Paper Talk
Louis van Gaal is banking on a dramatic 72-hour window of opportunity to snatch Gareth Bale from Real Madrid.
John Stones will appeal directly to Everton chairman Bill Kenwright to let him leave Goodison Park and join Jose Mourinho at Chelsea this week.
Southampton have won the race to sign Virgil van Dijk and will pay £10m for Celtic defender.
West Ham have turned to France to solve their goalscoring problems and are lining up a move for Toulouse forward Wissam Ben Yedder.
Arsene Wenger admits he is under pressure to splash the cash to keep Arsenal in the title race - and that looks set to trigger a late £18m move for Lars Bender.
Andriy Yarmolenko is set to complete a £15m move to Everton after a private talk with boss Roberto Martinez about his plans for the club.
David de Gea's relationship with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has broken down completely.
Chelsea are set to play all their home games at Wembley while their ground is being re-developed.
Andriy Yarmolenko is completing a switch to Everton - after Roberto Martinez sold him on the club.
Wayne Rooney insists that glory is the main motivation for Manchester United's players to return to the Champions League.
Ronald Koeman has slammed the transfer window deadline as crazy - and admits he is powerless to stop Sadio Mane being unsettled by speculation.
Gary Bowyer is set to become the first managerial casualty of the season after Blackburn's 1-0 defeat to Brighton saw the club plunge into the bottom of three of the Championship.
Manchester United's move for Neymar appears to have picked up steam this weekend after the player's agent was welcomed at Old Trafford.
Arsene Wenger is ready to gamble with his transfer kitty after Arsenal's rivals splashed the cash last week and the Gunners have been heavily linked with Edinson Cavani.
Mauricio Pochettino has dropped a huge hint that Spurs will try to do a deal for West Brom's Saido Berahino this week.
Paul Pogba's £69million transfer to Chelsea has moved a step closer after Juventus stepped up their interest in Juan Cuadrado.
Arsenal will make a £50m bid for Karim Benzema in the next 48 hours, according to a source close to the Bernabeu who claims the striker would consider a move to north London.
John Stones will not submit a transfer request at Everton as Jose Mourinho gets ready to test Everton's resolve with their fourth bid for the defender believed to be around £40m.
Liverpool are plotting an £11m bid for Real Madrid midfield star Asier Illarramendi.
Karim Benzema is ready to swap Real Madrid for Arsenal.
Edinson Cavani is set to fly into London to seal his move to Arsenal, according to stunning reports in Spain.
Everton are set to spash £24million on two players - Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko and River Plate centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori.
Real Madrid are not planning to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes at the end of the month and have full confidence in France forward Karim Benzema, Rafa Benitez said on Saturday.
Roberto Martinez has warned Chelsea that Everton will not sell John Stones even if the England defender hands in a transfer request.
Chelsea have made another check on the availability of Jose Mourinho's No 1 central defensive target Raphael Varane as their attempts to sign John Stones stumble.
Victor Wanyama has told Southampton he will not discuss a new contract and wants to leave the club.
Crystal Palace are set to re-enter the race for Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin.
Eddie Howe has warned any new admirers that Callum Wilson will be going nowhere after the striker brought his brilliant Championship form into the Premier League with a match-winning hat-trick.
AC Milan have opened talks about a return for Liverpool misfit Mario Balotelli.
West Brom have revived their bid to sign Jonny Evans from Manchester United.
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is confident of making a marquee signing before the transfer window closes with both Real Madrid's Gareth Bale and Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller in his sights.
Neymar appears to have dealt a blow to Manchester United by agreeing to sign a new contract at Barcelona.
Arsenal have chartered a private jet to bring Karim Benzema over from Spain ahead of his transfer from Real Madrid, according to reports.
Seville have made an approach to sign Andy Carroll on loan despite the England striker not being fit to play for West Ham United after a lengthy knee injury.
Manchester City could announce a deal for Kevin De Bruyne as early as Monday after reaching agreement on a transfer worth £50m.
Arsène Wenger admits that a shortage of world-class strikers and the reluctance of cash-rich rivals to part with them is preventing Arsenal from making another marquee signing.
BBC
David De Gea's relationship with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has broken down completely. (Mirror)
John Terry, 34, fears for his Chelsea future after inquiries were made over Real Madrid's 22-year-old Raphael Varane. (Mail on Sunday)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his side can capitalise on the turnover of talent at Barcelona and Real Madrid, explaining that the competition for places is the reason he was able to sign Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, both 26. (The Guardian)
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho may use midfielders Ramires, 28, and Juan Cuadrado, 27, as bait in his bid to sign 22-year-old Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. (Sunday Times)
Manchester United will need to pay a world record £137.8m to sign Barcelona's Brazilian international midfielder Neymar, 23. (Daily Star Sunday)
Reds boss Louis van Gaal insisted that he did not need to add to his attacking options despite being linked with a move for Barcelona forward Neymar. (Manchester Evening News)
Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat has earmarked three new recruits despite an improved performance from his side in the draw against Swansea at the Stadium of Light. (Sunderland Echo)
Blackburn Rovers' head coach Gary Bowyer is set to become the first managerial casualty of the season. (The Sun on Sunday - subscription required)
Manchester United have not given up hope of signing Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, 26, in the current transfer window. (People)
Tottenham have approached Alexandre Pato's representatives over a potential move for Corinthians' 25-year-old Brazilian striker. (Metro)
Manchester United and Chelsea have been offered to chance to sign Pato for £10m. (Sunday Telegraph)
Everton are set to spend £24m on two players - Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko, 25, and 24-year-old River Plate centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori. (Daily Star Sunday)
Arsene Wenger admits that a shortage of world-class strikers and the reluctance of cash-rich rivals to part with them is preventing Arsenal from making another marquee signing. (Telegraph)
West Brom boss Tony Pulis will try to persuade Jonny Evans, 27, to walk away from Manchester United this week as he prepares a £8m bid. (Mirror)
Victor Wanyama, 24, has told Southampton he is unhappy and wants to leave, with the midfielder refusing to discuss a new contract. (Mail on (Sunday)
Crystal Palace are making a fresh move for 26-year-old Charlie Austin - with confidence growing they can land the QPR striker. (Mirror)
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, 30, has no plans to move into coaching at the end of his playing career. (Observer)
Everton captain Phil Jagielka, 33, has called for "the circus" surrounding in-demand players like Goodison Park team-mate John Stones to be removed. (Sunday Express)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says officials made an "excellent decision" for striker Christian Benteke's wrongly-permitted goal against Bournemouth. (The Sun on Sunday - subscription required)
Roma could be about to pay off former England defender Ashley Cole, 34, from the remainder of his contract after he failed to find a place in the squad for the Serie A side's opening game of the season at Verona. (Observer)
Rangers manager Mark Warburton says it is all about how you use the money as he defended the club's £5m budget - 10 times the average outlay of other clubs in the Scottish Championship. (The Scotsman)
Liverpool forward Jordon Ibe, 19, has refused to rule out a future with Nigeria despite a likely call up to England U21s squad this week for matches against the United States and Norway. (Sunday Telegraph)
Best of social media
Good friends Stoke keeper Jack Butland and Norwich midfielder Nathan Redmond exchanged tweets having faced each other on the pitch at Carrow Road. Redmond's mother could not resist joining in the love-in
And finally
A Cardiff City fan tried to head a wayward ball that came in his direction during Saturday's match against Wolves - however he ended up embarrassing himself on live TV. (Wales Online)
Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina showed that Colombia isn't a cricketing hotbed after failing miserably to bowl a ball alongside team-mates Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. (Metro)
Celtic fan Rod Stewart was hit in the pocket when dozens of fans turned up at Gordon Ramsay's pub in Las Vegas wearing Celtic shirts after he offered free drinks to anyone who did so to celebrate the end of his run at Caesar's Palace. (Sunday Express).
Mail
West Ham 3-4 Bournemouth: Callum Wilson hat-trick and a stunning strike from Marc Pugh stifles comeback from 10-man Hammers as Eddie Howe's side get first Premier League win
Callum Wilson fired in Bournemouth's first Premier League goal after 11 minutes at Upton Park
Wilson then doubled The Cherries' lead after 28 minutes following an awful pass from Aaron Cresswell
Mark Noble pulled a goal back from the penalty spot three minutes into the second half for West Ham
Cheikhou Kouyate got the Hammers level but Marc Pugh and Wilson secured victory, despite a Modibo Maiga goal
By Riath Al-samarrai
Bournemouth are up and running and West Ham are staggering around dazed and confused, wondering quite what was in their water bottles.
In short, they threw this game away, snatched it back and then shot themselves in the foot again. For long periods, that foot looked like the only thing they were able to hit.
In between, they ran into Callum Wilson, a striker who has served time in non-league football and scored a hat-trick in his third Premier League game. With it, Bournemouth claimed their first points of the season on a scorching afternoon where water breaks and farce were the order of the day.
Wilson opened his account after 11 minutes and doubled his tally in the 28th after an awful backpass by Aaron Cresswell (second left)
The latter came almost entirely from West Ham, with Aaron Cresswell gifting Wilson his first two goals and Bournemouth a 2-0 lead. Eddie Howe’s side coughed up all of that advantage within the first eight minutes of the second half, with Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouate scoring, before Mark Pugh made it 3-2 and Carl Jenkinson got himself sent off in conceding a penalty, which Wilson buried.
Modibo Maiga made it 4-3 in the 82nd minute but that was the lot for a surreal, strange, brilliant match, where Bournemouth learned to turn passes into points and where Slaven Bilic surely aged. Quite aside from the irritation of watching so many basic errors get punished, Jenkinson’s dismissal makes five red cards for the season in all competitions for West Ham.
That is not good enough on the discipline front; two defeats following their opening-day win over Aresenal is not good either. Bilic was under no illusions and promised to make immediate changes, saying: ‘Straight after the Arsenal game I tried to calm things down. Maybe after that game we started to think individually like, “That is enough for us on the pitch”.
‘I don’t like the approach that it is still early days - I have to change it (now).’
Specifically, Bilic was concerned by his team’s unity. He added: ‘We had that togetherness, that brotherhood at Arsenal. First half against Leicester and Bournemouth it was not unit work or team work and then it is hard for everybody.
‘I'm still angry, we are all angry. The players care, of course they care but we have to turn it around.’
West Ham captain Mark Noble was felled by Joshua King and the midfield player picked himself up to score from the spot after 48 mins
Noble spins away after converting his penalty and his goal in the 48th minute began to give West Ham hope of a comeback
The fans also cared and loudly booed after an appalling first half that could have been far worse for West Ham than a 2-0 deficit.
West Ham had a Winston Reid goal rightly ruled out after seven minutes and the rest of the half was a downhill charge to defeat, with Cresswell, the most consistent cog in Sam Allardyce’s machine, giving away both goals.
The first came after 11 minutes. Simon Francis was pressuring the left back from behind and with a flap of the hands Cresswell let him go. It was weak.
From there, Francis pulled the ball back for Wilson and, having found some space away from Reid, the striker flushed a side-foot volley past Randolph.
The second goal was even worse for Cresswell. Pedro Obiang had played the ball back to Cresswell but without sufficiently looking he attempted to cut a ball back inside for Reid. He found Wilson and Wilson found the net.
Cresswell looked scattered and confused but it was Bilic who then made an odd call, substituting Angelo Ogbonna towards the end of the half and bringing on James Tomkins. By wide consensus, Ogbonna had been one of West Ham’s more competent performers. The decision was widely booed; the honeymoon period for new managers seems to be getting shorter and shorter.
It could have been worse for West Ham, with Joshua King and Charlie Daniels going close before Max Gradel had a shot excellently saved by Darren Randolph.
Indeed, the first half statistics showed Bournemouth had nine shots to West Ham’s one. It was brilliantly dominant from a side that feels confident enough to keep an £8million signing in Tyrone Mings on the bench.
Cheikhou Kouyate scored in the 53rd minute as West Ham wiped out Bournemouth's two-goal lead in eight second half minutes
Kouyate celebrates passionately in front of the West Ham supporters but their parity was to be short-lived
Marc Pugh (right) put Bournemouth 3-2 up against West Ham with a stunning finish in the Premier League encounter at Upton Park
From there, Francis pulled the ball back for Wilson and, having found some space away from Reid, the striker flushed a side-foot volley past Randolph.
The second goal was even worse for Cresswell. Pedro Obiang had played the ball back to Cresswell but without sufficiently looking he attempted to cut a ball back inside for Reid. He found Wilson and Wilson found the net.
‘We simply cannot afford to start a game like this,’ Bilic said.
It could have been worse for West Ham, with Joshua King and Charlie Daniels going close before Max Gradel had a shot excellently saved by Darren Randolph.
Carl Jenkinson (left) conceded the penalty for a foul as the last man and the clinical Wilson converted to put Bournemouth 4-2 up
Substitute Modibo Maiga pulled a goal back for West Ham but they were unable to get a fourth to level proceedings once again
A stunned Slaven Bilic (centre) rejuvenated his West Ham side who were 2-0 down at half-time but Bournemouth upped the gears again
Angelo Ogbonna (centre) looks dejected as he is taken off by Bilic after 35 minutes for West Ham, with James Tomkins replacing him
Wilson (centre) spins away from the West Ham defender Jenkinson in Saturday's Premier League encounter at Upton Park
That is when Bournemouth appeared to implode. Joshua King gave away a penalty within two minutes of the second half starting for a needless trip on Noble, who then converted. And Bournemouth’s backline was slow to react five minutes later when Diafra Sakho’s shot was saved by Boruc and Cheikhou Kouyate nailed the rebound.
From 2-0 to 2-2 in a matter of moments. But then another twist. Pugh had already forced a good save from Randolph when, in the 66th minute, he cut in from the left and curled Bournemouth’s third inside the far post. The winger has now scored in every division from League Two through to Premier League.
Wilson made it 4-2 with a penalty after Jenkinson took out Max Gradel and West Ham went to 10 men. That looked to be it and then Maiga pulled another back. An absurd and wonderful match in between the water breaks.
Bournemouth winger Ritchie (left) holds off the challenge off West Ham midfield player Noble in the game at Upton Park
West Ham (4-2-3-1): Randolph 6.5; Jenkinson 4.5, Reid 5.5, Ogbonna 6 (Tomkins 35, 6), Cresswell 4; Obiang 6, Noble 7; Kouyate 6.5, Nolan 5.5 (Jarvis 46, 6), Payet 6; Sakho 6 (Maiga 74, 6.5)
Subs not used: Spiegel, Collins, Lanzini, Cullen
Sent off: Jenkinson
Goals: Noble, pen 48, Kouyate, 53, Maiga 82.
Bournemouth (4-4-2): Boruc 6; Francis 6.5, Elphick 6, Cook 6, Daniels 6; Ritchie 6 (Smith 90), O'Kane 6, Surman 6.5, Gradel 7 (Gosling 84); King 5.5 (Pugh 51, 7), Wilson 8.
Subs not used: Mings, Smith, Kermorgant, Federici, Distin.
Goals: Wilson, 11, 28, 79 pen, Pugh 66.
Booked: Boruc.
Referee: Jonathan Moss 6
MOM: Callum Wilson
Att: 34,977
Guardian
Bournemouth win thriller at West Ham with Callum Wilson hat-trick
Jacob Steinberg at Upton Park
They have been winning friends and admiring glances, but the time had come for Bournemouth to prove that they belong at this level and Eddie Howe’s players wanted something more substantial to show for their unstinting efforts than generous pats on the head that followed narrow defeats in their first two matches. Howe’s side did not disappoint at Upton Park and heightened West Ham United’s air of vulnerability by scoring their first goals of the season and earning their first victory in the top flight of English football.
The Premier League will be a more enjoyable place for Bournemouth’s presence if they attack with this much adventure and imagination every week. Callum Wilson scored a hat-trick and although Bournemouth’s chaotic defending made the contest closer than it should have been, they were steadied by the composure of Marc Pugh after squandering their 2-0 lead at the start of the second half and deserved their 4-3 win.
West Ham should learn from the way that Bournemouth steeled themselves. The move to the Olympic Stadium next summer means that relegation is unthinkable this season and they had better hope that the gamble of replacing Sam Allardyce with Slaven Bilic does not backfire. They lost for the second successive week at home, Bilic once again bemoaned his players’ inability to do the basics properly and the systematic frailties that were exposed by Leicester City last weekend were present against Bournemouth. Can this really be the same team who won at Arsenal two weeks ago?
This was an ordeal for Aaron Cresswell in particular and West Ham’s indiscipline was encapsulated by Carl Jenkinson picking up the fifth red card of Bilic’s short reign, while the sight of Kevin Nolan starting up front alongside Diafra Sakho because of injuries to Andy Carroll, Enner Valencia and Mauro Zárate highlighted the need for them to sign a striker.
Charlie Austin might have had a chuckle when he heard about this defeat, bearing in mind what the club’s co-owner, David Sullivan, has had to say about paying £15m for the Queens Park Rangers striker, and West Ham should not kid themselves about Modibo Maïga coming off the bench to score moments after Wilson made it 4-2 to Bournemouth. They are crying out for attacking reinforcements and Dimitri Payet cannot create chances on his own.
Bournemouth arrived in east London goalless but it was not long before they reminded Darren Randolph of the torture they subjected him to when he was at Birmingham City. Deputising for the suspended Adrían, Randolph was not favoured by recent history given these were the same opponents who stuck 12 goals past him in two matches last season.
Not that any blame could be attached to Randolph for any of Bournemouth’s four goals here. There was nothing he could have done to prevent them from breaking their Premier League duck in the 11th minute and West Ham were in trouble once Simon Francis had won his tussle with Cresswell on the right. Wilson’s sharp movement across Winston Reid allowed him to batter Francis’s cut-back past Randolph at the near post.
Boos rang around Upton Park once Bournemouth’s superior competence became painfully apparent and there were times when it felt like a trick of the mind that Bilic was standing in the technical area instead of Allardyce.
The damage was already severe by the time James Tomkins replaced Angelo Ogbonna in central defence after 35 minutes. Cresswell had a nightmare and the left-back was culpable when Bournemouth scored again, Wilson punishing his errant pass.
West Ham were a collective shambles and their diamond system afforded their full-backs no protection. While Cresswell struggled to contain Matt Ritchie on the left, Jenkinson was tormented throughout by Max Gradel on the opposite flank and was sent off for pulling the winger back and conceding the penalty that presented Wilson with the opportunity to complete his hat-trick in the 79th minute.
Bournemouth should have led 3-0 at the break. Instead West Ham still had hope. Bilic brought on Matt Jarvis for Nolan and West Ham grabbed a lifeline when Joshua King tripped Mark Noble in the area in the 48th minute.
Noble scored the penalty and West Ham equalised five minutes later, Cheikhou Kouyaté smashing the ball into of the roof of the net after Boruc palmed out Sakho’s shot.
Bournemouth could have crumbled, yet they had won the game once and they could win it again. Gradel found Pugh in space on the left and he sent Jenkinson skidding off into the distance before bending a sumptuous curler past Randolph.
There was one more scare for Bournemouth to survive, Eunan O’Kane clearing the ball off the line from Payet’s corner in the final minute of stoppage time, but they are out of the blocks.
Mirror
Wissam Ben Yedder approach line up in attempt to solve striker crisis
By Tom Hopkinson , Neil Moxley
The Irons want another forward having already lost Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll to injury PLUS: Joey Barton hasn't given up hope of a move to Upton Park
Hammer time? Ben Yedder is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Enner Valencia
West Ham have turned to France to solve their goalscoring problems and are lining up a move for Toulouse forward Wissam Ben Yedder, writes Neil Moxley in the Sunday People.
The striker will cost the Hammers around £6m and is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Enner Valencia who has been sidelined with ligament trouble.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has been scouring the European leagues for a replacement who can make a difference for Slaven Bilic during Valencia’s absence and is mulling over a move for the speedy finisher who has been a goal machine in recent years.
With 45 goals in his last three seasons for Toulouse, Ben Yedder has become one of the most feared strikers in French football, and a move has been expected for some time.
Ben Yedder, 25, has superb technical ability and thrives feeding off a main striker, much like the injured Valencia that West Ham already have.
With decent pace and a great eye for goal, Ben Yedder has proven himself in Ligue 1 - and playing alongside his compatriot Dimitri Payet at Upton Park could be a devastating attacking force for Bilic, if they can wrap up a deal for Ben Yedder..
Meanwhile, Joey Barton hasn’t given up hope that a move to West Ham could resurface, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People.
The free agent is wanted by several Championship clubs, including Nottingham Forest and Charlton, but still has his heart set on joining a Premier League side following his release from QPR.
He trained at West Ham, his most likely option, a couple of weeks ago and underwent a medical, but the club decided not to sign him after serious opposition from fans.
That prompted the midfielder, 32, to release a video in which praised the Hammers’ ‘knowledgeable’ fans and told those who didn’t want him at their club there were no hard feelings.
He has since met with Forest owner Fawaz Al-Hawasi and even though there are misgivings about signing him a move to the City Ground could materialise.
However, Barton still thinks he can do a job in the Premier League and hopes West Ham’s mixed start to the season will see them re-approach him as Slaven Bilic looks to strengthen his squad.
Ben-Yedder Youtube
ESPN
West Ham slump at Upton Park to increase concern over Bilic tactics
By Peter Thorne
East London may have been baking in a sweltering heat on Saturday, but there will be a chilly feel around the West Ham directors' box following Bournemouth's stunning 4-3 win at Upton Park.
Bournemouth's first Premier League victory may provide some good headlines for the sports pages but it sounded a dire warning to West Ham manager Slaven Bilic who looked on aghast at what unfolded in front of him. The Hammers were utterly inept against Eddie Howe's bright side and the coaching staff have a lot of work to do before next week's visit to Liverpool.
Before the game there was a deal of concern about West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph, deputising for Adrian who is serving a three-match ban for his red card against Leicester. In fact, the ex-Birmingham shot-stopper was the match sponsor's Hammer of the Match. When the home keeper concedes four goals and wins the match award then you know things are bad.
Randolph received rapturous applause from the fans for a series of spectacular saves that could have kept his side in the game had he received support from his teammates. As it was, shocking performances at full-back and centre-half saw the keeper exposed so many times that he did well to only have to pick the ball from the back of the net on four occasions.
In a dominating first half, Bournemouth did to the Hammers what Leicester did in the previous game. Quick, direct and playing at tempo, the visiting fans had plenty to cheer about as they watched their side force West Ham into numerous errors. Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell were the main culprits but Bilic was once again forced to make an early tactical substitution when Angelo Ogbonna was hauled off to be replaced by James Tomkins. The move was met by a chorus of boos, with fans already realising the full-backs were being pulled apart, but Ogbonna, signed from Juventus in the close season, looked off the pace and doesn't seem to have come to terms with Premier League football so far.
Although the decision seemed correct, quite what this will do to team morale is another question. With captain Kevin Nolan also being replaced by Matt Jarvis at half-time, severe questions need to be asked about Bilic's selection and formation. Certainly the new manager should quickly learn what former manager Sam Allardyce seemed reluctant to concede last season; a midfield containing Mark Noble and Nolan gets bypassed for speed and simply invites the opposition to pressurise further up the field.
What is more concerning though is the obvious problems being suffered at the back. Cresswell was last season's player of the year, while the club did everything they could to retain Arsenal's Jenkinson on loan for another season, but both looked unsure and flustered against Bournemouth. Bilic seems to want to play with the full-backs further forward in a more attacking formation, but this means the central partnership needs to be alert and cover space and coming up against a speedy forward like Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, this tactic is too risky.
Perhaps all the coaching staff and owners might want to take a look at a player like Wilson. While co-owner David Gold gets involved in an unnecessary argument with Queens Park Rangers over Charlie Austin and his £15 million valuation, other players are successfully making the step up from the Championship and below. The Hammers seem to be scouring Europe in an attempt to secure a big name but meanwhile other teams are getting on with their season and relying on players with a lower profile to do a job.
Considering the Hammers' season began back in early July, the inability to secure the services of any forward is starting to worry. Unfair though it would have been on the opposition in both their last games, West Ham could conceivably have rescued something from both games with more firepower up front. Certainly, naivety could have cost Bournemouth, with the home side almost grabbing a late and thoroughly unwarranted equaliser with their last kick of the match.
Still with the dismissal of Jenkinson for the crude attempt to haul down Max Gradel -- the midfielder tormented the Hammers all afternoon -- Bilic appears to have dismissed the Premier League Fair Play Table as another route into Europe next season. Jenkinson joins Adrian, James Collins and Tomkins in having been sent off in European and domestic games so far this season and, watching this Hammers defence against Bournemouth, you suspect they won't be the last.
There's much to be worked on in the training ground this week and Bilic and his team need to take a good look at where they go from here. It might look too early at the moment but two successive and comprehensive home defeats are already making a lot of people very nervous.
Peter Thorne is the author of a regular column at the East London Guardian.
