Good evening.
Here is a round-up of West Ham related stories gathered from newspapers and the internet on Wednesday 28/12/16.

Carroll thrilled with winning return.

In six games for the Hammers against the South Wales squad, the big No9 now has five goals, and no other club has felt the force of Carroll as keenly as the Swans.He said: “I don’t know what it is about Swansea but I seem to have a good record against them. Five goals in six games against them is a nice little tally, so hopefully I can continue with that. “It was a great all-round team performance on Boxing Day. From Daz [Randolph] all the way up, everyone played their part and put a shift in. We deserved it. “It was a great result. We played well and it was a nice Christmas present for the fans who traveled down to Swansea.”

Carroll’s return to the team has been a successful one, with two goals and ten points from five games and with a trip to Leicester around the corner he is keen to keep the good form going. He added: “I wanted to play the minutes I have in the last three games. I’ve been training hard, and the manager has thrown me in when he thought I was ready. “I’ve played the last three now and I’m feeling good, [especially] coming in and scoring straight away. The main thing is though we’re getting the points. “The two home games previously weren’t as good, but we got the points on the board and the performance at Swansea was great. We’re progressing.” whufc.com

Joint-Chairman pledges to unite support.

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan says his New Year’s resolution is to further unite West Ham’s Board of Directors and the Club’s supporters. “I am aware that since the beginning of the season a small number of supporters have struggled to adapt to some of the changes we have faced this year as West Ham supporters,” Sullivan told whufc.com. “At the Club, we have been working hard to help supporters with this process and we have definitely made good progress over recent months, but it is my New Year’s resolution to unite us completely moving forward.

“With that in mind we plan to continue meetings with supporter groups, bloggers, fan sites and supporters who engage with the Club on social media, to find out what the problems are and to do our utmost to try and resolve as many of them as possible. “This will act as a means of discussing the future of the Club and an opportunity to illustrate to supporters the challenges that we face as a Board to make certain changes. “We are determined to work with supporters on areas they want to see improved.” “I know we have a long way to go still, but I can assure you I am completely committed to the task and will personally ensure that this is the focus of our Board in 2017.” whufc.com

Andy Carroll has inspired West Ham’s festive revival, says Aaron Cresswell.

Aaron Cresswell is convinced Andy Carroll’s return to fitness is behind West Ham’s festive revival.West Ham have surged away from the relegation zone on the back of three straight wins, including the 4-1 demolition of Swansea on Boxing Day.That run has tied in precisely with Carroll’s recovery from the knee injury which kept him out for almost four months, with the striker coming off the bench in the first two games of his comeback and then starting in each of the victories.

‘He has been out quite some time and the shift he puts in is great to see. I just hope he can really kick on now. ‘He’s massive for us. It was great to see him back when he scored against Arsenal, but he was excellent for us at Swansea and he has been since he came back. Touch wood he can stay injury free and a big boost for him and for us.’ dailymail.co.uk

West Ham midfielder Michail Antonio close to breaking TWO Premier League records.

West Ham midfielder Michail Antonio is going into the New Year’s Eve needing one headed goal to break a Premier League record. The 26 year-old former Nottingham Forest star has already leveled the 2010 record held by former Everton midfielder Tim Cahill with 11 headed goals in a calendar year, with Antonio needing just one headed goal away to Leicester on Saturday for him to set a new record.

The good news doesn’t end there for Antonio though as come May, he could even be a two Premier League record holder as he is also chasing another Everton player in a second headed goal stat. Scottish striker Duncan Ferguson headed home nine Premier League goals during the 1997/98 season which is a record that has stood ever since, although Antonio has already scored six headed goals before the halfway point this season. That means that should Antonio head home a goal at the King Power on New Year’s Eve, he will break the Cahill record and be just three more headed goals away from beating Ferguson’s record with exactly 19 fixtures left. essexlive.news

West Ham winger unhappy he won’t be moving in January, worst period of career.

West Ham United winger Gokhan Tore is going through the worst spell in his football career reveals Fotomaç. His recent injury will keep him out until the end of the season and Tore is equally as disappointed that his early Besiktas return hasn’t materialised. Tore is reported to be unhappy about Besiktas’ lack of interest and Fotomaç report the Turkish side have also asked West Ham to cover all the cost of Tore’s rehabilitation period.

West Ham signed Gokhan Tore with high hopes, but he’s failed to perform and once again he is unable to prove himself in England. Tore started to be overlooked by West Ham boss Slaven Bilic and injuries have kept him out of the side. Tore’s recent surgery means his season is over according to Turkish press and now the 24-year old is only set for a return to Besiktas at the end of the season. sportwitness.co.uk

Man United’s Marcus Rashford told to join West Ham: There’s no better place for youngsters.

Former Hammers keeper [Shaka] Hislop believes West Ham would be the ideal club for the 19-year-old to go to.  On a switch to east London for Rashford, Hislop told ESPN.fc: “I like him a lot and [moving to the Hammers] would absolutely be a hit. “There is no better team at bringing through young players than West Ham.” express.co.uk

Chelsea want to loan starlet Ruben Loftus-Cheek out to a Premier League club.

Chelsea are willing to let Ruben Loftus-Cheek out on loan but want him to play regular football. The league leaders would also prefer for the 20-year-old to play at a Premier League rival to gain greater experience. So far, Chelsea have fielded more than 10 enquiries for the England U21 international midfielder. dailymail.co.uk

West Ham in race for €50m Fiorentina hitman.

West Ham are interested in signing Fiorentina star Nikola Kalinic. According to the Corriere dello Sport, the Hammers are fascinated by the prospect of nabbing the Croatian centre-forward. They may baulk both at the price, and the fact that signing players from mainland European hasn’t been a resounding success for them so far.

Kalinic has netted 20 Serie A goals since joining the Viola at the beginning of last season. He was one of that campaign’s early sensations, scoring ten times before the Christmas break. Things took a turn for the worse in the second half of the season. Despite having managed eight strikes this season, only two of them have come at home. calciomercato.com