Daily WHUFC News - 13th April 2017

Bobby Moore - Gone but never forgotten
WHUFC.com

The greatest player to ever wear the Claret and Blue would have been 76
today.

Bobby Moore OBE, West Ham United's most famous player and England's 1966
World Cup-winning captain, was born on this day in 1941. The central
defender made 646 league and cup appearances for the Hammers, scoring 27
goals.

Moore was born in Barking on 12 April 1941, making his debut for his local
club in a 3-2 win over Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground as a
17-year-old on 8 September 1958. It was the start of a glittering career
that is remembered fondly by football fans the world over.

As a West Ham player, Moore lifted the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup
Winners' Cup in 1965. A year later, he was back at Wembley to complete an
unforgettable hat-trick by lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy following
England's 4-2 victory over West Germany.

Moore would go on to star at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico before
moving to Fulham, for whom he played against the Hammers in the 1975 FA Cup
final. Following his retirement, Moore moved first into management and then
into the world of broadcasting before his life was cut short by cancer in
February 1993. He was just 51.

Bobby Moore, gone but never forgotten.

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Noble to lend Sunderland support
WHUFC.com

Mark Noble will travel with the West Ham United squad to Sunderland this
weekend
Captain starts a two-match ban after being shown his tenth yellow card of
the season
Skipper believes victory at the Stadium of Light should see the Hammers safe

Mark Noble may not be available to play at Sunderland on Saturday, but the
West Ham United captain still plans to make the trip to the Stadium of
Light. Noble marked Hammers appearance number 400 with his tenth yellow card
of the season in the 1-0 win over Swansea City at London Stadium, which
means he will miss this weekend's trip to the North East and the home game
with Everton. However, the skipper plans to travel to Sunderland with his
squad-mates to lend his support to the squad on Wearside, where victory
would all but secure West Ham's Premier League future. "I'll be going up
with them, for sure," he confirmed. "I wouldn't be able to relax otherwise.
My Saturday would be the worst Saturday in history if I didn't go. "I need
to be there, so I'm pretty sure the manager will be happy with me travelling
up with the lads and supporting them, because obviously we're in this
together. "We'll take a lot of fans to what is another important game for us
and I believe we can go there after Saturday and get a result."

West Ham's inspirational skipper believes that, having ended a seven-match
winless run against Swansea, three more points against the struggling Black
Cats would all but secure the Hammers' Premier League status. The 14th-place
Londoners are eight points clear of third-bottom Swansea, with a better goal
difference and just six matches remaining. With home games against Everton,
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool and away trips to Stoke City and Burnley to
follow, Noble says Slaven Bilic's men want to give themselves more breathing
space sooner rather than later. "One more win should see us safe," said the
skipper. "Hopefully we've broken that run of losses – games we shouldn't
have lost. "Sunderland away is massive and then we have some tough games."

*You can watch Mark Noble reminisce over his top four moments in his 400
games in Claret and Blue with Jack Collison in West Ham TV special here.

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New date for Liverpool
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's final home Premier League fixture of the season against
Liverpool has been moved. The Hammers will now host Jurgen Klopp's side at
London Stadium on Sunday 14 May, with kick-off at 2.15pm. West Ham will be
looking to extend a five-match unbeaten run against the Reds, which included
two memorable victories against them in east London last term. Liverpool's
last visit to the Hammers saw Angelo Ogbonna head home a dramatic winner in
the final minute of extra time in last season's FA Cup fourth round replay.

Claret Members can enter the ticket ballot for this fixture from Thursday 13
April. Full ticketing details can be found here.

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Nobes and JC - The 400 Club
WHUFc.com


In an emotional West Ham TV special to celebrate Mark Noble reaching 400
West Ham United appearances, Jack Collison asks his friend and former
teammate to pick four standout moments.

Collison and Noble shared the Hammers midfield on dozens of occasions
between 2008 and 2014, sharing the despair of relegation in 2011 and elation
of promotion at Wembley Stadium a year later.

The two midfielders were reunited at Rush Green this week, where Noble
shared his favourite memories in Claret and Blue, with two Play-Off finals,
a remarkable victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford and the
unforgettable Final Game win over the same opposition at the Boleyn Ground.

First off, Collison asked his old pal to describe the 2005 Championship
Play-Off final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, which was settled by Bobby
Zamora's goal, which sparked wild celebrations featuring the then
17-year-old.

"I remember travelling to the 2005 Play-Off final and it was the biggest
game I had been involved in at that time," Noble recalled. "I was warming-up
behind the goal with Teddy [Sheringham] when Matty [Etherington] put the
cross in and Bobby [Zamora] scored and the feeling was unreal. After Bobby
scored that goal we had that celebration and I came on after and I always
remember trying to chip the goalie from 25 yards!

"I didn't even think Pards (Alan Pardew) was going to bring me on, but
before coming on I remember standing there looking up at the crowd and
thinking 'Oh my God, this is unbelievable!' and it was an incredible day."

Next up came the 1-0 win at Old Trafford which completed the 'Great Escape'
two years later.

"Fast forward a couple of years to 2007 and it looked like you were out of
it when you lost 3-0 at Sheffield United with a few games left, everyone had
written you off, so how did you feel going into that?" asked Collison.

"I remember being on the coach on the way to Old Trafford and I was sitting
opposite Ginge at the time and we were all nervous because we needed to win
to stay up and they'd already won the league, so we thought they would just
go out and enjoy themselves," Noble explained. "Ginge looked at me and said
'I've got a good feeling about today!' and it gave me a buzz, then Carlos
[Tevez] scored!

"I remember looking up at the clock and thinking we've still got another
half to cope, then another 15 minutes then another five and thinking
'They've got to score two'."

After describing the 2012 Championship Play-Off final victory over Blackpool
in which they both appeared as 'so important', as he was getting married a
week later, Collison and Noble closed their walk down memory lane with the
Final Game at the Boleyn Ground in May 2016.

"That game was so special with the way it went, for me," said the captain.
"To be able to come back and win in that atmosphere, to top off the best
season I'd ever had as a West Ham player and a West Ham fan, was incredible.

"We all wanted to leave Upton Park on a high and to leave it the way we did
was amazing. I'll never forget it."

Reflecting on becoming just the 19th Hammer to reach 400 first-team
appearances, Noble told Collison he was proud of his achievements.

"You don't ever get time to look back at the past because you're always
under pressure to win the next game," he said. "So to look back at the
memories I've had as a West Ham player, especially having been brought up
around the corner and been to games as a fan, then to captain the last-ever
game at the Boleyn and the first-ever game at the new Stadium is something
that doesn't happen to a lot of people, and I was lucky enough to be one of
them."

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Hammers add Jamboo to eSports team
WHUFC.com

West Ham United add Jamie 'Jamboo' Rigden to the Club's eSports team
Twenty-year-old is currently Europe's No1-ranked FIFA17 player on xBox
Jamboo will represent the Hammers in competitions and events all over the
world

West Ham United are pleased to announce the addition of Jamie 'Jamboo'
Rigden to the Club's eSports team. Jamboo, who is currently Europe's
No1-ranked FIFA17 player on xBox, will represent the Hammers in competitions
and events all over the world. The 21-year-old told West Ham TV he is
excited about the prospect of pulling on the famous Claret and Blue shirt.
"It's a really exciting time for me," confirmed Jamboo, whose YouTube
channel has attracted more than 50,000 subscribers in just six months.
"Anyone who knows me will know that this is a dream come true. "I've put in
a lot of hours to get to where I am today, so now I just can't wait to get
started."

Jamboo has wasted little time in settling into his new role with the
Hammers, taking on young fans at FIFA at the Junior Hammers Party this week.
Look out for plenty more opportunities to play against one of the best FIFA
players in the world right here. With eSports growing quicker than any other
sport, Jamboo is looking forward to making the most of his big opportunity.
"About six months ago, I finished a four-year apprenticeship in business
administration and decided to pursue a career in FIFA and it's obviously
paid-off, so I'm just delighted! "There is so much potential in eSports, as
it's only just started being broadcast regularly on TV and things like that.
There are lots of tournaments and prize money available too, so hopefully it
all goes well."

In three recent FUT (FIFA Ultimate Team) Champions Weekend Leagues, Jamboo,
who you can follow on twitter @WHU_Jamboo, has compiled a perfect 40 wins
out of 40 record. Now, he is hoping to carry that form forward into his
career as a Hammer and represent the Club at the FIFA 17 Ultimate Team
Championship Series and the FIFA Interactive World Cup. "I'm really looking
forward to it," he confirmed. "West Ham is a massive club and clearly
believes in the eSports vision as well, so I'm looking forward to working
with them. "I'm getting better every week and that's the third 40 out of 40
I've achieved in the last two months, so I feel like I'm improving all the
time, so hopefully I can take that forward into tournaments. "Every weekend
you have 40 games to get as many wins as you can, and normally to get into
the top hundred in the world you need to win 36, so to get 40 out of 40
needs a lot of consistency and is not easy!"
Jamboo will certainly embrace the West Ham Way, as he employs an All-Out
Attack style when playing FIFA. "I play high pressure, so the issue I
occasionally have is that my defence is all over the place because I flood
players into attack!" he smiled. "I mainly go to try to outscore the other
team. "My YouTube channel features FUT Champions gameplay content, so people
can see how I play, and also revealing of the reward packs that I get from
finishing. "When I'm playing, I use Bobby Moore as he's very solid and good
on the ball and at playing out from the back. He is just perfect for that
and is a really good centre-back. Of the current players, Michail Antonio
and Cheikhou Kouyate are good as they are big and strong."

Next up is the qualifying competition for the FIFA Interactive World Cup,
and Jamboo is confident he can make his mark on the game's biggest global
tournament. "Obviously I've had a good few weeks, so if I can continue then
hopefully I can make it to the World Cup in London!" Jamie joining the team
is another sign of West Ham United continuing their focus on digital
innovation and look forward to delivering some fantastic content for our
fans moving forward. West Ham United would like to thank Sean 'Dragonn'
Allen for his efforts and wish him well in his future eSports career.

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Reo-Coker on trial
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 12th April 2017
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammers captain Nigel Reo-Coker has joined the Tony Adams revolution
at Grenada.

The 50-year-old former England and Arsenal defender was appointed earlier
this week by the troubled La Liga side, who are currently just one place off
the bottom of the table and seven points adrift from safety, with just seven
games of the season left to play.

And one of Adams' first tasks as the new boss id to bring in Reo-Coker and
ex-Manchester United and Aston Villa star Kieran Richardson on trial with
view to signing on a free transfer.

Reo-Coker, now 32, has been out of the game since returning to England last
year following a short spell in Canada with Montreal Impact. That followed
spells with Chivas and Vancouver Whitecaps.

The midfielder spent three years at West Ham between 2004 and 2007, during
which time he captained the club in the 2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool.

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Who do you think you are kidding, gentlemen?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th April 2017
By: Paul Walker

West Ham were so quick to try to squash any newspaper story suggesting they
are trying to find new investment. You just know there is more to it, don't
you? So suggestions that our owners are searching for new investment are
"utterly false" should be taken with a large pinch of salt.

Our owners, David Sullivan and David Gold are now traditionally
hyper-sensitive about any suggestion that the end game of moving us to the
Olympic Stadium was in any way their opportunity to cash in on an upwardly
mobile club with a new stadium, vastly increased fan base and booming
commercial expansion.

But what has surprised many is how quickly they have tried to discredit the
Daily Express story suggesting they want to bring big business investment
into the club. Surely Sullivan has been banging on about just this for a
long time, right back to when we were still at the Boleyn.

But the problem they have got, if as they say they want to retain control of
the club, is to find anyone from the Chinese/Abu Dhabi/Qatar/ Saudi level
willing to give them buckets of cash but without control over how it is
spent.

Frankly, our owners can't have it both ways. They are businessmen
themselves, but at a far lower level than Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour at
Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. Even the Glaziers at Manchester
United.

Gold and Sullivan are rich people, but not that rich and they know, deep
down, they cannot compete on that scale. Which makes the loud and long
boasts about Champions League qualification just so much hot air.

Now the Express has dusted down an old story with a new twist. I understand
that it was not considered to be a real bombshell when it was written on
Sunday, neither by the paper or the author. Just an update really.

The author of the piece is a personal friend of mine for more than 20 years.
He does not make up stories, simple as that. If I had to back his word
against our owners, there's no doubt where I would stand. Tony Banks is a
highly respected guy with good contracts and a lengthy career in what used
to be called 'Fleet Street'.

These days when anyone in power, be it the President of the USA or our
owners find a story they don't like much, it immediately gets labelled as
'false news'. Well they would say that, wouldn't they?

I have made a few of my own investigations and 'sources close to the
situation'(I do love that expression, but haven't been able to use it for a
while) suggest that information has come from inside the club and that this
has been under-pinned by football finance experts in the City of London.

In effect, I believe that 'feelers have been put out recently to try to find
people prepared to invest in West Ham'.

That, as has already been pointed out today by experienced observers of West
Ham's board, is nothing new. Sullivan wants financial help and has never
been slow in making that point in the past.

So why launch into a club website denial of this magnitude? The Express
story did not say the owners wanted to sell up. It did not say the owners
were willing to sell a controlling interest. It made it clear the owners
wanted to be around for a long time.

Now I know that will have upset a few fans who would happily see the back of
the Davids and Lady Karren, her of the heavily ladened Arsenal cheeseboard
fame at the weekend. But the current owners want their cake (or cheese) and
to eat it too.

Step forward any unsuspecting Middle East oil tycoon, or even a small
country like Abu Dhabi, willing to give Gold and Sullivan money, but who
don't want a control of the club. There is a very short queue forming there!

So lets hear no more of the quotes of the club website from Sullivan today
saying the story is "utterly false and we have never once viewed West Ham as
a short term project". We all know the second bit of that line is true, and
from my own checks on the Express story, it is not "utterly false".

Everton and West Brom takeovers of late are, to my mind, the way our owners
make have to go if they do really want serious outside investment to take us
to the higher level we have all been promised.

Just why do you think so many fans, with doubts about leaving the Boleyn,
reluctantly agreed to the reality of the move to Stratford? We believed that
our owners could take us to that next level.

The Everton takeover is interesting for one thing, that our board and Karren
Brady have been admirers of how Bill Kenwright has guided the Merseysiders
into a regular top eight Premier League finish with a similar size stadium
and revenue as we had at the Boleyn, and with a similar fan base.

Kenwright spent a decade looking for outside help. Now he has been seriously
ill for a while, the time has come to step aside. He has sold 49.99 per cent
of his shares to Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri.

The rest of Everton's 1,000-strong shareholding is in very small lots.
Sometimes just one or two shares per person. Some have been lost, other
owners have died. Some were even lost during the Second World War bombing of
Liverpool.

So Moshiri, who sold a £200million stake in Arsenal to buy Everton, does not
need an exact controlling interest. Kenwright, who is now de facto chairman
in name only, will stay involved and may have a tiny holding himself.

Either way, it is believed that Moshiri has a 'shareholders' agreement' with
the rest of the board to always work and vote in his favour. Now considering
that Everton are going to have a much larger transfer pot (something West
Ham will be very much aware of) and also a new ground in the old north
docks, this suggests that everyone at Goodison Park is more than happy with
Moshiri's involvement.

West Brom is not quit as transparent. Jeremy Peace has sold his 88 per cent
shareholding to Chinese businessman Guochaun Lai for £175million, from the
£1.8billion he is quoted as being worth on the Chinese stock exchange.

Peace has stepped down and former Blackburn chief executive John Williams, a
highly respected operator in football circles, has taken over.

Lai, just like Mosheri, has controlling interest. That is what very rich
people moving into football want and expect. If Gold and Sullivan want this
level of outside investment, surely they know the only way to get it is to
give up some control.

But they will continue looking. Continue putting out feelers through middle
men and intermediaries. Maybe they will one day find what they are looking
for. But any suggestion that they are going to sell, which is not what the
Express said, is a very long shot - a long way off, if at all.

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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Liverpool date changed
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 12th April 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's final home game of the season has been moved to a Sunday
lunchtime. The Hammers were previously scheduled to host Liverpool at tthe
Olympic Stadium on Saturday, 13 May. However at the behest of the TV
companies the game will now be played the following day, Sunday 14 May with
a 2.15pm kick off. The game is just the latest match to be moved at the last
minute for the benefit of TV audiences, with news of the change coming just
four weeks ahead of the fixture. Consequently, and not for the first time
this season, many non-local supporters - who had already booked trains,
flights and/or hotels - will be left out of pocket as a result.
That leaves West Ham's fixture with Everton as the club's only remaining
match scheduled to kick off at the traditional 3pm Saturday slot.

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Strewth! Summer tour cancelled
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 12th April 2017
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's proposed summer tour of Australia looks unlikely to proceed after
the hosts refused to meet United's demands. According to a report in today's
Adelaide Advertiser the two-match tour of Adelaide and Perth is almost
certainly off after the local South and Western Australian Governments
refused to meet the costs of the tour. The governing bodies are reported by
the Advertiser to have offered around $300,000 less than West Ham's proposed
fee to bring the club to Australia - meaning that United are now extremely
unlikely to return to the Southern Hemisphere this summer.
KUMB revealed back in February how West Ham were planmning a two-match tour
of the country. They had been scheduled to face Adelaide United on Friday,
14 July before flying on to Perth for a clash with Perth Glory. West Ham
last visited Australasia in 2014 when they faced Sydney FC and Wellington
Phoenix in New Zealand.

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Risky Slaven Bilic decision could prove to be bad news for desperate
Sunderland
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United travel to basement side Sunderland on Saturday in what is a
vital game for both sides. The Hammers need one more win to more or less
guarantee Premier League survival after a torrid second season under Slaven
Bilic. How the Black Cats would love to be in the same position. Instead
David Moyes' side know they must win the majority of their remaining seven
games to have any hope of staying up. Ravaged by injuries, Bilic will have
to patch together a side for the game at the Stadium of Light. But a risky
decision he made in the 1-0 victory over Swansea City last time out could be
very bad news for Sunderland.
Going into the must-win game against the Swans Bilic elected to leave strike
pair Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho on the bench. Sakho is working his way
back from almost a year out of action - bar some minutes during his
ill-fated comeback in November - while Carroll has nursing a sore groin.
Both could have been used against Swansea had they been needed but Bilic's
side managed to get through the game without doing so which means at least
one if not both could feature against Moyes' strugglers. Sakho is
reportedly champing at the bit to start and Bilic has had to hold him back
for his own good. And another week of treatment on Carroll's groin should
mean he is fit to at least make the bench again if not start. The big
former Newcastle United star has a good record against his boyhood club's
hated rivals and Carroll will undoubtedly be keen to be involved. With
Michail Antonio injured it will be a major boost for the Hammers and
worrying for Sunderland who already have enough to worry about.

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West Ham will sign star Juve striker this summer, says former Director of
Football
By Eren Sarigul - April 12, 20170
turkish football

West Ham will sign star Juve striker this summer, says Director of Football,
Croatia international striker Mario Mandzukic will be a West Ham United
player next season, according to the former Besiktas director of football
Onder Ozen. Ozen was responsible for appointing Slaven Bilic as manager of
Besiktas back in 2013. "Mandzukic will not be here [Juventus] at the end of
the season, he will go to West Ham United," Ozen stated live on Tivibu Spor.
Ozen is understood to be a good friend of Bilic and is regularly in contact
with the Croatian tacticain. The daily tabloid The Sun recently reported
that the Hammers are lining up a move for the Juventus striker. Per the
source, the London based club are 'desperately' looking for a regular goal
scorer this summer. The Sun goes onto state that Mandzukic has been on West
Ham's transfer shortlist for last 18 months. Juve are prepared to offload
their star striker at the end of the season. Mandzukic played the full 90
minutes during Juve's 3-0 victory over Barcelona on the UEFA Champions
League. The 30-year-old has provided six assists and scored seven goals in
38 apperances for Juventus this season. West Ham take on Sunderland in the
Premier League this weekend.

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West Ham to launch summer bid for Sunderland defender Lamine Kone
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

West Ham are considering a summer bid for Sunderland centre-half Lamine
Kone. Kone has been on West Ham's radar for some time and the club look
likely to make a raid if the Black Cats are relegated. The 28-year-old
joined Sunderland in the summer of 2016 and his form at the heart of their
defence was one of the main reasons they stayed up last season. He asked to
leave Sunderland last August but eventually signed a five-year contract with
the North-East club. Kone represented France at several age groups but
then switched his allegiance to the Ivory Coast, for which he qualified
through his parents. West Ham play Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on
Saturday knowing victory would all but confirm their Premier League status
for another season. They will come up against Jermain Defoe, who they looked
at during the January transfer window. The 34-year-old Beckton-born frontman
is expected to be available on a free transfer should Sunderland go down and
is known to be keen to return to West Ham, where he spent five seasons from
the age of 16.

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Who is Slavisa Jokanovic and why are West Ham being linked with him to
replace Slaven Bilic?
The Fulham manager has been linked with the Hammers if Slaven Bilic leaves
the London Stadium this summer
Football London
BYSAM BENNETT
11:40, 12 APR 2017UPDATED11:41, 12 APR 2017

Slaven Bilic's future remains firmly in doubt. After a very impressive first
campaign, the Hammers have struggled to hit their stride this season
following their move to the Olympic Stadium and many are starting to
speculate that Bilic's time at the club might be up, even if it is looking
like they will remain in the top flight after moving eight points clear of
the drop zone last weekend. Reports yesterday have indicated that the man
being looked at by the West Ham board is Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic,
formerly of Watford. But who is Jokanovic, and is he the right man to take
the club forward should Bilic depart?

Who is he?

The 48 year-old Serbian had a successful career as a player, an all rounded
defensive midfielder capped 64 times for what was then the Yugoslavian
national team. He was a key part of the Deportivo team that shocked Spanish
football in the 1999/2000 season by winning the league, and he will also be
familiar to Chelsea fans after making a move to Stamford Bridge late in his
career. As a manager, Jokanovic is best known for his short spell at
Watford, where he earned promotion to the Premier League in his one season
with the Hornets. After failing to agree a new contract there, he moved to
Fulham (by way of a short spell in Israel) where his side currently sit just
two points outside the playoff positions as the Championship season comes to
a head.

What has he won?

As a manager, Jokanovic's trophy cabinet is not exactly bursting at the
seams. He won the Serbian double for two years running with his first club,
Partizan Belgrade, but since then his only honour is the not overly
prestigious Thai Premier League crown, which he achieved with Muangthong
United (best known for Robbie Fowler's short spell there) in 2012. Arguably
his most difficult achievement so far was the promotion of Watford in
2014/15. The club was in state of disarray when he took the helm (the Serb
was their fourth manager in five weeks when he took over) but Jokanovic
stabilised the club, and clawed his way to 2nd place for an automatic
promotion spot.

What about his failures?

Somewhat of a journeyman as a manager, Jokanovic has been relieved of his
duties on a couple of occasions. First, his 2013 spell at Bulgarian side
Levski Sofia ended after just four months after being sacked due to poor
league form. And after taking over at Spanish side Hercules late in the
2013/14 season, Jokanovic failed to get the side out of the relegation
positions, and although he was hardly afforded a lot of time to turn things
around, he was dismissed.

What are his tactics?

Jokanovic has heavily favoured a 4-2-3-1 system with Fulham this campaign,
with his side lining up this way 37 times out of 41 games according to
whoscored.com, which is a level of stability that has been lacking at West
Ham this year. The Serbian prefers a possession oriented style, with his
Fulham side keeping the ball at an average rate of 59%, and his wide players
have flourished in the system, which would be welcome news for West Ham
strugglers Sofiane Feghouli and Gokhan Tore.

What do the fans say?

Harry ? @HarryTheHammer_
Slavisa Jokanovic is a good Championship manager he's never managed at a
high level and never had money thrown at him, would be to risky...
6:25 PM - 11 Apr 2017

The Unknown Barman @UnknownBarman
How many more are going to be linked. Stam? Wagner? Jokanovic? Do me a
favour, what have they achieved as managers? Not worth a carrot.
5:48 PM - 11 Apr 2017

inthezone @inthezoneuk
@SkySportsNewsHQ Jokanovic is a very good Manager as proven at WFC & now
Fulham. He has a knack of making substitutions at the right time to turn a
game. ????
5:33 PM - 11 Apr 2017

Tom @tomtomkdkd
Replacing Bilic with jokanovic would be like replacing coke with Pepsi. Both
too idealistic both no good with defence.
5:12 PM - 11 Apr 2017

Stephen Madden @StephenMadden01
Jokanovic to replace Bilic. This is a JOKE! They all need to look at what
they did recruiting last Summer. #Keep Slaven Bilic.
5:06 PM - 11 Apr 2017

Would he be an improvement?

It's very tough to say. He may not be the big name some fans are looking
for, but Jokanovic has an impressive resume in England with his stints at
Watford and now Fulham, and he deserves a crack at the Premier League after
being unable to continue with Watford after getting them promoted. Whether
or not Jokanovic's possession style would suit the West Ham squad at present
is another question. West Ham have found a lot of their success on the
counter this season, and how Andy Carroll would get on in a system focused
on keeping the ball is also a concern. Personally, I would say that
Jokanovic would be the right man for the job – if the Hammers do go down
this season. He has proven to be a very capable manager in the hectic
Championship and would likely be able to guide the Hammers back up at the
first time of asking

West Ham fans will be hoping it doesn't come to that.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham striker Jonathan Calleri hopeful over first Premier League start
SAM LONG
Evening Standard

Jonathan Calleri is hopeful he has done enough to convince Slaven Bilic he
deserves to make his first Premier League start for West Ham.
Calleri joined the Hammers on a season-long loan deal from Deportivo
Maldonado last summer but has struggled for game time this season.
The 23-year-old has been restricted to just 11 top-flight appearances, all
of which have been as a substitute. Calleri was brought on during last
week's victory over Swansea after Michail Antonio picked up an injury and
produced a promising performance as the Hammers picked up three vital
points. The Argentine is now in contention to lead the line for Saturday's
crucial trip to Sunderland and is determined to play his part during the
run-in. "We have six games left," he told West Ham's official website. "As a
player, I always try to do my best in order to play all the games, but it is
a manager´s decision to pick the team. "Saturday could be a chance for me to
start the game and, if I do, I will try to do my best to be the manager´s
first choice to play. "People might expect us to win at Sunderland, but it
will be a difficult game. "It is again the last team of the table and they
have to win, so I expect them to give it everything to beat us," Calleri
added. West Ham are currently eight points clear of the drop zone and will
all-but secure their safety with victory at the Stadium of Light.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manuel Lanzini drops ominous hint over West Ham future if owners sack Slaven
Bilic
HITC
Damien Lucas

It has been a turbulent season for West Ham United and speculation has been
rife over Slaven Bilic's future. The Hammers have been in freefall and found
themselves perilously close to the danger zone after five defeats on the
bounce. Indeed it was seven games since the Hammers last tasted victory
until they beat Swansea City 1-0 on Saturday. The East Londoners still have
some work to do to secure safety in what has been a hugely disappointing
season compared to the record-breaking campaign the club enjoyed last term.
As a result of West Ham's poor form of late Bilic's future has been the
subject of intense media speculation with the likes of Jaap Stam, Roberto
Manzini and Rafa Benitez tipped to replace him in various reports.
And yesterday Sky Sports reported Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic was a
potential target if the club does decide to relive Bilic of his post. The
Croatian has retained the support of the majority of West Ham's fans,
though, which has been reinforced by the important victory over the Swans.
And West Ham's most prized asset Manuel Lanzini has dropped an ominous hint
over his own future should Bilic leave, in an interview with The Mirror.
"Slaven has shown a lot of confidence in me since the very beginning,"
Lanzini told The Mirror.
"He is a big part of the reason I signed for the club and has always treated
me very well so I am very grateful to him for that. "He is a great coach and
works very closely with the players. It is not my decision about Slaven's
future but he led the club to a great season last year and I am very
grateful to him. I would love him to stay."
Lanzini was plucked from the obscurity of the footballing wilderness that is
the United Arab Emirates Pro League by Bilic when he replaced Sam Allardyce
at West Ham. While many thought the diminutive Argentine playmaker would not
be able to stand up to the rigours of Premier League football, Bilic backed
him to shine. And he has done just that rising up to become West Ham's key
player, especially since Dimitri Payet's disappointing departure in January.
Should Bilic be sacked, the Hammers would clearly face a battle to keep hold
of Lanzini. Lose him and it is hard to see how the East Londoners could
replace both him and Payet ready for next season.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham move for £30m Celtic star Moussa Dembele could be possible if they
appoint Jokanovic
HITC
Dan Coombs

West Ham were linked to Celtic's Moussa Dembele earlier this year. West Ham
have set their sights on appointing Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic if they
decide to part ways with Slaven Bilic at the end of the season, SkySports
report. There are plenty of 'ifs' in the equation, but Jokanovic's
appointment could give West Ham a shot of landing Celtic striker Moussa
Dembele. West Ham were interested in Dembele back in January, with The Mail
reporting they had an offer rejected and were told to stump up at least £30
million. Celtic are reluctant to sell but their actions could be dependent
on Dembele's desire, if he wants to move to the English Premier League.
Dembele could potentially land a move to a top four club, although if he
wants to guarantee playing time, a move to a side like West Ham would be a
shrewder move. Jokanovic has worked with Dembele previously at Fulham, and
helped him attract attention of clubs across Europe last summer, with Celtic
winning the battle for his signature. Keeping Dembele at Fulham was always a
tough ask, but Jokanovic did manage to keep him put in January 2016 and see
out the season with the west London club. He would be very keen to work with
the ex-PSG youngster again. West Ham's chances of signing the prolific
Frenchman from Celtic look slim at present. If they appoint Jokanovic, they
might just stand a chance.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE PRICE OF REACHING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
By Sean Whetstone 12 Apr 2017 at 08:00
WTID

The Daily Express ran a claimed Exclusive on Monday night claiming there was
a renewed attempt by Sullivan and Gold to actively look for people with the
wealth to take the club to the next stage. The report said that the two
Hammers supremos have been looking to bring other investors into the club
for over a year but plans had been put on hold this season while Slaven
Bilic's team dropped towards the Premier League relegation zone. They stated
that Sullivan and Gold want to recoup some of their investment in the club,
but both will want to keep their places on the board in the future if any
deal is done. Last summer the duo rejected a reported £650million takeover
bid for the club from energy drinks giants, Red Bull, although a bid was
later denied by the firm. A valuation of the club last year put a price on
West Ham of around £200m, although Sullivan believed the move to the London
Stadium meant the club was worth nearer £400m.

For me this report was old news, Sullivan and Gold have been openly looking
for wealthy West Ham fans to invest in the club since 2010 while retaining
the majority of shares in the Hammers. Terry Brown and the Harris Family
invested £4m in return for 3.8% of the shares in 2010 but there has been no
serious interest since to share the financial burden of investing in the
club.

What did surprise me what the knee jerk reaction on the official website
yesterday disclaiming the 'fake news'

Speaking to the official website Sullivan said: "It is no secret that both
David Gold and I see our long-term futures as custodians of West Ham United.
"We have never once viewed West Ham United as a short term project and plan
to be here for many, many years, bringing further progress to the Club on
and off the pitch, and success to our loyal supporters. It disappoints me to
see an article published that is so utterly false."

The Statement got me to look back what was previously said by the owners on
the subject:

In January 2010 Sullivan set out his stall on the day of takeover by saying
"We have a seven-year plan to get them into the Champions League and turn
them into a big club and over the seven-year period we do plan to spend a
lot of money, The short-term plan is all about survival and getting behind
the team. It is also about getting behind the manager."

Gold told in the Daily Mirror in 2012: "You have to be a billionaire to make
a major difference and there aren't many of them about. Of course, I'd
welcome a Father Christmas. But then you look and discover that it might not
be the real Father Christmas. And you know why? Because there isn't a real
Father Christmas. He doesn't exist.

"In an ideal world, though, if you ask what I'd like to see happen, I would
like a very wealthy person to come and join us.David and myself are wealthy
by normal standards, but not by football standards.We would be reluctant to
sell the whole football club because we feel part of it. It's taken us a
lifetime to earn enough money to return to our roots and we won't give that
up lightly. We're doing our best but it would be that much easier if there
were three of us."

Gold added: "We're not going to be a top-four club straightaway. But one day
it's possible, if there is a super-wealthy West Ham fan who wants to come
and join the club, that could change things for us. Now we have to do the
best we can within the areas of our ability.To grow the club, fingers
crossed to get to the Olympic Stadium would change our whole image, would
help us attract better players. But it all boils down to income and we have
to generate more income."

In December 2014 Sullivan said: "I'd love someone to come in and buy 20
percent & the money would not go to us, it would go to the club."

In 2015 Sullivan told the Sunday Times "Long-term, there's no reason we
can't be one of England's leading six clubs, pushing for the Champions
League. You have to dream. Otherwise what's the point of being an owner or
supporter? And we are both owners and supporters. We have no desire to sell
West Ham. We hope to pass it to our kids and grandkids. While the deal is
confidential if we sell before 10 years most of the money would go to the
government. We're not here for a quick buck."

At the end of last year, the message from Sullivan was: "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."

In the Sunday Times Rich List of 2016 David Sullivan was valued at a net
worth of £1 billion of which £200m was his share of West Ham. Most of his
wealth is tied up in properties but he owns the Sunday Sport, race horses
and retains businesses involved in publishing, sex shops, material aids and
phone lines. David Gold is claimed to be worth £300m. His 35% of West Ham is
valued around £140m while the remainder of his net worth is related to Gold
International Group which owns Ann Summers and Knickerbox but also owns Gold
Aviation and various property investments. It has a turnover £112m but the
profit under £1m per annum.

Karren Brady has a net worth £85m but is not listed as a current share owner
of West Ham despite her claiming in interviews she has some shares.

Terry Brown made £33.4m when he sold his West Ham shares but has probably
increased his net worth since selling out to the Icelandic's.

The Harris family are thought to be worth around £150m after their sale of
the Alba electronics firm.

The chances of a Middle East billionaire buying the Hammers seem remote
despite rumours of the Qatar Investment Authority wanting a premier League
outfit.

Here is my suggestion for what it is worth, Gold and Sullivan could sell
35.2% of their shares for £140m valuing the club at £400m. The Icelandic's
could also sell their remaining 10% for £40m. Gold and Sullivan could use
£40m to repay the majority of the shareholder then re-invest £100m into the
club. The new wealthy investor could invest £96m in cash with Brown/Harris
Family throwing in another £4m.

West Ham would be debt free with £200m war chest and Gold and Sullivan would
retain overall control with 51% of the shares.

The challenge comes finding a wealthy individual prepared to part with £276m
in cash!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Despite win over Swansea, West Ham are still very much a work in progress
ESPN

West Ham edged closer to guaranteeing their Prem survival, but Slaven Bilic
doesn't want to underplay the task at hand.
At the final whistle against Swansea City on Saturday, some West Ham players
dropped to their knees and raised their arms in celebration, as if they had
won a major trophy. Meanwhile, in the technical area, manager Slaven Bilic,
bent double in supplication and clenched his fists; his job saved for at
least this season.

It may only have been a nervy 1-0 home win over a relegation-threatened
side, who did not look like a team fighting for their own Premier League
survival, but in any context, it was enough. Beset by injuries -- and when
is that never an issue at West Ham? -- and lacking confidence after six
straight defeats, the team may have come unstuck against hardier opposition.
Swansea provided little, however, and had Jonathan Calleri, Manuel Lanzini
and even Sam Byram been more clinical in front of the goal, the Welsh side
might have suffered an even bigger dent to their fragile confidence.

In fact, the performance of right-back Byram and Arthur Masuaku on the left,
showed just how quixotic the Premier League can be. Torn apart by a
supposedly struggling Arsenal outfit just days before, the two defenders
looked unsure and out of their depth at the Emirates. On Saturday, against a
lacklustre Swansea side though, the pair performed impressively. A late
block by Byram brought a welter of congratulations from teammates and,
although a good indicator of the spirit in the side, the demonstration did
seem to indicate the need to boost the confidence of the 23-year-old. The
enthusiastic reaction by Mark Noble in particular was well-received by the
crowd, but it did seem an odd response by the captain to a player really
just doing what he should be doing anyway.

Perhaps that incident showed in one small detail, the issue that Bilic has
this summer. With weaknesses throughout the team and on the bench, a
decision needs to be made at board level on how to improve. Players like
Byram and Masuaka aren't seen as the type who can cope with the opposition
they are likely to come up against when facing a team in the top six.
Against a team in the bottom half however, the pair looked confident enough
to deal with most things they'd be expected to face. Much will be down to
confidence and regular game time. Byram, in particular, has suffered greatly
from this. But if the manager doesn't show confidence in a player, then what
is the point of them being on the squad?

The fact is that West Ham are a mid-table side with too many mid-table
players. The difficulty is how the club go about changing that?

News that David Gold and David Sullivan were looking to sell shares in the
club were first rumoured and then denied this week. The initial speculation
that the pair were looking to sell to wealthy investors was met with
enthusiasm on some fan sites. In the eyes of many, last summer's less than
stellar transfer dealings was seen as being the owners' fault. The supposed
lack of investment is cited by some as the reason that West Ham failed to
complement their seventh-place finish last season. Neither was the situation
eased in January when Jose Font and Robert Snodgrass were signed, neither of
whom have looked particularly comfortable in their first months with the
club.

The problem is, it's very difficult to know from the outside who is making
the decisions over transfer targets. A reasonable rebuttal suggests that if
it was Bilic that sanctioned, for example, the £20 million signing of Andre
Ayew or the loan deal for Simone Zaza, then the owners may be wary of
trusting the manager with an even bigger transfer budget this summer. It
seems likely that Bilic was instrumental in bringing in Gokhan Tore and
Sofiane Feghouli to Stratford. Neither has made a significant impact --
Tore's signing in particular has been an embarrassment -- but it's dealings
like this that have left the squad shorn of back-up and first-team players
with virtually assured places.

On Saturday, the Hammers travel to the Stadium of Light for might well be
Sunderland's last throw of the dice in their battle to stay in the top
flight. Desperately needing a win, the home side will welcome a West Ham
side with key first-team players out. The Hammers will have gained some
confidence from the victory over Swansea but, on occasion this season, the
team have lacked application and belief. No one can say for certain which
Hammers team will turn up. So, once again, as it's seemed all season, the
opposition will target Bilic's men as a brittle team that can be beaten.

It's a cycle that needs to be broken and the manager and board need to work
together to decide how to move forward.

The first season in Stratford was always going to be difficult but, after
surviving it, even bigger decisions need to be made in the summer.

Peter Thorne, aka Billy Blagg (@BillyBlaggEsq), is ESPN FC's West Ham
blogger.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham fans react to Jokanovic linksFeatured Image
Date: 12th April 2017 at 6:08am
Written by: Justin Mottershead
shoot.co.uk

Slavisa Jokanovic is the latest name to be linked with replacing Slaven
Bilic at West Ham United next season as despite the Hammers recent 1-0 win
over Swansea, pressure continues to mount for the manager. The Fulham boss
is reportedly being eyed as a replacement for Bilic who's suffered a
backlash following a disappointing campaign which now sees the Hammers sat
in 14th place.
In the Championship, Fulham are currently seventh in the table just two
points off the play-off places as the former Watford boss looks to achieve
promotion to the Premier League for the second time in his career. Bilic's
future may not have been decided yet and a late season rally could convince
the West Ham board he's the right man to move the Hammers forward but if he
doesn't begin next season in charge at London Stadium then it may well be
Jokanovic who replaces him.

Here's how West Ham fans reacted to the rumours:

BREAKING: Fulham's manager Slavisa Jokanovic is West Ham's no.1 target if
they choose to replace Slaven Bilic in the summer (@SkySports)

— Hammers Social (@hammers_social) April 11, 2017
@hammers_social @SkySports Silly seasons started already, we should try
something different like back Slav and ignore what Sky spread, it must be a
lack of news day.

— Bryan (@Bryan_WHU) April 11, 2017
@hammers_social @SkySports Sky say the reason behind it is his use of youth
players in the squad.

— Brian Yeo (@dmyeo66) April 11, 2017
@footballindex @SkySportsNewsHQ Definitely a lie, if Bilic is to leave
(which he probably won't) we'll go for Mancini

— Adam Brown (@adambrown93) April 11, 2017
@AlexGreen993 @SkySportsNewsHQ Wouldn't mind this to be honest. Would still
prefer Wagner if we're going for a Championship manager though.

— Frank Watson (@Frank_WHU) April 11, 2017
@whufcpaul1 @SkySportsNewsHQ @davidgold We are a team lacking cash and just
hanging on in the Prem. What half decent manager/player will come to us next
season?

— theboleyn (@theboleyn) April 11, 2017

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 12th April 2017

Joint-Chairman responds to 'false' article
WHUFC.com

West Ham United joint-chairman David Sullivan has moved quickly to rubbish suggestions that he and co-chairman David Gold are actively seeking to sell their shares in the Hammers. An article in a national newspaper today suggests Sullivan and Gold are 'looking to sell part of their stake in the club', but Sullivan slammed the story as "utterly false". "It is no secret that both David Gold and I see our long term futures as custodians of West Ham United," Sullivan told whufc.com. "We have never once viewed West Ham United as a short term project and plan to be here for many, many years, bringing further progress to the Club on and off the pitch, and success to our loyal supporters. "It disappoints me to see an article published that is so utterly false."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burke pleased with 90 minutes
WHUFC.com

Reece Burke made his comeback from injury on Monday night at London Stadium
The defender played 90 minutes as the PL2 Hammers were beaten by Middlesbrough
Burke was delighted to finally be back in claret and blue

Reece Burke was delighted to be back out on the pitch in claret and blue, despite West Ham United PL2's 3-1 defeat at home to Middlesbrough. The 20-year-old has endured a wretched few months on the sidelines through injury, but made his comeback for the U23s as their play-off hopes took a dent at London Stadium. Burke, currently on loan at Wigan Athletic, is unsure whether he will return to the Latics as they fight relegation in the Sky Bet Championship, but the defender was still pleased to get some much needed minutes on Monday. "It was good to get 90 minutes after a long time not being on the pitch," admitted Burke. "I'm buzzing with it but obviously not buzzing with the result. "It's not nice, it's probably one of the worst things in football being injured but some injuries you just can't do anything about. "Obviously you have to stay strong and there are always things you can work on off the pitch. That's what I've been doing and I'm glad to be back. "There's a chat I need to have with the physio. The plan was once I get 90 minutes and felt fully fit, I'd be going back up north and hopefully getting some games under my belt and help Wigan stay up. But we'll wait and see."

Burke made his return at the heart of the Hammers back four, but could not prevent Boro from travelling back to Teesside with all three points. Terry Westley's men edged a tight first half but went behind on the stroke of half-time when James Husband's free-kick was deflected beyond Nathan Trott. The Hammers could have equalised immediately when Dan Kemp headed against the crossbar. Substitute Joe Powell then nodded against the upright minutes after the break, as the hosts wondered how the scores were still level. Boro created very little throughout the match but took their chances when they came – Hayden Coulson prodded home the second before Marcus Tavernier volleyed home a loose ball for the third. Anthony Scully netted a consolation goal with ten minutes to play after a terrific free-kick, but the Hammers were ultimately beaten by three set-pieces goals. "They were pretty sloppy goals from us to be fair," added Burke. "I thought we dominated the game especially in the first half and we had the better chances but we weren't clinical enough today. "Obviously the next game is even bigger now. We need to win but we needed to win tonight. The pressure is on us now and I'm sure the boys will be fine. We've been playing well and we have much better quality than most of the teams in this league."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Big Interview - Jonathan Calleri
WHUFC.com

Jonathan Calleri is determined to help West Ham United end a challenging 2017/18 Premier League season on a high. The amiable Argentinian has not played as much football as he would have liked after arriving on a season-long loan from Uruguayan team Deportivo Maldonado. The 23-year-old enjoyed a successful 2014/15 season with Primera Division club Boca Juniors in his home city of Buenos Aires, scoring 23 times, before netting 16 goals in just 31 appearances for Brazilian Serie A side Sao Paulo last year. However, Calleri has found opportunities to hit the back of the net harder to come by in the English Premier League, but the determined South American is not about to stop trying. Having netted from an assist from compatriot Manuel Lanzini at Middlesbrough in February, the No28 came close to repeating that feat in last weekend's 1-0 win over Swansea City, only for his shot to ripple the side-netting. Now, Calleri is looking ahead to a return to the North East, where West Ham will take on struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

That was a big win for the team against Swansea on Saturday. What did you think of the game?

"It was a difficult game. We both were playing to remain in Premier League and these three points are really good for us because we had not won in the last seven games. "The game was very difficult. Each player had to play at 100 per cent. The way we played was not the best, but we got the three points."

You were needed after Michail Antonio was injured, so was it difficult to get up to the pace of the game in those circumstances?

"It is difficult to start a game as substitute. I was lucky to play few minutes and win the game but it is a shame that Michail was injured."

Captain Mark Noble told us he spoke to you at half-time and said the team needed you to get the win, which must have been a big responsibility?

"Mark is always positive, he told to me 'Run fast, you will have chances'. I think it was a good game, I can give a lot more but it is the beginning of something good."

Not only did you give Swansea's centre-backs a torrid time, but you came so close to your first goal at London Stadium after Manuel Lanzini had beaten his man and set you up, too?

"I was close to scoring a goal, maybe I would have scored that goal on a different occasion. These are things that happen in football and I will try to score the next game.

"It would have been a perfect goal. It was a very good move from Manuel but I was not lucky to finish that properly."

"Manu is a good colleague, I spend a lot of time here with him and as fellow Argentinians, we always try to be together."

We travel to Sunderland, who are bottom of the Premier League table, in our next match. Do you think we have a chance to make it two wins in a row?

"We have six games left. As a player, I always try to do my best in order to play all the games, but it is a manager´s decision to pick the team.

"Saturday could be a chance for me to start the game and, if I do, I will try to do my best to be manager´s first choice to play.

"People might expect us to win at Sunderland, but it will be a difficult game. It is again the last team of the table and they have to win, so I expect them to give it everything to beat us."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AWAY DAYS: SUNDERLAND
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 10 APRIL 2017 AT 9:12PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Craig Podevin @CraigPodevin

A sigh of relief after the Swansea win could become even bigger if we beat Sunderland. A win could mean virtual safety for The Hammers and perhaps some thought could go into playing in the Premier League next season. Sunderland have been flirting with relegation for a few years now (I mainly blame the inconsistencies with managers) and this year look like they may not beat the drop.

General information:

Stadium: The Stadium of Light

Capacity: 48,707

Address: Stadium of Light, Sunderland, SR5 1SU

Away seating: 3,000

Sunderland moved into the Stadium of Light in 1997 (can you believe that was 20 years ago?) after leaving their old home Roker Park. The stadium is totally enclosed and, as you can tell by the capacity, is quite large. Behind the West Stand is a large red wheel which is an emblem of the lifts that used to take the miners down to the mines, which the Stadium of Light was built on (look up Monkwearmouth Colliery), and also features at the top of Sunderland's badge.

Travel:

Train
The closest station is Sunderland Railway Station which is located in the city centre and is an approximate 15-25 minute walk to the stadium.

The Metro stations called "The Stadium of Light" and "St. Peters" also both go to the stadium, however St. Peters is the closest to the away entrance. NOTE that after the game the Stadium of Light metro station only goes towards the north, St Peters goes towards Sunderland City centre and southbound.

Air
If you fancy it, Newcastle Airport is approximately 24 miles away from the Stadium of Light and also has a metro station that will take you to the previously mentioned Stadium of Light metro station.

Bus
Bus information

Car
If you have a sat nav, put SR5 1SU in it and this will take you straight to the stadium. For those who don't have a sat nav exit the A1 at junction 62 and take the A690 towards Sunderland. After approximately 8 miles, you will come to a roundabout. At the roundabout, turn left onto the A19 which will have a sign for Tyne Tunnel. Stay on the left lane and take the second slip road towards Sunderland (and this will have a signpost for the Stadium Of Light, A1231). Go straight over 4 roundabouts into Sunderland. There will be two sets of traffic lights (make sure you stay in the left lane for the 2nd set) to go towards Roker rather than Sunderland. From here you will see the stadium car park on the right, but there is limited parking so I advise against this.

Parking
The stadium car park is limited, so you may not be able to park there and as expected for a Premier League stadium there are residents only parking restrictions around the ground. Make sure you double check where you are parked to avoid fines, and always park legally.

You can park at the Stadium of Light metro station for £4 or you can park in the city centre and walk to the ground (again around a 15-25 minute walk). The traffic can pick up on match days so please give yourself plenty of time.

There is a Park & Ride operation on matchdays, free for both home and away supporters. This is at Sunderland Enterprise Park, which is well signposted off the A1231. They run every 5 minutes for an hour and a half before kick-off and continue running after the game until everybody has left.

Drink:
Sunderland have opened a Fan Zone which is outside the South East part of the stadium. It has live bands, large screens for sports and food and drink outlets for both home and away supporters. Entry is free and it opens three hours before kick-off and remains open for an hour after the game.

There are two social clubs – The Sunderland Companions club and the New Democratic Club – both situated on North Bridge Street which are about a 5 minute walk away from the ground. They do get busy, but they both welcome away supporters.

Another pub that allows away fans is The Albion Pub on Victor Street (off Roker Avenue) which is a five minute walk from the station with limited parking nearby. Free snacks are put out after the game and there's also a chip shop on the same road.

If you are up for a bit of a longer walk (around 15-25 minutes) then the Harbour view pub on the sea front may appeal to you. Go along Roker Avenue (opposite the main entrance to the stadium) until you reach the sea front. Turn left along the seafront and you will see the pub on the left. It's listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, serves good beer, has reasonably priced food (with it's own matchday menu) and has a large TV. You can get some good views of the coast and harbour – hence the name.

Alcohol is available inside the stadium. Carling lager £4, Carling cider £3.80, Worthingtons £3.80 and wines £3.90. You can also get 2 pies and 2 pints for £12.

I hope this guide has helped some of you find your way around Sunderland, enjoy the match and let's hope there are many happy hammers after the game. As always, stay safe. Come On You Irons! – @CraigPodevin

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West Ham to target Slavisa Jokanovic if they decide to replace Slaven Bilic
By SSN HQ
Last Updated: 11/04/17 7:14pm
SSN

Fulham's manager Slavisa Jokanovic is West Ham's No 1 target if they choose to replace Slaven Bilic this summer, according to Sky sources. West Ham eased their relegation fears with a 1-0 win over Swansea at the weekend and are now 14th in the Premier League table, eight points clear of the drop zone. However, they had previously suffered five defeats in a row, raising questions about Bilic's future. Former Watford boss Jokanovic has impressed during his 15 months in charge at Craven Cottage and Fulham are seventh in the Championship at present, two points outside the play-off places. And Sky Sports News HQ understands that West Ham's board have been increasingly impressed by the Serb's ability to promote young talent from Fulham's academy into the first team. A former Yugoslavia international midfielder, who made 39 appearances for Chelsea, Jokanovic took Watford into the Premier League in 2015 before leaving to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Hammers have been linked with a host of other managers in recent weeks, including Rafa Benitez of Newcastle and former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini, but SSNHQ understands Jokanovic is the one West Ham have pinpointed, if they do choose to replace Bilic at the end of this campaign.
However, the West Ham board have remained steadfast in their support of Bilic of late and issued a statement earlier this month in which they reiterated that his job was safe. The statement read: "To end speculation once and for all, the board feel it necessary to announce that we have 100 per cent faith in Slaven Bilic's ability to lead West Ham United. "Despite press speculation to the contrary, the manager's position is not under threat. "The board know that Slaven and his coaching staff have the full backing of the playing squad and the overwhelming majority of supporters to lead West Ham United out of this difficult spell. "The board now urge all supporters to unite behind the manager, his staff and the squad as we go into some important games. "We all have complete confidence in their ability to end a testing run of results and finish the season on a high."

The vote of confidence was followed by a defeat at Arsenal last week, before the crucial success over Swansea

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West Ham ready to resurrect Lamine Kone transfer interest with rock-bottom Sunderland looking doomed
The Hammers aim to strengthen defensively this summer and are also eyeing TWO Man City full-backs
The Mirror
BYDARREN LEWIS
21:10, 11 APR 2017

West Ham will make a fresh move for Sunderland defender Lamine Kone in the summer. The Hammers , and Everton, tried to land the 28-year-old centre-back a year ago, but new Black Cats boss David Moyes persuaded him to sign a new contract and commit himself to the club's bid to stay in the Premier League. He was also a West Ham target in January. Now, with rock-bottom Sunderland seemingly destined for relegation as they sit eight points from safety with seven games to go, Kone has re-emerged as a target for West Ham. The Londoners will make reinforcing their defence a priority this summer, along with landing a consistent striker. They have been particular concerned by the defensive frailties that had sucked the club back into relegation trouble recently after their climb into the top half of the table.
Last Saturday's win over relegation rivals Swansea moved West Ham eight points clear of the drop zone and the club are confident that they can now start planning for next season in the top flight. Also on their shopping list is a right-back, with Manchester City duo Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna both under consideration.
The players, 32 and 34 respectively, are going to be out of contract at the end of this season, and are both expected to leave the Etihad.

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Sam Byram could be a doubt for Sunderland trip in another big injury blow for West Ham
The right back appeared to roll his ankle against Swansea
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
14:00, 11 APR 2017

football.london understands Sam Byram is a doubt for West Ham this weekend with an ankle injury. The right-back, who had arguably the best game of his Hammers career in the 1-0 win over Swansea last Saturday, rolled his ankle near the end of the first half and was down on the ground for about a minute. He shrugged it off and put in an outstanding performance in the second half as he left the London Stadium on crutches. Co-chairman David Gold then circulated a photo on his Twitter page which showed Byram once again on crutches, leading to fears he could be badly injured.

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Dennis @DDen2205
@davidgold @sambyram93 -class act, clearly took a knock but did'nt hesitate to stop for a photo with my youngsters.better every game
8:15 PM - 10 Apr 2017
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A full injury report is expected tomorrow (Wednesday) but we have learned there is a distinct possibility Byram could miss the trip to Sunderland. With Alvaro Arbeloa and Havard Nordtveit out of favour, we could see a return to Cheikhou Kouyate at right back if Slaven Bilic persists with four at the back. He could also switch to three centre halves, with Sofiane Feghouli playing at right wing back.
Another option is to bring back Aaron Cresswell from injury and move Arthur Masuaku to right back, or play Cresswell himself there.

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Odds update: Liverpool made favourites in race to sign Aaron Ramsey ahead of West Ham
HITC
Antony Martin

Liverpool and West Ham United lead the race to sign Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey this summer, according to the bookies. Popular bookmakers SkyBET have made the Reds the new favourites in the race to sign Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey this summer, ahead of the Hammers who are second on the list. The Welshman has been woeful for Arsenal this season, in a campaign that has been marred by injury and inconsistency. He has made just 15 Premier League appearances this term, failing to score a single goal and chipping with just one assist. The 26-year-old still has plenty of potential, however, and could go to the very top, under the correct management. His performances for Wales in the European Championships last summer proved what he is capable of doing, if given strict instructions and discipline, rater than the 'free role' he seems to be given at Arsenal. And maybe an exit from the Gunners would suit all parties involved. SkyBET make Liverpool 6/1 favourites to sign the midfielder ahead of West Ham at 8/1. A move to Anfield would surely be more appetising for Ramsey than a switch across London, however, what with the European football that Jürgen Klopp would be able to offer.
The Wales international's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2018, so he could be available for a reasonable price, should Liverpool or West Ham decide on making a summer bid.

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David Sullivan dismisses claims West Ham co-chairmen want to sell Hammers shares
SAM LONG
Evening Standard

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has dismissed reports claiming he and David Gold are actively looking to sell their respective shares in the club. Sullivan and Gold purchased the Hammers for £105million in 2010 and oversaw the club's best-ever Premier League finish last season. The pair have also managed West Ham's move into the London Stadium, which is set to boost the club's revenue and ability to compete with the division's elite. Recent reports suggest Sullivan and Gold have been searching for new investors for over a year but the former has dismissed such claims, reiterating his desire to continue building towards long-term goals. "It is no secret that both David Gold and I see our long term futures as custodians of West Ham United," he told the club's official website. "We have never once viewed West Ham United as a short term project and plan to be here for many, many years, bringing further progress to the club on and off the pitch, and success to our loyal supporters. "It disappoints me to see an article published that is so utterly false."
Meanwhile, Sullivan has previously suggested he would consider selling to an investor capable of taking the club to a level "we ourselves cannot hope to reach". West Ham have endured an indifferent debut campaign at the London Stadium and are not yet safe from relegation. The east Londoners have opened up an eight-point gap above the drop zone and will take a huge step towards safety if they beat Sunderland in their next game.

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"Should have got Sakho but we signed Fonte" - West Ham fans marvel at Crystal Palace defender
The Hammers opted not go in for the defender and it looks a bad move
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
09:59, 11 APR 2017

Mamadou Sakho put in another brilliant display for Crystal Palace as they comprehensively saw off Arsenal and that left West Ham fans wondering what might have been. Palace snatched the French centre half during the January transfer window on loan for the rest of the season from Liverpool and has seen his stock catapult upwards after helping the Eagles to four clean sheets in five games. The 27-year-old was frozen out at Anfield after an alleged failed drug test and it doesn't look like he'll get back in favour with Jurgen Klopp despite his excellent performances in SE25. West Ham had the opportunity to get Sakho in to fix their leaky backline and instead plumped for Jose Fonte, an £8m buy from Southampton. He has only just kept his first clean sheet since signing. Hammers fans watching the game last night couldn't help but wonder how their side would have shaped up for the second half of this season if they had signed the Frenchman instead of 33-year-old Fonte.

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David Sullivan reaffirms commitment to West Ham amid speculation over club's future
Reports suggested Sullivan and David Gold were looking to cash in on their shares of the Hammers
The Mirror
BYMARC ISAACS
08:43, 11 APR 2017UPDATED08:51, 11 APR 2017

West Ham chief David Sullivan has played down reports that he and co-chairman David Gold are ready to sell the club. Reports suggested the pair were looking to cash in on their shares of the Hammers. However, Sullivan, who holds a 51 per cent stake in the east London club, has moved to squash the speculation. The 68-year-old said in a statement: "It is no secret that both David Gold and I see our long term futures as custodians of West Ham United. "We have never once viewed West Ham United as a short term project and plan to be here for many, many years, bringing further progress to the club on and off the pitch, and success to our loyal supporters. "It disappoints me to see an article published that is so utterly false." Saturday's 1-0 win over Swansea eased the Hammers' relegation worries, with Slaven Bilic's side now eight points clear of the drop zone.

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West Ham target makes it clear he'd be up for the move, needs to do it quickly
By Lucas Sposito - 11th April 2017
sportwitbess.co.uk

Back in December, when West Ham seemed keen on a striker, they were linked to Lucas Pratto from Atlético-MG. The Argentine attacker was impressing at the Brazilian club and had many sides interested on him. At the time, his representative Gustavo Goni confirmed that at least one English club was on the list of interested clubs, so it all made some sense. But instead of going to Europe, Pratto ended up staying in Brazil, and was signed by São Paulo for €5.8m. With five goals in seven games for the club, the striker keeps impressing, and was invited to ESPN Brasil's show 'Resenha' this Sunday.
In a relaxed conversation, the West Ham target was asked by his compatriot Juan Pablo Sorin if he still has the desire to return to Europe, as he played for Genoa for a short period. "Last year, and now in January, there were offers that didn't reach Atlético-MG's demands. But I'll always want to return to Europe. "I've went too young, and I think maybe I took a wrong decision in coming back so early. Maybe I could have stayed for six more months and be loaned to another club in Europe. "But now I'm very happy with my career. It ended up being a good decision. I'll always want to return to Europe to play with the great players there, but I'm very happy here."

São Paulo clearly wouldn't let him go cheap so soon, but considering that Pratto is already 28, he doesn't have much time to convince a European club to sign him. If West Ham interest was genuine, there's every chance Slaven Bilic is keeping an eye on the player's situation. However, the last striker to move from São Paulo to West Ham was Jonathan Calleri, and that switch has worked out poorly, so far, for both player and club.

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West Ham welcome investment despite £650m snub
HITC
Dan Coombs

West Ham are claimed to now be open to receiving investment. There are potential new developments surrounding West Ham amid a report in The Express which claims the club's co-owners are open to receiving investment in the club. The report states that duo David Gold and David Sullivan would sell some of their stake in the club to a wealthy benefactor if approached, but want to retain their places on the board. Last year the duo rejected a £650 million full takeover offer from energy firm Red Bull, The Express report. This is not what Gold and Sullivan are looking for, but their desire to sell some of their shares indicates they have reservations over how far they can take the club forward. West Ham have had a very disappointing season and without substantial investment, breaking into the top six looks more difficult than ever, despite bold predictions from the duo that the move to the Olympic Stadium could help with this. Premier League competitors Everton and West Brom have big money financiers from Iran and China adding to their funds, and the Hammers are evidently looking for similar investors. Considering the club's rich history, league status, and location, West Ham should be an attractive proposition, but the investor would have to be willing to work with Gold and Sullivan. Potentially there lies the biggest problem in doing a deal.

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WEST HAM EXCLUSIVE: David Sullivan and David Gold want to SELL their stake in the club
WEST HAM joint owners David Sullivan and David Gold are looking to sell part of their stake in the club - but both want to stay on the board.
By TONY BANKS
PUBLISHED: 07:50, Tue, Apr 11, 2017 | UPDATED: 07:51, Tue, Apr 11, 2017
Daily Express

The two Hammers supremos have been looking to bring other investors into the club for over a year but plans had been put on hold this season while Slaven Bilic's team dropped towards the Premier League relegation zone. The crucial 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday has eased fears of the drop, with West Ham now eight points clear of the relegation zone with six matches left. A drop into the Championship would have dealt a massive blow to the prospect of attracting any big league investors, and although the danger has by no means entirely passed, Sullivan and Gold are again actively looking for people with the wealth to take the club to the next stage.
Sullivan and Gold want to recoup some of their investment in the club, but both will want to keep their places on the board in the future if any deal is done. Last summer the duo rejected a £650million takeover bid for the club from energy drinks giants Red Bull.
A valuation of the club last year put a price on West Ham of around £200m, although Sullivan believed the move to the London Stadium meant the club was worth nearer £400m.

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Duo feature as West Ham U23s are well beaten by Middlesbrough
By London Football News 10/04/2017

Havard Nordtveit and Edimilson Fernandes featured for West Ham's Under-23 side on Monday evening. Anthony Scully scored the home team's goal in a 3-1 defeat against Middlesbrough at the London Stadium, where Reece Burke returned to action after injury. James Husband put the visitors ahead before West Ham were twice denied by the woodwork, with Dan Kemp heading against the bar and Joe Powell's header hitting the post. Hayden Coulson made it 2-0 and Marcus Tavernier got Boro's third before Scully pulled a goal back with a superb free-kick.

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West Ham fan killed friend with one punch after row following 5-1 defeat
Nigel Williams was jailed for five years for manslaughter after he admitted hitting Mark Munday, who died from a bleed on the brain
BYMIRROR.CO.UK
20:08, 10 APR 2017UPDATED23:18, 10 APR 2017

A football fan killed his friend with one punch after arguing at a West Ham game, a court heard. Nigel Williams, 39, admitted manslaughter after hitting Mark Munday, 48, in a Bedford pub and was jailed for five years. The father of three died from a bleed to the brain. Williams, of Olney, Bucks, and Mr Munday, of Kempston, Beds, had been friends and season ticket holders for 14 years and regularly travelled to see West Ham play. In a drunken row outside an East London pub, following the club's 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, friends of the pair had to keep them apart after they grappled in the street, But, hours later, after the group had returned by train to Bedford, Williams - who had earlier tried to headbutt his Munday - was still seething. Luton Crown Court heard today how Williams went into a bar, where he knew Mr Munday was having a last pint and punched him once so hard that it sent him reeling. Seconds before, 39 year old Williams had been heard to say "F*** me, f*** me. It's been coming all day."
Mr Munday, a 48 year old father of three grown up sons, fell into a table and, when he tried to stand up, fell backwards into a fruit machine. Customers and staff in The Grafton Hotel in Midland Road, Bedford, rushed to his aid and an ambulance was called. The aircraft engineer was rushed to Bedford Hospital where, just hours later, he died from a subarachnoid haemorrhage - a bleed on the brain. The court was told today by prosecutor Tim Probert-Wood that witnesses in the bar said the punch was thrown with real brute force. Judge Michael Kay QC, hearing the case, was told that the impact from the single punch to the side of Mr Munday's head had caused his neck to twist so violently that an artery at the base of his skull had torn, resulting in the fatal haemorrhage. The court heard that the following morning Williams, of Cowper Street in Olney, Buckinghamshire, was arrested. Today he appeared at court via a video link from Norwich Prison, where he has been remanded in custody since his arrest on December 4 last year. He pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter, which was accepted by the prosecution. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Munday's wife Sandra told how she and her husband had been married for 26 years and had worked hard to make a happy life for their three sons. She described Mark as a "loving husband, who was devoted to his three sons." She went on: "The loss of Mark has left a gap in the lives of so many people. She said following his death, nearly 400 people had attended his funeral. "There is not a minute of every day that goes by when I don't think of Mark and miss him and want him."
She said that with her husband Mark, they had always sat down for meals with their three sons but, since his death, they have been unable to do that. "I don't know whether we will ever be able to sit around the table like that again." She said when her phone rings or she receives a text, at first she expects it to be her husband. She says she is unable to sleep at night in her bed because, without her husband, it seems "too big and too empty." "I am terrified of what life looks like with Mark not with me."

Anthony Rimmer, defending, said his client and Mr Munday had been good friends for many years and had socialised together and had also gone on holiday together. "The tragedy is that, as far as Mr Williams and Mr Munday are concerned, they had developed a good friendship, building up over 14 years." ailing Williams Judge Kay said: "A husband, a father, a relative and a good friend has been lost. You not only ended one life, but you destroyed other lives."

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WHAT PRICE LOYALTY?
By Iain Dale 11 Apr 2017 at 08:00
WTID
Guest Post by Paul Hickin

The term "loyalty" is thrown about as an intrinsic good. Some fans could have the L word tattooed onto their forehead such is its importance. And if us fans don't think someone possesses – Defoe, Ince, Payet or whoever – rightly or wrongly, they are often cast out in a medieval-like boo-hiss. It seems so relevant to West Ham right now. Not only because of the aforementioned players and whether Mark Noble can criticize 'us fans' , but because of the other side of the coin.

What about our loyalty? Should we show loyalty to Slav after the team's recent slide? Should we show it to Mark given his poor season? Or does the team come first always? The practical side would debate whether Slav is good enough, pure and simple. Or Mark. But this isn't about whether we trust Slav/Mark but whether we should be loyal to them and to what extent? Should our loyalty to these mean they get a little more leeway?

Remember the days when managers actually went down with the clubs only to get them promoted the following season again? Now there is so much money in the premier league that owners can ill afford the luxury of loyalty. But what about you? Surely we can't have it both ways: players/managers need to have loyalty but a wobbly season and out you go!

Now for some of us, football is a job and players should maximize their careers. Why should they show loyalty at all? Maybe only respect is needed and moving on in the right way. As arguably Slav did when he left us. Or Tomkins did when he wanted regular football at centre back. Or if the club decides to cash in on a player (for the greater good hopefully). But for those fans who demand loyalty, how much do you expect to provide in return?

Surely being "loyal" to West Ham doesn't count as that is all part of having skin in the game. If you decided to switch clubs rather than be loyal to the Hammers, then your footballing enjoyment would be superficial and futile, albeit rather successful. But success is so transient and those fans seeking that in its pure form are surely missing the point and that will only lead to misery. The only way your loyalty is measurable is how much you give to those in the club that deserve it, no? Or does our loyalty to the (symbolic idea of the) club trump our loyalty to certain individuals?

On the flipside, Slav could be suffering from his loyalty to Payet (building his team around him etc), to Noble, to Cresswell, et al this season. In the same way Ranieri suffered at Leicester and was not afforded the same such loyalty by the owners who pressed the panic button and which seems to have worked out well at least for this season. Do the Leicester fans feel dirty but happy that the Tinkerman is gone or just relieved that results have turned.

As the voices grow louder among a section of the fans for Slav to go, what is the price, cost and value of loyalty? For me, loyalty goes both ways and Slav deserves the chance to build his team despite mistakes he has made, not only because a huge of host of challenges he has had to face this season which weren't his doing, but because loyalty to those who are part of the West Ham family is "the West Ham way".

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 11th Aril 2017

Manning – Tonight was a big lesson
WHUFC.com

Liam Manning admitted his side were taught a lesson in a 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough
The U23s scored through Anthony Scully but were already three down thanks to James Husband, Hayden Coulson and Marcus Tavernier goals
West Ham face West Browmich Albion in their final Premier League 2 fixture, potentially needing a result to finish inside the play-off places

West Ham United U23 coach Liam Manning admitted his team were taught a lesson as they were beaten 3-1 by Middlesbrough in their final home Premier League 2 match of the season.

The young Hammers, chasing a play-off spot in the division, were keen to give their top five hopes a real boost with a positive result on Monday but went down to their north east opponents.

James Husband's deflected free-kick gave the visitors the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half and they increased their advantage in the second period through Hayden Coulson and Marcus Tavernier.

Substitute Anthony Scully pulled one back for the Hammers with a fantastic free-kick but it was not enough and Manning was left disappointed.

He said: "It was a big lesson for us tonight. We had large amounts of possession but there wasn't enough quality in the final third to make it count.

"We gave away some needless free-kicks and we conceded and didn't defend the set-pieces well enough.

"At 23s level, we do a bit opposition analysis and look at where we can hurt them, and it's a mark of respect that Boro came down and set up like they did.

"We've struggled a couple of times this season when teams come and do that and it's a problem that we have to solve and from a development point of view it's a big lesson."

One huge positive for the hosts was the comeback of Reece Burke from injury, the centre-back making his first appearance since being forced out of action while on loan at Wigan Athletic.

"Reece has been out a little while so it was good for him to get some minutes under his belt," Manning continued. "He's built up from playing Stevenage in a friendly last week and it's good for him to come through 90 minutes physically fine, so that's a positive.

"Also on the plus side, Anthony Scully scored a brilliant free-kick. He's got that, and he's now adding the other bits to his game as all of them have got to do.

"There are key areas he needs to focus on, and I think it highlights it tonight, the importance of coming in and doing it properly every day.

"The West Brom is the final league fixture and we need to move on from tonight, work really hard in training and make sure that when we play them, the boys are ready to go because we need a result ultimately."

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Loanee round up
WHUFC.com

There was a mixed bag of results for Hammers loanees in action across the country at the weekend
It was a weekend to forget for Reece Oxford and Toni Martinez, while Josh Cullen and Sam Howes both enjoyed terrific victories
Enner Valencia, George Dobson and Toni Martinez were also in action

While West Ham United picked up a crucial win over Swansea City on Saturday, there was a mixed bag of results for the Hammers loanees in action across the country over the weekend. Starting in the top flight, Everton were in action on Sunday against Leicester City, though Enner Valencia was an unused substitute in their 4-2 win at Goodison Park. A crazy start on Merseyside saw the visitors go 2-1 up within ten minutes, having hit back through Islam Slimani and Marc Albrighton after Tom Davies' opener for the hosts inside a minute.
Romelu Lukaku kept the supporters on the edge of their seats with an equaliser in the 23rd minute and from then on, it was the Toffees in control. The Belgian added a second 12 minutes into the second period to give Everton a two-goal cushion after Phil Jagielka had already scored to help his side regain the lead.

In the Championship, it was a day to forget for young defender Reece Oxford and his Reading side. Making his second consecutive Royals start, Oxford could not follow up last week's 1-0 win over Leeds with a positive result at Norwich City, who incredibly were 7-1 winners at Carrow Road. And astonishingly, the hosts were 6-1 up at half time; Nelson Oliviera, Wes Hoolahan (2), Alex Pritchard (2) and Russell Martin were the home scorers while the in-form Yann Kermorgant gave the visiting fans little consolation for the trip to East Anglia. The second half remained goalless until the final minute, when Cameron Jerome put the icing on the cake with a seventh. While Norwich's play-off hopes look to be over anyway, Reading remain in the top six.

As do Bradford City and Josh Cullen in League One, the side recording another win on Saturday to all-but cement their play-off place.
Bury were this time the side beaten by Stuart McCall's men who have now lost just once in ten matches. Cullen played all 90 minutes once again for the Bantams as goals from Mark Marshall and Charlie Wyke gave them three points at Gigg Lane.

Elsewhere in the third tier, George Dobson and Toni Martinez faced each other as Oxford United travelled to Walsall's Bescot Stadium.
With both starting as subs, midfielder Dobson was brought on for the final 21 minutes in the west Midlands while Martinez played the whole of the second half for his Oxford side who saved a point 16 minutes from time. A first Saddlers goal from Cypriot Andreas Makris had given the hosts the lead but Chris Maguire's deflected strike earned Oxford a draw.

Peterborough United's slim hopes of a top six finish, though not mathematically, were pretty much extinguished as they suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Coventry City. Martin Samuelsen, scorer last week against Charlton Athletic, played the full 90 minutes for Posh but could not help them find an equaliser after Ruben Lameiras' second half goal.

Jaanai Gordon was an unused sub for Newport County, who will just not let go of their Football League status and remain three points from safety after a 1-0 win at Exeter City.

Tom Owen-Evans' long range hit gave the visitors a crucial three points, and with five games left, the Exiles will fancy their chances of clawing themselves to safety having been on a decent run of form.

Finally, Sam Howes kept another clean sheet in an emphatic 5-0 victory for Hampton and Richmond Borough in the National League South when they travelled to Oxford City.

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Foundation partner with Creative Wick
WHUFC.com

The West Ham United have launched a partnership with Creative Wick's Film School, supported by Alias Hire, BT Creative and Openvizor.

The Film School kicked off at BT Sport Headquarters in Here East, with 15 local young people between the ages of 16-18. The two-month programme will see the students being tutored by some of Hackney Wick and Fish Island's best professional film makers.

The film school will be based at various locations in and around Hackney Wick and will provide a basic introduction to film making and give the opportunity to write, produce, shoot, edit and screen a short film – valuable experience that could lead to opportunities for further education, training or employment. During the programme, the students will be supported by West Ham United Foundation Learning Mentors to help them produce creative and original film pieces.

William Chamberlain, Founder and Director at Creative Wick said: "I'm delighted to be working with the West Ham United Foundation to deliver the 2017 edition of the Creative Wick film school and can't wait to see the finished short films. I'm sure that it will give this group of young people a truly valuable experience that could open their horizons to anything."

Whilst discussing the novelty of the programme, Joe Lyons, CEO of WHU Foundation remarked: "In all aspects of our work we strive to have an influence that is life-changing and that is why we are so delighted to have launched this Film School initiative with Creative Wick. Not only will the young people on this programme have the opportunity to produce powerful short films and documentaries, but additionally the depth of expertise they can draw upon through Alias Hire, BT Creative and Openvizor as key supporters of this programme makes this a truly unique experience."

The students will then have a unique experience where their finished short films will be premiered at BT Sport's headquarters on the evening of Thursday 25 May 2017.

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Ladies star eyes more goals
WHUFC.com

Dayna Chong loving the limelight after being nominated for the Club's Goal of the Month award
West Ham United Ladies star scored a spectacular volley against Swindon Town Ladies
Chong is now looking forward to playing for the Hammers at Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane

West Ham United Ladies star Dayna Chong is loving the limelight after being nominated for the Club's Goal of the Month award. Chong's spectacular long-range volley, which you can watch here, secured a valuable point for the Ladies in their 2-2 draw with Swindon Town on Sunday 12 March. Such was the quality of the strike, it was included alongside Manuel Lanzini's free-kick against Leicester City, Michail Antonio's smart turn and finish at AFC Bournemouth and Premier League 2 goals from Edimilson Fernandes and Declan Rice. Now, the 21-year-old is hoping to take inspiration from her nomination into the Ladies' final three fixtures of the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division season. Relegation-threatened West Ham face Lewes Ladies in a rearranged fixture at Thurrock FC on Sunday 16 April, then make the short trip to tackle leaders Tottenham Hotspur in a mouth-watering match at White Hart Lane on Wednesday 19 April, before rounding out the season at home to Spurs on Sunday 14 May. "It feels great as I didn't expect to be nominated, so it feels good!" Chong revealed. "It was more of a 'hit and hope' effort, to be honest, but it was a good goal so I'm not complaining! "I do practice my volleys and I do score quite a few goals like that in training. Hopefully I can score one or two more wondergoals like that before the end of the season, as we've got some important games coming up. "It meant a lot to us because in our last few games we have been trying our hardest without getting the results we need or deserve. It's a team effort and scoring in the last few minutes and the way we celebrated showed how much it meant to us. "We've got three league games left, including the one against Tottenham at White Hart Lane on 19 April, so hopefully there will be a big crowd down there. I can't wait for that one, even if I am very nervous, as it should be a good game for us to be involved in!"
Tickets for the Ladies' trip to Tottenham are on sale now. The West Stand Lower at White Hart Lane will be open for this historic fixture, with tickets priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for Over-65s and Under-16s.
To buy now, please call 0344 844 0102 and select option 2. Fans purchasing over the phone will receive paper tickets by post. Alternatively, click here to purchase online.

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PL2 side in London Stadium action tonight
WHUFC.com

West Ham United PL2 host Middlesbrough at London Stadium on Monday evening
Admission is free for season ticket holders and you can book your tickets here
Boss Terry Westley thinks his team can bounce back to winnings way against Boro

Academy Director Terry Westley has backed his Premier League 2 side to bounce back to winning ways when they return to action on Monday evening. The Hammers welcome Middlesbrough to London Stadium for their penultimate league match of the regular season, having not won any of their previous four matches. After beating Fulham on 20 February, Westley's youngsters have lost at Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United and drawn with Stoke City in Premier League 2, and also suffered an agonising 3-2 Premier League Cup defeat by the Magpies at St James' Park. Those results have seen the Hammers drop to fifth in Division Two, but they remain just three points behind second-place Fulham and Westley is eager to end the campaign on a high.

"The players felt disappointment after the Newcastle game because it was a game that we were in and the players had the intention of retaining the Cup, so to take it all the way to extra-time and to lose it to a great goal was not easy to take," he confirmed. "I have to say that, after a couple of days off, they have responded well in training and we fixed up a behind-closed-doors match against Stevenage in which they all played a minimum of 45 minutes after the international break, so they're refreshed and ready for a very important game. "We have two games to go and everything to play for to try and get in the play-offs and you would suggest that a win and a draw would probably be enough, but it's absolutely vital we get the right result on Monday."

Should West Ham win on Monday, they will almost certainly qualify for the promotion play-offs, with one-off semi-finals and a final to be played to decide who joins champions Swansea City in Division One next season. With their future development in mind, Westley is looking forward to seeing his young team perform in a 'must-win' match on the big London Stadium stage. "You've got to expose the players to pressurised situations," he observed. "Although this is not a big pressure, relatively, it would be nice to be able to keep your nerve and play very well in a game you have to win, so the demands are a little bit different. "We will play on Monday with the thought process of 'If we can win, we can remain in the play-off positions' and it will then be up to the teams around us to catch us. If they don't win, then one win might prove to be enough. "It's a different type of environment on Monday in London Stadium, so we'd like as many people as possible to come along and watch the young players. Our sole intention is to win and take it into the last round of games, with the aim of prolonging our season as long as we can."

Season Ticket Holders can attend Monday's game for free if they book their tickets in advance. Adult tickets are priced at £5 and concessions £3. Full information can be found here.

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Ginge hails 'huge' win
WHUFC.com

Emotional James Collins admits to feeling 'sheer relief' after Saturday's victory
West Ham United ended five-match winless run by defeating Swansea City
Wales defender made 12 clearances as Hammers kept first clean sheet in 12 games

James Collins admitted he dropped to his knees at the final whistle in 'sheer relief' after West Ham United's 1-0 Premier League win over Swansea City. The Hammers went into Saturday's fixture on a run of five straight defeats and just five points above the Swans in the third relegation place, heaping pressure on the players and manager Slaven Bilic alike. However, thanks in no small part to a colossal display from Collins himself, who made 12 of West Ham's 40 defensive clearances, the hosts secured three vital points at London Stadium. "It was just sheer relief!" said the Wales international of his emotional full-time reaction "I'd been thinking about it all week and we knew how big this game was and obviously coming back into the team I wanted to do well and keep a clean sheet, so it was sheer relief. "It's massive for this football club. We knew how big this game was beforehand and hopefully we've eased a bit of pressure. I've played in big games like this before and I wasn't nervous, but I did feel anticipation because you don't know what's going to happen. "They were in a bad situation themselves so were probably as nervous as we were, so we knew if we got off to a good start and with the players we've got, and with a bit of fight and a bit of grit, we could get the three points and that's what we've got."

Collins returned to the starting XI after a seven-week absence at Hull City on 1 April, and was devastated as the Hammers lost that game to a late set-piece goal. Having also been defeated 3-0 at Arsenal in midweek, the 33-year-old was desperate to keep a first clean sheet in eleven matches against the Swans – and did just that thanks to a typically selfless performance. "I don't know about enjoying it, but it was a massive win, a huge win," he said, when asked if he had relished the battle with Spain centre forward Fernando Llorente. "I think we could have probably been a bit more comfortable than we were in the last five minutes. But, as I said in the press beforehand, it didn't matter how we played and was all about getting a clean sheet and three points, and that's what we've done.
"A clean sheet should be the benchmark in any game, then with the boys we've got going forward, we should score goals, so to get a clean sheet and a win is huge for the football club."

The No19 was also determined to ease the pressure on Bilic, admitting the players had not performed well enough for their manager during a seven-match winless run dating back more than two months. James Collins"I said before the game that it's a weird one because I don't see why in football the managers get so much stick sometimes when the players need to take responsibility," he observed. "I said that to the boys, you know. "A lot of our boys have played in the Premier League for a long time so we needed to take responsibility, step up to the plate, perform and take a bit of pressure off the gaffer himself. Hopefully three points has done that. "It is easy to hide behind the manager and I've been at clubs before where the manager has taken a lot of stick when the players aren't performing. Personally, I am big enough to come out and say maybe I haven't played well enough, and we needed to look at ourselves and hopefully we've done that. "Everyone here loves the gaffer, he's such a great guy and a great coach and his staff with him, and we were disappointed with the stick he was getting when it was us on the pitch performing. We needed to go out, so to put in a really dogged and spirited performance for him was great."

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Stat's A Fact - Brilliant back four
WHUFC.com

Cheikhou Kouyate's 25-yard thunderbolt may have stolen the headlines on Saturday as West Ham United ran out 1-0 winners over Swansea City, but the foundations of the victory were laid by one of Slaven Bilic's side's best defensive performances. Captain, Mark Noble, admitted that the back four chosen by Bilic was "chucked together", forced by recent injuries to Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell. Indeed, between them, Sam Byram, Jose Fonte, James Collins and Arthur Masuaku have averaged just ten starts this season. Such was their impressive group effort at the back that three different sources named three different West Ham defenders as Saturday's Man of the Match. On Twitter, West Ham supporters chose right-back, Sam Byram; statistically, Arthur Masuaku was the game's best performer according to WhoScored.com; while Jermaine Jenas highlighted James Collins' performance on BBC's Match of the Day. It was the Hammers' first clean sheet in eleven matches, stretching back to 14 January when beating Crystal Palace 3-0 at London Stadium.

Collins with 12 clearancesCollectively, the Hammers made 40 clearances (26 more than Swansea City), 15 interceptions, 14 tackles and 12 blocks. Such was the immense defensive effort put in by the Hammers' back four, goalkeeper Darren Randolph was forced in to making just one save throughout the afternoon - a Gylfi Sigurdsson direct free-kick. West Ham's back four stopped all and any of Swansea's open-play shooting opportunities.

As well as going close to scoring his first goal for West Ham, right-back Sam Byram played a starring role as he nullified the threat of Swansea's Gylfi Sigurddson down the left-hand side. Byram made four successful tackles – a last ditch effort on Sigurdsson in stoppage time the most telling, won three aerial duels, made three key interceptions and five clearances. Mark Noble summed it up: he was "unbelievable".

James Collins and Jose Fonte partnered in the centre for the third time in a week and have been the Hammers' ninth different central defensive combination this season. It was Fonte's first clean sheet as a West Ham United player and arguably, one of his best performances in claret and blue. The Portuguese international made eight clearances – third only to Collins (12) and Arthur Masuaku (nine), won two aerial duels, and was vital in ensuring Swansea's threatening second-half substitute, Fernando Llorente, was kept quiet.

Collins, making only his 13th Premier League start this campaign, made the game's most clearances (12) including one vital effort just a yard out when Gylfi Sigurdsson's cross looped over Darren Randolph. The Welshman also won three aerial duels and completed 18 passes at a success rate of 75 per cent. His one block was a brave one too, denying Luciano Narsingh from the edge of the box.

At left-back, Arthur Masuaku had the responsibility of keeping first Wayne Routledge and then Narsingh quiet and his 8.1 star rating on WhoScored reflects how well he did his job. Masuaku made his second start in a week after coming in for Aaron Cresswell, who injured himself against Hull City on 1 April. The Frenchman's 76 per cent pass completion rate was the best of the Hammers back four, he made five tackles – more than any other player on the pitch and also made the joint-highest blocks with four. Nine clearances was the second-most by any player on the pitch.

For Swansea, goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi was arguably the best performer. Despite conceding the only goal of the game, the Polish international was forced into making five saves – one of which was a fine diving effort to deny Andre Ayew from 12 yards. The introduction of Narshingh and Llorente at half-time was Paul Clement's attempt to make life harder for West Ham United's defenders but the four stood firm and by full time, had earned their clean sheet and three points.

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A REFLECTION ON THE SEASON (WRITTEN BEFORE THE SWANSEA GAME)
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 10 APRIL 2017 AT 10:26AM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by StevenMcCarthy @StevenMcCarthy9

Before I start this article let me say that this is the most frustrating season I have ever experienced as a West Ham fan, whilst I am relatively young, I have seen my fair share of them!
I still remember the pain of The Icelandic owners collapse, the constant fear of the Sheffield United court cases and FA Punishment and the seemingly exclusive problem of the Untapped player potential through our cursed training ground or the dreaded England call up, wether it be Ravel Morrison for those younger fans, Jack Collison after those nasty injuries or the crushing and cruel early retirement of Dean Ashton…it seems that frustration and pain are something that are intrinsically linked to West Ham United.

Now the justification for that long winded validation of my feelings is going to become clear – I don't want the owners out – that isn't to say that I don't want some Billionaire sugar daddy not to invest in us, but it means that I fully understand that without the intervention of Gold and Sullivan, West Ham United may very well have faced liquidation, relegation or worst case scenario, ceased to be whatsoever. And for that, I am eternally grateful!
They appointed and paid Sam Allardyce lavishly in the hope that we would bounce straight back into the Premier League after relegation, they spent money and lowered the cost of tickets for many fans (particularly the young). However, I also know that they have been incredibly frustrating since out return to the top flight!
The owners constant bickering, controversial appointment of Brady and the cringe inducing sniping at players is a real embarrassment…Charlie Austin and the mysterious case of the exploding knee comes to mind!
However it cannot be said that they do not want what is best for the club, they were offered the deal of a life time that had the benefits of hugely increased ticket revenue, meaning financial stability (something I had never experienced before) and the money available to improve the facilities for our training ground.

The Stadium move was also something that both Chelsea and Spurs were considering, how much would we have slated the board had we not even attempted the move into such a Stadium.
This is a hypothetical question that nobody can answer, but as the owner of a football club, without the unlimited pockets of Man City and Chelsea, I know that if it were my decision, I would fight tooth and nail for the Stadium because this was the biggest opportunity in West Ham's history, to give us financial security and potential appeal for previously mentioned oligarch or sheik!
Now I will agree, the promises of a World Class Stadium were far of the mark. However, it feels like West Ham fans on social media and even at the games I have been to are either throwing their toys out the pram or reluctant to get behind the team!

Now I will probably get slaughtered for this, but I watched turgid performance after woeful display at The Boleyn, so it is not simply just the transfer to the Olympic Stadium that has caused our bad performances…we have had them throughout our history, the inept 3-1 loss to Wolves or the 4-0 loss (10 I believe on aggregate) to an injury ravaged Manchester United spring to the front of my mind. But what does bother me is that there has never been that drive to get behind the team. Our move from the Boleyn was always going to be a tough one, but it felt like after about 3 games, most of the fans had made their minds up without even getting behind the team.

This brings me swiftly onto the players, there is no question that with the squad we have we shouldn't be anywhere near the relegation zone and with the atmosphere surrounding the club I am fearing that even if we do survive the season, our most talented players like Obiang, Lanzini and Antonio will look to leave.
The team itself has performed very poorly off the back of last seasons incredible send off to The Boleyn. Even the crucial wins against Hull and Middlesborough were from awful displays, which would normally give me confidence that even when we were playing badly we were picking up points. But the side look lost, there is absolutely no communication between the back four throughout the season and I hold the similar opinion from the Radio Show, that even if we had Aguero upfront this season, the lack of link up play would render them virtually useless anyway.
It has been a total and utter shambles, but I will now give my reason as to why I believe so…

The mismanagement of Slaven Billic *Shuts down twitter account in preparation for abuse*
This year has shown the short comings of the man who lead us to our farewell season at the Boleyn, signs of which I believe were beginning to show at the end of last season. Not only is he tactically inept, making strange decisions to play out of form players in the wrong positions and making next to no impacting substitutions, but his man management and coaching is a major concern to me.
We idolise Slaven for reasons that I understand, he was a hard tackling, no nonsense Centre Back who seems like the type of man you would genuinely want to grab a pint with. However he looks totally out of his depth at this level, as an ex international Centre Back, the one thing you would come to expect is that we would have a solid defence….yet we concede time and time again!
For me, the straw that broke the camels back was the assessment of a man who was a truly World Class and a proper tough tackling, Centre Back – that man is Jaap Stam!
He was damning in his assessment of Reece Oxford at the beginning of his loan to Reading, saying he looked out of his depth at Reading, take a minute to let that sink in – our big hope for the future and talked of future hope to captain England is not fit enough for Readings training sessions, not a match, not a reserves game, a training session!
Now I have friends at Reading football club all of whom were rightfully rather quiet on the subject under conversation about this, however they did pretty much admit that they shared and agreed with his assessment.
That terrifies me, and if we cannot keep our brightest prospect fit, how does that reflect on our training sessions and fitness levels.
Even Zaza criticised our approach, ZAZA the man who I honestly believe whilst in a West Ham shirt couldn't hit that bloody big screen Brady is so proud of, if we had placed it at the bottom of his garden and told him his families fate depended on it.

Now you may be thinking I am veering off into criticism of the players, however Zaza has gone on to perform relatively well at Valencia and even Antonio Valencia looks like he is capable of causing problems in the hands of Koeman. Snodgrass, who was performing fantastically in a poor Hull side cannot have suddenly lost all of his ability.

How can that be? Did they just choose not to perform?
My best guess would be a total lack of man management and coaching. Something evident in his stumbling over signings at right back and upfront.

Slaven's pig headed attitude lead to his persistence in playing Antonio, our most athletic, physically fit and unpredictable player at right back, whilst also turning down multiple opportunities to sign a new one is something that for me put's the board in a no win situation, if you stick by his opinion then you risk the situation we are currently in, but if you go over his head and sign a player anyway then you are accused of tampering and a lack of managerial faith.
Now this isn't to say that the owners are blameless, the "Don't go to bed: DG" incident still really rankles with me. However it does take the accusations that they are unwilling to spend money out of the question.
Yes they love a bargain and a bloody loan, but when your manager wants Tore for 14 million and turns down the chance to sign Gabbiadini and Bacca during the window, then I do not see how the blame is put with them so heavily.

I honestly believe that the players are really letting themselves down, however I do not think this manager is good enough for the League, and although he is a great man, I don't think any club at this level would appoint him should we sack him and bring in a new manager.

I won't look at Billic with rose tinted glasses for the highs of last season, I am too scared of relegation for that.
But what I will do is say that I am Billic Out – something that I hate to say, because I don't like calling for managerial heads to roll, but if it were my club and my money, I would sack him before the Swansea game and look at Mancini to steer us from relegation.
He is a manager who can attract big names, is shown to man manage players well and have an eye for signings. Yes he has been quiet the past few seasons, but he is a manager with a proven track record and a presence that I think would, at the very least command a number of performances showing character, grit and determination before the season is out.

I would also like to thank all the guys at The West Ham Way for even reading this long winded ramble, however they deserve a great praise, as the Radio Show, Pre Match Events and even the Ex-cellent accounts (had to drop that one) have been a hi-light in this season of ours.

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HERE ARE OUR FIVE TALKING POINTS FROM THE SWANSEA GAME
BY EXWHUEMPLOYEE ON 10 APRIL 2017 AT 10:13AM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
This article is written by Steve Claydon @trbeat

Here are my five talking points from West Ham v Swansea by Steve Claydon @trbeat

1) Kouyate is back.
Finally, we had (sort of) the Kouyate of old. Marauding runs from the back, taking charge a little more, and leading by example. It was his run that led to our only goal, and after watching the replays, it was quite a quite sublime goal. I've always thought that he is at his best when he can go forward and support the attacking midfielders and strikers. I want to see more of this next week, although with a potential injury to Byram we may see him at right back again.

2) Striker 1, 2 & 3 all on the bench.
Listen. Bilic was not trying to throw the game with that many out and out strikers on the bench and starting Ayew up top. Carroll was still carrying his groin injury, and there is no way Sakho is match fit, no way. I am sure that the plan was to hold them out and only play them if necessary. As it is, I can't see Antonio recovering from that hamstring injury anytime soon, and I would argue his season is over. Calleri, or who I now call Calliou (look it up) is dreadful. I would have rather seen Fletcher on the bench. I wanted to like Calliou, I mean Calleri, but the game is too quick for him, and as a striker, you have to finish those chances that he had during the game or at the very least get them on target.

3) We are a team.
When Byram made that tackle on Sigurdsson at the end of the second half, you would have thought that we won the league. Finally, I saw some passion in the team and what EPL survival means to them. Randolph, Noble, Ginge and more made it known to him how important HE IS to the team. Let's face it, how many of us would like to go to work every day, knowing your boss is looking to replace you. It can't be a great feeling. He is still raw, but he played with heart and with a decent run of games and a full pre-season he could be what we need.

4) Adriaaaaannnnnn.
I'll admit that after the first Southampton game, I was very vocal in calling for Randolph to play. Adrian's antics and rushes of blood to the head were losing us points. Randolph's play has not been where we need it to be. I was disappointed with both Leicester's and Arsenals first goals, both of which were similar, speculative cross shots that beat him. Again today, I was never truly confident that he would help us not lose the game. Some of Fabianski's saves were outstanding and made the game more of a nail biter than it needed to be. I don't have that same level of confidence in Randolph, so would like to see Adrian back between the sticks. However, what does that do to the team, what does that do to Randolph's psyche, what happens if Adrian fails again? I don't think we will see a change until the new season, and contrary to Bilic's belief I do think an upgrade of this position is needed.

5). Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I plan to write a team review once we have survived this season, breaking down each area and discussing our needs and wants and who can go. For now, a couple of things stand out for me with this team. Firstly, we lack a terrier with some bite in midfield. Noble, Kouyate, Obiang, Fernandes are all very nice players, but none of them strikes fear into the opposing team. We need someone who is going to let the other team know there is a game being played. There were a few moments in the match against Swansea where a nice crunching tackle would have cleaned things out and let them know who is bossing. Secondly, I want to see a centre back with some pace, real true pace. Fonte and Ginge are slow, but at least Ginge has awareness. Ogbonna and Reid are OK but lack that catch-up speed. Oxford may be the one, he looks to have that Rio Ferdinand mix of speed and athleticism, my only concern with him is his physique but as I said he is of the Rio Ferdinand mould, and he didn't turn out too bad.
Well after that emotional game hopefully we can get back to something more West Ham. Three more points should do it, and we can all start wishing for the offseason, resetting expectations, and building a proper foundation to propel the team forward with the right signings with no distractions.

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West Ham 1-0 Swansea (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 10th April 2017
By: HeadHammerShark


Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream

I have very few good memories of watching football games played in the sunshine. England, of course, play their games of import in the summer and England, of course, disappoint us all in the summer. I'm fairly confident that won't change after Brexit.

But I rather like my football in the dark of winter, with the night closing in and a thin layer of rain making the surface nice and slick. On this, at least, I can agree with Nick Hornby. Bright sunshine just seems to highlight our deficiencies, and usually signifies the end of the season where we are either floundering in our pursuit of success (last year) or staring disaster in the face (every other year).

So I watch this game like I'm watching a dream. I'm so far back and so far up it's like I'm in the clouds anyway. Up here I feel like I'm watching Inception. A dream within a dream. West Ham have barely any decent players - I must be dreaming. Each minute on the pitch lasts an hour in the stands. It's that sort of day.

Far below me, I wonder if Michael Caine is here, or maybe Tom Hardy is riding around on a snow mobile for no discernible reason. Maybe they are attempting to plant the germ of an idea in David Sullivan's psyche. "Let someone else buy the players, David". Christ, I hope so.

It's as near as anybody will get to being entertained on this particular day, when nervousness has settled over the stadium like a blanket being thrown high up over a child's bed and then fluttering down onto the toys below. Hello tension, my old friend.

But days like today aren't about anything other than the result. Pretty football and confident finishing are for those other London teams. We're here for the sweet embrace of mid table mediocrity, and the giddy promise of ninety million more of those television pounds to make it all better. I couldn't care less how we play today, so long as we prevail. It is a day for winning.


Bridge Over Troubled Water

We start nervously, but so do Swansea. The visitors press us high up the pitch and we don't have the wit to cope with it. Our most frequent early pass combination is Randolph smashing it long to Antonio, which eventually ends up with the latter injuring his hamstring. He did this originally in the Leicester game and was expected to miss six weeks. Instead he came back in a fortnight and failed to complete either game he started. It's the West Ham Way.

Most of the early exchanges are tepid, although Swansea break dangerously a couple of times before remembering they are Swansea and wasting the opportunities. Up the other end, it's our biggest home game in years so naturally none of our strikers are fit. In their stead we play wingers as forwards and pray. You'd think someone might pay the price for such incompetence, but you know deep down they won't. That's also The West Ham Way.

When Antonio gets injured Bilic turns around and eventually his gaze rests upon Jonathan Calleri. The young Argentine runs on with the confidence and derring do of a man walking the plank. The guy next to me yells "Come on Julian, score a goal". It's that kind of a day too.

We are playing like a team on a first date, filled with trepidation. Robert Snodgrass was a curious signing, but at least I thought he'd have an immediate impact. Instead he has no confidence at all, visibly wilting as the catcalls inevitably start raining down. It's The West Ham W...urgh, you know what I mean.

I glance at the bench, wondering if reinforcements are likely. Carroll and Sakho can't be trusted to play for an hour so it seems safe to rule them out. Elsewhere my eye falls to Sofiane Feghouli - he of the incriminating photographs - and I am not reassured. I have never seen a footballer do so many things right, whilst simultaneously managing to get them all wrong.

Better stick with the lads on the pitch then.


The Sun Is Burning

The early exchanges aren't worth writing about. Snodgrass nearly scores with a back post header, but Fabianski stops it right on the line. It's as near as we get to cohesive attacking, but in truth we look alright at the other end too. It doesn't hurt that there is more likelihood of an actual swan swimming up the nearby canal and sticking in a shot at goal than any of the ones on the pitch.

The Swansea team look bereft, as though their very essence was ripped out and forever destroyed by the midweek collapse against Spurs. God bless our nearby cousins - we should send them some flowers or, better yet, some lasagna, when they come to visit in a few weeks.

Mark Noble is everywhere. It's his four hundredth appearance for West Ham, which is a lot of futility for one so young. But his badge somehow looks bigger than the others and the shoulders a little broader, for Noble never shirks anything. It's easy to roll your eyes at the "West Ham through and through" stuff, but in the end it's true. The man isn't going to let the occasion pass him by like so many of his team mates are. He still spends too much time going sideways, but just before half time he finally straightens up. At last a little jink, and suddenly the door is ajar. Snodgrass plays it short to Cheikhou Kouyate and I'm finally roused to edge forward in my seat.

The Senegalese is a giant of a man, who runs first and asks questions later. Today he is perpetual motion, and right now he's flying. Swansea help out a lot by continuing to defend like they are unfamiliar with the concept. Would be tacklers split like the Red Arrows and his shot is unerring and tremendous and right in the corner and stick that up your fucking Championship.

As the ball arches into the bottom corner there is a release like no other. Finally we can all breathe out - finally we have something to cling to. At half time people in the concourses are smiling. It's an odd, unfamiliar sensation, like when they play a decent song on Capital FM.


Keep The Customer Satisfied

Our defence will need to improve next year if we're to have any hope of avoiding another season of despair like this one. Reece Oxford seems like he might be the man for that particular job, so at half time I check how he's doing on his loan spell at Reading. They are 6-1 down at Norwich so that's all going swimmingly. I reckon he might think he's dreaming too.

Who knows what was said here at the interval, but I'm guessing it was something along the lines of "Don't concede to this lot - they're appalling". The visitors change things themselves, abandoning the neat, ineffectual passing of Tom Carroll and instead opting to smash it long to Fernando Llorente. I don't blame them - nothing else has worked.

The thing is, we carry James Collins around especially for days like this. He's our air raid shelter - useful when you come under aerial bombardment and not quite what you need the rest of the time. He and Jose Fonte are doing yeoman work. Even though Swansea press forward desperately, they just look hopeless. Our fullbacks aren't venturing upfield very much, and we look almost solid as a result. Arthur Masuaku is prone to dive in a little, but he has an odd serenity to his play that marks him out as a man to watch. I come away impressed, if jittery.

On the other side Sam Byram is coming of age. He is outstanding, and even earns himself a team wide high five when he successfully snuffs out a last minute Gylfi Sigurdsson foray into the box. It's possibly the first time any of his team mates have seen any honest to goodness right backing all year long. He will later leave the ground on crutches, because West Ham.

As the minutes slip by, I find the knot in my stomach growing ever so slightly. I can't see how Swansea are going to score, which probably means they are going to do it any minute. They eventually conjure up a shot, from Luciano Narsingh, which Darren Randolph appears to tip over the bar, and the referee awards a goal kick. I almost wish we could let them have the corner so we can save up that luck for when we might actually need it.

The visitors manage only four efforts at goal all day. They have an xG lower than their mascots. It is a risible performance and I could not care less.


El Condor Pasa (If I Could)

Up the other end we are looking threatening, but the chances keep falling to the players least capable of taking them - Byram, Calleri and Ayew. Two of them are our strikers. I hope you'll join me in a moments silence for this dead, decaying fucking season. I wish I could set it on fire and shove it off down the river on a Viking longboat.

The sun has arched across the sky now and is slowly being impaled on the Canary Wharf skyscrapers, so the shadows are lengthening. Bilic is bent over on the half way line but then he always does that so it's hard to know if he's nervous or not. He gets a word in his ear from the fourth official for venturing outside of his technical area, which is remarkable as it has a bigger square footage than my house.

On comes Feghouli for the disappointed and disappointing Snodgrass. The Algerian actually does some pretty good things, generally immediately followed by something equally less good. I think there is probably a decent player buried inside him somewhere like a Russian doll. Who knows whether he'll stick around long enough to emerge at West Ham, where the only constant is change.

I'm reminded of that opening day win at Arsenal again. Of the eleven who started, only two appear today - Noble and Kouyate. We have been ravaged by injury and poor decision making, but I wish they'd keep some players together for a while and try and build a team. Not these particular players though, mind you. Good ones.

Ayew draws two good saves from Fabianski and Calleri shoots wide after some ludicrous skill from Manuel Lanzini. The diminutive playmaker is central to anything good we intend to do in the future. They should try and build a team around him as the people of Pompeii built their city around Mount Vesuvius. I was ill the week they told us at school what happened there, but I'm sure it was all fine.

On comes Edmilson Fernandes for the last few minutes to shore up the middle. He runs around promisingly, and reminds me that the one area where I think West Ham have done well is to invest in young players. Fernandez, Martinez, Quina, Fletcher, Holland - they are doing a good job at trying to replace the players who should be arriving through our Academy.

Elsewhere Darren Randolph gets booked for time wasting, which renders me speechless having seen Ben Foster in action earlier this season. It doesn't matter. The whistle blows and the low thrum of the crowd becomes a crescendo. Bilic falls to his knees like he's in that old Take That video, and Paul Clement wonders where his team have disappeared to exactly.

El Condor Pasa, Paul - I'd rather be a Hammer than a nail.

James Collins clenches his fist and goes into the crowd to give a child his shirt. Great stuff. It's the action that launches a thousand tweets - almost all of them containing the word "passion". Give me strength.


The Dangling Conversation

I am not sure where all of this leaves Slaven Bilic. I have lost faith in the manager, but I can't find it within me to dislike the man. Seemingly, neither can anyone else, as his name rings round the bowl as the match draws to a close.

I am pleased for him, but worried for the future. There has been nothing in this performance today to suggest that a corner has been turned. We look pretty much just like we have for weeks, but now we have the benefit of playing a team who are somehow worse than us.

Swansea finish the game with Alfie Mawson up front. He sounds like he should have played in this fixture 70 years ago, when we would have won 8-2 and then inexplicably played the reverse fixture two days later and lost 6-1. In the end, Mawson doesn't have any joy either, as he bumps up against the Great Wall of Ginger that we've strung across the back.

To my right sit the Directors, who have to be ashen with fear. Defeat today is unthinkable, but in some ways a victory isn't much better, as it serves only only to highlight the paucity of our success. I feel almost ashamed as I punch the air at the full time whistle. It's Swansea at home in April, and somehow this is game is HUGE. What a fucking shitshow.

I am shocked at the disintegration of our team. Like an elderly relative with an illness, they have declined in front of my eyes and I have barely noticed. How did it ever get to this, where we are relying on Calleri and Ayew to get on the end of chances created by Snodgrass and Feghouli? It's easy to castigate Bilic for the lack of organisation and all those disjointed performances, but what a nonsensical level of turnover he has had to deal with. Plenty of it has been self inflicted, but still it makes his job all the harder.

I believe Gold and Sullivan when they say they don't want to fire Bilic, but they are still marked by their inertia of 2011. Then, they should have jettisoned Avram Grant, but failed to successfully line up a replacement and instead soldiered on until it was too late. Relegation should have been avoided now, but the larger question remains - does Bilic have it in him to get challenge for the Top Four? It feels like a ludicrous way to frame the issue, but Leicester and the new stadium changed the scene. As I watch our front three play here, I am moved to ask the question "Do they all have their laces tied together?" . Champions League football doesn't immediately spring to mind.


The Sound Of Silence

The stadium is a weird place again. The teams emerge to a wall of noise that dissipates quickly in the spring heat. It's a lot of effort to keep optimistic and chant all day, and even the Swansea fans don't manage, unusually for an away following.

I am struck by how few of our players have their own songs nowadays. Antonio gets a couple of rounds, so too Lanzini and then it's back to singing about our goalkeeper from the 1990's. Someone in the West Ham choir sure does like the "Ludo Miklosko/I come from near Moscow" line.

That's mainly it from what I can hear, until a late first half round of "Stand Up If You Love West Ham". This makes sense as buying tickets and attending games isn't enough. You must stand to truly prove your allegiance.

Otherwise it's just a low, nervous hum that reverberates around like a fourth afternoon Test match crowd. People will talk later about the atmosphere, but I'm not really feeling it where I am. Most people sit gnawing their fingernails to the bone, wondering why the clock seems to be frozen. By the time Ayew fails to bury his late chance I've gone past the fingernails and I've chewed off most of my lower arm.

Only when the end is in sight does the noise begin to increase. A small pocket behind me even start chanting about the Spurs game, because some people just want to watch the world burn .

On days like today it's hard not to pine for the Boleyn. I'm over that particular separation, and I'm certainly done with seeing stage by stage pictures of the old place coming down, but – to paraphrase ol' Shakey – when she danced, I could really love. Spurs and Ipswich were among those who visibly and memorably wilted when confronted by her charms, but it's hard to imagine that here. But by the same token, just as songs could gather momentum as they rushed around the ground, so too could the negativity. That doesn't seem to happen in the new place. By and large, the crowd stay with the team today, even allowing for the frustratingly short half lives of most of our attacking moves.

Maybe the crowd will save Bilic, as the Board don't like being unpopular and firing him would certainly go down poorly with most. I used to think the West Ham crowd was one of the more knowledgeable around, but now I'm not so sure. It feels like we must be fairly easy to dupe if 54 games and fucking off to Everton can make you a cult hero. Paolo di Canio would have a job for life, although we might find ourselves without a manager on some of those trips to the icy far North.

Perhaps it's me who knows nothing of football. I don't care about passion, or the perception of effort. I care about what players do, and how they actually play and I like to see a scientific approach being taken to this most emotive and instinctive of games. Maybe I'm depriving myself of something, but I don't really care. Fist pumping doesn't win anything, as we're likely to find out when James Collins has to mark Harry Kane in a few short weeks.

But that's for another day. Far below me, Randolph and Fonte exchange a celebratory hug and briefly look like Turk and JD from Scrubs, which makes me chuckle. I think I'd almost forgotten what it was like to laugh at a football game, so joyless has the experience been lately. I make a vow to myself here and now to try and prise some pleasure from the last few games of this season.

I'm back to dreaming my peyote dreams again, I think.


Wednesday Morning, 3AM

Later tonight I will watch Match of the Day for the first time in months, and wonder why I bothered. The euphoria of the win will have gone, the pundits will be underwhelmed and I'll be hit by the sad ennui of realising that 36 points does not a successful season make.

I will spend the rest of my night listening to Simon and Garfunkel, two men with voices so gorgeous you can drink them. I will allow myself to be whisked away to a dream state and try to forget this whole season. We've seen worse, let's be honest, and our grandfathers would probably think us pretty uppity if they heard us whinging about being one point off tenth with a few games to go. Those were men who went to watch West Ham with no dreams of Europe or top four finishes. Indeed, if Pards were to get them t-shirts made up they would doubtless have said "Moore in hope than expectation".

And so I walk out of the ground into the fading sunlight of Saturday London and there is a weight lifted and a curtain lowered. The Arsenal game from Wednesday night is still burning at the back of my mind and I don't think this particular scrappy home win will be enough to erase it. This manager was a shooting star once, but I think he might have burned himself out, and faded and died.

Just, in fact, like my dreams.

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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Zaza completes €16million La Liga switch
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 10th April 2017
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Simone Zaza has completed a permanent switch to Valencia. The Italian international completed his switch from Juventus earlier today having scored four times since moving to the Mestalla in January, where he has become a firm fans' favourite. "I'm very happy," Zaza - who signs for an intial €16million with a further €2miilion to follow in clauses - told Valencia's website. "I've travelled a lot, the only time I've spent two straight years with a club was at Sassuolo. "I want to stay here, I'm grateful to Valencia, who wanted me at a time when I wasn't playing at my best level. I want to do well here and return to the Italian national team as soon as possible."
And in stark contrast to comments made by one or two of his former team mates in recent weeks, Zaza insisted that training in England under Slaven Bilic and his team was TOO intense. "I wasn't able to fit in in London, the style is different," he said. "The training was more intense in England, but very short. The others were, however, able to express their talent on the pitch, while I couldn't get into my groove. I need to work more in order to do well during a game. "

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Is Sunderland trip the perfect time for West Ham to give Edimilson Fernandes a rare start?
Some supporters have been calling for the youngster to get more game time
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
14:32, 10 APR 2017

With Mark Noble's two-game coming into effect this weekend, is now the perfect time to give Edimilson Fernandes a Premier League start?
Noble picked up his tenth booking of the season in the 1-0 win over Swansea and will now miss the trip to Sunderland and the home game against Everton on April 22. The 20-year-old summer signing from FC Sion has had limited opportunities this season. In fact, he's only completed 90 minutes once in the top flight and that was, ironically, against Sunderland on October 22, when he picked up a yellow card but put in an impressive stint out of position at left wing back in a 1-0 win. He's been restricted to substitute appearances, with the odd start in cup competitions but he has been brought on in all of West Ham's last six games. Fernandes came on and got 23 minutes of action after Pedro Obiang's injury against Leicester City and performed well but was overlooked for the visit to Hull when Noble was injured, with Sofiane Feghouli coming in and not really doing much.

So, with that in mind, is a trip to Sunderland the perfect time to see what Fernandes can do?
He's an energetic lad and loves a tackle. In the ten minutes he played in the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, he had a 100% success rate in that department, the same went for his passing stats as well. Against Leicester, he had a 95% passer rating in 23 minutes of action, completed two dribbles and also made two interceptions. He then got 24 minutes of game time against Hull, he racked up 20 touches of the ball and made 85% of his passes, winning possession in his defensive third twice and winning all of his tackles as well. We know he has an eye for goal, as he demonstrated with that wonderful strike against Chelsea in the EFL Cup tie last October. With that in mind, a trip to Sunderland could be ideal for Fernandes to slot in alongside Cheikhou Kouyate and show us what he's got. The dismal Black Cats are almost certain to get relegated, havent scored a goal in ten hours , have 20 points from their 31 fixtures and are now ten points behind 17th-place Hull in the table. So, could Edi get his chance to shine? It seems the perfect opportunity for him to put in a performance that could see him earmarked for more game time next season.

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A summer overhaul is expected but here are four West Ham youngsters who could freshen up the first team next season
An overhaul is expected but could some stars be promoted from within the Hammers set up?
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
13:00, 10 APR 2017

Isn't it amazing what one important win can do to morale? There is a feel good factor back in E20 after picking up those enormous three points on Saturday and we've decided to piggy-back off of that. The West Ham youngsters are back at the London Stadium tonight for a PL2 clash as they host Middlesbrough and with the season drawing to a close, some of the Hammers starlets are playing for a spot in the first team squad. Some of them are already out on loan and going great guns in some cases, while others are being frustrated. A summer of overhaul is expected at West Ham after what has been a very difficult season but could some of the youngsters at the club be given a chance to impress? Our Hammers writer Sam Inkersole has picked out four that could make the grade next season and freshen things up a bit.

Declan Rice

The PL2 side captain has been in inspired form this season and is pushing hard for a promotion to the first team for next season. The Irishman signed a new professional deal with Hammers back in January to fend off interest from Arsenal and the Hammers rate the 18-year-old highly. Might be a risk to throw straight in the starting line up next season. Rice was also voted the Irish U17 player of the year. The centre back could learn so much from the likes of James Collins and Winston Reid just being involved with the first team. Expect to see more of him next season.

Toni Martinez

On-loan at Oxford United since January and has found the net a couple of times but has also, found opportunities hard to come by. That said, he is an enormous talent and was certainly snapped up with one eye on the future. We expect the Hammers to sign at least one, maybe even two, strikers this summer but we are also expecting some departures as well, with injury-prone front men Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho certainly in that equation, while it's not a given Enner Valencia and Joanthan Calleri will be with the club either. Martinez could be seeing a lot more action next season, likely from the bench, but Hammers fans wont mind that as they rate him highly. Clearly has the goalscoring talent and if the club can be seen as promoting from within, it'll go down well.

Josh Cullen

A real gem has been unearthed in Cullen, who has really starred fr Bradford in two loan spells with the Bantams. They would love to have him permanently but you can't see the Hammers letting him go, considering how well he has done. He's already got eight Ireland U21 caps to his name and the midfielder is going places. Lots of Hammers fans would love to see him given a chance and if he can keep up his form for the rest of the season, we might see him in claret and blue at the London Stadium next season.

Reece Oxford

Bit of an obvious choice for us to make but you suspect next season could be a big one for Reece Oxford. Forget about him shipping seven goals on loan at Reading this past weekend for a minute... He has struggled with injuries this term and was being protected from the limelight by Slaven Bilic. Now he has signed his four-and-a-half year deal though, been sent out on loan, the club will now be expecting him to progress. He's arguably more accomplished and more experienced than the previously mentioned Declan Rice and has more of a shout of being a first team regular next season. Winston Reid and Jose Fonte will still likely be the first choice centre back pairing but if anyone can push for a spot in the starting line up, it'll be Oxford.

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Cheikhou Kouyate says he's never felt such intense pressure amid West Ham relegation fight
KEN DYER
Evening Standard

Cheikhou Kouyate says he has never been under so much pressure as he has in West Ham's battle for survival. The Senegal international scored the goal that beat Swansea to end a run of five Premier League defeats and take the Hammers a huge step towards safeguarding their top-flight status. Kouyate, who also scored West Ham's first goal in the London Stadium in August, ensured West Ham's gap over third-from-bottom Swansea stretched to eight points with his first half effort and admitted: "I have never experienced this sort of pressure before in my career. "It was a good moment for me and the most important goal I have scored for West Ham. The most important thing though, was not my goal but the victory. Now we must continue to work hard for the rest of the season. "This victory," said the 27-year-old former Anderlecht midfield player, "was very important for the team because we have had a few difficult weeks."

Kouyate was a key member of the West Ham team that finished seventh in the Premier League last season. "Last year was unbelievable," he said, "but this season has been a struggle. We have had a lot of injuries. "We have six games left and we have to go for as many points as we can. Then we'll see where we finish."

Kouyate paid tribute to beleaguered manager Slaven Bilic when he said: "I like the boss, he is unbelievable and he has worked hard for the players. This was a good win for him." Bilic was today keen to emphasise that West Ham, despite the most important win of what has been a difficult season, are not yet safe. "I don't know how many points we need to be absolutely safe," he said. "I would like it to be 36 but I am talking about 40 points to secure the minimum goal and let's do it as quickly as possible to ease the pressure and then hopefully climb the table. "We made a gap six games ago and then, in no time, five defeats and the gap wasn't what we wanted. We don't want that situation to happen again. "It's not like we've done the job, we are nowhere near doing the job, so let's do everything we can. "We can celebrate the day and we have to be happy, but now we begin the big preparation for the Sunderland game. "I believe we can still finish in the top half. Watford are tenth and they are only one point above us. We want to finish as high as possible but first let's do the minimum job." Bilic also believes that the trials of this season will stand the club in good stead in the future.

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West Ham United FC transfer news: Hammers scouting Yacine Brahimi ahead of summer bid for Porto star
Yacine Brahimi scored against Belenenses with West Ham scouts in attendance
By talkSPORT - @talkSPORT
Monday, April 10, 2017

West Ham are scouting Porto star Yacine Brahimi ahead of the summer transfer window. The Algerian has previously been linked with the likes of Crystal Palace and Everton after impressing in Portugal since moving there in 2014. Now, according to O Jogo, West Ham are tracking the 27-year-old too after sending scouts to watch him in action. The Hammers are expected to bring in a number of recruits this summer to bolster their squad for next season. Brahimi is a player who has previously been on their radar and they now want to look at him closely ahead of a concrete offer. West Ham scouts were reportedly at Porto's game on Saturday against Belenenses and they would have been impressed with Brahimi as he got on the scoresheet in a 3-0 win

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Was 50 minutes of action enough to give Jonathan Calleri another West Ham chance?
The Argentine striker came on and did well on Saturday
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
09:35, 10 APR 2017

Jonathan Calleri got 50 minutes of action under his belt in the vital 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday and let's get this straight out there - he did really well. It was the most amount of minutes he has played in a Hammers shirt since the 70 minutes he got in the EFL Cup match against Accrington Stanley way back on September 29 of last year. Eyebrows were raised when Calleri replaced Michail Antonio was forced off injured five minutes before half time with a suspected hamstring injury. It was particularly surprising as Slaven Bilic had Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho at his disposal on the Hammers bench. Clearly, neither were fit enough to come on so the Argentine was given the nod and, sadly, there were a few boos around the stadium as he did so. But, he didn't let it affect him and while he didn't score, his impact was second to none, especially if you compare him to Swansea's biggest attacking threat - Fernando Llorente, who was introduced at half time.
Calleri had two shots to Llorente's one, completed two successful dribbles, won two aerial battles and won both of his tackle attempts.
His two completed dribbles were in fact the joint highest for the Hammers with Manuel Lanzini, who had another excellent game and his three tackles were only three short of Arthur Masuaku, who led West Ham in that category. The Argentine also didn't lose the ball once in his stint on the pitch which is ever so crucial when you're playing the lone strike role. He made some very intelligent, space creating runs as well on Saturday which didn't go unnoticed. He looked sharp, the most confident he has been for a long time. He's only played 272 minutes of football since joining from that mysterious Uruguayan Second Division side Deportivo Maldonado in the summer. While he's only found the net once - in a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough - he's still at the club. He lasted longer than Simone Zaza, what does that say? Calleri was linked with a move to Spain - heavily - in January but Bilic kept him on. The manager maintained that he never wanted to get rid of the 23-year-old. Sure, there might have been some complications over his ownership but the manager rates him.
This is Calleri's first time outside of South America, having played for Boca Juniors and Sao Paulo, where was in fact the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores.
While he hasn't hit the net as much as he would have liked this season, maybe it's not worth giving up on him just yet. Expect Calleri to get some more minutes between now and the end of the season - if Carroll isn't fit for Sunderland this weekend, he may even get a start - and expect the Argentine to only get better. He's only here until the end of this season but don't be surprised if we see Calleri back in claret and blue next season.

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HAMBURG, YOU'RE NICKED MATE!
By HamburgHammer 10 Apr 2017 at 08:00
WTID

I meant to write yet another deeply critical piece, delving into the future of our club, the next level, the owners, the upcoming transfer window, the changes we need in the squad, the case for keeping Bilic or letting him go and so forth. Yet I've decided against that in the end because my column can get quite gloomy at times and I can imagine that most of you enjoy a gloomy West Ham article at the start of the week on a Monday as much as root canal work at your local dentist. Plus it's been a very successful weekend football wise for my two clubs and I've also had a nice encounter with some random British football fans at the Concordia game (!!!) which is also where the headline of this post originated from, but more of that a bit later.

We won! I had almost forgotten what it felt like to enjoy a three pointer for the Hammers and we simply did on the day what we needed to do. I love watching beautiful tippy tappy passing football as much as the next bloke and to be fair, the Swansea game wasn't much to write home about really in terms of skill and panache. But relegation six pointers rarely are beautiful affairs, it was two teams that were shockingly low on confidence playing each other and at times it was hard to tell which of the two teams was more afraid of the opposition, both looked scared stiff at times.

Kouyate's goal was worthy of winning any game of football though and he certainly hasn't scored a more significant one in his West Ham career so far. It was a proper team effort and all the substitutes put in a good shift too, especially Calleri. We have now put some much needed daylight between ourselves and the relegation pack, in all likelihood this should be more than enough to see us through as I cannot see Boro, Sunderland or Swansea going on mesmerising winning streaks all of a sudden.

Sunderland away should be a game for us to attack, despite missing the likes of Antonio and Noble we need to go for the jugular in this one. Sunderland are struggling mightily at this point scoring any goals whatsoever (they scored their most recent competitive goal three months ago in mid-January) and while I am aware our defense may gift them a few opportunities to change just that I am convinced we will ask them a few serious questions at the other end too. The Mackems will be nervous as long-tailed (Black) Cats in a room full of rocking chairs. We are bound to unleash Carroll and/or Sakho against them at some point and maybe even someone like Calleri would enjoy getting a start against a struggling side like Sunderland.
We'll see.

So, why am I not moaning about the club's owners here as usual ? Because I feel far too much relief that we have put ourselves in a good position to see Premier League football at West Ham again next season. That alone will make things a lot easier for us and I guess you will agree with me we have more than enough issues at hand to deal with here. Doing it as a lower midtable Premier League club will be challenging enough, trying to sort out the various building sites around our club on and off the pitch as a freshly relegated side would be a nightmare of epic proportions in comparison. I suppose our board are well aware anyway that the eyes of the West Ham fans and pundits alike will be on them all throughout the summer.

So, while West Ham certainly have done their bit on Saturday, Concordia followed suit the day after, but it was nerve wrecking stuff: Going 1:0 up early on, then conceding (and saving) a penalty shortly before half time, only to lose two sloppy goals in quick succession with fifteen minutes to go in the second half, Cordi managed to turn the game around with two late goals to nick a crazy 3:2 win in front of 154 delirious fans. As promotion rivals Altona drew their away game 2:2 in very lucky fashion (two penalties scored in the final nine minutes or so) the gap has now narrowed to six points again, Cordi have the better goal difference with seven games left to play. Doable, but difficult. It'll be emotional.

Talking of which the Cordi game on a purely personal level was a bit different than usual for a simple reason. As promised, I had brought the club executive Florian Peters a West Ham pennant as a gift for him to display in Concordia's club house. He was well chuffed with that (remember he's also the one who will one day join me to watch a West Ham game at the London Stadium), but he also told me "Look, we seem to have some English geezers here again today, pointing towards a group of six or seven guys of varying age, with one of them sporting a Crystal Palace shirt, another an Accrington Stanley one.

I obviously started chatting to them and found out they were a group of friends sharing not only a passion for football but also the fact they were all Old Bill, some still on active duty, one or two of them already retired. They all live around London but support different clubs, Palace, Fulham, Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Man United and Accrington Stanley.

Every April these guys meet up and go on a football groundhopping tour, so far they've been among other destinations to Istanbul, Copenhagen, Holland, Bavaria, Berlin and now Hamburg.

They took in the Hamburg SV home win against Hoffenheim on Saturday and then went on to watch a Sunday doubleheader of lower league football in Hamburg's East End, following the Condor-Turkiye fixture at noon and the Concordia-Wedel game straight after. Make no mistake, those guys are very serious about their football.
I was even given the task of teaching them some German football chants and I duly obliged, stopping short though at translating the nasty ones about the referee's mother.

I had a smashing time with the lads, we had a few beers in glorious sunshine and were chatting about football, the London Stadium, Gold&Sullivan, beautiful places to visit in Germany, the appeal of Middlesbrough as a tourist destination, the good old Brexit issue and the ineptitude of the referee trying his best to ruin the game for everyone (yes, in between the banter we were watching some of the football too). The ref even failed to send off an opposition player for headbutting the Cordi midfielder who had just scored the equaliser.

The ref booked both players in fact. I've never heard of a headbutt warranting a yellow card only, but maybe that's a local rule being employed at this level which has escaped me so far. One of the Brits was claiming he had just been watching the German equivalent of Mark Clattenburg. (It's all about you, it's all about you…)

All in all it was a nice precursor to my upcoming trip for the Spurs game. I've exchanged mobile numbers with one of the lads, so hopefully I will meet them again, either when I'm in London or should they decide to visit Hamburg again one day. You never know, it might come in handy in the future to know some members of the fuzz.

Should I end up in Plaistow nick somewhere down the road I know I'd be allowed one phone call, so why not call a Crystal Palace supporting copper living in Kent, if need be…;-)

Right, Sunderland up next. A game where we can hopefully maintain our most recent marvellous winning streak of, ahem, one game so far. Follow up the Swansea result with another win and we're pretty much safe. It promises to be another feisty affair at the Stadium of Light though. Let's hope we can put the lights out on their hopes of Premier League survival. We simply cannot afford to be courteous to other clubs at this stage of the season. COYI!

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