David Sullivan - We have no desire to sell
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone and a very happy Christmas!
Like all of you who traveled or watched the match on TV, my family and myself thoroughly enjoyed our win over Swansea City on Boxing Day, where we achieved our biggest victory of the Premier League season so far.
To pick up ten points from the last four games is fantastic, as every game in this league is tough and every victory needs to be earned.
To achieve three wins in a row in the Premier League is fantastic but, while we have picked up results-wise, we are not kidding ourselves as we are still a long way from playing as well as we know we can play.
That said, we are improving all the time and every win is great for the confidence of the players, the coaching staff, the manager, the supporters and the Board!
The support at Liberty Stadium was superb, as always, and I would like to personally thank the 2,000 fans who made a long and ultimately fruitful journey to Wales on Boxing Day. They were fittingly rewarded for their non-stop singing.
We now go to Leicester City looking to extend our unbeaten run to five matches and we have a real chance of doing just that.
Leicester are the champions and going to the King Power Stadium is never easy, but we are above them in the table and will look to exploit any weaknesses we can identify before and during our game on New Year's Eve.
I would also like to take the opportunity to mention that the story that appeared in The Sun on Boxing Day morning regarding the possible sale of the Club to Red Bull is six months out of date.
We did have a tentative approach to buy the Club for £650m from external investors in August this year, but I want to reiterate that we, the current owners, have NO DESIRE to sell the Club unless it is to somebody like the King of Saudi Arabia who can take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach.
Before I go, I and the Board would like to wish each and every West Ham United supporter a very happy and prosperous New Year. We truly believe 2017 will be another memorable year for our fantastic Football Club
David Sullivan
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Stat's a Fact - Resilient Randolph
WHUFC.com
It's been a December to remember for West Ham United so far and no more so was this in evidence than on Boxing Day as the Hammers strolled to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Swansea City at The Liberty Stadium.
Andre Ayew opened the scoring in the 13th minute with his first for the club before Winston Reid and Michail Antonio got the second and third. Despite Fernando Llorente getting one back for the Swans, it was the Hammers who signed off with a Christmas 'Carroll' of their own as the big man bagged the fourth in the final minute.
The win was our first ever at The Liberty Stadium, second away from home this season and our third consecutive league victory this month. Not since January have Slaven Bilic's side bagged nine points out of nine in Premier League matches.
And whilst the Hammers' front-line may take the media headlines for an imperious attacking display in South Wales, a constant in our recent run of form has been the high-class performances of one man, who again was on song yesterday.
Voted as Man of the Match by supporters on Twitter, goalkeeper Darren Randolph was on top of his game between the West Ham sticks. The Irish keeper made six saves, twice as many as Swansea's Lukasz Fabianski, and came within four minutes of bagging a third clean sheet on the bounce.
His back-to-back clean sheets against Burnley and Hull were our first since October and had we made it three on the spin, it would have been a record broken that stretched back over 12 months.
As all the best goalkeepers do, he made essential saves at essential times. One of his best was a diving effort to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick just before half-time but he was also on hand to keep out Jack Cork, Sigurdsson again, and Wayne Routledge in fine style.
Not only was Darren in fine form yesterday with his gloves, but on the ground with his feet he made positive decisions which kick-started some of West Ham's impressive forward-play. He was an essential part of our possession-based approach making 50 touches and 43 passes in the game - more than some of his outfield teammates.
After impressing at the Summer's European Championships with Republic of Ireland, Randolph had to wait until 19 November for his first Premier League start this campaign but has without doubt impressed since being given his chance.
Performances like those of his yesterday prove it is without coincidence that since his selection, the Hammers have picked up half of their current season's points total in just seven games. Defensively, statistics show we are improving each game and four goals netted against Swansea suggest things aren't too bad up-top either…
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Bilic – We've had to really work
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic believes West Ham's four-goal display at Swansea City on Boxing Day was the result of the hard graft shown against Burnley and Hull City.
Those home victories in the week before Christmas did not contain the lethal goalscoring of Monday, but they did not lack resilience and heart.
And it was those characteristics which allowed the Hammers the freedom to go out and put Swansea to the sword, according to the boss.
West Ham have now taken ten points from a possible twelve and Bilic is delighted with that swift turnaround in form.
He explained: "There are a few corners in the Premier League, 38 of them. The situation now is totally different now from what it was a few weeks ago, when we were talking about the schedule of Spurs, Man United, Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
"We were talking about those crucial two home games against Hull and Burnley. We didn't expect them to be easy and we had to really work, but it gave us six points together with the seventh from Liverpool and that gave us confidence.
"Now, that confidence was obvious with the display at Swansea. What we can't do now is just think who is above us, still it is very tight, but we have to use this to gain more confidence and build on these ten points – continuing to work and improve."
Of the performance in South Wales, Bilic was especially pleased to see both sides of the visitors' game working in unison on the way to maximum points.
He added: "We played really good from first whistle to the end. We defended well with numbers, with aggression and on our toes, not giving them enough time and space for players especially like Sigurdsson to do something special.
"Then, when we had the ball we were really dangerous. We hurt them.
"I'm very pleased for the guys, it was a very good performance, and to go to Swansea and win in style – 4-1 – makes it a really good day for us."
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Randolph – We've made it a good Christmas
WHUFC.com
Darren Randolph was delighted with a late Christmas gift on Boxing Day as the Hammers beat Swansea City 4-1
It was the Club's first ever win at the Liberty Stadium
The stopper was in great form, making a string of wonderful saves in south Wales
West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph was delighted to make it a very Merry Christmas for all Hammers fans with a Boxing Day victory at Swansea City on Monday. The Republic of Ireland stopper was in superb form at the Liberty Stadium, making a string of stunning saves as his teammates were clinical at the other end, eventually winning 4-1. And Randolph, who kept two clean sheets in the Club's last pair of home wins, explained why the three were points were so vital in south Wales. He said: "We wanted to take more points off a team that was down the bottom and we managed to do that and we played very well today. "It was especially good because we have got two wins on the bounce at home and that point at Anfield, so it has been a very good seven points. "We wanted to make it three today and make it a good Christmas for us and the fans and everyone involved with the Club. "These were the games we were looking at where we felt we could definitely get maximum points from. Again, we'd done that so far, and we managed to get three today with a great team performance. Everyone goes home happy."
Randolph made superb stops to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jack Cork among others as the hosts found the net only once from 14 attempts on goal, half of which were on target. But the 29-year-old was typically modest about his own showing when accessing the clash post-match. "I was obviously pleased with my performance," he continued. "But I've said before, any saves that I can make that can contribute to the team winning, 'm more than happy to do. "It was obviously a tough start for me coming into the team with the games that we had, but of course you want to play. "[My favourite] would probably be the save from [Sigurdsson's] free-kick [during the first half]. "The table is still quite close. But with each win and point, we're putting more distance between us and the bottom and we're getting closer to the top. We're doing that with three wins on the bounce. "I think now, not too many people are bothered about the performances if we are putting three points on the table."
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OPINION: A QUIET JANUARY WILL BE JUST FINE
BY JOE DORAN ON 27 DECEMBER 2016 AT 7:06PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
After a torrid start to the season, West Ham United fans are starting to breathe a little easier after the first of their festive fixtures, having witnessed by far the Irons' best performance of the season as they dispatched Swansea 4-1. Beyond the result, what will have satisfied the supporters and club hierarchy most of all about today's game was the involvement of several of the club's summer signings in key moments, as Andre Ayew, Edimilson Fernandes, Havård Nordtveit and Sofiane Feghouli all had direct influence on the goals.
Attention therefore, will soon turn to the upcoming January transfer window, and any useful additions that Slaven Bilič could make to his squad. Tweets demanding the opening of wallets and the venturing of hands deep into pockets are already being directed towards David Gold, and peculiarly, David Jr and Jack Sullivan – Irons' fans presumably alight with a fine rage as they click 'Send' on a tweet to a teenager, demanding they squander millions of pounds, one assumes of their pocket money, or perhaps that which belongs to a club their father owns, on a 30-year-old Colombian.
Despite these 140-character tantrums, it is this writer's opinion that the club must exercise caution in any dealings this January, and that we the fans must be braced for a window of loan-to-buy agreements and potentially, failed deals if the owners are priced out of the market. There seems to a be a not-so-silent part of the fan base that seems to see such sensible curation of club finances as corrupt embezzlement of riches they perceive as their own, presumably envisaging David Gold as some sort of Scrooge McDuck figure, swimming in the ten million pound coins he could have otherwise spent on Gokhan Tore. Of course, Gold and Sullivan, and even their children, cannot win in such a scenario, and will inevitably be accused of one thing or another, but Twitter abuse from those with little grasp of how a club, or indeed a business, works is small price to pay for fiscal solvency and a squad not laboured with deadwood.
January has never been a fantastic time for value, rather like buying your Christmas presents on Christmas Eve instead of on Black Friday. Something that has been common knowledge for many years now, Sir Alex Ferguson always complained about the window itself, becoming known as an open disciple of the anti-January window ideology. And, with the Irons' owners being in the market for a new striker who can guarantee 20 goals a season, rather than a reserve goalkeeper, so too are West Ham subject to the pricing and risk that Ferguson complained about – the pains of shopping for a commodity everybody needs right now and not nearly everybody can have. It is, sadly, just basic economics.
In addition to this, as a club, West Ham don't have a fantastic recent record of making signings in the January window that make a long-term difference – Nicky Maynard and Vaz Te helped the side on to promotion in 2012, whilst Demba Ba nearly staved off relegation a year before that, but you'd be hard pushed to call them effective in the long term. Otherwise, beyond Sam Byram it's been slim pickings in terms of sound investments for a good few years. Such business is fine if you're in a relegation or promotion battle and need anyone from anywhere you can find them to get you 5-10 goals between January 29th and May 20th, but when a team is considering paying twenty million pounds for a shiny new striker, it's a big risk, and has historically yielded West Ham very little reward.
Rumours are already swirling of Bilic re-igniting interest in Batshuayi, Bacca and Iorfa, all of whom would be wonderful additions, and certainly plug gaping holes in a team that needs it, but the club should also maintain a collective cool head and not dip excessively in to funds that could be used in the summer to greater effect at better value. West Ham have already experienced the bad side of risking money on a striker this season, as they did with Simone Zaza, and they no doubt thank their lucky stars that they avoided paying twenty-five million for him.
Nonetheless, given a promising December, leaving Eighth place only three points away, Gold, Sullivan, Bilič and the fans have every right to be aiming high and thinking positively, but it is in the best interests of all the involved parties that the best solution possible is found, whether that entails in spending the money now, or holding on to it until better value is available in the summer. Perhaps then, West Ham fans should prepare for a quiet window, and enjoy whatever comes if and when it does, there's plenty of promise ahead regardless.
@joeisntwriting
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Board rejected £650m bid, claims Sullivan Jnr
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 26th December 2016
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United turned down a £650million bid for West Ham back in August, according to the teenage son of co-chairman David Sullivan. Jack Sullivan, posting in response to a query regarding this morning's tabloid story linking drinks manufacturer Red Bull with a bid for the club made the bold claim on social media tonight. "Great three points today, to win and score four goals away from home is really good!," he wrote. Great to see Ayew on the score sheet too. "Re the Red Bull story in Sun today, completely out of date and figures wrong - we turned down £650m in August."
And in answer to concerns regarding a potential name change, Sullivan Jnr added: "We have no desire to sell our heritage and be called Red Bull West Ham."
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Slaven Bilic heaps praise on West Ham forward Andre Ayew
By Nick Lustig
Last Updated: 27/12/16 2:02pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic has backed Andre Ayew to rediscover his very best form after the forward scored his first goal for West Ham against former club Swansea on Boxing Day. The 27-year-old joined the Hammers from Swansea in the summer for a club record £20.5m fee, but was ruled out for two months in August after suffering a thigh injury on his debut away at Chelsea. Ayew, who scored 12 goals last season during his debut campaign in England, set West Ham on their way to a 4-1 victory at the Liberty Stadium when he pounced on a fumble from Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. "It was hard for him because for West Ham it is a massive price tag and then he got a very bad injury straight away," said Bilic. "But he kept working and he's now in a really good position to be the Ayew from last season and from Marseille. "To me it's his performance but, of course, for any striker nothing boosts their confidence like scoring goals. "If you had asked before the game who I would love to score for the future, then I would say Andre definitely. "Not because it was against Swansea, but what we expect from him in the future - and what he expects."
West Ham moved up to 11th place following their third successive Premier League victory, with Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll also on target.
They travel to defending champions Leicester on New Year's Eve before hosting Manchester United on January 2, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 5pm.
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Red Bull? That's news to me, says Gold
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th December 2016
By: Staff Writer
Co-chairman David Gold says he is "unaware of any communication" with Red Bull - despite partner David Sullivan confirming the drink company's interest a few minutes later. Last night Gold replied to a fan's question via twitter asking if the company had indeed made an offer to purchase West Ham - to which the octogenarian replied: "I am unaware of any communication with the company that own Red Bull."
David Gold ✔ @davidgold
I am unaware of any communication with the company that own Red Bull. dg https://twitter.com/jakewormsley93/status/813446705895112704 …
8:23 PM - 26 Dec 2016
75 75 Retweets 100 100 likes
However less than an hour later, Sullivan revealed - via the club's website - that the Austrian firm had indeed been in touch during the summer regarding a potential purchase. "The story that appeared in The Sun on Boxing Day morning regarding the possible sale of the Club to Red Bull is six months out of date," he said. "We did have a tentative approach to buy the club for £650million from external investors in August this year, but I want to reiterate that we, the current owners, have no desire to sell - unless it is to somebody like the King of Saudi Arabia, who can take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach."
Jack Sullivan @jsullivanwhu
1/2 Re red bull story in sun today,completely out of date and figures wrong we turned down £650m in august. We have no desire to sell out
8:41 PM - 26 Dec 2016
263 263 Retweets 373 373 likes
Naturally Gold's carefully-worded response failed to exclude contact with an agency - or "external investors" - working on behalf of Red Bull, whose interest was confirmed by Jack Sullivan via his twitter account last night.
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West Ham will only sell to "King of Saudi Arabia" after rejecting £650million takeover bid, says David Sullivan
Sullivan revealed he rejected an offer in the summer and will only sell to investors with serious riches capable of taking the club to a level
BYMATT LAWLESS
12:40, 27 DEC 2016UPDATED12:40, 27 DEC 2016
The Mirror
David Sullivan insists West Ham would only be sold to the "King of Saudi Arabia" after turning down a £650million takeover bid. The Hammers were linked with a buyout bid from energy drinks giant Red Bull, who are keen to extend their successful football portfolio to the Premier League . But West Ham co-owner Sullivan revealed he rejected an offer in the summer and will only sell to investors with serious riches capable of taking the club to a level that he cannot. "We did have a tentative approach to buy the Club for £650m from external investors in August this year," Sullivan said, speaking to the official club wesbite . "But I want to reiterate that we, the current owners, have NO DESIRE to sell the club unless it is to somebody like the King of Saudi Arabia who can take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach."
West Ham have overcome their tumultuous start to the season with a fine round of form that has seen Slaven Bilic's side unbeaten on their last four league games.
The 4-1 Boxing Day victory at Swansea saw the East End side climb up to 11th place in the table as they now look forward to travelling to out-of-sorts champions Leicester on New Year's Eve. We now go to Leicester City looking to extend our unbeaten run to five matches and we have a real chance of doing just that," added Sullivan. "Leicester are the champions and going to the King Power Stadium is never easy, but we are above them in the table and will look to exploit any weaknesses we can identify before and during our game on New Year's Eve."
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David Sullivan reveals West Ham were subject of £650m summer takeover approach: 'We have no desire to sell unless it is to somebody like the King of Saudi Arabia'
An investor attempted a takeover of West Ham United in the summer
David Sullivan has revealed his club was the subject of an £650m approach
But he has rejected suggestions Red Bull are about to buy the Hammers
By SAM MORSHEAD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:07, 27 December 2016 | UPDATED: 15:07, 27 December 2016
West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan says he would only sell the club to an investor with the financial clout of the King of Saudi Arabia after shrugging off a £650m takeover approach in the summer. Sullivan, who has been at the helm of the Hammers alongside his fellow co-chairman David Gold since the pair acquired a controlling stake in the club in 2010, has dismissed suggestions Red Bull are mounting a buyout. And, writing on West Ham's official website, he insisted that there is little incentive for him and Gold to sell to anyone who is unable to 'take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach'. 'We did have a tentative approach to buy the club for £650m from external investors in August this year,' Sullivan wrote. 'But I want to reiterate that we, the current owners, have no desire to sell the club unless it is to somebody like the King of Saudi Arabia who can take it to a level we cannot ourselves hope to reach.'
A 4-1 victory at Swansea on Boxing Day was the Hammers' third in a row in the Premier League and Sullivan is optimistic ahead as he looks towards the new year.
'We truly believe 2017 will be another memorable year for our fantastic football club,' he wrote. Leicester are up next for West Ham on New Year's Eve and, despite the champions' struggles this term, Sullivan is wary of the threat they pose his side. 'Leicester are the champions and going to the King Power Stadium is never easy,' he wrote. 'But we are above them in the table and will look to exploit any weaknesses we can identify before and during our game on New Year's Eve.'
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West Ham Exclusive: Top striker among three new signings, £10m bid for new Vardy, two out
WEST HAM are lining up a £10million move for the new Jamie Vardy.
By COLIN MAFHAM
PUBLISHED: 12:15, Sun, Dec 25, 2016 | UPDATED: 13:04, Sun, Dec 25, 2016
Express.co.uk
West Ham have targeted Brentford striker Scott Hogan who, like Vardy, has risen from non-league football. Hogan, 24, has scored 13 goals in 23 Championship games after once playing alongside Vardy at Halifax and similar spells at the likes of Woodley Sports, Mossley, Stocksbridge Park Steels, Ashton United and Hyde.
The Hammers have turned their attentions to Hogan after being knocked back by Sunderland with an audacious enquiry for former striker Jermain Defoe.
In the meantime AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca, 30, looks set to be the first of three West Ham signings in next month's transfer window. They want him to replace Simone Zaza, who has now returned to Juventus after a disappointing six months with the club. There are also lingering doubts about the long-term fitness of Andy Carroll who is being eyed by clubs in China. Bacca scored just six goals in 15 games this season.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 28
Monday, December 26
Daily WHUFC News - 27th December 2016
Hammers stuff toothless Swans
WHUFC.com
Ayew, Reid, Antonio and Carroll on target in thumping first win at Liberty
Stadium
Former Swansea City player Ayew nets first goal in Claret and Blue
Hammers up to eleventh after first Boxing Day victory since 2009
Record signing Andre Ayew returned to haunt former club Swansea City by
setting West Ham United on their way to a thumping 4-1 Boxing Day victory.
The Ghana forward, signed from the Swans for £20.6m in August, opened
scoring on 13 minutes at the Liberty Stadium, before Winston Reid, Michail
Antonio and Andy Carroll completed a superb Christmas with goals after
half-time. The Hammers' victory was their first in five attempts at
Swansea's new home, their first Boxing Day win since 2009, and lifted Slaven
Bilic's side to eleventh in the Premier League table. Ayew's opener arrived
in opportunist style, with the No20 tapping home after Lukasz Fabianski had
failed to deal with Andy Carroll's knock-down from a diagonal Mark Noble
pass. The strike came after Swansea had started the brighter on home turf,
with Alfie Mawson heading wide from their first corner before Borja Baston
curled off-target rather than playing in the unmarked Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Having gone ahead, West Ham edged the remainder of the first half, although
Swansea arguably created the better chances. For the visitors, Ayew flicked
a Dimitri Payet cross just beyond the flying Michail Antonio at the far
post, Payet himself seeing a shot held by Fabianski. As half-time
approached, Swansea threatened again, but Sigurdsson first sliced a
left-foot shot out for a throw-in, then saw Darren Randolph plunge to his
left to push his well-struck free-kick around the post.
With chances suddenly flowing, Antonio curled a yard wide of the top corner
after collecting the Frenchman's pass, then Swansea midfielder Jack Cork
headed Wayne Routledge's centre over Randolph's crossbar, meaning the
Hammers went in a goal to the good at the break.
Swansea manager Bob Bradley reacted with a double change at the break,
bringing on Fernando Llorente and Jefferson Montero for Borja and Jay Fulton
respectively. After again starting brightly, the Swans were again stung by a
West Ham goal. Five minutes of the second half had passed when Carroll's
shot was deflected wide and Reid beat two defenders to Payet's near-post
corner to head home. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Swansea reacted by going on the
front foot, with Routledge slicing wide, Randolph making another decent stop
to push Cork's aside and the Irishman then helping Sigurdsson's looping
header over the top.
With the home crowd getting increasingly frustrated, West Ham kept
possession with increasing confidence and ensured a second away win of
2016/17 when eight-goal leading scorer Antonio diverted Havard Nordtveit's
shot past Fabianski – who had saved from substitute Edmilison Fernandes
seconds earlier – with 13 minutes remaining. The impressive Randolph made
smart saves from Angel Rangel and Cork late on, completing a miserable
afternoon for Bradley, but was powerless to stop Llorente firing home from
Nathan Dyer's cut-back on 89. There was still time for Carroll to score his
fifth in six matches against the Swans, expertly volleying home Sofiane
Feghouli's cross in the final minute. The in-form Hammers will end 2016 with
a trip to champions Leicester City on New Year's Eve, with kick-off at King
Power Stadium set for 3pm.
Swansea City: Fabianski; Rangel, Mawson, van der Hoorn, Kingsley; Cork,
Fulton (Montero 46, Dyer 70), Britton; Routledge, Sigurdsson (c), Borja
(Llorente 46)
Subs not used: Nordfeldt (GK), Fer, Naughton, Fernandez
Bookings: None
Goal: Llorente 89
West Ham United: Randolph; Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble (c),
Kouyate; Antonio (Feghouli 83), Ayew (Fernandes 75), Payet; Carroll
(Fletcher 90).
Subs not used: Adrian (GK), Quina, Rice, Pike.
Bookings: None
Goals: Ayew 13, Reid 50, Antonio 77, Carroll 90
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Attendance: 20,757 (1,969 from West Ham United)
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Ayew happy with 'important' goal
WHUFC.com
Andre Ayew delighted to net his first goal for West Ham United on Boxing Day
Ghana forward opened scoring in 4-1 Premier League win at former club
Swansea City
No20 believes both he and the Hammers will get better as the season wears on
Andre Ayew believes there is more to come from both himself and West Ham
United after scoring his first goal in Claret and Blue. The No20 netted his
maiden Hammers goal to set Slaven Bilic's side on their way to a thumping
4-1 Premier League win at his former club Swansea City on Boxing Day.
Club-record signing Ayew, who returned to action in November after three
months out with a groin injury suffered at Chelsea on the opening weekend of
the Premier League season, was delighted to be part of a third straight
top-flight victory. West Ham's win, which followed hard-earned 1-0 home
successes against Burnley and Hull City, lifted them up to eleventh, eight
points clear of the bottom three and just four off seventh place ahead of
the New Year's Eve trip to struggling champions Leicester City.
"I think it was important to get the goal for the squad and to get my first
goal here," said Ayew. "I started the season in a very difficult way, but
I'm trying to get back into my best shape. "Things are getting better now
and the boys are helping me, pushing me every day and I'm getting my
confidence back. We had a great game today and hopefully we can continue
like that."
For Ayew, converting Andy Carroll's 13th-minute knockdown was a big moment
for the Ghana star, but the 27-year-old was thinking only of the team when
he was asked about the significance of his strike. Winston Reid, Michail
Antonio and Carroll were also on target in South Wales, earning West Ham
their biggest win of 2016/17, three victories in a row for the first time
since March and a first-ever success at Liberty Stadium. "Personally, I
think it was an important goal for me, but collectively it was our third win
and we've done really well in the last few games," said Ayew. "We didn't
play our best football in the previous two games, but I think we managed to
get two clean sheets and win those games. "Today we played better football,
but I think we can do even better with the ball. We've proved that we've got
a good squad and if we keep working hard then we can get more results."
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Bilic - Belief has been key to turnaround
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic happy with thumping Premier League victory at Swansea City on
Boxing Day
Manager delighted with turnaround that has yielded ten points in last four
matches
Boss expects goalscorer Andre Ayew to get better and better as fitness and
form improve
Slaven Bilic said West Ham United 'totally deserved' their 4-1 Premier
League victory at Swansea City on Boxing Day. Bilic's Hammers produced their
most complete performance of the season to see off the struggling Swans at
Liberty Stadium, where Andre Ayew, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy
Carroll were all on target. With Darren Randolph leading a strong defensive
display at the other end of the pitch, the manager was rightly proud as his
team notched a third straight win to rise to eleventh in the table. "It was
a really good performance," he confirmed. "From the first minute until the
end we were really compact and were able to defend as a team. "When we had
the ball we were really good on it. We kept the ball well and were dangerous
when we had opportunities to break on them and we were switching sides "It
was maybe our best performance this season and we totally deserved it. OK,
it helps when you are winning 1-0 and you score another one, because you
play with a lot more confidence than when you are losing, but it was a
really good performance and I'm really pleased with the team and I
congratulate all the players."
West Ham rode out early Swansea pressure to go ahead through Ayew's first
Claret and Blue goal – against his old club to boot – before Reid's header
five minutes after half-time halted a strong start to the second period from
Bob Bradley's side. Antonio diverted in a third before Fernando Llorente
pulled one back, only for Carroll to net his second of the season with a
searing volley in the final minute. "Of course it's important to score
goals at the times we did," Bilic confirmed. They had chances before we
scored the first, but we also had chances before we scored and we always
looked promising on the ball and like hurting them. "The second goal was at
a crucial moment when they were trying to come back from 1-0 down, had made
a couple of changes and were trying to turn things around here like they did
against Crystal Palace in a great game. "To score the second goal then, five
minutes after half-time, was crucial."
So, after sitting 18th just over a fortnight ago, West Ham are in mid-table.
What does Bilic put the turnaround and ten points from four matches down to?
"The key was that we never stopped believing and we kept training hard and
kept believing and, as we said in those hard moments, when we had those five
really difficult games, we were talking about those two home games to get
out of the cramp, as I called it," he explained. "The two wins against
Burnley and Hull were hard but they put us in a position where we could
breathe a bit more and that was basically the key. "Even when we were there,
we were always saying that we were only three or four points from mid-table
and that is still the case because it was tight and it is tight. Of course
we are going to be positive but the Premier League gives you no time to
relax. However, this is a real opportunity for us to build our confidence
even more."
Talking of confidence, Bilic is now expecting big things from goalscorer
Ayew, who produced his best performance in a West Ham shirt against his
former club.
"Not just the goal but the performance will help him," the manager said of
his Club-record signing. "He is still not at top fitness because he had the
injury and he came back, but the goals help every striker and now we are
expecting that his top form will happen. "We expect him to contribute not
only with goals but with his all-round displays."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea City 1-4 West Ham United
By Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Wales Sport at the Liberty Stadium
West Ham cruised to a third straight win to plunge Swansea City deeper into
Premier League relegation trouble and increase the pressure on manager Bob
Bradley.
Former Swans forward Andre Ayew pounced on Lukasz Fabianski's fumble to put
the visitors ahead, before Winston Reid headed in from a corner to double
their lead. Michail Antonio added a third and, although Fernando Llorente
scored late on for Swansea, Andy Carroll's firm strike sealed a convincing
West Ham victory.
Slaven Bilic's side climb to 11th in the Premier League table, while Swansea
remain second from bottom but now four points adrift of safety. Where
Bradley is concerned, a seventh defeat from his 11 matches in charge leaves
the American in grave danger of losing his job less than three months after
his appointment.
Swansea's supporters called for his sacking during the second half, as well
as accusing the club's directors of greed following the Swans' American
takeover in the summer.
Having won only two of his first 10 games at the helm, Bradley admitted
before the match that his future could depend on the outcome of this fixture
and the home encounter with Bournemouth on New Year's Eve. Swansea had
unravelled with scant resistance to lose their previous two games, at
Middlesbrough 3-0 and West Brom 3-1, and they were similarly vulnerable
against West Ham. Since the American's appointment in October the Swans had
conceded 25 goals - more than any other Premier League side in the same
period - and their 26th was as feeble as any they have let in. Cheikhou
Kouyate only managed a weak flick from Andy Carroll's header, but Fabianski
could only palm the ball into the path of Ayew, who tapped in from close
range. The goal created a sense of anxiety inside the Liberty Stadium, and
that unease turned to wholehearted hostility after Reid extended West Ham's
lead. Swansea's supporters booed Bradley and chanted "You don't know what
you're doing", before turning their ire towards the Swans' board as the
prospect of relegation looms larger than ever.
Unlike their opponents, West Ham entered this match with renewed optimism
after successive 1-0 wins over Hull and Burnley had eased their own
relegation fears.
Those were relatively hard-earned triumphs, but they were able to cruise to
victory in south Wales without playing at their fluent best. It was a
straightforward afternoon for goalkeeper Darren Randolph and his defenders,
who had little to worry about apart from the occasional long-range effort
from Gylfi Sigurdsson. In attack, West Ham were clinical on the break and
from set-pieces, with midfielder Dimitri Payet increasingly influential in
the second half. Carroll also proved his worth with a typically abrasive
display, capped with a goal which helped maintain the Hammers' record of
winning every Premier League match in which the striker has started since
returning from injury.
Man of the match - Andy Carroll (West Ham)
Swansea could not contain the aerial threat of Carroll, who helped set up
the first West Ham goal and scored the last as he gave his opponents a
torrid afternoon
Swansea's shaky defence
Swansea have shipped 29 goals in the top flight since Bob Bradley took
charge on 15 October, more than any other side.
Swansea have conceded the first goal in 13 Premier League games this season,
only Hull have done so more often.
West Ham have won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time
since March.
Andre Ayew is the 41st player to score both for and against West Ham in the
Premier League, more than any other club has seen.
Dimitri Payet has provided 15 Premier League assists in 2016, more than any
other player.
What next?
Swansea host Bournemouth on New Year's Eve before taking on Crystal Palace
on 3 January. West Ham travel to Leicester on 31 December and face
Manchester United at home on 2 January.
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West Ham: Red Bull denies takeover, Hammers owners 'not looking for
investment'
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport
Red Bull has dismissed reports it is interested in buying West Ham, while
the east London club's owners have told BBC Sport they are not looking for
investors. It had been reported that the energy drinks giant was considering
a £200m offer for the Premier League club. Sullivan and Gold bought a
majority stake in West Ham in 2010 in a deal that valued the club at £105m.
Between them they now own more than 85% of the club. Since August's move to
London Stadium, West Ham have also been linked with takeovers from Qatari
and Chinese groups. Last year Sullivan said it was possible a minority
shareholding could be sold to clear debts but that he and Gold intended the
ownership to pass on to their children.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SWANSEA 1-4 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 26 DECEMBER 2016 AT 5:34PM
The WestHamWay.co.uk
Record signing Andre Ayew returned to haunt his former club Swansea City by
setting the Hammers on their way to a thumping 4-1 Boxing Day victory this
afternoon.
The Ghanaian forward, signed for just over £20m in August showed his first
flashes of quality today by opening the scoring on 13 minutes at the Liberty
Stadium, before Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll completed a
superb rout of the Welsh side.
The Hammers' victory was their first in five attempts at Swansea's new home,
their first Boxing Day win since 2009, and lifted Slaven Bilic's side to
eleventh in the Premier League table.
Ayew's opener arrived in opportunist style, with him tapping home after
Lukasz Fabianski had failed to deal with Andy Carroll's knock-down from a
diagonal Mark Noble pass. The strike came after the home side had started
the brighter, with Alfie Mawson heading wide from their first corner before
Borja Baston curled off-target rather than playing in the unmarked Gylfi
Sigurdsson.
Having gone ahead, West Ham edged the remainder of the first half, although
Swansea arguably created the better chances. For the visitors, Ayew flicked
a Dimitri Payet cross just beyond the flying Michail Antonio at the far
post, Payet himself seeing a shot held by Fabianski.
As half-time approached, Swansea threatened again, but Sigurdsson first
sliced a left-foot shot out for a throw-in, then saw Darren Randolph plunge
to his left to push his well-struck free-kick around the post. With chances
suddenly flowing, Antonio curled a yard wide of the top corner after
collecting the Frenchman's pass, then Swansea midfielder Jack Cork headed
Wayne Routledge's centre over Randolph's crossbar, meaning the Hammers went
in a goal to the good at the break.
Swansea manager Bob Bradley reacted with a double change at the break,
bringing on Fernando Llorente and Jefferson Montero for Borja and Jay Fulton
respectively. After again starting brightly, the Swans were again stung by a
West Ham goal. Five minutes of the second half had passed when Carroll's
shot was deflected wide and Reid beat two defenders to Payet's near-post
corner to head home.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Swansea reacted by going on the front foot, with
Routledge slicing wide, Randolph making another decent stop to push Cork's
aside and the Irishman then helping Sigurdsson's looping header over the
top. With the home crowd getting increasingly frustrated, West Ham kept
possession with increasing confidence and ensured a second away win of
2016/17 when eight-goal leading scorer Antonio diverted Havard Nordtveit's
shot past Fabianski – who had saved from substitute Edmilison Fernandes
seconds earlier – with 13 minutes remaining.
The impressive Randolph made smart saves from Angel Rangel and Cork late on,
completing a miserable afternoon for Bradley, but was powerless to stop
Llorente firing home from Nathan Dyer's cut-back in the 89th minute.
There was still time though for Carroll to score his fifth in six matches
against the Swans, expertly volleying home Sofiane Feghouli's cross in the
final minute in a move that once again Edimilson Fernandes set up.
The Manager will be well impressed with the result today but more
importantly how some of his summer signings actually played. Both Ayew and
Nordtveit were outstanding with the latter having probably the best
performance of anyone that has played in that dreaded right back position
all year. Not only did he keep one player quiet. He was so good Bradley
had to change things around at HT and bring Montero on to attack the
Norwegian down that wing. He lasted 24 minutes with Havard shutting him out
as well. The position has been a nightmare for the Hammers all year and
maybe now Slaven has found a player that can excel there and utilise a
standard back four which should give our wide players more of an opportunity
to stay up the other end of the pitch.
Swansea City: Fabianski; Rangel, Mawson, van der Hoorn, Kingsley; Cork,
Fulton (Montero 46, Dyer 70), Britton; Routledge, Sigurdsson (c), Borja
(Llorente 46)
Subs not used: Nordfeldt (GK), Fer, Naughton, Fernandez
Bookings: None
Goal: Llorente 89
West Ham United: Randolph; Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble (c),
Kouyate; Antonio (Feghouli 83), Ayew (Fernandes 75), Payet; Carroll
(Fletcher 90).
Subs not used: Adrian (GK), Quina, Rice, Pike.
Bookings: None
Goals: Ayew 13, Reid 50, Antonio 77, Carroll 90
Referee: Andre Marriner.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Hosts relegation fears heightened after another defeat
By Pete Hall
Last Updated: 26/12/16 5:57pm
SSN
West Ham piled the pressure on Bob Bradley after they cruised to a 4-1 win
over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day. Andre Ayew returned to
haunt his former club after 13 minutes, tapping home his first goal for West
Ham to set the Hammers on course for a third league victory in a row.
Winston Reid made it two five minutes after the break before Michail Antonio
made sure of the win 12 minutes from time, capitalising on more poor
defending from the home side. Fernando Llorente's late strike proved to be a
mere consolation, as Andy Carroll netted a fourth in stoppage time to a
chorus of boos around the Liberty. The result sees Swansea sit four points
from safety, with questions over Bradley's suitability to the role
remaining. West Ham are up to 11th after their success in south Wales.
Swansea started well, but were caught on the break as the Hammers took the
lead through a familiar face to Swans followers. A long ball towards the
back post was met firmly by Carroll, who headed across goal, Lukasz
Fabianski could only parry the ball into the path of Ayew, who could not
miss from a few yards out.
Antonio went close to finding a second minutes later, but was inches away
from connecting at the back post. Record Swansea signing Borja Baston then
did superbly to work space for the shot, but sliced the ball wide as his
search for a first goal in English football goes on.
Darren Randolph was called into action three minutes before the break,
superbly denying Gylfi Sigurdsson from a free-kick as frustration grew
around the Liberty.
After the interval, Swansea continued to be the architects of their own
downfall, and it was not long before Reid headed the Hammers' second,
beating three defenders to a corner to steer the ball home. Randolph was
then at his best to deny Swansea twice in four minutes, with his stop from
Jack Cork's strike the pick of the lot. It was game, set and match 12
minutes from time as Antonio diverted a drilled Havard Nordtveit strike
home, despite appearing to think he was offside. In fact, Nathan Dyer was
too slow to get out behind him, playing the versatile Hammer onside for his
eight goal of the season. Randolph again was forced to deny Angel Rangel
with a smart stop, before he was finally beaten in stoppage time by Swansea
substitute Llorente, after great work from Dyer to pick him out.
The three-goal winning margin was restored less than a minute later in
stoppage time, though, as Carroll was allowed far too much time to bring the
ball down and scuff his strike past the despairing dive of Fabianski. The
Swansea faithful let their feelings be known at the death, and it remains to
be seen if Bradley will be afforded time to turn things around in the coming
transfer window.
Player ratings
Swansea: Fabianski (4), Rangel (5), Mawson (4), van der Hoorn (4), Kingsley
(3), Cork (4), Britton (6), Routledge (5), Sigurdsson (6), Fulton (3), Borja
(3).
Subs: Llorente (6), Dyer (5), Montero (4).
West Ham: Randolph (9), Kouyate (7), Reid (7), Ogbonna (7), Antonio (8),
Noble (7), Nordtveit (7), Cresswell (7), Payet (9), Carroll (8), Ayew (8).
Subs: Feghouli (N/A), Fletcher (N/A), Fernandes (6).
Man of the match: Dimitri Payet
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Slaven Bilic lauds season's best performance
By Pete Hall
Last Updated: 26/12/16 7:45pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic insisted West Ham never stopped believing they could turn their
season around as the Hammers thrashed Swansea 4-1 at the Liberty Stadium on
Boxing Day. The success in south Wales was West Ham's third win in a row in
the Premier League - form which has seen them climb to 11th in the table
after a difficult start to the campaign. Andre Ayew set the ball rolling
against his former club, netting his first for West Ham since a club-record
switch in the summer, before goals from Winston Reid and Michail Antonio put
the visitors in control. Fernando Llorente gave the Swans a glimmer of hope
late on, but Andy Carroll quickly added a fourth for West Ham in stoppage
time to put the gloss on a performance that delighted Bilic, who insisted
that he never doubted his side would turn around their fortunes. "It was a
really good performance," Bilic told Sky Sports. "We were compact when we
needed to defend as a team, we were dangerous when we had opportunities.
Maybe it was the best performance of the season. I am really pleased with
everyone in the team. "The first goal was really important. We always looked
promising on the ball, and we knew we could hurt them. Of course the second
goal is very important, and in a crucial moment. "The key thing was that we
never stopped believing. We kept training hard, and when we had those hard
moments, when we had five extremely difficult games, against the top teams,
we knew we had those two home games against Hull and Burnley. "Those wins
meant we could breathe a little bit." Ayew earned a special mention from
Bilic, who feels that his new striker has had plenty to overcome to get to
this point. "It is not just his goal, but his performance," Bilic added. "He
had a really bad injury and now with a goal he can continue to improve."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham deny reports of a takeover bid from Red Bull
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 26/12/16 12:28pm
SSN
West Ham have rejected claims they are set to be bought by energy drinks
giants Red Bull. A report in The Sun on Monday claimed the Austrian company
were lining up a £200m takeover bid for the Hammers. However, Sky Sports
News HQ understand West Ham have received no contact from any outside
parties over a potential takeover and co-owners David Gold and David
Sullivan are currently not looking to sell the club. Gold and Sullivan
purchased a majority stake in West Ham in January 2010, in a deal that
valued the club at £105m, and have since overseen the club's move from the
Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium.
Red Bull have previously been linked in the national press with takeover
bids for English sides Leeds United, Brentford, Charlton Athletic and
Swindon Town.
They currently own Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls, Red
Bull Brasil and two F1 teams, multi-champions Red Bull Racing and Scuderia
Toro Rosso.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Valencia confident of securing loan deal for West Ham flop Simone Zaza until
end of season
Zaza has failed to score in English football and has become frustrated at
West Ham - but he could have a get out clause
BYJOHN CROSS
12:24, 26 DEC 2016UPDATED12:24, 26 DEC 2016
The Mirror
Spanish giants Valencia are confident of securing a loan deal for unhappy
West Ham striker Simone Zaza. Valencia director of football Jesus Garcia
Pitch has met with Zaza's representatives and they want to loan him until
the summer. Zaza, 25, who is on a season-long loan from Juventus, has
struggled to adapt to English football, has yet to score and has become
frustrated at West Ham. It is a complicated deal as Valencia need to get
agreement from both Juventus and West Ham as well as persuading Zaza to take
a cut in salary. West Ham are also facing their own striker crisis so it
may depend on them bringing someone in before the Zaza switch is sanction.
But Zaza has told his representatives he believes they will let him go and
that he wants to get away after struggling to fit in at West Ham.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Irons pile more misery on Bob Bradley with thumping
win - 5 things we learned
Former Swan Andre Ayew scored his first West Ham goal to increase the
pressure on the Liberty Stadium boss
BYJAKE BACON
17:17, 26 DEC 2016UPDATED17:19, 26 DEC 2016
The Mirror
Bob Bradley was left clinging onto his Swansea job after old boy Andre Ayew
made a devastating return. Former Swan Ayew scored his first West Ham goal
to increase the pressure on the Liberty Stadium boss. The Ghana ace swapped
Wales for the bright lights of London in a £20.5m deal last summer to become
the Hammers' most expensive ever signing. Ayew was Swansea's top scorer last
season with 12 goals and he opened his West Ham account after taking
advantage of a Lukasz Fabianski blunder in the 13th minute. More shocking
defending from the Welsh club followed shortly after the break when an
unchallenged Winston Reid headed in Dimitri Payet's corner. And Michail
Antonio's goal 12 minutes from time led to a mass exodus from the home
supporters. Fernando Llorente pulled a goal back late on to give Swansea a
meaningless consolation. However, Andy Carroll's strike less than a minute
later restored West Ham's three-goal advantage.
1. Bradley is facing even more pressure
The ex-USA boss wasn't a popular appointment when he arrived in Wales two
months ago, the main reason being his lack of European experience in the top
leagues. And with Swansea now four points from safety, the Liberty Stadium
faithful were calling for the American's head throughout the game.
2. West Ham can breathe easily… for now
West Ham have won three successive games for the first time since March, and
it's lifted them eight points clear of the drop zone. The Hammers were on a
seven-game winless run and in the relegation zone just over a fortnight ago
- but manager Slaven Bilic has managed to turn it around.
3. Swansea's frailty at the back continues
Two of West Ham's four goals came from set-pieces, and Swansea's leaky
defence has now shipped 41 goals this season, more than any other Premier
League club. The Swans need to bring in experienced defenders next month if
they are to have any chance of avoiding relegation.
4. Darren Randolph is justifying Bilic's faith
After a string of impressive displays for the Republic of Ireland at Euro
2016, it would have been fair for Randolph to feel hard done by for starting
the season as Adrian's understudy. But since coming into the starting XI
last month, the ex-Birmingham stopper has been a revelation, and he was
brilliant today, pulling off save after save in the second-half.
5. The Liberty Stadium atmosphere is toxic
Coming into this crucial game, Bradley talked up the Swansea fans and the
role they had played in previous home wins. Well, after West Ham's second
goal, the Jack Army turned on Bradley and demanded their "greedy" American
owners leave the club. It's hard to see a way back for supporters and the
Swansea hierarchy after today.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Ayew, Reid, Antonio and Carroll on target in thumping first win at Liberty
Stadium
Former Swansea City player Ayew nets first goal in Claret and Blue
Hammers up to eleventh after first Boxing Day victory since 2009
Record signing Andre Ayew returned to haunt former club Swansea City by
setting West Ham United on their way to a thumping 4-1 Boxing Day victory.
The Ghana forward, signed from the Swans for £20.6m in August, opened
scoring on 13 minutes at the Liberty Stadium, before Winston Reid, Michail
Antonio and Andy Carroll completed a superb Christmas with goals after
half-time. The Hammers' victory was their first in five attempts at
Swansea's new home, their first Boxing Day win since 2009, and lifted Slaven
Bilic's side to eleventh in the Premier League table. Ayew's opener arrived
in opportunist style, with the No20 tapping home after Lukasz Fabianski had
failed to deal with Andy Carroll's knock-down from a diagonal Mark Noble
pass. The strike came after Swansea had started the brighter on home turf,
with Alfie Mawson heading wide from their first corner before Borja Baston
curled off-target rather than playing in the unmarked Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Having gone ahead, West Ham edged the remainder of the first half, although
Swansea arguably created the better chances. For the visitors, Ayew flicked
a Dimitri Payet cross just beyond the flying Michail Antonio at the far
post, Payet himself seeing a shot held by Fabianski. As half-time
approached, Swansea threatened again, but Sigurdsson first sliced a
left-foot shot out for a throw-in, then saw Darren Randolph plunge to his
left to push his well-struck free-kick around the post.
With chances suddenly flowing, Antonio curled a yard wide of the top corner
after collecting the Frenchman's pass, then Swansea midfielder Jack Cork
headed Wayne Routledge's centre over Randolph's crossbar, meaning the
Hammers went in a goal to the good at the break.
Swansea manager Bob Bradley reacted with a double change at the break,
bringing on Fernando Llorente and Jefferson Montero for Borja and Jay Fulton
respectively. After again starting brightly, the Swans were again stung by a
West Ham goal. Five minutes of the second half had passed when Carroll's
shot was deflected wide and Reid beat two defenders to Payet's near-post
corner to head home. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Swansea reacted by going on the
front foot, with Routledge slicing wide, Randolph making another decent stop
to push Cork's aside and the Irishman then helping Sigurdsson's looping
header over the top.
With the home crowd getting increasingly frustrated, West Ham kept
possession with increasing confidence and ensured a second away win of
2016/17 when eight-goal leading scorer Antonio diverted Havard Nordtveit's
shot past Fabianski – who had saved from substitute Edmilison Fernandes
seconds earlier – with 13 minutes remaining. The impressive Randolph made
smart saves from Angel Rangel and Cork late on, completing a miserable
afternoon for Bradley, but was powerless to stop Llorente firing home from
Nathan Dyer's cut-back on 89. There was still time for Carroll to score his
fifth in six matches against the Swans, expertly volleying home Sofiane
Feghouli's cross in the final minute. The in-form Hammers will end 2016 with
a trip to champions Leicester City on New Year's Eve, with kick-off at King
Power Stadium set for 3pm.
Swansea City: Fabianski; Rangel, Mawson, van der Hoorn, Kingsley; Cork,
Fulton (Montero 46, Dyer 70), Britton; Routledge, Sigurdsson (c), Borja
(Llorente 46)
Subs not used: Nordfeldt (GK), Fer, Naughton, Fernandez
Bookings: None
Goal: Llorente 89
West Ham United: Randolph; Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble (c),
Kouyate; Antonio (Feghouli 83), Ayew (Fernandes 75), Payet; Carroll
(Fletcher 90).
Subs not used: Adrian (GK), Quina, Rice, Pike.
Bookings: None
Goals: Ayew 13, Reid 50, Antonio 77, Carroll 90
Referee: Andre Marriner.
Attendance: 20,757 (1,969 from West Ham United)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ayew happy with 'important' goal
WHUFC.com
Andre Ayew delighted to net his first goal for West Ham United on Boxing Day
Ghana forward opened scoring in 4-1 Premier League win at former club
Swansea City
No20 believes both he and the Hammers will get better as the season wears on
Andre Ayew believes there is more to come from both himself and West Ham
United after scoring his first goal in Claret and Blue. The No20 netted his
maiden Hammers goal to set Slaven Bilic's side on their way to a thumping
4-1 Premier League win at his former club Swansea City on Boxing Day.
Club-record signing Ayew, who returned to action in November after three
months out with a groin injury suffered at Chelsea on the opening weekend of
the Premier League season, was delighted to be part of a third straight
top-flight victory. West Ham's win, which followed hard-earned 1-0 home
successes against Burnley and Hull City, lifted them up to eleventh, eight
points clear of the bottom three and just four off seventh place ahead of
the New Year's Eve trip to struggling champions Leicester City.
"I think it was important to get the goal for the squad and to get my first
goal here," said Ayew. "I started the season in a very difficult way, but
I'm trying to get back into my best shape. "Things are getting better now
and the boys are helping me, pushing me every day and I'm getting my
confidence back. We had a great game today and hopefully we can continue
like that."
For Ayew, converting Andy Carroll's 13th-minute knockdown was a big moment
for the Ghana star, but the 27-year-old was thinking only of the team when
he was asked about the significance of his strike. Winston Reid, Michail
Antonio and Carroll were also on target in South Wales, earning West Ham
their biggest win of 2016/17, three victories in a row for the first time
since March and a first-ever success at Liberty Stadium. "Personally, I
think it was an important goal for me, but collectively it was our third win
and we've done really well in the last few games," said Ayew. "We didn't
play our best football in the previous two games, but I think we managed to
get two clean sheets and win those games. "Today we played better football,
but I think we can do even better with the ball. We've proved that we've got
a good squad and if we keep working hard then we can get more results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic - Belief has been key to turnaround
WHUFC.com
Slaven Bilic happy with thumping Premier League victory at Swansea City on
Boxing Day
Manager delighted with turnaround that has yielded ten points in last four
matches
Boss expects goalscorer Andre Ayew to get better and better as fitness and
form improve
Slaven Bilic said West Ham United 'totally deserved' their 4-1 Premier
League victory at Swansea City on Boxing Day. Bilic's Hammers produced their
most complete performance of the season to see off the struggling Swans at
Liberty Stadium, where Andre Ayew, Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy
Carroll were all on target. With Darren Randolph leading a strong defensive
display at the other end of the pitch, the manager was rightly proud as his
team notched a third straight win to rise to eleventh in the table. "It was
a really good performance," he confirmed. "From the first minute until the
end we were really compact and were able to defend as a team. "When we had
the ball we were really good on it. We kept the ball well and were dangerous
when we had opportunities to break on them and we were switching sides "It
was maybe our best performance this season and we totally deserved it. OK,
it helps when you are winning 1-0 and you score another one, because you
play with a lot more confidence than when you are losing, but it was a
really good performance and I'm really pleased with the team and I
congratulate all the players."
West Ham rode out early Swansea pressure to go ahead through Ayew's first
Claret and Blue goal – against his old club to boot – before Reid's header
five minutes after half-time halted a strong start to the second period from
Bob Bradley's side. Antonio diverted in a third before Fernando Llorente
pulled one back, only for Carroll to net his second of the season with a
searing volley in the final minute. "Of course it's important to score
goals at the times we did," Bilic confirmed. They had chances before we
scored the first, but we also had chances before we scored and we always
looked promising on the ball and like hurting them. "The second goal was at
a crucial moment when they were trying to come back from 1-0 down, had made
a couple of changes and were trying to turn things around here like they did
against Crystal Palace in a great game. "To score the second goal then, five
minutes after half-time, was crucial."
So, after sitting 18th just over a fortnight ago, West Ham are in mid-table.
What does Bilic put the turnaround and ten points from four matches down to?
"The key was that we never stopped believing and we kept training hard and
kept believing and, as we said in those hard moments, when we had those five
really difficult games, we were talking about those two home games to get
out of the cramp, as I called it," he explained. "The two wins against
Burnley and Hull were hard but they put us in a position where we could
breathe a bit more and that was basically the key. "Even when we were there,
we were always saying that we were only three or four points from mid-table
and that is still the case because it was tight and it is tight. Of course
we are going to be positive but the Premier League gives you no time to
relax. However, this is a real opportunity for us to build our confidence
even more."
Talking of confidence, Bilic is now expecting big things from goalscorer
Ayew, who produced his best performance in a West Ham shirt against his
former club.
"Not just the goal but the performance will help him," the manager said of
his Club-record signing. "He is still not at top fitness because he had the
injury and he came back, but the goals help every striker and now we are
expecting that his top form will happen. "We expect him to contribute not
only with goals but with his all-round displays."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea City 1-4 West Ham United
By Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Wales Sport at the Liberty Stadium
West Ham cruised to a third straight win to plunge Swansea City deeper into
Premier League relegation trouble and increase the pressure on manager Bob
Bradley.
Former Swans forward Andre Ayew pounced on Lukasz Fabianski's fumble to put
the visitors ahead, before Winston Reid headed in from a corner to double
their lead. Michail Antonio added a third and, although Fernando Llorente
scored late on for Swansea, Andy Carroll's firm strike sealed a convincing
West Ham victory.
Slaven Bilic's side climb to 11th in the Premier League table, while Swansea
remain second from bottom but now four points adrift of safety. Where
Bradley is concerned, a seventh defeat from his 11 matches in charge leaves
the American in grave danger of losing his job less than three months after
his appointment.
Swansea's supporters called for his sacking during the second half, as well
as accusing the club's directors of greed following the Swans' American
takeover in the summer.
Having won only two of his first 10 games at the helm, Bradley admitted
before the match that his future could depend on the outcome of this fixture
and the home encounter with Bournemouth on New Year's Eve. Swansea had
unravelled with scant resistance to lose their previous two games, at
Middlesbrough 3-0 and West Brom 3-1, and they were similarly vulnerable
against West Ham. Since the American's appointment in October the Swans had
conceded 25 goals - more than any other Premier League side in the same
period - and their 26th was as feeble as any they have let in. Cheikhou
Kouyate only managed a weak flick from Andy Carroll's header, but Fabianski
could only palm the ball into the path of Ayew, who tapped in from close
range. The goal created a sense of anxiety inside the Liberty Stadium, and
that unease turned to wholehearted hostility after Reid extended West Ham's
lead. Swansea's supporters booed Bradley and chanted "You don't know what
you're doing", before turning their ire towards the Swans' board as the
prospect of relegation looms larger than ever.
Unlike their opponents, West Ham entered this match with renewed optimism
after successive 1-0 wins over Hull and Burnley had eased their own
relegation fears.
Those were relatively hard-earned triumphs, but they were able to cruise to
victory in south Wales without playing at their fluent best. It was a
straightforward afternoon for goalkeeper Darren Randolph and his defenders,
who had little to worry about apart from the occasional long-range effort
from Gylfi Sigurdsson. In attack, West Ham were clinical on the break and
from set-pieces, with midfielder Dimitri Payet increasingly influential in
the second half. Carroll also proved his worth with a typically abrasive
display, capped with a goal which helped maintain the Hammers' record of
winning every Premier League match in which the striker has started since
returning from injury.
Man of the match - Andy Carroll (West Ham)
Swansea could not contain the aerial threat of Carroll, who helped set up
the first West Ham goal and scored the last as he gave his opponents a
torrid afternoon
Swansea's shaky defence
Swansea have shipped 29 goals in the top flight since Bob Bradley took
charge on 15 October, more than any other side.
Swansea have conceded the first goal in 13 Premier League games this season,
only Hull have done so more often.
West Ham have won three consecutive Premier League games for the first time
since March.
Andre Ayew is the 41st player to score both for and against West Ham in the
Premier League, more than any other club has seen.
Dimitri Payet has provided 15 Premier League assists in 2016, more than any
other player.
What next?
Swansea host Bournemouth on New Year's Eve before taking on Crystal Palace
on 3 January. West Ham travel to Leicester on 31 December and face
Manchester United at home on 2 January.
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West Ham: Red Bull denies takeover, Hammers owners 'not looking for
investment'
By Simon Stone
BBC Sport
Red Bull has dismissed reports it is interested in buying West Ham, while
the east London club's owners have told BBC Sport they are not looking for
investors. It had been reported that the energy drinks giant was considering
a £200m offer for the Premier League club. Sullivan and Gold bought a
majority stake in West Ham in 2010 in a deal that valued the club at £105m.
Between them they now own more than 85% of the club. Since August's move to
London Stadium, West Ham have also been linked with takeovers from Qatari
and Chinese groups. Last year Sullivan said it was possible a minority
shareholding could be sold to clear debts but that he and Gold intended the
ownership to pass on to their children.
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SWANSEA 1-4 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 26 DECEMBER 2016 AT 5:34PM
The WestHamWay.co.uk
Record signing Andre Ayew returned to haunt his former club Swansea City by
setting the Hammers on their way to a thumping 4-1 Boxing Day victory this
afternoon.
The Ghanaian forward, signed for just over £20m in August showed his first
flashes of quality today by opening the scoring on 13 minutes at the Liberty
Stadium, before Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll completed a
superb rout of the Welsh side.
The Hammers' victory was their first in five attempts at Swansea's new home,
their first Boxing Day win since 2009, and lifted Slaven Bilic's side to
eleventh in the Premier League table.
Ayew's opener arrived in opportunist style, with him tapping home after
Lukasz Fabianski had failed to deal with Andy Carroll's knock-down from a
diagonal Mark Noble pass. The strike came after the home side had started
the brighter, with Alfie Mawson heading wide from their first corner before
Borja Baston curled off-target rather than playing in the unmarked Gylfi
Sigurdsson.
Having gone ahead, West Ham edged the remainder of the first half, although
Swansea arguably created the better chances. For the visitors, Ayew flicked
a Dimitri Payet cross just beyond the flying Michail Antonio at the far
post, Payet himself seeing a shot held by Fabianski.
As half-time approached, Swansea threatened again, but Sigurdsson first
sliced a left-foot shot out for a throw-in, then saw Darren Randolph plunge
to his left to push his well-struck free-kick around the post. With chances
suddenly flowing, Antonio curled a yard wide of the top corner after
collecting the Frenchman's pass, then Swansea midfielder Jack Cork headed
Wayne Routledge's centre over Randolph's crossbar, meaning the Hammers went
in a goal to the good at the break.
Swansea manager Bob Bradley reacted with a double change at the break,
bringing on Fernando Llorente and Jefferson Montero for Borja and Jay Fulton
respectively. After again starting brightly, the Swans were again stung by a
West Ham goal. Five minutes of the second half had passed when Carroll's
shot was deflected wide and Reid beat two defenders to Payet's near-post
corner to head home.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Swansea reacted by going on the front foot, with
Routledge slicing wide, Randolph making another decent stop to push Cork's
aside and the Irishman then helping Sigurdsson's looping header over the
top. With the home crowd getting increasingly frustrated, West Ham kept
possession with increasing confidence and ensured a second away win of
2016/17 when eight-goal leading scorer Antonio diverted Havard Nordtveit's
shot past Fabianski – who had saved from substitute Edmilison Fernandes
seconds earlier – with 13 minutes remaining.
The impressive Randolph made smart saves from Angel Rangel and Cork late on,
completing a miserable afternoon for Bradley, but was powerless to stop
Llorente firing home from Nathan Dyer's cut-back in the 89th minute.
There was still time though for Carroll to score his fifth in six matches
against the Swans, expertly volleying home Sofiane Feghouli's cross in the
final minute in a move that once again Edimilson Fernandes set up.
The Manager will be well impressed with the result today but more
importantly how some of his summer signings actually played. Both Ayew and
Nordtveit were outstanding with the latter having probably the best
performance of anyone that has played in that dreaded right back position
all year. Not only did he keep one player quiet. He was so good Bradley
had to change things around at HT and bring Montero on to attack the
Norwegian down that wing. He lasted 24 minutes with Havard shutting him out
as well. The position has been a nightmare for the Hammers all year and
maybe now Slaven has found a player that can excel there and utilise a
standard back four which should give our wide players more of an opportunity
to stay up the other end of the pitch.
Swansea City: Fabianski; Rangel, Mawson, van der Hoorn, Kingsley; Cork,
Fulton (Montero 46, Dyer 70), Britton; Routledge, Sigurdsson (c), Borja
(Llorente 46)
Subs not used: Nordfeldt (GK), Fer, Naughton, Fernandez
Bookings: None
Goal: Llorente 89
West Ham United: Randolph; Nordtveit, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Noble (c),
Kouyate; Antonio (Feghouli 83), Ayew (Fernandes 75), Payet; Carroll
(Fletcher 90).
Subs not used: Adrian (GK), Quina, Rice, Pike.
Bookings: None
Goals: Ayew 13, Reid 50, Antonio 77, Carroll 90
Referee: Andre Marriner.
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Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Hosts relegation fears heightened after another defeat
By Pete Hall
Last Updated: 26/12/16 5:57pm
SSN
West Ham piled the pressure on Bob Bradley after they cruised to a 4-1 win
over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day. Andre Ayew returned to
haunt his former club after 13 minutes, tapping home his first goal for West
Ham to set the Hammers on course for a third league victory in a row.
Winston Reid made it two five minutes after the break before Michail Antonio
made sure of the win 12 minutes from time, capitalising on more poor
defending from the home side. Fernando Llorente's late strike proved to be a
mere consolation, as Andy Carroll netted a fourth in stoppage time to a
chorus of boos around the Liberty. The result sees Swansea sit four points
from safety, with questions over Bradley's suitability to the role
remaining. West Ham are up to 11th after their success in south Wales.
Swansea started well, but were caught on the break as the Hammers took the
lead through a familiar face to Swans followers. A long ball towards the
back post was met firmly by Carroll, who headed across goal, Lukasz
Fabianski could only parry the ball into the path of Ayew, who could not
miss from a few yards out.
Antonio went close to finding a second minutes later, but was inches away
from connecting at the back post. Record Swansea signing Borja Baston then
did superbly to work space for the shot, but sliced the ball wide as his
search for a first goal in English football goes on.
Darren Randolph was called into action three minutes before the break,
superbly denying Gylfi Sigurdsson from a free-kick as frustration grew
around the Liberty.
After the interval, Swansea continued to be the architects of their own
downfall, and it was not long before Reid headed the Hammers' second,
beating three defenders to a corner to steer the ball home. Randolph was
then at his best to deny Swansea twice in four minutes, with his stop from
Jack Cork's strike the pick of the lot. It was game, set and match 12
minutes from time as Antonio diverted a drilled Havard Nordtveit strike
home, despite appearing to think he was offside. In fact, Nathan Dyer was
too slow to get out behind him, playing the versatile Hammer onside for his
eight goal of the season. Randolph again was forced to deny Angel Rangel
with a smart stop, before he was finally beaten in stoppage time by Swansea
substitute Llorente, after great work from Dyer to pick him out.
The three-goal winning margin was restored less than a minute later in
stoppage time, though, as Carroll was allowed far too much time to bring the
ball down and scuff his strike past the despairing dive of Fabianski. The
Swansea faithful let their feelings be known at the death, and it remains to
be seen if Bradley will be afforded time to turn things around in the coming
transfer window.
Player ratings
Swansea: Fabianski (4), Rangel (5), Mawson (4), van der Hoorn (4), Kingsley
(3), Cork (4), Britton (6), Routledge (5), Sigurdsson (6), Fulton (3), Borja
(3).
Subs: Llorente (6), Dyer (5), Montero (4).
West Ham: Randolph (9), Kouyate (7), Reid (7), Ogbonna (7), Antonio (8),
Noble (7), Nordtveit (7), Cresswell (7), Payet (9), Carroll (8), Ayew (8).
Subs: Feghouli (N/A), Fletcher (N/A), Fernandes (6).
Man of the match: Dimitri Payet
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Slaven Bilic lauds season's best performance
By Pete Hall
Last Updated: 26/12/16 7:45pm
SSN
Slaven Bilic insisted West Ham never stopped believing they could turn their
season around as the Hammers thrashed Swansea 4-1 at the Liberty Stadium on
Boxing Day. The success in south Wales was West Ham's third win in a row in
the Premier League - form which has seen them climb to 11th in the table
after a difficult start to the campaign. Andre Ayew set the ball rolling
against his former club, netting his first for West Ham since a club-record
switch in the summer, before goals from Winston Reid and Michail Antonio put
the visitors in control. Fernando Llorente gave the Swans a glimmer of hope
late on, but Andy Carroll quickly added a fourth for West Ham in stoppage
time to put the gloss on a performance that delighted Bilic, who insisted
that he never doubted his side would turn around their fortunes. "It was a
really good performance," Bilic told Sky Sports. "We were compact when we
needed to defend as a team, we were dangerous when we had opportunities.
Maybe it was the best performance of the season. I am really pleased with
everyone in the team. "The first goal was really important. We always looked
promising on the ball, and we knew we could hurt them. Of course the second
goal is very important, and in a crucial moment. "The key thing was that we
never stopped believing. We kept training hard, and when we had those hard
moments, when we had five extremely difficult games, against the top teams,
we knew we had those two home games against Hull and Burnley. "Those wins
meant we could breathe a little bit." Ayew earned a special mention from
Bilic, who feels that his new striker has had plenty to overcome to get to
this point. "It is not just his goal, but his performance," Bilic added. "He
had a really bad injury and now with a goal he can continue to improve."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham deny reports of a takeover bid from Red Bull
By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 26/12/16 12:28pm
SSN
West Ham have rejected claims they are set to be bought by energy drinks
giants Red Bull. A report in The Sun on Monday claimed the Austrian company
were lining up a £200m takeover bid for the Hammers. However, Sky Sports
News HQ understand West Ham have received no contact from any outside
parties over a potential takeover and co-owners David Gold and David
Sullivan are currently not looking to sell the club. Gold and Sullivan
purchased a majority stake in West Ham in January 2010, in a deal that
valued the club at £105m, and have since overseen the club's move from the
Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium.
Red Bull have previously been linked in the national press with takeover
bids for English sides Leeds United, Brentford, Charlton Athletic and
Swindon Town.
They currently own Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls, Red
Bull Brasil and two F1 teams, multi-champions Red Bull Racing and Scuderia
Toro Rosso.
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Valencia confident of securing loan deal for West Ham flop Simone Zaza until
end of season
Zaza has failed to score in English football and has become frustrated at
West Ham - but he could have a get out clause
BYJOHN CROSS
12:24, 26 DEC 2016UPDATED12:24, 26 DEC 2016
The Mirror
Spanish giants Valencia are confident of securing a loan deal for unhappy
West Ham striker Simone Zaza. Valencia director of football Jesus Garcia
Pitch has met with Zaza's representatives and they want to loan him until
the summer. Zaza, 25, who is on a season-long loan from Juventus, has
struggled to adapt to English football, has yet to score and has become
frustrated at West Ham. It is a complicated deal as Valencia need to get
agreement from both Juventus and West Ham as well as persuading Zaza to take
a cut in salary. West Ham are also facing their own striker crisis so it
may depend on them bringing someone in before the Zaza switch is sanction.
But Zaza has told his representatives he believes they will let him go and
that he wants to get away after struggling to fit in at West Ham.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 1-4 West Ham: Irons pile more misery on Bob Bradley with thumping
win - 5 things we learned
Former Swan Andre Ayew scored his first West Ham goal to increase the
pressure on the Liberty Stadium boss
BYJAKE BACON
17:17, 26 DEC 2016UPDATED17:19, 26 DEC 2016
The Mirror
Bob Bradley was left clinging onto his Swansea job after old boy Andre Ayew
made a devastating return. Former Swan Ayew scored his first West Ham goal
to increase the pressure on the Liberty Stadium boss. The Ghana ace swapped
Wales for the bright lights of London in a £20.5m deal last summer to become
the Hammers' most expensive ever signing. Ayew was Swansea's top scorer last
season with 12 goals and he opened his West Ham account after taking
advantage of a Lukasz Fabianski blunder in the 13th minute. More shocking
defending from the Welsh club followed shortly after the break when an
unchallenged Winston Reid headed in Dimitri Payet's corner. And Michail
Antonio's goal 12 minutes from time led to a mass exodus from the home
supporters. Fernando Llorente pulled a goal back late on to give Swansea a
meaningless consolation. However, Andy Carroll's strike less than a minute
later restored West Ham's three-goal advantage.
1. Bradley is facing even more pressure
The ex-USA boss wasn't a popular appointment when he arrived in Wales two
months ago, the main reason being his lack of European experience in the top
leagues. And with Swansea now four points from safety, the Liberty Stadium
faithful were calling for the American's head throughout the game.
2. West Ham can breathe easily… for now
West Ham have won three successive games for the first time since March, and
it's lifted them eight points clear of the drop zone. The Hammers were on a
seven-game winless run and in the relegation zone just over a fortnight ago
- but manager Slaven Bilic has managed to turn it around.
3. Swansea's frailty at the back continues
Two of West Ham's four goals came from set-pieces, and Swansea's leaky
defence has now shipped 41 goals this season, more than any other Premier
League club. The Swans need to bring in experienced defenders next month if
they are to have any chance of avoiding relegation.
4. Darren Randolph is justifying Bilic's faith
After a string of impressive displays for the Republic of Ireland at Euro
2016, it would have been fair for Randolph to feel hard done by for starting
the season as Adrian's understudy. But since coming into the starting XI
last month, the ex-Birmingham stopper has been a revelation, and he was
brilliant today, pulling off save after save in the second-half.
5. The Liberty Stadium atmosphere is toxic
Coming into this crucial game, Bradley talked up the Swansea fans and the
role they had played in previous home wins. Well, after West Ham's second
goal, the Jack Army turned on Bradley and demanded their "greedy" American
owners leave the club. It's hard to see a way back for supporters and the
Swansea hierarchy after today.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Daily WHUFC News - 26th December 2016
Preview - Swansea City
WHUFc.com
When and where?
Swansea City v West Ham United
Premier League
Monday 26 December 2016, 3pm GMT
Liberty Stadium
What's the story?
West Ham United will hope to make it a happy Christmas when they head to
Swansea City on Boxing Day for their penultimate Premier League fixture of
2016.
Seven points taken from a successful week in the run-up to the festive
season already ensured that the turkey tasted better for Hammers fans on
Christmas Day, and now the east Londoners have their eyes on climbing
further up the table.
That draw at Liverpool, followed by single-goal victories against Burnley
and Hull City took Slaven Bilic's team out of the division's bottom three
and up to 13th, with 19 points from 17 games.
Swansea, by contrast, spent Christmas Day in the relegation zone, with last
weekend's 3-0 loss at Middlesbrough their third in four games.
In total, Bob Bradley's team have 12 points to date and with 37 goals in the
conceded column they have the dubious honour of possessing the division's
leakiest defence.
Having been a top-flight team since 2011, the Swans will be fighting hard to
ensure the second half of their season does not become a battle to preserve
that status.
Team news
Diafra Sakho remains sidelined with a hamstring problem sustained late last
month.
Aaron Cresswell could make his 100th appearance for the Hammers, while Andy
Carroll played his first 90 minutes since the first game of the season in
the Hammers' victory over Hull.
Any links between the two?
Swansea City club captain Leon Britton is a graduate of the Academy of
Football who has spent the last 13 years at Swansea, playing in all four
divisions of the English professional game with the Swans.
Aside from a brief spell at Sheffield United in the 2010/11 season, he has
been in South Wales ever since leaving the Hammers, appearing in 514 games
for the club.
On the West Ham side, Andre Ayew became the Hammers' record signing when he
joined from Swansea in the summer for a £20.5m fee. The Ghana international
scored 12 goals in the 34 league games he played for the Welsh club in
2015/16.
How do I get to the game?
Click here for directions on how to get to Liberty Stadium.
Please note that there are no train services between London and Swansea on
Boxing Day. Click here for the latest news on the roads.
How can I watch the game?
The game is not being broadcast live in the UK. However, you can follow the
action as it happens on whufc.com's live match centre, with audio
commentary, social media updates, in-running stats, photos and more. Get
involved in the conversation on social using #SWAWHU
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manager on Matchday
WHUFC.com
Good morning everyone,
After taking seven points from our last three games we all know the
importance of getting another positive result when we face Swansea today.
A lot has been said about the performance against Hull in the last game and
I'm hoping to see us more fluid with the ball and have more movement off the
ball.
We need to take more responsibility. It has nothing to do with fitness,
nothing to do with a game plan, but has a lot to do with the freedom in your
head or in your legs of course.
This will be a big day for Andre Ayew going back to his former club for the
first time since he joined us last summer.
To be fair he had a big injury and came back a few weeks ago. Now he needs
to train and he needs games to be the Ayew from last season or two seasons
ago. He's getting back.
He's becoming better than he what he showed in his first game and it's only
a matter of time.
I was asked in the pre-match press conference about the pressure that Bob
Bradley is currently facing at Swansea.
I have feelings for all the managers and there is no manager who hasn't been
under pressure in the Premier League this season.
Even Antonio Conte was under pressure for a couple of weeks. So is Bradley,
so am I. You were under pressure or you're going to be under pressure.
You enjoy it when you are not under pressure and learn from the time when
you are under pressure.
Bob is an experienced manager and they all have those kind of methods to
deal with the pressure.
I was also asked about Gylfi Sigurdsson and the threat he will pose to us on
Monday.
Football is not about one player, every club has best players. You cannot
win with just Michael Jordan. Gylfi is a great player, very consistent.
When they are closer to the goal he is real and very dangerous. They showed
a couple of games they are very dangerous at home.
They have good delivery from set pieces and the flanks from open play. They
work well from the back and we have to defend well against them. They have
quality, pace and we have to exploit their weaknesses they showed as a team
when we don't have the ball.
I hope all our fans have a safe trip to south Wales today and hope we can
come away with another big three points.
Enjoy the game.
Slaven
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Academy youngsters discover the true meaning of Christmas
WHUFC.com
As they open their presents and tuck into Christmas dinners today, the
schoolboys of West Ham United's Under-12 Academy squad will no doubt have
football on their minds – and a very special match that took place exactly
102 years ago.
Christmas Day 1914 is remembered for a truly remarkable event, when guns
fell silent on the fierce battlefields of Ypres in Belgium during the First
World War, as German and Allied soldiers agreed an unofficial ceasefire and
greeted each other in No Man's Land, to share gifts and food, before
enjoying an impromptu football match.
And the anniversary is of particular interest for our Under-12 players, who
flew to Belgium recently to take part in the Truce tournament – an
educational initiative run by the Premier League that commemorates the
Christmas truce and the lives lost in the War.
Launched in 2011, the tournament sees Academy teams from the Premier League
test themselves against some of the best young players from France, Belgium
and Germany, countries whose soldiers also fought on the fields of Ypres.
More importantly, it enables them to experience an educational and cultural
journey that enhances the history lessons they have been receiving on the
sacrifices made by those soldiers.
Having finished above the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton, Leicester
and West Brom in the qualifying tournament at Aldershot Garrison Sports
Centre, the young Hammers sealed their place in the final tournament and
travelled to Ypres over the weekend of 9-11 December.
Christmas Truce
Despite losing their opening match against Blackburn, West Ham went on to
beat Belgian side Club Brugge before a draw against Paris St Germain saw
them qualify for the semi-finals, where they unfortunately lost to
Anderlecht, who went on to beat Manchester City in the final. The tournament
ended on a positive note, though, as the Hammers gained revenge on Blackburn
to triumph in the third-place play-off.
Alongside the football, the players made an educational field trip to
Ploegsteert Wood, the site of the Christmas Truce of 1914. They also
explored a replica British trench and bunker system at the Passchendaele
1917 Memorial Museum and visited the Tyne Cot War Cemetery and the Menin
Gate memorial to the missing, where respects were paid with wreath laying
and a Last Post ceremony.
The squad were led by West Ham United's Academy Head of Coaching for
U9s-U14s, Dave Johnson, who spoke to whufc.com about his immense pride in
the players.
"It was a fantastic experience," said Johnson. "Fantastic for football
reasons, as it allowed the boys to test themselves against some of the best
young players in Europe, but even more so from an educational point of view.
"The trip had an extremely positive effect on the boys, who all took a real
interest in the history of the 1914 Christmas truce and the sacrifices that
the soldiers in World War One had to make.
"I have to say that their behaviour and attitude was absolutely impeccable
and they were a credit to West Ham United Football Club.
"One of the boys was even chosen to read a poem at the Menin Gate Memorial
in front of 1,500 people, following in the footsteps of people like Barack
Obama and David Beckham.
"Overall, it was a magnificent experience for them and something they will
never, ever forget."
Martyn Heather, the Premier League's Head of Education, said of the Truce
initiative: "We've always been very keen to develop holistically rounded
people and I think that developing their skills off the pitch, as well as on
it, is crucial.
"Tournaments like this are not just about the football, they're about taking
the players out of their comfort zone. They can see the horrors that men not
much older than themselves faced in the First World War just over 100 years
ago.
"What was quite pertinent was players visiting the graves of former players
from their respective club, it just made it so much more relatable.
"The reason we centre the tournament around the Christmas Truce is because
we want the players to understand that football is a universal language, and
despite the aggression and horrors of war, on December 25, 1914, that was
put aside, and we want to learn from that and instil those qualities in
these young players.
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West Ham And The Mysterious World Of The Past
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 24th December 2016
By: HeadHammerShark
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past" -
Thomas Jefferson, 1816
I know what you're thinking - Thomas Jefferson probably wouldn't have been
quite so certain about this if he'd ever had to queue for 35 minutes to get
a £4 pie - and you're probably right.
Yet, why am I drawing a not entirely obvious line between a former US
president and West Ham? Because there is a video doing the rounds that seems
to be stirring up a lot of opinions currently, and I must confess that most
of them are baffling me. It is described as an open video to the Board but
doesn't actually ask them to do anything, hence much of my confusion.
Firstly, have a look at the clip in question. It is publicly available from
YouTube so I don't imagine the authors will be upset with me linking to it
here.
Now I should say that none of what I'm about to write is intended as
personal criticism of the creators, or indeed anybody else who feels
similarly to them. I recognise a lot of things from that video; I have sat
singing the Payet song on the sofa with my daughters too, I uttered an
inveterate "Oh for fucks sake" when Zaza took his famous shot at Old
Trafford and somehow managed to get the ball to end up behind him, I
simultaneously treasure and despise the memory of Cardiff 2006, and in my
mind the football I watched in my childhood has been been lent a veneer of
quality by the passing of time that was not there when the games actually
took place, so I get the nostalgia.
Furthermore, we all support the team in different ways and have different
things that symbolise our love for our Club. If the newly revamped badge is
complete anathema to you, then I'm not about to tell you to get over it.
Each very much to their own. There is no wrong or right, merely differing
shades of grey. Or green, if you look at the large quantities of Costco felt
running round the edge of the pitch.
But as I watched that video I found my brow increasingly furrowed as I
watched and listened. And as the plaudits came rolling in from the various
quarters of my particular echo chamber I found myself asking the same thing
repeatedly - "Why?"
!"The past is a decaying memory and I do not have to relive it and empower
it unless I choose to do so" - James Lee Burke, "The Tin Roof Blowdown"
I have watched the video several times now to ensure I understand it
properly, and I have failed miserably as I'm pretty sure I don't understand
it even remotely. It seems to be mythologising a past that never happened,
or celebrating the worst parts of it.
For a start, it contains the following quotes:
"It's about...playing good football the right way, but it definitely isn't
about winning"
Insert joke here - it'll be the first one ever associated with this show
Objectively I suppose this is true. Supporting West Ham hasn't very often
been about winning. Watching us solely in the hope of supporting a winning
team is like watching Mrs Brown's Boys and waiting for a joke to come along.
But this also seems to suggest that winning is a bad thing. Like we are
morally superior to other fans and that there is a purity to our support
because we don't go along in the expectation of victory.
What a load of bollocks.
The years of ineptitude don't make us better fans - they make us stupid. We
allowed the Cearns family and Terry Brown to feed us that line for years.
"The West Ham Way" - a concept recently resurrected to very dubious purpose
- was apparently all about entertainment above winning. And what a handy get
out that was for the various boards of the time. Finish third, eulogise the
team forever but sell the best players off immediately. Develop Rio
Ferdinand and Frank Lampard? Sure, but we have to sell them to improve the
ground, don't get upset though, and hey! Look at that goal Di Canio just
scored.
Rinse, wash, repeat for my entire childhood. But West Ham fans are wedded to
this. We are in love with a past that has constantly lacked competent
leadership, ambition and success because we have become completely consumed
with the idea that just being a fan is enough. Become a West Ham fan, it's a
higher way of life - you get screwed over by the Premier League who are
happy to take your money but do everything possible to prevent you from ever
seeing your side win, and do so with the tacit support of successive boards
who never had the ambition to look past that.
Sullivan, Gold and Brady seem to want to change this, and yet somehow that's
a bad thing? I have no issue quibbling with their methods but criticising a
board for wanting to win things is mental. And I hate to break it to you,
but West Ham fans are no better or worse than any other. We love our team,
and for us here, now, inside that bubble, it's a magical feeling but it's no
different than it is for Manchester United fans inside theirs. We might want
to believe that there is something intrinsically superior about our own
support but there is not.
I have previously likened supporting Manchester United or Chelsea to going
into a casino and cheering for the house, and I stand by that. The
advantages those teams enjoy are so huge that I simply do not believe that
there can be as much inherent satisfaction in them winning anything as there
was for, say, Leicester. But that doesn't make their supporters somehow
worse than us, and the sooner we get past that myth the sooner we can start
demanding a bit more from our Club.
"Failure is part of our identity"
Is that true? Well, if it is then our identity is shit and the sooner we
lose it the better. Why are we happy about failure? Until this season West
Ham ticket prices were amongst the highest in the country, which tells me
that in no way at all is acceptable for the Club to embrace failure.
I'm all for glory and playing with verve and brio but I also don't accept it
as a basic tenet of our existence that Manchester United or Arsenal fans
"deserve" success and we don't, just because their clubs are bigger. What
bizarre crap is that? Can anyone truly say there is anything different at
their very core between Manchester City and West Ham other than Emirati
billions?
There's no need for this strange self flagellation - we pay good money to
West Ham, to the Premier League, to Sky and everybody else in the game and
our money is just as good as our neighbours. If we're not going to try and
win, then what are we here for?
"The West Ham United Coffee Company"
Jesus Christ, who gives a shit? So the Club put a coffee shop in their store
- like pretty much any other business of a comparable size in the Western
world. Of all the things wrong with the new stadium and our new identity
this is about 4 millionth on my list.
This is evil and must be stopped.
I don't even know what people want - a Starbucks? A Costa? No coffee? Why
are these better options than the Club making a few quid out of
refreshments? Again I am forced to hark back to my childhood memories of the
Club selling memorabilia out of a Portakabin and never having enough money
to keep any players, and wondering what exactly it is about our past that
people are eulogising over?
"You're turning your fans into consumers"
I get it, I really do. For us, going to games is not the same thing as a
trip to John Lewis, or renting a car from Hertz. It is a social experience
with an emotional core that transcends pretty much any relationship that we
will ever have with something that can't talk back to us.
But this again is hinting at something else - that we weren't consumers
already. I hate to break it to you guys but that huge stand they're
currently pulling down at Upton Park was called the Dr Martens Stand. The
Club had already thrown their lot in with the great corporate takeover of
the post Euro 1996 years, and we were already little more than consumers
anyway.
I have also seen a lot of commentary suggesting that 'real' fans are unhappy
about the presence of so many day tripping tourists in the stadium. These
fans presumably representing the new consumers as opposed to the old
supporters.
The problem with this world view is that I just don't see much evidence of
it. Having been to pretty much every game this season, despite not being a
season ticket holder myself, I haven't seen these huge numbers of tourists.
Instead I've seen lots of West Ham fans who can't or don't want to go to
every game but still consider themselves loyal supporters.
There are plenty of reasons why fans might not be able to go to games -
maybe they can't afford it, maybe they have to work, maybe they're too sick,
maybe they're serving in the Armed Forces somewhere or maybe they're in
jail. We could only envy them during the second half of that Hull game.
The list is long and exhaustive and the reality is that I suspect the ground
is full of our core 30k support and then a rotating 20k cast of other fans
from that 50k waiting list who can't go all the time.
All of which is to say that I agree that we're being treated like consumers,
but I don't really see how that's a new thing.
"West Ham is about things you can't buy....identity, togetherness, love"
OK, well this is an entirely subjective area so if that's what it means to
the creators of this video then I'm not about to tell them they're wrong.
It means different things to all of us, and that's perfectly fine but the
bit I'm confused about is the notion that the owners of the Club don't
understand these things. It's always bemused me that there are those who
constantly state that Gold and Sullivan are in this for the money only.
Where is the evidence of this?
They haven't cashed in on our better players and refused to invest the
money, they haven't as yet encouraged any external bidders for the Club and
they have done little else but put their own money into the coffers so far.
It's curious that fans who pay a £1,000 a year to the Club feel that this
entitles them to all sorts of leeway in what they want back, but refuse to
extend the same logic to the owners and their £80m. To my mind, their
failure hasn't been a lack of investment in the team, it's been in not
investing properly.
Think about it - if they truly want to dispose of their holdings then it
would be in their interests to drive that price as high as possible. That
means higher league finishes, a better squad and, yes, a better stadium. I'm
not sure why anyone would think these were bad things to be aiming at.
"Put the football first, listen to the fans"
Yeah, I don't know what this means. Here are a load of slightly impenetrable
complaints about off field issues but please just concentrate on the
football? What? Or alternatively, start asking fans about footballing
issues? Er, no thanks.
Is Karren Brady supposed to stop trying to generate income for the Club
because David Sullivan and Slaven Bilic didn't sign a right back in the
summer, and couldn't recognise that Jonathan Calleri had feet comprised
solely of cement?
Brady is driving the Club forward because that's her job. It's not her fault
that Sullivan doesn't have the self awareness to realise he is not actually
very good at identifying players, and as a result is pissing off the
supporters that she is charged with keeping happy. I don't think Karren
Brady looked at Michail Antonio and thought that the best use of one of our
premium attacking players was to play him at right back.
So, let's ask ourselves a question - would this video have been made if we
were sitting fifth in the table? I can't really answer that, but I strongly
suspect not. The points raised are so nebulous that I don't actually know
what it is that the makers want from the board. In fairness they have
expanded more here in conversation with KUMB, but I'm still not really much
the wiser.
I'm sorry chaps, but this video doesn't speak for me. I appreciate the care
and attention, I respect the devotion and I understand the frustrations that
led to it's creation but it isn't asking anything tangible or meaningful of
the Board. All it's done is stir up a lot of anti-Board feeling around
nothing. I can't see how that is helpful.
And for those commenting all over the place online about this, I'm going to
keep returning to these points as well - most of the current criticism of
the Club could be solved by a five game winning streak, and 95% of the
criticism of Karren Brady is rendered invalid by the misogynist bullshit
that accompanies it. If you can't make your point with referring to her
gender then you have no point worth making.
"Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you
don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your
time, or any of your space" - Johnny Cash
He seems sensible - let's take his advice
Now before anyone labels me as a stooge for the board or an apologist for
the stadium fuck ups, let me say this; there is a metric tonne of stuff the
Board could do to help themselves and try to reduce some of the current
enmity that surrounds the place. In no particular order:
1. Appoint an experienced Director of Football to oversee all elements of
the footballing side of the Club.
Ralf Rangnick - the man behind RB Leipzig's meteoric rise in Germany - would
do nicely but here on planet Earth we might have to set our sights a little
lower.
We desperately need to move away from the agent led recruitment of Sullivan,
and put in place someone with an understanding of analytics and how to mix
old and new school scouting. Let's stop signing players due to them having
good YouTube highlight packages, basically. At the same time we could invest
properly into the youth system and establish an Academy that delivers first
team ready players to the manager, already accustomed to playing in the
style of the first team.
Giving up this role to someone who actually knows what they're doing would
also allow David Sullivan to return to the normal duties of a Premier League
chairman such as producing films about the Krays.
2. Swallow the bitter taste of hubris and accept that parts of the stadium
move have been a disaster.
Whilst chatting about this with fellow Hammers @LeBigHouse and @AMoCS we
agreed that there is an incredible problem with the tone that the Club take
over the Stadium move. They are increasingly resembling The Day Today's pool
supervisor and his lament that people choose only to focus on the deaths
that have occurred under his watch and nothing else.
The move has had lots of issues and if we were treated like grown ups and
the Club just admitted this I think they might find that this single gesture
of ordinary human behaviour might generate some actual bona fide goodwill.
And boy do they need it, especially with Spurs building a stadium that their
fans will actually want to go to, just up the road.
It's hard to know how much of the stadium fit out is the responsibility of
the Club and how much is the stadium owners, but either way it's a little
bit like a film set. It looks great but don't stare too long or you'll see
that it's really just a good looking approximation of the real thing.
So, yes if you want us to be customers then you can't just ignore the
concept of customer service. You can't really have one without the other.
Like Palace and terrible managers.
Just try it Karren - "Hey guys, I'm really sorry about this but yeah, the
concessions are a bit of a nightmare aren't they? It probably shouldn't take
30 minutes to get a pie. We'll sort that out. Give us some time".
You might be surprised what that gets you.
3. Take away young Jack's Twitter password.
It's embarrassing to the Club that he is a quasi official mouthpiece who is
confirming major signings in one Tweet and then supporting Donald Trump as
President in the next.
We've now reached a point where we have to wait for young Jack to finish
double chemistry in the afternoon before we get confirmation that our new
signing has passed his medical. Gosh, it's just like Real Madrid.
If that's not possible then how about reassigning him to do something
useful. He could tweet about the West Ham Ladies team, who could really do
with the publicity, or alternatively about the Club's various charitable
endeavours to try and highlight the community work being done.
There is something glorious about the fact that the Clubs public response to
this video has been for Jack to send them an email. After all, when we make
a complaint who among us isn't delighted to have our concerns addressed by a
teenager on work experience?
4. Get some proper dialogue with fans to address the day to day experience
of being a supporter.
Bear in mind that this is a borderline impossible task as no one fan can
accurately reflect the views of thousands. I'm pretty sure that the
Supporters Advisory Board was supposed to do this, but I have no idea what
they do so I suppose there is room for improvement in their communication if
nothing else.
There is a thread here on KUMB that asks fans to contribute to a new ten
point plan. There are some things there that I agree with and plenty that I
don't, but it's a start and there are some tangible things that the Board
can actually address. As an example, if it is truly this difficult for our
disabled fans to get to games that is a really easy win.
5. Lose the running track
Best of luck with that. It would solve an enormous number of the problems
though.
6. Sort out the Club's public image. It's horrendous.
You know what we need? A slick PR professional, who is a West Ham fan,
understands the sensibilities of the ordinary fan and has the time on his
hands to commit fully to the job.
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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Andy Carroll set for West Ham stay as Slaven Bilic insists striker is not
for sale
The fit-again frontman is set to lead the line for the club over the next
three games in six days with Diafra Sakho injured
COMMENTS
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 25 DEC 2016UPDATED16:39, 25 DEC 2016
The Mirror
West Ham intend to resist any bids for Andy Carroll when the transfer window
reopens because of their striker crisis. The fit-again frontman is set to
lead the line for the club over the next three games in six days with Diafra
Sakho injured. Flop Italy striker Simone Zaza is set to have his loan
terminated when the window reopens with Valencia willing to snap him up. It
means the Hammers are pinning their hopes on Carroll to help them through
the next few weeks until they can bring in the reinforcements they have
urgently targeted. Carroll's future has been uncertain because of his
disappointing injury record. But he will stay, with boss Slaven Bilic
insistent, ahead of their trip to Swansea today, that he will no longer
treat the former Newcastle talisman with kid gloves. Bilic said: "Maybe
before it was always holding him back and that could be one of the reasons
why he was getting injured. "Unless you are talking about extreme examples
you are more likely to get injured if you are not training. "If you are
training with a good rhythm every day - and I can give you hundred of
examples like that - (you can stay fit). "Of course you have to be cautious
with Andy because of his history, but if he is feeling good let's build on
that. Why are we thinking negative?"
Former Swansea winger Andre Ayew returns to the Liberty for the first time
since his £20million move to West Ham last August. But Bilic has called for
patience for the 27-year-old who has also been unlucky with injuries since
his arrival. Bilic said: "He's had a big injury, he came back a few weeks
ago and now he need to train. Then he needs games to be the Ayew from last
season or two seasons ago. "He's getting back. He's becoming better than he
came in his first game and it's only a matter of time."
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Swansea vs West Ham team news: Squads revealed, injuries and more ahead of
Premier League clash
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for the Boxing Day match at Swansea
after boss Slaven Bilic confirmed that the striker could be out for six to
eight weeks due to a back injury.
The Mirror
BYPRESS ASSOCIATION
18:30, 25 DEC 2016UPDATED18:32, 25 DEC 2016
Swansea have broken-toe victims Federico Fernandez and Ki Sung-yueng
available for the Boxing Day home clash with West Ham. Fernandez is a real
contender to return in central defence on the back of Swansea conceding six
goals in defeats at West Brom and Middlesbrough. Ki might have to settle for
a place on the bench, but Kyle Naughton and Jack Cork are possible options
with under-pressure manager Bob Bradley considering changes.
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for the Boxing Day match at Swansea
after boss Slaven Bilic confirmed that the striker could be out for six to
eight weeks due to a back injury. The Senegal international has only made
two appearances during his injury-plagued season but was substituted during
the draw against Manchester United last month. Midfielder Gokhan Tore is
still out with a knee problem, Pedro Obiang is suspended and Reece Oxford
(ankle) and Simone Zaza (knee) remain sidelined, while defender James
Collins is a doubt as he continues his recovery from a muscular injury.
Swansea squad: Fabianski, Naughton, Mawson, Fernandez, Taylor, Britton,
Cork, Barrow, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Llorente, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Van der
Hoorn, Amat, Fulton, Fer, Kingsley, Dyer, Montero, Borja, McBurnie.
West Ham squad: Randolph, Adrian, Collins, Ogbonna, Reid, Kouyate, Masuaku,
Antonio, Cresswell, Noble, Fernandes, Nordtveit, Payet, Lanzini, Feghouli,
Ayew, Carroll, Fletcher.
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David Moyes: I will not sell Jermain Defoe to West Ham for any price
The Telegraph
Jason Burt, chief football correspondent
25 DECEMBER 2016 • 10:30PM
David Moyes has dismissed any suggestion that he might be prepared to sell
Jermain Defoe in the January transfer window, describing the veteran striker
as "priceless". The Sunderland manager, ahead of the Boxing Day clash at his
former club Manchester United - his first return to Old Trafford since he
was sacked in April 2014 - is fully aware of West Ham United's interest in
Defoe. West Ham are prepared to bid £6 million to bring their former
striker, who left them almost 13 years ago in a £7 million move to Tottenham
Hotspur, back to the club and hope that Sunderland might be tempted to sell
their highest-earner. However, Moyes has said that such is his strength of
feeling that Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain would not even bother
informing him of a bid for Defoe who has been in outstanding form – again –
this season with eight goals, despite playing for a team in the bottom
three. "No, it wouldn't be considered," Moyes said, of any bid for Defoe. "I
don't think there's any price because we know that Jermain's goals are
priceless to us." Moyes added: "I wouldn't even think about it. He needs
managing because he's a senior professional and needs treating right, which
we do. He wants to train every day, he trains like he's much younger and
he's in good condition.
"I'm not saying we're getting the best out of him because he's had a great
career and he's scored a lot of goals, but nobody can turn around and say
they can see a demise in him. You can only see someone who will keep going."
Defoe has been a resounding success since he returned to the Premier League,
in January 2015, after an unhappy spell in the MLS with Toronto FC. He earns
around £70,000 a week but his goals kept Sunderland in the Premier League
last season and he represents their best chance of avoiding the drop this
time also.
Whatever interest there is in him it would also be a very hard sell for
Sunderland to their supporters if they allowed Defoe to leave given the club
has already indicated there will only be minimal funds available for Moyes
to strengthen in the January window. Harry Kane (with 21 goals) is the only
English striker to score more Premier League goals than Defoe (19) in 2016
and Moyes said it also had to be factored in that his forward has been
playing for a team in the wrong half of the league during that time. "His
stats for 2016 show he's been brilliant and he's been scoring goals for
Sunderland," he said. "What would he get if he was at a Tottenham."
An added complication for Sunderland is the fact that Defoe is only one of
three players who has scored for them in the league this season – alongside
fellow striker Victor Anichebe (whose contribution Moyes also hailed) and
Patrick Van Aanholt, who each have three goals. "It's sad, that's not good,
but at least we've got Victor who has scored a couple alongside Jermain,"
Moyes said. "If we hadn't got that we'd be really struggling." West Ham –
who have been offered Argentinean forward Lucas Pratto from Atletico Mineiro
– are desperate to improve their attacking options and may return with an
offer for AC Milan's Carlos Bacca, who they tried to sign last summer, and
will jump on any chance to re-sign Defoe if they are given encouragement. As
revealed by The Daily Telegraph, West Ham have also circulated the top six
Premier League clubs with letters – except for Spurs, the two clubs will not
do business with each other – to see whether there are any forwards they may
be willing to loan out.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFc.com
When and where?
Swansea City v West Ham United
Premier League
Monday 26 December 2016, 3pm GMT
Liberty Stadium
What's the story?
West Ham United will hope to make it a happy Christmas when they head to
Swansea City on Boxing Day for their penultimate Premier League fixture of
2016.
Seven points taken from a successful week in the run-up to the festive
season already ensured that the turkey tasted better for Hammers fans on
Christmas Day, and now the east Londoners have their eyes on climbing
further up the table.
That draw at Liverpool, followed by single-goal victories against Burnley
and Hull City took Slaven Bilic's team out of the division's bottom three
and up to 13th, with 19 points from 17 games.
Swansea, by contrast, spent Christmas Day in the relegation zone, with last
weekend's 3-0 loss at Middlesbrough their third in four games.
In total, Bob Bradley's team have 12 points to date and with 37 goals in the
conceded column they have the dubious honour of possessing the division's
leakiest defence.
Having been a top-flight team since 2011, the Swans will be fighting hard to
ensure the second half of their season does not become a battle to preserve
that status.
Team news
Diafra Sakho remains sidelined with a hamstring problem sustained late last
month.
Aaron Cresswell could make his 100th appearance for the Hammers, while Andy
Carroll played his first 90 minutes since the first game of the season in
the Hammers' victory over Hull.
Any links between the two?
Swansea City club captain Leon Britton is a graduate of the Academy of
Football who has spent the last 13 years at Swansea, playing in all four
divisions of the English professional game with the Swans.
Aside from a brief spell at Sheffield United in the 2010/11 season, he has
been in South Wales ever since leaving the Hammers, appearing in 514 games
for the club.
On the West Ham side, Andre Ayew became the Hammers' record signing when he
joined from Swansea in the summer for a £20.5m fee. The Ghana international
scored 12 goals in the 34 league games he played for the Welsh club in
2015/16.
How do I get to the game?
Click here for directions on how to get to Liberty Stadium.
Please note that there are no train services between London and Swansea on
Boxing Day. Click here for the latest news on the roads.
How can I watch the game?
The game is not being broadcast live in the UK. However, you can follow the
action as it happens on whufc.com's live match centre, with audio
commentary, social media updates, in-running stats, photos and more. Get
involved in the conversation on social using #SWAWHU
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Manager on Matchday
WHUFC.com
Good morning everyone,
After taking seven points from our last three games we all know the
importance of getting another positive result when we face Swansea today.
A lot has been said about the performance against Hull in the last game and
I'm hoping to see us more fluid with the ball and have more movement off the
ball.
We need to take more responsibility. It has nothing to do with fitness,
nothing to do with a game plan, but has a lot to do with the freedom in your
head or in your legs of course.
This will be a big day for Andre Ayew going back to his former club for the
first time since he joined us last summer.
To be fair he had a big injury and came back a few weeks ago. Now he needs
to train and he needs games to be the Ayew from last season or two seasons
ago. He's getting back.
He's becoming better than he what he showed in his first game and it's only
a matter of time.
I was asked in the pre-match press conference about the pressure that Bob
Bradley is currently facing at Swansea.
I have feelings for all the managers and there is no manager who hasn't been
under pressure in the Premier League this season.
Even Antonio Conte was under pressure for a couple of weeks. So is Bradley,
so am I. You were under pressure or you're going to be under pressure.
You enjoy it when you are not under pressure and learn from the time when
you are under pressure.
Bob is an experienced manager and they all have those kind of methods to
deal with the pressure.
I was also asked about Gylfi Sigurdsson and the threat he will pose to us on
Monday.
Football is not about one player, every club has best players. You cannot
win with just Michael Jordan. Gylfi is a great player, very consistent.
When they are closer to the goal he is real and very dangerous. They showed
a couple of games they are very dangerous at home.
They have good delivery from set pieces and the flanks from open play. They
work well from the back and we have to defend well against them. They have
quality, pace and we have to exploit their weaknesses they showed as a team
when we don't have the ball.
I hope all our fans have a safe trip to south Wales today and hope we can
come away with another big three points.
Enjoy the game.
Slaven
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Academy youngsters discover the true meaning of Christmas
WHUFC.com
As they open their presents and tuck into Christmas dinners today, the
schoolboys of West Ham United's Under-12 Academy squad will no doubt have
football on their minds – and a very special match that took place exactly
102 years ago.
Christmas Day 1914 is remembered for a truly remarkable event, when guns
fell silent on the fierce battlefields of Ypres in Belgium during the First
World War, as German and Allied soldiers agreed an unofficial ceasefire and
greeted each other in No Man's Land, to share gifts and food, before
enjoying an impromptu football match.
And the anniversary is of particular interest for our Under-12 players, who
flew to Belgium recently to take part in the Truce tournament – an
educational initiative run by the Premier League that commemorates the
Christmas truce and the lives lost in the War.
Launched in 2011, the tournament sees Academy teams from the Premier League
test themselves against some of the best young players from France, Belgium
and Germany, countries whose soldiers also fought on the fields of Ypres.
More importantly, it enables them to experience an educational and cultural
journey that enhances the history lessons they have been receiving on the
sacrifices made by those soldiers.
Having finished above the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton, Leicester
and West Brom in the qualifying tournament at Aldershot Garrison Sports
Centre, the young Hammers sealed their place in the final tournament and
travelled to Ypres over the weekend of 9-11 December.
Christmas Truce
Despite losing their opening match against Blackburn, West Ham went on to
beat Belgian side Club Brugge before a draw against Paris St Germain saw
them qualify for the semi-finals, where they unfortunately lost to
Anderlecht, who went on to beat Manchester City in the final. The tournament
ended on a positive note, though, as the Hammers gained revenge on Blackburn
to triumph in the third-place play-off.
Alongside the football, the players made an educational field trip to
Ploegsteert Wood, the site of the Christmas Truce of 1914. They also
explored a replica British trench and bunker system at the Passchendaele
1917 Memorial Museum and visited the Tyne Cot War Cemetery and the Menin
Gate memorial to the missing, where respects were paid with wreath laying
and a Last Post ceremony.
The squad were led by West Ham United's Academy Head of Coaching for
U9s-U14s, Dave Johnson, who spoke to whufc.com about his immense pride in
the players.
"It was a fantastic experience," said Johnson. "Fantastic for football
reasons, as it allowed the boys to test themselves against some of the best
young players in Europe, but even more so from an educational point of view.
"The trip had an extremely positive effect on the boys, who all took a real
interest in the history of the 1914 Christmas truce and the sacrifices that
the soldiers in World War One had to make.
"I have to say that their behaviour and attitude was absolutely impeccable
and they were a credit to West Ham United Football Club.
"One of the boys was even chosen to read a poem at the Menin Gate Memorial
in front of 1,500 people, following in the footsteps of people like Barack
Obama and David Beckham.
"Overall, it was a magnificent experience for them and something they will
never, ever forget."
Martyn Heather, the Premier League's Head of Education, said of the Truce
initiative: "We've always been very keen to develop holistically rounded
people and I think that developing their skills off the pitch, as well as on
it, is crucial.
"Tournaments like this are not just about the football, they're about taking
the players out of their comfort zone. They can see the horrors that men not
much older than themselves faced in the First World War just over 100 years
ago.
"What was quite pertinent was players visiting the graves of former players
from their respective club, it just made it so much more relatable.
"The reason we centre the tournament around the Christmas Truce is because
we want the players to understand that football is a universal language, and
despite the aggression and horrors of war, on December 25, 1914, that was
put aside, and we want to learn from that and instil those qualities in
these young players.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham And The Mysterious World Of The Past
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 24th December 2016
By: HeadHammerShark
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past" -
Thomas Jefferson, 1816
I know what you're thinking - Thomas Jefferson probably wouldn't have been
quite so certain about this if he'd ever had to queue for 35 minutes to get
a £4 pie - and you're probably right.
Yet, why am I drawing a not entirely obvious line between a former US
president and West Ham? Because there is a video doing the rounds that seems
to be stirring up a lot of opinions currently, and I must confess that most
of them are baffling me. It is described as an open video to the Board but
doesn't actually ask them to do anything, hence much of my confusion.
Firstly, have a look at the clip in question. It is publicly available from
YouTube so I don't imagine the authors will be upset with me linking to it
here.
Now I should say that none of what I'm about to write is intended as
personal criticism of the creators, or indeed anybody else who feels
similarly to them. I recognise a lot of things from that video; I have sat
singing the Payet song on the sofa with my daughters too, I uttered an
inveterate "Oh for fucks sake" when Zaza took his famous shot at Old
Trafford and somehow managed to get the ball to end up behind him, I
simultaneously treasure and despise the memory of Cardiff 2006, and in my
mind the football I watched in my childhood has been been lent a veneer of
quality by the passing of time that was not there when the games actually
took place, so I get the nostalgia.
Furthermore, we all support the team in different ways and have different
things that symbolise our love for our Club. If the newly revamped badge is
complete anathema to you, then I'm not about to tell you to get over it.
Each very much to their own. There is no wrong or right, merely differing
shades of grey. Or green, if you look at the large quantities of Costco felt
running round the edge of the pitch.
But as I watched that video I found my brow increasingly furrowed as I
watched and listened. And as the plaudits came rolling in from the various
quarters of my particular echo chamber I found myself asking the same thing
repeatedly - "Why?"
!"The past is a decaying memory and I do not have to relive it and empower
it unless I choose to do so" - James Lee Burke, "The Tin Roof Blowdown"
I have watched the video several times now to ensure I understand it
properly, and I have failed miserably as I'm pretty sure I don't understand
it even remotely. It seems to be mythologising a past that never happened,
or celebrating the worst parts of it.
For a start, it contains the following quotes:
"It's about...playing good football the right way, but it definitely isn't
about winning"
Insert joke here - it'll be the first one ever associated with this show
Objectively I suppose this is true. Supporting West Ham hasn't very often
been about winning. Watching us solely in the hope of supporting a winning
team is like watching Mrs Brown's Boys and waiting for a joke to come along.
But this also seems to suggest that winning is a bad thing. Like we are
morally superior to other fans and that there is a purity to our support
because we don't go along in the expectation of victory.
What a load of bollocks.
The years of ineptitude don't make us better fans - they make us stupid. We
allowed the Cearns family and Terry Brown to feed us that line for years.
"The West Ham Way" - a concept recently resurrected to very dubious purpose
- was apparently all about entertainment above winning. And what a handy get
out that was for the various boards of the time. Finish third, eulogise the
team forever but sell the best players off immediately. Develop Rio
Ferdinand and Frank Lampard? Sure, but we have to sell them to improve the
ground, don't get upset though, and hey! Look at that goal Di Canio just
scored.
Rinse, wash, repeat for my entire childhood. But West Ham fans are wedded to
this. We are in love with a past that has constantly lacked competent
leadership, ambition and success because we have become completely consumed
with the idea that just being a fan is enough. Become a West Ham fan, it's a
higher way of life - you get screwed over by the Premier League who are
happy to take your money but do everything possible to prevent you from ever
seeing your side win, and do so with the tacit support of successive boards
who never had the ambition to look past that.
Sullivan, Gold and Brady seem to want to change this, and yet somehow that's
a bad thing? I have no issue quibbling with their methods but criticising a
board for wanting to win things is mental. And I hate to break it to you,
but West Ham fans are no better or worse than any other. We love our team,
and for us here, now, inside that bubble, it's a magical feeling but it's no
different than it is for Manchester United fans inside theirs. We might want
to believe that there is something intrinsically superior about our own
support but there is not.
I have previously likened supporting Manchester United or Chelsea to going
into a casino and cheering for the house, and I stand by that. The
advantages those teams enjoy are so huge that I simply do not believe that
there can be as much inherent satisfaction in them winning anything as there
was for, say, Leicester. But that doesn't make their supporters somehow
worse than us, and the sooner we get past that myth the sooner we can start
demanding a bit more from our Club.
"Failure is part of our identity"
Is that true? Well, if it is then our identity is shit and the sooner we
lose it the better. Why are we happy about failure? Until this season West
Ham ticket prices were amongst the highest in the country, which tells me
that in no way at all is acceptable for the Club to embrace failure.
I'm all for glory and playing with verve and brio but I also don't accept it
as a basic tenet of our existence that Manchester United or Arsenal fans
"deserve" success and we don't, just because their clubs are bigger. What
bizarre crap is that? Can anyone truly say there is anything different at
their very core between Manchester City and West Ham other than Emirati
billions?
There's no need for this strange self flagellation - we pay good money to
West Ham, to the Premier League, to Sky and everybody else in the game and
our money is just as good as our neighbours. If we're not going to try and
win, then what are we here for?
"The West Ham United Coffee Company"
Jesus Christ, who gives a shit? So the Club put a coffee shop in their store
- like pretty much any other business of a comparable size in the Western
world. Of all the things wrong with the new stadium and our new identity
this is about 4 millionth on my list.
This is evil and must be stopped.
I don't even know what people want - a Starbucks? A Costa? No coffee? Why
are these better options than the Club making a few quid out of
refreshments? Again I am forced to hark back to my childhood memories of the
Club selling memorabilia out of a Portakabin and never having enough money
to keep any players, and wondering what exactly it is about our past that
people are eulogising over?
"You're turning your fans into consumers"
I get it, I really do. For us, going to games is not the same thing as a
trip to John Lewis, or renting a car from Hertz. It is a social experience
with an emotional core that transcends pretty much any relationship that we
will ever have with something that can't talk back to us.
But this again is hinting at something else - that we weren't consumers
already. I hate to break it to you guys but that huge stand they're
currently pulling down at Upton Park was called the Dr Martens Stand. The
Club had already thrown their lot in with the great corporate takeover of
the post Euro 1996 years, and we were already little more than consumers
anyway.
I have also seen a lot of commentary suggesting that 'real' fans are unhappy
about the presence of so many day tripping tourists in the stadium. These
fans presumably representing the new consumers as opposed to the old
supporters.
The problem with this world view is that I just don't see much evidence of
it. Having been to pretty much every game this season, despite not being a
season ticket holder myself, I haven't seen these huge numbers of tourists.
Instead I've seen lots of West Ham fans who can't or don't want to go to
every game but still consider themselves loyal supporters.
There are plenty of reasons why fans might not be able to go to games -
maybe they can't afford it, maybe they have to work, maybe they're too sick,
maybe they're serving in the Armed Forces somewhere or maybe they're in
jail. We could only envy them during the second half of that Hull game.
The list is long and exhaustive and the reality is that I suspect the ground
is full of our core 30k support and then a rotating 20k cast of other fans
from that 50k waiting list who can't go all the time.
All of which is to say that I agree that we're being treated like consumers,
but I don't really see how that's a new thing.
"West Ham is about things you can't buy....identity, togetherness, love"
OK, well this is an entirely subjective area so if that's what it means to
the creators of this video then I'm not about to tell them they're wrong.
It means different things to all of us, and that's perfectly fine but the
bit I'm confused about is the notion that the owners of the Club don't
understand these things. It's always bemused me that there are those who
constantly state that Gold and Sullivan are in this for the money only.
Where is the evidence of this?
They haven't cashed in on our better players and refused to invest the
money, they haven't as yet encouraged any external bidders for the Club and
they have done little else but put their own money into the coffers so far.
It's curious that fans who pay a £1,000 a year to the Club feel that this
entitles them to all sorts of leeway in what they want back, but refuse to
extend the same logic to the owners and their £80m. To my mind, their
failure hasn't been a lack of investment in the team, it's been in not
investing properly.
Think about it - if they truly want to dispose of their holdings then it
would be in their interests to drive that price as high as possible. That
means higher league finishes, a better squad and, yes, a better stadium. I'm
not sure why anyone would think these were bad things to be aiming at.
"Put the football first, listen to the fans"
Yeah, I don't know what this means. Here are a load of slightly impenetrable
complaints about off field issues but please just concentrate on the
football? What? Or alternatively, start asking fans about footballing
issues? Er, no thanks.
Is Karren Brady supposed to stop trying to generate income for the Club
because David Sullivan and Slaven Bilic didn't sign a right back in the
summer, and couldn't recognise that Jonathan Calleri had feet comprised
solely of cement?
Brady is driving the Club forward because that's her job. It's not her fault
that Sullivan doesn't have the self awareness to realise he is not actually
very good at identifying players, and as a result is pissing off the
supporters that she is charged with keeping happy. I don't think Karren
Brady looked at Michail Antonio and thought that the best use of one of our
premium attacking players was to play him at right back.
So, let's ask ourselves a question - would this video have been made if we
were sitting fifth in the table? I can't really answer that, but I strongly
suspect not. The points raised are so nebulous that I don't actually know
what it is that the makers want from the board. In fairness they have
expanded more here in conversation with KUMB, but I'm still not really much
the wiser.
I'm sorry chaps, but this video doesn't speak for me. I appreciate the care
and attention, I respect the devotion and I understand the frustrations that
led to it's creation but it isn't asking anything tangible or meaningful of
the Board. All it's done is stir up a lot of anti-Board feeling around
nothing. I can't see how that is helpful.
And for those commenting all over the place online about this, I'm going to
keep returning to these points as well - most of the current criticism of
the Club could be solved by a five game winning streak, and 95% of the
criticism of Karren Brady is rendered invalid by the misogynist bullshit
that accompanies it. If you can't make your point with referring to her
gender then you have no point worth making.
"Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you
don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your
time, or any of your space" - Johnny Cash
He seems sensible - let's take his advice
Now before anyone labels me as a stooge for the board or an apologist for
the stadium fuck ups, let me say this; there is a metric tonne of stuff the
Board could do to help themselves and try to reduce some of the current
enmity that surrounds the place. In no particular order:
1. Appoint an experienced Director of Football to oversee all elements of
the footballing side of the Club.
Ralf Rangnick - the man behind RB Leipzig's meteoric rise in Germany - would
do nicely but here on planet Earth we might have to set our sights a little
lower.
We desperately need to move away from the agent led recruitment of Sullivan,
and put in place someone with an understanding of analytics and how to mix
old and new school scouting. Let's stop signing players due to them having
good YouTube highlight packages, basically. At the same time we could invest
properly into the youth system and establish an Academy that delivers first
team ready players to the manager, already accustomed to playing in the
style of the first team.
Giving up this role to someone who actually knows what they're doing would
also allow David Sullivan to return to the normal duties of a Premier League
chairman such as producing films about the Krays.
2. Swallow the bitter taste of hubris and accept that parts of the stadium
move have been a disaster.
Whilst chatting about this with fellow Hammers @LeBigHouse and @AMoCS we
agreed that there is an incredible problem with the tone that the Club take
over the Stadium move. They are increasingly resembling The Day Today's pool
supervisor and his lament that people choose only to focus on the deaths
that have occurred under his watch and nothing else.
The move has had lots of issues and if we were treated like grown ups and
the Club just admitted this I think they might find that this single gesture
of ordinary human behaviour might generate some actual bona fide goodwill.
And boy do they need it, especially with Spurs building a stadium that their
fans will actually want to go to, just up the road.
It's hard to know how much of the stadium fit out is the responsibility of
the Club and how much is the stadium owners, but either way it's a little
bit like a film set. It looks great but don't stare too long or you'll see
that it's really just a good looking approximation of the real thing.
So, yes if you want us to be customers then you can't just ignore the
concept of customer service. You can't really have one without the other.
Like Palace and terrible managers.
Just try it Karren - "Hey guys, I'm really sorry about this but yeah, the
concessions are a bit of a nightmare aren't they? It probably shouldn't take
30 minutes to get a pie. We'll sort that out. Give us some time".
You might be surprised what that gets you.
3. Take away young Jack's Twitter password.
It's embarrassing to the Club that he is a quasi official mouthpiece who is
confirming major signings in one Tweet and then supporting Donald Trump as
President in the next.
We've now reached a point where we have to wait for young Jack to finish
double chemistry in the afternoon before we get confirmation that our new
signing has passed his medical. Gosh, it's just like Real Madrid.
If that's not possible then how about reassigning him to do something
useful. He could tweet about the West Ham Ladies team, who could really do
with the publicity, or alternatively about the Club's various charitable
endeavours to try and highlight the community work being done.
There is something glorious about the fact that the Clubs public response to
this video has been for Jack to send them an email. After all, when we make
a complaint who among us isn't delighted to have our concerns addressed by a
teenager on work experience?
4. Get some proper dialogue with fans to address the day to day experience
of being a supporter.
Bear in mind that this is a borderline impossible task as no one fan can
accurately reflect the views of thousands. I'm pretty sure that the
Supporters Advisory Board was supposed to do this, but I have no idea what
they do so I suppose there is room for improvement in their communication if
nothing else.
There is a thread here on KUMB that asks fans to contribute to a new ten
point plan. There are some things there that I agree with and plenty that I
don't, but it's a start and there are some tangible things that the Board
can actually address. As an example, if it is truly this difficult for our
disabled fans to get to games that is a really easy win.
5. Lose the running track
Best of luck with that. It would solve an enormous number of the problems
though.
6. Sort out the Club's public image. It's horrendous.
You know what we need? A slick PR professional, who is a West Ham fan,
understands the sensibilities of the ordinary fan and has the time on his
hands to commit fully to the job.
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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Andy Carroll set for West Ham stay as Slaven Bilic insists striker is not
for sale
The fit-again frontman is set to lead the line for the club over the next
three games in six days with Diafra Sakho injured
COMMENTS
BYDARREN LEWIS
22:30, 25 DEC 2016UPDATED16:39, 25 DEC 2016
The Mirror
West Ham intend to resist any bids for Andy Carroll when the transfer window
reopens because of their striker crisis. The fit-again frontman is set to
lead the line for the club over the next three games in six days with Diafra
Sakho injured. Flop Italy striker Simone Zaza is set to have his loan
terminated when the window reopens with Valencia willing to snap him up. It
means the Hammers are pinning their hopes on Carroll to help them through
the next few weeks until they can bring in the reinforcements they have
urgently targeted. Carroll's future has been uncertain because of his
disappointing injury record. But he will stay, with boss Slaven Bilic
insistent, ahead of their trip to Swansea today, that he will no longer
treat the former Newcastle talisman with kid gloves. Bilic said: "Maybe
before it was always holding him back and that could be one of the reasons
why he was getting injured. "Unless you are talking about extreme examples
you are more likely to get injured if you are not training. "If you are
training with a good rhythm every day - and I can give you hundred of
examples like that - (you can stay fit). "Of course you have to be cautious
with Andy because of his history, but if he is feeling good let's build on
that. Why are we thinking negative?"
Former Swansea winger Andre Ayew returns to the Liberty for the first time
since his £20million move to West Ham last August. But Bilic has called for
patience for the 27-year-old who has also been unlucky with injuries since
his arrival. Bilic said: "He's had a big injury, he came back a few weeks
ago and now he need to train. Then he needs games to be the Ayew from last
season or two seasons ago. "He's getting back. He's becoming better than he
came in his first game and it's only a matter of time."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea vs West Ham team news: Squads revealed, injuries and more ahead of
Premier League clash
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for the Boxing Day match at Swansea
after boss Slaven Bilic confirmed that the striker could be out for six to
eight weeks due to a back injury.
The Mirror
BYPRESS ASSOCIATION
18:30, 25 DEC 2016UPDATED18:32, 25 DEC 2016
Swansea have broken-toe victims Federico Fernandez and Ki Sung-yueng
available for the Boxing Day home clash with West Ham. Fernandez is a real
contender to return in central defence on the back of Swansea conceding six
goals in defeats at West Brom and Middlesbrough. Ki might have to settle for
a place on the bench, but Kyle Naughton and Jack Cork are possible options
with under-pressure manager Bob Bradley considering changes.
West Ham will be without Diafra Sakho for the Boxing Day match at Swansea
after boss Slaven Bilic confirmed that the striker could be out for six to
eight weeks due to a back injury. The Senegal international has only made
two appearances during his injury-plagued season but was substituted during
the draw against Manchester United last month. Midfielder Gokhan Tore is
still out with a knee problem, Pedro Obiang is suspended and Reece Oxford
(ankle) and Simone Zaza (knee) remain sidelined, while defender James
Collins is a doubt as he continues his recovery from a muscular injury.
Swansea squad: Fabianski, Naughton, Mawson, Fernandez, Taylor, Britton,
Cork, Barrow, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Llorente, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Van der
Hoorn, Amat, Fulton, Fer, Kingsley, Dyer, Montero, Borja, McBurnie.
West Ham squad: Randolph, Adrian, Collins, Ogbonna, Reid, Kouyate, Masuaku,
Antonio, Cresswell, Noble, Fernandes, Nordtveit, Payet, Lanzini, Feghouli,
Ayew, Carroll, Fletcher.
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David Moyes: I will not sell Jermain Defoe to West Ham for any price
The Telegraph
Jason Burt, chief football correspondent
25 DECEMBER 2016 • 10:30PM
David Moyes has dismissed any suggestion that he might be prepared to sell
Jermain Defoe in the January transfer window, describing the veteran striker
as "priceless". The Sunderland manager, ahead of the Boxing Day clash at his
former club Manchester United - his first return to Old Trafford since he
was sacked in April 2014 - is fully aware of West Ham United's interest in
Defoe. West Ham are prepared to bid £6 million to bring their former
striker, who left them almost 13 years ago in a £7 million move to Tottenham
Hotspur, back to the club and hope that Sunderland might be tempted to sell
their highest-earner. However, Moyes has said that such is his strength of
feeling that Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain would not even bother
informing him of a bid for Defoe who has been in outstanding form – again –
this season with eight goals, despite playing for a team in the bottom
three. "No, it wouldn't be considered," Moyes said, of any bid for Defoe. "I
don't think there's any price because we know that Jermain's goals are
priceless to us." Moyes added: "I wouldn't even think about it. He needs
managing because he's a senior professional and needs treating right, which
we do. He wants to train every day, he trains like he's much younger and
he's in good condition.
"I'm not saying we're getting the best out of him because he's had a great
career and he's scored a lot of goals, but nobody can turn around and say
they can see a demise in him. You can only see someone who will keep going."
Defoe has been a resounding success since he returned to the Premier League,
in January 2015, after an unhappy spell in the MLS with Toronto FC. He earns
around £70,000 a week but his goals kept Sunderland in the Premier League
last season and he represents their best chance of avoiding the drop this
time also.
Whatever interest there is in him it would also be a very hard sell for
Sunderland to their supporters if they allowed Defoe to leave given the club
has already indicated there will only be minimal funds available for Moyes
to strengthen in the January window. Harry Kane (with 21 goals) is the only
English striker to score more Premier League goals than Defoe (19) in 2016
and Moyes said it also had to be factored in that his forward has been
playing for a team in the wrong half of the league during that time. "His
stats for 2016 show he's been brilliant and he's been scoring goals for
Sunderland," he said. "What would he get if he was at a Tottenham."
An added complication for Sunderland is the fact that Defoe is only one of
three players who has scored for them in the league this season – alongside
fellow striker Victor Anichebe (whose contribution Moyes also hailed) and
Patrick Van Aanholt, who each have three goals. "It's sad, that's not good,
but at least we've got Victor who has scored a couple alongside Jermain,"
Moyes said. "If we hadn't got that we'd be really struggling." West Ham –
who have been offered Argentinean forward Lucas Pratto from Atletico Mineiro
– are desperate to improve their attacking options and may return with an
offer for AC Milan's Carlos Bacca, who they tried to sign last summer, and
will jump on any chance to re-sign Defoe if they are given encouragement. As
revealed by The Daily Telegraph, West Ham have also circulated the top six
Premier League clubs with letters – except for Spurs, the two clubs will not
do business with each other – to see whether there are any forwards they may
be willing to loan out.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 24
Daily WHUFC News - 25th December 2016
From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com
I want to start by wishing a Merry Christmas to all our supporters and hope everyone has a memorable weekend.
This is always a special time of the year and I hope our supporters are feeling more optimistic after we managed to secure seven points last week, which took us clear of the bottom three and has us heading in the right direction.
Slaven has been honest enough to admit the performances have not been to our normal standards in the last two home games, but the most important thing was getting two wins and we managed to do that.
We are in a much better place and we can now play with a bit more freedom. I am still very optimistic about the second half of the season and getting more points on the board.
I was delighted to see Andy Carroll back in action and it was great to see him start the last two home games against Burnley and Hull.
We all know Andy's character and the commitment he shows when he is back in the team.
He wants to play every game and the key factor is now keeping him fit and getting a regular run in the team.
Andy has a significant impact on the team and he can make a big difference.
I remember his memorable strike against Swansea back in January 2015 and we would love to see him repeat that strike and get back among the goals on Boxing Day.
Swansea are fighting for their lives in the bottom three and we know it is going to be another tough game.
But if we can play to our best and maintain the form we showed in our last away game at Liverpool, we stand every chance of getting another good result.
We want to go on a winning streak and if we can carry on winning games it will lift everyone at the football club.
The next two games against Swansea and Leicester are very important as we want to get into the top half of the table.
We are having a bit of luck at the moment and let's hope that continues.
Slaven will have to make a change for the game on Monday as Pedro Obiang is suspended.
Pedro has been fantastic since he came back into the side and has made that position his own.
He has been flawless in his performances and we will miss him on Monday. It will be interesting to see what Slaven does with the team and it will give another player the chance to show what he can do.
It is obviously a big blow for the Club that Diafra Sakho will now miss a considerable part of the season after he was forced to undergo back surgery.
It is a disappointment for the player and everyone connected with the Club. We wish him well and hope he can make a speedy recovery.
He is an important player for us and we want him back scoring goals.
The January transfer window is just around the corner and if the opportunity arises we will be doing everything we can to bring in new players.
We are not going to be shy in strengthening the squad if the right player becomes available.
Have a Merry Christmas and for those travelling to Swansea on Boxing Day, I wish everyone a safe journey.
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Joint-Chairman 'very confident' of Payet stay
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan believes West Ham United will enjoy a Happy New Year in 2017.
The Joint-Chairman says the Club will build on a historic 2016 on and off the pitch, strengthening the playing squad and continuing the process of settling into London Stadium.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Mr Sullivan expects the Club to do business in January, but insisted he is 'very confident' Hammer of the Year Dimitri Payet will not leave next month.
"We are a Club that has been growing and progressing in the right direction for some time now, and my hope is that we continue that growth and progress," he said. "Like every West Ham United supporter, I am an optimist and believe that the best times are always ahead!"
Concentrating on the transfer window, the Joint-Chairman said he expects a handful of players to move in and out of east London in January.
"There is no expectation about what we might do, only hope," he explained. "Maybe three players out and three players in, but that is only the hope. In reality, your hopes don't always come true, and we could end up doing no business at all.
"We are always looking for players who could improve any area of the squad but, like almost every club, we are looking for another striker. Diafra Sakho has this week had an operation which will keep him out for a considerable period of time.
"The right player can lift an entire squad and transform a season. I hope we can sign a player who has a similar impact this January."
While he admits three players could leave, the Joint-Chairman is adamant he does not want Ballon d'Or nominee Payet to be one of them.
When asked how confident he was that the France star will still be a West Ham player come February, his response was short and to the point.
"Very confident!" he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic - We won't hold Carroll back
WHUFc.com
Manager Slaven Bilic has backed Andy Carroll to continue showing the commitment he has been in recent games
The Croatian does not believe holding the striker back would serve any purpose
Carroll recently made a scoring return to the first team side against Arsenal
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic revealed he has no intentions to hold Andy Carroll back throughout the festive period, with the striker expected to play a crucial role over the busy winter schedule.
The big forward only recent returned to the first team fray, coming on as a late substitute and scoring in the side's recent Premier League fixture at home to Arsenal.
And since, Carroll has played half an hour against former club Liverpool and started both the Hammers' recent home wins over Burnley and Hull City.
Ahead of his side's Boxing Day trip to Swansea City, Bilic explained he has been left with no doubt in his mind, due to recent performances, about what the striker can contribute.
He said: "You always know during the game and during training what you are going to get. You are going to get everything – commitment, quality, impact. He is that kind of a guy and that kind of a player.
"What you don't know is the next day and if he is going to feel something. Nobody expected Andy to play two full games against Burnley and Hull. It was not the plan.
"I spoke to him at half-time and when there were breaks in the second half and he didn't want to come off. We didn't expect it.
Andy feels good in his body and I am delighted. We are monitoring Andy but why should I hold him back?"
I spoke to him today and he said he feels good. Not in terms of motivation and that has never been an issue. He feels good in his body and I am delighted. We are monitoring Andy but why should I hold him back?"
After picking up a knee injury during the Club's early season UEFA Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu, Carroll played just once – on the opening day against Chelsea – before his lengthy lay-off.
But it is clear, according to Bilic, that training hard and playing games is now best for the 27-year-old to reach full tilt and the heights he set during a terrific campaign last season.
"We can hold him back in training sometimes and tell him to stay in and do extra work," the manager continued.
"Maybe before it was always holding him back and that could be one of the reasons why he was getting injured. Unless you are talking about extreme examples you are more likely to get injured if you are not training.
"Of course you have to be cautious with Andy because of his history, but if he is feeling good let's build on that. Why are we thinking negative?
"I was watching Andy playing for Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham on television. You can see that energy. I can only talk about this season and last season. His first game was against Newcastle and we were winning 2-0 at home but he came on and was like a little kid in the last 15 minutes. He wanted to do everything.
"He was doing in 15 minutes what is normal in 90 minutes. He was doing that either as an impact player or from the start in every game."
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Angelo's World
WHUFC.com
Ahead of West Ham United's run of matches over the Christmas period, Angelo Ogbonna returns with his blog.
Who knew the Italian was such a big fan of Christmas films?! Find out which one is his favourite…
Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!
I love this time of year, and I hope all West Ham supporters out there enjoy the festive period too! Let's hope we have one or two wins to celebrate.
It's strange to play over Christmas for sure, but sometimes you get quite anxious to be back on the pitch again so I think that it is good.
Afterwards, I want to do something different. I think it's good for everybody to have the football and football makes everyone happy at Christmas time. It's a bit strange that you play two days after another game here, but that is the rule.
Maybe a player can do with one more day to rest the muscles and the head, but for the game we cannot complain. It's our job.
I really like this time of year though, and I am always watching Christmas films. I have a lot. The one where they leave the baby; it Italy we call it Mama, Ho Perso L'Gereo [Home Alone].
The baby remains at home and they leave him to go to the airport. When they get there they can't find the baby and they get on the flight. Then they are so upset about the baby being at home, but the baby is really happy and enjoys his Christmas! It's a great film.
For a present at Christmas, I just want us to have more passion. More people come and see us at the Stadium because it makes me so happy to their passion and for them to see us there.
The recent results in the Premier League have been very important to us because now we can breathe a bit. But we have to keep concentrating on the next game. It's a crucial time for us and every single game in this league is tough. The spell we are about to have it just as tough as the one we have been through; you can lose any game in this league.
We're obviously taking on Swansea City on Boxing Day and I'll face my former Juventus teammate Fernando Llorente.
He is important for Swansea, I think. He is a good striker, very similar to Andy. It's very important for us to stop him and to stop Swansea because it's Christmas time and everybody wants to be happy and to get some points from the game. We have to be focused and determined about this game.
For all those travelling to Wales, have a good trip and hopefully we can deliver on the pitch.
Enjoy your Christmas, everyone!
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Three Key Battles - Swansea City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Boxing Day fixture at Swansea City will feature two teams who generally adopt different approaches to their football.
While Slaven Bilic's Hammers usually play an aggressive style and focusing their attacking play down the middle third of the pitch, Bob Bradley's Swans are more akin to a non-aggressive style and attacking down the wings.
According to the statistics, West Ham are generally good at attacking and defending set plays, scoring nine of their 19 Premier League goals (47%) from such positions, while Swansea are weak at keeping their opponents at bay from set-piece situations.
Possession-wise, Swansea have traditionally been a team which has controlled the game, but that has not been the case this season. Both teams enjoy 49% possession, while West Ham's pass-completion of 79% is a percentage-point higher than their Welsh hosts.
As is always the case, individual battles will dictate how the match pans out, so we have picked out three which could decide our Boxing Day fixture at Liberty Stadium.
Fabianski v Randolph
Lukasz Fabianski and Darren Randolph have both been busier than they would have liked this season, but the two goalkeepers have also used the opportunity to shine between their respective sticks.
Poland international Fabianski has started all 17 games for Swansea, keeping just three clean sheets, but making 52 saves in the process. Having lost centre-halves Ashley Williams to Everton and Federico Fernandez to injury, the 31-year-old is being called upon to keep his team in matches, but his high workload is making that difficult to achieve.
Randolph has also been in action regularly in his six starts, making 22 saves, keeping two clean sheets but also making two errors in conceding eleven goals in those matches. Like Fabianski, Randolph is a fine shot-stopper.
Britton v Noble
Two Academy of Football graduates will go toe-to-toe in the midfield at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day in Leon Britton and Mark Noble. As players schooled at Little Heath, both are technically proficient ball-players who like to get in possession and make their respective teams tick.
Britton is a deep-lying midfielder who will often collect the ball from his back four and look for openings further forward with his accurate passing. Noble is a more traditional central midfielder, who is not afraid to put his foot in to win the ball back for his side, before using it accurately and intelligently.
The Academy graduate who wins this midfield battle will play a big role in controlling the game for his team.
Sigurdsson v Payet
These two lads are vitally important to their respective team's attacking potency.
Iceland star Gylfi Sigurdsson is the man who makes Swansea a threat in the attacking third. Playing in a No10 or central midfield role, the 27-year-old is two-footed, an excellent passer and can shoot accurately from open play or set pieces.
Sigurdsson might not be as heavily involved in general play as his teammates, but when he is, he makes things happen. Of Swansea's 20 Premier League goals, he has been directly involved in half of them.
Payet is West Ham's attacking heartbeat. Like Sigurdsson, he is two-footed and can pass and shoot with deadly accuracy. He is generally much more involved in the game than his Swansea counterpart, and has played more key passes (63) than any player in Europe's top five leagues.
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The (ex) Rev's Christmas Message: West Ham family values
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 24th December 2016
By: Elwin Cockett
Whether or not you're a fan of Brexit, Donald Trump, or the move to the Olympic Park, it feels like 2016 has been a year of disagreement and discontent.
For West Ham fans trying, like our team, to find our bearings in the new ground, it has been doubly difficult.
Some us find ourselves sitting among strangers who don't watch football in the way we're used to doing. And the players are struggling to recreate the sparkling form they showed last season at the Boleyn.
We seem to be grinding out results against teams we should be beating easily, and losing to teams who we've beaten in recent years. All that, and the BBC lost GBBO, England the series in India, and most of us have a family member who supports a different team.
We could be forgiven for feeling pretty sorry for ourselves.
Or could we? Our team is playing in the richest league in the world in a ground that seats twice as many as we were getting at Upton Park until a few years ago. We've got some world-class players, and we support a great club with a proud place in the world of football.
And most of us are not being bombed out of our homes, or having to flee in terror from insurgents, or wondering where the next meal is coming from. The old adage to 'count your blessings' is a good one.
For many who don't have the advantages that we enjoy, the world is a pretty dark place at the moment.
As someone who has lived in east London for quite a lot of my life, I'm proud of it. It has always been a hospitable place where different communities have worked alongside each other happily for the most part, from the Huguenots, Irish and Jews of earlier times to those who have come more recently from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Players from overseas, like Clyde Best, Slaven Bilic and Diafra Sakho have contributed much to that tradition, just as have home-grown players like Ronnie Boyce, Joe Cole and Mark Noble.
And, through the power of the internet, that old-style East-End West Ham family has become more of a world-wide tribe than ever before. That, at a time when some are determined to set one community against another, is an important strength.
As Prince Charles said recently, "Normally, at Christmas, we think of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder, though, if this year we might remember how the story of the Nativity unfolds – with the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution."
If Christmas is a time for families, let the West Ham family be one where we remember those who are not as well-off as we are, or who are different to us. Let's have a heart for the homeless, the displaced, and those who are far from their loved-ones.
And let's remember to cherish those who are close to us, both young and old, even if they support the wrong team. Happy Christmas, everybody!
* Elwin Cockett spent nearly 20 years as West Ham United FC's club chaplain and has been providing his annual 'Christmas message' to readers of KUMB.com fore more than a decade. He is currently Archdeacon of West Ham and Chair of Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Education.
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Swansea boss Bob Bradley knows his side face a hard task containing West Ham's Andy Carroll
By Dev Trehan
Last Updated: 24/12/16 1:23pm
SSN
Bob Bradley admits Swansea will have to pay close attention to Andy Carroll when West Ham visit the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day.
Although the game marks the return to south Wales of Andre Ayew - who was Swansea's top scorer last season before joining West Ham for £20.5million in the summer - it is arguably Carroll they should be most wary about given the 27-year-old's record against them.
Carroll has scored as many goals against Swansea as he has versus other club in his career, with five in eight games. "He [Carroll] likes to drift to the back post, so we have to do a good job and make sure our central defenders are aware of that," Bradley said.
"We don't want to put that on the full-backs, we have to get it right because that is a big part of their game. "Carroll gives them a different threat, [Dimitri] Payet runs the game and is a threat from free-kicks."
Swansea are only above bottom Hull on goal difference and Bradley has been in the firing line of supporters underwhelmed by his October appointment in the first place. The former USA manager has only been in charge of 10 matches and has a record of six losses, two draws and two wins, with both victories coming in home games against Sunderland and Crystal Palace respectively.
"Overall there is frustration among the fans - and that's fair enough," Bradley admitted. "But we are pleased with the home form in the last two matches, especially against teams in our part of the table. "Those were good results and we hope we can build on that over the Christmas period."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
I want to start by wishing a Merry Christmas to all our supporters and hope everyone has a memorable weekend.
This is always a special time of the year and I hope our supporters are feeling more optimistic after we managed to secure seven points last week, which took us clear of the bottom three and has us heading in the right direction.
Slaven has been honest enough to admit the performances have not been to our normal standards in the last two home games, but the most important thing was getting two wins and we managed to do that.
We are in a much better place and we can now play with a bit more freedom. I am still very optimistic about the second half of the season and getting more points on the board.
I was delighted to see Andy Carroll back in action and it was great to see him start the last two home games against Burnley and Hull.
We all know Andy's character and the commitment he shows when he is back in the team.
He wants to play every game and the key factor is now keeping him fit and getting a regular run in the team.
Andy has a significant impact on the team and he can make a big difference.
I remember his memorable strike against Swansea back in January 2015 and we would love to see him repeat that strike and get back among the goals on Boxing Day.
Swansea are fighting for their lives in the bottom three and we know it is going to be another tough game.
But if we can play to our best and maintain the form we showed in our last away game at Liverpool, we stand every chance of getting another good result.
We want to go on a winning streak and if we can carry on winning games it will lift everyone at the football club.
The next two games against Swansea and Leicester are very important as we want to get into the top half of the table.
We are having a bit of luck at the moment and let's hope that continues.
Slaven will have to make a change for the game on Monday as Pedro Obiang is suspended.
Pedro has been fantastic since he came back into the side and has made that position his own.
He has been flawless in his performances and we will miss him on Monday. It will be interesting to see what Slaven does with the team and it will give another player the chance to show what he can do.
It is obviously a big blow for the Club that Diafra Sakho will now miss a considerable part of the season after he was forced to undergo back surgery.
It is a disappointment for the player and everyone connected with the Club. We wish him well and hope he can make a speedy recovery.
He is an important player for us and we want him back scoring goals.
The January transfer window is just around the corner and if the opportunity arises we will be doing everything we can to bring in new players.
We are not going to be shy in strengthening the squad if the right player becomes available.
Have a Merry Christmas and for those travelling to Swansea on Boxing Day, I wish everyone a safe journey.
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Joint-Chairman 'very confident' of Payet stay
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan believes West Ham United will enjoy a Happy New Year in 2017.
The Joint-Chairman says the Club will build on a historic 2016 on and off the pitch, strengthening the playing squad and continuing the process of settling into London Stadium.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Mr Sullivan expects the Club to do business in January, but insisted he is 'very confident' Hammer of the Year Dimitri Payet will not leave next month.
"We are a Club that has been growing and progressing in the right direction for some time now, and my hope is that we continue that growth and progress," he said. "Like every West Ham United supporter, I am an optimist and believe that the best times are always ahead!"
Concentrating on the transfer window, the Joint-Chairman said he expects a handful of players to move in and out of east London in January.
"There is no expectation about what we might do, only hope," he explained. "Maybe three players out and three players in, but that is only the hope. In reality, your hopes don't always come true, and we could end up doing no business at all.
"We are always looking for players who could improve any area of the squad but, like almost every club, we are looking for another striker. Diafra Sakho has this week had an operation which will keep him out for a considerable period of time.
"The right player can lift an entire squad and transform a season. I hope we can sign a player who has a similar impact this January."
While he admits three players could leave, the Joint-Chairman is adamant he does not want Ballon d'Or nominee Payet to be one of them.
When asked how confident he was that the France star will still be a West Ham player come February, his response was short and to the point.
"Very confident!" he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bilic - We won't hold Carroll back
WHUFc.com
Manager Slaven Bilic has backed Andy Carroll to continue showing the commitment he has been in recent games
The Croatian does not believe holding the striker back would serve any purpose
Carroll recently made a scoring return to the first team side against Arsenal
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic revealed he has no intentions to hold Andy Carroll back throughout the festive period, with the striker expected to play a crucial role over the busy winter schedule.
The big forward only recent returned to the first team fray, coming on as a late substitute and scoring in the side's recent Premier League fixture at home to Arsenal.
And since, Carroll has played half an hour against former club Liverpool and started both the Hammers' recent home wins over Burnley and Hull City.
Ahead of his side's Boxing Day trip to Swansea City, Bilic explained he has been left with no doubt in his mind, due to recent performances, about what the striker can contribute.
He said: "You always know during the game and during training what you are going to get. You are going to get everything – commitment, quality, impact. He is that kind of a guy and that kind of a player.
"What you don't know is the next day and if he is going to feel something. Nobody expected Andy to play two full games against Burnley and Hull. It was not the plan.
"I spoke to him at half-time and when there were breaks in the second half and he didn't want to come off. We didn't expect it.
Andy feels good in his body and I am delighted. We are monitoring Andy but why should I hold him back?"
I spoke to him today and he said he feels good. Not in terms of motivation and that has never been an issue. He feels good in his body and I am delighted. We are monitoring Andy but why should I hold him back?"
After picking up a knee injury during the Club's early season UEFA Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu, Carroll played just once – on the opening day against Chelsea – before his lengthy lay-off.
But it is clear, according to Bilic, that training hard and playing games is now best for the 27-year-old to reach full tilt and the heights he set during a terrific campaign last season.
"We can hold him back in training sometimes and tell him to stay in and do extra work," the manager continued.
"Maybe before it was always holding him back and that could be one of the reasons why he was getting injured. Unless you are talking about extreme examples you are more likely to get injured if you are not training.
"Of course you have to be cautious with Andy because of his history, but if he is feeling good let's build on that. Why are we thinking negative?
"I was watching Andy playing for Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham on television. You can see that energy. I can only talk about this season and last season. His first game was against Newcastle and we were winning 2-0 at home but he came on and was like a little kid in the last 15 minutes. He wanted to do everything.
"He was doing in 15 minutes what is normal in 90 minutes. He was doing that either as an impact player or from the start in every game."
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Angelo's World
WHUFC.com
Ahead of West Ham United's run of matches over the Christmas period, Angelo Ogbonna returns with his blog.
Who knew the Italian was such a big fan of Christmas films?! Find out which one is his favourite…
Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!
I love this time of year, and I hope all West Ham supporters out there enjoy the festive period too! Let's hope we have one or two wins to celebrate.
It's strange to play over Christmas for sure, but sometimes you get quite anxious to be back on the pitch again so I think that it is good.
Afterwards, I want to do something different. I think it's good for everybody to have the football and football makes everyone happy at Christmas time. It's a bit strange that you play two days after another game here, but that is the rule.
Maybe a player can do with one more day to rest the muscles and the head, but for the game we cannot complain. It's our job.
I really like this time of year though, and I am always watching Christmas films. I have a lot. The one where they leave the baby; it Italy we call it Mama, Ho Perso L'Gereo [Home Alone].
The baby remains at home and they leave him to go to the airport. When they get there they can't find the baby and they get on the flight. Then they are so upset about the baby being at home, but the baby is really happy and enjoys his Christmas! It's a great film.
For a present at Christmas, I just want us to have more passion. More people come and see us at the Stadium because it makes me so happy to their passion and for them to see us there.
The recent results in the Premier League have been very important to us because now we can breathe a bit. But we have to keep concentrating on the next game. It's a crucial time for us and every single game in this league is tough. The spell we are about to have it just as tough as the one we have been through; you can lose any game in this league.
We're obviously taking on Swansea City on Boxing Day and I'll face my former Juventus teammate Fernando Llorente.
He is important for Swansea, I think. He is a good striker, very similar to Andy. It's very important for us to stop him and to stop Swansea because it's Christmas time and everybody wants to be happy and to get some points from the game. We have to be focused and determined about this game.
For all those travelling to Wales, have a good trip and hopefully we can deliver on the pitch.
Enjoy your Christmas, everyone!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three Key Battles - Swansea City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Boxing Day fixture at Swansea City will feature two teams who generally adopt different approaches to their football.
While Slaven Bilic's Hammers usually play an aggressive style and focusing their attacking play down the middle third of the pitch, Bob Bradley's Swans are more akin to a non-aggressive style and attacking down the wings.
According to the statistics, West Ham are generally good at attacking and defending set plays, scoring nine of their 19 Premier League goals (47%) from such positions, while Swansea are weak at keeping their opponents at bay from set-piece situations.
Possession-wise, Swansea have traditionally been a team which has controlled the game, but that has not been the case this season. Both teams enjoy 49% possession, while West Ham's pass-completion of 79% is a percentage-point higher than their Welsh hosts.
As is always the case, individual battles will dictate how the match pans out, so we have picked out three which could decide our Boxing Day fixture at Liberty Stadium.
Fabianski v Randolph
Lukasz Fabianski and Darren Randolph have both been busier than they would have liked this season, but the two goalkeepers have also used the opportunity to shine between their respective sticks.
Poland international Fabianski has started all 17 games for Swansea, keeping just three clean sheets, but making 52 saves in the process. Having lost centre-halves Ashley Williams to Everton and Federico Fernandez to injury, the 31-year-old is being called upon to keep his team in matches, but his high workload is making that difficult to achieve.
Randolph has also been in action regularly in his six starts, making 22 saves, keeping two clean sheets but also making two errors in conceding eleven goals in those matches. Like Fabianski, Randolph is a fine shot-stopper.
Britton v Noble
Two Academy of Football graduates will go toe-to-toe in the midfield at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day in Leon Britton and Mark Noble. As players schooled at Little Heath, both are technically proficient ball-players who like to get in possession and make their respective teams tick.
Britton is a deep-lying midfielder who will often collect the ball from his back four and look for openings further forward with his accurate passing. Noble is a more traditional central midfielder, who is not afraid to put his foot in to win the ball back for his side, before using it accurately and intelligently.
The Academy graduate who wins this midfield battle will play a big role in controlling the game for his team.
Sigurdsson v Payet
These two lads are vitally important to their respective team's attacking potency.
Iceland star Gylfi Sigurdsson is the man who makes Swansea a threat in the attacking third. Playing in a No10 or central midfield role, the 27-year-old is two-footed, an excellent passer and can shoot accurately from open play or set pieces.
Sigurdsson might not be as heavily involved in general play as his teammates, but when he is, he makes things happen. Of Swansea's 20 Premier League goals, he has been directly involved in half of them.
Payet is West Ham's attacking heartbeat. Like Sigurdsson, he is two-footed and can pass and shoot with deadly accuracy. He is generally much more involved in the game than his Swansea counterpart, and has played more key passes (63) than any player in Europe's top five leagues.
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The (ex) Rev's Christmas Message: West Ham family values
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 24th December 2016
By: Elwin Cockett
Whether or not you're a fan of Brexit, Donald Trump, or the move to the Olympic Park, it feels like 2016 has been a year of disagreement and discontent.
For West Ham fans trying, like our team, to find our bearings in the new ground, it has been doubly difficult.
Some us find ourselves sitting among strangers who don't watch football in the way we're used to doing. And the players are struggling to recreate the sparkling form they showed last season at the Boleyn.
We seem to be grinding out results against teams we should be beating easily, and losing to teams who we've beaten in recent years. All that, and the BBC lost GBBO, England the series in India, and most of us have a family member who supports a different team.
We could be forgiven for feeling pretty sorry for ourselves.
Or could we? Our team is playing in the richest league in the world in a ground that seats twice as many as we were getting at Upton Park until a few years ago. We've got some world-class players, and we support a great club with a proud place in the world of football.
And most of us are not being bombed out of our homes, or having to flee in terror from insurgents, or wondering where the next meal is coming from. The old adage to 'count your blessings' is a good one.
For many who don't have the advantages that we enjoy, the world is a pretty dark place at the moment.
As someone who has lived in east London for quite a lot of my life, I'm proud of it. It has always been a hospitable place where different communities have worked alongside each other happily for the most part, from the Huguenots, Irish and Jews of earlier times to those who have come more recently from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Players from overseas, like Clyde Best, Slaven Bilic and Diafra Sakho have contributed much to that tradition, just as have home-grown players like Ronnie Boyce, Joe Cole and Mark Noble.
And, through the power of the internet, that old-style East-End West Ham family has become more of a world-wide tribe than ever before. That, at a time when some are determined to set one community against another, is an important strength.
As Prince Charles said recently, "Normally, at Christmas, we think of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder, though, if this year we might remember how the story of the Nativity unfolds – with the fleeing of the Holy Family to escape violent persecution."
If Christmas is a time for families, let the West Ham family be one where we remember those who are not as well-off as we are, or who are different to us. Let's have a heart for the homeless, the displaced, and those who are far from their loved-ones.
And let's remember to cherish those who are close to us, both young and old, even if they support the wrong team. Happy Christmas, everybody!
* Elwin Cockett spent nearly 20 years as West Ham United FC's club chaplain and has been providing his annual 'Christmas message' to readers of KUMB.com fore more than a decade. He is currently Archdeacon of West Ham and Chair of Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Education.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea boss Bob Bradley knows his side face a hard task containing West Ham's Andy Carroll
By Dev Trehan
Last Updated: 24/12/16 1:23pm
SSN
Bob Bradley admits Swansea will have to pay close attention to Andy Carroll when West Ham visit the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day.
Although the game marks the return to south Wales of Andre Ayew - who was Swansea's top scorer last season before joining West Ham for £20.5million in the summer - it is arguably Carroll they should be most wary about given the 27-year-old's record against them.
Carroll has scored as many goals against Swansea as he has versus other club in his career, with five in eight games. "He [Carroll] likes to drift to the back post, so we have to do a good job and make sure our central defenders are aware of that," Bradley said.
"We don't want to put that on the full-backs, we have to get it right because that is a big part of their game. "Carroll gives them a different threat, [Dimitri] Payet runs the game and is a threat from free-kicks."
Swansea are only above bottom Hull on goal difference and Bradley has been in the firing line of supporters underwhelmed by his October appointment in the first place. The former USA manager has only been in charge of 10 matches and has a record of six losses, two draws and two wins, with both victories coming in home games against Sunderland and Crystal Palace respectively.
"Overall there is frustration among the fans - and that's fair enough," Bradley admitted. "But we are pleased with the home form in the last two matches, especially against teams in our part of the table. "Those were good results and we hope we can build on that over the Christmas period."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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