Evening news round-up for Monday 05/12/16 by 337hammer.

West Ham backing manager Slaven Bilic.

Sky Sports News HQ understands West Ham owners have confidence in Bilic and expect him to turn things around. A source at the club said: “We back our managers and we give them time.” West Ham have lost three of their past five games and dropped to 17th in the Premier League table – one point above the relegation places. skysports.com

Slaven Bilic’s West Ham future: Why the board need to be strong and back the manager.

They’ve suffered injuries. The new players haven’t settled and haven’t improved the squad. The stadium move has been shambolic. And now Bilic says things aren’t good enough in training. They face Liverpool on Sunday and another prime time TV humiliation will be hard for Bilic to overcome, although the following four fixtures do have a softer feel about them. Burnley, Hull, Swansea and Leicester cap off 2016 and are likely to determine whether or not Bilic gets January to sort out the problems.

He would need cash in January and the faith of the board to get West Ham out of this mess. It’s a big few weeks for David Gold, David Sullivan and Brady. The ship needs steadying otherwise it’ll plunge straight into the Championship. But for now Bilic is still the man to do it. He deserves the chance after last season and deserves more help from the board in transfer market next month. express.co.uk

Sky Sports pundit highlights stat which could be key in West Ham relegation battle.

Niall Quinn has identified West Ham’s goal difference as the stat which could be the difference between relegation and safety. Sky Sports pundit Quinn identified that no club in the last 20 years have been relegated with a goal difference better than -14, but he also highlighted it is only the first week of December.

“I don’t know if Slaven Bilic has ever paid attention to things like this but in the last 20 years, no team with a goal difference better than -14 has been relegated (apart from Boro, who had a three-point deduction when they went down on a goal difference of -9  in 1997). The margins are that slender. So the damage which Arsenal did at the London Stadium on Saturday put West Ham on a goal difference of -14. And it is only the first weekend in December. footballinsider247.com

Big Sam Allardyce favourite to replace Bilic at West Ham.

Sam Allardyce could be set to return to West Ham if the club part ways with Slaven Bilic, according to the latest odds. The bookies have opened betting on the next Hammers boss as Bilic heads into showdown talks with the club’s board and Allardyce is made the early favourite at 9/2. ladbrokes.com

It would be a disgrace to sack Slaven Bilic, the board are to blame for West Ham’s woes.

West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan are also a major part of the problem. The duo bombarded social media and interviews throughout the summer with their transfer dealings. A marquee striker was supposed to be signed for £30m plus and the club were going to break the bank over and over again. Instead West Ham’s squad has ended up littered with substandard recruits.

A good January transfer window is now absolutely vital. The Hammers must trim down their ranks, offloading the deadwood and reinforcing two or three key areas. They need two top-class defenders and a holding midfielder and must get them in at the start of the month so they can settle. The board must stop focusing on making a statement with their transfer business and instead bolster the team where it is really needed. Bilic is still the man for West Ham. It’s now time for his club to show him the support he deserves rather than the nonsense he’s endured over the past few months. dailystar.co.uk

From the Boardroom – David Sullivan.

Slaven cares passionately about the Football Club and this defeat will be hurting him as much as anyone. I have no doubts that he is doing everything he can to address the situation and everyone is working together to ensure we turn our season around. We cannot forget the amazing job that Slaven did in his first season at the Club. With a bit more luck he could have taken us into the top four.

His passion, commitment and outstanding track record at the highest level were among the many reasons we appointed Slaven in the summer of 2015. Despite what some people have said, there is still a great spirit among the players and everyone is working towards the same objective. We all need to stick together and get behind the team. We are all part of the West Ham United family and in hard times families pull together. whufc.com

West Ham urge Slaven Bilic to hire Rio Ferdinand as defensive coach.

West Ham United have asked manager Slaven Bilic to use former England captain Rio Ferdinand as a defensive coach. Ferdinand is understood to have offered his services to his former club and his potential involvement was discussed during in-depth talks between the club and Bilic on Monday.

West Ham are keen to stress that there were no ‘crisis talks’ and that Bilic will continue as manager – although he has to turn results around in the next few weeks – and has the support of the board and owners. The club is extremely concerned at the team’s form this season. West Ham have conceded 29 goals in 14 Premier League matches this season and their problems were evident during the 5-1 home defeat to Arsenal last Saturday. Bilic is fully aware of the situation.

Ferdinand does not want to go into full-time coaching, he works as pundit for BT Sport, but is prepared to work with his former club to help them out. West Ham will not force the 38-year-old on Bilic who, at present, wants to keep his coaching staff – which includes another former defender, Julian Dicks – as it is. The club understands that it is up to Bilic how he organises his staff and who is employed and they cannot impose anyone. Nevertheless West Ham believe that Ferdinand could provide a fresh face, a new voice and they also like the idea of another of their former players getting involved. telegraph.co.uk

Ogbonna – We need to show the right character.

“Of course I believe we can turn this around,” he said. “I can keep talking about it but we have to show it on the pitch. We have crucial games coming up now. The table is so tight and we know that we need victories. “Liverpool will not be easy, but we have to be confident. It is one game and we have to fight, work hard and show character to get back to winning ways.

“We are so disappointed because it is not the performance we wanted to give. We have a lot of injuries and we were not at 100%, but it was a derby and we needed to be better. “We are so sad about the result, because we knew the importance of the game and it is disappointing. But we have to look forward to the next game. “We know that we can find a good performance. We played so well against Chelsea, we were solid, we ran for each other, and we must find that again.” whufc.com

Zaza left in limbo as Valencia hit snag in deal for West Ham forward.

Valencia manager Cesare Prandelli has told Football Espana that the La Liga giants must sell players before they can hope to bring in new recruits in January – potentially impacting their reported chase of Simone Zaza.  hitc.com

Turkish side Fenerbahce set to land Adrian on a free transfer.

Fenerbahce are hoping to sign West Ham goalkeeper Adrian on a free next summer. The Spaniard is into the final year of his current deal and he is still yet to pen an extension. That has alerted clubs from around Europe, particularly given that Darren Randolph has overtaken him as the Hammers’ No.1 goalkeeper.

Fenerbahce, according to Turkish news outlet Sabah Spor, are one of those chasing Adrian and they want to sign him on a free next summer. The club are ready to make the 29-year-old their first choice goalkeeper and offer him a hefty pay-rise on his current wage. West Ham, however, do retain the option to automatically extend Adrian’s contract by two years due to a previous agreement with the player. talksport.com

West Ham ban 94 fans following trouble at London Stadium.

West Ham have so far banned 94 fans from attending their matches at London Stadium following a troubled start to life at their new home, Sky Sports News HQ can reveal. Crowd disturbances have marred the Hammers’ move to the former Olympic Stadium, most notably against Chelsea in the EFL Cup when riot police were deployed inside the venue.

Every supporter issued with a banning order has the right to appeal and their claim will be considered by an independent panel, which has been set up by stadium operators, LS185. The panel includes a safety officer from another stadium, who will consider the appeal and deem whether it should be upheld. If successful in overturning their bans, supporters could be reimbursed for the matches they missed. skysports.com

Roma rival West Ham for Lyon wantaway Clement Grenier.

Grenier hasn’t had a very enjoyable two years, plagued by injuries and being snubbed y Coach Bruno Genesio. Before that, the 25-year-old had been a star, scoring 11 Ligue 1 goals between 2012 and 2014, adding as many assists, too. Director of Sport Frederic Massara wants to offer Lyon a loan deal, but may have to try harder if West Ham are on his tail, too. Then again, the Hammers have only offered a loan, too.  calciomercato.com

West Ham and Slaven Bilic may be edging into impossible fight over 18 year old.

West Ham have been included in the list of the many clubs who are said to be following the Swedish wonderkid Alexander Isak. But they won’t get him for a cheap price. According to the latest reports from Sweden, AIK have just rejected a bid of 80 million Swedish kroner (around £7m) from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

With 11 goals in 26 matches, Isak holds a very impressive record for a 18-year-old. Last week, Swedish paper Sportbladet described him as one of the most hunted Swedish talents ever. Isak has been linked with a move for some months, so it’s no surprise that a battle is being predicted for 2017. AIK aren’t fools, and will keep holding until they find a bid that’s worth the sale. Given the number of clubs interested, £7m is really pretty low. sportwitness.co.uk

Ladies exit FA Women’s Cup.

West Ham United Ladies were knocked out of the FA Women’s Cup, losing 3-0 to Coventry United. The Hammers gave a good account of themselves against their FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division rivals, only for three first-half goals to end their hopes of lifting the trophy at the first-round stage.

Speaking afterwards, the manager was encouraged by a performance that was improved from the 5-0 home league defeat by the same opposition in October. whufc.com

West Ham drawn against Manchester City in FA Cup third round.

West Ham have been drawn to face Manchester City at home in the third round of the 2016-17 FA Cup. For the Hammers an FA Cup run might provide a necessary distraction from the club’s disappointing Premier League form. standard.co.uk