Daily WHUFC News - 15th September 2017

Carroll: The lads are strong together
WHUFC.com

Andy Carroll believes the Hammers' team spirit was key to ending their wait
for a first Premier League victory of the season. West Ham bounced back from
three straight defeats with a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Huddersfield
Town on Monday, giving Carroll the perfect comeback after he had to sit out
the opening month of the campaign with injury. The 28-year-old was a handful
throughout for the Terriers defence, creating chances for others with his
target man play, as well as having efforts at goal himself. Second half
strikes from Pedro Obiang and Andre Ayew gave the hosts the points and
Carroll said that was the least his side deserved. "It's nice to be back and
put on the kit," he beamed. "I felt good being back around the lads all week
preparing for the game. "Even though we had the international break we've
been knocking our heads together all week, wanting to do well. The lads are
strong together, everyone's been talking, basically telling each other to
pull their finger out and that's exactly what we did on Monday. "Everyone in
the team gave their all and got the win. Everyone's together in that
dressing room and everyone will be together until the end."

Monday's meeting with the Terriers was the first home match of the season
for the Hammers, so Carroll was delighted to get off to the perfect start at
London Stadium. He added: "We had three away games, which was obviously no
excuse for the performances we gave, but we bounced back on Monday with a
great win and a great performance. "We could probably have had a few goals
in the first half, they got a block on my header and on Ginge's header,
Cheik had a good chance. "We kept at it, we knew it was going to come and we
got the two when Andre came on as well."

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Six ways to climb the FPL table this month
WHUFC.com

Jay Egersdorff – the West Ham king when it comes to Fantasy Premier League –
is back to share his tips as the season really starts to get interesting.
The IT Recruitment Director beat thousands in the Claret and Blue Army to
top spot for the West Ham FPL title last season. And now the 33-year-old
wants to help out his fellow Hammers with his tips right here, and remember
there's still time to join the Official West Ham FPL League in association
with Hantec Markets…

Slow start? Don't worry

Jay says: "Have you had a slow start? Don't let that get you down. Before
the international break, I was on 167 points – a solid start but it is
nothing specatacular.
"I aim to get 50 points per week as I know if I maintain this throughout a
season I'm on track to finish well. Overall, I'm pleased with my goalkeeper
and defence, and attack, but in midfield I've been badly let down by
Wilfried Zaha, Willian, Aaron Ramsey and Kevin De Bruyne."

Don't rush your chips

Jay says: "During the international break, I heard a lot of people used
their wildcards already to refresh their whole team. I think that unless you
had a spectacularly poor start, that's a mistake. "You want to sit on it for
a few weeks and let the land lie. European matches have already started and
it may lead to player rotations in the league. Analysing how the transfer
window signings settle is also important to do, now."

International breaks are important

Jay says: "Many will be hoping that if their selections do well
internationally, they could carry that form into their club football. I was
hoping that would be the case with Harry Kane and Aaron Ramsey, and Kane has
now started scoring. "A concern is injuries – Chancel Mbemba was a solid,
cheap option, but was injured with DR Congo, so you must always watch out.
International breaks are annoying – I'm always desperate for the Premier
League to return!"

This month's tips

Jay says: "For me, I think a wise choice could be a Swansea player or two –
they have a decent run of games, although they soon play West Ham! Tammy
Abraham could be a bargain. "The Liverpool trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane
and Roberto Firmino look promising and, as I said at the start of the
season, I think Chicharito will sparkle for the Hammers."

New kids on the block

Jay says: "At the end of the transfer window, some moves happened that you
should keep your eyes on. Renato Sanches didn't have an ideal debut but he
is certainly a very reasonable selection at £5m. "I think proven players who
remained at their clubs such as Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa, Riyad Mahrez
and Philippe Coutinho could be interesting choices if they rediscover their
top form."

Claret and Blue picks

Jay says: "I've said before, Chicharito is an obvious pick. I'm confident
he'll score goals this season. Michail Antonio is a great FPL player who
gets goals and assists. "Declan Rice – if he continues to get minutes –
could be a bargain. Only Slaven will know if he's a good pick and will be in
the team, though! Finally, keep an eye on Marko Arnautovic – now he has
served his suspension, he'll be desperate to make amends and can be a
brilliant FPL option."

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Team news: Arnautovic's return, Noble, Lanzini and Fernandes updates
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic has confirmed Marko Arnautovic will return to the matchday
squad as West Ham United face West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on
Saturday.
The Hammers travel to the Midlands on the back of Monday's crucial 2-0 win
over Huddersfield Town at London Stadium, while the Baggies are without a
win in two following a draw with Stoke and a 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove
Albion at the weekend. Austrian Arnautovic has missed the last three matches
through suspension following his red card in a 3-2 defeat against
Southampton at St. Mary's. The winger did, however, complete two 90 minutes
for his country over the international break and is available for selection
this weekend having served his three-match ban.
West Ham boss Bilic also issued updates on Mark Noble, Edimilson Fernandes
and Manuel Lanzini, all of whom missed this week's clash against the
Terriers.
"Marko is back," Bilic, speaking to the press before Saturday's trip,
confirmed. "He will be in the squad for the game against West Brom. "It does
[give us a selection headache]. It's good to have him back. "Mark [Noble]
got a knock on his knee, and it's nothing serious but he obviously couldn't
play against Huddersfield. He trained today and it's much better, nothing
serious. Marko will be in the squad for the game against West Brom. It gives
us a selection headache. It's good to have him back "But he definitely
won't play this week – it would be difficult for West Brom. Maybe he will be
back for the Bolton game, but not the weekend. "We have a few bruises and
knocks because the game was on Monday and not Saturday or Sunday, but the
squad should be fit apart from Noble and then Lanzini and Fernandes who also
missed Huddersfield. "Fernandes will train in a couple of days but Lanzini
hopefully will only be out for one or two more weeks. He is running and
training with the ball – so far, so good."

Meanwhile, Andy Carroll returned to Slaven Bilic's side from the start
against Huddersfield and was influential as the east Londoners picked up
their first Premier League points of the season. The manager explained how
the Club are managing the Big Man's fitness. "There are some players – and
Andy's one – that you have to find special treatment for, for training. You
can't treat him like a 20-year-old, who can train for six hours a day, but
of course he has got to train. "You can't treat him like Declan Rice or
Domingos Quina. But you need to find a balance. That is exactly what we are
doing now. "It's good at the moment and we are hoping that is going to
last."

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Slaven Bilic says West Ham's win over Huddersfield just a stepping stone
By Pat McLoughlin
Last Updated: 14/09/17 5:28pm
SSN

Slaven Bilic is hoping West Ham's first Premier League win of the season
over Huddersfield can inspire the club's climb up the table. Bilic had been
feeling the heat after the Hammers lost their first three top-flight matches
but second-half goals from Pedro Obiang - via a huge deflection - and Andre
Ayew secured a 2-0 win over the Terriers at London Stadium on Monday Night
Football. "It [was] important for us to win the [Huddersfield] game," Bilic
said ahead of Saturday's trip to West Brom. "We have to continue like that.
"As I told the players this morning, because yesterday we were off, and we
had a small meeting, we have to build on this. "Ok, we beat Huddersfield.
"Not on Monday night - we beat Huddersfield on Saturday and Sunday when we
trained in our stadium and [in] our stadium there was properly fiery
training sessions and [now] we have to produce it, more or less, every day.
"We have to do it tomorrow and then, and only then, we will be in a
situation to get something out of Saturday, or any other game."
West Ham defender Winston Reid had pointed to a greater intensity to the
team's approach in the vital victory but Bilic added: "It's not like before
there hasn't been a hunger. "We're not the only club that are giving their
best when their backs are to the wall. "The art is, that is, the difference
between great players and good players because [the greats] do it every day
or every week. Every day they want to move the boundaries, individually, and
then they produce it for the team as well."
Ahead of the potentially tricky trip to The Hawthorns, the Croat has asked
his team to stay in that winning mentality and pull together professionally.
"Definitely, it's my job to keep them in that zone," Bilic admitted. "It is
a massive part of every manager's job but it's also down to them to be like
that because we can't control what they do outside the training camp. "I'm
talking now in general. They are mature people. They are well paid, they
love football and they are in a privileged position that most of the normal
people would swap [for]. They should respect themselves by respecting the
job."

Andy Carroll's return gave Bilic's side a timely boost, the former England
striker making his first appearance of the season on Monday after five
months out with a hip injury. The manager rejected the suggestion made by
former West Ham boss Alan Pardew that injury-prone Carroll could even be
excused from some training sessions. "That is impossible," Bilic said.
"It's about making a balance. There are some players, and Andy is one, that
you have to find special treatment for. "But that doesn't mean that he can't
train the whole week. Most likely then he will get injured. "On the other
hand you can't treat him as you're treating a 20-year-old. You need to find
a balance."
Bilic also moved again to clarify his relationship with David Sullivan after
saying last week the club's owner "likes to talk". Sullivan had claimed
Bilic turned down the chance to sign Renato Sanches from Bayern and Paris
St-Germain's Grzegorz Krychowiak in the summer. "I only explained the
situation that he put me into," Bilic said. "We had a good conversation
after Monday. We won the game and it was very important for us and he was
also happy with our performance. You should call him and ask him how did he
feel."

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Idle Thoughts: The No. 7 Shirt
West Ham Opinion
POSTED BY: JAMES ANDERSON 14/09/2017
Moore Than Just A Club

Watching the game last Monday evening, I found myself thinking back to one
of my favourite players of the 1960s, Alan Sealey.

Sealey came to West Ham from Leyton Orient in March, 1961, in an exchange
deal which involved Dave Dunmore going the other way. At the time, it seemed
a strange arrangement. Dunmore was an experienced centre-forward who scored
16 goals in 36 appearances for the Hammers. At one point in that 1960/61
season, he had scored in seven successive matches, the highlight of that run
being a hat-trick in a 6-0 thrashing of Arsenal on Guy Fawkes Day. Sealey,
on the other hand, was a promising but as yet untried centre-forward who had
only recently made his debut for the Orient, scoring just the once in four
games.

What made the transfer particularly unusual was that the Hammers were in a
sort of 'managerial limbo' at the time, Ted Fenton on his way out and Ron
Greenwood on his way in. Whoever it was in the Hammers' camp who made that
transfer happen was certainly to be congratulated. Although making many
appearances for West Ham wearing the No. 9 shirt, the high point of Alan
Sealey's career came with No. 7 on his back, on that never-to-be-forgotten
night when Bobby Moore lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup at Wembley in
1965 and Sealey was the scorer of the Hammers' two goals.

It was Michail Antonio's performance the other night that had me thinking
back to Alan Sealey, as he played the ball down the line, haring after it
and leaving his full-back trailing in his wake. A simple but extremely
effective move that Alan Sealey employed on the Hammers' right wing all
those years ago and which Michail Antonio will, hopefully, put to more good
use in the coming season.

All that's missing is the shirt number. Somehow the No. 30 doesn't have the
same aura as No.7 and it certainly doesn't have the same history. As a
youngster, I remember Bobby Moore being given the run-around by perhaps the
greatest of English football's No.7s, Stanley Matthews, whilst another proud
wearer of No.7 in that era was Tom Finney.

And, apart from Alan Sealey, the Hammers have had many other notable wearers
of No.7. Another two-goal man was the 1975 F. A. Cup Final hero, Alan
Taylor, scorer of the two goals which knocked out Arsenal in the 6th round,
two more in the Semi-Final against Ipswich and, by way of an encore, two
more in the Final against Bobby Moore's Fulham.

When West Ham met Anderlecht in the following year's European Cup Winners'
Cup Final, two of the Belgian goals were scored by their right-winger,
Francois Van der Elst, who subsequently exchanged the Anderlecht No.7 shirt
for that of the Hammers.

Tommy Yews, Stan Foxall, Peter Brabrook, Harry Redknapp, Pat Holland, Paul
Allen, Jimmy Neighbour, Ian Bishop and many others have worn that shirt over
the years. Today, it belongs to Marko Arnautovic who, let us hope, will soon
add his own little bit of magic to the history of the Hammers' No.7 shirt.
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Bilic transcript: every word from the West Ham boss on Carroll, West Brom
and renewed confidence
Here is every single word from Slaven Bilic's press conference earlier today
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
15:24, 14 SEP 2017UPDATED17:06, 14 SEP 2017

Team news ahead of the weekend, especially Mark Noble?

Mark got a knock on his knee, it is nothing serious but he couldn't play
against Huddersfield and he trained today individually. It is much better so
nothing serious, but it is very difficult for him to face West Brom. Most
definitely not, maybe for Bolton game. So it is nothing serious, he felt a
little ligaments in his knee.

So far so good on any one else. There were a few knocks and bruises but they
should all be fit apart from Edimilson Fernandes and Manuel Lanzini who
weren't there on Monday. Fernandes is looking like he will start training in
a couple of days and Lanzini, hopefully one week, maybe two weeks, but he is
running, training with the ball, so far so good.

There is a sense of change in training according to Winston Reid, have you
noticed that?

It was important for us to win the game, but we have to continue like this.
As I told the players this morning, we have a small meeting, do not think
for one second that now we beat Huddersfield, we can relax.

We have to build on this, we beat them OK, but we also beat them in training
on Saturday and Sunday as well as Monday at the stadium when there was fiery
training. We have to produce that more or less every day, then tomorrow and
only then will we be in a situation to get something out of Saturday's or
any other game.

Why did it take this long for the hunger to arrive?

It is not black and white, it's not that it hasn't been there. You are
right, we are not the only club like that, not giving their best until their
backs are to the wall. It is a question mark. That is the difference between
good and great players, they have that and do it every day, move the
boundaries as an individual.

It is down to me and to them. To keep them in that zone, not to fly too high
or not to be big headed. It is a massive part of every managers job, but it
is also down to them to be like that. I cant control what they do outside of
training, I am talking now in general. They are mature people, they are well
paid, in a privileged position that most normal people would swap and are
dreaming of so they should respect the job.

Relations were strained between you and the board - is that better?

What do you mean by strained? I speak to Mr Sullivan after every game and it
is like that since I joined two years ago. Of course, after good runs or a
win it is like more relaxed talk, lets say. Although so far, I have never
had kind of a hectic talk or like a heavy talk, you know what I mean? It was
always polite and in the zone.

Was it on Monday?

It was a good one, yes. We won the game, it was important and he was also
happy with our performance. Maybe you should call him and ask him how he
felt.

You were bullish last week in your interview...

I was not bullish at all, why don;t you ask me how I was bullish? I don't
know. I was not at all, I only explained the situation that he put me in to.
I praised him, the club, the deals we done and I meant it. I explained
Carvalho and why it didn't happen. OK it was the money was too big and I
wanted to explain the situation with the two players that I didn't want. I
was not bullish at all.
The transfer window is now closed. Whether we were close or not was totally
irrelevant.

How big a boost has Andy Carroll given you?

Andy Carroll on his return to action for West Ham (Image: Clive Rose/Getty
Images)

He is a player that can lift the whole team, we have been saying that for
two years now. I have said is a hundred times, now 101, he is the player
everyone knows, the crowd knows, the opponent knows, you cannot ignore.
Whether you are playing with him or against him. You always know what he is
going to give you and what are you doing to get from him. It is great to
have him back, now the question, the million dollar one, is how we are going
to manage to keep him fit for the rest if the season and his career.

Alan Pardew's no training for Carroll comments

That is impossible. We have to make a balance, Alan Pardew definitely didn't
mean for him not to train, he wanted to show there are some players that you
have to find a special balance, a treatment or management for them to be
available for games but that doesn't mean he isn't going to train the whole
week because then most likely, he will get injured at the game.

On the other hand you can treat him like a 20 year old who can train six
hours a day like Rice, Quina, whatever, you have to find the balance. He
ends some days off but on those days he should use them to work on staying
the gym and that, it is also training. That is what we are doing now with
him and we hope it will last.

Three games in a week, the momentum is with you now?

We have to use it, yes. We are in a position that we didn't like, now we
have won one game and we are talking before the game that what we needed to
get a boost was that, we done that so I am now expecting us, with the
greatest respect to the opponents, to push on. The pressure on us is a bit
less, the confidence is back, lets use it.

Marco Asensio and his shaving incident

I am sure you know more about that than me.

It's nothing new, the players doing that.

Do you do it?

Do I look like I did it? It's nothing new. It's like the last 10, 15 years
its an excuse. They do it for the massages and things like that. Modern
times.

How crucial is that confidence you now have?

It is crucial, even yesterday a few managers were talking about it in the
Champions league, how it affects them. Confidence comes and goes, class is
permanent.
Confidence can vary. It is important like in any job so now, as I just said,
we should have it back. If that was one of the reasons then there is no
bigger motivation than that for Saturday. Let's build on that and try to
produce the same on Saturday, so its not only the games but we have better
training too. It is like a chain you know, many good things are more
positive now.

You said at training, they had fire before the game on Monday, how do you
make sure they keep that?

By talking to them, showing them, having individual talks, those kind of
things, it's the only way. We have been waiting for this and now we don't
want to lose it.

Frank de Boer - you said it played on your mind?

I didn't say that. Someone asked me do I feel pressure then yes, of course,
he was the example but I didn't think about him. I don't need or didn't need
him to know the mechanism , or the Marco Asensio thing to know the players
shave their legs, I see it every day. What about Frank de Boer again? No, I
said after the game I don't look at my job from that perpestcive. I was
happy, I am still happy as I feel good when we win. I saw the response from
my team, the energy, the performance, it wasn't a nice game of football for
neutrals for example but it was a proper professional game an they executed
the plan we had. I saw dominance from the start and we were rewarded with a
little but of luck for the first goal.

You got a clean sheet to boot as well...

We deserved it, it was a good game for us to build on. Not only the win but
clean sheet and I am not talking just Joe Hart but about the defence and the
whole team. You cant say we were lucky, they had one chance towards the end
of the game and that was it, we were really good in that department. Those
three points we can use it to build on that.

Does Arnautovic's return give you a selection headache?

It does give me a selection headache. He was frustrated, I was angry and
frustrated but now he is back and has served the ban and he will be in the
squad for the game, it is good to have him back.

West Brom, surprised a few people?

Well, no. They had a good start, not only start but for a long time they
were good last season and were the first ones to secure their status from
not the big teams. They started well but the last couple of games of course
they lost and drew they won the first two with typical results. It is not a
big surprise, they got some good players, they invested again and they are
always a very hard team to beat.

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Slaven Bilic warns West Ham against complacency after first win of the
season over Huddersfield
Slaven Bilic called a team meeting after the 2-0 win over Huddersfield
The manager was under mounting pressure after three opening league defeats
West Ham remain in the relegation zone ahead of the clash with West Brom
By Tom Allnutt, Press Association Sport
PUBLISHED: 17:58, 14 September 2017 | UPDATED: 17:58, 14 September 2017

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has revealed he called a team meeting on
Thursday to deliver his players a reality check. Bilic had been facing
mounting pressure following three opening league defeats but Monday's win
over Huddersfield earned him some relief and his side their first points of
the season. West Ham remain 18th in the table, however, ahead of Saturday's
game at West Brom and, having granted his players the day off on Wednesday,
Bilic warned them against complacency. 'We were off yesterday and we had a
meeting before training today [to say] if we think that because we beat
Huddersfield we have done it - no,' Bilic said. 'The difference between
great players and good players is doing it every day or every week. 'It's
down to both them and us to keep them in that zone - not to fly too high or
be big-headed - it's a massive part of every manager's job. 'But it's also
down to them to be like that. We can't control what they do outside the
training camp. 'They are mature people though and are in a privileged
position which most normal people would swap to be in. They should respect
themselves by respecting the job.'
Andy Carroll's return has given West Ham a timely boost, the striker making
his first appearance of the season on Monday after five months out with a
hip injury.
The key now is keeping Carroll fit but Bilic rejected the suggestion made by
former West Ham boss Alan Pardew that Carroll should even be excused from
training. 'That is impossible,' Bilic said. 'It's about making a balance.
'There are some players, and Andy is one, that you have to find special
treatment for. 'But that doesn't mean that he can't train the whole week.
Most likely then he will get injured. 'On the other hand you can't treat him
as you're treating a 20-year-old. You need to find a balance.'
Bilic also moved again to clarify his relationship with David Sullivan after
saying last week the club's owner 'likes to talk'. Sullivan had claimed
Bilic turned down the chance to sign Renato Sanches and Grzegorz Krychowiak
in the summer. 'I only explained the situation that he put me into,' Bilic
said. 'We had a good conversation after Monday. We won the game and it was
very important for us and he was also happy with our performance. You should
call him and ask him how did he feel.' Mark Noble is out this weekend with
a knee injury while Edimilson Fernandes and Manuel Lanzini are also
unavailable as they recover from ankle and knee problems respectively.

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West Ham banking on bespoke training plan to keep Andy Carroll fit and
firing
Frank Dalleres
Sports Editor at City A.M.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is placing his trust in a special training
programme to derive the best from Andy Carroll and steer the injury-plagued
centre-forward clear of further setbacks. Carroll was instrumental in
Monday's 2-0 win over Huddersfield, the Hammers' first Premier League points
of the season and his maiden appearance of the campaign. "There are some
players – and Andy's one – that you have to find special treatment for,"
Bilic said ahead of Saturday's trip to West Brom. "But that doesn't mean
that he can't train the whole week. Most likely then he will get injured. On
the other hand you can't treat him as you're treating a 20-year-old, who
could train six hours a day. "You need to find a balance. That is exactly
what we are doing now. It looks good and we're hoping that is going to
last."
Bilic urged his team to build on their success against Huddersfield, which
lifted them off the bottom of the table. "We have to use the momentum. We
were in a position we didn't like, and now we've won, we have got a boost,"
he added. "I'm expecting us, with the greatest respect to the opponent – and
it will be hard – to use our confidence on Saturday."

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Has Slaven Bilic's tactical tinkering breathed life into Pablo Zabaleta's
West Ham career
HITC
Danny Owen

Pablo Zabaleta was back to something resembling his best as West Ham secured
a vital win over Huddersfield Town on Monday night. On initial inspection,
West Ham's summer transfer business looked impressive indeed. Joint chairman
David Gold promised players with Premier League experience and he delivered,
Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez arriving at
the London Stadium. Football isn't played on paper, however, and West Ham's
performances on grass have left a lot to be desired – particularly their new
signings. Hart continues to look a shadow of the keeper who once went
toe-to-toe with Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer for the title of the
world's best, Hernandez has been largely anonymous barring a two-goal
display at Southampton while Arnautovic was sent off for a stupid elbow on
Saints defender Jack Stephens and copped a deserved ban. Zabaleta, however,
a pillar of consistency during a decade at Manchester City, had not started
much better. The affable Argentine looked every one of his 32 years as The
Hammers lost their first three Premier League games, conceding 10 goals in
the process. He also gave away the last minute penalty that gifted
Southampton the winner on matchday two.
Therefore, his impressive performance in Monday night's relief-inducing 2-0
win at home to Huddersfield Town could hardly have come at a better time –
and the supposed 'tactical dunce' Slaven Bilic deserves some credit for
coaxing an improved performance out of a player who looked finished at the
top level just a few weeks earlier. Under-fire coach Bilic set up West Ham
with a three-man defence against Huddersfield, unbeaten in their first three
league games, and Zabaleta lined up in a right-wing back role. And the
two-time Premier League champion impressed at both ends of the pitch,
producing two key passes, supplying two crosses and ensuring West Ham kept
their first clean sheet of the season. The wing-back role appears to suit
Zabaleta far better than playing in a flat back four, ensuring his lack of
pace is not exposed on the flanks due to the cover provided by an extra
centre-half. It also gave him the licence to get forward and, at the risk of
speaking to soon, has breathed life into a West Ham career that had looked
lifeless from day one.

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Impossible: Slaven Bilic responds to Alan Pardew's idea about West Ham star
Andy Carroll
HITC
Olly Dawes

West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has praised striker Andy Carroll. West
Ham United boss Slaven Bilic has told Football.London that Alan Pardew's
suggestion for Andy Carroll's ideal training regime is 'impossible'. The
Hammers claimed their first win of the Premier League season on Monday
night, as the defeated Huddersfield 2-0 at the London Stadium thanks to
goals from Pedro Obiang and Andre Ayew. After defeats to Manchester United,
Southampton and Newcastle United, Monday's victory was a welcome boost for
under-fire manager Slaven Bilic – and he was able to call upon striker Andy
Carroll. Carroll, 28, hadn't featured at all before Monday's clash as he
battled injury problems, but he started against Huddersfield, making a huge
impact throughout. The gangly target man was a menace against the
Huddersfield defence, giving Bilic a focal point to aim for in attack,
causing problems with his aerial ability and threat around the box.
Carroll's challenge now is to stay fit after so many injuries in recent
years, and his issues prompted a bizarre suggestion from former West Ham
boss Alan Pardew earlier this week. Pardew told Sky Sports' The Debate that
he wouldn't even allow Carroll to train on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday
before a Saturday game, and just give him work on Thursday and Friday in
order to prevent him from suffering so many injuries.
However, West Ham boss Bilic has now told Football.London that he thinks
Pardew's idea is 'impossible' as he would in no way be ready for first-team
action if he didn't train at all – and he noted that Carroll boosts the
entire team when he is available to play. "He lifts the whole team," said
Bilic. "We have been saying that for two years now. I have said it 100
times, he's the player the everybody knows, the crowd know, the opponent
knows, you cannot ignore him." "That is impossible. You have to find a
special treatment to manage him to be available for the games. That does not
mean he won't not train the whole week, no way," he added.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham given major boost ahead of West Brom clash as Manuel Lanzini
spotted in training
Manuel Lanzini could return for the Hammers this weekend after recovering
from a knee injury
Football London
BYSAM INKERSOLE
13:15, 14 SEP 2017

West Ham have been handed a massive boost after Manuel Lanzini returned to
training. The Argentina star has played just 45 minutes of football this
season after picking up a knee injury during pre-season out in Germany. He
returned to feature for the second half of the 3-0 defeat at Newcastle
United but aggravated the problem and has been out since. However, the
Hammers posted on their Snapchat from training this morning of Lanzini with
his teammates ahead of this weekend's visit to West Bromwich Albion. Last
week, West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was unsure if Lanzini would be available
for the trip to the Hawthorns but did say it would be great if he was. The
Hammers will likely want to take care of Lanzini on his return so if he is
available for this weekend, a spot on the bench is the most likely option
for him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The evolution of Masuaku as West Ham defender returns to where it first went
wrong
It's been almost a year to the day where Masuaku had his first nightmare and
it still lives in the memory
Football london
BYSAM INKERSOLE
11:03, 14 SEP 2017

When Saturday arrives, it will be exactly a year since Arthur Masuaku had an
absolute horror show as West Ham were downed 4-2 at West Bromwich Albion. As
luck/fate/coincidence would have it, the Hammers are back at the Hawthorns
this weekend to face Tony Pulis' side and the similarities are eerie to say
the least.
West Ham were 17th in the table this time last year, they head to there this
weekend in 18th. West Brom were 8th in the table when the two met on
September 17 last year, they are 9th this season. The only difference this
time around is the Hammers are arriving on September 16 off the back of a
win, the 2-0 victory over Huddersfield on Monday night. Last season, it was
the game after Slaven Bilic's side threw away a 2-0 lead against Watford and
lost 4-2. It was an awful day at the Hawthorns 12 months ago, the Baggies
first game under new Chinese ownership as Nacer Chadli and Salomon Rondon
ran riot but it'll be remembered for Masuaku, who has a complete weston of a
game. Matt Phillips, the West Brom winger, had a field day up against the
DR Congo man, who was making just his fifth start for the Hammers, in for
the injured Aaron Cresswell, even showboating in front of Masuaku before
half time as the Baggies romped into a 3-0 lead.
The left back had a torrid afternoon and it started early as early a the 8th
minute, when Masuaku, under no pressure whatsoever in the box, tried to
control on his chest but inexplicably hit his arm and a stonewall penalty
was awarded by Mark Clattenburg, converted by Rondon. Masuaku was eventually
hauled off after 72 minutes by Bilic following his torrid afternoon.
But that was 12 months ago so what now of Masuaku?

Well, he finds himself out of favour at the Hammers following a torrid game
up at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season but towards the back end
of last season and throughout this pre-season, he had been touted as a
Cresswell replacement. He enjoyed an excellent end to the last campaign in a
wing-back role as part of a back five when Cresswell was out injured. He
showed brilliant attacking qualities - his defending was still suspect - but
there was improvement for sure.
As was the case after West Brom, one bad game has seen Masuaku written off
when he really shouldn't be. Man United were on a different stratosphere on
the opening day and anyone would have had a tough time up against Romelu
Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Sky Sports
pundit Gary Neville tore Masuaku to shreds during the game and post-game as
well as it appeared Masuaku shared a joke with Lukaku before the Belgian
headed in United's second goal. "He [Bilic] will be furious when he sees
that goal," said Neville. "His laughing left-back. Get him off. Rubbish."

Cresswell has since returned from injury and Masuaku has not seen a single
minute of action in the following three games, even with the switch in
formation to wing-backs, Cresswell is still the number one option. Masuaku
has had two bad games for West Ham but when he has played bad, he has been
unbelievably bad and it is counting against him. All the good work is often
undone when all people remember is your horror shows. Has he come full
circle? Maybe not, but Masuaku arrives at the Hawthorns this weekend in the
same predicament he left the same ground 12 months ago.

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Senior players send clear message to West Ham owners over Slaven Bilic
HITC
Damien Lucas

West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic is a man under pressure despite a first
win of the season last time out. When West Ham lost their opening three
Premier League matches the writing looked to be on the wall for Slaven
Bilic. Sat rock bottom of the league on a minus eight goal difference Bilic
was then pushed to defend himself in a public spat with co-owner David
Sullivan over transfers. The likes of Rafael Benitez and Roberto Mancini
were linked as potential replacements as speculation mounted that he would
be sacked. A 2-0 victory over Huddersfield last time out has lifted the mood
and the club off the bottom. Despite that win, though, questions are still
being asked over the direction West Ham are heading under Bilic, who is into
the last season of his contract. But no fewer than six of West Ham's most
senior players have spoken out in support of Bilic in what is a clear
message to the owners that the squad are fully behind their manager. One
such player is experienced Portuguese defender Jose Fonte who spoke up for
Bilic in an interview with the club's official website. "He is a passionate
manager and a great manager and he deserved this because he's been under a
lot of pressure, of course, as we all know, this is the business we are in,"
Fonte told whufc.com.
"It was important for him and it was important for us to show our attitude
and that we are always with our manager and I'm pleased for him because it
was his birthday and we gave him what he wanted. "We are experienced enough
to know we are all under pressure. This is our job and we get criticised for
everything, so the best way to deal with it is to go to the training ground
and work harder than ever and that's what we've been doing, training as hard
as we can to put things right."
Fonte isn't the only player to publicly back the manager. Mark Noble, James
Collins, Andy Carroll, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart have all spoken out in
support of the under pressure Croatian in the last week. And the fight the
team showed on the London Stadium pitch to grind out the crucial win over
Huddersfield saw the players put their words in action.

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Andy Carroll reflects on strong injury return and 'strong performance'
against Huddersfield
The striker got his first appearance of the season at the London Stadium
Football London
BYADAM JONES
10:12, 14 SEP 2017

Andy Carroll has admitted it was great to be back in a West Ham shirt after
making his first appearance of the season in the win over Huddersfield Town
on Monday night. The striker put in a strong performance on his return from
injury in the 2-0 victory for the Hammers - ending a run of three straight
defeats to start the 2017/18 campaign. And the 28-year-old has chalked the
win down to a brilliant team spirit within the club - and also commented on
how personally good it felt for him to be back on the pitch in claret and
blue. "It's nice to be back and put on the kit. I felt good being back
around the lads all week preparing for the game," Carroll told the club's
official website. "Even though we had the international break we've been
knocking our heads together all week, wanting to do well. The lads are
strong together, everyone's been talking, basically telling each other to
pull their finger out and that's exactly what we did on Monday. "Everyone
in the team gave their all and got the win. Everyone's together in that
dressing room and everyone will be together until the end. We had three away
games, which was obviously no excuse for the performances we gave, but we
bounced back on Monday with a great win and a great performance. "We could
probably have had a few goals in the first half, they got a block on my
header and on Ginge's header, Cheik had a good chance. "We kept at it, we
knew it was going to come and we got the two when Andre came on as well."

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West Ham hero Andre Ayew calls for concentration ahead of West Brom clash
Published on: 14 September 2017
Ghanasoccernet.com

West Ham United star Andre Ayew has warned his team mates against
complacency and has urged them not to get carried away after snatching their
first win of the league season over Huddersfield. After a disastrous start
to the new campaign, the Ghanaian inspired the Hammers to a 2-0 win over
unbeaten Huddersfield Town after coming from the dugout. Ayew's incredible
performance after he was brought on saw him providing an assist for Pedro
Obiang to score the opener before adding another to seal the win to ease
some pressure on manager Slaven Bilic. Despite a victory, Ayew wants his
team mates to eschew complacency and focus on the game against West Brom on
Saturday. "We don't have to get too excited," the attacker told the club
website. "We've played at home and we won and now we are going to West Brom
and it will be very difficult there, so we have to keep calm, work hard and
be patient. "Three points does not have to change everything. "We know one
week is different from another week so now we're going to smile for maybe 48
hours, but we have to get back to work and prepare really well for
Saturday's game, because we want to get some points at West Brom. "I think
we feel relieved to have got the points. "We're not over-excited because we
know we didn't start the season well and we know we need to stay on the
front foot and try to go and get something at West Brom."

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West Ham man delighted with new role and could thrive this season
By Adefunmiloye Alani - September 13, 2017

On paper, West Ham's Monday night 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town was
achievable because they played a weaker opponent. Indeed, both teams are
apart in quality, but that the Terriers arrived London Stadium on the back
of 2 victories and a draw in their first ever 3 EPL games means they are far
from being minnows.
Thanks to manager Slaven Bilic's tactics, the league new boys were put to
the sword, and the system deployed for the game might prove to be the
winning formula West Ham need to succeed this season. Summer arrival and
veteran defender Pablo Zabaleta featured in a right wing-back position, and
he put in his best performance in the Hammers shirt by a country mile. Apart
from helping Bilic's defence, that had conceded 10 goals in 3 league games
prior to that, to a clean sheet with 4 successful tackles and winning 4 of 5
aerial duels, Zabaleta was a nuisance to the visitors' defence from the
wing.

The 32-year-old Argentine supplied two crosses and two key passes to help
put pressure on the Terriers' goal, and it makes sense for Bilic to stick
with him in the role in the 3-4-3 formation. Zabaleta was happy with his
performance despite having not played as a wing-back in a while, and he told
whufc.com: "I played as a wing-back against Huddersfield. It's been a long
time since I played in that position, but I was happy with the performance.
"I always tried to support in attack and also always try to be in the right
position defensively. Overall I think we were solid at the back."

If it's not broken, there isn't a need to fix it, and there shouldnt be a
reason for Bilic not to deploy his men in the next game against West Brom
like he did on Monday. Zabaleta could just be the missing piece of the
puzzle the club have needed all along to excel in the wing-back system.

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THREE'S A CROWD
By Blind Hammer 14 Sep 2017 at 08:00
WTID

Blind Hammer Celebrates Bilic's return to 3 at the back. And argues that
Arnautovic has to wait.

There is a school of thought that our victory against Huddersfield was due
to luck. I couldn't disagree more. When I arrived at the LS on Monday night
and heard the team announcement, a weird calm serenity swept over me. All my
nervousness and anxiety about the match dissipated. Possibly this had to do
with the strong pain killers I had taken for my hip but I think it was much
more to do with relief. At last Bilic had returned to a tried and secure
defensive formation.

In the days before the match I was shouting in frustration at my keyboard as
I heard website after website, pundit after pundit, all recommending
variations of a flat back four. It made me want to tear my hair out. I could
not understand why people seem blind to an obvious reality. With 4 at the
back we are a defensive nightmare, shipping all sorts of goals from all
sorts of positions. With 3 at the back our record is not at all shabby.

Three at the back was tried and failed in away games against Chelsea and
Manchester City last Season but at least the margin of defeat was not
humiliating. In recent months we had much more success. We defeated an in
form Spurs 1-0. We shut out and similarly in form Everton, including and on
fire Lukaku in a creditable 0-0, a result crucial at the time to allay fears
of relegation. Now again with three at the back, we achieved a crucial 2-0
win against Huddersfield. In other words by using three at the back in
recent games at the LS, we have achieved 3 clean sheets in 4 games.

The exception was of course the heavy defeat to Liverpool but even here we
only experienced our eventual predictable thumping when, after falling
behind, we switched to a flat back 4 in a failed effort to chase the game.

The game against Huddersfield was interesting for a number of reasons. First
of all the idea that Zabaleta could not play alongside 3 at the back was
actively, for the time being at least, disproved. The second was the
realisation that just as in the games against Tottenham and Everton, Fonte
immediately transformed from an apparent slow and aged "has been" into a
quality Premiership performer.

Time after time I heard Fonte Collins and Reid all covering each other. If
Reid slipped or was beaten, Collins was there to cover and vice versa. Fonte
was able to operate smoothly with Zabaleta whilst Cresswell showed that he
could operate at the standard he previously showed at the Boleyn. Post match
both Zabaleta and Collins publically supported the three at the back system.
Collins in particular seemd extremely relieved that we had returned to what
had worked at the end of last season.

The result was that the familiar dramatic chaos around our goal virtually
disappeared. Huddersfield mounted no serious threat throughout the entire
first half. They were literally crowded out.

If anybody denigrates the challenge of |Huddersfield we should remember that
this team had, until their visit to the LS, conceded no goals and were
sitting in a very respectable table position.

With the attacking threat of Huddersfield nullified it was a question of
matching our offensive quality against their proven defensive solidity.
Huddersfield actually had a majority possession statistics for the match but
it did not feel like that, especially in the first half where West Ham was
from a secure defensive base, was able to completely dominate the game.

In the second half Huddersfield managed to enter the game more, a fact I
largely attributed to lack of peak match fitness for several of our crucial
players. I still felt confident though. Unlike all of our previous games our
defensive solidity meant that we were not chasing the game, not behind and
having to take increasingly desperate risks to get back on terms.

Even then, though, I would not have predicted Obiang and Ayew in particular
as our match winners. Ayew's performance has come under recent scrutiny with
suggestions he has "fatigue". However if he can continue to make a similar
impact from the bench I will be happy. Above all though his impact proved
what can happen when a team start from a sound defensive platform.

Moving forward Bilic will soon have some attacking options. Arnautovic will
be available for the West Brom game, and Lanzini will hopefully return to
fitness. Yet the biggest threat to the progress finally made on Monday night
is their availability. If Bilic is tempted to revert to his disastrous
defensive setup to accommodate Arnautovic then he would have proved he has
learnt nothing. Others are also reluctant to learn. Even after the game on
Monday I saw a post on Claret and Hugh calling for a return to a back 4
against West Brom.

We must resist the disruption to a stable defence. To my mind Arnautovic
would do well to ponder the consequences of his stupidity against
Southampton from the comfort of the bench.

It is clear that 3 at the back will not allow all of Carroll, Chico,
Lanzini, Antonio, Arnautovic and even Sakho to play if we want to retain at
least a modicum of midfield cover.

I want Bilic to succeed so that he can retain his job. For me this requires
that he understands that, for the time being, Collins organising a back 3 is
more important than the talents of Arnautovic or Lanzini. My hope is that
eventually Lanzini will become the complete centre midfield playmaker able
to dominate games, but in the meantime we may need Obiang more.

The attacking riches are there for Bilic to refresh and deploy from the
bench. I only hope that Collins avoids his habitual hamstring injury. Rice
may soon have to learn very rapidly on the job.

COYI

David Griffith

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West Ham keeper Joe Hart learns the real meaning of cat-like reflexes as he
gets up close and personal with a lion
Joe Hart kept his first clean sheet of the season in 2-0 win over
Huddersfield
The West Ham keeper joined from Manchester City during the summer
The 30-year-old visited a big cat sanctuary and posted a photo on his
Instagram
Hart's clean sheet on Monday was his first for the Hammer's since joining
By Jaime Wright For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 00:53, 14 September 2017 | UPDATED: 00:53, 14 September 2017

Joe Hart has rewarded himself to a day-off at the zoo following his first
clean sheet of the season on Monday night. The West Ham goalkeeper managed
his first goalless stint between the sticks since signing for the Hammers in
their crucial 2-0 win over Huddersfield. Rather than celebrating with a
night on the town or taking in a nice meal, however, the England goalkeeper
took to the Big Cat sanctuary in Ashford, where he was pictured feeding a
lion. The lion though, immediately felt the need to teach Hart a thing or
two, as he struck a wide goalkeeping stance to greet the keeper, which he
recognised with a hashtag.
The 30-year-old, who joined the Hammers from Manchester City during the
summer, posted the image on his Instagram account, where he wrote: 'Thank
you @limelightaccess and @thebigcatsanctuaryuk for a special day.
#feedemtothelions #gkspread #kammoonnnn'
As an England goalkeeper, Hart would be used to praise for his cat-like
reflexes, having consistently held onto his place as England no 1 for many
years now.
Recently though, Hart hasn't been without his critics this season, with his
return to the England no 1 spot a hot topic for debate, with Jack Butland
and Jordan Pickford preferred by some. Despite this, the West Ham
first-choice keeper featured in both of England's World Cup qualifying
victories over the international break, beating Malta and Slovakia and will
be hoping to maintain this position with the World Cup in Russia just around
the corner.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 14th September 2017

Zabaleta delighted to shine in wing-back role
WHUFC.com

Pablo Zabaleta was thrilled to play his part at both ends of the pitch as West Ham United got off the mark for the 2017/18 season with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Monday. The Argentina international featured in a wing-back role, giving him the licence to get forward as well as performing his usual duties in protecting the Hammers' goal. It was an all-action performance from Zabaleta, who contributed to a well-earned clean sheet along with supplying two crosses and two key passes to help put pressure on the Terriers' goal. He told whufc.com: "I played as a wing-back against Huddersfield. It's been a long time since I played in that position, but I was happy with the performance. "I always tried to support in attack and also always try to be in the right position defensively. Overall I think we were solid at the back. "We needed a performance like that as defenders, because in the last three games we conceded ten goals. That wasn't good enough, so I'm very happy with the performance overall. The whole team did great. "A clean sheet like Monday's brings confidence back and hopefully we can continue playing in that way."
Zabaleta was also delighted to make his London Stadium bow in a winning effort. He added: "It was great to play my first game at London Stadium. The atmosphere was fantastic – I came here with City last season and was impressed with the atmosphere. "Of course, it was great to experience it as a West Ham player on Monday. Thank you to the supporters – they were great, they were behind the team and I'm pleased with the performance. We needed to win a game like this."

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Fonte: Keeping a clean sheet was massive
WHUFC.com

Jose Fonte hailed Slaven Bilic's decision to switch to a back three for Monday's confidence-boosting 2-0 Premier League victory over Huddersfield Town. The West Ham United manager changed his tactics after seeing his side lose their opening three top-flight matches, all away from home, and concede ten goals in the process. On his return to London Stadium, Bilic opted to return to the system that served his team so well in the closing weeks of last season, recalling Fonte and the fit-again Winston Reid alongside James Collins in an experienced central defensive trio. The reward was a dominant display against the previously unbeaten Terriers, who the Hammers restricted to just two shots on target on their way to a first clean sheet in six Premier League matches. A clean sheet was massive," Fonte confirmed. "As a defender, it's the worst possible feeling conceding three or four goals every game. It's unbelievable. "We managed to keep a clean sheet, we felt safe and secure with the system we played. It worked well when we used this system last year and, in this game, the manager reverted to last year and it was very successful. "We're really buzzing and happy with the result. Of course, it's an important win after a few difficult weeks. Obviously, it's three points and nothing more than that, but three points that will give us a little but more confidence. "We are pleased with the win because it shows we have a great squad and now we can keep going and picking up points after points."

The UEFA Euro 2016 winner looked rock steady on his return to the starting XI after missing the 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United, making two tackles and two interceptions and blocking Tom Ince's goal-bound shot, while also seeing his header deflected into the path of Andre Ayew for the Hammers' second goal.
While he was proud of his own display, and that of the team, Fonte was also pleased that the players produce the goods for manager Bilic after a difficult few weeks for the Croatian. "He is a passionate manager and a great manager and he deserved this because he's been under a lot of pressure, of course, as we all know. This is the business that we arein. "It was important for him and it was important for us to show our attitude and that we are always with our manager and I'm pleased for him because it was his birthday and we gave him what he wanted. "We are experienced enough to know we are all under pressure. This is our job and we get criticised for everything, so the best way to deal with it is to go to the training ground and work harder than ever and that's what we've been doing, training as hard as we can to put things right."

Next up for Fonte and company is a trip to The Hawthorns to take on Tony Pulis's West Bromwich Albion, who go into Saturday's game on the back of a 3-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.

"There are no easy games in the Premier League, as we all know," the centre-back observed, "and West Brom will be a very tough game, but we are progressing and preparing for that game and we look forward to it."

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Top 3 'Forgotten' Foreign Debuts: Chris Scull remembers...
WHUFC.com

West Ham TV's 'Watch With' presenter and lifelong Hammer Chris Scull makes lists of things and asks if you remember them. Today, it's his Top 3 'Forgotten' Foreign Debuts...

Let's face it, when supporting West Ham in the '90s and '00s, there was nothing more exciting than signing a foreign, exotic sounding player you'd never heard of. Somehow, the knowledge that your team had in its midst a player of unquantified ability makes the world seem unlimited in its potential; the birds sing, hopes soar high. Then they actually play and do something like scythe Gary Neville in half on their debut (Boogers), or go shopping at Harvey Nicholls instead of pulling on the shirt at Stockport away (Răducioiu), or refuse to play at all until they're handed the number 10 shirt (Futre). You get the idea.

Anyway, we're all aware of the well-known successful foreign imports; DiCanio, Miklosko, Tevez (still feels too soon to mention a certain Frenchmen here). But few catch the eye immediately and burn bright. Well, here is their moment. Ladies and gentlemen, the Top 3 forgotten foreign debuts...

3. Marc Rieper, 10 December 1994, Leeds United 2-2 West Ham United

In 1994, Leeds away was a game I'd mentally write-off. Especially when you're 2-0 down after 24 minutes and watching on teletext. But somehow we pulled a draw out of the bag with two Jeroen Boere goals; and telephoning clubcall that day (50p a minute), I remember hearing one name I didn't recognise: 'Marc Rieper'.

Excuse the list within a list, but there are several curious things to note about Marc Rieper. a) He never had any gel in his hair, it being in a state of constant fluff. b) He was a really good defender at a time when we hadn't indulged in such a player for several years. And c) he won the fans over quickly. We liked him so much that we made him his own bespoke chant. I say 'chant', it didn't follow the pattern of any chant I'd heard before or since. We'd just shout "RIE-PER, RIE-PER, RIE-PER' relatively tunelessly.

2. Frederic Kanoute, 26 March 2000, West Ham United 2-1 Wimbledon

In the many years I've been coming to watch West Ham matches, I've never heard a reaction to a debut like I did with Freddie Kanoute. He came on loan from Lyon, and was literally the best player I'd ever seen on their debut, so good in fact, that our whole home support started chanting at manager Harry Redknapp to "sign him up". I need to say that again in italics for emphasis: our home support sung in unison for the manager to make a loan signing permanent, after a single game. After that day, 29 league goals in 84 games, that's how good he was.

Then came the relegation season of 2002/03. A record points relegation partly borne out of him being injured for a good while, as well as him missing a late penalty against Arsenal in August; that otherwise would have seen us safe if it had gone in.

As preparations for the division below began, we're forced to sell a huge swathe of our squad and Freddie was no exception. If we're honest with ourselves, it's probably because he went to Spurs that he appears in the 'forgotten' category here. But I would add that in 2005, he wanted to come back. Pardew wanted him back; and then fan pressure against a return, bad blood from his move to Spurs, officially ended Kanoute's homecoming.

Freddie went on to sign for Sevilla, score and win in the Europa League final in 2006, then score as many La Liga goals as Ronaldinho the season after.

1. Tomas Repka, 15th September 2001, Middlesbrough 2-0 West Ham United

If Julian Dicks was 'The Terminator', Repka was 'ED-209'. On the pitch, he appeared to be made of granite and seemed to possess the humanity of a slab of the stuff.

He came in as a club record signing, £5.5m from Fiorentina. Fiorentina! As in 'The Land of Batistuta!'. A club record as well. All eyes on his debut at the Riverside. Two yellow cards, Repka sent off on the 80th minute. We lose 2-0. RIght.

"Okay, no problem. Fine Tomas, you get a red card on your debut, bad luck fella. Sit out your suspension, come back for your second appearance"... He comes back for appearance two, Blackburn away, sent off again, we lose 7-1. Riiiight.

Despite that start, and despite relegation in 2003, Tomas stuck around and slowly morphed into a much loved and able member of the team.

He announced his departure halfway through the 2005/06 season and played a last league game (number 167 with absolutely zero goals) against Fulham at home, with everyone in attendance aware this was his last game for us. We won 2-1. At full time, we chanted his name. He applauded us back. Then, in a moment I still scarcely believe, started to cry. He was human after all.

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Secure your ticket to watch the Hammers
WHUFC.com

Tickets for West Ham United's matches at London Stadium in September and October are currently on sale, so don't miss your chance to be there for the big moments this season.

Coming up over the next few weeks there's Cup football under the lights when we take on Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup third round, the return of Friday night football when Brighton & Hove Albion visit east London, the unmissable derby against Tottenham and more.

Book your tickets online by clicking here, or call the Ticket Office on 0333 030 1966. Phone lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday

West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers

Tuesday 19 September, 7.45pm

It's affordable family football at London Stadium when Bolton Wanderers visit in the Carabao Cup third round. Tickets are priced from just £5 kids and £10 adults, while you could treat yourself to hospitality from just £59+VAT per person.

Book tickets here

West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday 23 September, 12.30pm

Tickets for this huge London derby are available via the Ticket Exchange where Season Ticket Holders who are not able to attend the game have listed their ticket for resale. Please note that only supporters with a previous booking history can purchase tickets for this fixture.

Book tickets here

West Ham United v Swansea City

Saturday 30 September, 3pm

Additional tickets have become available due to the away team returning part of their allocation. The newly available tickets are now on general sale. Tickets are priced from £15 kids and £30 adults.

Book tickets here

West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion

Friday 20 October, 8pm

Friday Night Football returns to London Stadium when we take on Premier League newcomers Brighton and tickets are now on sale exclusively to Claret Members.

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A REFLECTIVE LOOK BACK AT THE CLUBS' PREVIOUS OWNERS
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 12 SEPTEMBER 2017 AT 10:07PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Chris Sheppard @chris_whu62

I read Dave's, from SD&CC, opinion piece on the board, it was heartfelt & made a number of good, valid points, there are, as ever, contrary opinions & I'd like to set out in this article my own.

I'll start by giving a brief summary of my background as far as West Ham United are concerned; it's safe to say that both the club & the East End in general, are deeply rooted in my DNA, my great uncle was killed in the Last Stand of the 13th Battalion Essex regiment, the 'West Ham Pals' at Cambrai in November 1917, aged just 17 & my great, great uncle, Edward Reeves, was on the board of the club, as well as being the official photographer! Interestingly he was also part of the clubs' migration from Hermit Road, Canning Town to the Memorial Grounds, West Ham & then to the Boleyn.

My Dad grew up watching the club from the North Bank, strangely enough he also believed the clubs directors to be 'bloody crooks' during the 1950's, (he also called Lester Piggot a crook as well!). I first set foot in the Boleyn in 1967, becoming a season ticket holder 10 years later, which I held until 1991. I travelled all over the country & Europe, including friendlies, acted as a steward on the football specials on occasion & most recently served on the Supporters Advisory Board 2016/17.



Enough about me, so what have I learned about the club in all those years? My opinion is that until the Cearns's family stepped away from the club we were run like a corner chop, a family business, that, until Terrance Brown, (who made himself the 2nd highest paid football chairman in the land), we never even had a full time chairman. The problem with Brown is that he was an accountant, a bean-counter, everything was the bottom line with him, he had neither the skills or the wherewithal to be able to invest money into the club, not even after the most successful season in our history, 85/86.

Selling to the Icelandic's gave the vast majority of us renewed hope, the guys had vision for us, player investment, a new stadium on the West Ham Bus Garage site, the backers were the Icelandic Bank, what could possibly go wrong? In true West Ham style not only did the bank go under, but the entire country went bankrupt! The dreams, visions & promises were built on sand & it crumbled quickly; enter Gold, Sullivan & Brady.

There is no doubt when they arrived the club was a mess, the way they turned it around was impressive & we should all be grateful for that. I was fully behind them all the way at this point, at long last the club seemed to be on a professional footing – doing things the right way. By now I was living in the Midlands, I had friends who were Birmingham City fans, they warned me; 'they will promise you the earth, they will tell you about top players they will bring to the club, they will go on about taking the club to the next level, then they will fail to deliver on all counts'. My defence was that Birmingham was a business venture, at West Ham they would run it like fans not as a vehicle to make money. I was wrong.

The appointment of Avram Grant &, more importantly, the failure to get rid of him, was the first seed of doubt that the owners really had the ability to deliver. I stood by them & welcomed the appointment of Sam Allardyce, no matter what people say, he was what we needed at the time.

The move to the Olympic Stadium was then pitched to us; higher attendance, increased revenue, 'World Class Players', 'State of the Art retractable seating', cheaper tickets, I was very supportive of the move, it was a no brainer wasn't it? The reality was so different.

Leaving the Boleyn was not much of an emotional wrench for me, I considered it to be the equivalent of 'Trigger's Broom', once the terraces had disappeared it was no longer the place I grew up watching in. I bought all the promises the board made about the London Stadium & it was the failure to deliver much of what was promised that has made me hostile towards the owners with the lack of professionalism shown only hardening that stance.


I understand that football is a business, however nobody goes into football to make money, break-even is the best you are going to achieve if you want to remain competitive, the alternative is to become a selling club, something we'd like to get away from.

I don't question David Sullivan's worth ethic, or the fact that he loves the club, however I have to ask myself if I were in his position would I act the same? The answer is a resounding NO. Look at the level of debt which they claim to have reduced, from what I can see all that's happened is that the debt has been reduced only to be replaced by loans from Gold & Sullivan at a 7% interest rate. Think about that a minute, if you were such a big fan with such a huge fortune, would you charge the club you profess to love interest on a loan? It's like doing the same to a family member, albeit on a much larger scale. Let's put that into perspective; the accounts as of March 2016 show accrued interest payments due to the owners of £12.3m, that's only £700k short of our net transfer spend this season. Is this really going to take us to the 'next level'?

The transfer dealings of the club are little short of ludicrous, West Ham have always been a club on low transfer fees & higher salaries, that has been the model for many years, but the game has changed, if you want to compete with the best then you have to do both, or not make wild promises. We can't even be talked about in the same breath as Tottenham these days, as much as it grieves me to say it, they are the example of a perfectly run club, we are light years behind them on all fronts.

As for transfer policy, do we have one? 'Only players with PL experience', well that narrows down the field doesn't it? Does that also mean we'd turn down the likes of Messi? It's nonsense, we just need to do our homework better. It seemed to be a haphazard, scattergun approach last season, a complete disaster, but they seemed to have learned their lesson, with 4 solid signings, only to then ship out 17 players, leaving us in a position where we are unable to list 25 senior professionals, it's simply asking for trouble.

The fact is that if we don't have the money to spend then we have to spend it wisely & do more extensive research on the players we want to bring in, they're out there, make no mistake, but we are simply unable to find them. Why is this? I get the impression that David Sullivan is far too 'hands on', he seems to be playing a real life version of Football Manager, that's not what his role should be. I don't want our owners anywhere near transfer targets, they should have just 2 roles, finance & appointing managers, that is it, the rest they should leave to the manager &, preferably, a Director of Football, then stay firmly in the background.

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UNITED WE MUST STAND!!
AUTHOR: EXWHUEMPLOYEE. PUBLISHED: 12 SEPTEMBER 2017 AT 9:52PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @farehamhammer

We faced a huge 90 minutes against Huddersfield Town, ninety minutes that could have made or broke our season. It all came down to Monday night. We are in hell right now people, believe me. So many different factions destroying our club. Either we heal as a team, G&S, Slaven, Players and fans, or we will crumble and die. As in life football is a game of inches. You win or lose by an inch as was shown by Obiang's goal. We can stay as we are now, near the bottom of the league and at war with each other, or we can fight back together inch by inch… till we are back in the light. My fellow Hammers we simply CANNOT afford to do anything, but fight back together, till we are back into the light. If we had lost on Monday, I feared it would have been a repeat of the Avram Grant season and we would end up being relegated. This would be catastrophic for the club. Fear not we won and we won well against Huddersfield Town.

Much has been said about protests being made against The Board on Monday night. Believe it or not the club is not in a terrible state and no Gold and Sullivan have not been a total disaster for the club. Let's face facts here: When they took over, the club was on life support. It was in a bloody mess from top to bottom, talk about being run to the ground. It started off with Terry Brown trying to flog the club, to a second hand used car salesman from Kent called Kia Joorbachien. All of a sudden one is watching Transfer Deadline Day on Sky, they announce West Ham have signed two Argentinian internationals. Stunned? I did not even think Terry Brown knew where Argentina was, never mind sign two internationals!

What a price we paid to secure those International's, on what amounted to a season long loan. A fine of £5.5m and £25m to Sheffield United in an out of court settlement. Our great club's name tarnished in some cases forever .Mr Joorbachien never did end up buying West Ham United but that did not prevent Terry Brown hawking the club around in his desperation to sell the club. Then it happened! WTF??!! Once again Sky Sports to the rescue! A black cab pulls up outside The Boleyn, out steps a bald headed character looking like something from Star Wars, announces he has bought the club. Biscuit Baron's we were told. They took the biscuit alright! I often hear people say if it was not for the world banking crisis of 2008, we would have done far better under BG and co. "Eggy's heart was in the right place "Well one can chalk that one off! BG bought the club with loans, all transfers were bought on the back of loans. TWICE we had to be refinanced under the BG and Eggy.

BG left the day to day running of The Club to good old Eggy. Who never had a clue, signing the likes of Freddie Ljungberg on £95 grand per week? Ljungberg would cry off from playing match after match because of headaches. A few years later I bumped into Ljungberg, at Glasgow International Airport. By then Ljungberg was playing for Celtic. I managed to have a chat with him, I told him I was a Hammer and asked him "What was the highlight of your stay at West Ham?" His reply? "Absolutely none." At least he was honest! Eggy did not stop there, deciding to sign Kieron Dyer, who FAILED two medicals and give him £85 grand per week. Dyer spent almost an entire four years in the sickbay. Those were just two of Eggy's deal's that left West Ham staring financial Armageddon in the face. When the Icelandic's hit a financial Iceberg and departed, they handed the keys to what amounted to The Club Secretary, Scott Duxbury. The same Duxbury, whose lies to The Premier League over The Tevez affair cost The Club £5.5 million. Our best players got sold, everything was mortgaged to the hilt .No investment in the first team, an Academy that had long forfeited its crown of being called The Academy of Football. We were basically out for the count. Like or loathe G&S but it is fact when they bought The Club, they walked into the bloody blitz not The Ritz. A shambles we most certainly were.

The sitting USA President at some point on the campaign trail, always asks his audience: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" The audience break into a chant of: Four more years! Four more years! Thinking of the quality of our first team squad and an Academy that is starting to flourish again. One may not break out into a chant of seven more years G&S but you would have to concede that G&S have not been a total disaster. Don't get me wrong, I was far from happy with the transfer window. I think the best word to describe all our post transfer feelings, can be described in one word: Frustration. We are three or four quality signings away from having a really good squad. So near but so far. One of the biggest problems the board is having at the moment is managing fans expectations. Some thought that as soon as we moved into the London Stadium, we will have reached 'The next level'.

I fully understand that to a point. Sure we have extra revenue, due to moving into the new stadium but the trouble is that only really kicks in, in about three to four years' time. It's like a young couple moving from a two bedroom house to a four bedroom house, in most cases they will have to do any renovations needed bit by bit as and when they can afford it. Eventually they do complete renovations and they have a stunning house. Same with West Ham. We have moved into our new home with a bit of patience-we will get there. Unfortunately football is not a reality TV show, where you can pick up the phone, and have people voted out of The Club at the drop of a hat. What is clear is that the club desperately needs a cash injection, to help it really compete against the big boys. David Sullivan the major shareholder has about £500m in liquid assets-Meaning for all the will in The World, he cannot afford to sign three or four players at a time costing 30-40m. I can see Sullivan buying out David Gold, then going all out to seek new investment. I laugh when I hear people say, I hope we are bought out by a Billionaire. That's not as easy as it sounds, there are plenty of crooks who are billionaires as Orient fans will testify too. Look what has happened to Leeds, Blackburn, Charlton, and Blackpool to name a few. Let's see how Tony Xia at Aston Villa pans out shall we. A new broom does not always sweep clean.

No doubt the media were hoping for protests against The Board, Dildos on the pitch rounded off by: YOUR GETTING SACKED IN THE MORNING!! SACKED IN THE MORNING! SACKED IN THE MORNING! To Slaven Bilic. So they could take the piss in the tabloids on Tuesday morning: Hammers in crisis! Hammers in meltdown! But thankfully we didn't give them this! I will always remember meeting one of the hammer greats, Malcolm Allison, about ten years before he died, I was a nipper then and with Dad. He is sitting at a table having a few drinks with four other people. Dad goes over introduces himself and Big Mal, as he was called, invites us over to his table. Allison was fairly quiet to begin with, after a few beers he starts to open up, what that man knew about football was mind boggling. He spoke to the one bloke about Wolves and the other about Luton Town. He then turns to Dad and I, and talks about West Ham and "Robert" Moore as he called him. He told us how he had TB, a killer disease at the time. West Ham had got promoted and he was back to full fitness but the manager picked Bobby Moore over him. I CANNOT fully describe the look anguish on Allison's face. It hurt him so badly decades later. He said the manager was right though! It also marked the beginning of the end of his time at West Ham. He then turned to Dad and said: "Do you know what hurt the most? Not Robert taking my place in the team. But having to leave West Ham "He then stood up, still an imposing figure at about 70-72, raises his arms aloft, head up towards the sky and sings Bubbles. I still get a tingle in my back now when I think of it.

It's not about Gold or Sullivan, It's not about Slaven, it's about West Ham. It's all about West Ham, all about West Ham United.

We're more than a football club, we're a way of life!

COYI!!

Farehamhammer!!!

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£40m loan for West Ham to move into Olympic Stadium 'may never be repaid to council'
PIPPA CRERAR
The Evening Standard

An East London borough has admitted that a £40 million loan which helped Premier League club West Ham move into the Olympic stadium may never be repaid.
Newham council said the loan was "damaged" and would only be recouped if the sports and music venue started making money. But town hall insiders said the borough appeared to have given up any hope of getting back the cash because of the poor financial performance of the stadium. Newham insisted that it had not "written off" the loan and that downgrading its status was merely "prudent and responsible" accounting in response to the stadium's "challenging" first year in its new guise. But councillors and residents expressed concern as the borough, one of the most deprived in the country, is facing cuts.

Newham Labour councillor Rokhsana Fiaz, a member of the audit board and the council's chairman of scrutiny, said: "It's alarming for residents to read about a £44.4 million impairment relating to a loan Newham council has given to refurbish West Ham's stadium via a company it owns. I've asked for urgent clarification and details including any further financial implications facing Newham council. "Residents need reassurances that their money hasn't been wasted and that the financial benefits promised from this much-heralded council investment continue to flow."

The £40 million deal was agreed by the council in 2012, through its subsidiary company Newham Legacy Investments Ltd, with the London Legacy Development Corporation. The joint venture, through the umbrella company E20 Stadium, was to pay for the refurbishment and transformation costs of the stadium after the Games to make it suitable for football. The LLDC originally invested £257 million for refurbishment costs and West Ham just £15 million. A year later West Ham was granted the 99-year stadium lease by then-Mayor Boris Johnson in a deal which has been mired in controversy ever since.

A spokesman for Newham said: "The loan is shown, for accounting purposes, as currently 'impaired', or damaged, due to the current financial performance of the stadium. It is not a write-off of the loan... it was widely anticipated that the first full year of trading would be particularly challenging. "Newham council is working with the Greater London Authority, the London Legacy Development Corporation and our other stadium partners on a range of options to improve the financial performance of the stadium. The future value of our loan, and its treatment in our accounts, is directly linked to that future performance."

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Reunited: former Hammers join forces
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 13th September 2017
By: Staff Writer

Victor Obinna has been reunited with fellow former Hammer Benni McCarthy - at Cape Town FC. The 30-year-old Nigerian winger has been out of the game since being released on a free transfer by German side SV Darmstadt last January, but last night signed a permanent contract with the Blue and Gold Army.

Cape Town City FC is excited to announce the signing of former @Inter and @WestHamUtd striker Victor Obinna! 🇳🇬#iamCityFC #Obinna17 pic.twitter.com/5Xs3OEQsAZ
— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) September 12, 2017

And during his spell at the Cape Town Stadium, Obinna will be working under Benni McCarthy who has been head coach since replacing Eric Tinkler back in June - his first managerial appointment. The two players previously featured alongside easch other at West Ham during the ill-fated 2010/11 campaign that saw the Hammers end the season bottom fo the Premier League table, under Avram Grant. Grant was the first of the trio to depart West Ham, being sacked as he was in the player's tunnel by vice-Chair Karren Brady immediately after the final game of the campaign at Wigan Athletic.

Obinna - whose main contribution to West Ham was being dismissed during the first leg of the Carling Cup semi final against Birmingham City - returned to parent club Inter at the end of his season-long loan before going on to represent the likes of Malaga, Lokomotiv Moscow and MSV Duisberg. Meanwhile McCarthy - who was pilloried during his spell at West Ham for being overweight and ineffective - left the club my mutual consent in April 2011, after which he spent two years with Orlando Pirates before announcing his retirement in June 2013 at the age of 35.

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Out of position, but in form
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 13th September 2017
By: Staff Writer

Pablo Zabaleta was one of the stars of West Ham's 2-0 win over Huddersfield on Monday night. Widely praised for his energetic performance, the 32-year-old full back rolled back the years at wing back to show that there's plenty of gas left in the tank yet - putting to bed claims that the Argentine international's legs had gone. Unsurprisingly, Zaba was doubly delighted with the team's first clean sheet of the league campaign and his own performance - especially so as it had been some considerable time since he was asked to play such an attacking role. "I played as a wing-back against Huddersfield and it's been a long time since I played in that position," he told the club's website. "But I was happy with the performance. I always tried to support in attack and also always try to be in the right position defensively. "We needed a performance like that because in the last three games we conceded ten goals. That wasn't good enough, so I'm very happy with the performance overall. The whole team did great. "A clean sheet brings confidence - and hopefully we can continue playing in that way."
Equally delighted with the clean sheet was goalkeeper Joe Hart - who played alongside Zabaleta at Manchester City - for whom it was the goalkeeper's first in 22 league appearances. "It was about time, too!" said Hart. "I thought the defenders were fantastic and they protected me really well, so I didn't really have much to do. I just want to make as many saves as I can and whether we keep a clean sheet or not, I'm not really interested as long as we win! "We needed a performance. The result was obviously more important and to get the two together was nice. We're a group and we stick together. Bilic has a lot of faith in us and it was important that we stuck together in the game and got the result."

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Patience is a virtue for Ox
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 13th September 2017
By: Staff Writer

Reece Oxford is still waiting to make his first Bundesliga start, with a month of the season having already passed. The on-loan Hammer has been restricted to a place on the bench for Monchengladbach's opening three league games of the campaign, despite calls from some fans for his immediate introduction to the starting XI.

The 18-year-old, who has recently returned from a spell on the sidelines was an unused substitute for the 1-0 win against Cologne on the opening day of the season, the 2-2 draw at Augsburg and the 1-0 home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. And with Die Fohlen fans generally disappointed by the team's start to the new season, several have taken to the club's Forums to call for Oxford's inclusion. "It is a mystery to me why he does not play," wrote Monchengladbach supporter Borowka. "For Oxford, I hope he gets his chance soon," added BurningSoul. "If players who we sign as a 'prospect player' do not get a chance, then it will be damned hard to bring in such rough diamonds as Benes, Cuisance or Oxford in future."

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Former West Ham manager has an interesting idea on how to end Andy Carroll's injury woes
Andy Carroll has struggled with injuries since arriving at West Ham
Football London
COMMENTS
BYKEVIN BEIRNE
21:30, 13 SEP 2017

Since making the move to West Ham from Liverpool, Andy Carroll has brought Hammers fans a mix of frustration and delight. When he is on his game, he can be one of the most dangerous marksmen in the country but his fitness issues have held back his development and have left West Ham high and dry too many times.
With the Hammers needing to turn things around quickly in order to save Slaven Bilic's job, a former West Ham manager thinks he may have the solution to the Carroll conundrum.
Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew says the solution is simple: Carroll should not be expected to train. "If I was West Ham manager, I wouldn't let him train," Pardew said on Sky Sports' The Debate. "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I just wouldn't let him, and say he can do a little bit of work on Thursday, Friday he can play in a seven-a-side, and then play on Saturday." "Once he's fit and he's playing, he doesn't need a lot of work. The way he plays, he's kind of in the game and out of the game, so he can rest for periods, and let him rest; because when he's on the pitch, what he actually does physically is a lot of big, physical stuff, not running around, closing people down, so he doesn't need to have ten miles in him. "That boy is a fantastic footballer, but Slaven does have to be very, very clever with him to try and work out his schedule so that he doesn't overcook him in training, because a lot of his injuries, he picks up in training."

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Newham Council admit £40m loan to help West Ham move in to Olympic Stadium may never be repaid until venue turns a profit
The east London borough have classified the £40m loan as 'impaired'
Council haven't 'written off' the loan but fear it may never be repaid
£40m deal was agreed by the council following the London Olympics in 2012
It helped facilitate West Ham's move into the stadium last year
By ADAM SHERGOLD FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 17:03, 13 September 2017 | UPDATED: 17:29, 13 September 2017

Newham Council has admitted that the £40million loan to help Premier League club West Ham move into the Olympic Stadium may never be repaid. The east London borough said the loan was 'damaged' and not currently being paid off because the stadium was failing to make a profit. Newham stressed the loan had not been 'written off' but appear to give up any hope of getting back the cash. The admission has sparked concern from councillors and residents as the borough, one of the most deprived in the country, faces further austerity. The £40m deal was agreed by the council back in 2012 through its Newham Legacy Investments Ltd (NLI) in conjunction with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The money paid for the conversion of the stadium from the London 2012 athletics venue into a football ground up to Premier League standards. It is now known as the London Stadium. The LLDC had initially invested £257m towards the refurbishment costs and West Ham contributed £15m as they were granted a 99-year lease on the stadium by then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

According to the Newham Recorder, NLI currently owes £44.4m after declaring a loss of £41.6m for 2015-16 and a further deficit of £2.5m in 2016-17. It is because of a poor year financially for the London Stadium, which hasn't made the expected income from events. Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales said last week the council was working with the Greater London Authority and the LLDC to 'improve the financial performance of the stadium.' He said: 'It was an honour to host the para-athletics and the IAAF World Championships, but in future years large music concerts are likely to raise more revenue.'

Newham Labour councillor Rokhsana Fiaz told the Evening Standard: 'It's alarming for residents to read about a £44.4million impairment relating to a loan Newham council has given to refurbish West Ham's stadium via a company it owns. 'I have asked for urgent clarification and details including any further financial implications facing Newham Council. 'Residents need assurances that their money hasn't been wasted and that the financial benefits promised from this much-heralded council investment continue to flow.'

A spokesman for Newham said: 'The loan is shown, for accounting purposes, as currently 'impaired', or damaged, due to the current financial performance of the stadium. 'It is not a write-off of the loan... it was widely anticipated that the first full year of trading would be particularly challenging. 'Newham council is working with the Greater London Authority, the London Legacy Development Corporation and our other stadium partners on a range of options to improve the financial performance of the stadium. 'The future value of our loan, and its treatment in our accounts, is directly linked to that future performance.'

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Why Marko Arnautovic's suspension could see him miss even more time from the West Ham starting XI
Marko Arnautovic returns from suspension ahead of this weekend's game at West Brom
Football London
BYROB GUEST
15:54, 12 SEP 2017

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic looks like he will have a selection headache ahead of Saturday's game at West Brom. With Manuel Lanzini and Mark Noble potentially returning from injury, Bilic will also be boosted by the return of Marko Arnautovic from suspension. It's a good dilemma for the manager to have.
While the Croat will want to start with Lanzini if he is fit, the same cannot be said about Arnautovic. The Austrian's red card at Southampton back in August could prove to be a costly mistake for the club's record signing. After registering their first win of the Premier League season last night, Bilic may elect to start with the same team that beat Huddersfield when his side travel to The Hawthorns. However, if he does slightly alter his team, it might be just to accommodate the Argentine. The manager changed formation at the London Stadium last night, electing to go with three attackers as he chased his side's first win of the season.
Andy Carroll's presence upfront, as well as Michail Antonio's pace, certainly helped, while Javier Hernandez cut a frustrated figure out on the left. Although the Mexican struggled to make an impact in the game, it would be a big decision from the manager to bench the former Manchester United man. Given Bilic was seriously angry with Arnautovic's dismissal at St Mary's, the attacker may just have to bide his time on the bench. While he's a brilliant option to introduce from the sidelines, the 28-year-old wants to make a big impression for his new club to show the supporters exactly why he was brought to east London. Arnautovic would have started in the 3-0 defeat at St James' Park if he wasn't suspended, and he probably would have done likewise last night. The former Stoke City man would be perfect to work off Carroll in an attacking three, but would Bilic drop Antonio or Hernandez after last night's win? Antonio's versatility gives the manager the option to play him as a wing-back, although you wouldn't want to move him back after the trouble he caused going forward last night As well as that, Pablo Zabaleta certainly doesn't deserve to be dropped following his impressive display against the Terriers. Unless Bilic changes formation against West Brom, Arnautovic will more than likely start from the bench. The player would have wanted to make an instant impact for the Hammers, yet his red card means he may just have to bide his time over the coming weeks before the supporters see the best of him. The red card may well prove costly to Arnautovic in his first few months as a West Ham player.

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Slaven Bilic reveals the reason behind his controversial change in West Ham's win over Huddersfield
Many supporters questioned the decision to substitute Hernandez after an hour against Huddersfield Town
Football London
COMMENTS
BYROB GUEST
17:26, 12 SEP 2017

Slaven Bilic has revealed the reason why Javier Hernandez was substituted during West Ham's victory over Huddersfield Town last night. Eyebrows were raised when the Mexican was replaced by Andre Ayew just after the hour mark, especially as the game was still goalless. A number of fans booed the decision, yet Bilic made the right call as the Ghanaian added his side's second goal after Pedro Obiang had opened the scoring. After operating through the middle in the club's first three league games, the former Manchester United man was pushed out wide to accommodate the returning Andy Carroll. Despite struggling to make his mark in the game, Bilic admitted that Hernandez's substitution wasn't down to a poor performance. Bilic, speaking post-match, said: "I noticed a little bit that Hernandez was getting a little tired with those longer runnings and it was the perfect time for Andre to come on. "It was not because Javier did not have a good game it was a time to get fresh legs on the pitch."
Following the win over the Terriers, Bilic could once again elect to start with Hernandez and Michail Antonio either side of Carroll for this weekend's game at West Brom.

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Three realistic William Carvalho alternatives for West Ham in January
HITC
Damien Lucas

The fallout from West Ham United's doomed pursuit of Portugal star William Carvalho means the deal is probably beyond resurrection. Slaven Bilic had targeted the Sporting Lisbon midfielder as the missing piece of his West Ham jigsaw. But the club failed to land the player and the very public row which has ensued since has been embarrassing for all involved, particularly Hammers owners David Sullivan and David Gold. Money talks in modern day football. But such is the acrimony between West Ham and Sporting Lisbon, any hopes of resurrecting the deal seem remote. Quality defensive midfielders don't grow on trees and the good ones cost big money. So what are the realistic alternatives for Bilic in January, if indeed he survives as boss until then.

Luiz Gustavo

Brazilian Luiz Gustavo is best known for his time at Bayern Munich but excelled during a spell with Bundesliga rivals Wolfsburg. He was sold to Marseille for £9million in the summer but things have not started well for the fiery star with L'OM suffering a poor start to the season conceding nine goals in two games of late.
A bid similar to that submitted for Carvalho of around £23m could tempt the French side to sell and the 29-year-old would fit perfectly into that hole in the Hammers team. A superb reader of the game, Gustavo's biggest strength is to break up play and he has come of the best interception stats in Europe. He may be Brazilian but his qualities are destructive rather than creative, just what Bilic is looking for.

Milan Badelj

The anchor at the heart of a steadily improving Fiorentina side is Milan Badelj. As a Croatian international Bilic will be well aware of the 28-year-old's abilities. Badelj has gradually built a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in Serie A and indeed wider Europe. Like Gustavo Bedelj's quality is in breaking up play but like Carvalho he also becomes a deep sitting playmaker and is known for his bursts forward quickly turning defence into attack.

Asier Illarramendi

At 26 Real Madrid reject Asier Illarramendi would represent the best business by West Ham if they can lure him to East London from Real Sociedad. The Spaniard was snapped up Madrid during Carlo Ancelotti's time at the club but never quite made the step up to replace Xabi Alonso. It was one of David Moyes' first - and only - good moves to bring Asier back to Real Sociedad during his ill-fated spell as manager there because he has flourished ever since. On paper statistics show he is in the top five defensive midfielders in Europe so he won't come cheap. But he would undoubtedly be the best long term investment for the Hammers.

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Shanghai Shenhua boss slams "overweight" former West Ham striker Carlos Tevez
Shanhai Shenhua manager Wu Jingui has told Carlos Tevez he is not physically ready to play
Football London
BYROB GUEST
10:39, 13 SEP 2017

Carlos Tevez's miserable start to life in the Chinese Super League has hit a new low. After only managing two goals in 12 appearances for Shanghai Shenhua, the former West Ham player has been told he will be spending time on the sidelines until he sorts out his fitness. Branded as being 'overweight' by manager Wu Jingui, Tevez is apparently not physically ready to take to the pitch for the Chinese side. Linked with a return to east London last season, the Argentine's latest problems in China will no doubt see reports of him returning to Boca Juniors gather even more pace. "I won't pick him right now. He's not ready physically. He's not fit to play," said Wu. "He is overweight, along with [Fredy] Guarin. I have to take responsibility for the team and the players as well. "If you are unable do your utmost to play, there's no point in picking you. I have coached lots of big stars, and my players are never picked on reputation."

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Bilic explains why he took risky decision with Javier Hernandez
By Eshlin Vedan - September 13, 2017
Futnsoccer.net

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has revealed why he substituted Javier Hernandez during his side's 2-0 win over Huddersfield on Monday. At the time, many questioned whether it was correct to take off the Mexican especially as the score was locked at 0-0 at the time. Despite a number of fans jeering the decision, it turned out to be a match winning move in the end. Andre Ayew, who came on for Hernandez, went on to provide an assist which allowed Pedro Obiang to open the scoring and he then doubled the Hammers lead by netting himself five minutes later. Bilic has since revealed that he opted to substitute Hernandez not because he was disappointed in him but because he felt that the player was tired. He said, "I noticed a little bit that Hernandez was getting a little tired with those longer runnings and it was the perfect time for Andre to come on. It was not because Javier did not have a good game it was a time to get fresh legs on the pitch."

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