Green Street Hammers
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West Ham players band together to exclude Payet

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Winston Reid of West Ham United (L), James Collins of West Ham United (C) and Mark Noble of West Ham United (R) argue with the referee during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on January 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 14: Winston Reid of West Ham United (L), James Collins of West Ham United (C) and Mark Noble of West Ham United (R) argue with the referee during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on January 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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I always thought it would be Dimitri Payet that kicked West Ham into life this season. However I didn’t think it would be like this.

Who knew it’d take our best player going on strike to bring everyone together? The atmosphere at the Palace match was immense, and it seems the players are also bonding. Reports have stated that the West Ham squad sorted a team meal out, but made sure that Dimitri Payet was not in attendance.

It might seem petty, but this is a very uniting group exercise. James Collins and Mark Noble reportedly told Payet that he wasn’t invited. Given that these two are a big characters in the dressing room, this is a big move. If these two are united against you, especially after Noble and Payet’s friendship last year, you’re in trouble.

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The players also removed Payet from the whatsapp group in a final cut off. The instigator of such a move? One of my favourite Hammers at the moment, Pedro Obiang. And this just continues the good action the club have made in handling the Payet situation.

The club’s actions

The actions started well from the moment Bilic announced it. A lot of clubs might have tried to hush it all over, and not cause any issue around the squad given how important Payet had been over the past 18 months to the team. By putting it into the light, it allowed the feeling to be shared and legitimate.

The board have also come out and said he won’t be sold, as they have no financial need. More clubs need to fight players if they are in the position to do so, because the power they have is crazy. If the club don’t get an offer they want then I truly believe he’ll stay at the club this window.

The only thing Payet has done is guarantee he does not have a good time here. If it truly was personal reasons that he wanted to go back to France the players would be more supportive. The fact they players have turned shows it’s not something they understand.

Next: Irons risk falling behind in transfer window

The squad know more than we do, and I think that this could be a great indicator Payet will not play in West Ham colours again.

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