southampton
man Fonte on Friday.
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Super Slav delighted with Boro performance
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic was left delighted after his side beat
Middlesbrough 3-1 on Saturday
The Hammers were winners on Teesside thanks to goals from Andy Carroll and
Jonathan Calleri
Bilic said the win topped off a superb week for the Club
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says his side's 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough on Saturday capped off a superb week for the Club.
The Hammers put back to back Premier League wins together to move into the
top half of the table for just the second time this season with their
terrific victory on Teesside which came thanks to goals from Andy Carroll
and Jonathan Calleri.
The win followed on from last weekend's comfortable London Stadium triumph
over Crystal Palace and Bilic was delighted with the outcome at the
Riverside Stadium.
He said: "It has been a good week for us. After the game against Palace, we
played well against them and we have used the momentum we got in that win to
come here and put out a strong performance and get three massive points.
"We're especially pleased because we played good and it's great. We had a
lot of players who were on top of their game today and we did great things
with the ball. We hurt them when we attacked and it was brilliant.
"Andy Carroll, week in, week out, is brilliant. I am always saying this; he
is a brilliant player, not just with his goals, but he makes such an impact
with his presence.
"The goals are also obviously important but it's so hard to stop him in the
box and so for him to score two goals is brilliant.
"I have told you why I'm a big fan of Andy; he does everything. The only
problem before was that he wasn't available to play. Hopefully he is going
to stay fit. He felt his groin a bit and we didn't want to risk it because
we don't want to lose him.
"He's great though, he is one of the leaders and he enjoys that."
Argentine Calleri replaced the big man in the second half and added the
Hammers' third with his first goal for the Club four minutes into stoppage
time.
And Bilic praised the impact of his substitutes in a game where he was
forced to replace not only Carroll but skipper Mark Noble who also suffered
an injury problem during the clash.
"We still don't know about Mark Noble. We have to wait of course, but he is
our skipper and leader and he's like a mentor in the middle of the park.
"But it's all about the squad and the guys who came on, like [Edimilson]
Fernandes and Calleri, did well and it's good for us.
"We are delighted after today because we not only won but played very good
so we are extremely pleased with our week."
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AC - We got what we came for
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll says confidence and morale is high in the Hammers dressing room
In-form striker scores twice in 3-1 Premier League win at Middlesbrough
Victory lifts West Ham United into top half of the table
Andy Carroll says West Ham United 'got what we came for' after winning 3-1
at Middlesbrough.
The No9 bagged two more goals as the Hammers climbed into the Premier
League's top ten with a hard-earned victory at the Riverside Stadium – just
their second in 12 Premier League visits.
Carroll powered home a header inside the opening ten minutes before putting
his side back in front with a smartly-taken finish on the stroke of
half-time – Cristhian Stuani having equalised in between.
Jonathan Calleri added a late third to send Carroll, Slaven Bilic's squad
and 2,000 travelling fans home from Teesside with wide grins on their faces.
"I'm happy with the goals and the three points and the lads were great again
today," the Big Man confirmed. "The points are fully deserved.
"It was a great cross by Manu for the first goal and I got a clear run on it
and as soon as it met my head I knew it was in the back of the net.
"Then for the second it was a great effort from Mick and I was just waiting
for any scraps, and the keeper's parried it and I was able to get there
first.
"They left it open a bit for us to attack in the second half and we could
have had a couple more. We're not being greedy, we're happy with the three
points and three goals!
"It's very good to see Calleri score his first and he worked hard when he
came on and he's been working hard in training. It was good for all the lads
to see him score.
"At the end of the day, we've got the three points we came here for and
everyone is delighted."
After a stop-start opening half of the season, and some distracting
off-field issues in recent weeks, West Ham have now won five out of seven in
the Premier League and are within touching distance of seventh-place
Everton, who are six points ahead of them.
Carroll said team spirit and confidence in the dressing room are in good
shape after such a strong run of form and results.
"I think the lads have come together even stronger recently with everything
that's going on and you can see on the pitch everyone is working together,
putting the grit in and that's when the points come," he confirmed.
"The morale in the dressing room is fantastic. All the lads are having a
laugh before and it's great to be around. Everyone wants to work for the
manager and it's brilliant.
"It was tough at the beginning of the season but we came out of that and
we're just thinking about each game as it comes."
The only concerns on an otherwise perfect day for the Hammers were the sight
of both Carroll and Mark Noble going off with injuries.
However, the centre forward was pleased to point out that his substitution
was purely precautionary and he expects to be fit to face Manchester City at
London Stadium on Wednesday 1 February.
"My groin was a little bit tight so we didn't want to risk anything," he
said. "I didn't train all week and I was a little bit stiff, so maybe that's
one of the reasons why it's a bit tight. But I'm all good and looking
forward to the next game.
"I feel good. I'm working hard and hopefully a lot more goals will come. I
thrive on great balls in like that, and I always try my best to get on the
end of it.
"We've got ten days until the next game so we'll rest up and look forward to
that."
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Fonte - I want more trophies
WHUFC.com
Jose Fonte is used to lifting major silverware and now hopes to win even
more trophies at West Ham United. Fonte enjoyed the best day of his career
last summer when he was part of the Portugal team that won the European
Championships in France. The Hammers new signing has now got the hunger to
achieve more success and hopes his move to London Stadium can help achieve
that over the next two-and-a-half years. Fonte, who joined the Hammers from
Southampton on Friday for £8million, cannot wait to make his debut for the
east London Club and says the fans and manager Slaven Bilic played a big
role in his decision to join West Ham United....
Jose Fonte - welcome to West Ham United. Why have you decided to join the
Hammers?
JF: "I signed for West Ham because they are a great club and a very big
club. They have a lot of fans and I have known for a number of years how
passionate they are. "The manager was also a very big influence. I thought
that he really wanted me and that he sold me the project and the ambition of
the Club. "I also have part of my family living in London and they are big
West Ham fans. It just made sense for me at this stage to join West Ham. It
is a new challenge and a new beginning and I am looking forward to it."
We already have Fonte fans in the West Ham family. How much are you looking
forward to playing in front of them?
JF: "I am looking forward to it and they are Season-Ticket holders. I will
find out where they are sitting in the Stadium and they have been West Ham
fans for a number of years – especially my brother-in law. "He was on the
phone to me all the time wanting me to sign!"
There were a number of big clubs interested in signing you. Was it the
ambition of the Club that persuaded you to put pen to paper on joining the
Hammers?
JF: "You just have to look around and see the Stadium and the ambition of
the owners and the investment in the team. You see where they want to go and
the fans support. "I am very pleased to be here and I just want to start
working and repaying the faith."
You touched on the manager Slaven Bilic. How much did he play a factor in
you signing and how much are you looking forward to working under him?
JF: "Slaven was a massive factor. I met the gaffer and he was very
persuasive. I like him and have always liked him, even before I met him and
the way he is.
"I have asked a few players who know him as well like Tadic and Lovren and
they gave me the best indication about him. "As soon as I met him he made me
feel comfortable and I just want to help the team win and succeed."
What is it going to be like for you playing at London Stadium and playing in
front of 57,000 fans every home game?
JF: "It is every players ambition to play in front of a crowd like that
every week. I just want the team to make it a fortress. "I want everyone to
come together and make it a very hard place for the opposing teams."
After the impressive 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, how much are
you looking forward to getting into the team and showing your quality?
JF: "I saw the game and how the fans reacted. It was an important win and I
hope we can continue like that. "It is only like this that we are going to
be successful. Everyone pushing together and supporting the team."
One player you know well is Michail Antonio having played alongside him for
Southampton and winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley back in
2010. Tell us about Michail and your memories of playing alongside him?
JF: "Michail was only young at the time. I was young at the time as well! He
had raw pace, talent, explosiveness and we could see the potential in him.
"He was fantastic in the Final and scored a goal. It was a great day at
Wembley."
Michail produced a hat-trick of assists last weekend and is hitting top form
at the moment. How impressed were you by his performance against Crystal
Palace?
JF: "He has been outstanding and has done really well for himself. I am
happy for him and I just hope he can continue to help the team so we can
have many more wins."
In your area of the team, there are a number of players challenging for
places like Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins. How much are you
relishing the competition for places in the West Ham defence?
JF: "Competition is good and healthy. It is the manager's decision at the
end of the day. "I just want to help the team in any way I can – both inside
and outside the dressing room. Whoever the manager picks will do their best
but I am here to be a part of that."
What are your aims and ambitions at West Ham over the next few years?
JF: "With the way that West Ham is going we can only look to be challenging
in the top eight. "I told the manager in conversations that we want to win
and we want to win trophies. The ambition is big and we need to aim high.
"West Ham are a massive club and it is an exciting challenge and it should
be for everyone. We all need to get together and start working."
We now have a Euro 2016 winner in the squad. How much pride do you take from
that memorable day in Paris last July?
JF: "It was the best day of my career. It was a moment that will be with me
forever for many reasons. It was a dream come true. "After coming into the
national team at 31 and then become a champion is something I am very proud
of. I just want to keep going and there are many more things to win. "I have
the hunger to win more trophies and hopefully many more will come."
Your first game could be against Manchester City at London Stadium. How do
you feel about making your debut for the Hammers in such a big game?
JF: "They have great strikers and one of the best forwards in the world in
Sergio Aguero but if we produce a good display it will be an easier day for
me. "I relish this kind of challenge. I have played against City a few times
but it is about the team and not the individual. I hope we can get a good
result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jose Fonte: West Ham sign Southampton captain
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Southampton captain Jose Fonte for £8m on a
two-and-a-half-year deal. The 33-year-old Portugal centre-back - who spent
seven years at Southampton - made a transfer request with 18 months left to
run on his Saints deal. The transfer includes a possible £1m in add-ons and
gives Fonte the option to extend his contract for a further year.
Southampton's director of football Les Reed said Fonte had the chance to
sign an improved deal but requested a move. Fonte, a Euro 2016 winner, said
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was a "very big influence" in convincing him
to choose the Hammers ahead of other clubs. "I thought that he really wanted
me and that he sold me the project and the ambition of the club," Fonte told
the club's website. Fonte made 288 appearances at St Mary's and was the last
remaining member of the Saints side that rose from League One to the Premier
League. "I also have part of my family living in London and they are big
West Ham fans. It just made sense for me at this stage to join West Ham," he
added. "With the way that West Ham is going we can only look to be
challenging in the top eight."
The Hammers confirmed Fonte will not be available for Saturday's trip to
Middlesbrough.
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Wigan Athletic: Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne join Championship side
BBC.co.uk
Wigan Athletic have signed midfielders Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne
from Fulham and West Ham on loan until the end of the season. Tunnicliffe,
24, worked with Wigan boss Warren Joyce when he was coming through the
Manchester United youth system. Browne, 19, made his professional debut in
the Europa League this season and has also played in the EFL Trophy. "Marcus
is a young player with great potential and will strengthen our group," said
manager Joyce.
"Ryan has got a terrific attitude first and foremost. He has built up
considerable experience now in this division and we are confident he can be
a really positive influence to the group in the immediate future." Both
players are available for Wigan's Championship game against Brentford on
Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JOSE FONTE SIGNS-DETAILS AND SCOUT REPORTS ALL HERE
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 20 JANUARY 2017 AT 10:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
So we finally got the confirmation tonight that Jose Fonte was joining us
from Southampton. This is a deal I first mentioned on the 11th of January
and then confirmed on our radio show on Wednesday. I believe this to be a
very good signing. He is very experienced in the Premier League and has
performed very well for Southampton as well as winning Euro 2016 with
Portugal. He has captained the Saints and is a leader on the pitch which is
something that we have lacked and he will coach and nurture the younger
centre backs. He arrives on a two and half year deal on approximately £65k
a week. People say that we have a number of centre backs but Reid, Ogbonna
and Collins are all regularly injured so he is needed if/when this scenario
happens again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fonte signs two-and-a-half year contract
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer
Portuguese international Jose Fonte has completed an £8million switch from
Southampton. Having undergone a medical earlier today, the central defender
put pen to paper on a contract that ties him to the club until summer 2019.
And he immediately paid tribute to Slaven Bilic, who he described as a key
reason behind his decision to snub alternative offers - from the likes of
West Bromwich Albion - in order to join West Ham. The manager was a very big
influence," he told whufc.com. "I thought that he really wanted me, he sold
me the project and the club's ambition. "I told the manager that we want to
win and we want to win trophies. The ambition is big and we need to aim
high. "West Ham is a massive club, it is an exciting challenge and it should
be for everyone. It is a new challenge, a new beginning and I am looking
forward to it."
Fonte, who played a role in his nation's Euro 16 success last summer will
wear the number 23 shirt formerly used by the likes of Jimmy Walker, Herita
Ilunga, Sebastien Carole and, more recently, Diego Poyet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham alarmed by Marseille's change in stance on Dimitri Payet - Sky
sources
By Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 21/01/17 12:12pm
SSN
West Ham are alarmed that Marseille let it be known on Friday that they are
resigned to not signing Dimitri Payet this month, Sky sources understand.
Sky Sports News HQ understands that the Hammers believe Marseille are just
bluffing and the French club's position is a negotiating tactic. Marseille
indicated, during talks earlier this week, that they will pay no more than
£25m to re-sign the playmaker they sold to West Ham for £10.7m in the summer
of 2015. West Ham, however, want £30m for the player, who wants to return to
Marseille, citing family reasons. The most likely outcome remains a
compromise being struck, otherwise West Ham will be stuck with a player who
will carry on refusing to play for them while being paid £125,000 a week.
Regardless, the high-stakes poker game between these two clubs continues
over Payet, who has not featured since the 5-0 thrashing at home to Man City
in the FA Cup on January 6. It is understood Payet has rejected offers from
Chinese Super League clubs because he is determined to return to France.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic defends his West Ham exit as Dimitri Payet refuses to play
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 20/01/17 11:35pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic has told Dimitri Payet there is a right way and a wrong way to
leave West Ham, defending his own exit as a player. Payet refused to play
against Crystal Palace last week in a bid to force a move away from the
Hammers. The France star wants to return to former side Marseille, but West
Ham have turned down two bids and are believed to be holding out for £30m.
Bilic, who is feeling "let down and angry" at Payet's antics, has been
accused in some quarters of having a short memory having himself secured a
big-money move from West Ham to Everton in 1997. But the former defender
believes he proved his loyalty to the club by insisting he stayed on until
the end of the season to help them avoid relegation. "I don't mind players
moving and all that, nowadays players move," said Bilic. "But it's about how
you move, how you go about everything. Especially the big players, they
should respect themselves in the way they go. "I wouldn't like to compare it
but I can tell you my story with Everton. If anything I have a good memory,
to be fair. "The fact is I was at West Ham and I wanted to go to Everton,
and they didn't want to sell me. But the way it happened was very, very
loyal. "I had a clause in my contract - I think £4.5million - which was
extremely high for a 29-year-old, a world-record fee for a defender. "It was
March, when you had the old March deadline, and Everton approached West Ham
and wanted to talk to me. "I went there and said 'okay, I can talk for
summer, but not now'. They said they needed me now. I said I was not going
to come, I was going back to West Ham because we have to stay up. "And
although they had injuries and needed me then, they liked that. So we shook
hands on it and made an agreement for June. "I came back to West Ham, I
played until the end of the season and I was happy that we stayed up. "The
way I had done it, I think, I showed loyalty. That is what the core of the
fans know and that is one of the reasons why I think they trust me and they
like me." Payet will once again be absent when West Ham travel to
Middlesbrough on Saturday. Bilic hopes Andy Carroll, Sam Byram, Winston Reid
and Sofiane Feghouli will shake off minor knocks and be available.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Angelo Ogbonna: West Ham defender to miss rest of season
BBC.co.uk
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna is set to miss the rest of the season as he
requires surgery on a knee injury, according to manager Slaven Bilic.
The Italy international, 28, has featured in 19 of the Hammers' 22 Premier
League games this season.
But after the arrival of defender Jose Fonte from Southampton this week,
Bilic will allow Ogbonna to have surgery.
"I have to praise Angelo Ogbonna, because he has played the whole season
with an injury," said Bilic.
Ogbonna played in West Ham's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday, but Bilic
said that will be his last game of the campaign.
"He needs an operation on his knee to be fit long-term, and it was supposed
to be a couple of weeks [ago] but we asked him to play," he added.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nathan Holland: West Ham sign Everton's England Under-19 midfielder
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Everton's England Under-19 international Nathan Holland
on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The midfielder, 18, signed his first professional contract at Everton in
January 2016 but did not make a first-team appearance.
Holland played for England Under-17s at the 2015 European Championships and
made his Under-19 debut in September.
He has been included in West Ham's Under-23 squad to face Leicester City on
Monday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Middlesbrough 1-3 West Ham United
By Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport
Andy Carroll scored twice to make it back-to-back victories for West Ham in
the Premier League, despite Middlesbrough dominating for long spells at the
Riverside on Saturday.
The Hammers took the lead inside 10 minutes when Carroll lost his marker to
head in a Manuel Lanzini corner.
The hosts hit back with a well-worked move that ended with Cristhian Stuani
tapping in Calum Chambers' low cross.
Carroll pounced after Victor Valdes tipped away Michail Antonio's low effort
to give West Ham the lead at the break.
Boro threw on January signings Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede, but the
Hammers added to their lead on the break late on through Jonathan Calleri.
It means Middlesbrough's winless run in the top flight now stretches to five
games.
Carroll key for Hammers
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said Carroll had suffered whiplash after scoring
an acrobatic overhead kick last week against Crystal Palace but, despite
taking a couple of days off training during the week, the powerful centre
forward looked sharp at the Riverside.
He only touched the ball twice in the Middlesbrough box in the 67 minutes
before he was taken off, but found the net on both occasions - and he has
now scored five goals since his return from injury in early December.
With Dimitri Payet left out of Bilic's match-day squad amid rumours he is
set to leave London Stadium, Carroll offers the Hammers a very different
threat.
The former Newcastle and Liverpool man won 70% of his duels against Boro,
only bettered in the West Ham starting XI by captain Mark Noble, and his
aerial prowess also proved key to the visitors when defending set-pieces.
Boro unfortunate at home
Middlesbrough's struggles in front of goal have been well documented this
season, and they headed into the game having scored the fewest in the top
four leagues apart from Oldham.
But Aitor Karanka's side can feel aggrieved at not taking something from
this one. They enjoyed over 60% possession and delivered 27 crosses to West
Ham's eight from open play - only capitalising on one of those.
Karanka has bolstered his squad's attacking threat with the January signings
of Bamford and Gestede, the former scoring 17 goals during his last spell at
the Riverside in the Championship, but neither had time to have an impact on
the game.
It was winger Adama Traore who proved the biggest nuisance for West Ham,
first down the right-hand side with the on-loan Chambers and then on the
left when he linked up with George Friend.
Karanka said after the game the 20-year-old has "an amazing future", but he
will surely hope to keep him for at least another transfer window as Boro
look to avoid relegation.
Man of the match - Calum Chambers (Middlesbrough)
Calum Chambers
Chambers, on loan from Arsenal, excelled from right-back for the hosts,
getting forward and delivering 10 crosses including the assist for Cristhian
Stuani's goal. He also enjoyed a 97.7% passing accuracy rate, better than
any other player.
'Carroll loves it' - manager reaction
Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka: "As a manager I cannot be more proud of my
players than I am now. They have done every single thing. We win as a team,
lose as a team. We have to work on the last 10, 15 minutes."
On whether keeper Victor Valdes was at fault for Andy Carroll's second goal:
"Victor Valdes is having an amazing season, helping us a lot.
"He is one of the best keepers in the world and us as a club have to be
proud to have players like him."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It was a good week for us after Palace, the
confidence we played with, and we used that momentum to come here and put
out a strong performance and get three massive points."
On Carroll's goalscoring form: "Week in, week out he is a brilliant player.
Not only goals, he makes an impact with his presence. His work rate is
quality and he is unbeatable in the box. It is very hard to stop him.
"He loves it. He gives you everything. Hopefully he is going to stay fit."
Boro struggling for wins - match stats
Andy Carroll scored in successive Premier League games for the first time
since April.
Carroll scored more than once in a Premier League away game for the first
time.
Of Carroll's 48 Premier League goals, 23 have been from headers (48%).
West Ham have won five of their past seven Premier League fixtures, as many
as they had in their previous 19.
Boro have won only one of their past eight Premier League matches (five
defeats).
What next?
Middlesbrough host Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup fourth round next
Saturday (15;00 GMT), before welcoming West Brom in the Premier League the
following Tuesday (19:45).
West Ham are at home against Manchester City in the Premier League on 1
February (19:45), having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Pep Guardiola's
side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MIDDLESBROUGH 1-3 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 21 JANUARY 2017 AT 7:19PM
TheWestHamWayco.uk
Match Report by @WestHamAmerican
West Ham defeated Middlesbrough 1-3 today at the Riverside to climb to tenth
in the Premier League table. A pair of first half goals by Andy Carroll,
and a late third by Jonathon Calleri gave the Hammers their second
consecutive victory since the Dimitri Payet trade demands were made public
over a week ago.
The first half was great football as a stand-alone match. Both sides played
smart on all thirds of the pitch. Early on Andy Carroll started the scoring
when he rose above the crowd and headed in Manuel Lanzini's corner kick.
Ten minutes later Aitor Karanka's men equalised as Chambers squared it to an
unmarked Cristhian Stuani, who tapped it in from six yards out. Much of the
remainder of the opening half was back and forth with no one able to take
the lead.
In the closing moments of the half, Michail Antonio's shot was poorly
handled by Victor Valdes and Andy Carroll was able to put the rebound into
the back of the net. Retiring at the break with a 2-1 lead under the
floodlights of a loud Boro crowd, West Ham looked for more.
The second half opened and Antonio almost had a goal in the opening minute
when his header from Sam Byram went a yard over the crossbar. Soon after,
Mark Noble went down with an injury. The West Ham skipper came back on the
pitch but after a minute or so of limping about he was replaced by Edimilson
Fernandes.
Middlesbrough's best chance to equalise came in the 58th when Darren
Randolph dove to stave off a Marten De Roon header that was certainly
heading inside the post.
Andy Carroll left the pitch midway through the second half with a bit of a
groin injury. His three goals in two matches have shown his importance to
West Ham's attack.
In the late minutes of the match, Karanka brought on another striker in Rudy
Gestede and Bilic answered by bringing James Collins to hang on for the 2-1
win. Even with a more defensive set up, Jonathon Calleri was able to take a
pass from Lanzini and score off a Clayton deflection.
With the late stoppage time goal, West Ham sealed a 3-1 away victory and
showed their determination to succeed without Payet (and Kouate and Ayew as
well.) The big news this week will be to see the health of Andy Carroll and
Mark Noble. The two have been very important to the recent run of good form
that the Hammers have shown over the past few weeks. With a week to rest
before hosting an inconsistent Manchester City side, hopefully Bilic will
have his best XI ready to continue a well-needed run of victories.
Boro: Valdes, Chambers, Bernardo, Gibson, Friend, Clayton, Forshaw, De Roon,
Traore, Stuani, Negredo.
Subs: Guzan, Fabio, Leadbitter, Downing, Fischer, Bamford, Gestede
West Ham: Randolph; Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Noble (C);
Feghouli, Lanzini, Antonio; Carroll
Subs: Adrian, Collins, Fletcher, Calleri, Fernandes, Oxford, Quina
Referee: Martin Atkinson
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REF ANALYSIS – MARTIN ATKINSON
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 21 JANUARY 2017 AT 7:00PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Sam Royden – @SamRoyden
After a fantastic result against Crystal Palace at home last weekend and
after so much hype around the Dimitri Payet saga, its evident that what has
happened hasn't affected the squad. I do support David Sullivan and the
board's decision regarding Payet. Payet's contracted to the club until 2021,
he signed a new deal in February 2016 and had his wages increased to be West
Ham's all time highest paid player. We 100% shouldn't sell a player on the
cheap because he's refusing to play. In better news, we signed Jose Fonte
from Southampton this week on a 2 and a half year contract. In my opinion,
this is a fantastic signing for us and offers us more stability, quality and
leadership to our defence.
The referee who was appointed to officiate our visit to the Riverside
Stadium was Martin Atkinson. Atkinson has previously officiated two of our
games this season, most notably West Ham's 1-0 away win at Crystal Palace
earlier in the season when Atkinson sent Aaron Cresswell off within 4
minutes for two bookable offences.
Martin Atkinson had a good game in my opinion and he kept up with the game
well, as well as making good decisions. In the first half, there was an
early yellow card when Manuel Lanzini brought down the extremely pacy Adama
Traoré. The Ex-Barcelona B winger was attempting to start a counter attack
before the West Ham man brought him down. Atkinson was spot on to issue
Lanzini a yellow card and it was a foul that warrants an immediate yellow
card in the modern game.
Later in the first half, there were appeals from the West Ham fans after
Mark Noble went down in the penalty area. My initial thought was there
wasn't much contact by the Boro defender and after reviewing the replays,
that referees don't get the luxury of, there was contact but it was very
minimal. In my opinion, there wasn't enough contact for Mark Noble to go
down so I agree with Atkinson's decision.
I've always considered Martin Atkinson as one of the best referees in the
league and the most experienced. Atkinson played advantage very well in the
first half and throughout the game in fact. Adama Traoré was a constant
threat and breezed past West Ham players at ease. The West Ham players were
trying to challenge the Boro winger and actually were fouling the Boro
winger on more occasions than not. Atkinson is highly intelligent and reads
the game extremely well, playing the advantage on three or four occasions
correctly.
I felt the assistant referees in the game could have helped Atkinson with a
couple of decisions when the assistants were better placed. The best example
of the game would be the penalty that should have been awarded to West Ham
after Sofiane Feghouli was fouled inside the Boro penalty area. George
Friend was the Boro player who attempted to challenge Sofiane Feghouli but
the Boro defender completely missed the ball and his trailing leg wiped out
Feghouli's left foot. The decision was made to award West Ham a corner
instead of a penalty but this is where the assistant referee, who would have
been closer to the incident than Atkinson, needed to help with the decision
making.
There was a period of the second half where Atkinson was very lenient with a
couple of challenges which I felt could have been fouls. None more so than
two fouls by Bernardo Espinosa in the second half that I felt both deserved
a yellow card. The first foul was on Michail Antonio where Bernardo went
through the back of the West Ham winger and it was a nasty and late
challenge. Whenever a player goes through the back of a player it's reckless
and in my opinion, Atkinson should have cautioned Bernardo for this
challenge. The second foul was equally as punishable than the first, but the
difference was Atkinson issued a yellow card for this foul. Bernardo was
late, once again, and caught Manuel Lanzini late and Atkinson got this spot
on. In my opinion, I felt that Bernardo was lucky to be on the pitch when
you look at both fouls in isolation.
Overall, I felt that Martin Atkinson had a good game but there were phases
where I felt he was too lenient however, overall he officiated and
controlled the game very well. For the penalty appeals against Feghouli, I
felt Atkinson should have had some help from his assistants to ensure the
correct decisions were made.
It was great to see a solid performance again by West Ham and it's another 3
points. We now sit comfortably in 10th position in the league. With the
addition of Fonte this week, it's definitely going to be an interesting end
to the transfer window. As it's FA Cup next weekend, we have the weekend off
to prepare for Man City's visit to the London Stadium on 1st February live
on BT Sport.
Thanks,
Sam
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll plays down fears over groin injury after goals help West Ham
beat Middlesbrough
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 21/01/17 6:25pm
SSN
Andy Carroll has played down fears over a possible injury after he scored
twice to help West Ham beat Middlesbrough. The striker notched a brace
before half-time in a 3-1 win at the Riverside but was taken off on 67
minutes because of a problem in his groin. But he said: "I'm all good and
looking forward to the next game. I haven't trained all week. I had a couple
of days off in the gym. "My groin is a little bit tight. I didn't want to
risk anything. It was a little bit stiff so maybe that's one of the reasons
it's tight." Carroll scored a sensational bicycle kick against Crystal
Palace last week and helped the Hammers secure back-to-back Premier League
wins in the absence of the wantaway Dimitri Payet. He said: "The lads have
got together even stronger with things that are going on. "You can see on
the pitch everyone is working hard for each other and that's where the wins
and the points come from. "Every goal counts. I thought the lads played
well. The goal at the end was fantastic, to kill the game after they put us
under pressure. "At the end of the day we got the three points we came here
for and everyone is delighted."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robbie Keane urges West Ham to sell Dimitri Payet and sign someone new
By Stephen Mills
Last Updated: 22/01/17 12:36pm
SSN
Robbie Keane says the best thing for West Ham and Dimitri Payet himself is
for the player to leave. Robbie Keane believes West Ham are better off
without Dimitri Payet and has urged the club to sell him as soon as
possible. The France international has not played in the Hammers' last two
Premier League matches as he tries to engineer a move to former club
Marseille, citing family reasons. However, West Ham won both of those
matches - against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough - convincingly, and Keane
reckons his former club should sell the 29-year-old quickly and reinvest the
money. "There's a problem there," he told Goals on Sunday.
"It is looking like that the best thing for the club and him is probably to
leave, certainly if you can get good money for him. "He is a top, top
player, but they are flourishing since he announced he wants to go. "When
you have a player who is a special talent and wants to leave, there is
always a few in the dressing room, people like Mark Noble who is a legend
there, who is thinking 'this is my club and you just want to walk away'.
"Everybody has their own situations. I don't know if he's homesick and his
family wants to go home, but I think for West Ham, try and get the money and
get someone in this window or in the summer." Scotland manager Gordon
Strachan was also on the Goals on Sunday sofa and argued West Ham's improved
form might be a direct consequence of the Payet situation.
He believes the other players may be working harder in the absence of their
star player. "It can bind the squad together," Strachan said. "Sometimes you
have an individual that's so good that you rely so much on him and the rest
take a back seat. "Now it's a case of 'we've not got him here, we'll all
have to pitch in and do a bit more'. They probably feel more comfortable
that way. "Sometimes the players feel undervalued when everybody is talking
about one player and it can wear them down. "There's freedom when that
player is not there and they can go out and play. They have done incredibly
well and seem to be a more rounded team in this period."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New twist in West Ham's Dimitri Payet transfer saga with Nice now keen to
sign him
The Ligue 1 leaders can still provide move to France the star wants as the
Hammers play hardball with Marseille over a fee
The Mirror
BYNEIL MOXLEY
22:30, 21 JAN 2017
West Ham are considering a deal to loan outcast playmaker Dimitri Payet to
Nice. The French league leaders will step in and make an offer to the
Hammers, who are refusing to lower their asking price in talks with Nice's
Ligue 1 neighbours Marseille. A deal with Nice would suit them and West Ham,
who are keen to offload his £125,000-a-week wages. Payet has cited family
reasons as his motivation to leave the Londoners and return to his homeland.
And this temporary fix would see him get his requested return to the south
of France, suiting all parties apart from Marseille – which would not upset
anyone at the Hammers. And, should Nice cement their place in next season's
Champions League it could be win-win for the West Ham — they would demand
not only a loan fee, plus the player's wages being met, but also a whopping
bonus payable on qualification for the continent's premier football
competition. It could also be a viable alternative for the player, should
Nice like what they see and rival Marseille for Payet's signature in the
summer. Nice have emerged as a major force this season after being taken
over by Chinese and American investors last summer. They have bankrolled a
significant splurge in the transfer market, luring the likes of Mario
Balotelli to the Mediterranean coast. They were also interested in Crystal
Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye – but will not pay the transfer fee on top of
the player's wages. Now, they are waiting in the wings to see how Payet's
situation develops with Marseille, and appear willing to to step in to end
his stay under Slaven Bilic. Payet is lucky he hasn't been pinned up against
the wall by angry West Ham players, according to Hammers legend Martin
Allen. The wantaway Frenchman's car was vandalised outside his home on
Thursday and senior players have cut him from their WhatsApp group. Allen,
who played 190 games for the club, is disgusted by Payet's behaviour and
reckons he should have been sold as quickly as possible. Allen said: "Payet
doesn't give a toss about the club or his team-mates. His awful displays
have been jeopardising their careers. It's their living and he's disrupting
their livelihood to get a move, which could relegate the club. "I'd imagine
his team-mates would love to pin him up against a wall and have it out with
him. It's particularly disappointing because he received a £1m loyalty bonus
last September. "The players would have known what he was planning a long
time ago. They would have noticed his body language in matches and training,
how he was not tracking back, not listening to the manager, the tell-tale
signs."
Allen, 51, has his own fantasy about how he would like Payet to leave West
Ham… with a monstering from hardman and current coach, Julian Dicks. He
said: "What I'd love is for the club to sort out a six-a-side with Payet on
a Friday morning, and invite Dicks to play for the opposition. Even though
Julian would be limping because of his bad knee, I'm sure he could find that
extra half-yard to make a tackle on him. "It would be a 50-50, and Payet
would probably nutmeg him. But Julian would turn round and then scythe him
in half. "That would be a nice way to end the saga, I'm sure all West Ham
fans would agree."
Allen, now boss of non-League Eastleigh, believes West Ham owners David
Sullivan and David Gold made a big mistake last summer by not flogging
Payet.
"He had a great Euros for France – one of best the players there," said
Allen. "And West Ham pandered to him after that. "But they had 11 truly
committed players in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. They wouldn't have won
so convincingly with only 10 men, if Payet had played."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dimitri Payet set to fly to Marseille this weekend - and doesn't want to
return to England
The West Ham playmaker is desperate to force a return to his former side
The Mirror
BYJOHN CROSS
22:30, 20 JAN 2017
Dimitri Payet plans to fly to Marseille this weekend – and does not want to
come back to England. Payet is desperate to force a return to his former
club and told West Ham he faces a family crisis. His wife Ludivine is
determined to raise their three children in France and the £125,000-a-week
midfielder told pals he is travelling home and is not sure when he will
return, as the saga threatens to turn really nasty. West Ham believe
suggestions Marseille have abandoned attempts to sign the France
international this month is a bluff and are considering reporting them to
FIFA, alleging the player was tapped-up. They insist they will not sell in
January but Payet is becoming increasingly desperate to move. He told the
Hammers Marseille is the only club he wants to join, which means there is no
bidding war to drive up his price and has been frozen out of the first team
because of the dispute. Marseille have had two bids turned down, the second
£20million up front with £3m in add-ons. Payet, who signed a new contract
last year, claimed he will have to take a £25,000-a-week pay cut to rejoin
Marseille. But the Ligue 1 club has been taken over by US billionaire Frank
McCourt and West Ham believe a lucrative deal is on the table. The Hammers
last night completed the £8m signing of centre-back Jose Fonte from
Southampton.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
After last weekend's heroics, it was back to the day job, so to speak, for
Andy Carroll as his brace helped West Ham United to a 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.
With his cracker against Crystal Palace – one of the Premier League's
greatest ever – still fresh in the memory, the Hammers' big forward was back
doing what he does best on Teesside as he crashed home an unstoppable header
before bagging a second from close range.
Cristhian Stuani's strike sandwiched between Carroll's double meant the
hosts continually pressed during a tight second half, but Slaven Bilic's
held on before adding a late third through substitute Jonathan Calleri - who
found the back of the net for the first time in Claret and Blue - in injury
time.
It's bubbles that fly so high according to the song, but after just nine
minutes it was most definitely the Hammers' big man up front touching the
sky as he nodded home the opener.
Manuel Lanzini swung in an inviting corner from the left hand side which had
been won by Michail Antonio, and nothing was getting in Carroll's way as he
steamed in before planting a header past Victor Valdes in goal.
And though it was an early lead, it could have been greater had Antonio
converted from close range minutes earlier. The threat throughout could only
miscue from six yards after Aaron Cresswell's cross.
Delight can quickly turn to despair in the Premier League though, and so
Slaven Bilic's men learned with 26 minutes played.
Adama Traore was allowed the the time and space to charge down the right and
pick out a cross and, on his own at the back stick, it would have been
harder for Cristhian Stuani to miss from eight yards as he tapped past
Darren Randolph to level.
Time to dig in. As the hosts applied the pressure, West Ham stood firm
despite one or two scares. Traore was again the danger down the right,
though this time his driven centre across the face of goal found white
rather than red.
Moments earlier, skipper Mark Noble had audaciously chipped inches wide, but
if the Hammers' luck was out then, it returned to them two minutes before
the break as they once again took the lead.
Antonio worked the room for a shot and although Spaniard Valdes was this
time able to deny the forward, he pushed it only as far as Carroll who
tapped under the stopper.
Happy Hammers indeed at half time, though things could have got even better
as the second half began in the same lightening fashion the first.
First Antonio nodded over from a corner, before then Lanzini went through on
goal only to tamely fire into the hands of Valdes.
West Ham must have known it was going to be their day just after the hour
mark, when Boro came inches away from equalising for the second time.
A cross from the left found its way to the back post where Cresswell,
unaware of the onrushing Stuani, directed his clearance straight at the
winger and against the crossbar.
Previously, Randolph in goal had produced a marvellous save to deny Marten
de Roon, but the Irishman was not tested further as the travelling east
Londonders kept it tight at the back before breaking in the 94th minute to
put the icing on top of the cake.
A slick passing move, in which white shirts far outnumbered red, ended with
sub Calleri finding the back of the net with the help of a deflection to
score his first West Ham goal and ensure the points were heading back down
south.
And so into the top half the Hammers went – for just the second time this
season – after vital back to back Premier League wins. The Irons have
started 2017 as they mean to go on.
Middlesbrough: Valdes, Friend, Bernardo, Gibson, Clayton, Negredo, de Roon,
Stuani (Bamford 80), Chambers, Forshaw (Gestede 83), Traore.
Subs not used: Guzan, Fabio, Leadbitter, Fischer, Downing.
Goals: Stuani 26
Bookings: Gibson 80, Bernardo 83
West Ham United: Randolph, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Feghouli
(Collins 83), Obiang, Noble (Fernandes 54), Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll
(Calleri 67).
Subs not used: Adrian, Fletcher, Oxford, Quina.
Goals: Carroll 9, 43, Calleri 90+4
Bookings: Lanzini 6
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Obiang - I'm happy for Calleri
WHUFC.com
Obiang thrilled to see Jonathan Calleri end wait for first West Ham United
goal
Win was fifth for the Hammers in their last seven Premier League outings
Spanish midfielder says the Hammers can continue in this vein with the
attacking threat they possess
Pedro Obiang was delighted to see Jonathan Calleri get off the mark for West
Ham United in Saturday's 3-1 victory at Middlesbrough.
Calleri sealed the win in the closing moments with his first goal since a
summer loan move from Deportivo Maldonado, killing off a Middlesbrough
challenge which had already been dented by Andy Carroll's double.
With the Hammers strikers contributing strongly - Michail Antonio also took
his assist tally from the last two games to four - Obiang is not surprised
to see the goals, and points, flow.
"I am happy for Jonathan on many levels," he said. "It has been difficult
for him these last three months, but Saturday can be a big moment for him.
"Scoring the goal will give him confidence, for him and for the supporters.
It is hard for any striker when you don't score, so now he has his goal,
everybody is happy.
"When we win like this it shows we are a team. We work together, we fight
together and this is very nice for us and for the supporters.
"At the moment, the important reason is we aren't conceding a lot of goals,
and we are also scoring. This is because Andy and Michail Antonio have
played so well in these last two games - and Manuel Lanzini too.
"Everyone knows Andy Carroll, when he is in the area you can do nothing. It
is very hard to defend against him and we are lucky to have him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Sullivan
WHUFC.com
Like you, I was a very proud West Ham United fan at the Riverside Stadium.
Not only did the team win for the fifth time in seven Premier League
matches, continuing our fantastic recent form, but they did so as a team.
The whole team played well, both defensively and in attack, and we could
have scored more than the three goals we did against one of the Premier
League's best defences.
We are now in the top half and just a few points behind Everton in seventh.
Our recent run means we are looking up rather than down and I hope we can
ensure that is the case for the rest of the season.
The supporters were absolutely magnificent, as ever, and I want to thank
every single one of you for travelling such a long way to cheer the team on.
Slaven has really got the team playing for one another and I am pleased for
him, for the players and most of all for the fans.
It was brilliant to see Andy Carroll score two more goals – the first one
was an unstoppable header and the second one was a real striker's goal, with
him anticipating the shot being spilled and finishing clinically.
Michail Antonio got another assist, while Manuel Lanzini got two from his
role in the hole behind the striker. Manu has got real ability and he can
show everything in that No10 position.
Defensively, Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna were solid again, and we of
course wish Angelo all the best with his knee surgery and for a successful
rehabilitation. Angelo has showed his commitment to the Club by playing with
the injury for a while now, and we thank him for that.
We have signed Jose Fonte and he is a top-class defender who will add
strength, depth and leadership to our squad.
When we knew Jose was available, we made him a top target and were delighted
to beat off some big clubs for his signature. It is a big statement of
intent.
Talking of defenders, it was great to see Sam Byram back in the team at
Middlesbrough and playing so well. He is still young and I am sure, if he is
fit and has a run of games, he can be a real asset for us because he has
great ability.
The team now have a short break between matches and that will give the
players a chance to recharge their batteries after a busy period.
We have Manchester City next on a Wednesday night at London Stadium and I am
sure the atmosphere is going to be brilliant, as it was against Crystal
Palace last weekend.
We will all go in to that match buoyed by our last two performances and, I
hope, with further new signings, which we hope to make between now and the
end of the transfer window.
The market is challenging, but we are positive and will work around the
clock to secure the right players to take us forward.
Come on you Irons!
David Sullivan
Joint-Chairman
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
England U19 star Holland signs
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Nathan Holland
The former Everton youngster can play as an attacking midfielder or on the
left wing
The England U19 international says he can't wait to get started
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of England U19
international Nathan Holland on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The former Everton youngster joins the Hammers on a deal until 2020 and goes
straight into the PL2 squad to face Leicester City on Monday night.
Holland is an attacking midfielder and said he is keen to repay the faith
shown in him by Academy Director Terry Westley.
"It's amazing, I'm quite gobsmacked to be honest," he said. "When I first
came down, Terry introduced me to all the staff and they were all very
welcoming. They've shown a lot of faith in me and I just want to repay that
and kick on.
"It's all a bit of a family thing down here. Everyone is close together.
It's a brilliant set up they've got and I think it will only help me
improve. I think I can do that.
"I like to be direct. I like to get assists and get at people and just try
and dribble and combine with other people. Hopefully I can add more strength
to the team."
Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Holland joined Everton at the age of nine
and progressed with the Merseyside club through the age groups.
He was called up to the England U16 side as a 15-year-old and cemented a
place within the national setup, travelling to the UEFA European
Championships with the U17s in the summer of 2015.
Most recently, he made his debut for England U19s in September of last year,
and he hopes to progress with the Hammers to eventually become a senior
England international.
"The experiences were unbelievable. Obviously going to the Euros can only
help you improve and I'm privileged to play for my country," added Holland,
who already knows Hammers defender Reece Oxford from their times with
England.
"I think [London Stadium] is the best stadium in the Premier League by far.
If I could ever get myself out there, I think it would be a dream come true
to be honest.
"[Slaven Bilic] really welcomed me. He said that they will look after me.
I'm really happy to be here and happy that the contract is signed now.
"You've had the likes of Joe Cole, he was a legend, and I think the
attacking football that the Academy play is outstanding and hopefully that
will fit my style.
"I've met a few of my teammates already and they've all said how good it is
here. And been really welcoming. I feel at home already and I cannot wait to
get started. "
Academy Director Terry Westley, who will be working closely with Holland for
the rest of the season with the U23s, said he was delighted to get the deal
done.
"It's taken a while to get the player to us. He's someone who I saw two
years ago playing for England in the same team as Reece Oxford. I looked
down at my programme and circled his name because of the talent that I saw.
"He's an England international through the ages and he's got those late
developer signs which we like. We know he's going to mature and we are going
to give him the platform, a long enough contract, to develop with us.
"To come here now is a big challenge, but it's one I know he is looking
forward to."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic reveals Ogbonna injury
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic has revealed Angelo Ogbonna will miss the remainder of the
season with injury
The defender has been playing with a problem all season
He helped the Hammers to a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday and has
played 25 times this campaign
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic revealed after his side's 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough that defender Angelo Ogbonna will miss the remainder of the
season with injury.
The Italian, who played a major part in the Hammers' crucial victory at the
Riverside Stadium, will have an operation this week in an attempt to resolve
an injury problem he has been dealing with all season.
Ogbonna has played 25 times for the Club this season and, despite playing
with a niggle all campaign, racked up his 18th successive Premier League
start on Saturday.
Bilic sounded his disappointment over the loss of the centre-back but also
expressed his excitement at the prospect of seeing new signing and UEFA Euro
2016 winner Jose Fonte in action at the heart of the Hammers' defence.
"I have to praise Angelo Ogbonna, because he has played the whole season
with an injury," Bilic confirmed. "He needs an operation on his knee to be
fit long-term, and it was supposed to be a couple of weeks but we asked him
to play a couple more games.
"He will now have it after today's game which will rule him out until the
end of the season. But we have Fonte now. He wasn't even our target because
we didn't think he was going to be available but when we found out he was,
we jumped on it straight away because he's a great player.
"He has played here for eight, nine or ten years and he has won the Euros
and he's a great addition to our team."
Ogbonna signed for the Club in the summer of 2015 from Italian champions
Juventus and made 39 appearances in Claret and Blue in last season's
historic final campaign at the Boleyn Ground.
He began this season down the pecking order in the side's defence but forced
his way into the starting XI before becoming a key man as the Club turned
their fortunes around after a tricky start to 2016/17.
Meanwhile, the Club confirmed the £8 million purchase of former Southampton
man Fonte on Friday.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Super Slav delighted with Boro performance
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic was left delighted after his side beat
Middlesbrough 3-1 on Saturday
The Hammers were winners on Teesside thanks to goals from Andy Carroll and
Jonathan Calleri
Bilic said the win topped off a superb week for the Club
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says his side's 3-1 win over
Middlesbrough on Saturday capped off a superb week for the Club.
The Hammers put back to back Premier League wins together to move into the
top half of the table for just the second time this season with their
terrific victory on Teesside which came thanks to goals from Andy Carroll
and Jonathan Calleri.
The win followed on from last weekend's comfortable London Stadium triumph
over Crystal Palace and Bilic was delighted with the outcome at the
Riverside Stadium.
He said: "It has been a good week for us. After the game against Palace, we
played well against them and we have used the momentum we got in that win to
come here and put out a strong performance and get three massive points.
"We're especially pleased because we played good and it's great. We had a
lot of players who were on top of their game today and we did great things
with the ball. We hurt them when we attacked and it was brilliant.
"Andy Carroll, week in, week out, is brilliant. I am always saying this; he
is a brilliant player, not just with his goals, but he makes such an impact
with his presence.
"The goals are also obviously important but it's so hard to stop him in the
box and so for him to score two goals is brilliant.
"I have told you why I'm a big fan of Andy; he does everything. The only
problem before was that he wasn't available to play. Hopefully he is going
to stay fit. He felt his groin a bit and we didn't want to risk it because
we don't want to lose him.
"He's great though, he is one of the leaders and he enjoys that."
Argentine Calleri replaced the big man in the second half and added the
Hammers' third with his first goal for the Club four minutes into stoppage
time.
And Bilic praised the impact of his substitutes in a game where he was
forced to replace not only Carroll but skipper Mark Noble who also suffered
an injury problem during the clash.
"We still don't know about Mark Noble. We have to wait of course, but he is
our skipper and leader and he's like a mentor in the middle of the park.
"But it's all about the squad and the guys who came on, like [Edimilson]
Fernandes and Calleri, did well and it's good for us.
"We are delighted after today because we not only won but played very good
so we are extremely pleased with our week."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AC - We got what we came for
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll says confidence and morale is high in the Hammers dressing room
In-form striker scores twice in 3-1 Premier League win at Middlesbrough
Victory lifts West Ham United into top half of the table
Andy Carroll says West Ham United 'got what we came for' after winning 3-1
at Middlesbrough.
The No9 bagged two more goals as the Hammers climbed into the Premier
League's top ten with a hard-earned victory at the Riverside Stadium – just
their second in 12 Premier League visits.
Carroll powered home a header inside the opening ten minutes before putting
his side back in front with a smartly-taken finish on the stroke of
half-time – Cristhian Stuani having equalised in between.
Jonathan Calleri added a late third to send Carroll, Slaven Bilic's squad
and 2,000 travelling fans home from Teesside with wide grins on their faces.
"I'm happy with the goals and the three points and the lads were great again
today," the Big Man confirmed. "The points are fully deserved.
"It was a great cross by Manu for the first goal and I got a clear run on it
and as soon as it met my head I knew it was in the back of the net.
"Then for the second it was a great effort from Mick and I was just waiting
for any scraps, and the keeper's parried it and I was able to get there
first.
"They left it open a bit for us to attack in the second half and we could
have had a couple more. We're not being greedy, we're happy with the three
points and three goals!
"It's very good to see Calleri score his first and he worked hard when he
came on and he's been working hard in training. It was good for all the lads
to see him score.
"At the end of the day, we've got the three points we came here for and
everyone is delighted."
After a stop-start opening half of the season, and some distracting
off-field issues in recent weeks, West Ham have now won five out of seven in
the Premier League and are within touching distance of seventh-place
Everton, who are six points ahead of them.
Carroll said team spirit and confidence in the dressing room are in good
shape after such a strong run of form and results.
"I think the lads have come together even stronger recently with everything
that's going on and you can see on the pitch everyone is working together,
putting the grit in and that's when the points come," he confirmed.
"The morale in the dressing room is fantastic. All the lads are having a
laugh before and it's great to be around. Everyone wants to work for the
manager and it's brilliant.
"It was tough at the beginning of the season but we came out of that and
we're just thinking about each game as it comes."
The only concerns on an otherwise perfect day for the Hammers were the sight
of both Carroll and Mark Noble going off with injuries.
However, the centre forward was pleased to point out that his substitution
was purely precautionary and he expects to be fit to face Manchester City at
London Stadium on Wednesday 1 February.
"My groin was a little bit tight so we didn't want to risk anything," he
said. "I didn't train all week and I was a little bit stiff, so maybe that's
one of the reasons why it's a bit tight. But I'm all good and looking
forward to the next game.
"I feel good. I'm working hard and hopefully a lot more goals will come. I
thrive on great balls in like that, and I always try my best to get on the
end of it.
"We've got ten days until the next game so we'll rest up and look forward to
that."
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Fonte - I want more trophies
WHUFC.com
Jose Fonte is used to lifting major silverware and now hopes to win even
more trophies at West Ham United. Fonte enjoyed the best day of his career
last summer when he was part of the Portugal team that won the European
Championships in France. The Hammers new signing has now got the hunger to
achieve more success and hopes his move to London Stadium can help achieve
that over the next two-and-a-half years. Fonte, who joined the Hammers from
Southampton on Friday for £8million, cannot wait to make his debut for the
east London Club and says the fans and manager Slaven Bilic played a big
role in his decision to join West Ham United....
Jose Fonte - welcome to West Ham United. Why have you decided to join the
Hammers?
JF: "I signed for West Ham because they are a great club and a very big
club. They have a lot of fans and I have known for a number of years how
passionate they are. "The manager was also a very big influence. I thought
that he really wanted me and that he sold me the project and the ambition of
the Club. "I also have part of my family living in London and they are big
West Ham fans. It just made sense for me at this stage to join West Ham. It
is a new challenge and a new beginning and I am looking forward to it."
We already have Fonte fans in the West Ham family. How much are you looking
forward to playing in front of them?
JF: "I am looking forward to it and they are Season-Ticket holders. I will
find out where they are sitting in the Stadium and they have been West Ham
fans for a number of years – especially my brother-in law. "He was on the
phone to me all the time wanting me to sign!"
There were a number of big clubs interested in signing you. Was it the
ambition of the Club that persuaded you to put pen to paper on joining the
Hammers?
JF: "You just have to look around and see the Stadium and the ambition of
the owners and the investment in the team. You see where they want to go and
the fans support. "I am very pleased to be here and I just want to start
working and repaying the faith."
You touched on the manager Slaven Bilic. How much did he play a factor in
you signing and how much are you looking forward to working under him?
JF: "Slaven was a massive factor. I met the gaffer and he was very
persuasive. I like him and have always liked him, even before I met him and
the way he is.
"I have asked a few players who know him as well like Tadic and Lovren and
they gave me the best indication about him. "As soon as I met him he made me
feel comfortable and I just want to help the team win and succeed."
What is it going to be like for you playing at London Stadium and playing in
front of 57,000 fans every home game?
JF: "It is every players ambition to play in front of a crowd like that
every week. I just want the team to make it a fortress. "I want everyone to
come together and make it a very hard place for the opposing teams."
After the impressive 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend, how much are
you looking forward to getting into the team and showing your quality?
JF: "I saw the game and how the fans reacted. It was an important win and I
hope we can continue like that. "It is only like this that we are going to
be successful. Everyone pushing together and supporting the team."
One player you know well is Michail Antonio having played alongside him for
Southampton and winning the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at Wembley back in
2010. Tell us about Michail and your memories of playing alongside him?
JF: "Michail was only young at the time. I was young at the time as well! He
had raw pace, talent, explosiveness and we could see the potential in him.
"He was fantastic in the Final and scored a goal. It was a great day at
Wembley."
Michail produced a hat-trick of assists last weekend and is hitting top form
at the moment. How impressed were you by his performance against Crystal
Palace?
JF: "He has been outstanding and has done really well for himself. I am
happy for him and I just hope he can continue to help the team so we can
have many more wins."
In your area of the team, there are a number of players challenging for
places like Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins. How much are you
relishing the competition for places in the West Ham defence?
JF: "Competition is good and healthy. It is the manager's decision at the
end of the day. "I just want to help the team in any way I can – both inside
and outside the dressing room. Whoever the manager picks will do their best
but I am here to be a part of that."
What are your aims and ambitions at West Ham over the next few years?
JF: "With the way that West Ham is going we can only look to be challenging
in the top eight. "I told the manager in conversations that we want to win
and we want to win trophies. The ambition is big and we need to aim high.
"West Ham are a massive club and it is an exciting challenge and it should
be for everyone. We all need to get together and start working."
We now have a Euro 2016 winner in the squad. How much pride do you take from
that memorable day in Paris last July?
JF: "It was the best day of my career. It was a moment that will be with me
forever for many reasons. It was a dream come true. "After coming into the
national team at 31 and then become a champion is something I am very proud
of. I just want to keep going and there are many more things to win. "I have
the hunger to win more trophies and hopefully many more will come."
Your first game could be against Manchester City at London Stadium. How do
you feel about making your debut for the Hammers in such a big game?
JF: "They have great strikers and one of the best forwards in the world in
Sergio Aguero but if we produce a good display it will be an easier day for
me. "I relish this kind of challenge. I have played against City a few times
but it is about the team and not the individual. I hope we can get a good
result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jose Fonte: West Ham sign Southampton captain
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Southampton captain Jose Fonte for £8m on a
two-and-a-half-year deal. The 33-year-old Portugal centre-back - who spent
seven years at Southampton - made a transfer request with 18 months left to
run on his Saints deal. The transfer includes a possible £1m in add-ons and
gives Fonte the option to extend his contract for a further year.
Southampton's director of football Les Reed said Fonte had the chance to
sign an improved deal but requested a move. Fonte, a Euro 2016 winner, said
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was a "very big influence" in convincing him
to choose the Hammers ahead of other clubs. "I thought that he really wanted
me and that he sold me the project and the ambition of the club," Fonte told
the club's website. Fonte made 288 appearances at St Mary's and was the last
remaining member of the Saints side that rose from League One to the Premier
League. "I also have part of my family living in London and they are big
West Ham fans. It just made sense for me at this stage to join West Ham," he
added. "With the way that West Ham is going we can only look to be
challenging in the top eight."
The Hammers confirmed Fonte will not be available for Saturday's trip to
Middlesbrough.
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Wigan Athletic: Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne join Championship side
BBC.co.uk
Wigan Athletic have signed midfielders Ryan Tunnicliffe and Marcus Browne
from Fulham and West Ham on loan until the end of the season. Tunnicliffe,
24, worked with Wigan boss Warren Joyce when he was coming through the
Manchester United youth system. Browne, 19, made his professional debut in
the Europa League this season and has also played in the EFL Trophy. "Marcus
is a young player with great potential and will strengthen our group," said
manager Joyce.
"Ryan has got a terrific attitude first and foremost. He has built up
considerable experience now in this division and we are confident he can be
a really positive influence to the group in the immediate future." Both
players are available for Wigan's Championship game against Brentford on
Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JOSE FONTE SIGNS-DETAILS AND SCOUT REPORTS ALL HERE
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 20 JANUARY 2017 AT 10:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
So we finally got the confirmation tonight that Jose Fonte was joining us
from Southampton. This is a deal I first mentioned on the 11th of January
and then confirmed on our radio show on Wednesday. I believe this to be a
very good signing. He is very experienced in the Premier League and has
performed very well for Southampton as well as winning Euro 2016 with
Portugal. He has captained the Saints and is a leader on the pitch which is
something that we have lacked and he will coach and nurture the younger
centre backs. He arrives on a two and half year deal on approximately £65k
a week. People say that we have a number of centre backs but Reid, Ogbonna
and Collins are all regularly injured so he is needed if/when this scenario
happens again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fonte signs two-and-a-half year contract
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2017
By: Staff Writer
Portuguese international Jose Fonte has completed an £8million switch from
Southampton. Having undergone a medical earlier today, the central defender
put pen to paper on a contract that ties him to the club until summer 2019.
And he immediately paid tribute to Slaven Bilic, who he described as a key
reason behind his decision to snub alternative offers - from the likes of
West Bromwich Albion - in order to join West Ham. The manager was a very big
influence," he told whufc.com. "I thought that he really wanted me, he sold
me the project and the club's ambition. "I told the manager that we want to
win and we want to win trophies. The ambition is big and we need to aim
high. "West Ham is a massive club, it is an exciting challenge and it should
be for everyone. It is a new challenge, a new beginning and I am looking
forward to it."
Fonte, who played a role in his nation's Euro 16 success last summer will
wear the number 23 shirt formerly used by the likes of Jimmy Walker, Herita
Ilunga, Sebastien Carole and, more recently, Diego Poyet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham alarmed by Marseille's change in stance on Dimitri Payet - Sky
sources
By Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 21/01/17 12:12pm
SSN
West Ham are alarmed that Marseille let it be known on Friday that they are
resigned to not signing Dimitri Payet this month, Sky sources understand.
Sky Sports News HQ understands that the Hammers believe Marseille are just
bluffing and the French club's position is a negotiating tactic. Marseille
indicated, during talks earlier this week, that they will pay no more than
£25m to re-sign the playmaker they sold to West Ham for £10.7m in the summer
of 2015. West Ham, however, want £30m for the player, who wants to return to
Marseille, citing family reasons. The most likely outcome remains a
compromise being struck, otherwise West Ham will be stuck with a player who
will carry on refusing to play for them while being paid £125,000 a week.
Regardless, the high-stakes poker game between these two clubs continues
over Payet, who has not featured since the 5-0 thrashing at home to Man City
in the FA Cup on January 6. It is understood Payet has rejected offers from
Chinese Super League clubs because he is determined to return to France.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic defends his West Ham exit as Dimitri Payet refuses to play
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 20/01/17 11:35pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic has told Dimitri Payet there is a right way and a wrong way to
leave West Ham, defending his own exit as a player. Payet refused to play
against Crystal Palace last week in a bid to force a move away from the
Hammers. The France star wants to return to former side Marseille, but West
Ham have turned down two bids and are believed to be holding out for £30m.
Bilic, who is feeling "let down and angry" at Payet's antics, has been
accused in some quarters of having a short memory having himself secured a
big-money move from West Ham to Everton in 1997. But the former defender
believes he proved his loyalty to the club by insisting he stayed on until
the end of the season to help them avoid relegation. "I don't mind players
moving and all that, nowadays players move," said Bilic. "But it's about how
you move, how you go about everything. Especially the big players, they
should respect themselves in the way they go. "I wouldn't like to compare it
but I can tell you my story with Everton. If anything I have a good memory,
to be fair. "The fact is I was at West Ham and I wanted to go to Everton,
and they didn't want to sell me. But the way it happened was very, very
loyal. "I had a clause in my contract - I think £4.5million - which was
extremely high for a 29-year-old, a world-record fee for a defender. "It was
March, when you had the old March deadline, and Everton approached West Ham
and wanted to talk to me. "I went there and said 'okay, I can talk for
summer, but not now'. They said they needed me now. I said I was not going
to come, I was going back to West Ham because we have to stay up. "And
although they had injuries and needed me then, they liked that. So we shook
hands on it and made an agreement for June. "I came back to West Ham, I
played until the end of the season and I was happy that we stayed up. "The
way I had done it, I think, I showed loyalty. That is what the core of the
fans know and that is one of the reasons why I think they trust me and they
like me." Payet will once again be absent when West Ham travel to
Middlesbrough on Saturday. Bilic hopes Andy Carroll, Sam Byram, Winston Reid
and Sofiane Feghouli will shake off minor knocks and be available.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Angelo Ogbonna: West Ham defender to miss rest of season
BBC.co.uk
West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna is set to miss the rest of the season as he
requires surgery on a knee injury, according to manager Slaven Bilic.
The Italy international, 28, has featured in 19 of the Hammers' 22 Premier
League games this season.
But after the arrival of defender Jose Fonte from Southampton this week,
Bilic will allow Ogbonna to have surgery.
"I have to praise Angelo Ogbonna, because he has played the whole season
with an injury," said Bilic.
Ogbonna played in West Ham's 3-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday, but Bilic
said that will be his last game of the campaign.
"He needs an operation on his knee to be fit long-term, and it was supposed
to be a couple of weeks [ago] but we asked him to play," he added.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nathan Holland: West Ham sign Everton's England Under-19 midfielder
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Everton's England Under-19 international Nathan Holland
on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The midfielder, 18, signed his first professional contract at Everton in
January 2016 but did not make a first-team appearance.
Holland played for England Under-17s at the 2015 European Championships and
made his Under-19 debut in September.
He has been included in West Ham's Under-23 squad to face Leicester City on
Monday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Middlesbrough 1-3 West Ham United
By Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport
Andy Carroll scored twice to make it back-to-back victories for West Ham in
the Premier League, despite Middlesbrough dominating for long spells at the
Riverside on Saturday.
The Hammers took the lead inside 10 minutes when Carroll lost his marker to
head in a Manuel Lanzini corner.
The hosts hit back with a well-worked move that ended with Cristhian Stuani
tapping in Calum Chambers' low cross.
Carroll pounced after Victor Valdes tipped away Michail Antonio's low effort
to give West Ham the lead at the break.
Boro threw on January signings Patrick Bamford and Rudy Gestede, but the
Hammers added to their lead on the break late on through Jonathan Calleri.
It means Middlesbrough's winless run in the top flight now stretches to five
games.
Carroll key for Hammers
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said Carroll had suffered whiplash after scoring
an acrobatic overhead kick last week against Crystal Palace but, despite
taking a couple of days off training during the week, the powerful centre
forward looked sharp at the Riverside.
He only touched the ball twice in the Middlesbrough box in the 67 minutes
before he was taken off, but found the net on both occasions - and he has
now scored five goals since his return from injury in early December.
With Dimitri Payet left out of Bilic's match-day squad amid rumours he is
set to leave London Stadium, Carroll offers the Hammers a very different
threat.
The former Newcastle and Liverpool man won 70% of his duels against Boro,
only bettered in the West Ham starting XI by captain Mark Noble, and his
aerial prowess also proved key to the visitors when defending set-pieces.
Boro unfortunate at home
Middlesbrough's struggles in front of goal have been well documented this
season, and they headed into the game having scored the fewest in the top
four leagues apart from Oldham.
But Aitor Karanka's side can feel aggrieved at not taking something from
this one. They enjoyed over 60% possession and delivered 27 crosses to West
Ham's eight from open play - only capitalising on one of those.
Karanka has bolstered his squad's attacking threat with the January signings
of Bamford and Gestede, the former scoring 17 goals during his last spell at
the Riverside in the Championship, but neither had time to have an impact on
the game.
It was winger Adama Traore who proved the biggest nuisance for West Ham,
first down the right-hand side with the on-loan Chambers and then on the
left when he linked up with George Friend.
Karanka said after the game the 20-year-old has "an amazing future", but he
will surely hope to keep him for at least another transfer window as Boro
look to avoid relegation.
Man of the match - Calum Chambers (Middlesbrough)
Calum Chambers
Chambers, on loan from Arsenal, excelled from right-back for the hosts,
getting forward and delivering 10 crosses including the assist for Cristhian
Stuani's goal. He also enjoyed a 97.7% passing accuracy rate, better than
any other player.
'Carroll loves it' - manager reaction
Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka: "As a manager I cannot be more proud of my
players than I am now. They have done every single thing. We win as a team,
lose as a team. We have to work on the last 10, 15 minutes."
On whether keeper Victor Valdes was at fault for Andy Carroll's second goal:
"Victor Valdes is having an amazing season, helping us a lot.
"He is one of the best keepers in the world and us as a club have to be
proud to have players like him."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "It was a good week for us after Palace, the
confidence we played with, and we used that momentum to come here and put
out a strong performance and get three massive points."
On Carroll's goalscoring form: "Week in, week out he is a brilliant player.
Not only goals, he makes an impact with his presence. His work rate is
quality and he is unbeatable in the box. It is very hard to stop him.
"He loves it. He gives you everything. Hopefully he is going to stay fit."
Boro struggling for wins - match stats
Andy Carroll scored in successive Premier League games for the first time
since April.
Carroll scored more than once in a Premier League away game for the first
time.
Of Carroll's 48 Premier League goals, 23 have been from headers (48%).
West Ham have won five of their past seven Premier League fixtures, as many
as they had in their previous 19.
Boro have won only one of their past eight Premier League matches (five
defeats).
What next?
Middlesbrough host Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup fourth round next
Saturday (15;00 GMT), before welcoming West Brom in the Premier League the
following Tuesday (19:45).
West Ham are at home against Manchester City in the Premier League on 1
February (19:45), having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Pep Guardiola's
side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MIDDLESBROUGH 1-3 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 21 JANUARY 2017 AT 7:19PM
TheWestHamWayco.uk
Match Report by @WestHamAmerican
West Ham defeated Middlesbrough 1-3 today at the Riverside to climb to tenth
in the Premier League table. A pair of first half goals by Andy Carroll,
and a late third by Jonathon Calleri gave the Hammers their second
consecutive victory since the Dimitri Payet trade demands were made public
over a week ago.
The first half was great football as a stand-alone match. Both sides played
smart on all thirds of the pitch. Early on Andy Carroll started the scoring
when he rose above the crowd and headed in Manuel Lanzini's corner kick.
Ten minutes later Aitor Karanka's men equalised as Chambers squared it to an
unmarked Cristhian Stuani, who tapped it in from six yards out. Much of the
remainder of the opening half was back and forth with no one able to take
the lead.
In the closing moments of the half, Michail Antonio's shot was poorly
handled by Victor Valdes and Andy Carroll was able to put the rebound into
the back of the net. Retiring at the break with a 2-1 lead under the
floodlights of a loud Boro crowd, West Ham looked for more.
The second half opened and Antonio almost had a goal in the opening minute
when his header from Sam Byram went a yard over the crossbar. Soon after,
Mark Noble went down with an injury. The West Ham skipper came back on the
pitch but after a minute or so of limping about he was replaced by Edimilson
Fernandes.
Middlesbrough's best chance to equalise came in the 58th when Darren
Randolph dove to stave off a Marten De Roon header that was certainly
heading inside the post.
Andy Carroll left the pitch midway through the second half with a bit of a
groin injury. His three goals in two matches have shown his importance to
West Ham's attack.
In the late minutes of the match, Karanka brought on another striker in Rudy
Gestede and Bilic answered by bringing James Collins to hang on for the 2-1
win. Even with a more defensive set up, Jonathon Calleri was able to take a
pass from Lanzini and score off a Clayton deflection.
With the late stoppage time goal, West Ham sealed a 3-1 away victory and
showed their determination to succeed without Payet (and Kouate and Ayew as
well.) The big news this week will be to see the health of Andy Carroll and
Mark Noble. The two have been very important to the recent run of good form
that the Hammers have shown over the past few weeks. With a week to rest
before hosting an inconsistent Manchester City side, hopefully Bilic will
have his best XI ready to continue a well-needed run of victories.
Boro: Valdes, Chambers, Bernardo, Gibson, Friend, Clayton, Forshaw, De Roon,
Traore, Stuani, Negredo.
Subs: Guzan, Fabio, Leadbitter, Downing, Fischer, Bamford, Gestede
West Ham: Randolph; Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Obiang, Noble (C);
Feghouli, Lanzini, Antonio; Carroll
Subs: Adrian, Collins, Fletcher, Calleri, Fernandes, Oxford, Quina
Referee: Martin Atkinson
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REF ANALYSIS – MARTIN ATKINSON
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 21 JANUARY 2017 AT 7:00PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Sam Royden – @SamRoyden
After a fantastic result against Crystal Palace at home last weekend and
after so much hype around the Dimitri Payet saga, its evident that what has
happened hasn't affected the squad. I do support David Sullivan and the
board's decision regarding Payet. Payet's contracted to the club until 2021,
he signed a new deal in February 2016 and had his wages increased to be West
Ham's all time highest paid player. We 100% shouldn't sell a player on the
cheap because he's refusing to play. In better news, we signed Jose Fonte
from Southampton this week on a 2 and a half year contract. In my opinion,
this is a fantastic signing for us and offers us more stability, quality and
leadership to our defence.
The referee who was appointed to officiate our visit to the Riverside
Stadium was Martin Atkinson. Atkinson has previously officiated two of our
games this season, most notably West Ham's 1-0 away win at Crystal Palace
earlier in the season when Atkinson sent Aaron Cresswell off within 4
minutes for two bookable offences.
Martin Atkinson had a good game in my opinion and he kept up with the game
well, as well as making good decisions. In the first half, there was an
early yellow card when Manuel Lanzini brought down the extremely pacy Adama
Traoré. The Ex-Barcelona B winger was attempting to start a counter attack
before the West Ham man brought him down. Atkinson was spot on to issue
Lanzini a yellow card and it was a foul that warrants an immediate yellow
card in the modern game.
Later in the first half, there were appeals from the West Ham fans after
Mark Noble went down in the penalty area. My initial thought was there
wasn't much contact by the Boro defender and after reviewing the replays,
that referees don't get the luxury of, there was contact but it was very
minimal. In my opinion, there wasn't enough contact for Mark Noble to go
down so I agree with Atkinson's decision.
I've always considered Martin Atkinson as one of the best referees in the
league and the most experienced. Atkinson played advantage very well in the
first half and throughout the game in fact. Adama Traoré was a constant
threat and breezed past West Ham players at ease. The West Ham players were
trying to challenge the Boro winger and actually were fouling the Boro
winger on more occasions than not. Atkinson is highly intelligent and reads
the game extremely well, playing the advantage on three or four occasions
correctly.
I felt the assistant referees in the game could have helped Atkinson with a
couple of decisions when the assistants were better placed. The best example
of the game would be the penalty that should have been awarded to West Ham
after Sofiane Feghouli was fouled inside the Boro penalty area. George
Friend was the Boro player who attempted to challenge Sofiane Feghouli but
the Boro defender completely missed the ball and his trailing leg wiped out
Feghouli's left foot. The decision was made to award West Ham a corner
instead of a penalty but this is where the assistant referee, who would have
been closer to the incident than Atkinson, needed to help with the decision
making.
There was a period of the second half where Atkinson was very lenient with a
couple of challenges which I felt could have been fouls. None more so than
two fouls by Bernardo Espinosa in the second half that I felt both deserved
a yellow card. The first foul was on Michail Antonio where Bernardo went
through the back of the West Ham winger and it was a nasty and late
challenge. Whenever a player goes through the back of a player it's reckless
and in my opinion, Atkinson should have cautioned Bernardo for this
challenge. The second foul was equally as punishable than the first, but the
difference was Atkinson issued a yellow card for this foul. Bernardo was
late, once again, and caught Manuel Lanzini late and Atkinson got this spot
on. In my opinion, I felt that Bernardo was lucky to be on the pitch when
you look at both fouls in isolation.
Overall, I felt that Martin Atkinson had a good game but there were phases
where I felt he was too lenient however, overall he officiated and
controlled the game very well. For the penalty appeals against Feghouli, I
felt Atkinson should have had some help from his assistants to ensure the
correct decisions were made.
It was great to see a solid performance again by West Ham and it's another 3
points. We now sit comfortably in 10th position in the league. With the
addition of Fonte this week, it's definitely going to be an interesting end
to the transfer window. As it's FA Cup next weekend, we have the weekend off
to prepare for Man City's visit to the London Stadium on 1st February live
on BT Sport.
Thanks,
Sam
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll plays down fears over groin injury after goals help West Ham
beat Middlesbrough
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 21/01/17 6:25pm
SSN
Andy Carroll has played down fears over a possible injury after he scored
twice to help West Ham beat Middlesbrough. The striker notched a brace
before half-time in a 3-1 win at the Riverside but was taken off on 67
minutes because of a problem in his groin. But he said: "I'm all good and
looking forward to the next game. I haven't trained all week. I had a couple
of days off in the gym. "My groin is a little bit tight. I didn't want to
risk anything. It was a little bit stiff so maybe that's one of the reasons
it's tight." Carroll scored a sensational bicycle kick against Crystal
Palace last week and helped the Hammers secure back-to-back Premier League
wins in the absence of the wantaway Dimitri Payet. He said: "The lads have
got together even stronger with things that are going on. "You can see on
the pitch everyone is working hard for each other and that's where the wins
and the points come from. "Every goal counts. I thought the lads played
well. The goal at the end was fantastic, to kill the game after they put us
under pressure. "At the end of the day we got the three points we came here
for and everyone is delighted."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Robbie Keane urges West Ham to sell Dimitri Payet and sign someone new
By Stephen Mills
Last Updated: 22/01/17 12:36pm
SSN
Robbie Keane says the best thing for West Ham and Dimitri Payet himself is
for the player to leave. Robbie Keane believes West Ham are better off
without Dimitri Payet and has urged the club to sell him as soon as
possible. The France international has not played in the Hammers' last two
Premier League matches as he tries to engineer a move to former club
Marseille, citing family reasons. However, West Ham won both of those
matches - against Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough - convincingly, and Keane
reckons his former club should sell the 29-year-old quickly and reinvest the
money. "There's a problem there," he told Goals on Sunday.
"It is looking like that the best thing for the club and him is probably to
leave, certainly if you can get good money for him. "He is a top, top
player, but they are flourishing since he announced he wants to go. "When
you have a player who is a special talent and wants to leave, there is
always a few in the dressing room, people like Mark Noble who is a legend
there, who is thinking 'this is my club and you just want to walk away'.
"Everybody has their own situations. I don't know if he's homesick and his
family wants to go home, but I think for West Ham, try and get the money and
get someone in this window or in the summer." Scotland manager Gordon
Strachan was also on the Goals on Sunday sofa and argued West Ham's improved
form might be a direct consequence of the Payet situation.
He believes the other players may be working harder in the absence of their
star player. "It can bind the squad together," Strachan said. "Sometimes you
have an individual that's so good that you rely so much on him and the rest
take a back seat. "Now it's a case of 'we've not got him here, we'll all
have to pitch in and do a bit more'. They probably feel more comfortable
that way. "Sometimes the players feel undervalued when everybody is talking
about one player and it can wear them down. "There's freedom when that
player is not there and they can go out and play. They have done incredibly
well and seem to be a more rounded team in this period."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New twist in West Ham's Dimitri Payet transfer saga with Nice now keen to
sign him
The Ligue 1 leaders can still provide move to France the star wants as the
Hammers play hardball with Marseille over a fee
The Mirror
BYNEIL MOXLEY
22:30, 21 JAN 2017
West Ham are considering a deal to loan outcast playmaker Dimitri Payet to
Nice. The French league leaders will step in and make an offer to the
Hammers, who are refusing to lower their asking price in talks with Nice's
Ligue 1 neighbours Marseille. A deal with Nice would suit them and West Ham,
who are keen to offload his £125,000-a-week wages. Payet has cited family
reasons as his motivation to leave the Londoners and return to his homeland.
And this temporary fix would see him get his requested return to the south
of France, suiting all parties apart from Marseille – which would not upset
anyone at the Hammers. And, should Nice cement their place in next season's
Champions League it could be win-win for the West Ham — they would demand
not only a loan fee, plus the player's wages being met, but also a whopping
bonus payable on qualification for the continent's premier football
competition. It could also be a viable alternative for the player, should
Nice like what they see and rival Marseille for Payet's signature in the
summer. Nice have emerged as a major force this season after being taken
over by Chinese and American investors last summer. They have bankrolled a
significant splurge in the transfer market, luring the likes of Mario
Balotelli to the Mediterranean coast. They were also interested in Crystal
Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye – but will not pay the transfer fee on top of
the player's wages. Now, they are waiting in the wings to see how Payet's
situation develops with Marseille, and appear willing to to step in to end
his stay under Slaven Bilic. Payet is lucky he hasn't been pinned up against
the wall by angry West Ham players, according to Hammers legend Martin
Allen. The wantaway Frenchman's car was vandalised outside his home on
Thursday and senior players have cut him from their WhatsApp group. Allen,
who played 190 games for the club, is disgusted by Payet's behaviour and
reckons he should have been sold as quickly as possible. Allen said: "Payet
doesn't give a toss about the club or his team-mates. His awful displays
have been jeopardising their careers. It's their living and he's disrupting
their livelihood to get a move, which could relegate the club. "I'd imagine
his team-mates would love to pin him up against a wall and have it out with
him. It's particularly disappointing because he received a £1m loyalty bonus
last September. "The players would have known what he was planning a long
time ago. They would have noticed his body language in matches and training,
how he was not tracking back, not listening to the manager, the tell-tale
signs."
Allen, 51, has his own fantasy about how he would like Payet to leave West
Ham… with a monstering from hardman and current coach, Julian Dicks. He
said: "What I'd love is for the club to sort out a six-a-side with Payet on
a Friday morning, and invite Dicks to play for the opposition. Even though
Julian would be limping because of his bad knee, I'm sure he could find that
extra half-yard to make a tackle on him. "It would be a 50-50, and Payet
would probably nutmeg him. But Julian would turn round and then scythe him
in half. "That would be a nice way to end the saga, I'm sure all West Ham
fans would agree."
Allen, now boss of non-League Eastleigh, believes West Ham owners David
Sullivan and David Gold made a big mistake last summer by not flogging
Payet.
"He had a great Euros for France – one of best the players there," said
Allen. "And West Ham pandered to him after that. "But they had 11 truly
committed players in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. They wouldn't have won
so convincingly with only 10 men, if Payet had played."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dimitri Payet set to fly to Marseille this weekend - and doesn't want to
return to England
The West Ham playmaker is desperate to force a return to his former side
The Mirror
BYJOHN CROSS
22:30, 20 JAN 2017
Dimitri Payet plans to fly to Marseille this weekend – and does not want to
come back to England. Payet is desperate to force a return to his former
club and told West Ham he faces a family crisis. His wife Ludivine is
determined to raise their three children in France and the £125,000-a-week
midfielder told pals he is travelling home and is not sure when he will
return, as the saga threatens to turn really nasty. West Ham believe
suggestions Marseille have abandoned attempts to sign the France
international this month is a bluff and are considering reporting them to
FIFA, alleging the player was tapped-up. They insist they will not sell in
January but Payet is becoming increasingly desperate to move. He told the
Hammers Marseille is the only club he wants to join, which means there is no
bidding war to drive up his price and has been frozen out of the first team
because of the dispute. Marseille have had two bids turned down, the second
£20million up front with £3m in add-ons. Payet, who signed a new contract
last year, claimed he will have to take a £25,000-a-week pay cut to rejoin
Marseille. But the Ligue 1 club has been taken over by US billionaire Frank
McCourt and West Ham believe a lucrative deal is on the table. The Hammers
last night completed the £8m signing of centre-back Jose Fonte from
Southampton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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