Song itching to return
WHUFC.com
Alex Song cannot wait to make his return to action with West Ham United. The midfielder returned to the Hammers for a second loan spell on deadline day but has had to wait for his debut after undergoing ankle surgery in the summer. But with a comeback now in sight, Song is itching to pull his boots on once more. He said: "I'm getting better and don't want anything to hurt my foot. "It's very hard because I was always playing and seeing your team-mates play, you want to be with them and help them but I can't at the moment. "It's about getting my treatment done properly and then coming back to help the team. "It's good for me to be here, the future of the club is really big, in the next five years West Ham will be a very big club in London and I want to be part of the story."
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Ladies hit eight in cup victory
WHUFC.com
Strikers Emma Sherwood and Whitney Locke both bagged hat-tricks as West Ham United Ladies defeated Burgess Hill Town 8-0 in the first round of the Boux Avenue Ryman Women's Cup.
Marc Nurse's side were 3-0 up within the first 12 minutes when Sherwood confidently claimed her hat-trick, before Locke matched her efforts in the lead up to half time.
Just before the half time break, winger Lily Mellors topped off a fantastic first half performance with a low finish into the corner, with Italian striker Romina Pinna adding an eighth late in the second half.
It was assistant manager Tom Camp who selected the squad and led the team for Wednesday's cup tie, with four changes being made after Sunday's 3-0 FA Women's Premier League South defeat to Forest Green Rovers.
Pinna, along with Kayleigh Xidhas, Giulia Ferrandi and Shirvae Edwards missed the trip south, allowing captain Stacey Little to return after suspension and centre half Danielle Sillitoe to make her first team debut. Locke returned to the side to add threat to the Irons' attack, whilst Mellors overcame an injury to return to the matchday squad.
The first goal took just two minutes to come when Mellors flew down the right wing and managed to find Sherwood alone in the box, who finished well past the keeper.
Within ten minutes, Sherwood had added two more to claim her hat-trick, both of which came in similar fashion to her first.
The goalscoring duties were then handed over to Locke, who secured a hat-trick for herself too by finishing twice from a Mellors cross, along with a long solo run and finish in between.
Just minutes before the half-time break, Mellors turned from provider to scorer when she finished after full back Kerry Stimson's shot was going well wide of the target.
After the break, Camp decided to bring his dangerous front three off including both hat-trick stars, with Sherwood, Locke and Mellors being replaced by Italian duo Pinna and Erika Campesi, along with former Crystal Palace midfielder Danni Ritson.
The eighth and final West Ham goal came on 78 minutes when Burgess Hill's extremely high defensive line allowed a fantastic through ball to find Campesi. She raced through alone, before squaring past the goalkeeper for Pinna to net her first goal since joining the club.
In the final ten minutes, the Hammers continued to try and push their winning margin even further, Camp and co settled for the result and their place in the next round.
Nurse's side will continue in cup action this Sunday when they travel to Canvey Island FC for a second away fixture against C&K Basildon in as many weeks. The FA Women's Premier League Cup First Round fixture will kick-off at 7:45pm and is free entry for all.
Ladies: Chauhan, Stimson, Wheeler, Sillitoe, Bottom, Little (c), Miller, Blanchflower, Mellors (Campesi), Locke (Ritson), Sherwood (Pinna)
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Third in the Premier League - but no Hammers in England squad
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer
Quelle surprise ... West Ham United players have been overlooked once again for Roy Hodgson's latest England squad.
With West Ham third in the Premier League, hopes were high that one or two Hammers may receive a call-up for the England squad to face Estonia at Wembley (Friday, 9 October) and Lithuania (away) three days later.
However Hodgson has yet again overlooked West Ham's Englishmen in favour of the likes of Danny Ings (Liverpool) and Tottenham's Dele Alli, who has made just three Premier League starts in his career.
That's just one more than West Ham's 16-year-old prodigy Reece Oxford.
Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Cresswell, James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Andy Carroll have all been snubbed despite playing a role in West Ham's wins at venues such as the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad this season.
By way of contrast, Arsenal have three players in the squad (Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott), Liverpool four (Clyne, Lallana, Milner and Ings) whilst Man City have two (Hart and Sterling).
The England Under 21s squad is also missing any representation from West Ham, whilst goalkeeper Sam Howes is the only Hammer to be named in Aidy Boothroyd's Under 19s squad to face Macedonia and Finland next week.
Meanwhile Reece Burke - currently on loan at Bradford City - has been selected by Keith Downing for the Under 20s trip to Germany for the Mercedes-Benz Elite Cup.
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Slaven Bilic warns West Ham that focus must be right at Sunderland
Last Updated: 01/10/15 1:21pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic has warned his West Ham side they cannot afford any let-up in their approach as they prepare to travel to Sunderland this weekend. United have raised eyebrows with wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City already this season and Bilic is expecting an equally tough challenge on Wearside. Sunderland are bottom and searching for their first league win of the season but Bilic warned his players not to be complacent as they look for a fourth conscutive away win for the first time in the Premier League. Bilic said: "Those three away wins mean absolutely nothing for Saturday because if we begin to think it will be easier against Sunderland then we need to stop that. "We are confident but we are expecting a tough, tough game. Neutrals are expecting us to win the game but we have to be fully aware in our approach. We've watched their games and in some of them they've been very unlucky. Up front they have some good individuals with pace."
The Hammers are third in the table with 13 points from seven games and are also joint top scorers with Leicester City on 15 goals.
Bilic said striker Enner Valencia would return to training for the first time since injuring his knee and ankle in a Europa League qualifier in July. He said: "Enner will join us in parts of training today. It is massive news for us that he is getting closer. If everything goes well it's a matter of two or three weeks for him."
Defender Angelo Ogbonna is ruled out on Saturday as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United. Striker Andy Carroll and defender Winston Reid are also doubts.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic foresees England recall for Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 01/10/15 10:03pm
SSN
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes Andy Carroll can make the England squad for Euro 2016 if he can stay fit. Carroll has been ravaged by fitness problems since signing for the Hammers from Liverpool in June 2013. The 26-year-old missed five months of the 2013/14 campaign with a heel injury and last season made only 16 appearances after separately tearing ankle and knee ligaments. But Carroll is now close to full fitness, after starting West Ham's Capital One Cup defeat to Leicester last week, and Bilic believes the striker will win an England recall if he avoids further time on the sidelines. "The England squad will come as a logical result if things are cured," Bilic said. "First of all he has to stay away from injuries. Only with that can he be in a position to have a great season. "In the past it has not been because he dropped in form, it's because he was injured. Step number one, he has made it, he has had a good pre-season, even it was after the season already started, he is now fit. "The quality was never in doubt, the problem was fitness and without that you can't have form."
Carroll came off the bench in West Ham's 2-2 draw against Norwich last Saturday but raised concern after taking a heavy challenge on his ankle. A scan has shown no serious damage, however, and the fearless frontman is expected to be available for Saturday's trip to struggling Sunderland. "You don't want to take it away from him, that's why he is Andy Carroll," Bilic said. "It's his biggest enemy but also his biggest quality, that he rolls up his sleeves and he goes straight in the box, gives the centre-half and goalkeeper a bit of a strange look - that's why he's like that. "You want to moderate that a little bit, maybe 10 per cent, tell him not to go for those crazy challenges, but you don't want to take that away because then he would be half the player."
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WHAT IF BIG SAM WAS STILL WEST HAM MANAGER...
By Iain Dale 1 Oct 2015 at 17:00
WTID
Guest Post by Jack C
It may be tiny, but in football terms there is no bigger word.
I can't imagine a single Hammer would want to swap our fantastic start to the season, though after the Norwich game, there is obvious disappointment at our continued poor home form. I've asked myself how we might have started the season had the board kept faith with Sam Allardyce?
Of course, we can only speculate. We'll never know how he would have approached the Europa League, and in particular the away leg against Astra just days before our opener at the Emirates (though I suspect he would have done the same as Slaven and opted to save his best players). And it's impossible to know how his transfer policy would have panned out. Downing and Jarvis could have stayed, and you can bet Nolan would still be skipper, albeit with less game time. Would Sam have had the imagination to tempt Payet, Lanzini and Ogbonna? And would Song have re-signed given Sam practically made him a scapegoat for our end of season dip in form? Almost certainly not.
But let's given him some credit. Overall he brought in some fantastic players since promotion and I think he would have had a few big signings planned. Top of his list would have been an experienced back up keeper, a commanding centre-back (a friend of Scott Dann told me he was approached last season), a winger (who's to say he wouldn't have got Victor Moses in anyway?) and a striker (I think he would have possibly taken a chance on Charlie Austin whose game he would have known a lot more about than Slaven).
Whatever he had achieved in the transfer market, there is one thing I think we can all agree on. His team would have played the same way as always: Safety first, with too much reliance on the long ball, hopeful crosses and a refusal to commit too many players on the break. Only once did he give us a great away win to compare to any of Slaven's three, and that 3-0 at Spurs was based on an enforced team selection that he would never have made willingly.
Still, looking at our opening league fixtures, I think there is an argument to be made that, with Sam in charge, we would now likely be on at least eight points, and maybe 11. Either way we'd be in a solid mid-table place, though we would have all been denied the utter joy of winning those three incredible away games!
(A) Arsenal – We'd have lost here. Sam would have set us up to defend deep, with a lone isolated striker, and once they got their noses in front, that would have been that….again – 0 pts
(H) Leicester – They had a fantastic start and could well have beaten us regardless, but Sam would have known more about them than Slaven and I think we'd have drawn this under him – 1 pt
(H) Bournemouth – I just can't imagine an Allardyce team making so many schoolboy errors. This game would have been made for his tactics. He would have bullied them with crosses and have known about their pace in advance – 3 pts
(A) Liverpool – We would probably have lost here as Sam just didn't instil any confidence in his teams on their travels, and without the win at Arsenal the belief would not have been there. Then again, Liverpool are pretty ordinary and a rear-guard action to secure a 0-0 might have been possible – 0 pts (or 1 pt)
(H) Newcastle – Given their awful start to the season I think a win here was always likely, and let's not forget that we're a different proposition under the lights at Upton Park (oh how those nights will be missed!) – 3 pts
(A) Man City – Let's be brutally honest. An Allardyce team and set-up here would have led to only one conclusion, and probably a very harsh one – 0 pts
(H) Norwich – A possible win but they're a decent team away from home and I recall they would have beaten at home us the year they were relegated but for a special performance from Adrian. I think we'd still have taken just a point, but it would have been a much more boring game! – 1 pt (or 3 pts)
As for our poor home form, I think it's no co-incidence that the three clubs we have failed to beat would have been relatively unknown to Slaven and presented him with a headache. He has proved the big games hold no fear, having managed at International and Champions League level, with both Arsenal and Liverpool held by or beaten by Besiktas.
This is where he really needed a good number two with knowledge of the Premier League, and the English game generally, to guide him. You can bet that Brian Kidd played an important role in Manuel Pellegrini's first season at City, as did Sammy Lee in Ronald Koeman's for Southampton, whilst Ryan Giggs is giving invaluable information to Louis van Gaal. But who did Slaven have? The manager of our ladies team, that's who! Of course we all love Julian and he's probably great for team morale, but I can't imagine he has contributed anything significant tactically. He has as little knowledge about James Wilson or Nathan Redmond as Slaven.
If you're going to make an appointment with Public relations in mind then someone like Kevin Keen, Iain Dowie or Martin Allen would have been a better choice. The last two were also team-mates of Slaven and understand the way Bournemouth and Norwich set up to a tee.
Hopefully Slaven is a quick learner, and will know more about Sunderland before Saturday than he did those other "lesser" teams. Big Sam would have settled for a point there, even though they are bottom with no win! The great thing about Slaven is that he understands that a draw isn't really a great result.
Ultimately the big difference between them is that Big Sam would take 4 draws and some clean sheets on the spin and regard it as a decent run. Slaven would take 2 wins and accept 2 losses. There are more points to be had his way – it makes sense.
Without doubt, we would not be sitting third if Big Sam had stayed, and though I'm equally sure he would have ensured we headed into our new era with a sound footing, it would be a rather anti-climactic one. Both we and the Boleyn deserve better than that.
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Sunderland's Steven Fletcher wants that first win so spotlight will move off rock-bottom club
0 COMMENTS 20:30, 1 OCT 2015 UPDATED 21:35, 1 OCT 2015
BY SIMON BIRD
The Wearsiders and north-east rivals Newcastle are the only sides left in all four divisions without a league victory — will that change when West Ham visit?
The mirror
Steven Fletcher has admitted Sunderland need a win to take the spotlight away from the club. They are one of only two teams in the top four divisions with out a league victory – the other? Their neighbours and bitter rivals Newcastle. But striker Fletcher says rock-bottom Sunderland can clinch their first three-point haul of the campaign against visitors West Ham this weekend, because they are creating chances. He said: "You get that first win and attention goes somewhere else. "There is a lot of attention on us not winning a game. If we do it on Saturday it will help. "We are a bit different to last year. Last year we were draw specialists. Keeping clean sheets, but not scoring. "This year we have got a few goals but not got clean sheets. If we can keep the back door shut and create chances we'll be ok.
"We need to stick at it more when we are top and get a goal to get a team on the back foot. It will be a tough game and they are on good form. "The boys have got to be (confident). "We have to keep upbeat. We have characters to keep the lads upbeat especially on a Monday after a defeat when it is not a nice place to be."
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Happy Hammers front men set to shun moves
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are keen to hold on to all four strikers this season and will only consider loaning any out of they are desperately unhappy.
Diafra Sakho has nailed down the No 1 spot but with Andy Carroll slowly returning to full match fitness the heat is on Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia who is also on the comeback trail. Zarate is also under pressure for his position from Manuel Lanzini who has made a great start to his Hammers career but is desperately keen to emerge as a front line Irons player.
After being loaned out to QPR last season he returned to Upton Park he has returned to show real form with three goals in his eight appearances. And although he was being linked with a move away in the summer he is believed keen to stay and fight for a place in Slaven Bilic's set-up in a system he believes suits him far better than that employed by Sam Allardyce. A source told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We will look at everything in January. Some players are not happy on the bench and might ask to go although Mauro is showing a lot of appetite for the club. "If both AC and Enner Valencia are both 100% fit we are a bit heavy in the forward/striker position but there is a saying you can never have enough forwards and Zarate gives you something different!"
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Irons told not to wrap Carroll up in cotton wool
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Leroy Rosenior has told West Ham they can't wrap Andy Carroll up in cotton wool forever and that it's time to let him loose. ClaretandHugh's chief analyst – aware of reports that Carroll had faced new scans this week following last weekend's action – declared: "They may be being ultra careful with him…on the other hand it could be argued they are becoming over paranoid."
Slaven Bilic revealed in his morning press conference today that the club's record signing is today working with fitness coaches ahead of the weekend game at Sunderland and that he may not be available for the game after his appearance as a sub against Norwich City.
Carroll-West-Ham-team-news-541122Carroll's return seems to have been organised along the lines predicted several weeks ago when it was made clear absolutely no chances would be taken with him.
But Leroy said: "He's a professional footballer who is either fit to play or not. The club appear to be taking extraordinary precautions with him to make sure he is 100 per cent and guaranteed to stand up to things.
"The trouble is in this game there are no guarantees EVER! Anything can happen at any time and they may be becoming a bit paranoid.
"I'm sure Andy just wants to be allowed to be let loose. They can't keep him wrapped up in cotton wool forever. They have to let him off the leash."
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Kouyate deal on the way
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are ready to offer Cheik Kouyate an improved deal but not until the season hits the midway point. The former Anderlecht star has been in great form so far and is believed to want to negotiate around £40 to £45k a week. The all action midfielder is believed to be on around £30k a week at the moment and with his contract not due to run out until 2018 is keen to receive an upgrade. There were strong suggestions in the transfer window that Spurs were keen but ClaretandHugh was assured that the player would be going nowhere but that wage negotiations would be on the agenda later in the season. And today we were told the club will be ready to talk to the player's advisers one the Christmas programme has passed. We were told: "It's the club's usual procedure to look at that time and if negotiations are to take place that's when they would start. "There was a lot of talk about Tottenham at the end of the transfer window but it didn't happen than and it won't – we are always ready to keep our players happy."
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Reid and Carroll could miss Sunderland trip
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer
In-form defender Winston Reid is struggling for fitness ahead of this weekend's trip to Sunderland, says Hammers boss Slaven Bilic. Bilic, speaking to the media this morning ahead of the trip to Wearside also revealed that Andy Carroll - whose presence in the penalty area led to Cheik Kouyate's dramatic late equaliser against Norwich last Saturday - is battling to shake off a knock. "Carroll will train with the fitness coach today," said Bilic. "If it goes well. he will train with us tomorrow. And Reid is doubtful. They are small things, but they may be enough to prevent one or two players from playing."
However there s better news where one or two others are concerned, with Enner Valencia, Alex Song and Angelo Ogbonna all close to returning from long spells on the sidelines. "Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is required to train with the squad," Head of Medical and Sports Science, Stijn Vandenbroucke, told whufc.com. "We had the official team photo on Tuesday and trained at the Boleyn Ground in the morning. We used the stadium stairs to do some fitness work with Enner and Alex Song; Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule. "Angelo Ogbonna has entered the final stages of rehab and will join full training soon."
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It shouldn't be a privilege to watch football, says Bilic
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 1st October 2015
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic has told the media top flight matches should be affordable to all football fans - just 48 hours before supporters across the country plan a mass protest against the cost of watching Premier League fixtures. This weekend home and away supporters will join forces to deliver the 'Twenty's Plenty' message – a call for all away tickets in England and Wales to be capped at £20. Fans from every Premier League club - along with several in the Football League - will meet ahead of this weekend's fixtures for joint protests, before displaying banners inside stadiums proclaiming 'Fans back Twenty's Plenty'.
And Bilic, speaking to the media ahead of West Ham's trip to Sunderland this weekend, backed fans who believe they are being held to ransom by top flight football clubs. "Football is not golf or polo for VIPs, for the elite," said Bilic. "Football is the people's sport, it is a sport for the masses. It shouldn't be a privilege to be able to go by yourself, with your mates, your girlfriend, your wife or kids to a football game. It should be there for everybody. "On the other hand you have the clubs and teams who are building new stadiums. They invest big money in those great stadiums, they want money back and put the ticket prices up. "For me they should find a balance because the fans are very important for this sport. You see fans in every sport but football games are not just about the quality of the game, they are about the atmosphere at the ground - and that is created by the fans. "So you need fans. Without the fans, it's useless. It shouldn't be a privilege for some people to take their kids - everybody should be able to do that."
The 'Twenty's Plenty' campaign began in 2013 when high away ticket prices were the catalyst, with many away fans expected to pay in excess of £50 or even £60 for tickets. Since then, the campaign has grown and secured improvements for away fans. Premier League clubs have introduced the £12m 'Away Supporters Initiative' while more teams in the Football League are now entering into £20 reciprocal deals for away fans. It has been claimed that the 'Twenty's Plenty' scheme has already saved fans across the country more than £700,000.
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Olympic Stadium information order appealed by London Legacy Development Corporation
Last Updated: 01/10/15 3:08pm
SSN
The decision ordering West Ham to release financial details of the club's move to the Olympic Stadium has been appealed. The Information Commissioner ruled on September 15 that the terms of the deal should be made public, after Freedom of Information was requested by campaigners. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) and the Premier League club have attempted to block any unveiling of information, insisting that in the interests of commercial confidentiality the details of the deal involving the largely taxpayer-funded stadium must remain private.
On Thursday, the LLDC made their objections more formal and lodged an appeal against the Information Commissioner's judgment, claiming the order would hamper any future negotiations over its use. Their statement read: "This follows careful consideration, informed by legal advice, and is limited to a smaller number of redactions. "The appeal relates only to information which, if released, could significantly reduce the level of financial return to the taxpayer as it would undermine negotiations with future users of the stadium and other partners. "We have listened to the Commissioner's comments and as a public body are committed to maximising transparency. "As a result, we will shortly publish more details of the agreement with West Ham United in all areas that fall outside the scope of our appeal. "
The Hammers will take on a 99-year deal as tenants of the stadium in east London, at a reported annual cost of £2.5m, from the start of next season. A coalition of club supporters' trusts, who formed to contest the decision to allow West Ham the move, recently praised the decision to release information.
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Big Irons signing told he must wait
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham's £7 million deadline day signing Michail Antonio has been told he will have to wait for his Hammers career to take off. The Victor Moses loan has stood in the way of the former Nottingham Forest wideman's chance and the exit from the Capital One Cup looks set to delay it further. Moses was a hugely expensive signing and the Irons are keen to capitalise on the player's outstanding form which has seen him short listed for the African Premier League Player of the month award. The Irons were determined to snatch the player on deadline day as he was being tracked by two or three other Premier League outfits but should Moses remain fit the 25 year old will need to wait for his chance. ClaretandHugh was told this morning that with the club so spoiled for choice at the moment anything was possible but that Moses was seen as the number one right sided player this term. Our top source said: "He's been terrific since he arrived and yes, we are spoiled for choice but Michail was brought in as the long term prospect for that position. "This season may be frustrating for him but he has a very big future at this club – that's a certainty."
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Midfielder: "We will be a very big London club"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H
Alex Song wants to pull his boots back on big time as he closes in on a return to action. But the midfielder is demonstrating a ot of patience and said: "I'm getting better and don't want anything to hurt my foot." Speaking to www.whufc.com he said: "It's very hard because I was always playing and seeing your team-mates play, you want to be with them and help them but I can't at the moment. "It's about getting my treatment done properly and then coming back to help the team. "It's good for me to be here, the future of the club is really big, in the next five years West Ham will be a very big club in London and I want to be part of the story."
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Great news on Valencia
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H
Enner Valencia is all set to join in with first-team training this week. And the top news is that he could be back sooner than expected possibly even feature for the Hammers this month. Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke told the official site: "Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is required to train with the squad,
"The plan is for Enner to join some parts of team training later in the week and we then hope he will be able to step up his training regime and join in a few full team training sessions next week." Alex Song is also pushing for a return with Vandenbroucke saying: "Injured players also trained in the stadium and we used the stadium stairs to do some good fitness work with Enner and Alex Song. "Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule."
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CandH interviewed for Black Cats v Irons
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News, Whispers
C adn H
There's a big weekend prospect with the mighty Irons travelling to Sunderland looking for a win which would take them to a brilliant 16 points. That would be close to half way towards the off mentioned relegation 'safety ' target of 38 points – after just eight games! It will surpass most people's pre-season expectations if we achieve it at such a stage of the season and the Claret and Blue Army are gonna more than a tad be delighted should we bring home another victory on the road. ClaretandHugh's founding editor Hugh Southon was asked to give his view on the match and an awful lot more by top Sunderland fanzine Salut! Sunderland in a lengthy question and answer session. They covered lot of ground including 'The West Ham Way' – myth or reality; the two Davids – good job or bad; Big Sam, the Boleyn Farewell; PDC and much more.
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Slaven's Carroll hopes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 1, 2015 in News
C and H
News of Andy Carroll is encouraging today after it was reported last night that the striker had been to the club's hospital for a check up after the match against Norwich. ClaretandHugh blogger @Exwhuemployee had reported that the club's record signing had been checked over but it seems all is well with the manager declaring he could start at Sunderland. Slaven said in his morning press conference – reported at www.whufc.com: "Angelo Ogbonna is definitely out, there's a chance with Andy Carroll he could play. He's training with the fitness coaches today and then we'll see tomorrow. "Winston Reid is doubtful because he feels something in his back or hip area. They are small things but they may be enough to prevent them from playing on Saturday." However he confirmed the news that Enner Valencia is on his way back and is obviously delighted, saying: ""Yes, it is great news for us. He's been out for a while and is not in contention for this weekend; he is still a few weeks away with that. But he's going to join us in training today and we'll see how he copes. "It is massive for us to have him back. If everything goes well, it is matter of two or three weeks. He is a naturally fit player, but we will not rush him back. Him and Alex Song are going to be a big boost for us."
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What next for Aaron Cresswell after Roy Hodgson's insulting snub?
HITC
Tim Poole
The West Ham left-back has been snubbed in favour of Southampton and Arsenal stars once again. With the way the season has gone so far, this was the perfect chance to reward the 25-year-old for his form at club level with a place in the Three Lions squad. Dele Alli has been rewarded for his form. Danny Ings has been rewarded for 2-3 games of form. And yet West Ham's Cresswell is once again absent from Roy Hodgson's squad. His replacement is Southampton's Ryan Bertrand... who has played just the one game since returning from injury. Not only is the Southampton man ahead of Cresswell, however, but Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs is, too. In the England boss's defence, he may well be thinking about the tournament itself, during which it appears Southampton's Bertrand will be his main choice. But, right now, with the Saints man having played just one game while Cresswell has shone most of the season, the snub is nothing short of insulting. Another small note which probably isn't on Hodgson's mind but perhaps should be: the core of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad was, after all, a West Ham one. That tradition is being a little ignored - especially when Cresswell is such an obvious choice for the left-back slot now that Luke Shaw is injured. Has the Hammers full-back offended someone in the England camp or something...?
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Slaven Bilic: West Ham's away form counts for nothing ahead of Sunderland trip
JAMES OLLEY Thursday 1 October 2015 13:34 BST0 comments
Evening STandard
Slaven Bilic has told his West Ham players they must not let their impressive away form lead to complacency when they visit Sunderland on Saturday. The Hammers travel to the Premier League's bottom club looking to extend a 100 per cent record on the road this season after wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Bilic said: "Those three away wins mean nothing for Saturday because if we think it will be easier against Sunderland, then we need to stop that. We are confident but we are expecting a tough game. Andy Carroll is pushing to make his first Premier League start since January 31
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West Ham co-chairman's son reacts on Twitter to England squad announcement
HITC
Subhankar Mondal
There are no West Ham United players in the current England squad. The son of West Ham United co-chairman David Sullivan has taken to social networking site Twitter to give his reaction to the England national squad announcement. Dave Sullivan is surprised that not a single West Ham player has been called up to the England squad for this month's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania. Sullivan's tweet probably sums up what all West Ham fans are thinking right now. Slaven Bilic's side are third in the Premier League table at the moment and have a number of English players. Aaron Cresswell is one of the best left-backs in the English top flight and has been in good form so far this season, but he cannot get into the Three Lions' squad. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise for West Ham. No England call-up for Cresswell means that there is no chance of him getting injured on international duty.
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WEST HAM PLOTTING SHOCK FREE TRANSFER MOVE FOR INTERNATIONAL FORWARD
By Ste Hoare
IronsInTheCircle
French publication Le10Sport are reporting that West Ham are one of three Premier League clubs – Arsenal and Manchester United being the others – who are interested in signing Ezequiel Lavezzi from PSG. The contract of the 30-year-old Argentine international expires in the summer, and all indications are that he'll leave Paris. He's been used mainly as a substitute so far this season, and if that continues, PSG may look to sell him in January rather than lose him for free in the summer. Lavezzi joined PSG from Napoli for €26.5million in 2012, and has won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles, as well as two French League cups and the Coupe de France. He has been a mainstay in the PSG side ever since signing, but has found himself as a bit-part player so far. This lack of playing time could well see him look to move on in search or regular first team action, something he could get at West Ham
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Friday, October 2
Thursday, October 1
Daily WHUFC News - 1st October 2015 !
International round up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United left-back Vashon Neufville was a second half substitute in
England U17s emphatic 8-0 win over San Marino. The highly rated defender
came on in the 55th minute replacing Arsenal's Reiss Nelson as the Young
Lions routed their opponents in the Febres Sports Complex, Portugal. The
U17s next European Qualifier is against Armenia, who lost 7-0 to Portugal,
on Thursday 1 October, kick off local time is 2pm. Declan Rice played the
full game as the Republic of Ireland U17 drew 1-1 with Sweden at the Harju
Sport Center, Lohja, Finland. Rice had an opportunity to score after just
three minutes but his effort fell wide. The draw ensures Tom Mohan's side
top spot and the opportunity for a better seeding in the Elite Phase draw.
Glen McAuley scored Ireland's goal just before half-time and the Irish
looked set to record a clean sweep of victories before conceding a late
equaliser from Chelsea's Joseph Colley with three minutes left. Last week,
Rice scored twice for the Republic of Ireland U17 in a 6-0 win over Malta.
The highly rated defender-come-midfielder scored his first ever goal for his
country with a powerful header from a free-kick after 34 minutes. The
youngster then doubled his personal tally shortly after the half-time
interval as well as providing an assist.
The comprehensive win sees Rice's side qualify for the UEFA U17
Championships Elite Qualifying Round.
In the Football League, Reece Burke played the full game as Bradford City
slipped to a 2-0 away defeat at Colchester United. First half goals from
Callum Harriott and Marvin Sordell were enough to seal the victory. The
Bantams next face Rochadale away on Saturday 3 October.
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The Big Interview - Carl Jenkinson
WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson believes he is starting to re-produce his best form for the
Club and hopes to make it four away wins in a row when the Hammers head to
Sunderland on Saturday.
Jenkinson, who made another season-long loan move from Arsenal did not enjoy
the best of starts to the campaign after he was sent off during the 4-3 home
defeat against Bournemouth.
But the talented full-back made a successful return to the side and played
his part in a memorable 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Manchester City
at the Etihad Stadium.
The 23-year-old defender was disappointed that his side could not make it
four league wins in a row as they had to settle for a point in the 2-2 draw
with Norwich last weekend.
But he is confident the Hammers can get straight back on the winning trail
when they head to the Stadium of Light this weekend.
We are back on our travels this weekend when we face Sunderland. After
beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, how confident are you that
we can extend this amazing unbeaten run away from home in the north east?
CJ: "Fingers crossed that is the plan. Sunderland are fighting for their
lives at the moment and have not had too many results so it will be tricky.
"But if we can execute the games that we have played away from home this
season then I think we will be fine."
You must be delighted with your own performances since making a return to
first-team action. Do you feel you are now producing your best form?
CJ: "Obviously I got sent-off and it was important that I got back into the
team. I want to push on now and play some good football and feel that I am
doing that now.
"On a personal note and for the team things are looking alright."
You have played in some great teams over the years. How excited are you by
the attacking talent that we have got in the squad this season?
CJ: "I think they are great and on the break they are as good as anyone.
They are incredibly dangerous and have a lot of pace which frightens team.
"The team from back to front is very strong and there are not many
weaknesses if any. That is important, not just in the starting line-up, but
in the squad as well and we have strength in depth.
"That is hugely important. Attacking wise we can score goals and it is about
keeping it out defensively which is part of my job, but we are doing okay at
the moment."
Everyone is talking about the form of Dimitri Payet following his move to
the Club during the summer. How impressed have you been with him and the way
he has quickly settled into his new surroundings?
CJ: "He is an exceptionally talented football player and has shown everyone
what he can do so far. I am sure there is more to come from him.
"It is amazing how he has come from another league, moved all his family,
changed his house and everything has changed for him, but he has settled
down so quickly.
"They often say that it can take the foreign lads a season to do that, but
not with Dimi and he has settled in straight away and he is playing
fantastic football. Fair play to him and it is fantastic for us and his
team-mates."
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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an update From
the Treatment Room - in association with Spire Roding Hospital...
Hello everyone.
We have had some positive news from the treatment room this week and hope to
see some key players returning to first-team action in the near future.
Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is
required to train with the squad.
The plan is for Enner to join some parts of team training later in the week
and we then hope he will be able to step up his training regime and join in
a few full team training sessions next week.
We had the official team photo on Tuesday and trained at the Boleyn Ground
in the morning.
Injured players also trained in the stadium and we used the stadium stairs
to do some good fitness work with Enner and Alex Song.
Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule.
Angelo Ogbonna has entered the final stages of rehab and will join full
training soon.
We picked up some knocks and bruises from the Norwich game, but are positive
and working hard to recover all players for the Sunderland trip.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sport Science
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Academy of Football trio called up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that three Academy of Football
graduates have been called up for international duty during the upcoming
international break. 19-year-old defender Reece Burke, currently on-loan at
Bradford City, has been called up to the England U20 side who face a triple
header against European heavyweights Holland, Turkey and Germany. Also
representing the Young Lions is highly rated goalkeeper Sam Howes who will
join up with the England U19 squad. They also have a trio of matches,
playing Macedonia first before ties with Finland and Italy. The third
Academy graduate to represent their country is Development Squad captain
Josh Cullen. Having scored against Andorra last time out, the midfielder who
will be part of the Republic of Ireland U21 squad as they prepare to play
Italy U21 on Tuesday 13 October as part of the Under Championship 2017
Qualifying Round.
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Premier League clubs' fans unite for ticket protest this weekend
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
Fans from all 20 Premier League clubs and 10 Championship teams will join
forces this weekend to protest about the cost of ticket prices.
A recent study found the Premier League's average ticket price - £53.76 -
was the most expensive in the world. Protests will be co-ordinated at all
of this weekend's top-flight games, calling for a £20 cap on ticket prices.
The Premier League said focusing on the most expensive tickets "does not
provide a fair reflection".
Fans intend to display banners at matches including the Merseyside derby
between Everton and Liverpool, and Arsenal's home game against Manchester
United. But there have been suggestions some clubs may prevent such banners
being unveiled. Aston Villa, who host Stoke City on Saturday, have
previously only allowed those in support of the team. Kevin Miles, chief
executive of the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), said: "Pricing is a
major barrier to watching live football for many fans - no club should deny
fans the right to freedom of speech within grounds on such a central issue.
"Any club who does that will rightly face criticism from their fans."
Supporters' groups from Championship sides Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham,
Nottingham Forest, Hull City, QPR, Bolton, Reading, Middlesbrough and
Bristol City will join their top-flight counterparts in staging protests.
Who is the most expensive? (Top-priced tickets)
Home games Away games
Arsenal £97 West Ham £85
West Ham £95 Arsenal £64
Chelsea £87 Chelsea £59
Source: 2014 BBC Price of Football study
'Twenty's Plenty'
The BBC's annual Price of Football study has brought the cost of football
tickets into sharp focus. The FSF says the increase in the Premier League's
domestic TV revenues - to £5.14bn over three years from next season - could
allow clubs to charge fans nothing and still see an increase in income
compared to this season. But it is focusing its protest on the cost of away
tickets, in a campaign called 'Twenty's Plenty'. "We're delighted to see so
many fan groups involved in the weekend of action - supporters are standing
together against high prices," Miles said. "In the coming weeks, Premier
League clubs have a choice to make when they carve up the latest
multi-billion-pound media deal. Without match-going fans filling the
stadiums, and particularly those who make such arduous away trips, football
simply wouldn't generate such wealth."
The Premier League, which says occupancy at stadiums has been at 95.9% for
the past two seasons, provides each club with £200,000 a year for
initiatives for away fans. That is set aside to cover travel costs or reduce
ticket prices. The FSF says the 'Twenty's Plenty' initiative has already led
to 68,000 fans saving a total of £738,000 over the past two seasons through
reciprocal deals, where clubs agree to cap each other's away-ticket prices.
'A life sentence with no parole'
The Premier League says 12 clubs offer some adult season tickets that mean
fans pay £26 or less per match Away tickets for Manchester United fans
travelling to Emirates Stadium on Sunday will cost £64 - the second-highest
away price in the Premier League and the minimum home fans will pay for a
'category one' fixture between bigger teams. Home tickets at Arsenal can
reach £97, the most expensive in the Premier League. Raymond Herlihy,
chairman of Arsenal supporters' group Red Action, told BBC Sport he had
sympathy with away fans. He added: "This is an issue which is bigger than
your club or mine. It affects the millions of people who watch their teams
every week. We are trying to get the issue out there because we are being
priced out. "Supporting Arsenal is a life sentence with no chance of
parole."
Protestors will unfurl special FSF banners at half-time and before and after
matches. Dave Kelly, of Everton supporters' group Blue Union, said there
had been no opposition from Everton, Liverpool or Merseyside police. Banners
are set to be draped across both sets of fans at Goodison Park to show their
solidarity. Kelly added: "The Merseyside derby is known as the friendly
derby but we want it to be the affordable derby in recognition of the loyal
support that both clubs receive. "Our request to achieve a reciprocal deal
between Everton and Liverpool has fallen on deaf ears this season but we
will keep pushing the issue."
A Premier League spokesman said: "While the most expensive tickets are
subject to the most attention, the huge number of offers available at clubs
are generally ignored. This approach does not provide a fair reflection of
what the vast majority of fans are actually paying to attend Premier League
football matches. "To provide an example, this season 12 Premier League
clubs offered adult season ticket prices which work out as fans paying £26
or less per match. And many of the junior season-ticket offers at clubs see
young people attending for less than £10 per match."
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West Ham a must win game, says Mackems skipper
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sunderland captain John O'Shea has called West Ham United's forthcoming trip
to the Stadium of Light a 'must win game' for the home side.
With seven games of the campaign already played, the Black Cats sit bottom
of the Premier League with just two points and without a single win to their
name.
And from their three home games so far they have managed just one point and
two goals - whereas West Ham have won all three of their away games in the
Premier League so far, scoring seven times.
That form - or lack of it - has led former Manchester United defender
O'Shea, who was in the team beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford by his previous club
last weekend to demand a win against the Hammers this weekend.
"Even if people are doing things better together, we need a win," he said.
"We've had draws and performances, but we've not got anything from it. We
need to turn that around quickly.
"This West Ham game is going to be a crucial one for us to pick a win up. If
we can improve the concentration, then the effort is there on the training
ground and hopefully it will turn quickly.
"It's one of those things, you have to make sure you do your work on the
training ground, make sure you prepare properly for games. We need to get
clean sheets and then hopefully get the supply to the strikers to score for
us."
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Hammers linked with Argentinian international
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are once again being linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain's
Argentinian international Ezequiel Lavezzi. The Hammers explored the
possibility of signing the 30-year-old forward in the January transfer
window earlier this year but were left disappointed after Lavezzi opted to
remain with PSG, where he has spent the last three years. However West Ham
are believed to have renewed their interest in landing the winger, who will
be available on a free transfer at the end of the current season when his
existing contract expires. Lavezzi, who spent five years in Serie A with
Napoli before moving to France in 2012 has made more than 40 appearances for
Argentina since making his debut in 2007. This season he has found himself
on the periphery at the Parc des Princes, having made just two starts so far
this season - although he has also made a further five appearances from the
bench. And despite his lack of appearances, PSG boss Laurent Blanc believes
he is still a major asset to the club. "In the big clubs there is
competition and not everybody can play," he said recently. "But Pocho looks
good and is in great shape."
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Injured Carlton Cole still on radar of Celtic manager Ronny Deila
Last Updated: 30/09/15 8:14pm
SSN
Boss Ronny Deila confirmed that Carlton Cole had suffered an injury with
Celtic but stressed signing talks are still ongoing. The 31-year-old former
West Ham striker returned to Glasgow for a second week's training in a bid
to win a deal with the Scottish champions. Celtic majority shareholder
Dermot Desmond thinks Ronny Deila is the right man to lead the side despite
their early exit from the Champions League. Celtic majority shareholder
Dermot Desmond thinks Ronny Deila is the right man to lead the side despite
their early exit from the Champions League. Cole picked up a knock at the
club's Lennoxtown training complex on Tuesday but the Hoops manager played
down its significance. Deila said: "Carlton got knock at training. We have
to see what injury it is and how long he is going to be out. "We don't think
it is a big one. He will still train with us and we will see what is
happening. "But we are still talking. The last game he played was at the end
of May so whatever happens, it is not a short-term thing, like he will be
going in and be fantastic for Celtic at once.
"He needs to build up his fitness and that is what we are doing now."
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Report: Hospital checks for Carroll
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are clearly being ultra-cautious over the well being of record
signing Andy Carroll after his prolonged injury history. ClaretandHugh
blogger – the very well respected ExWHUemployee – is reporting tonight that
the striker was taken to the Spire Roding Hospital today. 'Ex' reports that
the big fella was due to have an MRI scan to check on his recovery from his
injury and to ensure nothing occurred from Saturday's match. Carroll was
seen to be hobbling at one stage during his appearance as a sub but finished
the game and later ClaretandHugh was told by club insiders that all was well
with the front man. We contacted our sources after concern were raised by
our followers on the CandH Facebook forum at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/?fref=nf.
We were told that as far as anyone was concerned there appeared to be no
problem but Ex's tweet tonight suggests that absolutely no chance will be
taken concerning the the player's well being.
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Great news on Adrian contract
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham will not be rushing into new contract talks with goalkeeper Adrian
despite his contract running out at the end of the season.
The brilliant Spaniard has been in sensational form this season – looking
even better since he came back from his sending-off in the match against
Leicester City. And with his current deal coming to an end once this
campaign is through the Irons might have been expected to already be in
talks with the stopper. But when signing a three year deal back in 2013 our
negotiators had he foresight to ensure that a two year option in the their
favour was also put in place. And that will ensure that the 28 year old
former Real Betis keeper remains at the club until at lest 2018 – great news
in a season of great news for all Hammers fans. A well placed club source
said: "The two year option has turned out to be a particularly bright piece
of business."
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Frankie Mc's greatest Boleyn memory
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Frank McAvennie will miss everything about the Boleyn declaring: "There will
be a hole left but the memories were magical." The ClaretandHugh blogger and
one of the club's most favourite sons officially launched out 'Farewell to
the Boleyn' today which will see ClaretandHugh bringing pictures,
recollections from top players and videos through the season. But for
Frankie the unforgettable moment was in his last game on On 2 May 1992,
when, coming on as a sub for Mitchell Thomas he went out in style grabbing a
hat-trick.
Sadly we had already been relegated in 22nd and bottom place and his tally
in a frustrating season for both the player and the club was just six goals
from 20 league games. But he said: "It seems strange to say it but that was
memorable for a last game – a very special moment of playing before the best
supporters anywhere." Of the club and Upton Park Supermac said: It's a
privilege to launch CandH's tribute to the place. It's a wonderful club –
it's my club. Always will be. "The people who work there have always been
utterly fantastic to me – the always are and the fans are so special. I love
that place. "The walk down Green Street, round the market and then Cottee
and me chasing each other in round the back of the ground because we were
always late. Wonderful memories. "I'm sure life at the Olympic Stadum will
be great but saying goodbye to the grand old Boleyn is so hard for all of
us. There will be a hole left for us all."
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Moses nominated for award
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
Victor Moses has been nominated for the September Premier League's African
Player of the Month. Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez from Algeria, West Ham's
Victor Moses, Watford's Odion Ighalo, Sebastian Bassong from Norwich and
Mame Biram Diouf from Stoke City have all been nominated for the award. "We
have a shortlist of five players this month, because we have not been able
to separate our players in terms of brilliance this month. The standard has
been that high" Organisers said. The New African Soccer Awards are given
based on votes from members of the African media and followers on social
media, and the winner of September's award will be announced live on
Africa's first sports channel in Europe, Ben TV (Sky Channel 182) on
Saturday on Sport Tonight.
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Report: Irons eye Palermo midfielder
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
The Irons are tonight being reported as weighing up a January move for
Palermo's in-form midfielder Oscar Hiljemark, CalcioMercatoWeb claim the
23-year-old – who only left PSV Eindhoven in the summer – has made a fine
start to life in six Serie A outings. And these performances have seen
scouts from the Irons and Southampton travel to the Palermo stadium.
Hiljemark captained Sweden's U-21s through their successful EURO 2015
campaign over the summer, during which he was often lauded for his
commanding displays.
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'Homeless' former Iron struggling again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Carlton Cole appears to have tun into the same problems at Celtic a he did
when joining the Irons as an out of contract player – fitness! The former
Irons striker is attempting to land a deal with the Scottish outfit but
sadly things may look bleak for the 31 year old. Without a pre-season behind
him, trials at Parkhead have seen the problem emerge with coach John
Kennedey admitting it's tough getting him match fit in a short space of
time. He is reported as saying "He did well last week but he is short on
football fitness. "He has not done enough football training to get a proper
judgement, but we know what he is all about I think when the club and his
representatives speak together, then the deal has to be right if there is
one to be done."
A number of Championship clubs had been linked with Cole and Premier League
outfit Bournemouth are the latest club to reportedly show an interest.
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Adrian nails the Boleyn problem!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News
C and H
It really is very simple – we have to start a lot faster! Adrian's command
of English may not be as great as some but he knows how to nail it and
reckons right now the Hammers are giving teams too much time to allow their
confidence to grow at the Boleyn. In a nutshell it is us that may be causing
our own problems at home rather than anything the opposition are able to
conjure up. Speaking to the official site he said: "Away we are playing very
well but sometimes here at home we need to start much better "We allow the
other team to have more confidence and they can score. For us, at the moment
we are playing better away from home but you have your fans here and of
course if you play well, the fans are with you. "We need a result or to
score first to have our fans with us."
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Noble captaincy – a legend answers the big question
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
ClaretandHugh blogger John Moncur missed an appointment with
MooreThanJustAPodcast this week so has made up for it by covering a couple
of issues close to his heart here. Yesterday, Moncs discussed Carl
Jenkinson's 2015/16 West Ham future and today he talks about the decision to
make Mark Noble captain in the light of Alex Song's return – probably at the
end of October.
Every week we provide, wherever possible, a top Hammers name for the show.
John has become a bit of a legend and will be appearing on
MooreThanJustAPodcast over the next couple of weeks.
I believe Mark Noble is the right man to be our leader despite the fact that
he may not always be holding down a position in the team. Many believe the
return of Alex Song will put pressure on him for his place but that should
always be the case with any player and I still believe Mark should remain as
captain of the club whatever his team status. If he's not playing then we
have either Winston Reid, or possibly James Tomkins, who I believe is
growing and growing this season, and may be a future candidate for the job.
I think Reidy would probably be the choice at this moment but I'm a big fan
of JT and believe he would be in line should circumstances materialise that
require him to take the job on. I can even see a day not being too far off
when Aaron Cresswell may well be able to take the armband if he can become
more vociferous towards those around him However, Mark is the man as club
skipper. He's brilliant in and around the dressing room. He has enormous
respect among the players and has a big new contract behind him. He is a
motivator and a leader on and off the pitch and we are lucky to have a lad
like him around the place. Should he lose his place for whatever reason he
will take it on the chin – there's no sulking with him. All he wants is
what's best for West Ham and if that is Alex Song at times Mark will take it
– no problem.
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Westley knows he has to start winning
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
In the absence of any serious news on the first team front – let's turn our
attention to the thoughts of Academy manager Terry Westley's slow seasonal
start. There seems to be a view among some, that a totally win-less start to
the season, isn't a necessary requirement of Development squad (reserve
team) football. It really is very hard to agree with such a cack-handed view
of things. We play games to win and both confidence and ability can fade if
you are constantly being beaten. No youngster comes off a pitch thinking:
'Oh well hammered again but never mind I learned some stuff today.' Doesn't
happen! As we reported the other day Terry has now been handed a spanking
new contract and his comments on the official site this morning don't begin
to hint at losing being an option. Quite the opposite. Among some of the
comments he makes to www.whufc.com he says: "We've now played six games, and
in those games we've led seven times yet not held on to win. "The team is
going from a 9/10 performance to a 5/10 in periods of the game. We're making
some poor decisions which are letting teams back into games. We have to be
more resolute and we might just have to win a game 1-0 to get that monkey
off our backs."
"I half wish we had a game to get a win and start showing what we're capable
of. We now look forward to a bit of a break in games, where we can really
focus on ourselves." Terry Westley knows full well football matches are
there to be won. The pressure's on and we are hoping and believing it will
be sorted. So let's hear no more nonsense about the losing option
please!www.whufc.com
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A 'SELL TO BUY' SCENERIO IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW!
By S J Chandos 30 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
David Sullivan has confirmed that the club (because of FFP restrictions)
will need to sell fringe players if they are to make further signings in
January. I am not sure if it is exactly the wisest strategy to flag that up
to other clubs in advance! Surely players interested in any of our surplus
players will now come in with low offers, in the knowledge that we are
fairly desperate to sell. It was interesting that after Sullivan made this
statement there was a short rush of stories about it signalling a January
'open season' on some of our best players (such as Payet, Sakho and
Cresswell). Of course that was never the case, Sullivan was always referring
to an imperative to sell fringe players in order to free up room in the
salaries budget. The idea that the board would weaken the squad in this most
important of all seasons makes no sense whatsoever!
In fact, as I argued last week, I think that West Ham's days as a selling
club are finally over. And the enormous income generated by the PL TV deal
means that not only can we hang on to our best players, but we are in a
strong financial position to tempt excellent players from top overseas clubs
(a la Payet from Marsailles). I guess there is still a danger from the top
four (champions League) clubs, but that is why it is so important that we
continue to push on to mount a sustained challenge for a place in the top
six and, hopefully, European qualification next season. What a fanastic
bonus that would be in the club's first season at the OS.
The club did excellent business in the summer transfer window. But there is
always the possibility that Slaven Bilic will want to 'refresh' the squad in
January, especially if certain targets become available. Basically, this
means that the club need to identify those current Hammers players deemed
surplus to requirements. I think it is probable that five players may fall
in to that category. Arguably they are: Collins, O'Brien, Amalfitano, Jarvis
and Zarate. Of these, Amalfitano and Jarvis are the likeliest to exit,
Amalfitano because it is reported that he has seriously fell out of favour
with Bilic; while it is time for Jarvis to move on and we probably have a
willing buyer in Norwich City. Collins is also likely surplus to
requirements in January, but much depends on the preparedness of Burke and
Henry to provide reliable first team cover. I am not sure about Henry, but
all signs are that Reece Burke will be ready to compete for a first team
place when he returns from loan. But, if O.Brien leaves then a new
right-back will need to be signed in January to replace him. Similarly,
Zarate could move if Bilic targets another striker, such as Zara. It is also
likely that he would command a decent transfer fee, with the likes of Gerona
and Malaga having shown previous interest. Personally, I like Zarate and I
would retain him. However, recruitment to the first team squad must be
conducted on the basis of continuous improvement, with ever better quality
players being signed. So, if a better striker than Zarate becomes available,
then why not?
The club will have their priority list of January targets, but there are a
couple of young players that I rate.The first is Sam Byram of Leeds Utd, a
right-back who is equally adept at playing wide on the right flank. This is
a defender who could replace O'Brien in the squad and become Jenkinson's
successor next season. The other is Will Hughes of Derby County, who is
probably the outstanding young midfielder currently in the Championship.
Hughes has a big future and will make the transition to a top PL club sooner
or later. What a statement of future ambition it would be to sign him. In
fact, there is also a third player, but I doubt that he would be considered
cost-effective. That player is Blackburn Rover's Jordan Rhodes. He is a
natural goal scorer and performs season after season. Yes, there is an
important transition to be made to the PL, but I just have a notion that
whoever gambles on Rhodes is putting their money on a safe thing. I guess
that some would argue that there must be a reason why no PL clubs (to date)
have moved for him. But I think that a lot of that has more to do with his
estimated £12m valuation and the availability of more cost-effective options
in the foreign market.
Saturday should see another very interesting match. Can we replicate our
recent away-day PL successes against a obviously struggling team? A cynic
would point to West Ham's propensity to beat the better sides and then
follow it up by suffering a defeat to a side they really should beat.
However, I do not think so, I feel that we will set up in a solid 4-2-3-1,
defend high up the pitch and hit them with swift counter-attacks. Sunderland
are not a particularly good team and we should take the three points. I am
looking for a 0-2 win, with Moses, Antonio (from the bench) Lanzini and
Payet playing key roles in a classic counter-attacking smash and grab.
Anyway, fingers crossed. COYI.
SJ. Chandos.
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Watford attacker Alessandro Diamanti hits out at former club West Ham,
claiming... 'everyone ate what they wanted'
By DANIEL PRESCOTT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 00:38, 30 September 2015 | UPDATED: 01:14, 30 September 2015
Watford attacker Alessandro Diamanti has taken a swipe at former club West
Ham United – claiming the east London side were unprofessional during his
time at the club. Diamanti was voted runner-up in the club's Hammer of the
Year awards during his first season at Upton Park, scoring eight goals after
a summer move from Livorno in 2009. His first spell in England was
short-lived, though, and he returned to Italy after just one season, despite
having four years of his deal still left to run. But the Italian joined
Watford on loan from Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande in the
summer, sealing a return to England, and he is clearly impressed by his new
surroundings. 'I found a football club that is more modern. At West Ham
everyone ate what they wanted, but at Watford you follow a specific diet,'
Diamanti told Gazzetta dello Sport. 'After the pitch work we have sessions
of yoga and Pilates. There is a lot of attention for the video part. We have
an English teacher available. A new world.'
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United left-back Vashon Neufville was a second half substitute in
England U17s emphatic 8-0 win over San Marino. The highly rated defender
came on in the 55th minute replacing Arsenal's Reiss Nelson as the Young
Lions routed their opponents in the Febres Sports Complex, Portugal. The
U17s next European Qualifier is against Armenia, who lost 7-0 to Portugal,
on Thursday 1 October, kick off local time is 2pm. Declan Rice played the
full game as the Republic of Ireland U17 drew 1-1 with Sweden at the Harju
Sport Center, Lohja, Finland. Rice had an opportunity to score after just
three minutes but his effort fell wide. The draw ensures Tom Mohan's side
top spot and the opportunity for a better seeding in the Elite Phase draw.
Glen McAuley scored Ireland's goal just before half-time and the Irish
looked set to record a clean sweep of victories before conceding a late
equaliser from Chelsea's Joseph Colley with three minutes left. Last week,
Rice scored twice for the Republic of Ireland U17 in a 6-0 win over Malta.
The highly rated defender-come-midfielder scored his first ever goal for his
country with a powerful header from a free-kick after 34 minutes. The
youngster then doubled his personal tally shortly after the half-time
interval as well as providing an assist.
The comprehensive win sees Rice's side qualify for the UEFA U17
Championships Elite Qualifying Round.
In the Football League, Reece Burke played the full game as Bradford City
slipped to a 2-0 away defeat at Colchester United. First half goals from
Callum Harriott and Marvin Sordell were enough to seal the victory. The
Bantams next face Rochadale away on Saturday 3 October.
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The Big Interview - Carl Jenkinson
WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson believes he is starting to re-produce his best form for the
Club and hopes to make it four away wins in a row when the Hammers head to
Sunderland on Saturday.
Jenkinson, who made another season-long loan move from Arsenal did not enjoy
the best of starts to the campaign after he was sent off during the 4-3 home
defeat against Bournemouth.
But the talented full-back made a successful return to the side and played
his part in a memorable 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Manchester City
at the Etihad Stadium.
The 23-year-old defender was disappointed that his side could not make it
four league wins in a row as they had to settle for a point in the 2-2 draw
with Norwich last weekend.
But he is confident the Hammers can get straight back on the winning trail
when they head to the Stadium of Light this weekend.
We are back on our travels this weekend when we face Sunderland. After
beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, how confident are you that
we can extend this amazing unbeaten run away from home in the north east?
CJ: "Fingers crossed that is the plan. Sunderland are fighting for their
lives at the moment and have not had too many results so it will be tricky.
"But if we can execute the games that we have played away from home this
season then I think we will be fine."
You must be delighted with your own performances since making a return to
first-team action. Do you feel you are now producing your best form?
CJ: "Obviously I got sent-off and it was important that I got back into the
team. I want to push on now and play some good football and feel that I am
doing that now.
"On a personal note and for the team things are looking alright."
You have played in some great teams over the years. How excited are you by
the attacking talent that we have got in the squad this season?
CJ: "I think they are great and on the break they are as good as anyone.
They are incredibly dangerous and have a lot of pace which frightens team.
"The team from back to front is very strong and there are not many
weaknesses if any. That is important, not just in the starting line-up, but
in the squad as well and we have strength in depth.
"That is hugely important. Attacking wise we can score goals and it is about
keeping it out defensively which is part of my job, but we are doing okay at
the moment."
Everyone is talking about the form of Dimitri Payet following his move to
the Club during the summer. How impressed have you been with him and the way
he has quickly settled into his new surroundings?
CJ: "He is an exceptionally talented football player and has shown everyone
what he can do so far. I am sure there is more to come from him.
"It is amazing how he has come from another league, moved all his family,
changed his house and everything has changed for him, but he has settled
down so quickly.
"They often say that it can take the foreign lads a season to do that, but
not with Dimi and he has settled in straight away and he is playing
fantastic football. Fair play to him and it is fantastic for us and his
team-mates."
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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an update From
the Treatment Room - in association with Spire Roding Hospital...
Hello everyone.
We have had some positive news from the treatment room this week and hope to
see some key players returning to first-team action in the near future.
Enner Valencia has been working hard to reach the level of fitness that is
required to train with the squad.
The plan is for Enner to join some parts of team training later in the week
and we then hope he will be able to step up his training regime and join in
a few full team training sessions next week.
We had the official team photo on Tuesday and trained at the Boleyn Ground
in the morning.
Injured players also trained in the stadium and we used the stadium stairs
to do some good fitness work with Enner and Alex Song.
Alex is doing fine, working with the ball and is on schedule.
Angelo Ogbonna has entered the final stages of rehab and will join full
training soon.
We picked up some knocks and bruises from the Norwich game, but are positive
and working hard to recover all players for the Sunderland trip.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sport Science
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Academy of Football trio called up
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that three Academy of Football
graduates have been called up for international duty during the upcoming
international break. 19-year-old defender Reece Burke, currently on-loan at
Bradford City, has been called up to the England U20 side who face a triple
header against European heavyweights Holland, Turkey and Germany. Also
representing the Young Lions is highly rated goalkeeper Sam Howes who will
join up with the England U19 squad. They also have a trio of matches,
playing Macedonia first before ties with Finland and Italy. The third
Academy graduate to represent their country is Development Squad captain
Josh Cullen. Having scored against Andorra last time out, the midfielder who
will be part of the Republic of Ireland U21 squad as they prepare to play
Italy U21 on Tuesday 13 October as part of the Under Championship 2017
Qualifying Round.
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Premier League clubs' fans unite for ticket protest this weekend
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport
Fans from all 20 Premier League clubs and 10 Championship teams will join
forces this weekend to protest about the cost of ticket prices.
A recent study found the Premier League's average ticket price - £53.76 -
was the most expensive in the world. Protests will be co-ordinated at all
of this weekend's top-flight games, calling for a £20 cap on ticket prices.
The Premier League said focusing on the most expensive tickets "does not
provide a fair reflection".
Fans intend to display banners at matches including the Merseyside derby
between Everton and Liverpool, and Arsenal's home game against Manchester
United. But there have been suggestions some clubs may prevent such banners
being unveiled. Aston Villa, who host Stoke City on Saturday, have
previously only allowed those in support of the team. Kevin Miles, chief
executive of the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), said: "Pricing is a
major barrier to watching live football for many fans - no club should deny
fans the right to freedom of speech within grounds on such a central issue.
"Any club who does that will rightly face criticism from their fans."
Supporters' groups from Championship sides Cardiff, Leeds, Birmingham,
Nottingham Forest, Hull City, QPR, Bolton, Reading, Middlesbrough and
Bristol City will join their top-flight counterparts in staging protests.
Who is the most expensive? (Top-priced tickets)
Home games Away games
Arsenal £97 West Ham £85
West Ham £95 Arsenal £64
Chelsea £87 Chelsea £59
Source: 2014 BBC Price of Football study
'Twenty's Plenty'
The BBC's annual Price of Football study has brought the cost of football
tickets into sharp focus. The FSF says the increase in the Premier League's
domestic TV revenues - to £5.14bn over three years from next season - could
allow clubs to charge fans nothing and still see an increase in income
compared to this season. But it is focusing its protest on the cost of away
tickets, in a campaign called 'Twenty's Plenty'. "We're delighted to see so
many fan groups involved in the weekend of action - supporters are standing
together against high prices," Miles said. "In the coming weeks, Premier
League clubs have a choice to make when they carve up the latest
multi-billion-pound media deal. Without match-going fans filling the
stadiums, and particularly those who make such arduous away trips, football
simply wouldn't generate such wealth."
The Premier League, which says occupancy at stadiums has been at 95.9% for
the past two seasons, provides each club with £200,000 a year for
initiatives for away fans. That is set aside to cover travel costs or reduce
ticket prices. The FSF says the 'Twenty's Plenty' initiative has already led
to 68,000 fans saving a total of £738,000 over the past two seasons through
reciprocal deals, where clubs agree to cap each other's away-ticket prices.
'A life sentence with no parole'
The Premier League says 12 clubs offer some adult season tickets that mean
fans pay £26 or less per match Away tickets for Manchester United fans
travelling to Emirates Stadium on Sunday will cost £64 - the second-highest
away price in the Premier League and the minimum home fans will pay for a
'category one' fixture between bigger teams. Home tickets at Arsenal can
reach £97, the most expensive in the Premier League. Raymond Herlihy,
chairman of Arsenal supporters' group Red Action, told BBC Sport he had
sympathy with away fans. He added: "This is an issue which is bigger than
your club or mine. It affects the millions of people who watch their teams
every week. We are trying to get the issue out there because we are being
priced out. "Supporting Arsenal is a life sentence with no chance of
parole."
Protestors will unfurl special FSF banners at half-time and before and after
matches. Dave Kelly, of Everton supporters' group Blue Union, said there
had been no opposition from Everton, Liverpool or Merseyside police. Banners
are set to be draped across both sets of fans at Goodison Park to show their
solidarity. Kelly added: "The Merseyside derby is known as the friendly
derby but we want it to be the affordable derby in recognition of the loyal
support that both clubs receive. "Our request to achieve a reciprocal deal
between Everton and Liverpool has fallen on deaf ears this season but we
will keep pushing the issue."
A Premier League spokesman said: "While the most expensive tickets are
subject to the most attention, the huge number of offers available at clubs
are generally ignored. This approach does not provide a fair reflection of
what the vast majority of fans are actually paying to attend Premier League
football matches. "To provide an example, this season 12 Premier League
clubs offered adult season ticket prices which work out as fans paying £26
or less per match. And many of the junior season-ticket offers at clubs see
young people attending for less than £10 per match."
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West Ham a must win game, says Mackems skipper
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sunderland captain John O'Shea has called West Ham United's forthcoming trip
to the Stadium of Light a 'must win game' for the home side.
With seven games of the campaign already played, the Black Cats sit bottom
of the Premier League with just two points and without a single win to their
name.
And from their three home games so far they have managed just one point and
two goals - whereas West Ham have won all three of their away games in the
Premier League so far, scoring seven times.
That form - or lack of it - has led former Manchester United defender
O'Shea, who was in the team beaten 3-0 at Old Trafford by his previous club
last weekend to demand a win against the Hammers this weekend.
"Even if people are doing things better together, we need a win," he said.
"We've had draws and performances, but we've not got anything from it. We
need to turn that around quickly.
"This West Ham game is going to be a crucial one for us to pick a win up. If
we can improve the concentration, then the effort is there on the training
ground and hopefully it will turn quickly.
"It's one of those things, you have to make sure you do your work on the
training ground, make sure you prepare properly for games. We need to get
clean sheets and then hopefully get the supply to the strikers to score for
us."
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Hammers linked with Argentinian international
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are once again being linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain's
Argentinian international Ezequiel Lavezzi. The Hammers explored the
possibility of signing the 30-year-old forward in the January transfer
window earlier this year but were left disappointed after Lavezzi opted to
remain with PSG, where he has spent the last three years. However West Ham
are believed to have renewed their interest in landing the winger, who will
be available on a free transfer at the end of the current season when his
existing contract expires. Lavezzi, who spent five years in Serie A with
Napoli before moving to France in 2012 has made more than 40 appearances for
Argentina since making his debut in 2007. This season he has found himself
on the periphery at the Parc des Princes, having made just two starts so far
this season - although he has also made a further five appearances from the
bench. And despite his lack of appearances, PSG boss Laurent Blanc believes
he is still a major asset to the club. "In the big clubs there is
competition and not everybody can play," he said recently. "But Pocho looks
good and is in great shape."
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Injured Carlton Cole still on radar of Celtic manager Ronny Deila
Last Updated: 30/09/15 8:14pm
SSN
Boss Ronny Deila confirmed that Carlton Cole had suffered an injury with
Celtic but stressed signing talks are still ongoing. The 31-year-old former
West Ham striker returned to Glasgow for a second week's training in a bid
to win a deal with the Scottish champions. Celtic majority shareholder
Dermot Desmond thinks Ronny Deila is the right man to lead the side despite
their early exit from the Champions League. Celtic majority shareholder
Dermot Desmond thinks Ronny Deila is the right man to lead the side despite
their early exit from the Champions League. Cole picked up a knock at the
club's Lennoxtown training complex on Tuesday but the Hoops manager played
down its significance. Deila said: "Carlton got knock at training. We have
to see what injury it is and how long he is going to be out. "We don't think
it is a big one. He will still train with us and we will see what is
happening. "But we are still talking. The last game he played was at the end
of May so whatever happens, it is not a short-term thing, like he will be
going in and be fantastic for Celtic at once.
"He needs to build up his fitness and that is what we are doing now."
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Report: Hospital checks for Carroll
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are clearly being ultra-cautious over the well being of record
signing Andy Carroll after his prolonged injury history. ClaretandHugh
blogger – the very well respected ExWHUemployee – is reporting tonight that
the striker was taken to the Spire Roding Hospital today. 'Ex' reports that
the big fella was due to have an MRI scan to check on his recovery from his
injury and to ensure nothing occurred from Saturday's match. Carroll was
seen to be hobbling at one stage during his appearance as a sub but finished
the game and later ClaretandHugh was told by club insiders that all was well
with the front man. We contacted our sources after concern were raised by
our followers on the CandH Facebook forum at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/?fref=nf.
We were told that as far as anyone was concerned there appeared to be no
problem but Ex's tweet tonight suggests that absolutely no chance will be
taken concerning the the player's well being.
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Great news on Adrian contract
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham will not be rushing into new contract talks with goalkeeper Adrian
despite his contract running out at the end of the season.
The brilliant Spaniard has been in sensational form this season – looking
even better since he came back from his sending-off in the match against
Leicester City. And with his current deal coming to an end once this
campaign is through the Irons might have been expected to already be in
talks with the stopper. But when signing a three year deal back in 2013 our
negotiators had he foresight to ensure that a two year option in the their
favour was also put in place. And that will ensure that the 28 year old
former Real Betis keeper remains at the club until at lest 2018 – great news
in a season of great news for all Hammers fans. A well placed club source
said: "The two year option has turned out to be a particularly bright piece
of business."
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Frankie Mc's greatest Boleyn memory
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Frank McAvennie will miss everything about the Boleyn declaring: "There will
be a hole left but the memories were magical." The ClaretandHugh blogger and
one of the club's most favourite sons officially launched out 'Farewell to
the Boleyn' today which will see ClaretandHugh bringing pictures,
recollections from top players and videos through the season. But for
Frankie the unforgettable moment was in his last game on On 2 May 1992,
when, coming on as a sub for Mitchell Thomas he went out in style grabbing a
hat-trick.
Sadly we had already been relegated in 22nd and bottom place and his tally
in a frustrating season for both the player and the club was just six goals
from 20 league games. But he said: "It seems strange to say it but that was
memorable for a last game – a very special moment of playing before the best
supporters anywhere." Of the club and Upton Park Supermac said: It's a
privilege to launch CandH's tribute to the place. It's a wonderful club –
it's my club. Always will be. "The people who work there have always been
utterly fantastic to me – the always are and the fans are so special. I love
that place. "The walk down Green Street, round the market and then Cottee
and me chasing each other in round the back of the ground because we were
always late. Wonderful memories. "I'm sure life at the Olympic Stadum will
be great but saying goodbye to the grand old Boleyn is so hard for all of
us. There will be a hole left for us all."
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Moses nominated for award
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
Victor Moses has been nominated for the September Premier League's African
Player of the Month. Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez from Algeria, West Ham's
Victor Moses, Watford's Odion Ighalo, Sebastian Bassong from Norwich and
Mame Biram Diouf from Stoke City have all been nominated for the award. "We
have a shortlist of five players this month, because we have not been able
to separate our players in terms of brilliance this month. The standard has
been that high" Organisers said. The New African Soccer Awards are given
based on votes from members of the African media and followers on social
media, and the winner of September's award will be announced live on
Africa's first sports channel in Europe, Ben TV (Sky Channel 182) on
Saturday on Sport Tonight.
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Report: Irons eye Palermo midfielder
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
The Irons are tonight being reported as weighing up a January move for
Palermo's in-form midfielder Oscar Hiljemark, CalcioMercatoWeb claim the
23-year-old – who only left PSV Eindhoven in the summer – has made a fine
start to life in six Serie A outings. And these performances have seen
scouts from the Irons and Southampton travel to the Palermo stadium.
Hiljemark captained Sweden's U-21s through their successful EURO 2015
campaign over the summer, during which he was often lauded for his
commanding displays.
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'Homeless' former Iron struggling again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Carlton Cole appears to have tun into the same problems at Celtic a he did
when joining the Irons as an out of contract player – fitness! The former
Irons striker is attempting to land a deal with the Scottish outfit but
sadly things may look bleak for the 31 year old. Without a pre-season behind
him, trials at Parkhead have seen the problem emerge with coach John
Kennedey admitting it's tough getting him match fit in a short space of
time. He is reported as saying "He did well last week but he is short on
football fitness. "He has not done enough football training to get a proper
judgement, but we know what he is all about I think when the club and his
representatives speak together, then the deal has to be right if there is
one to be done."
A number of Championship clubs had been linked with Cole and Premier League
outfit Bournemouth are the latest club to reportedly show an interest.
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Adrian nails the Boleyn problem!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News
C and H
It really is very simple – we have to start a lot faster! Adrian's command
of English may not be as great as some but he knows how to nail it and
reckons right now the Hammers are giving teams too much time to allow their
confidence to grow at the Boleyn. In a nutshell it is us that may be causing
our own problems at home rather than anything the opposition are able to
conjure up. Speaking to the official site he said: "Away we are playing very
well but sometimes here at home we need to start much better "We allow the
other team to have more confidence and they can score. For us, at the moment
we are playing better away from home but you have your fans here and of
course if you play well, the fans are with you. "We need a result or to
score first to have our fans with us."
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Noble captaincy – a legend answers the big question
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
ClaretandHugh blogger John Moncur missed an appointment with
MooreThanJustAPodcast this week so has made up for it by covering a couple
of issues close to his heart here. Yesterday, Moncs discussed Carl
Jenkinson's 2015/16 West Ham future and today he talks about the decision to
make Mark Noble captain in the light of Alex Song's return – probably at the
end of October.
Every week we provide, wherever possible, a top Hammers name for the show.
John has become a bit of a legend and will be appearing on
MooreThanJustAPodcast over the next couple of weeks.
I believe Mark Noble is the right man to be our leader despite the fact that
he may not always be holding down a position in the team. Many believe the
return of Alex Song will put pressure on him for his place but that should
always be the case with any player and I still believe Mark should remain as
captain of the club whatever his team status. If he's not playing then we
have either Winston Reid, or possibly James Tomkins, who I believe is
growing and growing this season, and may be a future candidate for the job.
I think Reidy would probably be the choice at this moment but I'm a big fan
of JT and believe he would be in line should circumstances materialise that
require him to take the job on. I can even see a day not being too far off
when Aaron Cresswell may well be able to take the armband if he can become
more vociferous towards those around him However, Mark is the man as club
skipper. He's brilliant in and around the dressing room. He has enormous
respect among the players and has a big new contract behind him. He is a
motivator and a leader on and off the pitch and we are lucky to have a lad
like him around the place. Should he lose his place for whatever reason he
will take it on the chin – there's no sulking with him. All he wants is
what's best for West Ham and if that is Alex Song at times Mark will take it
– no problem.
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Westley knows he has to start winning
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 30, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
In the absence of any serious news on the first team front – let's turn our
attention to the thoughts of Academy manager Terry Westley's slow seasonal
start. There seems to be a view among some, that a totally win-less start to
the season, isn't a necessary requirement of Development squad (reserve
team) football. It really is very hard to agree with such a cack-handed view
of things. We play games to win and both confidence and ability can fade if
you are constantly being beaten. No youngster comes off a pitch thinking:
'Oh well hammered again but never mind I learned some stuff today.' Doesn't
happen! As we reported the other day Terry has now been handed a spanking
new contract and his comments on the official site this morning don't begin
to hint at losing being an option. Quite the opposite. Among some of the
comments he makes to www.whufc.com he says: "We've now played six games, and
in those games we've led seven times yet not held on to win. "The team is
going from a 9/10 performance to a 5/10 in periods of the game. We're making
some poor decisions which are letting teams back into games. We have to be
more resolute and we might just have to win a game 1-0 to get that monkey
off our backs."
"I half wish we had a game to get a win and start showing what we're capable
of. We now look forward to a bit of a break in games, where we can really
focus on ourselves." Terry Westley knows full well football matches are
there to be won. The pressure's on and we are hoping and believing it will
be sorted. So let's hear no more nonsense about the losing option
please!www.whufc.com
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A 'SELL TO BUY' SCENERIO IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW!
By S J Chandos 30 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
David Sullivan has confirmed that the club (because of FFP restrictions)
will need to sell fringe players if they are to make further signings in
January. I am not sure if it is exactly the wisest strategy to flag that up
to other clubs in advance! Surely players interested in any of our surplus
players will now come in with low offers, in the knowledge that we are
fairly desperate to sell. It was interesting that after Sullivan made this
statement there was a short rush of stories about it signalling a January
'open season' on some of our best players (such as Payet, Sakho and
Cresswell). Of course that was never the case, Sullivan was always referring
to an imperative to sell fringe players in order to free up room in the
salaries budget. The idea that the board would weaken the squad in this most
important of all seasons makes no sense whatsoever!
In fact, as I argued last week, I think that West Ham's days as a selling
club are finally over. And the enormous income generated by the PL TV deal
means that not only can we hang on to our best players, but we are in a
strong financial position to tempt excellent players from top overseas clubs
(a la Payet from Marsailles). I guess there is still a danger from the top
four (champions League) clubs, but that is why it is so important that we
continue to push on to mount a sustained challenge for a place in the top
six and, hopefully, European qualification next season. What a fanastic
bonus that would be in the club's first season at the OS.
The club did excellent business in the summer transfer window. But there is
always the possibility that Slaven Bilic will want to 'refresh' the squad in
January, especially if certain targets become available. Basically, this
means that the club need to identify those current Hammers players deemed
surplus to requirements. I think it is probable that five players may fall
in to that category. Arguably they are: Collins, O'Brien, Amalfitano, Jarvis
and Zarate. Of these, Amalfitano and Jarvis are the likeliest to exit,
Amalfitano because it is reported that he has seriously fell out of favour
with Bilic; while it is time for Jarvis to move on and we probably have a
willing buyer in Norwich City. Collins is also likely surplus to
requirements in January, but much depends on the preparedness of Burke and
Henry to provide reliable first team cover. I am not sure about Henry, but
all signs are that Reece Burke will be ready to compete for a first team
place when he returns from loan. But, if O.Brien leaves then a new
right-back will need to be signed in January to replace him. Similarly,
Zarate could move if Bilic targets another striker, such as Zara. It is also
likely that he would command a decent transfer fee, with the likes of Gerona
and Malaga having shown previous interest. Personally, I like Zarate and I
would retain him. However, recruitment to the first team squad must be
conducted on the basis of continuous improvement, with ever better quality
players being signed. So, if a better striker than Zarate becomes available,
then why not?
The club will have their priority list of January targets, but there are a
couple of young players that I rate.The first is Sam Byram of Leeds Utd, a
right-back who is equally adept at playing wide on the right flank. This is
a defender who could replace O'Brien in the squad and become Jenkinson's
successor next season. The other is Will Hughes of Derby County, who is
probably the outstanding young midfielder currently in the Championship.
Hughes has a big future and will make the transition to a top PL club sooner
or later. What a statement of future ambition it would be to sign him. In
fact, there is also a third player, but I doubt that he would be considered
cost-effective. That player is Blackburn Rover's Jordan Rhodes. He is a
natural goal scorer and performs season after season. Yes, there is an
important transition to be made to the PL, but I just have a notion that
whoever gambles on Rhodes is putting their money on a safe thing. I guess
that some would argue that there must be a reason why no PL clubs (to date)
have moved for him. But I think that a lot of that has more to do with his
estimated £12m valuation and the availability of more cost-effective options
in the foreign market.
Saturday should see another very interesting match. Can we replicate our
recent away-day PL successes against a obviously struggling team? A cynic
would point to West Ham's propensity to beat the better sides and then
follow it up by suffering a defeat to a side they really should beat.
However, I do not think so, I feel that we will set up in a solid 4-2-3-1,
defend high up the pitch and hit them with swift counter-attacks. Sunderland
are not a particularly good team and we should take the three points. I am
looking for a 0-2 win, with Moses, Antonio (from the bench) Lanzini and
Payet playing key roles in a classic counter-attacking smash and grab.
Anyway, fingers crossed. COYI.
SJ. Chandos.
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Watford attacker Alessandro Diamanti hits out at former club West Ham,
claiming... 'everyone ate what they wanted'
By DANIEL PRESCOTT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 00:38, 30 September 2015 | UPDATED: 01:14, 30 September 2015
Watford attacker Alessandro Diamanti has taken a swipe at former club West
Ham United – claiming the east London side were unprofessional during his
time at the club. Diamanti was voted runner-up in the club's Hammer of the
Year awards during his first season at Upton Park, scoring eight goals after
a summer move from Livorno in 2009. His first spell in England was
short-lived, though, and he returned to Italy after just one season, despite
having four years of his deal still left to run. But the Italian joined
Watford on loan from Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande in the
summer, sealing a return to England, and he is clearly impressed by his new
surroundings. 'I found a football club that is more modern. At West Ham
everyone ate what they wanted, but at Watford you follow a specific diet,'
Diamanti told Gazzetta dello Sport. 'After the pitch work we have sessions
of yoga and Pilates. There is a lot of attention for the video part. We have
an English teacher available. A new world.'
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Wednesday, September 30
Daily WHUFC News - 30th September 2015
Cheik's crazy suit
WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate was the talk of the dressing room after he showed off his unique fashion sense at the official team photo day at the Boleyn Ground. Kouyate is always full of laughter and shocked his team-mates when he turned his suit jacket inside out and was happy to pose with a different look to the rest of his team-mates. The West Ham United midfielder made sure he restored his Club suit to its more traditional look as the players lined up for the official Apsley team photo. But that didn't stop the rest of his team-mates giving him plenty of stick when the formalities were finished and the banter looks set to continue over the coming days. Defender Carl Jenkinson said: "He took it well and laughs at everything. I think it will dominate the dressing room over the next few days. "There is a great team spirit in the squad and that comes with wins and playing good football. It is always good for morale and there is a great group of lads here."
Winger Michail Antonio said: "It was hilarious. We are not going to let that go easily and he will get more stick over the coming weeks."
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Bonds thrilled to be back at the Boleyn
WHUFC.com
West Ham legend Billy Bonds is backing Slaven Bilic to have a successful final season at the Boleyn Ground and sees no reason why the team cannot secure a top half finish. Bonds was back at the Boleyn Ground once again on Saturday to see the 2-2 draw with Norwich and has been impressed with the Club's start to the season. Victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have helped the Hammers move up to third in the table and the arrival of players such as Dimitri Payet, Victor Moses and Manuel Lanzini have helped transform the team over the summer. Bonds, who made an incredible 799 appearances for the Club during a memorable 21-year playing spell is confident the good run of form can continue and hopes to see the Club pushing for a place in the top ten. Bonds said: "It has been a great start for the Club and most of the signings have worked. "Moses looked fantastic against Newcastle and we have been playing on the break away from home which has suited our style. "We have got a lot of pace upfront and it is a great start. We have won at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and the way we have been playing it has been a great start to the season. "Everybody at the start of the season would have said our main aim is to make sure we stay in the Premier League, but with the start we have had you would be disappointed if we didn't finish in the top half of the table and that is achievable now with the players we have got."
Bonds always receives a hero's welcome on his return to the Club and says he will be full of emotions as the Club prepare to play their final ever game at the Boleyn Ground against Swansea on May 7. Bonds added: "I have got great memories of the place. I can still see Bobby Moore with his hands on hips taking a breather around the 18-year box and Keith Robson scoring that goal against Eintracht Frankfurt and that was a fabulous night. "I have such great memories. When I first arrived at the Club I was like a scared rabbit. "I had been at Charlton and then to come to West Ham where they had three World Cup winners was fantastic and you could only get better as a player coming to a Club like this. "I played under great managers like Ron Greenwood and John Lyall and they were great coaches. "I played with so many great players like Devonshire and Brooking, Lampard, Hurst, Peters and Moore. I will probably get in trouble for not naming some of the other players!! "There were so many great players and I had some great times there. The fans were absolutely fantastic and they want people to put in a shift and if they do that, they will get behind you. "It has always been a great place to work for all the time I did and I hope that continues this season. The crowd deserve and it will be nice to see the Club push on."
Bonds is hoping to make many more visits to the Boleyn Ground this season and reveals how his grandchildren have become major fans of the Club. "It was nice to be back at the Boleyn Ground. I brought the grandchildren over a year ago and they liked it so much that I want to keep bringing them back and want them to become West Ham supporters. "A lot of the people from my time have gone but there are still some people about. Jimmy Frith is a perennial around and has been magnificent for the Club down the years with the youth team and the kids who come through. "There are some other people I know and it is nice to see they are still here. "The West Ham fans have always been great to me. I played my first game at the Boleyn Ground against Sheffield Wednesday and we ended up losing 3-2 even though we went 2-1 up.
"But that was typical West Ham in those days, but the supporters have always been fantastic with me. Wherever I have gone and whatever I have done, I know I am among friends with them. "The grandchildren have really taken to it and the little one even knows the tactics. The big one loves the directors lounge!! But seriously they both love it. "I think they will be supporters in the future and will want to be West Ham fans. The kids definitely want to come back so it looks like I will be a regular back here!"
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Slaven is the man, says Pearce
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Ian Pearce has backed Slaven Bilic to lead West Ham to success.
Pearce, who featured for West Ham between 1997 and 2004 was the studio guest on this week's KUMB Podcast (which you may download or stream here). And the ex-centre half firmly believes that Bilic can take West Ham to to new heights.
"I like the fact that there's a togetherness involved in our team at the moment," Pearce told KUMB's Chris Scull and James Longman.
"At the weekend, when they went 2-1 down [against Norwich], in days gone by that would have been the end of it. But they showed resilience and a desire to get back into the game - and that's really important.
"I'd love to think we can just maintain what we're doing. I've always said let's just get to enough points so we stay in this league and then we'll see what happens. But I think this team is a little bit different - I don't think they'll be satisfied with that, I think they'll want to push on."
Pearce, who is currently employed in a scouting capacity by Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion also belives Bilic's reliance upon a core of domestic players will also prove to be vital in the weeks and months ahead.
"You had Jenkinson, Tomkins and Cresswell at the back on Saturday - whilst James Collins is sat there waiting to come on and run through walls for you," he said.
"If you look at Newcastle for example, how do the fans relate to that team? There's hardly any English or British players there to get you excited, apart from Jack Colback. At west Ham you have a core of English and British players who have been there and know what the club means.
"Then you sprinkle it with pace and power - and that's what I love. We look dangerous going forward with Payet - how did we get him? - and we need to make the most of him. It's interesting times, there's some real good players there. strong, powerful boys with good pace."
Whilst he never played alongside Bilic at West Ham - joining the club in October 1997 as a replacement for Marc Rieper, two months after Bilic had left for Everton - Pearce also revealed that West Ham's current manager occasionally returned to the Boleyn to meet his former team mates.
"Slaven came back a few times just to see the lads and he would always be really genuine, really humble and lovely to speak to", added Pearce. "He's a very intelligent man who speaks several languages and as for what he's doing now, long may it continue. I just hope it keeps going the right way."
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SHAMBLES AND CONSISTENCY
By Bobby Shovels 29 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
Last week, I verged into an area I am not used to: optimism. Since that article, we lost against Leicester in the Cup and got an incredibly lucky draw against Norwich. As I thought, my optimism was misguided.
All the worries after the Leicester and Bournemouth games, along with my concerns after the Newcastle match, were still there in abundance on Saturday. I have to say, that opening 30 minutes was utterly dire, worse than anything I saw during the Allardyce era. I honestly don't see how anyone can suggest we are potentials for top six or even top ten on the basis of that first half. Even across the whole game, I don't think we were in the match at all and were constantly chasing shadows, both players and the score line. We should have been 3-1 down by half time. After 90 minutes, we should have lost.
Yes, we got a result in the last minute and we showed resolve. Yet that doesn't take away the fact that in on our fourth season back from the Championship, with a new manager who can apparently take us forward, we are celebrating a last-minute equaliser against…Norwich City? Again, I hear cries of "Norwich City are good on the road" to be added to those who said the same about Leicester whilst in the same breadth stating that Bournemouth are a class act. Stop making excuses. Four points out of 12? Against Leicester, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Norwich? That is relegation form, and if you had been told before the start of the season that that would be our return from our opening four home games, you would have found that unacceptable.
Yes, but look what we did away! At some point we have to ignore those results and ask hard questions about our home form and our results against teams we should be beating. We soon won't have big teams away anymore and we will have to face smaller teams that we clearly struggle against when we play them at home. We've already lost away to Leicester with a very strong team. That's why the Sunderland away game is absolutely huge. What happens when this current West Ham side – so good at playing the big games away but playing poorly against the minnows at home – faces a smaller side away? The only answer any of us can give is: we have no idea.
Against Norwich, bar the last few minutes of the first half, we were awful. In all the Allardyce years, I don't think I ever saw us give away the ball at the back like we did for the Canaries' first goal. Oh, it was just a one-off error, people will cry. Oh, we were unlucky, others will say. No, I'm sorry, it happened against Bournemouth and Leicester and it happened again against Norwich. We need to stop ignoring our deficiencies by simply focusing on three away games. We still have problems, namely that we are inconsistent.
I had a feeling against Norwich that we were almost giving the ball away simply to ensure we could prepare for our counter-attacking prowess. Yes, we once again created a large number of chances relative to our possession (44%) but we are so calamitous on the ball and so lacking in imagination by ourselves; we seem to not create many chances not off the back of opposition mistakes.
I am coming round to Slaven Bilic but there is something so laughable when we cheer "Super Slav" at home when we equalise. Perhaps I am missing the sarcasm here, but to cheer a manager who can get you to equalise twice against a newly-promoted side is embarrassing. End of story, Norwich at home is a three-point match. We seem to think that our home form will get better, but it's going to have to get better against much, much tougher teams. One point from six against two newly-promoted sides. That is worrying. Remember, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all have to come back and play at the Boleyn, and on this form, we won't get any points there.
Sunderland away is a crunch game, in my opinion. If we win, we have at least some vague consistency. If we lose, well, it's relegation worries all over again. We need consistency; we need to win against beatable teams. You don't get in the top ten by having the occasional good result away from home. You need to grind out three points from as many teams as possible.
I understand many supporters see me as overly critical and too much of a pessimist. Yet I feel that blogs like this and beyond need to be more than just an online utopia of gloating and indulgent West Ham fans who constantly sugarcoat the concerns. Of course I am delighted at our away form, but I despair at how better things could be if there was more order and consistency to the team, creating a better points return from home games. Again, four points from our first four home games – against those teams – is just not good enough.
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Gold on ground share 'West Ham is not powerless'
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
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Hammers fan Carlo Resinelli asked West Ham chairman David Gold "Is it true we are powerless to stop LLDC allowing another football club to share part-time or otherwise?" Gold responded rather cryptically on twitter "West Ham United football club is not powerless. dg " but failed elaborate further what that actually meant. The question comes amid fresh speculation that Spurs could still ask Stadium operator Vinci to share with West Ham if negotiations with the FA over the use of Wembley are not concluded to Daniel Levy's satisfaction. Last week a very highly placed West Ham insider told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We are tenants, so it could happen. We keep saying we have a good deal, but it's NOT as amazing as people think." "Having said that nobody believes it will happen for a moment. From everything we are hearing and are being told it seems far more likely that they will go to Wembley." "In the very unlikely event of a ground share happening for one season our fixtures will always have priority and the stadium will have the look and feel of West Ham United's home!"
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Hammers new boys head the ratings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
Dimitri Payet has come out joint top in a survey of the new Premier League stars to make most impact this season. But it gets better for of the clubs covered the Hammers are in top place when the impact of their five players – Payet (9), Pedro Obiang (8), Angelo Ogbonna (7), Victor Moses (8) and Manuel Lanzini (8) are rated together. 40 from a possible 50 They come out one point ahead collectively of Manchester United's new signings Anthony Martial, Memphis Dupay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Morgan Schneiderlin. 39 from a possible 50.
Here's what the Mail rating system has to say of our guys:
Dimitri Payet
The £10.7m arrival from Marseille has already proved to be an inspired signing and is a key driving force behind West Ham's excellent start to the season. Scored in the game with Leicester City and twice in the home win over Newcastle United, as well as chipping in with three assists in league competition. Is already looking like a superb piece of Slaven Bilic business. 9/10
Pedro Obiang
The Spanish midfielder played a full part in West Ham's eye-catching wins away to Liverpool and Manchester City, showing he is not afraid of a midfield confrontation and possesses a relentless energy in closing down opposition players. Certainly a positive start to his Hammers career following a £4.4m move from Sampdoria. 8/10
Angelo Ogbonna
A hamstring injury has temporarily put a halt to Ogbonna's momentum at the beginning of the season and there have been good and bad times so far. He was more than a match for Benteke during the 3-0 win at Anfield but also part of the sloppy defensive displays at home to Leicester and Bournemouth. Certainly improving though like most of the Hammers team.7/10
Victor Moses
Moses has certainly made his presence felt in the West Ham forward line since signing on loan from Chelsea on deadline day. Performed superbly on debut in the win over Newcastle United and then opened his account a week later against Manchester City. Looks a fine addition to the team. 8/10
Manuel Lanzini
Bilic ramped up the pressure on Lanzini, the man nicknamed 'the Jewel', by comparing him to David Silva upon arrival at Upton Park. The Argentine produced a classy performance in the 3-0 win at Anfield and looks a good addition to the Hammers midfield, with plenty more to come. 8/10
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Another loss for the winless Academy boys
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Although Elliot Lee scored on Saturday to put the Hammer U21's one nil up in the first half, the Academy youngsters succumbed to yet another defeat after two second half goals by Stoke City meant the match finished a 2-1 loss to West Ham. The Hammers youngsters are still looking for their win of the season with just one point from six games. They remain bottom of division now two points off Brighton and Newcastle.
U21 Team: Howes, Knoyle, Page, Dobson, Chambers, Oxford (Onariase 76), Parfitt-Williams (Brown 81), Cullen, Lee, Browne (Makasi 69), Samuelsen Subs: Pike, Boness
Last week West Ham rewarded Academy Manager and Head of Player Development Coaching Terry Westley with a new five-year contract despite the Development squad not winning a single game this season and getting relegated last season from the Barclays U21 Premier League Division one.
The Dev Squad's next game is against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday 19 October, kick off at Rush Green is 7pm.
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OS ticketing rumour "complete nonsense"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Love him or hate him you have to hold your hands-up to David Gold for continually appearing on Twitter to face up the 'Good, Bad and Ugly' questions thrown at him. His continual presence on the social network is treated with respect by the vast majority whilst to others it seems like a red rag to a bull and an opportunity of attempting to make a cheap name for themselves at his expense to others. His latest reaction to an inquiry demonstrates again that an enormous amount of patience is needed to keep calm when questions come unbidden into our living rooms via 140 characters or less . It contained both a question and a judgement before the inquiry has been answered – a not uncommon occurrence on Twitter. It is only worth a story here to clear up once and for all one of the many scurrilous stories that is running around about the Olympic Stadium and ticketing arrangements.
One follower wrote: "Being told best seats being reserved for ticket agencies for tourist if true a disgrace."
The response: "This is complete nonsense. dg"
His retort follows hot on the heels of being questioned about transport arrangements into the new stadium to which he responded: "For pete's sake I'm the chairman of West Ham football club not the minister for transport. dg"
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Injury update: Ogbonna's sights set on Blues return
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Angelo Ogbonna is this morning being tipped to return to the West Ham squad that will face champions, Chelsea, at the Boleyn on the 24 October. The former Juventus central defender pulled his hamstring in the 2-0 win over Newcastle and was thought to be out for around four League games. This would have meant a return against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. But although he is making decent progress, the plan will be to ensure he is not rushed back before he is 100 per cent fit – an underlying keynote of Slaven Bilic's management style, as shown with Andy Carroll. And ClaretandHugh was told this morning: "He would probably be ready in time for Selhurst Park, but we aren't into taking chances. Slaven is very careful with the injured lads ."
Our source pointed out that with James Tomkins performing so well alongside Winston Reid, at the heart of defence, there is ample cover at the moment and there is no reason to become over anxious about the situation. Indeed Ogbonna could return just a week before Alex Song is fit to make his seasonal reappearance, as Song is targeting the Watford away match for his eagerly awaited comeback.
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Marseille desperately missing Payet
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Former Olympique Marseille defender Habib Beye says his old club is missing Dimitri Payet. Payet left Marseille for West Ham for £10.7m in the summer, where he was their star player.
"Players like Cabella and Sarr cannot be as decisive as Dimitri Payet was last season, but when you lose a player like Payet, you lose quality, so you cannot deny it," said Beye. The 28-year-old created more chances than any other player in Europe's top five leagues last year. The France international was lethal under Marcelo Bielsa, leading Ligue 1 for assists with 17, while no player in Europe's top five league created more chances than Payet's with 135. Marseille sit in 14th place in the Ligue 1 after 8 games with 8 points, winning two games, drawing tow games and losing four. Meanwhile West Ham sit in third place in the Premier League with Payet scoring 3 goals and making 3 assists so far since the start of the season with the Hammers.
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Fears that Jenks may become "expensive luxury"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
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ClaretandHugh blogger John Moncur fears Carl Jenkinson could become an expensive luxury over the course of the season. The Arsenal loanee has made an uncertain start to the new season which has some fearing he sent his twin brother to the Boleyn this term! But Moncs has a more reasonable explanation declaring that young players finding their way in the game can see their game vary and confidence levels rise and fall. And he said: "I'm a big fan of James Tomkins and can see him settling down into that right back spot if I'm entirely honest."
Moncs believes that as a rampaging wing back, Jenkinson's more defensive role with the arrival of Victor Moses on that side, is being tested and thus far believes Tomkins has looked more at home on that side. He said: "We are going to have to wait and see but I think it's right to say that Slav is developing a defensve back line and a go for it midfield and front line. It's almost like two teams.
"Jenks may not get as many games as last year as a result and that could tun out to be costly because I believe the terms of his loan are pretty expensive. He could become an expensive luxury. "We have to give him and everybody else there chance to adjust to a new way of playing but it's brilliant we have such strength in depth and so many alternatives. We are moving up."
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WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate was the talk of the dressing room after he showed off his unique fashion sense at the official team photo day at the Boleyn Ground. Kouyate is always full of laughter and shocked his team-mates when he turned his suit jacket inside out and was happy to pose with a different look to the rest of his team-mates. The West Ham United midfielder made sure he restored his Club suit to its more traditional look as the players lined up for the official Apsley team photo. But that didn't stop the rest of his team-mates giving him plenty of stick when the formalities were finished and the banter looks set to continue over the coming days. Defender Carl Jenkinson said: "He took it well and laughs at everything. I think it will dominate the dressing room over the next few days. "There is a great team spirit in the squad and that comes with wins and playing good football. It is always good for morale and there is a great group of lads here."
Winger Michail Antonio said: "It was hilarious. We are not going to let that go easily and he will get more stick over the coming weeks."
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Bonds thrilled to be back at the Boleyn
WHUFC.com
West Ham legend Billy Bonds is backing Slaven Bilic to have a successful final season at the Boleyn Ground and sees no reason why the team cannot secure a top half finish. Bonds was back at the Boleyn Ground once again on Saturday to see the 2-2 draw with Norwich and has been impressed with the Club's start to the season. Victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have helped the Hammers move up to third in the table and the arrival of players such as Dimitri Payet, Victor Moses and Manuel Lanzini have helped transform the team over the summer. Bonds, who made an incredible 799 appearances for the Club during a memorable 21-year playing spell is confident the good run of form can continue and hopes to see the Club pushing for a place in the top ten. Bonds said: "It has been a great start for the Club and most of the signings have worked. "Moses looked fantastic against Newcastle and we have been playing on the break away from home which has suited our style. "We have got a lot of pace upfront and it is a great start. We have won at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and the way we have been playing it has been a great start to the season. "Everybody at the start of the season would have said our main aim is to make sure we stay in the Premier League, but with the start we have had you would be disappointed if we didn't finish in the top half of the table and that is achievable now with the players we have got."
Bonds always receives a hero's welcome on his return to the Club and says he will be full of emotions as the Club prepare to play their final ever game at the Boleyn Ground against Swansea on May 7. Bonds added: "I have got great memories of the place. I can still see Bobby Moore with his hands on hips taking a breather around the 18-year box and Keith Robson scoring that goal against Eintracht Frankfurt and that was a fabulous night. "I have such great memories. When I first arrived at the Club I was like a scared rabbit. "I had been at Charlton and then to come to West Ham where they had three World Cup winners was fantastic and you could only get better as a player coming to a Club like this. "I played under great managers like Ron Greenwood and John Lyall and they were great coaches. "I played with so many great players like Devonshire and Brooking, Lampard, Hurst, Peters and Moore. I will probably get in trouble for not naming some of the other players!! "There were so many great players and I had some great times there. The fans were absolutely fantastic and they want people to put in a shift and if they do that, they will get behind you. "It has always been a great place to work for all the time I did and I hope that continues this season. The crowd deserve and it will be nice to see the Club push on."
Bonds is hoping to make many more visits to the Boleyn Ground this season and reveals how his grandchildren have become major fans of the Club. "It was nice to be back at the Boleyn Ground. I brought the grandchildren over a year ago and they liked it so much that I want to keep bringing them back and want them to become West Ham supporters. "A lot of the people from my time have gone but there are still some people about. Jimmy Frith is a perennial around and has been magnificent for the Club down the years with the youth team and the kids who come through. "There are some other people I know and it is nice to see they are still here. "The West Ham fans have always been great to me. I played my first game at the Boleyn Ground against Sheffield Wednesday and we ended up losing 3-2 even though we went 2-1 up.
"But that was typical West Ham in those days, but the supporters have always been fantastic with me. Wherever I have gone and whatever I have done, I know I am among friends with them. "The grandchildren have really taken to it and the little one even knows the tactics. The big one loves the directors lounge!! But seriously they both love it. "I think they will be supporters in the future and will want to be West Ham fans. The kids definitely want to come back so it looks like I will be a regular back here!"
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Slaven is the man, says Pearce
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Ian Pearce has backed Slaven Bilic to lead West Ham to success.
Pearce, who featured for West Ham between 1997 and 2004 was the studio guest on this week's KUMB Podcast (which you may download or stream here). And the ex-centre half firmly believes that Bilic can take West Ham to to new heights.
"I like the fact that there's a togetherness involved in our team at the moment," Pearce told KUMB's Chris Scull and James Longman.
"At the weekend, when they went 2-1 down [against Norwich], in days gone by that would have been the end of it. But they showed resilience and a desire to get back into the game - and that's really important.
"I'd love to think we can just maintain what we're doing. I've always said let's just get to enough points so we stay in this league and then we'll see what happens. But I think this team is a little bit different - I don't think they'll be satisfied with that, I think they'll want to push on."
Pearce, who is currently employed in a scouting capacity by Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion also belives Bilic's reliance upon a core of domestic players will also prove to be vital in the weeks and months ahead.
"You had Jenkinson, Tomkins and Cresswell at the back on Saturday - whilst James Collins is sat there waiting to come on and run through walls for you," he said.
"If you look at Newcastle for example, how do the fans relate to that team? There's hardly any English or British players there to get you excited, apart from Jack Colback. At west Ham you have a core of English and British players who have been there and know what the club means.
"Then you sprinkle it with pace and power - and that's what I love. We look dangerous going forward with Payet - how did we get him? - and we need to make the most of him. It's interesting times, there's some real good players there. strong, powerful boys with good pace."
Whilst he never played alongside Bilic at West Ham - joining the club in October 1997 as a replacement for Marc Rieper, two months after Bilic had left for Everton - Pearce also revealed that West Ham's current manager occasionally returned to the Boleyn to meet his former team mates.
"Slaven came back a few times just to see the lads and he would always be really genuine, really humble and lovely to speak to", added Pearce. "He's a very intelligent man who speaks several languages and as for what he's doing now, long may it continue. I just hope it keeps going the right way."
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SHAMBLES AND CONSISTENCY
By Bobby Shovels 29 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
Last week, I verged into an area I am not used to: optimism. Since that article, we lost against Leicester in the Cup and got an incredibly lucky draw against Norwich. As I thought, my optimism was misguided.
All the worries after the Leicester and Bournemouth games, along with my concerns after the Newcastle match, were still there in abundance on Saturday. I have to say, that opening 30 minutes was utterly dire, worse than anything I saw during the Allardyce era. I honestly don't see how anyone can suggest we are potentials for top six or even top ten on the basis of that first half. Even across the whole game, I don't think we were in the match at all and were constantly chasing shadows, both players and the score line. We should have been 3-1 down by half time. After 90 minutes, we should have lost.
Yes, we got a result in the last minute and we showed resolve. Yet that doesn't take away the fact that in on our fourth season back from the Championship, with a new manager who can apparently take us forward, we are celebrating a last-minute equaliser against…Norwich City? Again, I hear cries of "Norwich City are good on the road" to be added to those who said the same about Leicester whilst in the same breadth stating that Bournemouth are a class act. Stop making excuses. Four points out of 12? Against Leicester, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Norwich? That is relegation form, and if you had been told before the start of the season that that would be our return from our opening four home games, you would have found that unacceptable.
Yes, but look what we did away! At some point we have to ignore those results and ask hard questions about our home form and our results against teams we should be beating. We soon won't have big teams away anymore and we will have to face smaller teams that we clearly struggle against when we play them at home. We've already lost away to Leicester with a very strong team. That's why the Sunderland away game is absolutely huge. What happens when this current West Ham side – so good at playing the big games away but playing poorly against the minnows at home – faces a smaller side away? The only answer any of us can give is: we have no idea.
Against Norwich, bar the last few minutes of the first half, we were awful. In all the Allardyce years, I don't think I ever saw us give away the ball at the back like we did for the Canaries' first goal. Oh, it was just a one-off error, people will cry. Oh, we were unlucky, others will say. No, I'm sorry, it happened against Bournemouth and Leicester and it happened again against Norwich. We need to stop ignoring our deficiencies by simply focusing on three away games. We still have problems, namely that we are inconsistent.
I had a feeling against Norwich that we were almost giving the ball away simply to ensure we could prepare for our counter-attacking prowess. Yes, we once again created a large number of chances relative to our possession (44%) but we are so calamitous on the ball and so lacking in imagination by ourselves; we seem to not create many chances not off the back of opposition mistakes.
I am coming round to Slaven Bilic but there is something so laughable when we cheer "Super Slav" at home when we equalise. Perhaps I am missing the sarcasm here, but to cheer a manager who can get you to equalise twice against a newly-promoted side is embarrassing. End of story, Norwich at home is a three-point match. We seem to think that our home form will get better, but it's going to have to get better against much, much tougher teams. One point from six against two newly-promoted sides. That is worrying. Remember, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all have to come back and play at the Boleyn, and on this form, we won't get any points there.
Sunderland away is a crunch game, in my opinion. If we win, we have at least some vague consistency. If we lose, well, it's relegation worries all over again. We need consistency; we need to win against beatable teams. You don't get in the top ten by having the occasional good result away from home. You need to grind out three points from as many teams as possible.
I understand many supporters see me as overly critical and too much of a pessimist. Yet I feel that blogs like this and beyond need to be more than just an online utopia of gloating and indulgent West Ham fans who constantly sugarcoat the concerns. Of course I am delighted at our away form, but I despair at how better things could be if there was more order and consistency to the team, creating a better points return from home games. Again, four points from our first four home games – against those teams – is just not good enough.
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Gold on ground share 'West Ham is not powerless'
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Hammers fan Carlo Resinelli asked West Ham chairman David Gold "Is it true we are powerless to stop LLDC allowing another football club to share part-time or otherwise?" Gold responded rather cryptically on twitter "West Ham United football club is not powerless. dg " but failed elaborate further what that actually meant. The question comes amid fresh speculation that Spurs could still ask Stadium operator Vinci to share with West Ham if negotiations with the FA over the use of Wembley are not concluded to Daniel Levy's satisfaction. Last week a very highly placed West Ham insider told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We are tenants, so it could happen. We keep saying we have a good deal, but it's NOT as amazing as people think." "Having said that nobody believes it will happen for a moment. From everything we are hearing and are being told it seems far more likely that they will go to Wembley." "In the very unlikely event of a ground share happening for one season our fixtures will always have priority and the stadium will have the look and feel of West Ham United's home!"
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Hammers new boys head the ratings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News
C and H
Dimitri Payet has come out joint top in a survey of the new Premier League stars to make most impact this season. But it gets better for of the clubs covered the Hammers are in top place when the impact of their five players – Payet (9), Pedro Obiang (8), Angelo Ogbonna (7), Victor Moses (8) and Manuel Lanzini (8) are rated together. 40 from a possible 50 They come out one point ahead collectively of Manchester United's new signings Anthony Martial, Memphis Dupay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Morgan Schneiderlin. 39 from a possible 50.
Here's what the Mail rating system has to say of our guys:
Dimitri Payet
The £10.7m arrival from Marseille has already proved to be an inspired signing and is a key driving force behind West Ham's excellent start to the season. Scored in the game with Leicester City and twice in the home win over Newcastle United, as well as chipping in with three assists in league competition. Is already looking like a superb piece of Slaven Bilic business. 9/10
Pedro Obiang
The Spanish midfielder played a full part in West Ham's eye-catching wins away to Liverpool and Manchester City, showing he is not afraid of a midfield confrontation and possesses a relentless energy in closing down opposition players. Certainly a positive start to his Hammers career following a £4.4m move from Sampdoria. 8/10
Angelo Ogbonna
A hamstring injury has temporarily put a halt to Ogbonna's momentum at the beginning of the season and there have been good and bad times so far. He was more than a match for Benteke during the 3-0 win at Anfield but also part of the sloppy defensive displays at home to Leicester and Bournemouth. Certainly improving though like most of the Hammers team.7/10
Victor Moses
Moses has certainly made his presence felt in the West Ham forward line since signing on loan from Chelsea on deadline day. Performed superbly on debut in the win over Newcastle United and then opened his account a week later against Manchester City. Looks a fine addition to the team. 8/10
Manuel Lanzini
Bilic ramped up the pressure on Lanzini, the man nicknamed 'the Jewel', by comparing him to David Silva upon arrival at Upton Park. The Argentine produced a classy performance in the 3-0 win at Anfield and looks a good addition to the Hammers midfield, with plenty more to come. 8/10
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Another loss for the winless Academy boys
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Although Elliot Lee scored on Saturday to put the Hammer U21's one nil up in the first half, the Academy youngsters succumbed to yet another defeat after two second half goals by Stoke City meant the match finished a 2-1 loss to West Ham. The Hammers youngsters are still looking for their win of the season with just one point from six games. They remain bottom of division now two points off Brighton and Newcastle.
U21 Team: Howes, Knoyle, Page, Dobson, Chambers, Oxford (Onariase 76), Parfitt-Williams (Brown 81), Cullen, Lee, Browne (Makasi 69), Samuelsen Subs: Pike, Boness
Last week West Ham rewarded Academy Manager and Head of Player Development Coaching Terry Westley with a new five-year contract despite the Development squad not winning a single game this season and getting relegated last season from the Barclays U21 Premier League Division one.
The Dev Squad's next game is against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday 19 October, kick off at Rush Green is 7pm.
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OS ticketing rumour "complete nonsense"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
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Love him or hate him you have to hold your hands-up to David Gold for continually appearing on Twitter to face up the 'Good, Bad and Ugly' questions thrown at him. His continual presence on the social network is treated with respect by the vast majority whilst to others it seems like a red rag to a bull and an opportunity of attempting to make a cheap name for themselves at his expense to others. His latest reaction to an inquiry demonstrates again that an enormous amount of patience is needed to keep calm when questions come unbidden into our living rooms via 140 characters or less . It contained both a question and a judgement before the inquiry has been answered – a not uncommon occurrence on Twitter. It is only worth a story here to clear up once and for all one of the many scurrilous stories that is running around about the Olympic Stadium and ticketing arrangements.
One follower wrote: "Being told best seats being reserved for ticket agencies for tourist if true a disgrace."
The response: "This is complete nonsense. dg"
His retort follows hot on the heels of being questioned about transport arrangements into the new stadium to which he responded: "For pete's sake I'm the chairman of West Ham football club not the minister for transport. dg"
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Injury update: Ogbonna's sights set on Blues return
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Angelo Ogbonna is this morning being tipped to return to the West Ham squad that will face champions, Chelsea, at the Boleyn on the 24 October. The former Juventus central defender pulled his hamstring in the 2-0 win over Newcastle and was thought to be out for around four League games. This would have meant a return against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. But although he is making decent progress, the plan will be to ensure he is not rushed back before he is 100 per cent fit – an underlying keynote of Slaven Bilic's management style, as shown with Andy Carroll. And ClaretandHugh was told this morning: "He would probably be ready in time for Selhurst Park, but we aren't into taking chances. Slaven is very careful with the injured lads ."
Our source pointed out that with James Tomkins performing so well alongside Winston Reid, at the heart of defence, there is ample cover at the moment and there is no reason to become over anxious about the situation. Indeed Ogbonna could return just a week before Alex Song is fit to make his seasonal reappearance, as Song is targeting the Watford away match for his eagerly awaited comeback.
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Marseille desperately missing Payet
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Former Olympique Marseille defender Habib Beye says his old club is missing Dimitri Payet. Payet left Marseille for West Ham for £10.7m in the summer, where he was their star player.
"Players like Cabella and Sarr cannot be as decisive as Dimitri Payet was last season, but when you lose a player like Payet, you lose quality, so you cannot deny it," said Beye. The 28-year-old created more chances than any other player in Europe's top five leagues last year. The France international was lethal under Marcelo Bielsa, leading Ligue 1 for assists with 17, while no player in Europe's top five league created more chances than Payet's with 135. Marseille sit in 14th place in the Ligue 1 after 8 games with 8 points, winning two games, drawing tow games and losing four. Meanwhile West Ham sit in third place in the Premier League with Payet scoring 3 goals and making 3 assists so far since the start of the season with the Hammers.
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Fears that Jenks may become "expensive luxury"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 29, 2015 in News, Whispers
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ClaretandHugh blogger John Moncur fears Carl Jenkinson could become an expensive luxury over the course of the season. The Arsenal loanee has made an uncertain start to the new season which has some fearing he sent his twin brother to the Boleyn this term! But Moncs has a more reasonable explanation declaring that young players finding their way in the game can see their game vary and confidence levels rise and fall. And he said: "I'm a big fan of James Tomkins and can see him settling down into that right back spot if I'm entirely honest."
Moncs believes that as a rampaging wing back, Jenkinson's more defensive role with the arrival of Victor Moses on that side, is being tested and thus far believes Tomkins has looked more at home on that side. He said: "We are going to have to wait and see but I think it's right to say that Slav is developing a defensve back line and a go for it midfield and front line. It's almost like two teams.
"Jenks may not get as many games as last year as a result and that could tun out to be costly because I believe the terms of his loan are pretty expensive. He could become an expensive luxury. "We have to give him and everybody else there chance to adjust to a new way of playing but it's brilliant we have such strength in depth and so many alternatives. We are moving up."
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