Bowen – hoping for a start

David Moyes claims he will attempt to do an Atletico Madrid who managed to frustrate Liverpool in their 1-0 Champions League win.

And although of course it is pretty self evident from the result he chose to add: “I thought they did a very good job to make it difficult. If you just look at the way they defend their box, they were really hard to beat.”

West Ham’s chances of emulating such an achievement are the stuff of covering your face with your hand when someone says something they don’t realise is causing untold mirth.

After all in his nine games in all competitions, the Hammers have let in 14 although the manager believes things are on the improve and that we are not as vulnerable as we have been.

But it will need to be a whole lot better than that at Anfield as we prepare to take on a team which hasn’t been beaten in the Premier League all season.

However, Moyes continues to believe things are not as bad as many believe and sees games ahead as fixtures in which we will be picking up points.

Sadly, tonight looks likely to be one of those games where we will be peering from behind the settee unless there’s a remarkable upsurge in our form which hopefully will see Jarrod Bowen playing a part.

He said: “I think we are starting to defend much better. We have not been as wide open as we have been in the past.

“But we have conceded a couple of goals through set- pieces, which is really disappointing.

“We have to make our own luck and be better with the ball — but I don’t think I can question the boys over their discipline.

“I think we have got some games coming up which will give us the opportunity to pick up points.
“Even Liverpool. We have to look at it as an opportunity.”

West Ham’s players will wear shirts in the warm-up in tribute to Bobby Moore, who died 27 years ago today aged 51.

Let’s do this one for him lads!

COYI

West Ham’s analysts have been stunned to discover that loan signing Tomas Soucek covered more ground than any Hammer in six years against Manchester City.

Their stats show that the midfielder, 24, ran 13.1km — just over eight miles.

“I think his numbers were just so big. I had a feeling when we signed him that it was one of his strengths.

“We had talked about needing some legs, a bit more energy, running, covering the ground more.

“And he’s a goal threat. Against Brighton he had a couple of chances and the other night was nearly on the end of one.”

Soucek made six appearances for the Czech side in the group stages of the Champions League this season — up against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.

The manager added:  “We’re in a tough period and we’re trying to gather some positives from it.

“Hopefully one or two of the young players can have an impact.

“Tomas is young. But if we can get goals — plus the energy he has got — it’s been shown he’s bringing something to the table.”

ClaretandHugh says: In a word Soucek’s Running Man stats are simply incredible. It’s been mentioned at various times that he has the ability to make long raking runs from defensive midfield and into the opposition area and that it appears to be  one of the features of his game. But nobody could surely have imagined that the guy was covering such an extraordinary amount of ground and that is precisely what the Premier League demands. Our survival is imperative if we are to keep Soucek. The loan deal dictates that unless we stay up he will be gone. And these figures show he can provide the dynamic for all the others in the team who PERHAPS haven’t been putting it in to the level required. I said soon after his first game that he looked captain material to me and now his work rate, determination and effort more than back that up

Tony Yorke remembers  Bobby Moore as a wonderful human being and friend who never forgot where he came from.

Today is the 27th anniversary of the great Bobby Moore’s death.

Mooro was just 52 when cancer claimed him. And for many people like me, who had the good fortune to know him and work alongside him, or watch him play his own brand of wonderful, intelligent football, his passing continues to be mourned.

On this day, I always find myself remembering Bobby. For it is also the birthday of my eldest daughter. And on my own birthday, I also find myself thinking about the great man, for on that glorious 30 July afternoon in 1966, as I celebrated my first year on the planet, the most famous of Hammers was lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy.

How I still love to watch film of Bobby lifting the World Cup – and seeing Geoff Hurst hammer home that wonderful treble.

I am sure we all have fond memories of the man, regardless of whether we knew him, or whether we turned up, week-in, week-out, and watched him grace the football pitch?

The man I remember was softly spoken, humble, intelligent and generous – qualities you don’t often associate with the modern crop of sports stars or the often ghastly social media circus surrounding it.

Bobby was a loyal man. His word was his bond. He didn’t need a contract, negotiated by an army of lawyers, before he agreed to do something. If it sounded good, and it was the right thing to do, he would do it. It was as simple as that.

These days, people who behave in such ways as often regarded as naïve. Where I originate from (East Yorkshire), we call such people “gentlemen”.

So what of the Bobby I knew?

I first met him when I worked as a sports journalist for a national tabloid newspaper. It was my first job in Fleet Street. I was just 23-years-old and had only been living in London for a few weeks. To say I was “an innocent abroad” is a major understatement. The truth is I knew nothing about life and London, and even less about real journalism!

Thanks to Bobby, I was thrown a lifeline.

My editor thought it would be a good idea for me to have a drink with the great man, who was retained by the paper as its “Sports Editor”. In reality, he had little to do with the day-to-day running of the department; he was the figurehead. It was my job – as his deputy – to make things work!

Within minutes of meeting me at a Soho wine bar, Mooro had sussed me out. Yet, he said nothing negative, patronising or condescending. All he did, for more than three hours, was encourage me and give me an insight into his world, so that we could explore areas that would be good for everyone, particularly our readers.

We laughed a lot. He wasn’t a teller of jokes, but he saw the funny side in a lot of things. And he had a lot of anecdotes.

This was the way things were every time I met him, or we talked on the telephone. During that time, I never heard him raise his voice.  I never heard him talk negatively about anyone. And I never saw him drop his smile.

Even when I quit the paper, Bobby was an encourager.

The day after I had left, he called me at home and pleaded with me to stay. England’s World Cup-winning skipper actually said to me: “Is there anything I can do, or say, that will make you change your mind?”

That is one of the most humbling moments of my working life.

I didn’t withdraw my resignation. Instead, I went on to enjoy a journalistic career elsewhere.

But, on the many occasions our paths crossed afterwards – usually at venues like Wembley, Wimbledon’s old Plough Lane ground, White Hart Lane, Highbury and even the rickety, cold and intimidating Kenilworth Road – Bobby always greeted me in the same friendly manner I had become accustomed to while we were on the same payroll. And, I wasn’t alone. He treated everyone who he came into contact with in the same manner: with the utmost respect.

There have been many superlatives attributed to Mooro in his lifetime and in the years since his passing.

In my opinion, all of them are accurate. He was a footballing great; he was a fantastic ambassador for our country; he was a loyal friend; and he was undoubtedly a one-off, the like of which we will never see again.

But more than anything else, Bobby Moore was a wonderful human being who never forgot where he came from. And I, for one, am grateful to have had the immense privilege to know a man who still means so much to so many.

Hammer Declan Rice is ranked the second-best defensive midfielder in the Premier League when it comes to recoveries, tackles and interceptions and joint first for dribbles.

On Friday David Moyes spoke to reporters on Declan Rice and his performance against Manchester City,

“His first half wasn’t good by Dec’s standards,” said Moyes. “Second-half performance he took it up, he drove the ball out for us, he took the ball out at different times.

“He’s improving, he’s getting better, he’s learning. When you’re in the team and you’re a young player it’s not easy, but you get judged very quickly. I think Declan is one of the players we are looking to be our main player and that’s why he’s getting selected for England.

“What we really want is a nice up and coming team with the potential to get better, hunger to improve as individuals. But then we need people to take it on and show what it means, Mark Noble is a great example of someone who can show exactly what the club does, how we work. Declan’s been here really since the start.

“But you want the young ones because they’re the ones who will pass it on to the next group. I hope Jarrod, Declan, and a few of the young ones we’ve got in at the moment [can do that].”

Claret and Hugh say:

Rice’s impressive form is likely to bring many admirers this summer from the top six clubs and these impressive stats underline that. David Moyes is reported only to be willing to part with his star player for bids of £90m and above and at the tender age of twenty-one and already in the England squad we could see a bidding war for the defensive midfielder no matter which division we find ourselves in next season.  No one wants Declan Rice to leave West Ham but we need to be realistic to understand when a player outgrows us and when it is time to cash in to get the maximum return.  Rice could be to West Ham what Gareth Bale was to Spurs. He was sold for £85m in 2013 with Christian Eriksen one of the players they bought with the money.