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  • Moyes In Showdown With Sully!

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sun, 01/08/2021 - 09:45


    Hammers lack of activity in the transfer market has gone from being a 'matter of some concern', into a full blown crisis! All the usual guff that emanates from the Hammers hierarchy is there in all but 'physical presence'. The board have realised that they can spew out their bovine excretia from a distance, preferably using a Patsy to verbalise their 'vision'.

    In the past it was the 'West Ham Way', but not anymore! David Moyes is most definitely NOT a Hammers Patsy, far from it, in fact we have been told that Moysie and Sully have had one or two or three 'heated' debates regarding player acquisitions. So heated have some of their 'debates' been, that there was apparently the need to have a 'time out' from their discussions in order to avoid the situation spiralling out of control.

    David Moyes Is NOT Happy!

    David Sullivan and the Board tried to deploy their usual tactic of promising money but then saying the rug has been pulled from under them due to ......the list is endless, but Moyes isn't buying it. Moyes is particularly grieved by the constantly changing fiscal goal posts that has seen his transfer budget go from paltry to miniscule.

    As usual the spin machine is in full flight with the usual ridiculously ridiculous speculation regarding this player and that, none of whom the club could possibly afford. There are two major issues evolving here, Moyes is not the type of character to kowtow to rich owners, especially if they aren't rich! The other salient point is that David Moyes is a rather wealthy man in his own right and as such cannot be bribed or cajoled by the Twins' filthy lucre, a situation they find hard to cope with.

    We could publish a whole raft of stories about David Sullivan's early business enterprises and how he made them happen whilst skirting the edges of legal ramifications using similar principals to those currently employed in running West Ham, the problem is that the venerable Henri Brandman would be sending us a nice little writ in the post, as he has done in the past.

    The next week may well turn out to be one of the most seismic in Hammers already turbulent history since the Twins took over, there bluff and counter bluff finally reaching someone who is resilient who cannot have the wool pulled over his eyes.

    David Moyes was most definitely NOT most supporters first choice as a manager, even after rescuing the club from relegation, not once, but twice in quick succession. However he has won over the sceptics who now know that he is a decent man who actually really wants the club to do well, without a hidden agenda except maybe the desire to put one over on Manchester United, and that can't be a bad thing can it? - Ed

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  • Impossible to keep

    mcbikeman's picture
    Submitted by mcbikeman on Sun, 01/08/2021 - 08:52

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    £100 million+ how can a club like us or as we see Villa and looks like the spuds as well how can you turn that money down for just one player? simply put you cannot and the reality is if one of the truly big clubs here or in europe want one of your players then you are powerless to stop them going if they want to.

    Grealish to citeh now a certainty and as much as Villa fans may moan it is a fact of life and one we West Ham fans no is the same we will face next summer because i am certain that Rice will go and for the same money if not more the way he is progressing.

    Why do they have to leave some ask but lets face it the players Grealish/Kane/Rice are playing with at the moment are good decent premier league players but when it comes to clubs like Citeh/Chelski/Munich/Barca/Madrid/PSG you are getting to the highest and elitest players in world football not just one or two but every player and who would not want to play and train with players and coaches who will make you an even better player than you are now.

    What we as a club and as fans have to come to understand is that in Rice we have a phenominal player who is coming into his own more and more and after his performances at the Euros we are doing well to keep him this season IMO.

    Now as Villa are facing upto life without Grealish there fans have to understand players like him and Rice do not get replaced you cannot do it and you must not obsess about getting the new Rice/Grealish in you have to be realistic as Clubs like ours and Villa are lucky to have such a player and they standout simply because they are that good and as such when they go you realise just how lucky that we have been to of had such a calibre of player playing for you.

    Gareth Bale had to move back in the day he was as mentioned above(Rice/Grealish) just head and shoulders above the players he was currently playing with and it was no surprise that Madrid got him because like i have said if one of the elite want your player then you are powerless to stop it from happening....spuds squandered the money they had to appease fans Villa and eventually us will have to make sure that we do not fall into that trap and be held to ransom by others when we come calling for a lower clubs best player.

    So enjoy Declans performances this season and unless we somehow managed to qualify for the champions league next season then it will be his last year in a West Ham shirt it will be sad to see such a fine young player go but at money of over £100 million+ you just cannot turn it down.

  • Forwards

    Submitted by Westhamphil on Sat, 31/07/2021 - 10:00

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    According to the Daily Mail, since January of 2010, when Gold & Sullivan took over the club, they have spent a total of £223 million on 49 different forwards. I wish I could name half of them, but I can't. This turnover is astounding, and what does it say about the board's leadership. I would like to know how many have been sold on and at what income.

  • Will Hammers Be The Bees Knees?

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 31/07/2021 - 07:10


    West Ham take on newly promoted Brentford at their new 17,500 seat Community Stadium this afternoon for a 3pm kick off friendly, the game being part of the deal that saw Said Benrahma join David Moyes's men last season. Some fans will question the wisdom of playing a Barclays Premier League rival so soon before the beginning of the next campaign.

    The fact is that the friendly was arranged before Brentford managed to gain promotion via the play offs, it is a relatively common event for a players ex-club to host a friendly with his new club as part of a 'deal sweetener', pre-Covid gate receipts would have made a decent payday for the vendor club.

    Brentford can have fans in their spanking new ground, the match is also being televised by BT Sport, so Hammers fans may get a chance to see a cameo appearance by new signing from PSG, Alphonse Areola. Although Hammers' recruitment is coming under increasing close scrutiny, the squad have to get on with the job of being prepared for the Betway Cup game against Atalanta before the season starts for real against Newcastle the following week.

    It will be interesting to see how Moyes approaches the Bees game, does he go full chaff or use the game to give some of the youth players 'competitive' game time? Today will be a special one for Said Benrahma, returning to the club that nurtured him, but don't expect him to go easy on them, quite the opposite, especially as it is a friendly.

    It is highly unlikely that Angelo Ogbonna will be risked, despite recovering from his slight hamstring tweak, his injury showing up the glaring paucity of the squad. Why the club let the General AKA Fabian Balbuena leave is baffling, but there is no point in dwelling on what is already done, however it does mean one of the club's promising youngsters can hopefully step up.

    The impending arrival of Kurt Zouma will go a long way to quell fears fans had ofthe club being 'left behind', another couple of players and suddenly things begin to look a lot rosier. Brentford will give it a real go this afternoon, so don't expect another Celtic! Happy viewing- Ed

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  • Hi Hope Hammers

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 31/07/2021 - 06:36

    HAMMERS FANS HAVE HIGH HOPES AHEAD OF THE NEW PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON

    West Ham fans were asked how hopeful they are for the season ahead
    On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not optimistic at all, 10 being very optimistic) Hammers fans scored a 7.5, placing them 7th in the table

    Ahead of the new season, supporters have been having their say on how optimistic they are about West Ham’s upcoming Premier League campaign.

    On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not optimistic at all, 10 being very optimistic) West Ham fans scored a 7.5, placing them 7th in the table.

    David Moyes worked wonders with West Ham last season, guiding the Hammers to a 6th place Premier League finish, and earning them a spot in the Europa League.

    Last season’s performances have warranted a surge in fan hope, with Hammers fans averaging a score of 7.5 out of 10 – a 33% increase on last season. This increase in optimism is the largest out of all Premier League fan bases.

    The full Premier League Fan Hope rankings can be found below:

    The research was completed by Sky Bet and YouGov as part of their Fan Hopes campaign. The research asked fans of each Premier League team a series of questions about their expectations of the new season.

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  • Is Tony Fernandes Lurking Behind PAI Capital's Bid?

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 30/07/2021 - 18:44

    In case Hammers fans have forgotten, just around the time the 'biscuit barons' from Iceland took over the club with promises that were impossible to fulfil, there was another buyer eager to negotiate for the club in addition to the MSI consortium that Kia Joorabchian represented.

    That other party was Tony Fernandes, a life long Hammers fan. In the end Terence Brown took the biggest offer on the table and accepted the Icelandic's generous deal, much to the chagrin of Joorabchian who promptly 'grassed' the club up to the relevant authorities in order to extricate Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano who he had 'placed' with the club in order to get HIS deal over the line.

    It is still very puzzling how Tevez was able to be sold to Manchester United without sanction, whereas Hammers were fined an initial £5 Million for registering a player with dual ownership, and then to rub salt in the wounds, ordered to pay Sheffield United £24 Million in 'compensation' because the Blades were so blunt they got relegated!

    Anyway, we digress, Tony Fernandes DID have the money to buy West Ham and invest in the club for the future, but he was unable to match the offer Eggert Magnusson's 'mob' made after having carried out his correct due diligence and realisd the Icelandic's figures didn't add up, and so it proved to be.

    While Fernandes was busy acquiring Caterham Cars and pursuing other business interests, the Icelandic's went bust and Messrs Gold & Sullivan rode in on their (sic) 'silver stallions' to rescue the club for a bargain basement price when it was on it's knees.

    Being a fan, Fernandes was involved in talks regarding a potential takeover of the club in May 2011, at which stage it looked as if he was going to acquire a 51 per cent stake in the club. Former West Ham chairman Andrew Bernhardt even flew to Kuala Lumpur to try and finalise the deal, but the two parties failed to agree on the price. One month later when Fernandes made another offer to buy 51 per cent of the club, unsurprisingly Sullivan and Gold rejected his bid. Sullivan told the Evening Standard: "He wanted 51% of the club for two bob." Now does that sound familiar?

    Sullivan's comments started a war of words on Twitter. "It was a good offer with good money and brought in good people," said Fernandes. "Gold and Sullivan can say whatever they want. I have been a lifelong fan and would have brought good money, good ideas, new people and a new belief. As for PR stunts. Wow. They are always in the press making huge claims. Were we not supposed to be in Europe. Now we have been relegated. Two sacked managers. All good players will be sold. No new training ground which is the most important ingredient I feel. Look at how many injuries we have. And more investment into the academy."

    Three months later, fed up with kicking his heels, Fernandes did the next best thing any pissed off Billionaire would do and bought QPR instead, a club he and his incredibly rich partner invested massively in, well they would do wouldn't they? After all, they had Harry Redknapp, well known emptier of transfer kitty's, as one of their chosen managers.

    Fast forward to the present day, and according to City tittle tattle, that is the City of London financial institutes gossip, as opposed to the country that owns Man city's chit chat, Tony Fernandes has more than a keen interest in the PAI purported take over. It is quite possible that he could be one of several parties involved behind the scenes, as companies like PAI are essentially 'firms that front' for their investors who can remain anonymous should they wish.

    PAI's bid is being led by an ex-QPR top man Philip Beard, we might be adding up 2+2 and getting 5, but the group's reluctance to give up their take over attempt makes us think that Tony Fernandes is involved somehow or somewhere, after all, he does have some 'afters' to settle with the 'twins'. - Ed

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  • Braithwaite To Irons-Who's Having A Giraffe?

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 30/07/2021 - 16:55

    According to a report in spanish media outlet Sport, the Denmark International Martin Braithwaite is very close to joining the Irons, one of their reporters Albert Roge has claimed that there is a “very advanced agreement” Via his personal Twitter account. Well, according to our twitter account that 'report' is stupid, a load of old cobblers, in Roge's language: una tonteria, un montón de zapateros viejos!

    Why on this God's earth would Hammers stump up the 'reported' €15 Million transfer to 'cash strapped' Barcelona for a 30 year old who failed to impress in England before when playing for Middlesbrough? Roge's words of wisdom continued with
    “Braithwaite, very close to West Ham. €15M transfer. Very advanced agreement between clubs. The forward’s OK is missing.”

    Bit of a naff translation that one, as is often the case with 'scoops' from foreign media that are translated incorrectly. Braithwaite is supposedly still undecided whether he wants to tell Barcelona that West Ham are the club he would like to join.....He should be so lucky!

    Barcelona can't wait to bounce Braithwaite out the Camp Nou door, it is not really a question of how much Barca would receive as a fee, more like how much they would pay a club to take his ridiculous wages of their books. Apparently there are 'several' clubs who have shown interest in Braithwaite, who however doesn't quite fit the 'looking for a final pay day' bracket, due to the fact that he is insanely wealthy in his own right, he has earned as much money as Lionel Messi!
    Braithwaite's fortune though has come from off his off field business interests that he runs jointly with his brother and with his wife, property and fashion, how very nice. So he is over 30, not particularly good and demands massive wages, the exact polar opposite of David Moyes's player template of young, fit and hungry.

    Apparently the only detail holding the deal back is the player's salary, crikey mikey he should be paying to play, Roge's having a giraffe! Not in our wildest nightmares, mind you, Sully does love a Scandic you know! - Ed

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  • No No No No No

    Submitted by Enfieldhammer on Fri, 30/07/2021 - 15:41

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    Depending where you look for your Hammers info we are close to signing the prolific goalscorer ( 2 in 29 ) Martin Braithwaite from Barcelona. It's reported we need to increase the £105k a week he is currently on! Well i would not pay £1.05 a week for this piece of shit. Would rather see Coufal & Rice given the money.
    Glad to see the Phil Jones signing has seem to have run its course. Another piece of shit. Was hoping we had seen the back of waste of money signings.

  • Abraham & Perreira Add To Dream Team

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 30/07/2021 - 10:21

    With just over 16 days to go before Hammers opening Barclays Premier League fixture against Newcastle up at St James', things finally look to be falling in place for what will be a turnkey season for the club. Given the welt of negativity surrounding the club's lack of activity in the transfer market, it is reassuring to see that David Moyes is proceeding with the pursuit of HIS transfer targets and NOT necessarily those of majority share holder David Sullivan.

    That doesn't mean that David Moyes will completely ignore 'suggested' players from Sullivan, it is just that Moyes has seen first hand just how good and just how bad some of Sully's transfer dealings have been, also the way the club conducts it's transfer activities with particular scrutiny given to the club's propensity for making 'low ball' offers that do not have a chance of being accepted and only go on to insult the selling club.

    Low ball offers used to work quite well in the past, but that was in the past and not the present, much like when Sam Allardyce first went down the sports science route, initially it worked wonders, but he did not move with the times and as a result his 'cutting edge' concept became outdated due to lack of 'fluidity' in it's implementation, essentially Big Sam went from forward thinking innovator to dinosaur within a decade.

    Hammers lack of funds is well known, as is the club's need for an out and out striker, but there is some 'wiggle room', Chelsea are keen to offload Tammy Abraham, his position at Chelsea is now being described by those close to the 23 year old England International as toxic.

    For some reason Chelsea's manager Thomas Tuchel really doesn't get on with Tammy, there are suggestions that Tammy's girlfriend made her feelings known to Tuchel at a club event which further distanced the two, apparently omitting Abraham from not just the FA Cup final but the Champions League final was the straw that broke the camel's back!

    Chelsea have now reduced their asking price for Tammy from £40 Million to a slightly more reasonable £35 Million, Hammers are rumoured to have offered £30 Million, so there is still work to be done. In addition of attempting to lure Tammy Abraham to the London Stadium, Hammers are actively pursuing a deal for Matheus Perreira from West Brom, again the deal is being held up by the selling club's player valuation, however these difficulties are not insurmountable and 'complications' are bound to rear their ugly head in deals involving the substantial funds that wil be associated with both transfers.

    Bit by bit things are falling into place, it's just a pity that the acquisitions could not be made earlier, but this is one of the draw backs of having comparatively 'wealthy' owners who are asset rich, but cash poor. The end result is the club is nearly bottom of the financial food chain, and as such have to wait until the 'bigger' fish have finished their 'hunting' first! - Ed

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  • Areola In Goala-Irons 1st Proper Signing

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 29/07/2021 - 20:29

    West Ham have completed the loan signing of outstanding 28 year old goal keeper Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain. The France international joins the Irons on an initial season-long deal, with the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer of 2022. Areola has made more than 250 career appearances for PSG and Real Madrid, winning four Ligue 1 and La Liga titles.

    Hammers fans will be well versed with Areola's exploits from during the time he spent on loan last season with Fulham, where he won the club’s Player of the Year award. On the two occasions he faced West Ham he put in resolute performances, only being let down by the porous defence he had in front of him.

    Although fans are rightly concerned about the club's need to sign a much needed striker, the arrival of Areola is a refreshing upgrade from some of the club's previous signings and hopefully represents a new direction in player acquisitions. Hammers performances last season were noticed far and wide, ultimately leading to the club being viewed as a much more desirable destination than it had been in the past, with the presence of David Moyes galvanising positive opinions about the future.

    Arerola's arrival obviously kicks the Johnstone from West Brom speculation into touch, the terms were favourable as well, as West Ham seek to spread their meagre budget as widely as is possible. Being a loan deal does save money initially and gives the player and club a season to get to know each other, but it does mean there is only room for one other loan player.

    Now Areola has arrived, it is easier to assess the Lukasz Fabianski in goal situation with more clarity, 'Fab' has been a great servant to the club, but at approaching 37 years of age probably only has one more season in the top flight left in the tank at the most. Eagle eyed fans will have spotted Fabianski's reticence to kick the ball, favouring long throws now, this must surely be as a result of the thigh injury he sustained last season in addition to the one he sustained the season before.

    The point is Fab isn't getting any younger and his fitness is of an increasing concern, his current back up, Darren Randolph, has his own injury problems and is no spring chicken at 34 years old. Nathan Trott has been sent out on a season's loan, ironically to a French club, in order to gain first team experience, on his return he will probably become the number two keeper with both Fabianski and Randolph being moved on, or in Fab's case probably retire.

    The late and great Brian Clough always said that you need to build a team from the back, starting with the best keeper you can afford, well it may be a loan to buy deal, but we think it is a damn good start and IF the next new singing(s) are of the same calibre, we will be happy! - EdAreola In Goala-Irons 1st Proper Signing

    West Ham United have completed the loan signing of outstanding 28 year old goal keeper Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain. The France international joins the Irons on an initial season-long deal, with the option to make the transfer permanent in the summer of 2022. Areola has made more than 250 career appearances for PSG and Real Madrid, winning four Ligue 1 and La Liga titles.
    Hammers fans will be well versed with Areola's exploits from during the time he spent on loan last season with Fulham, where he won the club’s Player of the Year award. On the two occasions he faced West Ham he put in resolute performances, only being let down by the porous defence he had in front of him.

    Although fans are rightly concerned about the club's need to sign a much needed striker, the arrival of Areola is a refreshing upgrade from some of the club's previous signings and hopefully represents a new direction in player acquisitions. Hammers performances last season were noticed far and wide, ultimately leading to the club being viewed as a much more desirable destination than it had been in the past, with the presence of David Moyes galvanising positive opinions about the future.

    Arerola's arrival obviously kicks the Johnstone from West Brom speculation into touch, the terms were favourable as well, as West Ham seek to spread their meagre budget as widely as is possible. Being a loan deal does save money initially and gives the player and club a season to get to know each other, but it does mean there is only room for one other loan player.

    Now Areola has arrived, it is easier to assess the Lukasz Fabianski in goal situation with more clarity, 'Fab' has been a great servant to the club, but at 37 years old probably only has one more season in the top flight left in the tank at the most. Eagle eyed fans will have spotted Fabianski's reticence to kick the ball, favouring long throws now, this must surely be as a result of the thigh injury he sustained last season in addition to the one he sustained the season before.

    The point is Fab isn't getting any younger and his fitness is of an increasing concern, his current back up, Darren Randolph, has his own injury problems and is no spring chicken at 34 years old. Nathan Trott has been sent out on a season's loan, ironically to a French club, in order to gain first team experience, on his return he will probably become the number two keeper with both Fabianski and Randolph being moved on, or in Fab's case probably retire.

    The late and great Brian Clough always said that you need to build a team from the back, starting with the best keeper you can afford, well it may be a loan to buy deal, but we think it is a damn good start and IF the next new singing(s) are of the same calibre, we will be happy! - Ed

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