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West Ham starting XI: Randolph, O'Brien, Tomkins, Burke, Page, Amalfitano, Poyet, Cullen, Jarvis, Lee, Sakho. Subs: Spiegel, S Westley, Knoyle, Oxford, Nasha, Parfitt-Williams, Brown. Mauro Zarate probably would have played but picked up an injury in the first tie at the Boleyn, it is a pity for Zarate because he seemed to impress Salven Billic with his work rate, however his loss is Lee's gain. Elliot Lee has threatened to do well, tonight he has the start he so cherishes, this is not an FA or League Cup tie where he is being thrown in at the deep end, more a rigorous work out.

West Ham United
Randolph, O'Brien, Tomkins (c), Burke, Page, Amalfitano, Oxford, Poyet, Jarvis, Zarate, Sakho

Substitutes
Spiegel, Lee, Cullen, Westley, Knoyle, Nasha, Parfitt-Williams

Lusitans
Gerardo, Acosta, M San Nicolas, Munoz, Romero, dos Reis, Aguilar, Molina, L San Nicolas, Soares, Maciel (c)

Substitutes
Sonejee, Moya, Conteh, Pires, Moreira, Fernandes, Benitez

New West Ham boss, Slaven Billic, will undoubtedly want to have his 'general' on the field, obviously it will not be Kevin Nolan, but who? Firstly who ever it is will need to be able to speak a bit of french and spanish as well as english and geordie! The arrival of Dimitri Payet and Pedro Obiang is a clear illustration of where the club is going, a more 'continental' balance while still retaining a UK identity, the question is who is best suited to what could be a rather difficult role?

West Ham United's official website www.whufc.com has gone into melt down, continually crashing since tickets became available to the general public, such has been the demand that the club has been forced to advise ticket purchasers to 'try going back to the main page and start over again'. Unfortunately this results in another site cul de sac!
We will let you know when it is possible to actually go through the whole purchase process, and end up with a ticket! Don't try phoning either, the phone lines are perpetually engaged as well! -Ed

Although we have been deprived of the services of 'Doris The Tea Lady' since her retirement, we have, ironically touched base with a 'West Ham United Insider', known to us via an old media connection, and not in the Vicki Butler Henderson sense! Anyway, word has reached us that West Ham United are about to bid for Michu from Swansea.

West Ham United will play the first leg of their Europa League campaign at home to Andorran team FC Lusitans on July the 2nd, not July the 9th. This is after the initial schedule was reversed to avoid a fixture clash with Andorra's other representatives, Sant Julia, who were also drawn at home to Denmark's Randers in the first leg. The clear benefit for West Ham is that the tube strike threatened for the original home date will now have no effect!

A further 15 clubs were this afternoon entered in to the draw for the second qualifying round, joined by 51 winners from the first qualifying round.
West Ham will play Maltese team Birkirkara or Armenian club Ulisses over two legs if they proceed to the second qualifying round by beating Andorran team FC Lusitans over two legs in the first qualifying round scheduled to be played on 2nd and 9th July.
The second qualifying round will take place 16th and 23rd July.

West Ham United have been drawn against FC Lusitans for the first preliminary round of the Europa League Cup. The first leg is to be played on July 2nd in Andorra, the return leg will be played at the Boleyn Ground on July 9th.

The draw for the Europa League will take place at midday on monday June the 22nd, West Ham are top seeds, but could face a journey nearly as lengthy as their ill fated tour of New Zealand and Australia last year. Much has been written about the amount of games that have to be played, in fact the team that wins may have ended up having to play TWENTY THREE games before they can lift the Cup.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33214058
When you next pay your BBC licence fee for the year, kindly consider, not the fact that one of the characters that you gladly paid your dues for was the hugely entertaining Jeremy Clarkson, now removed, but the fact that the BBC and the licence fee payer continually 'sponsor' the opinionated and deluded, 'senior' journalist, Dan Roan .
This is what happens when the truth is on offer!