Carroll - We are all focused on Leicester
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is hoping the Hammers can bounce straight back against
Leicester on Sunday and says the players are excited at the prospect of
facing the Premier League leaders.
Carroll has nothing but praise for the way the Midlands Club have surprised
everybody in the game by storming their way to the top of the table and now
stand on the verge of securing their their first ever Premier League title.
The Hammers striker is keen to spoil the party at the King Power Stadium on
Sunday as his team-mates look to get straight back on the winning trail
following their disappointing defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup
quarter final on Wednesday night.
And with the chance to secure a European spot at the end of the season,
Carroll insists his side have still got everything to play for.
Carroll said: "The result against United was disappointing, it was one of
those days when things didn't happen for us. Now, we are all focussed on the
game against Leicester who have done fantastically this season.
"They were probably favourites to go down and they have turned that round.
They are where they are for a reason and we are all really excited to go up
to Leicester and play to our best.
"People kept putting them down and saying that they won't be able to keep it
up, but week after week, they prove they can and they stay strong.
"I think that if you look at a lot of the games in the last few weeks, there
are quite a few games in which we feel like we have dropped two points.
"Under Slaven we concentrate more on the other team than we did in the past.
Before, we focussed more on our own tactics, but now, we vary our tactics
from game to game."
After scoring a stunning hat-trick against Arsenal last weekend, Carroll is
desperate to stay among the goals as he looks to keep alive his hopes of
playing for England at the European Championship Finals during the summer.
Carroll said: "It's nice to be talked about like that (with England).
Getting back on the international stage is something I think about a lot.
But at the moment I am just concentrating on the way I am playing and trying
to play as best I can.
"Slaven has been great with me. He understands what I have been going
through with the injuries and he wants me to be on the pitch just as much as
I do. He knows how frustrating it is to be out with injury."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Speaks - Leicester City
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic says his team will need no added motivation when they head to
Barclays Premier League leaders Leicester City on Sunday. The Hammers were
left deflated following Wednesday's Emirates FA Cup sixth-round replay
defeat by Manchester United in midweek, but have to pick themselves up
immediately for what is the toughest assignment in English football at
present.
However, Bilic is confident his players will have shaken off their
disappointment and will be revved up to continue their own challenge for a
top-six finish and European qualification.
"It was a huge disappointment because we wanted to go to Wembley and then go
on and win the Cup," said the manager. "But we want to finish high and we
are motivated to do that in our final six games, starting at Leicester on
Sunday. "We need points to finish high in the table. Do we need to win on
Sunday to qualify for the Champions League? Well, we know we need points if
we are to finish high."
Bilic confirmed that Winston Reid will be fit to face the Foxes after
missing the midweek defeat with tight muscles, while Sam Byram will be
available after being cup-tied.
Whoever he picks, the manager knows his players must be on their game to
prevent Leicester playing to their many strengths – namely
counter-attacking, releasing Jamie Vardy into space in behind the defence,
allowing Riyad Mahrez to isolate and run at his man and set pieces.
"It's hard to play them because obviously they are winning games 1-0 or
whatever. They are very patient and their transition is unbelievable,
offensively or defensively.
"They are not a one-dimensional team. OK, people are saying they catch you
on the break and all that, but they have Vardy who didn't stop sprinting
from the first game and that's amazing.
"They also have good crossing, people in midfield who can take the ball from
you like Kante or Drinkwater, but they can also travel with the ball, pass
the ball and shoot. Not to mention Mahrez on the right who can beat three or
four players and do something special, so they are very versatile.
"They are playing simple football, but they have players who are capable of
counter-attacking, beating three or four players in a tight space, and they
are great on set pieces. They are very hard to beat.
"Every manager says they have to stop them counter-attacking or Vardy going
into spaces, but they are doing that week-in, week-out."
As one of only two clubs to have beaten West Ham on home turf in the Boleyn
Ground, 2-1 back in August, did Bilic expect Leicester to go on and
challenge for the title?
"I wouldn't say I thought they would be in this position – nobody would have
said that at that time – but what was obvious after their first two games, I
said to myself, my staff and Claudio Ranieri that they had a team which was
going to be extremely hard to beat, no matter who they played against.
"I didn't know they were going to be big-time favourites to win the league
in this moment."
Bilic had warm words for Dimitri Payet following his nomination for the PFA
Player of the Year award, pointing to the fact that he will be among a
number of candidates on the pitch on Sunday.
"It's a great thing for him and it's great for the Club, because it proves
that we're playing well and having a good season. He made, as I have said so
many times and everybody agrees, a great impact not only for West Ham but
for the league. He deserves it.
"I think he's there for a reason and nobody was surprised that he was
nominated for the Player of the Year award. Hopefully he's going to win it,
but if not him, it has to be connected with something your club has achieved
and done, so if Leicester win the league it should probably be Vardy.
"If, for some reason, they don't win it and Spurs win the league, it should
be Harry Kane because he will probably score more goals. It has to be a
little bit connected with your club's achievements."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Young Hammers ready for Royal battle
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s will look for their first play-off stage win tomorrow
as they take on Reading at Little Heath. The young Hammers have so far
picked up two draws and a defeat in the first three matches of their
top-group play-offs, while the Royals have won once and lost three. Academy
Head of Player Development Peter Trevivian praised the U18s for their
qualification to the upper stages of the play-off system. He said: "It's
fantastic that the U18s are playing the likes of Liverpool and Everton and
Manchester City in this top group. "Those are the types of clubs these lads
should be competing against. Clubs gain reputations over a period of time
and West Ham are a team that others look forward to visiting. "That's why we
should be entertaining the top teams, and the U18s have done extremely well
to make sure they're doing that at the minute."
Former FA coach Trevivian joined the Club earlier this season, and he has
been impressed with what he's seen so far, particularly from the U18s.
"There's a real buzz to the [Academy] at the moment. Obviously when I came
in, I knew things were going well, but add to the U21s reaching the Cup
final the fact that the youths have made the top group, it's been great.
"It's been on top of the good work that's happening with the first team.
With the work we're doing at the Academy, we're getting a lot of good
feedback so hopefully we can carry that on."
The U18s' match kicks off at 11am on Saturday.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leicester City v West Ham United
SUN, 17 APR 2016PREMIER LEAGUE
13:30
Venue: King Power Stadium
BBC.co.uk
TEAM NEWS
Premier League leaders Leicester have a fully-fit squad to face West Ham at
the King Power Stadium. The Foxes have named the same starting line-up in 11
of their last 13 games and could do so again on Sunday.
West Ham will be without forward Diafra Sakho for a third match because of a
knee injury. Defender Winston Reid is expected to be fit after muscle
tightness caused him to miss Wednesday's FA Cup defeat against Manchester
United.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "The sight of Claudio Ranieri holding back tears after his
side's win at Sunderland last Sunday was one of the images of the season -
delightful and touching. "Ranieri may still be talking about fantasies, but
the rock solid adherence of his players to the principles of teamwork look
set to turn those sweet dreams into solid silver. "West Ham will be smarting
from their FA Cup exit. Leicester would be right to be wary of Slaven
Bilic's excellent side - but just three more wins seal the title."
Twitter: @SteveWilson1967
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
Again, Leicester play before Tottenham, so can open up a 10-point lead again
if they win, which is what I think will happen. Prediction: 2-1
Leicester City
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Leicester have won the last three meetings in all competitions by a 2-1
scoreline.
Andy King has scored the winner with four minutes remaining in two of those
three games.
Leicester City
Leicester could win six consecutive top-flight matches for only the second
time. They previously did so in March 1963 on their way to a club record
seven wins in a row.
Victory against West Ham would give Leicester an outright top-flight club
record of 22 victories in a season.
Eleven of Leicester's 14 clean sheets have come in their last 15 league
matches.
They have kept a top flight club record of five consecutive clean sheets, as
well as seven in their last eight home league matches.
Jamie Vardy has 21 league goals this season. He is the first Leicester
player to pass 20 in the top flight since Gary Lineker in 1984-85.
West Ham
West Ham have lost just four of their last 16 Premier League away games (W6,
D6, L4).
However, they have only won one of their last five (D2, L2).
Their last league clean sheet away from home came on 20 December against
Swansea.
Dimitri Payet has been involved in seven goals (four assists, three goals)
in his last seven league games.
SAM's verdict
Most probable score: 1-0 Probability of draw: 24%
Probability of home win: 62% Probability of away win: 15%
SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by Professor Ian
McHale at the University of Salford that is used to predict the outcome of
football matches.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic buys into 'the West Ham way' - John Hartson
By John Hartson
MOTD pundit
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are out of the FA Cup and look like they might fall short of a
top-four place too, but they should still be proud of their achievements
this season. They have so many reasons to be excited about this summer's
move to the Olympic Stadium and what it means for the Hammers' future. But
on top of that, there is a real togetherness at the club at the moment. The
fans and the board are totally behind the manager Slaven Bilic, and they
have a group of players who give everything every week. A top-six finish is
still on and, with the quality and experience in their team as well as their
will to win, I do not see their season just fizzling out.
It shows how far the Hammers have come that they expected to beat Manchester
United in this week's FA Cup quarter-final replay, and I think they will be
disappointed that they did not win the tie in the first game at Old
Trafford. The reason they were so confident ahead of Wednesday's 2-1 defeat
was that until then they had not been beaten at home for almost eight months
- 16 games in all competitions since 22 August. All the emotion of their
final season at the Boleyn Ground after 112 years definitely played its part
in that incredible run, but it would not have happened without Bilic's
arrival last summer. He was seen by some as a gamble because he had not
managed in the Premier League before but I think he is the perfect fit as
Hammers boss.
Bilic, 47, previously managed Hadjuk Split, Croatia, Lokomotiv Moscow and
Besiktas and was a popular player at West Ham in the 1990s West Ham are a
club whose fans do not want to lose their traditional playing style - 'the
West Ham way' - which is all about attacking football that is easy on the
eye. Bilic buys into all of that. He spent money very wisely in the summer
and some of the stuff I have seen them play under him this season has been
incredible. He has brought in these brilliant individuals like Dimitri Payet
and Manuel Lanzini, but has got the team ethic right too.
How the Hammers have improved in attack
I loved my two years as a West Ham player but I soon realised that some of
their supporters would not even mind being relegated as long as their team
is playing the right kind of football.
To say they are not bothered at all about winning is wrong, but they want to
be entertained by players who will get them out of their seats and on to
their feet. Even if it gets results, they do not want dull or boring
football, which is what they were seeing under Bilic's predecessor Sam
Allardyce. That is why a lot of fans turned on him. Allardyce can hold his
head high because he did the job he was brought in to do, which was to get
West Ham promoted and stabilise them in the Premier League, but Bilic has
taken them to the next level now.
West Ham's attack in the Premier League (and rank)
Season 2014-15 2015-16
Passes per game 357 (18) 394 (16)
Passing accuracy 74.6% (16) 77.4% (13)
Possession 45.4% (13) 47.6% (12)
Shots per game 12.8 (10) 14 (5)
Shots on target per game 4 (9) 4.7 (5)
Shot conversion rate 12.7% (12) 15.4% (6)
Goals per game 1.16 (13) 1.63 (=5)
Statistics don't always do justice to a team's style of play, but here they
help to show how the Hammers have improved in every attacking area this
season compared to last. The Hammers are more effective going forward under
Bilic but they are also well-drilled at the back and look solid whoever is
playing at centre-half. They have not become any more open.
West Ham's defence in the Premier League (and rank from fewest to most)
Season 2014-15 2015-16
Shots faced per game 15.5 (17) 14.7 (16)
Shots on target faced per game 4.7 (15) 4.5 (14)
Goals conceded per game 1.24 (7) 1.25 (9)
Their goals - and wins - dried up a bit when Dimitri Payet was injured in
November but they remained hard to beat during that period.
West Ham with/without Dimitri Payet
'If something is not working, Bilic will change it'
At the start of the season, West Ham earned some impressive wins at Arsenal,
Manchester City and Liverpool by playing on the break and not worrying about
possession. But that is not the only way they can play. There have been 12
league games home and away in 2015-16 where they have had more possession
than the opposition, and they have only lost two of them. If something is
not working, Bilic will change it - whether it is players or formations -
and he is versatile with his tactics too. Jump media playerMedia player
helpOut of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Having
Andy Carroll back at full fitness has given him another option and I do not
just mean pumping balls into the box. Yes, Carroll is very effective at
getting on the end of crosses and either heading for goal, knocking the ball
down for runners into the box or making sure defenders cannot clear their
lines properly. But he can play on the floor too, and is great at holding
the ball up, like I tried to do as a player. Carroll has been great as an
impact substitute in recent weeks but the way West Ham finish games has
They could not quite force an equaliser on Wednesday because of the
brilliance of United keeper David de Gea but they scored late goals against
Wolves and Liverpool on their way to the quarter-finals. In the league, only
Tottenham have earned more points from losing positions this season.
'You have to move with the times'
Olympic Stadium
I can only see West Ham being stronger next season although it might take a
while to adjust to the Olympic Stadium - especially for some of the fans.
The players will have to get used to it too, because the atmosphere will be
different to the Boleyn Ground. There is no way around that, sadly. I loved
playing there for West Ham, especially in night matches. We always fancied
ourselves against anyone under the lights, with a little bit of dew on the
pitch and with the fans getting right behind the team. It was electric. It
is an amazing ground that I always enjoyed going back to, but I cannot wait
to go to watch them at their new stadium because it is going to be very
special, too. To compete with the best, you have to move forward and move
with the times. The bigger attendances at the Olympic Stadium will allow the
club to grow and right now they are in very good hands.
John Hartson was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic column: West Ham face a true test of character against
Leicester after FA Cup exit
SLAVEN BILIC
Evening Standard
The FA Cup defeat by Manchester United was bitterly disappointing - there is
no escaping that. This was our big chance to win a trophy this season and it
didn't happen. The players, the board, the staff, the fans, myself — we were
all down afterwards. Now, though, what will be the reaction? We have six
matches to go and 18 points available. What will we do? Are we going to feel
a little sorry for ourselves and let our season fizzle out, after all the
hard work we have put in? Or shall we find the resolve to come back stronger
and truly show what we are made of? These last six matches will be a true
test of character and I am confident this team — these players — will not be
found wanting. Of course we were all gutted after Wednesday night but it is
not my style to be down too long. It is part of my job now and that of my
staff, to focus on what is in front of us for what remains of this season.
We haven't experienced too many disappointments over the last few months so
when they come, it can be more difficult to accept. It can happen in
football, though. Look at how Barcelona's season has almost imploded in the
space of one week. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.
On Sunday we play at Leicester and that challenge should be more than enough
to occupy us over the next couple of days. The facts speak for themselves
with only three Premier League defeats for Leicester all season and without
a goal conceded in the past five matches. They play a little like underdogs
no matter if it is home or away — they don't give you space to attack and
when they go forward, it is so quick, it is hard to stop them. When you have
possession they have a lot of players behind the ball and it is difficult to
counter-attack them but then, when they have the ball, it happens so quickly
— whether it is a long ball to Jamie Vardy or great skill from Riyad Mahrez
— in no time they are on to you with four or five players.
They also have a presence at set-pieces so they are not playing football
that is high risk to them. I haven't seen that the opposition have been
unlucky when they have played Leicester or that their goalkeeper Kasper
Schmeichel has had to make five saves per game. I am sure every manager over
the past few months has said to their team: "Don't let them counter-attack
you, don't let Vardy run in behind."
Sam Allardyce would definitely have said that last weekend but it still
happened. You have to give Leicester massive credit for that. Now, they are
big time in the driving seat for the title. They have a cushion of points
and maybe would only start to feel negative pressure if it comes down to a
three-point gap. Now, though, it must only feel like positive pressure. They
can afford to drop a few points and, on Sunday, they will know it will not
be a disaster if they don't win. Claudio Ranieri is a very experienced
manager, he has worked at big clubs and he is having the time of his life.
He inherited a team who were in good form for the final couple of months
last season and has brought in players who have not only made them more
solid but also given them a different dimension offensively. They must be
revelling in what they are doing but we are also enjoying our season. Maybe
we would have had a little bit more of the spotlight on us for what we have
achieved, had not Leicester been the story of the season but there are no
complaints from us — they have deserved every accolade.
In many seasons there is a team who come through unexpectedly but not like
this — not from bottom to top — it is truly amazing. They have some good
candidates for the PFA Player of the Year. I am biased, of course, in favour
of Dimitri Payet, who has been magnificent for us and has made a massive
impact on the whole league but if he is not winning it, I would go for
Vardy.
Okay, Mahrez has been terrific and N'Golo Kante a revelation in midfield but
Vardy epitomises Leicester's incredible rise. It is not only his goals, it
is his general work-rate. For defenders, he is a real pest!
For us, there is still much at stake. Even if we were in the middle of the
table there is no valid reason why we should lose the motivation but
sometimes then, it is natural you are not in the red zone and you just lose
that five per cent. Our situation is totally different, though. We were
always trying to do as well as we could in both League and cups — that is
why we put out strong teams in every game. Now, unfortunately, one route has
closed for us but we still have the League. We have to come together, raise
our level, stop conceding and try to win these six games. I am not happy
with the way we have defended in the last couple of games — we should have
done better in that department — but also we were playing against Arsenal
and Manchester United, don't forget that. We have to remember what we did
earlier in the season, we have to recall that work-rate which gave us so
many wins. We can't lose that. I don't believe we are tired. In the last
couple of games, although we have made mistakes, we have ended stronger than
our opponents. I didn't think we looked tired at the end of Wednesday
night's match. We hope Winston Reid will be fit for Sunday. He had tight
hamstrings after the Arsenal game and it was too much of a risk the other
night but he should be okay for Leicester.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Slaven Bilic ensuring West Ham do not dwell on FA Cup defeat
By Ben Reynolds
Last Updated: 15/04/16 12:49pm
SSN
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic wants his side to forget their FA Cup defeat
and focus on Leicester City in the Premier League. West Ham boss Slaven
Bilic insists his players will not be feeling sorry for themselves when they
return to Premier League action to take on leaders Leicester on Super
Sunday. The Hammers were knocked out of the FA Cup on Wednesday night
following a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Upton Park and must pick
themselves up quickly to resume their bid for European football next season.
Bilic's side currently sit sixth in the Premier League, five points behind
Manchester City in fourth, and the Croatian is confident his side will be
ready to play a team that is seven points clear at the top of the table.
"We are disappointed but we are in a great position in the league and
everything to play for," Bilic said. "We are totally motivated for the next
six games and it starts against Leicester. We have to do everything we can.
"We need points to finish high so yes we have to win, whether it's fourth,
fifth or sixth. United and Man City, five points to City is big with six
games to go, but there are also teams below us playing well and hoping to
get a European place next year."
Bilic admits he has been as surprised as anyone by Leicester's incredible
title challenge this season and did not see it coming despite losing 2-1 at
home to Claidio Ranieri's side earlier in the campaign. "I didn't think
Leicester that they would be in this position. Nobody would have said that
then," he added. "When I watched their first game and then after our game
and I said to myself, and to Claudio Ranieri, they had a team that will be
extremely hard to beat by anyone. But I didn't know they would be big
favourites to win the league."
Much of West Ham's fine season has gone through Dimitri Payet, who was named
on the six-man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year earlier
this week, and Bilic was full of praise for his midfielder. He said: "Of
course it's a great thing for Dmitri and a great thing for the club. It's
proof the whole club is playing well all season. Everybody agrees that he
has made a great impact not just for west ham but for the league. He
deserves it. He's there for a reason. "Nobody was surprised he has been
nominated. And I hope he is going to win it. If not him then, in many ways
it has to be connected to what the club does. If Leicester win the league it
should be one of them - probably Jamie Vardy is my choice. If for some
reason, they don't and Spurs win it, it should be Harry Kane."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leicester v West Ham preview: Foxes look to extend lead at top
Last Updated: 15/04/16 5:09pm
SSN
Leicester can move a step closer to winning the Premier League with victory
at home to West Ham on Super Sunday.
The Foxes start the weekend with a seven-point lead at the top of the table
after five successive victories without conceding a goal.
They have beaten the Hammers in the league and Capital One Cup this season
and another win would move them 10 points clear of second-placed Tottenham,
who travel to Stoke on Monday Night Football.
West Ham have seen their top-four hopes fade in recent weeks following three
successive draws in the league.
They also lost their FA Cup quarter-final replay to Manchester United on
Wednesday, but manager Slaven Bilic says there will not be any hangover.
"We are disappointed but we are in a great position in the league and
everything to play for," he said. "We are totally motivated for the next six
games and it starts against Leicester. We have to do everything we can.
"We need points to finish high so yes we have to win, whether it's fourth,
fifth or sixth. United and Man City, five points to City is big with six
games to go, but there are also teams below us playing well and hoping to
get a European place next year."
Team news
Leicester have no new injury concerns, so Claudio Ranieri is likely to name
the starting line-up for the 12th time in 14 league games.
West Ham can welcome back defenders Winston Reid and Sam Byram after Reid
missed the FA Cup defeat to United with a tight hamstring and Byram, fit
again after a recent spell out injured, was cup-tied.
Striker Diafra Sakho is still sidelined with the knee knock which forced him
to withdraw from the squad to face Arsenal last weekend, but he is expected
back in training on Monday.
Opta stats
West Ham have won twice as many of the meetings (10) between these two sides
in the Premier League than Leicester (five), with two draws.
The Hammers have lost just four of their last 16 Premier League away games
(W6 D6 L4).
Leicester have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight Premier League
matches at the King Power Stadium.
Just two of Andy Carroll's 12 Premier League goals since the start of
2014-15 have come away from home.
The Foxes have only trailed for 47 minutes in their 22 Premier League games
played since the start of November 2015.
Dimitri Payet has had a hand in seven goals in his last seven Premier League
appearances (three goals, four assists).
Paul Merson's prediction
I was really disappointed in West Ham the other night. I had only really
seen highlights of Slaven Bilic's side this season and thought they looked
excellent, but having watched the whole game against Man United, they were
really poor.
United put in a very good display at Upton Park but for me, West Ham didn't
do enough. They didn't get enough crosses into the box and there is no point
playing Andy Carroll if you are not going to get the ball into the penalty
area. If you'd have asked me for a prediction on Monday I'd have said I'm
not sure, but now I can't see anything but a Leicester win.
However, I still see a twist to come in the title race.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 15/2)
Betting
Leicester are odds-on at 17/20 with Sky Bet to secure another three points
in their chase for the title with victory over West Ham (16/5), with the
draw priced at 13/5. The Foxes are 1/5 to complete the fairy-tale, while the
Hammers will be looking to bounce back after their midweek FA Cup exit to
Manchester United.
Leicester have kept clean sheets in five of their last six home games and
are 6/4 to extend that run. West Ham recorded wins at Everton and drew with
Norwich and Chelsea in their last three away games scoring two or more goals
in each of those and are 9/4 to score two or more again on Sunday. Get the
latest odds and tips from our Sky Sports pundits here.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Sport Football West Ham United FC
New TV deal will prevent Premier League clubs signing bargain players,
claims West Ham boss Slaven Bilic
22:30, 15 APR 2016
BY JON WEST
Bilic warned that no club will now sell cheaply to an English top-flight
side once the £5.14billion TV deal kicks in
The Mirror
Slaven Bilic believes Premier League clubs can forget about landing
Leicester-style bargains next season.
Bilic takes his West Ham side to the King Power Stadium on Sunday hoping to
arrest the Foxes' amazing charge towards a first league title.
Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante have been the stars of the season
and cost just £7million between them.
But Bilic warned that no club will now sell cheaply to an English top-flight
side once the £5.14billion TV deal kicks in.
"It's going to affect the price of the players, make no mistake," he said.
"It was always like that, because last year it was like that and now it's
going to be even more.
"Definitely the directors or the chairman of the board of the clubs in
Europe, they have one phone for England and the other phone for the rest of
the world and they are all going for the English one!"
Bilic revealed he had wanted to bring Kante to West Ham.
The midfielder instead joined the Foxes for £5.6m from Caen last August and
has been an inspiration.
He said: "We were quite close. He's one of those players that you think
after 20 minutes that there are twins, that there are two of them because
the energy and the cleverness.
"But then we got some players before in the same positions and it would
simply be too many players for the same position."
The Hammers banned Bilic from speaking about the controversial financial
arrangements surrounding their move to the Olympic Stadium in the summer.
But co-chairman David Sullivan insisted a deal that sees the Hammers pay
just £15m plus £2.5m a year was good for the nation, even though the
taxpayer is picking up the rest of the bill.
He said: "We've done a great job for West Ham but believe you me, we've done
a great job for the nation, too.
"We've done a great job for the country, we've done great for jobs in
Newham, for tourism, for business for Westfield - this is a win, win for
everybody.
"We, along with the operators and Newham council, have saved that wonderful
stadium. Instead of being like the eyesores and white elephants in Beijing
and Greece, it will be there for 100 years."
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Sullivan talking of Bilic deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Irons chairman David Sullivan last night insisted that Slaven Bilic was
virtually assured of a new deal and killed off talk of a return to Turkey
with Fenerbahce. The Turkish giants aren't alone in their admiration of the
Irons boss who has had a fabulous start to his career in East London as the
club boss following his departure from Besiktas And it was ironic that
reports emerging this morning (Fri) of interest in him after Sullivan had
spoken of his future in his talkSPORT interview last night. Sullivan said:
"He has a three year contract here and at some point before the three years
we will sit down and try to persuade him to stay if things go on as they
have been going. "He's happy here and he's the least money motivated manager
I've ever spoken to. He is half a Socialist so he is very keen to look after
his staff. He's not really into money himself."
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DS doesn't want our players in England shirts
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
David Sullivan doesn't want Andy Carroll to go to the Euros or any of our
players "to go and play for England." The co chairman – made his position
clear towards the end of a talkSPORT interview in which he defended the
Olympic Stadium deal struck by the Irons. Asked whether he believed Carroll
should go to France he said: "I know it's a horrible thing to say but I
don't want any of our players to go and play for England. "I saw what
happened to Dean Ashton. We lost a vital player and we never got a penny
compensation from the FA." And he explained: "For me as a club owner when
they go away, they play extra games and they risk injury. It does nothing
for me. "If you want to sell it probably increase their value but we have no
desire to sell any of our players. Wearing my West Ham United hat I wish we
had no internationals and a nice long break. "That's because often players
involved in these big competitions struggle the next season because they
don't get a long enough break in the summer."
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Irons striker could be on the move
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham's striker problems may have been dominated by Diafra Sakho over
recent days but it's Enner Valencia's future which is now focusing minds
inside the club. The Ecuador striker produced a less than mediocre
performance against Manchester United and not for the first time his
performance took a battering from the fans on social media. Bought for £12
million, Valencia has managed just nine goals in 56 League and Cup matches
and looked to be right out of touch when recalled for the FA Cup replay
against Manchester United. Apart from his lack of form there have also been
injury absences which haven't helped and the the Hammers may now be ready to
let him move on if they can get a reasonable price in the summer. A senior
source this afternoon (Fri) refused to rule out talk of a possible move for
the player hen ClaretandHugh asked the question. He said: "There's been a
lot of focus on all three strikers because Emineke will definitely be
allowed to return to Turkey. "Enner Valencia has often been reported as a
target for a couple of clubs and every player has a price. He has had some
problems. Speculation always becomes intense at this time of the year but it
would be wrong to rule anything out or in at this point."
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Bilic dispels Fenerbahce rumours
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 15, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Slaven Bilic gave his pre match press conference in advance of our away game
against Premier League leaders Leicester City.
Bilic said : "It looks like Reidy should be ok. He had tight muscles but was
not injured. Nothing major happened on Wednesday. Burns is available. It was
a huge disappointment because we wanted to go to Wembley and then go on and
win the Cup. But we want to finish high and we are motivated to do that in
our final six games, starting at Leicester on Sunday. We need points to
finish high in the table. Do we need to win on Sunday? Well we know we need
points if we are to finish high.It's a great thing for Dimitri Payet being
nominated for the PFA award. It's a great thing for the Club as it shows
we're going well. Hopefully he's going to win it but if not him, then it
should be connected with something your club has achieved."
"If Leicester win the league then Vardy is my choice. If they don't and
Spurs do, it has to be Harry Kane.I wouldn't have said in August when they
beat us that they'd be in this position but then nobody would have said that
after their first two games I said to my staff and Claudio Ranieri that they
had a team that was going to be very hard to beat. [On Fenerbahce] I have
many friends in Turkey but I am happy here. In Turkey there is only one club
for me and that's Besiktas."
"We have to bounce back and we're playing away to a team that's firm
favourites to win the league. It's a big test They play very simple football
but it's very effective. It's hard to create clear-cut chances against them.
They protect their box really well and have a great goalkeeper but we're
capable of creating chances and do in every game we play. We drew too many
matches on one hand, but on the other hand we lost very few matches – only
six. Of course it would be better if we had won more but overall we are
doing really good and sitting high in the table. So far we're having a
really good season but we've got six games left and we want to finish it
well and as high as we can. Every manager says we have to stop Leicester
counter attacking and Vardy running into spaces, but they're still doing it
every week. We cannot afford to lose the ball and them to break on us."
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West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic admits Leicester City's fairytale season
has put his team's achievements and every other Premier League side in the
shade
Slaven Bilic has led his Hammers side to a remarkable season this term
West Ham sit in sixth place and could still reach the Champions League
But Bilic admits they haven't matched the achievements of the Foxes
Leicester are on the verge of winning the title and sit seven points clear
The Foxes host West Ham on Sunday as they continue their title bid
By OLIVER TODD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:00, 15 April 2016 | UPDATED: 14:00, 15 April 2016
Slaven Bilic accepts Leicester City's 'unbelievable fairytale' has left
everyone else's achievements in the shade this season. West Ham manager
Bilic takes his side to the league leaders on Sunday with an outside shot at
Champions League qualification still on the cards. But that narrative will
be lost somewhat at the King Power Stadium, with all the focus on Leicester
as they hone in on the nine points they need to take the title. Bilic says
that even though West Ham have been handed plenty of praise, the Foxes'
achievements are putting his good work 'in the shadows'. 'People recognise
we are having a good season, playing good football and praising us,' Bilic
said. 'But what Leicester have done puts our successful season a little bit
in the shadows. It's like a fairytale and they deserve all the credit they
are getting. It is unbelievable.' Leicester's shock rise to the top, where
they now sit seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham, came as a
surprise to the Barclays Premier League - but Bilic had something of an
inkling months ago. The Foxes won 2-1 at Upton Park back in August and the
West Ham manager had words with opposite number Claudio Ranieri about the
strengths of his side post-match. 'I wouldn't say then I thought they would
be in this position, no-one would have said that,' Bilic conceded. 'But what
was obvious, even then I said to Claudio: "You have a team who will be
extremely hard to beat". But I didn't know they would be big-time favourites
now to win the league. Nobody did.'
West Ham's star man Dimitri Payet is up against three Leicester players in
the running for this season's PFA Player of the Year award: Jamie Vardy,
Riyad Mahrez and Ngolo Kante. Unsurprisingly, Bilic's vote would go to Payet
but looking at the shortlist without bias, he would back Vardy for the
honour. 'I can't be very objective talking about him (Payet),' the Croatian
coach said. 'He is there for a reason and no-one was surprised he was
nominated. I hope he is going to win it. 'If not him, it's an individual
award but it has to be connected to the club. So if Leicester win the league
then it probably should be one of them, and Vardy would be my choice.'
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Leicester v West Ham: Team news, kick-off time, probable line-ups, odds and
stats for the Premier League clash
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 13:17, 15 April 2016 | UPDATED: 13:17, 15 April 2016
TEAM NEWS
West Ham
West Ham can welcome back defenders Winston Reid and Sam Byram for the trip
to leaders Leicester on Sunday. Reid missed Wednesday night's 2-1 FA Cup
defeat by Manchester United with a tight hamstring while Byram, fit again
after a recent spell out injured, was cup-tied. Striker Diafra Sakho is
still sidelined with the knee knock which forced him to withdraw from the
squad to face Arsenal last weekend, but he is expected back in training on
Monday.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Cresswell, Collins, Reid, Ogbonna,
Tomkins, Byram, Hendrie, O'Brien, Oxford, Kouyate, Noble, Obiang, Song,
Lanzini, Payet, Moses, Antonio, Valencia, Emenike, Carroll.
Key match stats (Supplied by Opta)
West Ham United have won twice as many of the meetings (10) between these
two sides in the Barclays Premier League than Leicester (five), with two
draws.
The Hammers have lost just four of their last 16 Premier League away games
(W6 D6 L4).
Leicester City have kept seven clean sheets in their last eight Premier
League matches at the King Power Stadium.
N'Golo Kanté has made the most tackles (146) and interceptions (134) in the
Premier League this season.
Jamie Vardy (21 goals) is the first Leicester City player to surpass the
20-goal mark in a top-flight season since Gary Lineker in 1984-85 (24).
Just two of Andy Carroll's 12 Premier League goals since the start of
2014-15 have come away from home.
Leicester City have kept five consecutive clean sheets in the top-flight for
the first time in their history.
The Foxes have only trailed for 47 minutes in their 22 Premier League games
played since the start of November 2015.
Dimitri Payet has had a hand in seven goals in his last seven Premier League
appearances (three goals, four assists).
Payet has created 94 goalscoring chances for the Hammers in the Premier
League this season; 49 more than any other player (Mark Noble – 45, the next
best).
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, April 16
Friday, April 15
Daily WHUFC News - 15th April 2016
Randolph - It wasn't to be
WHUFC.com
Darren Randolph said the Hammers gave it their all in their Emirates FA Cup
sixth round replay against Manchester United, but were denied a Wembley
semi-final by an inspired David de Gea in the other goal. West Ham came to
life in the final ten minutes after James Tomkins' goal gave them hope at
2-0 down, but de Gea made outstanding saves from Cheikhou Kouyate and Andy
Carroll to prevent yet another Hammers comeback. Randolph was understandably
disappointed at his team's Cup exit, but still proud of their efforts to get
this close to the final four.
He said: "We tried, but it wasn't enough [in the end]. We could have grabbed
another late equaliser, and a winner, but the keeper has made some great
saves. It wasn't to be. "We had chances at Old Trafford, and played well up
there. We didn't think they'd play at the same standard as they did then,
because they are a good team no matter where they are in the league.
"They performed tonight when they needed to."
The Hammers still have plenty to play for this season with European
qualification up for grabs and Randolph insists the Hammers won't allow this
result to affect the rest of the campaign.
"We're still in a great position and there's still so much to play for," he
added. "The good thing is we've got another game on Sunday - a massive game.
"We'll dust ourselves off quickly and then concentrate on Sunday, pushing up
the league and finishing as high as we can."
For Randolph personally, the Cup run has given him a chance to shine in his
first season in east London and he will take much from it. He explained: "I
enjoyed the run. It's the furthest I've got in the FA Cup, we've played
against some good teams and there are lots of positives to be taken from the
run. "I believe some of performances in the FA Cup have helped us maintain
unbeaten runs in the league and pick up points."
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Payet shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year WHUFC.com
Dimitri Payet has been shortlisted for the Men's PFA Players' Player of the
Year award after an outstanding first season at West Ham United. The
29-year-old Frenchman has been in outstanding form ever since making the
move to the Boleyn Ground from Marseille, scoring 12 goals and assisting
eleven in just 32 games for the Club. His influence has been clear as the
Hammers have launched an assault on European qualification in both league
and Cup, and now his contribution his been recognised by his fellow pros.
Players from over 100 clubs - Premier League, Football League and WSL - have
voted for the awards, with the winners being announced in the annual
ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday 24 April. The France
international is up against Tottenham's Harry Kane, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and
Leicester trio Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez for the top prize.
Payet has already won the Willow Foundation's London Footballer of the Year
award this season and will be hoping to add to his trophy haul later this
month.
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Bilic - It's a huge disappointment
WHUFc.com
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham United had simply been beaten by the better
team on the night as Manchester United burst the Hammers' Emirates FA Cup
bubble. The last-ever tie at the Boleyn Ground promised a Wembley
semi-final, but ended in a deflating 2-1 defeat by Louis van Gaal's Red
Devils. After a bright start, Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini fired
the visitors two goals up. James Tomkins gave West Ham hope before David de
Gea made a string of saves to send the visitors through. "It's a huge
disappointment for us and for me, of course," the manager told West Ham TV.
"The players are gutted in the dressing room, but we have to admit they were
the better side for the majority of the game. "They had the composure. We
had the energy, but we didn't have the quality in the phase of the game when
we had the ball. It wasn't on the top level and that's why we were really
good in the first 15 and last 20 minutes, but apart from that they passed
and kept the ball better. They stretched us and they deserved to go through.
"OK we created more than enough chances to equalise and to get the game into
extra-time but it wasn't to be. Their goalkeeper made a few good saves, but
overall they were the better side tonight."
Where West Ham have been literally unbeatable on home turf since last
August, on Wednesday they fell two goals behind and finally found a mountain
that was too steep to climb. For the middle 60 minutes of the game,
Manchester United snapped into every challenge more strongly and passed the
ball more accurately than their hosts, scoring two vital goals in the
process.
When asked why that might have been, Bilic was making no excuses. "OK, first
of all I spoke to their staff and they said it was by far the best
performance from them in the last few months. They are Manchester United and
they are capable of doing that and have done so on a few occasions this
season. "Second of all, I don't think it has anything to do with the
importance of the game and all that. Some players were not on a level and
sometimes it's hard to find a reason. There's no big reason there, but it is
enough at this level to lose that split-second or couple of yards. "For some
players, perhaps the game on Saturday took a lot out of them, but then they
had a game on Sunday, so it may happen to them as well. "It was the small
things we were lacking - composure on the ball and without that you can't
play fluently and that's what happened in our game. We had our phases but we
didn't have our rhythm and their step was much quicker and stronger than
ours."
The season is not over, however, and Bilic has backed his players to lick
their wounds and come out strongly as West Ham continue their challenger for
a UEFA Europa League place at Leicester City on Sunday. "No, no, no, the
season is not over. We are still in this season big time. Of course it's a
huge disappointment but we have six big games and we're going to try to
finish as high as possible. "They are disappointed tonight and tomorrow but
we have a few days until we face Leicester and we will bounce back."
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Hammers clinch third Kicks title in a row
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Foundation made it three tournament wins in as many years as
its mixed U16s side continued their impressive Premier League Kicks Cup form
with a victory in the 2016 event.
Under intermittent spring showers, the young Hammers gathered at Forest
Recreation Ground in Nottingham to put their skills to the test in a
competitive tournament against 52 other Premier and Football League clubs.
After five hours of competition, the Irons beat Leicester City 2-0 in a well
contested final to seal the Foundation's third Kicks Cup in a row.
A vintage defensive showing saw the team go the entire competition without
conceding a goal, while racking up an impressive 24 goals en route to the
coveted trophy.
Francis John-Baptiste, who scored both goals in the final, was delighted to
come away with the Kicks Cup: "I was really nervous in the final and all I
wanted to do was help the team. It's an amazing feeling to have won the
competition, especially as this makes it three years in a row for West Ham!"
The mixed U16s side that also included Claudio Boakye, Andrejus
Bagdanavicius, Sam Mvemba, Yonis Farah, Evandro Goncalves Semedo, Laquan
Liddell and Edon Hodaj are all current participants on West Ham United
Foundation Kicks programme.
George Chukwuma, Foundation Community Sports Officer and coach of the team
expressed his delight at lifting the trophy for a third year in a row, but
was clear that that there was more to it than winning for the youngsters:
"Obviously we are over the moon to have won the mixed competition for a
third year in a row, but just to be invited and have the opportunity to
bring our Kicks participants up here for a full day of football is
incredible.
"To have the chance to wear the West Ham United badge and represent the Club
gives the kids so much confidence and a real sense of belonging. They should
be tremendously proud of themselves."
The Foundation also saw a girl's U16 side compete in the tournament, where
they fought hard within a tough group which included Liverpool and
Tottenham, before exiting the competition.
Nick Perchard, Acting Head of Community Development at the Premier League
stated: "The Premier League Kicks Cup is the culmination of the programme
over the year. It's really our opportunity to thank the clubs and thank the
young people that come regularly to the programme every week and give them
the opportunity to meet other people from different parts of the country."
All the players at the Forest Recreation Ground participate in the Premier
League Kicks project, which uses the appeal of clubs to engage young people
in disadvantaged areas of the country, giving them the chance to do
something positive with their time.
The Premier League Kicks programme began in 2006 as a pilot project in
London between the Premier League, Sport England and the Metropolitan Police
with the aim of using football to bring communities together and to engage
with young people. This year's event saw 53 Premier League and Football
League clubs descend on Nottingham for the competition with 77 U16 teams –
52 mixed and 25 girls play for the chance to be crowned champions.
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Former Player Blog - Tony Cottee
WHUFC.com
Ex-West Ham forward Tony Cottee was disappointed with the Hammers' exit from
the Emirates FA Cup this week, but he hopes Slaven Bilic's side can bounce
back against another of his former clubs, Leicester City…
Hello everyone,
I was absolutely gutted after the defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday
night. It was a great opportunity for us to get to Wembley and for whatever
reason, I don't think we played our best stuff. We did OK for the first 15
minutes, but then United took control of the game.
I think it was more of a case of us being off our game as opposed to them
being that good, to be honest. It was disappointing but we will hopefully
bounce back.
It's been an excellent season overall though, and when you look back, you
can say getting to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup is still an achievement
in itself. That doesn't happen all the time. The league form has been really
good, we've generally been consistent and we've had some fantastic away
performances too.
We haven't lost at home since August in the league, so hopefully it's a
blip. We've got six really important games left now, starting with Leicester
on Sunday which I'll be going to, and hopefully we can still pick up the
points to keep us in the hunt for Europe.
Personally, I want to see us playing in Europe next season, as that's the
part of the next stage in our progression as a Club.
Obviously as a former Leicester player, it's great to see how well they're
performing this season. Unless you're a Spurs fan, I think everyone else
wants Leicester to go on and win the Premier League. It will be really good
for football if they do. They've been the best team this year, even though
they don't necessarily have the best squad as whole. They play as a team,
though, and that's what's been so important.
Whatever way you look at it, it will be tough on Sunday but we have to pick
ourselves up and go to Leicester to put in a performance. I'd like to think
we can get at least a draw. I think we'll make it awkward for Leicester and
I certainly don't expect us to go there and roll over.
We'll give a good account of ourselves and we're certainly capable of
winning, there's no doubt about that. But, we'll need to perform better than
we did on Wednesday evening. If we turn up with our A-game, I think we'll
give Leicester a real battle.
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of West
Ham United.
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Chadwell Chatter - Angelo Ogbonna
WHUFC.com
Ciao,
We are all very disappointed with the result against Manchester United in
the FA Cup.
It was an emotional night being the last ever cup tie at the Boleyn Ground
but I don't think that was the reason we suffered a defeat.
We still had good chances to find an equaliser late in the game but this is
football.
Maybe we were a bit unlucky but hopefully next season we can do even better.
This has still been a very good season for us and we went ten games unbeaten
so this is the first defeat in a long time.
But we have to look forward quickly to the next game because we still have a
lot to play for in the league and we want to stay in Champions League
contention – we have to fight for that.
We have to forget this result quickly and move on.
We have to do our best in the final few games of the season and we have
showed a great spirit throughout the season.
We have a really good chance to move up the table and we still have another
home game against Manchester United.
The Premier League is unbelievable and we can still achieve big things this
season.
Enjoy the game on Sunday.
Angelo
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West Ham at the Olympic Stadium: My dog could've done a better deal - Barry
Hearn
By Frank Keogh & Jamie Broughton
BBC Sport
Former Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn says his dog could have negotiated
better than venue bosses after details of West Ham's Olympic Stadium
contract were published. The Hammers will pay £2.5m rent annually but will
not have to fund police, stewarding, heating, pitch maintenance, or even
corner flags. "My dog could have negotiated a better deal for the taxpayer,"
said Hearn. West Ham said it was "a great deal" for the club and the public.
The Premier League club move to the 60,000-seater stadium from the Boleyn
Ground, which has a 35,000 capacity, at the end of this season. Olympic
Stadium bosses, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), fought a
ruling that the deal should be published, but the appeal was rejected this
week.
On Thursday, full details of the 207-page contract were published for the
first time, including that:
The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and Newham
borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West Ham
although the amount is capped.
The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.
Extra payments West Ham could make
£1m if they win the Champions League £100,000 if they win the FA Cup or
Europa League, or qualify for it
£250,000 if they qualify for Champions League group stages (All payments,
including rent, are linked to inflation) £375,000 if they finish in
the
top five in the Premier League, with smaller payments for other lower
positions in the top 10
West Ham have paid £15m towards the £272m costs of transforming the stadium
into a football venue.
Hearn, who unsuccessfully tried to get the Hammers to groundshare with
Orient at the Olympic Stadium, told BBC Sport: "It's a hugely beneficial
deal to West Ham and good luck to them. "They've negotiated a good deal. I
can't say the same for the LLDC who should go back to negotiation school.
"Frankly it was a hot potato that [London mayor] Boris Johnson and the LLDC
wanted to get rid of. They wanted to close a deal at any price and they will
say 'quite rightly because we didn't have anyone else'."
The LLDC fought publication on the grounds of commercial sensitivity and
fear the decision to publish will cost it million of pounds in lost revenue.
West Ham move to the 60,000-capacity Olympic Stadium at the end of the
season, where they will pay rent of £2.5m a year
"The stadium needs to be a profitable and successful commercial operation,
otherwise it will rely on public subsidy," said a spokesperson.
West Ham insist the club have nothing to hide and believe their position as
anchor tenant helps ensure the stadium does not become a "white elephant".
"We were unanimously chosen as the anchor tenant, above others, including
football clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, as we offered
the best deal and the only option for a true and lasting legacy," said a
Hammers statement. The deal was published after a lengthy legal battle
following an initial freedom of information request from an alliance of 14
supporters' groups. "This is a victory for the power of football supporters
- organised, focused and willing to work together to achieve a collective
goal," said a coalition statement. Aside from West Ham, who will rent the
venue for 25 days a year, the venue will host concerts and other sporting
events, including the IAAF and IPC Athletics World Championships next year.
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Mark Noble: No action over Ander Herrera carry for West Ham skipper
BBC.co.uk
West Ham captain Mark Noble will face no action for carrying Manchester
United's Ander Herrera off the pitch during Wednesday's FA Cup tie.
With West Ham trailing, Herrera was being attended by the physio for a foot
injury that led to him being replaced. The Football Association believes
Noble's action was non-aggressive and referee Roger East was aware of it.
Manchester United went on to win 2-1 to set up a semi-final against Everton
at Wembley on 23 April.
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West Ham to pay £2.5m Olympic Stadium rent per year
BBC.co,uk
West Ham will pay £2.5m a year to rent the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium, it
has been revealed after the deal was made public following a legal
battle.The ground's owners, the London Legacy Development Corporation
(LLDC), fought a ruling that the contract should be published, but the
appeal was rejected this week. West Ham will pay the sum per year over the
99-year lease, the 207-page document has revealed. The Hammers move in this
summer. The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and
Newham borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West
Ham, although the amount is capped.
The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.
The LLDC, which had spent thousands of pounds fighting the ruling, said the
decision could cost the organisation "millions of pounds".
But it has decided not to appeal against the tribunal's ruling.
Extra payments West Ham could have to make annually
£1m if they win the Champions League £100,000 if they win the FA Cup or
Europa League, or qualify for it
£250,000 if they qualify for the Champions League group stages (All payments
linked to inflation) £375,000 if they finish in the top five in the
Premier League, with smaller payments for other lower positions in the top
10
The club were awarded tenancy of the London 2012 stadium in 2013, and at
least £272m has been spent to convert the site for use as a Premier League
ground.
West Ham have contributed £15m towards those costs. Last year a BBC
documentary revealed the club was having many of the running costs of the
stadium paid for it by the taxpayer under the terms of the tenancy
agreement.
The Hammers will not have to pay for a range of things including policing,
stewarding, goalposts, corner flags, cleaners and turnstile operators.
Heating and lighting costs will also be covered by the stadium managers.
However, stadium bosses point out that this is normal for a rental
agreement, using the analogy that you would not expect to hire a badminton
court and not have nets supplied.
A coalition of 14 supporters' trusts from around the country submitted a
Freedom of Information request to obtain that tenancy agreement and believe
the deal gives West Ham, who have played at Upton Park since 1904, a
competitive advantage.
West Ham say they have nothing to hide, believe it is a "great deal" for the
club and the taxpayer, and say the stadium offers a true legacy.
The club added: "Someone renting the stadium for 25 days a year cannot be
responsible for 365 days' running costs."
A coalition of 14 supporters' groups and trusts of several different clubs
campaigned for the information to be released. In a statement it said: "This
is the right decision for the taxpayer, and the right decision for
football."
Pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance called the deal "ludicrously
generous" and said questions remain for "those responsible for offering a
deal for which most clubs would have sold their star striker".
Analysis
BBC Sport's Frank Keogh:
"After a long-running legal row, campaigners have finally succeeded in
getting all the details of the Olympic Stadium deal made public.
"That is unlikely to completely end the story, with critics saying West Ham
have got a new stadium on the cheap.
"The Hammers are keeping their distance, although insist by becoming a
high-profile anchor tenant, the club is helping to ensure the venue does not
become a 'white elephant'. As a tenant, it also misses out on benefits of
added income which a venue owner enjoys.
"Focus may now turn to the stadium rights arrangement, and quite how much
the Hammers might benefit from that."
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West Ham 1-2 Manchester United: Slaven Bilic admits best team won By Pete
Hall at Upton Park Last Updated: 14/04/16 7:16am SSN
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic conceded the better team won as Manchester United
earned a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup quarter-final replay at Upton Park. The
Hammers did not build on their impressive showing against Arsenal at the
weekend, and starved Andy Carroll of any real service as United ran out
deserved winners in the last-ever cup tie at the Boleyn Ground. Goals from
Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini put United two goals to the good,
before James Tomkins made things interesting for the final 11 minutes.
United held on, and Bilic agreed with the sentiment that the Hammers were
second best, and looked dejected as he admitted that United were good value
for the victory. "They were better in two thirds of the game," Bilic said.
"We were really good in the first 15 minutes and the last 20, but other than
that their passing was better than ours. "Some of their players looked
fresher, stronger and quicker. We tried, we created chances to equalise, but
they were better than us for big parts of the game. "But we still have big
games, we are still in the competition for Europe, big time, and we want to
finish as high as possible."
West Ham currently occupy sixth place in the Premier League and are five
points outside of the Champions League places going into a crucial weekend
clash with Leicester. And with plenty still to play for, Bilic is adamant
that the Hammers will recover and will be ready for the Foxes. "This is a
big disappointment," Bilic said. "It takes out a bit of energy and
motivation but we still have a big thing to play for. "We are going to
bounce back."
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Parkes names his Hammer of Year and reveals how he would try to stop a Dimi
Payet free kick
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Phil Parkes has unhesitatingly named his Hammer of the Year – and it's not
Dimitri Payet.
The goalkeeping legend is a huge fan of Michail Antonio and reckons the
youngster should land the top award.
And he made it clear that he thinks using him as a full back should now be a
thing of the past as we head into the ast crucial half a dozen games of the
season.
Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh Phil said: "He's a breath of fresh
air. He's so exciting, raw but he has given everything he has and probably a
bit more since he broke into the side.
"He's still got things to learn but what I love about him is that he's the
type of lad who shows every desire to do so. I have loved what he's brought
to the team this season.
"I don't think there's much question that Payet will get the award but for
me he has dipped off a little over the last few games with those exciting
one on one runs. For me, although he couldn't be more different, Michail
just edges it."
Mind you Parkesy would love to have taken on Payet's free kicks were he a
few years younger and explained: "Despite what people are saying they are
stoppable – everything is stoppable.
"I've watched him very closely and to have a chance of saving one you have
to see his feet. You must not move. Once he has struck it you then commit
yourself. Ok, it has wicked dip and all the rest, but you can't move before
he strikes it as I've seen happen.
"He is an incredible free kick taker – we all know that – but if you wait
until it's in flight and back yourself, then you have a chance."
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Parkes gives "Randolph or Adrian" verdict
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Phil Parkes has called on manager Slaven Bilic to give Darren Randolph two
or three first team League outings before the end of the season. Parkesy
scouted the former Birmingham stopper for David Sullivan when the club were
looking for a replacement to Jussi Jaaskalaien and it was on his
recommendation that the big man was signed. And after the No 2 produced
another tip top FA Cup performance against Manchester United Parkes told
ClaretandHugh in an exclusive interview: "Darren's been outstanding whenever
he's appeared for us and was excellent in the replay. "Being quite honest I
can't see anything between him and Adrian and believe he deserves his chance
at some League action. "Quite apart from anything else he needs to believe
that he's in there with a shout of getting the No 1 job. It would build his
confidence and keep a keen edge on him. "Against United he showed great
command of his area, terrific shot stopping and distribution. I really can't
split them at the moment. "Yes, of course you need keepers to keep the
pressure on each other but Darren needs to know the boss has confidence in
him and give him a run of games. "He did great when Adrian was suspended
earlier in the season so he has shown he has the temperament at that level.
"I would love Slav to hand him two or three games before the end of the
season to see how he settled down in leage action again."
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Olympic Stadium Deal - The facts
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 14, 2016 in News, Whispers C and H
The previously confidential agreement between the LLDC/Newham council and
West Ham United has finally been published this morning. To save you reading
through the legal 207 page document which can be found here we have
summarised the main facts below for you:
West Ham contribution to conversion costs: £15m
West Ham Stadium rental: West Ham will pay a rent of £2.5m per year in the
Premier League for the first 25 games and £100,000 per game for any
additional games beyond that per year. The rent includes exclusive
occupation of the club store, ticket office, board room, player's lounge,
office space and storage areas.
Relegation clause: West Ham's rent will halve to £1.25m if they are
relegated from the Premier League and remain like that until they are
promoted again.
Champions League clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £1m in rent
for the Olympic Stadium any year they win the Champions League. West Ham
will have to pay up an extra £250,000 in rent for the stadium any year they
qualify for the Champions League group stage
Cup Clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £100,000 in rent for the
Olympic Stadium any year they win the FA Cup or Europa League
Europa league clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £100,000 in
rent for the Olympic Stadium any year they qualify for the Europa league
Stadium Naming rights: The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to
the LLDC & Newham, with anything above that shared between the two bodies
and West Ham.
Pitch side advertising rights: West Ham will retain 90% of the pitch side
advertising rights on match days.
Catering rights: West Ham share 30% of catering revenue at the Olympic
stadium on anything over £500,000 each year.
League position clauses: West Ham will pay extra £25,000 in rent if they
finish 10th in the Premier League, £40,000 for 9th, £55,000 for 8th,
£70,000 for 7th, £85,000 for 6th and £100,000 for a top five finish in the
Premier League.
West Ham sell on clause: E20 Stadium LLP would receive a payment of £9.2m &
£11.2m West Ham is ever sold between £125m and £149m. They would receive a
payment equalling 10% (£15m & £20m) if West Ham is ever sold between £150m
and £200m. The payment woudl increase to 20% (£40m & £60m) if West Ham is
sold between £200m and £300m in the first 5 years and 30% (at least £90m) if
the club is sold for over £300m in the first five years. If West Ham is
sold for over £300m between the 6th and 10th year of occupation of the
Olympic Stadium then 20% of the selling price is due to the stadium owners.
If the club was sold for £500m in 9 years time then £100m would be due to
E20 Stadium LLP.
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Winston Reid update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers C
and H
Winston Reid is all set to return to the heart of the Hammers defence for
Sunday's trip to red hit Championship favourites Leicester City. That was
the good news from inside the Irons camp this morning on after a night
against Manchester United when the team left the back door open at times and
paid the price. ClaretandHugh learned this morning that Reid was ruled out
of the FA Cup replay after he reported a muscle tightness in the hamstring
area. We were told: "It wasn't the hamstring itself but nobody was prepared
to take any chances. However, he is looking okay for Sunday which everybody
is seeing as a very winnable game." Diafra Sakho won't make the game with
the club continuing to maintain publicly that he has suffered a recurrence
of an old muscle injury. We were told: "Sak should be back and okay for the
game against Watford on the 20th of the month."
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Football transfer rumours: Barcelona to pay £50m for Dimitri Payet?
Rob Smyth
Thursday 14 April 2016 08.20 BST Last modified on Thursday 14 April 2016
08.26 BST The Guardian
When it comes to assuaging the impact of life's vicissitudes, the Mill has
always believed in the power of retail therapy. It's true that we own 47 Top
Man T-shirts that still have the labels on them, and that £500 treadmill
still hasn't seen any action, but it was worth spunking the monkey for that
instant hit of feelgood goodness that allowed us for a split-second to
forget the essential futility of life. Barcelona, it seems, would concur
with that philosophy. According to the Spanish grapevine, they plan to
respond to their failure to be as good as social-media foghorns prematurely
presumed them to be by paying £50m for West Ham's free-kick freak Dimitri
Payet. There's no easy way to segue to the next rumour, so we're just going
to head straight to the news that Chelsea are considering a £63.5m bid for
Real Madrid good guy Sergio Ramos. Hang on, £63.5m for a 30-year-old? It's
almost as if this stuff isn't actually going to happen!
Juventus want to do Christian Benteke a solid by preparing an escape tunnel
from Anfield to Turin. It'll cost £20m to build. Manchester United haven't a
hope in hell of resigning Cristiano Ronaldo, so they're going for the next
best thing: Naldo, Wolfsburg's 33-year-old defender who put them out of the
Champions League. Mauricio Pochettino and Claudio Ranieri have stripped to
the waist and slapped baby oil all over their tingling flesh in preparation
for a sumo wrestle. The winner gets to sign Pescara goal machine Gianluca
Lapadula. Leicester are also keen on Milan teenager Manuel Locatelli, but so
are Arsenal. Ranieri has wearily ordered some more baby oil. Arsenal will
soon be involved in other tugs of love for Charlton's Regan Charles-Cook
(also wanted by Liverpool) and PSG defender Marquinhos (Chelsea, Manchester
United). Finally, if United sack José Mourinho before they've even appointed
him, PSG will be waiting for him with a loving embrace, oodles of cash and a
smiling David Luiz.
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underland ready to raid West Ham for fringe figure
Date: 14th April 2016 at 5:00 am
Written by: Gareth McKnight
ForeverWestHam
Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is ready to raid his old employers and
bring Joey O'Brien to Sunderland this summer, according to The Daily Mail.
The 30-year-old Republic of Ireland defender has not featured for Slaven
Bilic's side this season due to competition for places at the back and a
number of injury concerns. O'Brien's contract with the London club expires
this summer and it is looking extremely likely that the veteran will leave
the Boleyn Ground as a free agent and look for a new club. Allardyce knows
the Irish enforcer well from their mutual time at West Ham and Bolton, and
is eyeing a bargain deal this summer for the Dublin-born star. West Ham have
progressed since Allardyce has left the club and are now looking to
streamline their squad this summer before moving into the Olympic Stadium in
2016-17. Sunderland are embroiled in a battle to stay in the Premier League,
with the outcome to have a major impact on the Wearside outfit's budget.
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West Ham receive unseen competition for Sakho's replacement
Date: 14th April 2016 at 5:40 am
Written by: Gareth McKnight
ForeverWestHam
West Ham United's plans of signing Jordan Ayew from Aston Villa could well
be upset by Derby County, according to The Daily Mail. The Rams are pushing
for promotion to the Premier League and have lofty ambitions of establishing
themselves in the top tier. The latest report suggests that should Derby get
out of The Championship this season, Ghana international Ayew would be one
of their major targets this summer. The former Lorient attacker has been a
rare bright spark for Villa this term, scoring six Premier League goals for
the Midlands club in a dire collective campaign. West Ham are being heavily
linked with a move for Ayew at the end of the season, especially given that
there are question marks over whether Diafra Sakho will still be a Hammer in
2016-17. Ayew is expected to be available for around £6 million and would be
a canny acquisition for Slaven Bilic's men should Sakho seek an exit.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Darren Randolph said the Hammers gave it their all in their Emirates FA Cup
sixth round replay against Manchester United, but were denied a Wembley
semi-final by an inspired David de Gea in the other goal. West Ham came to
life in the final ten minutes after James Tomkins' goal gave them hope at
2-0 down, but de Gea made outstanding saves from Cheikhou Kouyate and Andy
Carroll to prevent yet another Hammers comeback. Randolph was understandably
disappointed at his team's Cup exit, but still proud of their efforts to get
this close to the final four.
He said: "We tried, but it wasn't enough [in the end]. We could have grabbed
another late equaliser, and a winner, but the keeper has made some great
saves. It wasn't to be. "We had chances at Old Trafford, and played well up
there. We didn't think they'd play at the same standard as they did then,
because they are a good team no matter where they are in the league.
"They performed tonight when they needed to."
The Hammers still have plenty to play for this season with European
qualification up for grabs and Randolph insists the Hammers won't allow this
result to affect the rest of the campaign.
"We're still in a great position and there's still so much to play for," he
added. "The good thing is we've got another game on Sunday - a massive game.
"We'll dust ourselves off quickly and then concentrate on Sunday, pushing up
the league and finishing as high as we can."
For Randolph personally, the Cup run has given him a chance to shine in his
first season in east London and he will take much from it. He explained: "I
enjoyed the run. It's the furthest I've got in the FA Cup, we've played
against some good teams and there are lots of positives to be taken from the
run. "I believe some of performances in the FA Cup have helped us maintain
unbeaten runs in the league and pick up points."
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Payet shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year WHUFC.com
Dimitri Payet has been shortlisted for the Men's PFA Players' Player of the
Year award after an outstanding first season at West Ham United. The
29-year-old Frenchman has been in outstanding form ever since making the
move to the Boleyn Ground from Marseille, scoring 12 goals and assisting
eleven in just 32 games for the Club. His influence has been clear as the
Hammers have launched an assault on European qualification in both league
and Cup, and now his contribution his been recognised by his fellow pros.
Players from over 100 clubs - Premier League, Football League and WSL - have
voted for the awards, with the winners being announced in the annual
ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday 24 April. The France
international is up against Tottenham's Harry Kane, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and
Leicester trio Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez for the top prize.
Payet has already won the Willow Foundation's London Footballer of the Year
award this season and will be hoping to add to his trophy haul later this
month.
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Bilic - It's a huge disappointment
WHUFc.com
Slaven Bilic admitted West Ham United had simply been beaten by the better
team on the night as Manchester United burst the Hammers' Emirates FA Cup
bubble. The last-ever tie at the Boleyn Ground promised a Wembley
semi-final, but ended in a deflating 2-1 defeat by Louis van Gaal's Red
Devils. After a bright start, Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini fired
the visitors two goals up. James Tomkins gave West Ham hope before David de
Gea made a string of saves to send the visitors through. "It's a huge
disappointment for us and for me, of course," the manager told West Ham TV.
"The players are gutted in the dressing room, but we have to admit they were
the better side for the majority of the game. "They had the composure. We
had the energy, but we didn't have the quality in the phase of the game when
we had the ball. It wasn't on the top level and that's why we were really
good in the first 15 and last 20 minutes, but apart from that they passed
and kept the ball better. They stretched us and they deserved to go through.
"OK we created more than enough chances to equalise and to get the game into
extra-time but it wasn't to be. Their goalkeeper made a few good saves, but
overall they were the better side tonight."
Where West Ham have been literally unbeatable on home turf since last
August, on Wednesday they fell two goals behind and finally found a mountain
that was too steep to climb. For the middle 60 minutes of the game,
Manchester United snapped into every challenge more strongly and passed the
ball more accurately than their hosts, scoring two vital goals in the
process.
When asked why that might have been, Bilic was making no excuses. "OK, first
of all I spoke to their staff and they said it was by far the best
performance from them in the last few months. They are Manchester United and
they are capable of doing that and have done so on a few occasions this
season. "Second of all, I don't think it has anything to do with the
importance of the game and all that. Some players were not on a level and
sometimes it's hard to find a reason. There's no big reason there, but it is
enough at this level to lose that split-second or couple of yards. "For some
players, perhaps the game on Saturday took a lot out of them, but then they
had a game on Sunday, so it may happen to them as well. "It was the small
things we were lacking - composure on the ball and without that you can't
play fluently and that's what happened in our game. We had our phases but we
didn't have our rhythm and their step was much quicker and stronger than
ours."
The season is not over, however, and Bilic has backed his players to lick
their wounds and come out strongly as West Ham continue their challenger for
a UEFA Europa League place at Leicester City on Sunday. "No, no, no, the
season is not over. We are still in this season big time. Of course it's a
huge disappointment but we have six big games and we're going to try to
finish as high as possible. "They are disappointed tonight and tomorrow but
we have a few days until we face Leicester and we will bounce back."
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Hammers clinch third Kicks title in a row
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Foundation made it three tournament wins in as many years as
its mixed U16s side continued their impressive Premier League Kicks Cup form
with a victory in the 2016 event.
Under intermittent spring showers, the young Hammers gathered at Forest
Recreation Ground in Nottingham to put their skills to the test in a
competitive tournament against 52 other Premier and Football League clubs.
After five hours of competition, the Irons beat Leicester City 2-0 in a well
contested final to seal the Foundation's third Kicks Cup in a row.
A vintage defensive showing saw the team go the entire competition without
conceding a goal, while racking up an impressive 24 goals en route to the
coveted trophy.
Francis John-Baptiste, who scored both goals in the final, was delighted to
come away with the Kicks Cup: "I was really nervous in the final and all I
wanted to do was help the team. It's an amazing feeling to have won the
competition, especially as this makes it three years in a row for West Ham!"
The mixed U16s side that also included Claudio Boakye, Andrejus
Bagdanavicius, Sam Mvemba, Yonis Farah, Evandro Goncalves Semedo, Laquan
Liddell and Edon Hodaj are all current participants on West Ham United
Foundation Kicks programme.
George Chukwuma, Foundation Community Sports Officer and coach of the team
expressed his delight at lifting the trophy for a third year in a row, but
was clear that that there was more to it than winning for the youngsters:
"Obviously we are over the moon to have won the mixed competition for a
third year in a row, but just to be invited and have the opportunity to
bring our Kicks participants up here for a full day of football is
incredible.
"To have the chance to wear the West Ham United badge and represent the Club
gives the kids so much confidence and a real sense of belonging. They should
be tremendously proud of themselves."
The Foundation also saw a girl's U16 side compete in the tournament, where
they fought hard within a tough group which included Liverpool and
Tottenham, before exiting the competition.
Nick Perchard, Acting Head of Community Development at the Premier League
stated: "The Premier League Kicks Cup is the culmination of the programme
over the year. It's really our opportunity to thank the clubs and thank the
young people that come regularly to the programme every week and give them
the opportunity to meet other people from different parts of the country."
All the players at the Forest Recreation Ground participate in the Premier
League Kicks project, which uses the appeal of clubs to engage young people
in disadvantaged areas of the country, giving them the chance to do
something positive with their time.
The Premier League Kicks programme began in 2006 as a pilot project in
London between the Premier League, Sport England and the Metropolitan Police
with the aim of using football to bring communities together and to engage
with young people. This year's event saw 53 Premier League and Football
League clubs descend on Nottingham for the competition with 77 U16 teams –
52 mixed and 25 girls play for the chance to be crowned champions.
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Former Player Blog - Tony Cottee
WHUFC.com
Ex-West Ham forward Tony Cottee was disappointed with the Hammers' exit from
the Emirates FA Cup this week, but he hopes Slaven Bilic's side can bounce
back against another of his former clubs, Leicester City…
Hello everyone,
I was absolutely gutted after the defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday
night. It was a great opportunity for us to get to Wembley and for whatever
reason, I don't think we played our best stuff. We did OK for the first 15
minutes, but then United took control of the game.
I think it was more of a case of us being off our game as opposed to them
being that good, to be honest. It was disappointing but we will hopefully
bounce back.
It's been an excellent season overall though, and when you look back, you
can say getting to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup is still an achievement
in itself. That doesn't happen all the time. The league form has been really
good, we've generally been consistent and we've had some fantastic away
performances too.
We haven't lost at home since August in the league, so hopefully it's a
blip. We've got six really important games left now, starting with Leicester
on Sunday which I'll be going to, and hopefully we can still pick up the
points to keep us in the hunt for Europe.
Personally, I want to see us playing in Europe next season, as that's the
part of the next stage in our progression as a Club.
Obviously as a former Leicester player, it's great to see how well they're
performing this season. Unless you're a Spurs fan, I think everyone else
wants Leicester to go on and win the Premier League. It will be really good
for football if they do. They've been the best team this year, even though
they don't necessarily have the best squad as whole. They play as a team,
though, and that's what's been so important.
Whatever way you look at it, it will be tough on Sunday but we have to pick
ourselves up and go to Leicester to put in a performance. I'd like to think
we can get at least a draw. I think we'll make it awkward for Leicester and
I certainly don't expect us to go there and roll over.
We'll give a good account of ourselves and we're certainly capable of
winning, there's no doubt about that. But, we'll need to perform better than
we did on Wednesday evening. If we turn up with our A-game, I think we'll
give Leicester a real battle.
The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of West
Ham United.
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Chadwell Chatter - Angelo Ogbonna
WHUFC.com
Ciao,
We are all very disappointed with the result against Manchester United in
the FA Cup.
It was an emotional night being the last ever cup tie at the Boleyn Ground
but I don't think that was the reason we suffered a defeat.
We still had good chances to find an equaliser late in the game but this is
football.
Maybe we were a bit unlucky but hopefully next season we can do even better.
This has still been a very good season for us and we went ten games unbeaten
so this is the first defeat in a long time.
But we have to look forward quickly to the next game because we still have a
lot to play for in the league and we want to stay in Champions League
contention – we have to fight for that.
We have to forget this result quickly and move on.
We have to do our best in the final few games of the season and we have
showed a great spirit throughout the season.
We have a really good chance to move up the table and we still have another
home game against Manchester United.
The Premier League is unbelievable and we can still achieve big things this
season.
Enjoy the game on Sunday.
Angelo
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West Ham at the Olympic Stadium: My dog could've done a better deal - Barry
Hearn
By Frank Keogh & Jamie Broughton
BBC Sport
Former Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn says his dog could have negotiated
better than venue bosses after details of West Ham's Olympic Stadium
contract were published. The Hammers will pay £2.5m rent annually but will
not have to fund police, stewarding, heating, pitch maintenance, or even
corner flags. "My dog could have negotiated a better deal for the taxpayer,"
said Hearn. West Ham said it was "a great deal" for the club and the public.
The Premier League club move to the 60,000-seater stadium from the Boleyn
Ground, which has a 35,000 capacity, at the end of this season. Olympic
Stadium bosses, the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), fought a
ruling that the deal should be published, but the appeal was rejected this
week.
On Thursday, full details of the 207-page contract were published for the
first time, including that:
The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and Newham
borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West Ham
although the amount is capped.
The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.
Extra payments West Ham could make
£1m if they win the Champions League £100,000 if they win the FA Cup or
Europa League, or qualify for it
£250,000 if they qualify for Champions League group stages (All payments,
including rent, are linked to inflation) £375,000 if they finish in
the
top five in the Premier League, with smaller payments for other lower
positions in the top 10
West Ham have paid £15m towards the £272m costs of transforming the stadium
into a football venue.
Hearn, who unsuccessfully tried to get the Hammers to groundshare with
Orient at the Olympic Stadium, told BBC Sport: "It's a hugely beneficial
deal to West Ham and good luck to them. "They've negotiated a good deal. I
can't say the same for the LLDC who should go back to negotiation school.
"Frankly it was a hot potato that [London mayor] Boris Johnson and the LLDC
wanted to get rid of. They wanted to close a deal at any price and they will
say 'quite rightly because we didn't have anyone else'."
The LLDC fought publication on the grounds of commercial sensitivity and
fear the decision to publish will cost it million of pounds in lost revenue.
West Ham move to the 60,000-capacity Olympic Stadium at the end of the
season, where they will pay rent of £2.5m a year
"The stadium needs to be a profitable and successful commercial operation,
otherwise it will rely on public subsidy," said a spokesperson.
West Ham insist the club have nothing to hide and believe their position as
anchor tenant helps ensure the stadium does not become a "white elephant".
"We were unanimously chosen as the anchor tenant, above others, including
football clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient, as we offered
the best deal and the only option for a true and lasting legacy," said a
Hammers statement. The deal was published after a lengthy legal battle
following an initial freedom of information request from an alliance of 14
supporters' groups. "This is a victory for the power of football supporters
- organised, focused and willing to work together to achieve a collective
goal," said a coalition statement. Aside from West Ham, who will rent the
venue for 25 days a year, the venue will host concerts and other sporting
events, including the IAAF and IPC Athletics World Championships next year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble: No action over Ander Herrera carry for West Ham skipper
BBC.co.uk
West Ham captain Mark Noble will face no action for carrying Manchester
United's Ander Herrera off the pitch during Wednesday's FA Cup tie.
With West Ham trailing, Herrera was being attended by the physio for a foot
injury that led to him being replaced. The Football Association believes
Noble's action was non-aggressive and referee Roger East was aware of it.
Manchester United went on to win 2-1 to set up a semi-final against Everton
at Wembley on 23 April.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to pay £2.5m Olympic Stadium rent per year
BBC.co,uk
West Ham will pay £2.5m a year to rent the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium, it
has been revealed after the deal was made public following a legal
battle.The ground's owners, the London Legacy Development Corporation
(LLDC), fought a ruling that the contract should be published, but the
appeal was rejected this week. West Ham will pay the sum per year over the
99-year lease, the 207-page document has revealed. The Hammers move in this
summer. The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to the LLDC and
Newham borough, with anything above that between the two bodies and West
Ham, although the amount is capped.
The rent will be halved to £1.25m if West Ham are relegated.
The LLDC, which had spent thousands of pounds fighting the ruling, said the
decision could cost the organisation "millions of pounds".
But it has decided not to appeal against the tribunal's ruling.
Extra payments West Ham could have to make annually
£1m if they win the Champions League £100,000 if they win the FA Cup or
Europa League, or qualify for it
£250,000 if they qualify for the Champions League group stages (All payments
linked to inflation) £375,000 if they finish in the top five in the
Premier League, with smaller payments for other lower positions in the top
10
The club were awarded tenancy of the London 2012 stadium in 2013, and at
least £272m has been spent to convert the site for use as a Premier League
ground.
West Ham have contributed £15m towards those costs. Last year a BBC
documentary revealed the club was having many of the running costs of the
stadium paid for it by the taxpayer under the terms of the tenancy
agreement.
The Hammers will not have to pay for a range of things including policing,
stewarding, goalposts, corner flags, cleaners and turnstile operators.
Heating and lighting costs will also be covered by the stadium managers.
However, stadium bosses point out that this is normal for a rental
agreement, using the analogy that you would not expect to hire a badminton
court and not have nets supplied.
A coalition of 14 supporters' trusts from around the country submitted a
Freedom of Information request to obtain that tenancy agreement and believe
the deal gives West Ham, who have played at Upton Park since 1904, a
competitive advantage.
West Ham say they have nothing to hide, believe it is a "great deal" for the
club and the taxpayer, and say the stadium offers a true legacy.
The club added: "Someone renting the stadium for 25 days a year cannot be
responsible for 365 days' running costs."
A coalition of 14 supporters' groups and trusts of several different clubs
campaigned for the information to be released. In a statement it said: "This
is the right decision for the taxpayer, and the right decision for
football."
Pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance called the deal "ludicrously
generous" and said questions remain for "those responsible for offering a
deal for which most clubs would have sold their star striker".
Analysis
BBC Sport's Frank Keogh:
"After a long-running legal row, campaigners have finally succeeded in
getting all the details of the Olympic Stadium deal made public.
"That is unlikely to completely end the story, with critics saying West Ham
have got a new stadium on the cheap.
"The Hammers are keeping their distance, although insist by becoming a
high-profile anchor tenant, the club is helping to ensure the venue does not
become a 'white elephant'. As a tenant, it also misses out on benefits of
added income which a venue owner enjoys.
"Focus may now turn to the stadium rights arrangement, and quite how much
the Hammers might benefit from that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-2 Manchester United: Slaven Bilic admits best team won By Pete
Hall at Upton Park Last Updated: 14/04/16 7:16am SSN
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic conceded the better team won as Manchester United
earned a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup quarter-final replay at Upton Park. The
Hammers did not build on their impressive showing against Arsenal at the
weekend, and starved Andy Carroll of any real service as United ran out
deserved winners in the last-ever cup tie at the Boleyn Ground. Goals from
Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini put United two goals to the good,
before James Tomkins made things interesting for the final 11 minutes.
United held on, and Bilic agreed with the sentiment that the Hammers were
second best, and looked dejected as he admitted that United were good value
for the victory. "They were better in two thirds of the game," Bilic said.
"We were really good in the first 15 minutes and the last 20, but other than
that their passing was better than ours. "Some of their players looked
fresher, stronger and quicker. We tried, we created chances to equalise, but
they were better than us for big parts of the game. "But we still have big
games, we are still in the competition for Europe, big time, and we want to
finish as high as possible."
West Ham currently occupy sixth place in the Premier League and are five
points outside of the Champions League places going into a crucial weekend
clash with Leicester. And with plenty still to play for, Bilic is adamant
that the Hammers will recover and will be ready for the Foxes. "This is a
big disappointment," Bilic said. "It takes out a bit of energy and
motivation but we still have a big thing to play for. "We are going to
bounce back."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parkes names his Hammer of Year and reveals how he would try to stop a Dimi
Payet free kick
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Phil Parkes has unhesitatingly named his Hammer of the Year – and it's not
Dimitri Payet.
The goalkeeping legend is a huge fan of Michail Antonio and reckons the
youngster should land the top award.
And he made it clear that he thinks using him as a full back should now be a
thing of the past as we head into the ast crucial half a dozen games of the
season.
Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh Phil said: "He's a breath of fresh
air. He's so exciting, raw but he has given everything he has and probably a
bit more since he broke into the side.
"He's still got things to learn but what I love about him is that he's the
type of lad who shows every desire to do so. I have loved what he's brought
to the team this season.
"I don't think there's much question that Payet will get the award but for
me he has dipped off a little over the last few games with those exciting
one on one runs. For me, although he couldn't be more different, Michail
just edges it."
Mind you Parkesy would love to have taken on Payet's free kicks were he a
few years younger and explained: "Despite what people are saying they are
stoppable – everything is stoppable.
"I've watched him very closely and to have a chance of saving one you have
to see his feet. You must not move. Once he has struck it you then commit
yourself. Ok, it has wicked dip and all the rest, but you can't move before
he strikes it as I've seen happen.
"He is an incredible free kick taker – we all know that – but if you wait
until it's in flight and back yourself, then you have a chance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Parkes gives "Randolph or Adrian" verdict
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers
C and H
Phil Parkes has called on manager Slaven Bilic to give Darren Randolph two
or three first team League outings before the end of the season. Parkesy
scouted the former Birmingham stopper for David Sullivan when the club were
looking for a replacement to Jussi Jaaskalaien and it was on his
recommendation that the big man was signed. And after the No 2 produced
another tip top FA Cup performance against Manchester United Parkes told
ClaretandHugh in an exclusive interview: "Darren's been outstanding whenever
he's appeared for us and was excellent in the replay. "Being quite honest I
can't see anything between him and Adrian and believe he deserves his chance
at some League action. "Quite apart from anything else he needs to believe
that he's in there with a shout of getting the No 1 job. It would build his
confidence and keep a keen edge on him. "Against United he showed great
command of his area, terrific shot stopping and distribution. I really can't
split them at the moment. "Yes, of course you need keepers to keep the
pressure on each other but Darren needs to know the boss has confidence in
him and give him a run of games. "He did great when Adrian was suspended
earlier in the season so he has shown he has the temperament at that level.
"I would love Slav to hand him two or three games before the end of the
season to see how he settled down in leage action again."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium Deal - The facts
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 14, 2016 in News, Whispers C and H
The previously confidential agreement between the LLDC/Newham council and
West Ham United has finally been published this morning. To save you reading
through the legal 207 page document which can be found here we have
summarised the main facts below for you:
West Ham contribution to conversion costs: £15m
West Ham Stadium rental: West Ham will pay a rent of £2.5m per year in the
Premier League for the first 25 games and £100,000 per game for any
additional games beyond that per year. The rent includes exclusive
occupation of the club store, ticket office, board room, player's lounge,
office space and storage areas.
Relegation clause: West Ham's rent will halve to £1.25m if they are
relegated from the Premier League and remain like that until they are
promoted again.
Champions League clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £1m in rent
for the Olympic Stadium any year they win the Champions League. West Ham
will have to pay up an extra £250,000 in rent for the stadium any year they
qualify for the Champions League group stage
Cup Clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £100,000 in rent for the
Olympic Stadium any year they win the FA Cup or Europa League
Europa league clause: West Ham will have to pay up an extra £100,000 in
rent for the Olympic Stadium any year they qualify for the Europa league
Stadium Naming rights: The first £4m of any naming rights deal will go to
the LLDC & Newham, with anything above that shared between the two bodies
and West Ham.
Pitch side advertising rights: West Ham will retain 90% of the pitch side
advertising rights on match days.
Catering rights: West Ham share 30% of catering revenue at the Olympic
stadium on anything over £500,000 each year.
League position clauses: West Ham will pay extra £25,000 in rent if they
finish 10th in the Premier League, £40,000 for 9th, £55,000 for 8th,
£70,000 for 7th, £85,000 for 6th and £100,000 for a top five finish in the
Premier League.
West Ham sell on clause: E20 Stadium LLP would receive a payment of £9.2m &
£11.2m West Ham is ever sold between £125m and £149m. They would receive a
payment equalling 10% (£15m & £20m) if West Ham is ever sold between £150m
and £200m. The payment woudl increase to 20% (£40m & £60m) if West Ham is
sold between £200m and £300m in the first 5 years and 30% (at least £90m) if
the club is sold for over £300m in the first five years. If West Ham is
sold for over £300m between the 6th and 10th year of occupation of the
Olympic Stadium then 20% of the selling price is due to the stadium owners.
If the club was sold for £500m in 9 years time then £100m would be due to
E20 Stadium LLP.
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Winston Reid update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 14, 2016 in Fans Forum, News, Whispers C
and H
Winston Reid is all set to return to the heart of the Hammers defence for
Sunday's trip to red hit Championship favourites Leicester City. That was
the good news from inside the Irons camp this morning on after a night
against Manchester United when the team left the back door open at times and
paid the price. ClaretandHugh learned this morning that Reid was ruled out
of the FA Cup replay after he reported a muscle tightness in the hamstring
area. We were told: "It wasn't the hamstring itself but nobody was prepared
to take any chances. However, he is looking okay for Sunday which everybody
is seeing as a very winnable game." Diafra Sakho won't make the game with
the club continuing to maintain publicly that he has suffered a recurrence
of an old muscle injury. We were told: "Sak should be back and okay for the
game against Watford on the 20th of the month."
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Football transfer rumours: Barcelona to pay £50m for Dimitri Payet?
Rob Smyth
Thursday 14 April 2016 08.20 BST Last modified on Thursday 14 April 2016
08.26 BST The Guardian
When it comes to assuaging the impact of life's vicissitudes, the Mill has
always believed in the power of retail therapy. It's true that we own 47 Top
Man T-shirts that still have the labels on them, and that £500 treadmill
still hasn't seen any action, but it was worth spunking the monkey for that
instant hit of feelgood goodness that allowed us for a split-second to
forget the essential futility of life. Barcelona, it seems, would concur
with that philosophy. According to the Spanish grapevine, they plan to
respond to their failure to be as good as social-media foghorns prematurely
presumed them to be by paying £50m for West Ham's free-kick freak Dimitri
Payet. There's no easy way to segue to the next rumour, so we're just going
to head straight to the news that Chelsea are considering a £63.5m bid for
Real Madrid good guy Sergio Ramos. Hang on, £63.5m for a 30-year-old? It's
almost as if this stuff isn't actually going to happen!
Juventus want to do Christian Benteke a solid by preparing an escape tunnel
from Anfield to Turin. It'll cost £20m to build. Manchester United haven't a
hope in hell of resigning Cristiano Ronaldo, so they're going for the next
best thing: Naldo, Wolfsburg's 33-year-old defender who put them out of the
Champions League. Mauricio Pochettino and Claudio Ranieri have stripped to
the waist and slapped baby oil all over their tingling flesh in preparation
for a sumo wrestle. The winner gets to sign Pescara goal machine Gianluca
Lapadula. Leicester are also keen on Milan teenager Manuel Locatelli, but so
are Arsenal. Ranieri has wearily ordered some more baby oil. Arsenal will
soon be involved in other tugs of love for Charlton's Regan Charles-Cook
(also wanted by Liverpool) and PSG defender Marquinhos (Chelsea, Manchester
United). Finally, if United sack José Mourinho before they've even appointed
him, PSG will be waiting for him with a loving embrace, oodles of cash and a
smiling David Luiz.
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underland ready to raid West Ham for fringe figure
Date: 14th April 2016 at 5:00 am
Written by: Gareth McKnight
ForeverWestHam
Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is ready to raid his old employers and
bring Joey O'Brien to Sunderland this summer, according to The Daily Mail.
The 30-year-old Republic of Ireland defender has not featured for Slaven
Bilic's side this season due to competition for places at the back and a
number of injury concerns. O'Brien's contract with the London club expires
this summer and it is looking extremely likely that the veteran will leave
the Boleyn Ground as a free agent and look for a new club. Allardyce knows
the Irish enforcer well from their mutual time at West Ham and Bolton, and
is eyeing a bargain deal this summer for the Dublin-born star. West Ham have
progressed since Allardyce has left the club and are now looking to
streamline their squad this summer before moving into the Olympic Stadium in
2016-17. Sunderland are embroiled in a battle to stay in the Premier League,
with the outcome to have a major impact on the Wearside outfit's budget.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham receive unseen competition for Sakho's replacement
Date: 14th April 2016 at 5:40 am
Written by: Gareth McKnight
ForeverWestHam
West Ham United's plans of signing Jordan Ayew from Aston Villa could well
be upset by Derby County, according to The Daily Mail. The Rams are pushing
for promotion to the Premier League and have lofty ambitions of establishing
themselves in the top tier. The latest report suggests that should Derby get
out of The Championship this season, Ghana international Ayew would be one
of their major targets this summer. The former Lorient attacker has been a
rare bright spark for Villa this term, scoring six Premier League goals for
the Midlands club in a dire collective campaign. West Ham are being heavily
linked with a move for Ayew at the end of the season, especially given that
there are question marks over whether Diafra Sakho will still be a Hammer in
2016-17. Ayew is expected to be available for around £6 million and would be
a canny acquisition for Slaven Bilic's men should Sakho seek an exit.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, April 14
Daily WHUFC News - WHUFC Statement
West Ham United Statement
West Ham United have released a statement in response to today's publication
of the stadium concession agreement
"This publication does not affect West Ham United or our move to the former
Olympic Stadium in any way.
"From our perspective, we welcome the publication of the concession
agreement as it proves that, as we have always maintained, the Club has
nothing to hide.
"Importantly, people can now see that the full revenue streams from which
the stadium's owners will benefit go well beyond the widely-reported
payments we have committed to make to the transformation costs and our
annual usage fee for using the stadium 25 days a year.
"Those revenue streams include the contribution of the lion's share of the
income deriving from the stadium's naming rights, catering, stadium tours,
all non-matchday income and further substantial revenue if - as is our
primary focus -the Club continues to enjoy success on the pitch. We firmly
believe it is a great deal for both West Ham United and also the taxpayer.
"Working with our partners over the past three years, our vision,
perseverance and unwavering belief in the stadium's potential has helped
design and create the magnificent 60,000 capacity venue we see today. It is
a stadium that the nation can be proud of and we believe it will become one
of the greatest football stadiums in the world.
"And let us not forget that West Ham United were named anchor concessionaire
of the stadium after a fair, transparent and robust process open to any
organisation in the world. We were unanimously chosen as the anchor tenant,
above others, including football clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton
Orient, as we offered the best deal and the only option for a true and
lasting legacy for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
"As the Commissioner identifies, the factor which sets the agreement with
West Ham apart from that of any other stadium user is our commitment to a
99-year commercial lease, which ultimately secured the stadium's future and
the success it is now guaranteed to enjoy. It will be sold out for every
West Ham home game from next season onwards, meaning our presence will bring
hundreds of millions of additional people and billions of pounds of extra
revenue over the course of the tenancy.
"But while someone renting the Stadium for 25 days a year cannot be
responsible for 365 days' running costs, going by our performances this
season, we hope to deliver additional revenue to the stadium via extended
cup runs and big European nights. This will secure the international
exposure and additional usage and revenue that may now be more challenging
for the Stadium owners to find elsewhere as a result of this ruling.
"Because of West Ham United and our brilliant supporters, the Stadium now
has a true legacy and viable future for generations to come. We look forward
to showcasing it to the world when we play our first game there in August."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
West Ham United have released a statement in response to today's publication
of the stadium concession agreement
"This publication does not affect West Ham United or our move to the former
Olympic Stadium in any way.
"From our perspective, we welcome the publication of the concession
agreement as it proves that, as we have always maintained, the Club has
nothing to hide.
"Importantly, people can now see that the full revenue streams from which
the stadium's owners will benefit go well beyond the widely-reported
payments we have committed to make to the transformation costs and our
annual usage fee for using the stadium 25 days a year.
"Those revenue streams include the contribution of the lion's share of the
income deriving from the stadium's naming rights, catering, stadium tours,
all non-matchday income and further substantial revenue if - as is our
primary focus -the Club continues to enjoy success on the pitch. We firmly
believe it is a great deal for both West Ham United and also the taxpayer.
"Working with our partners over the past three years, our vision,
perseverance and unwavering belief in the stadium's potential has helped
design and create the magnificent 60,000 capacity venue we see today. It is
a stadium that the nation can be proud of and we believe it will become one
of the greatest football stadiums in the world.
"And let us not forget that West Ham United were named anchor concessionaire
of the stadium after a fair, transparent and robust process open to any
organisation in the world. We were unanimously chosen as the anchor tenant,
above others, including football clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton
Orient, as we offered the best deal and the only option for a true and
lasting legacy for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
"As the Commissioner identifies, the factor which sets the agreement with
West Ham apart from that of any other stadium user is our commitment to a
99-year commercial lease, which ultimately secured the stadium's future and
the success it is now guaranteed to enjoy. It will be sold out for every
West Ham home game from next season onwards, meaning our presence will bring
hundreds of millions of additional people and billions of pounds of extra
revenue over the course of the tenancy.
"But while someone renting the Stadium for 25 days a year cannot be
responsible for 365 days' running costs, going by our performances this
season, we hope to deliver additional revenue to the stadium via extended
cup runs and big European nights. This will secure the international
exposure and additional usage and revenue that may now be more challenging
for the Stadium owners to find elsewhere as a result of this ruling.
"Because of West Ham United and our brilliant supporters, the Stadium now
has a true legacy and viable future for generations to come. We look forward
to showcasing it to the world when we play our first game there in August."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Daily WHUFC News - 14th April 2016
West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Manchester United spoiled the party as goals from Marcus Rashford and
Marouane Fellaini helped them reach the FA Cup semi finals with a 2-1 win
over West Ham in the final ever cup game at the Boleyn Ground.
Despite a late goal from James Tomkins which got the Hammers back into the
game and a disallowed effort from Cheikhou Kouyate right at the death, the
home side failed to find a way back after United had raced into a two goal
lead.
There was disappointment all round the stadium at the final whistle, but
this has been some season for Slaven Bilic's side who enjoyed a memorable
run in the FA Cup and still stand a great chance of securing a European
place.
It proved to be an emotional night under the lights in the East End as the
fans said goodbye to cup football inside the famous old stadium.
The atmosphere was electric as the two teams entered the field and you could
sense what was at stake for both teams.
The Hammers players seemed to thrive off the noise emanating from the home
support and had a strong start to the game.
They could have broken the deadlock after just five minutes when Manuel
Lanzini played a clever ball into Enner Valencia who burst clear into the
box but he fired his shot straight at David De Gea.
After scoring a wonder goal at Old Trafford in the original tie, the crowd
drew their breathe as the home side were awarded a set-piece in a similar
position to where the French superstar scored from in Manchester on nine
minutes.
Payet was able to get his free-kick on target once again, but this time his
curling shot was well saved from David De Gea moving well to his right hand
side.
United came back strong into the game and came close on 14 minutes when
Marcus Rashford's deflected shot off Angelo Ogbonna flew just wide of the
post.
Ogbonna came to the home side's rescue once again on 18 minutes when he was
in the right place to deny Marouane Fellaini's close-range shot.
United continued to create the best openings and Darren Randolph made a
superb save to deny Jesse Lingard on 34 minutes who was clean through but
saw his low drive well kept out by the Hammers keeper diving low to his
right.
Bilic would have wanted a response from his players in the second half, but
it was United who almost broke the deadlock once again on 48 minutes when
Lingard found space on the edge of the box and fired a blistering shot just
wide of the post.
The Hammers finally found a route back on goal and Kouyate tried his luck
from 35 yards with a dipping shot which produced a fine save from De Gea
diving low to his right.
But United's dominance paid off when they found the breakthrough on 53
minutes.
Michail Antonio's poor clearance fell to Martial who played the ball into
Rashford weaved his way to the edge of the box before curling a right foot
shot past Randolph into the roof of the net.
United doubled their lead on 67 minutes when Lingard's cross picked out
Martial who saw his wayward shot fall to Fellaini and he converted from
close-range.
The Hammers have shown on a number of occasions this season that they are
never beaten and were handed a major lifeline when they pulled a goal back
on 78 minutes.
Payet's corner fell to Antonio who saw his shot superbly kept out by De Gea.
From the resulting corner, Payet's deep corner fell to Carroll who headed
the ball back across goal and Tomkins reacted the quickest to head the ball
over the line.
The Hammers threw everything at the United goal in the final quarter as they
looked to grab the all-important equaliser.
Carroll had a golden chance on 87 minutes when Aaron Cresswell's cross
picked out the Hammers striker who directed a powerful header inches over
the bar.
And the home side came even close sixty seconds later when they had the ball
in the United net.
Carroll's shot was kept out by De Gea and the rebound fell to Kouyate who
headed the ball over the United keeper but his effort was ruled out for
offside.
That proved to be the last chance for the Hammers and unfortunately the FA
Cup journey came to a cruel end in the last ever cup match to be witnessed
at the Boleyn Ground.
West Ham: Randolph, Antonio, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble,
Valencia (Moses 62), Lanzini (Emenike 74), Payet, Carroll
Subs not used: Adrian, Obiang, Collins, Hendrie, Oxford
Bookings: Carroll
Manchester United: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Smalling, Blind, Rojo (A Valencia
67), Fellaini, Carrick, Lingard, Ander Herrera (Schneiderlin 76), Martial,
Rashford (Rooney 88)
Subs not used: Depay, Mata, Young, Romero
Bookings: Carrick, Rojo, Herrera
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
Attendance: 33,505
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Manchester United spoiled the party as goals from Marcus Rashford and
Marouane Fellaini helped them reach the FA Cup semi finals with a 2-1 win
over West Ham in the final ever cup game at the Boleyn Ground.
Despite a late goal from James Tomkins which got the Hammers back into the
game and a disallowed effort from Cheikhou Kouyate right at the death, the
home side failed to find a way back after United had raced into a two goal
lead.
There was disappointment all round the stadium at the final whistle, but
this has been some season for Slaven Bilic's side who enjoyed a memorable
run in the FA Cup and still stand a great chance of securing a European
place.
It proved to be an emotional night under the lights in the East End as the
fans said goodbye to cup football inside the famous old stadium.
The atmosphere was electric as the two teams entered the field and you could
sense what was at stake for both teams.
The Hammers players seemed to thrive off the noise emanating from the home
support and had a strong start to the game.
They could have broken the deadlock after just five minutes when Manuel
Lanzini played a clever ball into Enner Valencia who burst clear into the
box but he fired his shot straight at David De Gea.
After scoring a wonder goal at Old Trafford in the original tie, the crowd
drew their breathe as the home side were awarded a set-piece in a similar
position to where the French superstar scored from in Manchester on nine
minutes.
Payet was able to get his free-kick on target once again, but this time his
curling shot was well saved from David De Gea moving well to his right hand
side.
United came back strong into the game and came close on 14 minutes when
Marcus Rashford's deflected shot off Angelo Ogbonna flew just wide of the
post.
Ogbonna came to the home side's rescue once again on 18 minutes when he was
in the right place to deny Marouane Fellaini's close-range shot.
United continued to create the best openings and Darren Randolph made a
superb save to deny Jesse Lingard on 34 minutes who was clean through but
saw his low drive well kept out by the Hammers keeper diving low to his
right.
Bilic would have wanted a response from his players in the second half, but
it was United who almost broke the deadlock once again on 48 minutes when
Lingard found space on the edge of the box and fired a blistering shot just
wide of the post.
The Hammers finally found a route back on goal and Kouyate tried his luck
from 35 yards with a dipping shot which produced a fine save from De Gea
diving low to his right.
But United's dominance paid off when they found the breakthrough on 53
minutes.
Michail Antonio's poor clearance fell to Martial who played the ball into
Rashford weaved his way to the edge of the box before curling a right foot
shot past Randolph into the roof of the net.
United doubled their lead on 67 minutes when Lingard's cross picked out
Martial who saw his wayward shot fall to Fellaini and he converted from
close-range.
The Hammers have shown on a number of occasions this season that they are
never beaten and were handed a major lifeline when they pulled a goal back
on 78 minutes.
Payet's corner fell to Antonio who saw his shot superbly kept out by De Gea.
From the resulting corner, Payet's deep corner fell to Carroll who headed
the ball back across goal and Tomkins reacted the quickest to head the ball
over the line.
The Hammers threw everything at the United goal in the final quarter as they
looked to grab the all-important equaliser.
Carroll had a golden chance on 87 minutes when Aaron Cresswell's cross
picked out the Hammers striker who directed a powerful header inches over
the bar.
And the home side came even close sixty seconds later when they had the ball
in the United net.
Carroll's shot was kept out by De Gea and the rebound fell to Kouyate who
headed the ball over the United keeper but his effort was ruled out for
offside.
That proved to be the last chance for the Hammers and unfortunately the FA
Cup journey came to a cruel end in the last ever cup match to be witnessed
at the Boleyn Ground.
West Ham: Randolph, Antonio, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble,
Valencia (Moses 62), Lanzini (Emenike 74), Payet, Carroll
Subs not used: Adrian, Obiang, Collins, Hendrie, Oxford
Bookings: Carroll
Manchester United: De Gea, Fosu-Mensah, Smalling, Blind, Rojo (A Valencia
67), Fellaini, Carrick, Lingard, Ander Herrera (Schneiderlin 76), Martial,
Rashford (Rooney 88)
Subs not used: Depay, Mata, Young, Romero
Bookings: Carrick, Rojo, Herrera
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
Attendance: 33,505
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 13
Daily WHUFC News -
Preview - Man Utd
WHUFC.com
The background
A place at Wembley is on the line on Wednesday night when West Ham United welcome Manchester United to the Boleyn Ground for their Emirates FA Cup sixth round replay.
Remember this game kicks-off at the earlier than usual time of 7pm.
Following a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last month, the teams will do battle again for the right to face Everton in the semi-finals a week on Saturday.
The Hammers could count themselves a touch unfortunate not to progress at the first time of asking, after Anthony Martial's late equaliser cancelled out Dimitri Payet's stunning free-kick.
However, the Hammers did not allow that to dishearten them, and are unbeaten since that game, while Manchester United have defeated Manchester City and Everton, but were beaten comfortably by Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
They are a point ahead of the Hammers in the Barclays Premier League table, in fifth place, and have seen off Sheffield United, Derby County and Shrewsbury Town in their Cup run so far.
The history
Manchester United have won eleven FA Cups to the Hammers' three, with their last success coming back in 2004.
West Ham and the Red Devils have met in eight previous FA Cup ties, with both teams winning four each. The last meeting came in 2012/13 when a 2-2 Boleyn Ground draw was followed by a 1-0 replay win for the north west club.
Earlier this season the teams played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, when both Winston Reid and Mauro Zarate struck the woodwork for the visitors.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho misses Wednesday's FA Cup meeting with the Red Devils after picking up a knee injury in training at the end of last week.
Sam Byram is cup tied, but James Collins returns to the squad after overcoming his hamstring injury.
Darren Randolph is likely to feature in goal after playing in all of the Hammers' FA Cup ties so far this season.
Manchester United
Wayne Rooney made his comeback following two months out for the Red Devils' U21 side on Monday and could play.
Phil Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah will be assessed, the latter having picked up an injury against Tottenham on Sunday.
Match info
Roger East takes the whistle for Wednesday's game, and a good omen for the Hammers is that he was the same referee for their replay win against Liverpool earlier this season. He will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and Peter Kirkup, and the fourth official is Neil Swarbrick.
The last three meetings between the Clubs have been draws.
West Ham have drawn their last four matches in all competitions.
The Hammers have only lost two of their last 24 games in all competitions (W10, D12).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 23 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 11 assists) - 13 more than any other Hammers player.
Manchester United have been knocked out in both of their last two sixth-round appearances, including a 2-1 home defeat by eventual winners Arsenal last season.
United have only failed to score in two of their last 15 away trips to Upton Park.
Ticketing, travel, coverage and other info
Tickets for this gave have completely SOLD OUT.
The District and Hammersmith & City lines will serve Upton Park station as normal on Wednesday. Click here for the latest news on TfL services and here for National Rail.
A sunny day is expected on Wednesday, leading into a dry evening. Temperature at 7pm is predicted to be 15C (59F).
If you're not heading to the game, remember you can follow live across our digital channels. The whufc.com Match Centre has live audio commentary, text updates, in-running stats and pictures. You can get involved in the conversation on social using #WHUMNU.
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Noble - We need to keep going
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble says the Hammers are ready for the second game in their 'massive' week. Following Saturday's thrilling 3-3 draw with Arsenal, a place at Wembley is on the line on Wednesday night, when Slaven Bilic's men play host to Manchester United in their Emirates FA Cup sixth round replay. Noble would love nothing more than to lead his team out under the Wembley arch, especially as a good result against the Red Devils would set them up for the trip to league leaders Leicester City. He said: "Our attention is on Manchester United, as we would love to give our fans a Wembley day out. Then we have the potential champions in Leicester next weekend. The team spirit is great and we just need to keep on going. "I think Leicester will go on to win the league if they continue as they have been and so this week will be a tough one for us. We are still going to push for the Champions League. There are a lot of points still to play for."
Noble was thrilled to see Andy Carroll score a quickfire hat-trick on Saturday and says an England call for this summer's Euro 2016 is not out of the question. He added: "Everybody knows what Andy is like, he is the best when the ball is in the box. When you cross the ball into him, he is simply unplayable at times. He should definitely be looked at for a place in the England squad. He's been and done that before, but the most important thing is to keep him fit and he will help us out massively. "We've got a great bunch of lads here. We were two down against a very good Arsenal side and it is fantastic to come back to be 3-2 up. At the moment, there are small margins that are making us draw games rather than winning them."
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Slaven Speaks - Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Manager Slaven Bilic hosted his pre-Manchester United press conference on Tuesday morning, where he discussed the Boleyn Ground's final FA Cup tie, an important week for West Ham United, Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho...
Slaven, can you please sum up what Wednesday evening's Emirates FA Cup sixth-round replay with Manchester United - the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground - means to West Ham United?
"It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals, so it can't be any bigger an occasion. We are of course fully motivated and want to go through.
"We have played them twice this season at Old Trafford and drawn both games. Now, it's the first time we will play them at home and it's an important game. We then play them at home in the final Premier League game here, which will also be massive.
"Wednesday's game is massive for them and massive for us. OK, they lost their last game 3-0 but they are Manchester United and they have great players.
"For their standards, of course, they've not been very consistent but they are still above us in the table, and they are very capable of beating any team on their day."
You played Arsenal on Saturday and go to leaders Leicester City in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday, so do you have those games in mind when you select your team on Wednesday?
"We got to Leicester City on Sunday in the Premier League, and I have said before we have a big week, but we take it game-by-game and we didn't think about this game before the Arsenal game.
"When we make the team selection, we take this game on its own. Of course, we know we have to play the other games but that is not affecting our selection or the way we are training or resting and all that.
"When it comes to the games, in the position we are in, we cannot prioritise and we are going to put everything we can into every game. We will pick the best team we can."
Can you believe how well things have gone this season?
"It has been a long season, one which began on 2 July, but we had always planned to be in this position if possible. That is the reason why we are in these jobs - to finish as high as possible, to win as many games as we can. We have done all right.
"All that we were doing in the pre-season and during the season was to put us in the best-possible position and we're playing well.
"We know the competition is strong in the Premier League so you never know what is round the corner, but we've coped with it well so far. We've reached the hardest part in the league and in the FA Cup, but we're going to give everything to take it all."
How do you reflect now on Andy Carroll's hat-trick performance against Arsenal on Saturday?
"Andy Carroll did brilliant for us on Saturday against Arsenal. My opinion on him is that when he is fit and on form, he is a very special kind of player. He brings you something that very few players can.
"He is different, he is hard to cope with and hard to deal with, and he has done really well for us every time he has been fit. He doesn't have to score, because his presence on the pitch gives us another dimension."
Finally, what is the situation with regard to Diafra Sakho?
"The situation with Diafra Sakho is very simple. He reported an injury after training on Friday and was not in the squad for Arsenal. He had a scan on Monday and it reported a little bit of a problem, so he is out for hopefully not more than one week. We hope to have him back on Monday."
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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an update - in association with Spire Roding Hospical...
Hello everyone and welcome to From the Treatment Room - 24 hours earlier than usual due to our FA Cup sixth-round replay with Manchester United on Wednesday evening.
The Medical and Sports Science department were delighted to see Andy Carroll score a fantastic hat-trick against Arsenal on Saturday, when the team played some very good football which we all enjoyed.
We all know that when he is on top of his game that he is unplayable and, as a staff, we like to see any player who has had an injury history on the pitch and on top of his form.
A further positive was that we did not pick up any injuries from the game. The players were a little fatigued by the end, so we rested, recovered on the pitch on Monday and trained fully on Tuesday ahead of Man United.
We welcomed back James Collins, James Tomkins and Sam Byram back to full training. Unfortunately Sam is cup-tied but we hope to have all three of them back in first-team contention soon.
West Ham is becoming a top team at all levels - Stadium, training ground, the players we have signed - and a top team has a high number of games so we all have to rise to the challenge.
We hope that this intensity and busy fixture list is going to sustain into next season because we are playing in the UEFA Europa League or even the UEFA Champions League, and also have two good domestic cup runs.
I and a number of my staff have worked at clubs which have progressed into European competition previously and I can assure you that the staff relish the adventure like the supporters do.
We work seven days a week anyway, so it is nice for the staff if this work includes travelling in Europe. It's good, and the amount of games is not a problem because if you weren't playing matches, you would be training hard anyway. It doesn't make a difference.
With Ginge, Tonks and Sam back in training, we have just the one injury at present, and that is Diafra Sakho.
Diaf picked up a minor right knee injury in training on Friday and we hope to see him back on the pitch either at the end of the week or the beginning of next week.
Looking ahead to Wednesday's game, I was part of the Medical and Sports Science department when we went to Wembley for the 2012 Play-Off final and I would love to take my team back there to work in the semi-finals and final.
We have a young, educated and motivated staff here at West Ham United and are as eager as the players to achieve more.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
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Bobby Moore OBE
WHUFC.com
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of West Ham United's finest-ever player and captain - Bobby Moore OBE...
Bobby Moore OBE, West Ham United's greatest-ever player and England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain, was born on this day 75 years ago. The central defender made 646 league and cup appearances for the Hammers, scoring 27 goals. Moore was born in Barking on 12 April 1941, making his debut for his local club in a 3-2 win over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground as a 17-year-old on 8 September 1958. It was the start of a glittering career that is remembered fondly by football fans the world over. As a West Ham player, Moore lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965. A year later, he was back at Wembley to complete an unforgettable hat-trick by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy following England's 4-2 victory over West Germany. Moore would go on to star at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico before moving to Fulham, for whom he played against the Hammers in the 1975 FA Cup final. Following his retirement, Moore moved first into management and then into the world of broadcasting before his life was cut short by cancer in February 1993. He was just 51. Fellow Hammers legend Billy Bonds MBE recalls Bobby's memory fondly. He said: "Mooro was an absolute icon. I respected a lot of team-mates and opponents down the years but he was the only person in my entire career, who made me feel that way. "He was fantastic to me from the day that I arrived and I loved him as a player and as a person. Bobby Moore had a presence both off and on the field. "There was no side to him at all and, having lifted the World Cup, he'd been the most famous person on the planet on that July afternoon at Wembley in 1966 but, despite all of that, Bobby wasn't the slightest bit lairy. Mooro treated everyone the same, no matter who they were. "Bobby Moore wasn't a particularly good header of the ball and he wasn't very quick either but, boy, his timing was impeccable. He didn't need to be good in the air or fast because he could read the game so well - he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to nick the ball off a centre-forward. "And he was just so good at bringing the ball out of defence and starting attacks, too."
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Fans' Forum catch goalkeeper trio in good spirits
WHUFC.com
Hammers' heroes Adrian, Darren Randolph and Chris Woods participated in a highly successful Accessibility Fans' Forum on Monday evening at the Boleyn Ground.
The trio fielded faced a gruelling question and answer session where they faced a wide range of questions which raised plenty of laughs.
Reflecting on his penalty heroics last season against Everton, Spanish stopper Adrian beamed: "My penalty against Everton was one of my best moments here at West Ham, I was like an outfield player!
"It was a strange feeling, unusual. But I took my gloves off because I was confident my goalkeeper work was done! Lucky for me I scored."
Meanwhile Darren Randolph was equally in just as high spirits ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final replay: "We haven't been practising penalties, I don't think we'll need them, I'm feeling confident!"
After emerging from the inquisition unscathed, the trio, all good friends, posed for photos with the guests and signed merchandise in what was a highly enjoyable evening for all.
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The Big Interview - Andy Carroll
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll sat down with West Ham TV to talk hat-tricks, starting places, the FA Cup and more ahead of Wednesday's last-ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground.
The No9 bagged his first treble in six years against Arsenal on Saturday to make an emphatic return to Slaven Bilic's team, and now he is targeting more goals and glory against Manchester United.
With a place at Wembley Stadium in a semi-final with Everton at stake, Carroll is looking to build on his outstanding performance on what promises to be a historic evening in east London.
A few days on, how do you reflect on your hat-trick and the positive response from fans and the media alike?
"It was good getting another hat-trick as it's been a while! It was a good game and a tough game, but I'm looking forward to the game on Wednesday now. If the ball comes in the box then I think I'm favourite. I am happy to challenge for it and if the timing is right, I think I'm going to get there."
Slaven Bilic has spoken of the superb impact you have made off the substitutes' bench, but you started on Saturday and presumably you want to keep your place in the team?
"It's been tough not starting but it's worked well and I've done the right thing in training to keep myself fit and getting on for the last 30 minutes, but it's not the place I want to be. I want to be the main man in the middle.
"I've said this before that he is a great manager and a great man. That's something I've got to appreciate and respect and I do. It's his decision to make the team and I've just got to fight for it in training and that's what I've been doing.
"It's something I've got to work for and when I get a start like I did at the weekend, I've got to show him what I'm all about."
Slaven has made quite an impact since he arrived last summer. What have you made of his approach to managing West Ham United?
"He's a great manager and a great bloke, to be honest. You can talk to him about football or not about football, and when it comes to games his tactics are spot-on. Every game, he takes each game as it comes and it's different tactics, different set-ups and different formations.
"He has changed a lot and brought all the lads together and with all the staff he's brought in, it's been very good. With the way we've played this season, it's shown he has brought in the way he wants us to play and the lads are enjoying it.
"Going down 2-0 at Arsenal, in the past you'd think it was over but we showed we could fight to get back in the game and we went ahead. We were unlucky not to win the game and that's what has changed."
The team spirit is fantastic, isn't it?
"When the lads come into training, wherever we're from we're all sat on different tables and there are no separate groups. At the training ground, we're all mates and all go on the pitch together as a team and work together."
And so to Wednesday and it's Manchester United in the last-ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground?
"It's going to be great. We're all looking forward to it and the fans are, so it'll be a great night and hopefully we'll get a result.
"Maybe I can get another hat-trick, why not! It'll be nice to get a few more goals. It doesn't really matter about a hat-trick, but it would be nice to be the last one to get a hat-trick at the Boleyn Ground.
"It would be nice to get my hands on the FA Cup trophy. We'll just have to see what comes and not look too far in the future, but just at this game against Man U."
It's four years here now - you're part of the furniture!
"I'm loving it here and loving it at home. Everything is spot-on and I'm really happy and enjoying it. Give it a few more years and I'll get a Testimonial!"
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West Ham United v Manchester United
WED, 13 APR 2016FA CUP - SIXTH ROUND - REPLAY
19:00
Venue: Boleyn Ground
BBC coverage
How to follow:
Watch live on BBC One from 19:00, listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic insists a knee injury - rather than a rift - will keep the forward out for a week.
Wayne Rooney returned after two months out with a knee injury for Manchester United's Under-21 side on Monday and could be involved at Upton Park. Phil Jones will also be assessed along with Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was injured in Sunday's loss at Tottenham.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "What better way for the Boleyn Ground to say goodbye to cup football. "West Ham are as exciting as anyone to watch just now - always threatening to score with Manuel Lanzini, Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll offering very different, but very potent threats. "The Hammers haven't lost a home game since August, but should be wary of a favourites tag. "United may have been drubbed by Spurs on Sunday, but just when you think Louis van Gaal's fate is sealed they seem to come up with a win - as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City will testify. "Expect a thrilling game, a raucous atmosphere - and goals."
Twitter: @SteveWilson1967
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on Andy Carroll (who scored a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw against Arsenal Saturday): "I don't know about the England squad. I said my opinion about him and it doesn't vary to most of the football people's opinion of Andy - when he is fit and in form he is very special and gives you something. He is different. "It is hard to mark him and hard to cope with him. For us he has done really good every time he is fit. He doesn't have to score, his presence on the pitch gives us another quality and dimension."
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal: "I've seen the Andy Carroll show and I think our problem against Tottenham was also the miscommunication of our central defenders. I hope that we improve our communication because it is very important this game for us. "Carroll has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday. It was also against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll and not only Andy Carroll, the other players. They have a certain player called Dimitri Payet, for example; he can also play, and (Manuel) Lanzini can also score goals."
Andy Carroll
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This will be the last FA Cup match at Upton Park. These sides will also meet in West Ham's final home league match on 10 May.
The past three meetings have been draws.
West Ham
West Ham have drawn their past four matches in all competitions.
The Hammers have only lost two of their past 24 games in all competitions (W10, D12).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 23 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 11 assists) - 13 more than any other Hammers player.
Manchester United
The 11-time FA Cup winners last lifted the trophy in 2004.
They have been knocked out in both of their past two last-eight appearances, including a 2-1 home defeat by eventual winners Arsenal last season.
United have only failed to score in two of their past 15 trips to Upton Park.
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Nolan loses Os role - after just three months
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th April 2016
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan has been removed form his role as player/manager of Leyton Orient - just three months after accepting the post.
However in a bizarre twist, the 33-year-old - who won seven of his 15 games in charge at Brisbane Road but managed just one draw from the last four games - has not been fired by the League Two club but told instead to concentrate on his playing duties.
"Everyone at the club is fighting hard to make sure we reach the play-offs this season," Orient chief executive Alessandro Angelieri told Orient's website, after it was revealed that former Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler would be replacing Nolan with immediate effect.
"Whilst that aim remains within reach, we have decided that Kevin should focus entirely on his playing contribution until the end of the season. Andy will take charge of the first team in the interim.
"We believe Kevin will be able to make a bigger impact without the distraction of managerial duties."
Liverpudlian Nolan, who spent four years at the Boleyn Ground between 2011 and 2015 has also been linked with the vacant managerial post at Bolton, a club where he spent a decade as a player.
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A clean bill of health - bar Sakho
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th April 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's Head of Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke has given West Ham's first team squad a full bill of health - with the exception of just one player.
Diafra Sakho, whose absence from a club event and Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal led to much speculation last weekend is unlikely to return to action until this coming weekend at the earliest, according to Vandenbroucke.
"With Ginge, Tonks and Sam back in training, we have just the one injury at present," he told whufc.com in his earlier-than-usual weekly round-up. "That is Diafra Sakho.
"Unfortunately Sam is cup-tied, but we hope to have all three of them back in first-team contention soon. Diaf picked up a minor right knee injury in training on Friday and we hope to see him back on the pitch either at the end of the week or the beginning of next week."
Vandenbroucke, who in addition to two spells at West Ham has worked for the likes of Dynamo Moscow and Anji Makhachkala - plus the Chinese and Albanian national teams - believes that the club is well prepared for another European excursion - should they achieve qualification via the Premier League or FA Cup this season.
"West Ham United is becoming a top team at all levels - stadium, training ground, the players we have signed - and a top team has a high number of games so we all have to rise to the challenge," he added.
"We hope that this intensity and busy fixture list is going to sustain into next season because we are playing in the UEFA Europa League or even the UEFA Champions League, and also have two good domestic cup runs.
"I and a number of my staff have worked at clubs which have progressed into European competition previously and I can assure you that the staff relish the adventure like the supporters do."
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Olympic Stadium bosses claim "millions" could be lost after they are ordered to reveal details of West Ham deal
04:16, 12 APR 2016 UPDATED 08:08, 12 APR 2016
BY NATALIE EVANS
LLDC must publish details of the funding for the Olympic Stadium amid suggestions of a lack of transparency over the use of public money in the project
The Mirror
The details of deal which saw West Ham secure the Olympic Stadium are set to be revealed after the London Legacy Development Corporation lost an appeal. An information tribunal rejected the LLDC appeal against a London Assembly ruling that the contract between it and the Premier League club should be made public. It means details of the funding for the Olympic Stadium, built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, must be published, amid suggestions of a lack of transparency over the use of public money in the project.
A spokesperson for LLDC, which is responsible for transforming venues used for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: "We are disappointed by the tribunal's decision. "We have already published the vast majority of the contract and only undertook this appeal following very clear legal advice that to release the remaining details could significantly impact the stadium's ability to act competitively. "The ruling will result in significant challenges given the commercial realities of a highly competitive market, which could amount to many millions of pounds being lost over the term of a 99-year deal. "We are considering the judgement very carefully before we decide on the next steps to take."
LLDC could appeal against the decision. West Ham were awarded tenancy of the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium ahead of Tottenham and will leave their Upton Park home this summer. The Hammers are due to move into the arena in time for the start of the 2016-17 Premier League season. The venue is also to host the 2017 IAAF and IPC Athletics World Championships. Olympic Stadium Coalition, a coalition of 14 supporters' trusts and groups, has been campaigning for the contract to be published.
A spokesperson said on its website: "We're naturally delighted with the outcome, as we see this as an issue of fairness to the taxpayer, to clubs near and far, and to football as a whole. "We now respectfully request that the LLDC do what is right, waive the right to an appeal, and publish the deal in full so that it can be properly assessed and its implications understood."
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Diafra Sakho to miss Manchester United tie as injury confirmed
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 12/04/16 10:57am
SSN
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says scans show Diafra Sakho was injured at the weekend. Sakho was not in the squad for Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal, and a message posted on social media sparked reports of a falling-out with his manager. But that was denied in the aftermath of the game by Bilic, who revealed the striker had pulled out citing an injury. And Sakho will not be fit for Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United - the last cup tie at West Ham's Boleyn Ground. "The situation with Diafra is very simple," Bilic said at his pre-match press conference. "He reported an injury after training on Friday. He was not in the squad. "Yesterday he had a scan, which showed a little bit of a problem and he will be out for one week."
Andy Carroll, fresh from his hat-trick against Arsenal, will start up front as the Hammers aim to book a Wembley date against Everton later this month. Bilic said: "It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals. It can't be bigger. "We are fully motivated and it is a massive game of course. It is massive for us and it is massive for them."
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Louis van Gaal says Andy Carroll poses a threat to Manchester United
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 12/04/16 6:28am
SSN
Louis van Gaal says Manchester United will need to nullify the threat posed by West Ham forward Andy Carroll if they are to keep their FA Cup hopes alive. Carroll scored a stunning 10-minute hat-trick in the 3-3 Premier League draw with Arsenal on Saturday - his first three goal haul for nearly six years - and is likely to start for the Hammers against United in their FA Cup quarter-final replay at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday. Van Gaal watched United ship three goals in six second-half minutes to lose 3-0 at Tottenham on Sunday and he is well aware that a similar display could spell the end of his side's FA Cup chances. "I've seen the Andy Carroll show [against Arsenal] and I think our problem against Tottenham was also the miscommunication of our central defenders," the United manager said. "I hope that we improve our communication because it is very important this game for us. "Carroll has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday. It was also against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll and not only Andy Carroll, the other players. "They have a certain player called Dimitri Payet for example, he can also play, and [Manuel] Lanzini can also score goals."
West Ham have not lost at the Boleyn Ground since August and Van Gaal was keen to point out that the Hammers will enjoy the benefit of an extra day's rest ahead of the cup clash. "It is our last chance of a title so it is very important for the players, the club, the manager and the fans," he added. "And still we have one day less than West Ham United. That's also important. We have proved against Arsenal and Manchester City, in spite of less days to recover, we could beat them. "So I hope we can recover very good, also mentally because the defeat to Tottenham was a blow of course. Everybody knows this is the last chance."
Wayne Rooney continued his recovery from a knee injury by playing 60 minutes for United's U21s against Middlesbrough on Monday, but he is unlikely to be involved against West Ham.
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Exclusive Interview with Neil Finn-at the time-the youngest person to play in the Premier League
April 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
The West Ham Way
I was delighted to discover by chance that Neil Finn followed me on my twitter account and so I really wanted to hear about his unexpected debut for the club. I remember listening to the game on the radio, there were no internet streams in those days and hearing he was playing. I spent the rest of the game wondering what the experience must have been like in front of a large crowd at Maine Road. Neil talks exclusively about this game and his experience at West Ham
You were a member of the FA Cup youth runners up team that included Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, who else made it in the game from that team? What was that experience like?
Being a member of that youth team and being with my friends every day for two years was the best experience, just a fantastic time and with the team being so successful it made it all the better. It certainly made me the man I am today! Many players had long & successful league careers: Lee Hodges, Joe Keith, and Chris Coyne to name a few and most of us went on to play local non-league.
Did you think at the time that Rio and Frank would go on to achieve all that they have in the game? Was there any other players who should have also achieved more?
Yes. They were the stand out 2 players at all levels: youth, reserve and first teams. Every single member of my teams knew them boys would be full internationals and lifting trophies in the future. There was huge quality in our squad and I believed at the time that most of the boys would have long first team careers in the top two leagues but it's not always the case. That step up is so tough & cut throat!! Total respect to the boys that made it professionally!!
You were suddenly thrust into the first team on New Year's Day 1996 when Sealey was injured and Ludo suspended! How did that come about?
20 years ago now. Yes, Ludo got sent off vs Everton and was suspended and I believe Ian Feuer had just been sold to Luton. So it was just Les and I on the books as full times back up goalies. I got a call from Frank Senior a couple of days before the game to say I was travelling with the first team to Maine Road. I was buzzing!! Thinking that I wouldn't even make the bench as Harry would put all outfield players on there...I was just looking forward to the ride!
A day before the game I turned up at the Swallow Hotel to meet the team coach and a few of the players (Dicks & Hutchinson mainly) were giving me stick about me being nervous etc. I didn't really get what they were talking about to be honest. It was only when I got on the coach that Harry & Frank said that Les had torn his calf yesterday in training and that I was playing tomorrow. I wasn't buzzing anymore!!! I would like to say that Ludo, his wife and Les travelled up to Maine Road to support me and looked after my Mum & Dad (who I called as soon as I found out & they traveled up too) and they gave me such good advice during the whole experience.
What did Harry Redknapp say to you at the time and before the game? Did any other of the first team players offer any words of advice?
I don't really remember exactly what was said, but Harry and Frank just said do what you've been doing in the youth team and you'll be fine! The players were fantastic, protecting me always. Also the fans were superb singing my name throughout the game...
You became the youngest ever Premier League player at the time, were you nervous?
Yes but the goalies (Les & Ludo) made me feel comfortable & settled me down and it sounds a cliché but once that whistle went I did concentrate on the game and tried not let the occasion get to me!
You were injured yourself for that game weren't you?
Only a tight hamstring from the previous youth game, nothing serious.
What do you remember from the game and after?
I remember I didn't have a great deal to do during the game apart from to pick the ball out the net twice from Niall Quinn goals. I did believe and was told before the game that City will be swinging in crosses and being very physical but it didn't happen!
After the game I was told not to talk to the press and just get straight on the coach for the journey home.
I got home around 1 AM and I remember reporting into training the next day to train and do my duties, cleaning boots etc.! Back with a bang eh!?!
That went on to be your only game for the club and you never played professionally again. Why do you think that was? Did the one game have a negative impact?
I was certainly realistic enough to know that I wasn't good enough for high level first team football. I did believe that I was good enough for 3rd Division / Conference level & spent the next four or so years playing/training for every local club at that level, with no success at all. It wasn't without trying, but it just wasn't to be. I'm certainly not bitter and really enjoyed my extremely short football journey.
That one game didn't have a negative impact at all, I am very proud of that one game and 20 years on people still want to chat to me about it.
Who were you friends with in the youth team and first team squad?
Our youth & reserve teams was very close and I was friends with all of them. We used to socialise together as a squad and I have great memories of the years I was there! Good friends at the time were Frank, Chris Coyne, Joe Keith, Lee Hodges, Chris Saines and many more!
You had some good nights out on the Essex scene, any interesting stories?
Nope!!!!??
You are still good mates with Frank Lampard is that correct? Do you see each other much?
Yes, we are very close. I saw him last at his wedding, which was an absolutely fantastic.
As you know he lives in New York now. I'm looking forward to visiting him in the summer.
Are you friends with any other ex-players?
Social media has been good in the last few years for me to keep contact with old team mates.
Rio and Frank seemed very close when at West Ham but seemed to drift apart when they left? Any particular reason?
I don't think they drifted apart, it was more logistics, that they didn't see each other as much; one played for Leeds/Man Utd and one played for Chelsea.
Are you involved in football now? If not what do you do for a job?
I was at Romford FC in the Ryman League for over ten years. Nine years as a player and a year or so as coach. Once my daughter was born the travelling as a non-player became too much and unfair on my family. I work for a company called Castacrete Ltd & I am General Manager of the Natural Stone department, importing stone from all over the world.
You've been invited to the last ever game at Upton Park, what can you tell us about that?
Yes I have. I received a DM tweet from WHUFC asking for my email regarding the last game. I then received a letter from Karen Brady inviting me. I am over the moon with the invite!
What do you make of the current West Ham team and the season we are having?
Fantastic. A pleasure to watch.
Are you a West Ham fan?
Yes. My father took me to my first game at Upton Park as a young schoolboy. Sitting at the very back row of the main stand. It was vs Manchester Utd. We lost 3-1 with Liam Brady scoring a consolation penalty.
I had a season ticket for three consecutive years as a young teenager in the south bank and then the Chicken Run. I have great memories of watching my heroes like Ludo, Dicks, Breaker, Cottee, Bishop and more and then for me to sign full time for West Ham, it was a dream come true!
Are you excited about the stadium move?
Very much so. What a great move anc we could be seeing European games there in the first season!
Also, living in Harold Wood makes the journey so easy and I have great plans of taking my son and daughter over there!
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Exclusive article by the Daily Mail's Lee Clayton who gives is opinions on Andy Carroll
April 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay
Lee Clayton
The fella who sits close to me in the West Stand Lower has it in for Andy Caroll. "Run Carroll," he booms whenever a ball is sent into the channel. "You lazy git!"
I don't know the chap - I don't want to know him - but it seems he's not a Carroll fan. He's one of those supporters who will focus on the negative aspects of Carroll's skillset - the injuries, the lack of pace and mobility, the temptation for a team to play it long when they have a big centre forward. He pays his money too and he's entitled to his opinion, of course, but shouldn't every West Ham fan recognise how important a fit and firing Carroll is?
I get it that it's easy to write this after he has scored a hat-trick but he remains a very important asset to the club. I remember when every team had a centre forward like Carroll. A target man. West Ham had them too; some good like David Cross. Others not so good. Ok, there was a loose arm that might have brought a second yellow card when challenging Gabriel, but this team is due a favourable refereeing decision after recent weeks.
With his rugged efforts Carroll, my friend who sits behind me clearly thinks, is a dinosaur - and a relic from yesteryear. But, at 2-0 down, when Aaron Cresswell received a short lay-back from Dimitri Payet, set himself and then whipped a delicious left footed cross arrowing in towards the penalty spot, is there any other striker you would rather have attacking the ball?
There seems a mood around the club that Carroll will be sold in the summer and replaced by a younger, modern forward who is fitter and more mobile. He may even have been sold in the last transfer window if someone (Newcastle, Sunderland) had offered enough. He has cost a lot of money and there is a sense they haven't got enough value while another criticism is that he appears to enjoy life of the field a little too much. Slaven Bilic often talks about him needing to showing more consistency and professionalism while, at Liverpool, they were astonished that he applied old school attitudes off the pitch when modern football is about fitness and nutrition.
Bilic (and just about all the rest of us) thinks Carroll can be so much better, but that is no reason to sell him. By all means increase competition, buy another forward, someone with a better fitness record, but keep Carroll too. Few rival teams have that type of striker and rival defences - once used to playing regularly against a target man - cannot cope with what he can do. He's only just turned 27! If he is fit. If he gets the service (yes, two big ifs). then he is the best man to be West Ham's no9.
The national media, as is the custom, typically respond to Carroll at his best by asking if he should be recalled by England. But if you are of the West Ham persuasion, who cares? I'd rather he spend the summer working hard and getting his fitness right for what will be an important and challenging season at the new stadium.
The Andy Carroll we witnessed at Upton Park terrorising Arsenal's central defenders is the Andy Carroll we want to see more often. And who gives a damn if he doesn't chase lost causes and run into the channels? Save your energy for scoring goals, lad.
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West Ham target Michael Carrick as Manchester United stall on new deal
April 12, 2016
TheWestHamWay
BKHammer
According to the Sun, West Ham are ready to jump on Manchester United's dithering by offering Michael Carrick a return to east London. Carrick's future at Old Trafford is in limbo with the club yet to decide whether to hand him a one-year extension to the contract that runs out at the end of the season. And with United failing to make their minds up, West Ham have made a tentative approach about the possibility of agreeing a 12-month contract with the England midfielder. Alex Song will be leaving the Hammers at the end of the season, and manager Slaven Bilic is aware he needs to bolster his squad with the possibility of Europa League football and a push for a top four finish next season. Carrick's ability and experience is seen as an ideal option, and there is a belief he can also help develop the game of highly-rated 17-year-old Reece Oxford.
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Mr Durham adopts Katie Hopkins approach :-)
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 12, 2016 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
Ok, let's put the Adrian Durham thing to bed before it gets out of hand - the guy is not to be taken overly seriously. I first came across him when he was working for ClubCall years ago when he may have become aware of me as a contributor - one arm of my various freelance activities at that time. I recall some telephone calls from him before he disappeared to re-emerge on talkSPORT a few years later. His modus operandi has been to operate as a 'shock jock ' - a ploy used by some to promote their own profile rather than that of the person of whom they writing. It's the Katie Hopkins approach to media success!!!!!!!
Here's how the Guardian describes him in his Wiki profile: "An "expert phone-in troll, arrogantly spouting inflammatory football opinions in the hope of prompting some indignant phone rage from an uppity fan."
Today he has taken a pop at Slav for his baiting of referees which is utterly absurd as I've never heard the manager speak badly of anyone. He also advises the manager to seek some evidence and a good lawyer which is actually all a bit stupid as Slav has a law degree anyway. I believe Mr Durham's thinking was, that as Slav has done so brilliantly as a manager and a person since he arrived at Upton Park, he will get exactly the sort of reaction he wants by slagging him off. My opinion - that's all Adrian.
Do not take this man seriously - PLEASE!
Goodbye Katie ..err sorry Adrian!
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Irons United hopes get a boost if this is true
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Now I obviously understand that it's dangerous to believe what one reads in the Sun but should it be true, there's a story in there this morning which will give the Irons all the more hope of a huge result tomorrow night. It's not a hard story to write of course but the down market tabloid declares that all dressing room confidence in LVG disappeared totally after the weekend defeat in north London. It reports that "Louis Van Gaal pinned the blame on his Manchester United players when he started making tactical changes at half-time against Tottenham and adds that when the got back to the dressing room after Sunday's 3-0 mauling at White Hart Lane they had turned on the manager. The 'report' says: "Respect for Van Gaal, supposedly one of the great managerial minds, has gone. These players are openly questioning him, wondering out loud how the club can seriously keep him beyond the end of the season."
At the same time as this there are reports that Wayne Rooney could be back tomorrow night after an appearance i the youth team when surely he can hardly be ready after several months out.
But never mind it's all good news for us Irons who should be pretty confident of a result in our present for anyway
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West Ham to miss out on England captain
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News
C and H
West Ham are set to miss out on landing England U17s captain and the son of ex-Ipswich and Spurs midfielder Jason Dozzell reports in the Daily Mirror today. Liverpool are said to be currently leading the race to land Andre Dozzell from Ipswich. Liverpool are claimed to have already started talks with the Championship club for Dozzell, who has the same agent as Gareth Bale. The midfielder will not be 17 until next month and the Suffolk side are set to pocket around £1.5million in compensation when he finally moves on. Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham are all said to be keen to get the signature of the son of former Ipswich and Spurs player Jason Dozzell as a potential Premier League star of the future. He is another ambitious target as Terry Westly looks to rebuild the West Ham academy and complete with the top six for the best talent around.
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West Ham U21's involved in mass brawl
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 11, 2016 in Videos, Whispers
C and H
There were ugly scenes at Villa Park tonight after a mass brawl broke out between twenty players during a Hammers Under 21 game against Aston Villa U21's. The Villa youngsters scored in 88th minute to make 3-2 on the night but just before the 90th minute a very nasty Villa tackle led to a confrontation of around 18 players until Kevin Toner was shown the red card for Villa.
West Ham's George Dobson led the retaliation against Villa captain Kevin Toner for the two awful challenges.
U21: Spiegel, Pike, Henry, Oxford, Page (Neufville '46), Dobson, Makasi, Diangana (Hector-Ingram '59), Browne, Hendrie (Kemp '83), Ford. Subs: Trott, Akinola.
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Bilic to support Sakho
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H
I fully expect Slaven Bilic to support Diafra Sakho in his press conference this morning ahead of tomorrow's FA cup replay against Manchester United. Sakho has made the paper headlines in the last few days since he left training with an alleged knock on Friday. He didn't stay with the team on Friday evening and missed attending the London Derby on Saturday lunchtime against Arsenal. The media have suggested he threw his toys out of his pram when he found our he was not in Bilic's plans for Saturday and told medical staff he felt pain in his knee.
Journalists will be hungry for the truth at 10am today and you can guarantee it will be the first question asked. Bilic will almost definitely dismiss a rift between the two and take Sakho at his word that the social outburst was not aimed at West Ham or himself. Sakho's agent also wants to play down the story and he contacted Sky Sports yesterday to make it clear Sakho is happy at West Ham. Sky reported the message - posted on the social media platform Snapchat - was a private matter and not aimed at Bilic or West Ham in any way whatsoever. They also made it clear reports that he is frustrated at West Ham are wide of the mark and talk of a new deal is premature, with Sakho signing an improved contract at West Ham within the last 18 months.
Yesterday, Claret and Hugh revealed challenges has in Sakho's private life with his daughter living in France and a new born daughter, Sadio Sakho born days ago to his former girlfriend Mya Hassan. I believe Slav will show his support by playing down the incident on Friday by insisting the player is carrying a small knock and there is no ill feeling between them. Hopefully this case will be closed until the summer.
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Sakho out for one week says Slaven Bilic
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Slaven Bilic has been giving his pre match press conference ahead of tomorrow's FA cup sixth round replay with Manchester United under the Boleyn ground lights. When asked about the Sakho situation he confirmed he reported an injury after training on Friday and had a scan yesterday which he claims showed a little bit of a problem which will keep him out for a week.
Slav told the press "It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals. It can't be bigger. We are fully motivated and it is a massive game of course. It is massive for us and it is massive for them. They are Manchester United and they have not been as consistent this season, but they are very capable of beating any team."
"Andy Carroll, when he is fit and in form is a very special kind of player. He is different, and it is hard for defenders to cope.He doesn't have to score, but his presence on the pitch gives us another dimension. He had a great game on Saturday"
"The situation with Diafra is very simple. He reported an injury after training on Friday. He was not in the squad. Yesterday he had a scan, which showed a little bit of a problem and he will be out for one week."
"For Manchester United, it's the stature of the club that they're not happy with losing games, with being fifth in the table. It's hard to be a manager. It's the greatest job in the world, but at those massive clubs you're expected to win every game. The fans will be important of course. They were great on Saturday - they are one of the reasons why we are unbeaten at home for this time"
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Happy 75th Birthday Mooro
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore would have celebrated his 75th birthday today. Mooro, who lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup 1965 with West Ham, rose to football immortality when he became England's World Cup winning captain in 1966, receiving the Jules Rimet Trophy after Hammers team-mates Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters had scored the goals that led their country to a 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley. A year later, Moore was made an OBE but he was never knighted. Born in Barking on 12 April 1941, Moore played 108 times for his country and made 646 appearances for West Ham. During his career, the elegant central defender earned a reputation for being one of the finest players in the world. An enduring image of Moore is that of him embracing the great Brazilian forward Pele following the 1970 World Cup match in Guadalajara, Mexico, which Brazil won 1-0. Tragically, Moore died from bowel cancer on 24 February 1993 at the age of 51.
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Referee decisions table gap widens for West Ham
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
An expert panel put together by ClubTalk.com reviewed several highly-dubious decisions in the West Ham v Arsenal game last weekend. The panel agreed West Ham suffered another two crucial incorrect decisions which cost them 2 goals on Saturday.
Andy Carroll red card escape v Arsenal: The West Ham striker certainly made his mark on the match, hauling the Hammers back into the match with a deadly double on the stroke of half-time, before putting them 3-2 ahead by completing his hat-trick shortly after. However, the Hammers forward was arguably lucky to still be on the field, having been booked for a poor lunge on Laurent Koscielny in the third minute, he then caught Gabriel with a flaying elbow in the second half. Despite ref Craig Pawson awarding the foul, three of our five-man panel felt a second booking would have been harsh. Verdict: Correct decision
Manuel Lanzini disallowed goal v Arsenal: The Argentinian thought he'd handed West Ham an early lead in the match when he converted Carroll's overhead kick from close range. However, the linesman waved Lanzini offside, though replays showed he was clearly played on by Hector Bellerin. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Nacho Monreal penalty appeal v West Ham: The Spanish full-back felt he deserved a spot-kick after a collision in the box upended him. However, there was not enough in it to warrant a penalty, with the passage of play leading directly to Mesut Ozil's opener for Arsenal. Verdict: Correct decision
Possible Mesut Ozil offside in Arsenal's opener v West Ham: The German handed Arsenal the lead when his well-taken shot beat Adrian, though the Hammers felt Ozil could have been offside. However, replays showed the playmaker was level with Angelo Ogbonna when latching onto Danny Welbeck's pass and the officials were right to let play continue. Verdict: Correct decision
Possible offside in build-up to second Carroll goal v Arsenal: The Gunners felt Michail Antonio was offside as the ball was dinked back into the box just ahead of Carroll's equaliser on the stroke of half-time. However, the West Ham wing-back, while stood in an offside position, was not interfering with play and again it was right for the goal to stand. Verdict: Correct decision
Lanzini penalty appeal v Arsenal: The Argentinian completed an unfortunate afternoon when he was denied what a possible penalty following a challenge from Bellerin in the area. Although you can understand why the referee, with what initially looked like an innocent coming together, waved play on, our panel felt (with the benefit of replays) that the Spaniard had both an arm on his shoulder and also slipped and fell onto the player's legs. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Dimitri Payet disallowed goal v Arsenal: West Ham felt they'd been denied a goal when Payet fired in after Koscielny and David Ospina had allowed the ball to escape them both under heavy pressure from Carroll. But our panel voted 3-2 in favour of the referee, who'd deemed the West Ham striker to have fouled Arsenal's French defender. Verdict: Correct decision
Gabriel red card escape v Arsenal: The defender carelessly lost possession when under pressure from that man Carroll and stuck out a leg at the end of a theatrical tumble to not just impede, but complete prevent the striker, at the least, getting a shot in on goal. Our panel however felt that the Brazilian's challenge was a yellow card at worst. Verdict: Correct decision
The updated table (below) shows West Ham now have a net total of 11 incorrect decisions against them, almost double that of Swansea who are second from bottom who have a net total of six against them. In contrast, tomorrow's opponents, Manchester United lead the table with a net total of 7 incorrect decisions in their favor showing potential favouritism to bigger clubs.
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Fans confident that FA cup semi final is possible
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Over 68% of supporters who voted are optimistic and believe West Ham will win tomorrow's FA Cup Quarter Final replay over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground to face Everton in the semi finals at Wembley on St George's day.
Over 16% of you are pessimistic and have a bad feeling and think our FA Cup journey will end tomorrow. The remaining 15% have decide to sit on the fence and believe it is too close to call or don't know what the outcome will be.
The ClaretandHugh poll of over 800 supporters should be statistical accurate to the general feeling of West Ham supporter's confidence ahead of the 7pm kick off tomorrow.
West Ham remain third favourites at 9/2 to win the FA Cup behind Everton 9/4 and Manchester United 7/2. For Wednesday's quarter final at the Boleyn Ground bookies have us as marginal favourites at 6/4 (1.5-1) with Manchester United at 17/10 (1.7-1) to win the sixth round.
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Shock jock calls on Bilic to get a lawyer
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
TalkSport shock jock Adrian Durham has accused West Ham manager Slaven Bilic of damaging the reputation of match officials with his constant post match moaning. And he has challenged him to back it up with evidence if he thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham. Durham speaking in his Daily Mail column today said: "Bilic damages the reputation of referees and officials by blasting them consistently. Unless he actually thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham in which case he should make that clear, and try to back it up with evidence. If he does that, I suggest he gets a decent lawyer behind him." There is no conspiracy of course. I went back over the 3-3 draw on Saturday to assess all the decisions. The Hammers were right to be upset about the disallowed Lanzini goal, but what about others that go unmentioned by Bilic and the fans?"
A quiet word Mr Durham: Slaven Bilic has a degree in law and is fluent in German, Italian and English.
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West Ham striker Diafra Sakho to miss next two games after suffering knee injury
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho's knee injury will sideline him for two games
Sakho failed to report to the team hotel ahead of the 3-3 draw with Arsenal
He posted a cryptic message on his Snapchat account about being 'hated'
Andy Carroll will start up front for the Irons against Manchester United
By OLIVER TODD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:12, 12 April 2016 | UPDATED: 12:12, 12 April 2016
Diafra Sakho will miss West Ham's next two games after a scan revealed the severity of the knee injury which saw him fail to report to their team hotel before Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal. Manager Slaven Bilic revealed the Senegal striker had the problem checked out by doctors on Monday and they advised that he will be unable to play for at least a week. Sakho, 26, was told he would be on the bench for the Barclays Premier League clash with Arsenal but then insisted he was injured and did not join his team-mates at a hotel the night before the game.
Bilic held talks with the forward, who has scored six goals this season, on Monday but says his medical check-up confirmed 'a bit of a problem' with his knee. He will now be absent from Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay with Manchester United and the trip to leaders Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday. 'The situation is very simple,' Bilic said. 'He reported the injury after training on Friday, then he was not in the squad and then yesterday (on Monday) he had a scan and the scan reported a little bit of a problem. 'He's out for one week - hopefully not more than a week but for this week he is definitely out. Hopefully he's going to be back on Monday.'
Sakho's failure to check-in with the rest of Bilic's squad on Friday night was followed by a cryptic message posted on Snapchat at 4.35am, little more than eight hours before kick-off, which referenced being 'hated'. In Sakho's absence, Irons striker Andy Carroll led the line and scored a hat-trick against Arsenal at home 'When I am hated I do not give a f***, I do everything to be more hated,' it said, complete with fist-bump emoji and two-fingered peace sign. Sources close to Sakho claimed the message was a 'private matter', relating to personal problems rather than his omission from the team. Andy Carroll, who scored a hat-trick in Sakho's place against the Gunners, is set to continue up top against United having reported back with no fresh injury problems after just his second start in three months. 'He is fit. We didn't train properly yesterday on Monday, but we will see today (Tuesday). He didn't report any knocks or problems so he should be OK for Wednesday,' Bilic said.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is on a crusade to blame referees for everything - but what's the truth behind his conspiracy theories?
Slaven Bilic has been persistent in his criticism of referees this season
He has decided officials are to blame if West Ham don't make top four
But Bilic conveniently ignores everything that goes the Hammers' way
Against Arsenal on Saturday, they profited from various favourable calls
Andy Carroll shouldn't have been on the field when he scored his third goal
By ADRIAN DURHAM FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:21, 12 April 2016 | UPDATED: 08:10, 12 April 2016
Slaven Bilic is upset. Having spoken relentlessly about referees week-after-week, he chose not to this week, but the message was clear from the West Ham manager: by saying nothing, he was saying yet again that he was upset with decisions. Bilic's message that West Ham have been the victims of poor decisions from referees has been heard and adopted by the fans. And there was an obvious incorrect call very early when Lanzini's goal was ruled out for offside. In the same game Andy Carroll could easily have seen a second yellow for a forearm smash on Gabriel, but the ref chose not to show a card. A last warning for Carroll perhaps? Well no, because minutes later Carroll fouled Koscielny, Payet put the ball in the net, but no card for Carroll, who then scored a third goal. Amazingly after Payet's goal was correctly ruled out, the Hammers fans started singing to Craig Pawson: 'You're not fit to referee.' The man who had chosen to let Carroll stay on the field was suddenly the bad man in the eyes of the home fans. I'm a huge Carroll fan, always have been, but he shouldn't have been on the pitch to score that hat-trick third. But let's not just assess a couple of isolated incidents from Saturday's game at Upton Park. Let's look at all decisions, because the complaint has been clear from Bilic. Refs have robbed West Ham. Bilic is on a mission to make sure any blame for a failure from his team to make the top four this season is laid firmly at the door of referees. It's a shame really, because West Ham have been great to watch, Bilic has been very refreshing for the Premier League with his attitude, particularly towards the FA Cup, and he's done very well in charge at a club whose season began way back last July. They've had some harsh decisions, no doubt about that. But his analysis is rendered completely meaningless and devoid of credibility if he chooses to ignore anything that actually goes the Hammers' way. Throwing in stats about how many penalties they don't get is meaningless without context. There is no set number of penalties a team should receive per season, home or away. That would be ridiculous. For it to be a worthwhile discussion, more information is needed, details and specifics. Have they deserved any penalties? If so, how many? Were they definite penalties that were harshly turned down? Or is it a case, as with most fans, that you only see what you want to see?
Bilic damages the reputation of referees and officials by blasting them consistently. Unless he actually thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham in which case he should make that clear, and try to back it up with evidence. If he does that, I suggest he gets a decent lawyer behind him. There is no conspiracy of course. I went back over the 3-3 draw on Saturday to assess all the decisions. The Hammers were right to be upset about the disallowed Lanzini goal, but what about others that go unmentioned by Bilic and the fans?
No free kick for Arsenal when Payet caught Monreal after 10 minutes
Noble could have been booked for a foul which broke up an Arsenal attack after 15 minutes.
Just before Arsenal's first goal, Monreal was caught in the box, no penalty given. Debatable decision, but if West Ham really are the victims of bad calls a penalty is given.
On 24 minutes West Ham were given a free kick in a dangerous position after a very innocuous challenge from Coquelin.
15 minutes later Coquelin was floored by Kouyate, nothing given.
Either side of the break the crowd voiced anger at the ref for not giving them a penalty when Noble and then Lanzini went down in the box. Neither incident was a penalty.
Halfway through the second half lovely play from Ozil and Ramsey left the latter in the box on goal, a sly kick from Kouyate went unnoticed by the ref but was enough to put Ramsey off.
Late on Winston Reid dived to win a free kick despite Welbeck clearly pulling out of the challenge.
Ogbonna and Reid made challenges in the box late on, neither were fouls but a ref who wanted to give decisions to hurt West Ham would surely have taken the chance to give Arsenal a late penalty.
Reid lucky to escape a yellow after breaking up an Arsenal counter attack on halfway. Antonio was booked for something very similar a moment later.
So that's a proper analysis of Craig Pawson's decisions and how they affected West Ham. They clearly benefited from several debatable decisions. Yes a disallowed goal, but Carroll probably should have seen red, which would have meant no hat trick, and the Hammers playing with 10 men for most of the second half. That's a balanced look at the ref's performance from a neutral perspective. That's why Bilic repeatedly whipping up a frenzy against refs among West Ham fans is so wrong and why he should be sanctioned for it. The reality is he's frustrated, and yes we get it. Like Jose Mourinho earlier this season, his only way of handling the pressure is to blast referees. As a decent defender in his playing days, he should really be directing his anger towards his own players and the way they conceded the three goals Arsenal put past them. But we all know managers defend their own players, and are prepared to put referees right in the firing line, if it means they can hide any failings from their own team. Unfortunately Hammers fans have fallen into the trap, and have got it into their heads officials are deliberately targeting their club with poor decisions. The reality is that all clubs get tough breaks sometimes; that's the way it goes. The real issue is not referees making mistakes - we've loved football for decades without that being such a huge problem that we had to change things drastically. No, the bigger issue is players cheating. This weekend we saw West Brom's Craig Gardner rake his studs down the back of Sergio Aguero's ankle, forcing the striker to limp off. The Baggies midfielder had no chance of winning the ball, he just wanted to impede his opponent. And what about Lee Cattermole crunching in on Danny Drinkwater's foot long after the ball had gone early in the game at The Stadium of Light on Sunday?
Designed to do nothing but harm the Leicester midfielder, and reduce his impact. Those defending Cattermole might excuse it as a challenge that let the England man 'know he was there.'
Most of us realise that like Gardner on Aguero, Cattermole was trying to 'affect' Drinkwater because it's the only way these limited players can deal with more talented opponents.
So next time you feel like berating a match official for getting a marginal call wrong, think again. Remember the players who roll around pretending they're injured. And the other so-called professionals who think it's fine to commit a challenge knowing full well it has more chance of injuring an opponent than anything else. What's worse, a ref making an honest mistake? Or a player going into a challenge knowing that there is absolutely no way he can get the ball, but also knowing there is a good chance he may cause an injury to an opponent?
In making honest decisions - whether right or wrong - Craig Pawson knew he might anger Bilic and the Upton Park crowd. But in making those decisions the referee showed more bravery this weekend than the likes of Gardner and Cattermole displayed with their disgusting fouls. Decide for yourself who deserves more criticism, but take the blinkers off first. And Slaven Bilic has been brilliant hasn't he? He should quit the ref bashing, stay classy, and not turn into another moaning Mourinho.
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Louis van Gaal: This is why I fear FA Cup clash with West Ham
LOUIS VAN GAAL has admitted he's wary of Andy Carroll's 'special qualities' ahead of Manchester United's FA Cup replay with West Ham.
By JAMES CAMBRIDGE
PUBLISHED: 07:23, Tue, Apr 12, 2016 | UPDATED: 07:37, Tue, Apr 12, 2016
Express.co.uk
United take on the Hammers tomorrow night (7pm) at the Boleyn Ground in the FA Cup quarter-final replay. The two sides drew 1-1 when they first met thanks to a contentious late equaliser from Anthony Martial. And Van Gaal admits he's taking nothing for granted, especially after Carroll's heroic display against Arsenal at the weekend, in which he scored a hat-trick. "He has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday," he said. "It was against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
The background
A place at Wembley is on the line on Wednesday night when West Ham United welcome Manchester United to the Boleyn Ground for their Emirates FA Cup sixth round replay.
Remember this game kicks-off at the earlier than usual time of 7pm.
Following a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last month, the teams will do battle again for the right to face Everton in the semi-finals a week on Saturday.
The Hammers could count themselves a touch unfortunate not to progress at the first time of asking, after Anthony Martial's late equaliser cancelled out Dimitri Payet's stunning free-kick.
However, the Hammers did not allow that to dishearten them, and are unbeaten since that game, while Manchester United have defeated Manchester City and Everton, but were beaten comfortably by Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.
They are a point ahead of the Hammers in the Barclays Premier League table, in fifth place, and have seen off Sheffield United, Derby County and Shrewsbury Town in their Cup run so far.
The history
Manchester United have won eleven FA Cups to the Hammers' three, with their last success coming back in 2004.
West Ham and the Red Devils have met in eight previous FA Cup ties, with both teams winning four each. The last meeting came in 2012/13 when a 2-2 Boleyn Ground draw was followed by a 1-0 replay win for the north west club.
Earlier this season the teams played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, when both Winston Reid and Mauro Zarate struck the woodwork for the visitors.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho misses Wednesday's FA Cup meeting with the Red Devils after picking up a knee injury in training at the end of last week.
Sam Byram is cup tied, but James Collins returns to the squad after overcoming his hamstring injury.
Darren Randolph is likely to feature in goal after playing in all of the Hammers' FA Cup ties so far this season.
Manchester United
Wayne Rooney made his comeback following two months out for the Red Devils' U21 side on Monday and could play.
Phil Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah will be assessed, the latter having picked up an injury against Tottenham on Sunday.
Match info
Roger East takes the whistle for Wednesday's game, and a good omen for the Hammers is that he was the same referee for their replay win against Liverpool earlier this season. He will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and Peter Kirkup, and the fourth official is Neil Swarbrick.
The last three meetings between the Clubs have been draws.
West Ham have drawn their last four matches in all competitions.
The Hammers have only lost two of their last 24 games in all competitions (W10, D12).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 23 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 11 assists) - 13 more than any other Hammers player.
Manchester United have been knocked out in both of their last two sixth-round appearances, including a 2-1 home defeat by eventual winners Arsenal last season.
United have only failed to score in two of their last 15 away trips to Upton Park.
Ticketing, travel, coverage and other info
Tickets for this gave have completely SOLD OUT.
The District and Hammersmith & City lines will serve Upton Park station as normal on Wednesday. Click here for the latest news on TfL services and here for National Rail.
A sunny day is expected on Wednesday, leading into a dry evening. Temperature at 7pm is predicted to be 15C (59F).
If you're not heading to the game, remember you can follow live across our digital channels. The whufc.com Match Centre has live audio commentary, text updates, in-running stats and pictures. You can get involved in the conversation on social using #WHUMNU.
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Noble - We need to keep going
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble says the Hammers are ready for the second game in their 'massive' week. Following Saturday's thrilling 3-3 draw with Arsenal, a place at Wembley is on the line on Wednesday night, when Slaven Bilic's men play host to Manchester United in their Emirates FA Cup sixth round replay. Noble would love nothing more than to lead his team out under the Wembley arch, especially as a good result against the Red Devils would set them up for the trip to league leaders Leicester City. He said: "Our attention is on Manchester United, as we would love to give our fans a Wembley day out. Then we have the potential champions in Leicester next weekend. The team spirit is great and we just need to keep on going. "I think Leicester will go on to win the league if they continue as they have been and so this week will be a tough one for us. We are still going to push for the Champions League. There are a lot of points still to play for."
Noble was thrilled to see Andy Carroll score a quickfire hat-trick on Saturday and says an England call for this summer's Euro 2016 is not out of the question. He added: "Everybody knows what Andy is like, he is the best when the ball is in the box. When you cross the ball into him, he is simply unplayable at times. He should definitely be looked at for a place in the England squad. He's been and done that before, but the most important thing is to keep him fit and he will help us out massively. "We've got a great bunch of lads here. We were two down against a very good Arsenal side and it is fantastic to come back to be 3-2 up. At the moment, there are small margins that are making us draw games rather than winning them."
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Slaven Speaks - Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Manager Slaven Bilic hosted his pre-Manchester United press conference on Tuesday morning, where he discussed the Boleyn Ground's final FA Cup tie, an important week for West Ham United, Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho...
Slaven, can you please sum up what Wednesday evening's Emirates FA Cup sixth-round replay with Manchester United - the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground - means to West Ham United?
"It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals, so it can't be any bigger an occasion. We are of course fully motivated and want to go through.
"We have played them twice this season at Old Trafford and drawn both games. Now, it's the first time we will play them at home and it's an important game. We then play them at home in the final Premier League game here, which will also be massive.
"Wednesday's game is massive for them and massive for us. OK, they lost their last game 3-0 but they are Manchester United and they have great players.
"For their standards, of course, they've not been very consistent but they are still above us in the table, and they are very capable of beating any team on their day."
You played Arsenal on Saturday and go to leaders Leicester City in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday, so do you have those games in mind when you select your team on Wednesday?
"We got to Leicester City on Sunday in the Premier League, and I have said before we have a big week, but we take it game-by-game and we didn't think about this game before the Arsenal game.
"When we make the team selection, we take this game on its own. Of course, we know we have to play the other games but that is not affecting our selection or the way we are training or resting and all that.
"When it comes to the games, in the position we are in, we cannot prioritise and we are going to put everything we can into every game. We will pick the best team we can."
Can you believe how well things have gone this season?
"It has been a long season, one which began on 2 July, but we had always planned to be in this position if possible. That is the reason why we are in these jobs - to finish as high as possible, to win as many games as we can. We have done all right.
"All that we were doing in the pre-season and during the season was to put us in the best-possible position and we're playing well.
"We know the competition is strong in the Premier League so you never know what is round the corner, but we've coped with it well so far. We've reached the hardest part in the league and in the FA Cup, but we're going to give everything to take it all."
How do you reflect now on Andy Carroll's hat-trick performance against Arsenal on Saturday?
"Andy Carroll did brilliant for us on Saturday against Arsenal. My opinion on him is that when he is fit and on form, he is a very special kind of player. He brings you something that very few players can.
"He is different, he is hard to cope with and hard to deal with, and he has done really well for us every time he has been fit. He doesn't have to score, because his presence on the pitch gives us another dimension."
Finally, what is the situation with regard to Diafra Sakho?
"The situation with Diafra Sakho is very simple. He reported an injury after training on Friday and was not in the squad for Arsenal. He had a scan on Monday and it reported a little bit of a problem, so he is out for hopefully not more than one week. We hope to have him back on Monday."
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From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues an update - in association with Spire Roding Hospical...
Hello everyone and welcome to From the Treatment Room - 24 hours earlier than usual due to our FA Cup sixth-round replay with Manchester United on Wednesday evening.
The Medical and Sports Science department were delighted to see Andy Carroll score a fantastic hat-trick against Arsenal on Saturday, when the team played some very good football which we all enjoyed.
We all know that when he is on top of his game that he is unplayable and, as a staff, we like to see any player who has had an injury history on the pitch and on top of his form.
A further positive was that we did not pick up any injuries from the game. The players were a little fatigued by the end, so we rested, recovered on the pitch on Monday and trained fully on Tuesday ahead of Man United.
We welcomed back James Collins, James Tomkins and Sam Byram back to full training. Unfortunately Sam is cup-tied but we hope to have all three of them back in first-team contention soon.
West Ham is becoming a top team at all levels - Stadium, training ground, the players we have signed - and a top team has a high number of games so we all have to rise to the challenge.
We hope that this intensity and busy fixture list is going to sustain into next season because we are playing in the UEFA Europa League or even the UEFA Champions League, and also have two good domestic cup runs.
I and a number of my staff have worked at clubs which have progressed into European competition previously and I can assure you that the staff relish the adventure like the supporters do.
We work seven days a week anyway, so it is nice for the staff if this work includes travelling in Europe. It's good, and the amount of games is not a problem because if you weren't playing matches, you would be training hard anyway. It doesn't make a difference.
With Ginge, Tonks and Sam back in training, we have just the one injury at present, and that is Diafra Sakho.
Diaf picked up a minor right knee injury in training on Friday and we hope to see him back on the pitch either at the end of the week or the beginning of next week.
Looking ahead to Wednesday's game, I was part of the Medical and Sports Science department when we went to Wembley for the 2012 Play-Off final and I would love to take my team back there to work in the semi-finals and final.
We have a young, educated and motivated staff here at West Ham United and are as eager as the players to achieve more.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
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Bobby Moore OBE
WHUFC.com
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of West Ham United's finest-ever player and captain - Bobby Moore OBE...
Bobby Moore OBE, West Ham United's greatest-ever player and England's 1966 World Cup-winning captain, was born on this day 75 years ago. The central defender made 646 league and cup appearances for the Hammers, scoring 27 goals. Moore was born in Barking on 12 April 1941, making his debut for his local club in a 3-2 win over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground as a 17-year-old on 8 September 1958. It was the start of a glittering career that is remembered fondly by football fans the world over. As a West Ham player, Moore lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965. A year later, he was back at Wembley to complete an unforgettable hat-trick by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy following England's 4-2 victory over West Germany. Moore would go on to star at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico before moving to Fulham, for whom he played against the Hammers in the 1975 FA Cup final. Following his retirement, Moore moved first into management and then into the world of broadcasting before his life was cut short by cancer in February 1993. He was just 51. Fellow Hammers legend Billy Bonds MBE recalls Bobby's memory fondly. He said: "Mooro was an absolute icon. I respected a lot of team-mates and opponents down the years but he was the only person in my entire career, who made me feel that way. "He was fantastic to me from the day that I arrived and I loved him as a player and as a person. Bobby Moore had a presence both off and on the field. "There was no side to him at all and, having lifted the World Cup, he'd been the most famous person on the planet on that July afternoon at Wembley in 1966 but, despite all of that, Bobby wasn't the slightest bit lairy. Mooro treated everyone the same, no matter who they were. "Bobby Moore wasn't a particularly good header of the ball and he wasn't very quick either but, boy, his timing was impeccable. He didn't need to be good in the air or fast because he could read the game so well - he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to nick the ball off a centre-forward. "And he was just so good at bringing the ball out of defence and starting attacks, too."
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Fans' Forum catch goalkeeper trio in good spirits
WHUFC.com
Hammers' heroes Adrian, Darren Randolph and Chris Woods participated in a highly successful Accessibility Fans' Forum on Monday evening at the Boleyn Ground.
The trio fielded faced a gruelling question and answer session where they faced a wide range of questions which raised plenty of laughs.
Reflecting on his penalty heroics last season against Everton, Spanish stopper Adrian beamed: "My penalty against Everton was one of my best moments here at West Ham, I was like an outfield player!
"It was a strange feeling, unusual. But I took my gloves off because I was confident my goalkeeper work was done! Lucky for me I scored."
Meanwhile Darren Randolph was equally in just as high spirits ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final replay: "We haven't been practising penalties, I don't think we'll need them, I'm feeling confident!"
After emerging from the inquisition unscathed, the trio, all good friends, posed for photos with the guests and signed merchandise in what was a highly enjoyable evening for all.
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The Big Interview - Andy Carroll
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll sat down with West Ham TV to talk hat-tricks, starting places, the FA Cup and more ahead of Wednesday's last-ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground.
The No9 bagged his first treble in six years against Arsenal on Saturday to make an emphatic return to Slaven Bilic's team, and now he is targeting more goals and glory against Manchester United.
With a place at Wembley Stadium in a semi-final with Everton at stake, Carroll is looking to build on his outstanding performance on what promises to be a historic evening in east London.
A few days on, how do you reflect on your hat-trick and the positive response from fans and the media alike?
"It was good getting another hat-trick as it's been a while! It was a good game and a tough game, but I'm looking forward to the game on Wednesday now. If the ball comes in the box then I think I'm favourite. I am happy to challenge for it and if the timing is right, I think I'm going to get there."
Slaven Bilic has spoken of the superb impact you have made off the substitutes' bench, but you started on Saturday and presumably you want to keep your place in the team?
"It's been tough not starting but it's worked well and I've done the right thing in training to keep myself fit and getting on for the last 30 minutes, but it's not the place I want to be. I want to be the main man in the middle.
"I've said this before that he is a great manager and a great man. That's something I've got to appreciate and respect and I do. It's his decision to make the team and I've just got to fight for it in training and that's what I've been doing.
"It's something I've got to work for and when I get a start like I did at the weekend, I've got to show him what I'm all about."
Slaven has made quite an impact since he arrived last summer. What have you made of his approach to managing West Ham United?
"He's a great manager and a great bloke, to be honest. You can talk to him about football or not about football, and when it comes to games his tactics are spot-on. Every game, he takes each game as it comes and it's different tactics, different set-ups and different formations.
"He has changed a lot and brought all the lads together and with all the staff he's brought in, it's been very good. With the way we've played this season, it's shown he has brought in the way he wants us to play and the lads are enjoying it.
"Going down 2-0 at Arsenal, in the past you'd think it was over but we showed we could fight to get back in the game and we went ahead. We were unlucky not to win the game and that's what has changed."
The team spirit is fantastic, isn't it?
"When the lads come into training, wherever we're from we're all sat on different tables and there are no separate groups. At the training ground, we're all mates and all go on the pitch together as a team and work together."
And so to Wednesday and it's Manchester United in the last-ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground?
"It's going to be great. We're all looking forward to it and the fans are, so it'll be a great night and hopefully we'll get a result.
"Maybe I can get another hat-trick, why not! It'll be nice to get a few more goals. It doesn't really matter about a hat-trick, but it would be nice to be the last one to get a hat-trick at the Boleyn Ground.
"It would be nice to get my hands on the FA Cup trophy. We'll just have to see what comes and not look too far in the future, but just at this game against Man U."
It's four years here now - you're part of the furniture!
"I'm loving it here and loving it at home. Everything is spot-on and I'm really happy and enjoying it. Give it a few more years and I'll get a Testimonial!"
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West Ham United v Manchester United
WED, 13 APR 2016FA CUP - SIXTH ROUND - REPLAY
19:00
Venue: Boleyn Ground
BBC coverage
How to follow:
Watch live on BBC One from 19:00, listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United. Hammers manager Slaven Bilic insists a knee injury - rather than a rift - will keep the forward out for a week.
Wayne Rooney returned after two months out with a knee injury for Manchester United's Under-21 side on Monday and could be involved at Upton Park. Phil Jones will also be assessed along with Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who was injured in Sunday's loss at Tottenham.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Wilson: "What better way for the Boleyn Ground to say goodbye to cup football. "West Ham are as exciting as anyone to watch just now - always threatening to score with Manuel Lanzini, Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll offering very different, but very potent threats. "The Hammers haven't lost a home game since August, but should be wary of a favourites tag. "United may have been drubbed by Spurs on Sunday, but just when you think Louis van Gaal's fate is sealed they seem to come up with a win - as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City will testify. "Expect a thrilling game, a raucous atmosphere - and goals."
Twitter: @SteveWilson1967
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic on Andy Carroll (who scored a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw against Arsenal Saturday): "I don't know about the England squad. I said my opinion about him and it doesn't vary to most of the football people's opinion of Andy - when he is fit and in form he is very special and gives you something. He is different. "It is hard to mark him and hard to cope with him. For us he has done really good every time he is fit. He doesn't have to score, his presence on the pitch gives us another quality and dimension."
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal: "I've seen the Andy Carroll show and I think our problem against Tottenham was also the miscommunication of our central defenders. I hope that we improve our communication because it is very important this game for us. "Carroll has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday. It was also against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll and not only Andy Carroll, the other players. They have a certain player called Dimitri Payet, for example; he can also play, and (Manuel) Lanzini can also score goals."
Andy Carroll
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This will be the last FA Cup match at Upton Park. These sides will also meet in West Ham's final home league match on 10 May.
The past three meetings have been draws.
West Ham
West Ham have drawn their past four matches in all competitions.
The Hammers have only lost two of their past 24 games in all competitions (W10, D12).
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 23 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 11 assists) - 13 more than any other Hammers player.
Manchester United
The 11-time FA Cup winners last lifted the trophy in 2004.
They have been knocked out in both of their past two last-eight appearances, including a 2-1 home defeat by eventual winners Arsenal last season.
United have only failed to score in two of their past 15 trips to Upton Park.
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Nolan loses Os role - after just three months
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th April 2016
By: Staff Writer
Former West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan has been removed form his role as player/manager of Leyton Orient - just three months after accepting the post.
However in a bizarre twist, the 33-year-old - who won seven of his 15 games in charge at Brisbane Road but managed just one draw from the last four games - has not been fired by the League Two club but told instead to concentrate on his playing duties.
"Everyone at the club is fighting hard to make sure we reach the play-offs this season," Orient chief executive Alessandro Angelieri told Orient's website, after it was revealed that former Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler would be replacing Nolan with immediate effect.
"Whilst that aim remains within reach, we have decided that Kevin should focus entirely on his playing contribution until the end of the season. Andy will take charge of the first team in the interim.
"We believe Kevin will be able to make a bigger impact without the distraction of managerial duties."
Liverpudlian Nolan, who spent four years at the Boleyn Ground between 2011 and 2015 has also been linked with the vacant managerial post at Bolton, a club where he spent a decade as a player.
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A clean bill of health - bar Sakho
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th April 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's Head of Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke has given West Ham's first team squad a full bill of health - with the exception of just one player.
Diafra Sakho, whose absence from a club event and Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal led to much speculation last weekend is unlikely to return to action until this coming weekend at the earliest, according to Vandenbroucke.
"With Ginge, Tonks and Sam back in training, we have just the one injury at present," he told whufc.com in his earlier-than-usual weekly round-up. "That is Diafra Sakho.
"Unfortunately Sam is cup-tied, but we hope to have all three of them back in first-team contention soon. Diaf picked up a minor right knee injury in training on Friday and we hope to see him back on the pitch either at the end of the week or the beginning of next week."
Vandenbroucke, who in addition to two spells at West Ham has worked for the likes of Dynamo Moscow and Anji Makhachkala - plus the Chinese and Albanian national teams - believes that the club is well prepared for another European excursion - should they achieve qualification via the Premier League or FA Cup this season.
"West Ham United is becoming a top team at all levels - stadium, training ground, the players we have signed - and a top team has a high number of games so we all have to rise to the challenge," he added.
"We hope that this intensity and busy fixture list is going to sustain into next season because we are playing in the UEFA Europa League or even the UEFA Champions League, and also have two good domestic cup runs.
"I and a number of my staff have worked at clubs which have progressed into European competition previously and I can assure you that the staff relish the adventure like the supporters do."
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Olympic Stadium bosses claim "millions" could be lost after they are ordered to reveal details of West Ham deal
04:16, 12 APR 2016 UPDATED 08:08, 12 APR 2016
BY NATALIE EVANS
LLDC must publish details of the funding for the Olympic Stadium amid suggestions of a lack of transparency over the use of public money in the project
The Mirror
The details of deal which saw West Ham secure the Olympic Stadium are set to be revealed after the London Legacy Development Corporation lost an appeal. An information tribunal rejected the LLDC appeal against a London Assembly ruling that the contract between it and the Premier League club should be made public. It means details of the funding for the Olympic Stadium, built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, must be published, amid suggestions of a lack of transparency over the use of public money in the project.
A spokesperson for LLDC, which is responsible for transforming venues used for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said: "We are disappointed by the tribunal's decision. "We have already published the vast majority of the contract and only undertook this appeal following very clear legal advice that to release the remaining details could significantly impact the stadium's ability to act competitively. "The ruling will result in significant challenges given the commercial realities of a highly competitive market, which could amount to many millions of pounds being lost over the term of a 99-year deal. "We are considering the judgement very carefully before we decide on the next steps to take."
LLDC could appeal against the decision. West Ham were awarded tenancy of the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium ahead of Tottenham and will leave their Upton Park home this summer. The Hammers are due to move into the arena in time for the start of the 2016-17 Premier League season. The venue is also to host the 2017 IAAF and IPC Athletics World Championships. Olympic Stadium Coalition, a coalition of 14 supporters' trusts and groups, has been campaigning for the contract to be published.
A spokesperson said on its website: "We're naturally delighted with the outcome, as we see this as an issue of fairness to the taxpayer, to clubs near and far, and to football as a whole. "We now respectfully request that the LLDC do what is right, waive the right to an appeal, and publish the deal in full so that it can be properly assessed and its implications understood."
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Diafra Sakho to miss Manchester United tie as injury confirmed
By Stephen Turner
Last Updated: 12/04/16 10:57am
SSN
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says scans show Diafra Sakho was injured at the weekend. Sakho was not in the squad for Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal, and a message posted on social media sparked reports of a falling-out with his manager. But that was denied in the aftermath of the game by Bilic, who revealed the striker had pulled out citing an injury. And Sakho will not be fit for Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Manchester United - the last cup tie at West Ham's Boleyn Ground. "The situation with Diafra is very simple," Bilic said at his pre-match press conference. "He reported an injury after training on Friday. He was not in the squad. "Yesterday he had a scan, which showed a little bit of a problem and he will be out for one week."
Andy Carroll, fresh from his hat-trick against Arsenal, will start up front as the Hammers aim to book a Wembley date against Everton later this month. Bilic said: "It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals. It can't be bigger. "We are fully motivated and it is a massive game of course. It is massive for us and it is massive for them."
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Louis van Gaal says Andy Carroll poses a threat to Manchester United
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 12/04/16 6:28am
SSN
Louis van Gaal says Manchester United will need to nullify the threat posed by West Ham forward Andy Carroll if they are to keep their FA Cup hopes alive. Carroll scored a stunning 10-minute hat-trick in the 3-3 Premier League draw with Arsenal on Saturday - his first three goal haul for nearly six years - and is likely to start for the Hammers against United in their FA Cup quarter-final replay at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday. Van Gaal watched United ship three goals in six second-half minutes to lose 3-0 at Tottenham on Sunday and he is well aware that a similar display could spell the end of his side's FA Cup chances. "I've seen the Andy Carroll show [against Arsenal] and I think our problem against Tottenham was also the miscommunication of our central defenders," the United manager said. "I hope that we improve our communication because it is very important this game for us. "Carroll has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday. It was also against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll and not only Andy Carroll, the other players. "They have a certain player called Dimitri Payet for example, he can also play, and [Manuel] Lanzini can also score goals."
West Ham have not lost at the Boleyn Ground since August and Van Gaal was keen to point out that the Hammers will enjoy the benefit of an extra day's rest ahead of the cup clash. "It is our last chance of a title so it is very important for the players, the club, the manager and the fans," he added. "And still we have one day less than West Ham United. That's also important. We have proved against Arsenal and Manchester City, in spite of less days to recover, we could beat them. "So I hope we can recover very good, also mentally because the defeat to Tottenham was a blow of course. Everybody knows this is the last chance."
Wayne Rooney continued his recovery from a knee injury by playing 60 minutes for United's U21s against Middlesbrough on Monday, but he is unlikely to be involved against West Ham.
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Exclusive Interview with Neil Finn-at the time-the youngest person to play in the Premier League
April 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
The West Ham Way
I was delighted to discover by chance that Neil Finn followed me on my twitter account and so I really wanted to hear about his unexpected debut for the club. I remember listening to the game on the radio, there were no internet streams in those days and hearing he was playing. I spent the rest of the game wondering what the experience must have been like in front of a large crowd at Maine Road. Neil talks exclusively about this game and his experience at West Ham
You were a member of the FA Cup youth runners up team that included Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, who else made it in the game from that team? What was that experience like?
Being a member of that youth team and being with my friends every day for two years was the best experience, just a fantastic time and with the team being so successful it made it all the better. It certainly made me the man I am today! Many players had long & successful league careers: Lee Hodges, Joe Keith, and Chris Coyne to name a few and most of us went on to play local non-league.
Did you think at the time that Rio and Frank would go on to achieve all that they have in the game? Was there any other players who should have also achieved more?
Yes. They were the stand out 2 players at all levels: youth, reserve and first teams. Every single member of my teams knew them boys would be full internationals and lifting trophies in the future. There was huge quality in our squad and I believed at the time that most of the boys would have long first team careers in the top two leagues but it's not always the case. That step up is so tough & cut throat!! Total respect to the boys that made it professionally!!
You were suddenly thrust into the first team on New Year's Day 1996 when Sealey was injured and Ludo suspended! How did that come about?
20 years ago now. Yes, Ludo got sent off vs Everton and was suspended and I believe Ian Feuer had just been sold to Luton. So it was just Les and I on the books as full times back up goalies. I got a call from Frank Senior a couple of days before the game to say I was travelling with the first team to Maine Road. I was buzzing!! Thinking that I wouldn't even make the bench as Harry would put all outfield players on there...I was just looking forward to the ride!
A day before the game I turned up at the Swallow Hotel to meet the team coach and a few of the players (Dicks & Hutchinson mainly) were giving me stick about me being nervous etc. I didn't really get what they were talking about to be honest. It was only when I got on the coach that Harry & Frank said that Les had torn his calf yesterday in training and that I was playing tomorrow. I wasn't buzzing anymore!!! I would like to say that Ludo, his wife and Les travelled up to Maine Road to support me and looked after my Mum & Dad (who I called as soon as I found out & they traveled up too) and they gave me such good advice during the whole experience.
What did Harry Redknapp say to you at the time and before the game? Did any other of the first team players offer any words of advice?
I don't really remember exactly what was said, but Harry and Frank just said do what you've been doing in the youth team and you'll be fine! The players were fantastic, protecting me always. Also the fans were superb singing my name throughout the game...
You became the youngest ever Premier League player at the time, were you nervous?
Yes but the goalies (Les & Ludo) made me feel comfortable & settled me down and it sounds a cliché but once that whistle went I did concentrate on the game and tried not let the occasion get to me!
You were injured yourself for that game weren't you?
Only a tight hamstring from the previous youth game, nothing serious.
What do you remember from the game and after?
I remember I didn't have a great deal to do during the game apart from to pick the ball out the net twice from Niall Quinn goals. I did believe and was told before the game that City will be swinging in crosses and being very physical but it didn't happen!
After the game I was told not to talk to the press and just get straight on the coach for the journey home.
I got home around 1 AM and I remember reporting into training the next day to train and do my duties, cleaning boots etc.! Back with a bang eh!?!
That went on to be your only game for the club and you never played professionally again. Why do you think that was? Did the one game have a negative impact?
I was certainly realistic enough to know that I wasn't good enough for high level first team football. I did believe that I was good enough for 3rd Division / Conference level & spent the next four or so years playing/training for every local club at that level, with no success at all. It wasn't without trying, but it just wasn't to be. I'm certainly not bitter and really enjoyed my extremely short football journey.
That one game didn't have a negative impact at all, I am very proud of that one game and 20 years on people still want to chat to me about it.
Who were you friends with in the youth team and first team squad?
Our youth & reserve teams was very close and I was friends with all of them. We used to socialise together as a squad and I have great memories of the years I was there! Good friends at the time were Frank, Chris Coyne, Joe Keith, Lee Hodges, Chris Saines and many more!
You had some good nights out on the Essex scene, any interesting stories?
Nope!!!!??
You are still good mates with Frank Lampard is that correct? Do you see each other much?
Yes, we are very close. I saw him last at his wedding, which was an absolutely fantastic.
As you know he lives in New York now. I'm looking forward to visiting him in the summer.
Are you friends with any other ex-players?
Social media has been good in the last few years for me to keep contact with old team mates.
Rio and Frank seemed very close when at West Ham but seemed to drift apart when they left? Any particular reason?
I don't think they drifted apart, it was more logistics, that they didn't see each other as much; one played for Leeds/Man Utd and one played for Chelsea.
Are you involved in football now? If not what do you do for a job?
I was at Romford FC in the Ryman League for over ten years. Nine years as a player and a year or so as coach. Once my daughter was born the travelling as a non-player became too much and unfair on my family. I work for a company called Castacrete Ltd & I am General Manager of the Natural Stone department, importing stone from all over the world.
You've been invited to the last ever game at Upton Park, what can you tell us about that?
Yes I have. I received a DM tweet from WHUFC asking for my email regarding the last game. I then received a letter from Karen Brady inviting me. I am over the moon with the invite!
What do you make of the current West Ham team and the season we are having?
Fantastic. A pleasure to watch.
Are you a West Ham fan?
Yes. My father took me to my first game at Upton Park as a young schoolboy. Sitting at the very back row of the main stand. It was vs Manchester Utd. We lost 3-1 with Liam Brady scoring a consolation penalty.
I had a season ticket for three consecutive years as a young teenager in the south bank and then the Chicken Run. I have great memories of watching my heroes like Ludo, Dicks, Breaker, Cottee, Bishop and more and then for me to sign full time for West Ham, it was a dream come true!
Are you excited about the stadium move?
Very much so. What a great move anc we could be seeing European games there in the first season!
Also, living in Harold Wood makes the journey so easy and I have great plans of taking my son and daughter over there!
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Exclusive article by the Daily Mail's Lee Clayton who gives is opinions on Andy Carroll
April 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay
Lee Clayton
The fella who sits close to me in the West Stand Lower has it in for Andy Caroll. "Run Carroll," he booms whenever a ball is sent into the channel. "You lazy git!"
I don't know the chap - I don't want to know him - but it seems he's not a Carroll fan. He's one of those supporters who will focus on the negative aspects of Carroll's skillset - the injuries, the lack of pace and mobility, the temptation for a team to play it long when they have a big centre forward. He pays his money too and he's entitled to his opinion, of course, but shouldn't every West Ham fan recognise how important a fit and firing Carroll is?
I get it that it's easy to write this after he has scored a hat-trick but he remains a very important asset to the club. I remember when every team had a centre forward like Carroll. A target man. West Ham had them too; some good like David Cross. Others not so good. Ok, there was a loose arm that might have brought a second yellow card when challenging Gabriel, but this team is due a favourable refereeing decision after recent weeks.
With his rugged efforts Carroll, my friend who sits behind me clearly thinks, is a dinosaur - and a relic from yesteryear. But, at 2-0 down, when Aaron Cresswell received a short lay-back from Dimitri Payet, set himself and then whipped a delicious left footed cross arrowing in towards the penalty spot, is there any other striker you would rather have attacking the ball?
There seems a mood around the club that Carroll will be sold in the summer and replaced by a younger, modern forward who is fitter and more mobile. He may even have been sold in the last transfer window if someone (Newcastle, Sunderland) had offered enough. He has cost a lot of money and there is a sense they haven't got enough value while another criticism is that he appears to enjoy life of the field a little too much. Slaven Bilic often talks about him needing to showing more consistency and professionalism while, at Liverpool, they were astonished that he applied old school attitudes off the pitch when modern football is about fitness and nutrition.
Bilic (and just about all the rest of us) thinks Carroll can be so much better, but that is no reason to sell him. By all means increase competition, buy another forward, someone with a better fitness record, but keep Carroll too. Few rival teams have that type of striker and rival defences - once used to playing regularly against a target man - cannot cope with what he can do. He's only just turned 27! If he is fit. If he gets the service (yes, two big ifs). then he is the best man to be West Ham's no9.
The national media, as is the custom, typically respond to Carroll at his best by asking if he should be recalled by England. But if you are of the West Ham persuasion, who cares? I'd rather he spend the summer working hard and getting his fitness right for what will be an important and challenging season at the new stadium.
The Andy Carroll we witnessed at Upton Park terrorising Arsenal's central defenders is the Andy Carroll we want to see more often. And who gives a damn if he doesn't chase lost causes and run into the channels? Save your energy for scoring goals, lad.
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West Ham target Michael Carrick as Manchester United stall on new deal
April 12, 2016
TheWestHamWay
BKHammer
According to the Sun, West Ham are ready to jump on Manchester United's dithering by offering Michael Carrick a return to east London. Carrick's future at Old Trafford is in limbo with the club yet to decide whether to hand him a one-year extension to the contract that runs out at the end of the season. And with United failing to make their minds up, West Ham have made a tentative approach about the possibility of agreeing a 12-month contract with the England midfielder. Alex Song will be leaving the Hammers at the end of the season, and manager Slaven Bilic is aware he needs to bolster his squad with the possibility of Europa League football and a push for a top four finish next season. Carrick's ability and experience is seen as an ideal option, and there is a belief he can also help develop the game of highly-rated 17-year-old Reece Oxford.
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Mr Durham adopts Katie Hopkins approach :-)
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 12, 2016 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
Ok, let's put the Adrian Durham thing to bed before it gets out of hand - the guy is not to be taken overly seriously. I first came across him when he was working for ClubCall years ago when he may have become aware of me as a contributor - one arm of my various freelance activities at that time. I recall some telephone calls from him before he disappeared to re-emerge on talkSPORT a few years later. His modus operandi has been to operate as a 'shock jock ' - a ploy used by some to promote their own profile rather than that of the person of whom they writing. It's the Katie Hopkins approach to media success!!!!!!!
Here's how the Guardian describes him in his Wiki profile: "An "expert phone-in troll, arrogantly spouting inflammatory football opinions in the hope of prompting some indignant phone rage from an uppity fan."
Today he has taken a pop at Slav for his baiting of referees which is utterly absurd as I've never heard the manager speak badly of anyone. He also advises the manager to seek some evidence and a good lawyer which is actually all a bit stupid as Slav has a law degree anyway. I believe Mr Durham's thinking was, that as Slav has done so brilliantly as a manager and a person since he arrived at Upton Park, he will get exactly the sort of reaction he wants by slagging him off. My opinion - that's all Adrian.
Do not take this man seriously - PLEASE!
Goodbye Katie ..err sorry Adrian!
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Irons United hopes get a boost if this is true
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Now I obviously understand that it's dangerous to believe what one reads in the Sun but should it be true, there's a story in there this morning which will give the Irons all the more hope of a huge result tomorrow night. It's not a hard story to write of course but the down market tabloid declares that all dressing room confidence in LVG disappeared totally after the weekend defeat in north London. It reports that "Louis Van Gaal pinned the blame on his Manchester United players when he started making tactical changes at half-time against Tottenham and adds that when the got back to the dressing room after Sunday's 3-0 mauling at White Hart Lane they had turned on the manager. The 'report' says: "Respect for Van Gaal, supposedly one of the great managerial minds, has gone. These players are openly questioning him, wondering out loud how the club can seriously keep him beyond the end of the season."
At the same time as this there are reports that Wayne Rooney could be back tomorrow night after an appearance i the youth team when surely he can hardly be ready after several months out.
But never mind it's all good news for us Irons who should be pretty confident of a result in our present for anyway
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West Ham to miss out on England captain
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News
C and H
West Ham are set to miss out on landing England U17s captain and the son of ex-Ipswich and Spurs midfielder Jason Dozzell reports in the Daily Mirror today. Liverpool are said to be currently leading the race to land Andre Dozzell from Ipswich. Liverpool are claimed to have already started talks with the Championship club for Dozzell, who has the same agent as Gareth Bale. The midfielder will not be 17 until next month and the Suffolk side are set to pocket around £1.5million in compensation when he finally moves on. Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham are all said to be keen to get the signature of the son of former Ipswich and Spurs player Jason Dozzell as a potential Premier League star of the future. He is another ambitious target as Terry Westly looks to rebuild the West Ham academy and complete with the top six for the best talent around.
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West Ham U21's involved in mass brawl
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 11, 2016 in Videos, Whispers
C and H
There were ugly scenes at Villa Park tonight after a mass brawl broke out between twenty players during a Hammers Under 21 game against Aston Villa U21's. The Villa youngsters scored in 88th minute to make 3-2 on the night but just before the 90th minute a very nasty Villa tackle led to a confrontation of around 18 players until Kevin Toner was shown the red card for Villa.
West Ham's George Dobson led the retaliation against Villa captain Kevin Toner for the two awful challenges.
U21: Spiegel, Pike, Henry, Oxford, Page (Neufville '46), Dobson, Makasi, Diangana (Hector-Ingram '59), Browne, Hendrie (Kemp '83), Ford. Subs: Trott, Akinola.
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Bilic to support Sakho
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H
I fully expect Slaven Bilic to support Diafra Sakho in his press conference this morning ahead of tomorrow's FA cup replay against Manchester United. Sakho has made the paper headlines in the last few days since he left training with an alleged knock on Friday. He didn't stay with the team on Friday evening and missed attending the London Derby on Saturday lunchtime against Arsenal. The media have suggested he threw his toys out of his pram when he found our he was not in Bilic's plans for Saturday and told medical staff he felt pain in his knee.
Journalists will be hungry for the truth at 10am today and you can guarantee it will be the first question asked. Bilic will almost definitely dismiss a rift between the two and take Sakho at his word that the social outburst was not aimed at West Ham or himself. Sakho's agent also wants to play down the story and he contacted Sky Sports yesterday to make it clear Sakho is happy at West Ham. Sky reported the message - posted on the social media platform Snapchat - was a private matter and not aimed at Bilic or West Ham in any way whatsoever. They also made it clear reports that he is frustrated at West Ham are wide of the mark and talk of a new deal is premature, with Sakho signing an improved contract at West Ham within the last 18 months.
Yesterday, Claret and Hugh revealed challenges has in Sakho's private life with his daughter living in France and a new born daughter, Sadio Sakho born days ago to his former girlfriend Mya Hassan. I believe Slav will show his support by playing down the incident on Friday by insisting the player is carrying a small knock and there is no ill feeling between them. Hopefully this case will be closed until the summer.
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Sakho out for one week says Slaven Bilic
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Slaven Bilic has been giving his pre match press conference ahead of tomorrow's FA cup sixth round replay with Manchester United under the Boleyn ground lights. When asked about the Sakho situation he confirmed he reported an injury after training on Friday and had a scan yesterday which he claims showed a little bit of a problem which will keep him out for a week.
Slav told the press "It's the final FA Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground, it's Manchester United and it's the quarter-finals. It can't be bigger. We are fully motivated and it is a massive game of course. It is massive for us and it is massive for them. They are Manchester United and they have not been as consistent this season, but they are very capable of beating any team."
"Andy Carroll, when he is fit and in form is a very special kind of player. He is different, and it is hard for defenders to cope.He doesn't have to score, but his presence on the pitch gives us another dimension. He had a great game on Saturday"
"The situation with Diafra is very simple. He reported an injury after training on Friday. He was not in the squad. Yesterday he had a scan, which showed a little bit of a problem and he will be out for one week."
"For Manchester United, it's the stature of the club that they're not happy with losing games, with being fifth in the table. It's hard to be a manager. It's the greatest job in the world, but at those massive clubs you're expected to win every game. The fans will be important of course. They were great on Saturday - they are one of the reasons why we are unbeaten at home for this time"
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Happy 75th Birthday Mooro
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore would have celebrated his 75th birthday today. Mooro, who lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup 1965 with West Ham, rose to football immortality when he became England's World Cup winning captain in 1966, receiving the Jules Rimet Trophy after Hammers team-mates Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters had scored the goals that led their country to a 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley. A year later, Moore was made an OBE but he was never knighted. Born in Barking on 12 April 1941, Moore played 108 times for his country and made 646 appearances for West Ham. During his career, the elegant central defender earned a reputation for being one of the finest players in the world. An enduring image of Moore is that of him embracing the great Brazilian forward Pele following the 1970 World Cup match in Guadalajara, Mexico, which Brazil won 1-0. Tragically, Moore died from bowel cancer on 24 February 1993 at the age of 51.
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Referee decisions table gap widens for West Ham
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
An expert panel put together by ClubTalk.com reviewed several highly-dubious decisions in the West Ham v Arsenal game last weekend. The panel agreed West Ham suffered another two crucial incorrect decisions which cost them 2 goals on Saturday.
Andy Carroll red card escape v Arsenal: The West Ham striker certainly made his mark on the match, hauling the Hammers back into the match with a deadly double on the stroke of half-time, before putting them 3-2 ahead by completing his hat-trick shortly after. However, the Hammers forward was arguably lucky to still be on the field, having been booked for a poor lunge on Laurent Koscielny in the third minute, he then caught Gabriel with a flaying elbow in the second half. Despite ref Craig Pawson awarding the foul, three of our five-man panel felt a second booking would have been harsh. Verdict: Correct decision
Manuel Lanzini disallowed goal v Arsenal: The Argentinian thought he'd handed West Ham an early lead in the match when he converted Carroll's overhead kick from close range. However, the linesman waved Lanzini offside, though replays showed he was clearly played on by Hector Bellerin. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Nacho Monreal penalty appeal v West Ham: The Spanish full-back felt he deserved a spot-kick after a collision in the box upended him. However, there was not enough in it to warrant a penalty, with the passage of play leading directly to Mesut Ozil's opener for Arsenal. Verdict: Correct decision
Possible Mesut Ozil offside in Arsenal's opener v West Ham: The German handed Arsenal the lead when his well-taken shot beat Adrian, though the Hammers felt Ozil could have been offside. However, replays showed the playmaker was level with Angelo Ogbonna when latching onto Danny Welbeck's pass and the officials were right to let play continue. Verdict: Correct decision
Possible offside in build-up to second Carroll goal v Arsenal: The Gunners felt Michail Antonio was offside as the ball was dinked back into the box just ahead of Carroll's equaliser on the stroke of half-time. However, the West Ham wing-back, while stood in an offside position, was not interfering with play and again it was right for the goal to stand. Verdict: Correct decision
Lanzini penalty appeal v Arsenal: The Argentinian completed an unfortunate afternoon when he was denied what a possible penalty following a challenge from Bellerin in the area. Although you can understand why the referee, with what initially looked like an innocent coming together, waved play on, our panel felt (with the benefit of replays) that the Spaniard had both an arm on his shoulder and also slipped and fell onto the player's legs. Verdict: Incorrect decision
Dimitri Payet disallowed goal v Arsenal: West Ham felt they'd been denied a goal when Payet fired in after Koscielny and David Ospina had allowed the ball to escape them both under heavy pressure from Carroll. But our panel voted 3-2 in favour of the referee, who'd deemed the West Ham striker to have fouled Arsenal's French defender. Verdict: Correct decision
Gabriel red card escape v Arsenal: The defender carelessly lost possession when under pressure from that man Carroll and stuck out a leg at the end of a theatrical tumble to not just impede, but complete prevent the striker, at the least, getting a shot in on goal. Our panel however felt that the Brazilian's challenge was a yellow card at worst. Verdict: Correct decision
The updated table (below) shows West Ham now have a net total of 11 incorrect decisions against them, almost double that of Swansea who are second from bottom who have a net total of six against them. In contrast, tomorrow's opponents, Manchester United lead the table with a net total of 7 incorrect decisions in their favor showing potential favouritism to bigger clubs.
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Fans confident that FA cup semi final is possible
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Over 68% of supporters who voted are optimistic and believe West Ham will win tomorrow's FA Cup Quarter Final replay over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground to face Everton in the semi finals at Wembley on St George's day.
Over 16% of you are pessimistic and have a bad feeling and think our FA Cup journey will end tomorrow. The remaining 15% have decide to sit on the fence and believe it is too close to call or don't know what the outcome will be.
The ClaretandHugh poll of over 800 supporters should be statistical accurate to the general feeling of West Ham supporter's confidence ahead of the 7pm kick off tomorrow.
West Ham remain third favourites at 9/2 to win the FA Cup behind Everton 9/4 and Manchester United 7/2. For Wednesday's quarter final at the Boleyn Ground bookies have us as marginal favourites at 6/4 (1.5-1) with Manchester United at 17/10 (1.7-1) to win the sixth round.
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Shock jock calls on Bilic to get a lawyer
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 12, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
TalkSport shock jock Adrian Durham has accused West Ham manager Slaven Bilic of damaging the reputation of match officials with his constant post match moaning. And he has challenged him to back it up with evidence if he thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham. Durham speaking in his Daily Mail column today said: "Bilic damages the reputation of referees and officials by blasting them consistently. Unless he actually thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham in which case he should make that clear, and try to back it up with evidence. If he does that, I suggest he gets a decent lawyer behind him." There is no conspiracy of course. I went back over the 3-3 draw on Saturday to assess all the decisions. The Hammers were right to be upset about the disallowed Lanzini goal, but what about others that go unmentioned by Bilic and the fans?"
A quiet word Mr Durham: Slaven Bilic has a degree in law and is fluent in German, Italian and English.
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West Ham striker Diafra Sakho to miss next two games after suffering knee injury
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho's knee injury will sideline him for two games
Sakho failed to report to the team hotel ahead of the 3-3 draw with Arsenal
He posted a cryptic message on his Snapchat account about being 'hated'
Andy Carroll will start up front for the Irons against Manchester United
By OLIVER TODD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:12, 12 April 2016 | UPDATED: 12:12, 12 April 2016
Diafra Sakho will miss West Ham's next two games after a scan revealed the severity of the knee injury which saw him fail to report to their team hotel before Saturday's 3-3 draw with Arsenal. Manager Slaven Bilic revealed the Senegal striker had the problem checked out by doctors on Monday and they advised that he will be unable to play for at least a week. Sakho, 26, was told he would be on the bench for the Barclays Premier League clash with Arsenal but then insisted he was injured and did not join his team-mates at a hotel the night before the game.
Bilic held talks with the forward, who has scored six goals this season, on Monday but says his medical check-up confirmed 'a bit of a problem' with his knee. He will now be absent from Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay with Manchester United and the trip to leaders Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday. 'The situation is very simple,' Bilic said. 'He reported the injury after training on Friday, then he was not in the squad and then yesterday (on Monday) he had a scan and the scan reported a little bit of a problem. 'He's out for one week - hopefully not more than a week but for this week he is definitely out. Hopefully he's going to be back on Monday.'
Sakho's failure to check-in with the rest of Bilic's squad on Friday night was followed by a cryptic message posted on Snapchat at 4.35am, little more than eight hours before kick-off, which referenced being 'hated'. In Sakho's absence, Irons striker Andy Carroll led the line and scored a hat-trick against Arsenal at home 'When I am hated I do not give a f***, I do everything to be more hated,' it said, complete with fist-bump emoji and two-fingered peace sign. Sources close to Sakho claimed the message was a 'private matter', relating to personal problems rather than his omission from the team. Andy Carroll, who scored a hat-trick in Sakho's place against the Gunners, is set to continue up top against United having reported back with no fresh injury problems after just his second start in three months. 'He is fit. We didn't train properly yesterday on Monday, but we will see today (Tuesday). He didn't report any knocks or problems so he should be OK for Wednesday,' Bilic said.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is on a crusade to blame referees for everything - but what's the truth behind his conspiracy theories?
Slaven Bilic has been persistent in his criticism of referees this season
He has decided officials are to blame if West Ham don't make top four
But Bilic conveniently ignores everything that goes the Hammers' way
Against Arsenal on Saturday, they profited from various favourable calls
Andy Carroll shouldn't have been on the field when he scored his third goal
By ADRIAN DURHAM FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 07:21, 12 April 2016 | UPDATED: 08:10, 12 April 2016
Slaven Bilic is upset. Having spoken relentlessly about referees week-after-week, he chose not to this week, but the message was clear from the West Ham manager: by saying nothing, he was saying yet again that he was upset with decisions. Bilic's message that West Ham have been the victims of poor decisions from referees has been heard and adopted by the fans. And there was an obvious incorrect call very early when Lanzini's goal was ruled out for offside. In the same game Andy Carroll could easily have seen a second yellow for a forearm smash on Gabriel, but the ref chose not to show a card. A last warning for Carroll perhaps? Well no, because minutes later Carroll fouled Koscielny, Payet put the ball in the net, but no card for Carroll, who then scored a third goal. Amazingly after Payet's goal was correctly ruled out, the Hammers fans started singing to Craig Pawson: 'You're not fit to referee.' The man who had chosen to let Carroll stay on the field was suddenly the bad man in the eyes of the home fans. I'm a huge Carroll fan, always have been, but he shouldn't have been on the pitch to score that hat-trick third. But let's not just assess a couple of isolated incidents from Saturday's game at Upton Park. Let's look at all decisions, because the complaint has been clear from Bilic. Refs have robbed West Ham. Bilic is on a mission to make sure any blame for a failure from his team to make the top four this season is laid firmly at the door of referees. It's a shame really, because West Ham have been great to watch, Bilic has been very refreshing for the Premier League with his attitude, particularly towards the FA Cup, and he's done very well in charge at a club whose season began way back last July. They've had some harsh decisions, no doubt about that. But his analysis is rendered completely meaningless and devoid of credibility if he chooses to ignore anything that actually goes the Hammers' way. Throwing in stats about how many penalties they don't get is meaningless without context. There is no set number of penalties a team should receive per season, home or away. That would be ridiculous. For it to be a worthwhile discussion, more information is needed, details and specifics. Have they deserved any penalties? If so, how many? Were they definite penalties that were harshly turned down? Or is it a case, as with most fans, that you only see what you want to see?
Bilic damages the reputation of referees and officials by blasting them consistently. Unless he actually thinks there is an orchestrated conspiracy against West Ham in which case he should make that clear, and try to back it up with evidence. If he does that, I suggest he gets a decent lawyer behind him. There is no conspiracy of course. I went back over the 3-3 draw on Saturday to assess all the decisions. The Hammers were right to be upset about the disallowed Lanzini goal, but what about others that go unmentioned by Bilic and the fans?
No free kick for Arsenal when Payet caught Monreal after 10 minutes
Noble could have been booked for a foul which broke up an Arsenal attack after 15 minutes.
Just before Arsenal's first goal, Monreal was caught in the box, no penalty given. Debatable decision, but if West Ham really are the victims of bad calls a penalty is given.
On 24 minutes West Ham were given a free kick in a dangerous position after a very innocuous challenge from Coquelin.
15 minutes later Coquelin was floored by Kouyate, nothing given.
Either side of the break the crowd voiced anger at the ref for not giving them a penalty when Noble and then Lanzini went down in the box. Neither incident was a penalty.
Halfway through the second half lovely play from Ozil and Ramsey left the latter in the box on goal, a sly kick from Kouyate went unnoticed by the ref but was enough to put Ramsey off.
Late on Winston Reid dived to win a free kick despite Welbeck clearly pulling out of the challenge.
Ogbonna and Reid made challenges in the box late on, neither were fouls but a ref who wanted to give decisions to hurt West Ham would surely have taken the chance to give Arsenal a late penalty.
Reid lucky to escape a yellow after breaking up an Arsenal counter attack on halfway. Antonio was booked for something very similar a moment later.
So that's a proper analysis of Craig Pawson's decisions and how they affected West Ham. They clearly benefited from several debatable decisions. Yes a disallowed goal, but Carroll probably should have seen red, which would have meant no hat trick, and the Hammers playing with 10 men for most of the second half. That's a balanced look at the ref's performance from a neutral perspective. That's why Bilic repeatedly whipping up a frenzy against refs among West Ham fans is so wrong and why he should be sanctioned for it. The reality is he's frustrated, and yes we get it. Like Jose Mourinho earlier this season, his only way of handling the pressure is to blast referees. As a decent defender in his playing days, he should really be directing his anger towards his own players and the way they conceded the three goals Arsenal put past them. But we all know managers defend their own players, and are prepared to put referees right in the firing line, if it means they can hide any failings from their own team. Unfortunately Hammers fans have fallen into the trap, and have got it into their heads officials are deliberately targeting their club with poor decisions. The reality is that all clubs get tough breaks sometimes; that's the way it goes. The real issue is not referees making mistakes - we've loved football for decades without that being such a huge problem that we had to change things drastically. No, the bigger issue is players cheating. This weekend we saw West Brom's Craig Gardner rake his studs down the back of Sergio Aguero's ankle, forcing the striker to limp off. The Baggies midfielder had no chance of winning the ball, he just wanted to impede his opponent. And what about Lee Cattermole crunching in on Danny Drinkwater's foot long after the ball had gone early in the game at The Stadium of Light on Sunday?
Designed to do nothing but harm the Leicester midfielder, and reduce his impact. Those defending Cattermole might excuse it as a challenge that let the England man 'know he was there.'
Most of us realise that like Gardner on Aguero, Cattermole was trying to 'affect' Drinkwater because it's the only way these limited players can deal with more talented opponents.
So next time you feel like berating a match official for getting a marginal call wrong, think again. Remember the players who roll around pretending they're injured. And the other so-called professionals who think it's fine to commit a challenge knowing full well it has more chance of injuring an opponent than anything else. What's worse, a ref making an honest mistake? Or a player going into a challenge knowing that there is absolutely no way he can get the ball, but also knowing there is a good chance he may cause an injury to an opponent?
In making honest decisions - whether right or wrong - Craig Pawson knew he might anger Bilic and the Upton Park crowd. But in making those decisions the referee showed more bravery this weekend than the likes of Gardner and Cattermole displayed with their disgusting fouls. Decide for yourself who deserves more criticism, but take the blinkers off first. And Slaven Bilic has been brilliant hasn't he? He should quit the ref bashing, stay classy, and not turn into another moaning Mourinho.
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Louis van Gaal: This is why I fear FA Cup clash with West Ham
LOUIS VAN GAAL has admitted he's wary of Andy Carroll's 'special qualities' ahead of Manchester United's FA Cup replay with West Ham.
By JAMES CAMBRIDGE
PUBLISHED: 07:23, Tue, Apr 12, 2016 | UPDATED: 07:37, Tue, Apr 12, 2016
Express.co.uk
United take on the Hammers tomorrow night (7pm) at the Boleyn Ground in the FA Cup quarter-final replay. The two sides drew 1-1 when they first met thanks to a contentious late equaliser from Anthony Martial. And Van Gaal admits he's taking nothing for granted, especially after Carroll's heroic display against Arsenal at the weekend, in which he scored a hat-trick. "He has special qualities. We have seen that in the match that he played on Saturday," he said. "It was against Arsenal and they have great central defenders but still he could do that. "So we have to cope with Andy Carroll."
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