Up The Hammers – Latest West Ham United FC News

Can Crystal Palace spoil Chelsea’s celebrations, will Brendan Rodgers give Lambert and Lallana a chance and a finale to the Football League season One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy … and so on, all the way up to seeing 11 Magpies, which is a harbinger of three easy points. So there could hardly be any more inviting assignment for Leicester players this weekend as…

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Before the Premier League’s six-figure salaries, retiring footballers had to start again, with little experience off the pitch. From a detective to a former convict, ex-players talk about their second life The Knowledge archive (2005): retired footballers’ strangest jobs Then: winger with Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and England, Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1995. Now: qualified solicitor and prospective law lecturer, Ribble Valley, Lancashire. Continue reading…

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We round up our favourite pictures from Saturday’s and Sunday’s matches in the English top flight and FA Cup semi-finals. Continue reading…

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• Manager admits it was very important to arrest slump • ‘We played especially well until the injury to David Silva’ • Match report: Manchester City 2-0 West Ham • David Silva given all clear after leaving pitch on a stretcher Manuel Pellegrini said it was vital to bounce back from Manchester City’s two consecutive defeats after the 2-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday, with further relief arriving when David Silva, carried off on a stretcher during the match, confirmed his injury…

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Latest updates as Manuel Pellegrini’s side take on West Ham Email michael.butler@theguardian.com | Tweet @michaelbutler18 Keep up with all today’s matches around Europe 12.57pm BST On this day in 1958, one of City’s greatest-ever players Billy Meredith passes away. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/pCK7fmgCOW The Guardian did a nice little piece on Billy Meredith back in 2007, which you can read here . The pre-eminent player of his generation, Billy Meredith was described as the…

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West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce says he has been taken aback by Manchester City’s recent poor performances. Looking ahead to his side’s upcoming clash with the struggling team, Allardyce says Man City’s recent defeats have sent shockwaves through the football world but stresses the team cannot be underestimated. Man City and West Ham meet on 19 April Continue reading…

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Only Chelsea can stop Chelsea, Manchester City dropping points at Crystal Palace would not be a shock, and what reception will Raheem Sterling get at Arsenal? West Brom and QPR lost their managers around a month apart, with the surreal Alan Irvine experiment being cut short just after Christmas, and Harry Redknapp’s seemingly inevitable resignation following an unsuccessful January transfer window. Obviously the circumstances were slightly different and Rangers were in a much more …

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Chelsea earned a narrow win over West Ham to keep their lead as Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs all won, while Everton’s troubles deepened as they lost 2-0 to Stoke 9.50pm GMT Liverpool stay fifth, Burnley stay 19th. 9.46pm GMT Ricky Lambert is coming on for Sterling. He has approximately 100 seconds to make a mark. 9.45pm GMT The only match still in progress is at Anfield, where Liverpool are 2-0 up against Burnley …

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Barney Ronay was online to discuss the midweek fixtures in the Premier League 1.51pm GMT Thanks for reading and commenting. Barney has signed off. In his absence, why not read this piece about Sam Allardyce’s revolutionary time at Bolton , which features various photos of Big Sam through the years, including this one: 1.32pm GMT WallyFister asks: Why are English clubs continuing to fail in Europe? Would it be beneficial to keep sacking managers? Or should the media take…

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Olivier Giroud is crucial to Arsenal’s push for third despite his Monaco misses, while Robin van Persie’s absence for United could be a blessing in disguise and surely it is time Mark Noble received an England call-up Nobody has ever claimed Olivier Giroud was a world-class striker. His is not a name one would mention alongside Sergio Agüero, Diego Costa or Luis Suárez. He is a rung below that – always has been, always will be…

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Follow all the latest action from the night’s Premier League matches Live scoreboard! Keep up with all the latest goals and games right here And email alan.smith@theguardian.com or tweet @alansmith90 8.26pm GMT 8.25pm GMT Shock at Old Trafford – Ander Herrera is on the pitch. Yes, Herrera is on the pitch. Blind’s head injury has forced him off. Bizarrely, Wayne Rooney now appears to be playing a holding role and Herrera has moved onto the right…

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Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill were supposed to inspire us to be active. But the latest depressing figures will surprise no one who understands spectator sport The finding by Sport England that fewer adults in England are doing even half an hour’s moderate sporting exercise a week, with a particular drop among the poor, has dealt another blow to the grand claims made for the 2012 London Olympics. Tony Blair famously added the vote of the International Olympic Committee to other …

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Liverpool have questions to answer in defence, Chelsea have selection issues against Manchester City and could Villa trouble Arsenal? Unless Thergothon , the pioneers of Finnish funeral metal, are about to head out on a resurrection tour, you’ll be hard pressed to find a gloomier band of brooders in England this weekend than the fans of the team who fail to win Saturday’s early kick-off. Hull City are in the grip of an ominous despondency, with the regime unpopular, the…

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Both Man City and Swansea are missing Wilfried Bony, Charlie Austin needs help at QPR and Jermain Defoe gives Sunderland hope The Dozen: our pick of the weekend’s best Premier League photos With Manchester City failing to score at home for the first time since August during the 2-0 defeat by Arsenal , the signing of Wilfried Bony begins to look even more to the point. The frustration for Manuel Pellegrini must be that while Bony is perhaps…

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Louis van Gaal struggles for fluidity, Muhamed Besic gives Everton hope, Alan Pardew praises fans and Leicester’s patience with Nigel Pearson is rewarded “The struggle for fluidity” may sound like a PhD thesis but is actually the quality that continues to elude Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United, as was again illustrated in the disjointed fashion they went down 1-0 to Southampton on Sunday. For this 21st outing of each team’s Premier …

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Only Yaya Touré comes close to the Spaniard on passes made but Burnley have the sprint specialist and maybe Manchester United’s defence is not so bad • Click here to see the data for the midway point of the season • Interactive chart after 19 games Are you sitting down? Good, then you are in the perfection position to digest the shocking news that with the first half of the season behind us Cesc Fàbregas has …

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YouGov polled 200,000 people to find that Liverpool fans think they are funny, QPR supporters enjoy chess and Stoke City fans like Ann Summers. Do these character traits feel familiar? Arsenal fans follow Piers Morgan on Twitter, can be feckless and are “willing to sacrifice free time to get ahead with their careers”. Fun. Continue reading…

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We round up our favourite pics from Saturdays and Sundays matches in the top flight Continue reading…

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Adrian: 8. Made two crucial saves from Sergio Agüero and Yaya Toure in the Second Half. Kept us in the game massively and he’s made up for his error at Burnley last week. Jenkinson: 7. Attacked well and defended well, what more can I say? Jenks has excellent stamina so gets up the pitch a hundred times a match… Superb performance from the England Youth. Collins: 8. So many crucial interceptions that kept West Ham in the match…

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Agüero to escape punishment as incident was seen by referee Manchester City striker has nine goals in the Premier League West Ham hit bullseye by targeting Citys Mangala Sergio Agüero is free to play in Sundays Manchester derby after it was revealed the Argentinian striker would face no action for his apparent stamp on the West Ham midfielder Mark Noble. Manchester Citys Agüero left Noble in obvious pain during the Hammers 2-1 victory over the Premier…

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I think they leave Mangala exposed says Sam Allardyce Manuel Pellegrini admits concern over Citys porous defence Allardyce relaxed over new contract City forced to settle for draw in Moscow There are few things that Sam Allardyce likes more than explaining how he outwitted a highbrow foreign manager. His account of West Hams toppling of the champions here will not make enjoyable listening for Manuel Pellegrini. Allardyce praised every aspect of his teams play but revealed that…

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Speaking after his team lost 2-1 to West Ham United at Upton Park, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says he is disappointed by his side’s performance. Manchester City forward Sergio Agüero hit the bar in the 64th minute and had two goals blocked in the second half, securing a 2-1 win for the Hammers. Sam Allardyce says West Ham’s performance was fantastic Continue reading…

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The best images from our man at Upton Park as West Ham stun Man City with a 2-1 win Continue reading…

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Allardyce heralds positive atmosphere after dream start Manuel Pellegrini bemoans Citys undeserved defeat Match report: West Ham United 2-1 Manchester City A jubilant Sam Allardyce said the Premier League champions could not cope with West Hams firepower after they continued an encouraging start to the season with a 2-1 home win over Manchester City. Goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Diafra Sakho enabled West Ham to prevail in a thrilling contest despite David Silva pulling back a …

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Behold the new West Ham United. Sam Allardyces revamped side outgunned Manchester City in a thrilling early afternoon showdown at Upton Park and continued their emergence as great entertainers, not to mention serious candidates for an enduring place in the top four. Morgan Amalfitano put the home side in front before Diafra Sakho became the first player to score in all of his first six starts in the top flight. David Silva hit a sweet…

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Premier League updates from the 12.45pm BST kick-off at Upton Park Live scores, all the days fixtures, latest tables and much more And feel free to drop scott.murray@theguardian.com an email 12.48pm BST 2 min: City have started in a very uncertain fashion. Hart hoicks a clearance straight out of play down the left. But West Ham soon gift the ball back, and Aguero is making good for the West Ham box. He has a Power Dig …

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