Forum | Non-Football Related
Milenković Gets Harder To See & Touch!
"I love you Darling, but" is the opening line of a thousand 'Dear John' messages received by forlorn Lovers, suddenly all their glimmers of hope disappearing in to the ether, leaving a broken heart! Well Hammers desperate hunt for new players isn't quite so emotionally dramatic, however alarm signals should ring when the 'but' word is suddenly involved.
Enough sources to open an entire news network have covered West Ham's pursuit of 'bargain basement' signing, Nikola Milenković, the is he or isn't he rumbled on a bit and then a break through, well actually no, an impasse instead, well it wouldn't be West Ham if there wasn't a problem would it?
The 'problem'(s) aren't going to go away easily, they usually wear very expensive suits and can afford to not wear socks, oh and they usually drive an Audi R8 or a Lambo....they are of course the agents and player management companies, between them they ensure a 'proper carve up' when it comes to transfers, more so in the case of Milenković's proposed move from Fiorentina because he is in the final year of his contract and is refusing to sign a new one. So Fiorentina need to sell him now or risk losing him on a pre contract at Christmas.
Unfortunately the afore mentioned 'but' word has appeared in the 'latest' news emerging, and that is that everything is fine with the deal 'but' for a few details AND demands from agents, well that isn't a little but, it's a trouser busting big arse of a but!
We've got a bad bad feeling about this one, you can just hear the 'but' rehearsals, "we would have signed him but!" Nothing would make up happier than to have to eat great helpings of 'Umble pie over the transfer, a plate too far? -Ed
Centre-Back To The Future
While West Ham's need for an out-and-out striker is blatantly obvious, the club's search for additional players seems focused on acquiring a centre back, or several as the Press point out. Liverpool's Nat Phillips is the latest in a long line of potential defensive targets.
So why are Hammers pursuing Centre backs a plenty when the club desperately needs a new striker? Well if you cast a quick glance at last season's final table you will see that West Ham conceded an outrageously high amount of goals, this figure was somewhat offset by the team's ability to score goals in abundance!
Final position for West Ham: finished 6th, played 38 games Home W10 D4 L5 F32 A22 Away W9 D4 L6 F30 A25 +15 Goal Diff Pts 65
Conceding 47 goals is simply not good enough for a team that has aspirations for continued European Cup Competitions and is an area that David Moyes, being an ex-defender himself, is very keen to address. The apparently 'nailed on' transfer of Nikola Milenković from Fiorentina has hit the buffers, unsurprisingly to many sceptical and jaded Hammers supporters as he just seems to get harder to see and touch. Hence the flurry of centre back speculation, Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby has apparently joined the club's shortlist, as has Marseille's Duje Ćaleta-Car.
However, 24-year-old Ćaleta-Car has previously turned down a move to the London Stadium and Moyes has a long memory! Hopefully aLl this centre back chat is just a diversion from the FORTHCOMING main act...SIGNING A STRIKER! - ED
Diop to Leicester?
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I would say yes sell him if we manage to get in Nikola Milenkovic and Duje Ćaleta-Car,my reason is i just do not feel safe with Diop at the back unless he is alongside Ogbonna he looks to my eyes very vulnerable a bit of a bambi on ice sometimes. and we could get £30million for him easy what are your thoughts boys?
Benny At Cross Roads
Having recently been 'shown the Love' by his manager David Moyes, Hammers maestro Saïd Benrahma has finally started to show the dazzling ability he has, both going forwards AND more importantly for his coaches, tracking back as if his life depends on it!
Some of the sublime skills he showed against a very top team, in the form of Saturday's visitors Atalanta, were exceptional which had the crowd bewitched and the opposition bewildered. Saïd ran rings round the Atalanta defenders and eventually had them chasing shadows while fearing they would concede free kicks every time they tried to tackle him, sometimes 3 or 4 players at a time!
In Benrahma Hammers have a player who will strike fear into defenders far and wide, his ability to draw fouls is almost 'Grealish' like, with the exception he doesn't go down like a stuck pig every time he is tackled. David Moyes is famous, some would say infamous, for the amount of time he takes to 'bed' players in. Moyes did exactly the same with Jarrod Bowen, it seems that it is the manager's way of guiding players from the rigours of the Championship up to the even more demanding Barclays Premier League, where the tiniest of errors can end up gifting the opposition a goal.
Watching David Moyes's obvious appreciation of his Algerian forward proves to other squad members AND to potential signings, that if you work hard you will progress under his and his staff's tutelage. The super high energy performances of last season, that many fans feared would dissipate, were replicated in full against Atalanta, and although it was only a friendly, Hammers looked clinical and played with a determination to prove that last season was no flash in the pan, and that they deserve to be called a 'top six' club! -Ed
PS: We have been waiting ages for the right moment to use the 'Benny At Cross Roads' headline, but fear it will be necessary for fans of a certain age to explain to those a lot younger who exactly 'Benny' was, and where and what Cross Roads was, also that 'Meg' was associated with another hit TV series before Family Guy!
Betway Voodoo Broken
Hammers outplayed Atalanta to win the Betway cup 2-0 at the London Bowl, this was a more than decent work out against a very good team, the visitors are renowned for their fast paced attacking play, but were nullified by a stalwart and well marshalled defence.
The fans returning to only the 2nd home game in 18 months that they had been allowed to attend were treated to a decisive, clinical performance with many of the players deserving special credit, none more so than Said Benrahma, who bewildered the visitors midfielders and defenders with his balletic footwork.
Seeing Declan Rice back with a smile on his face was very encouraging, all the talk of deals and contracts looking to be well on the back burner, his body language was good, and he linked up with his 'partner in crime' Tomas Soucek as if they had never been away.
David Moyes is well known for throwing the odd curve ball in, and today was no exception, he elected to start Andriy Yarmolenko and despite actually running here and there, he proved just why he is ill suited to the frenetic pace of top flight domestic football.
Goals towards the end of the 1st half and the 2nd did for the visitors, who showed moments of real quality, but were unable to break down Hammers defensive line up despite a couple of close calls. Hammers had never won the Betway Cup before, well they have now.
Having removed one long-standing 'monkey on their shoulder's', the club now have to face perennial party poopers Newcastle. Last season they won two games that saved them from relegation, Hammers lost two games which denied them a European Champions League place, so there are some afters! - Ed
An unbeaten pre season for Hammers
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Weren't we relegated last time that happened?
Want Clar(e)ty? Ask Anton How Much?
Anton Ferdinand has 'come out' in his support of PAI(n)'s proposed take over of West Ham, Rio Ferdinand's younger and much less successful brother has wholeheartedly backed the potential investment suitors, but then again Anton has been really, really busy recently 'raising' his media profile, this raised presence couldn't be because he is running out of cash could it?
Apologies for the somewhat sceptical stance, however having been involved in an aggressive company buy out attempt, albeit for a multi million valued studio complex as opposed to a many millions valued football club, the warning signs about the PAI(n) deal are plainly there to see, if you want to look closely enough that is.
Of course fans want someone, nay anyone to arrive, and buy out the present incumbents who are universally disliked by fans because of the club's move from the much beloved, but ancient Boleyn Ground, to the super modern but entirely unfit for purpose London Bowl.
Cash rich 'genuine' buyers could be a godsend for the club, but the details aren't stacking up as things stand at the moment, especially when fully scrutinised. The 'Potential' 'Accounting' 'Investment' proposal for West Ham lacks depth and appears as if it was 'slapped together' with the same amount of due diligence as the failed European super league proposals.
We might be wrong, but there is a suspicion that a consultancy 'expenses' fee might have changed hands at some stage, this is all perfectly above board and fully legal, but that doesn't stop it from having a bad odour. Rio doesn't need the cash, but Anton could probably do with it.
Citing the Ferdinand brothers as main ex-playing legends is going a bit far, Anton hardly set the world on fire while at West Ham, and Rio has spent the majority of his life 'bigging up' Manchester United, he also urged Declan Rice to join up with 'his' club, MANCHESTER UNITED!
If the misjudgement of using the Ferdinand brothers as a ploy to get fans on board is anything to go by, serious doubts should be raised as to the competence of PAI(n)s proposal and their direction. Before you think this is a pro David Sullivan and the rest outburst, think again. They are atrocious owners, blinded by their own compulsive narcissistic tendencies that manifest with public outbursts more reminiscent of a nursery school, with Lady 'Sun' being the worst offender, closely followed by David Sullivan!
Like it or not, fans are going to be stuck with Sullivan at the helm for a lengthy period of time, in fact we would go as far as to say that he will dig his heels in, irrespective of the consequences, because he resents the 'P' organisation for trying to do to him that which he has often done so often to others in the past. - Ed
Can't Go? View Today's Game For Free(ish)
We are not quite sure as yet, as these things can be altered right up until the last minute, but if you are unable to attend Hammers Betway Cup friendly against Atalanta at the London Bowl this afternoon, you may well be able to see it on line instead.
This facility, which we are yet to confirm is available via Bet 365, the only snag being you need to have an 'active' account with them, essentially if you don't have an account, you have to open one with a £5 minimum deposit....this is NOT an advertorial or 'sponsored' link.
If you look around, there are probably 'new user' deals available for Bet 365 whereby you put £10 in and get a bunch of free bets, usually loaded in order that you have to spend any of your 'winning' several times before you can actually withdraw the funds!
That said, Ed Jnr opened an account a couple of years ago via a promotion, choosing to only bet on 'wild cards', as a result he as tripled his original £10 AND accessed the £50 that he originally won! We don't however recommend opening an account if you have any gambling issues, we just want to point the way for fans to see the game without charge and legally.
We were waiting for confirmation from Bet 365's head office regarding the stream and hoped to provide an update as soon as possible, but their response was vague, so we are not sure if you need to use a VPN connection. Tech head Org member Scotto assures us it will indeed be possible to see the live stream on Bet 365, but the only way of knowing is by selecting their in play link, hopefully a live stream of the match will appear on their website at 14:555 Hrs, if not there will only be a simulcast update of the match events. - Ed
Players To Fill The Void
Hammers have, according to the media, tabled a plethora of bids for defenders from across Europe during the last few days, the club having apparently tabled enough bids to open an outdoor restaurant! It really has become a case of journalists looking at who is vaguely available and then associating them with a club that is desperate to make signings, it makes for easy copy.
The PAI(n) public spat, has inadvertently taken the focus off the club's need for new players, by focusing the attention of disenfranchised fans on the club's need for new owners! Here's a list of SOME of the players David Moyes has at his disposal that he could deploy.
Conor Coventry cdm
West Ham have pulled the plug on Conor Coventry leaving on loan this season, Peterborough United made a move to sign the 21-year-old and David Moyes was willing to let him go ahead of the new Championship season, however the Hammers manager has rightly changed his mind and decided to retain Coventry to bulk up a midfield that relies solely on Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek remaining injury free, the only other back up being veteran Mark Noble.Emmanuel Longelo. l/b
That’s after the highly-rated left full-back scored two exquisite, top-corner free-kicks for West Ham’s Under 23s in a 3-0 win over Birmingham on Friday. Longelo, who has been converted into a left-back cum left wingback from a striker in West Ham’s academy, stole the show.
Coventry and Longelo could joinFrederik Alves c/b
Ben Johnson r/l/b
Both of whom have already been promoted to the 1st team squad, and they could be joined by players from the Youth team, including
Aji Alese, c/d
Jamal Baptiste cdm
Armstrong Okoflex. winger
Thierry Nevers forward
Of course there is still a massive need for a couple of 'experienced' players to be added, but the club do have an exceptional crop of youngsters coming through, in fact there are some people close to the club suggesting this is the best crop of youngsters since Joe Cole and Frank Lampard Jnr! - Ed
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