Up The Hammers – Latest West Ham United FC News

Author’s history details mutual dependence along with colourful anecdotes I’ve just read a delightful book about the media’s relationship with football, From the back page to the front room: football’s journey through the English media by Roger Domeneghetti.* It was published towards the end of last year but it didn’t get the publicity it warranted, or enough reviews for that matter. That was a pity because it is chock full of fascinating facts and

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Today’s whispers are doing the best they can Manchester United reckon that their policy of signing 18-year-olds from the continent is goer and will dip their toe in the water once more in January, pointing said toe in the direction of Heerenveen’s Jerry St. Claire Juste and whisper softly into the wind: “come hither,” according to the Daily Star. The young centre back only made his first-team debut in January this year but is now a regular in …

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Manchester City looked the big winners as Manchester United’s dealings faded into confusion and Chelsea were frustrated by not landing John Stones Arsène Wenger’s belief in his players is total and he was only ever going to make important signings if he felt they were an upgrade on what he already had. Petr Cech fitted the bill in goal but, in what the Arsenal manager felt was a bizarre market, nobody else who

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Can Petr Cech make amends, will Watford’s bench hold the key to success and is West Ham United’s schoolboy midfielder, Reece Oxford, set to shine again? Related: Louis van Gaal: David de Gea does not want to play for Manchester United Related: Football Weekly Extra: Manchester City rush out of the blocks before Chelsea showdown Continue reading…

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Petr Cech to Arsenal, Raheem Sterling to Manchester City, Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United … the movers hoping to become shakers * denotes loan deal Continue reading…

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It’s not always the big-name arrivals who steal the limelight, so here are five who haven’t broken the bank but might prove to be excellent value for money Raymond Domenech, the former France coach, believes West Ham “are not enough” for a midfield creator who shone for an exciting Marseille side last season. At 28 the man born on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion appears near his peak. Responsible for numerous assists, he proved…

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Today’s tittle-tattle has still never been offered a free coffee in Pret A Manger The problem with spending £49m on a player who has yet to achieve very much is that the rest of the world’s clubs tend to notice. And so, if you’re a club such as Manchester City and have recently bagged Raheem Sterling for that kind of fee, then Wolfsburg aren’t going to flog you Kevin De Bruyne for less then £50m. …

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Who sits on Liverpool’s transfer committee and how much does Abramovich get involved in deals at Chelsea? We look at all 20 Premier League clubs Arsène Wenger is the lord of the kingdom he has built over the past 19 years. His influence extends into every pore of the club and where transfers are concerned, the manager’s authority is total. Wenger always has the final say. The board have attempted to put support systems in…

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Season to begin on 8 August 2015 and will conclude on 15 May 2016 Liverpool face daunting run of early away fixtures 8 August 2015: Arsenal v West Ham United, Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Chelsea v Swansea City, Everton v Watford, Leicester City v Sunderland Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United v Southampton, Norwich City v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City. Continue reading…

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Liverpool start at Stoke City in repeat of last season’s closer Chelsea begin their title defence at home to Swansea City Manchester United open up against Tottenham at Old Trafford Brendan Rodgers will have to demonstrate immediate improvement at Liverpool, as his team will kick off their next Premier League campaign at Stoke City, who walloped them 6-1 at the Britannia Stadium at the end of last season. Related: Premier League 2015-16 fixtures: …

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Managers must now decide their transfer targets for next season and move quickly to sign them. Here is our team-by-team assessment: The three most obvious positions where Arsenal require an upgrade are goalkeeper, centre-forward and defensive midfielder. In goal, Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina have had too many jittery and unreliable moments. Up top, on days when Olivier Giroud has strained to make an impression, the need for an…

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From Leicester City’s destruction of Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United to freescoring Chelsea’s superb win at Goodison, here are five contenders for match of the season. Now submit your suggestions • Have your say in the other categories too Welcome to theguardian.com review of the 2014-15 Premier League season . Now that the campaign has ended we would like you to help us choose your favourite goal, the best referee and the best manager, and other winners in a …

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In a break from tradition we have taken time out to celebrate not the best team in the Premier League but the most inept. Our (not wholly scientific) approach reveals … As it comes towards the end of the season, it has always been traditional to round up the best moments of the league: the best performances, best goals, best players and so on. But the reason those moments stand out are because they are rare islands …

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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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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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Live scoreboard! Follow all the day’s goals and games as they happen And email niall.mcveigh.casual@theguardian.com or tweet @niallmcveigh 2.46pm BST Fifteen minutes until kick-off at an assortment of top-flight grounds, including Goodison Park, where Gary Naylor is stationed: 2.42pm BST For shame 2.38pm BST It’s finished Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool at the Emirates, meaning Arsenal are up to second. Barry Glendenning saw the whole thing. 2.37pm BST Goals are flying in…

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Arsenal will need to be on Song, Swansea must not be so narrow-minded in midfield against Liverpool and time Rafael got his chance for Manchester United The injuries are starting to bite again for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy , Mathieu Flamini and Abou Diaby are all long-term absentees; Aaron Ramsey has only just returned; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s hamstring went against Manchester United ; the similarly hamstrung Gabriel Paulista is …

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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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Sherwood might be the man for a quick fix, Swansea need to retrieve their mojo and a win over Arsenal would give substance to the Pardew revolution The cross came over. It seemed to hang in the air for an eternity. There, a chance, a brilliant opportunity to break a goalless cycle that had become crippling. The FA Cup was both an opportunity for Aston Villa to inject some life into a stagnant campaign and to achieve …

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There have been articles saying Manchester United are a long-ball team and others stating they are not, and even more asking ‘but what is a long ball?’ For us at Opta it is all about the context If Opta had some sort of early warning system, it would have flashed red on Sunday evening as Sam Allardyce talked about “long-ball United” in his post-game interview. A few minutes later came the first of many inquiries about Louis van…

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal hits back at ‘long-ball United’ jibe by West Ham’s Sam Allardyce with a four-page document listing statistics. The manager, whose dossier included diagrams of where every single pass had been aimed, argues West Ham had a higher number of long balls when the two teams clashed on Sunday Continue reading…

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Only two clubs in Europe have attempted more long balls than Manchester United this season, but Louis van Gaal’s team are adept at spreading the play and have hit more accurate long passes than any side on the continent By Alistair Tweedale for WhoScored? , part of the Guardian Sport Network There was more than a degree of irony in Sam Allardyce bemoaning “long-ball Manchester United” after his side conceded a last-gasp equaliser in their clash at Upton Park…

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• Dutch manager brings A4 sheets to unorthodox press conference • ‘Copy it and go to Big Sam,’ Van Gaal says of West Ham boss • Allardyce calls Manchester United a ‘long-ball team’ • Manchester United: second to Burnley in long-ball table • Rafa Benítez’s famous rant at Sir Alex Ferguson Louis van Gaal’s irritation about the “long-ball United” tag applied by Sam Allardyce manifested itself in an unorthodox press conference in…

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• Tomkins: ‘He had a look at me first and then he has gone for me’ • West Ham defender suffered broken nose in separate incident • Sam Allardyce calls Manchester United ‘long-ball team’ • Match report: West Ham 1-1 Manchester United The West Ham defender James Tomkins has accused Manchester United’s Robin van Persie of a deliberate and “malicious” elbow at Upton Park on Sunday. Tomkins suffered a broken nose…

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says his team failed to perform well against West Ham United in Sunday’s Premier League game. The manager blames the draw on a poor first half, before his side gave away a goal to their opponents. United are fourth in the Premier League table, and face Burnley on 11 February Continue reading…

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