FM12 - Come On You Irons!

[Grover]

10/01/15 – Premier League Match Day #21
Newcastle United 1 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Newcastle: di Santo (36), West Ham: Gibson (67), Stambouli (90)
Shots/On Target: Newcastle: 14/7, West Ham 13/5
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: Newcastle: Taylor (Y 90+3), West Ham: Gibson (Y 73)
Man of the Match: Darron Gibson

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Martin 6.9, Tomkins 6.9, Stambouli 7.5, Spence 7.0, Marcq 7.0, Gibson 8.4, Noble 7.7, Fleck (off 61) 6.5, Altidore 6.9, Cole (off 61) 6.0, Popov (on 61) 6.9, Acquafresca (on 61) 6.9

Notes:
- The Toon strike first, ter Stegen gets himself caught out of position on a free kick and di Santo easily heads it past and into goal.
- Superb equalizer from Gibson, a 25 yard effort that hits both posts before crossing the goal line.
- Mark Noble takes a 90th minute corner and finds, who else, Benjamin Stambouli, at the near post for the header.
- Big win. Newcastle were the better side throughout.

12/01/15 – Injury News
Jack Collison has returned to training after missing six weeks with strained knee ligaments.

Good to see we're getting healthy before February hits and the fixture list starts to get congested once more.

13/01/15 – Awards
Jordan Spence and Darron Gibson have been selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

14/01/15 – Injury News
Miguel Martin has again suffered a pulled hamstring and will miss up to three weeks.

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17/01/15 – Premier League Match Day #22
West Ham United 3 – 1 Sunderland
Goals: West Ham: Altidore (37, 55), Cole (73), Sunderland: Dong-Won (33)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 23/9, Sunderland 6/3
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Man of the Match: Jozy Altidore

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.2, Tomkins 6.4, Stambouli 6.9, Lescott (off 78) 8.0, Marcq 6.9, Gibson 6.9, Noble (off 78) 7.1, Fleck 6.9, Altidore (off 78) 8.8, Cole 7.4

Notes:
- Quaresma crosses for Ji Dong-Won and the 20th placed Black Cats take a 1-0 lead.
- That lead is short lived as Altidore makes a turn and charges into the box, slotting past Craig Gordon.
- Altidore makes it two, taking a pass from Fleck and going top corner from 18 yards.
- Carlton Cole makes it a two goal lead, taking Lescott's pass, driving to the six yard box and passing it by Gordon.
- Altidore came off due to injury 78 minutes in, Lescott and Noble were subbed off as well. Their replacements, Tafer, Fabio and Anakoglou did not earn a rating.

Injury
Jozy Altidore will miss 7-10 days with a gashed leg. The injury occurred when he collided with midfielder Lee Cattermole.

20/01/15 – Awards
Joleon Lescott has been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

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24/01/15 – Premier League Match Day #23
Liverpool 2 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Liverpool: Spence (o.g. 45+1), Suarez (45+5), West Ham: Acquafresca (31, 34)
Shots/On Target: Liverpool 12/3, West Ham 17/9
Possession: 50/50
Cautions: Liverpool: Carroll (Y 40), Isla (R 53)
Man of the Match: Robert Acquafresca

Form: ter Stegen 6.3, Spence 6.4, Tomkins 6.9, Stambouli 6.8, Fabio 7.0, Marcq (off 65) 7.2, Gibson 6.8, Noble 6.6, Fleck 7.0, Cole 6.4, Tafer (off 23) 6.3, Gosling (on 65) 6.7, Acquafresca (on 23) 8.8

Notes:
- Lunch time kick-off, as such we're on television.
- Yannis Tafer comes off with a knock (23).
- Acquafresca, on as a sub, procures the lead, getting between defenders and rounding Pepe Reina.
- Impact sub as the Italian heads home Fabio's cross from the left.
- Mental error from Jordan Spence as he accidentally knocks the ball into our net.
- Luis Suarez heads home a Krasic corner late in first half stoppage and the defensive meltdown results in a draw going to the half.
- Isla is given a straight red, tackling Fleck from behind as he comes down from heading the ball.

Injury News
Yannis Tafer suffered a torn calf muscle and is expected to miss 3-4 months with the injury. The forward had 8 goals in 17 appearances.

Damien Marcq pulled his hamstring and is likely to miss three weeks.

27/01/15 – Awards
Robert Acquafresca has been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

31/01/15 – FA Cup (fourth round)
Colchester United 1 – 4 West Ham United
Goals: Colchester: Wordsworth (pen 14), West Ham: Bonser (30), Altidore (40, 46), Alexandre (68)
Shots/On Target: Colchester 9/1, West Ham 15/9
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Cautions: Colchester: Wordsworth (Y 65)
Man of the Match: Jozy Altidore

Form: Cowler 6.9, Gosling 7.1, Lescott 7.3, Stambouli 7.9, De Laet 6.8, Matic 7.7, Anakoglou 7.0, Christopoulos 7.0, Alexandre 7.9, Altidore 9.5, Bonser 8.2

Notes:
- Apparently this match was good enough to be considered for television.
- Starting two players directly from the U18s.
- Ritchie De Laet concedes a penalty early on, Wordsworth converts.
- Chris Bonser, the 16 year old opens our scoring, putting Altidore's cross home with a left footed effort.
- Jozy secures the lead with a dazzling individual effort, dribbling in from the right along the line, cutting back out and scoring from a ridiculous angle.
- For the third goal it's Bonser assisting for Altidore as we start to pull away.
- Another teenager, Steve Alexandre taps home Altidore's cross. The kids are looking good.
- West Ham United have been given £91,810 for the victory.

News
Chris Bonser at the age of 16 years, 175 days has become the youngest goalscorer in the history of West Ham United.

Ghana Want Kafka
Ghana have offered Otto Kafka the position of head coach, but the offer has been rejected.

If I take over any national team it will be in Europe.

[Grover]

January In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

01/02/15 – Signing
Due to the injury of Yannis Tafer, we have moved to secure a forward on loan until season's end. The forward is a 19 year old Italian joining us from Juventus. He is the fantastically named Gregorio Pasta. The youngster comes in for £850k with the option of making the deal permanent for a further £6m. He'll have every chance to make the squad permanently, though it is a long shot.



02/02/15 – FA Cup Draw
West Ham get the short end of the stick and will travel across the city to face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round. The match will be played on 22nd February, just four days after a trip to Spain for a Champions League tie with Athletic Bilbao.

Matches with QPR and Manchester United have been pushed back to March to accommodate the FA Cup tie.

Injury News
Miguel Martin has returned to training following his recovery from a pulled hamstring.

Stadium Notes
Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham are the only three clubs to have sold out every home game this season.

03/02/15 – Premier League Match Day #24
Manchester City 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: City: Savic (28), West Ham: Cole (71)
Shots/On Target: City 20/6, West Ham 12/6
Possession: City 56/44
Cautions: City: Aguero (Y 32), Nasri (Y 43), de Jong (Y 79), Clichy (Y 80), West Ham: Stambouli (Y 23), Spence (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Form: ter Stegen 7.4, Spence 6.9, Lescott 7.4, Tomkins 6.9, Fabio 6.6, Stambouli 6.9, Collison (off 57) 6.6, Gibson 6.8, Fleck 7.0, Altidore (off 57) 6.6, Acquafresca (off 57) 6.6, Noble (on 57) 6.9, Pasta (on 57) 6.9, Cole (on 57) 6.9

Notes:
- Steven Savic opens the scoring for City, heading home Samir Nasri's corner.
- Carlton Cole equalizes from Jordan Spence's cross to the far post. Cole has been a super-sub all season long, getting goals when they're needed most.
- Big draw. Have to be happy with the way the club fought back to earn that point against Manchester City's Highly Paid All Stars.
- We fall a point behind Arsenal at the top as Robin van Persie scores a minute from time to give them a 2-1 victory over Newcastle.

[Grover]

07/02/15 – Premier League Match Day #25
West Ham United 1 – 1 Everton
Goals: West Ham: Fleck (11), Everton: Bisevic (47)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 16/7, Everton 21/8
Possession: Everton 57/43
Cautions: Everton: Gueye (Y 90+2)
Man of the Match: Leighton Baines

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 6.9, Stambouli 6.6, Tomkins 7.1, Lescott (off 53) 6.6, Matic 6.8, Gibson 6.8, Fleck 7.2, Noble (off 79) 6.6, Altidore (off 53) 6.0, Cole 6.9, Pasta (on 53) 6.6, De Laet (on 53) 6.7

Notes:
- Fleck hits a terrific left-footed volley from just inside the box. Carlton Cole assists.
- Leighton Baines sends in a corner and Milan Bisevac heads it home.
- Pair of changes at the 53' mark, Lescott and Altidore off for De Laet and Pasta.
- Ivelin Popov came on late for Noble and did not earn a rating.

Injury
Benjamin Stambouli suffered a bruised thigh and will miss 4-5 days.

12/02/15 – Injury News
Damien Marcq has returned to training following his recovery from a pulled hamstring.

17/02/15 – Champions League Knockouts, First Leg
Leverkusen 3 – 2 Manchester United
Manchester City 4 – 0 Real Madrid

[Grover]

18/02/15 – Champions League Knockouts, First Leg
Athletic Bilbao 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Athletic: Prieto (75), West Ham: Altidore (45)
Shots/On Target: Athletic 16/9, West Ham 14/6
Possession: Athletic 53/47
Cautions: Athletic: San Jose (Y 53), Sola (Y 83), West Ham: Noble (Y 44), Fabio (Y 63)
Man of the Match: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Form: ter Stegen 8.3, Spence 7.1, Stambouli 6.9, Tomkins 7.0, Fabio 6.9, Marcq 7.1, Gibson 6.9, Noble 7.3, Fleck 7.1, Altidore 7.3, Cole 5.9

Notes:
- Noble picks up a yellow for a trip and will miss the return leg through suspension.
- Brilliant, flowing football. Fleck plays a pass to Noble, ahead to Altidore who lobs it over the keeper. What a way to go into the half.
- Athletic have pressured the entire second half, chance after chance, ter Stegen has been incredible.
- They finally break the barrier, Prieto heads home a cross from the left.
- We'll go into the home leg with a slight edge on the away goal.

Other Scores
A.C. Milan 0 - 2 Barcelona

Suspension
Mark Noble has picked up an automatic one match ban for collecting three yellow cards in European play.

[Grover]

22/02/15 – FA Cup (fifth round)
Chelsea 1 – 0 West Ham United
Goals: Chelsea: Lampard (88)
Shots/On Target: Chelsea 13/6, West Ham 9/1
Possession: Chelsea 53/47
Cautions: Chelsea: Chygrynskyi (Y 11)
Man of the Match: Emiliano Insua

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Martin 7.0, Stambouli 5.9, Tomkins 7.1, Lescott 6.9, Gosling 6.3, Collison (off 59) 6.1, Anakoglou 6.9, Popov 6.9, Pasta 6.2, Acquafresca 6.0, Gibson (on 59) 6.9

Notes:
- Gregori Pasta makes his first start for the club. He misses two glorious efforts in the first half.
- Acquafresca misses the post by inches (55).
- Lampard gives Chelsea the lead with a late, late goal, slotting through after Mikel's pass.
- The loss is our first since October in all competitions.

24/02/15 – Champions League Knockouts, First Leg
Besiktas 3 – 3 Sporting Lisbon
Liverpool 3 – 2 CSKA Moscow

[Grover]

25/02/15 – Premier League Match Day #26
Queens Park Rangers 1 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: QPR: Jeannot (88), West Ham: Altidore (1), Cole (33)
Shots/On Target: QPR 17/6, West Ham 15/3
Possession: QPR 61/39
Man of the Match: Carlton Cole

Form: ter Stegen 7.2, Spence 7.1, Stambouli 6.9, Lescott 6.9, Fabio 7.6, Marcq 7.0, Collison 7.0, Noble 7.1, Fleck 6.9, Altidore 7.3, Cole 8.3

Notes:
- Flying start, Fabio crosses for Altidore who heads home.
- Incredible effort from Cole. 30 yard blast one-timed into the back of goal.
- Great goal from Jeannot to pull one back, a ferocious effort from just inside the 18.

Champions League Knockouts, First Leg
Schalke 0 – 2 Olympique Marseille
SL Benfica 0 – 1 Bayern Munchen

[Grover]

February In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Leaders


Premier League Table

[Grover]

01/03/15 – Premier League Match Day #27
West Ham United 0 – 0 Chelsea
Shots/On Target: West Ham 14/3, Chelsea 2/0
Possession: 50/50
Cautions: West Ham: Fleck (Y 42), Chelsea: Ramires (Y 32), Mikel (Y 58)
Man of the Match: James Tomkins

Form: ter Stegen 6.8, Spence 7.1, Stambouli 7.1, Tomkins 7.6, Lescott 7.4, Marcq 6.7, Gibson 6.6, Fleck (off 59) 6.2, Popov 6.8, Altidore 6.4, Cole 6.8, Christopoulos (on 59) 6.8

Notes:
- Even match, but with Fleck struggling we take him off for Christopoulos. (59)
- Christopoulos makes an immediate impact with a great ball for Altidore, but the forward hits the bar.
- Tomkins hits the bar heading from a corner.

Carling Cup Final
Stoke City have won the Carling Cup, defeating Newcastle 3-1.

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07/03/15 – Premier League Match Day #28
Arsenal 2 – 3 West Ham United
Goals: Arsenal: Koscielny (12), Vermaelen (85), West Ham: Noble (pen 9), Altidore (16), Cole (44)
Shots/On Target: Arsenal 20/12, West Ham 12/6
Possession: Arsenal 60/40
Cautions: Arsenal: E. Torres (Y 15), West Ham: Spence (Y 33), Cole (Y 83)
Man of the Match: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Form: ter Stegen 9.1, Spence (off 66) 6.9, Stambouli 6.9, Tomkins 6.9, Lescott 6.5, Matic 7.0, Gibson 7.2, Noble 7.2, Fleck (off 66) 6.8, Altidore 8.0, Cole 7.3, De Laet (on 66) 6.4, Christopoulos (on 66) 6.7

Notes:
- Saturday lunch time kick-off. We're on television and this match is a true six pointer. We've got a game in hand on Arsenal and are three points back.
- Joe Ledley fouls Gibson in the box, Noble converts.
- Fetfatzidis crosses into the box on a free kick and Koscielny heads home.
- Goals coming quick. Altidore pounces on a loose ball and roofs it on Szczesny.
- Carlton Cole makes it 3-1 with a blast into goal after Szczesny misplays the long ball.
- Vermaelen pulls one back late, heading home a corner.

[Grover]

10/03/15 – Champions League Knockouts, Second Leg
West Ham United 1 (2) – (5) 4 Athletic Bilbao
Goals: West Ham: Christopoulos (56), Athletic: Javi Martinez (15), Prieto (20, pen 87), De Marcos (60)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 12/4, Athletic 14/4
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: West Ham: Altidore (Y 18), Fabio (Y 29), Fleck (Y 41), Athletic: Herrera (Y 55), Llorente (Y 58)
Man of the Match: Andoni Iraola

Form: ter Stegen 5.3, Spence 5.6, Stambouli 6.5, Tomkins 5.8, Fabio 6.0, Marcq 7.5, Collison 6.5, Christopoulos 7.1, Fleck 5.6, Altidore 5.8, Cole 6.2

Notes:
- Aggregate begins 1-1, we have the edge on away goals.
- Mark Noble is suspended for this match.
- Carlton Cole has a goal ruled offside (2). Replays indicate the call was correct by a good three yards.
- Javi Martinez heads home a Prieto corner, it sneaks past the defender.
- Prieto heads home one himself, and now we're in a deep hole.
- Christopoulos with a brilliant 30 yard effort, but we still need two more.
- De Marcos capitalizes on a giveaway to make it 3-1 and most likely sinking our Champions League dream.
- Jack Collison gives away a penalty, Prieto converts.
- West Ham have been given £2.6m for playing in the first knockout round.

Other Scores
Barcelona 2 (4) – (2) 2 A.C. Milan

11/03/15 – Champions League Knockouts, Second Leg
Manchester United 3 (5) – (4) 1 Leverkusen
Real Madrid 1 (1) – (5) 1 Manchester City

News
Frankfurt have signed West Ham's Brian Laudrup as coach. We will receive £95,000 in compensation as part of the deal.

17/03/15 – Champions League Knockouts, Second Leg
Bayern Munchen 1 (2) – (0) 0 SL Benfica
Olympique Marseilla 1 (3) – (0) 0 Schalke

[Grover]

18/03/15 – Premier League Match Day #29
West Ham United 0 – 1 Manchester United
Goals: United: Rooney (67)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 5/3, United 23/9
Possession: United 58/42
Cautions: West Ham: Altidore (Y 43, Y/R 65), Fabio (Y 69), Marcq (Y 72), United: Fletcher (Y 29), Rooney (Y 50), Evans (Y 88)
Man of the Match: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Form: ter Stegen 9.5, Spence 7.1, Stambouli 6.7, Tomkins 7.2, Fabio 6.0, Marcq 7.2, Collison 6.8, Noble 7.1, Fleck (off 45) 6.6, Altidore (off 65) 6.1, Cole (off 45) 6.1, Christopoulos (on 45) 5.9, Acquafresca (on 45) 6.0

Notes:
- Altidore is sent off for a second caution. (65)
- United capitalizes quickly after the sending off through Wayne Rooney.
- Manchester United are the only team to beat us in the Premier League this season, have done so twice. Also our first loss in 22 Premier League games.

Champions League Knockouts, Second Leg
CSKA Moscow 1 (3) – (3) 0 Liverpool
CSKA advance on away goals.

Sporting Lisbon 0 (3) – (3) 0 Besiktas
Sporting Lisbon advance on away goals.

[Grover]

21/03/15 – Premier League Match Day #30
West Ham United 1 – 0 Tottenham Hotspur
Goals: West Ham: Popov (15)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 13/5, Spurs 7/1
Possession: West Ham 56/44
Cautions: Spurs: Jagielka (R 65)
Man of the Match: Joleon Lescott

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Martin 7.2, Stambouli 7.1, Tomkins 7.6, Lescott 7.8, Marcq (off 76) 7.1, Gibson 7.3, Fleck (off 76) 6.9, Popov 7.2, Pasta (off 76) 5.1, Cole 6.9

Notes:
- Popov takes a pass from Cole while on the run, rounds Gomes and finishes cleanly.
- Pasta is taken down in the box by Lorik Cana and his penalty is saved.
- Phil Jagielka is sent off for bringing down an attacker as the last man.
- With the lead and up a man, we take off Pasta, Marcq and Fleck on 76'. Acquafresca, Gosling and Christopoulos came on, but did not earn a rating.
- Gregori Pasta will most definitely not be retained once his loan ends. He may even be sent back once Tafer is back in training.

25/03/15 – News
Awards
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

29/03/15 – News
Both James Tomkins and Dimitris Anakoglou want out. Tomkins feels he has achieved all he can with the club and a chat with him didn't help matters so I'll offer him out. Anakoglou was concerned with playing time and has also been offered out.

I really wanted to keep Tomkins as he's personally one of my favorite players on the team in real life. However, if I can get a decent fee for him, I'll use that to reinvest in the summer. I'll be looking for a new partner for Stambouli.

[Grover]

March In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Leaders


Premier League Table

[Grover]

04/04/15 – Premier League Match Day #31
Leicester City 0 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: West Ham: Niculescu (90)
Shots/On Target: Leicester 7/2, West Ham 15/3
Possession: West Ham 60/40
Cautions: Leicester: Anele (Y 71), West Ham: Collison (Y 64)
Man of the Match: Benjamin Stambouli

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.1, Stambouli 7.3, Lescott 7.3, Fabio 7.3, Marcq 7.1, Collison 6.9, Noble (off 45) 6.6, Popov (off 73) 6.7, Altidore 7.0, Cole (off 45) 6.2, Niculescu (on 45) 7.3, Fleck (on 72) 6.5, Acquafresca (on 45) 6.9

Notes:
- Thought for sure we were going to go out of this one with a scoreless draw.
- Altidore centers for Niculescu and he easily puts it by the keeper.

U18s Crowned Champions
The West Ham United U18 club has been crowned Champions of Group 4, sitting currently with a 17-1-0 record, 72 goals scored and 18 goals against.

[Grover]

13/04/15 – Premier League Match Day #32
Blackburn Rovers 2 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Blackburn: Rochina (22), Bangoura (48), West Ham: Altidore (3), Walker (og. 66)
Shots/On Target: Blackburn 17/6, West Ham 5/4
Possession: Blackburn 55/45
Man of the Match: Alberto Niculescu

Form: ter Stegen 7.5, Spence 6.8, Stambouli (off 62) 5.8, Lescott 6.9, Fabio 6.7, Marcq 7.0, Noble 6.7, Niculescu 8.6, Fleck (off 62) 5.7, Altidore 7.2, Cole (off 62) 6.5, Popov (on 62) 6.9, De Laet (on 62) 6.9, Acquafresca (on 62) 6.4

Notes:
- Lightning quick start, Niculescu finds Altidore moving into the box and he beats Paul Robinson easily.
- Formica floats a corner in and Rochina heads it home.
- Brilliant 35 yard blast from Bangoura, ter Stegen never had a chance.
- Shades of our early season encounter as we draw back level on an own goal.
- With six games to play we hold a 2 point lead over Manchester United and a 3 point lead over Arsenal.

14/04/15 – Awards
Alberto Niculescu has been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

18/04/15 – Premier League Match Day #33
West Ham United 4 – 1 Huddersfield Town
Goals: West Ham: Altidore (18, 72), Cole (33, 75), Huddersfield: Hasselbaink (77)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 21/8, Huddersfield 3/1
Possession: West Ham 64/36
Cautions: West Ham: Marcq (Y 13), Huddersfield: Mehamha (R 11)
Man of the Match: Carlton Cole

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.8, De Laet 7.2, Lescott 7.3, Fabio 8.2, Marcq 8.1, Collison 7.1, Niculescu 7.3, Fleck 6.9, Altidore 8.8, Cole 9.3

Notes:
- Said Mehamha is sent off just 11 minutes in after raking down John Fleck from behind.
- Carlton Cole has a goal ruled offside (15).
- Jozy Altidore dives to connect with a Cole cross and toes home the ball.
- Damien Marcq passes a ball ahead and Cole is able to beat the last defender and rounds the keeper to double the lead.
- Collison finds Altidore along the edge of the box and Jozy absolutely rips it goalward, Bond had no chance to save.
- Cole adds a brace of his own as he heads in Fabio's cross from the left. Cole beats former West Ham youth product Eyjolfsson to the ball.
- Hasselbaink gets back a little respect for Huddersfield, beating ter Stegen to a loose ball and easily finishing.'

20/04/15 – News
Sunderland have been relegated back to the npower Championship with 5 matches remaining.

21/04/15 – Awards
Carlton Cole was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

25/04/15 – Premier League Match Day #34
West Ham United 2 – 1 Stoke City
Goals: West Ham: Cole (39, 79), Stoke: Rodriguez (90+3)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 9/3, Stoke 9/3
Possession: West Ham 56/44
Cautions: West Ham: Marcq (Y 76), Stoke: Rodriguez (Y 2), Lesjak (Y 45), Palacios (Y 55)
Man of the Match: Carlton Cole

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Fabio (off 45) 6.9, De Laet 6.9, Lescott 8.2, Spence 7.0, Marcq 6.9, Collison (off 45) 6.9, Niculescu 7.4, Fleck 6.9, Altidore 6.9, Cole 8.8, Martin (on 45) 6.8, Gibson (on 45) 6.1

Notes:
- Liverpool top United 1-0 in the early game.
- Man oh man is Niculescu going to be special. Excellent vision to put a pass into the box for Cole to run on to and finish with tenacity.
- Fabio and Collison come off for Martin and Gibson because their conditions were hovering at 71% and 80% respectively.
- Cole has a brace in two straight, catching the Stoke keeper too far out of goal and rocketing it through.
- Jay Rodriguez picks up a consolation when ter Stegen is caught out of position as Jessen comes in from the left. Jessen easily centers it and Rodriguez applies the finish.
- With the win we move five points clear at the summit with four to play.

Hammers Qualify
West Ham have qualified for the 2015 Champions League by securing a top three finish in the Premier League. The club will enter the competition in the group stages.

Diop Signs
We have signed former player Papa Bouba Diop to the staff as a coach. He was listed in my “worst opinion” category of personnel, so it's a bit surprising he's signed. He's added to the staff along with other former players David Trezeguet and Frederic Piquionne.

Board Meeting Brings Success
After bringing a number of issues up with the board, improvements are on the way. A £3.7m upgrade to the club's training facilities has begun and will be complete by the end of October. The training grounds are currently rated at three stars.

A stadium expansion has also been announced, after selling out all home games for the past two seasons, the board agreed this would be a good idea. The ground will expand from the 35,402 seats to 40,500 and will cost £6.25m.

28/04/15 – Awards
Joleon Lescott and Carlton Cole have been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

Player News
James Tomkins and Dimitris Anakoglou have been moved to the reserves because both players have agreed to transfers that will take place on 9th June. There new destinations will be revealed when the off-season begins. No need to risk potential injury by playing them in Premier League matches.

It will be sad to see them both go.

[Grover]

April In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Leaders


Premier League Table

[Grover]

02/05/15 – Premier League Match Day #35
Norwich City 0 – 0 West Ham United
Shots/On Target: Norwich 5/3, West Ham 8/2
Possession: Norwich 57/43
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (Y 10), Spence (Y 90+2)
Man of the Match: Adam Lallana

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.0, De Laet 7.1, Lescott 7.1, Fabio 7.4, Marcq 7.3, Noble (off 73) 6.6, Niculescu 7.1, Christopoulos (off 73) 6.6, Altidore 6.8, Cole (off 73) 6.6, Fleck (on 73) 6.3, Gibson (on 73) 6.7, Acquafresca (on 73) 6.8

Notes:
- We face our #1 last year, Sinan Bolat.
- Very disappointing draw against the next to bottom squad.
- Our lead over United is just 3 points with three games remaining after they defeated City 2-0.
- Arsenal are also just three points back after defeating Sunderland 3-1.

Tafer Back
Yannis Tafer has resumed full training following his torn hamstring injury. Excellent news, hoping he will be fit enough to make it into the remaining three games in some form.

[Grover]

09/05/15 – Premier League Match Day #36
West Ham United 3 – 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Goals: West Ham: Stambouli (13, 90+4), Cole (34), Wolves: Denilson (3), Ilso (14)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 10/5, Wolves 8/5
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: West Ham: Fleck (Y 6), Collison (Y 59), Wolves: Denilson (Y 90+3)
Man of the Match: Benjamin Stambouli

Form: ter Stegen 6.8, Spence 6.8, Stambouli 9.2, Lescott 7.0, Fabio (off 45) 6.3, Marcq 6.9, Collison 6.9, Niculescu (off 45) 6.6, Fleck 8.3, Altidore 6.9, Cole 7.3, Christopoulos (on 45) 69, De Laet (on 45) 6.9

Notes:
- Will we blow our shot at the title? Denilson heads home a corner just three minutes in.
- Stambouli returns to the lineup and gets his head onto John Fleck's corner.
- Wolves march right back down and Ilso beats ter Stegen from just outside the box.
- Fleck gets a through ball to Cole and he applies the finish nicely to level the match.
- The crowd erupts as Fleck floats a free kick in from the left to the far post, Stambouli rises majestically and beats the keeper. Vital win!
- United defeats QPR 1-0 to keep our lead at three.
- Arsenal loses to Everton 4-3, putting them six points back.

Norwich City Down
Norwich City have been relegated to the npower Championship.

12/05/15 – Awards
Benjamin Stambouli and John Fleck were selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

13/05/15 – Premier League Match Day #37
Fulham 2 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Fulham: Acosta (3), Capoue (90+3), West Ham: Altidore (48)
Shots/On Target: Fulham 12/4, West Ham 16/4
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: West Ham: Collison (Y 50), Lescott (R 79)
Man of the Match: Etienne Capoue

Form: ter Stegen 6.8, Stambouli 6.8, Martin (off 61) 6.0, Fabio 6.8, Lescott (off 79) 7.2, Marcq 7.2, Christopoulos (off 25) 6.5, Fleck 7.2, Altidore 7.5, Cole (off 61) 6.6, Collison (on 25) 6.6, Gosling (on 61) 6.7, Acquafresca (on 61) 6.3

Notes:
- We're quickly on the back foot against as Acota rips a shot off the underside of the bar from 25 yards.
- Altidore takes a pass from Fleck and blasts it into goal from 18 yards.
- Lescott is sent off for pulling down Capoue at the edge of the box. Very close to being a penalty and Fulham were appealing.
- Etienne Capoue puts a dagger through our hearts, taking Inkoom's cross and driving it home.

Lescott Suspended
Joleon Lescott faces an automatic one match ban for his sending off against Fulham.

16/05/15 – Crucial Match
Manchester United 1 – 0 Arsenal

Manchester United move into first place with the victory and a +56 goal difference to our +40. With both clubs sitting on 82 points, a win is needed to keep hope alive and I have to count on 17th place Leicester to get a result against Manchester United. It appears as if we will fall just short of the title.

FA Cup Final
Manchester City have defeated Fulham on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate in the FA Cup Final.

[Grover]

24/05/15 – Premier League Match Day #38
Birmingham City 0 – 3 West Ham United
Goals: West Ham: Fleck (40), Cole (47), Gibson (84)
Shots/On Target: Brum 11/7, West Ham 12/4
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: Brum: Dembele (Y 40), Davies (Y 59), Bong (Y 80)
Man of the Match: Darron Gibson

Form: ter Stegen 7.9, Spence 7.3, Stambouli 7.5, De Laet 7.4, Fabio 7.7, Marcq 6.9, Collison 7.4, Gibson 7.9, Fleck 7.6, Altidore 6.8, Cole 7.6

Notes:
- John Fleck with one of his trademark long distance strikes. This one from 25 yards and into the roof of the net.
- Carlton Cole takes a ball from Fleck and slides it past Ben Foster to double the lead.
- Darron Gibson with a lovely strike from 18 yards, blasted into goal.

United's Result
Leicester City 0 – 0 Manchester United

[Grover]

WEST HAM WIN PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP!
West Ham have won the Premier League title. Jozy Altidore led the way to glory for the club by notching 14 goals en route to sealing the title in a thrilling final day.

The Hammers came into the day level on points with Manchester United, but down an insurmountable 16 in goal differential. West Ham put the throttle to relegated Birmingham City with a 3-0 victory as Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw with 17th placed Leicester City. The West Ham win, coupled with United's draw sealed the title for the London side, bringing them their first ever top flight crown.

Praise For Kafka
Supporters of West Ham United were justly proud after the team returned to London with the Premier League title. Fans and experts alike were unanimous that the person responsible for the club's success was manager Otto Kafka.

Davids Gold and Sullivan have issued a statement that they are very happy with victory in the Premier League and are grateful to manager Otto Kafka for doing the club proud. They also stated their surprise at this achievement and wished to thank Kafka for leading the club to this unexpected success.

West Ham favorite and current Braintree manager Alan Devonshire has also pitched in, declaring that this was a very proud day for the club and its fans. Devonshire continued by stating that current boss Otto Kafka had done wonders to win the Premier League with the players at his disposal and that the Hammers board should be grateful to have such a talented manager in charge of the club.

Award Money and Payouts
West Ham have been given £16m for their final position in the Premier League. The club has also been given £21.73m from Champions League television revenue.

The club have paid out £2.3m to be shared among the squad on a pro-rata basis after winning the Premier League.

Premier League Awards
Footballer of the Year: Gareth Bale – Manchester United
Players' Player of the Year: Antoine Griezmann – Arsenal
Players' Young Player of the Year: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal
Top Goalscorer: Seydou Doumbia – Liverpool (20 goals, 21 appearances)
Golden Gloves: David De Gea – Manchester United
Manager of the Year: Otto Kafka – West Ham United (two years running)

Premier League Team of the Year
GK: David De Gea – Manchester United
DL: Leighton Baines – Everton
DC: Chris Samba – Blackburn Rovers
DC: Phil Jones – Manchester United
DR: Rafael – Manchester United
ML: Gareth Bale – Manchester United
MC: Mauro Formica – Blackburn Rovers
MC: Eden Hazard – Manchester United
MR: Hulk – Manchester United
ST: Seydou Doumbia – Liverpool
ST: Sergio Aguero – Manchester City

Subs:
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – West Ham United
DEF: Gary Cahill – Everton
DEF: Benjamin Stambouli – West Ham United
MF: Antoine Griezmann – Arsenal
MF: Milos Krasic – Liverpool
MF: Andriy Yarmolenko – Liverpool
ST: Wayne Rooney – Manchester United

End of Season Break
The West Ham squad have gone on vacation and will return for pre-season on 6th July.

Stadium Expansion Announced
The board has announced plans to enlarge the stadium by 16,000 seats. They had originally promised around 5,000 seats. Initial estimates indicate the planned expansion work will cost around £19.25m and is expected to take 6 months to complete. The stadium's capacity will temporarily be reduced as part of the north stand will be closed during renovations.

As such, the club have scrapped plans to expand West Ham's training facilities.

Champions League Final
CSKA Moscow have stunned Barcelona by winning the Champions League final 3-0.

West Ham Clear Debts
The West Ham board have pronounced the club to be in the best of financial health. The club's good financial performance in recent times has allowed them to pay off part of the outstanding club debts. A loan that had been eating up £349k/month has now been paid off.

We are still on the hook for a £286k/month loan until 30th June, 2039. This averages out to another £51m owed on said loan. (wow)

New Sponsorship
West Ham have announced a new two year sponsorship deal worth £425k per annum. This is a raise over the previous deal, which was £224k per year.

Board Confidence


Club Finances


Final West Ham Player Stats


Final Premier League Leaders


Final Premier League Table

[Grover]

01/06/15 – News
Hirings and Firings
Leicester City have fired manager Urmas Rooba. Manchester City have fired manager Alan Shearer. Norwich City have fired manager Steve Kean. Sunderland have fired manager Alan Pardew.

Sunderland have hired Brad Friedel to take over for the departed Pardew. Leicester City have hired Ruud Gullit to take over at King Power Stadium. Manchester City have hired Jose Mourinho as manager. Gareth Barry has been named the new manager at Norwich City.

Board Set Budget
The board have set the initial payroll for the coming season at £875k per week and the transfer budget at £36.58m.

09/06/15 – Player News
Tomkins Joins Stoke City
After declaring he had achieved all he could at West Ham United in a private meeting with Otto Kafka, James Tomkins has left The Boleyn Ground and joined Stoke City for £7m.

10/06/15 – Players News
Christopoulos Bid Rebuffed
Liverpool have had a £600k bid for Hammers midfielder Stathis Christopoulos rejected.

24/06/15 – Premier League / Champo Review


25/06/15 – West Ham Awards
Fans' Player of the Year
West Ham's supporter spokesman Craig Hart had announced that Benjamin Stambouli has been voted West Ham's Player of the Year by the fans.

West Ham Best Eleven
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
DR: Jordan Spence
DC: Benjamin Stambouli
DC: Joleon Lescott
DL: Ritchie De Laet
DM: Mark Noble
MC: Ivelin Popov
MC: Darron Gibson
AMC: John Fleck
ST: Carlton Cole
ST: Jozy Altidore

West Ham Best Ever Best Eleven


Television Rights
West Ham will receive £40m for Premier League TV rights over the upcoming season.

Board Expectations
The board expects the club to qualify for the Champions League.

Community Shield
West Ham will play Manchester City in the English Community Shield at Wembley on 9th August.

[Grover]

01/07/15 – Player Signings
Palermo Sign Anakoglou
Palermo have signed former West Ham United midfielder Dimitris Anakoglou for £5m over 48 months. The Greek international joined West Ham in 2011 for £240k and was a star in their ascent to the Premier League, but had fallen down the pecking order as of late.

Hammers Snap Up Nissen
West Ham United have signed 16 year old Danish keeper Jesper Nissen from SonderjyskE on a free transfer.



West Ham Sign Smalling
West Ham United have sent a declaration of intent by signing Chris Smalling in a £12m transfer from Manchester United. West Ham have broken their wage structure for Smalling, offering the player an eye-popping £110k per week. Meanwhile, Smalling has hit out at United boss Alex McLeish, having not been on the best of terms with Eck while he was at the Manchester club.



Kafka Signs New Deal
Hammers president David Sullivan has declared himself delighted after Otto Kafka signed a new four year contract worth a reported £64k per week. Sullivan feels the German has shown fantastic commitment to the club by signing the deal and is sure it will please players and fans alike.

03/07/15 – Contract Deals
David Stockdale has signed a new 3 year, £3m contract.

Joleon Lescott has signed a new 2 year, £3m contract.

Alberto Niculescu has signed a new 3 year, £3m contract.

Darron Gibson has signed a new 4 year, £6m contract.

Dan Gosling has signed a new 3 year, £4m contract.

11/07/15 – Player Signing
Hammers Sign One For The Future
West Ham have signed 14 year old French forward Marius Leclerc from Valenciennes FC for a £3m compensation. Leclerc said the opportunity to move to The Boleyn Ground was too good to turn down and that he was looking forward to the new challenge. He also admitted that not every fan would understand his reasons for leaving, but hoped they would still find it in their hearts to give him a round of applause the next time he returns to Stade du Hainaut.



14/07/15 – Friendly
RSC Anderlecht 0 – 6 West Ham United

21/07/15 – Player Signing
Hammers Sign Mayo
West Ham have splashed the cash on Osasuna's Hernan Mayo, landing the Argentinian striker for a fee of £10m. Mayo finished third in the Spanish Young Player of the Year voting last season.


23/07/15 – Friendly
West Ham United 0 – 0 Sporting Lisbon

26/07/15 – News
Chile Want Kafka
The Chilean Football Association have offered the management position to Otto Kafka. The offer has been declined.

28/07/15 – Friendly
Bari 0 – 1 West Ham United

30/07/15 – Friendly
Cagliari 0 – 2 West Ham United

02/08/15 – Friendly
Wrexham 0 – 1 West Ham United

04/08/15 – News
Stambouli Named Skipper
Benjamin Stambouli has been named West Ham United captain for the upcoming season. Jack Collison has been named vice-captain.

[Grover]

West Ham United Staff


West Ham United First Team

[Grover]

09/08/15 – Community Shield
Manchester City 1 – 3 West Ham United
Goals: City: Tevez (65), West Ham: Fleck (11), Smalling (20), Altidore (32)
Shots/On Target: City 9/4, West Ham 9/4
Possession: City 56/44
Cautions: City: Tevez (Y 49), Y. Toure (Y 67), Clichy (Y 86), West Ham: Altidore (Y 54), Marcq (Y 69)
Man of the Match: John Fleck

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.9, Stambouli 7.2, Smalling 7.7, Fabio (off 64) 7.3, Marcq 7.9, Collison (off 64) 6.9, Niculescu 6.9, Fleck 8.1, Altidore (off 64) 7.6, Cole 6.9, Gibson (on 64) 6.8, Tafer (on 64) 6.7, Lescott (on 64) 6.4

Notes:
- City's defence is caught napping, Spence centers into the box for Fleck and he finishes the move easily.
- John Fleck's corner comes in and low and Smalling's diving header makes it 2-0 Hammers.
- Playing from the back, Cole passes to Marcq who finds a through ball to Altidore. The American splits the defence and slides the ball past a hapless Joe Hart.
- Carlos Tevez beats Stambouli to Corchia's cross and rockets it past ter Stegen to pull a goal back.
- Fantastic way to start the season. Adding silverware to the cabinet.

Hammers Lift Shield
West Ham United fans sang Otto Kafka's name as the manager inspired their team to lift the Community Shield. An early edition of a fanzine commented that Kafka had shown a staunch commitment to supporters by winning the trophy.

12/08/15 – Player News
Nemanja Matic has joined Queens Park Rangers on loan for the remainder of the season. Matic will join for £150k up front and QPR can sign him for an additional £450k at any time during the loan.

[Grover]

15/08/15 – Premier League Match Day #1
West Ham United 3 – 0 West Brom Albion
Goals: West Ham: Tafer (19, 87), Cole (39)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 24/8, WBA 5/4
Possession: West Ham 58/42
Cautions: West Ham: Marcq (Y 17), Collison (Y 22), WBA: Odemwingie (Y 69), van Rhijn (Y 81), Stoor (Y 82)
Man of the Match: Yannis Tafer

Form: ter Stegen 6.9, Spence 7.5, Stambouli 7.3, Smalling 7.5, Fabio 7.7, Marcq 7.4, Collison (off 66) 6.9, Niculescu 6.9, Fleck (off 66) 6.2, Tafer 9.2, Cole 7.7, Gibson (on 66) 6.8, Popov (on 66) 6.9

Notes:
- Tafer heads the ball toward goal, but Steele pushes it away. Unfortunately for Steele, it's right onto Tafer's foot and he applies an easy finish.
- Tafer makes the second goal, he crosses from the right and Cole slides feet first onto the end of it, right past Steele.
- Tafer passes out to Popov, who sends it back in for Tafer. The Frenchman unleashes a right footed blast that finds its way into the back of goal.
- Comprehensive victory over the newly promoted Baggies.

16/08/15 – News
Season Tickets Sell Out
West Ham have announced that they have sold all 25,234 season tickets that were for sale this season. The numbers are down from last year's 26,085, however this is due to part of the north stand being closed for ground expansion.

18/08/15 – Awards
Yannis Tafer was selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

23/08/15 – Premier League Match Day #2
Manchester City 0 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: City: Douglas Costa (14, 45)
Shots/On Target: City 14/5, West Ham 10/2
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: City: Clichy (Y 57), West Ham: Smalling (Y 31), Spence (Y 45), Fleck (Y 64), Stambouli (Y 88)
Man of the Match: Douglas Costa

Form: ter Stegen 6.2, Spence 6.9, Stambouli 6.7, Smalling 7.3, Fabio 6.7, Marcq 6.7, Collison (off 66) 6.6, Niculescu 6.7, Fleck 6.8, Tafer (off 66) 6.6, Cole 6.8, Gibson (on 66) 6.5, Mayo (on 66) 6.6

Notes:
- Sunday afternoon match puts us on television. Our second televised match against City in the young season.
- Brilliant 20 yard free kick from Douglas Costa, beating ter Stegen on his near side.
- Costa does it again, essentially from the exact same spot on the pitch. Things are looking bad going into the half.
- Toothless performance from the club, but ter Stegen's gaffes on the free kicks were the reason why we lost.

26/08/15 – Finances
West Ham have been awarded £6.17m for playing in the Champions League group stages.

27/08/15 – Champions League Draw
We are a three seed despite winning the Premier League last year, so we're hoping to avoid a tough group.

Group A: Real Madrid, Napoli, FC Kobenhavn, Sparta Prague
Group B: Manchester United, Olympique Marseille, Malaga, Rosenborg
Group C: Schalke, Ajax, West Ham United, Maribor
Group D: CSKA Moscow, FC Porto, Stuttgart, Zilina
Group E: AC Milan, Leverkusen, Panathinaikos, Girondins Bordeaux
Group F: Bayern Munchen, Arsenal, Besiktas, Standard Liege
Group G: Barcelona, SL Benfica, AZ Alkmaar, Everton
Group H: Shakhtar, Olympique Lyonnais, Roma, Dinamo Moscow

I'd say we lucked out with our draw.

[Grover]

08/29/15 – Premier League Match Day #3
West Ham United 3 - 2 Chelsea
Goals: West Ham: Smalling (37, 79), Lescott (73), Chelsea: Davila (47), Mata (55)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 17/8, Chelsea 6/4
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: West Ham: Marcq (Y 65), Chelsea: Moura (Y 57), Chygrynskyi (R 77)
Man of the Match: Chris Smalling

Form: ter Stegen 7.0, Spence 6.9, Stambouli (off 64) 5.4, Smalling 9.2, Fabio 6.9, Marcq 6.9, Collison 6.9, Noble (off 90+1) 7.5, Fleck 9.0, Altidore (off 64) 6.1, Cole (off 64) 6.5, Tafer (on 64) 6.8, Lescott (on 64) 7.7, Mayo (on 64) 6.9

Notes:
- We are the late kick-off and will be televised.
- The first goal comes from a John Fleck corner. Chris Smalling is in the center of the box and rises above his marker to head it through.
- An early defensive letdown gives Mata the chance to find Davila at the top center of the box and he blasts it by ter Stegen.
- A lapse from Stambouli as he fails to clear and Mata tackles the ball from him and in the process sends it into goal.
- Set pieces. Fleck assists again on a corner, this time it's Lescott with the goal.
- Dmytro Chygrynskyi is sent off as the last man, pulling Tafer down inches outside of the box. (77)
- Set pieces! Fleck's corner is headed by Lescott and saved by Cech, but it is parried onto the foot of Chris Smalling and he finishes for the lead.
- Mark Noble is taken off injured (90+1), leaving us to play out stoppage time with 10 men.

Carling Cup Draw
West Ham United will host Stoke City in the Carling Cup's third round on 23rd September. Stoke are the current champions of the competition.

[Grover]

August In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Leaders


Premier League Table

[Grover]

12/09/15 – Premeir League Match Day #4
Everton 0 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: West Ham: Christopoulos (29), Cole (53)
Shots/On Target: Everton 14/3, West Ham 14/7
Possession: Everton 54/46
Man of the Match: Carlton Cole

Form: ter Stegen 7.3, Spence (off 60) 6.9, Stambouli 7.6, Smalling 7.0, Fabio 7.2, Marcq 6.9, Collison (off 68) 6.9, Niculescu 6.8, Christopoulos 7.6, Altidore (off 68) 6.9, Cole 8.2, Gosling (on 60) 6.7, Tafer (on 68) 6.8, Noble (on 68) 6.8

Notes:
- First senior goal for the young Greek. He takes Cole's pass and sends it toward goal, getting a deflection off Tim Howard to score.
- A nice one-two from Altidore to Cole releases Cole and he beats Howard.
- A very strong road win against a game Everton side.

[Grover]

15/09/15 – Champions League Match Day #1
Ajax 0 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: West Ham: Collison (61), Tafer (81)
Shots/On Target: Ajax 14/6, West Ham 15/6
Possession: Ajax 59/41
Cautions: Ajax: Odjidja (Y 48)
Man of the Match: Chris Smalling

Form: ter Stegen 7.4, Spence 7.3, Stambouli 7.2, Smalling 7.7, Lescott 7.7, Marcq (off 69) 6.9, Collison 7.6, Noble 7.1, Fleck (off 69) 6.8, Altidore (off 69) 6.9, Cole 6.9, Christopoulos (on 69) 6.5, Gosling (on 69) 6.9, Tafer (on 69) 7.3

Notes:
- An even half ends without any goals. Both teams had chances, Altidore went close hitting the crossbar once.
- Jack Collison gets the game's opening goal, Cole tried to pass to him, it took a strange bounce of a defender right to Jack who blasted it to the bottom corner of goal.
- Yannis Tafer may be pushing Altidore for the starting spot, he gets a pass from Noble, beats the offside trap and finishes well.
- West Ham have been awarded £695k for the victory.

Awards
Carlton Cole was selected to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

19/09/15 – Premier League Match Day #5
West Ham United 0 – 1 Wigan Athletic
Goals: Wigan: Murphy (77)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 21/4, Wigan 6/2
Possession: West Ham 57/45
Cautions: West Ham: Martin (Y 81), Wigan: Fierro (Y 60), Murphy (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Jamie Murphy

Form: ter Stegen 6.8, Martin 6.8, Stambouli 6.7, Smalling 6.9, Fabio 7.0, Marcq 7.1, Gibson 6.6, Niculescu 6.8, Fleck 6.8, Tafer 6.0, Mayo (off 61) 6.1, Cole (on 61) 6.7

Notes:
- We were the much better side in the first half, but wasted a lot of shots and took a lot of unnecessary long range attempts.
- Wigan find the lead late through Murphy, he comes in from the right alone and roofs a shot past ter Stegen.
- This will be one of those losses we look back on at the end of the season and shake our heads at.

[Alf]

14 years old for £3M , wow.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by Alf

14 years old for £3M , wow.

Unbelievable, huh?

[Grover]

Liverpool just bought a 14 year old from MK Dons for £2m in real life, so not so far fetched!

[Grover]

23/09/15 – Carling Cup (third round)
West Ham United 1 – 0 Stoke City
Goals: West Ham: Spence (81)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 15/4, Stoke 6/2
Possession: West Ham 58/42
Man of the Match: Jordan Spence

Form: ter Stegen 7.0, Spence 8.0, Stambouli 7.5, Smalling 7.4, Lescott 7.2, Marcq 7.0, Collison (off 63) 6.7, Niculescu 7.1, Christopoulos 6.9, Tafer (off 63) 6.4, Mayo 6.8, Noble (on 63) 6.9, Altidore (on 63) 6.4

Notes:
- Nothing doing for either side in the first half. A lot of wasted long range efforts, Stambouli heads a corner off the bar and Collison misses a sitter in the box.
- Brilliant goal from Jordan Spence, he crashes in from the right, getting onto the end of Niculescu's flank switching cross from the left. The fullback easily slots it past Begovic.
- It is nice to advance in the Carling Cup for once.

24/09/15 – Injury News
Ivelin Popov has returned to full training after recovering from a damaged shoulder. The attacking midfielder had missed two weeks with the injury.

25/09/15 – Carling Cup Draw
West Ham United get the short end of the stick and will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The match will be played on 28th October.

[Grover]

26/09/15 – Premier League Match Day #6
Stoke City 1 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Stoke: Jantscher (51), West Ham: Cole (69), Stambouli (89)
Shots/On Target: Stoke 16/7, West Ham 14/7
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: Stoke: Cristaldo (Y 49), West Ham: Altidore (Y 43), Collison (Y 55)
Man of the Match: Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Form: ter Stegen 8.3, Martin 6.9, Stambouli 7.9, Smalling 7.4, Fabio (off 45) 6.4, Gosling 6.9, Collison 6.9, Noble 6.9, Fleck 6.9, Altidore 7.0, Cole 7.2, Lescott (on 45) 6.9

Notes:
- The classic home and home. This one is the Saturday evening kick-off and is televised as a result.
- Fabio has to be removed just before the half due to an injury. Joleon Lescott takes his place on the left side of defence.
- Jantscher gives Stoke the lead with a neat finish inside the box.
- Altidore gets on the end of a long ball down to the touchline and crosses in for Cole. The keeper is way out of place and the match is level.
- Stambouli! He volleys home John Fleck's corner for a late, late go-ahead goal.
- A pair of wins against Stoke across two competitions and we can feel confident moving forward.

29/09/15 – Awards
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

September In Review
Board Confidence


Club Finances


West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

Forgot a post between Stoke and the September Review!

30/09/15 – Champions League Match Day #2
West Ham United 2 – 1 Schalke '04
Goals: West Ham: Noble (32), Stambouli (66), Schalke: Merkel (37)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 14/7, Schalke 7/3
Possession: Schalke 51/49
Cautions: West Ham: Cole (Y 4), Stambouli (Y 17), Atlidore (Y 40), Marcq (Y 53), Niculescu (Y 64), Schalke: Stepanenko (Y 73)
Man of the Match: Mark Noble

Form: ter Stegen 6.8, Spence 7.3, Stambouli 8.3, Smalling 7.2, Lescott 7.0, Marcq 7.1, Noble 8.3, Niculescu 7.3, Fleck 6.9, Altidore 6.8, Cole (off 45) 5.9, Acquafresca (on 45) 6.9

Notes:
- Mark Noble puts us in the driver's seat with a wonderful 35 yard blast into the top left corner of goal. No chance for Sippel to save.
- Schalke peg the goal right back, Uchida feeds for Merkel and the right midfielder slots it past ter Stegen.
- Acquafresca makes his debut on the season, replacing Cole at the half.
- Stambouli with yet another go-ahead goal. Noble floats in a free kick to the left post, the unmarked defender practically walks it in.
- West Ham are awarded £695k for the victory.

[Grover]

03/10/15 – Premier League Match Day #7
West Ham United 6 – 0 Fulham
Goals: West Ham: Fleck (12), Cole (19), Tafer (21), Acquafresca (74, 77, 85)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 17/8, Fulham 11/6
Possession: West Ham 53/47
Cautions: West Ham: Gibson (Y 8), Fleck (Y 23), Cole (Y 30), Stambouli (Y 70), Fulham: Marecek (Y 15), Granqvist (Y 46), Acosta (Y 53), Assaidi (Y 90+1)
Man of the Match: Robert Acquafresca

Form: ter Stegen 7.6, Martin 8.8, Stambouli 8.5, Smalling 8.7, Fabio 8.3, Gosling 7.7, Gibson 8.0, Collison (off 67) 7.0, Fleck 9.1, Tafer 8.3, Cole (off 67) 7.7, Christopoulos (on 67) 7.0, Acquafresca (on 67) 9.4

Notes:
- Otto Kafka's 200th game in charge of West Ham.
- A bit of a lucky goal, Fabio drives into the box, Torosidis tackles it from him, but directly to Fleck. The Scotsman has an open goal and easily finishes.
- Carlton Cole doubles the early lead, getting on the end of Fleck's through ball and shooting into the top corner from 20 yards.
- Yannis Tafer strikes immediately following Cole's goal. Fleck feeds yet another ball into the box and Tafer slots it home.
- Impact sub, Robert Acquafresca heads home Miguel Martin's cross from the right byline.
- He makes it a double, streaking between the defence as Christopoulos finds him on his run. Another easy goal.
- Fulham defender Boilesen concedes the ball in the box and Acquafresca is there to poach himself a hat trick.

06/10/15 – Awards
Miguel Martin, Fabio, Chris Smalling, Benjamin Stambouli and Robert Acquafresca were named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

10/10/15 – Injury News
Darron Gibson has been injured on Ireland duty, breaking his foot. The midfielder is expected to miss three months while he recovers.

13/10/15 – Injury News
Joleon Lescott has sustained a twisted knee while on England duty and will miss two weeks.

15/10/15 – Injury News
Jack Collison has sustained a pulled hamstring while on international duty with Wales. He will miss three weeks.

[Grover]

17/10/15 – Premier League Match Day #8
West Ham United 2 – 1 Arsenal
Goals: West Ham: Niculescu (3), Acquafresca (5), Arsenal: Walcott (62)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 8/5, Arsenal 16/7
Possession: Arsenal 58%
Cautions: West Ham: Stambouli (Y 2), Altidore (Y 72), Arsenal: Gervinho (Y 21), Walcott (Y 28), Vermaelen (Y 89)
Man of the Match: Alberto Niculescu

Form: ter Stegen 7.4, Martin 6.8, Stambouli 6.9, Smalling 7.0, Fabio 7.5, Marcq 6.9, Niculescu (off 60) 8.0, Noble 6.8, Popov (off 60) 6.8, Altidore 6.9, Acquafresca 7.3, Gosling (on 60) 6.6, Christopoulos (on 60) 6.7

Notes:
- Lunch time kick-off for us, we're on television as a result.
- Great effort by Niculescu, he sets Fabio off on a run down the left, receives the cross from Fabio and blasts it into the top of goal.
- Two to the good in five minutes time! Altidore and Acquafresca hook-up with the Italian forcing Szczesny out of position and finishing with ease.
- Griezmann finds Walcott from left to right and the England forward slots past ter Stegen.