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Will Moyes execute board instruction?

Will Moyes execute board instruction on Mubama?

The news that Divin Mubama has been urged to forget about money and focus on playing suggests that the young player is likely to see some time on the pitch. Such an instruction typically indicates a certainty that first-team minutes are on offer.

Now, it’s up to David Moyes, and one can only hope that the West Ham manager aligns with the messaging from the club hierarchy. So it would be strange if contract negotiations halted without a prospect of a run in the first team now the instruction has been issued.

Hopefully, Mubama will earn a well-deserved start in the Europa League on Thursday night. There is no tactical reason to choose Danny Ings over Mubama unless Moyes wants to show everyone who’s boss. With Michail Antonio still recovering from ligament damage and the impracticality of bringing Jarrod Bowen to Serbia, Mubama, Ings, and possibly Cornet are the candidates to lead the line against TSC.

David Moyes has been told to play Divin Mubama at West Ham

Will Moyes execute board instruction and play Mubama?

Mubama might find that he strengthens his negotiating position by performing well for the club in the coming weeks. With West Ham acknowledging a lack of funds for a new striker and Antonio’s goal supply uncertain, Mubama has an opportunity. Bowen will likely be needed on the right wing in January as a result of Mohammed Kudus playing at the African Cup of Nations.

So over to you David Moyes. The ownership has encouraged the player to concentrate on playing; all Mubama needs now is a chance.

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West Ham’s huge FFP safety net

West Ham’s huge FFP safety net

West Ham’s huge FFP safety net

Premier League rules dictate that the basic FFP issue is that all clubs must avoid making a loss of more than £105million over a three-year period, once adjusted but West Ham have a huge safety net writes Sean Whetstone.

In Everton’s case, the tribunal found that losses to 2021/22 amounted to £124.5million, almost £20million over that margin which allowed for a ten-point deduction.
The Premier League relaxed the regulations to neutralise the adverse impact of COVID, which means that the 2022 monitoring period assessed the seasons 2019/20 and 2020/21 as a single (average) period. It also means that this period effectively covered 4 years.
West Ham announced losses of -£28.1m in 2020 and -£65.3m in 2021 creating a combined average of -£46.7m loss as one period. That means the 2022 PL FFP monitoring period was 2019-2020 -£46.7m loss plus 2021 loss of -£26.9m and £12.2m profit for 2022. Total is £61.4m loss minus virtue spending meaning there is a large safety net.
The Hammers have not published accounts for last season 2022/2023 so we don’t know profit or losses yet but on the 2023 monitoring the Hammers can afford to lose £63.4m for last season without breaching Premier League FFP or subtracting virtue spending which would add many millions more.
Virtue spending subtractions include spending money on infrastructure, training grounds, Academy/youth development, Womens team and community projects. The Hammers have a healthy safety margin and are in no immediate danger of breaching Premier League FFP regulations at this time.
UEFA FFP regulations state that by 2025, a club’s total expenditure on transfers, wages and agent fees must not exceed 70 per cent of its total revenue which is a bigger challenge to West Ham.  Ninety per cent of total revenue spending is permitted this season dropping to 80% next season in 2024/2025 as the stricter rules are phased in. 
Clubs playing in European competitions will be allowed to lose €60m (£53.6m) over a three-year period, with an extra €10m (£8.9m) annual loss permitted if the club is deemed to be ‘in good financial health’.
Expenditure on infrastructure, training facilities and youth development are not included in the FFP formula. In West Ham’s last published accounts 2021/2022, the Hammers spent £136m on wages & £155m net in transfer fees including £12m on agent fees although this will be spread over multiple years on total revenues of £253m.
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Moyes has highest win ratio of any West Ham boss

By Sean Whetstone

Outside of caretaker managers David Moyes has the highest win ratio of any West Ham manager in history at 44.3% with the list looking like this:

David Moyes 44.30%

Billy Bonds 43.88%

Ted Fenton 41.47%

Charlie Paynter 41.41%

David Moyes-West Ham-Europa-Conference-League

Moyes has highest win ratio of any West Ham boss

Alan Pardew 41.10%

John Lyall 39.79%

Alan Curbishley 39.44%

Syd King 39.06%

Sam Allardyce 37.57%

Lou Macari 37.50%

Manuel Pellegrini 37.50%

Slaven Bilic 37.27%

Harry Redknapp 37.12%

Ron Greenwood 35.98%

Avram Grant 31.91%

Glenn Roeder 31.40%

Gianfranco Zola 28.75%

When you look at Premier League only games and exclude Sir Trevor Brooking as caretaker manager for three games, David Moyes is second only to Slaven Bilic with a win rate of 40.54%, Moyes is close second on 37.57% ahead of Alan Curbishley on 37.1%

When it comes to European games David Moyes is miles ahead excluding caretaker manager Terry Westley who manged and won one game

David Moyes has an impressive win record of 74.19% in Europe over his 31 games with more yet to come.

Harry Redknapp only managed ten games in Europe winning six of them to earn his 60% win ratio in second place.

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London Stadium finds a sponsor

Finally, it appears the owners of the London Stadium have found a naming partner who will be sponsoring the Hammers home. The stadium has of course been simply know by its present name since we moved in back in 2016 and the owners have been seriously struggling to reduce debts ever since but clearly a sponsor and naming rights partner is going to help

The new partners will be German company Allianz who are a major multinational finance services business and reporting the development SportBusiness say this is a name well known to football fans – and football stadiums in general as they have a number of stadium to their name.

Among the others in which they are involved are Bayern Munich which is known as the Allianz Arena, while Juventus play at the Allianz Stadium and thus the hammers find themselves in rather exalted company.

General view outside the stadium as the fans arrive prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on October 20, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.

Eleven years ago they became involved with Sydney Football Stadium to Allianz Stadium whilst Nice’s new stadium became the Allianz Riviera and presumably the Hammers home could well become Allianz London or something comparable.

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Tough Coufal decision looming

Tough Coufal decision for Moyes

West Ham are facing a challenge in the right-back position. Regardless of Vladimir Coufal’s recent nocturnal activities, he has been in poor form lately. During both the Nottingham Forest and Burnley games, Coufal was successfully targeted.

There is no denying the Czech international’s dedication to the West Ham cause. He’s a feisty and committed player who gives everything for his teammates. Coufal started the season brightly enough, managing to get assists in three consecutive games at the beginning of the campaign.

Coufal should be dropped and Dan Chesters given the chance to start for West Ham

Tough Coufal decision for Moyes against TSC Bačka Topola,

However, the right-back’s form has dipped considerably recently, and there appears to be no obvious understudy. Ben Johnson is locked in a contract dispute with the club and can’t be anywhere near match fit. Thilo Kehrer is on his way out, available to anyone who can afford his £12m price tag.

This leaves Dan Chesters. The former winger has been successfully converted to a wing-back and has performed brilliantly for the Hammers under 21’s. He’s fast, has good technique, and has proven himself when playing against League One teams in the EFL trophy.

I doubt there’s too much difference in standard between League One teams and FK TSC Bačka Topola, so why not give the lad a chance? If it doesn’t work, both Kehrer and Johnson will be on the bench, but if it does work . . . West Ham may well have unearthed a hidden gem and saved a few million in the process.

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CandH Exclusive: Mubama told: Concentrate on playing… not money

Mubama told to concentrate on playing… not money

Mubama told: Concentrate on playing… not money

West Ham have told Divin Mubama to concentrate on playing not money and as a result the youngster looks very much set to get plenty of first team action over the next few weeks writes Hughie Southon.

The club has made it clear to Claret and Hugh this afternoon that there will be no further contract discussion it is “inappropriate ” given the  the number of games in which could be involved between now and Christmas.

Mubama told: Concentrate on playing… not money

It’s a period when the teenager has the chance to reinforce his claims for a decent contract with injury and lack of form affecting Michail Antonio and the latter having been Danny Ings’ problem almost from the day he arrived at the club.

And following his display at Burnley the club clearly have him very much on their minds and Claret and Hugh was told by its key sourceIt is inappropriate to be doing anything other than allowing him to concentrate on playing with so many games going on.  We want his mind on playing not money,”

That will come as a huge boost to the 19 year old who now looks set to be bang in the first team frame following our key contact’s bold statement. His performance at Burnley has clearly been more than enough to finally give the manager an opportunity for him to show the club exactly what he has got.

(5) CLARETANDHUGH | Facebook

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Jarrod Bowen update

Claret and Hugh has been handed a Jarrod Bowen update. The No 20 is improving from his injury but won’t be sufficiently fit to play against Backa Topola in Serbia on Thursday evening tomorrow  in the Group A Europa League game. We were told this morning however that there are high hopes he will be available for the match against Crystal Palace.

Jarrod Bowen update

David Moyes had suggested – in what seems now like a game of smoke and mirrors ahead of the Burnley game – that he might have been ready for the match at Turf Moor. That was never going to be the case though after he picked up his injury in the international break and was sent back to the club by manager Gareth Southgate.

It seemed at the time that it may be quite a serious injury but following a scan it was revealed he might miss up to three or four games. However, we were told this morning that whilst there is no chance of the leading goal scorer being available for the match in Serbia, and probably wouldn’t play even were he fully fit anyway, the clubs was now hopeful that he would take his place either in the starting line-up or on the bench for the Palace game.

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Big day for the Academy lads

U21s

Big day for the Academy lads

It’s a big day for the Academy lads with the U21s meeting Olympique Lyonnais as they press on in their Premier League International Cup campaign . The young Irons have scored wins over Valencia and Celtic so far in the competition, scoring six goals whilst keeping clean sheets in the two games. And that has seen the team coached by Steve Potts continue on a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

The competition involved  12 of England’s best Academy sides against 12 of the top development squads in the rest of Europe. And it is organised by each side from Premier League 2 and 12 teams from European Academies being split into three groups of eight. It means that each PL2 club will play each of the four international clubs in their group ensuring they don’t meet each other and nor do the international teams play one another in the group stage.

The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams advance to the quarter-finals, where the ties are decided in one-off matches, with extra time and then penalties required if the match is level after 90 minutes. After hosting Olympique Lyonnais today our final match against GNK Dinamo Zagreb to be moved to Friday 19 January 2024 from its previous date of Wednesday 6 December due to our involvement in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy last 32.

West Ham United U21s are currently top of Group A, with two games played. Lyon, Tuesday opponents, are in second, having also taken six points from their first two games.

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West Ham V Backa Topola: Hammers need to field a strong team

 

West Ham V Backa Topola: Hammers need to field a strong team

West Ham v Backa Topola needs the Hammers to field a strong team on Thursday evening- despite the Serbian outfit being bottom  of Europa League Group A. However, they are now in third place in their domestic league after scoring a thumping a 4-0 win over leaders Partizan Belgrade at the weekend with all the goals coming in the first half. The visitors will also have a lot of pride to play for having managed only one point in the Europa League so far.

The Hammers will also be hoping Olympiakos -in third place with four points – can get something from Freiburg who currently are level with us on nine points at the top so it seems likely that manager David Moyes will be putting out as strong a side as possible whilst keeping an eye on the weekend game against Palace.

There is currently no update on Jarrod Bowen but assuming he is not available this would be my team: Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Mavropanos, Cresswell; Alvarez; Soucek, Paqueta, Fornals, Kudus, Mubama.

(2) CLARETANDHUGH | Facebook

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West Ham’s predictable tactic

West Ham’s predictable tactic from JWP’s inswingers

James Ward-Prowse was something of a dead weight in the game against Burnley. He was far from alone, of course; the whole of West Ham’s midfield failed to function for much of the match.

Edson Alvarez was anonymous, Lucas Paqueta spent the game throwing tantrums and giving the opposition the ball, whilst Tomas Soucek waited until the end of the match to get involved. Ward-Prowse was probably the pick of a bad bunch, and I totally understand that he may be ineffective during some games.

James Ward Prowse has become predictable

West Ham’s predictable tactic has come from Ward Prowses’ in-swinging corners

We have, after all, purchased a dead-ball specialist who can win the game from a corner or free-kick. He’s pretty good at it too, as can be seen by his assist count this season. But in tight games, his deliveries become crucially important, and on Saturday at Turf Moor, he was off the mark.

Everyone is allowed an off day, of course, but Ward-Prowse keeps repeating the same error from in-swinging corners . . . they all go to the near post, and the opposition knows it. There seems to be far more variation from West Ham and Ward-Prowse’s outswingers, which is where most of the goals have come from.

Opposition coaches are onto our tactic

I have no doubt that JWP is under instruction to whip the ball into the near post, but it’s become incredibly predictable. They’re not bad deliveries either; it’s just that opposing managers place their best headers of the ball in that area, which means a major tactic has been blunted.

I’m sure it will work again on occasion, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Ward-Prowse scored directly from a corner at some point. But perhaps it might be wise for the team to mix it up a bit in training. I would imagine that former Hammers coach and dead-ball specialist Paul Nevin would have noted the trend and corrected it.