Up The Hammers – Latest West Ham United FC News

Festive cheer would be spread in the month of December as our poor form picked up, but the dismal January blues would plague the New-Year in the Hammers world. However, there would still be some joy in the otherwise embarrassing start to the second-half of the 2016/2017 Premier League season. January In an unusual and uncharacteristic move, there were no Premier League fixtures on New-Year’s Day and only on the 2nd of January. …

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West Ham United have again broken their transfer record with the signing of Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic for a reported fee of around £20 million potentially rising to £25 million. He became West Ham’s third summer signing after following Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart to the London Stadium, with Javier Hernandez agreeing to move to West Ham pending a medical on Monday morning.  Here is West Ham United’s potential strongest XI when fully fit. Goalkeeper: Joe Hart This…

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Hammers announce Hernandez terms agreed After weeks and months of widespread speculation, the agreement of personal terms between the club and Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez were finally announced on Thursday. “Chicharito”, as he is known throughout the world of Football, became Mexico’s all-time leading goal-scorer earlier in the year, and is scheduled to have his medical at Spire Roding on Monday. The move has been praised by many a football fan and pundit alike, …

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“You want a heart. You don’t know how lucky you are not to have one,” said the Wizard of Oz. As the news circulates of our recent loan signing of Joe Hart, I wonder if he’ll be an upgrade on the two goalkeepers we already have. Adrian and Randolph didn’t have great seasons last year, but who did in the claret and blue? Hart isn’t exactly coming off the back of his best season …

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U23’s edged out at The Hive Our bright young U23 side were narrowly beaten by EFL League Two side Barnet in their first game of pre-season on Saturday. Terry Westley’s men are preparing for their first season in The PL2 Division One, after overcoming Newcastle United in The PL2 Division Two Play-Off Final. However, a Hammers side without the likes of Antonio Martinez, Reece Burke and Josh Cullen struggled to gain any real…

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  Slaven Bilic’s Hammers were held by a strongly defensive Sturm Graz B side to a 0-0 draw in our first game of pre-season in Austria yesterday. Bilic named a totally different starting XI to the side that beat Burnley on the final day of the 2016/2017 Premier League season, with Adrian, debutant Pablo Zabaleta, Reece Burke, James Collins, Arthur Masuaku, Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang, Nathan Holland, Andre Ayew, Robert Snodgrass and Ashley Fletcher…

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In last week’s article we talked about such woeful forwards as Modibo Maiga and Marouane Chamakh, but who will make our list this week as we delve deeper into the realms of David Gold and David Sullivan’s dreadful striker signings? Mladen Petric After finishing the summer 2013 transfer window with an insufficient number of strikers, then manager Sam Allardyce turned to the panic purchase of free-agent Mladen Petric. However, the former Fulham …

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Hammers get down to business in Austria Slaven Bilic and his first-team have been getting down to work in our first tour of pre-season at The Bad Waltersdorf Training Camp as their fifth day in Austria dawns. The boys have been being put through their paces in fitness based drills in the first few stages of the tour and First-Team Coach Edin Terzic has had this to say about the…

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In this week’s edition of our weekly 2016/2017 Season Review, we look at the miserable month of November as a season to forget continued. November As the month of November 2016 began, Slaven Bilic and his first-team were reflecting on the best month of the season so far, but the upturn in form would turn out to be very short-lived. The month started with a chance to recover from the 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park at …

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Hammers fly out to Austria Slaven Bilic flew his first-team out to Austria yesterday as our pre-season tour of Europe began. The squad are returning to the site of our friendlies against Rubin Kazan, Slovacko and Karlsruher SC before the start of last season. However, Hammers fans will be hoping that we fare better this time, as we only picked up one win out of three games in …

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Obiang signs new deal Our Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang has put pen to paper on a new 5-year-deal at The London Stadium this week. The former Sampdoria man is following in the footsteps of defender Angelo Ogbonna who signed on the dotted line for a similar deal last week. Obiang was one of Slaven Bilic’s first signings as manager in summer 2015 and has got better and better ever since, gradually working his way up to being a permanent fixture in …

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The Confederations Cup came to its climax last Sunday as both the third place play-off and the Final were played. All four sides involved were littered with current and former Premier League players. The final turned out to be a close game between Chile and Germany with the reigning World Champions emerging victorious. They will be hoping it proves to have been a good preparation exercise ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Russia. Much…

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We stand on a threshold. Whether you like it or not West Ham United is changing. The financial appeal of a London club that is so well supported for one with such a relatively small amount of success is undisputable. I have to believe that our owners are acting in reasonable faith. They are ultimately business folk, but with far more connection to their (our) club than the majority of the increasingly faceless dictatorial types that govern many of the great pillars…

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Hammers return to pre-season The bulk of the West Ham United squad returned to training for pre-season yesterday, as trips to Austria, Germany and Iceland await. However, the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Jose Fonte who have been on international duty will return to Rush Green in the coming weeks. The players who did return to East London yesterday included stars like new-signing Pablo Zabaleta, Mark Noble, Michail Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna and they were put through…

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The 2010/2011 campaign was one to forget for any Hammers fan, but who was the terrible manager that made it? And where is he now? Avram Grant (manager) Avram Grant was famed for his miserable demeanour and his poor tactics during the shambolic 2010/2011 season. But where is he now? The 62-year-old has enjoyed a long career in managing which started with a five-year spell at Hapoel Petah Tikva in his …

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Ogbonna commits future Our Italian defender Angelo Ogbonna has signed a new five-year deal at The London Stadium amid rumours of a move back to Serie A. The 29-year-old’s new deal will see him tied down to the club until summer 2020 and his wages are expected to rise close to the 100k per week mark. Many Hammers fans were left relieved by the news, as Ogbonna has played a key role in Slaven Bilic’s first team in his first…

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Ever since the day that we were taken over by David Gold and David Sullivan, it is fair to say that we have had a knack for signing poor quality strikers. However, was it the owners fault? And exactly how bad were these attacking players? Benni McCarthy No more than ten days after the co-chairmen took control at Upton Park, it was announced that we had signed South Africa international Benni McCarthy from Blackburn Rovers. The then 31-…

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West Ham’s interest in the Confederations Cup ended in midweek as Portugal were knocked out on Penalties by Chile. The reigning European champions were held 0-0 after extra time but beaten 3-0 on penalties. Chile now progress to the final where they will meet Germany who handed Mexico a 4-1 thrashing in the other semi. Hammers’ January signing Fonte was recalled to the starting line up for the semi-final after not featuring for Portugal since the first group game. He …

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Giroud move on the cards It has been reported by The Daily Mail in the last few days that our interest in Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud is still very much alive. The 30-year-old has been linked with a move to several clubs including Lyon and Marseille back in his native France, but it is understood that we are leading the race for his signature. However, it’s understood that the front man won’t come cheap …

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John Sissons 1962-1970 263 Apps A product of the youth system, Sissons was a schoolboy star playing for his county Middlesex and England schoolboys as an inside forward. Ron Greenwood switched him to be an out an out winger with some success. Sissons would go on to play 263 times for the club including the clubs first FA Cup win in 1964 in which he became the youngest scorer in a Wembley FA Cup Final and the second youngest player to play…

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In this week’s edition of our weekly throwback segment we speak to Sid, 70 and a lifelong Hammer about a supporting West Ham United through thick and thin. “I was born just after World War Two in The East End of London in 1947 to a family full of Hammers. Although we were free from German invasion, they were still extremely hard times with rationing and poverty prevalent. It was a pretty simple life in the fact that the Dads …

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Seats sell fast for Altona clash It has been revealed by the club in the last few days that almost 5,000 seats have been sold for our pre-season clash with German outfit Altona 93. The tie is set to take place on Tuesday 1st August at The Adolf-Jager Kampfbahn Stadium, with kick-off being at 5.30 PM BST. The clash is also scheduled for just a few days after the conclusion of The Betway Cup, which is this …

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In part two of our weekly season review, we look at a landmark month in the history of West Ham United, as our first season at The London Stadium began. August As the start of the 2016/2017 Premier League season was fast approaching, there was still the formalities of a Europa League third qualifying round tie and a glamour friendly to take care of. The month started with the first ever Hammers game at The…

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The West Ham / Olivier Giroud link has been rolling on for much of the summer already and it is not going away. This could be good news for Hammers fans as the club look to fill their problematic striking position. West Ham have already been linked with other forwards so far during the summer window but have seen them move elsewhere. Of the players profiled in past editions of this column Henry Onyekuru has recently …

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Arbeloa to retire Ex-Hammers defender Alvaro Arbeloa announced his retirement from football yesterday, just a matter of days after being released by Slaven Bilic. We signed the former World Cup winner at the start of last season as back up for Sam Byram, but Arbeloa endured a tough time at The London Stadium as we struggled last season. In the interview with Marca where he announced the end of his career, the 34 year old described…

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Down the years, our Football Club has lent it’s name to such tags such as the “Academy of Football” and while we have produced players like Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand in the last 20 years, what have we really produced in the last ten? Is our shambolic policy of loaning out any future prospect we may have to blame? Since defender James Tomkins successfully came through the ranks and graduated into the first…

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