Daily WHUFC News - 5th December 2017

Rice: We were unlucky not to beat Man City
WHUFC.com

Declan Rice feels West Ham United were unlucky not to get the three points against Manchester City but reckons the Hammers' performance proved that some people had the wrong perception of the team. It took a late goal from City's David Silva to give Pep Guardiola's team the victory after Angelo Ogbonna had headed the Irons in front prior to half-time. Nicolas Otamendi had equalised for City just after the break. Despite losing the game Rice could find a lot of positives in West Ham's showing and the defender also feels his side's efforts went against what some pundits and football supporters expected to see.
"Without a doubt, there were a lot of positives to take from today's showing," The 18-year-old told whufc.com. "I think a lot of people thought we were down and out before the game even started. You read silly things and people seemed to believe we were going to come and get beat. "But I thought we were excellent today. We need to be putting in that effort every single week. We were just unlucky today. No one even thought we would score. To go 1-0 up at half-time at the Etihad – they are top of the league. It was a good moment for us. "We went in from the first half buzzing but we knew there was still 45 minutes to go. Second half, it just wasn't meant to be."

Despite ultimately losing the match on Sunday Rice thinks he and his West Ham teammates need to focus on the things that went well, and take those forward into the coming games. He added: "I think we just need to look at the positives. We've got to get into training on Monday, watch the game back, look at the positives and take that. That's the minimum every week now. That's the standard that we need to be setting every week. There's a lot to take from it."
The match with Manchester City marked Rice's first start for West Ham since David Moyes took charge of the team, with the Irish youngster relishing learning from the experienced manager. Rice was thrilled to get the nod to play at the Etihad Stadium and feels the experience of featuring against City's attackers – who have fired the team to the top of the Premier League – is one that he can learn a lot from. "I'm loving training under David Moyes and his coaches," Rice continued. "To get the start here, I never thought it would happen. Luckily, with the injuries, he's believed in me and he has put me in, and I was happy with my performance. "I'm only 18-years-old so to test yourself against the likes of Aguero, De Bruyne, Jesus and Silva, I'm only going to learn and get better from it. Today was a fantastic experience for me."

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Tottenham Hotspur away moved to Thursday 4 January
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Premier League trip to Tottenham Hotspur will take place on Thursday 4 January. The fixture will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with a kick-off time of 8pm. The fixture had originally been provisionally scheduled for Sunday 31 December however, despite significant work by all stakeholders, the Safety Advisory Group at Wembley Stadium could only recommend a maximum crowd of 43,000. This was due to transport issues, primarily at local tube stations whose resources were being deployed elsewhere across London on New Year's Eve.

Following extensive discussions between stakeholders, a decision has been taken to move the fixture into the New Year so more supporters, home and away, can attend the game. Ticket and allocation details will be confirmed in due course.

We would like to apologise to supporters for the delay in confirming details for this fixture and for any inconvenience this may have caused.

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Hammers learn FA Cup third round opponents
WHUFC.com

West Ham United have been drawn away to Shrewsbury Town in the third round of the FA Cup, sponsored by Emirates. The Hammers will travel to the New Meadow for the first time over the weekend of 5-8 January 2018 following Monday's draw. The two clubs have never met previously in the world's most-famous knockout competition, and have faced one another just four times in total, all in the old Second Division. Shrewsbury won both meetings in 1979/80, before West Ham won both the following season on their way to promotion.

West Ham have won the FA Cup on three occasions, in 1964, 1975 and most recently in 1980, and finished as runners-up in 1923 and 2006. The Shrews have never lifted the famous trophy, but did reach the quarter-finals in 1979 and 1982. Hammers boss David Moyes has compiled a positive FA Cup record during his long and illustrious managerial career, winning 17 and losing just 13 of the 37 ties he has been in the dugout for. The Scot led Everton to the final in 2009, where they lost to Chelsea, and the semi-finals in 2012.

A date, kick-off time and ticket arrangements for the tie will be confirmed in due course. Supporters should bear in mind that West Ham's Premier League fixture at Tottenham Hotspur has been moved to Thursday 4 January. The FA Cup final will be played at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 May 2018.

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SAB meeting and fan feedback leads to positive improvements
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to confirm a number of new, positive initiatives for our supporters, following recent feedback from the all-new Supporter Advisory Board and other fan groups.

As part of the continued commitment to improving the overall supporter experience for West Ham United fans, both on matchdays at London Stadium and in general, the following actions have already been approved and organised with immediate effect:

Coverage of Sky Sports channels to be televised on the screens located around the inner concourses at London Stadium on matchdays, for two hours prior to kick-off, during the half-time interval and for one hour after the final whistle.

The trial of a new method for away match ticket sales that will see 10% of away allocations reserved for Season Ticket Holders and Claret Members, regardless of their accrued Priority Points or previous booking history. The Club have also committed to taking the full allocation for all away matches during this trial, up to and including the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion on February 3. For more information, click here.

Sponsorship of the Hammers Supporters Club's new matchday venue at Stour Space, enabling the original and oldest supporters club the opportunity to invest much-needed funds to secure its future. Click here for the full story.

The tidying of the memorial garden on the site of the Boleyn Ground, along with a new commitment to manage the ongoing maintenance of the garden on a monthly basis. Additionally, the Club are in continued discussions with Upton Gardens developers Barratt London about future landscaping plans and will shortly launch a consultation plan with families to ensure a long-term solution that all West Ham United fans can be proud of.

A commitment to work with supporters to ensure that the Boleyn Ground's rich heritage and history is further recognised at locations around London Stadium, with artwork in place for the start of the 2018/19 season.

The Supporter Advisory Board enjoyed a hugely positive and constructive first meeting of the season at London Stadium recently.

The new SAB sees an even broader representation from the many different sections of the Club's large and diverse fanbase, including young supporters, senior supporters, women, families and away match-attending supporters.

This is in addition to the members already representing large groups, such as WHUISA, Pride of Irons, Club London, Bondholders, the DSAB and large online communities, along with representatives from the different seating areas at London Stadium.

The two-hour meeting was chaired by Vice-Chairman Karren Brady, who praised the dedication and commitment of members that has ensured continued improvement to the overall supporter experience since the Club moved to London Stadium last year.

SAB members Cathy Bayford and Trevor Bright, who represent ambulant disabled and wheelchair-using supporters and chair the separate Disabled Supporters Advisory Board, gave a presentation on the fantastic work and progress made by the DSAB in recent months, while members were also shown the diversity and inclusion video, recently created to signal the Club's devotion to providing an environment and positive matchday experience for all supporters.

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Help local families feel part of the community this Christmas
WHUFC.com

Stratford Circus Arts Centre are raising £12,000 to make Christmas a magical one for hard pressed families in Newham who otherwise simply wouldn't be able to afford a seasonal treat for their children. Full Hearts, Full Tummies will offer 600 hot meals and tickets for festive show The Ramshackle House for just £1.

Two in five children in Newham live in poverty, with their families facing increasing challenges during winter. Full Hearts Full Tummies gives families an opportunity to come together and forget their worries, socialise and share in this joyous experience.

Please Get Involved!

Full Hearts Full Tummies relies solely on your donations in order to make this festive season a magical one for the children and families of Newham. Please consider donating this Christmas.

One donation, twice the impact!

Thanks to The Big Give from noon on Tuesday 28 November until noon on Tuesday 5 December or until the money runs out, The Big Give will match your donation (any amount up to £5000), making your gift go twice as far at no extra cost to you. Remember, only donations made in this time will be doubled!

Please donate here: https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/donation/to/65464/27440/stratford-circus-arts-centre/full-hearts-full-tummies

Contact Mia, Development Manager via email: mia@stratford-circus.com if you'd like to further support Full Hearts Full Tummies.

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Westley hoping to mark Luton return with Checkatrade win
WHUFC.com

Terry Westley will return to Kenilworth Road for the first time in 22 years when West Ham United take on Luton Town in the first knockout-round of the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday. Westley joined the Bedfordshire club as a Youth Coach before he became First Team manager in the Spring of 1995. Back then, as he is now, Westley was responsible for the development of a number of young players from the academy setup.

Former West Ham and England defender Matthew Upson is one of a long line of players who benefitted from the guidance and coaching of Westley during their teenage years. And 22 years on, Westley still has fond memories of his time at Luton Town. "I spent many years at Luton as the coach and then also as former manager before I left," he explained. "It's club that were in the Championship under David Pleat when I joined as the Youth Coach, we had a wonderful time in terms of the players we produced who went on and played at the highest level."

After defeat to Wycombe Wanderers last week, West Ham's U21s finished second in their Checkatrade Trophy South group and, despite still qualifying, missed out on a visit to Forest Green in this next round. Instead, the trip to Kenilworth Road is their reward.

Westley is extremely proud of his side for achieving qualification from the group stages, and despite a difficult November which saw the Hammers fall to four successive defeats, he is excited by the challenge of taking on another Football League opponent. "It'll be an interesting game, they're top of League Two so it will be tough but that is the level these lads want to be competing at.

"I'm looking forward to going back and I hope the players look forward to going there and putting on a spirited display."

image: http://www.whufc.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/GettyImages-173764616.jpg

Elliott LeeThere will be a further element of interest with Luton now the home of a number of former West Ham Academy graduates.

With this the first time the two clubs have met at any level since March 1994, it will be the only opportunity many of the ex-Academy players will have had to play against their former club.

"There will be a few of our former lads playing, Dan Potts, Olly Lee and Elliot Lee," Westley said.

"It is not just because of my connection with the club, but there'll be an edge to the game in terms of the West Ham connection too.

"Everyone's really looking forward to the tie and hopefully we can come out on top and progress to the next round in a tournament we have taken seriously this season."

Westley worked closely with forward Elliot Lee from 2014-2016 while his brother Olly, Dan Potts, Pelly Ruddock and Marek Stech are all ex-Hammers from before Westley joined the club.

Hammers supporters who want to support the U21s on Tuesday can purchase tickets in advance by calling 01582 416 976. Away fans should request tickets in the Oak Road Stand.

Tickets will also be available to purchase on the night of the game from the Oak Road turnstiles and they are priced at £5 and £1 for adults and concessions respectively.

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Pep Guardiola 'learns lesson' from Manchester City's win over West Ham
BBC.co.uk

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the 2-1 win over West Ham showed him how to unlock packed defences that are "almost impossible" to break down. For the second time in three matches, City came from behind to extend their winning run to 13 Premier League games. Guardiola brought on Gabriel Jesus to partner Sergio Aguero in attack for the second half, with Kevin de Bruyne operating deeper in midfield. "I learned to attack a bit differently," said Guardiola. "Normally we don't play with two strikers and two wingers. Maybe to attack this kind of defence it is much better. "They didn't want to play. When they lost the ball, they didn't press. They just went back with 10 players in the box. It has happened the last three games. It is almost impossible."

Last Sunday, City rallied to win 2-1 after conceding the opening goal at Huddersfield before netting a late winner against Southampton at home three days later. In both those games, Raheem Sterling got the late goal but on Sunday it was David Silva who scored in the 83rd minute after Nicolas Otamendi cancelled out Angelo Ogbonna's goal for West Ham. Victory meant Guardiola's side re-established their eight-point lead over Manchester United, who they play at Old Trafford on Sunday (16:30 GMT). City's victory also equalled the longest winning run within a top-flight season, matching Sunderland and Preston (1891-92), Arsenal (2001-02) and Chelsea (2016-17).

Argentina striker Aguero and Brazil forward Jesus have started just two games together since September, having combined more regularly in the season's opening games. But Jesus' half-time introduction against West Ham in place of defender Danilo paid dividends and Guardiola seems likely to revisit the tactic.
"With two strikers in the box, we can play the same way, with the same patience and the same quality. It is good news for me in the future," he said."How we attacked in the second half was much better."

Guardiola is also adamant he is "preparing a team to win" this week's Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, despite City having already qualified for the next stage and the Manchester derby being four days later. "Hopefully no-one will have injuries. I said to the players the guy who doesn't want to play in Donetsk, let me know please," said the Spaniard. "It is a big opportunity to win 18 points from 18 points. Kevin [de Bruyne] will have two or three days off, he is suspended. The best way to prepare for the United game is by playing good."

'A real chance' for West Ham

West Ham manager David Moyes was impressed with his side's performance against City and believes they have "a real chance" of avoiding relegation.
The Scot has only picked up one point since succeeding Slaven Bilic, and the Hammers remain second bottom of the table, three points from safety. Moyes was particularly impressed with the "effort and energy" of his players as they held out for almost 60 minutes against one of the Premier League's most potent attacking sides. The Hammers were defensively solid and threatened to score before and after the first-half lead given to them by Ogbonna - with Diafra Sakho firing wide in the dying minutes. "We missed two good chances in the first half and had one right at the end," said Moyes. "We tried to stay in the game and play on the counter attack. Defensively we did a great job. "I always think we will get away [from the relegation zone]. I don't think we will be in trouble. I think we have a good team, good players. "The only [game] that has been a disappointment was the Everton one."

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Tottenham v West Ham: Fixture moved to 4 January for safety reasons
BBC.co.uk

Tottenham's New Year's Eve game against West Ham at Wembley has been moved to 4 January because of safety concerns. The Premier League made the decision after the stadium's management limited the crowd for the original date to 43,000, less than half the capacity. This was due to transport concerns, as resources at nearby tube stations are being deployed elsewhere across London. The match, to be played two days after Spurs visit Swansea, will kick off at 20:00 GMT.

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#REFWATCH: MIKE DEAN – MANCHESTER CITY VS WEST HAM
AUTHOR: SAMTWHWREF. PUBLISHED: 3 DECEMBER 2017 AT 8:35PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

Last season, I described Mike Dean as 'oozes arrogance and his admiration for the spotlight' and my opinion has not changed. Mike Dean continues to frustrate me with his game and player management. I completely appreciate that Mike Dean is a seasonal pro in the Premier League and was on the FIFA list between 2003–2013 until he turned 45 and was retired from international duty, but confidence is completely different to arrogance.

It was a first half to remember for West Ham and David Moyes: Drilled, hard to break down and breaking with the ball – not consistently but it's a platform to build on. It could have been a nightmare opening 70 seconds for West Ham when in-form Raheem Sterling went down inside the West Ham penalty area. Mike Dean, who was officiating his first West Ham Premier League game this season, was in the perfect position to wave away appeals from the Manchester City players. This decision was actually quite straightforward for Mike Dean, Sterling felt the slightest of touches and hit the deck, a blatant attempt to deceive the referee. No free kick nor punishment from Mike Dean and play continued.

With West Ham defending extremely well against a petrifying Manchester City front three, Declan Rice was the first player to receive a caution after bringing down Leroy Sane who was 10 yards into the West Ham half. It was the correct decision from Mike Dean and with 73 minutes left on the clock, Rice had to watch his challenges for the rest of the game.

Consistency is huge for referees and it's something that is widely discussed, especially at elite level. Nicolás Otamendi was the wrong side of Arthur Masuaku when he cynically tripped the West Ham man. Mike Dean was spot on to award the foul but there was no further punishment for the Man City defender. Mike Dean cautioned Declan Rice earlier in the half for tripping Sane in a similarly promising position, so why didn't Dean caution Otamendi? It's a lack of consistency and it wasn't for the first time during the game, this season or in fact as long as I've been watching Mike Dean.

Throughout the second half, West Ham had their backs to the wall defending well and Mike Dean continued to be frustratingly wrong with his decision making. The Manchester City players are known for their theatricals and this was proved with Sterling diving in the second half, with playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and overrated Fabian Delph, both who also embarrassingly deceived Mike Dean. The free kick, which infuriated me the most, was Fabian Delph's dive when Declan Rice committed himself into a sliding challenge 20 yards from goal. It was such a clear and blatant dive, I cannot come to grips on how Mike Dean came to that decision when he was behind the play and took up a good position. It's the theatricals that Mike Dean failed to judge and the second phase of that free kick led to Man City's equalising goal.

I do welcome a review from The FA and wonder whether they will take any retrospective action on either Raheem Sterling or Fabian Delph, a stronger case on Delph as the free kick subsequently lead to a game changing moment. Everton's Oumar Niasse was banned for 2 games after deceiving the referee vs Crystal Palace under new laws that began at the start of the season. The incidents are subsequently reviewed by an independent three-person panel which when reviewed, they decide whether the match official had been deceived by an act of simulation.

Mike Dean continued his inconsistency when Manual Lanzini was completely clattered by Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala. Dean was visually telling the West Ham players that it was a coming together between two players, but in fact Mangala jumped into the back of Lanzini when the West Ham playmaker was accelerating on a counter attack.

There were a couple of cautions in the final quarter of the second half with Kevin De Bruyne hacking down Arthur Masuaku which was a relatively easy decision to make as well as in the final stages when Adrian, who was impressive throughout the game, came rushing out his 18 yard box and caught Gabriel Jesus.

Overall, I have a prolonged issue with Mike Dean and the way that he handles himself throughout the game. My advice to any up and coming referee to watch only a handful of referees: Howard Webb, Mark Clattenburg and Michael Oliver, these referees were and are at the top of their game and as a role models for future referees. Human error is inevitable, I make mistakes and I referee youth leagues in Kent, and you need thick skinned. I put my hand on my heart and say that you have to be personable as a referee, it's not about getting on with people, you're in a cordon of emotions with players, managers and fans, but you need to earn that respect.

On a number of occasions, Mike Dean has been so arrogant with his decision making, even when his decision is wrong and continues to act in the same way every game, it my way or no way. Game management is incredibly important to a referee, it's understanding the best position and almost preempting the play. Player management is, for me, one of the most important part of your artery. When I referee, I talk to the players, I explain why I have given that decision. When Mike Dean makes a decision, he shuns the players which shows a lack of respect in my opinion.

A note on West Ham, I was fearing the worst coming into the game and thought Man City would put six or seven past us after the diabolical performance against Everton on Wednesday. With Chelsea and Arsenal coming up in the next ten days, I hope that Moyes can continue to work on the defensive side and work on breaking on the counter attack.

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Don't give up on us, defender tells famous fan
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th December 2017
By: Staff Writer

Angelo Ogbonna has told celebrity supporter James Corden not to give up hope of West Ham avoiding relegation, after the latter insisted he'd had never felt as "hopeless" before a match. The defender scored his first Premier League goal for West Ham against league leaders Manchester City yesterday, which was good enough to send the Hammers into the break with a slender lead. However City recovered after the break and went on to win the game 2-1 - albeit with the assistance of a dreadful call from Mike Dean, who awarded a free kick that never was to the hosts in the lead-up to their equaliser. Posting on twitter ahead of the game, LA-based Corden insisted that "I don't remember the last time I felt this nervous or hopeless before a match."

But following West Ham's narrow defeat, Italian international Ogbonna replied to Corden in order to insist that he - and all supporters - weren't quite ready to give up the ghost.

"Don't lose your hope @JKCorden," he replied. "We have shown we can can play head-to-head vs the first one in the league. "We will go up through the standings. If you come back in town for the holidays, come see us at the Stadium. We Irons stick together through good times and bad times."

* Meanwhile, fellow centre half Declan Rice has thanked David Moyes for placing his faith in his for yesterday's clash at the Etihad. "I'm loving training under David Moyes and his coaches," he said following the game. "To get the start here, I never thought it would happen. Luckily, with the injuries, he's believed in me and he has put me in, and I was happy with my performance. "I'm only 18-years-old so to test yourself against the likes of Aguero, De Bruyne, Jesus and Silva, I'm only going to learn and get better from it. Today was a fantastic experience for me."

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Man City 2-1 West Ham (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th December 2017
By: HeadHammerShark


"So how could I ever refuse
I feel like I win when I lose"
- ABBA, "Waterloo"


Well then. How does one assess a match in which your team is at longer odds to win 1-0 than the opposition is to win 7-0? A game in which your team takes a half time lead and defends tenaciously, but ultimately loses late on and drops more precious points? An away fixture in which we have to measure our progress not through tangible rewards like points, but instead through more prosaic measurements such as how long it took to concede? Glorious defeats are still defeats after all, and lots of games like this litter the fixture lists of relegated teams. How can it be then, that I feel somewhat more positive about life than I did this morning? How can it feel like a win when we lost?

Can four people dressed like this really be wrong?


At the most base level, this is simply a result of us not caving and losing by the tennis scores that have been the customary outcome whenever we have gone up against bigger teams lately. In fairness, that hasn't tended to be the case away from home, where there is less onus on us to come out and attack and as such we can keep a better defensive shape. For fifty minutes here, we performed a very impressive impersonation of a top flight football team as we kept Man City at arms length and forced them into ambitious shooting from long distance. In fact, I haven't seen so many shots fly over a bar in such quick succession since I last made the mistake of going for a drink with my Polish mate, Pete.

But putting aside all of that, I think what was really the most encouraging part of all this was that there seemed to be clear evidence of a plan and a commitment to sticking to it by the players. Ask yourself, when did you last see that? Even the glorious high of that cup win at Spurs seemed to be driven by some kind of magic pixie dust that settled on a couple of players and took the crowd with them and just blitzed us through. And while we might not like to admit it, that can happen in knockout games when opposition players get distracted and start to focus on the weekend and teams can take risks they might not otherwise take. But here, we did it on a day when it really mattered. Whisper it, perhaps, but we looked a little like one of those old David Moyes sides.

***

"We all disagree, I think we should disagree, yeah
Is this it?"
- The Strokes, "Is This It"


But how excited can we really be about "it" when we lost the game? After all, eight minutes from a point might as well be eighty for all the impact it had on the league table. In fact, as a result of this weekend we are now below Crystal Palace in the league table despite the fact that they played the first month of the season using their ballboys as a back four.

My take is that we at last displayed some level of discipline in our defensive duties and, crucially, the team were prepared to trust the system and each other to carry it through. It wasn't pretty or terribly ambitious, but when your opposition literally have a billion more pounds than you to spend on their team then I don't really feel like that should be a factor. City players and Pep Guardiola can make all the snide asides they want about time wasting and parking the bus but when we are but a month removed from the nation state of Abu Dhabi demanding that Brighton and Bournemouth give them a larger share of the Premier League television money they can, quite frankly, fuck right off. And when they get there they can fuck off again, as the great Malcolm Tucker might say.

Parked the bus did we Fabian? Fuckety bye, son.

In fact, Pep, if you hope that more teams will attack you then why don't you give us David Silva and a wage cap? Until then, slip on your hipster Adidas sambas and your Northside t-shirt and piss off on your skateboard back to your cave of oil money bullion and stop telling teams with 5% of your resources how to play.

As it was, we went into this game in the middle of our customary winter injury crisis and emerged with yet another muscle injury as Cheikhou Kouyate limped off in the first half. All hail Gary Lewin! That withdrawal had a big impact as it pushed Antonio out wide where he was pressed into lots of defensive work, which is usually a prelude to something disastrous like a rip in the space time continuum or a new Robbie Williams album.

Oddly, Man City looked nothing like the glorious attacking force that we are used to seeing as they huffed and puffed their way through the first half, with lots of possession and territory but very little by way of clear cut chances. Indeed, the best chances of the half came when Antonio got free at a corner and was unable to guide a flick on into the roof of the net and Manuel Lanzini pounced on a loose ball to fire at Ederson. With just a minute to go, however, Lanzini and Aaron Cresswell worked a short corner to allow the latter a better angle with which to hit the first man. Instead, he surprised us all by finding an unmarked Angelo Ogbonna who thumped home an opener that might not exactly have been deserved but did not flatter us.

I realise that not everybody puts much faith in Expected Goals, but this map from Michael Caley pretty much adheres to my view of that first half and highlights the excellent defensive performance. There seems to have been some view of it as us playing a three at the back system, with Cresswell as a centre back and Antonio as the lone striker. I didn't see it quite that way, as I thought it was a traditional flat back four with the full backs tucked in very tight and the wide players instructed to get back and provide cover at every opportunity. Arthur Masuaku did this pretty well and also managed his customary thing whereby he made several long weaving runs upfield, going past three or four players, and then following them up with periods of play where he looked like he was in a Testimonial.

Unfortunately, we couldn't keep that level of solidity and eventually we were simply overrun by a team who possess brilliant attacking players at every turn. The winner came just eight minutes from time and was wonderful, as Kevin de Bruyne picked out David Silva at the back post with a ludicrously pinpoint cross, and the Spaniard athletically volleyed it home. Scant reward for all that effort, but evidence enough that the gulf in class was pretty wide.

The equaliser was truly the goal that sank us, as the longer we went without conceding after half time, the more we had to cling to. It came from a free kick awarded for a Fabian Delph dive (Delph, the last bastion of footballing morality) meaning it was a passage of broken play when there are players in the box who aren't normally there. And so it was that Jesus made a run and crossed for Nicolas Otamendi, of all people, to stab it home. Until that point, Adrian had looked fairly unbeatable in a way that Joe Hart has never yet done in claret and blue.

We still had a couple of half chances to snatch something when Marko Arnautovic broke late in the half but his first cross was too high for Antonio and his second was turned just past the post by Diafra Sakho. By such fine margins can relegation seasons hang.

***

"We're movin' up, we're movin' up
It's been a lot to change, but you
Will always get what you want"
- Two Door Cinema Club, "Something Good Can Work"


What really needs to happen now is that these brief elevations in performance levels actually need to start producing something. It's tough on David Moyes, who has not had a preseason and has inherited a team that look knackered, unfit and lacking in confidence, but there is no time for sentiment. Turning this around is a huge job, and these are spirited baby steps, but sadly, getting the team to perform to a level just below that of the opposition is still a recipe for going down. It is a sobering thought that for all of these small, incremental gains, we are currently in a worse position than we were under Avram Grant, Patron Saint of the Incompetent, at the same time in 2010/11.

The half time TV analysis of this game was interesting, as Jamie Carragher suggested that West Ham were deliberately not advancing from their defensive shape to engage City's attackers. What this ensured was that we left no space behind our defenders and instead kept them in front of us. This led to lots of pointless passing and those long range shots that Adrian was happy to wave into the stratosphere.

Now, I'm sure that Slaven Bilic tried to instil those sorts of plans in his players too, but to a layman like me it never looked like they stuck. Yet here was a defensive plan frustrating the worlds best coach and forcing him to switch to a 4-2-4 system that eventually overwhelmed us. While it may not have worked today, what games like this can do is give players confidence in their management staff that they have some workable ideas that will serve them better against lesser opposition in the future. Very few teams have a David Silva to turn to, after all.

This won't happen every week, Declan


I also have to hold my hands up and acknowledge that Declan Rice was more than worth his starting place. I have generally not joined in the clamour for young, inexperienced players to be thrown into the team, but the Irishman was outstanding here and stood firm against world class opponents. Certainly, Sergio Aguero seems to have gone off the boil - not the first man to pay the price for a long weekend in Amsterdam - but Rice was assured in his defensive work, even allowing for an early booking, and he deserves an extended run, if only because both Reid and Collins are so injury prone that the disruption caused by their frequent absences is an increasing problem.

The booking for Rice was interesting as referee Mike Dean refused to apply the same rigidity to his decisions for City defenders. Both Otamendi and Mangala should have been booked for first half fouls, which would have at least forced them to be a little more timid in their second half tackling. As they weren't, City just kept fouling us with impunity on the rare occasions we forayed forwarded. It's a little trick that served Ranieri's Leicester well in the season they won the league, and is an oft underplayed element of Premier League defending these days.

However, where we really lost out in the second half was in the way we dropped deeper and deeper, inviting them on to us with no real way out. Giving Antonio defensive responsibility is fraught with danger, especially when he is such a strong outlet at the other end. There is a dream I have where he and Sakho terrorise less progressive teams with their pace and power. However, even Arnautovic was sucked back into defensive roles and what that meant was we could never relieve pressure by advancing further up the pitch in possession. Lots of aimless balls went into the corners and by the end we were basically putting on a touring version of Zulu.

***

"Let me go on,
Big hands I know you're the one"
- Violent Femmes, "Blister In The Sun"


One thing that was also different this week was that we had Adrian in goal. David Sullivan's £4m summer vanity project, known to his mum as Joe Hart and "Good try, Joe" to his defenders, was ineligible as he is technically still a Man City player, although Pep seems to have more time for Nathan Redmond than he does for Hart these days.

The Spaniard did nothing to deserve being dropped in the first place, and was excellent here again. Neither goal was his fault and he pulled off a number of excellent diving stops to keep us at parity. He has no weakness to his left, unlike Hart, and seems to inspire a certain level of confidence in the team that isn't there when the "England No.1" is between the sticks. It's a bit harsh to blame Hart as the defensive set up in front of him this season has been mostly imaginary, but it was still a vainglorious signing by Sullivan in an attempt to get some big names into his side to deflect criticism from his prior failures.

The folly of that policy was laid bare here, as it was tempting to imagine how that £4m of wages could have been better utilised as we got to seventy minutes and an exhausted Antonio desperately needed replacing and we had only untried youth players available.

There is a rumour doing the rounds that Hart has a clause in his deal that demands he is played when he is available, and if so, he'll return on Saturday against Chelsea. I don't blame him for that, by the way, as this is a World Cup year and he couldn't run the risk of losing his England place due to not playing. However, for us to agree to that is ludicrous. He was never anything more than a minimal upgrade over Adrian, at best, and by not playing the Spaniard we have cost him his own chance of regaining his position as 3rd choice Spanish keeper. Given that, he will be off at the earliest available opportunity, and who can blame him. What a nonsense.

This is the kind of crap that so frustrates me about the way the club operate off the field. A completely unnecessary signing that wasted valuable funds in a transfer window where Sullivan presumably knew he was going to be significantly reducing our net spend. I'm sure it's tedious for you all to hear me vent about this, but we are teetering very close to a catastrophic situation for the club and the hubris of Sullivan in believing he is suited to overseeing the situation is a huge factor in that. Take the injury to Kouyate - the continual loss of first team players to muscle damage should be a huge warning sign to a thoroughly modern club. A qualified Director of Football would be investigating that and demanding an upgrade to performance in that area. Sadly, at West Ham, unless a question can be resolved with a phone call to an agent, it simply doesn't get asked.

Interestingly, a reader asked me on Twitter during the week what were my criteria for a Director of Football and I struggled to answer because of the character restriction. This in itself is telling, because it should be a huge job that encompasses broad and wide ranging responsibilities across the club, with responsibility for lots of different staff members.

I would start by saying that the departments of recruitment, scouting, analytics, sports science, medical, player development (Academy) and player welfare should all report to that position. It's a role that requires an ability to manage across a wide area and has a pseudo CEO look because delegation and flexibility seem key to me. Rather than hiring an ex manager who is looking for a short cut back to the dugout, the person would probably be someone with a business background and experience in sport, without any requirement to have played the game at a high level. Perhaps most importantly of all would be the requirement that this person shape the philosophy for the entire organisation. It's hard to overstate how demoralising it can be to work somewhere with no direction and no obvious plan for the future. Employees like certainty and structure - even those at football clubs.

What I wouldn't suggest is a club chairman with five relegations to his name, who never leaves his house or speaks to junior staff and holes himself up in his office ringing agents until 4am trying to drive down loan fees for players that any reasonable analyst could tell him won't fit his side.

I'm sorry for continuing to bang this particular drum, but in this odd time we live in where the club appear to be canvassing opinion from every possible corner, the single best thing West Ham fans could do right now would be to turn their attention away from the lack of places to rest their pints at half time on the concourses and demand some proper corporate governance and leadership from those who own the club.

***

"Don't give me love or, no, none of that stuff
Cos, it's yer money I'm after, baby"
- The Wonder Stuff, "Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More"

So as we leave today behind and look forward, we return home for back to back games with Chelsea and Arsenal. The former seem a bit more mortal this year, and probably represent our best hope of getting something even though Eden Hazard's return to form seems a bit terrifying.

But perhaps the most interesting part of our return back to the stadium is the report that was issued by the Mayor's office last week into the costs around the conversion of the Olympic Stadium to its current state. Jon Lines writes a good review of the situation at Brace The Hammer which fills in a lot of blanks you may have. I've added a few bits here, but where I get anything wrong please let me know. It's a complex area and I have really only skim read the report. But a lack of expertise certainly didn't stop any of the people involved in the deal so I'm not worrying either.

Cheers lads


The report, by Moore Stephens, should be read through the prism of the political situation in London at present. The games were won under the Labour Mayor, Ken Livingston who made the decision - along with Tory Seb Coe - that the stadium would maintain an athletics track after the games and that no concessions would be made to the desire of Premier League teams to be involved in the process. This fateful decision would end up costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions, as it would become evident in later years that a stadium with no anchor tenant would be the white elephant the British bid had promised not to leave behind.

Ironically, IOC President Jacques Rogge would later state that there was no firm requirement for an athletics track to be retained as part of the stadium design, confirming that at least in some part, this was an ideological decision on behalf of former Olympic champion, Coe.

Thereafter, the political landscape changed as Boris Johnson was elected Mayor, meaning that the entire world could watch our opening ceremony and say "My God, he's their Mayor?". Johnson would reopen the stadium issue once again by seeking an anchor tenant to provide a greater legacy than a 25,000 seater athletics stadium that would likely rust in the London rain. In 2011, he selected West Ham as that tenant with an agreement that we would effectively take over running of the stadium, with responsibility for the costs of conversion and maintenance in exchange for retaining all profits associated with the deal.

This proposal, as revealed in the report, was markedly different to the version we have now and essentially involved West Ham agreeing to play in the Olympic Stadium as was, athletics track and all, with a canvas roof above. I don't know either.

However, fellow bidders Spurs and Leyton Orient and an anonymous complainant would appeal this decision, quoting EU State Aid rules (oh, the irony). Amid a feverish political climate, Johnson shelved that idea in between insulting some foreigners, and re ran the bid process with the central plank being that the Government would retain full ownership of the stadium and run the business profitably for the taxpayer. This would mean that a tenant such as West Ham would gain access to the ground for a small number of days each year, with the rest of the time being taken up with other profitable events to make money for the taxpayer.

In reality those appeals from Spurs and Leyton Orient saved West Ham hugely, as the reality of playing in the stadium with next to no money spent on conversion would have been horrendous. What they also did was cost the taxpayer an incredible amount as those costs would later spiral wildly, as West Ham's demands increased substantially now that we weren't paying for it. The decision to rerun the bid process would generate huge costs for the taxpayer - a point that the current Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan, was looking to highlight with the publication of this report.

Even more ironic was that Spurs never had any particular desire to move to Stratford, but instead merely wanted to use it as a stalking horse to get the Mayor to commit to providing funding for their own stadium redevelopment in Haringey. That was successful as they are now receiving tens of millions of public money to assist with their project - you'll remember that irony I mentioned earlier - and had the added effect of convincing Karren Brady to commit to keeping the athletics track as part of West Ham's bid.

My own feeling is that West Ham were, not unreasonably, concerned that if the Spurs bid were to be chosen and if they were to move into Stratford it could signal the end of our dominance of the East London and Essex catchment area. As such, they sought to differentiate themselves by committing to the track, even though grounds that have done this are usually as atmospheric as morgues. What does become clear reading the report is that the fan experience is not central to anything that has been done with the stadium.

Fast forward to 2017, and what the report is showing is that the deal West Ham negotiated is so ludicrously one sided that the best projected year for E20 - the company running the stadium for the Greater London Authority - is a ten million pound loss. Much of this is due to the fact that West Ham's annual rent is £2.5m, when the cost of running the ground is closer to £11m. Additionally, the famous retractable seating has proven to be a disaster, with the company contracted to deliver it going bust and the replacement system required at short notice for the Rugby World Cup an expensive exercise. West Ham fans will also realise that it doesn't retract. Johnson's fingerprints are all over that process too.

The summary of the report is essentially that the current situation is not tenable, with so much public money being used to prop up a poorly negotiated, one sided deal that hurts the taxpayer. The problem with that is there aren't any terribly good options available. Sadiq Khan has announced that his office will take control of the stadium from E20 which I suspect will mean a squeeze on any of the services provided by the landlord. Expect to see stewards, safety officers, security officers and any other staff reduced as much as legally possible by the Mayor. Great news for fans.

In Jon's summary article above he suggests that West Ham will inevitably end up paying more due to Khan's desire to rescue the situation. I disagree with this, largely because there isn't anything Khan can do to renegotiate the deal unless he offers up something in return. That might be a greater slice of naming rights or a reduction in the amount due to the Treasury in the event they sell the club. Therefore, Khan can talk about a new deal but in all likelihood nothing much will change. There may be an attempt to leave the stadium in athletics mode after the next event, but presumably that will be met with a strong legal challenge from West Ham on the grounds that they will have sold season tickets to fans in those seats.

Given all of that, and there is a whole load more to this which I'd encourage you to read about on this excellent thread on the KUMB Forum, I can only really see a long term solution whereby we take over the stadium. Let's face it - the Mayor could save millions for the taxpayer now simply by giving Sullivan and Gold the keys. Of course this won't happen because the political nature of the situation prevents it, but it does it mean there is going to be a public focus on the costs of the London Stadium. Generally, such PFI arrangements can be loss making forever, but now that Khan has made it so public I do wonder if something will happen further up the line.

There is then a question as to exactly why Sullivan and Gold would ever bother to take on the ownership of a ground when they could stay as they are and reap all of the same benefits for just £2.5m a year. But while there are plenty who will think that this is a great deal for West Ham, it should be noted that I don't support a balance sheet, and what's good for our owners hasn't generally translated into good things for the team, and furthermore West Ham fans are taxpayers too, and have every right to be as outraged as anyone else about this appalling waste of public funds.

Should the owners buy or acquire the ground, I don't see them investing in making it the arena for football that we want to be with proper retractable seating and (somehow) a steeper rake for the stands. But, if they were to own it, then it would make the purchase of West Ham a far more attractive proposition for external investors. It's a long way to go from where we are now, but in the longer term I can't really see that it's palatable to the public purse - and those Newham resident West Ham fans who saw their council chuck £40m into the pot - to continue setting fire to ten million quid a year. If they were going to do that they could have just bought us Robert Snodgrass last January and called it quits. Nothing will happen quickly, but something will happen there. Keep an eye on it.

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Moyes should take heart from defeat at Man City - his West Ham side showed they are up for the fight
The Scot saw his side take an unexpected lead at the Etihad, but two second-half strikes completed the comeback for the Blues
The Mirror
David Anderson
ByDavid Anderson
Football And Boxing Correspondent
21:20, 3 DEC 2017


At the final whistle, he exchanged a quick handshake with Pep Guardiola before walking onto the pitch to applaud the away fans. Then after a brief word with Brian Kidd and a hug from his old Everton pal Mikel Arteta, David Moyes disappeared down the tunnel to reflect on what might have been. However Moyes should not have been too despondent. Yes, the stats will show he has managed just one draw from his four games in charge and that West Ham remain deep in relegation trouble in 19th place - three points below the safety line. But his side deserved something for the way they successfully frustrated Manchester City's all-star attack and might have nicked a result if Diafra Sakho had shown more composure in front of goal in added time.

West Ham delivered the improvement Moyes demanded after the midweek debacle at Everton and they showed the fight needed to win a relegation scrap.
Moyes saw enough to believe he can haul West Ham out of trouble well before May. "I've always thought that we will get away and I don't think we will be in trouble," said the former Manchester United and Sunderland boss. "I think we have a good team, we have good players and today's performance gives us hope that it can be done. "We gave ourselves a chance against one of the top teams and we have got a lot of top teams coming up in the next few weeks."
Moyes suffocated City with his 5-4-1 formation and made no apologies for defending in such depth after Guardiola moaned about their lack of ambition."I want our football to be attacking, but we were playing against a team where you hardly get the ball," he said. "I'm here to try and get a result for West Ham, not to make Man City look good."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United boss David Moyes risks losing Diafra Sakho in the January transfer window
Sun 3 Dec
HITC
John Verrall
@JohnVerrall

West Ham United boss David Moyes has not started Diafra Sakho since taking charge at the London Stadium. David Moyes is running the risk of losing Diafra Sakho, by not starting him for West Ham United.

Sakho has become frustrated with a lack of opportunities at West Ham, and even a managerial change does not seem to have helped nudge the Senegalese striker up the pecking order. Sakho was only named as a substitute yesterday, as West Ham took on Manchester City, with a returning Michail Antonio favoured to start. Antonio is just coming back from injury, and isn't even a natural striker, so for Sakho that decision must have been particularly hard to take.

West Ham United's Senegalese striker Diafra Sakho (2nd L) celebrates with teammates after scoring the only goal of the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and... And Sakho's comments from last month, about his own future, prove that Moyes may be taking a huge risk over losing the forward in January. "It's not easy to show what I can do, or prove to the people what I can do on the pitch, when I only play for 10 minutes," Sakho said to the Daily Star. "But I don't need to knock on the manager's door – I showed what I can do, I have to force my way into the team. "I was very close to leaving, but now I am here and I am enjoying the little time I've had on the pitch to prove myself, and after the international break we will see if I can get more. "In my head I just want to enjoy being part of this team and we will see what happens in January."

Sakho actually was introduced after 40 minutes during West Ham's match against Manchester City, but that was only due to injury striking.
And Sakho's lack of game time since Moyes took charge is unlikely to convince the striker that sticking around at the London Stadium is his best option, with the transfer window set to re-open next month.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 3rd December 2017

Zabaleta: One win will put Hammers 'back on track'
WHUFC.com

Pablo Zabaleta believes a one victory could be all West Ham United need to get the season 'back on track' and feels there's every chance that win could come against Manchester City.

The Hammers travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon for their next match in the Premier League, with the Irons picking up one point so far under new manager David Moyes.

West Ham are now preparing to take on a City side that, under Pep Guardiola, has dropped points on just one occasion in the league this campaign.

But former City defender Zabaleta is positive that West Ham can take something from this weekend's game, with just one positive result a potential catalyst to kick-start the season.

"Even if people say we cannot beat the big teams, like Manchester City, this is football," Zabaleta said. "Football is unpredictable and you never know. They could have a bad day and we could take something from this.

"Of course, when you look at City they've been performing well all season but we have to be positive and there's still a long way to go. Winning one game, or two games, could get everything back on track again.

"We just have to be positive. Let's try to win – why not?"

Zabaleta, who spent nine years with City, was full of praise for his former team but reckons West Ham can take heart from Southampton's recent effort against the league leaders, in which City needed a late goal to win the game.

The right-back admits City have the attacking players that can hurt the Hammers – and indeed any team – but is positive he and his teammates can put on the 'perfect' performance at the Etihad.

"Manchester City have been the best team in the league," he stated. "They've been playing amazing football. If you look at Southampton in the last game, they were solid and positive, but we need to do everything perfect to beat City. Do the job defensively and then take the chances.

"Against Man City, if you concede after ten minutes it will be really hard. You can be exposed at the back and against those teams with players like David Silva, De Bruyne and Aguero – it's tough.

"Every time I prepare for a game I think we can get something, otherwise I would stay at home and not play. We have to believe we can play the perfect game and take our chances."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arnautovic: I understand fans' frustration but we will put things right
WHUFC.com

Marko Arnautovic has vowed that the Hammers will overcome their poor start to the season as they enter into the busiest part of the Premier League season.

In an honest and frank interview on the eve of Sunday's trip to league leaders Manchester City, Arnautovic admitted he and his teammates understand the frustration with performances falling below expectations both personally and collectively, but reiterated their commitment to putting things right.

West Ham take on City, Chelsea and Arsenal in their next three fixtures with the Austrian international saying they cannot approach those fixtures with any fear.

He said: "I can understand the fans and I can understand everybody who is surprised by our performances. I came here because, and I will say this always, West Ham is for me a big, big club with big history and good players and we shouldn't be where we are.

"The club and all the people who are involved with it deserve better, and we players need to show the people who come to the stadium late in the evening, or even cancel their work to come and support us, that we will fight for them, for the club and fight for ourselves.

"We have played 14 games and we have another 24, so it's a lot of games to go and we can change things around. We need to be proud to play for this club and we need to put our hands together and go into this together, not only the players but the fans, the club, everybody.

"You play eleven against eleven, human against human and they are also just human beings like us. Of course City are a top team with amazing, world class players but if we stick together and we try to do something in the game, we can get something.

"We have to think positively and you have to go into the game with the mindset that you're going to win this game, or take something out of it.

"I want to change this situation around, I want to do way better. I'm getting there now, I'm fit and I hope I can give this back with goals and assists because that's what everybody wants from me.

"I came here for a lot and the expectation is high for me. I want to show this, I don't want to put myself in the corner and say 'no, I can't do this' or go home and cry because I'm not putting in the performances.

"I'm strong, I train hard and I want to change things around. I want to do it with this club, with these people and everyone who is involved at West Ham United."

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Manchester City v West Ham United
SUN 03 DEC 2017PREMIER LEAGUE
16:00
Venue: Etihad Stadium

TEAM NEWS

Midfielder Leroy Sane is back in training and could return against West Ham after missing Manchester City's midweek victory because of illness.

David Silva should start after playing 16 minutes against Southampton but Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho will be assessed.

West Ham defender Winston Reid is a doubt after suffering a hamstring injury against Everton on Wednesday.

Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez both remain out.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Guy Mowbray: "David Moyes was Pep Guardiola's first opposing manager in the Premier League, and it needed a late own goal for Manchester City to beat Sunderland.

"On current form, the West Ham boss will have his work cut out to run City so close this time - or to improve things quickly at all with his new club.

"For this one, in his own words, he's "got to hope that this is 'where you never know what happens in football' comes in".

"What happens with City recently is that Raheem Sterling wins games late on for them.

"Does being held close to the whistle mean their winning streak is near to ending? It might signal quite the opposite."

Twitter: @Guymowbray

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on an apparent confrontation with Nathan Redmond: "I cannot control myself. I have to do that, hopefully I can improve.

"I've played in my career against lots of managers and I will never judge the way opponents play against one of my teams.

"It's so complicated when teams defend with ten players. I said to Nathan you are a good player and you have to attack."

West Ham manager David Moyes: "I think there's been moments where we've looked okay.

"The players are trying to improve and get better. A lot of our goals are down to individual mistakes.

"This is a big job but it's a good job. We've got a good team.

"I've never gone into any game thinking we've not got a chance of winning."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Southampton and Huddersfield have shown in the past week how teams can make it difficult for Manchester City, even if Pep Guardiola's side still beat them both in the end.

I don't think the Hammers have got the personnel to do that, though.

Prediction: 3-0

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

These sides met three times last season in all competitions - City won all three by a 12-1 aggregate scoreline.
The Hammers have won just three of the last 25 meetings in all competitions, drawing five and losing 17.
West Ham have won just three of the last 20 Premier League meetings (D4, L13).
Manchester City

City's 12-match Premier League winning run this season has only been bettered by Chelsea (13 in 2016-17) and Arsenal (13 in 2001-02).
The all-time record for consecutive victories is Arsenal's 14, achieved between February and August 2002.
City are unbeaten in 27 matches in all competitions (W23, D4).
Raheem Sterling has scored the winning goal in the 84th minute or later four times this season, including in each of City's last three games.
Sterling's nine league goals this season has already equalled his record for an entire Premier League campaign.
West Ham United

West Ham are without a win in their last seven league games, drawing three, and have only scored five goals in that run.
The Hammers have conceded a Premier League-high 30 goals this season; opponents City are the league's top scorers with 44.
Defeat for West Ham would set a new club record for fewest points after 15 Premier League matches, with just 10.
They have not won any of their eight away league games this season and have only won one of their last 15 Premier League away matches (D6, L8).
Michail Antonio's last six Premier League goals have all been scored in away fixtures.

SAM's predictions
Most probable score: 4-0 Probability of draw: 4%
Probability of home win: 95% Probability of away win: 1%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Liverpool that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.

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London Olympic Stadium taken over by mayor Sadiq Khan
1 December 2017
BBC.co.uk

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to take over the former Olympic Stadium amid "financial challenges". Mr Khan says a "catalogue of errors" by his predecessor Boris Johnson led to the costs of transforming it into West Ham United's new ground soaring. An independent review says the conversion cost £323m - the original estimate was £190m. Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales said Mr Johnson left the stadium's finances in a "dreadful mess". The review says that E20, the public sector company set up to run the London Stadium, is projected to make a loss of £20m next year and a total loss of £140m over its first 10 years. Mr Khan claims Mr Johnson's decision to make taxpayers foot the bill means Londoners will have to shoulder the predicted loss.

He will take control of the stadium in order to "renegotiate deals" and "minimise ongoing losses". Mr Khan said: "I ordered the review into the finances of the London Stadium to understand how key decisions were made about its transformation and why costs were allowed to spiral out of control. "What has been presented is simply staggering."

West Ham were awarded tenancy of the stadium in 2013, however under the agreement the club would not have to pay for certain running costs.
These instead would be paid for by the taxpayer and include policing, stewarding, goalposts, corner flags, cleaners and turnstile operators.
However, the review notes that since that deal was signed, policing and stewarding costs have "increased notably".

West Ham said: "The concession agreement is a watertight, legally binding contract signed in 2013 in good faith by West Ham United, who remain absolutely committed to its terms for the entire 99-year duration. "It is not in West Ham United's interests for the stadium to be not performing in line with aspiration and, as we have done ever since moving to Stratford in the summer of 2016, we continue to offer the benefit of our commercial expertise and substantial experience in managing successful stadia." The club added the stadium "craves renewed leadership" and it welcomed "the mayor's decision to step in and deliver this".

Newham Council said it received a business plan from E20 in October 2016 which indicated there was likely to be an "ongoing deficit" which could make it "financially unsustainable" in the long term. An internal review was carried out by the council at the same time the Mayor of London launched his own inquiry. Reacting to Mr Khan's takeover, Sir Robin said: "On behalf of Newham residents, I am angry that the deals and decisions made by the former Mayor of London and his administration have left the stadium finances in such a dreadful mess. "It is regrettable that the finances of the stadium have not followed the expected course." He added it was "vital" for Newham that the stadium remained a public asset.

A source close to Mr Johnson, who was the Mayor of London between May 2008 and May 2016, rejected the criticisms. He said: "No other city has an Olympic legacy like London's - all seven venues on the park are in private hands, with millions of visitors a year, and a positive economic legacy for east London. "The stadium has a secure future with athletics and football. "The mistakes belonged to Khan's Labour predecessor Ken Livingstone and the Blair government. Signing off on a stadium fit only for athletics was a massive error. The only option for Boris was conversion to a multi-use venue."

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Khan and the blame game
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st December 2017
By: Paul Walker

Here we go again, get prepared everyone for West Ham to be given another public kicking over the nightmare that is the London Stadium.

As if things are not bad enough on the pitch at the moment, with relegation looming ever-larger with every match. Unless we can beat Manchester City, that is.

We have become a political football. Tenants in the Time Share stadium, with--we are told--water-tight contracts that stretch for 99 years.

And it is these contracts that are going to be tested, legally and morally, to the limit now by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has virtually put his political credibility on the line. The man who has fronted up the President of the USA without flinching, will no doubt reckon we are easy prey now.

And on our side of the fence it will be the lady herself, Tory peer Karren Brady who will equally find herself in the firing line as the gloves come off (yes, I know, mixed metaphors there).

Clearly we have seen this coming, from the report commissioned by Khan into the sorry back-catalogue of how a publicly-owned stadium can get itself into such a financial mess. Our carefully-worded statement today wasn't just knocked out in a flash. We said all the right things, praised Khan's intervention while stating the legal situation as we see it.

But that still means we should stand by to be slaughtered, not only by Manchester City, but by both ends of the media political spectrum. The Daily Mail will be straight down our throats, they hate us because they reckon Karren and the Dildo Brothers have taken their Tory mate Boris Johnson for a ride.

The Guardian will be in there shouting from the moral high ground because they hate the fact that West Ham have benefited from the public purse, to an alarming degree it must be agreed. And they also have a deep dislike of unelected Tories like Karren and football chancers like David Sullivan and David Gold, only recently seen in public with Brady at a Tory fund-raising dinner. Oh, the shame.

And the BBC? Well, just for a change today (Dan Roan was at the World Cup draw and couldn't stab us from there) their news people put both sides of the argument. They had one of our mates from WHUISA in the studio and the reporter made it very clear that West Ham approved of Khan's involvement, and would not be too keen to have perfectly legal agreements torn up just to give Khan a political victory over Johnson.

And that's the point here. Khan and the mayor of Newham, Robin Wales were scathing of Johnson's administration for the horrific deals struck that from their point of view, been a financial disaster. The steal of the century from our point of view.

But Johnson, now Foreign Secretary and still with desires to be PM, has already come out fighting. His sources have claimed the fault is with the Tony Blair's previous Labour government, the former Labour London mayor Ken Livingstone and anyone else with a red rosette who gave the OK for the stadium design in the first place.

A stadium only set up for athletics, despite the blindingly obvious view that only regular Premier League football would provide the revenue to save the Stratford venue from being a hideous white elephant. Boris' people, of course, avoided making the obvious point that the real villain with his demands for athletics only was Tory peer Seb Coe.

So you can all see the way this is falling. A year ago I wrote here that Khan wants Boris on a wire, his big political rival to take the blame for the mess that is the former Olympic stadium. Ever since then, Khan has had this as his aim. He has had some sad distractions with the terror attacks in the capital, the shocking Grenfell fire and a certain Donald Trump slagging him off at every opportunity for basically being a Muslim.

But now Khan has his report. It talks of mind-blowing mismanagement, of "onerous" contracts costing the tax payer millions, of the need to "revisit" those deals.

We have Newham Council now no longer our part landlords, they have given up their interest in the stadium --where they are going to see none of the loan they put in at the start of the redevelopment--for the promise of 25 years of more cash to be ploughed into their coffers to be spent on the poor and deprived in Newham.

They must be breathing a sign of relief to be rid of the albatross that is the stadium and able to concentrate now on what they were elected to do.

Our landlords now will be just the LLDC, and we are assured that all the contracts involving the soon to be defunct E20 body will become the legal responsibility of the LLDC, and basically Khan's authority.

And that's the rub. He will try now to renegotiate those contracts with us, and our board will fight him all the way. Their attitude is that what was signed by Boris' lot is legally binding, watertight, for 99 years.

They will say we are only tenants for around 20-odd days a year. If we were not there, then the stadium would be been bulldozed by now as being a financial basket case.

Maybe Spurs were right. It should have been knocked down and rebuilt as a football stadium. But that would have been a political disaster for any government, the much-talked about legacy a thing of the past.

But we have seen this coming. Only this week David Gold was involved in a twitter exchange blaming David Levy and Barry Hearn--Spurs and the now quickly disappearing Orient-- for stopping West Ham and Newham Council from reconfiguration the Olympic Stadium into a football ground.

That's all history now, though. It is what it is and with the Greater London Authority and Government now in full control, the chances of the stadium falling to us for nothing, just to get it off their hands, seems a long way away.

But there will be negotiations. And you can see there is a way for a peace plan. If we are to be bullied into paying more rent, we will want something back. Maybe those 10,000 extra seats so far denied us, maybe a better interior design with real retractable seating.

Because it has been clear for some while that the relationship between West Ham and the ground owners has been poor. The recently-departed head of the LLDC made a reference to continued legal action by West Ham that is costing the owners £3.5m. So things cannot be hunky dory if the relationship between tenants and landlords is being dealt with through lawyers.

What is also clear is that Khan has put a stop to any further expense for the owners with regard to those extra seats and the stewarding. Somewhere along the line there does not seem to be provision in Karren's carefully negotiated contracts to cover those extra seating use and who pays for the extra stewarding. I do hope there are not other loop holes in those deals that we don't know about and that can be exploited by Khan.

And now we come to the crux of the matter, the non-retractable, removable seating that is costing millions to move in and out of athletics mode to suit the football. Or the other way round, if you get my meaning.

That alone is a farce. The sensible outcome would be to leave the seating in football mode, because that is what makes the real money for the Government, 60,000 people twice a month passing though the turnstiles and funding businesses throughout the Stratford part of East London.

To leave the stadium without the movable seating just to benefit a twice-a-year athletics event is nonsense. But you can bet Coe and his mates will be lobbying for just that.

And that, of course, it will mean moving athletics to the soon to be rebuilt stadium in Birmingham. That makes sense, because then football would be the only money making gig in town. But then when were the people running the stadium ever sensible about anything?

So, as I said, stand by for a kicking everybody, as our board fight their corner, for a stadium many of us wish would just disappear into the River Lea, never to be seen again. With a new home for our great, ailing club built in its place. Wishful thinking, I know.

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Supporters Group Meeting 30 November 2017
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 2nd December 2017
By: Gordon Thrower

We sent Gordon Thrower along to the latest meeting of bloggers, website staff and assorted n'er do wells With Karren Brady...."

On behalf of the site I attended a meeting on Thursday night. I had intended to publish detailed minutes of what was said but events have overtaken me and, as I sit here approximately 100 miles away from my detailed notes, of the evening, I find myself having to defend the site in general and myself in particular against some rather inaccurate accusations based on what I can only say is a misinterpretation of comments I made on the general forum.

As a result of my comments some people have gone out of their way to accuse me and the site of trying to hijack any "credit" for the criticism that was conveyed to Baroness Brady. I'm happy to confirm that I wasn't the only one there being critical of the ownership and management.

The problem stems from my forum comments in which I suggested I was "lone voice" at times. This was a function of the different reasons we had for being there. Others went there with specific queries on finance, branding, the matchday "experience" that sort of thing. As a result when others spoke it was a bit of a quickfire Q&A type thing.

My reason for being there was less specific. As mentioned elsewhere I saw my role as more of a conduit for the views of the membership on the generalities of how the club is being run. As such I was answering questions almost as much as asking them. I took this role quite seriously and spent the preceding few days spending precious time reading through the discussion forums so - irrespective of anything I personally thought - I could let the club what kumb members are thinking.

That meant when I had to chip in with an answer to, for example, the question of why the owners aren't particularly trusted by the board I went on and on and on. (Yeah I know I can rabbit a bit). Frankly I thought that that was the area in which I felt I could contribute most. I was a lone voice at that point because I probably had the most to say based on forum comment and nobody else could get a word in. "Lone voice" meant that at times it was just me speaking. Nothing more nothing less.

The other comment I made was that I gave the club the "hardest time" of those there. I stand by that - not in terms of nobody else giving them a hard time but more in terms of I had the least palatable messages to convey. The forums on here have been pretty negative toward the club's owners and management and that was what I had to deliver to them. I had the hardest message to give.

I'm not insinuating for a minute that kumb was the only critical voice in the room or that I was the only one conveying difficult messages or that everyone else was acting in a sycophantic manner and I'm sorry that some have for whatever reason chosen to interpret my comments in that manner.

I do object to being called a liar and of talking "bollocks" and being accused of only talking to ask for introductions. Apart from the early conversations consisting largely of questions to which I already knew the answers (I have spent so much time reading the club's accounts I can quote the figures back at you without looking) I thought asking for introductions was a sensible idea since a) I didn't know everybody there and b) I have the late Bobby Robson's legendary talent for forgetting names. The first question I was asked when I finally got home was "who else was there" so without my notes I'd have been stuffed.

I'm not going to comment on other individuals who were there, what was said by whom or what I thought of them or why innocent comments have been twisted to attack the site. You'll have to ask them that. My private thoughts are, as with all this, irrelevant. I'm used to being slagged off over my connections with this site - if I couldn't handle that I wouldn't still be here after all these years. I do reserve the right to defend myself against stuff that's based on inaccuracy though.

All the best

Gnome


Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.

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West Ham players must take more responsibility, says Pablo Zabaleta
By Dan Long
Last Updated: 01/12/17 9:28pm
SSN

West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta says the players must take responsibility for the miserable form that has earned them a spot in the Premier League relegation places. The Hammers have won just twice in 14 league games this season and find themselves two points adrift of safety ahead of this weekend's Super Sunday clash with leaders Manchester City, live on Sky Sports Premier League. David Moyes was brought in during early November to replace Slaven Bilic at the helm, but since his appointment, the Scot has overseen a draw and two defeats, the latter of which came against his former employers Everton earlier this week.
Zabaleta believes the onus must be on the players to perform, rather than all the pressure being hoisted onto the shoulders of the manager, as he prepares to take on his former club on Sunday. "When David Moyes came in, it seemed like, at that time, something needed to change," he told Sky Sports. "In football when a manager doesn't get results, he's probably the first person to pay the price. In some ways he has a positive impact on the team and the reality was we lost two games and we drew one against Leicester. "As players we must take some responsibility. New manager, but the same mistakes that we've been doing for the whole season. It's about confidence, winning one or maybe two games in a row and getting everything on track again - he makes the difference for sure. "At the moment, he's not worried about lack of quality because we have good players, but at the moment [the mental side] is the key factor. To let the players know we need to improve as a team by giving everything in the game, by being tougher, tracking back, being harder to beat - he is insisting on this."

The defeat at Goodison Park marked the third occasion in which Moyes' squad have shipped four goals this campaign and the Argentine conceded that the season hadn't unfolded in the manner the squad had anticipated. "The situation at the moment is not what we expected at the beginning of the season. There are so many things we have to change if we want to be a Premier League team next season. When you lose 4-0, it's a big defeat - it's massive. "Individual performances have not been great, this is difficult then to have a collective and, as a team, look solid, strong. We need to step up. This is something we were saying a few weeks ago, and then, after some games like Everton, you feel that all what we've been saying, all the work didn't work out in the game."

The goal-shy Hammers scored just two goals in the entirety of November, and Zabaleta feels that confidence is the primary factor affecting the way West Ham are performing this season. "I think it's about confidence. I can't find anything different other than being concentrated going into the game, focus on your job because if you look at the players we have in the squad, they all have huge experience in the Premier League and different competitions; you expect that team to do better."

"You cannot make those mistakes week in week out. It's hard to understand and to accept because, before the games, we talk about the first 15-20 minutes and trying not to concede goals and then, in the game, first ball into the box, we concede goals or we make some mistakes - a little mistake that is costing so many points."

Speaking of the occasion, in which Zabaleta will face City for the first time since his nine-year spell at the Etihad concluded in the summer said: "I think it's going to be a bit weird [going back], a bit strange. It will be the first time I'll go back to a former club, but especially at City as it's where I spent most of my career. As a player, I grew up with the club."

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Vincent Kompany expects West Ham to study Huddersfield and Southampton game plans
Last Updated: 02/12/17 12:24pm
SSN

Vincent Kompany expects David Moyes to be studying Huddersfield and Southampton's tactics in search of a way to stop Manchester City. But the City captain has warned the West Ham boss that the Premier League leaders also expect to have learnt from their last games as they bid to get back to their dynamic best on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

Huddersfield and Southampton both went close to ending City's long winning run, but their efforts were ultimately undone by late Raheem Sterling goals.
Moyes' Hammers are the next visitors to the Etihad Stadium as City look to extend a winning run that now stretches to 19 games in all competitions and 12 in the Premier League.

Kompany said: "I put myself in the position if I was the manager of West Ham, I suppose I would've seen the images against Southampton and Huddersfield, I would've seen what causes trouble and I would've trained extremely hard on those points for that game.

"But if I was the City manager, I would've seen the same thing and I would've trained extremely hard on making sure these teams cannot exploit that."
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits regretting the way he spoke to Nathan Redmond but insists there was nothing disrespectful meant in the exchange.
Huddersfield and Southampton both adopted cautious approaches, absorbing considerable pressure by defending deep but then posing a threat with the occasional counter-attack or from set-pieces. They may have fallen short but City, who earlier in the season enjoyed thumping wins over Liverpool (5-0), Watford (6-0), Crystal Palace (5-0) and Stoke (7-2), have been stifled.

Kompany said: "I can see a period of time where teams will try to play this approach but as teams will need points eventually, as teams will need to further their own agenda, I think it will settle again and we will have a more open game with both teams trying to win it.

"In this case it's proven nearly successful for the teams who did it, but at the same time as they're adopting this approach, we're learning how to deal with it as well, so as soon as we find a way through it, I think it'll change again."
Sunday's clash with West Ham will see the return to the Etihad Stadium of a former City favourite.

Pablo Zabaleta joined the Londoners in the summer after a nine-year spell at City that saw him win two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup.

Such was Zabaleta's contribution to City's modern history, he was presented with a lifetime season ticket when he left.

Kompany said: "It'll be strange for him but I'm sure he'll get a warm reception.

"I kind of feel he'll be dreading this game as well a bit, knowing Zaba and knowing that he's been at the Etihad and seen what the players can do if it goes wrong for you.

"But knowing Zaba he'll probably rise up to the challenge and probably have his best game of the season.

"It'll be great and this place is always going to be his home, no matter what."

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West Ham boss David Moyes says he has money to spend on transfers in January
Last Updated: 01/12/17 5:29pm
SSN

West Ham boss David Moyes says he has money to spend on transfers in January, but says his focus is on getting the current squad to produce results.
West Ham were thrashed 4-0 by Moyes' former club Everton on Wednesday, a result that left the struggling Hammers without a win in eight games, and sitting 18th in the Premier League table

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Sky Live game against high-flying, Premier League leaders Manchester City, Moyes said: "They told me when I came that if things were needed in January then it would be possible to do so.

"But I said last week, and I'm saying again that I am focusing on the players here. "I have to try and get a team from what we have in the squad. We want to get a winning team from what we've got and if we are struggling to find that then we might have to find other people who can do that.
"It will be difficult because I've only been here two or three weeks.

"I do expect the staff that work here and who work it that department [transfers] will have plenty of people to look at and recommend.

"If it gets nearer the time and I think it's needed I'll go myself and see them.

"I see the players here having a strong mentality and a fighting spirit amongst them to make things right. I can only harp back to small things. It's individual lapses that cost us in recent games.

"I'm focusing on the players here. We have to get a winning team from what we've got in the squad."

Moyes short-term aim is to get the best out of the players currently at his disposal, as they look to bounce back from the defeat at Goodison Park.

"I was unhappy with the performance the other night, but the spirit is fine. I need them to stand up and be better but overall I think they're big enough in here to know they need to do better.

"When I came in there was a worry about a lack of confidence. I think the players got over a big part of it against Leicester. I thought we started frightened against Everton and didn't try to take any initiative. The players need to find a way of getting on the front foot."

Moyes also revealed he will have to face Manchester City without strike duo Andy Carroll, and Javier Hernandez, who both remain on the injury list.

He added: "We've got a few injured players. We've got a few. We're going to go to Manchester and try to put on a good show and take something from the game.

"Andy Carroll and Chicharito aren't back. We've got a few missing just now. Winston Reid - we will check him out tomorrow. Jose Fonte is a long-term injury."

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England No1 Joe Hart faces getting stuck on West Ham's bench in World Cup year, warns David Moyes
On-loan keeper can't play parent club Man City on Sunday and new boss hints at sticking with sub Adrian if he impresses
The Mirror
BySteve Stammers
22:30, 2 DEC 2017


'Unappreciated' England keeper Joe Hart gets lavish praise from his West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
Joe Hart has been warned that he could face a battle to keep his place with West Ham and England .

Hart will miss Sunday's clash with Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, because he is on loan at West Ham and City are his parent club.


His place will be taken by Spaniard Adrian and, if he performs well against free-scoring City, manager David Moyes has made it clear there will be no automatic return for Hart — with the World Cup finals looming at season's end.


Hart has to give up the gloves this weekend because West Ham are playing his parent club (Image: Getty)
Adrian wants regular first-team football – but Moyes insists he will not be sold in the winter transfer window.

"I need two experienced goalkeepers," said Moyes. "He won't be leaving here in January."

Hart is currently the No.1 choice for England boss Gareth Southgate but that role could be in jeopardy if he fails to re-establish himself at West Ham.


"If you get the jersey, you have a chance," said Moyes.
"If someone comes in, they have to show me they are good enough to play – and Adrian will get that chance as well."

Moyes admitted that Hart has had an exacting season, combining excellence with occasional eccentricity.

"It has been mixed with Joe," said the Scot.
"I have seen some good stuff and stuff which hasn't been so good."

Moyes was boss at Manchester United when they played Guardiola's Bayern Munich in Europe.

He said: "Bayern were very good, and City are close to that team.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 2nd December 2017

Manchester City v West Ham United: All you need to know
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are back in Premier League action on Sunday with a trip to league leaders Manchester City.

Read on for all the information you need to know about the match with City, including team news, how to follow the action, and how to get there:

Where and when?

Manchester City v West Ham United will be played on Sunday 3 December at the Etihad Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 4:00pm.

How to follow:

Manchester City v West Ham will be shown live on Sky Sports, on the Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event channels. Coverage will begin at 3:30pm.
Live match updates will be provided through the official West Ham Twitter account.
You can also follow the game live via our Matchday Blog on whufc.com.
You can also follow the match on our official Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat channels.
Live audio coverage will be provided from BBC Radio 5 Live.
Meet the opposition:
0:24

Team news:

David Moyes will offer an update to the media on Friday afternoon about his squad during his pre-Manchester City press-conference.

Stay close to the official West Ham United channels for extensive coverage of the press-conference, as well as confirmation of team news and player availability as and when available.

Match Officials:

Referee: Mike Dean
Assistant Referees: Simon Long and Dan Cook
Fourth Official: Mike Jones

Last Five Meetings:
0:39

What they Say:
"We need to get back to work and try and get some points. We need to stay strong, be men, take responsibility and move forward."
Andre Ayew
How to get there:
The Etihad Stadium has its own Metrolink stop on the East Manchester line, named Etihad Campus. This can be reached from either Manchester Victoria or Piccadilly railway stations, with a journey time of roughly eight minutes.
By Train
Leave the M6 at Junction 19 and follow the A556, then join the M56. Continue onto the M60 passing Stockport and heading on towards Ashton Under Lyne. Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A635 towards Manchester. Branch off onto the A662.
By Car:


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Moyes: Expectations, Improvements & Academy prospects
WHUFC.com

David Moyes spoke to the media on Friday ahead of West Ham United's clash with Manchester City on Sunday.

The Hammers boss discussed how his side can stop City's attack, the chance he's willing to give Academy players, and the expectations on his team…

'There is an expectation to be competitive'

Heading into Sunday's match Manchester City are in incredible form, with Pep Guardiola's side only dropping points on one occasion so far this season.

With West Ham currently occupying the bottom three Moyes admits that, to the neutral, this weekend's match could be a foregone conclusion.

However, the manager believes there is still an expectation of his side to perform and try to get a positive result, with Moyes anticipating a competitive showing from his side against the Citizens.

"Against Manchester City there's probably less expectations on you in many ways, but we've got to find a way of going there, being competitive and in the game," Moyes said.


"I don't want to say there's no expectation. There is an expectation. We have to try and win all the games. We're in a worse position than Manchester City. They might be saying they have to win to stay at the top but our position is as big in that we have to get away from the wrong end of the table.

"I see the players here having a strong mentality and a fighting spirit to make things right. We've tried to do bits to have a better shape and start from a stronger position."

'Manchester City will be beaten…I hope it's us'

Moyes has previously stated his stance that he believes he has a team that is capable of winning every game, something which hasn't changed heading into the match with City.

He said: "I don't think I've ever gone into any game not thinking we're going to win, or we've got a chance of winning, or we're going to get something out of it."

Although Guardiola's side are currently unbeaten this campaign Moyes does not believe that means it's impossible to take points off of them, pointing to how well some of City's recent opponents have performed.

And the Scotsman is confident his West Ham team can do the same on Sunday.

He added: "Undoubtedly, we're going up against the most in-form team in the league. But that doesn't mean to say they're unbeatable, because they will be beaten somewhere. We hope that it's us.

"I think we've seen some teams play well against them. Huddersfield had a real go. Southampton had a really good go. I think there's ways to play against them. I think they've got weaknesses and I don't think they are completely unflappable in what they've got.


"I think what they have got, going forward, is people who can really create chances, take chances, and be very clinical. We've got to try and make sure we're in the game all the way and give ourselves every chance."

'The players are trying to improve and get better'

The Hammers are yet to collect a victory under David Moyes but, despite this, the former Everton and Sunderland boss has picked out signs of encouragement in all of his new side's matches so far.

The manager feels that, more than anything, individual player errors have been the main cause of goals being conceded so far, something he is eager to iron out.

And the biggest positive for Moyes has been a willingness from his players to make a marked improvement.

"There's been bits of encouragement in all the games. I think Leicester was probably our best all-round performance, even though it probably was only good for one half of the game. I thought it was the same in the Everton game. I thought for 20 minutes of the second half we were okay and we gave ourselves a chance.

"I think there's been moments where we've looked okay. The biggest thing is the players are trying to improve and get better. The hard bit to take is when it becomes individual mistakes which I think a lot of our goals conceded have come down to recently."

'If you look back at my history, I've always played young players'

"If I could play young players I would do," Moyes told his press-conference when asked about the possibility of giving some Academy graduates a chance in his first team.


Moyes has had an Academy graduate involved in each of his matchday squads since taking over at West Ham with the likes of Declan Rice, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez all a part of at least one Premier League squad since his appointment.

The boss is eager to give these youngsters – and indeed others – the chance to play but says the onus is on them to prove that they are worth inclusion in the first team and then to justify a continued selection.

Moyes continued: "If you look back at my history, I've always played young players. But you have to do it at the right time and the right moments. Also, I've got to say, I've got to see enough from the young players to suggest they are better than the players who are in just now.

"We've got two or three young players making the bench right now. If any of them get an opportunity we will give them every chance to show what they can do. But they need to show us, if they get in, that they are capable of staying in."

'I've really enjoyed returning to the Premier League'

Although results haven't quite gone his way yet, Moyes is relishing life back in the Premier League.

The West Ham coach is pointed to the Club's owners and the fans for their brilliant support, which is making his role with the Irons all the more pleasant.

"Apart from the result the other night I've really enjoyed it," Moyes said. "The Club's been great. The owners have been terrific and the support behind the scenes has been terrific.


"The support from West Ham supporters as well. West Ham supporters know how difficult the job is and they know the situation we are in. At the moment, apart from the midweek result, I've been really enjoying it."

'I'm focusing on the players that are here, not the players that are elsewhere'

Moyes was also questioned about potential additions to his team in the January transfer window, but the manager is currently focused on building a winning side with the players currently available.

He said: "They told me when I came that if things were needed in January it would be possible to do so. But I'm focusing on the players that are here, not the players that are elsewhere just now.

"I have to try and get a team from what we have in the squad. We want to get a team, a winning team, from what we've got. If we're struggling we might have to look at other players to do that."

Moyes admitted he is yet to look at potential signings anyway, having been in the job less than a month, and will look to guidance from his coaching team should they decide to make any signings.

"I've only been here two or three weeks. To have done all that work, and be prepared, I don't think anybody could do that in that short time. But I do expect the staff that work here and the people in that department will have me plenty of people to look at recommend, and if I think it's needed nearer the time I'll go and see them."

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London Stadium: A statement from West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Following the release of the Mayor of London's independent review of London Stadium today, West Ham United have issued the following statement:

"As the report confirms, the Concession Agreement is a watertight, legally binding contract signed in 2013 in good faith by West Ham United, who remain absolutely committed to its terms for the entire 99-year duration.

"We have delivered everything we committed to within the Concession Agreement, and act as the primary vehicle for London Stadium's legacy, delivering its most watched sporting spectacles, revenue driving events and thousands of jobs for local people.

"It is not in West Ham United's interests for the Stadium to not be performing in line with aspiration and, as we have done ever since moving to Stratford in the summer of 2016, we continue to offer the benefit of our commercial expertise and substantial experience in managing successful stadia.

"West Ham United will continue to devote our absolute commitment to London Stadium, but our first priority in this sense is always to act in the best interests of our supporters.

"We fully concur that West Ham United has played a significant part in the most successful regeneration programme in the history of the modern Olympics, however the stadium itself craves renewed leadership and direction and we welcome the Mayor's decision to step in and deliver this. West Ham United is firmly behind him."

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Team News: Moyes offers update on Chicharito, Carroll and Reid
WHUFC.com

David Moyes has insisted injuries will not be used as an excuse by West Ham United, with a couple of key players set to be absent for this weekend's match with Manchester City.

The Hammers head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday to take on Pep Guardiola's Premier League leaders.

West Ham are poised to be without a few players for the latest game, according to Moyes, but the manager is adamant that he won't let absentees be a defence for a poor performance.

"We've got a few injured players," Moyes told his pre-Manchester City press conference: "I don't want to be somebody that talks about injuries but we've got a few injuries.

"It does make the task much more difficult, because of the lack of experience and probably players who might be seen as some of our better players. But if we talk about injuries all the time it will, in some way, be used as an excuse. I don't want to do that.

If we talk about injuries all the time it will be used as an excuse. I don't want to do that. I'd rather stand up with what I've got.

David Moyes
"I'd rather stand up with what I've got and give the players that are in the team confidence that we believe in them and trust in them. We will have some other people that will come into the team. It might not just be this game, it might be other games as well, because we've got a few long-term injuries.

"We're going to go to Manchester City and try and put on a good show and take something from the game. Ultimately, that's what we have to do."

The Irons were without striker Andy Carroll and Chicharito for Wednesday's defeat to Everton and Moyes has confirmed that West Ham will be missing the attacking duo once again.

A late check will also be given to Winston Reid, who limped out of the match at Goodison Park.

Moyes said: "Andy Carroll's not back yet and Chicharito is not back yet. We've got a few missing just now. It's the same at all other clubs.


"Winston Reid; we will check him out tomorrow. Jose Fonte is a long-term injury. It's a couple of months before he's back in the fold."

With Joe Hart unavailable to play against parent club Manchester City this weekend it is likely that Adrian will be given his first Premier League appearance of the season.

Moyes is looking forward to watching the Spaniard in action and has called on the goalkeeper to show his ability now he has an opportunity to feature.

"I think when you get in, show me what you can do. Ultimately that's the same with all players. When you get your chance, you've got to show you're good enough to play and that's the same, not just for Adrian, but for everybody else as well."

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EXCLUSIVE: THE BLOGGERS MEETING WITH KARREN BRADY
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 1 DECEMBER 2017 AT 11:04PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk

Written by Kevin Slade (Sex, Drugs, & Carlton Cole) with help from ExWHUEmployee

Last night we were called to a third meeting with Karren Brady at the London stadium regarding current affairs at the club. Myself, Dave, and Ex were in attendance representing our respective social media platforms, as were Nicky and Ryan from West Ham fan TV, Blowing Bubbles magazine's David Blackmore, and a representative from KUMB. The meeting began discussing the playing staff; although Karren immediately dismissed any involvement with the team herself, she was in agreement that it's just not good enough at present and the club are doing all they can to put this right. This followed on to the club's financial state – rumours have been circulating the internet in recent weeks claiming a transfer budget for David Moyes will be around £20m – £30m in the January transfer window. I can categorically tell you now that no transfer budget for January has yet been disclosed by the club (as confirmed by Karren). No players have a relegation release clause either; Winston Reid had one but that was taken out. To her credit, Karren was very open, responsive, and gave us very detailed explanations to every question everyone asked her, which now brings me to the Financial Fair Play rules (FFP) in the Premier League.

For those that don't understand the FFP, I will try to explain this as clearly as possible: The Premier League has its own form of financial regulation which is not as stringent as Uefa's version of FFP. The Premier League also has a short-term cost control measure in which clubs are restricted in the amount of increased PL central funds that can be used to improve player wages. Outside of these obligations it is up to individual clubs, who all have their own directors and senior executives, to make decisions over how they spend their income. In a nut shell, it is not determined on how wealthy the club owner is. It's based on the club's seasonal income. Wondering why Manchester City can spend whatever they like? Because they're branded by their owner's own business which includes their stadium naming rights. Example: If we were branded by Ann Summers, we would be able to do the same. Unfortunately Ann Summers isn't a big enough business to do so! She explained in depth this is how we've been able to smash our transfer record on Marko Arnautovic, and our wage cap on Javier Hernandez.
Other finances such as club debt, income, and ticketing were brought up by all in attendance. As were other points:-
CLUB DEBT: The club's 'debt' currently stands at £50m. However, West Ham United football club is clear of all debt. The 'debt' was transferred from the West Ham united accounts in to another business which effectively means its being used as an 'overdraft', as opposed to 'being in the red' so to speak. As we all know, using an overdraft also comes with interest… this interest currently stands at 3%…
INCOME: The club are obviously generating a greater income to that at the Boleyn Ground since moving to the London stadium. Karren was adamant that the income is being put back into the club for player wages, renewing contracts, bigger transfer budgets, improving Rush Green training ground etc.
TRANSFER POLICY:
Potential players coming in to the club was confirmed as a joint effort collectively between the manager, David Sullivan, Tony Henry, and scouts. However the manager has the absolute final say on any transfer dealings.
TICKETING: 'Affordable football' was the topic of discussion at this stage. The club currently have 10k season tickets at £99 each. The £70/£80 tickets for children (Band 1) are in the 1966 seats, and this was justified by wealthier families purchasing these tickets for the experience.
Should the worst happen and we get relegated, ticketing all over the stadium will be reduced. Karren also confirmed that the season ticket waiting list stands at 50k.
There was talk about speaking to Chelsea and looking at ways to put on away trains solely for West Ham fans
STADIUM MODIFICATION:
There are no current plans for any structural modification to the London stadium. However there is a long term plan in place to square off the arches at the front of the stands, and fill the voids in the corners.
The club have also dismissed the idea of claret Astro turf surrounding the pitch because it was too expensive as "rubbish". The LLDC will only comply with the club if the surrounding Astro turf is 'London stadium blue', which the club will absolutely not go ahead with as its Tottenham's colours. The club are making a genuine attempt to have this overturned & are extremely confident in doing so.
The Bobby Moore statue is expected to be removed from Upton Park & will be at the London stadium as of next season. A location for it is yet to be decided.
BOLEYN CASTLE RETURN:
The club are open to the idea of the castle returning to programmes and on the walls. Stencils on the side of the stadium, or having a castle feature hanging inside the concourse are being discussed, but not confirmed. Timelines of our history may appear outside and pictures in the ground from great days gone by.
FUTURE FIXTURES COINCIDING WITH ATHLETICS:
Future home fixtures at the London stadium will no longer coincide with athletics. Future Boxing Day home fixtures haven't been ruled out either.
CURRENT BADGE/CREST:
The club are aware that the majority of the supporters aren't keen on the current badge. Ideas and suggestions have been noted and taken into consideration.
MUSEUM MEMORABILIA:
The memorabilia from the museum at the Boleyn Ground is in storage. Ideas & locations around the London stadium are currently in discussion for its use.
ACCESS TRIALS:
Access to the London stadium is constantly being trialled at home games for supporters and disabled supporters. Westfield have agreed to allow disabled supporters to travel through the shopping centre to make their journey easier.
Finally, the board take full responsibility regarding mistakes that were made during the transition to the new stadium. Karren acknowledged that the 95% of fans happy with the stadium stat was just a throwaway figure mentioned by David Sullivan in a Sky interview and wasn't based on any research. They're proactively noting ideas on how to improve a match day experience for West Ham supporters & making it feel more like 'home'. It was a very productive meeting which lasted up to almost three hours, and everyone present put forward some valid points and asked some important questions which were answered in detail by Karren.
Kevin Slade
(Sex, Drugs, & Carlton Cole)

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 1st December 2017

Pedro Obiang recalls the day he finally broke his West Ham duck
WHUFC.com

Pedro Obiang recalls the day he finally broke his duck in a West Ham United
shirt, in a 3-1 win at Southampton on 4 February 2017…

THE BUILD-UP

For many West Ham United players, the wait for their first goal in Claret
and Blue was a short one. Among those to have scored on their debuts were
Carlton Cole, Bobby Zamora, Mauro Zarate, Ian Wright, Alvin Martin, Tony
Cottee and 1940 War Cup final hero Sam Small. For others, however, the same
wait goes on seemingly forever, with supporters beginning to ask if he will
ever find the net for the Hammers. Two-time Hammer of the Year Steve Potts,
who famously scored just once in 505 appearances, had to wait until his
118th game to register his first goal for the Club, against Hull City in
1990. Another defensive great, Ken Brown, marked his 279th appearance, a 5-0
thrashing of Birmingham City in October 1962, to net the first of his three
West Ham goals. And spare a thought for Alfred Earl, too. The right-back
played 206 times between 1925 and 1933 and did not score a single goal – the
most games played by a West Ham outfield player without finding the back of
the net. As the calendar flipped from January to February 2017, Pedro Obiang
was still anxiously awaiting his first goal in a Claret and Blue shirt. The
Spanish midfielder had, to be brutally honest, not really threatened to get
off the mark, firing a few hopeful shots narrowly wide, over or close enough
to the goalkeeper to be saved fairly comfortably. Hammers fans were
beginning to wonder if the popular Obiang, who was enjoying a breakout
second season at the Club, would ever be able to celebrate a West Ham goal
of his own. "Scoring goals is not my main job, of course, but I wanted to
score one!" the 25-year-old reflected, with a smile. "I had to wait for a
long time for my first goal at Sampdoria, so maybe we should not be
surprised that we had to wait a long time for my first goal at West Ham. "I
did try to score before, though, I promise. I had some shots, but for
whatever reason, they didn't go in!"

THE MATCH

West Ham's 2016/17 season was something of a stop-start struggle from the
off. Five defeats in six Premier League matches left the Hammers in the
relegation zone and only a run of three slightly fortuitous straight wins in
December pulled them into the relative comfort of mid-table. Back-to-back
and convincing victories at the end of January, at home to Crystal Palace
and at Middlesbrough, saw Slaven Bilic's side rise to a season-high tenth in
the table. A humbling 4-0 home defeat by Manchester City soured moods
somewhat, but West Ham still travelled to Southampton with confidence on 4
February. Obiang was named in the team for his 55th Hammers appearance. That
confidence looked to have evaporated just 12 minutes in, when Saints new boy
Manolo Gabbiadini marked his own debut by blasting high past Darren
Randolph. Two minutes later, however, Man of the Match Obiang took
centre-stage for the first time, threading a superb through ball for Andy
Carroll, who converted his fourth in four games with aplomb. And seconds
before half-time, the No14 finally broke his duck to put West Ham into a
lead they would never relinquish. When Southampton cleared a corner only as
far as Obiang, he took a touch and sent an accurate, low, skimming –
'bobbling' may be a fairer description – shot through a forest of legs and
into the bottom left-hand corner of Fraser Forster's net. Cue wild
celebrations. Obiang was mobbed by his happy teammates and lifted into the
air by Winston Reid. In the stands, the fans marked the big moment with a
cheer and a song for their new goalscoring hero.
Captain Mark Noble would add a third goal after the break and West Ham went
on to win 3-1, delighting Obiang. "For the team, for the supporters and for
the Club this is great, because after the game against Manchester City we
were all angry. That's normal, but after today we can be calm for this week
and try to take another three points on Saturday against West Bromwich. "I
was happy for the supporters – we had over 3,000 of them there and they come
every time.
"I know we have nice supporters. They come to us every time, whether we have
lost or won."

THE REACTION

Obiang was naturally delighted to score his first goal for the Club, all the
more so because he had recently become a father for the first time, with
baby Jeremih being born in summer 2016. "It feels very, very good to score
my first goal for West Ham," he beamed. "This goal is for my baby because I
am now a Dad, and I am very happy because many times I have seen the other
guys score. I've enjoyed that and now I have scored, so I am very happy.
"One time before, the same ball arrived and I tried to cross. When it came
to me again I thought 'it's your time'. If I score, then OK, and if not, no
worries. This time I scored! "It was important for us to go in front at that
stage. We started the game well, but they scored quickly and we needed to
recover. We did that, and then after my goal we had a really nice game."

Unfortunately, West Ham would fail to build on their morale-boosting win at
St Mary's Stadium, failing to win any of their next seven matches to slip
down the table. By 8 April, the Hammers were 15th and needed a vital 1-0
home win over Swansea City – the first of five games unbeaten – and a 2-1
final-day win at Burnley to end the season in a creditable eleventh
position.

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Chantelle Mackie marvels at morale
WHUFC.com

"Just mention about when Hannah Wheeler dropped her phone down the toilet,"
Chantelle Mackie says, while grinning mischievously. Mackie is eager to make
sure her defensive teammate's mishap is included – a sign of the bond that
she shares with Wheeler and indeed the rest of the squad at the West Ham
United Ladies.
"She was so distressed and it was so funny," Mackie continued. "It was
honestly one of the funniest moments so far this year and only she and I saw
it happen. But that's just the nature of the team. We can banter each other
about anything! "We're all like a family now which is really nice. We are
all really close which is a massive help."

A major aspect of that feeling comes from the 3-1 win away at Charlton
Athletic last month – a result the Ladies are still talking about. Mackie
says the win over the league leaders at The Valley cannot be underplayed,
highlighting the importance of the victory on West Ham's confidence. She
said: "I think it gave us a massive confidence boost. From that win, we
started to believe in ourselves a whole lot more. It helped us so much and I
don't think the significance of that result can be understated. "Everyone
after that game seemed to realise that we are good players and we can play
good football."

While manager Greg de Carnys is happy to try different approaches on the
pitch, it appears the first-team boss is happy with his defensive line.
Mackie, the right-back in the usual set-up, believes that comes from hard
work on the training pitch. "We all work really well together," she said on
the defence: "Our communication is excellent and we all work off each other.
If one of us is stepping up the other three are there, covering them. It's
almost instinctual now. We've got a really good understanding. "We've worked
a lot on it, especially communicating. We know we need to pass messages all
along the line and through the team and our development and progress as a
back-four really shows in our games."

Despite being the Ladies' No2, Mackie isn't scared to push up the field, and
harbours a desire to get on the score-sheet at least once this season. "I've
been a right-back for eight years and I really enjoy defending and putting
in the tackles. I do really enjoy attacking though. I do want to get more
assists and maybe try to get at least one goal as well – I'd really like
that." But if she had to pick between a goal and a clean-sheet? "I'd always
pick a clean-sheet over getting a goal any day. Those are more important to
the team, 100 per cent. "We just want to keep winning and get up the table.
We're focused on the football, and the next game. We're all improving in the
present. "And I would really like a goal!"

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Adrian returns for City test
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

Reserve goalkeeper Adrian is set to return to first team action this Sunday
when West Ham tackle Manchester City at the Etihad. The Spanish stopper has
had to settle for a spot on the bench for much of the campaign following the
arrival of Joe Hart on a season-long loan. However with the England
international prevented from playing against his parent club this weekend,
Adrian is poised to make his first Premier League start since May, some six
months ago. The 30-year-old, a regular first team member under Sam Allardyce
and Slaven BIlic (for most of his tenure) has made just three appearances so
far this season, all in the EFL Cup.
During those three matches Adrian has managed to keep clean sheets against
League One Cheltenham and Championship side Bolton, something Hart has
failed to achieve in his last seven appearances (albeit against Premier
League opposition). Hart was roundly condemned last night for the error that
led to Everton's third goal, when his attempted clearance fell at the feet
of Wayne Rooney - who sent it straight back into an empty net from the half
way line. Should Adrian perform well this coming Sunday, he could spark a
major battle for the number one slot once again.

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Kouyate under fire from fans
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham midfielder Cheik Kouyate has come in for some heavy critricism from
supporters after a video illustrating how he failed to track his marker was
published on social media. The 16-second short details how the Senegal
international allowed veteran Wayne Rooney to sprint past him before
applying the finish for Everton's second goal in last night's crushing 4-0
defeat at Goodison Park. And it has been used as a prime example of the
perceived general lack of fitness and effort from some of West Ham's senior
players. "The spine of the team is weak and they lack discipline, passion
and courage," wrote KUMB member ads78. "Kouyate should both be nowhere near
a team that needs to be fighting for every point - he lacks the discipline
to be a top class footballer." "He plainly doesn't bother to chase back -
Rooney ran straight past him and left him for dead," added Crossd-Hammrs.
"Kouyate gives up before the ball is crossed and makes minimal effort as it
goes past him to Rooney. Too many players have been lazy for too long."
Already many fans have called for the reinstatement of club captain Mark
Noble, who has spent the first two of David Moyes' three matches on the
bench.

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Time to stand up and be counted, says Ayew
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

Andre Ayew says that he and his team mates need to begin shouldering
responsibility for West Ham's below par performances. The Ghanaian
international started last night as West Ham were thrashed 4-0 by fellow
strugglers Everton, leaving David Moyes' side firmly entrenched in a
relegation battle. And with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal to follow
in the next three games, Ayew says it's time the squad started to show a
little fight. There are no words. We came here with lots of determination
to do something," he said in reaction to last night's defeat. "We leave here
with zero points and four goals conceded. It's not normal. "We need to stay
strong, be men, take responsibility and move forward. It's not going to be
easy. It'll be difficult as we have tough games coming up - but we need to
tune our minds, fight and try and get the maximum points that we can from
those games. "It's been frustrating, but we need to turn our season around."

Last night's defeat left West Ham in 18th spot in the Premier League with
just 10 points from their opening 14 matches - one more than Crystal Palace
and Swansea, who could both rise above the Hammers this weekend with a point
each.

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Moyes sweating on scan results
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th November 2017
By: Staff Writer

David Moyes expects Andy Carroll to return for this weekend's trip to
Manchester City - but is sweating on the results of a scan on defender
Winston Reid. Moyes, whose team were beaten 4-0 by fellow relegation
candidates Everton last night is facing a fresh injury crisis after losing
two of his key first team players within the last 48 hours. However the big
striker - who was once again absent last night - should return in time to
face the league leaders at the Etihad this weekend, according to a
shellshocked Moyes. "We don't think his [Andy's] injury is that bad," he
told the media following last night's reversal. "We had it scanned and
nothing showed up."

Meanwhile Reid - who had only recently returned to the first team - is
expected to undergo a scan today in order to determine the extent of the
damaged sustained to his hamstring which, depending on the severity, could
keep him out of action for anywhere between two and six weeks. Slightly
better news for Moyes was the return to first team action last night for
Michail Antonio, whilst key striker Javier Hernandez - who has also been
sidelined in recent weeks with a hamstring, picked up on international duty
- is touch and go for this Sunday's trip to Manchester.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MOYES NEEDS TO LEARN FAST.
By Blind Hammer 30 Nov 2017 at 08:00
WTID

Blind Hammer reflects on another dismal performance.

One of the more memorable remarks Moyes made on entering the London Stadium
was to claim he was a "man in a hurry". The point however is to not just
hurry but know where you are going. Most people finally now accept that the
most important, distressing tactical weakness that West Ham has displayed
over the last 18 months has been their abject defending. It is only a
sadness that this obvious weakness was never addressed in the summer
recruitment priorities and we stumbled into the season with a limited set of
largely aged and/or injury prone defenders. The club were so obsessed with
remedying Carroll's and Sakho's injury issues they completely ignored this
more critical weakness. My readers will know this inept glamour recruitment
policy worried me sick over the summer and I feel even worse now.

The consequences of this strategic folly are now coming home to roost. Clubs
struggling before they play us all manage to score freely. Brighton
Southampton Newcastle and now Everton have all recovered their form against
us. Crystal Palace was unfortunate to only score 2.

Over the last 18 months the only consistent defensive solidity that Bilic
has ever achieved has been with a defensive three, most effective when
marshalled by James Collins. It is a mark of our current defensive weakness
that the return of the injury prone Collins, a passionate and committed but
limited player at the end of his career is now look upon as a possible
saving grace for our team in the weeks ahead.

Yet Bilic never embraced the 3 at the back in his squad strategy and
stubbornly insisted on developing a glamour team built on lose sand,
erecting a failed flimsy and rickety defensive setup.
Now Moyes has come to the helm he appears to share Bilic's analysis of the
squad and he also has tried to set up a team with a flat back four. The
results so far are sadly completely predictable and West Ham continues to
ship goals at a rate of 2-3 goals a game. The Moyes' magic wand could not
reasonably be expected to work on a unit which had failed for the previous
18 months.

Moyes is also obviously limited by the squad options he has inherited. It
seems unlikely that with any defensive cover of quality that Obonna would
have retained his place. Certainly Tomkins would walk into this side. Before
and during the game many called for Declan rice's inclusion. However the
Premiership is a tough baptism for an 18 year old and when Rice eventually
entered the frayed he was instantly beaten by Williams for Everton's third
goal. The squad will need a major defensive overhaul in January and the
reported "war chest" of £20 million for Moyes will not be anything like
enough. In fact it is laughably inadequate. I can only hope that this figure
is an attempt to depress market transfer expectations with a higher figure
held up a sleeve. If we, for example, managed to attract a buyer for Obonna
it is likely that we would have to let him go on the cheap or alternatively
pay him off to leave as, his wages far exceed that which could be afforded
by Italian clubs. Similarly for Jose Fonte, which club in Europe could
afford a defender on £65,000 a week? We are unlikely to achieve any value
out of these transfers.

It seems that we need to recruit at least 2 centre backs, at least 1,
arguably 2 full back and bolster up midfield with pace and aggression. I
hope that this recruitment is on track now for the beginning of January
rather than waiting for the slam door at the end. We are in a hurry to
recruit and we cannot play the longer game looking for value at the last
minute.

Still there are several weeks during which we will need to work with our
current squad. It may be that Moyes will prove me wrong but by persisting
with a back 4 we will simply invite heavy defeats not just against the big
clubs but the likes of Bournemouth and Stoke. Planning for 3 at the back now
will not necessarily prevent further defeat, but may limit the confidence
shattering heavy reverses we experience against poor or average sides.

It is not fair to criticise Moya so early but in his own words there are
difficulties that he will have to learn fast about if we are to recover any
semblance of form Orr confidence. I can accept for example, that he may want
to build a team around the strengths of Andy Carroll. However Carroll's
propensity to injury should not be a shock. A plan B of replacing Carroll
with Ayew as a like for like is surely not viable in a team set up to play a
long ball? I imagine Chico will similarly struggle with this kind of
service. In that context I can only conclude that Sakho's failure to start
reveals that his attitude in training must stink. If it is really that bad
he needs to be shipped out on January 1st and his replacement arrive
simultaneously. If it is to be long ball from now until the end of season so
be it, but recruit players for this plan rather than try to squeeze round
pegs into square holes.

COYI
David Griffith

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Dean Ashton reveals the dressing room nickname West Ham players had for new
West Brom boss Alan Pardew
Ex-West Ham star lifts lid on what Hammers stars called old boss
The Mirror
ByMatt Lawless
09:56, 30 NOV 2017

Dean Ashton has revealed the nickname what West Ham players had for Alan
Pardew : 'chocolate'. The retired former England striker now works as a
pundit.
Speaking to talkSPORT after Pardew's appointment as new West Bromwich Albion
boss, Ashton insisted that his ex-Hammers boss will do well at the
Hawthorns.
He believes Pardew's self-confidence will inspire the lowly Baggies after
explaining the West Ham dressing room's fond monicker for the 56-year-old.
"He's not short of confidence," said Ashton, who was signed by Pardew at
Upton Park for £7million from Norwich in 2006. "His nickname, and what he is
fondly know as, is 'chocolate' - because he would eat himself if he could.
"But that's what great about him. Players feed off that confidence and he'll
make you feel special as a player. "I remember when I signed for West Ham, I
went and met him at a hotel and he put on a PowerPoint presentation on how I
would integrate into the team, how the team would work around me and do you
know what, he wasn't lying. That was how it was. "It was all about how the
team attacked and how it got the best out of me. I'm sure he was saying that
to all the other players and that's what he is very, very good at."

Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace boss Pardew vowed to control his 'ego'
after he was unveiled by the Baggies on Wednesday, penning a
two-and-half-year contract to replace Tony Pulis . And Ashton, 34, reckons
Pardew will get the 17th placed Premier League club on a 'roll' with his
brand of attacking football.
"The first thing he'll look at is the way they attack teams because that's
his philosophy," he said. "He likes to play attacking football. "He's got a
bad reputation for some of the runs he has had at some clubs he has been at.
He certainly is a streaky manager. "But he's got two teams to the FA Cup
Final who probably had no right to get there. "I think that shows that when
he gets a group together, they really can get on a roll."

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David Moyes reveals what he said to West Ham players in dressing room during
4-0 hammering by Everton
West Ham conceded four without reply and now sit in the relegation places
The Mirror
ByDavid Maddock
northern Football Correspondent
07:46, 30 NOV 2017

David Moyes has admitted he was ashamed to put his name to West Ham's first
half performance at Goodison. And while a good old fashioned half time
dressing room rollicking at least changed the Hammers' attitude after the
break, the new boss conceded that his team simply didn't deserve anything
after a 4-0 defeat by Everton. "The second half I could put my name to the
performance, I didn't want to put my name to the first half that's for
sure," he said. "We didn't perform in the first half so we didn't deserve
anything from the game, that's certain."
West Ham trailed 2-0 by the break after two strikes from the experienced
Wayne Rooney, but a missed penalty by Manuel Lanzini scuppered any fight
back, and Rooney produced a wonder goal from inside his own half to defend
Moyes to another defeat. It means he has spent 39 consecutive games in the
bottom three with Sunderland and now West Ham, just one shy of former
Swindon boss John Gorman's record. And the manager conceded he is concerned
about his side's attitude...especially with a visit to Manchester City
coming up at the weekend. "I got into them yes at half time, there were
tactical changes, but we had to improve mentally. Individual mistakes cost
us, each time," he said. "The three games we've been in, it's not tactical
or not that we are not running enough, it's just individual mistakes and we
have to eradicate them. "The first half worried me, yeah, because we were
submissive we never played, we never had a threat, in saying that we could
have gone in 2-1 and it would give us a lift. "But one thing I will say we
came out second half and gave it a real go, we improved and we had a chance
to get back into the game. I don't think the scoreline reflected the game."
Moyes is now looking for a miracle at City to kick start his side after
taking just a point from his first three matches in charge. "I have got to
hope that this is where 'you never know what happens in football' comes in.
"We are not favourites for sure, but you are expecting we will go there
(City) and get nothing, but you never know, it's exactly right – you never
know." Andy Carroll missed the trip to Goodison after twisting his knee is
training and is a doubt for the weekend.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com