Slaven Speaks - Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic held his final pre-match press conference of the season on Friday.
The boss looked ahead to the meeting with Stoke City, spoke of his hopes for European football and more…
Is fifth place realistic?
SB: "Fifth is difficult, It's the last game of the season and the situation is the same for a few clubs in a few countries. Real Madrid are hoping that Barcelona don't win their last game – it's unlikely but when it comes to the last game it's always possible with the pressure and everything.
"But we shouldn't be concentrating on that, not even with one ear. We have to do the job, we have a very difficult game because Stoke want to finish on a high and if they win they are breaking their record of points. They have a good team and all we have to do is try to replicate that performance from Tuesday night and win the game.
"If we win the game we will be happy, definitely, because we will be sixth minimum, fifth possibly if Manchester United slip, or fourth if Manchester City lose 25-0!"
What are your reflections of the season as a whole? What moments stand out?
SB: "Now is not the time to talk about that. We have a massive game in front of us, so I'm not ready to analyse the whole season apart to say in once sentence it has been a brilliant season for West Ham United."
Stoke have been on a bad run recently, so how do you rate your chances of winning on Sunday?
SB: "We have a chance because we are a good team. They've been on a bad run but I've watched their games and it's been more like they've been playing teams who have been on fire.
"They've conceded three or four goals in a couple of games, but on their day they are capable. Against Spurs, in the first half Stoke were quite unlucky, and ok they lost to Palace and drew with Sunderland, but I didn't see a dip in their energy.
"They are a good team, who have a few individuals who can harm you – Arnautovic, Bojan, Shaqiri, Diouf, Walters, Crouch. They have good players, and unfortunately we are expecting a difficult game and we will have to be on top of our game to do the job."
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Randolph relishing Stoke showdown
WHUFC.com
Randolph is aiming for Europe!
Hello everybody,
I want to start by thanking everyone for the happy birthday wishes for yesterday, I had a great day, made extra special by all your messages.
All in all it's been a rather special week, hasn't it? Tuesday night was one of the best atmosphere's I've played in, probably the best alongside the Ireland games with Germany and Bosnia.
As a goalkeeper, I was obviously closest to the fans, and the noise was just incredible. We knew it would be loud given the last game, but it topped anything we expected by a long way!
It was a very special night for everyone and a proud moment, one that I can look back on and say that I played a part in.
Now we look ahead to Stoke and hopefully we can add the cherry on top of this season's extra special cake by qualifying for Europe.
They will be a very difficult team to play, they always are, especially at their place. We won't underestimate them, final game of the season or not. We know what's at stake so we want to go there and get a win.
We've spoken a little bit about Europe, of course we have, but we're not getting carried away.
Whatever happens on Sunday, we've had a great season. We've had some amazing games, both home and away, a good cup run and the send-off to the Boleyn Ground, so it's been a huge season for us and one where everyone has contributed.
This season has made me realise how much I took the Premier League for granted first time round when I was at Charlton. I was 16, 17 and I thought I'd be in the Premier League for ever.
Obviously it didn't quite work out like that, but I'm delighted to be here and play a part. I love coming into training and being around my teammates.
Roll on Sunday!
Darren
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Academy stars seek Dutch success
WHUFc.com
Following there U21 Premier League Cup success, a youthful West Ham United squad including the likes of Martin Samuelsen and Lewis Page have travelled to Uitgeest, northern Holland to compete in the annual ICTG youth tournament this weekend.
The Hammers are in Pool A, and will face Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro and Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar after getting the illustrious tournament underway in shortened games against hosts FC Uitgeest at 11am on Saturday 14 May.
Later that day, they play AZ Alkmaar at 1.20pm before playing there third and final group game with Cruzeiro at 3.40pm.
At the same time, teams in Pool B - Vitesse Arnhem, Panathinaikos, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Atletico Paranaense, will also be competing in the competition.
After all group fixtures have been completed, the tournament divides into a series of play off games which will be played throughout Monday 16th May.
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SUN, 15 MAY 2016
PREMIER LEAGUE
15:00
Venue: Britannia Stadium
BBC.co.uk
Stoke City v West Ham United
TEAM NEWS
Stoke will be without Stephen Ireland after the midfielder suffered a broken leg in training this week.
Jack Butland, Shay Given and Ibrahim Afellay remain sidelined, while Glen Johnson and Marc Wilson are nursing knee injuries and aren't expected to feature on Sunday.
Darren Randolph will again deputise in the West Ham goal for Adrian, who has a calf injury.
The Hammers otherwise have no injury concerns.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTESMartin Fisher: "Tuesday's victory over Manchester United <http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36189168> on such an emotional night kept West Ham firmly on course to kick off life at the Olympic Stadium with European football.
"A win at Stoke will secure a top-six finish and with it a place in next season's Europa League.
"Slaven Bilic will be determined to have some tangible reward from such a memorable season.
"Mark Hughes will be frustrated by his side's decline over the last couple of months which killed off their own European challenge, but three points from this one could see Stoke finish in ninth for the third successive season."
Twitter:@martfisher1 <https://twitter.com/martfisher1>
LAWRO'S PREDICTIONI do not see the Potters losing at home again, especially because they did not play in midweek while West Ham had that emotionally draining final game at Upton Park.
Prediction: 1-1
Lawro's full predictions v X-Men star Ben Hardy <http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36243983>
* Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game. <http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/predictor>
MATCH FACTSHead-to-head
* Stoke are unbeaten in five league meetings, although the last three have been draws.
Stoke
* Stoke are winless in six league matches (D2, L4).
* They have gone four home games without a victory (D2, L2). Failure to beat West Ham will seem them equal their longest-ever winless home Premier League run.
* The Potters have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last nine league games.
* Marko Arnautovic needs one goal to become Stoke's outright top-scorer in a Premier League campaign.
West Ham
* West Ham have only lost one of their last 12 league games (W6, D5).
* They have scored in each of those games, their longest-ever scoring run in the competition.
* The Hammers are unbeaten in five away league games (W2, D3), scoring at least two goals in each of those matches.
* Dimitri Payet has been involved in 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances (three goals, eight assists).
SAM's verdictMost probable score: 1-1Probability of draw: 27%Probability of home win: 30%Probability of away win: 42%
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.
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Liverpool & West Ham could face Europa League play-offBy Frank Keogh & Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport
Liverpool and West Ham have already met four times this season, with West Ham winning on three occasionsWest Ham and Liverpool could face a play-off to determine who qualifies for the Europa League.
The Hammers lie sixth in the Premier League before the final round of matches, while Liverpool are eighth.
The Reds also play Sevilla in the Europa League final <http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36279287> knowing that a win would secure a Champions League place.
If they have to qualify for Europe through the league, there is a scenario that has both clubs level on points, goal difference and goals scored.
How it could happenWest Ham would have to lose 1-0 at Stoke City AND Liverpool beat West Brom 2-1; or the Hammers lose 2-1 while it finished 3-2 to the away side at The Hawthorns, or so on. In addition, seventh-placed Southampton would have to be denied a win against visitors Crystal Palace.
Those scorelines would leave the London and Merseyside clubs level after 38 matches of a season lasting nine months.
Final is outstanding opportunity - KloppIf they were tied, the play-off would only be needed if their finishing spot is in a Europa League position, and Sevilla were to win next week's final in Basel.
A Premier League spokesperson confirmed an extra game could take place, although the likelihood is small.
League rules state: "If at the end of the season either the league champions or the clubs to be relegated or the question of qualification for other competitions cannot be determined because two or more clubs are equal on points, goal difference and goals scored, the clubs concerned shall play off one or more deciding league matches on neutral grounds, the format, venue and timing of which shall be determined by the board."
Any date or ground has not been decided upon.
Europa League qualificationManchester City are already assured of at least a Europa League place after winning the Capital One Cup.
If they finish in the top four, that place in the Europa League third qualifying round will pass to the sixth-placed team.
The same will happen if they secure a place in the Europa League group stage by finishing fifth - and realistically, goal difference means City are unlikely to finish lower than fifth.
If Liverpool win the Europa League, they will qualify for the Champions League group stage. If Crystal Palace win the FA Cup, they will enter the Europa League at the group stage. If Manchester United win, that place will be given to the seventh-placed team.
There are no longer any Fair Play places allocated to the Europa League.
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Stoke v West Ham preview: Slaven Bilic's side look to leapfrog Man Utd
By James Walker-Roberts
Last Updated: 13/05/16 6:51pm
SSN
Watch Stoke v West Ham on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 2.55pm
West Ham will cap off an impressive season with a top-six finish if they beat Stoke at the Britannia on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
After coming from behind to win against Manchester United in midweek, the Hammers could pip United to fifth if they get a favour from Bournemouth on the final day.
Manager Slaven Bilic hopes they can replicate the performance that saw them beat United 3-2 in their final game at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday.
"Stoke will want to finish on a high, but all we have to do is try to replicate the performance from Tuesday night and win the game," he said. "That will give us minimum sixth and if Manchester United slip up, we can move to fifth."
While the Hammers are looking up the table, Stoke are in danger of finishing in the bottom half after a poor run of form over the last two months.
Stoke have won just one of their last nine games and slip down to 11th if they lose to the Hammers and Swansea beat Manchester City.
Team news
Stoke midfielder Stephen Ireland is expected to be sidelined for eight or nine months after suffering a double leg fracture in training during the week.
The Potters also have Ibrahim Afellay, Marc Wilson (both knee) and Jack Butland (ankle) unavailable.
Sunday's game could see Glen Johnson and Shay Given back involved after spells out with knee and groin problems respectively.
Goalkeeper Adrian remains West Ham's only absentee as he is still recovering from a calf problem, so Darren Randolph will continue to deputise.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic apologised after some fans threw bottles and other objects at Manchester United's team bus on Monday
Boss Slaven Bilic has an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from.
Opta stats
Stoke are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches against West Ham (W2 D3).
The Hammers have won just one of their six final day Premier League matches away from home (W1 D1 L4).
Stoke have won none of their last four Premier League matches at the Britannia Stadium (D2 L2). Not beating West Ham would see them equal their longest run without a home win in the Premier League (five games September 2012).
Stoke have slipped down the table after a poor run of form
West Ham are unbeaten in their last five Premier League away games (W2 D3), scoring at least two goals in each of those matches.
West Ham will finish the season with a positive goal difference (currently +15) for the first time in a top-flight campaign since 1985/86.
Paul Merson's predictionsSee who the Magic Man is tipping to win on the final weekend <http://www.skysports.com/football/news/15205/10279216/mersons-predictions>
The Hammers have already registered their best-ever points haul in a Premier League campaign (62, five more than their next best return of 57 in 1998/99).
Austrian attacker Marko Arnautovic needs one goal to become Stoke's outright top-scorer in a single Premier League campaign (currently level on 11 with Ricardo Fuller 08/09 and Mame Biram Diouf 14/15).
Merson's prediction
I'm doing this game for Soccer Special and I think the Hammers will win. If they do they have a chance of finishing fifth and after all their hard work the other day, they will be keen to get another good result. Stoke have played some good football through the season but sometimes they are not as hard to beat as they used to be.
They are good footballers and you are always going to get hot and cold when you get those kind of players. Some of them are luxury players and when they are hot they are hot and when they are cold they are cold.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (15/2 with Sky Bet
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Slaven Bilic urges West Ham to finish strong against Stoke to secure Europa League football
By Michael Kelleher & Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 13/05/16 12:02pm
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic wants to cap an impressive season with European qualifcation
Slaven Bilic has urged West Ham to replicate their performance against Manchester United when they face Stoke, live on Sky Sports 3, as they attempt to nail down a place in the Europa League.
The Hammers, who defeated United 3-2 in their final match at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday , will secure a place in next season's Europa League if they win at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 3.
"Stoke will want to finish on a high, but all we have to do is try to replicate the performance from Tuesday night and win the game. That will give us minimum sixth and if Manchester United slip up, we can move to fifth.
"Stoke have been on a bad run, but I've watched their games and it's like they've played teams that have been on fire. We are expecting a difficult game and we will have to be on top of our game to do the job.
"It would be nice to have Europa League football because we have had a good season and it would be good to get something out of it."
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic apologises after some fans threw bottles and other objects at Manchester United's team bus on Tuesday
With Manchester City certain to finish no lower than fifth due to their goal difference, the Europa League berth they earned by winning the Capital One Cup will go to the sixth-placed team.
If Crystal Palace win the FA Cup, they will enter the Europa League at the group stage. However, if Manchester United win, that place will be given to the seventh-placed team.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 14
Friday, May 13
Daily WHUFC News - 13th May 2016
Chadwell Chatter - Carlton Cole
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
It was great that I could be back at the Boleyn Ground for one final visit on Tuesday night and it was an unforgettable evening.
The team were brilliant against Manchester United and made it a great spectacle. They made sure the fans remembered the game and they are not going to forget this 3-2 victory.
The boys are doing so well this season and made it look easy. I am just happy to be invited back and say farewell to the Boleyn Ground.
I have enjoyed a number of memorable moments under the lights at West Ham but that was one of the best and I was cheering like a proper fan for once.
People were watching this all over the world but there was nothing like being here and taking in the amazing atmosphere.
The boys understand the feeling I had in the closing ceremony when they were singing my name.
It was like I was still on the field and I enjoyed every minute of it. I feel I have played my part for the club and it took a great deal for me to be here on the night.
I came down from Glasgow after training as I had to do some rehab on my injury but to see everything happening was unbelievable. It was a great closing ceremony as well.
I can't believe I will not be coming back here anymore and I have so many memories which will always be with me.
My debut will always stay me and I scored with my third touch against Charlton.
Everyone keeps asking me what my favourite moment was and it is so hard for me as I had so many, but I enjoyed it every time I stepped on the field and it was a special occasion.
I hope to see you at the new Stadium.
Coley
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Payet leads international call-ups
WHUFC.com
West Ham United look set to have at least two representatives at UEFA Euro 2016 after Dimitri Payet followed James Collins in being called-up by his country.
Payet was named in Didier Deschamps' 23-man France squad for their home championship finals on Thursday evening, following Collins' own inclusion in Wales' 29-man pre-tournament training camp.
Starting with Payet, the 29-year-old's inclusion completes an outstanding 12 months for the attacking midfielder, who has excelled in his first season in Claret and Blue, won the Hammer of the Year award and returned to the international set-up.
The No27 arrived from Marseille with a strong reputation which he has only enhanced with a campaign that has so far yielded 12 goals and 15 assists in 38 West Ham appearances.
Payet returned to the France squad after a nine-month hiatus in March this year, returning to the starting XI with a sensational free-kick goal against Russia in Paris – his fifth successful direct set piece of the season.
The Reunion-born star also took an influential role in the Final Game at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday, setting up West Ham's second and third goal in a 3-2 victory over Manchester United.
Speaking afterwards, Payet again thanked the Claret and Blue Army for their support of him and his teammates this season.
"It was a very, very big night," he said. "We wanted to win in front of our supporters for the final time here.
"The scenario was magnificent. We didn't give up. We managed to score those three goals, despite trailing 2-1.
"It was exceptional, the fans played their part. We try to reward them and I think we succeeded. It was a very good night!"
As hosts, France are in Group A alongside Albania, Romania and Switzerland.
Collins, meanwhile, has been named in Chris Coleman's 29-man training squad for a camp in Portugal, with the final 23-man selection being made on 31 May.
Wales will play Sweden in Stockholm on 5 June before travelling to its Team Base Camp in Dinard, Brittany, where they will prepare for their opening Group B game of the tournament against Slovakia in Bordeaux on 11 June. Wales will then play England in Lens on 11 June and travel to Toulouse for the match against Russia on 20 June.
West Ham are set to send a third player to France, with goalkeeper Darren Randolph starring for the Republic of Ireland in their final qualifying matches and Play-Off win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The in-form stopper will face a tough test if Martin O'Neill keeps faith with him in France, with the Boys in Green being paired alongside Belgium, Italy and Sweden in Group E.
Elsewhere, Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho could be involved for Senegal in their 2017 AFCON qualifier in Burundi in early June, while Enner Valencia will hope to be included in Ecuador's final squad for the Centennial Copa America in the United States.
Ecuador will be hopeful of advancing from Group B, which also contains Brazil, Haiti and Peru.
Finally, Dylan Tombides Award winner Declan Rice started and Anthony Scully appeared as a substitute as Republic of Ireland U18s drew 2-2 with Germany in an international friendly in Ruesselsheim am Main on Wednesday.
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Not the same as Hillsborough, but nearly
Filed: Thursday, 12th May 2016
By: Kit Robinson
KUMB.com
With headlines of 'Carnage' in the media, the attack on the Manchester United bus prior to the last match that West Ham United would play at the Boleyn Ground, overshadowed what was a brilliant send off and an amazing game and celebration.
But it would seem that both the media and Police do not seem to have learnt any lessons from Hillsborough as a similar tragic incident was narrowly avoided but should never have been possible.
Nobody at West Ham will condone the actions of the fans who hurled missiles and damaged the Manchester United team coach. It was thuggish behaviour and everybody connected with the club, from staff to fans should hope they get prosecuted as citizens and not fans. Of course there is no comparison to their actions and those of the fans at Hillsborough, who have quite rightly been proven innocent of any wrongdoing.
However, like Hillsborough, the same cannot be said of the police and their attempts to rectify a situation which would never had occurred in the first place, had they the foresight and planning to protect the public and avoid what could have been another major tragedy.
As it happened I did not go to the match but gave up my ticket to my father who went with my brother, however after the match I spoke directly after Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal on BBC Radio 5, who stated that Manchester United had done nothing wrong as their coach was only 100 yards behind the West Ham team coach.
The match was delayed by 45 minutes as the coaches arrived on a packed Green Street after 6 o'clock trying to get to the ground for a kick off originally set for 7.45pm. The Manchester United team coach ended up being stuck in the middle of a road, packed wall-to-wall with fans.
Some fans were never going to make it into the ground as a ticket ballot would have made it impossible for everyone to go. The potential number of people there could be guessed at given that only that week, West Ham had announced that 52,000 season tickets had been sold for their new stadium.
It was very likely that a combination of most of that number, along with those without tickets and members of the general public would be packed into that one street, particularly after 5pm once most had finished work. The coaches use one way of getting to the coach car park; up Green Street. So two coaches, along with police vans and some local traffic became stuck there.
Some idiots attacked the Manchester United team coach. This resulted in the Police forcing fans away from the coach so that it could get to the ground. This resulted in fans trying to get to the match being temporarily crushed. Some stated that it was a very scary and dangerous situation. Thankfully there wasn't a major incident and few were injured. It could have been a lot worse, but it could also have been completely avoided.
@brian_skeels <https://twitter.com/brian_skeels> @kumbdotcom <https://twitter.com/kumbdotcom> in the middle of the crush I was on the verge of having a panic attack. It was petrifying. Somehow escaped! 🙏🏼
— Bianca Westwood (@beewestwood) May 12, 2016 <https://twitter.com/beewestwood/status/730761892755558400>
Being as the Police have the power to enforce clubs, the Premier League and the TV companies to accept that matches by rival teams kick off at 12pm to avoid drunkeness, you would guess that they must have the power to say to two clubs that their team coaches have to be at the ground before 5pm as they will be closing off Green Street because of the expected size of the crowd after that time?
Did nobody have the foresight to predict that, after working hours, the size of the crowd in Green Street would pack it out wall-to-wall - and that three Police vans and two team coaches would not only be a danger to public safety (through crushing), but also be potentially highly-inflammatory to large numbers of people drinking when effectively celebrating a party?
No, there is no excuse for people's behaviour when drinking but it is fairly easy to predict problems might occur being as Police in cities across the land deal with it every Friday and Saturday night.
Sky presenter Eamonn Holmes has apologised for stating the event was like Hillsborough. No, at Hillsborough drink was not to blame and the fans were doing nothing wrong. West Ham chairman David Sullivan has retracted his statement aimed at Manchester United saying they shouldn't have turned up earlier.
Both of these statements are misdirected, however the similarity with Hillsborough is that surely the Police are partly culpable as they did not enforce the arrival times of both team coaches and in trying to sort out the mess they had created by not doing so, a potential major tragedy was made possible.
Had the coaches been at the club by 5 o'clock, Green Street would have been closed, there would have been no coach to attack, there would have been no attempt to rectify the situation by forcing a crush.
There has been no smear from the Police (this time) but neither have they made a statement even suggesting that they may have got it wrong. They do however seem happy to let the media perform their usual uninformed attack on football fans.
None of the media seem to have picked up at all on how ludicrous and dangerous it was to allow the coaches to arrive after 6pm. That thousands of non-aggressive fans who just wanted to go to a football match were put in grave danger by the Police trying to rectify their own mistake. That there wasn't a major tragedy was pure luck.
Hit the fans who attacked the coach with everything you can. Nobody wants a public enquiry etc. Nobody wants this to be escalated.
But a statement maybe suggesting why the coaches were allowed to arrive when they did and maybe admitting that this was poorly planned or at least misjudged would be appreciated, if for no other reason than this will not be allowed to happen again at any match around the country. This could have been my family getting killed and I don't wish that upon anybody.
RIP the Hillsborough 96.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Tottenham and West Ham target Michy Batshuayi to leave Marseille in the summer
* 15:28, 12 MAY 2016
* UPDATED 16:25, 12 MAY 2016
* BY DARREN LEWIS , JAMES WHALING The Mirror
Marseille have sparked a scramble from English clubs by confirming £31million striker Michy Batshuayi will leave the club this summer.
West Ham and Tottenham have both confirmed that they want the talented 22-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in all competition this season.
Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested.
Marseille's interim coach Frank Passi revealed the French club have already budgeted for Batshuayi's departure.
Getty
Red Devil: Batshuayi has two goals in two games for BelgiumHe said: "Everybody knows that he will leave. It is included in the accounts that Michy will be sold this summer.
"We will accept it. We know why players leave Marseille, the financials are not so enticing. We have to accept it."
The Hammers have been involved in a sustained dialogue with Marseille over the last three months and are ready to shatter their transfer record to sign the Belgian.
But Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino can offer Batshuayi Champions League football next season.
Getty
Will Pochettino's Champions League sweetener help Spurs win the Batshuayi race?Pochettino confirmed Tottenham's interest recently, admitting to French radio station RMC that a striker was among his top priorities this summer.
Harry Kane has been the north Londoners' only fit senior centre-forward for much of this season.
But Spurs are also interested in West Brom's Saido Berahino.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
It was great that I could be back at the Boleyn Ground for one final visit on Tuesday night and it was an unforgettable evening.
The team were brilliant against Manchester United and made it a great spectacle. They made sure the fans remembered the game and they are not going to forget this 3-2 victory.
The boys are doing so well this season and made it look easy. I am just happy to be invited back and say farewell to the Boleyn Ground.
I have enjoyed a number of memorable moments under the lights at West Ham but that was one of the best and I was cheering like a proper fan for once.
People were watching this all over the world but there was nothing like being here and taking in the amazing atmosphere.
The boys understand the feeling I had in the closing ceremony when they were singing my name.
It was like I was still on the field and I enjoyed every minute of it. I feel I have played my part for the club and it took a great deal for me to be here on the night.
I came down from Glasgow after training as I had to do some rehab on my injury but to see everything happening was unbelievable. It was a great closing ceremony as well.
I can't believe I will not be coming back here anymore and I have so many memories which will always be with me.
My debut will always stay me and I scored with my third touch against Charlton.
Everyone keeps asking me what my favourite moment was and it is so hard for me as I had so many, but I enjoyed it every time I stepped on the field and it was a special occasion.
I hope to see you at the new Stadium.
Coley
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Payet leads international call-ups
WHUFC.com
West Ham United look set to have at least two representatives at UEFA Euro 2016 after Dimitri Payet followed James Collins in being called-up by his country.
Payet was named in Didier Deschamps' 23-man France squad for their home championship finals on Thursday evening, following Collins' own inclusion in Wales' 29-man pre-tournament training camp.
Starting with Payet, the 29-year-old's inclusion completes an outstanding 12 months for the attacking midfielder, who has excelled in his first season in Claret and Blue, won the Hammer of the Year award and returned to the international set-up.
The No27 arrived from Marseille with a strong reputation which he has only enhanced with a campaign that has so far yielded 12 goals and 15 assists in 38 West Ham appearances.
Payet returned to the France squad after a nine-month hiatus in March this year, returning to the starting XI with a sensational free-kick goal against Russia in Paris – his fifth successful direct set piece of the season.
The Reunion-born star also took an influential role in the Final Game at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday, setting up West Ham's second and third goal in a 3-2 victory over Manchester United.
Speaking afterwards, Payet again thanked the Claret and Blue Army for their support of him and his teammates this season.
"It was a very, very big night," he said. "We wanted to win in front of our supporters for the final time here.
"The scenario was magnificent. We didn't give up. We managed to score those three goals, despite trailing 2-1.
"It was exceptional, the fans played their part. We try to reward them and I think we succeeded. It was a very good night!"
As hosts, France are in Group A alongside Albania, Romania and Switzerland.
Collins, meanwhile, has been named in Chris Coleman's 29-man training squad for a camp in Portugal, with the final 23-man selection being made on 31 May.
Wales will play Sweden in Stockholm on 5 June before travelling to its Team Base Camp in Dinard, Brittany, where they will prepare for their opening Group B game of the tournament against Slovakia in Bordeaux on 11 June. Wales will then play England in Lens on 11 June and travel to Toulouse for the match against Russia on 20 June.
West Ham are set to send a third player to France, with goalkeeper Darren Randolph starring for the Republic of Ireland in their final qualifying matches and Play-Off win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The in-form stopper will face a tough test if Martin O'Neill keeps faith with him in France, with the Boys in Green being paired alongside Belgium, Italy and Sweden in Group E.
Elsewhere, Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho could be involved for Senegal in their 2017 AFCON qualifier in Burundi in early June, while Enner Valencia will hope to be included in Ecuador's final squad for the Centennial Copa America in the United States.
Ecuador will be hopeful of advancing from Group B, which also contains Brazil, Haiti and Peru.
Finally, Dylan Tombides Award winner Declan Rice started and Anthony Scully appeared as a substitute as Republic of Ireland U18s drew 2-2 with Germany in an international friendly in Ruesselsheim am Main on Wednesday.
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Not the same as Hillsborough, but nearly
Filed: Thursday, 12th May 2016
By: Kit Robinson
KUMB.com
With headlines of 'Carnage' in the media, the attack on the Manchester United bus prior to the last match that West Ham United would play at the Boleyn Ground, overshadowed what was a brilliant send off and an amazing game and celebration.
But it would seem that both the media and Police do not seem to have learnt any lessons from Hillsborough as a similar tragic incident was narrowly avoided but should never have been possible.
Nobody at West Ham will condone the actions of the fans who hurled missiles and damaged the Manchester United team coach. It was thuggish behaviour and everybody connected with the club, from staff to fans should hope they get prosecuted as citizens and not fans. Of course there is no comparison to their actions and those of the fans at Hillsborough, who have quite rightly been proven innocent of any wrongdoing.
However, like Hillsborough, the same cannot be said of the police and their attempts to rectify a situation which would never had occurred in the first place, had they the foresight and planning to protect the public and avoid what could have been another major tragedy.
As it happened I did not go to the match but gave up my ticket to my father who went with my brother, however after the match I spoke directly after Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal on BBC Radio 5, who stated that Manchester United had done nothing wrong as their coach was only 100 yards behind the West Ham team coach.
The match was delayed by 45 minutes as the coaches arrived on a packed Green Street after 6 o'clock trying to get to the ground for a kick off originally set for 7.45pm. The Manchester United team coach ended up being stuck in the middle of a road, packed wall-to-wall with fans.
Some fans were never going to make it into the ground as a ticket ballot would have made it impossible for everyone to go. The potential number of people there could be guessed at given that only that week, West Ham had announced that 52,000 season tickets had been sold for their new stadium.
It was very likely that a combination of most of that number, along with those without tickets and members of the general public would be packed into that one street, particularly after 5pm once most had finished work. The coaches use one way of getting to the coach car park; up Green Street. So two coaches, along with police vans and some local traffic became stuck there.
Some idiots attacked the Manchester United team coach. This resulted in the Police forcing fans away from the coach so that it could get to the ground. This resulted in fans trying to get to the match being temporarily crushed. Some stated that it was a very scary and dangerous situation. Thankfully there wasn't a major incident and few were injured. It could have been a lot worse, but it could also have been completely avoided.
@brian_skeels <https://twitter.com/brian_skeels> @kumbdotcom <https://twitter.com/kumbdotcom> in the middle of the crush I was on the verge of having a panic attack. It was petrifying. Somehow escaped! 🙏🏼
— Bianca Westwood (@beewestwood) May 12, 2016 <https://twitter.com/beewestwood/status/730761892755558400>
Being as the Police have the power to enforce clubs, the Premier League and the TV companies to accept that matches by rival teams kick off at 12pm to avoid drunkeness, you would guess that they must have the power to say to two clubs that their team coaches have to be at the ground before 5pm as they will be closing off Green Street because of the expected size of the crowd after that time?
Did nobody have the foresight to predict that, after working hours, the size of the crowd in Green Street would pack it out wall-to-wall - and that three Police vans and two team coaches would not only be a danger to public safety (through crushing), but also be potentially highly-inflammatory to large numbers of people drinking when effectively celebrating a party?
No, there is no excuse for people's behaviour when drinking but it is fairly easy to predict problems might occur being as Police in cities across the land deal with it every Friday and Saturday night.
Sky presenter Eamonn Holmes has apologised for stating the event was like Hillsborough. No, at Hillsborough drink was not to blame and the fans were doing nothing wrong. West Ham chairman David Sullivan has retracted his statement aimed at Manchester United saying they shouldn't have turned up earlier.
Both of these statements are misdirected, however the similarity with Hillsborough is that surely the Police are partly culpable as they did not enforce the arrival times of both team coaches and in trying to sort out the mess they had created by not doing so, a potential major tragedy was made possible.
Had the coaches been at the club by 5 o'clock, Green Street would have been closed, there would have been no coach to attack, there would have been no attempt to rectify the situation by forcing a crush.
There has been no smear from the Police (this time) but neither have they made a statement even suggesting that they may have got it wrong. They do however seem happy to let the media perform their usual uninformed attack on football fans.
None of the media seem to have picked up at all on how ludicrous and dangerous it was to allow the coaches to arrive after 6pm. That thousands of non-aggressive fans who just wanted to go to a football match were put in grave danger by the Police trying to rectify their own mistake. That there wasn't a major tragedy was pure luck.
Hit the fans who attacked the coach with everything you can. Nobody wants a public enquiry etc. Nobody wants this to be escalated.
But a statement maybe suggesting why the coaches were allowed to arrive when they did and maybe admitting that this was poorly planned or at least misjudged would be appreciated, if for no other reason than this will not be allowed to happen again at any match around the country. This could have been my family getting killed and I don't wish that upon anybody.
RIP the Hillsborough 96.
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Tottenham and West Ham target Michy Batshuayi to leave Marseille in the summer
* 15:28, 12 MAY 2016
* UPDATED 16:25, 12 MAY 2016
* BY DARREN LEWIS , JAMES WHALING The Mirror
Marseille have sparked a scramble from English clubs by confirming £31million striker Michy Batshuayi will leave the club this summer.
West Ham and Tottenham have both confirmed that they want the talented 22-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in all competition this season.
Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested.
Marseille's interim coach Frank Passi revealed the French club have already budgeted for Batshuayi's departure.
Getty
Red Devil: Batshuayi has two goals in two games for BelgiumHe said: "Everybody knows that he will leave. It is included in the accounts that Michy will be sold this summer.
"We will accept it. We know why players leave Marseille, the financials are not so enticing. We have to accept it."
The Hammers have been involved in a sustained dialogue with Marseille over the last three months and are ready to shatter their transfer record to sign the Belgian.
But Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino can offer Batshuayi Champions League football next season.
Getty
Will Pochettino's Champions League sweetener help Spurs win the Batshuayi race?Pochettino confirmed Tottenham's interest recently, admitting to French radio station RMC that a striker was among his top priorities this summer.
Harry Kane has been the north Londoners' only fit senior centre-forward for much of this season.
But Spurs are also interested in West Brom's Saido Berahino.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 12
Daily WHUFC News -
West Ham United Statement
WHUFC.com
A West Ham United statement said: "It was an extraordinary night full of extraordinary moments in front of extraordinary fans. 99 percent of whom behaved impeccably and were a credit to the Club. "We have already had thousands of tweets and emails from fans to say how proud they were to be a part of such a special evening in West Ham's history. "However, we are aware that there were some supporters outside the Boleyn Ground who didn't act in an appropriate way when the Manchester United team bus was damaged. "That was not acceptable and we will work with the police to identify those responsible and ban them for life."
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A message from David Sullivan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Joint-Chairman said: "If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn would have played out, it wouldn't have been much different to last night's match. The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to our home of 112 years. "Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations. I want to be clear - their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our Club or our values. "When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday's game, I was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus. I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban them for life. "This morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with the police to identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and not in a future that promises so much for our great Club." "I truly hope that in due course we will look back on what happened in the stadium rather than what happened outside and remember our farewell to the Boleyn for all the right reasons."
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Antonio - It was an amazing day
WHUFC.com
A 3-2 win over Manchester United in the Boleyn Ground's final clash was a fitting way to cap off an amazing day, according to goalscorer Michail Antonio. Rising at the back post to head West Ham United level, the 26-year-old's goal inspired Slaven Bilic's Hammers to go on and grab a winner through Winston Reid ten minutes from time. West Ham had previously taken a first half lead when Diafra Sakho's perfectly placed strike found the bottom corner, though Louis Van Gaal's team bagged two without reply through Anthony Martial's brace. But Antonio, notching his eighth of the season in Claret and Blue, was delighted to end the Club's Boleyn Ground era in style. He said: "What a day and what a way to finish at the Boleyn Ground. It was just one of those games where we came out on top. "We kept pushing and we stayed on top of them all the first half and then second half, they showed their ability and why they used to be champions and showed what they can do. "They showed their threat and managed to get in front of us, but I always believe that it's a better victory when you've gone down and managed to get back and get the victory in the end."
Though often utilised at full-back for Bilic's team this campaign, Antonio has always been confident in his ability to find the back of the net, he revealed. "There was only one place that header was going! This season, I've always been confident with my heading, and I've always believed I can do it, especially from right-back as well. I didn't really get to finish the celebration off, though! "Obviously Winston with that late header, what a great feeling and what a night. It was an amazing day. It started off with us getting here, and the fans were all singing our names and stuff like that, and it's been a great feeling so hopefully we can finish this and get home. "[Europe] is the plan. Other teams might slip up and we might end up getting a Champions League spot so hopefully we can push on and keep moving."
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Slaven hails 'brilliant' Farewell win
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic hailed a 'brilliant' Final Game as West Ham United bid Farewell Boleyn with a thrilling 3-2 Barclays Premier League win over Manchester United. The Hammers went a goal up through Diafra Sakho, missed a succession of chances to extend their lead before half-time, then fell behind to Anthony Martial's brace, then scored twice in five minutes late on through Michail Antonio and Winston Reid to end 112 years on an amazing high. Speaking to West Ham TV, Bilic summed up an amazing, breathless, unforgettable evening by praising his team for rising to the biggest of occasions in supreme style. "It was brilliant," he began. "It was not a normal, ordinary game like at the end of the season. It was not a normal game even if you add to that that there are two games to go. We are still there for the points. "It was the last game at this stadium and I mean, don't get me wrong, I said to the players however this finishes, it's been a great season. But we didn't want to lose or not to win at the last game of this fantastic stadium and it's not easy to do it or to cope with this pressure. "We didn't control the emotions, we just channelled them and we rode on them. We started well, scored a goal which helps always, and we were a bit unlucky not to be two goals up at half time. "Second half, they came back as they have class but we showed character and we knew all the time that we can hurt them and that's what we did. It was an amazing farewell to this stadium. The guys that played, the guys on the bench, they deserve to go down in history, big time."
One might have expected West Ham, on the back of a 4-1 home defeat by Swansea City on Saturday, to fold once Martial had fired Louis van Gaal's side in front, but instead the hosts found energy levels nobody knew they had. Antonio rose high into the sky to head in Dimitri Payet's cross before the Hammer of the Year delivered an inch-perfect 80th-minute free-kick that Reid powered past David de Gea. In the final analysis, the manager summed his emotions up in one fitting word – pride. "It was much more than just a game," Bilic explained. "Ex-players were there; you can say to the players 'you are professional and play with the pressure' and a lot of times you shrink and sink but not these guys who showed amazing character and spirit.
"This is like a special night. I didn't win the Champions League before but I've played for West Ham and the Croatia national team and was in the World Cup and I managed them, and I'm Croatian so it can't be much bigger! But this game comes to there. "I am so proud of the players because it goes down in history. It's not just beating Manchester United, it's the last game in this stadium for the guys. Even the players who are now in heaven, they wanted this to happen and that's why it's so great and why I'm so proud."
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Hammers heading Stateside
West Ham United will travel to the United States in July 2016
The Hammers will take on MLS club Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on Tuesday 5 July
Slaven Bilic's side will face NASL team Carolina RailHawks on Tuesday 12 July
West Ham United are delighted to announce that the first-team squad will travel to the United States of America for their 2016 summer tour. Slaven Bilic's Hammers will head across the Atlantic Ocean for an eleven-day tour highlighted by a prestige pre-season fixture with the Seattle Sounders, the best-supported and most-valuable franchise in Major League Soccer (MLS), on Tuesday 5 July. A second fixture will see the Hammers travel to Cary, North Carolina, to tackle North American Soccer League (NASL) team Carolina RailHawks on Tuesday 12 July.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady says the summer tour to the United States will further boost the Club's ever-growing global support-base. "West Ham's global fanbase is expanding further with each passing year," said the Vice-Chairman. "Through tours like this, we can give our overseas supporters a chance to see their heroes in the flesh, and win over even more new fans for the future. Next season is going to be a hugely exciting and important one for West Ham, as we begin a new era in our magnificent new Stadium, and there will be no better way to prepare than with a successful tour of the United States, and games against strong American opposition. "The Seattle Sounders are renowned throughout America for the passion and loyalty of their fans, so we already have a lot in common, as well as our shared history of former players. We look forward to visiting the Emerald City, and strengthening our ties with the United States still further."
Manager Slaven Bilic is also looking forward to travelling to the United States to kick-off West Ham's preparations for the 2016/17 season.
"This is great news for everyone associated with West Ham United," said Bilic. "We have been planning our pre-season preparations for a while now and when the opportunity was presented to travel to America, we were delighted to pursue it. "I, my staff and the players are already excited about playing in the United States, and we are looking forward to taking the squad to new places, meeting new supporters and spreading the name and style of West Ham United far and wide.
"The main purposes of pre-season are to build up the players' fitness and sharpness while training and playing competitive matches. This tour will help us to do that and we are very much looking forward to it." The mouth-watering meeting with the Sounders will take place at the iconic CenturyLink Field, where the hosts' average home attendance in 2015 was 44,247, more than 11,000 more than second-place Orlando City. Six of the eight highest gates in MLS history have been for Seattle home games.
Ticketing details for West Ham's visit on Saturday 5 July can be found here now!
During their stay in Washington State, the Hammers will be based in downtown Seattle and will train at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC), a world-class waterfront facility which is the headquarters of the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise.
The Sounders are four-times US Open Cup winners and topped the Western Conference standings as recently as 2014.
The fixture further cements the historic links between the two clubs, dating back more than four decades to the original incarnation of the North American Soccer League.
Hammers and England great Sir Geoff Hurst helped Seattle to the NASL play-offs in 1976, while fellow FIFA World Cup winner Bobby Moore played seven games for Sounders in 1978. Harry Redknapp began his illustrious coaching career as the club's assistant-manager from 1976-79.
More recently, former West Ham midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg played 37 games for the Sounders in their opening two MLS seasons in 2009 and 2010.
A look at the current Seattle roster reveals that former Hammer Tyrone Mears, former United States captain and Premier League star Clint Dempsey and Austria midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz are regulars in the club's famous green and blue shirts.
From Seattle, the Hammers will fly south east to the town of Cary, North Carolina, for an exciting fixture with the NASL franchise Carolina RailHawks at their smart WakeMed Soccer Park home.
Founded in 2006, the RailHawks are named for a fictitious bird of prey that combines the speed and power of the locomotive with the aggressive and fierce nature of a hawk. Cary is a town with a long association with the railway, while hawks are indigenous to the local area.
Coached by former Southampton and Northern Ireland striker Colin Clarke, the forward-thinking RailHawks have started the 2016 season in superb form, winning their opening four Spring Season fixtures to top the table.
Boasting a cosmopolitan squad that includes three Englishmen, the RailHawks are two-time US Open Cup quarter-finalists and topped the NASL Regular Season table in both 2010 and 2011.
Futher details and travel information for West Ham's summer 2016 tour of the United States will be announced on whufc.com and the Club's social media channels over the coming days and weeks.
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West Ham United and the US
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will travel to the United States for the first time in eight years when they head to Seattle and Carolina for their 2016 summer tour.
The Hammers have been semi-regular visitors to North America over the past 50-plus years, playing in a variety of tournaments and challenge matches in that time.
West Ham were regular visitors to the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, when Ron Greenwood's side took part in the International Soccer League, becoming the only English team to win the competition in 1963.
The Hammers also took on Spanish giants Real Madrid in the first soccer match to be played indoors at the Houston Astrodome in Texas in April 1967.
Bobby Moore's West Ham drew 2-2 with Pele's Santos of Brazil at Downing Stadium in Randall's Island in New York State in November 1970, while Greenwood's squad returned to the United States for a whistle-stop eleven-match tour in May/June 1971.
The late West Ham striker Phil Woosnam (1959-62) emigrated to the United States in 1966, becoming head coach of the United States national team in 1968. The Welshman was Commissioner of the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1969-83 and is credited as an important figure in the development of the NASL in the 1970s.
Seattle-based Sounders FC and West Ham share connected history, with several players having represented both clubs at various points in their career. Current Seattle full-back Tyrone Mears made six appearances for the Irons during the 2006/07 Barclays Premier League campaign.
Harry Redknapp appeared more than 150 times for West Ham during his playing career before going on to manage the club from 1994 to 2001, with the east London native also plying his trade for the North American Soccer League Sounders from 1977 to 1979.
West Ham legend Sir Geoff Hurst made 23 appearances for the Sounders during the 1976 NASL season alongside fellow former Hammers and England great Bobby Moore, who represented the Sounders seven times during the 1978 NASL campaign.
More recently, this year's summer tour marks the Hammers' first visit to North America since 2008. Then, Alan Curbishley's side defeated MLS team Columbus Crew 3-1 in Ohio, before going down to a 3-2 defeat by an MLS All-Stars side featuring David Beckham in Toronto, Canada.
Former West Ham players currently plying their trade in the MLS include Frank Lampard (New York City FC), Tyrone Mears (Seattle Sounders), Robbie Keane and Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) and Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers).
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Final-day fixture to be televised
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's final match of an unforgettable 2015/16 season will be screened live by Sky Sports on Sunday.
The Hammers travel to Stoke City for a 3pm kick-off that would result in the Hammers securing a place in next season's UEFA Europa League.
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said the decision to screen West Ham's trip to the Britannia Stadium was yet more confirmation of how far the Club have come this season.
"It is great news, first and foremost because it means our supporters all over the world will be able to watch our final game of the season live on television," said Mr Sullivan.
"We have nearly 3,000 fans making the trip to Stoke and I am sure they will end what has been a fantastic season by singing their hearts out in support of the team.
"Slaven and his players will want to finish with a win to guarantee us European football when we move into our new 60,000-capacity Stadium next season.
"We have set a few Club Premier League records this season and will set another record of least away defeats, whatever happens at Stoke.
"We have only lost four away league games this season, and we would love that number to be the same on Sunday night, because that will give us a good chance of qualifying for Europe through our league position for just the second time ever."
Victory over the Potters, combined with a draw or defeat for Manchester United at home to AFC Bournemouth, could see West Ham equal their record-high Premier League finish of fifth.
A fifth-place finish would see the Hammers go straight into the UEFA Europa League group stage, while sixth would send West Ham into the third qualifying round, as Manchester City have already qualified for Europe by winning the League Cup.
Should Manchester United defeat Bournemouth, a win at Stoke would mean West Ham finish sixth – their highest finish since 1998/99.
With City guaranteed to qualify through their league position, the Europa League place allocated to the League Cup will go to the sixth-place finisher.
There is also a possibility of seventh place being good enough for a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round spot if Manchester United win the Emirates FA Cup.
The only previous occasion on which West Ham qualified for Europe through league position was in 1998/99, when they finished fifth to reach the now-defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup.
When West Ham finished third in 1985/86, English clubs were banned from European competition.
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Noble - It was a night to savour
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble could not have wished for a better farewell to the Boleyn Ground than that which his West Ham United side gave their home of 112 years on Tuesday.
The Hammers came from behind with two goals in the final 15 minutes to earn their first league win against Manchester United since 2007 and ensure their final game in E13 would go down in folklore.
Noble, as he has been all season, was a real driving force for the hosts as they dragged the game back to claim maximum points and he was full of emotion at the final whistle.
"We couldn't have asked for a better send off – it was what dreams are made of.," he said.
"It was very special – it's a night that will go down in history and for me to lead that team and be the captain that took us out at the stadium, from where I grew up and from where I walked home after my debut, was very special.
"I've never heard noise like that here ever before. That was phenomenal and walking out to that, and beating Manchester United – who I've always thought have been great – was also very special.
"We've got team spirit, and we are a team. It's a night that the fans can savour, go home and be proud of the team they support."
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Eamonn Holmes: Hillsborough slur broadcaster apologises
BBC.co.uk
Sky TV presenter Eamonn Holmes has apologised after he appeared to link an attack on Manchester United's team bus with the Hillsborough disaster. Mr Holmes was talking on Sky News about the violence outside West Ham's stadium on Monday evening. He tweeted later there was no comparison between the events. Barry Devonside, who lost his son Christopher, 18, said Mr Holmes "should have known better." He added: "Last night was hooliganism. "There was no hooliganism at Hillsborough."
In apologising Mr Holmes tweeted: "I was trying to talk about images we never ever want to see again. If anyone concluded anything different accept my humblest & most honest apologies."
The Manchester United supporting broadcaster said on air: "This is going back to the 70's and 80's. Everything that you were seeing that was bad about Hillsborough for instance." Mr Holmes tweeted after the programme: "Just being made aware of someone trying to use me to stir up trouble re The Hillsborough disaster . How low, how disgusting. "The Hillsborough families have suffered enough without distasteful sniping like this. For the record there is no comparison between events last night at West Ham and Hillsborough." He added: "Last night's events do not remotely register in comparison. I am an honest & decent football supporter and man. I would never seek to create such an offence. "Those who are trying to do so are very wrong. Obviously there is no comparison between Hillsborough & the scenes at West Ham last night.... "I apologise unreservedly if anyone thought I was making that connection."
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A Referee Analysis: Mike Dean
May 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Sam Royden-Ryell
After a good performance by Michael Oliver in the disappointing game on Saturday against Swansea, the referee appointed for the final game to be played at Boleyn Ground was Mike Dean. The last time Dean officiated at Upton Park he gave three penalties - two to West Ham and the other to Watford. With emotions extremely high as fans, players and the club said goodbye to this incredibly famous, historic stadium - Mike Dean as an experienced referee needed to understand that the game had such high emotion attached to it and he needed to take this into consideration when making decisions and not let the game get away from him.
What a first half! The atmosphere was absolutely deafening and the emotion on the pitch matched the fans in the stadium. Mike Dean had to make sure that he was concentrating from the word go when the powerful voices from the West Ham fans were calling for a penalty after Winston Reid went down under pressure from Marcus Rojo. I agree with Dean that it wasn't a penalty. You can see that Reid looked over his shoulder to see where Rojo was and there was contact, but it did look like Reid was looking for it and not enough for a penalty. The first half wasn't short of big challenges with Mark Noble and Aaron Cresswell going in strong but fouling the Manchester United players. Dean blew for a foul, signalled and then gets into position without messing around which is good refereeing especially with the magnitude of the game. West Ham thought they were 2-nil up after Michail Antonio scored a header on the back post only for the goal to be disallowed as the ball went out of play. This was an extremely tight call by the assistant referee on that side. The assistant flagged that the ball went out of play and and signalled for a corner as the Mark Noble cross deflected off a Manchester United defender before coming back into play. Dean was brilliant to pick out the little fouls during the game. Dean had an eagle eye to spot a push by Juan Mata on Winston Reid in the West Ham penalty area and rightly a free kick to West Ham. There were couple of fouls which I felt could have warranted a caution; firstly Marcos Rojo bought down Michail Antonio after the West Ham makeshift right back skilfully put the ball past the United defender and was on a promising attack. The second foul was when Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney made an unnecessary foul on Diafra Sahko which was out of frustration after losing the ball, if Dean did issue a caution for this fouls, it wouldn't have been a surprise. Throughout the first half Rooney was constantly mouthing off to Dean and Dean needed to determine when enough was enough. Even though Rooney is the captain, he doesn't get special treatment when it comes to using abusive and insulting language. Manchester United were appealing for a penalty when Anthony Martial went down after a tussle with Michail Antonio. There wasn't much in this for me as both of the players were both trying to out strength each other.
If you thought the first half was special, the second half was unbelievable and Dean was in the mix of everything. After keeping his cards in his pocket for the first half, there were a flurry of cards in the second half. The first caution of the game went to Anthony Martial after the frenchmen was very late on West Ham powerhouse Cheikhou Kouyaté. Kouyaté went past Martial but the Manchester United striker hacked the West Ham man down and so it was deserved of a caution. Andy Carroll was the next player into Dean's book after a very bad challenge on Daley Blind. Carroll, who worked his socks off the entire game, was chasing back to attempt to win the ball but not on the first occasion this season hacked down the opponent. Dean also acknowledged and played advantage well especially when Kouyaté was taken out by Antonio Valencia. Dean saw that West Ham were on a promising attack and allowed the play to go on until Hammer of The Year Dimitri Payet was fouled by Andre Herrera. Dean then revisited the initial challenge from Antonio Valencia and cautioned the Manchester United man for the original foul. Andre Herrera was finally cautioned after a series of challenges for a very reckless challenge on West Ham captain Mark Noble. Herrera was late and deserved a minimum of a caution, depending on how Dean saw the challenge - he could have given more.
Overall, Mike Dean had a very good game. Granted there were times where Dean gave petty fouls to West Ham but in his eyes they were fouls and he was consistent throughout the game. Dean also did well to spot when Carroll was being manhandled 80% of the time. Inside the box is always a grey area and we've seen that type of tussling throughout the season. I would like to be able to tell you what happened in the last fifteen minutes of the game, but I literally cannot tell you what Dean was doing. I was living and breathing the final fifteen minutes and what a fifteen minutes it was. We wanted to give the Boleyn a farewell worthy of the years of personal and footballing memories and there was no better way than witnessing one of the best games I have seen West Ham play in recent times. We were incredible and credit to the players for giving us this memory. A truly amazing footballing night which we should be proud of as West Ham fans and one that we will never forget.
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Match Report - West Ham United 3-2 Manchester United
May 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
WestHamAmerican
For over two years there has been a countdown clock atop the West Ham United club's official website extolling the days and months until the first match at the Olympic Stadium. Along with that excitement comes the bittersweet reality that West Ham's longtime home at Upton Park would soon be a memory. Decades of fathers and sons, of grandparents and grandchildren, walking through the gate would soon end. The home of so many great moments, memories, and time spent with loved ones watching the Hammers would come to an end tonight.
For some West Ham supporters who arrived at the stadium early, they thought it might not come to an end tonight, as the Manchester United coach was delayed in their arrival, and it was decided to delay the kickoff by 45 minutes. For the match Slaven Bilic continued his "Michail Anontio at right back" experiment for yet another week, despite the poor defensive showing against Swansea. Also Darren Randolph continued to handle goalkeeping duties in place of the injured Adrian.
Manchester United gaffer, Louis Van Gaal, produced a much more formidable starting XI than his unimpressive showing at Norwich over the weekend. Anthony Martial returned from injury and Marcus Rashford and Daley Blind each returned after a one match break. With Champions League football in their sights, Manchester United have been in good form over the past month.
Once Mike Dean began the match, West Ham moved the ball at a frantic pace. Showing the role of the aggressor, West Ham attacked the Red Devil's back four and David de Gea repeatedly in the opening half. Only ten minutes into play West Ham managed to strike the first blow.
Aaron Cresswell drove down the left wing and found Lanzini behind the United defence, who then crossed into the penalty box and found Sakho, who's left footed strike found the lower left corner (with a possible deflection assist from the leg of Daley Blind.)
The remainder of the opening half saw West Ham controlling the tempo of the match and having numerous close calls but not finding the second goal; Lanzini, Carroll, Payet, and Sakho all had attempts either sent wide or into the arms of de Gea.
With momentum on his side, Bilic made no changes during the halftime break. Manchester United had no shots on goal in the opening half and the Hammers were moving the ball well in the final third. Van Gaal brought on Michael Carrick during the break and once underway the visiting side finally found their own attacking stride.
Only five minutes into the second half Rashford took the ball down the wing, found Mata who crossed to Anthony Martial for the tap in. With the match even at 1-1, next 15 minutes saw the enthusiastic home crowd watching some great back-and-forth football until the 71st minute when Anthony Martial found his second goal. His strike was just outside of Randolph's reach and the West Ham crowd sunk a bit in despair.
All evening Payet's free kicks hadn't looked up to par. In the 76th minute Payet attempted from about 25 yards out and sent the ball right into the wall. Recovering the rebound he sent another cross into the penalty area to the open header of Antonio. With the score 2-2 and a determined side wanting to send out the Boleyn Ground in style it was Payet again, who, moments later, found Winston Reid half a step ahead of Blind, and Reid's header turned out to be the game winner. The final goal at Upton Park was Reid's first BPL goal of the year.
With the narrow lead, Bilic brought James Tomkins and Pedro Obiang on for Lanzini and Sakho to fortify the defence and to allow Antonio to move to his wing position. Despite great effort from Manchester United to get the equaliser, the Hammers were able to hold firm for the final four minutes of added time. As Antonio drove the ball deep into the Manchester penalty area, it looked like he might add an exclamation point to the night, but Mike Dean sounded the final whistle and West Ham walked off the ground for the last time victorious over Manchester United.
As the team walked off the pitch even Slaven Bilic was emotional as the East London crowd sang and the bubbles poured down on the ground. Tonight's match had a bit of everything: a formidable opponent, a good bit of drama, and great passionate football from both sides. If this emotional win carries over, it should be a good afternoon at Stoke as well.
Farewell to Upton Park and thanks for many great memories!
West Ham: Randolph, Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Lanzini (Obiang 83), Kouyate, Noble, Payet (Valencia 90), Sakho (Tomkins 83), Carroll
Subs not used: Collins, Moses, Emenike, Spiegel
Bookings: Carroll
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia (Januzaj 86), Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin (Carrick 46), Mata, Herrera (Lingard 82), Rooney, Martial, Rashford
Subs not used: Jones, Depay, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson
Bookings: Martial, Valencia, Herrera
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Attendance: 34,602
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Chelsea explore Olympic Stadium groundshare with West Ham
By Dan Roan
BBC sports editor
Chelsea could groundshare with London rivals West Ham at the Olympic Stadium while their new stadium is built. The Blues want to relocate to Wembley for three years and a £20m-a-year deal has reportedly been agreed. But they have also held talks with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) about a temporary move to the Olympic Stadium, which will become West Ham's home from next season. Chelsea are also understood to be considering a switch to Twickenham. Officials from the Stamford Bridge club held a meeting with LLDC chiefs at the end of last year, although no final decision has yet been reached and a groundshare with the Hammers is thought to be unlikely. West Ham would need to agree to such a move, but their tenancy contract with the LLDC does allow for such an arrangement. It would mean West Ham receiving a significant discount on their £2.5m-a-year rent for the 60,000-seater stadium. West Ham will pay the sum each year over the 99-year lease. 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, with the deal made public following a legal battle involving owners LLDC. The club played their last game at the 35,000-seater Upton Park, also know as the Boleyn Ground, on Tuesday, fighting back to beat Manchester United 3-2. Slaven Bilic's Hammers side finish their season at Stoke City on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tottenham are close to a deal with the Football Association to play their 2017-18 home games at Wembley while their new stadium is completed.
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Goodbye, Boleyn
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th May 2016
By: Graeme Howlett
Tonight, when West Ham United bid farewell to Upton Park after 112 years, it'll be almost 40 years to the day since I took my first tentative steps inside the Boleyn Ground.
I was just six years old when my father, the latest in a long line of fans stretching back generations of our family, took me to my first game for a Division One (now known as the Premier League) clash between West Ham United and Derby County in February 1976. I still recall elements of that day vividly.
I remember being astounded by the sheer immensity of the vast auditorium that appeared before me as we exited the concourse and made our way to our East Stand seats - and later, the deafening noise that greeted Trevor Brooking's late goal which almost knocked me off my feet.
There was also a first taste of the eternal disappointment that was to become a mainstay of supporting West Ham United in the years to follow when Brooking's goal proved to be a mere consolation; Johnny Lyall's team lost 2-1, with Charlie George and Bruce Rioch netting for the Rams!
My next taste of the Boleyn Ground was a pre-birthday treat a few weeks later; we drew 2-2 with Aston Villa, Deehan and Hunt scoring for the visitors and Keith Robson plus Brooking rescuing a point for the Irons in the 90th minute. By then, my parents had moved the family from Dagenham via Barking along the A13 corridor to South East Essex.
Having made the journey into town by car on the old A13 that used to pass the Circus Tavern and the East India Docks, my father was keen to beat the crowds before the local roads became gridlocked. As we turned away from Green Street, West Ham trailed 2-1; moments later, we heard the roar for Brooking's equaliser.
As far as I can recall, I've not left a game before the final whistle since.
By this point, I was hooked - just like my mother and father had been before me and how my grandparents had been before them. My grandfather, a season ticket holder throughout the 1950s and '60s was in the crowd to witness the 1964, 1965 and 1966 Wembley finals that were graced by Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters (plus an extremely-gifted supporting cast).
In 1963, my mother - a teenager at the time - was one of the 25,000 who crammed into the Boleyn to see four-goal hero Martin Britt almost single-handedly win the FA Youth Cup Final for the Hammers after one of the greatest - and probably least known - comebacks of them all, against Liverpool, in a 6-5 aggregate win.
My father, as well as acting as my occasional chaperone witnessed all the great nights of the 1970s including the 1975 FA Cup Final win against Bobby Moore's Fulham and the epic 1976 Cup Winners Cup semi final, second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Boleyn. (Sadly he couldn't make the Final against Anderlecht, which we lost 4-2, so my granddad flew the family flag that night.)
For the last 25 years or so, it's been my duty to continue the family tradition, so it was a proud and emotional moment when I took my son Harry to his first live match; he's as fanatical about the game as I was at his (tender) age so job done there, I think.
My story is not unique, of course. Indeed, it's typical of the vast majority of West Ham supporters who continue to flock to E13 on a regular basis in order to uphold their own long-established family traditions. And we'd probably continue to make the same journey until the day we drop, had West Ham's Board not opted to move the club to Stratford's Olympic Stadium this summer.
Although I've never lived there, I continue to feel an special affinity with the East End. It's where my earliest memories lie, after all. Recalling the old place evokes memories of playing on the Greenway (which we used to call the sewers) and kicking white dog shit - a reasonable temporary football, as it maintained its (calcium-laden) shape for a while! - up and down Fabian Street, East Ham.
This was where my grandparents lived - a tiny two up, two down, complete with outside toilet and tin bath. since demolished and replaced by a park - and where I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon, waiting for my dad to return from the football with pie and mash for the entire family in hand.
We'd eat at my grandparent's table, too small for us all to fit round comfortably, whilst watching the latest episode of Jon Pertwee's (then later, Tom Baker's) Dr Who. It was at one such meal that I relentlessly pestered my father to take my to East Ham Town Hall the following morning to watch West Ham's victory procession, following the 1975 FA Cup win against Fulham.
The mists of time may have clouded some memories but I vividly recall sitting aloft his shoulders as Alan Taylor et al proudly paraded the trophy from the balcony in front of many thousands of West Ham fans. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey and the start of a passionate love affair.
Like many fans with a similar tale to tell, once West Ham United leave Upton Park I will have no reason to return to East Ham, or the surrounding area. Although Stratford is less than three miles away, as the crow flies, the emotional attachment I feel for East Ham and Green Street is not transferable. The sense of loss is palpable and real.
Though as Frank Sinatra once duly noted when recalling his memory of a lost love, "they can't take that away from me". Our treasured memories will remain with us forever.
Making the regular pilgrimage to E6 felt a bit like 'going home', like returning to my cultural epicentre, to retrace steps trodden by fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And it's that, more than anything else, that I'll miss most about the old place. Tonight we'll "smell the years and hear the ghosts" (thanks to Max Bretos for that one) one more time before moving lock, stock and barrel to E20 - but there'll always be a part of me that remains in East Ham.
When the team runs out to the sound of 'Bubbles' for the final time tonight I'll glance across the ground to the East Stand where I took in my very first game, against Derby County, with my Dad all those years ago. I'll almost certainly shed a tear or two for he passed away six years ago; to cancer, too young, like Bobby Moore who he and thousands of others once roared on from the terraces.
I suspect many of us will be thinking of absent friends tonight. But tomorrow there'll be a new dawn which heralds the next chapter in the life of this wonderful football club. So to Stratford we go, to form new memories and friendships - and who knows - maybe we'll even win a trophy or two along the way.
Until then it's goodbye, Boleyn Ground. You will be missed.
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Hurst says 'sorry' for no-show
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 11th May 2016
By: Staff Writer
Geoff Hurst has apologised to Hammers fans for not attending last night's final game at the Boleyn Ground.
Hurst was a notable omission from the event which celebrated the club's greatest players from the past in a spectacular post-match closing ceremony.
And he explained this afternoon that he was unable to attend due to having a previous engagement.
Speaking via Facebook, Hurst wrote: "I'm very sorry I couldn't be at Upton Park for the closing ceremony. I had a prior engagement from a year ago that I was contracted to attend.
"I was at the end of season dinner last week and said my fond farewells to my spiritual footballing home. I watched the game and the closing ceremony on TV this morning and it was a fitting end to 112 years for the most atmospheric ground and best and most loyal supporters in the land.
"A great result last night that will live long in our memories. Let's look forward to a new era at the Olympic Stadium with optimism and faith in West Ham United's future. We will still be forever blowing bubbles hopefully for the next 112 years."
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Furious fans slam Holmes WHUFC comments
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News
C and H
Manchester United Sky TV presenter Eamonn Holmes has been heavily criticised after comparing West Ham fans' attack on the Manchester United team bus to Hillsborough. Speaking about the behaviour of some West Ham fans, Holmes said: "Now this is going back to the 70s and to the 80s to everything you were seeing that was bad about Hillsborough for instance."
But seething fans immediately called on the 56-year-old to apologise for his comments, report the Liverpool Echo. Fans have long campaigned for the disaster not to be associated in any way with hooliganism and viewers were furious on social media.
Twitter user H K Fooey wrote: "Just heard you equate the bus riot last night to Hillsborough. Very poor analogy. Have you forgotten the inquests already?"
Peter Rice tweeted the presenter and said: "Apologise now for your Hillsborough comment re WHU incident."
Alan Carter wrote: "Hillsborough had nothing to do with hooliganism, stop associating last night with this tragedy."
Mikey Stones posted a video clip of the comments and wrote: "Why after 27 years of proving it, have you just compared what happened at Hillsborough to hooliganism?"
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Exclusive: Gold apology to Man United
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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David Gold watched horrified as events unfolded in Green Street ahead of the Manchester Unitd coach being attacked last night And he told ClaretandHugh exclusively: We were watching from the balcony and we apologise to the Manchester United players, manager and all officials of the club. It is unacceptable." Whilst the club isn't responsible for events outside the stadium, that eople calling themselves West Ham fans should behave as they cast a huge shadow over events on this historic night. And of course it's become the lead item on the news and sports pages this morning – seriously disappointing given the historic events unfolding inside the Boleyn. Gold, however thanked all the "real fans" who ensured that the evening went so well saying: "There was no hint of a crowd invasion – our people were brilliant and as ever they behaved perfectly. "It was an incredible night from every point of view apart from the coach incident but the club knows it can always rely on the real West Ham fans and I thank every one of them."
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Law forced early Boleyn fireworks finale
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
The 45-minute late kickoff due to the Manchester United late arrival forced major changes to the closing ceremony at the Boleyn Ground last night, the biggest of which was to stage the finale first instead last. UK law prohibits the setting off of fireworks past 11pm except on bonfire night, New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year. Event organisers of the ceremony, Event 360 together with specialist pyrotechnic company, Pains fireworks were fighting against the clock to complete the pyrotechnic show before 11pm to keep within the regulations but the result was the ceremony was shown back to front. The pyrotechnic show to the tune of Twist and Shout which was without a doubt the highlight of the disappointing closing ceremony and it went downhill from there. One West Ham insider described it as 'a shambles'
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The build up to the sorry coach incident
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
A series of events led to a small minority of so called Hammers fans throwing objects which broke the blackout covering in front of windows on the Manchester United team coach.
There can be no excuse for the small minority of Hammers fans that threw the bottles and cans at the bus at the corner of Barking Road and Green Street but questions also need to be asked of the role of the Metropolitan police and Manchester United too.
When I arrived on Green street at 5.30pm it was already completely packed with over two hours before the scheduled kick-off and quickly became grid-locked with traffic. This became much worst when police vans and people carriers parked in the middle of Green Street which caused dangerous crowd crushing as fans were funnelled around cars and parked police vans. Some fans were scared and thought they could be injured.
The area around the Bobby Moore champions statue became a major crowd pinch point mainly due to the overspill of the Boleyn Pub who couldn't handle the amount of fans wanting to drink in there one last time.
There were also many fans, certainly hundreds, possibly as many as a few thousand without tickets for the game. These fans were in Green street, drinking in the local pubs to soak up the last night's atmosphere which was hyped in the media all week.
The narrow streets and the entrance to the Boleyn ground players car park isn't the easiest of places to get to at the best of times and questions have to be asked why Manchester United were late yet again after being fined £5,000 for their late arrival at White Hart Lane just last month.
You would think their transport organiser and the coach operator would have learnt their lesson and set out much earlier. They should have arrived around 4pm considering the plans for the night. It is claimed the team stayed just three miles away in a hotel in nearby Docklands but the coach hit traffic around East Ham just before 6pm and couldn't move.
West Ham fans close to the statue were certainly in high spirits after many hours of drinking but were also frustrated at being forced back by police to allow the late Manchester United team coach through the packed East London streets.
In his post-match interview, LVG partially blamed yesterday's loss on the coach incident and paper headlines suggested players were frightened and cowering but a player video from Jesse Lingard inside the coach showed many of them thought it was amusing and were joking around during the incident. It didn't seem to bother them earlier in the match when they took the 2-1 lead, only later when they lost 3-2!
Disappointing headlines this morning of 'West Ham hooligans ambushed the Manchester United team bus' and 'West Ham's Upton Park farewell turns into anarchy as mindless thugs go on the rampage' will feed the media frenzy today that this was some kind of mass riot when video footage below shows the full extent of the short-lived incident.
The papers won't mention the majority of the 35,000 crowd were well behaved and there was no other trouble or feared pitch invasion. It's a real shame that most non-West Ham fans will remember this event and not the last historic win over the Red Devils at the Boleyn Ground. I am sure we have not heard the last of this sorry episode and we will be in for some more West Ham fan bashing in the media over the coming weeks as the FA, club and Met Police all investigate.
What the minority of fans did to the coach was wrong but let's not over react and pander to the media's agenda.
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Big questions for Man United and Met Police
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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ClaretandHugh cannot and will not make excuses for the people who decided to throw objects and bottles at the United coach. IT WAS HORRENDOUS and they have shamed our great club!
However, there remain some key questions that need asking and answering about last night's debacle which led to a delayed 8.30 pm kick off.
In our view Manchester United, their coach operators and the Metropolitan Police need to be asked and answer the questions.
We want to know why:
O Why, knowing how narrow the streets are around the Boleyn and that thousands were set to be in the area, didn't Unted ensure they arrived at the ground much earlier than the reported 6pm when they were stuck in gridlocked Green Street?
O Why didn't the coach company make a decision to leave earlier given this was to be the biggest night in West Ham history to which thousands with or without tickets would travel?
O Why did United continue in the same manner as they did when getting a £5,000 fine for the late arrival offence at White Hart Lane last month. Given the size of the night in the east end they were always likely to discover an even worse travel situation?
O And why didn't some Man U official liase with the police to ensure an escort to the ground from their reported hotel in docklands to ensure there was no repeat?
Let's get something straight – none of this was WHUFC's fault and was not in their remit so David Sullivan's remarks about making the game kick off at 7.45 pm seem spot on to us.
This was a United issue created by them and we believe the match officials took the soft option in putting kick off time back.
The bottle throwing was disgraceful – utterly disgraceful – but had it never happened United would have been at the ground no sooner and that would have been entirely down to them again.
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Michael Carrick left frustrated after Manchester United's Champions League chances are hammered at Upton Park
Manchester United were beaten 3-2 at West Ham on Tuesday night
It means their Champions League qualification is out of their own hands
United must beat Bournemouth and hope Man City lose at Swansea City
The result at Upton Park left United's Michael Carrick feeling frustrated
By SIMON PEACH, PRESS ASSOCIATION SPORT
PUBLISHED: 13:28, 11 May 2016 | UPDATED: 14:04, 11 May 2016
Michael Carrick cut a frustrated figure after Manchester United let slip the chance to usurp rivals Manchester City in the top-four. Louis van Gaal's men arrived at Upton Park looking to be the party-poopers, knowing victory in the last-ever match at the Boleyn Ground would put the battle for Champions League qualification in their own hands heading into the season finale.
Anthony Martial's brace after a deflected Diafra Sakho opener put United on course for a crucial three points, only for Michail Antonio and Winston Reid to see West Ham sign off with an unforgettable 3-2 win. The loss leaves the Red Devils two points off City heading in the final match of the campaign. United need to beat Bournemouth and hope their neighbours lose at Swansea as their far superior goal difference means a draw at the Liberty Stadium would be enough for Manuel Pellegrini's men. 'We have to (stay focused), that's the situation that has presented itself now,' midfielder Carrick told MUTV. 'We were in control of it going into the West Ham game but we've let it slip. We have to win our last league game now and then see what happens. 'It's no good for us. We got ourselves back in the game and then didn't really help ourselves with giving away free-kicks. We have to be cleverer than that. 'We put ourselves under pressure by letting them put the ball in the box. In the end that's won them the game and we're very disappointed.' It was a frustrating return to Upton Park for former West Ham midfielder Carrick, who was keen not to blame the pre-match trouble outside the ground for their loss. 'Whatever has gone on beforehand, you've just got to get on with it,' he said. 'We were here, we were ready and we had over an hour to prepare for the game. It's no excuse.'
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Why were Manchester United players put in harm's way when their bus was attacked by fans? The key questions after ugly scenes marred West Ham's final Upton Park game
The West Ham and Manchester United clash was delayed by 45 minutes
United's team bus came under attack from Hammers fans as it arrived
Supporters threw bottles and other missiles as it arrived at Upton Park
Here, we answer the key questions in the aftermath of the trouble
By JACK GAUGHAN and OLIVER TODD and JAMES WHITE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:56, 11 May 2016 | UPDATED: 12:56, 11 May 2016
West Ham's emotional farewell to Upton Park turned sour ahead of kick-off when Manchester United's team coach came under attack by supporters as it approached the stadium. Tuesday night's clash was the final Hammers fixture to be played at the ground they have called home for the last 112 years but it was marred by the trouble outside, which caused the game to be delayed by 45 minutes. But how and why were the Manchester United squad allowed to be placed in such a dangerous situation? Here, Sportsmail answers the key questions following the unsavoury scenes.
Why was the Manchester United bus stranded outside the ground?
The £400,000 executive coach, provided by Wigan firm Eavesway Travel, came to a halt 100 yards from the entrance to West Ham's Upton Park. Its driver had already been forced to crawl through the crowd of West Ham fans and the sheer weight of numbers outside Upton Park meant it was not safe to continue with the journey. Mark Noble later said that it took West Ham's own bus an hour to drive 200 yards because of the density of the crowds.
Did the two clubs and police expect so many fans to show up so early?
Neither the clubs nor the police have commented on this, however due to the historic nature of the occasion, the sell-out crowd and the fervent local support around Upton Park meant that such a situation could have been anticipated.
Did Manchester United leave it too late to get to the ground?
Having stayed at a hotel in the Docklands three miles away, United's journey to Green Street, off which Upton Park is located, took about 20 minutes, arriving at 5.55pm - just under two hours before their vital Premier League game was due to get underway. However, the thousands of fans thronging the street made further progress almost impossible, leaving the bus stranded. Decamping from the bus to walk the final few hundred yards did not appear to be an option given east London's volatility on Tuesday night. It meant United players did not enter the ground until about 7.10pm – just 35 minutes before the scheduled kick-off.
Why were fans allowed to get so close to the bus? Was there enough security?
The Metropolitan Police said it was the responsibility of the club to provide barriers outside of the ground to ensure the safety of vehicles travelling in and out of it. The police presence included officers on horseback who eventually dispersed the crowd as well as riot police and ordinary uniformed officers, however footage and images of the attack on the bus show that they were vastly outnumbered by fans.
Why was the match delayed?
The decision was taken to delay the kick-off was taken by police and Premier League officials at 7.15pm, five minutes after United players entered the ground. It was decided to delay the game for 45 minutes, meaning it went ahead at 8.30pm rather than 7.45pm.
Who has been arrested so far?
No-one has been arrested in connection with the disorder before the game, but an investigation has begun. Three men were arrested by police during the game – a 20-year-old man on suspicion of affray plus a 47-year-old man and an 18-year-old man for pitch incursion. The three suspects are at an east London police station for questioning and remain in custody.
What was the damage and injuries caused?
At least nine windows on the coach were reportedly smashed and further damage to paintwork with damage running into thousands of pounds. After the game seats and signs were taken by souvenir-hunting fans. Four male police officers suffered minor injuries during the pre-match disorder according to police.
How will West Ham and the authorities punish fans who caused trouble?
West Ham have promised to work with the police to identify offenders and ban them from attending games for life. Anyone who threw objects at United's coach could be charged with criminal damage or more seriously, affray if it is considered that the actions were meant to endanger those on board. Police can also apply for a Football Banning Order, which prevents people from attending any football matches in the United Kingdom for a specified period of time.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
A West Ham United statement said: "It was an extraordinary night full of extraordinary moments in front of extraordinary fans. 99 percent of whom behaved impeccably and were a credit to the Club. "We have already had thousands of tweets and emails from fans to say how proud they were to be a part of such a special evening in West Ham's history. "However, we are aware that there were some supporters outside the Boleyn Ground who didn't act in an appropriate way when the Manchester United team bus was damaged. "That was not acceptable and we will work with the police to identify those responsible and ban them for life."
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A message from David Sullivan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Joint-Chairman said: "If we were to have scripted how our final game at the Boleyn would have played out, it wouldn't have been much different to last night's match. The West Ham family then all celebrated our legends and former players together in what was a truly fitting ceremony to say goodbye to our home of 112 years. "Sadly, the actions of very small minority of people outside the ground prior to kick-off risks overshadowing those celebrations. I want to be clear - their behaviour was completely unacceptable and does not represent our Club or our values. "When I was asked about the incident prior to yesterday's game, I was unaware of the damage that had occurred to the Manchester United team bus. I want to apologise to Manchester United for that damage and assure them that we will be doing all we can to track down those responsible and ban them for life. "This morning I have already tasked my senior team to work with the police to identify them as their behaviour belongs in the past and not in a future that promises so much for our great Club." "I truly hope that in due course we will look back on what happened in the stadium rather than what happened outside and remember our farewell to the Boleyn for all the right reasons."
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Antonio - It was an amazing day
WHUFC.com
A 3-2 win over Manchester United in the Boleyn Ground's final clash was a fitting way to cap off an amazing day, according to goalscorer Michail Antonio. Rising at the back post to head West Ham United level, the 26-year-old's goal inspired Slaven Bilic's Hammers to go on and grab a winner through Winston Reid ten minutes from time. West Ham had previously taken a first half lead when Diafra Sakho's perfectly placed strike found the bottom corner, though Louis Van Gaal's team bagged two without reply through Anthony Martial's brace. But Antonio, notching his eighth of the season in Claret and Blue, was delighted to end the Club's Boleyn Ground era in style. He said: "What a day and what a way to finish at the Boleyn Ground. It was just one of those games where we came out on top. "We kept pushing and we stayed on top of them all the first half and then second half, they showed their ability and why they used to be champions and showed what they can do. "They showed their threat and managed to get in front of us, but I always believe that it's a better victory when you've gone down and managed to get back and get the victory in the end."
Though often utilised at full-back for Bilic's team this campaign, Antonio has always been confident in his ability to find the back of the net, he revealed. "There was only one place that header was going! This season, I've always been confident with my heading, and I've always believed I can do it, especially from right-back as well. I didn't really get to finish the celebration off, though! "Obviously Winston with that late header, what a great feeling and what a night. It was an amazing day. It started off with us getting here, and the fans were all singing our names and stuff like that, and it's been a great feeling so hopefully we can finish this and get home. "[Europe] is the plan. Other teams might slip up and we might end up getting a Champions League spot so hopefully we can push on and keep moving."
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Slaven hails 'brilliant' Farewell win
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic hailed a 'brilliant' Final Game as West Ham United bid Farewell Boleyn with a thrilling 3-2 Barclays Premier League win over Manchester United. The Hammers went a goal up through Diafra Sakho, missed a succession of chances to extend their lead before half-time, then fell behind to Anthony Martial's brace, then scored twice in five minutes late on through Michail Antonio and Winston Reid to end 112 years on an amazing high. Speaking to West Ham TV, Bilic summed up an amazing, breathless, unforgettable evening by praising his team for rising to the biggest of occasions in supreme style. "It was brilliant," he began. "It was not a normal, ordinary game like at the end of the season. It was not a normal game even if you add to that that there are two games to go. We are still there for the points. "It was the last game at this stadium and I mean, don't get me wrong, I said to the players however this finishes, it's been a great season. But we didn't want to lose or not to win at the last game of this fantastic stadium and it's not easy to do it or to cope with this pressure. "We didn't control the emotions, we just channelled them and we rode on them. We started well, scored a goal which helps always, and we were a bit unlucky not to be two goals up at half time. "Second half, they came back as they have class but we showed character and we knew all the time that we can hurt them and that's what we did. It was an amazing farewell to this stadium. The guys that played, the guys on the bench, they deserve to go down in history, big time."
One might have expected West Ham, on the back of a 4-1 home defeat by Swansea City on Saturday, to fold once Martial had fired Louis van Gaal's side in front, but instead the hosts found energy levels nobody knew they had. Antonio rose high into the sky to head in Dimitri Payet's cross before the Hammer of the Year delivered an inch-perfect 80th-minute free-kick that Reid powered past David de Gea. In the final analysis, the manager summed his emotions up in one fitting word – pride. "It was much more than just a game," Bilic explained. "Ex-players were there; you can say to the players 'you are professional and play with the pressure' and a lot of times you shrink and sink but not these guys who showed amazing character and spirit.
"This is like a special night. I didn't win the Champions League before but I've played for West Ham and the Croatia national team and was in the World Cup and I managed them, and I'm Croatian so it can't be much bigger! But this game comes to there. "I am so proud of the players because it goes down in history. It's not just beating Manchester United, it's the last game in this stadium for the guys. Even the players who are now in heaven, they wanted this to happen and that's why it's so great and why I'm so proud."
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Hammers heading Stateside
West Ham United will travel to the United States in July 2016
The Hammers will take on MLS club Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on Tuesday 5 July
Slaven Bilic's side will face NASL team Carolina RailHawks on Tuesday 12 July
West Ham United are delighted to announce that the first-team squad will travel to the United States of America for their 2016 summer tour. Slaven Bilic's Hammers will head across the Atlantic Ocean for an eleven-day tour highlighted by a prestige pre-season fixture with the Seattle Sounders, the best-supported and most-valuable franchise in Major League Soccer (MLS), on Tuesday 5 July. A second fixture will see the Hammers travel to Cary, North Carolina, to tackle North American Soccer League (NASL) team Carolina RailHawks on Tuesday 12 July.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady says the summer tour to the United States will further boost the Club's ever-growing global support-base. "West Ham's global fanbase is expanding further with each passing year," said the Vice-Chairman. "Through tours like this, we can give our overseas supporters a chance to see their heroes in the flesh, and win over even more new fans for the future. Next season is going to be a hugely exciting and important one for West Ham, as we begin a new era in our magnificent new Stadium, and there will be no better way to prepare than with a successful tour of the United States, and games against strong American opposition. "The Seattle Sounders are renowned throughout America for the passion and loyalty of their fans, so we already have a lot in common, as well as our shared history of former players. We look forward to visiting the Emerald City, and strengthening our ties with the United States still further."
Manager Slaven Bilic is also looking forward to travelling to the United States to kick-off West Ham's preparations for the 2016/17 season.
"This is great news for everyone associated with West Ham United," said Bilic. "We have been planning our pre-season preparations for a while now and when the opportunity was presented to travel to America, we were delighted to pursue it. "I, my staff and the players are already excited about playing in the United States, and we are looking forward to taking the squad to new places, meeting new supporters and spreading the name and style of West Ham United far and wide.
"The main purposes of pre-season are to build up the players' fitness and sharpness while training and playing competitive matches. This tour will help us to do that and we are very much looking forward to it." The mouth-watering meeting with the Sounders will take place at the iconic CenturyLink Field, where the hosts' average home attendance in 2015 was 44,247, more than 11,000 more than second-place Orlando City. Six of the eight highest gates in MLS history have been for Seattle home games.
Ticketing details for West Ham's visit on Saturday 5 July can be found here now!
During their stay in Washington State, the Hammers will be based in downtown Seattle and will train at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC), a world-class waterfront facility which is the headquarters of the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise.
The Sounders are four-times US Open Cup winners and topped the Western Conference standings as recently as 2014.
The fixture further cements the historic links between the two clubs, dating back more than four decades to the original incarnation of the North American Soccer League.
Hammers and England great Sir Geoff Hurst helped Seattle to the NASL play-offs in 1976, while fellow FIFA World Cup winner Bobby Moore played seven games for Sounders in 1978. Harry Redknapp began his illustrious coaching career as the club's assistant-manager from 1976-79.
More recently, former West Ham midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg played 37 games for the Sounders in their opening two MLS seasons in 2009 and 2010.
A look at the current Seattle roster reveals that former Hammer Tyrone Mears, former United States captain and Premier League star Clint Dempsey and Austria midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz are regulars in the club's famous green and blue shirts.
From Seattle, the Hammers will fly south east to the town of Cary, North Carolina, for an exciting fixture with the NASL franchise Carolina RailHawks at their smart WakeMed Soccer Park home.
Founded in 2006, the RailHawks are named for a fictitious bird of prey that combines the speed and power of the locomotive with the aggressive and fierce nature of a hawk. Cary is a town with a long association with the railway, while hawks are indigenous to the local area.
Coached by former Southampton and Northern Ireland striker Colin Clarke, the forward-thinking RailHawks have started the 2016 season in superb form, winning their opening four Spring Season fixtures to top the table.
Boasting a cosmopolitan squad that includes three Englishmen, the RailHawks are two-time US Open Cup quarter-finalists and topped the NASL Regular Season table in both 2010 and 2011.
Futher details and travel information for West Ham's summer 2016 tour of the United States will be announced on whufc.com and the Club's social media channels over the coming days and weeks.
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West Ham United and the US
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will travel to the United States for the first time in eight years when they head to Seattle and Carolina for their 2016 summer tour.
The Hammers have been semi-regular visitors to North America over the past 50-plus years, playing in a variety of tournaments and challenge matches in that time.
West Ham were regular visitors to the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, when Ron Greenwood's side took part in the International Soccer League, becoming the only English team to win the competition in 1963.
The Hammers also took on Spanish giants Real Madrid in the first soccer match to be played indoors at the Houston Astrodome in Texas in April 1967.
Bobby Moore's West Ham drew 2-2 with Pele's Santos of Brazil at Downing Stadium in Randall's Island in New York State in November 1970, while Greenwood's squad returned to the United States for a whistle-stop eleven-match tour in May/June 1971.
The late West Ham striker Phil Woosnam (1959-62) emigrated to the United States in 1966, becoming head coach of the United States national team in 1968. The Welshman was Commissioner of the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1969-83 and is credited as an important figure in the development of the NASL in the 1970s.
Seattle-based Sounders FC and West Ham share connected history, with several players having represented both clubs at various points in their career. Current Seattle full-back Tyrone Mears made six appearances for the Irons during the 2006/07 Barclays Premier League campaign.
Harry Redknapp appeared more than 150 times for West Ham during his playing career before going on to manage the club from 1994 to 2001, with the east London native also plying his trade for the North American Soccer League Sounders from 1977 to 1979.
West Ham legend Sir Geoff Hurst made 23 appearances for the Sounders during the 1976 NASL season alongside fellow former Hammers and England great Bobby Moore, who represented the Sounders seven times during the 1978 NASL campaign.
More recently, this year's summer tour marks the Hammers' first visit to North America since 2008. Then, Alan Curbishley's side defeated MLS team Columbus Crew 3-1 in Ohio, before going down to a 3-2 defeat by an MLS All-Stars side featuring David Beckham in Toronto, Canada.
Former West Ham players currently plying their trade in the MLS include Frank Lampard (New York City FC), Tyrone Mears (Seattle Sounders), Robbie Keane and Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) and Liam Ridgewell (Portland Timbers).
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Final-day fixture to be televised
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's final match of an unforgettable 2015/16 season will be screened live by Sky Sports on Sunday.
The Hammers travel to Stoke City for a 3pm kick-off that would result in the Hammers securing a place in next season's UEFA Europa League.
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said the decision to screen West Ham's trip to the Britannia Stadium was yet more confirmation of how far the Club have come this season.
"It is great news, first and foremost because it means our supporters all over the world will be able to watch our final game of the season live on television," said Mr Sullivan.
"We have nearly 3,000 fans making the trip to Stoke and I am sure they will end what has been a fantastic season by singing their hearts out in support of the team.
"Slaven and his players will want to finish with a win to guarantee us European football when we move into our new 60,000-capacity Stadium next season.
"We have set a few Club Premier League records this season and will set another record of least away defeats, whatever happens at Stoke.
"We have only lost four away league games this season, and we would love that number to be the same on Sunday night, because that will give us a good chance of qualifying for Europe through our league position for just the second time ever."
Victory over the Potters, combined with a draw or defeat for Manchester United at home to AFC Bournemouth, could see West Ham equal their record-high Premier League finish of fifth.
A fifth-place finish would see the Hammers go straight into the UEFA Europa League group stage, while sixth would send West Ham into the third qualifying round, as Manchester City have already qualified for Europe by winning the League Cup.
Should Manchester United defeat Bournemouth, a win at Stoke would mean West Ham finish sixth – their highest finish since 1998/99.
With City guaranteed to qualify through their league position, the Europa League place allocated to the League Cup will go to the sixth-place finisher.
There is also a possibility of seventh place being good enough for a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round spot if Manchester United win the Emirates FA Cup.
The only previous occasion on which West Ham qualified for Europe through league position was in 1998/99, when they finished fifth to reach the now-defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup.
When West Ham finished third in 1985/86, English clubs were banned from European competition.
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Noble - It was a night to savour
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble could not have wished for a better farewell to the Boleyn Ground than that which his West Ham United side gave their home of 112 years on Tuesday.
The Hammers came from behind with two goals in the final 15 minutes to earn their first league win against Manchester United since 2007 and ensure their final game in E13 would go down in folklore.
Noble, as he has been all season, was a real driving force for the hosts as they dragged the game back to claim maximum points and he was full of emotion at the final whistle.
"We couldn't have asked for a better send off – it was what dreams are made of.," he said.
"It was very special – it's a night that will go down in history and for me to lead that team and be the captain that took us out at the stadium, from where I grew up and from where I walked home after my debut, was very special.
"I've never heard noise like that here ever before. That was phenomenal and walking out to that, and beating Manchester United – who I've always thought have been great – was also very special.
"We've got team spirit, and we are a team. It's a night that the fans can savour, go home and be proud of the team they support."
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Eamonn Holmes: Hillsborough slur broadcaster apologises
BBC.co.uk
Sky TV presenter Eamonn Holmes has apologised after he appeared to link an attack on Manchester United's team bus with the Hillsborough disaster. Mr Holmes was talking on Sky News about the violence outside West Ham's stadium on Monday evening. He tweeted later there was no comparison between the events. Barry Devonside, who lost his son Christopher, 18, said Mr Holmes "should have known better." He added: "Last night was hooliganism. "There was no hooliganism at Hillsborough."
In apologising Mr Holmes tweeted: "I was trying to talk about images we never ever want to see again. If anyone concluded anything different accept my humblest & most honest apologies."
The Manchester United supporting broadcaster said on air: "This is going back to the 70's and 80's. Everything that you were seeing that was bad about Hillsborough for instance." Mr Holmes tweeted after the programme: "Just being made aware of someone trying to use me to stir up trouble re The Hillsborough disaster . How low, how disgusting. "The Hillsborough families have suffered enough without distasteful sniping like this. For the record there is no comparison between events last night at West Ham and Hillsborough." He added: "Last night's events do not remotely register in comparison. I am an honest & decent football supporter and man. I would never seek to create such an offence. "Those who are trying to do so are very wrong. Obviously there is no comparison between Hillsborough & the scenes at West Ham last night.... "I apologise unreservedly if anyone thought I was making that connection."
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A Referee Analysis: Mike Dean
May 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Sam Royden-Ryell
After a good performance by Michael Oliver in the disappointing game on Saturday against Swansea, the referee appointed for the final game to be played at Boleyn Ground was Mike Dean. The last time Dean officiated at Upton Park he gave three penalties - two to West Ham and the other to Watford. With emotions extremely high as fans, players and the club said goodbye to this incredibly famous, historic stadium - Mike Dean as an experienced referee needed to understand that the game had such high emotion attached to it and he needed to take this into consideration when making decisions and not let the game get away from him.
What a first half! The atmosphere was absolutely deafening and the emotion on the pitch matched the fans in the stadium. Mike Dean had to make sure that he was concentrating from the word go when the powerful voices from the West Ham fans were calling for a penalty after Winston Reid went down under pressure from Marcus Rojo. I agree with Dean that it wasn't a penalty. You can see that Reid looked over his shoulder to see where Rojo was and there was contact, but it did look like Reid was looking for it and not enough for a penalty. The first half wasn't short of big challenges with Mark Noble and Aaron Cresswell going in strong but fouling the Manchester United players. Dean blew for a foul, signalled and then gets into position without messing around which is good refereeing especially with the magnitude of the game. West Ham thought they were 2-nil up after Michail Antonio scored a header on the back post only for the goal to be disallowed as the ball went out of play. This was an extremely tight call by the assistant referee on that side. The assistant flagged that the ball went out of play and and signalled for a corner as the Mark Noble cross deflected off a Manchester United defender before coming back into play. Dean was brilliant to pick out the little fouls during the game. Dean had an eagle eye to spot a push by Juan Mata on Winston Reid in the West Ham penalty area and rightly a free kick to West Ham. There were couple of fouls which I felt could have warranted a caution; firstly Marcos Rojo bought down Michail Antonio after the West Ham makeshift right back skilfully put the ball past the United defender and was on a promising attack. The second foul was when Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney made an unnecessary foul on Diafra Sahko which was out of frustration after losing the ball, if Dean did issue a caution for this fouls, it wouldn't have been a surprise. Throughout the first half Rooney was constantly mouthing off to Dean and Dean needed to determine when enough was enough. Even though Rooney is the captain, he doesn't get special treatment when it comes to using abusive and insulting language. Manchester United were appealing for a penalty when Anthony Martial went down after a tussle with Michail Antonio. There wasn't much in this for me as both of the players were both trying to out strength each other.
If you thought the first half was special, the second half was unbelievable and Dean was in the mix of everything. After keeping his cards in his pocket for the first half, there were a flurry of cards in the second half. The first caution of the game went to Anthony Martial after the frenchmen was very late on West Ham powerhouse Cheikhou Kouyaté. Kouyaté went past Martial but the Manchester United striker hacked the West Ham man down and so it was deserved of a caution. Andy Carroll was the next player into Dean's book after a very bad challenge on Daley Blind. Carroll, who worked his socks off the entire game, was chasing back to attempt to win the ball but not on the first occasion this season hacked down the opponent. Dean also acknowledged and played advantage well especially when Kouyaté was taken out by Antonio Valencia. Dean saw that West Ham were on a promising attack and allowed the play to go on until Hammer of The Year Dimitri Payet was fouled by Andre Herrera. Dean then revisited the initial challenge from Antonio Valencia and cautioned the Manchester United man for the original foul. Andre Herrera was finally cautioned after a series of challenges for a very reckless challenge on West Ham captain Mark Noble. Herrera was late and deserved a minimum of a caution, depending on how Dean saw the challenge - he could have given more.
Overall, Mike Dean had a very good game. Granted there were times where Dean gave petty fouls to West Ham but in his eyes they were fouls and he was consistent throughout the game. Dean also did well to spot when Carroll was being manhandled 80% of the time. Inside the box is always a grey area and we've seen that type of tussling throughout the season. I would like to be able to tell you what happened in the last fifteen minutes of the game, but I literally cannot tell you what Dean was doing. I was living and breathing the final fifteen minutes and what a fifteen minutes it was. We wanted to give the Boleyn a farewell worthy of the years of personal and footballing memories and there was no better way than witnessing one of the best games I have seen West Ham play in recent times. We were incredible and credit to the players for giving us this memory. A truly amazing footballing night which we should be proud of as West Ham fans and one that we will never forget.
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Match Report - West Ham United 3-2 Manchester United
May 11, 2016
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
WestHamAmerican
For over two years there has been a countdown clock atop the West Ham United club's official website extolling the days and months until the first match at the Olympic Stadium. Along with that excitement comes the bittersweet reality that West Ham's longtime home at Upton Park would soon be a memory. Decades of fathers and sons, of grandparents and grandchildren, walking through the gate would soon end. The home of so many great moments, memories, and time spent with loved ones watching the Hammers would come to an end tonight.
For some West Ham supporters who arrived at the stadium early, they thought it might not come to an end tonight, as the Manchester United coach was delayed in their arrival, and it was decided to delay the kickoff by 45 minutes. For the match Slaven Bilic continued his "Michail Anontio at right back" experiment for yet another week, despite the poor defensive showing against Swansea. Also Darren Randolph continued to handle goalkeeping duties in place of the injured Adrian.
Manchester United gaffer, Louis Van Gaal, produced a much more formidable starting XI than his unimpressive showing at Norwich over the weekend. Anthony Martial returned from injury and Marcus Rashford and Daley Blind each returned after a one match break. With Champions League football in their sights, Manchester United have been in good form over the past month.
Once Mike Dean began the match, West Ham moved the ball at a frantic pace. Showing the role of the aggressor, West Ham attacked the Red Devil's back four and David de Gea repeatedly in the opening half. Only ten minutes into play West Ham managed to strike the first blow.
Aaron Cresswell drove down the left wing and found Lanzini behind the United defence, who then crossed into the penalty box and found Sakho, who's left footed strike found the lower left corner (with a possible deflection assist from the leg of Daley Blind.)
The remainder of the opening half saw West Ham controlling the tempo of the match and having numerous close calls but not finding the second goal; Lanzini, Carroll, Payet, and Sakho all had attempts either sent wide or into the arms of de Gea.
With momentum on his side, Bilic made no changes during the halftime break. Manchester United had no shots on goal in the opening half and the Hammers were moving the ball well in the final third. Van Gaal brought on Michael Carrick during the break and once underway the visiting side finally found their own attacking stride.
Only five minutes into the second half Rashford took the ball down the wing, found Mata who crossed to Anthony Martial for the tap in. With the match even at 1-1, next 15 minutes saw the enthusiastic home crowd watching some great back-and-forth football until the 71st minute when Anthony Martial found his second goal. His strike was just outside of Randolph's reach and the West Ham crowd sunk a bit in despair.
All evening Payet's free kicks hadn't looked up to par. In the 76th minute Payet attempted from about 25 yards out and sent the ball right into the wall. Recovering the rebound he sent another cross into the penalty area to the open header of Antonio. With the score 2-2 and a determined side wanting to send out the Boleyn Ground in style it was Payet again, who, moments later, found Winston Reid half a step ahead of Blind, and Reid's header turned out to be the game winner. The final goal at Upton Park was Reid's first BPL goal of the year.
With the narrow lead, Bilic brought James Tomkins and Pedro Obiang on for Lanzini and Sakho to fortify the defence and to allow Antonio to move to his wing position. Despite great effort from Manchester United to get the equaliser, the Hammers were able to hold firm for the final four minutes of added time. As Antonio drove the ball deep into the Manchester penalty area, it looked like he might add an exclamation point to the night, but Mike Dean sounded the final whistle and West Ham walked off the ground for the last time victorious over Manchester United.
As the team walked off the pitch even Slaven Bilic was emotional as the East London crowd sang and the bubbles poured down on the ground. Tonight's match had a bit of everything: a formidable opponent, a good bit of drama, and great passionate football from both sides. If this emotional win carries over, it should be a good afternoon at Stoke as well.
Farewell to Upton Park and thanks for many great memories!
West Ham: Randolph, Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Lanzini (Obiang 83), Kouyate, Noble, Payet (Valencia 90), Sakho (Tomkins 83), Carroll
Subs not used: Collins, Moses, Emenike, Spiegel
Bookings: Carroll
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia (Januzaj 86), Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin (Carrick 46), Mata, Herrera (Lingard 82), Rooney, Martial, Rashford
Subs not used: Jones, Depay, Romero, Borthwick-Jackson
Bookings: Martial, Valencia, Herrera
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Attendance: 34,602
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Chelsea explore Olympic Stadium groundshare with West Ham
By Dan Roan
BBC sports editor
Chelsea could groundshare with London rivals West Ham at the Olympic Stadium while their new stadium is built. The Blues want to relocate to Wembley for three years and a £20m-a-year deal has reportedly been agreed. But they have also held talks with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) about a temporary move to the Olympic Stadium, which will become West Ham's home from next season. Chelsea are also understood to be considering a switch to Twickenham. Officials from the Stamford Bridge club held a meeting with LLDC chiefs at the end of last year, although no final decision has yet been reached and a groundshare with the Hammers is thought to be unlikely. West Ham would need to agree to such a move, but their tenancy contract with the LLDC does allow for such an arrangement. It would mean West Ham receiving a significant discount on their £2.5m-a-year rent for the 60,000-seater stadium. West Ham will pay the sum each year over the 99-year lease. 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, with the deal made public following a legal battle involving owners LLDC. The club played their last game at the 35,000-seater Upton Park, also know as the Boleyn Ground, on Tuesday, fighting back to beat Manchester United 3-2. Slaven Bilic's Hammers side finish their season at Stoke City on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tottenham are close to a deal with the Football Association to play their 2017-18 home games at Wembley while their new stadium is completed.
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Goodbye, Boleyn
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th May 2016
By: Graeme Howlett
Tonight, when West Ham United bid farewell to Upton Park after 112 years, it'll be almost 40 years to the day since I took my first tentative steps inside the Boleyn Ground.
I was just six years old when my father, the latest in a long line of fans stretching back generations of our family, took me to my first game for a Division One (now known as the Premier League) clash between West Ham United and Derby County in February 1976. I still recall elements of that day vividly.
I remember being astounded by the sheer immensity of the vast auditorium that appeared before me as we exited the concourse and made our way to our East Stand seats - and later, the deafening noise that greeted Trevor Brooking's late goal which almost knocked me off my feet.
There was also a first taste of the eternal disappointment that was to become a mainstay of supporting West Ham United in the years to follow when Brooking's goal proved to be a mere consolation; Johnny Lyall's team lost 2-1, with Charlie George and Bruce Rioch netting for the Rams!
My next taste of the Boleyn Ground was a pre-birthday treat a few weeks later; we drew 2-2 with Aston Villa, Deehan and Hunt scoring for the visitors and Keith Robson plus Brooking rescuing a point for the Irons in the 90th minute. By then, my parents had moved the family from Dagenham via Barking along the A13 corridor to South East Essex.
Having made the journey into town by car on the old A13 that used to pass the Circus Tavern and the East India Docks, my father was keen to beat the crowds before the local roads became gridlocked. As we turned away from Green Street, West Ham trailed 2-1; moments later, we heard the roar for Brooking's equaliser.
As far as I can recall, I've not left a game before the final whistle since.
By this point, I was hooked - just like my mother and father had been before me and how my grandparents had been before them. My grandfather, a season ticket holder throughout the 1950s and '60s was in the crowd to witness the 1964, 1965 and 1966 Wembley finals that were graced by Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters (plus an extremely-gifted supporting cast).
In 1963, my mother - a teenager at the time - was one of the 25,000 who crammed into the Boleyn to see four-goal hero Martin Britt almost single-handedly win the FA Youth Cup Final for the Hammers after one of the greatest - and probably least known - comebacks of them all, against Liverpool, in a 6-5 aggregate win.
My father, as well as acting as my occasional chaperone witnessed all the great nights of the 1970s including the 1975 FA Cup Final win against Bobby Moore's Fulham and the epic 1976 Cup Winners Cup semi final, second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Boleyn. (Sadly he couldn't make the Final against Anderlecht, which we lost 4-2, so my granddad flew the family flag that night.)
For the last 25 years or so, it's been my duty to continue the family tradition, so it was a proud and emotional moment when I took my son Harry to his first live match; he's as fanatical about the game as I was at his (tender) age so job done there, I think.
My story is not unique, of course. Indeed, it's typical of the vast majority of West Ham supporters who continue to flock to E13 on a regular basis in order to uphold their own long-established family traditions. And we'd probably continue to make the same journey until the day we drop, had West Ham's Board not opted to move the club to Stratford's Olympic Stadium this summer.
Although I've never lived there, I continue to feel an special affinity with the East End. It's where my earliest memories lie, after all. Recalling the old place evokes memories of playing on the Greenway (which we used to call the sewers) and kicking white dog shit - a reasonable temporary football, as it maintained its (calcium-laden) shape for a while! - up and down Fabian Street, East Ham.
This was where my grandparents lived - a tiny two up, two down, complete with outside toilet and tin bath. since demolished and replaced by a park - and where I spent many a happy Saturday afternoon, waiting for my dad to return from the football with pie and mash for the entire family in hand.
We'd eat at my grandparent's table, too small for us all to fit round comfortably, whilst watching the latest episode of Jon Pertwee's (then later, Tom Baker's) Dr Who. It was at one such meal that I relentlessly pestered my father to take my to East Ham Town Hall the following morning to watch West Ham's victory procession, following the 1975 FA Cup win against Fulham.
The mists of time may have clouded some memories but I vividly recall sitting aloft his shoulders as Alan Taylor et al proudly paraded the trophy from the balcony in front of many thousands of West Ham fans. It was the beginning of a lifelong journey and the start of a passionate love affair.
Like many fans with a similar tale to tell, once West Ham United leave Upton Park I will have no reason to return to East Ham, or the surrounding area. Although Stratford is less than three miles away, as the crow flies, the emotional attachment I feel for East Ham and Green Street is not transferable. The sense of loss is palpable and real.
Though as Frank Sinatra once duly noted when recalling his memory of a lost love, "they can't take that away from me". Our treasured memories will remain with us forever.
Making the regular pilgrimage to E6 felt a bit like 'going home', like returning to my cultural epicentre, to retrace steps trodden by fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. And it's that, more than anything else, that I'll miss most about the old place. Tonight we'll "smell the years and hear the ghosts" (thanks to Max Bretos for that one) one more time before moving lock, stock and barrel to E20 - but there'll always be a part of me that remains in East Ham.
When the team runs out to the sound of 'Bubbles' for the final time tonight I'll glance across the ground to the East Stand where I took in my very first game, against Derby County, with my Dad all those years ago. I'll almost certainly shed a tear or two for he passed away six years ago; to cancer, too young, like Bobby Moore who he and thousands of others once roared on from the terraces.
I suspect many of us will be thinking of absent friends tonight. But tomorrow there'll be a new dawn which heralds the next chapter in the life of this wonderful football club. So to Stratford we go, to form new memories and friendships - and who knows - maybe we'll even win a trophy or two along the way.
Until then it's goodbye, Boleyn Ground. You will be missed.
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Hurst says 'sorry' for no-show
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 11th May 2016
By: Staff Writer
Geoff Hurst has apologised to Hammers fans for not attending last night's final game at the Boleyn Ground.
Hurst was a notable omission from the event which celebrated the club's greatest players from the past in a spectacular post-match closing ceremony.
And he explained this afternoon that he was unable to attend due to having a previous engagement.
Speaking via Facebook, Hurst wrote: "I'm very sorry I couldn't be at Upton Park for the closing ceremony. I had a prior engagement from a year ago that I was contracted to attend.
"I was at the end of season dinner last week and said my fond farewells to my spiritual footballing home. I watched the game and the closing ceremony on TV this morning and it was a fitting end to 112 years for the most atmospheric ground and best and most loyal supporters in the land.
"A great result last night that will live long in our memories. Let's look forward to a new era at the Olympic Stadium with optimism and faith in West Ham United's future. We will still be forever blowing bubbles hopefully for the next 112 years."
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Furious fans slam Holmes WHUFC comments
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News
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Manchester United Sky TV presenter Eamonn Holmes has been heavily criticised after comparing West Ham fans' attack on the Manchester United team bus to Hillsborough. Speaking about the behaviour of some West Ham fans, Holmes said: "Now this is going back to the 70s and to the 80s to everything you were seeing that was bad about Hillsborough for instance."
But seething fans immediately called on the 56-year-old to apologise for his comments, report the Liverpool Echo. Fans have long campaigned for the disaster not to be associated in any way with hooliganism and viewers were furious on social media.
Twitter user H K Fooey wrote: "Just heard you equate the bus riot last night to Hillsborough. Very poor analogy. Have you forgotten the inquests already?"
Peter Rice tweeted the presenter and said: "Apologise now for your Hillsborough comment re WHU incident."
Alan Carter wrote: "Hillsborough had nothing to do with hooliganism, stop associating last night with this tragedy."
Mikey Stones posted a video clip of the comments and wrote: "Why after 27 years of proving it, have you just compared what happened at Hillsborough to hooliganism?"
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Exclusive: Gold apology to Man United
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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David Gold watched horrified as events unfolded in Green Street ahead of the Manchester Unitd coach being attacked last night And he told ClaretandHugh exclusively: We were watching from the balcony and we apologise to the Manchester United players, manager and all officials of the club. It is unacceptable." Whilst the club isn't responsible for events outside the stadium, that eople calling themselves West Ham fans should behave as they cast a huge shadow over events on this historic night. And of course it's become the lead item on the news and sports pages this morning – seriously disappointing given the historic events unfolding inside the Boleyn. Gold, however thanked all the "real fans" who ensured that the evening went so well saying: "There was no hint of a crowd invasion – our people were brilliant and as ever they behaved perfectly. "It was an incredible night from every point of view apart from the coach incident but the club knows it can always rely on the real West Ham fans and I thank every one of them."
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Law forced early Boleyn fireworks finale
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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The 45-minute late kickoff due to the Manchester United late arrival forced major changes to the closing ceremony at the Boleyn Ground last night, the biggest of which was to stage the finale first instead last. UK law prohibits the setting off of fireworks past 11pm except on bonfire night, New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year. Event organisers of the ceremony, Event 360 together with specialist pyrotechnic company, Pains fireworks were fighting against the clock to complete the pyrotechnic show before 11pm to keep within the regulations but the result was the ceremony was shown back to front. The pyrotechnic show to the tune of Twist and Shout which was without a doubt the highlight of the disappointing closing ceremony and it went downhill from there. One West Ham insider described it as 'a shambles'
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The build up to the sorry coach incident
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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A series of events led to a small minority of so called Hammers fans throwing objects which broke the blackout covering in front of windows on the Manchester United team coach.
There can be no excuse for the small minority of Hammers fans that threw the bottles and cans at the bus at the corner of Barking Road and Green Street but questions also need to be asked of the role of the Metropolitan police and Manchester United too.
When I arrived on Green street at 5.30pm it was already completely packed with over two hours before the scheduled kick-off and quickly became grid-locked with traffic. This became much worst when police vans and people carriers parked in the middle of Green Street which caused dangerous crowd crushing as fans were funnelled around cars and parked police vans. Some fans were scared and thought they could be injured.
The area around the Bobby Moore champions statue became a major crowd pinch point mainly due to the overspill of the Boleyn Pub who couldn't handle the amount of fans wanting to drink in there one last time.
There were also many fans, certainly hundreds, possibly as many as a few thousand without tickets for the game. These fans were in Green street, drinking in the local pubs to soak up the last night's atmosphere which was hyped in the media all week.
The narrow streets and the entrance to the Boleyn ground players car park isn't the easiest of places to get to at the best of times and questions have to be asked why Manchester United were late yet again after being fined £5,000 for their late arrival at White Hart Lane just last month.
You would think their transport organiser and the coach operator would have learnt their lesson and set out much earlier. They should have arrived around 4pm considering the plans for the night. It is claimed the team stayed just three miles away in a hotel in nearby Docklands but the coach hit traffic around East Ham just before 6pm and couldn't move.
West Ham fans close to the statue were certainly in high spirits after many hours of drinking but were also frustrated at being forced back by police to allow the late Manchester United team coach through the packed East London streets.
In his post-match interview, LVG partially blamed yesterday's loss on the coach incident and paper headlines suggested players were frightened and cowering but a player video from Jesse Lingard inside the coach showed many of them thought it was amusing and were joking around during the incident. It didn't seem to bother them earlier in the match when they took the 2-1 lead, only later when they lost 3-2!
Disappointing headlines this morning of 'West Ham hooligans ambushed the Manchester United team bus' and 'West Ham's Upton Park farewell turns into anarchy as mindless thugs go on the rampage' will feed the media frenzy today that this was some kind of mass riot when video footage below shows the full extent of the short-lived incident.
The papers won't mention the majority of the 35,000 crowd were well behaved and there was no other trouble or feared pitch invasion. It's a real shame that most non-West Ham fans will remember this event and not the last historic win over the Red Devils at the Boleyn Ground. I am sure we have not heard the last of this sorry episode and we will be in for some more West Ham fan bashing in the media over the coming weeks as the FA, club and Met Police all investigate.
What the minority of fans did to the coach was wrong but let's not over react and pander to the media's agenda.
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Big questions for Man United and Met Police
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 11, 2016 in News, Whispers
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ClaretandHugh cannot and will not make excuses for the people who decided to throw objects and bottles at the United coach. IT WAS HORRENDOUS and they have shamed our great club!
However, there remain some key questions that need asking and answering about last night's debacle which led to a delayed 8.30 pm kick off.
In our view Manchester United, their coach operators and the Metropolitan Police need to be asked and answer the questions.
We want to know why:
O Why, knowing how narrow the streets are around the Boleyn and that thousands were set to be in the area, didn't Unted ensure they arrived at the ground much earlier than the reported 6pm when they were stuck in gridlocked Green Street?
O Why didn't the coach company make a decision to leave earlier given this was to be the biggest night in West Ham history to which thousands with or without tickets would travel?
O Why did United continue in the same manner as they did when getting a £5,000 fine for the late arrival offence at White Hart Lane last month. Given the size of the night in the east end they were always likely to discover an even worse travel situation?
O And why didn't some Man U official liase with the police to ensure an escort to the ground from their reported hotel in docklands to ensure there was no repeat?
Let's get something straight – none of this was WHUFC's fault and was not in their remit so David Sullivan's remarks about making the game kick off at 7.45 pm seem spot on to us.
This was a United issue created by them and we believe the match officials took the soft option in putting kick off time back.
The bottle throwing was disgraceful – utterly disgraceful – but had it never happened United would have been at the ground no sooner and that would have been entirely down to them again.
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Michael Carrick left frustrated after Manchester United's Champions League chances are hammered at Upton Park
Manchester United were beaten 3-2 at West Ham on Tuesday night
It means their Champions League qualification is out of their own hands
United must beat Bournemouth and hope Man City lose at Swansea City
The result at Upton Park left United's Michael Carrick feeling frustrated
By SIMON PEACH, PRESS ASSOCIATION SPORT
PUBLISHED: 13:28, 11 May 2016 | UPDATED: 14:04, 11 May 2016
Michael Carrick cut a frustrated figure after Manchester United let slip the chance to usurp rivals Manchester City in the top-four. Louis van Gaal's men arrived at Upton Park looking to be the party-poopers, knowing victory in the last-ever match at the Boleyn Ground would put the battle for Champions League qualification in their own hands heading into the season finale.
Anthony Martial's brace after a deflected Diafra Sakho opener put United on course for a crucial three points, only for Michail Antonio and Winston Reid to see West Ham sign off with an unforgettable 3-2 win. The loss leaves the Red Devils two points off City heading in the final match of the campaign. United need to beat Bournemouth and hope their neighbours lose at Swansea as their far superior goal difference means a draw at the Liberty Stadium would be enough for Manuel Pellegrini's men. 'We have to (stay focused), that's the situation that has presented itself now,' midfielder Carrick told MUTV. 'We were in control of it going into the West Ham game but we've let it slip. We have to win our last league game now and then see what happens. 'It's no good for us. We got ourselves back in the game and then didn't really help ourselves with giving away free-kicks. We have to be cleverer than that. 'We put ourselves under pressure by letting them put the ball in the box. In the end that's won them the game and we're very disappointed.' It was a frustrating return to Upton Park for former West Ham midfielder Carrick, who was keen not to blame the pre-match trouble outside the ground for their loss. 'Whatever has gone on beforehand, you've just got to get on with it,' he said. 'We were here, we were ready and we had over an hour to prepare for the game. It's no excuse.'
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Why were Manchester United players put in harm's way when their bus was attacked by fans? The key questions after ugly scenes marred West Ham's final Upton Park game
The West Ham and Manchester United clash was delayed by 45 minutes
United's team bus came under attack from Hammers fans as it arrived
Supporters threw bottles and other missiles as it arrived at Upton Park
Here, we answer the key questions in the aftermath of the trouble
By JACK GAUGHAN and OLIVER TODD and JAMES WHITE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:56, 11 May 2016 | UPDATED: 12:56, 11 May 2016
West Ham's emotional farewell to Upton Park turned sour ahead of kick-off when Manchester United's team coach came under attack by supporters as it approached the stadium. Tuesday night's clash was the final Hammers fixture to be played at the ground they have called home for the last 112 years but it was marred by the trouble outside, which caused the game to be delayed by 45 minutes. But how and why were the Manchester United squad allowed to be placed in such a dangerous situation? Here, Sportsmail answers the key questions following the unsavoury scenes.
Why was the Manchester United bus stranded outside the ground?
The £400,000 executive coach, provided by Wigan firm Eavesway Travel, came to a halt 100 yards from the entrance to West Ham's Upton Park. Its driver had already been forced to crawl through the crowd of West Ham fans and the sheer weight of numbers outside Upton Park meant it was not safe to continue with the journey. Mark Noble later said that it took West Ham's own bus an hour to drive 200 yards because of the density of the crowds.
Did the two clubs and police expect so many fans to show up so early?
Neither the clubs nor the police have commented on this, however due to the historic nature of the occasion, the sell-out crowd and the fervent local support around Upton Park meant that such a situation could have been anticipated.
Did Manchester United leave it too late to get to the ground?
Having stayed at a hotel in the Docklands three miles away, United's journey to Green Street, off which Upton Park is located, took about 20 minutes, arriving at 5.55pm - just under two hours before their vital Premier League game was due to get underway. However, the thousands of fans thronging the street made further progress almost impossible, leaving the bus stranded. Decamping from the bus to walk the final few hundred yards did not appear to be an option given east London's volatility on Tuesday night. It meant United players did not enter the ground until about 7.10pm – just 35 minutes before the scheduled kick-off.
Why were fans allowed to get so close to the bus? Was there enough security?
The Metropolitan Police said it was the responsibility of the club to provide barriers outside of the ground to ensure the safety of vehicles travelling in and out of it. The police presence included officers on horseback who eventually dispersed the crowd as well as riot police and ordinary uniformed officers, however footage and images of the attack on the bus show that they were vastly outnumbered by fans.
Why was the match delayed?
The decision was taken to delay the kick-off was taken by police and Premier League officials at 7.15pm, five minutes after United players entered the ground. It was decided to delay the game for 45 minutes, meaning it went ahead at 8.30pm rather than 7.45pm.
Who has been arrested so far?
No-one has been arrested in connection with the disorder before the game, but an investigation has begun. Three men were arrested by police during the game – a 20-year-old man on suspicion of affray plus a 47-year-old man and an 18-year-old man for pitch incursion. The three suspects are at an east London police station for questioning and remain in custody.
What was the damage and injuries caused?
At least nine windows on the coach were reportedly smashed and further damage to paintwork with damage running into thousands of pounds. After the game seats and signs were taken by souvenir-hunting fans. Four male police officers suffered minor injuries during the pre-match disorder according to police.
How will West Ham and the authorities punish fans who caused trouble?
West Ham have promised to work with the police to identify offenders and ban them from attending games for life. Anyone who threw objects at United's coach could be charged with criminal damage or more seriously, affray if it is considered that the actions were meant to endanger those on board. Police can also apply for a Football Banning Order, which prevents people from attending any football matches in the United Kingdom for a specified period of time.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, May 11
Daily WHUFC News - 11th May 2016
West Ham United 3-2 Manchester United
TUE, 10 MAY 2016
PREMIER LEAGUE
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Upton Park
West Ham United marked their departure from Upton Park after 112 years with a thrilling victory that may have ended Manchester United's chances of Champions League qualification. Louis van Gaal's side knew victory here and at home to Bournemouth this weekend would secure a top-four place - but this loss means Manchester City are two points clear of them going into their final game at Swansea City. The visitors' team coach arrived late and was attacked by Hammers fans as it made its way into the stadium, causing the kick-off to be delayed. When the action got under way West Ham dominated and should have led by more than Diafra Sakho's goal at the break. Antony Martial turned the game on its head and had Manchester United in charge with only 18 minutes remaining, first ending a sweeping move then beating Darren Randolph at his near post to put the visitors ahead. West Ham, however, were not to be denied and two towering headers in the space of four minutes from Michail Antonio and Winston Reid gave them the victory they richly deserved.
Barring a huge win for Manchester United at Bournemouth, Manchester City will pip them to a top-four finish with a point at Swansea on Sunday
Manchester United had their fate in their own hands knowing two victories - here and at home to Bournemouth on Sunday - would assure Champions League football next season. It was typical of their misfiring season that they squandered this chance with a performance that was for the most part lifeless, only lifted above mediocrity by the brilliance of Martial. United may have been affected by that late arrival and the delayed kick-off, but their first 45 minutes fell well short of what was needed given how high the stakes were. It was only down to West Ham's generosity in front of goal that Van Gaal's side were only 1-0 down at the interval. And when, against the run of play and thanks to Martial's excellence, they found themselves ahead with 18 minutes left they were still not good enough to make it count.
The hosts finally took their chances and scored twice in four minutes to once again reveal the flaws in this fragile Manchester United side.
First, Antonio rose high to power home Payet's cross before Reid headed in another delivery from the Frenchman, though David de Gea got a strong hand to it and should have kept it out.
In their 384th and final Premier League game at Upton Park, West Ham made it 601 points won on home soil in the division However, ugly scenes marred the start of the night as Manchester United's bus was attacked on its way to the ground There were disgraceful scenes outside Upton Park when the late arrival of Manchester United's team bus was greeted by a mass of West Ham fans who threw bottles at the bus and caused damage.
Inside, the old stadium staged one last hurrah that demonstrated the support and hostility that make it such a special arena - and showed why West Ham will find it almost impossible to recreate this potent combination at the Olympic Stadium. There were moving scenes before kick-off as a band played Abide With Me as the names and faces of West Ham's departed greats flashed up on the big screens, with the greatest applause inevitably being reserved - at its conclusion - for England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. The game itself was played out in a cauldron, a cacophony of noise resounding around Upton Park for the entirety of a thrilling game. There were some moments when those inside did not cover themselves in glory, keeping the ball from visiting goalkeeper De Gea, which ironically led to the move that brought Martial's equaliser and then when a fan emerged from the Bobby Moore Stand and got close to the Spain goalkeeper, taunting him before he was dragged away by stewards.
A fitting end for excellent West Ham
The Hammers wanted to end the Upton Park era with a performance worthy of the old place - and they went out with a bang, producing an outstanding display which hinted at rich promise for what lies ahead. Slaven Bilic's side dominated for long spells, playing exciting, fluent football that provided a constant threat. The Croatian may not have been West Ham's first choice but he has proved charismatic, astute and someone with a sure touch when it comes to knowing what this club means and demands. He was in touch with the emotions of the occasion in the closing moments, tie and jacket discarded as he inspired his team to victory, looking almost moved to tears at the end. West Ham remain on course for the Europa League at the end of a fine season - a deserved reward to take to the Olympic Stadium.
Man of the match - Mark Noble
Mark Noble ensured his team-mate's heads did not drop after Manchester United took the lead and helped spark a memorable comeback. A captain's performance. West Ham have scored in each of their past 12 Premier League games, their longest scoring run in the competition.
The Red Devils managed just one shot in total in the first half - only against Manchester City on 25 October did they produce fewer this season in the Premier League.
Anthony Martial now has 17 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season, three more than any other player (Rooney 14).
The Red Devils scored with their first two shots on target of the game.
Since making his Premier League debut in August 2011, Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has provided 40 assists, a haul only Manchester City forward David Silva (50) can better.
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 11 goals in his past 12 Premier League appearances (scoring three, assisting eight).
What next?
West Ham are still in the hunt for a fifth-place finish. They are one point behind Manchester United and travel to Stoke on Sunday. Manchester United, meanwhile, host Bournemouth and must win to have a chance of finishing in the top four.
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Man Utd coach attacked on way into Upton Park for West Ham match
BBC.co.uk
Ugly scenes marred West Ham's last game at Upton Park as Manchester United's coach was attacked before the match. Bottles were thrown, smashing the coach's glass as police escorted the visitors and kick-off was delayed. The Football Association "condemned the unsavoury incidents", adding it will also investigate objects being thrown during the game by home supporters. "It wasn't nice, the coach got smashed up," said visiting captain Wayne Rooney, before his side's 3-2 defeat. He told Sky Sports: "I'm sure West Ham as a club will be disappointed with what the fans have done."
Footage filmed on the coach by United winger Jesse Lingard showed the players shouting, screaming, laughing and hiding on the floor as the coach was hit by objects. West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium for the start of next season after 112 years at Upton Park, also known as the Boleyn Ground.
United goalkeeper David De Gea appeared to be targeted by water bottles from a section of the West Ham support. The FA said: "We will work closely with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to fully investigate these matters." Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal added: "I think the images shall tell everything. "It has an influence on the players - not just Manchester United, but also West Ham. I think it will be very aggressive because the fans were emotional. They will influence the game, I think."
West Ham co-Chairman David Sullivan played down the incident, telling BBC Radio 5 live that their opponents should have arrived earlier. "I don't understand why United couldn't get here at 4pm. They could have got here early. They knew it would be busy. It's crazy. "There was congestion in the street and they couldn't get the coach in. There were people around the coach, but there was no attack on the coach. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said an "appropriate policing plan is in place", adding: "We are aware that a number of items were thrown towards Manchester United's coach. "One police officer and a member of the public sustained minor injuries. There have been no arrests."
Jonathan Pearce, the BBC's commentator at Upton Park, said: "It is a terrible, terrible shame. The bottles were thrown just across the road from the iconic statue of World Cup winners [Geoff] Hurst, [Bobby] Moore and [Martin] Peters. "So many wonderful West Ham fans are here and they have been denied a perfect evening."
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty, also at the game, said: "Manchester United arrived late, as they did for the recent London game at Tottenham, and were met by thousands of West Ham United fans thronging around near the entrance to the stadium. "It was then that the attack on the team coach, as confirmed by United captain Wayne Rooney, took place. "Some of the behaviour of supporters outside has taken the edge of the celebratory tone of the occasion."
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West Ham chasing Vardy
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th May 2016
By: Staff Writer
The unnamed striker David Sullivan referred to in his interview with SSN is understood to be Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy.
The identity of the unnamed striker was unveiled on the KUMB Forum last night by in-house 'ITK' Jinxed, who confirmed that the 29-year-old is just one of a series of names being courted by the club ahead of next season. Meanwhile the €30million striker said to be at the heart of an official bid earlier this week, as also revealed by Sulivan on SSN, is Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette. The 24-year-old has spent the last six years as a pro with Les Gones, his only professional club.
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West Ham 3-2 Manchester United: Hammers win thriller on last Boleyn Ground outing
By Jack Wilkinson at the Boleyn Ground
Last Updated: 10/05/16 11:12pm
SSN
West Ham bade farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Tuesday night. On an emotionally-charged night, where the Hammers ended their 112-year association with their iconic stadium, Winston Reid wrote his name in the history books with the landmark final goal, which proved to be the winner. Diafra Sakho's deflected strike had broken the deadlock on 10 minutes - but two Anthony Martial goals in 21 second-half minutes turned the game on its head as Louis van Gaal's side looked set to keep Champions League qualification in their own hands. But West Ham, who had overran their visitors in a stunning first-half display, found a second wind, wrestling back the lead through Michail Antonio before Reid hit the winner on 80 minutes. The result strengthens West Ham's claims for Europa League football, with the win enough to move them to within a point of Manchester United, who handed the initiative back to neighbours City in the race for the top four.
The Manchester United team were caught in crowd trouble en route to the Boleyn, with their bus windows smashed in unsavoury scenes outside the ground. Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes but that only stoked the already passionate crowd gathering, who yearned for an early goal on their night of celebration. The visitors quelled an early West Ham onslaught but their defence was soon breached when Sakho, having peeled away to the penalty spot, twisted to guide Manuel Lanzini's pull-back past David de Gea via a deflection off Daley Blind. Blind's carelessness at the back almost gifted the hosts a second on 20 minutes, with the deep-lying Dutchman playing Carroll onside. Lanzini slotted the former England striker through on goal but De Gea came to the Red Devils' rescue, stopping a low effort with his legs. De Gea was breached on 22 minutes but Antonio was denied a second as referee Mike Dean and his officials judged the ball to have gone out of play leading up to the right-back's close-range header, and awarded a corner.
Wayne Rooney mustered his side's one, and only, shot of the first half, but his ambitious effort ballooned high into the Bobby Moore Stand. The Hammers dominated from there on, but Dimitri Payet was unable to convert their dominance into a second on 32 minutes when, after Martial was dispossessed Noble, he lashed his shot wide. Martial saw a half-hearted penalty claim waved away on the stroke of half-time as the Hammers went into the break with their deserved lead intact. Former West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick was introduced after the interval as Van Gaal sought a route back into the contest. And they were level within six minutes as Martial converted Juan Mata's pass from close range at the end of a brisk counter. Sakho should have restored the hosts' lead five minutes later but his stooping header failed to convert Payet's inch-perfect cross into the area. Martial then produced a moment of individual brilliance on 72 minutes as he skipped past Antonio and beat Darren Randolph at his near post with a chipped finish. But the Hammers rallied and were level within four minutes as Payet found Antonio with a short free-kick, and he floated a header home. The turnaround was complete 10 minutes from time as centre-back Reid's header evaded the clutches of De Gea and the Hammers ended their Boleyn Ground account with a victory that will live long in the memory. Manager Bilic was in tears as the full-time whistle sounded - before the fans were treated to a lavish closing ceremony to mark the final match at their home of 112 years.
Player ratings
West Ham: Randolph (6), Antonio (8), Reid (8), Ogbonna (7), Cresswell (7), Noble (9), Kouyate (7), Sakho (8), Lanzini (7), Payet (9), Carroll (7).
Used subs: Tomkins (5), Obiang (5), Valencia (n/a).
Man Utd: De Gea (7), Valencia (6), Smalling (6), Blind (7), Rojo (6), Herrera (6), Schneiderlin (5), Rooney (6), Mata (6), Rashford (6), Martial (9).
Used subs: Carrick (6), Januzaj (n/a), Lingard (n/a)
Man of the match: Dimitri Payet
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FA to investigate unsavoury scenes at Upton Park prior to West Ham vs Man United
23:11, 10 MAY 2016 UPDATED 23:21, 10 MAY 2016
BY JAMES WHALING
Kick-off at the Boleyn Ground was delayed by 45 minutes after the Red Devils' team bus was targeted by supporters outside the stadium
The Mirror
The FA have released a statement strongly condemning the unsavoury scenes outside Upton Park prior to Tuesday evening's match between West Ham and Manchester United. Kick-off at the Boleyn Ground was delayed by 45 minutes after the Red Devils' team bus was targeted by supporters outside the stadium. Bottles were thrown at the coach which led to United only entering the ground half an hour before the scheduled kick-off. When the game eventually did begin, visiting goalkeeper David De Gea was hit by bottles as he celebrated Anthony Martial's goal early in the second half.
The FA have also confirmed they will investigate the trouble both pre-match and during the game. In a statement released on Twitter, they said: "The FA strongly condemns the unsavoury incidents this evening involving both the Manchester United team coach outside West Ham United's Boleyn Ground and objects thrown from a section of the home support during the game. "We will work closely with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to fully investigate these matters."
On the pitch, it was an emotional goodbye to the famous old stadium for West Ham, as goals from Diafra Sakho, Michail Antonio and Winston Reid gave the Irons a 3-2 victory. Martial grabbed a brace for United, but they missed the opportunity to leapfrog neighbours Man City into fourth spot.
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West Ham 3-2 Manchester United: Reid winner seals fitting Boleyn Ground farewell - 5 things we learned
22:21, 10 MAY 2016 UPDATED 22:56, 10 MAY 2016
BY JOHN CROSS
Reid headed home late on to seal a thrilling clash that looked to be heading United's way after Anthony Martial's brace
The Mirror
West Ham bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a stunning comeback against Manchester United. Anthony Martial turned the game on its head with a brace after Diafra Sakho's opener but West Ham hit back in style. Michail Antonio brought the hosts level before Winston Reid sent Upton Park wild with a late header. The clash was marred by violent scenes outside the ground before kick-off, which was delayed by 45 minutes. United's team bus was attacked on its way to the stadium with bottles thrown at the vehicle. On the pitch, West Ham said goodbye in fitting fashion.
Here are five things we learned.
1. Old habits die hard
What should have been a wonderful farewell to Upton Park was tarnished by a trip back in time. A minority of West Ham fans wanted to mark the occasion with some old fashioned violence as they attacked the Manchester United team bus. It's a great shame that pictures of the United coach - smashed and vandalised - will be associated with the last game at Upton Park. And, furthermore, children having to run for cover. We'll miss Upton Park for many reasons - but this was not one of them.
2. West Ham put on a good party inside
From paying tribute on the big screen as they showed great names from the past, to organising colour co-ordinated shirts for fans in the stands, West Ham did put on a good show. The noise and atmosphere at kick off and when Diafro Sakho scored was fantastic. They raised the roof. Yes, we've had no end of coverage in the past few days, even the "bubble technician" was interviewed. But when it came to the occasion itself, it was truly memorable. A fitting occasion to mark the end of one of English football's great cathedrals.
3. Carroll is a Euros no-no
England boss Roy Hodgson was at Upton Park and one moment in the first half was a reminder why Andy Carroll will not be in his squad. Carroll went clean through, had all the time in the world but, with only David De Gea to beat, wellied it straight at the Manchester United keeper.
Carroll is a great aerial threat, a potent weapon from crosses, and yet give him the ball at his feet and this was a reminder why he will not be going to France this summer. The Carroll for England brigade have gone rather quiet recently. They've probably toddled back off to their time machines to be transported back 20 years where Carroll could be a "different option." Yes, the option who misses big chances.
4. United's square pegs in round holes don't fit
Louis Van Gaal has got too many players playing out of position. It's as simple as that. A winger at right back, striker in midfield and, well, we're not quite sure what Marcos Rojo is but he was at left back. Morgan Schneiderlin, a huge disappointment since joining United, was hooked at half time in favour of Michael Carrick. Carrick seemed to give them balance, they had a better shape and - surprise, surprise - they finally got going in the second half.
5. Top four spot in doubt for United
Manchester United needed a win to keep it in their own hands and couldn't manage it. Louis Van Gaal could still turn it over on the final day - but it's not looking great. Manchester City must go to Swansea for what will surely be a harder game than United's last match when they host Bournemouth. But City only need a point now, while United must win, to secure fourth.
Player ratings
Randolph 6 - Largely unemployed, no chance with equaliser.
Antonio 7 - Bombed forward so well but defensively exposed on occasions. Scored the equaliser with a superb header.
Reid 7 - A class operator – not that he was too busy in the first half. Headed the winner - the final goal at Upton Park.
Ogbonna 6 - Won big headers but bypassed before Martial goal.
Cresswell 6 - Tidy distribution but missed header in build-up to equaliser
Noble 7 - The skipper drove West Ham forward and can pick a pass.
Kouyate 6 - Not one of his most effective nights – but always a trier.
Lanzini 7 - At the centre of most of West Ham's best work.
Payet 6 - Lovely set-piece delivery but squandered one great chance,
Carroll 6 - Fine hold-up play but messed up a one-on-one.
Sakho 6 - Took goal well – then missed two better chances.
Man United
De Gea 7 - Made a couple of useful first-half stops, always commanding.
Valencia 7 - Strong in the tacle, United have missed him this season.
Smalling 7 - Cool on the ball and held things together on a tough night.
Blind 5 - Caught out of position on several occasions, even if decent on ball.
Rojo 6 - Industrial tackling at times, but effective.
Schneiderlin 5 - Largely anonymous in the anchor role and hooked at half-time.
Herrera 6 - Neat, tidy, but not often going anywhere.
Mata MOM 8 - Lively, shrewd, played key role in Martial leveller.
Rooney 7 - Some visionary passing and crossing. Always busy.
Martial booked 7 - Took both goals well and pace caused problems.
Rashford 6 - A quiet night for the boy wonder.
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motional Slaven: "Every box was ticked"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Hugely emotional Slaven Bilic claimed this game had ticked all the boxes and maybe should have been over at half time. The manager said: "We have broken records and tonight were so highly motivated and although we were under pressure we were totally determined that we would not lose. "We had the chances to have won the game by half time but we dug in and refused to be beaten – it was fantastic. "We knew Manchester United would be up for it in a big way but we got it absolutely right – it was perfect. Every box as ticked. "We totally deserved the result. It was a special game and a very special night. The crosses came in and the delivery and finishes were perfect. It was a great great result."
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Noble: "It was written in the stars"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Captain Mark Noble summed it all up at the end declaring: "It was written in the stars." And he added that there was a total determination not to lose despite facing facing a very good Manchester United side. He said: "They make the pitch so big but we were never going to lose. We just wouldn't accept that and I am so totally proud of of the players. "In previous seasons we would have been beaten but not this squad – there's such an amazing spirit and in the end as I say it was written in the stars for us." Winston Reid – who now enters the history books as the last goalscorer at the Boleyn – simply said: "It was simply meant to be."
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It's tearful Slaven as Irons supply perfect ending
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Irons 3 Man United 2
My Lady Boleyn – you deserved ever second of that truly wonderful game of football – thank you for everything. It's been marvelous and what a way to say goodbye.
Manchester United – our oldest and perhaps fiercest enemyhaving come from one down to lead 2-1 beaten 3-2 by a West Ham showing absolutely everything you want from your team…, great passing…terrific goals and the ability to face up to adversity and laugh at it.
We beat a team who thought they had their feet in the Champions League because of a new found resilieince and determination to ensure this on our most important night ever we simply wouldn't be beaten.
Winston Reid scored the last ever goal the Boleyn will see – a great effort from the inevitable Payet free kick and it was over, finished. The perfect ending.
Sakho had opened the scoring with a deflected effort after some perfect football and from Lanzini and Cresswell.
But United levelled six minutes into the second half through Martial after a long De Gea punt was helped on by Mata. Martial added the second with a tightly angled shot and with 15 minutes left Payet finally found Antonio to head home and then came the Reid winner.
We so wanted it…we challenged for absolutely everything and anything other than an Irons victory would have been a total injustice.
This may well have been the greatest game of football seen on this old and wonderful ground has ever seen – I don't know. But if it wasn't then it's a photo finish.
Amazing game…amazing stadium and at the end Slaven was in tears -sometimes words are not enough so we'll repeat the only two that matters to the lads, the manager, the owners and everybody involved at the club but chiefly to the Lady Boleyn:
THANK YOU Thank you for everything!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
TUE, 10 MAY 2016
PREMIER LEAGUE
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Upton Park
West Ham United marked their departure from Upton Park after 112 years with a thrilling victory that may have ended Manchester United's chances of Champions League qualification. Louis van Gaal's side knew victory here and at home to Bournemouth this weekend would secure a top-four place - but this loss means Manchester City are two points clear of them going into their final game at Swansea City. The visitors' team coach arrived late and was attacked by Hammers fans as it made its way into the stadium, causing the kick-off to be delayed. When the action got under way West Ham dominated and should have led by more than Diafra Sakho's goal at the break. Antony Martial turned the game on its head and had Manchester United in charge with only 18 minutes remaining, first ending a sweeping move then beating Darren Randolph at his near post to put the visitors ahead. West Ham, however, were not to be denied and two towering headers in the space of four minutes from Michail Antonio and Winston Reid gave them the victory they richly deserved.
Barring a huge win for Manchester United at Bournemouth, Manchester City will pip them to a top-four finish with a point at Swansea on Sunday
Manchester United had their fate in their own hands knowing two victories - here and at home to Bournemouth on Sunday - would assure Champions League football next season. It was typical of their misfiring season that they squandered this chance with a performance that was for the most part lifeless, only lifted above mediocrity by the brilliance of Martial. United may have been affected by that late arrival and the delayed kick-off, but their first 45 minutes fell well short of what was needed given how high the stakes were. It was only down to West Ham's generosity in front of goal that Van Gaal's side were only 1-0 down at the interval. And when, against the run of play and thanks to Martial's excellence, they found themselves ahead with 18 minutes left they were still not good enough to make it count.
The hosts finally took their chances and scored twice in four minutes to once again reveal the flaws in this fragile Manchester United side.
First, Antonio rose high to power home Payet's cross before Reid headed in another delivery from the Frenchman, though David de Gea got a strong hand to it and should have kept it out.
In their 384th and final Premier League game at Upton Park, West Ham made it 601 points won on home soil in the division However, ugly scenes marred the start of the night as Manchester United's bus was attacked on its way to the ground There were disgraceful scenes outside Upton Park when the late arrival of Manchester United's team bus was greeted by a mass of West Ham fans who threw bottles at the bus and caused damage.
Inside, the old stadium staged one last hurrah that demonstrated the support and hostility that make it such a special arena - and showed why West Ham will find it almost impossible to recreate this potent combination at the Olympic Stadium. There were moving scenes before kick-off as a band played Abide With Me as the names and faces of West Ham's departed greats flashed up on the big screens, with the greatest applause inevitably being reserved - at its conclusion - for England World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore. The game itself was played out in a cauldron, a cacophony of noise resounding around Upton Park for the entirety of a thrilling game. There were some moments when those inside did not cover themselves in glory, keeping the ball from visiting goalkeeper De Gea, which ironically led to the move that brought Martial's equaliser and then when a fan emerged from the Bobby Moore Stand and got close to the Spain goalkeeper, taunting him before he was dragged away by stewards.
A fitting end for excellent West Ham
The Hammers wanted to end the Upton Park era with a performance worthy of the old place - and they went out with a bang, producing an outstanding display which hinted at rich promise for what lies ahead. Slaven Bilic's side dominated for long spells, playing exciting, fluent football that provided a constant threat. The Croatian may not have been West Ham's first choice but he has proved charismatic, astute and someone with a sure touch when it comes to knowing what this club means and demands. He was in touch with the emotions of the occasion in the closing moments, tie and jacket discarded as he inspired his team to victory, looking almost moved to tears at the end. West Ham remain on course for the Europa League at the end of a fine season - a deserved reward to take to the Olympic Stadium.
Man of the match - Mark Noble
Mark Noble ensured his team-mate's heads did not drop after Manchester United took the lead and helped spark a memorable comeback. A captain's performance. West Ham have scored in each of their past 12 Premier League games, their longest scoring run in the competition.
The Red Devils managed just one shot in total in the first half - only against Manchester City on 25 October did they produce fewer this season in the Premier League.
Anthony Martial now has 17 goals in all competitions for Manchester United this season, three more than any other player (Rooney 14).
The Red Devils scored with their first two shots on target of the game.
Since making his Premier League debut in August 2011, Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has provided 40 assists, a haul only Manchester City forward David Silva (50) can better.
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 11 goals in his past 12 Premier League appearances (scoring three, assisting eight).
What next?
West Ham are still in the hunt for a fifth-place finish. They are one point behind Manchester United and travel to Stoke on Sunday. Manchester United, meanwhile, host Bournemouth and must win to have a chance of finishing in the top four.
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Man Utd coach attacked on way into Upton Park for West Ham match
BBC.co.uk
Ugly scenes marred West Ham's last game at Upton Park as Manchester United's coach was attacked before the match. Bottles were thrown, smashing the coach's glass as police escorted the visitors and kick-off was delayed. The Football Association "condemned the unsavoury incidents", adding it will also investigate objects being thrown during the game by home supporters. "It wasn't nice, the coach got smashed up," said visiting captain Wayne Rooney, before his side's 3-2 defeat. He told Sky Sports: "I'm sure West Ham as a club will be disappointed with what the fans have done."
Footage filmed on the coach by United winger Jesse Lingard showed the players shouting, screaming, laughing and hiding on the floor as the coach was hit by objects. West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium for the start of next season after 112 years at Upton Park, also known as the Boleyn Ground.
United goalkeeper David De Gea appeared to be targeted by water bottles from a section of the West Ham support. The FA said: "We will work closely with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to fully investigate these matters." Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal added: "I think the images shall tell everything. "It has an influence on the players - not just Manchester United, but also West Ham. I think it will be very aggressive because the fans were emotional. They will influence the game, I think."
West Ham co-Chairman David Sullivan played down the incident, telling BBC Radio 5 live that their opponents should have arrived earlier. "I don't understand why United couldn't get here at 4pm. They could have got here early. They knew it would be busy. It's crazy. "There was congestion in the street and they couldn't get the coach in. There were people around the coach, but there was no attack on the coach. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said an "appropriate policing plan is in place", adding: "We are aware that a number of items were thrown towards Manchester United's coach. "One police officer and a member of the public sustained minor injuries. There have been no arrests."
Jonathan Pearce, the BBC's commentator at Upton Park, said: "It is a terrible, terrible shame. The bottles were thrown just across the road from the iconic statue of World Cup winners [Geoff] Hurst, [Bobby] Moore and [Martin] Peters. "So many wonderful West Ham fans are here and they have been denied a perfect evening."
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty, also at the game, said: "Manchester United arrived late, as they did for the recent London game at Tottenham, and were met by thousands of West Ham United fans thronging around near the entrance to the stadium. "It was then that the attack on the team coach, as confirmed by United captain Wayne Rooney, took place. "Some of the behaviour of supporters outside has taken the edge of the celebratory tone of the occasion."
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West Ham chasing Vardy
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 10th May 2016
By: Staff Writer
The unnamed striker David Sullivan referred to in his interview with SSN is understood to be Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy.
The identity of the unnamed striker was unveiled on the KUMB Forum last night by in-house 'ITK' Jinxed, who confirmed that the 29-year-old is just one of a series of names being courted by the club ahead of next season. Meanwhile the €30million striker said to be at the heart of an official bid earlier this week, as also revealed by Sulivan on SSN, is Lyon star Alexandre Lacazette. The 24-year-old has spent the last six years as a pro with Les Gones, his only professional club.
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West Ham 3-2 Manchester United: Hammers win thriller on last Boleyn Ground outing
By Jack Wilkinson at the Boleyn Ground
Last Updated: 10/05/16 11:12pm
SSN
West Ham bade farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester United on Tuesday night. On an emotionally-charged night, where the Hammers ended their 112-year association with their iconic stadium, Winston Reid wrote his name in the history books with the landmark final goal, which proved to be the winner. Diafra Sakho's deflected strike had broken the deadlock on 10 minutes - but two Anthony Martial goals in 21 second-half minutes turned the game on its head as Louis van Gaal's side looked set to keep Champions League qualification in their own hands. But West Ham, who had overran their visitors in a stunning first-half display, found a second wind, wrestling back the lead through Michail Antonio before Reid hit the winner on 80 minutes. The result strengthens West Ham's claims for Europa League football, with the win enough to move them to within a point of Manchester United, who handed the initiative back to neighbours City in the race for the top four.
The Manchester United team were caught in crowd trouble en route to the Boleyn, with their bus windows smashed in unsavoury scenes outside the ground. Kick-off was delayed by 45 minutes but that only stoked the already passionate crowd gathering, who yearned for an early goal on their night of celebration. The visitors quelled an early West Ham onslaught but their defence was soon breached when Sakho, having peeled away to the penalty spot, twisted to guide Manuel Lanzini's pull-back past David de Gea via a deflection off Daley Blind. Blind's carelessness at the back almost gifted the hosts a second on 20 minutes, with the deep-lying Dutchman playing Carroll onside. Lanzini slotted the former England striker through on goal but De Gea came to the Red Devils' rescue, stopping a low effort with his legs. De Gea was breached on 22 minutes but Antonio was denied a second as referee Mike Dean and his officials judged the ball to have gone out of play leading up to the right-back's close-range header, and awarded a corner.
Wayne Rooney mustered his side's one, and only, shot of the first half, but his ambitious effort ballooned high into the Bobby Moore Stand. The Hammers dominated from there on, but Dimitri Payet was unable to convert their dominance into a second on 32 minutes when, after Martial was dispossessed Noble, he lashed his shot wide. Martial saw a half-hearted penalty claim waved away on the stroke of half-time as the Hammers went into the break with their deserved lead intact. Former West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick was introduced after the interval as Van Gaal sought a route back into the contest. And they were level within six minutes as Martial converted Juan Mata's pass from close range at the end of a brisk counter. Sakho should have restored the hosts' lead five minutes later but his stooping header failed to convert Payet's inch-perfect cross into the area. Martial then produced a moment of individual brilliance on 72 minutes as he skipped past Antonio and beat Darren Randolph at his near post with a chipped finish. But the Hammers rallied and were level within four minutes as Payet found Antonio with a short free-kick, and he floated a header home. The turnaround was complete 10 minutes from time as centre-back Reid's header evaded the clutches of De Gea and the Hammers ended their Boleyn Ground account with a victory that will live long in the memory. Manager Bilic was in tears as the full-time whistle sounded - before the fans were treated to a lavish closing ceremony to mark the final match at their home of 112 years.
Player ratings
West Ham: Randolph (6), Antonio (8), Reid (8), Ogbonna (7), Cresswell (7), Noble (9), Kouyate (7), Sakho (8), Lanzini (7), Payet (9), Carroll (7).
Used subs: Tomkins (5), Obiang (5), Valencia (n/a).
Man Utd: De Gea (7), Valencia (6), Smalling (6), Blind (7), Rojo (6), Herrera (6), Schneiderlin (5), Rooney (6), Mata (6), Rashford (6), Martial (9).
Used subs: Carrick (6), Januzaj (n/a), Lingard (n/a)
Man of the match: Dimitri Payet
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FA to investigate unsavoury scenes at Upton Park prior to West Ham vs Man United
23:11, 10 MAY 2016 UPDATED 23:21, 10 MAY 2016
BY JAMES WHALING
Kick-off at the Boleyn Ground was delayed by 45 minutes after the Red Devils' team bus was targeted by supporters outside the stadium
The Mirror
The FA have released a statement strongly condemning the unsavoury scenes outside Upton Park prior to Tuesday evening's match between West Ham and Manchester United. Kick-off at the Boleyn Ground was delayed by 45 minutes after the Red Devils' team bus was targeted by supporters outside the stadium. Bottles were thrown at the coach which led to United only entering the ground half an hour before the scheduled kick-off. When the game eventually did begin, visiting goalkeeper David De Gea was hit by bottles as he celebrated Anthony Martial's goal early in the second half.
The FA have also confirmed they will investigate the trouble both pre-match and during the game. In a statement released on Twitter, they said: "The FA strongly condemns the unsavoury incidents this evening involving both the Manchester United team coach outside West Ham United's Boleyn Ground and objects thrown from a section of the home support during the game. "We will work closely with both clubs and the Metropolitan Police to fully investigate these matters."
On the pitch, it was an emotional goodbye to the famous old stadium for West Ham, as goals from Diafra Sakho, Michail Antonio and Winston Reid gave the Irons a 3-2 victory. Martial grabbed a brace for United, but they missed the opportunity to leapfrog neighbours Man City into fourth spot.
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West Ham 3-2 Manchester United: Reid winner seals fitting Boleyn Ground farewell - 5 things we learned
22:21, 10 MAY 2016 UPDATED 22:56, 10 MAY 2016
BY JOHN CROSS
Reid headed home late on to seal a thrilling clash that looked to be heading United's way after Anthony Martial's brace
The Mirror
West Ham bid farewell to the Boleyn Ground with a stunning comeback against Manchester United. Anthony Martial turned the game on its head with a brace after Diafra Sakho's opener but West Ham hit back in style. Michail Antonio brought the hosts level before Winston Reid sent Upton Park wild with a late header. The clash was marred by violent scenes outside the ground before kick-off, which was delayed by 45 minutes. United's team bus was attacked on its way to the stadium with bottles thrown at the vehicle. On the pitch, West Ham said goodbye in fitting fashion.
Here are five things we learned.
1. Old habits die hard
What should have been a wonderful farewell to Upton Park was tarnished by a trip back in time. A minority of West Ham fans wanted to mark the occasion with some old fashioned violence as they attacked the Manchester United team bus. It's a great shame that pictures of the United coach - smashed and vandalised - will be associated with the last game at Upton Park. And, furthermore, children having to run for cover. We'll miss Upton Park for many reasons - but this was not one of them.
2. West Ham put on a good party inside
From paying tribute on the big screen as they showed great names from the past, to organising colour co-ordinated shirts for fans in the stands, West Ham did put on a good show. The noise and atmosphere at kick off and when Diafro Sakho scored was fantastic. They raised the roof. Yes, we've had no end of coverage in the past few days, even the "bubble technician" was interviewed. But when it came to the occasion itself, it was truly memorable. A fitting occasion to mark the end of one of English football's great cathedrals.
3. Carroll is a Euros no-no
England boss Roy Hodgson was at Upton Park and one moment in the first half was a reminder why Andy Carroll will not be in his squad. Carroll went clean through, had all the time in the world but, with only David De Gea to beat, wellied it straight at the Manchester United keeper.
Carroll is a great aerial threat, a potent weapon from crosses, and yet give him the ball at his feet and this was a reminder why he will not be going to France this summer. The Carroll for England brigade have gone rather quiet recently. They've probably toddled back off to their time machines to be transported back 20 years where Carroll could be a "different option." Yes, the option who misses big chances.
4. United's square pegs in round holes don't fit
Louis Van Gaal has got too many players playing out of position. It's as simple as that. A winger at right back, striker in midfield and, well, we're not quite sure what Marcos Rojo is but he was at left back. Morgan Schneiderlin, a huge disappointment since joining United, was hooked at half time in favour of Michael Carrick. Carrick seemed to give them balance, they had a better shape and - surprise, surprise - they finally got going in the second half.
5. Top four spot in doubt for United
Manchester United needed a win to keep it in their own hands and couldn't manage it. Louis Van Gaal could still turn it over on the final day - but it's not looking great. Manchester City must go to Swansea for what will surely be a harder game than United's last match when they host Bournemouth. But City only need a point now, while United must win, to secure fourth.
Player ratings
Randolph 6 - Largely unemployed, no chance with equaliser.
Antonio 7 - Bombed forward so well but defensively exposed on occasions. Scored the equaliser with a superb header.
Reid 7 - A class operator – not that he was too busy in the first half. Headed the winner - the final goal at Upton Park.
Ogbonna 6 - Won big headers but bypassed before Martial goal.
Cresswell 6 - Tidy distribution but missed header in build-up to equaliser
Noble 7 - The skipper drove West Ham forward and can pick a pass.
Kouyate 6 - Not one of his most effective nights – but always a trier.
Lanzini 7 - At the centre of most of West Ham's best work.
Payet 6 - Lovely set-piece delivery but squandered one great chance,
Carroll 6 - Fine hold-up play but messed up a one-on-one.
Sakho 6 - Took goal well – then missed two better chances.
Man United
De Gea 7 - Made a couple of useful first-half stops, always commanding.
Valencia 7 - Strong in the tacle, United have missed him this season.
Smalling 7 - Cool on the ball and held things together on a tough night.
Blind 5 - Caught out of position on several occasions, even if decent on ball.
Rojo 6 - Industrial tackling at times, but effective.
Schneiderlin 5 - Largely anonymous in the anchor role and hooked at half-time.
Herrera 6 - Neat, tidy, but not often going anywhere.
Mata MOM 8 - Lively, shrewd, played key role in Martial leveller.
Rooney 7 - Some visionary passing and crossing. Always busy.
Martial booked 7 - Took both goals well and pace caused problems.
Rashford 6 - A quiet night for the boy wonder.
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motional Slaven: "Every box was ticked"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Hugely emotional Slaven Bilic claimed this game had ticked all the boxes and maybe should have been over at half time. The manager said: "We have broken records and tonight were so highly motivated and although we were under pressure we were totally determined that we would not lose. "We had the chances to have won the game by half time but we dug in and refused to be beaten – it was fantastic. "We knew Manchester United would be up for it in a big way but we got it absolutely right – it was perfect. Every box as ticked. "We totally deserved the result. It was a special game and a very special night. The crosses came in and the delivery and finishes were perfect. It was a great great result."
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Noble: "It was written in the stars"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Captain Mark Noble summed it all up at the end declaring: "It was written in the stars." And he added that there was a total determination not to lose despite facing facing a very good Manchester United side. He said: "They make the pitch so big but we were never going to lose. We just wouldn't accept that and I am so totally proud of of the players. "In previous seasons we would have been beaten but not this squad – there's such an amazing spirit and in the end as I say it was written in the stars for us." Winston Reid – who now enters the history books as the last goalscorer at the Boleyn – simply said: "It was simply meant to be."
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It's tearful Slaven as Irons supply perfect ending
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on May 10, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H
Irons 3 Man United 2
My Lady Boleyn – you deserved ever second of that truly wonderful game of football – thank you for everything. It's been marvelous and what a way to say goodbye.
Manchester United – our oldest and perhaps fiercest enemyhaving come from one down to lead 2-1 beaten 3-2 by a West Ham showing absolutely everything you want from your team…, great passing…terrific goals and the ability to face up to adversity and laugh at it.
We beat a team who thought they had their feet in the Champions League because of a new found resilieince and determination to ensure this on our most important night ever we simply wouldn't be beaten.
Winston Reid scored the last ever goal the Boleyn will see – a great effort from the inevitable Payet free kick and it was over, finished. The perfect ending.
Sakho had opened the scoring with a deflected effort after some perfect football and from Lanzini and Cresswell.
But United levelled six minutes into the second half through Martial after a long De Gea punt was helped on by Mata. Martial added the second with a tightly angled shot and with 15 minutes left Payet finally found Antonio to head home and then came the Reid winner.
We so wanted it…we challenged for absolutely everything and anything other than an Irons victory would have been a total injustice.
This may well have been the greatest game of football seen on this old and wonderful ground has ever seen – I don't know. But if it wasn't then it's a photo finish.
Amazing game…amazing stadium and at the end Slaven was in tears -sometimes words are not enough so we'll repeat the only two that matters to the lads, the manager, the owners and everybody involved at the club but chiefly to the Lady Boleyn:
THANK YOU Thank you for everything!
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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