Payet calls for consistency
WHUFC.com
Dimitri Payet says West Ham United have to perform as they did against Manchester City in every Barclays Premier League game if they want to sustain their challenge for European football.
The Hammers came within a whisker of toppling Manuel Pellegrini's men at the Boleyn Ground and the mercurial Frenchman insists victory would have been nothing more than his side deserved.
The challenge now, says the 28-year-old, is to replicate that level of performance no matter who the Hammers are up against. "Honestly, it was an exciting game to be involved in," he told whufc.com. "We are all motivated, we all want to do well and we showed that on Saturday evening. "We hit the bar with the last attack of the game and we deserved better. We were up against Manchester City, so we'll settle for the point and we'll definitely take the positives of the game. "We have to remember what we've achieved, because against a team like City, it's interesting to see us play the way we did and it's from this sort of game that you take the experience and you progress. "Unfortunately, the championship doesn't only consist of teams like this, we saw last week at Newcastle that it was much more difficult for us. We have to be consistent if we want to finish toward the top of the table. "We have to be ambitious. We know there are some big teams above us but it's up to us to continue as we played on Saturday, to put our game in place. The battle's going to be tough, but we mustn't get carried away, we have to stay concentrated."
Elsewhere, Payet was quick to pile plaudits on the in-form Enner Valencia, who has now bagged four times in his last three outings. The summer signing from Marseille says Valencia is a natural goalscorer and was always destined to get back among the goals. He continued: "That's the Enner we know. He's obviously had his injuries but it feels like he's rediscovered his confidence and he's a true finisher."
And he had a special word for young debutant Sam Byram too, who showed no little composure and ability on his Hammers bow, despite being thrown in at the deep end after just 13 minutes.
"I shouldn't think he was expecting to end up on the pitch so early. He absolutely did his job. "I know he ended up with, I'm not sure what, slight cramp, I suppose, but his debut was very encouraging. "It's not easy to come on that early and it's not easy against City and he had to deal with both! Congratulations to him."
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About the SAB
About the supporter Advisory Board (SAB)
WHUFC.com
Originally founded in May 2011, the SAB has been instrumental in spearheading all manner of high-profile campaigns, not least the hugely popular partnership with adidas. Among their many other telling contributions, they paved the way for the introduction of a new digital platform, the digital matchday programme and helped to revitalise the Boleyn Ground's matchday entertainment line-up to the benefit of their fellow supporters.
Most recently and perhaps most significantly the group has played a vital role in informing new Stadium policy, as well as helping to steer the Club's commemorative plans for the final Boleyn Ground season.
The Club are determined to build on those strong foundations and are confident that, with the appointment of a dedicated Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO), a new-look SAB can have an even more meaningful impact on the most important matters. Vice-Chairman Karren Brady was a key driver in establishing this fan initiative three years ago and is rightly proud of its evolution.
"We are enormously grateful to the SAB for all their hard work over the past three years and I personally want them to know that they have made a considerable difference to this football club," "I am proud of all that we have achieved together and their input is going to be more important than ever as we continue the exciting transition to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It's imperative to us that our supporters are comfortable with and understand the process, so there will be much to discuss in the coming weeks and months."
"I am proud of all that we have achieved together and their input is going to be more important than ever as we continue the exciting transition to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady As has always been the case, the SAB will continue to be a key sounding board on core issues, while also advising on strategy, not least where the new Stadium is concerned. Additionally, for the first time ever, the SAB and its members are now to be called upon to represent the Club at major external meetings, for example at the Premier League and the like.
For 2015/2016 a modified selection process has seen the formation of a slightly smaller overall group than previous years, but one that better represents the diversity of the Club's fans. Though membership has previously been restricted to Season Ticket Holders and Members, the SAB now has representatives of independent supporter groups, Bondholders, Corporate Members, wheelchair and ambulant fans, and many other representative groups.
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Carl Jenkinson update
WHUFC.com
West Ham United can confirm that Carl Jenkinson injured his left knee during the early stages of Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture with Manchester City. Unfortunately, it appears that Carl has suffered a significant injury and he will be assessed by a specialist in central London on Wednesday. A further update will be provided when the full extent of the injury has been confirmed.
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Golovkin - I want to put on an amazing show
WHUFC.com
Boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin insists he is ready to headline a major fight at the new Stadium and has become a big fan of the Hammers this season. The IBF & WBA middleweight world champion attended the Boleyn Ground last Saturday and was impressed with the West Ham performance as they were unlucky not to take all three points against former Premier League champions Manchester City. Golovkin has a formidable record with 31 knockouts from 34 fights and is rated one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. And with potential fights against Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jnr on the horizon, Golovkin has not ruled out the possibility of staging a big event at the Hammers new home in Stratford. Speaking exclusively to West Ham TV, Golovkin said: "I have heard that the club are moving into a new home during the summer and congratulations to them. This is a big move for them. "I hope that I can go there in the future. Why not? They are beautiful people and it feels like a big family. I have a lot of respect for them. "I want to put on an amazing show. I hope to stay champion for a long time. "I really enjoyed my time at West Ham United and thought it was a great game against Manchester City. "Congratulations to the team for the way they played and they are having a good season. "It was my first visit to the Boleyn Ground but I really enjoyed it and I have become a fan!"
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Cullen confident ahead of cup clash
WHUFC.com
Ahead of the Development Squad's quarter-final with Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday 27 January, Josh Cullen said their nine games unbeaten run has left them full of confidence.
Cullen fired the young Hammers to their latest win, a 3-1 victory away at Fulham, as he coolly slotted home a penalty which saw the Dev Squad recover from a goal down.
Having won eight of those last nine matches, Cullen believes the Hammers have what it takes to progress into the semi-finals: "All the lads really believe we can go on and win it. We have to treat tomorrow like any other game and keep going.
"It's always nice to have a cup run, we're in the quarters now and everyone wants to keep our run going. If we get the win tomorrow we'll be unbeaten in ten. Hopefully we can get the job done and go through into the semis."
The 19-year-old has been in superb form for the Dev Squad throughout the season, and his impressive performances have been rewarded with multiple appearances on the first team bench.
The talismanic Hammer has recently added more of a goal threat to his game, and this season has four strikes to his name.
Cullen continued: "Getting more goals is something I've been trying to do for a while now. It's an important trait, it's something I've been working on over the last few seasons and it's nice to see it pay off.
"I've just got to keep on getting in those dangerous positions and hopefully I can keep on scoring more goals."
Having made his first team debut in the Europa League before making his Premier League bow in the historic 3-0 win an Anfield this term has proven to be a season of milestones for the avid Hammer.
And another personal highlight would be securing his first piece of silverware in a claret and blue shirt.
Cullen explained: "I've never won a cup in my time at West Ham, this is the furthest I've gone.
"Everyone knows we have a slow start to the season, we didn't win in the first seven games but from then, we've kicked on and moved up the table. That's been down to our sheer hard work, we've always known that we have the quality to go out and win every game, it's down to our hard work."
Despite losing to the Rovers once earlier this season, a pulsating game which ended 4-3 at Ewood Park, Cullen insisted the result would bear little significance tomorrow night.
"Even though we lost at their place, we played well that night; our performance was good so we won't take too much notice of the result.
"We can go out with confidence knowing we can win, that's what we did in the first half at Ewood Park, we need to make sure we can do it over the full 90 minutes. We're all looking forward to the game."
The Development Squad host Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday 27 January, Rush Green Stadium, 7pm. Admission is FREE for all fans.
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From the Terraces - Joe Difford
WHUFC.com
Fan blogger Joe Difford looks back at Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City...
West Ham maintained their magnificent home record with an entertaining draw against Manchester City, but Slaven Bilic's men could have come away with all three points.
For the first time in years, there was a genuine sense of optimism before Saturday's game, helped by the fact that we have become somewhat of a giant-killer this season.
I'm sure you'll all remember the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium, where we scored early through Victor Moses and went on to claim the win. Well, the same very nearly happened at the Boleyn Ground.
Just 55 seconds after the game had begun, we were ahead courtesy of Enner Valencia. Cheikhou Kouyate burst forward, easily going past Yaya Toure, just as we have seen Toure do all his career, before crossing the ball low and hard. A fortunate deflection saw it fall to the Ecuadorian striker, who smashed home past Joe Hart.
Manchester City responded immediately as expected, with the in form Sergio Agüero lobbing Adrian and seeing his effort bounce off the inside of the post.
Just a few minutes later, he brought his side level. Having exchanged passes and darted into the box, Carl Jenkinson felt the need to make a challenge, knocking the number 10 down and injuring himself in the process.
The Argentine slotted the spot kick home coolly, and we had a real game on our hands after just 15 minutes.
New signing Sam Byram was forced on because of Jenkinson's injury and even though he had only been in east London for a matter of days, you could have been fooled into believing he had been there for years.
The Essex-born defender looked confident and comfortable on the ball, exchanging some impressive cross-field passes with Dimitri Payet just minutes after coming on.
Payet himself was the main talking point throughout, and he came close to putting the Hammers ahead with what was a perfect free kick. He curled his effort over the wall and it was heading for the top right corner, before Hart flew to his left and tipped it clear. There was literally nothing more the Frenchman could have done, and you'll be hard pushed to find a better save all season.
The free kick was earned when Martin Demichelis brought down Michail Antonio when the winger was almost in on goal. He was booked for the challenge, but it's difficult to see how he wasn't sent off, as Antonio's pace would have sent him through one-on-one.
The second half started well, with Antonio heading narrowly wide from a corner, before Fabian Delph hit the post after his shot deflected off the heels of Byram.
We were largely the better side in the second half, and credit must be given to Bilic, who has well and truly brought attractive, fluid, exciting football back to East London.
The excellent Antonio put us 2-1 with a bizarre but intelligent goal. The ball went out for a throw inside the City half, and Antonio picked it up immediately and threw it all of 30 years, over the City defenders and into the path of Valencia who poked home.
It was a piece of genius from the West Ham winger, who saw that the City back line were napping and took full advantage.
However, Hammers hearts were well and truly broken ten minutes from time, as substitute Kelechi Iheanacho drove into the penalty area and knocked the ball off of two Hammers defenders and into the path of Agüero, who neatly finished past Adrian.
It was a magnificent game for the neutral, but one that we really could have won, with Kouyate heading onto the crossbar with the last kick of the game.
City have their Capital One cup tie against Everton to look forward to next, whereas Bilic and Co. face the red half of Merseyside in the FA Cup this weekend.
Saturday's close affair means that we are still sixth, but going strong, and the idea of European football is becoming increasingly more possible.
For more West Ham fan views or to join the conversation visit www.90min.com
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Bilic played me out of position, complains Zarate
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
Mauro Zarate has taken a sideswipe at West Ham boss Slaven Bilic on the day that he was unveiled as a Fiorentina player. The 28-year-old Argentine forward was allowed to depart West Ham on a permanent basis having failed to convince his third manager in two years that he deserves a regular place in the starting XI. And Zarate - who managed to score a total of just six goals in a 20-month spell at the Boleyn Ground - couldn't resist accusing Bilic of playing him in an unfamiliar role during the press conference to confirm his arrival at the Italian club. "I'm happy to be back in Italy and to show my qualities with a great team," he said. "It is an important opportunity for me to get back on track. "In England, things were good because English football is enjoyable. But I have to admit I wasn't very comfortable with my role within the club and that's why I decided to come here. "I want to play in a more attacking position. I have already spoken with [Fiorentina boss] Paulo Sousa and he has assured me I'll have that."
Zarate appeared 15 times in the Premier League for West Ham during the first half of the 2015/16 campaign, scoring three times - against Arsenal, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion.
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West Ham play down Olympic Stadium groundshare talk
By Sara Orchard
BBC Sport
West Ham say it would be "impossible" to share their new Olympic Stadium ground with another Premier League club without their agreement. Stadium bosses London Legacy Development Corporation told a tribunal they would be open to discussions with Tottenham and Chelsea, who are redeveloping their grounds. But West Ham said they take "priority". Monday's hearing, much of which was in private, centred on whether details of West Ham's deal should be made public. The LLDC is appealing against a ruling by the Information Commissioner to put the full 99-year rental agreement in the public domain. The hearing was adjourned to a date to be fixed, with a decision likely to be made weeks after that second day of evidence. West Ham, who will reportedly be paying between £2m and £2.5m annually in rent, have said they are happy for the contract to be made public and did not send a representative to the hearing.
Cost of transforming the stadium
Of the £272m costs, £15m is being provided by West Ham, with £1m coming from UK Athletics. The stadium will have an initial 54,000 capacity and has already staged other events including rugby union matches and motorsport.
Work has included installing a new 45,000 square metre cantilever roof, twice the size of the original, covering all the seats - it will be the largest of its kind in the world. The local borough of Newham is contributing £40m, and national government £25m, with the rest coming from a variety of sources, including Olympic Park land sales. Retractable seating for 21,000 spectators is being fitted to allow the athletics track to be used in the summer, and the venue will host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
LLDC chief Geraldine Murphy told the tribunal that West Ham do not have the power to veto a groundshare and that it remains "possible". But the LLDC did say any new arrangement with a top-flight club would need the "co-operation" of West Ham and the Premier League. "As anchor tenant we have primacy of use during the football season and our contract gives us overriding priority to use the stadium, ensuring our fixtures and events are ring-fenced and will always take priority over all other events," said a West Ham spokesman. "It would therefore be impossible to accommodate the fixtures of another Premier League club without West Ham agreeing - a position which was fully supported at today's hearing." There is no suggestion an approach has been made, but Chelsea and Tottenham will be in need of temporary accommodation while their stadiums are redeveloped. The Blues have applied for permission to redevelop Stamford Bridge, while Spurs are planning to turn their existing White Hart Lane site into a 61,000 arena. West Ham are in their final season at the Boleyn Ground before moving about three miles to the former Olympic Stadium in east London.
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West Ham insist they have final say on any Olympic Stadium groundshare
By Kaveh Solhekol, Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 26/01/16 8:28am
SSN
West Ham are confident they have the final say on any possible ground share at the Olympic Stadium. Speaking at a tribunal in London on Monday, Geraldine Murphy, the finance executive of stadium owners the London Legacy Development Corporation, said a groundshare could happen "if the teams co-operate and the Premier League co-operates". But a West Ham spokesman says it would be impossible for another Premier League club to play at the Olympic Stadium without their approval. The spokesman said: "As anchor tenant we have primacy of use during the football season and our contract gives us overriding priority to use the stadium, ensuring our fixtures and events are ring-fenced and will always take priority over all other events. "It would therefore be impossible to accommodate the fixtures of another Premier League club without West Ham agreeing - a position which was fully supported at today's hearing."
West Ham's London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham are currently looking for temporary homes, with Chelsea likely to be away from Stamford Bridge for three seasons as they plan a £500m revamp of Stamford Bridge, although they do not yet know when they will be able to begin work in SW6. Meanwhile Spurs will be away from White Hart Lane for the 2017/18 season while they build their new ground adjacent to the current stadium. But with West Ham spending their first campaign in the Olympic Stadium next season, the club regard the possibility of a groundshare as a highly unlikely event.
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Crystal Palace rivalling West Ham to sign Emmanuel Emenike
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 26/01/16 12:32pm
SSN
Crystal Palace are rivalling West Ham to sign Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike, Sky sources understand. Sky Sports News HQ reported last week that the Hammers had made an offer to take the 28-year-old on loan with the view to a permanent transfer in the summer. Sky sources claimed the deal had hit a snag late last week and it is understood that snag is the interest from Palace. Eagles boss Alan Pardew wants another option up-front and could lose Connor Wickham for three matches after he was charged by the FA with violent conduct. Emenike, who was of interest to Tottenham several years ago, has been playing on loan in Dubai for Al Ain and Hammers boss Slaven Bilic knows him from his time in charge of Besiktas. West Ham co-owner David Sullivan told Sky Sports News HQ last week that the club was interested in a striker who had been playing in a "strange" league. "We are looking, long-term, for a 20-goal-a-season striker," he said. "There's a possibility that a striker will come in on loan in the next seven days, with the option to buy him. "He's an overseas striker. If I told you, you wouldn't believe it. I can't tell you which league because then you'll know exactly who it is. We are signing from a very strange league. But he has played in higher leagues."
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No ground share without our say so, insist West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have refuted claims by the LLDC that another club could potentially ground share at the Olympic Stadium without the club's agreement. A spokesman for the London Legacy Development Corporation told a tribunal yesterday that either - or both - Chelsea and Tottenham could potentially feature at the Olympic Stadium alongside the Hammers. However a spokesman for West Ham has told KUMB.com that this is NOT possible without the club's agreement. "As anchor tenant we have primacy of use during the football season and our contract gives us overriding priority to use the stadium, ensuring our fixtures and events are ring-fenced and will always take priority over all other events," they said. "It would therefore be impossible to accommodate the fixtures of another Premier League club without West Ham agreeing, a position which was fully supported at yesterday's hearing."
The tribunal is taking place at the behest of the LLDC, who are contesting a ruling by the Information Commissioner ordering the organisation to place details of its arrangement with West Ham in the public domain. West Ham were not represented at the tribunal.
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We think you understand now!
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th January 2016
By: Paul Walker
It's all happened in a bit of a rush, hasn't it? You have to wonder whether the Davids and Karren write their own scripts these days! The ambition of moving towards a new level with a team playing attractively with belief, confidence and style was what we all craved, and only but the most stupidly inpatient were happy to give it a little time. But there we were in the anniversary week to mark six years of David Sullivan and David Gold's ownership, and our achievements on and off the field this season were being lauded across the globe.
Hot on the heels of being told we were Europe's most improved club this season came Deloitte's Money League table which has us back in the top 20 of Europe's (and that means the world's) richest clubs. Last time we were there--I must have missed it--was a decade ago around the time we were playing in the FA Cup Final and then finding that Alan Pardew would not use properly two of the world's best players. And yes, I know Carlos and his Argie mate Javier had been partying after the World Cup in Germany and were a touch unfit. It all went downhill from then on really, and it has taken ten years to claw our way out of that hole, one that nearly buried us under the ludicrous excesses of the Icelandic owners.
However much I admired Hayden Mullins' graft, nobody will ever convince me that he was a better player than Mascherano, while if Tevez had been given just a little bit more love early on, he might have stuck around a lot longer and maybe no-one would ever have known about the dodgy clause in his contract. Who knows? But here we are, finally getting praise for the efforts of Slaven Bilic and his hungry, ambitious team. Taking Manchester City to the very limit was just the icing on the cake of an eye-opening week.
And it wasn't a fluke. We were unlucky not to win, and for half an hour at the beginning of the second half we played City off the park, much like Liverpool had floundered in the previous home league game. The key now is for Slav to avoid the inconsistencies. After stuffing Liverpool we were ordinary against Wolves in the Cup, excellent eventually at Bournemouth but limp and disappointing at Newcastle. It would be nice to play at Liverpool in the Cup on Saturday just like we did against City, and then carry that character and desire into next Tuesday's home game with Aston Villa.
But that is a really a small piece of nit-picking. What we have watched evolving at the Boleyn these past weeks has been truly remarkable, and we are being taken seriously by everyone, despite producing these performances on the back of a lengthy and worrying injury list. This is the best West Ham side I have seen in many years, they have bought into Slav's ethos, of team spirit and hard graft. It's becoming a joy to watch. And there has been some interesting media coverage too. It's been hard to avoid Sullivan on the TV or in newspapers. The best interview was with the Daily Mail (yes, surprised me too, not one mention of porn barons or rabbits).
Ian Ladyman, another old mate of mine, is one of the Mail's brightest and best writers, and he got some interesting stuff out of Sully. The only thing I took issue with was our co-chairman saying us fans want dreams and not reality. Sorry, I've done the dreaming stuff for more years than I can remember. I want the reality of modern football now ingrained into our DNA. I want proof that the club is being run properly, with a seriously structured business plan that goes way beyond moving to Stratford. I would be more than happy with major foreign investment, I want to feel like Manchester City fans feel. I want to see our team being competitive with the best week in week out, not just the usual cannon fodder. .And our outstanding form against the Rich List big boys has been brilliant, "Super Slav's man" has seen to that. But I have seen too many dreams fade and die, thank you. I want to believe there is not some horrible disaster just around the corner, waiting to trip us up again. Or some thug Merseyside player just waiting to kick the amazing Dimitri Payet out of a game again, so be careful up there at Anfield on Saturday, Monsieur!
The Mail piece implied that supporters are suspicious, even cynical of owners. Too right. I for one have never believed a word agents, players, managers or owners say at face value. I want proof. Sorry for the cynicism, but this game makes you that way. What was interesting about the Rich List was not just how far we are behind the regular Champions League contestants…their earnings dwarfing ours three times over...but the fact that Newcastle were still above us. Now this is a club that has won nothing, done nothing for years. Their position in the list is based solely on the size of their ground and the spending power of 50,000 plus "bar codes" each week. It shows how much more we can improve once we are at Stratford, I concede.
And we are closing on Everton, a club our owners admire for the way they are run with a similar size ground, income and fan base to ourselves The tide is clearly turning for us. It started in the summer when we signed Payet from a Marseille club in a nightmare financial plight. They couldn't match our Premier League spending power, much to the annoyance of arrogant, pompous French FA people, so "insulted" and angry that one of their best players could leave for a mid-table English club. That attitude has probably cost Payet his place in the France squad.
The next step has been snatching Sam Byram away from Everton. Previously when confronted with the Goodison Park club in a race for a player, we would have lost. We were unable to compete financially with Everton, or spin a convincing enough line to turn heads towards the East End. Not so now. Byram admitted as much. And that is what got up Roberto Martinez's nose. His foot-stamping playground " I didn't want him anyway" routine did not fool our owners, they know that the Olympic Stadium is a big draw now, and Byram is the first of many I believe who will feel that way.
And what a debut he had against, in my view, the best English side of the past five years. When he trotted on more than a few muttered, "Good luck son, you will need it." Well he played David Silva off the park and looked a serious player, but after playing over 170 games for Leeds I could not really take seriously the theory that he was one for the Development Squad.
The boy knows his way around; he's 22, not a raw 18 year-old. He will be cup-tied at Anfield, but if we can meet them head on and put up a decent show, I will be happy. Sadly I have witnessed too many of our shockers at Liverpool to be over-confident now. Beating them three times in a season is a bit of a long shot, isn't it?
Now it wouldn't be me without a bit of a moan, would it? But stick with me. Rumours bouncing around the Boleyn on Saturday claimed our last home game against Swansea will be moved to a Monday night by Sky. Now it was never going to be a 3.00pm kick-off because it will definitely be on TV, the club have known this all along, I believe, because if it had been on the last Sunday of the season, TV would have been only interested in the title race and relegation issues. So I have expected a Saturday evening maybe, or a Sunday date. But by shifting the game to a Monday night, it would be a kick in the teeth to so many of our fans. Youngsters with school the following day are hardly likely to be able to go, while the many thousands who travel from all over the Home Counties and the rest of the UK would struggle to get home on public transport. I would expect it to be a real occasion, with speeches at the end and a real party atmosphere. That could not happen if people were leaving the ground so late. For example, my last train home from Euston midweek is at 11.00pm. No chance of making that. I want to save goodbye to my stadium, the memory of my dad and brother, in my own way. Do not try to deprive me of that. I could stay over, at vast cost, but my son would have work in the morning and a young baby and wife to consider. And it is not just the long-range fans. Plenty of Irons supporters from deepest, darkest Essex and beyond would also have difficult, if not impossible, late journeys.
West Ham's owners have gained a lot of credibility this season with the relatively smooth migration to Stratford, and a general feeling that they are doing a more than decent job running the club and slowly solving our financial problem and building a strong squad. So my message to or owners, if this rumour is true (seemingly it was being put about by a Sky employee on Twitter), is 'don't' you dare ruin our farewell party, our wake at OUR ground, by grabbing the TV money. You will never be forgiven if you wreck this historic moment for a vast amount of loyal, long-standing fans. I hope you understand!
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Carl Jenkinson out for the season
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
Carl Jenkinson is unlikely to play for West Ham again - after it was revealed that the injury he sustained against Manchester City was far more serious than initially anticipated. The on-loan full back is scheduled to remain at West Ham until the end of the season. However the son of co-owner David Sullivan claimed this lunchtime (Tuesday) that the injury he sustained during the 2-2 draw with Manchester City last weekend will keep him out of action for the rest of the campaign. And that, if correct, would signal the end of his time at West Ham - with Arsenal having already confirmed that he will not be allowed to go out on loan next term. Jenkinson, who endured a slow start to the season had been in and out of the team in recent weeks. However better performances of late had resulted in a recall to the first team by Slaven Bilic. But with less than ten minutes on the clock during Saturday's clash, Jenkinson was replaced by new signing Sam Byram after sustaining a knock whilst giving away a penalty.
We'll have more for you on this as it happens...
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Jenkinson to be assessed for 'significant injury'
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 26th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have confirmed that Carl Jenkinson will visit a specialist tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury which, it has been claimed, will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. Co-owner David Sullivan's youngest son Jack claimed via social media this lunchtime that the on-loan full back, who suffered an injury to his left knee during Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City would not play again this season as a result of the injury. And whilst the club itself hasn't been quite so dismissive of Jenkinson's chances of pulling on a claret and blue shirt again, his injury was nonetheless described as "significant". "West Ham United can confirm that Carl Jenkinson injured his left knee during the early stages of Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture with Manchester City," read a statement published on the club's website this afternoon (Tuesday). "Unfortunately, it appears that Carl has suffered a significant injury and he will be assessed by a specialist in central London on Wednesday. A further update will be provided when the full extent of the injury has been confirmed."
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Crystal Palace rivalling West Ham to sign Emmanuel Emenike
By Lyall Thomas
Last Updated: 26/01/16 12:32pm
SSN
Crystal Palace are rivalling West Ham to sign Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike, Sky sources understand. Sky Sports News HQ reported last week that the Hammers had made an offer to take the 28-year-old on loan with the view to a permanent transfer in the summer. Sky sources claimed the deal had hit a snag late last week and it is understood that snag is the interest from Palace. Eagles boss Alan Pardew wants another option up-front and could lose Connor Wickham for three matches after he was charged by the FA with violent conduct. Emenike, who was of interest to Tottenham several years ago, has been playing on loan in Dubai for Al Ain and Hammers boss Slaven Bilic knows him from his time in charge of Besiktas. West Ham co-owner David Sullivan told Sky Sports News HQ last week that the club was interested in a striker who had been playing in a "strange" league. "We are looking, long-term, for a 20-goal-a-season striker," he said. "There's a possibility that a striker will come in on loan in the next seven days, with the option to buy him. "He's an overseas striker. If I told you, you wouldn't believe it. I can't tell you which league because then you'll know exactly who it is. We are signing from a very strange league. But he has played in higher leagues."
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Hammers give Emenike update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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West Ham don't believe they are any further forward in the pursuit of Emmanuel Emenike. The club's negotiators are being frustrated at every turn as they attempt to bring the Nigerian in on loan with an option for a permanent deal next season . To coin an over-used cliche this one is going right down to the wire as Fenerbache play hide and seek with the Hammers over the possible switch. We spoke with our top source tonight who was clearly irritated at the length of time and lack of regular contact involved with the Turkish club's officers. He said: "To put this is a nutshell we keep hearing different stories from Turkey and it's probably best to say that we are now hopeful rather than expectant. They are very difficult negotiations but there is still time." The Irons are reported as having an agreement in place with the player but any progress on dealing with Fenerbache looks to be as tough as pulling teeth.
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Man United could Boleyn's last game visitors
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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West Ham are busy preparing for a final farewell party for the last fixture at the Boleyn ground on the 7th May against Swansea City. That date could yet move to the Sunday or Monday if TV rights holders decide they want to show the farewell spectacle live on TV. However, there is another possible twist to our final game in Green Street with a potential fixture clash with our home game against Manchester United on 23rd April.
If either West Ham or Manchester United progress to the FA Cup semi finals they will not be able to play their fixture that weekend so it will need to be re-scheduled. Manchester United have made the FA Cup semis five times since 2004 while West Ham have managed the one in 2006 beating Middlesbrough at Villa Park to face Liverpool in the final.
If Manchester United also progress to the Europa league Semi finals to be played on 28th April and 5th May it would make re-scheduling very difficult the proceeding week.Manchester United face FC Midtylland in February in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League. A bit of long shot we know, but if all these things come true there appears to be a very real possibility that West Ham v Manchester United could be scheduled the week after when we play Swansea for our last game at the Boleyn ground. A midweek evening game before Sunday 15th May when we face Stoke City away being the most obvious period to re-schedule that match.
The question was asked at the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board this evening by ClaretandHugh historian, Nigel Kahn. The club confirmed there is a remote possibility of the Manchester United home match being the last ever at the Boleyn Ground and if this happened they would move the celebrations and festivities to that game.
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Hammers pay high Jenks price
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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West Ham will continue to pay Carl Jenkinson and Arsenal around £80k a week until June despite the player being ruled out of action following a cruciate knee injury. The Arsenal player is on his way back to the Emirates and is set for surgery which will see him out for the season but the Hammers will be forced to continue picking up the tab. We understand from Hammers sources the loan fee, wages and appearance bonuses – not that there will be any of those now – total around £80k a week and there is no escape clauses in the contract based on injury considerations.
Our source said: It's a lose/lose situation all the way. Insurance is not available either because in this business injures are considered an occupational hazard. "We are left to pay his wages, cash to Arsenal, appearance fees and more to agents. There's absolutely nothing that can be done – we have to swallow it.
Meanwhile Jack Sullivan has taken a hammering on a leading Arsenal website http:// www.arsenalnewsservice.com which criticises the way the news was broken on the teenager's Twitter feed and say in part: "… the release of this information should have been handled properly by the West Ham management team.
That means they should have coordinated the release of the information with Arsenal, so left hand knew what right hand was doing. Yet that's a million miles away from what actually happened. I personally don't know what went on in the Sullivan residence in Essex last night. But somehow, Jack got wind of the extent of Jenkinson's injury. And he felt compelled to tell the world. I can't recall the last time a teenager was given sensitive information of this nature and allowed to broadcast it. David Sullivan needs to take his son to one side and give him a damn good ticking off – and tell him, in no uncertain way, not to do this kind of thing again."
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Posh turned down offer to sign Oxford
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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Peterborough owner and chairman, Darragh MacAnthony has revealed he turned down the chance to sign Reece Oxford in this January transfer window. Adrian Durham and Jason Cundy asked MacAnthony about loaning players from the Premier League on Talkspory radio last Friday. MacAnthony explained "Terry Westley is brilliant, every few days is on to the manager speaking about Martin Samuelson, so much so they offered the young boy (Reece) Oxford, they offered us other players from West Ham because they are so impressed with what we are doing with Samuelson, West Ham have left us to get on with Martin, We want to make Martin into a man now, Martin's is 18/19, there are things West Ham might not do that we do that is good for Martin. You have have other clubs we have dealt with that are a pain in the arse to deal with, they close their eyes and don't care. I have got in rows about it. There you go that is the issue with the game!"
Asked whether Reece Oxford would be joining Posh, MacAnthony answered "No, because of the areas we are covered in, he is probably going to the Championship but he was offered to us first"
Later on twitter MacAnthony added that the decision not to sign Oxford was more to do not being abale to offer guaranteed game time rather that the quality of Reece, adding "Not cause he isn't quality player but game time we couldn't guarantee etc so wouldn't be fair on him."
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West Ham have overriding priority use of the OS
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
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LLDC finance executive, Geraldine Murphy, told an information tribunal appeal today in London that a ground share of the former Olympic Stadium could happen "if the teams co-operate and the Premier League co-operates." She added "It's a very competitive market, competitors will use the release of this agreement to undercut commercial deals. It would benchmark negotiations at a point. In any commercial negotiation, it's very difficult if you've got an anchor."
A three-person panel headed by the tribunal judge, Melanie Carter, heard arguments from Murphy as to why the tenancy details should remain private. A West Ham United spokesman told Claret and Hugh: "As anchor tenant we have primacy of use during the football season and our contract gives us overriding priority to use the stadium, ensuring our fixtures and events are ring-fenced and will always take priority over all other events. It would therefore be impossible to accommodate the fixtures of another Premier League club without West Ham agreeing, a position which was fully supported at today's hearing."
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Slav to wrestle with Cup-tied issue
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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Slaven Bilic will be sweating on James Tomkins being fit for the weekend trip to Liverpool given that Sam Byram is Cup Tied. Sam is ineligible following his involvement in the Leeds tie against Rotherham and could leave the manager with a problem on the right side. Carl Jenkinson is also injured but of course given his current form that may be an even bigger issue than injury as the position – which has been a headache all season until Tomkins fitted into the role – is continuing to cause real difficulties. It maybe that fit-again Joey O'Brien could get his first call up of the season. Slaven has admitted he will be taken the FA Cup very seriously which was demonstrated very amusingly in a recent video when he brought gales of laughter from the media when holding an imaginary Cup over his head and insisting he'd sooner win that han qualify for the Champions league. Victor Moses is likely to get a start and Angelo Ogbonna may be recalled to give James Collins a rest after spledndid recent performances.
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£20m Marseille striker target loves Payet
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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West Ham's summer transfer target, Michy Batshuayi has shown his love for West Ham playmaker Dimtri Payet by posting a message on his official twitter saying Payet, Payet, Payet followed by three love hearts. The social media post by Batshuayi has created further speculation that the striker would love a chance to join Dimi at West Ham and play in the Premier League.
Marseille are thought to be unwilling to let the hitman leave mid-season but that has not stopped some reports in the media today suggesting that the Hammers will make an early move for the striker to scupper attempts by Arsenal and & Spurs to hijack a deal in the summer. The report suggests the player could sign a pre-contract which is like a gentleman's agreement.
The 22-year-old striker has scored 15 goals in 27 Ligue 1 and Europa League games for Marseille this season. Scouts from West Ham, Manchester United and Liverpool attended Marseille's's 1-1 draw with Lyon on Sunday night.
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There is no clear agreement about Emenike
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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West Ham manager Slaven Bilic yesterday confirmed there is no agreement to sign Emenike with Fenerbahce at the moment. "There is no clear agreement about Emenike," said Bilic on Monday."He is an important player but Fenerbahce may need another striker first, so it's by no means certain that they will release him." He however he confirm for the first time that Yilmaz is on the list of possible strikers. "Yilmaz is a very good footballer," said Bilic. "He's an excellent striker and among the fittest of players. I know him very well and I admit that he is one of the names on our list.But he is not the only player on our list. If we decide to take one striker, then we can take action." Media reports claim West Ham are scheduled to hold talks with officials from Fenerbahce on Tuesday evening as they attempt to seal the loan signing of Emmanuel Emenike.
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Gold predicts we'll keep our players happy
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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David Gold is confident the Hammers are set to close the financial gap which allows them to lay out big wages over the next year or two. And that's good news for those of us who worry about Dimitri Payet's future should one of the big boys come calling as the brlliant midfielder inspires this club to an entirely different level. Gold has long declared the big boys will be looking over their shoulders at what's going on at West Ham nd his words of earlier in the summer are coming about much quicker than anybody could have believed. And he said: "As I've said before we are no longer a selling club and as income incrases from the move to the Olympic Stadium we will be in a stronger and stronger position to offer the sort of wages that ensure our players are not tempted by other clubs. "I see no reason why we can't think in these terms. We are aware we have some very good players here and we are heading into a position where we can keep them happy. "It's a tribute to what has happened here over the last 12 months that our players are likely to become noticed.
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Jenkinson" out for season
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 26, 2016 in News, Whispers
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Carl Jenkinson has been ruled out of action for the rest of the season after suffering an injury during the game against Manchester City at the weekend. Chairman's son Jack Sullivan has tweeted the news over the last few minutes and it seems likely – as is the case with all injured loan players – the player will now be on his way back to his parent club. Jenkinson left the action against City after conceding a needless penalty, converted by the victim of his foul, Sergio Aguero. He walked off a minute later pointing to towards his ankle or lower leg after Slaven Bilic called to him from the dug out. It looked a fairly harmless problem but Sullivan jnr claims in his tweet that it is more serious than had been at first thought. He declared: "Carl Jenkinson's injury is far more serious than we thought and is our for the rest of the season. We wish Carl the speediest of recoveries."
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Mauro Zarate happy with Fiorentina switch after claiming he was played out of position at West Ham
By ROHAN BANERJEE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:50, 26 January 2016 | UPDATED: 16:09, 26 January 2016
Former West Ham forward Mauro Zarate has criticised the way he was utilised by the club after sealing a £1.6million January move to Fiorentina. The 28-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with La Viola and spoke of his frustrations playing for the Irons. He told reporters at his unveiling at the Stadio Artemio Franchi: 'I'm happy to be back in Italy and to show my qualities with a great team.' Zarate added: 'It is an important opportunity for me to get back on track. In England, things were good because English football is enjoyable. 'But I have to admit I wasn't very comfortable with my role within the club and that's why I decided to come here. I want to play in a more attacking position.' The former Argentina under 20 international explained: 'My favourite role on the pitch is to play in a free one in attack, allowing me to roam, one that isn't specific to a particular position. 'I have already spoken with (Fiorentina manager) Paulo Sousa and he has assured me I'll have that.' Zarate joined West Ham from Velez Sarsfield in summer 2014 and had scored five goals in 22 appearances this season before making the switch to Serie A. Zarate has played in Italy previously and was part of Lazio's squad that won the Coppa Italia in the 2008–09 campaign.
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West Ham's on-loan defender Carl Jenkinson set for Arsenal return after injury blow
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Carl Jenkinson's time at West Ham appears to be over after it was revealed the defender is likely to miss the remainder of the season. The Arsenal right-back has been on loan at Upton Park since the start of the 2014/15 campaign and enjoyed an impressive first year with the Hammers. Jenkinson's form suffered a dip this term, forcing manager Slaven Bilic to bring in youngster Sam Byram from Leeds during this month's transfer window. And now it has been revealed by Jack Sullivan, the son of West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan, that Jenkinson will miss the rest of the season following the foot injury he sustained against Manchester City at the weekend. He tweeted: "Carl Jenkinson's injury is far more serious than we thought and he is out for the rest of the season."
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Burak Yilmaz hands in transfer request at Galatasaray amid interest from West Ham
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, January 26, 2016
West Ham target Burak Yilmaz has reportedly handed in a transfer request at Galatasaray. The Turkey international has been subject to interest from a number of Premier League clubs this month but West Ham are the clear favourites to land him. Slaven Bilic has already gone on record to state his admiration for the striker and now, according to Milliyet, Yilmaz has told manager Mustafa Denizli he wants to leave the Süper Lig club. Yilmaz has scored nine goals in 19 appearances for Galatasaray this season and has been a key member of their squad since signing from Trabzonspor in 2012. But the 30-year-old's desire to play in the Premier League is well-known and Gala's fans have already accepted the player is likely to leave this month.
West Ham are closely monitoring Yilmaz's situation and are expected to make a bid for him by the end of the week.
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West Ham and Tottenham set for battle over Premier League hitman
Express
CALLUM WILSON is reportedly being lined up for an approach by West Ham and Tottenham.
By JACK STAPLEHURST
PUBLISHED: 11:21, Tue, Jan 26, 2016 | UPDATED: 12:30, Tue, Jan 26, 2016
According to The Guardian, the crocked Bournemouth striker is a transfer target for both London clubs. The 23-year-old has been out with a serious knee injury since September which has hampered his first season in the Premier League. Having played a significant role in the Cherries' promotion from the Championship last season, Wilson started the new term well. A hat-trick at West Ham back in August - the Hammers' last home defeat in all competitions - showed off his potential. Two more goals in his next three starts had him as a leading goalscorer in the early stages of the campaign until his big injury blow. Wilson should return to action before the end of the campaign after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. Bournemouth's survival in the Premier League could well determine whether he stays or not, with the south coast club currently occupying 16th place. Meanwhile, the January arrivals of Benik Afobe from Wolves and Lewis Grabban from Norwich has strengthened their front line. Hammers fans may be reluctant to anticipate another forward with a history of injuries joining, with Andy Carroll once again absent and Diafra Sakho also out until February. At Tottenham, a January arrival in their attacking department would appease title-dreaming fans with Harry Kane leading a very thin striking department. And if Wilson shows more of the same form at the end of the season though that saw him notch 20 Championship goals last term, the London duo could be tempted to move in.
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Sam Byram reveals all on having to sing a West Ham initiation song
SAM BYRAM claims he will be more nervous singing his initiation song than he was on his West Ham debut.
Star
By Paul Brown / Published 26th January 2016
Byram, 22, was handed a baptism of fire in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City after an injury to Carl Jenkinson. But the £3.7m signing from Leeds put in a more cool and confident performance than he expects to when he takes to the mic. Byram, who only made the bench after an injury to James Tomkins, said: "I thought I'd be very nervous but I was almost emotionless to the occasion. "I wasn't excited, I wasn't nervous I just tried to keep a cool head and approach it like a normal game. "I've not had my initiation yet. It's normally on the away trip you've got to get up and sing. 'm trying not to think about it! "One of the young lads when I was at Leeds sung Uncle Kracker, Follow Me. That went down well. I might stick with that one"
Sam Byram "Can I sing? No, I'm horrific. We were in the hotel before the game and I was thinking someone was going to be tinging the glass to get me to do it. "I will be more nervous doing that than playing. "One of the young lads when I was at Leeds sung Uncle Kracker, Follow Me. That went down well. I might stick with that one."
Thurrock-born Byram, whose family are Hammers fans, snubbed a move to Everton to sign for West Ham after speaking to Slaven Bilic. He said: "I spoke to the manager and I really like the way he spoke about West Ham and how he likes to play, and how he could improve me was the main thing. "As a young player the main thing you want to do is get better. He'd identified the areas he thinks I can improve on and explained how he would help me improve on them. "There's the Olympic Stadium, the quality of players in the squad. In training I've been blown away by some of the things some of them do in training. "I don't think anyone gets the ball off Dimitri Payet in training. He is very good on the ball, his dribbling, his vision, his touch, and everything about him. "He's by far the best player I've had the pleasure of playing with. "Stepping up to this level is only going to make me better. I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
Byram celebrated his debut by taking the train home to get the rest of his clothes, which he had to leave behind when he travelled down to sign his four-and-a-half year contract. But he's now dreaming of a European tour with the Hammers just six points away from the Champions League places. Asked whether he thought a top-four finish was possible, ambitious Byram said: "I think so. "When teams like City are coming to play us at home and we're disappointed not to get three points says something about where we're pushing to be. "The players we've got here, the way we perform, it really is an exciting time for the club."
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Tottenham interested in West Ham target Burak Yilmaz - Monday's top transfer stories
SAM LONG 10 hours ago
Evening Standard
The January transfer window has entered its final week and time is of the essence for the teams in England's top tier who are still keen to conduct some business. While clubs have taken a relatively relaxed approach to the window so far, the annual trolley dash could be about to begin. Many fans will be hoping that it will come to fruition as large sections of Premier League supporters have grown to love the frantic last few days of the month. Yet others will be willing their team to resist the temptations to panic buy and put their faith in with what they have got. The White Hart Lane faithful appears to be split into two camps. While some Spurs supporters are keen for Mauricio Pochettino to bring in support for Harry Kane others are more than happy to stick with what they have rather than twist on the unknown. Burak Yilmaz falls into the latter category as the Turkey international does not boast a high profile on these shores. But the 30-year-old has been in fine form for Galatasaray this season, which was enough to spark interest from West Ham. When does the transfer window close across Europe? Scroll over the map below to find out Slaven Bilic has stayed coy and suggested he is not interested in the forward, for now, but new reports claim both Spurs and Stoke are 'keen' on his services.
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Sam Byram reveals his biggest fear after leaving Leeds for West Ham
Express
By PAUL BROWN
PUBLISHED: 22:30, Mon, Jan 25, 2016
Byram, 22, was handed a baptism of fire in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City after an injury to Carl Jenkinson. But the £3.7m signing from Leeds put in a more cool and confident performance than he expects to when he takes to the mic. Byram, who only made the bench after an injury to James Tomkins, said: "I thought I'd be very nervous but I was almost emotionless to the occasion. "I wasn't excited, I wasn't nervous I just tried to keep a cool head and approach it like a normal game. I've not had my initiation yet. It's normally on the away trip you've got to get up and sing. I'm trying not to think about it! "Can I sing? No, I'm horrific. We were in the hotel before the game and I was thinking someone was going to be tinging the glass to get me to do it. "As a young player the main thing you want to do is get better. He'd identified the areas he thinks I can improve on and explained how he would help me improve on them. "I will be more nervous doing that than playing. One of the young lads when I was at Leeds sung Uncle Kracker, Follow Me. That went down well. I might stick with that one."
Thurrock-born Byram, whose family are Hammers fans, snubbed a move to Everton to sign for West Ham after speaking to Slaven Bilic. He said: "I spoke to the manager and I really like the way he spoke about West Ham and how he likes to play, and how he could improve me was the main thing. "There's the Olympic Stadium, the quality of players in the squad. In training I've been blown away by some of the things some of them do in training. "I don't think anyone gets the ball off Dimitri Payet in training. He is very good on the ball, his dribbling, his vision, his touch, and everything about him. "He's by far the best player I've had the pleasure of playing with. "Stepping up to this level is only going to make me better. I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
Byram celebrated his debut by taking the train home to get the rest of his clothes, which he had to leave behind when he travelled down to sign his four-and-a-half year contract.
But he's now dreaming of a European tour with the Hammers just six points away from the Champions League places.
Asked whether he thought a top-four finish was possible, ambitious Byram said: "I think so.
"When teams like City are coming to play us at home and we're disappointed not to get three points says something about where we're pushing to be.
"The players we've got here, the way we perform, it really is an exciting time for the club."
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Stadium Bosses Want West Ham Olympic Stadium Contract Made Public
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/
Published January 26, 2016
An appeal "against the decision to release full details of West Ham's Olympic Stadium deal is due to be heard in London on Monday," according to Frank Keogh of the BBC. Stadium bosses, the London Legacy Development Corp., have spent about £17,000 ($24,230) "fighting a ruling that the contract should be made public." It "argues the deal contains commercially sensitive information." Last month, the London Assembly "called for the rental agreement to be published in full." Monday's independent tribunal hearing is open to the public, "although it is likely to be several weeks before a decision is announced." At a meeting earlier this month, the London Assembly "heard thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money has been spent in an effort to keep full details of the West Ham deal out of the public domain." Stadium bosses are "worried that if all the figures are made available, it would place them at a commercial disadvantage, undermine negotiations and reduce returns to the taxpayer." Other venues in London, such as Wembley and Emirates Stadiums, do not publicize "all the details of their arrangements." One "big unknown from the deal is who benefits, and by how much, from the stadium naming rights." This arrangement is "likely to run into tens of million of pounds." Other questions the coalition says "it wants answered include:"
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New West Ham star Michail Antonio makes bold claim on Twitter
HITC
Damien Lucas
New West Ham United star Michail Antonio is full of confidence after the club's pulsating 2-2 draw with mega rich Manchester City. The Hammers were twice pegged back by Manuel Pellegrini's side and their superstar striker Sergio Aguero at Upton Park on Saturday night. Enner Valencia struck within the first minute to shock City into life and Aguero won and converted a penalty eight minutes later for 1-1. Valencia struck again when he reacted quickest to a quick-thinking long throw from Antonio in the second half but Aguero popped up to pounce on a mistake in the Hammers defence with 10 minutes to left to ensure it ended honours even. Slaven Bilic's side emerged from the thrilling game, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports, with a lot of credit, though. Antonio has been a revelation for West Ham after finally getting his chance following his £7 million summer move from Nottingham Forest. The Hammers are sixth in the Premier League with 16 games remaining of this most open of seasons.
Bold claim
And the powerful winger feels the result, and the way West Ham played, sends out a strong message. "Yesterday once again proved we can compete at the very top of the Premier League," Antonio said on Twitter. Antonio was one of West Ham's best players against City and many fans felt Bilic made a mistake substituting him for on loan winger Victor Moses with the hosts leading 2-1 in the second half. The hardworking former Sheffield Wednesday wideman was a constant threat on the break for West Ham but also put in his usual graft in tracking back and helping his teammates. One such moment received a standing ovation from the Hammers faithful as Antonio chased jet heeled Aguero down the win, caught him, outmuscled him, took the ball away and launched an attack of his own.
Right to be confident
Antonio is right to be confident too, West Ham have proved this season they are no flash in the plan and have only lost once in their last 10 games in all competitions. How high they can finish will depend largely on how quickly they can get injured trio Manuel Lanzini, Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll back fit with the trip due back in action in February. The Hammers will need to win at least another eight or nine games if they are to challenge for one of the Champions League spots, or average around two points per game.
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West Ham aim to agree Michy Batshuayi signing before season ends
HITC
Dan Coombs
West Ham are keen to beat clubs including Arsenal to the signing of striker Michy Batshuayi. West Ham are pushing to sign Michy Batshuayi this summer, and The Sun report they aim to tie up a deal for the striker before the end of the season. Marseille are unwilling to let the hitman leave mid-season, but in the summer they expect to cash in, claims the report, as they did with Florian Thauvin, Giannelli Imbula and Dmitri Payet among others this summer. It is the Payet deal which gives West Ham the biggest hope it will be them who lands Batshuayi, ahead of North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers have good contacts with the French side due to the way the deal was conducted, and believe this puts them in pole position to sign the Belgian striker. The Sun report they want an agreement in place for the £20 million rated forward by the end of the season, making a deal a formality once the transfer window opens.
It would be smart business from the Hammers, to get a deal tied up before his potential involvement at Euro 2016, which would not only delay a decision over his future, but risk other clubs becoming alerted and his price tag rising. The 22-year-old striker has scored 15 goals in 27 Ligue 1 and Europa League games for Marseille this season.
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A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
By Bobby Shovels 26 Jan 2016 at 08:00
WTID
I did not feel as much despair as I had expected the final whistle went and when we drew 2-2 at the weekend. It was more a realisation of what a good team we are; a team greater than the sum of its parts, consisting of bargain geniuses (Payet, Kouyate), old-school stalwarts (Collins, Noble) and Championship players turned Premiership stars (Cresswell, Antonio, and now Byram).
I thought we would hold on, but then, Aguero is arguably the greatest striker in the world and the sad fact of football is that a team like City, who pile millions into their squads, will eventually rely on that quality to pull them through. Never mind their rather turgid performance and lack of imagination; Pellegrini is a man who just has to throw his 11 most expensive players at the pitch and let the rest happen. Sometimes it works, sometimes he gets lucky and sometimes he fails. This time, unfortunately, it was the middle outcome.
Yes, it was two points dropped in some ways: we thoroughly deserved the victory, a game akin to the Liverpool match with the only difference being an Argentinian striker. Yet to look at any game against a team aiming for the title as an unfortunate draw is cause for such optimism and an understanding of the potentials for next season. If our scouting on a minimal budget can produce such quality, with added revenue the possibilities are endless and exciting.
For that is the story of the season, not just its unpredictability but the opening up of the league to clubs like ours who can enjoy a lot more expectation and optimism given that there seems to be a period of transition among teams like Chelsea and United, while others are realising how well you can spend your money, if even your stash is small, and what that could mean next year when the big money comes in from the TV deal.
Again, as I said last week, with City perhaps hoping to win the League Cup and thus their likely top-four finish meaning an extra Europa Cup place may come available, I would like us to focus on a sixth-place finish and a good FA Cup run. It feels the top four pack is drifting away from us and United and that our concentration should be on other areas. I wonder what others think: whether top four is still within our reach or whether we should focus on the FA Cup? Again, as I have said, I would love to see us lift some silverware.
Two other side notes. Is anyone else concerned about Sakho off the pitch? I know previous allegations have been quashed but I couldn't help but feel surprised at him writing off his car during his recovery. It doesn't strike me as someone concerned about keeping safe after an injury and ensuring they are back on fine form, both physically and mentally. I'm beginning to question his mentality behind the scenes.
Finally, there is, as always during January, rumours abound about signings and David Sullivan has spoken about a new '20-goals-a-season striker'. Now, I usually try to ignore all transfer gossip, not because it's not interesting or might be true, but just because I'd rather just wait until a deal is confirmed and the pictures are taken. Now while Mr Sullivan has done some good deals, I couldn't help but be reminded of his comments about Charlie Austin, talking about his injury problems and that he wasn't worth £15 million. I remember at the time thinking, wait, didn't we sign a striker with injury problems for £15 million anyway? And anyway, did that "slur" in Austin's words not sour relations and mean that, when a smaller price was in the offing, Austin was definitely not going to come to Upton Park. Now he goes and scores a winning goal with his second touch of the ball at the price of just £4 million. I of course understand the worries about his injuries and that he may not be able to replicate his one season in the Premier League for QPR, but £4 million? It's certainly worth the risk and one that I am sure Southampton will be pleased with. Bargains are there to be had.
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Sam Byram: the next Championship transfer success story in waiting at West Ham?
By Greg Johnson
Posted on January 25, 2016
Last season, Aaron Cresswell was the new face at full-back for West Ham, lighting up Upton Park with his slick deliveries and attacking runs from deep after impressing for Ipswich Town in the English second tier. After making his debut in the Hammers' opening day loss to Tottenham Hotspur the former Tranmere Rovers youngster went on to play every single minute of every game in the Premier League. His run of 38 appearances was equal to the ever-present Adrian in goal and more than any other outfield player, and he also created the third-most chances in Sam Allardyce's squad behind Stewart Downing and Mark Noble. Cresswell created the third-most chances for West Ham last season. Aaron Cresswell created the third-most chances for West Ham last season. Cresswell may not be in the spotlight as much this season but he has created the second-most chances for West Ham behind Dimitri Payet.
Now, over a year-and-a-half on, Sam Byram looks set to become a similarly important presence from full-back down the right for Slaven Bilić. Following his January transfer from Leeds United, he produced a bright first outing in West Ham's 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the soon-to-be-derelict Boleyn Ground. Come next season, the Irons will be tenants at the Olympic Stadium, down the road from their traditional digs close to where their predecessors Thames Ironworks originally played; a now defunct club from which they still draw much of the imagery and heraldry that surrounds the modern side. A move to a larger, state-of-the-art stadium will be an opportunity to create a bold new era at a new home with an enhanced capacity that could eventually come to offer the east Londoners a foothold in the upper echelons of the Premier League table and the competition for European places.
Byram created 24 chances in 22 games for Leeds United this season. Sam Byram created 24 chances in 22 games for Leeds United this season. Byram is precisely the kind of signing that could help to bring about this new epoch out on the field, both in terms of his image and performance. At just 22, he will have plenty of potential still to mine in the years to come but is already a player good enough to make 143 appearances in all competitions for Leeds over the last three-and-a-half seasons, playing at right-back and on the right wing. He left Elland Road as the club's third-most creative player this season, and with three goals in 22 games, their third-highest scorer. He announced himself to the Upton Park faithful with a debut performance off the bench that offered a few glimpses of quality and plenty of effort, and even ended with the defender ambling through the last 10 minutes or so struggling with cramp in his legs.
While Cresswell benefited from a Premier League pre-season last year, the younger Byram has been dropped into the midst of a fast and frantic campaign that's already under way. Although his body may still need time to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League, he showed enough to suggest that, with his substitution for Carl Jenkinson after 13 minutes, he may become a regular feature of Bilić's starting line-ups in the not-too-distant future. Even if Byram is forced to wait, the wages of Arsenal's on-loan right-back may be a little too rich for West Ham to make his move permanent in the summer, and with his new understudy in place and ready to battle for game time, that may now be an expensive option they can more easily dismiss.
Despite the locking up of his fatigued muscles late-on, the 22-year-old's feet and brain looked more than well-equipped to cope with the pace of the game pin-balling around him. His first proper touch of the game came shortly after his arrival on the field, chesting down a wild, hoofed clearance under pressure before putting it the ball on the deck to ping a precise, long diagonal pass across the park over to Dimitri Payet on the left.
Byram's season at Leeds compared to Jenkinson's season with West Ham. Byram's season at Leeds compared to Carl Jenkinson's season with West Ham for goals, chances and successful passes per game. It was a slick, clean and composed first introduction for Byram to the home crowd who responded with cheers. The idea of there being such a thing as the "West Ham way" is either treasured as a legitimate tradition to live up to or a self-destructive delusion by hard-line romantics and realists respectively, but their is little doubt that such confidence on the ball is what many within the Irons' fanbase would prefer their football to be about.
Everton originally lead the chase to sign Byram and much has been made over his decision to opt for Upton Park over Goodison Park. With Ireland international Seamus Coleman currently the clear, first-choice at right-back for Roberto Martínez when fit, the route through to first team football looked far less certain on Merseyside compared to the more easily-traversed obstacle of Jenkinson in east London. The Toffeemen reportedly offered more money but the player's final decision was to move from Leeds to the capital, following to some extent in the footsteps of Cresswell, as reported by the Guardian.
Online comments by former West Ham academy product Rio Ferdinand about John Stones and the criticism and heckles shouted out by nervous Everton fans during games at their young, ball-playing centre-back may rankle but there is little doubt that his former club can provide an excellent platform for players that fit the mould. It's too soon to talk about England call-ups but if Byram can replicate the kind of early momentum generated by Cresswell in his first few months at the club, and continue on a similar trajectory, he could eventually come to stake a claim on the right-back slot in Roy Hodgson or his successors' squads. Byram has some way to go before he can challenge Clyne and Walker but he can more easily compete with Jenkinson than Coleman. Byram has some way to go before he can challenge Nathaniel Clyne and Kyle Walker but he can more easily compete with Jenkinson than Seamus Coleman. Unlike at left-back, where a healed and recuperated Luke Shaw remains the player fated to finally replace Ashley Cole, the opposite flank remains open to challengers with Kyle Walker and Nathaniel Clyne the leading candidates at present. Byram may never be able to ever convincingly displace them permanently but there are plenty of caps to be won in battling it out for appearances through form and fitness in the tournament cycles to come. First, however, the former Tranmere and Leeds starlet must make the right-back slot his own under Bilić – a task that will only be made easier by winning his own highly vocal constituency of supporters within the club's fanbase who appreciate his qualities and his potential.
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West Ham United – how far can this side go?
Posted on January 26, 2016 by Headmaster
claretandblues.com
It has been many a long year since those of us old enough to remember the good times can recall a period in which there seems to be so much optimism and a feel-good factor in and around the club. The contrast between now and the relatively recent past could not be more stark, as evidenced by the message boards of the forums and on Twitter. It was perhaps summed up to me by @mickysz on Twitter the other evening, when he said: "I left the ground absolutely buzzing on Saturday… in 30 years I can't remember a time when I turned up to every game knowing that we could win it."
Much is said about the boys of '86 and rightly so. However, like the National team of 66, inevitably the modern fan is looking for their successors. This current side is not that yet, granted. The potential, however, has to be there. In the current context with our star rising, the imminent move to a fantastic new stadium, potentially one of the most progressive managerial signings in recent history and a renewed commitment to play football in the way we all want it to be played, there have been no finer hours in recent years in which to be a Hammer. More remarkable still is that Bilic is achieving the current accolades without the benefit of a Cottee or a McAvennie. He has had to juggle his squad, using its depths to their maximum potential given that there have been injuries to every key player and sometimes for a sustained period during the season to date. Imagine how things might have been had we had the services of Payet, Lanzini Sakho, Carroll and Valencia without interruption.
It remains to be seen whether or not we are to add to the squad during this window although the noises coming out of Turkey in particular suggest that we just might. If we can add a competent goalscorer into the mix we may just be able to start dreaming about a justified entry into European competition as opposed to the charade we endured at the beginning of this season.
So, just how far can this team go? Optimism abounds. In a recent survey the excellent new Twitter account @WestHamPolls asked this very question with all but 3% of recipients currently expecting us to finish in eighth or above! Incidentally, if you are not following this particular account, get on it. It is run by son of HM and is picking up hundreds of followers a day at the moment because of the quality of its posts and its non-opinionated stance. Follows everyone back too!
Me? I would be happy with top eight, representing amazing progress both in the style of football as well as league table position from a year ago but, in truth, I am struggling to name five sides that I think will be good enough to finish above us.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 27
Tuesday, January 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th January 2016
Antonio - We have the belief to beat anyone
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Michail Antonio admits his side have the belief to beat any team in the country and was disappointed they could only take a point from the Manchester City game.
Having recorded a memorable double over Liverpool and securing big wins over Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, the Hammers winger says they were confident of coming away with another famous victory. The signs looked even better after Enner Valencia had fired the Hammers back into the lead at the start of the second half and Antonio was confident they would go on and secure all three points. But Sergio Aguero stole the headlines once again with a late equaliser and the players had to settle for a draw. With the club still in the top six and a big Emirates FA Cup tie against Liverpool on Saturday, Antonio says they are confident of enjoying a successful end to the campaign. Antonio said: "We are definitely heading in the right direction. It says a lot when we are disappointed to have only come away with a point against Manchester City. "We have got that belief that we can beat the top teams. We are just taking it game by game and trying to play well in every game that we play to help us come away with the three points. "We are quite disappointed that we could not come away with three points as we had enough opportunities to win the game. "They didn't have many chances and obviously had a penalty for the first goal and a scrappy for the second, so we feel it is two points dropped. "It was one of those days where it started a bit hectic. We scored an early goal and then they scored a penalty. "The game evened out a bit and then we managed to get a second. I thought we were going to hold out and then they got a ricochet goal which is disappointing but we have to move on."
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West Ham United 3 Cambridge United 1
WHUFC.com
West Ham United 3 Cambridge United 1
Stewart 47, Pearson 61, Neighbour 70 Biley 36
Friday 21 December 1979, Football League Division Two
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Alan Devonshire, Paul Allen, Stuart Pearson, David Cross (Geoff Pike), Trevor Brooking, Jimmy Neighbour
Cambridge United: Malcolm Webster, Dave Stringer, Derrick Christie (Chris Turner), Jimmy Calderwood, Steve Fallon, John O'Neill, Alan Biley, Steve Spriggs, George Reilly, Roger Gibbins, James Murray
For decades, football clubs all over the world have been devising new and innovative ways to tempt more supporters to attend their matches. West Ham United are no different, with a wide variety of memberships and ticket offers being utilised to attract fans to the Boleyn Ground. At various times of the season, crowds dwindle due to external circumstances – summer holidays in August and the pre-Christmas period to name but two. In December 1979, the Board took drastic action to try to avoid the loss of supporters to the shops by moving the Division Two fixture with Cambridge United forward from the traditional Saturday afternoon to Friday evening. In an editorial entitled 'Experiment Night' the matchday programme, the Club explained the move, while also alluding to the changing social trends of the time. "Tonight's match is part of an experiment that has been suggested to combat the 'Saturday before Christmas' decline in attendance at League matches. "For many years it has been a fact that during this weekend the demands of Christmas shopping have often outweighed the ability of some regular fans to attend League games on the Saturday afternoon. "In what were known as the 'good old days' the local High Street shops remained open at this time for much longer on pre-Christmas evenings."
It was not just the opening hours which had encouraged the Club to take action, though, as the editorial explained: "Nowadays, many more wives go to soccer, and other demands (such as part-time jobs) have also changed former habits. "So, to use a traditional English expression, 'if the mountain won't come to Mahomet, then Mohamet must go to the mountain'. In other words, soccer is having to accommodate itself to modern times."
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From the Terraces - Tony McDonald
WHUFC.com
EX Magazine editor Tony McDonald has penned an emotional new book entitled Upton Park Memories...
As first-time experiences go, my first visit to Upton Park will take some beating. It was Monday, August 26, 1968 and we brushed aside Burnley, 5-2, under the lights with goals from Geoff Hurst (2), Trevor Brooking (2) and Martin Peters. I watched with my dad Terry, a West Ham youth team product in the mid-50s, from our wooden seats quite close to the front of 'A' Block in the upper West Stand. But I remember very little of the game itself, except two teams wearing different combinations of the same colours. Even at the tender age of eight, I should have realised then that it was typical of West Ham to whack Burnley for five just a week after slumping to a 4-1 home defeat by Everton. After battering Burnley, we then walloped West Brom 4-0 in the next home game. It was all downhill from there!
Seriously, though, how lucky was I to begin my indoctrination watching Bobby Moore, Hurst and Peters on a regular basis, plus the emergence of Brooking, Billy Bonds and Frank Lampard – six Hammers legends playing together in one season, not forgetting steady Ron Boyce. No wonder I'm so difficult to please these days. That side didn't win any trophies but, under Ron Greenwood, it always attempted to play in an attacking, enterprising style that was easy on the eye. The 'West Ham Way', we called it.
Us little kids had to be at the ground by around lunch-time on Saturdays to guarantee a place on the wall at the front of the South Bank terrace, the vantage point from where I watched most games in that first starry-eyed 1968/69 season. The crowd was so close to the pitch, you could actually pat goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson on the back when he started his run-up before taking a goal-kick.
It was at that end of the ground that Hurst and Peters delivered pinpoint crosses for each other to head the goals that gave us a 2-0 lead in 15 minutes against Manchester City in November '68 (Francis Lee converted a late consolation penalty for the visitors). To think, the then new £170,000 East Stand had still not been fully opened – only the terraced area on the lower tier was ready – and in just a few months from now no-one will watch matches from there or anywhere else in this stadium again.
Author: Tony McDonald
From 1987 until 2005 it became my great privilege to interview or write about all the greats mentioned earlier, and countless others who have worn the shirt or managed West Ham, in my role as editor of the Club's official monthly magazine and match day programme; and now for our retro EX-Hammers mag that it still going strong after 13 years.
Players and managers come and go but fans remain constant. That's why it has been such a pleasure to put together and self-publish our brand new book, Upton Park Memories – a 372-page, full colour hardback tome crammed with stories and anecdotes as told by 200-plus supporters whose devotion to all things Claret and Blue spans every decade the Hammers have spent here at the Boleyn Ground.
Their shared experiences form a unique legacy and the typical characteristics of being a Hammer – loyalty, fighting spirit and self-deprecating Cockney humour – leap from every page of what is, just like supporting our team, an emotional rollercoaster.
To order Upton Park Memories direct from the publisher for £20 (£5 off the RRP and with free P&P in the UK), phone 01708 744 333 or go online at www.ex-hammers.com. Alternatively send cheque for £20 (payable to Football World) to: Football World (Upton Park Memories), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW.
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Fans' forum with DG, Ginge, Dicks and Antonio
WHUFC.com
Do you have a burning question for Joint-Chairman David Gold, Julian Dicks, James Collins or Michail Antonio?
If you are a Season Ticket Holder, Academy Member, Corporate Seasonal Member or New Stadium Season Ticket Priority List member, you could ask them in person at an exclusive free fans' forum bought to you by Betway on Wednesday 3 February at the Boleyn Ground.
The trio will appear at the Legends Lounge to answer questions on a whole manner of subjects, dictated by you. Arrival is from 6.30pm and the event starts at 7pm, with a brief opportunity for photos with the players from 6.45pm.
Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first-come, first-served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant. Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an Adult Season Ticket Holder.
To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 and select Option 3*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all spaces are filled.
Supporters can pick up their free tickets at the Betway Stand Ticket Office too.
Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for consideration by emailing supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly stating if it is for Mr Gold, Julian Dicks, James Collins or Michail Antonio.
Please ensure you include 'Fans' Form' in the subject of the email otherwise we cannot guarantee your question will be received.
If your question is selected we will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 1 February so please make sure your email reaches us by then.
*Calls are charged at 13p/min plus your phone company's access charge
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U18s secure Saints success
WHUFC.com
A last-minute winner from Jahmal Hector-Ingram saw West Ham United score a fine 2-1 Barclays U18 Premier League Southern Division victory over Southampton on Saturday. The Hammers had fallen behind before half-time, but produced a superb second-half comeback to make it back-to-back victories following a win at Reading the previous weekend. Southampton started the better of the two sides at Little Heath and Latvian goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics had already saved from Yan Valery before Ollie Cook scored nine minutes before half-time. West Ham hit back after the break and levelled on the hour-mark when impressive winger Dan Kemp switched flanks to good effect and hit a shot which took a wicked deflection to loop over Jake Hallett and level the scores. The hosts applied plenty of pressure after their equaliser, though the Saints seemed to stem the tide and even created chances of their own, with Thomas O'Connor striking an effort narrowly wide. With time running out, a long ball forward was seized upon by England youth international Hector-Ingram, who got free of the last defender before slotting the ball in under Hallett for the match-winner. While Southampton slipped to a seventh consecutive defeat and remain second-bottom, West Ham's second straight win lifted them to fifth in the table.
U18s: Matrevics, Eggleton (Madden 74), Borg, Carter (c), Akinola, Rice, Kanu, Lewis (Coventry 46), Hector-Ingram, Ford (Diangana 55), Kemp
Subs not used: Jake Leonard, Ben Johnson
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ExWHUEmployee Column: Forward situation-lots of ifs and buts
January 25, 2016
The WestHamWay.co.uk
ExWHUEmployee
So what a performance that was against Manchester City. We played really well and there were some brilliant performances. I know people find this hard to admit but I thought Mark Noble was superb, he won the ball countless times and started the attacks as well. He was everywhere and I am glad that some people in the press picked up on this. I thought his performance was also alongside Alex Song's best game for us in a long time. He finally seemed to be up to match fitness and again Kouyate played well too. I really thought he had scored at the end and it took me a long time to take my head out of my hands. I felt really sorry for Obiang being dropped as he had played really well but the performances of the other three made that look the correct decision.
I really thought Sam Bryam played really well after his unexpected early start to his West Ham career, he showed confidence and composure considering this was his first ever game for the club and in the Premier League. Martinez comments that he didn't really want him were just bitter and as I had said since November he was always our top target and he always wanted to join us and not Everton. The deal was in place for him to join Everton but he held on to our offer and until we could get it spot on. This leads me nicely onto transfers and the common theme here is that it is a domino effect.
We didn't want to sign Byram now, we wanted to sign him in the summer so we originally looked to loan him back to Leeds but they didn't want that and wanted the cash. We couldn't afford to bring him in/keep him this January unless a player moved on. We have secured him on a deal worth an initial wage of £25k a week going to £30k on clauses. As I have reported this window the players that we considered moving on were Jelavic, Song and Zarate. Jelavic had a move lined up to China where they would pay big money, but the club involved were going to offset that by trying to sign him on a free transfer. We paid approximately £3m for him at the end of the summer window so wanted some cash back for the player and wouldn't agree the move until this happened so this has ruled out his move so far.
Alex Song's agent had been in contact with other clubs and there was some interest being shown in him which we had considered. Song hadn't been on form at all and had looked a shadow of this former self. The interest appears to have died down and his performance against Manchester City probably means he is staying for the rest of the window.
This leads onto Zarate. Some initial interest was shown from Spanish clubs but again they didn't want to offer a huge amount in transfer fees so we had to take a slightly lower asking price than we would have liked to Zarate from Fiorentina but we wanted to move him on quickly. This has therefore freed up cash now because Zarate was on a lot more than Byram is now on. This has released some cash for us to sign another forward depending on what can be agreed with their club.
The number one target was Emineke as I reported last week. He would join on loan with a view to move in the summer. There are however issues with securing the deal with his club because they are demanding more of a fee than we expected plus a greater percentage of wages than we originally thought. There is also some baggage that he needs to sort out. We are currently locked into negotiations with his club and we are "close ish" to securing a move.
This has meant we have turned our attention elsewhere and revisited the previous target of Yilmaz. It hasn't been as close as had been reported previously and claims by some ITKs that both deals would be completed today (Sunday) were very far from the mark and guesses. This is not to say that we are not interested in Yilmaz, we are. A number of things need to be sorted before then. If Jelavic has a transfer fee in for him we could sign both players and as I said it is like dominos but if he doesn't then it changes things. Needless to say the chairman is working long and hard again.
Originally Emineke was first choice if that can't be sorted then we may look elsewhere. At the moment a number of things need to happen and this means the transfer situation could change very quickly, all of a sudden or not at all. I know this sounds vague but this is where it stands. There is also the dilemma that Valencia is now scoring, Jelavic has chipped in and Carroll and Sakho are not that far off returning from injury so do we need another forward?
There should be an announcement soon on the company who has won the rights to the Olympic stadiums naming rights and licensing. This announcement could come tomorrow and there has been some big name players involved. The company that has won is a major global force and this will be great for the club. The naming rights of the stadium will go to a poll of supporters and will be something that is the fans decision. I cannot say who it is because of the media implications but it shouldn't disappoint.
As far as the site goes we will have some videos to upload tomorrow with interviews from the Sullivan's, The Rib man and Jonjo Heuerman and his dad! We are hoping to do a bit more things like this but time will tell. I will try to update the transfer situation tomorrow should it change.
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LLDC veto West Ham's veto
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
The London Legacy Development Corporation has told an Olympic Stadium appeal hearing that West Ham United do NOT have the power to prevent other clubs from using the Olympic Stadium. West Ham have long insisted that the club has the power to prevent any other football club from sharing the Olympic Stadium. However that view is set to be challenged following a tribunal held in London this morning to determine whether the club and the LLDC were within their rights to withhold details pertaining to United's lease of the stadium. According to reports, the LLDC are understood to have told the hearing that West Ham do not have a veto on ground-sharing - and that both Tottenham and Chelsea could be offered a temporary home in Stratford whilst the redevelopment of White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge takes place. Back in September 2014, West Ham vice chair Karren Brady insisted that the club had the power to veto any potential ground-share. "In reality they [Tottenham] probably could [ground share the Olympic Stadium] – but only with our permission," she said. "No one has asked us for our permission and, if they did, we would probably say no, depending on who it is – if you get my drift. "We are the anchor tenant for the winter matches and nothing else can happen in that time without our permission and our football matches take priority over everything else."
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Yilmaz on but Emenike deal stalls
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic has admitted that the move to sign Emmanuel Emenike is in the balance - but insists he has other irons in the fire ahead of next week's transfer deadline. Bilic, speaking to Turkish sports outlet Fanatik confirmed that the move to sign the Fenerbahce striker was far from complete. "There is no clear agreement about Emenike," he said. "He is an important player but Fenerbahçe may need another striker first, so it's by no means certain that they will release him."
However there was somewhat better news with regards to fellow forward Burak Yilmaz, who KUMB revealed last week was being monitored by West Ham. "Yilmaz is a very good footballer," added Bilic. "He's an excellent striker and among the fittest of players. I know him very well and I admit that he is one of the names in our list. "But he is not the only player on our list. If we decide to take one striker, then we can take action."
Yilmaz, who has been linked with a €10million move to east London was spotted waving to Gala fans at the end of their 3-2 defeat at Osmanlispor on Saturday - a clear indication that he is set to leave the club, according to some Turkish supporters.
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Monday musings: a team to be reckoned with
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Graeme Howlett
That he and thousands of Irons supporters were left hugely frustrated by West Ham's 2-2 draw with title-chasing Manchester City at the Boleyn on Saturday afternoon was a mark of the steady progression the club has made under Slaven Bilic since he succeeded Sam Allardyce last summer. Despite having taken the lead twice, and initially within the opening 60 seconds, West Ham were pegged back on both occasions and ultimately forced to settle for a point against the Premier League title favourites. And although most Hammers fans will be happy at having taken four points from City this season, it could quite easily have been six out of six. Illustrating that the 2-1 win at the City of Manchester Stadium last September was no fluke, Bilic's side were more than a match for one of the world's most expensively-assembled football teams as the Boleyn Ground, whose time is nigh, was treated to at least one more fantastic game of football.
Enner Valencia, criticised in months gone by but answering his critics - myself included - in the perfect way was West Ham's hero, scoring either side of the interval. Unfortunately the in-form and ever-dangerous Sergio Aguero matched the Ecuador international every step of the way, grabbing a brace for the visitors, hitting the post and virtually saving them a point single-handedly.
But it wasn't just Valencia's goals that gave Hammers fans cause for further hope and optimism. Dimitri Payet - probably playing at his creative zenith at the age of 28 - dished up a stunning performance for his adoring public, who lapped up his repertoire of tricks with which he bamboozled City's superstars. Meanwhile Alex Song - the choice of many for Man of the Match - was back to his very best, whilst 22-year-old Sam Byram produced a thoroughly impressive debut for a youngster who was facing former Hammer Freddie Sears - rather than the likes of Aguero and David SIlva - in his last competitive outing (for Leeds at Ipswich in the Championship). Whereas a win against the Citizens would have kept West Ham hot on the heels of fourth-placed Tottenham, a Champions League place is looking less likely now as a result of the two points dropped - although Europa League qualification is still an achievable target, with Manchester United floundering in fifth place (one place and one point above the Hammers). However it's to the FA Cup that eyes turn next, as West Ham attempt to beat Liverpool for a third time this season when the two sides meet this coming Saturday. Even though West Ham's 3-0 win on Merseyside back in August was their first at Anfield since 1963, it'll take a brave man to bet against one of the most exciting United teams produced in the last 30 years.
*An abridged version of this article first appeared in the Echo newspaper.
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Frustrated Hammers look at options
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham have still had no answers from Fenerbache on their ambitions to bring Emmanuel Emenike to the club on loan. And the club's negotiators are continuing use Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz as ther 'back stop ' position should the they get no change on the Emenike situation. However, Burak Yilmaz was described as nd more than "a consideration" when we spoke to our sources inside the club late this afternoon (Mon). Interestingly – as this is not usually the case – the Hammers are quite strong on waning to sign Emenike to a permanent deal at the end of the three month loan period if they get the chance. But as ClaretandHugh explained a few days ago, the signing is complicated by neither his parent club, Fenerbahce, or the UAE club Al Ain, where he is on loan, seemingly want to talk. Slaven Bilic likes the player a lot and intends to pursue the deal for as long as possible before possibly turning to Yilmaz although we were told this evening that the club have a third "scenario we are following."
However, our source refused to give a name declaring that it really was a top secret operation at this stage.
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Irons confident FA Cup allocation will sell out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are struggling to sell their allocation of 3,000 tickets for the FA Cup encounter with Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.
This morning at 9am when the tickets went on sale to Academy members only 2,536 tickets had been sold from the 3,000 allocation.
A source close to the ticket office told ClaretandHugh "We will comfortably reach general sale tomorrow so it would suggest, despite the outrage online, the demand is being satisfied by the allocation we have taken as we know the most dedicated and committed fans are the paying Season ticket holders or Academy Members.
We naturally had the right to the 15% and kept this option until after the priority point deadline had passed to help us gauge demand and at that stage it showed, as the above sales figures supports, there was not the need to commit to 6000 tickets on a sale only policy."
liverpoolThere was outrage on social media last week when it was revealed that West Ham had only taken an allocation of 3,000. Exeter City took an initial allocation of 4,000 which they later increased to 6,000. On this occasion, taking into account it will be broadcast live on BT Sport, it appears the club got it right.
Our source added: "As always, the board will take the highest away allocation wherever possible, and at times we must point out there is only so much the club can do to keep the fans happy while maintaining the board's policy of keeping the club solvent and having to pay for unsold/unrequired away tickets."
lanziniAn email reply sent to fans who complained to ticket office about the Anfield allocation read:
"Thank you for your time and email I understand you are aggrieved at the potential allocation for Liverpool but I just wanted to briefly explain this is based on several factors; not only the lack of transport options on the return journey, the TV selection impact this has on attendance, January being a difficult month for many fans post-Christmas and this historically impacting ticket sales but also recent demand.
For our visit to Anfield which was a 3pm kick off in August this season out of the 3,000 allocation we only actually sold and took 2,345 fans.
For this tie we naturally still hold the right to take the full 15% allocation and have discussed this with Liverpool ahead of this allocation informing them that if demand surpasses expectations and we need more then we will react accordingly but as expected early indications show that this fixture will reach general sale comfortably as it did earlier in the season."
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Brady confident on £20m striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News
C and H
Karren Brady believes David Sullivan's track record in the transfer market will ensure that we grab the £20 million "twenty goals a season striker" he has regularly discussed over recent days. Brady – in a recent column – declared that having landed No 1 target Dimi Payet in 48 hours "I am sure he will demonstrate that nous again this summer, with plans to spend £20m plus on a proven forward. She said: "Dimitri Payet, for instance, had long been a player David admired.so, when Slaven Bilic cited him as his No¿1 target, David secured his signature within 48 hours." She claimed that the midfielder had been "plucked from under the noses of so-called bigger clubs for just over .and said: "Signing of the summer, they call him. "David has revamped our transfer strategy and scouting set-up and is heavily involved in the Academy. Effectively, he is the director of football It is no coincidence that formerly unheralded Manuel Lanzini, Diafra Sakho, Adrian, Cheikhou Kouyate and Aaron Cresswell have been a revelation. And I am sure he will demonstrate that nous again this summer, with plans to spend £20m plus on a proven forward."
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Leroy puts huge fee on Hammers star
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in Leroy's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
We were magnificent against Manchester City and should have won. Without that pest Aguero we would have done. But Saturday evening should have finally convinced the manager and the players that they are now a top six side and the confidence factor has set them up brilliantly for the rest of the season. We have yet to be beaten by Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea – how long is it since we've been able to say such a thing. Dimitri Payet was the man of the match but Cheik Kouyate had another powerhouse game in the middle of the park – he is an outstanding player and is everything that the very disappointing Yaya Toure was a few years back. His runs and storming approach to the game had City at full stretch throughout and frankly I believe he is now a £40 million player. There's not a club in England or Europe who wouldn't want the guy in his team. I love him and his approach to the game. He's brilliant.
He can play in midfield at the back and if he was asked to would go and do a job at centre forward. It was a brilliant piece of work by the chairman to bring him in for £7 million. I will discuss Payet and why I believe he is a Hammer for a good long time in a column later today. This is the best West Ham squad for years and years and I think we can stop talking about joining the big clubs – we have arrived this season and there's so much more to come. If you feel I'm a bit OTT today fair enough. I don't agree. This really is a great Hammers squad and the sky truly is the limit.
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Hammers wait on loan striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham still have Emmanuel Emenike as their No 1 loan striker prospect but are still waiting to get answers from Fenerbache. We reported over the weekend there were problems in reaching the Fenerbache negotiating team and we understand that there have still been no meaningful discussions on a possible switch. The Hammers want to do a loan until the end of the season with an option to buy although with a 20 goals a season striker on their minds at around £20 million that only has a 50/50 chance of happening. Meanwhile the club continues to be linked with a move for Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz although that has never been confirmed by club insiders. And Slaven Bilic publicly declared recently: ""At the moment it is only rumours. He is a very important player for Galatasary and we are well covered in those positions. "We are still expecting all our strikers to come back from injury in a couple of weeks time. Players like Yilmaz are always linked with clubs, not just West Ham." Yilmaz is 31 in July and could not be seen as a permanent signing on that basis alone – at best he may be a last ditch option were the Emenike loan hopes to crash. Bilic now has to decide whether he is ready to take on anther striker or stick with what he's got as Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll approach fitness.
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Song on Byram
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News
C and H
Alex Song was back to his best against Manchester City and picked up the man of the match award. All the majestic poise and composure was in place as he showed the club he is ready to fight until the end of the season for the long term deal he is desperate to land. But he was as concerned and pleased with another Iron's performance as his own and was fulsome in his praise for new boy Sam Byram. He said: "Jenks was injured, but we have a young player who came in for his first game, it was brilliant." Song told West Ham TV. "He shows he's not scared of anything. It was a very good start for him and I told him 'good luck, you have a very good future." And on the performance generally he added: "We're doing very good things when we start and at the end of the game. Maybe sometimes we lose a bit, maybe one second, we lose concentration and they scored again, but sometimes this happens. We have to keep focused to look forward to the next step. "But it's good as well that we didn't lose, we have to look forward, we have to produce the same performance when we play away like we did on Saturday."
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Song told 'one swallow doesn't make a summer'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Alex Song will need to maintain the level of performance he he displayed in his man of the match display against Manchester City on Saturday evening if he is to cash in with a permanent deal at the end of the season. Song looked to be returning to his best although some were surprised he picked up the award ahead of goalscorer Enner Valencia and inspirational Dimi Payet.
The club are monitoring Song's performances carefully indeed but one insider said to us this afternoon "One swallow doesn't make a summer does it?" The Hammers have the option to buy at the end of the season and it was made clear he will need to stay at this level or better to get his deal. Our source said: "It's obvious the club would love to get him on a permanent deal if he can keep things going – he likes us. We like him. It's while we even signed him to a loan deal whilst he was injured. However, the pressure is truly on Alex and every other player as we are slowly developing into a very good top six team and in those circumstances every player has to be on his game all the time. "We have no reason to make a decision at this stage – we will watch him, assess him and make our decision in the summer."
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WHAT NEXT FOR CARL JENKINSON?
By Iain Dale 25 Jan 2016 at 18:00 305 comments
WTID
Guest Post by East Coast Claret
Jenks, what now?
I, like most others on here, am enjoying our current season and the future it holds, what with an honest and exciting manager, great players wanting to play for our shirt and the move to the OS.However all is not well for everybody, and so I am drawn to write my first ever article for the WHTID faithful. Be gentle guys as I bruise like a peach….
After doing so well, Jenkinsons footballing life seems to have hit the proverbial brick wall. Owned by Arsenal and with no chance of first team football West Ham took him on loan. Used extensively and with a first team place pretty much guaranteed,life was looking good, the fans spoke highly of him, his play improved, staff at the club liked him and he seemed to have a good attitude. Then at the end of last season,it all appeared to go wrong.
Whilst most of us thought at the end of his loan deal, his own contract running down and no real interest from Arsenal he would make moves towards a more permanent place with us. The attraction for him to sign permanently,for us, seemed obvious, New manager with a different,exciting outlook to the way we play, an outstanding brand new stadium on the horizon, and new exciting players on the way in. However, the gunners draw must have been strong for Jenks as the Arsenal boy went and signed a long contract with them on improved money. I don't blame him as I'm sure his advisors would have helped in his decision, but I do wonder if he considered where it would place him in the grand scheme of things. Again, with no hope of first team football at his parent club, a decision was made to resign for West Ham on loan, but things have changed at West Ham. In my view, his adopted home resented him for not looking more favourably towards us. He is costing us more money whilst we drive up his value to the Arsenal. Something had to change so we started looking for a replacement, and horror of horrors his form dropped. Suddenly, I feel, he realised his mistake. His wages are so high and with a laughable price tag put up by Wenger, no one will buy him, Arsenal don't want him, and West Ham are done with him at the end of the season.
Tomkins, a centre-back, is played instead of him at every opportunity and his confidence is shot to pieces. Then to compound the problem, Byram comes up six months early and is snapped up from under Everton's nose. Pressure builds up to the Man City game, Tonks can't play, time to step up and prove his worth and his place and then, in nine minutes, it all comes crashing down by him giving away a penalty and in doing so injures himself. His body language tells me he is but a shadow of himself and cannot wait to get off the pitch. To further crush his already shattered confidence, he then watches Byram play a blinding debut.
So what happens now? It seems such a shame I think his season with us is all but limited to a peripheral role, at best third choice. I really cannot see Arsenal including him in their plans, and his financial arrangements make him a very expensive loan deal. I still think he is a good player and with his confidence built back up could be of use to us, but what of next season? How can he resurrect his career and with which club? Could he, if a more realistic price tag is attached, be a permanent hammer?
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Richard Keys reluctantly dedicates two words to West Ham in his blog
HITC
Tim Poole
The presenter has been discussing West Ham's Premier League season so far. Richard Keys believes West Ham United were 'very good' this weekend, according to his personal blog. But that's all the presenter said as he reluctantly dedicated two words to the east London club. Keys wrote: "Leicester. Terrific. Keep it going lads. West Ham - very good." Now, a line like that normally isn't headline stuff. But Keys praising the Hammers is almost as big of a shock as Mark Lawrenson doing so. And the fact West Ham only get two words during a blog that's far longer than usual from Keys probably bares significance. Indeed, Keys has spent all season sticking to his 'prediction' that the east London side will fall down the table and, ultimately, regret letting Sam Allardyce go and replacing him with current head coach Slaven Bilic. It's only natural, then, that the presenter says less and less about West Ham until their next bad result comes along. That weekend, there will be a whole article dedicated to them. When they win again, likely silence...
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West Ham United tracking Marseille winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United are apparently keen to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window. According to the Guardian, West Ham United are scouting Marseille winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou.
The Hammers had scouts at Marseille's most recent match, with the 20-year-old believed to be the player they had their eyes on. N'Koudou has been one of the most dangerous attacking threats in France this season, despite playing for a Marseille side who have struggled to live up to expectations. The youngster has scored eight times and claimed four assists in just 21 appearances in domestic and European competition. West Ham already have some excellent wing options at the club, but Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his squad even further. The Hammers realise that they have an opportunity to make it into Europe this season, and are prepared to invest to try to put themselves in the best position to establish a place in the top six.
West Ham have already signed Sam Byram from Leeds United, while Sky Sports suggests that they want Emmanuel Emenike.
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West Ham won't miss Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll with Enner Valencia hitting form
GiveMeFootball.com
Last season, West Ham fell away in the second half of the season with both Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll spending time out injured. This time out, the pair are out injured at the same time again, but after Enner Valencia looked at his best in scoring twice against Manchester City, it could be a different story this time around. So far this season, West Ham have been superb. Slaven Bilic has bought a new attacking brand of football to Upton Park and they are flying high in the Premier League. If they can keep this form up in the second half of the campaign, they could be in with an outside shot of the Champions League places.
In terms of goals, Carroll and Sakho have only got six between them this season. However, they both offer different things to their side. Sakho works well with the side's fellow attacking players, as he fits well with the style alongside the likes of Dimitri Payet and Victor Moses. His pace and ability to run in behind means he can get involved with the link-up play in the team. Carroll is a totally different animal. He plays the role as a target man as well as almost any other striker in the league. This was abundantly clear against Chelsea earlier on this season, where he rose highest to head home the winner.
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Slaven Bilic confirms Burak Yilmaz is on West Ham transfer list
Posted by Emre Sarigul January 25, 2016
turkishfootball.com
Slaven Bilic has responded to transfer speculation regarding West Ham making an offer for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz confirming that the Turkish international is on his transfer list.
Bilic told Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik: "Burak Yilmaz is one of the players currently on our transfer list." The West Ham boss also revealed that he is a fan of the Galatasaray striker and has been since working in Turkey as Besiktas manager. Bilic spent two seasons coaching the Black Eagles during his time in Turkey. "Burak Yilmaz is a very good player he is a great forward and has been in excellent form I know him very well," he added. West Ham are reported to have made a €7 million bid for the prolific striker according to the Hurriyet.
Yilmaz has a prolific goal scoring record hitting the back of the net 81 times in 140 games for Galatasaray winning two league titles and years of Champions League experience. The 30-year-old striker also had an impressive goal record at Trabzonspor scoreing 58 times in 93 games for the Black Sea Storm. Yilmaz also has 19 international goals in 42 games for the Turkish national team.
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West Ham's Winston returns for a 'ding dong' clash with Manchester City
Newham Recorder
13:30 25 January 2016 Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
West Ham defender Winston Reid had battled with Sergio Aguero for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, seen him score two goals as the Hammers were pegged back twice, but surprisingly it was not the little Argentinian striker that had really troubled him most. "I think he is dangerous from the point of view that when he gets the ball in your half, you need to be tight to him, but for me it was more the second wave that comes at you from midfield," explained the 27-year-old, who has played over 150 games in claret and blue. "You have to watch where the runs are coming from and with the second goal, it is trying to get the blocks in. Aaron (Cresswell) tried to get a block in and it went straight to Aguero and sometimes that is the luck of the draw."
It certainly is, but despite that late equaliser, Reid thought that it was an excellent game and a good performance. Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores his side's second goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match at Upton Park, London.Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores his side's second goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match at Upton Park, London. "It was a bit of a ding dong game and they are a tough team to play against," he said. "We had other chances too and it showed what a class keeper Joe Hart is that he saved Dimi's (Payet's) free kick. It was right in the top corner. "At the end we had a chance with Cheikhou Kouyate, but it wasn't to be. It was a good performance and we needed to bounce back from the disappointment against Newcastle. "It was a great game for the fans and it shows how far we have come as a team to be disappointed in not winning against a team like Man City."
He is absolutely right and it shows just how good team spirit is in the camp, that someone with the quality of Reid can be left out for a couple of games and not be banging on the manager's door demanding to be reinstated. "I haven't been frustrated, no," insisted Reid. "I spoke to the manager and he told me how the situation was. The defence has been doing really well since I have been out and I said to him that it is not a problem, when I am needed he can call upon me to play. "Everyone wants to play of course, but I know the situation. I trained hard and it gave me a couple of extra weeks to get my fitness back up."
It was Angelo Ogbonna who was the unlucky one who dropped out for this game, but now Reid is back in the starting line-up, it will be difficult to remove him. "It has been a little while since I played against Wolves, but I felt ok after the City game," he said. "It did help me that I trained fully for a couple of weeks, but I know I can get better and will do over the coming games." Few would doubt that and with Ogbonna, James Collins and James Tomkins all vying for two places, it seems that West Ham have never had it so good for central defenders.
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Mario Balotelli set for shock Liverpool return with West Ham and West Brom keen
MARIO BALOTELLI is close to a return to Liverpool as AC Milan consider terminating his loan deal.
By UCHE AMAKO
PUBLISHED: 11:43, Mon, Jan 25, 2016 | UPDATED: 12:14, Mon, Jan 25, 2016
Express
Mario Balotelli could be on his way back to Liverpool. The Italian joined the Reds in the summer of 2014 for £16m but failed to impress and was sent back on a season-long loan to Milan.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old came on as a second-half substitute for Milan in a 2-2 draw with Empoli after missing the last few months through injury. But according to reports in Italy, the Serie A side are ready to end the loan move early. Italian website Calciomercato say Balotelli's representatives are pushing for a return to England with West Ham and West Brom among the clubs interested in taking the player before the end of the transfer window. Earlier this month Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked as Liverpool boss in last October, admitted he was forced to sign Balotelli after they missed out on Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal. He said: "We needed a player who could press at the top of the pitch; it wasn't just a goalscorer we were after because Luis Suárez was giving us so much more than that. "After a friendly against Milan I was asked the question and I felt Mario wasn't someone who suited the profile of what we were after. But come the end of the summer when we were struggling to get in the type of player we wanted, the ownership thought this was perhaps a player I could develop. "He's a wonderful talent, there's no doubt about that; you see him on the training ground every day – tall, strong, great touch. They were thinking this is a £50m player we could maybe get for £16m.
"When the owners are wanting you to go down that route and there's no other option, you give it a go."
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DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART (AGAIN)
By Mike Ireson 25 Jan 2016 at 12:00
WTID
Ok Exeter City, you had your chance, in fact you had 2. But you blew it, and in to my little black book you go. You join in the little black book of irrational hatred the likes of AFC Wimbledon, Kevin Costner, James Nesbitt and Bono to name but a few. And the reason for your entry? Well I'm afraid that is because you failed to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup. A little harsh? Absolutely not. Because now West Ham must play Liverpool in the cup with live TV coverage, and that means 'it' will be dragged up and raked over. Again and again. 'It' still upsets me, 'it' gives me a horrible feeling in my stomach. 'It' is the day my footballing heart was broken.
On the 7th January 2006 I and my sons had a pleasant drive in to Norfolk to see West Ham beat Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. From what I remember it wasn't a bad affair and it was just a routine away game. In the words of every rubbish horror movie tag line you have ever seen – little did we know what it would lead to. Fast forward 3 and a bit months and my boys and I were at Villa Park. The FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough. I had a tear in my eye.
Nothing to do with the football, that was because of the tenner I had had to fork out to park my car at the front of a small industrial unit half a mile from the ground. If you've ever driven to Villa Park you'll know all about the parking rackets there. I digress, anyway, 78 minutes, Marlon Harewood, thank you very much. The joy, the excitement. I can vividly remember faces from that day. At the final whistle the explosion of delight was something truly amazing.
And personally I had my 3 sons aged between 11 and 15 with me. As a Dad you dream of moments like this when you can give your kids footballing memories they will never forget. Mine were at the right ages to soak it all up and be in wonder at it all. So, we were in the FA Cup final. I was 11 the last time we were there and now I was going to get to take my own children of that age. Getting tickets for the game at the Millennium Stadium was an online affair for season ticket holders and I was excitedly trying to get tickets when they were released. The tickets that were offered to me were up in the gods somewhere. Not happy. But I noticed a 'reselect seats' button. So I hit it. The next tickets were slightly better but not brilliant, so I hit the button again. I soon worked out the online system was offering tickets row by row, block by block. If I had the nerve to persist I might end up with really decent seats. After an hour I was offered row B of the upper tier. I was getting cocky now, I knew the system. I rejected them and ploughed on. After 5 minutes regretting the decision as I got worried I may have blown my chance of the best tickets available. But, after two and a half hours of tension up came row A, upper tier. Thank you kindly I'll have those. It had been nerve racking and I had repetitive strain injury of the mouse hand but it had been worth it.
On the day of the final as we made our way to the seats I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back. The view from our front row seats was astonishing and completely unobstructed.
I spoke last week about not letting expectation in to your footballing life because of its pant pulling, bottom smacking tendencies. And on that day I kept it well at bay. I played up the whole making a day of it vibe for my kids. Just to lower the blow of any defeat. Even at 2-0 up I refused to let any thoughts of lifting the trophy in to my head. There was still a long way to go. In the 88th minute I cracked. 3-2 up, I looked at my kids and thought 'my god we're actually going to win it and they will have memories money can't buy. I thought of their faces as we lifted the trophy.'
A couple of minutes later I watched the fourth official hold up 4 minutes on his board. Then of course SG (I refuse to write his name) scored that goal. We were directly in line with him. As it left his foot we could see it was going it. I'm getting the sick, bottom of the stomach feeling I had then as I remember it and write this. I don't have to go through what happened after that. That game though affected me like no other. For the first half of the next season I just couldn't get in to it like I had done before. I remember many a time in my seat at Upton Park just not 'feeling it'. My footballing heart had not just been broken it had been kicked around and stomped on. So Exeter now you know why you must go in the book.
COYI
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€8m West Ham target hints at Galatasaray exit after missing training
Posted by Emre Sarigul January 25, 2016
West Ham have made a €7 million bid for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz according to the Hurriyet. The report claims that the Hammers have made a bid that will see the east London based side pay €6 million upfront and a further €1 million instalment if the club ensure Europa League football. Yilmaz added further fuel to the transfer speculation when he missed training yesterday. The Turkish international striker also caused a media storm after he waved to fans following his goal in the 3-2 defeat against Osmanlıspor yesterday. Yılmaz scored a stunning goal against the Ankara based side but his goal celebration raised the question of whether he was bidding farewell to Galatasaray supporters. Galatasaray are currently facing up to two years out of UEFA competition football for failing to meet Financial Fair Play regulations and could be tempted to sell in order to comply with the rules. Yılmaz has been one of the most prolific strikers in the league over recent years and has scored 81 times in 140 games for the Lions. The 30-year-old striker also has won the league title twice and has years of Champions League experience.
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West Ham chief provides striker transfer update and discusses Sam Bryam debut
London 24
07:29 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
David Sullivan says West Ham are working on 'a very complicated deal' to bring a striker into Upton Park before the window closes. Following Mauro Zarate's move to Fiorentina the Hammers have been linked with a string of forwards including £5.2m rated Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz and Nigerian Emmanuel Emenike. And speaking on Sunday night Sullivan revealed that the deal may fall through but they are trying their best to add a new attacking recruit with a week until the window closes. "We may look to bring another forward in," he told the club's official website. "We're working on a very complicated deal at the moment, which may or may not come off, so we will have to see how that progresses." Saturday evening saw West Ham earn a credible 2-2 draw with Manchester City at Upton Park, a match which saw Sam Bryam thrown in for his debut. The signing from Leeds began the match on the bench with Carl Jenkinson having been given the nod. But the Arsenal loanee suffered an early injury and Bryam was sent on. And Sullivan liked what he saw. "I thought Sam Byram, who wasn't expected to play, did very well on his debut," he added. "He had cramp at the end as he'd missed a few days of training. It's a big jump and he's got to adapt but I think he did well."
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West Ham tie up deal for bruising midfield talent after Sam Byram addition
London 24
07:45 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
West Ham have taken 17-year-old powerful midfielder Sander Berge on trial for a week with a deal expected to be done for the Valerenga man. The Hammers are still in the hunt for a new striker before the transfer window ends, having already added Leeds United's Sam Bryam to their squad, but they are also likely to snap up Berge. The 17-year-old has arrived for a week-long trial, revealed on Valerenga's official website. It makes Berge the second Norwegian at Upton Park with Martin Samuelsen currently impressing out on loan with League One Peterborough and shows Slaven Bilic certainly has one eye on the future of West Ham.
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Alex Song reveals Sam Byram advice after memorable Manchester City debut
London 24
08:49 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
Sam Bryam was 'brilliant' for West Ham on his surprise debut, says team-mate Alex Song. Song was named as the sponsors' man of the match for his display in a rare start at the heart of the Hammers' midfield but it was last week's signing from Leeds that caught Song's eye. Carl Jenkinson was recalled to the starting line-up at right-back but limped off shortly after conceding a penalty to help Manchester City draw level. Byram was then thrown into the action for his Premier League bow but produced an acomplished display and Song told the 22-year-old that his future is looking very bright indeed. "Jenks was injured, but we have a young player who came in for his first game, it was brilliant," Song told West Ham TV. "He shows he's not scared of anything. It was a very good start for him and I told him 'good luck, you have a very good future.'" Next up for Song and Byram is an FA Cup tie at Liverpool on Saturday evening.
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DON'T WAKE THE GERMAN - AND DON'T MENTION THE DRAW!
By HamburgHammer 25 Jan 2016 at 08:00
WTID
It's gonna happen any moment, just as I turn over on the other side in my bed, still smiling over that cheeky second goal of ours against City after outfoxing the most expensive backline in the Premier League with a simple quickly taken throw in, not long now, any minute the telephone will ring. Unless the alarm clock rings first to violently pull me away from this fantasy world. I'll wake up, rub my eyes, trudge past the telly on my way to the bathroom to check out teletext. I fully expect us having lost at home to Man City by a three goal margin, I expect to see the Premier League table and finding West Ham in another typical relegation scrap in 17th place with a one point lead over Leicester in 18th place.
But then I realise with glee it wasn't just a beautiful dream, indeed we drew 2:2 with Man City and they were the much luckier team, having to respect the point despite all their financial prowess. It was us who played like Champions, not them.
It really is West Ham in 5th place in touching distance to the promised land of the top four, well ahead of schedule. As for Leicester, well, their fairytale is even more amazing as they are on their way to guaranteed CL football next season taking the place reserved for Chelsea or Liverpool at the start of the season.
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At some point those on here who write articles or post comments surely must run out of superlatives, praises and glowing observations about how fantastic Slaven Bilic is doing, how well the team is performing, how utterly breathtaking our brand of football has become in such a short space of time, despite numerous injuries to key players.
We more than matched City and their carefully assembled ensemble of star players, primadonnas and the perceived cream of the crop.
This is (yet another) dawn that promises a grand future for our beloved club, but could it be for real this time around ?
When I look at West Ham these days there's not a lot to be unhappy about. One actually feels a bit of a twat moaning about fairly minor stuff that is just part and parcel of being a sports team. Yes, even under Slaven Bilic certain things don't go as planned. Poor Carl Jenkinson being a prime example. After last season the issue looked straightforward enough: Bring him back in on another loan with an option to buy, let him repeat his performance levels, pay the fee and Bob's your uncle!
Alas, before he came he was forced to sign a long term deal at his favorite club Arsenal (to protect their investment) and while he got a wage rise West Ham didn't get an option to sign Jenkinson for West Ham on a permanent deal at the end of the season, plus Arsenal quoting a fairly optimistic transfer fee to put it mildly.
As we all know from this point it went downhill quickly for Jenkinson, despite scoring some vital goals (not in his job description) he made far too many and regular blunders (which were also not in his job description and often proved costly) and played himself out of contention really. Tomkins took his place and when James wasn't in the squad for the Man City game for whatever reason this was Jenkinson's big opportunity to put things right. Instead he felled Aguero with a clumsy and totally uncalled for challenge in the box, gifted them a penalty after ten minutes or so while injuring himself in the process to add said injury to the previously accumulated insult.
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If even possible, this will have shot his confidence even further. At this point you wouldn't bet against him losing out against Sunday League opposition. There is quite a bit of skill buried deep inside the player still but it's all hidden under a massive heap of doubt, confusion and anxiety. I'm sure this injury now will make sure that Arsenal won't take him back from his loan with us and we now find ourselves in a lose-lose situation all around: Arsenal aren't happy that Jenkinson won't get much more gametime this season (especially with young Byram performing like a seasoned old trooper, pretty much taking Jenkinson's spot of challenging Tomkins for the RB spot) as they will see his market value plummet further. 15 million ? 1,5 million at this stage maybe.
West Ham obviously aren't happy about wasting a lot of loan fee money and wages on Jenkinson (luckily though I don't expect us having to pay many more appearance fees for him to Arsenal) and the player himself cannot be satisfied with how things are turning out for him
This article is turning far too glum at this point though, so let's finish off the Jenkinson issue and give a quick moan in passing about how poorly Moses performed when he came on against City. In hindsight it might have been wiser to bring on Jelavic first as he showed much more endeavour, passion and effort during his time on the pitch than the Chelsea loanee. That's my negativity done for this bit folks.
Back to a more pleasing topic: HOW good are we already with Bilic at the helm after just a little more than half a season ? We haven't even begun spending serious money on new arrivals. But we have so many pieces of the jigsaw in place already that this dawn looks unlikely to merge into dusk without so much as daylight or rays of sunshine.
We appear to have a proper scouting network for once, bringing in both experienced players like Payet (who bring great value for money) as well as promising starlets like Samuelsen, Lanzini , Oxford or Byram who hopefully will spend the best years of their careers at the Boleyn, sorry, the Olympic Stadium for West Ham.
If we are this good already, how good can we be with further player additions and less injuries ? We play football the way it should be played, we have a much more unified and happier fanbase…and we've got Payet, Dmitri Payet. And contrary to the lyrics in that ditty more and more people, rival fans and players as well as pundits DO begin to understand.
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West Ham are on the verge of something truly beautiful for which the claret and blue faithful have been waiting for so many years. Some of us longer than others. We all deserve this so much. We are finally due a bit of good fortune, time to get it out of all those various hiding places it's been using throughout our history.
So please don't wake this German Hammer just yet, let him dream on for a few more minutes. Or a few years. Unless you can convince me it's not a dream after all.
And West Ham are indeed playing as well as we are under Bilic. I probably still won't quite believe it. But I may get used to all this goodness in time…COYI!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Michail Antonio admits his side have the belief to beat any team in the country and was disappointed they could only take a point from the Manchester City game.
Having recorded a memorable double over Liverpool and securing big wins over Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, the Hammers winger says they were confident of coming away with another famous victory. The signs looked even better after Enner Valencia had fired the Hammers back into the lead at the start of the second half and Antonio was confident they would go on and secure all three points. But Sergio Aguero stole the headlines once again with a late equaliser and the players had to settle for a draw. With the club still in the top six and a big Emirates FA Cup tie against Liverpool on Saturday, Antonio says they are confident of enjoying a successful end to the campaign. Antonio said: "We are definitely heading in the right direction. It says a lot when we are disappointed to have only come away with a point against Manchester City. "We have got that belief that we can beat the top teams. We are just taking it game by game and trying to play well in every game that we play to help us come away with the three points. "We are quite disappointed that we could not come away with three points as we had enough opportunities to win the game. "They didn't have many chances and obviously had a penalty for the first goal and a scrappy for the second, so we feel it is two points dropped. "It was one of those days where it started a bit hectic. We scored an early goal and then they scored a penalty. "The game evened out a bit and then we managed to get a second. I thought we were going to hold out and then they got a ricochet goal which is disappointing but we have to move on."
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West Ham United 3 Cambridge United 1
WHUFC.com
West Ham United 3 Cambridge United 1
Stewart 47, Pearson 61, Neighbour 70 Biley 36
Friday 21 December 1979, Football League Division Two
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Alan Devonshire, Paul Allen, Stuart Pearson, David Cross (Geoff Pike), Trevor Brooking, Jimmy Neighbour
Cambridge United: Malcolm Webster, Dave Stringer, Derrick Christie (Chris Turner), Jimmy Calderwood, Steve Fallon, John O'Neill, Alan Biley, Steve Spriggs, George Reilly, Roger Gibbins, James Murray
For decades, football clubs all over the world have been devising new and innovative ways to tempt more supporters to attend their matches. West Ham United are no different, with a wide variety of memberships and ticket offers being utilised to attract fans to the Boleyn Ground. At various times of the season, crowds dwindle due to external circumstances – summer holidays in August and the pre-Christmas period to name but two. In December 1979, the Board took drastic action to try to avoid the loss of supporters to the shops by moving the Division Two fixture with Cambridge United forward from the traditional Saturday afternoon to Friday evening. In an editorial entitled 'Experiment Night' the matchday programme, the Club explained the move, while also alluding to the changing social trends of the time. "Tonight's match is part of an experiment that has been suggested to combat the 'Saturday before Christmas' decline in attendance at League matches. "For many years it has been a fact that during this weekend the demands of Christmas shopping have often outweighed the ability of some regular fans to attend League games on the Saturday afternoon. "In what were known as the 'good old days' the local High Street shops remained open at this time for much longer on pre-Christmas evenings."
It was not just the opening hours which had encouraged the Club to take action, though, as the editorial explained: "Nowadays, many more wives go to soccer, and other demands (such as part-time jobs) have also changed former habits. "So, to use a traditional English expression, 'if the mountain won't come to Mahomet, then Mohamet must go to the mountain'. In other words, soccer is having to accommodate itself to modern times."
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From the Terraces - Tony McDonald
WHUFC.com
EX Magazine editor Tony McDonald has penned an emotional new book entitled Upton Park Memories...
As first-time experiences go, my first visit to Upton Park will take some beating. It was Monday, August 26, 1968 and we brushed aside Burnley, 5-2, under the lights with goals from Geoff Hurst (2), Trevor Brooking (2) and Martin Peters. I watched with my dad Terry, a West Ham youth team product in the mid-50s, from our wooden seats quite close to the front of 'A' Block in the upper West Stand. But I remember very little of the game itself, except two teams wearing different combinations of the same colours. Even at the tender age of eight, I should have realised then that it was typical of West Ham to whack Burnley for five just a week after slumping to a 4-1 home defeat by Everton. After battering Burnley, we then walloped West Brom 4-0 in the next home game. It was all downhill from there!
Seriously, though, how lucky was I to begin my indoctrination watching Bobby Moore, Hurst and Peters on a regular basis, plus the emergence of Brooking, Billy Bonds and Frank Lampard – six Hammers legends playing together in one season, not forgetting steady Ron Boyce. No wonder I'm so difficult to please these days. That side didn't win any trophies but, under Ron Greenwood, it always attempted to play in an attacking, enterprising style that was easy on the eye. The 'West Ham Way', we called it.
Us little kids had to be at the ground by around lunch-time on Saturdays to guarantee a place on the wall at the front of the South Bank terrace, the vantage point from where I watched most games in that first starry-eyed 1968/69 season. The crowd was so close to the pitch, you could actually pat goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson on the back when he started his run-up before taking a goal-kick.
It was at that end of the ground that Hurst and Peters delivered pinpoint crosses for each other to head the goals that gave us a 2-0 lead in 15 minutes against Manchester City in November '68 (Francis Lee converted a late consolation penalty for the visitors). To think, the then new £170,000 East Stand had still not been fully opened – only the terraced area on the lower tier was ready – and in just a few months from now no-one will watch matches from there or anywhere else in this stadium again.
Author: Tony McDonald
From 1987 until 2005 it became my great privilege to interview or write about all the greats mentioned earlier, and countless others who have worn the shirt or managed West Ham, in my role as editor of the Club's official monthly magazine and match day programme; and now for our retro EX-Hammers mag that it still going strong after 13 years.
Players and managers come and go but fans remain constant. That's why it has been such a pleasure to put together and self-publish our brand new book, Upton Park Memories – a 372-page, full colour hardback tome crammed with stories and anecdotes as told by 200-plus supporters whose devotion to all things Claret and Blue spans every decade the Hammers have spent here at the Boleyn Ground.
Their shared experiences form a unique legacy and the typical characteristics of being a Hammer – loyalty, fighting spirit and self-deprecating Cockney humour – leap from every page of what is, just like supporting our team, an emotional rollercoaster.
To order Upton Park Memories direct from the publisher for £20 (£5 off the RRP and with free P&P in the UK), phone 01708 744 333 or go online at www.ex-hammers.com. Alternatively send cheque for £20 (payable to Football World) to: Football World (Upton Park Memories), 103 Douglas Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1AW.
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Fans' forum with DG, Ginge, Dicks and Antonio
WHUFC.com
Do you have a burning question for Joint-Chairman David Gold, Julian Dicks, James Collins or Michail Antonio?
If you are a Season Ticket Holder, Academy Member, Corporate Seasonal Member or New Stadium Season Ticket Priority List member, you could ask them in person at an exclusive free fans' forum bought to you by Betway on Wednesday 3 February at the Boleyn Ground.
The trio will appear at the Legends Lounge to answer questions on a whole manner of subjects, dictated by you. Arrival is from 6.30pm and the event starts at 7pm, with a brief opportunity for photos with the players from 6.45pm.
Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first-come, first-served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant. Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an Adult Season Ticket Holder.
To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 and select Option 3*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all spaces are filled.
Supporters can pick up their free tickets at the Betway Stand Ticket Office too.
Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for consideration by emailing supporterservices@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly stating if it is for Mr Gold, Julian Dicks, James Collins or Michail Antonio.
Please ensure you include 'Fans' Form' in the subject of the email otherwise we cannot guarantee your question will be received.
If your question is selected we will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 1 February so please make sure your email reaches us by then.
*Calls are charged at 13p/min plus your phone company's access charge
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U18s secure Saints success
WHUFC.com
A last-minute winner from Jahmal Hector-Ingram saw West Ham United score a fine 2-1 Barclays U18 Premier League Southern Division victory over Southampton on Saturday. The Hammers had fallen behind before half-time, but produced a superb second-half comeback to make it back-to-back victories following a win at Reading the previous weekend. Southampton started the better of the two sides at Little Heath and Latvian goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics had already saved from Yan Valery before Ollie Cook scored nine minutes before half-time. West Ham hit back after the break and levelled on the hour-mark when impressive winger Dan Kemp switched flanks to good effect and hit a shot which took a wicked deflection to loop over Jake Hallett and level the scores. The hosts applied plenty of pressure after their equaliser, though the Saints seemed to stem the tide and even created chances of their own, with Thomas O'Connor striking an effort narrowly wide. With time running out, a long ball forward was seized upon by England youth international Hector-Ingram, who got free of the last defender before slotting the ball in under Hallett for the match-winner. While Southampton slipped to a seventh consecutive defeat and remain second-bottom, West Ham's second straight win lifted them to fifth in the table.
U18s: Matrevics, Eggleton (Madden 74), Borg, Carter (c), Akinola, Rice, Kanu, Lewis (Coventry 46), Hector-Ingram, Ford (Diangana 55), Kemp
Subs not used: Jake Leonard, Ben Johnson
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ExWHUEmployee Column: Forward situation-lots of ifs and buts
January 25, 2016
The WestHamWay.co.uk
ExWHUEmployee
So what a performance that was against Manchester City. We played really well and there were some brilliant performances. I know people find this hard to admit but I thought Mark Noble was superb, he won the ball countless times and started the attacks as well. He was everywhere and I am glad that some people in the press picked up on this. I thought his performance was also alongside Alex Song's best game for us in a long time. He finally seemed to be up to match fitness and again Kouyate played well too. I really thought he had scored at the end and it took me a long time to take my head out of my hands. I felt really sorry for Obiang being dropped as he had played really well but the performances of the other three made that look the correct decision.
I really thought Sam Bryam played really well after his unexpected early start to his West Ham career, he showed confidence and composure considering this was his first ever game for the club and in the Premier League. Martinez comments that he didn't really want him were just bitter and as I had said since November he was always our top target and he always wanted to join us and not Everton. The deal was in place for him to join Everton but he held on to our offer and until we could get it spot on. This leads me nicely onto transfers and the common theme here is that it is a domino effect.
We didn't want to sign Byram now, we wanted to sign him in the summer so we originally looked to loan him back to Leeds but they didn't want that and wanted the cash. We couldn't afford to bring him in/keep him this January unless a player moved on. We have secured him on a deal worth an initial wage of £25k a week going to £30k on clauses. As I have reported this window the players that we considered moving on were Jelavic, Song and Zarate. Jelavic had a move lined up to China where they would pay big money, but the club involved were going to offset that by trying to sign him on a free transfer. We paid approximately £3m for him at the end of the summer window so wanted some cash back for the player and wouldn't agree the move until this happened so this has ruled out his move so far.
Alex Song's agent had been in contact with other clubs and there was some interest being shown in him which we had considered. Song hadn't been on form at all and had looked a shadow of this former self. The interest appears to have died down and his performance against Manchester City probably means he is staying for the rest of the window.
This leads onto Zarate. Some initial interest was shown from Spanish clubs but again they didn't want to offer a huge amount in transfer fees so we had to take a slightly lower asking price than we would have liked to Zarate from Fiorentina but we wanted to move him on quickly. This has therefore freed up cash now because Zarate was on a lot more than Byram is now on. This has released some cash for us to sign another forward depending on what can be agreed with their club.
The number one target was Emineke as I reported last week. He would join on loan with a view to move in the summer. There are however issues with securing the deal with his club because they are demanding more of a fee than we expected plus a greater percentage of wages than we originally thought. There is also some baggage that he needs to sort out. We are currently locked into negotiations with his club and we are "close ish" to securing a move.
This has meant we have turned our attention elsewhere and revisited the previous target of Yilmaz. It hasn't been as close as had been reported previously and claims by some ITKs that both deals would be completed today (Sunday) were very far from the mark and guesses. This is not to say that we are not interested in Yilmaz, we are. A number of things need to be sorted before then. If Jelavic has a transfer fee in for him we could sign both players and as I said it is like dominos but if he doesn't then it changes things. Needless to say the chairman is working long and hard again.
Originally Emineke was first choice if that can't be sorted then we may look elsewhere. At the moment a number of things need to happen and this means the transfer situation could change very quickly, all of a sudden or not at all. I know this sounds vague but this is where it stands. There is also the dilemma that Valencia is now scoring, Jelavic has chipped in and Carroll and Sakho are not that far off returning from injury so do we need another forward?
There should be an announcement soon on the company who has won the rights to the Olympic stadiums naming rights and licensing. This announcement could come tomorrow and there has been some big name players involved. The company that has won is a major global force and this will be great for the club. The naming rights of the stadium will go to a poll of supporters and will be something that is the fans decision. I cannot say who it is because of the media implications but it shouldn't disappoint.
As far as the site goes we will have some videos to upload tomorrow with interviews from the Sullivan's, The Rib man and Jonjo Heuerman and his dad! We are hoping to do a bit more things like this but time will tell. I will try to update the transfer situation tomorrow should it change.
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LLDC veto West Ham's veto
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
The London Legacy Development Corporation has told an Olympic Stadium appeal hearing that West Ham United do NOT have the power to prevent other clubs from using the Olympic Stadium. West Ham have long insisted that the club has the power to prevent any other football club from sharing the Olympic Stadium. However that view is set to be challenged following a tribunal held in London this morning to determine whether the club and the LLDC were within their rights to withhold details pertaining to United's lease of the stadium. According to reports, the LLDC are understood to have told the hearing that West Ham do not have a veto on ground-sharing - and that both Tottenham and Chelsea could be offered a temporary home in Stratford whilst the redevelopment of White Hart Lane and Stamford Bridge takes place. Back in September 2014, West Ham vice chair Karren Brady insisted that the club had the power to veto any potential ground-share. "In reality they [Tottenham] probably could [ground share the Olympic Stadium] – but only with our permission," she said. "No one has asked us for our permission and, if they did, we would probably say no, depending on who it is – if you get my drift. "We are the anchor tenant for the winter matches and nothing else can happen in that time without our permission and our football matches take priority over everything else."
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Yilmaz on but Emenike deal stalls
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Staff Writer
Slaven Bilic has admitted that the move to sign Emmanuel Emenike is in the balance - but insists he has other irons in the fire ahead of next week's transfer deadline. Bilic, speaking to Turkish sports outlet Fanatik confirmed that the move to sign the Fenerbahce striker was far from complete. "There is no clear agreement about Emenike," he said. "He is an important player but Fenerbahçe may need another striker first, so it's by no means certain that they will release him."
However there was somewhat better news with regards to fellow forward Burak Yilmaz, who KUMB revealed last week was being monitored by West Ham. "Yilmaz is a very good footballer," added Bilic. "He's an excellent striker and among the fittest of players. I know him very well and I admit that he is one of the names in our list. "But he is not the only player on our list. If we decide to take one striker, then we can take action."
Yilmaz, who has been linked with a €10million move to east London was spotted waving to Gala fans at the end of their 3-2 defeat at Osmanlispor on Saturday - a clear indication that he is set to leave the club, according to some Turkish supporters.
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Monday musings: a team to be reckoned with
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th January 2016
By: Graeme Howlett
That he and thousands of Irons supporters were left hugely frustrated by West Ham's 2-2 draw with title-chasing Manchester City at the Boleyn on Saturday afternoon was a mark of the steady progression the club has made under Slaven Bilic since he succeeded Sam Allardyce last summer. Despite having taken the lead twice, and initially within the opening 60 seconds, West Ham were pegged back on both occasions and ultimately forced to settle for a point against the Premier League title favourites. And although most Hammers fans will be happy at having taken four points from City this season, it could quite easily have been six out of six. Illustrating that the 2-1 win at the City of Manchester Stadium last September was no fluke, Bilic's side were more than a match for one of the world's most expensively-assembled football teams as the Boleyn Ground, whose time is nigh, was treated to at least one more fantastic game of football.
Enner Valencia, criticised in months gone by but answering his critics - myself included - in the perfect way was West Ham's hero, scoring either side of the interval. Unfortunately the in-form and ever-dangerous Sergio Aguero matched the Ecuador international every step of the way, grabbing a brace for the visitors, hitting the post and virtually saving them a point single-handedly.
But it wasn't just Valencia's goals that gave Hammers fans cause for further hope and optimism. Dimitri Payet - probably playing at his creative zenith at the age of 28 - dished up a stunning performance for his adoring public, who lapped up his repertoire of tricks with which he bamboozled City's superstars. Meanwhile Alex Song - the choice of many for Man of the Match - was back to his very best, whilst 22-year-old Sam Byram produced a thoroughly impressive debut for a youngster who was facing former Hammer Freddie Sears - rather than the likes of Aguero and David SIlva - in his last competitive outing (for Leeds at Ipswich in the Championship). Whereas a win against the Citizens would have kept West Ham hot on the heels of fourth-placed Tottenham, a Champions League place is looking less likely now as a result of the two points dropped - although Europa League qualification is still an achievable target, with Manchester United floundering in fifth place (one place and one point above the Hammers). However it's to the FA Cup that eyes turn next, as West Ham attempt to beat Liverpool for a third time this season when the two sides meet this coming Saturday. Even though West Ham's 3-0 win on Merseyside back in August was their first at Anfield since 1963, it'll take a brave man to bet against one of the most exciting United teams produced in the last 30 years.
*An abridged version of this article first appeared in the Echo newspaper.
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Frustrated Hammers look at options
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham have still had no answers from Fenerbache on their ambitions to bring Emmanuel Emenike to the club on loan. And the club's negotiators are continuing use Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz as ther 'back stop ' position should the they get no change on the Emenike situation. However, Burak Yilmaz was described as nd more than "a consideration" when we spoke to our sources inside the club late this afternoon (Mon). Interestingly – as this is not usually the case – the Hammers are quite strong on waning to sign Emenike to a permanent deal at the end of the three month loan period if they get the chance. But as ClaretandHugh explained a few days ago, the signing is complicated by neither his parent club, Fenerbahce, or the UAE club Al Ain, where he is on loan, seemingly want to talk. Slaven Bilic likes the player a lot and intends to pursue the deal for as long as possible before possibly turning to Yilmaz although we were told this evening that the club have a third "scenario we are following."
However, our source refused to give a name declaring that it really was a top secret operation at this stage.
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Irons confident FA Cup allocation will sell out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham are struggling to sell their allocation of 3,000 tickets for the FA Cup encounter with Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.
This morning at 9am when the tickets went on sale to Academy members only 2,536 tickets had been sold from the 3,000 allocation.
A source close to the ticket office told ClaretandHugh "We will comfortably reach general sale tomorrow so it would suggest, despite the outrage online, the demand is being satisfied by the allocation we have taken as we know the most dedicated and committed fans are the paying Season ticket holders or Academy Members.
We naturally had the right to the 15% and kept this option until after the priority point deadline had passed to help us gauge demand and at that stage it showed, as the above sales figures supports, there was not the need to commit to 6000 tickets on a sale only policy."
liverpoolThere was outrage on social media last week when it was revealed that West Ham had only taken an allocation of 3,000. Exeter City took an initial allocation of 4,000 which they later increased to 6,000. On this occasion, taking into account it will be broadcast live on BT Sport, it appears the club got it right.
Our source added: "As always, the board will take the highest away allocation wherever possible, and at times we must point out there is only so much the club can do to keep the fans happy while maintaining the board's policy of keeping the club solvent and having to pay for unsold/unrequired away tickets."
lanziniAn email reply sent to fans who complained to ticket office about the Anfield allocation read:
"Thank you for your time and email I understand you are aggrieved at the potential allocation for Liverpool but I just wanted to briefly explain this is based on several factors; not only the lack of transport options on the return journey, the TV selection impact this has on attendance, January being a difficult month for many fans post-Christmas and this historically impacting ticket sales but also recent demand.
For our visit to Anfield which was a 3pm kick off in August this season out of the 3,000 allocation we only actually sold and took 2,345 fans.
For this tie we naturally still hold the right to take the full 15% allocation and have discussed this with Liverpool ahead of this allocation informing them that if demand surpasses expectations and we need more then we will react accordingly but as expected early indications show that this fixture will reach general sale comfortably as it did earlier in the season."
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Brady confident on £20m striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News
C and H
Karren Brady believes David Sullivan's track record in the transfer market will ensure that we grab the £20 million "twenty goals a season striker" he has regularly discussed over recent days. Brady – in a recent column – declared that having landed No 1 target Dimi Payet in 48 hours "I am sure he will demonstrate that nous again this summer, with plans to spend £20m plus on a proven forward. She said: "Dimitri Payet, for instance, had long been a player David admired.so, when Slaven Bilic cited him as his No¿1 target, David secured his signature within 48 hours." She claimed that the midfielder had been "plucked from under the noses of so-called bigger clubs for just over .and said: "Signing of the summer, they call him. "David has revamped our transfer strategy and scouting set-up and is heavily involved in the Academy. Effectively, he is the director of football It is no coincidence that formerly unheralded Manuel Lanzini, Diafra Sakho, Adrian, Cheikhou Kouyate and Aaron Cresswell have been a revelation. And I am sure he will demonstrate that nous again this summer, with plans to spend £20m plus on a proven forward."
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Leroy puts huge fee on Hammers star
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in Leroy's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
We were magnificent against Manchester City and should have won. Without that pest Aguero we would have done. But Saturday evening should have finally convinced the manager and the players that they are now a top six side and the confidence factor has set them up brilliantly for the rest of the season. We have yet to be beaten by Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea – how long is it since we've been able to say such a thing. Dimitri Payet was the man of the match but Cheik Kouyate had another powerhouse game in the middle of the park – he is an outstanding player and is everything that the very disappointing Yaya Toure was a few years back. His runs and storming approach to the game had City at full stretch throughout and frankly I believe he is now a £40 million player. There's not a club in England or Europe who wouldn't want the guy in his team. I love him and his approach to the game. He's brilliant.
He can play in midfield at the back and if he was asked to would go and do a job at centre forward. It was a brilliant piece of work by the chairman to bring him in for £7 million. I will discuss Payet and why I believe he is a Hammer for a good long time in a column later today. This is the best West Ham squad for years and years and I think we can stop talking about joining the big clubs – we have arrived this season and there's so much more to come. If you feel I'm a bit OTT today fair enough. I don't agree. This really is a great Hammers squad and the sky truly is the limit.
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Hammers wait on loan striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham still have Emmanuel Emenike as their No 1 loan striker prospect but are still waiting to get answers from Fenerbache. We reported over the weekend there were problems in reaching the Fenerbache negotiating team and we understand that there have still been no meaningful discussions on a possible switch. The Hammers want to do a loan until the end of the season with an option to buy although with a 20 goals a season striker on their minds at around £20 million that only has a 50/50 chance of happening. Meanwhile the club continues to be linked with a move for Galatasaray's Burak Yilmaz although that has never been confirmed by club insiders. And Slaven Bilic publicly declared recently: ""At the moment it is only rumours. He is a very important player for Galatasary and we are well covered in those positions. "We are still expecting all our strikers to come back from injury in a couple of weeks time. Players like Yilmaz are always linked with clubs, not just West Ham." Yilmaz is 31 in July and could not be seen as a permanent signing on that basis alone – at best he may be a last ditch option were the Emenike loan hopes to crash. Bilic now has to decide whether he is ready to take on anther striker or stick with what he's got as Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll approach fitness.
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Song on Byram
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News
C and H
Alex Song was back to his best against Manchester City and picked up the man of the match award. All the majestic poise and composure was in place as he showed the club he is ready to fight until the end of the season for the long term deal he is desperate to land. But he was as concerned and pleased with another Iron's performance as his own and was fulsome in his praise for new boy Sam Byram. He said: "Jenks was injured, but we have a young player who came in for his first game, it was brilliant." Song told West Ham TV. "He shows he's not scared of anything. It was a very good start for him and I told him 'good luck, you have a very good future." And on the performance generally he added: "We're doing very good things when we start and at the end of the game. Maybe sometimes we lose a bit, maybe one second, we lose concentration and they scored again, but sometimes this happens. We have to keep focused to look forward to the next step. "But it's good as well that we didn't lose, we have to look forward, we have to produce the same performance when we play away like we did on Saturday."
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Song told 'one swallow doesn't make a summer'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 25, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Alex Song will need to maintain the level of performance he he displayed in his man of the match display against Manchester City on Saturday evening if he is to cash in with a permanent deal at the end of the season. Song looked to be returning to his best although some were surprised he picked up the award ahead of goalscorer Enner Valencia and inspirational Dimi Payet.
The club are monitoring Song's performances carefully indeed but one insider said to us this afternoon "One swallow doesn't make a summer does it?" The Hammers have the option to buy at the end of the season and it was made clear he will need to stay at this level or better to get his deal. Our source said: "It's obvious the club would love to get him on a permanent deal if he can keep things going – he likes us. We like him. It's while we even signed him to a loan deal whilst he was injured. However, the pressure is truly on Alex and every other player as we are slowly developing into a very good top six team and in those circumstances every player has to be on his game all the time. "We have no reason to make a decision at this stage – we will watch him, assess him and make our decision in the summer."
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WHAT NEXT FOR CARL JENKINSON?
By Iain Dale 25 Jan 2016 at 18:00 305 comments
WTID
Guest Post by East Coast Claret
Jenks, what now?
I, like most others on here, am enjoying our current season and the future it holds, what with an honest and exciting manager, great players wanting to play for our shirt and the move to the OS.However all is not well for everybody, and so I am drawn to write my first ever article for the WHTID faithful. Be gentle guys as I bruise like a peach….
After doing so well, Jenkinsons footballing life seems to have hit the proverbial brick wall. Owned by Arsenal and with no chance of first team football West Ham took him on loan. Used extensively and with a first team place pretty much guaranteed,life was looking good, the fans spoke highly of him, his play improved, staff at the club liked him and he seemed to have a good attitude. Then at the end of last season,it all appeared to go wrong.
Whilst most of us thought at the end of his loan deal, his own contract running down and no real interest from Arsenal he would make moves towards a more permanent place with us. The attraction for him to sign permanently,for us, seemed obvious, New manager with a different,exciting outlook to the way we play, an outstanding brand new stadium on the horizon, and new exciting players on the way in. However, the gunners draw must have been strong for Jenks as the Arsenal boy went and signed a long contract with them on improved money. I don't blame him as I'm sure his advisors would have helped in his decision, but I do wonder if he considered where it would place him in the grand scheme of things. Again, with no hope of first team football at his parent club, a decision was made to resign for West Ham on loan, but things have changed at West Ham. In my view, his adopted home resented him for not looking more favourably towards us. He is costing us more money whilst we drive up his value to the Arsenal. Something had to change so we started looking for a replacement, and horror of horrors his form dropped. Suddenly, I feel, he realised his mistake. His wages are so high and with a laughable price tag put up by Wenger, no one will buy him, Arsenal don't want him, and West Ham are done with him at the end of the season.
Tomkins, a centre-back, is played instead of him at every opportunity and his confidence is shot to pieces. Then to compound the problem, Byram comes up six months early and is snapped up from under Everton's nose. Pressure builds up to the Man City game, Tonks can't play, time to step up and prove his worth and his place and then, in nine minutes, it all comes crashing down by him giving away a penalty and in doing so injures himself. His body language tells me he is but a shadow of himself and cannot wait to get off the pitch. To further crush his already shattered confidence, he then watches Byram play a blinding debut.
So what happens now? It seems such a shame I think his season with us is all but limited to a peripheral role, at best third choice. I really cannot see Arsenal including him in their plans, and his financial arrangements make him a very expensive loan deal. I still think he is a good player and with his confidence built back up could be of use to us, but what of next season? How can he resurrect his career and with which club? Could he, if a more realistic price tag is attached, be a permanent hammer?
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Richard Keys reluctantly dedicates two words to West Ham in his blog
HITC
Tim Poole
The presenter has been discussing West Ham's Premier League season so far. Richard Keys believes West Ham United were 'very good' this weekend, according to his personal blog. But that's all the presenter said as he reluctantly dedicated two words to the east London club. Keys wrote: "Leicester. Terrific. Keep it going lads. West Ham - very good." Now, a line like that normally isn't headline stuff. But Keys praising the Hammers is almost as big of a shock as Mark Lawrenson doing so. And the fact West Ham only get two words during a blog that's far longer than usual from Keys probably bares significance. Indeed, Keys has spent all season sticking to his 'prediction' that the east London side will fall down the table and, ultimately, regret letting Sam Allardyce go and replacing him with current head coach Slaven Bilic. It's only natural, then, that the presenter says less and less about West Ham until their next bad result comes along. That weekend, there will be a whole article dedicated to them. When they win again, likely silence...
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West Ham United tracking Marseille winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou
HITC
John Verrall
West Ham United are apparently keen to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window. According to the Guardian, West Ham United are scouting Marseille winger Georges-Kevin N'Koudou.
The Hammers had scouts at Marseille's most recent match, with the 20-year-old believed to be the player they had their eyes on. N'Koudou has been one of the most dangerous attacking threats in France this season, despite playing for a Marseille side who have struggled to live up to expectations. The youngster has scored eight times and claimed four assists in just 21 appearances in domestic and European competition. West Ham already have some excellent wing options at the club, but Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his squad even further. The Hammers realise that they have an opportunity to make it into Europe this season, and are prepared to invest to try to put themselves in the best position to establish a place in the top six.
West Ham have already signed Sam Byram from Leeds United, while Sky Sports suggests that they want Emmanuel Emenike.
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West Ham won't miss Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll with Enner Valencia hitting form
GiveMeFootball.com
Last season, West Ham fell away in the second half of the season with both Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll spending time out injured. This time out, the pair are out injured at the same time again, but after Enner Valencia looked at his best in scoring twice against Manchester City, it could be a different story this time around. So far this season, West Ham have been superb. Slaven Bilic has bought a new attacking brand of football to Upton Park and they are flying high in the Premier League. If they can keep this form up in the second half of the campaign, they could be in with an outside shot of the Champions League places.
In terms of goals, Carroll and Sakho have only got six between them this season. However, they both offer different things to their side. Sakho works well with the side's fellow attacking players, as he fits well with the style alongside the likes of Dimitri Payet and Victor Moses. His pace and ability to run in behind means he can get involved with the link-up play in the team. Carroll is a totally different animal. He plays the role as a target man as well as almost any other striker in the league. This was abundantly clear against Chelsea earlier on this season, where he rose highest to head home the winner.
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Slaven Bilic confirms Burak Yilmaz is on West Ham transfer list
Posted by Emre Sarigul January 25, 2016
turkishfootball.com
Slaven Bilic has responded to transfer speculation regarding West Ham making an offer for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz confirming that the Turkish international is on his transfer list.
Bilic told Turkish sports newspaper Fanatik: "Burak Yilmaz is one of the players currently on our transfer list." The West Ham boss also revealed that he is a fan of the Galatasaray striker and has been since working in Turkey as Besiktas manager. Bilic spent two seasons coaching the Black Eagles during his time in Turkey. "Burak Yilmaz is a very good player he is a great forward and has been in excellent form I know him very well," he added. West Ham are reported to have made a €7 million bid for the prolific striker according to the Hurriyet.
Yilmaz has a prolific goal scoring record hitting the back of the net 81 times in 140 games for Galatasaray winning two league titles and years of Champions League experience. The 30-year-old striker also had an impressive goal record at Trabzonspor scoreing 58 times in 93 games for the Black Sea Storm. Yilmaz also has 19 international goals in 42 games for the Turkish national team.
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West Ham's Winston returns for a 'ding dong' clash with Manchester City
Newham Recorder
13:30 25 January 2016 Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
West Ham defender Winston Reid had battled with Sergio Aguero for 90 minutes on Saturday evening, seen him score two goals as the Hammers were pegged back twice, but surprisingly it was not the little Argentinian striker that had really troubled him most. "I think he is dangerous from the point of view that when he gets the ball in your half, you need to be tight to him, but for me it was more the second wave that comes at you from midfield," explained the 27-year-old, who has played over 150 games in claret and blue. "You have to watch where the runs are coming from and with the second goal, it is trying to get the blocks in. Aaron (Cresswell) tried to get a block in and it went straight to Aguero and sometimes that is the luck of the draw."
It certainly is, but despite that late equaliser, Reid thought that it was an excellent game and a good performance. Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores his side's second goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match at Upton Park, London.Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scores his side's second goal of the game during the Barclays Premier League match at Upton Park, London. "It was a bit of a ding dong game and they are a tough team to play against," he said. "We had other chances too and it showed what a class keeper Joe Hart is that he saved Dimi's (Payet's) free kick. It was right in the top corner. "At the end we had a chance with Cheikhou Kouyate, but it wasn't to be. It was a good performance and we needed to bounce back from the disappointment against Newcastle. "It was a great game for the fans and it shows how far we have come as a team to be disappointed in not winning against a team like Man City."
He is absolutely right and it shows just how good team spirit is in the camp, that someone with the quality of Reid can be left out for a couple of games and not be banging on the manager's door demanding to be reinstated. "I haven't been frustrated, no," insisted Reid. "I spoke to the manager and he told me how the situation was. The defence has been doing really well since I have been out and I said to him that it is not a problem, when I am needed he can call upon me to play. "Everyone wants to play of course, but I know the situation. I trained hard and it gave me a couple of extra weeks to get my fitness back up."
It was Angelo Ogbonna who was the unlucky one who dropped out for this game, but now Reid is back in the starting line-up, it will be difficult to remove him. "It has been a little while since I played against Wolves, but I felt ok after the City game," he said. "It did help me that I trained fully for a couple of weeks, but I know I can get better and will do over the coming games." Few would doubt that and with Ogbonna, James Collins and James Tomkins all vying for two places, it seems that West Ham have never had it so good for central defenders.
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Mario Balotelli set for shock Liverpool return with West Ham and West Brom keen
MARIO BALOTELLI is close to a return to Liverpool as AC Milan consider terminating his loan deal.
By UCHE AMAKO
PUBLISHED: 11:43, Mon, Jan 25, 2016 | UPDATED: 12:14, Mon, Jan 25, 2016
Express
Mario Balotelli could be on his way back to Liverpool. The Italian joined the Reds in the summer of 2014 for £16m but failed to impress and was sent back on a season-long loan to Milan.
On Saturday, the 25-year-old came on as a second-half substitute for Milan in a 2-2 draw with Empoli after missing the last few months through injury. But according to reports in Italy, the Serie A side are ready to end the loan move early. Italian website Calciomercato say Balotelli's representatives are pushing for a return to England with West Ham and West Brom among the clubs interested in taking the player before the end of the transfer window. Earlier this month Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked as Liverpool boss in last October, admitted he was forced to sign Balotelli after they missed out on Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal. He said: "We needed a player who could press at the top of the pitch; it wasn't just a goalscorer we were after because Luis Suárez was giving us so much more than that. "After a friendly against Milan I was asked the question and I felt Mario wasn't someone who suited the profile of what we were after. But come the end of the summer when we were struggling to get in the type of player we wanted, the ownership thought this was perhaps a player I could develop. "He's a wonderful talent, there's no doubt about that; you see him on the training ground every day – tall, strong, great touch. They were thinking this is a £50m player we could maybe get for £16m.
"When the owners are wanting you to go down that route and there's no other option, you give it a go."
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DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART (AGAIN)
By Mike Ireson 25 Jan 2016 at 12:00
WTID
Ok Exeter City, you had your chance, in fact you had 2. But you blew it, and in to my little black book you go. You join in the little black book of irrational hatred the likes of AFC Wimbledon, Kevin Costner, James Nesbitt and Bono to name but a few. And the reason for your entry? Well I'm afraid that is because you failed to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup. A little harsh? Absolutely not. Because now West Ham must play Liverpool in the cup with live TV coverage, and that means 'it' will be dragged up and raked over. Again and again. 'It' still upsets me, 'it' gives me a horrible feeling in my stomach. 'It' is the day my footballing heart was broken.
On the 7th January 2006 I and my sons had a pleasant drive in to Norfolk to see West Ham beat Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. From what I remember it wasn't a bad affair and it was just a routine away game. In the words of every rubbish horror movie tag line you have ever seen – little did we know what it would lead to. Fast forward 3 and a bit months and my boys and I were at Villa Park. The FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough. I had a tear in my eye.
Nothing to do with the football, that was because of the tenner I had had to fork out to park my car at the front of a small industrial unit half a mile from the ground. If you've ever driven to Villa Park you'll know all about the parking rackets there. I digress, anyway, 78 minutes, Marlon Harewood, thank you very much. The joy, the excitement. I can vividly remember faces from that day. At the final whistle the explosion of delight was something truly amazing.
And personally I had my 3 sons aged between 11 and 15 with me. As a Dad you dream of moments like this when you can give your kids footballing memories they will never forget. Mine were at the right ages to soak it all up and be in wonder at it all. So, we were in the FA Cup final. I was 11 the last time we were there and now I was going to get to take my own children of that age. Getting tickets for the game at the Millennium Stadium was an online affair for season ticket holders and I was excitedly trying to get tickets when they were released. The tickets that were offered to me were up in the gods somewhere. Not happy. But I noticed a 'reselect seats' button. So I hit it. The next tickets were slightly better but not brilliant, so I hit the button again. I soon worked out the online system was offering tickets row by row, block by block. If I had the nerve to persist I might end up with really decent seats. After an hour I was offered row B of the upper tier. I was getting cocky now, I knew the system. I rejected them and ploughed on. After 5 minutes regretting the decision as I got worried I may have blown my chance of the best tickets available. But, after two and a half hours of tension up came row A, upper tier. Thank you kindly I'll have those. It had been nerve racking and I had repetitive strain injury of the mouse hand but it had been worth it.
On the day of the final as we made our way to the seats I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back. The view from our front row seats was astonishing and completely unobstructed.
I spoke last week about not letting expectation in to your footballing life because of its pant pulling, bottom smacking tendencies. And on that day I kept it well at bay. I played up the whole making a day of it vibe for my kids. Just to lower the blow of any defeat. Even at 2-0 up I refused to let any thoughts of lifting the trophy in to my head. There was still a long way to go. In the 88th minute I cracked. 3-2 up, I looked at my kids and thought 'my god we're actually going to win it and they will have memories money can't buy. I thought of their faces as we lifted the trophy.'
A couple of minutes later I watched the fourth official hold up 4 minutes on his board. Then of course SG (I refuse to write his name) scored that goal. We were directly in line with him. As it left his foot we could see it was going it. I'm getting the sick, bottom of the stomach feeling I had then as I remember it and write this. I don't have to go through what happened after that. That game though affected me like no other. For the first half of the next season I just couldn't get in to it like I had done before. I remember many a time in my seat at Upton Park just not 'feeling it'. My footballing heart had not just been broken it had been kicked around and stomped on. So Exeter now you know why you must go in the book.
COYI
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€8m West Ham target hints at Galatasaray exit after missing training
Posted by Emre Sarigul January 25, 2016
West Ham have made a €7 million bid for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz according to the Hurriyet. The report claims that the Hammers have made a bid that will see the east London based side pay €6 million upfront and a further €1 million instalment if the club ensure Europa League football. Yilmaz added further fuel to the transfer speculation when he missed training yesterday. The Turkish international striker also caused a media storm after he waved to fans following his goal in the 3-2 defeat against Osmanlıspor yesterday. Yılmaz scored a stunning goal against the Ankara based side but his goal celebration raised the question of whether he was bidding farewell to Galatasaray supporters. Galatasaray are currently facing up to two years out of UEFA competition football for failing to meet Financial Fair Play regulations and could be tempted to sell in order to comply with the rules. Yılmaz has been one of the most prolific strikers in the league over recent years and has scored 81 times in 140 games for the Lions. The 30-year-old striker also has won the league title twice and has years of Champions League experience.
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West Ham chief provides striker transfer update and discusses Sam Bryam debut
London 24
07:29 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
David Sullivan says West Ham are working on 'a very complicated deal' to bring a striker into Upton Park before the window closes. Following Mauro Zarate's move to Fiorentina the Hammers have been linked with a string of forwards including £5.2m rated Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz and Nigerian Emmanuel Emenike. And speaking on Sunday night Sullivan revealed that the deal may fall through but they are trying their best to add a new attacking recruit with a week until the window closes. "We may look to bring another forward in," he told the club's official website. "We're working on a very complicated deal at the moment, which may or may not come off, so we will have to see how that progresses." Saturday evening saw West Ham earn a credible 2-2 draw with Manchester City at Upton Park, a match which saw Sam Bryam thrown in for his debut. The signing from Leeds began the match on the bench with Carl Jenkinson having been given the nod. But the Arsenal loanee suffered an early injury and Bryam was sent on. And Sullivan liked what he saw. "I thought Sam Byram, who wasn't expected to play, did very well on his debut," he added. "He had cramp at the end as he'd missed a few days of training. It's a big jump and he's got to adapt but I think he did well."
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West Ham tie up deal for bruising midfield talent after Sam Byram addition
London 24
07:45 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
West Ham have taken 17-year-old powerful midfielder Sander Berge on trial for a week with a deal expected to be done for the Valerenga man. The Hammers are still in the hunt for a new striker before the transfer window ends, having already added Leeds United's Sam Bryam to their squad, but they are also likely to snap up Berge. The 17-year-old has arrived for a week-long trial, revealed on Valerenga's official website. It makes Berge the second Norwegian at Upton Park with Martin Samuelsen currently impressing out on loan with League One Peterborough and shows Slaven Bilic certainly has one eye on the future of West Ham.
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Alex Song reveals Sam Byram advice after memorable Manchester City debut
London 24
08:49 25 January 2016 Pete Evans
Sam Bryam was 'brilliant' for West Ham on his surprise debut, says team-mate Alex Song. Song was named as the sponsors' man of the match for his display in a rare start at the heart of the Hammers' midfield but it was last week's signing from Leeds that caught Song's eye. Carl Jenkinson was recalled to the starting line-up at right-back but limped off shortly after conceding a penalty to help Manchester City draw level. Byram was then thrown into the action for his Premier League bow but produced an acomplished display and Song told the 22-year-old that his future is looking very bright indeed. "Jenks was injured, but we have a young player who came in for his first game, it was brilliant," Song told West Ham TV. "He shows he's not scared of anything. It was a very good start for him and I told him 'good luck, you have a very good future.'" Next up for Song and Byram is an FA Cup tie at Liverpool on Saturday evening.
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DON'T WAKE THE GERMAN - AND DON'T MENTION THE DRAW!
By HamburgHammer 25 Jan 2016 at 08:00
WTID
It's gonna happen any moment, just as I turn over on the other side in my bed, still smiling over that cheeky second goal of ours against City after outfoxing the most expensive backline in the Premier League with a simple quickly taken throw in, not long now, any minute the telephone will ring. Unless the alarm clock rings first to violently pull me away from this fantasy world. I'll wake up, rub my eyes, trudge past the telly on my way to the bathroom to check out teletext. I fully expect us having lost at home to Man City by a three goal margin, I expect to see the Premier League table and finding West Ham in another typical relegation scrap in 17th place with a one point lead over Leicester in 18th place.
But then I realise with glee it wasn't just a beautiful dream, indeed we drew 2:2 with Man City and they were the much luckier team, having to respect the point despite all their financial prowess. It was us who played like Champions, not them.
It really is West Ham in 5th place in touching distance to the promised land of the top four, well ahead of schedule. As for Leicester, well, their fairytale is even more amazing as they are on their way to guaranteed CL football next season taking the place reserved for Chelsea or Liverpool at the start of the season.
Embed from Getty Images
At some point those on here who write articles or post comments surely must run out of superlatives, praises and glowing observations about how fantastic Slaven Bilic is doing, how well the team is performing, how utterly breathtaking our brand of football has become in such a short space of time, despite numerous injuries to key players.
We more than matched City and their carefully assembled ensemble of star players, primadonnas and the perceived cream of the crop.
This is (yet another) dawn that promises a grand future for our beloved club, but could it be for real this time around ?
When I look at West Ham these days there's not a lot to be unhappy about. One actually feels a bit of a twat moaning about fairly minor stuff that is just part and parcel of being a sports team. Yes, even under Slaven Bilic certain things don't go as planned. Poor Carl Jenkinson being a prime example. After last season the issue looked straightforward enough: Bring him back in on another loan with an option to buy, let him repeat his performance levels, pay the fee and Bob's your uncle!
Alas, before he came he was forced to sign a long term deal at his favorite club Arsenal (to protect their investment) and while he got a wage rise West Ham didn't get an option to sign Jenkinson for West Ham on a permanent deal at the end of the season, plus Arsenal quoting a fairly optimistic transfer fee to put it mildly.
As we all know from this point it went downhill quickly for Jenkinson, despite scoring some vital goals (not in his job description) he made far too many and regular blunders (which were also not in his job description and often proved costly) and played himself out of contention really. Tomkins took his place and when James wasn't in the squad for the Man City game for whatever reason this was Jenkinson's big opportunity to put things right. Instead he felled Aguero with a clumsy and totally uncalled for challenge in the box, gifted them a penalty after ten minutes or so while injuring himself in the process to add said injury to the previously accumulated insult.
Embed from Getty Images
If even possible, this will have shot his confidence even further. At this point you wouldn't bet against him losing out against Sunday League opposition. There is quite a bit of skill buried deep inside the player still but it's all hidden under a massive heap of doubt, confusion and anxiety. I'm sure this injury now will make sure that Arsenal won't take him back from his loan with us and we now find ourselves in a lose-lose situation all around: Arsenal aren't happy that Jenkinson won't get much more gametime this season (especially with young Byram performing like a seasoned old trooper, pretty much taking Jenkinson's spot of challenging Tomkins for the RB spot) as they will see his market value plummet further. 15 million ? 1,5 million at this stage maybe.
West Ham obviously aren't happy about wasting a lot of loan fee money and wages on Jenkinson (luckily though I don't expect us having to pay many more appearance fees for him to Arsenal) and the player himself cannot be satisfied with how things are turning out for him
This article is turning far too glum at this point though, so let's finish off the Jenkinson issue and give a quick moan in passing about how poorly Moses performed when he came on against City. In hindsight it might have been wiser to bring on Jelavic first as he showed much more endeavour, passion and effort during his time on the pitch than the Chelsea loanee. That's my negativity done for this bit folks.
Back to a more pleasing topic: HOW good are we already with Bilic at the helm after just a little more than half a season ? We haven't even begun spending serious money on new arrivals. But we have so many pieces of the jigsaw in place already that this dawn looks unlikely to merge into dusk without so much as daylight or rays of sunshine.
We appear to have a proper scouting network for once, bringing in both experienced players like Payet (who bring great value for money) as well as promising starlets like Samuelsen, Lanzini , Oxford or Byram who hopefully will spend the best years of their careers at the Boleyn, sorry, the Olympic Stadium for West Ham.
If we are this good already, how good can we be with further player additions and less injuries ? We play football the way it should be played, we have a much more unified and happier fanbase…and we've got Payet, Dmitri Payet. And contrary to the lyrics in that ditty more and more people, rival fans and players as well as pundits DO begin to understand.
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West Ham are on the verge of something truly beautiful for which the claret and blue faithful have been waiting for so many years. Some of us longer than others. We all deserve this so much. We are finally due a bit of good fortune, time to get it out of all those various hiding places it's been using throughout our history.
So please don't wake this German Hammer just yet, let him dream on for a few more minutes. Or a few years. Unless you can convince me it's not a dream after all.
And West Ham are indeed playing as well as we are under Bilic. I probably still won't quite believe it. But I may get used to all this goodness in time…COYI!
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