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The Real Reason For Antonio's New Deal

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 06/01/2022 - 17:20

It is the transfer window and all the media hacks know it is open season to tell whoppers and get away with it, one of the least reliable sources of 'genuine news' is that bastion of (sic) honesty, the Sun! So their article relating to Michail Antonio's contract extension doesn't let the truth get in the way of a good story, this is their usual modus operandi.

The 'Antonio handed new three and a half year deal' headline of their article instantly kicks off with an inaccuracy and continues in the same vein. For a start Antonio has been handed a TWO year extension to his EXISTING deal, which has another 18 months to run, his wages have gone up in accordance to the deal he ALREADY had in place.

In other words Antonio was due an increase that kicked in towards the end of his contract in order to keep him at the club, any contract extension that was going to be offered was to be based on Mikey's level of fitness, which has improved significantly this season due to a couple of lifestyle and fitness regime changes.

Michail Antonio is 31 years old and will be 34 years old by the time his new contract extension expires, Leicester City's Jamie Vardy is 35 years old in five days time as a point of reference, he signed a 4 year / £29,120,000 contract with the Foxes, including an annual average salary of £7,280,000 which equates to around £140,000 per week.

Strikers have ALWAYS attracted higher wages and premiums than other positions, an extra TWO year extension might seem generous, some will say foolhardy given Hammers experience with Winston Reid who was handed a SIX year deal that had to be paid off in the end, but it is market value for a top striker, even an old one!

We heard that Antonio's agent had been approached by 'another London club' who were possibly about to sell their main striker a few months ago with regards to Mikey's availability for a transfer, they were prepared to pay a big fee and substantial wages in the region of £130,000 per week in order to get the Jamaica International on board.

Ironically it was big Mikey's insistence on playing for the country of his parents birth that helped scupper the deal, no one really wants one of their star players jetting off round the World to play in games that are almost pointless due to the paucity of quality players available to the reggae boyz.

So to sum things up, Hammers have just protected their investment for the next couple of years, it is true that Hammers have a dreadful track record when it comes to giving injury prone players long contracts, but the club had little choice other than to stump up. Perhaps this is the residual price for not having secured an additional striker after Haller had been sold? -Ed

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AFCON -The Different Types Of Gambling In South Africa

Submitted by Louis Nixon on Thu, 06/01/2022 - 17:15

South Africa is considered to be quite new to the world of gambling. The act was only legalised in this part of the world in 1994, but that doesn’t mean that the population has refrained from getting involved. The country saw over two thousand casinos open their doors by the end of 1995, but that isn’t the only type of gambling that is permitted in this country. Since then, South Africa has implemented many types of gambling, so let’s look at all the ways that you can legally gamble in the country.

South African Lottery

The government introduced the South African national lottery in 1996, not too long after gambling became legal. This lottery works in the same way that most lotteries work across the globe. A fixed jackpot is set and players must buy a ticket to enter. These tickets cost 5R per ticket, and each one contains six numbers. The player must match at least three numbers to those pulled out in sequence during the live draw to win a prize. A player that matches all six numbers will win the grand jackpot which usually sits in the millions. If no one claims the total jackpot, the sum is rolled over and added to the prize amount in next week’s draw.

Sports Betting

Betting on sports has always provided fans with a way to heighten their enjoyment of the game. South African fans are no different, and they are privy to over three-hundred bookmakers across the country. People are able to bet on the outcome of a football match, horse race, Olympic events and even American sports, such as basketball and the NFL. This act of gambling is perfectly above board, provided the bets are made with a legal betting establishment.

Casinos

There was once a huge following for the brick-and-mortar casinos in South Africa. However, the total number of physical casinos in the country has dropped from a lofty two thousand to a mere forty three licenced buildings.
This has nothing to do with changes to the law. You can still walk into one of these casino and engage in a game of poker, blackjack, roulette, craps and slots. Only now, there is more popular alternative to the brick and mortar casino.

Online Casinos

The digital age has given us many online wonders in the last few years. The mid 2000s provided us with the ability to play casino games online and the gambling community has never looked back. The introduction of the online casino site has given us access to all of our favourite casino games, but now we can play from the comfort of our own home. As long as you have a solid internet connection, you can play any of the games found in a regular casino. There is even a larger variety of casino games available on these sites, and you will never have to fight over a machine again. Just log on, place your bet and start playing. Some people believe that this online version has killed the social aspect of playing casino games. However, more innovations have been made to rectify this.

Live Online Casino Games

The live online casino game takes place on internet lobby with a live host and chatroom. Again, you get to partake in all of the games that you would at a regular casino but now you connect via a webcam instead. These live games are a great solution to the social absence that took hold in the online gambling community, and sites like Play Live Casino strive to make the chatroom as friendly as possible. Play Live Casino will hire the best live hosts possible and offer reliable customer service to screen the chats to make sure everyone is being friendly and courteous of other players. What’s more, these live events can even include popular T.V game shows.

Raffles

One form of gambling that often falls under people’s radar is the charity raffle. These tombola games require the participant to purchase a single ticket or more for the chance to win some prizes. It might sound crazy, but this type of raffle is actually an act of gambling. It is perfectly legal in South Africa, but keep this in mind next time you enter one of these competitions. Even if it is taking place at your child’s school, a charity raffle must adhere to all of the local betting rules set out by the government. This means that your neighbour can’t rig the game, despite what you may have thought.

Summary

There you have all of the forms of legal gambling in South Africa. The country doesn’t differ too much from other places that have legalised gambling, just make sure that you are familiar with the law before you start placing bets. LN

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Hammers Back Off Due To 'Insane' Digne Wage Demand

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 06/01/2022 - 11:17

West Ham United's interest in bringing Everton's Lucas Digne to East London has ended almost as soon as it began due to the player's 'insane' wage demands, it is believed that newly minted Newcastle made an offer that Digne's agent has set as the ball park figure for his client to agree to a move to ANY interested parties.

The agent is obviously living in cloud-cuckoo-land if he expects a relatively high-flying club like West Ham who can pick and choose players, to match the offer of a desperate, albeit extremely wealthy, club like Newcastle who are embroiled in an intense relegation battle that they have no guarantee of surviving despite their enormous wealth!

It is believed that Digne requires a salary of just over £135,000 per week, which would make him the highest paid player at West Ham, a situation that would inevitably end up causing disharmony among David Moyes's squad and one that should be avoided.

The extreme need for a left back has slightly dissipated due to 'encouraging' news regarding Aaron Cresswell, while the full extent of his injury has never been made public, it is believed that Cresswell underwent minor surgery to flush out the bone fragment that had been dislodged as a result of the player colliding with a goal post as he stopped a goal bound effort in the game against Man City.

Even IF Cresswell is given the go ahead to return, the lesson needs to be learned and a back up left back is STILL a necessity, it is equally as important as the need for an additional centre back and a forward to help out Mike Antonio, but Digne at £135,000 per week? No thanks! -Ed

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Digne To West Ham But Everton Want Soucek Swap!

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Submitted by nevillenixon on Wed, 05/01/2022 - 18:52

Injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have emphasised Everton’s lack of depth in the central attacking areas and despite the threat of severe FFP penalties looming, they are dead set on strengthening their squad. To do so they must either sell players, or barter them in order to comply with FFP.

Rafa Benitez's falling out with Lucas Digne is well documented and when the Everton manager and a player quarrel, one of them walks, invariably the player! While Benitez is keen to offload the 28 year old France International, he will want to get top dollar for the left back. That said, Everton have already signed Lucas Digne's replacement in the form of Ukraine left back Vitalii Mykolenko, so Digne's bridge is effectively burned with the club which needs funds from his transfer to pay the £20 Million for Mylolenko and the £11.5 Million plus add ons for 20 year old Nathan Patterson from Rangers.

Chelsea and of course Newcastle are interested in the 47 cap International but Benitez has apparently got his sights set on a 'West Ham' attacking midfielder that he would like to do a swap deal for! So who could this player be? Well, it can't be Declan, it can't possibly be Vlasic who of course endured a torrid time up at Goodison when he was a youngster, so that only leaves Tomas Souck or Alex Kral.

Lucas Digne cost Everton £18 Million in 2018, unlike some of the disastrous signings made by the Toffees Digne was a rare success and was valued as high as £31 Million 12 Months ago, since then his value has dropped in line with Everton's Premier League standing, they are currently 15th on equal points to Leeds United.

Lucas Digne would cost around £20-23 Million but is nowhere near as valuable as Tomas Soucek, Hammers would never dream of selling Tomas anyway, so the speculation regarding Digne is merely that, speculation, UNLESS David Moyes decides to front up and buy him that is!

It's the transfer window, so expect Hammers to be linked with virtually every player who has a pulse, the ones without are all on Newcastle's list! - ED

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Rice sold for bargain!

hammergirl's picture
Submitted by hammergirl on Wed, 05/01/2022 - 11:08

Forums:

Thats Uncle Bens by the way:-) my local supermarket for some reason selling it cheap! but hey its January and it's not like that will be the last time you will hear a story about Rice now is it.

Our Basmati Billy Bonds

boogerscaravan's picture
Submitted by boogerscaravan on Wed, 05/01/2022 - 10:27

Forums:

So big Dec Rice, or our Basmati Billy Bonds is now being strongly linked to Man Utd. Obviously Ralph Ring ur Neck has got delusions of grandeur.

Just love this time of year NOT!!! Big Dec Basmati is going nowhere!!!

Where Would Lingard Fit In?

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Tue, 04/01/2022 - 19:29
jesse lingard to west ham, where would he play?

Obviously with the transfer window opened, the speculation thread mill has gone into overdrive with rumour versus counter rumour, none more so than the 'never ending story' of whether Manchester United's Jesse Lingard would return to West Ham on a permanent basis, following his incredibly successful loan spell during the second half of last season.

Lingard HAS been badly let down by his parent club on his return to Old Trafford, promises of more playing time were initially dashed by Ole 'gonner' and then compounded by Ralf Rangnick as Lingard's plummet down the Manchester United pecking order has been perpetuated.

During his loan spell at the club players openly refered to Lingard as Moyes's pet, more clandestine names were given to him such as Moyes's love child, such was the esteem the Hammers manager held for the Manchester United midfielder. It seemed a foregone conclusion that Lingard would return to West Ham sooner rather than later, as a result Moyes decided on bringing Nikola Vlasic to the club at some considerable expense.

Moyes has integrated Vlasic into the team incredibly cautiously, but he now seems willing for the Croatian to step up to the plate in the absence of Said Benrahma who is off playing in the AFCON competition that is scheduled to run for SIX weeks.

Hammers need for a striker is like a scratched record, as is the need for a good left back as well as a decent centre back, the ONE area of the pitch that Hammers have cover in abundance is MIDFIELD, with Pablo Fornals, Alex Kral, Manuel Lanzini and now Nikola Vlasic ALL competing to fill two slots, so where would Jesse Lingard fit in?

Something would have to give in order to accommodate Jesse, however IF he arrived EARLY during the January window, playing him would only risk putting one nose out of joint instead of two, the problem being that one of those affected most by Lingard's selection would be Vlasic, who has just been 'brought to the boil' in a similar fashion as that was done to both Jarrod Bowen AND Said Benrama.

Of course it can be argued that ANY club with genuine top four or even top six aspirations, HAS to have a squad capable of playing on ALL fronts throughout the season and therefore signing Lingard would be a prudent bit of business that could pay for itself, if Hammers WERE able to gatecrash the top four! - Ed

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Is This The First Sign Of Kretinsky's Direction?

Submitted by Louis Nixon on Tue, 04/01/2022 - 17:56
hammers investor wants to make an impact during this window

West Ham have confirmed they have recalled Joseph Anang from his loan spell at Stevenage, the 21-year-old goalkeeper made 18 appearances in League Two for struggling Boro this term, and now returns to the club at the request of David Moyes. Hammers have also exercised their recall clause to bring Mipo Odubeko back from his loan spell at Huddersfield early, the club has confirmed. Odubeko joined the Yorkshire side on a season-long loan deal in the summer, but featured for just 107 minutes over six appearances in the Championship.

Sending players out on loan is intended to help them progress by featuring in 'competitive' games, neither Anang nor Odubeko have been given anywhere near enough time and therefore it is correct that they have been recalled.Given Hammers paucity of strikers, it makes clear sense to recall Odubeko in particular, if only to free up space in the U-23's for one of them to train and be around the first team on a permanent basis.

With new players potentially arriving, perhaps a reappraisal of those currently at the club might mean letting some players go. However it is believed that since joining the board, Daniel Kretinsk has questioned why so many young players are out on loan when the club is so incredibly short on numbers.

So perhaps the recalls are just an attempt to see things as they really are ahead of SOME expenditure, Kretinsky will want to see some of his investment earmarked for the arrival of at least TWO players during this transfer window, anything less will send out the wrong message both to fans and to potential new arrivals, who are always keen to ascertain a club's intentions for moving forward. LN

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Remember Flops When Bigging Up Barbosa!

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Tue, 04/01/2022 - 11:50
He flopped in Europe before, Barbosa buyer beware West Ham!

Remember Savio Nsereko and the hype surrounding the next 'best young striker in Europe' when West Ham paid Brecsia £9 Million for the 19 year old back in 2009? Despite the massive fan fair on his arrival, he failed to settle at the club, making just one start and failing to score in any of his ten appearances. He was sold to Fiorentina for €2.7 Million, with Manuel da Costa going the other way as part of the deal for free. Hammers retained the rights to 50 percent of the player's sell-on fee, which would eventually be worth, a big fat Zilch!

Savio hasn't been the only flop to arrive at West Ham by a long mark, there is quite a comprehensive list after all. So rumours of Hammers supposed interest in signing Gabriel Barbosa ,who has already FAILED miserably in Europe and has a questionable entourage that accompany him at whichever club he plays for, must surely be wide of the mark, mustn't they?

No one doubts that the 25-year-old Brazilian forward has been a stunning success since returning to Brasil and playing for Flamengo, he has scored 84 goals in 124 games for them. Last season, he scored 29 goals in 43 games so he obviously knows how to score, in BRASIL! However his struggles in Europe with Inter and Benfica will surely ring alarm bells and undoubtedly be a concern for David Moyes. Smashing it in the Brasilian top flight is one thing, doing so in the Premier League requires a whole new set of skills, which on the face of it, 'Gabigoal' as he is nicknamed, clearly lacks.

Barbosa may have been tracked by West Ham for quite some time now, but that delay has been for a reason, David Moyes doesn't 'fancy' him, due in no small measure to the fact that Barbosa as a full time body guard and no less than TWO full time social media managers! Exactly the sort of baggage the Iron's manager is really fond of, NOT.

Those wishing to see 'Gabigoa'l in the Premier League need not be disappointed though, he'll probably end up at Newcastle! - Ed

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New Year-New Media Darlings-West Ham?

Submitted by Louis Nixon on Tue, 04/01/2022 - 09:29
murphy confesses to hammers admiration
tuchel confesses to hammers admiration

Whisper it quietly, but depite having only recently emerged from an atrocious run of results, West Ham have attained 'media momentum'. The club is no longer the subject of widespread derision, far from it, somehow David Moyes has managed to elevate West Ham to levels previously thought relatively implausible and virtually impossible!

Seen for so long as London's fourth club in the Premier League pecking order, there are still many who believe Hammers will eventually fall by the wayside and allow the London Status Quo to return. However, much like denim clad rockers Quo and their 'farewell tours', Hammers keep on keeping on!

Just when you had written them off, they came back for more, 'again and again'. To continue with the Musical analogy, David Moyes and his support staff might only have three chords to play with, but boy can they play them! Hammers have become incredibly popular with the pundits, even the dour Danny Murphy along with Chelsea's Thomas Tuchel have admitted that watching West Ham is their 'dirty little secret".

The thing is, once the media have decided that a club warrants their 'love', there is little the club can do wrong in their eyes. Not since the halcyon days and nights of the sixties have Hammers had such a high profile, when it happened before it was squandered through greed and a lack of forethought, hopefully things will be different this time round.

The clamour for additional players by fans is entirely understandable, however David Moyes runs a tight ship which may not be ideally suited to many players, his "run or you don't play' ethos is an anathema to certain players, particularly those from overseas, which is why Moyes has signed so few 'foreign' players since his 'second coming' at West Ham.

With a bit of luck AND some astute investment, Hammers should be there or thereabouts for another top six spot in the Premier League, talks of top four are gratifying but a little optimistic when considering the strength and financial clout of the other teams vying for those precious Champions League places.

Hammers go into the New Year bruised and battered but with the light at the end of the tunnel still visible, the team might look a bit beaten up, but you should have seen the other guy! - LN

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