WHO Poll
Q: 2023/24 Hopes & aspirations for this season
a. As Champions of Europe there's no reason we shouldn't be pushing for a top 7 spot & a run in the Cups
24%
  
b. Last season was a trophy winning one and there's only one way to go after that, I expect a dull mid table bore fest of a season
17%
  
c. Buy some f***ing players or we're in a battle to stay up & that's as good as it gets
18%
  
d. Moyes out
37%
  
e. New season you say, woohoo time to get the new kit and wear it it to the pub for all the big games, the wags down there call me Mr West Ham
3%
  



Alan 2:48 Tue Feb 13
Tuesday news (includes West Ham)
BBC

Paris St-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe, 25, and his camp are unconvinced by Real Madrid's latest offer to the France international, who can move on a free transfer this summer, as it is lower than a previous proposal from May 2022. (Athletic - subscription required)

Tottenham are confident manager Ange Postecoglou, 58, will stay at the club despite potential interest from Liverpool as the Reds look to replace Jurgen Klopp this summer. (Telegraph - subscription required)

West Ham have delayed contract talks with manager David Moyes, 60, as the club focuses on ending a seven-game winless streak in all competitions. (Mail)

Manchester City and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 29, is a target for Paris St-Germain, with the French champions willing to pay his £51m release clause. (Fichajes - in Spanish)

Manchester United are interested in Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, 24, with the Netherlands international unhappy with his role at the German champions. (Sun)

Arsenal also hold an interest in De Ligt but Manchester United are currently in pole position. (Football Transfers)

Two Bayer Leverkusen defenders are also being watched by Manchester United, with Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag keen on Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong, 23, and Burkino Faso centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, 25. (Manchester Evening News)

Ten Hag has also personally requested the signing of Inter Milan and Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez, 26. (Fichajes - in Spanish)

Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in signing Portugal winger Pedro Neto from Wolves, who are willing to sell the 23-year-old if their valuation is met because of ongoing financial pressures. (Fichajes - in Spanish)

Wolves will want about £50-60m for Neto, who has a contract until 2027 with the Molineux club. (Football Insider)
Chelsea are tracking Bournemouth and Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, 20, alongside Bayern Munich and Canada full-back Alphonso Davies, 23. (Football Transfers)

Fulham failed in an attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller in January with the 29-year-old wanting to concentrate on the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and unwilling to move mid-season. (Fabrizio Romano)

Barcelona have put Denmark defender Andreas Christensen, 27, and Brazil winger Raphinha, 27, up for sale in an attempt to reduce their wage bill. (Mirror)

Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 26, could be willing to listen to offers from other clubs after Barcelona offered him a contract extension worth less than his current deal. (Sport - in Spanish)

Bayern Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso is now wanted by Barcelona as well as Real Madrid and Liverpool. (Sport - in Spanish)

Paris St-Germain have included AC Milan and Portugal winger Rafael Leao, 24, and Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 25, on their potential target list should Mbappe leave the club this summer. (La Repubblica - in Italian)

Porto and Iran striker Mehdi Taremi, 31, is set to have a medical at Inter Milan and join on a free transfer this summer. (Fabrizio Romano)

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will accept any call-up by England but is planning to keep his international future open with the 18-year-old also able to represent Ghana. (Mail)

A blue card for a goalkeeper will force teams to choose between putting an outfield player in goal or making a permanent substitution under planned new sin-bin trials. (Telegraph - subscription required)




Sky Paper Talk

Xabi Alonso has emerged as a top target for Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp leaves his post as manager at the end of the season, with Kop scouts taking in Bayer Leverkusen's weekend thrashing of Bayern Munich.

Manchester United have identified Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Edmond Tapsoba as summer transfer targets - but their chances of doing a deal could be impacted by Liverpool's interest in Xabi Alonso.

Kobbie Mainoo is set to be fast-tracked into the England U21 squad by Gareth Southgate following a string of impressive performances for Manchester United.

Harry Kane would likely welcome the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Bayern Munich, having formed a strong bond with the Portuguese boss during his time at Tottenham.

Barcelona have put former Premier League stars Andreas Christensen and Raphinha up for sale as they desperately look to slash their wage bill.

South Korea boss Jurgen Klinsmann is facing calls to be sacked by politicians after his side suffered a shock defeat to Jordan in the Asia Cup.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists it is up to Marcus Rashford to maximise his potential at Manchester United.

THE ATHLETIC

Kylian Mbappe is yet to communicate a decision over whether he will stay at Paris Saint-Germain or join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer.

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is out for the remainder of the season after suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Torino president Urbano Cairo has accused Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma of wanting a "mini Super League" after the quartet voted to reduce the number of clubs in Serie A from 20 to 18.

Brighton & Hove Albion prospect Jack Hinshelwood has undergone surgery on a stress fracture of the foot.

Toni Kroos says he has not yet decided on his future with Real Madrid and the Germany national team.

Argentina U23 head coach Javier Mascherano was cautious over the chances of Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria being included in the squad for the Paris Olympics given their Copa America commitments but said there was "time to talk about it".

THE GUARDIAN

Pep Guardiola has said Erling ­Haaland's body language in the first half of Manchester City's win over Everton was "not good", with the manager saying that the No 9 should still hold himself positively when not scoring.

Fernando Alonso has suggested he could be targeted as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes when the British driver leaves the team for Ferrari in 2025.

San Francisco's decision to take the ball first in overtime during their Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs will be debated all offseason - and that scrutiny will be even stronger after some 49ers players admitted they weren't aware of the new rules.

Rehan Ahmed's availability for the third Test in Rajkot is not yet guaranteed following the latest visa problem to beset England's tour of India.

DAILY MAIL

West Ham's worrying dip is delaying David Moyes' new contract as the club want to see a response to their current mess, which culminated in Sunday's 6-0 capitulation to Arsenal.

Manchester United's Anthony Martial is reportedly set to be offered a chance to return to France as a number of Ligue 1 clubs eye a move for the forward.

Jose Mourinho is reportedly learning German ahead of potentially taking the Bayern Munich job.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly fallen out with Matthijs de Ligt after dropping him for their dismal 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Manchester United midfield player Kobbie Mainoo is planning to keep his international options open until later this year despite growing interest from Gareth Southgate.

The father of the late marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum has called for an investigation into his son's death, after claiming four unidentified people came looking for him days before his fatal car crash.

THE EXPRESS

Liverpool will reportedly face fierce competition from Barcelona for Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso in the summer.

Todd Boehly's Chelsea reportedly have no plans to extend Thiago Silva's stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, putting Mauricio Pochettino in a tricky situation.

Bournemouth star Lloyd Kelly is attracting plenty of interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

DAILY STAR

Police will beef up security ahead of England's showdown with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

THE TELEGRAPH

Tottenham hold no fears over the future of head coach Ange Postecoglou, despite the Australian being touted among the potential successors to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

A blue card for a goalkeeper will force teams to choose between putting an outfield player in goal or making a permanent substitution under planned new sin-bin trials.

Manchester City's owners have asked the High Court to dismiss a trademark infringement claim against them from Superdry and to order the fashion label to pay their legal costs.

Luis Rubiales has been heavily criticised by FIFA, who said his "victim-blaming tactics" over Jenni Hermoso were "in line with that of perpetrators of sexual abuse".

Tom Curry has revealed details of the "major" hip injury that required the Sale and England flanker to undergo lengthy surgery to save his career, after rejecting the option of having a metal hip inserted similar to tennis great Andy Murray.

Frustrated spectators are demanding ticket refunds from England's win over Wales after arriving at their seats to discover they would be part of an alcohol-free trial at Twickenham.

THE SUN

Neal Maupay wants to call it quits with Everton and return to Brentford next season.

SCOTTISH SUN

Hibernian captain Paul Hanlon looks set to leave Easter Road in the summer.






The Athletic

The day it turned toxic for West Ham and David Moyes

By Roshane Thomas

There were boos at half-time, an exodus that left empty seats, dejection among the players, bewilderment in the technical area and a chastening defeat that has been brewing for weeks.

This was the day it well and truly turned toxic for West Ham United.

There was no fight, no leadership and no creative solution in their 6-0 loss to Arsenal. They trailed 4-0 at the break, with thousands of supporters streaming out of the London Stadium, prompting the visiting enclosure to sing, “There’s nobody here.”

On the field, attackers Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus were starved of service, the midfield partnership between Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek struggled, and poor defending allowed Arsenal to score twice, via William Saliba and Gabriel, from set pieces. David Moyes’ side are winless in their last seven games across all competitions. It is the third time since mid-December that West Ham have conceded five or more goals (5-0 and 5-1 defeats to Fulham and Liverpool).

They only attempted one shot on target compared to Arsenal’s 12. This was the club’s joint-heaviest home defeat in their league history. The only other time they have lost by six goals in the top flight at home was in December 1963 against Blackburn Rovers (8-2).

The loss leaves West Ham eighth ahead of their next league game away to Nottingham Forest. After back-to-back league wins against Manchester United and Arsenal in December, fans seemed united in their affection for Moyes. He is entering the final months of his deal and expects his contract situation to be resolved soon. But many are divided over whether he deserves to remain at the helm.

“I’m a football supporter so I understand that (fans leaving at half-time), totally,” Moyes said to Sky Sports. “It’s one of those days which you don’t want to happen very often, and it happened today. I’ll take a bit of time and look at it and see if I can fix it. I take the responsibility, I pick the team but the players have to take responsibility.”

The fanbase has been vocal about poor performances under Moyes. Many let their feet do the talking on Sunday.

“It’s the first time me and my dad have left before half-time,” says supporter Callum Endean-Coyle, 26. “I’ve been going to West Ham since I was four and my dad is in his sixties. I left because I could see what was coming in the second half, and I’ve been proven right sadly. Moyes has had a good run. I don’t want to hate him, but the football is unbearable to watch at times.

“Before today I would have said he would have until the end of the season. But after that, I’m now not sure. That was a shocking result. Maybe the worst in my time supporting West Ham? The big question is, who would we bring in? Graham Potter is the only manager who comes to mind who is available now.”

Moyes did not start Kalvin Phillips, West Ham’s only arrival in January. The midfielder, who joined on loan from Manchester City, was brought on at half-time but by then the damage was done. Declan Rice was initially booed by supporters but applauded off the field when he was substituted. There was a sense of realisation from many that they could still do with his quality and leadership. The England international scored and provided two assists.

Alvarez and Soucek were overrun in midfield. Nayef Aguerd’s performances have tailed off since his return from the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco. Kurt Zouma, the captain, faces his toughest battle to lift up the group.

West Ham are in a worse state now than before the window. There is no depth on the flanks following Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals’ departures to Lyon and Real Betis respectively. Ben Johnson, the full-back, has played as a winger in back-to-back games. With Lucas Paqueta still sidelined with a calf injury, Bowen and Kudus have struggled to make an impact on games. But for the second week running they were the attacking options in Moyes’ starting XI.

Supporters who stayed until the end cheered on the team, but most wanted to avoid watching the onslaught.

“I left before half-time because the game was gone,” says Matt Groombridge, 38. “I know my limit as a West Ham fan. I don’t demand the top six or Champions League football. In truth, we’ve probably punched above our weight over the last three seasons. I’ve seen us go through good and bad times, but recently I’ve never felt so distant about the club.

“Before Christmas, I was pro-Moyes. We were awful to watch but getting results and you can’t argue against that. But the team has been poor since the loss at Anfield in the quarter-final (of the Carabao Cup), and the tide has turned. We are dire to watch.”

Owen, 19, was one of the few who remained and hopes there will be an improvement in the coming weeks.

“You have to support the team until the end,” he says. “It never crossed my mind to leave at half-time, but I can understand why other supporters left. I prefer to look at the positives, we’re in the next round of the Europa League and we’re eighth.

“Hopefully we can turn it around against Nottingham Forest next week.”

It has been a tough start to the year for West Ham, compounded by Paqueta and Michail Antonio’s unavailability due to injury. But discontent will grow stronger if Moyes and his backroom staff fail to fix their loss of form.




Replies - Newest Posts First (Show In Chronological Order)

Texas Iron 9:23 Tue Feb 13
Re: Tuesday news (includes West Ham)
CHEERS...

Thanks Alan 3:19 Tue Feb 13
Re: Tuesday news (includes West Ham)
Thanks Alan





Copyright 2006 WHO.NET | Powered by: