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Inconsistent Moyes’ confusing message

Moyes’ confusing message to players 

West Ham’s manager David Moyes has told his fringe players to step up and force their way into the team. Speaking on the subject of squad size and fixture congestion, the Hammers gaffer suggested he was well aware of the need to rotate players.

Moyes has made just one 87th-minute substitution in both of The Irons’ last two games, and some of the squad look on the verge of exhaustion. However, his suggestion that players need to give him a reason to select them is odd. Maxwel Cornet was introduced against Backa Topola and changed the game. The Hammers were struggling to break down the Serbian side until Cornet provided the cross for Tomas Soucek’s winner.

Maxwel Cornet is ready to play in the first team if Moyes gives him the chance

Moyes’ confusing message Maxwell Cornet was dropped following a match winning performance

However, the Ivorian has not been seen since, yet it could be argued that he has done precisely what David Moyes has asked. Both Divin Mubama and Ben Johnson have performed reasonably when called upon this season, with the former even creating a goal.

Moyes’ mixed message

Moyes’s demands seem inconsistent. He appears to be asking players to step up and force their way into the team. Yet when they do, the same players can often be omitted from the squad altogether.

“We’re probably one of the clubs with the least amount of injuries, but we understand there will be a period where it comes,” he said. “We lost two boys in Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio during the international break. I will need to find ways of getting others on, but other players need to play themselves into the team and in form as well. They need to show us that I can put them in.

“We’re playing these boys and I’ve got to see how much they can keep playing. But I’m needing the other players to show me, when they’re given the opportunities, to show me their form. We’re needing that”.

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Everton can do West Ham a massive favour

West Ham’s thrilling and welcome win against Tottenham did little to change our league position. The Hammers began the evening in 9th place and finished precisely in the same position.

However, it did solidify our standing within the top half of the table, and there seems to be daylight between the top 9 and the rest of the Premier League. So, this weekend’s fixture between Everton and 10th-place Chelsea is intriguing.

Everton is riding high after a surprising win against high-flying Newcastle, while Chelsea was humbled by Manchester United. That’s why I’m predicting a win for Everton, who now seem to have a spring in their step following a points deduction.

Dyche can do West Ham and Moyes a massive favour by beating Chelsea

Claret & Hugh have selected six EPL fixtures this weekend in collaboration with Bet MGM to give you the chance to win a £2,000,000 jackpot in the prediction game called Golden Goals, and the best part is that Golden Goals is FREE!

Aside from the jackpot, there are smaller cash prizes available. Amazingly, even if the top prize is not collected, a guaranteed Prizepool will be paid out to those with the most correct predictions. This week, three people shared £5k despite only getting three predictions correct.

My Golden Goals prediction involves Everton doing West Ham a massive favour 

The featured games for this week are as follows:

  • Brighton vs Burnley
  • Man Utd vs Bournemouth
  • Wolves vs Forest
  • Everton vs Chelsea
  • Fulham vs West Ham
  • Luton vs Man City

So, if you consider yourself a bit of a whiz at predicting results and scorelines, use the link below to join, and as always, bet safely and

 

 

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Jarrod Bowen is 100 per cent NOT FOR SALE.

West Ham have revealed Jarrod Bowen is 100 per cent NOT FOR SALE.

Jarrod Bowen is 100 per cent NOT FOR SALE.

His latest goal scoring exploits and performance levels have sparked fresh expectation that Champions League clubs in England will begin to consider him as a very good signing.

But talking exclusively to Claret and Hugh our highest placed source declared: ” Bowen is 100 per cent NOT FOR SALE.” Rumours began to circulate earlier today that Bowen may still being watched by the big four along with suggestions the Hammers would do all they need to do to keep him.

When signing a seven year deal with the Hammers, the No 20 made it clear that he could see himself spending the rest of his career with the club and that is the aim of the Hammers who see him in the sort of terms once reserved for Declan Rice.

Jarrod scored his ninth goal of the season against Spurs – his first against them and has now wracked up 50 goals in total for us and he has claimed that he wants to be remembered in the same sort of terms as Hammers legends  Mooro, Sir Trev and Geoff Hurst.

He said at the time he signed for seven years that he did so because he loved this club because it was the one which gave him his big chance. He shrugged off reported interest from the likes of Liverpool when agreeing a deal with us and looks and sounds like a man who intends going absolutely nowhere at all.

When we put the question about a future departure to our key source we were told: “Jarrod is our player and that is how it will reman. He is 100 per cent NOT FOR SALE!

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How to follow Fulham v West Ham

The Hammers face a third London derby on Sunday as we travel to Craven Cottage for a clash with 12th placed Fulham  – a match which unfortunately is not on TV but here are details of how to follow the game.

Fulham v West Ham…How to follow

Former Hammer Issa Diop won’t be lining up against us as a foot injury has seen him side lined over recent weeks and he is not expected to be back in action this weekend.

Forward Rodrigo Muniz is nearing a return for Fulham after a knee injury while boss Marco Silva will be hoping Adama Traoré has recovered from a thigh problem in time.

The simplest way to reach Craven Cottage is by using public transport.

The nearest London Underground station is Putney Bridge on the District line, which is a 15 minute walk along Ranelagh Gardens and the Thames Path through Bishops Park and into Stevenage Road, from where you can access the Putney End. Fulham Broadway and Parsons Green are also on the District line, but are both around a half-an-hour’s walk to Craven Cottage.

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Two Hammers are on their way this winter

Two Hammers are on their way this winter

Two Hammers are on their way this winter for the right offers.

Mikey Antonio and Maxwel Cornet  are seen as  cash- raising players who can help Hammers bring in a much needed striker in the winter window. The club see Mikey as a player who could be included a cash plus player deal whilst Cornet appears to be simply unfancied by David Moyes bringing him in from Burney for £17 million. He certainly isn’t the first to suffer such a fate of course under Moyes, however, and might have expected to at least be in last night’s squad but no he was completely ignored despite us learning he was not injured!

Two Hammers are on their way this winter 

 

 

The Hammers have made it clear to the Hammers that Antonio would be unlikely to find his way back into the team with Kudus and Bowen going so well and playing major roles in helping us clinch the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In Mikey’s case the only way back would appear to be through injury to any of the front players and our key source admitted he could well be on his way.

He said: “Anything is possible including straight cash or player plus cash offers, There certainly appears to be no way back for him at the moment even though he is very close to recovery from his knee ligament problem. Cornet is another who could be in his way!”

CLARETANDHUGH | Facebook

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Perfect way to go into the clash against Fulham

Perfect way to go into the clash against Fulham

Three points from the first of two away games is the perfect way to go into the clash against Fulham who thrashed Nottingham Forest in their last game. The have won five games this season – all at home, drawn three and lost seven whist reaching 12th position in the Premier League. But, hopefully with the huge confidence we hopefully gathered from the second half of the Spurs game we can inflict their fourth home defeat of the season upon them.

The Hammers boss is of course going through the weekly cliches about them being a very good team which I am not sure what that makes the top four in that case, with a very good manager. OK, I suppose it has to be said but the fact is that if we are on our way as we all hope they are there to be beaten.

Perfect way to go into the clash against Fulham

Speaking at his pre match presser for the game he said: “I think Fulham are a very good team. They played very well last season and have come into a little bit of form as well.

They’ve got a really good manager, they’ve got good players in their team and every game in the Premier League is hard.

They scored three against Liverpool, they scored five in midweek against Forest, so whatever they’re doing, they’re getting it right at the moment.

They’ve been a progressive team in the last few years and have steadied themselves, becoming a strong Premier League team after yo-yoing for a few years. They’re doing really well.”

He believes the performance and result over Spurs will hopefully give us added confidence and belief.

He added: “It was a big night for us and we’ve got to move onto the next game. The scheduling is incredibly difficult, we’re playing Thursday nights and Sundays all the time by the looks of it.

We’ve got very little recovery time, but overall we hope we can get ourselves ready for another game on Sunday.”

(3) CLARETANDHUGH | Facebook

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Moyes celebrates the performances of Bowen and Kudus

Moyes celebrates the performances of Bowen and Kudus

He then turned his attention to Jarrod and Mo saying first of the Number 20: “Jarrod has always scored goals. He’s scored a lot of goals coming off wide areas, but I think he has showed he can play centrally as well. There are games we will play him wide and there are games where we will play him as a centre-forward.”

And of Mo he added: “Mo has been exceptional in so many different ways. He’s been an assist-maker and he’s been a goal scorer for us. He work-rate for the team [has been great] and I can only see him improving as he goes on.”

(3) CLARETANDHUGH | Facebook

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Credit where’s it’s due Mr Moyes

OK credit where’s it’s due Mr Moyes. That was a remarkable team talk you must have given at half time as the lads produced their best 45 minutes of the season. But we need more, a lot more of the same over the rest of the season now, having seen how the players can perform when it is desperately required writes Hughie Southon.

Credit where it’s due Mr Moyes

The two heroes for me of a second 45 minutes, which left most of us utterly astounded, were Jarrod Bowen, who was entirely inspired, and the excellent Mo Kudus who  has  defied the general feeling – notably from the manager – that new arrivals need a little while to settle in. He is becoming a top Hammer very quickly indeed and offering a very timely option.

He can play centrally but is also a star of Bowen proportions on the right wing. That they were able to swap places at times was a huge bonus to the team and one which should well create problems for most Premier League oppositions. The downside last night was Paqueta who – for me anyway – had a thoroughly awful game, missing one great opportunity (provided from the right by Kudus) and generally was worth no more than a three or four in my personal ratings, IF THAT!

Zouma’s return steadied things a bit when we were under so much pressure in that oppressive first half and James Ward-Prowse again looked  the player of a few weeks ago.

We now know what they are capable of and we need to see that type of performance consistently. If we do then YES, we can join the top six on a regular basis but we still need that other striker with Bowen saying he is happy to learn the job and some really strong signings next summer with the old guard moving on as their time passes.

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Classic Hammers tale of two halves

Ah, that was a classic Hammers tale of two halves !
In the initial 45 minutes, the outlook seemed grim for the Irons as the Spuds showcased seamless teamwork and swift advances, rendering West Ham‘s attacking line up ineffective for extended periods. The Irons resorted to booting the ball into enemy territory just to catch a momentary breath before facing the inevitable next onslaught writes Michael Talbot.
Moyes provides Hammers blueprint

Classic Hammers tale of two halves

Romero’s impressive header, navigating through defenders to connect with Pedro Porro’s corner, hinted at the potential for numerous Spurs goals in a first half marked by their complete dominance. However, whatever transpired in the Hammers’ dressing room during halftime evidently had an immediate impact.

Emerging for the second half with a renewed purpose, West Ham swiftly levelled the score within seven minutes. A speculative long-range shot from Mohammed Kudus ricocheted off Romero and Ben Davies, landing fortuitously in Bowen‘s path. Seizing the opportunity, Bowen smashed it past Guglielmo Vicario, who could only watch as the ball found the net.

Then came a pivotal moment when, under minimal pressure, Destiny Udogie’s poorly executed back pass to Vicario forced the goalkeeper to rush out and clear the ball with Bowen closing in. Capitalising on the chaos, Ward-Prowse’s initial shot hit the post but rebounded straight back to him, allowing him to calmly slot the ball into the empty net.

Despite David Moyes facing increasing criticism for lacklustre performances, this victory showcased the benefits of his pragmatic approach. It secured a valuable three points, and the smiles at the final whistle were a welcome sight.
Bring on Fulham !
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Moyes provides Hammers blueprint

Moyes provides Hammers blueprint for victory

West Ham’s second-half comeback against Spurs provided a future blueprint for the remainder of the season. It also aptly demonstrated that attack was indeed the best form of defense.

While David Moyes‘ men were not swashbuckling in attack, the collective pressing forced Tottenham into errors and kept them in their own half for longer. Too frequently, West Ham sits back and soaks up pressure, but in the second half at New White Hart Lane, the Hammers were on the front foot.

Moyes provides Hammers blueprint

Moyes provides Hammers blueprint with Spurs win

James Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen were metamorphosed by the tactical switch. Lucas Paqueta also transformed from a parody player and the ghost of West Ham past into an actual footballer. The defense suddenly found themselves with less work to do, and our full-backs became far more involved.

So, well done to David Moyes for the tactical halftime switch… if West Ham can start both halves in that fashion, the second part of the season could be very exciting.