Claretandhugh

The ramifications for the weekends game at Tottenham Hotspur’s north London home keep coming. With Mohammed Kudus facing a ban of between three and nine games – depending on who’s opinion you seek – for the sending off, the FA have not left it there but are charging West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur for their players’ part in the handbags at ten paces which culminated in Kudus’ red card.

Football.london confirm that following the ‘fracas’ that both teams have in fact, been charged. The statement from the F.A. reads:

“Tottenham Hotspur allegedly failed to ensure that their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 82nd minute.

“West Ham united allegedly failed to ensure that their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative and/or violent way at the same time.”

After an international break that seemed to go on forever, it is great to be getting going again in the Premier League, kicking off with the London derby between east and north. Julen Lopetegui has a strong if somewhat jet-lagged squad to choose from with only Niclas Fullkrug missing through injury. The Spanish head coach names an unchanged side from the starting eleven who beat Ipswich town 4-1 two weeks ago which means the back pairing of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo is retained, despite the strong showing of Konstantinos Mavropanos in the two outings for Greece.

Edson Alvarez with his well-documented disciplinary issues also starts on the bench.

West Ham United:

Areola I Emerson, Kilman, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka I Rodriguez, Paquetá, Soucek I Kudus, Antonio, Bowen (c)

No starting spot for Crysencio Summerville who must be wondering what he has to do in order to get noticed by Lopetegui. Even with Antonio and Kudus arriving back late last week following international fixtures, the Belgian speedster is named only on the bench.

From Lopetegui’s past history I’d be surprised (and pleased) If he does make any changes to the team which beat Ipswich Town two weeks ago in a four – one defeat at London Stadium. Going away from home always makes head coaches or managers become more cautious even though all of the pundits and commentators refer back to Spurs last couple of games and confirm they wilt under pressure.

So whilst being an armchair supporter and trying to second – guess Lopetegui is easy, looking for aggressive play and writing about the benefits of starting Summerville, Bowen and Kudus up front, Lopetegui is the one who has to carry the can for losing – so I understand the lack of gambling spirit in his selection.

I’d expect him to be more cautious and start the same team, even though some of them must be tired from their schedule. Especially Antonio who looked as mobile as a lamp post when he played after the last international break.

So the predicted line up to start against Spurs:

Areola I Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson I Rodriguez, Soucek, Paqueta I Kudus, Bowen, Antonio.

Prediction – Spurs win. Sadly. 2-1

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Last Time against Ipswich: 9/11 correct.

Our Prediction:

Areola: I Emerson, Kilman, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka: I Alvarez, Soucek, Soler I Bowen, Antonio, Kudus

Actual Team:

Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson, Rodriguez, Soucek, Paqueta, Kudus, Bowen, Antonio.

The Football Supporters’ Association in their report today entitled ” Concessions battle: Spurs and West Ham fans plan joint demo” suggest Hammers and Spurs fans plan to put aside their differences by coming together in a joint protest at the removal and reduction of concessionary tickets at both East and North London clubs.

The FSA reports that “Supporters of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are set to demonstrate alongside one another against their respective clubs ahead of the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.”

If successful, the campaign will manage to achieve something remarkable indeed, by setting aside a rivalry between two groups of fans which has run for many decades.

The FSA reports West Ham’s situation thus:” West Ham United announced significant increases to season ticket and matchday pricing for the 2024-25 season earlier this year.On top of that, the club also announced changes to concessionary pricing – restricting them to certain sections and price bands of the London Stadium while increasing prices for young supporters – a move that has angered and disappointed West Ham fans across the board”.

Describing similar issues at Tottenham:”Back in March Tottenham Hotspur announced that, unless you’re already eligible for a “senior concession” by 2025-26 they’ll no longer offer OAP season ticket discounts at all. They’re gone forever.”

“Supporters at both clubs are calling on their clubs to reverse their decisions to remove and restrict concessionary pricing at their respective stadiums.”

More information at thefsa.org.uk

*For the record, I was at one time ( I might still be, to be honest I have no idea!) a member of WHUST and still receive their newsletters. Just to make my own position clear. MT

Saturday’s Premier League action commences at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with an all-London showdown between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Old foes welcomed October’s international break in conflicting spirits.

Spurs shockingly threw away a two-goal cushion in a stomach-wrenching 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, suffering their third league loss this season.

Michail Antonio’s 48th-second opener set the tone for the Hammers’ first home league triumph under new manager Julen Lopetegui, offering the Spanish boss some respite during the two-week hiatus.

Lucas Paqueta was also on the scoresheet amid growing speculation linking him with a big-money transfer to Real Madrid, recently fuelled by Eduardo Camavinga’s social media activities, as per Bola Vip.

Before the Brazilian forward can start thinking about teaming up with the most successful club on the planet, he must prove his innocence in court over match-fixing allegations first.

For the time being, he remains a focal point of Lopetegui’s frontline, with the Hammers looking to fly out of the traps after hitting a pause button for a fortnight.

As a result of their first win since August, West Ham entered the break in 12th, trailing fifth-placed Aston Villa by six points.

Lopetegui Not Out of the Woods Yet

Despite posting his first home league win on the board in round seven, Lopetegui isn’t off the hook by any stretch of the imagination.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers was supposed to be an upgrade on former manager David Moyes.

However, his early tenure has shown no signs of improvement on Moyes’ regime.

West Ham fans remain desperate for their expensively-built squad to live up to its potential.

Unless they can prove their worth in a high-profile encounter such as this, the abovementioned rout of Ipswich will feel like a fleeting moment of false hope rather than a sign of genuine progress.

Problems Keep Piling Up

Apart from their scoring woes, the Irons have been terminally unable to defend their goal.

Ipswich’s strike at the London Stadium extended West Ham’s woeful run without a clean sheet to six matches.

That wouldn’t have been an issue had they not conceded at least three goals against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City across various competitions.

A lack of defensive resilience has been West Ham’s scourge in recent clashes against Tottenham.

Since a 1-0 home league win in October 2021, they have gone six successive meetings with Spurs without a shutout (W1, D2, L3).

Fixing that problem would be the first prerequisite for Lopetegui to launch a much-needed winning streak.

Travel Sickness

Away games hadn’t been West Ham’s strong suit under Moyes.

To put this statement into context, the Hammers won only 36.8% of their Premier League outings on the road last season (W7, D2, L10).

But there’s a looming sense that their away form could plummet to new lows under Lopetegui.

Since two unanswered second-half goals inspired West Ham to a 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on their opening Premier League travel, they’ve lost their footing away from home.

West Ham drew level early in the second half to avoid defeat against Brentford on their last league road trip.

However, before that, they needed a last-gasp equaliser to take a 1-1 stalemate at Fulham, while Liverpool trounced them 5-1 in the EFL Cup.

Slow out of the traps, Lopetegui’s charges have yet to find the net in the first half in Premier League away action this season.

That’s unacceptable for a team boasting such tremendous scoring potential.

What the bookies think

Tottenham – 19/40

Draw – 7/2

West Ham – 9/2

Odds provided by Betway, and are subject to change.

The clock is ticking. the international break gives us all a brief, frustrating pause with no Premier League action next weekend. For some, it is an opportunity to tweak systems and for West Ham no doubt time to improve new recruit fitness and integration into the evolving Lopetegui high press, high energy possession based-game. For others, West Ham’s Niclas Fullkrug included, the race is on to be fit and on the team sheet come the 19th October lunchtime start against old enemy Tottenham Hotspur.

Fullkrug has been struggling with what has at various times been described as an achilles or heel injury and he hasn’t played since the last international break.

Spurs, too, have their issues and have suffered a noticeable drop in form.

According to EPL Index this is due to playing “without their talismanic captain Heung-Min Son, who has been notably absent from Tottenham’s last three fixtures due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the Europa League win over Qarabag. His absence has clearly impacted the squad, as his energy and leadership on the field are irreplaceable.”

Son has been struggling to return to match fitness, with boss Postecoglou confirming that he’ll miss the Internationals but is targeting a return from injury for – the home game against West Ham. Cutting it fine then, with less than two weeks to be ready.

Spurs’ news on other established team member Richarlison is even less positive: His injury is a calf issue which is ‘kind of long term’ according to his manager and means he’ll miss the London derby. Summer signing Wilson Odobert is also out until November with a hamstring injury.

Nothing makes me smile like a good tale of Tottenham Hotspur rejecting a young player and the subsequent success of said player who goes on to become a hero in Claret and Blue. This one is a peach. When a former scout and highly regarded Tottenham Hotspur ex-manager opened up to The Athletic recently, it made my day.

Consultant Scout and former Manager for The Spuds, David Pleat, left his role at North London last summer and has been talking about some of the signings he helped secure, and, hilariously, the one he recommended but had his advice ignored.

Back in 2019 he made a recommendation to Spurs to go and sign a young talented English player at Hull City, one Jarrod Bowen. Tottenham chose to ignore his advice and selected Jack Clarke instead, then at Leeds United. The winger failed miserably to make any impact at Spurs and had to leave, drop down to the championship again and rebuild his career with Sunderland before finally making the PL grade and securing a move to Ipswich Town this Summer.

And as for Bowen – one of the many things we will thank David Moyes for: The Scotosaurus saw the latent talent in Jarrod Bowen and bought him from Hull to London Stadium in January 2020 for £17 million. Bowen of course has gone on to equal our club record for ‘goals scored in a season’ tally and has become an England regular and Club Captain. Good choice, Spurs, and thanks for ‘passing’ on our Hammers Hero. It’ll be the icing on the cake if he scores against Spurs this season.

(Image- Spursweb)

West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is wasting no time revamping his squad, with the right-back position a major area of concern following Ben Johnson’s departure to Ipswich Town.

The Hammers reportedly hold aspirations of landing Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but the Red Devils’ intentions regarding the player remain unclear. This has led West Ham to explore more attainable options, with Kyle Walker-Peters of Southampton emerging as a frontrunner.

According to GiveMeSport, Walker-Peters is seen as the “easier” option due to his contract expiring next year at Southampton. This potentially lower transfer fee makes him a more realistic target for West Ham.

The recent sale of midfielder Flynn Downes to Southampton could also prove beneficial for West Ham in their pursuit of Walker-Peters. The established relationship between the clubs might ease negotiations for the right-back.

However, West Ham are not alone in their interest. Walker-Peters’ former club, Tottenham Hotspur, is also reportedly keen on acquiring him, potentially as a backup option.

West Ham are determined to find a solution at right-back quickly as they prepare for the upcoming season. Walker-Peters’ contract situation makes him a strong contender, but Tottenham’s interest adds another dimension to this transfer saga.

While solidifying the backline is a priority, West Ham are also addressing their attacking options. Their initial target, Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, proved too expensive with a £40 million price tag. The club is now exploring alternative striking solutions, with names like Alexander Sørloth and Jonathan David reportedly on our radar.

West Ham United have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Steven Bergwijn from Ajax, according to a report this morning from teamTALK. This reignites earlier rumours linking the Dutch winger with a move to the London Stadium. However, this latest report is in complete contrast with the news C&H learnt last night which stated there was no interest in the player at this moment.

Bergwijn’s impressive form with Ajax, contributing 16 goals or assists in just 24 Eredivisie matches last season, has reignited West Ham’s interest.

Ajax reportedly values the Dutchman between £20 million and £25 million.

Despite West Ham’s lead, Bergwijn attracts interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and France, creating a competitive transfer landscape. This is precisely the same tactic being used to once again link Youssef En-Nesyri to the club, who also conveniently has interest from Saudi.

The report also suggests Ajax manager Francesco Farioli has accepted Bergwijn’s likely departure.

While lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia are tempting, Bergwijn reportedly desires a return to the Premier League to prove himself after limited playing time at Tottenham Hotspur.

With pressing needs for a striker, right-back, and potentially another central defender, West Ham must weigh the significant price tag for Bergwijn against their other transfer priorities.

But, despite transfer needs in other areas, Bergwijn’s talent and age (approaching his prime) could make him a valuable long-term signing for West Ham.

According to 90min, Tottenham Hotspur have moved ahead f West Ham in the pursuit of Lille’s forward Jonathan David.

David, who has been perennially linked with the Hammers, is approaching the end of his tenure with Lille, having entered the final year of his contract. This has led to widespread speculation that he will depart Stade Pierre Mauroy, with the Premier League touted as his probable next stop ahead of the 24-25 season.

Recent reports, indicate that Tottenham, along with Manchester United, Chelsea, and West Ham, are all vying for the Canadian international’s signature. However, it does seem slightly odd that nobody has yet pulled the trigger on a player who has been so highly regarded for so long.

It’s suggested that David, a standout in Ligue 1, could be snapped up for a bargain £20m due to his impending contract expiry.

West Ham’s recent shift in focus towards Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran suggests a move away from the Canadian but many hadn’t given up on the prospect of signing David.

With Canada’s Copa America efforts wrapping up this Saturday in a third-place playoff against Uruguay, discussions about David’s future are expected to intensify shortly thereafter.