Pitbull would fit in well with the pack!

Right now West Ham feel like a club on the cusp of something great - having weathered a difficult (and defeat-laden) bedding in period under Manuel Pellegrini they have found their stride and have been marching up the table towards the top six.

That march was temporarily halted by Watford on Saturday but they will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways tonight against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.

A big worry for Manuel Pellegrini is the extent to which injuries have taken their toll, with midfield the position that they are most stretched with Summer signings Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere both out injured. undoubtedly Mark Noble and Declan Rice have done a great job, with Robert Snodgrass making a massive contribution in a more central role, but a big physical presence in midfield will surely be top of the wish list in January.

Chilean veteran Gary Medel looks like he could be just the solution that the Hammers are looking for. Nicknamed 'The Pitbull', his aggressive style would add needed bite to the squad. Medel enjoyed a mixed experience a few years back at Cardiff where despite a string of good performances he couldn't prevent the club from being relegated and moved to Inter Milan where he made 109 appearances in three seasons before switching to Besiktas.

Medel is only 5ft 7 in height (and perhaps a comparison to a staffie might be more appropriate?) but such is his athleticism that he has also played as a centre back on multiple occasions!

With 114 caps to his credit, Medel is just the type of wise head that you want in the dogfight for European placings and no doubt that wealth of experience is something that young Declan Rice would surely benefit from in his journey towards being a potential future club captain.

The rumour mill has it that the Hammers have already made a £6million offer but Besiktas are so far holding out. However, the Turkish club are known to be financially stretched right now and may be forced to sell off their best assets, including Medel who at 31 years of age will hope to still have a year or two to contribute at the top level and may well want to make up for what was ultimately a disappointing time at Cardiff .

The arrival of a pitbull will surely start a series of dog comparisons amongst our squad. can you name the players that bear resemblance to these 4 breeds?

For the answers see below. Number 4 may be the hardest but think about recent International speculation and it should be a little easier!

As for today, Southampton are on the rise with a sequence of wins under new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, while West Ham may be without both Chicharito and Fabien Balbuena, both of whom had poor games against Watford. Angelo Ogbonna acted as a more than able deputy for the General and will be looking to start today. Up front, things are not quite so straightforward as Marko Arnautovic is unlikely to be rushed back from injury but should be ready for the Brighton game on the 2nd January. Similarly, Andy Carroll does not look quite ready for a starting berth.

The Hammers have only beaten Southampton at St Mary's once in their last nine visits and are 5/2 against for a win. Southampton are 6/5 with the draw a decent bet at 5/2.  It's likely to be a big day for Michail Antonio as he looks to impress at his former club. On form and back in the goals, it's a hard call to decide whether he is likely to leave or stay at the Olympic Stadium in January. Today presents a chance to convince Manuel Pellegrini that his physicality and direct style is enough to make up for his modest first touch on the ball.  
As for the quiz......
 
1. English Bull terrier = Squad #16




2. Afghan Hound = Squad #9

3. Border Collie = Squad #1

4. Irish Terrier = Squad #41


 

Top Bilic Transfer Target: "I want to Play at West Ham"

It's no secret that Slaven Bilic is a big fan of Turkish international Gokhan Tore. Having managed the 24 year old at Besiktas, Bilic has stated publicly that he wants to bring the pacey winger to join the West Ham adventure. Until now, Tore has been silent on the matter but in an interview with Turkish outlet Yazbir, Tore has revealed that he wants to play at West Ham stating...."I have a contract until 2019 at Besiktas, bit I have completed my mission here. If they meet my fee, I want to play at West Ham.".

In a separate report in Futbol Arena a deal has apparently been finally agreed for £10million, with the transfer to be concluded next week. As Turkey looks to enter the EU, while the UK has voted to leave, it remains to be seen if the sudden fall in value of sterling post BREXIT will pose another obstacle in this drawn out transfer saga!

Meanwhile,  Elliot Lee has joined Barnsley on a permanent deal - we all wish him the very best of luck at his new club.

The Eagle Has Landed: Hammers First Big Signing Arrives

After intense speculation that has persisted for months, reports emerging today from Turkey appear to confirm that Slaven Bilic has finally captured Gokham Tore. Tore was a key player for Bilic during his time at Besiktas with the Hammers manager making no secret of his intention to bring the Turkish international to East London.

Tore is pacey and competitive. He played an important role in Besiktas (also known as the Black Eagles) winning the Turkish top flight last season. He prefers the right wing but is adept with either foot. He is more of a maker than taker of goals, with a modest strike rate. He wont be appearing in the Euros due to a two game ban that essentially ruled him out of the crucial opening fixtures.

Tore should adjust well to London, having been a youth at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011. He might well qualify for the infamous 'Troubled Bubbles XI' having previously been involved in a 4am nite club incident that ended with his being accidentally shot in the shoulder! Other reports have linked him to another firearms incident involving two international team mates!

Obviously Slaven Bilic knows what he is getting. It'll be interesting to see where he fits into plans as he would seem to pose direct competition to Michail Antonio. With a reported fee of £13 million, Tore will hardly be sitting on the bench but it's hard to see him slotting straight into the Hammers side as it stands.  

Interesting times!

Hammers to Sign the New Balotelli

It has been a mighty exciting season so far and many fans justifiably believe that the Hammers can make it to Europe if they can manage to get a supply of fit strikers. With Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll sidelined, the spotlight has fallen on Enner Valencia and Nikica Jelavic. Both have responded well, with Valencia finally finding the form that was promised when he first arrived after a super 2014 World Cup with Ecuador.

However, the Hammers board have decided to take a gamble in the January transfer window in order to bolster our attacking resources with Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike having undergone a medical yesterday. Things are thus set to get even more exciting as the troubled hitman has plenty of previous form and has even been compared to the infamously unstable Mario Balotelli!

Included amongst Emenike's many difficulties are dropped charges of match fixing, fisticuffs with teammates, legal action over media claims that he is 7 years older than his passport indicates, fines for making inappropriate gestures during matches and walking off the pitch early in the first half in response to abuse from his own fans - the latter during a match against Slaven Bilic's Besiktas!

Hammers fans will be somewhat reassured by Bilic's record of dealing with players who step out of line but perhaps more worrying is the fact that at the heart of Emenike's problems has been a terrible loss of form dating back over the past two years. Between 2011 and 2014 he excelled at Spartak Moscow and Fenerbahce even grabbing the attentions of Arsenal and Chelsea with rumours of a move to the Premiership.

However, Emenike then suffered a dramatic loss of form. He was forced to retire from international duties in 2015 after falling out with the National coach due amidst allegations of disrespectful behaviour to his teamates and, most crucially, failing to score in his final 15 matches. After the walking off the pitch incident he left Fenerbahce being farmed out on loan to Abu Dhabi side Al Ain. He has somewhat rediscovered his goalscoring form but undoubtedly represents a massive risk for the Hammers.

All of which makes Nikica Jelavic's rumoured departure to China sound like foolish business. Moreover, Bilic's determination to maintain squad harmony may well be in jeopardy! Tuesday night's game against Aston Villa looks set to provide the first chance to view Emenike. Hammers fans will be hoping for a good showing as his history suggests that even more than most strikers he is a confidence player.

Either way, this signing is unlikely to be boring!


 

Bilic: "With the greatest respect to women, football is the most beautiful thing in the world"

He taught me everything that i know...

So said ex-Hammer Slaven Bilic when embarking upon his managerial career with Croatia - an odyssey that lasted 6 years, including two World Cups. Somewhat surprisingly, Bilic is still considered a long shot for the Hammers managerial berth. However, as news emerged that Sam has grown weary of being so underappreciated and is planning to take on a new challenge, the race to find a suitable replacement is hotting up.

As Moyes, Klopp, Benitez and McClaren (????) all seem to be ruling themselves out of copntention, suddenly Bilic is looking like a decent bet. He has been at Turkish side Besiktas for the past two years where the team are on an upwards trajectory and at present they are neck and neck with both Fenerbahce and Galatasaray after 30 games, with ex-Hammer Demba Ba starring up front.

Although Bilic lacks managerial experience in the Premiership, he is well versed in the comings and goings of the Europa league with Besiktas exiting the competition just before the quarter finals after unluckily losing to Club Brugge in March.

In addition, Bilic cut his teeth as an international manager with the CRoatian U21 side - then moving up to the senior squad and bringing a talented generation with him. An ability to engage up and coming youth talent will surely be a key attribute of the Hammers next manager as for many, the real dividend from moving to a bigger stadium is the belief that we will then be able to hold on to our emerging talent rather than feed them on to the likes of Man U and Chelsea.

Bilic's career win percentage is 56% - which compares very favourably with Big Sam's which is just short of 40%. That includes six years at International level. The premiership is a demanding league, but Bilic's record suggests that he would be well suited to it. Moreover, as the above quote demonstrates, his footballing philosophy is well attuned to the West Ham Way.

Ladbrokes are offering odds of 8/1 on Bilic being the next West Ham manager - looks tempting - a bet of £35, if successful, would cover a season ticket at the Olympic Stadium this time next year!