12/05/2007 18:50
Manchester United v West Ham United
Sunday 13th May 2007
Old Trafford
Kick off: 3pm
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)
Team news:
Manchester United are expected to name a strong side against the Hammers as
they prepare to parade their League trophy. The Premiership champions are
likely to name either Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney on the bench, with
Alan Smith hoping to start.
Alan Curbishley is hoping to name an unchanged squad after last week's win
against Bolton Wanderers.
Background:
Manchester United play their final home game as Champions of England for the
16th time in their history. They will be presented with their ninth
Premiership trophy and first in four years, after the final whistle. Victory
will give United 29 victories in a top flight season for the first time
ever, eclipsing the 28 achieved in 1956-57 and 1999-2000.
West Ham United need a point to maintain Premiership status and will also
still stay up if they match Wigan's result. The Hammers beat Man United 1-0
at Upton Park on 17 December in what was Alan Curbishley's first game in
charge.
Stats:
Last five League meetings at Old Trafford:
2005/6 Manchester United 1 (van Nistlerooy) West Ham 0
2002/3 Manchester United 3 (Solskjaer, Veron, Schemmel) West Ham 0
2001/2 Manchester United 1 West Ham 0 (Defoe)
2000/1 Manchester United 3 (Solskjaer, Pearce og, Yorke) West Ham 1
(Kanoute)
1999/00 Manchester United 7 (Scholes 3, Irwin, Cole, Beckham, Solskjaer)
West Ham 1 (Wanchope)
Tickets and travel:
All match tickets have sold out, for information on getting to Old Trafford
click here .
Weather:
The forecast for tomorrow is heavy rain with temperatures reaching around
11C.
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Scudamore fuming over bias claims - BBC
Premier League chief Richard Scudamore has rejected claims that his
organisation is biased towards West Ham at the expense of smaller clubs. The
Hammers were fined £5.5m but not docked points after being found guilty of
acting improperly over the transfers of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
Charlton, Fulham, Sheffield United and Wigan are considering legal action.
But Scudamore told the Daily Mail claims of bias were "one of the most
offensive things I've heard". Scudamore added: "The idea that we'd
manipulate who's in the League and who isn't is so ridiculous, it's
nonsensical. "Do we want Reading or Wigan in the Premiership? Bloody right
we do because they won the Championship."
West Ham can guarantee their Premiership survival with a point against
Manchester United on the final day of the season on Sunday. The Hammers were
handed their £5.5m fine by an independent disciplinary commission on 27
April. The club was found guilty of acting improperly and withholding vital
documentation over the duo's ownership. West Ham's relegation rivals have
expressed their dismay with the punishment - both with regard to the
decision to hold the hearing so late in the season and the failure to dock
the Hammers any points. The Premier League has already written to all 20
member clubs stating that any challenge to the verdict would be "bound to
fail" because all 20 clubs agreed to the disciplinary system in place. But
Scudamore said he could understand why clubs are desperate to preserve their
Premiership status. "With the League being as good as it is and with it
being as lucrative as it is, people are desperate to stay in it," added
Scudamore. "It's an emotive time and people are hanging on to the Premier
League by any means they can. "You have to remain phlegmatic about it -
that's what all this is about."
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Kia: no Carlos talks - KUMB
Filed: Saturday, 12th May 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
Kia Joorabchian has revealed that no decision over the future of Carlos
Tevez has been made. Joorabchian - who maintains a healthy stake in the
United striker - rubbished midweek tabloid reports suggesting that the
23-year-old was definitely on his way out of West Ham at the end of the
season. "Carlos and I agreed we would wait until the final game of the
season was over so he could concentrate fully on getting West Ham out of
trouble," he said. "There have been no talks of any kind. "Reports saying he
is leaving West Ham simply because he stopped taking English lessons are
just not true. He stopped having lessons because he is returning to
Argentina soon and doesn't know where he will be playing next season."
The Argentinian striker has leapt to the top of a number of major clubs'
shopping lists in recent weeks due to his sparkling form which has helped
the Hammers gain 18 points from a possible 24 in recent weeks, therefore
giving them a chance of avoiding relegation. But, according to Joorabchian,
should the Hammers remain in the Premiership next season it is not definite
that Tevez will be plying his trade elsewhere. "Carlos loves playing for
West Ham and has a great relationship with the supporters," he added. "He
would like to stay if all parties can agree a deal. "He doesn't know yet
because we have done nothing about his future. But we will talk to West Ham
- and any other interested parties."
Tevez was initially valued around the £35m mark when moving to United last
August. However it is likely that a fee of around half that initial inflated
figure would be enough to land the striker on a permanent basis.
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Man Utd v West Ham Utd: preview - KUMB
Filed: Thursday, 10th May 2007
By: Matthew Coker
As my Newcastle supporting mate keeps reminding me, at least we have
something to play for at this stage of the season. No danger of mid table
obscurity finished off by half a dozen games where the players just go
through the motions awaiting the onset of their beano to Magaluf. For us, it
is do or die right up to the end of what has been one of the most undulant
of seasons, even by claret and blue standards.
It has, of course, been the West Ham way of late to keep the drama going
until the end of the campaign. Last year's dramatic Cup Final in Cardiff was
superseded by two play off final appearances in the Welsh Capital and those
were a consequence of a trip to St Andrews that saw us relegated in May
2003. Supporting the Irons is not for the feint hearted, but there is no
danger of it getting boring.
This Sunday, we head in our thousands to Old Trafford in the hope that we
can avoid relegation that we were all certain was coming up until about six
weeks ago. The specific causes of our team suddenly finding the stomach and
the balls needed to stage a comeback are unknown but with one week to go, we
are in the league position that so few of us would have dared suggest when
leaving the ground after the home defeat to Watford or a week later
travelling back from the Valley.
Just in case there is anyone out there who has just arrived from outer space
or if this is the first football article that you've read after spending six
weeks in a coma, let me set the scene for you. Watford and Alan Pardew's
Charlton are already relegated and therefore only one place in next season's
Championship is up for grabs. The three candidates for demotion are
Sheffield United and ourselves (in 16th and 17th place and both on 38
points) and Wigan Athletic (on 35 points and in the relegation zone).
The two small teams from the North face off against each other at Brammall
Lane and any result apart from a Wigan victory sees the sportswear clad, JJB
outfit down. However, if Wigan do win, we will need to get something from
Man Yoo to avoid relegation by proxy of an inferior goal difference to the
other two sides. Unless, of course, Wigan win by a big margin, which could
see our goal difference become better than the Blades.
The important bits to grasp are that, like a man reading Playboy magazine
with the curtains shut, it is firmly in our hands. However, being the
circumspect type of columnist that I am, I want to make sure I cover all
eventualities and I'm therefore going to go into an end of the season Match
of the Day format and take a look at how things are shaping up, not only for
us, but also for our two foes. Starting with how we all got here.
Matt's Apostasy
I'm sure that I am not only one who has compromised their core beliefs
during this campaign. A perfect example would be last weekend, where I
openly confess to cheering on L'Arse (in order to give Man Yoo the title), I
must plead guilty to sending a text to Yido mates that read "Come on You
Sp*rs" and I committed the near treasonous act of cheering a Jermaine Defoe
finish, though all three crimes were committed for the love of West Ham,
M'Lud.
Such behaviour was rewarded when nearly everything that could have gone
right last weekend, did. Our own performance was majestic, the finishes will
be rightly applauded, but we should not neglect the good work undertaken by
Messrs Boa Morte and Noble in creating the second, nor by Senor Carlos is
creating the third.
After feeling, for a while, as though the football world was against us, all
thoughts of an anti-West Ham conspiracy went out of the window as the other
results came in. The Fulham v Liverpool reserves game was the only spanner
in the works but the winner from Boro's Mark Viduka was a moment of comic
genius at the JJB. The home crowd's initial audible laughter at Stewy
Downing's slip was soon muffled as they realised they were losing. Again.
However, if this was not enough to keep us all smiling, listening to Villa
strolling through Warnock's mob as I drove back from East London was when I
was truly ready to believe that this was do-able. I've no doubt in my mind
that Sheffield United would have been prepared to forfeit a victory next
week as a way of dealing out the "natural justice" of sending us down via a
footballing route if they were safe.
The final nail in the coffin was to Charlton, which elicited feelings of
relief more than anything else. I've no real beef with the Addicks but if it
is us or them, then their welfare doesn't come into it. The thought of
having to concentrate on three matches at once is beyond me and the demise
of Charlton keeps life simple. So from one outstanding weekend, can we
possibly lurch into another? Let's take a nose around Old Trafford and see
how the land lies.
The Mancs
My normal method of previewing a game is to take a player-by-player run down
of our opponents. However, I thought this particular game did not lend
itself easily to that format as the home team line up is going to be
difficult to predict. We are never going to looking at an easy game, United
have not just been crowned Premiership Champions by chance, but there is
still a world of difference between seeing Ronaldo running at you and seeing
Kieran Richardson.
The question is how important is this to United? The first port of call is
with the fans and there is a surprising lack of desire for them to send us
down. Unlike Bolton last week who were predicting the highlight of their
season would be when they nailed down our coffin, there is a feeling that
United would be happy for us to stay up.
It is probably the fact that we have caught them in a good mood prior to
their end of season celebration and also that they have the Cup Final a week
later to concentrate on but they are currently been quite complimentary
about us. A few of the older heads have memories of league title losing last
day's at our place but most Man Yoo fans seem to think that the games
between our two sides are something they'd like to keep going and that we
are a much preferred option to Warnock or Wigan.
Unfortunately, the one person who does not see the sense in being a good
host is Alex Ferguson. He no doubt vividly remembers 1992 and 1995 and this,
I am sure, will play a part in his team selection. He is already pledging
the virtues of fair play and stated on Tuesday that "Alan Curbishley is a
very good friend of mine but he understands I have to respect the issues
other managers have. They deserve our best attention to the game and I will
be picking a team to win on Sunday."
The hint that Alan is his pal gives us some optimism but I think we'll see
at least a few regular starters alongside the likes of Alan Smith and Chris
Eagles. However, I suspect that the real strength will be on the bench with
the Rooneys and Ronaldo's bought on only if required.
So the next step is to gauge the moods in the camps of the other two sides.
Starting with the team currently deep in the sh*t…………
Wigan
"We know what we've got to do (against Sheffield United) and we're going to
train all week with only one thing in mind – victory."
- Paul Jewell
If you needed proof (accent apart) that Paul Jewell was a scouser, then you
only need to listen to the club putting itself up as the innocent victims in
this whole relegation scenario. Most of the patter in Wigan is still about
the FA decision and how unfair it is not to dock us points. The supporters
have taken the same tack as both Dave Whelan and Jewell in trying to blame
the FA or referees or conspiracy theories rather than face up to the fact
that this season they have not been good enough.
From Whelan's point of view, he has failed to attract footballers to Wigan
(Andy Johnson) or indeed even keep his best ones there (Jimmy Bullard,
Pascal Chimbonda) so he has now turned his attention to trying to get
lawyers to the club. He may well be more successful at attracting the legal
professionals as this court case would at least attract some national and
local interest, something that the gates at the JJB demonstrate that his
football team does not do.
I can understand anyone at Wigan using this situation as a distraction to
avoid having to look at the on pitch horror show at the moment. The centre
backs and the replacement keeper are the biggest causes for concern as they
respectively are too slow and too erratic. The fact that they have failed to
score in, let alone win, their last two games, at home with so much at stake
speaks volumes about the confidence at the club and to obtain a win at
Brammall Lane will require a massive reversal in form and fortune.
Anything other than a victory means goodbye Wigan and the only place that
they will be getting that is on the pitch. They seem to be basing all the
hopes on Jewell's previous exploits with Bradford and the bizarre logic that
the current bad run will not go on for ever. Unless they start to focus on
this game of football, I can't see them getting the result they need.
Sheffield United
"I've enjoyed it, while my team has given value for money. There are not
enough people that put smiles on faces these days."
– Neil Warnock
The Blades supporters are joining forces with their Northern counterparts to
add their voice to the injustice of it all. However, they are at least able
to look past the law courts to the football field and their concerns are all
centred on team formation.
Much of the fans support for Neil Warnock centres on his past performances
and there are genuine fears that he is not the man to lead the club into the
future. Particular worry is attributed to giving him the summer's £20m
transfer kitty as his Premiership signings have been dubious to say the
least and the biggest criticism levelled at him is that the team is too
negative.
This is more true away from home; the donning of the black and white
travelling strip seems to coincide with the loss of a striker, as though the
kitman has forgotten to bring enough forward's shirts so they have to make
do with an extra midfielder This has been a tried and tested strategy that
has not bought much success and the defeat at Villa Park last weekend was
one in a long line of bad days in the (satellite) office.
The hope in Sheffield is that Warnock will adopt the usual home strategy of
a 4-4-2 which will give the team the chance of some early goals and calm the
nerves. Whether that is the case or not, remains to be seen.
What I think, for what it's worth
This is near on impossible to call. Without the multitude of permutations
and the various implications that each has, the last day nerves can always
cause the most unexpected of outcomes. I'm sure that Robert Green and Dean
Ashton won't want reminding of Norwich's self implosion in 2004/05, when
they held the pole position in the safety race before kick off only to down
by a 6-0 deficit, a scoreline that no one saw coming.
I'll quickly point out, before anyone starts panicking about omens, that Boa
Morte was playing for Fulham that day and pulled off one of his
characteristic lay ups for a Malbranque goal and that the other teams have
several players relegated in the past (Heskey, Stead, Camara). However, if
that does not appease you, other superstitions that go in our favour are
that Sheffield United have a pattern of getting relegated every 13 years,
the last time in 1994 which makes it time again.
In respect of results, I think that it is too much to hope for a victory at
Old Trafford. However, I am going to be so bold enough to go for a 2-2 draw,
with us taking a lead and then them coming strong at the end to draw level.
Just in case I am wrong about this though, I'm going to go for a Sheffield
United win at Brammall Lane based on home advantage and by comparing the two
sides performances against us in recent weeks. And while that seems a tad
straightforward, can you blame me for looking for a little mundanity after
the season we've all been through?
Whatever the outcome on Sunday, West Ham support has been the one
unshakeable aspect of this season. I've no doubt that whatever the outcome
of this season, our voices will be heard, our pride will be audibly
transmitted and whatever the outcome of this weekend, we'll suffer our fate
without tears or excuses.
Keep your heads held high, your fingers crossed and enjoy the game.
Irrrrrrroooooonnnnnssssss!!
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Eggert doesn't fear carve up - Sky
By Tom Adams - Created on 12 May 2007
West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has dismissed fears that The Hammers
could fall victim to a ploy by Wigan and Sheffield United to see them
relegated on Sunday. With the club's relegation rivals angered by the
Premier League's failure to deduct The Hammers points following the Carlos
Tevez controversy, there have even been suggestions that Paul Jewell and
Neil Warnock's sides could conspire to condemn the Londoners to the drop. If
West Ham lose at Old Trafford, then a narrow win for Wigan at Bramall Lane
would see Magnusson's club demoted to the Championship on goal difference.
However, the Icelandic supremo believes English football has too much
integrity to allow such a Machiavellian scheme to manifest itself. "It has
never even entered my mind that such a thing would ever happen in English
football," said Magnusson. "The personalities involved are far above that
kind of thing and it is not something I would ever worry about. "The three
teams involved in this relegation battle will all be trying to win their
match on Sunday and, again, that is the only way football should be."
Whilst West Ham received a £5.5million fine as a result of the contract
irregularities in the signings of Tevez and Javier Mascherano, their
relegation rivals have been threatening legal action after the Premier
League's refusal to impose a potentially disastrous points deduction.
However, Magnusson believes that matters of relegation should be resolved on
the pitch, not in the courtroom. "We have experienced a lot of publicity,
especially since the Premier League hearing, but it has not affected our
focus and concentration ahead of the matches, and that is the most important
thing," Magnusson added. "Two weeks ago, we had a judgement which resulted
in a severe fine for the club. This week, we decided not to appeal against
it, and that is the end of the whole matter as far as I am concerned. "We
have worked very closely with the Premier League, who have also confirmed
that the matter is closed, and so there is nothing more to be said. "I feel
very strongly - as I hope all football people do - that the matter of who
wins the championship, who is relegated, should be decided on the pitch.
That is the only way for football to be the winner."
Relegation would naturally have severe financial implications for the club,
but Magnusson remains convinced he made the correct move in taking control
at Upton Park. "Whatever happens at Old Trafford, I am committed to taking
this club forward and building on the plans that we have put in place. I am
here for the long haul. "Despite all the turbulent times that we have
experienced at the club this season, I can honestly say now that I am even
more certain I made the right decision in taking the opportunity to become
involved at West Ham United."
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Man Utd v West Ham: Preview - Soccernet
Darren Fletcher is determined to prove Manchester United's Premiership title
success is not a one-off. The Scotland international has been a key figure
within the Red Devils squad this term, turning in a series of excellent
performances as the injury curse began to bite during the latter stages of
the campaign.
Although he was actually buying an ice-cream when confirmation was received
of his first championship medal was received, the immediate celebrations
with his family on a rare trip back home were certainly sweet. However, once
he returned to United's plush Carrington complex, Fletcher and his
team-mates immediately started plotting to retain their trophy. ``It was
great that I was back home in Scotland last weekend,'' he said. ``I don't go
back that often, so to came back into the house just as the final whistle
went at Arsenal and to have my parents and sisters and other close family
members with me was really nice. ``I have been in the first-team for the
last few season but after dominating the Premiership before then, we have
missed out on winning the title.
``We looked at the pre-season predictions for this year and a lot of people
had us down to finish fourth. You don't take a lot of notice but you do look
at these things, so it is nice to prove them wrong. ``With the FA Cup final
coming up, I have not had chance to think about it too much but in any case,
the attitude for this team must be to make it the start of something. ``We
need to come back next season to defend our title and show it was not a
one-off. We want to put a run of championships together.''
As West ham are still in a relegation battle, Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed to
select a full-strength side. West Ham head to Old Trafford tomorrow with
their Barclays Premiership lives on the line - but manager Alan Curbishley
insisted: ``Nobody here is afraid''. The Hammers, who looked dead and buried
two months ago, need a point against champions Manchester United to
guarantee survival and complete one of the great escapes. On March 4, after
losing 4-3 at home to Tottenham, West Ham were bottom of the table, 10
points from safety and without a Premiership victory in 11 games. But the
performance that day sparked a remarkable change in form and fortune. West
Ham have won six of their last eight matches and edged out of the relegation
zone just a week ago.
Curbishley is now calling for one final effort to ensure that even a Wigan
victory over Sheffield United would not be enough to deny West Ham
Premiership football next season. He said: ``We have given ourselves a
chance but can we grab it this weekend? Nobody here is afraid of a big game.
``The players here have all had them - an FA Cup final, two play-off finals.
They have had enormous pressures to deal with and now they have one more
game. ``The players have got to take great credit because of the ability and
determination they have shown in recent weeks. But we have not achieved
anything yet.
``We need to do it for one more game. And next year, if we stay up, we need
to do it for a lot more games.''
Curbishley does not expect an easy ride at Old Trafford, even from his old
friend Sir Alex Ferguson, whose United side have already won the title and
have an FA Cup final to prepare for. Ferguson fielded a second string in a
meaningless match against Chelsea during the week but recognises the need
for integrity in games which have a bearing on key Premiership issues.
Curbishley said: ``I am sure when we get to Old Trafford there will be some
familiar names on the team sheet. ``I had a short conversation with Alex on
Monday and congratulated him on winning the title. ``I was up at United's
Carrington training ground for a managers' meeting at the start of the
season and you could sense there was a desire about the place. ``They needed
to get a good start. At the time, Wayne Rooney had been sent off, Gary
Neville was injured but they got the start. ``In previous years, they had
been playing catch-up but there was a real desire there.''
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Curbishley feeling the pressure - Soccernet
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley barely has time to rub the sleep from his
eyes of a morning before he is reminded of the vast responsibility on his
shoulders. His wife, his family, her family, the milkman and the postman are
all West Ham supporters. Curbishley's Hammers travel to champions Manchester
United tomorrow knowing a point would guarantee Barclays Premiership
football at Upton Park next season. The turnaround has been remarkable. Two
months and nine games ago, West Ham were 10 points adrift at the bottom of
the table on the end of an 11-match losing streak and seemingly doomed to
the drop. If West Ham complete their great relegation escape, Curbishley
will look back on that run as the seminal moment of his season. He may have
made 85 appearances for West Ham during the late 1970s - but it was only
through the dark days of January and February that Curbishley realised
exactly how big a job he had taken on. No-one would let him forget it, not
even the milkman. 'When I was at Charlton I was shielded a bit. We played
the games and I went home. Here I am right in the middle of it. I think I
have realised now what it means to everybody,' Curbishley said. 'Almost
everybody I know are West Ham fans. I was brought up half a mile from West
Ham station. I went to all the West Ham games. 'My wife comes from Wilson
Road, which is the other side of the statue at the Boleyn Ground. They are
all West Ham. 'Since I took the job I have discovered my milkman and my
postman are also West Ham fans.
'That was a very difficult period. I had never been in the situation before.
I took some advice and I realised how big the club actually is and what it
means to everyone attached to it. 'The intensity of the support brings its
own pressures and if we don't get the result at the weekend it will be more
difficult still. 'I just know that if we get through this weekend it will
hold me in good stead, that is for sure.'
Curbishley was hired to do a salvage job at Upton Park after new chairman
Eggert Magnusson fired Alan Pardew following the Hammers' 4-0 defeat at
Bolton in December. It was, effectively, the job he had been waiting for
since leaving Charlton last summer. Even after the most turbulent of
seasons, he feels refreshed and invigorated. 'At this stage of the season
most of us are looking forward to the break but I am feeling fresh,' he
said. And his ambitions for the club are impressive. Magnusson wants to turn
West Ham into one of England's leading players, regularly competing for
Champions League qualification. And Curbishley buys into his thinking. 'The
short-term brief was to get ourselves out of trouble. The long-term brief
was to make the club successful,' he said.
'That is still the same. When I spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson about the job, he
said there is an opportunity for the club to become big. We get 35,000 every
week and we know we are locking people out. 'I am convinced West Ham have
got a really good chance of being successful and pushing on. 'I think I have
a squad I think has an opportunity to start thinking about pushing for the
top 10, looking upwards as opposed to looking behind us. 'But first we have
got to get through this weekend.'
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Cash rich, status poor
By Roy Collins, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 11:18pm BST 12/05/2007
If Paul Jewell engineers the victory at Sheffield United today that will
save Wigan from relegation, he knows that no amount of his Scouse patter or
Uncle Joe's mint balls will be sufficient to sweet talk the world's best
players through the gates of the JJB Stadium to help establish his team as a
Premiership club. Asking a top player to swap his present club for Wigan is
like asking him to trade in his Lamborghini for a G-Wiz car.
The frustrating thing for Jewell, who has been scouting players throughout
the world for the past few months, is that it is not even a question of
wages because chairman Dave Whelan has enough cash to match most Premiership
teams.
Top players simply do not want to go to Wigan and those who do reluctantly
sign come clutching the arms of lawyers and waving watertight get-out
clauses. That is how Pascal Chimbonda and Jimmy Bullard, who Jewell turned
into Premiership stars, came to escape last summer, leaving their former
manager ready to jump off Wigan pier.
He says: "The only reason we got Chimbonda was because of the get-out clause
and we have to live with the fact that a lot of top players don't want to
come here.
"When we tried to sign Michael Owen, everyone thought it was a publicity
stunt but it definitely wasn't. The chairman would have paid the wages and
the transfer fee, just as we agreed a fee for Andy Johnson last summer. But
once Everton came in, he was going to go there. I've looked at lots of
players but there is no point in me going for one of Manchester United's
quality. We can't even compete with Aston Villa.
"We can compete with the wages but you see their stadium, you see their
training ground, you see their history, their crowd and it's no contest. The
problem is that this football club is a baby. Wigan Warriors rugby [league]
have been successful for years, they are the Manchester United of rugby and
they've got players from Australia who want to come here and play for them.
We haven't got that appeal and we have to live with that, it's a hard fact
of life."
Jewell is not complaining, just pointing out the problems of a club who are
cash rich and status poor. That is why he had to lower his sights and make
former England striker Emile Heskey his big summer signing last year, a
player whom he admits has a scoring record that is not as good as it should
be. But if it were, he points out, Heskey would still be wearing Liverpool
red.
Wigan are suffering not so much from second-season syndrome in the
Premiership as second-class syndrome, a fact that he believes the people now
putting the boot into his club overlook. He says: "This season has been a
disappointment and we haven't been good enough, and I include myself in
that. Last year was a fairy-tale, people wanted to write about us, people
wanted to support us. Now they are saying, 'It's only a small club, they've
got no support, you've had your time in the Premiership, now go back where
you belong'."
He now has 90 minutes to prevent that happening, just as he did at Bradford
City in 2000, when a last-day victory over Liverpool kept them up. There
will be no flight of oratory in his team talk this afternoon nor, he says,
are there any tactical rabbits to be produced from top hats.
"I will simply tell my players that they are better than Sheffield United
and not to be fearful. You do your best work when you're relaxed, and I
don't mean sloppy. You've got to have that little bit of tension, that's
your edge but not too much tension. The players can't cross that white line
thinking, 'Oh God, I can't make a mistake', You've just got to cut out the
basic errors."
A Wigan win would keep both them and Sheffield United up if West Ham lose at
Manchester United. And if Wigan go down, there might still be salvation in
the courts if Whelan, along with Charlton, Sheffield United and Fulham,
pursue their action against the Premier League for not deducting points from
West Ham for fielding an ineligible player.
Jewell has no faith in that happening, saying: "I don't wish West Ham any
harm, I honestly don't, but the explanation the judge gave for his decision,
that it would be unfair to their fans to deduct points, was outrageous. I
also don't understand why the issue should have gone before an independent
commission because the clubs give the Premier League the right to make those
decisions. To me, that's a nonsense. With respect, what does a QC with a
double-barrelled name know about football? He knows about the laws and the
loopholes but does he know what's right and wrong?
"But my biggest problem was the timing of the case, the day before they
played us. If it had been dealt with at Christmas, we would have just got on
with it."
Whatever happens today, Jewell, who has not had a holiday for two years,
will take a break before deciding his future. Having asked all the players
to put any personal issues on hold, he believes it is only right that he
does the same thing and only look at any potential offers once the season is
over.
The postscript to today's game surely cannot be more bizarre than in 2000,
when two days after Bradford's survival, chairman Geoffrey Richmond took
Jewell out for lunch. With the champagne flowing, Jewell handed over a list
of players he wanted moved in and out, only for Richmond to tell him what a
terrible season he had had.
"I was gobsmacked, "Jewell says, "and after thinking about it for a while, I
decided I couldn't carry on."
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Fan loyalty piles more pressure on Curbishley
By Patrick Barclay, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 10:38pm BST 12/05/2007
When Alan Curbishley told Sir Alex Ferguson he was going to West Ham,
management's doyen gave him the most vigorous nod: ''He said there was an
opportunity to become really big.'' And yet this afternoon Ferguson will
send Manchester United out with instructions, at least implicit, to make
Curbishley's club the biggest in the Championship. Curbishley has no
complaint. He knows West Ham's best hope of avoiding relegation from the
Premiership is for its concluding matches to be fought fair and square.
In his blood: Alan Curbishley has a special bond with West Ham United
Whether they deserve that is another matter and, while listening to
Curbishley at the training ground on Friday, it was difficult not to wonder
what he would have felt about the continued influence of Carlos Tevez had he
been in charge of Wigan or Sheffield United. But Curbishley is where he
should be: among his roots. A decent and modest-mannered man, he fits the
seat once occupied by Ron Greenwood and John Lyall. Having served an
apprenticeship under their distant gaze, he signed his first Upton Park
contract just after Lyall had succeeded Greenwood (who remained as general
manager). That was in 1975. West Ham were FA Cup holders and Curbishley's
dreams were coming true.
By the time he had left four years later, to spend his prime with Birmingham
and Aston Villa, West Ham had been relegated. But pricked bubbles had always
been part of Curbishley's culture. As he pointed out: "I was brought up half
a mile from West Ham station. I lived half a mile from John and Clive
Charles [brothers who played for the club] and went to all the games. My
wife comes from Wilson Road, which is by the statue at the Boleyn, and all
her family come from that area. Most of my friends are West Ham fans.''
During his years as Charlton manager, he could get away from the job. But
the West Ham connection lingered. ''My wife went to B&Q once and handed over
her credit card and got a 15-minute lecture from the cashier because he was
a West Ham fan.
''That's how it is. It's a special club. That's what Alex Ferguson meant. We
get 35,000 every week and we know we're locking people out. A lot was made
of us taking 6,000 to Wigan the other day. But they'd have gone anyway, with
tickets or not, loads of them. I know a lot will go to Old Trafford without
tickets - just to be there.''
Asked if it would break his heart for the cause to be lost, he replied: ''I
don't want to sensationalise it. But the intensity of the support brings its
own pressures. It hurts that everybody is hurting.'' Well though he knew the
club before taking over from Alan Pardew - another with claret-and-blue
blood - the past five months had been a further education. ''I've realised
what it means to everybody and all I want to do is get through this weekend.
And then next season - after a clean break and a summer to deal with things
- I'd like to think I'll be judged a bit differently.''
Curbishley confessed to surprise that his team had languished so long. ''I
don't know why. I'd never gone into a club midstream before. I walked into a
situation where we had lot of games coming up and a transfer window opening.
Then we got injuries. In the same game I lost Danny Gabbidon and James
Collins and the following morning me and Eggert [Magnusson, the chairman]
were talking to a player we were trying to sign for another position - and
all I could think was centre-halves. The whole thing was difficult. We had
terrible luck with injuries, suspensions as well.'' Even some of the players
he bought - Matthew Upson, Lucas Neill, Nigel Quashie, Calum Davenport, Luis
Boa Morte - dropped out, but still Curbishley could not credit his team's
failure to win in 10 matches. ''The Spurs game, even though we lost, was a
bit of a turning point. The performance and the way the crowd got behind us
gave us a lift. And then, against Blackburn, our luck turned. And it's gone
from there.''
Yet one more point is required to complete Curbishley's mission. The first
stage, that is. He was beckoned out of his sabbatical after an Icelandic
takeover accompanied by talk of Europe and even, in time, the Champions
League. You would not expect Curbishley to gush that excitedly, but he did
agree: ''There's a lot more to come out of these players.'' After reaching
the FA Cup final and finishing ninth under Pardew, they regressed far more
severely than the absence of Dean Ashton would excuse, but Curbishley said
another Premiership campaign would not require much more replenishment.
"This is a squad I can work with,'' he declared. "One that can push for the
top 10, look upwards rather than behind us.'' Or otherwise. By the end of
the afternoon we shall know.
All or nothing
West Ham only need a point against Manchester United, but draws have not
been their speciality this season.
Their past 10 matches have epitomised the club's "all or nothing" attitude
this season, from a 4-0 drubbing at The Valley at the end of February (which
left them with only 20 points) to their rousing 3-1 win over Bolton at Upton
Park last Saturday.
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Why Wigan are entitled to a fix
By Patrick Barclay, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:44am BST 13/05/2007
Forget the countless millions being raked in for television rights; they
merely serve the profiteering instincts of club owners and wage inflation
among players. Be cautiously optimistic about Champions League dominance; as
the Italians and Spanish have found, this can come and go. As far as the
proper conduct of a sporting institution is concerned, it has been a
deplorable season for the Premier League.
It began with a suspicion that the bungs inquiry being conducted by Lord
Stevens would go the way of all others and is culminating with a widespread
view that even the integrity of the league table - to be precise, its lower
regions - is challenged by breaches of the organisation's own rules. We
appear to have been right about Stevens. And what a mess remains to be
cleared up at West Ham, even if their status survives the visit to
Manchester United this afternoon. Most of us are aware of the background by
now. A previous regime acquired Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in
circumstances involving part-ownership by a third party represented by the
London entrepreneur Kia Joorabchian. We knew all along because Joorabchian
boasted about it publicly. But when Premier League officials approached West
Ham they were misled into believing the deal conformed to regulations;
staggeringly, they did not even ask for proof. And thus, when finally it
emerged that the world and his wife's instincts about the reliability of a
Premier League club's evidence were more educated than those of the Premier
League, West Ham were charged.
They were fined £5.5 million, which is less than 20 per cent of the amount
they would gain from avoiding the relegation that the docking of, say, three
points would have entailed. A posse of clubs, led by Wigan in the pugnacious
form of their chairman, Dave Whelan, have been threatening to go to court on
the grounds that Tevez has played on while dubiously registered. And very
effectively he has played too: Tevez has inspired the victories over Wigan
and Bolton that have them afloat today.
True, Whelan plainly has self-interest at heart, but even the neutral must
feel uneasy about the pliability of principle being displayed. As Whelan
said last week in a letter to the Premier League's chief executive, Richard
Scudamore: ''You clearly stated the then West Ham chief executive Paul
Aldridge looked you square in the eye and told you blatant lies regarding
the contracts of the Argentinian players.'' Adding that the League had since
received assurances that the contracts had been terminated, Whelan went on:
''Are you being told lies again?'' This, to me, identifies the most
perturbing aspect of the affair: the anxiety to sweep it under the carpet.
Even if we take the League's word, West Ham have been allowed to legitimise
a document retrospectively. It is a ridiculous form of justice. You might as
well allow embezzlers to pay back their gains with impunity, or pardon drunk
drivers when they sober up.
Why, given that as taxpayers we run to the expense of a Minister of Sport,
does Richard Caborn not intervene? In fact he did so last week, but his
words were so banal - basically, football should sort the matter out - that
few newspapers bothered to report them. So, since neither those with power
inside the game (the FA have, of course, gone missing) nor those outside are
doing their jobs, we must look to events on the field this afternoon.
I should be regretful if the Premiership lost West Ham as a team, for they
are a class above both Wigan and Sheffield United in terms of talent and
immediate potential. But that is not the point. Justice must always come
above judgment and it would best be served by a rampant Manchester United.
It might be asking a lot, because a West Ham in the form that swept Bolton
aside eight days ago would be capable of winning anywhere, but were Sir Alex
Ferguson's team to be 3-0 up at half-time a fascinating scenario would
unfold, because the combination of a home win at Old Trafford and a 1-0 win
for Wigan at Bramall Lane would send West Ham down.
My advice to Sheffield United and Wigan would be to keep it goalless for 45
minutes and, then, if Manchester United are obviously on the road to
victory, arrange the right result. I say ''right'' on purpose, because such
behaviour would be utterly consistent with the obligations of football. The
primary purpose of playing a match is, of course, to win it, but above that
is the objective of succeeding in a competition, whether by becoming its
champion or avoiding relegation to a lower level. Thus Sheffield United and
Wigan would have no sensible choice.
Yes, Neil Warnock's men could go all out to guarantee their own survival
with no thought for Wigan - but that would be a lot riskier that trusting in
Manchester United's ability to preserve a three-goal lead. Indeed it would
be foolhardy. Sheffield United and Wigan, like West Germany and Austria in
the World Cup a quarter of a century ago, might be criticised. But West Ham,
unlike Algeria, would not be innocent victims.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Prepare to Shed a Tear… - West Ham Til I Die
May 12th, 2007
I can't begin to explain my thoughts tonight. The next 24 hours will
determine our fate. Last year, shortly before the Cup Final I received an
email from Denis Campbell of the Observer, enclosing this message from, I
think, Don Perretta of the West Ham Mailing List. I was in tears by the end
of it. It sums up exactly why we all support West Ham. I hope Alan
Curbishley has something sinilar ready for tomorrow. Now, get your hankie
ready…
In 1999 West Ham were chasing an Inter-toto place with a squad full of some
of the best young players in the country. In many ways what has happened in
the seven years since is a microcosm of the history of West Ham United
Football Club. Up, down, delight, disappointment, great wins, horrendous
defeats, excitement, misery, >tension, boredom, great players, mediocre
players, 'Brown Out', 'Good old Mr. Brown' (Ok - just joking on that last
one) and then at the end, as if by magic, one of those days that make
supporting West Ham the defining life choice it undoubtedly is; a day you
will remember for the rest of your life. Liverpool v West Ham United in the
FA Cup final!
Sounds good doesn't it? And believe me, whatever happens on Saturday, it
will be good. Being associated with West Ham means that whenever the good
days arrive they will be enjoyed to the maximum because, if the East End
teaches you nothing else, it sure as hell teaches you how to appreciate
life's salad days; it also teaches you how to party. Just being a part of
the final game of the season day is a source of great pride and constant
wonder. I'm still finding it hard to understand why the 'Wig and Pen' in
Colchester has the Boleyn Castle and crossed irons painted onto its window
and I have to pinch myself when I realise they are trying to pull punters in
to watch…the 2006 FA Cup final. Similarly, the Cup final advert on the BBC;
tune in at 11am and get to see a day in the life of Nigel Reo-Coker; watch
Marlon Harewood walk his dogs; see the players - yes OUR players - walk out
to inspect the pitch. It's great - just great! Don't bother explaining this
to your Arse supporting work colleagues. Don't waste your time trying to get
your feelings across to a ManUre fan. You have to support West Ham and have
some affinity with the East End to understand what is going to happen on
Saturday May 13th 2006.
I fancy West Ham to win on Saturday - there's a real 1980 feel about it- but
even were we to lose, in a sense, it's a still a match we've already scored
some sort of moral victory in. The Hammers are virtually everyone's
favourite second team and it seems even the hardest heart is welcoming us
back to the top table. There would inevitably be some anguish in defeat but
nothing like we'd experience if it came at the hands of a London rival, a
ManUre, or a mid-table side we'd already thumped this season. Playing
Liverpool - the best team in Europe last season - adds a certain cachet to a
footballing feast that the whole world watches. West Ham and Liverpool, like
Newcastle, are the last bastions of old-style working class football where
heart, soul, passion and entertaining football mean more than corporate
boxes and sponsoring the players' socks. Dump any of these teams in League
One and they would all still be pulling in 30,000+ because the fabric of the
club is based on the loyalty and love of the fan not the availability of a
hotel room or a training facility.
It's not a coincidence that these are the only three clubs in the Premier
League was a 'proper' song for an anthem (Errrr…no! at the back there 'Good
Old Arsenal' and 'Blue Is the Colour' do not count!). In what has been a
fantastic season for everyone associated with West Ham the final has thrown
up a match that everyone can be proud to be involved in. We've had a
fantastic run to the final with barely an easy tie along the way and we're
in Cardiff on merit; we're also in Europe regardless and we can, hopefully,
turn up and play the type of football for which we are rightly renowned and
make the final a spectacle for all those watching around the world (although
if it is a tedious 0-0 draw until the ball bounces off of Marlon's bum and
into the Liverpool net in the 92nd minute well - then ces't la vie!).
For those of you who've seen this before then you know what to expect and
just how great Saturday is going to be. Keep a place in your heart for those
who were around for the last time but not with us now. Remember that this
day, this club represents your community and your birthright. Stand tall;
sing loud. For those of you who've not been this way before, remember every
minute, be proud, be happy - and have a hankie ready for 'Abide with Me' -
you may think you're a bit of a hard nut but you will need it. If you have
tears on Saturday prepare to shed them. Wherever you are going to watch the
game; whoever you are with; whatever you do; enjoy the day
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fury as Hammers reveal new deal for Tevez - This Is London
12.05.07
Carlos Tevez goes into the final day of the most bitterly-disputed season in
Premiership history hoping to save West Ham from relegation and then
re-negotiate the controversial contract that led to his club being fined a
record £5.5million The Argentina striker, signed from Brazilian club
Corinthians on transfer deadline day last August, is almost certainly
playing his last game for West Ham at Manchester United today before a move
abroad. But in a further twist that will infuriate relegation rivals Wigan
and Sheffield United, his representative, Kia Joorabchian, expects to hold
talks with West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson next week to re-negotiate the
deal that led to West Ham being fined in the first place. The likely
scenario is that a new deal will be thrashed out that allows Joorabchian to
benefit from the sale but which also complies with Premier League rules, as
it would not allow the representative to control the sale.
Relegation rivals Sheffield United and Wigan, who play each other today,
will be furious that a contract with Joorabchian's company, MSI, can be so
easily reestablished, even if the procedure is within the rules. The Premier
League are aware of the situation but that will only further anger Wigan
chairman Dave Whelan and his Sheffield counterpart, Kevin McCabe. The pair
have grown increasingly hostile to Premier League chief executive Richard
Scudamore and disillusioned with his handling of the dispute, which erupted
at the end of last month. An independent Premier League commission fined
West Ham but resisted pressure to dock points, even though the contract the
club had with MSI and Tevez was deemed to break League rules.
West Ham then wrote to MSI and Tevez to terminate the third-party agreements
relating to MSI's involvement in club affairs, which enabled them to comply
with Premier League rules and allowed Tevez, West Ham's player of the year,
to play in the last three games of the season. Charlton, Wigan, Sheffield
United and Fulham have claimed that West Ham could still be breaking League
rules because MSI have not agreed to the termination of the contract. While
it is true that Joorabchian has not endorsed West Ham's termination of the
deal, The Mail on Sunday understands that he is not worried about their
stance. Negotiations will enable West Ham to formalise the agreements in
accordance with Premier League rules and are expected to confirm that
Joorabchian will benefit financially if the player is sold this summer. If
negotiations prove satisfactory to both parties, it will prevent MSI from
taking West Ham to court to claim that the original contract should never
have been terminated. Liverpool negotiated a similar agreement with
Joorabchian over Javier Mascherano when Tevez's fellow Argentinian moved
from West Ham, which also proved acceptable to the Premier League.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers legends praise Curbs - Daily Mail
Last updated at 16:16pm on 12th May 2007
Sir Trevor Brooking has praised Alan Curbishley's leadership during West
Ham's relegation battle - but will only get confirmation by text message if
they survive. The only Hammers player Brooking will be watching this
weekend is Jordan Spence, skippering England Under-17s in the European
Championships final against Spain in Belgium. Brooking, the Football
Association's director of football development, will get updates from Old
Trafford as his former club look for the point they need to guarantee
survival. "I have to go out and watch them but my son is going up to Old
Trafford and will text me with the news," Brooking said. "I also told him I
need to know what is happening at Sheffield United against Wigan." If
Manchester United beat the Hammers, Wigan could catch West Ham with a win at
Bramall Lane, meaning there is plenty of drama expected on the final day of
the season. Curbishley's men looked certainties for the drop two months ago
before Carlos Tevez sparked a turnaround. Since getting thrashed by
Charlton, West Ham have taken up the relegation fight, with Curbishley also
getting credit for the improvement. Brooking added: "It took him a while to
turn it around and I'm really pleased. "There is that optimism there but
everyone is cautious at the moment because it's not resolved yet. "Most fans
would not have envisaged us winning six out of eight, they've just got to go
that extra step."
Another West Ham legend, Sir Geoff Hurst, gave his former club no chance of
staying up when he went on a cruise two months ago. "I was on a boat for two
months in Australia with West Ham fans and we looked dead and buried, but
with a game to go we're the favourites," said the 1966 World Cup final
hat-trick hero. "I looked at the results with my cruise members and we've
got a great chance. I'm pleased and I think I'll go again next year, and
maybe we'll be in the big time."
Hurst believes the club can establish themselves in the Barclays Premiership
if they stay up this season. "We were lacking in the front part of the
season but haven't been in the latter part of the season," he added. "They
can kick on. I think the change of board is good, Alan Curbishley is a good
manager and if we get out of it this year, with a bit of investment, it can
take us on to be successful."
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This Is The Last 100 Yards For West Ham - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 12 May, 2007 - 16:01.
This season is finally reaching it's conclusion, it will end up being either
regrettable or unforgettable for Hammers fans around the Globe. On the face
of it, two months ago most fans would have snapped your arm off if they were
offered being fourth from bottom with the club's destiny in it's hands
coming in to the final fixture, but at the same time the profligate
performances against Watford, Charlton and Sheffield Utd have ensured that
the travelling faithful and the many tens of thousands watching at home or
in pubs will have to endure one last nail biting afternoon. A word of thanks
should be given to Dave Whelan for helping to divert pressure away from Alan
Curbishley's team and for galvanising an 'us and them' 'backs against the
wall' spirit in the dressing room. For the fourth game in a row Curbs will
be able to select the same starting line up, what might have been if he had
been able to do so from the beginning of his managerial tenure? The team
virtually picks itself at the moment, with players like Yossi Benayoun
playing like he did last year and of course the Apache and all the other
'Heroes', because that is what they have been recently and fully deserve to
be contesting their survival at this late stage. Of course results can
conspire to send Hammers down but conversely it is possible that Hammers may
only have to avoid a cricket score at Old Trafford to be safe, but what a
day is in prospect, feint hearts beware, fingers get ready to be gnawed and
cats may well be kicked! Glorious or inglorious, there is never a dull
moment with West Ham, who incidentally have occupied more column inches than
Manchester Utd have recently, and they beat Chelsea to win the Premiership.
Tomorrow beckons- Ed
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Premier League fail in attempt to split 'gang of four'
Jamie Jackson
Sunday May 13, 2007
The Observer
The Premier League's top two officials, chairman Sir Dave Richards and chief
executive Richard Scudamore, failed last night in an attempt to destabilise
the 'gang of four' clubs protesting about West Ham's punishment in the
Carlos Tevez affair.
'They were there to put pressure on and to reduce the gang of four to a gang
of two,' an executive from one of the four clubs told Observer Sport. Wigan
were also invited, but were unable to attend 'due to logistics'. The League
disputed this version of events, saying that Scudamore had offered to meet
all four clubs and that it 'was not a Machiavellian plot to divide and
rule'.
The 'gang of four' - Charlton, Wigan, Sheffield United and Fulham - have all
been involved in the relegation struggle, along with West Ham, this season.
They remain furious that West Ham were not docked points for fielding Tevez
and Javier Mascherano, whose contracts contravened Premier League
regulations. West Ham were fined £5.5million, but had they lost points they
would have been relegated already.
Sheffield United host Wigan today in a match that is pivotal in deciding who
joins Watford and Charlton in the Championship. If West Ham avoid defeat at
Manchester United they will survive. Wigan are favourites to go down but
will stay up if they win at Bramall Lane, consigning West Ham or Sheffield
to relegation.
Following the judgment against West Ham by an independent commission
appointed by the Premier League, Tevez was cleared to play for the London
club at Wigan last month, the League having satisfied themselves that the
offending clauses in Tevez's contract - allowing private businesses to
influence where and when he played - had been removed. West Ham won that
match 3-0, but the 'gang of four' are demanding that the Premier League
provide evidence of the changes to Tevez's contract. His Argentine
compatriot, Mascherano, moved to Liverpool before the case was heard. Both
were signed without a transfer fee.
'Within around nine or 10 hours of the commission's findings,' the angry
executive said, 'Tevez was allowed to play at Wigan because the League says
it received a letter or fax from West Ham, saying that [part of the]
contract was unenforceable and therefore they've torn it up. We want to see
evidence, proof that Tevez was legally able to play on. Look at it this way
- no money, apparently, has changed hands for a player who has transformed
their season. No money at all. So who owns him? Unless we are shown a bank
statement or other proof then are we to believe that someone, out of the
goodness of their heart, has given him to West Ham for nothing?'
Scudamore, who will attend West Ham's game at Old Trafford today, wrote a
second letter on Friday, having already stated the League's position in an
earlier missive, in an attempt to persuade the clubs to stop their action.
But his tone has simply increased their anger.
'He is still saying that the Premier League is unassailable - that as the
commission took the decision, then that's good enough. Well, all of the
clubs will pursue this. Nobody has changed their view,' said the club
official. 'It is not just us four clubs, either. There are others unhappy.
Tottenham, for example, are very vocal about this privately. They can see it
becoming just a matter of how big a fine do you need to buy yourselves out -
they point to Chelsea, who could pay £15million or more.
'Aston Villa and Middlesbrough are also unhappy with the principle.
Scudamore is aware that there are at least seven clubs in this - that's why
he's so scared. And that's why he's trying to reduce the "gang of four".'
His attempts last night were rebuffed by Sheffield United.
There is also disbelief from the hostile clubs that the Premier League has
shown 'no will to learn' from a case that most in football believe has been
mishandled. 'West Ham were found by the commission to have lied. The
commission fined them £5.5million and said it would have docked points if it
had ruled earlier in the season. So what is the League doing about this?
There's a League AGM at the end of this month: that would be the right time
to discuss this.'
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Magnusson has no West Ham regrets
tribalfooball.com - May 12, 2007
West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has no regrets over buying into the club
- even if they're relegated today. The Icelander said: "Whatever happens at
Old Trafford, I am committed to taking this club forward and building on the
plans that we have put in place. I am here for the long haul. "Despite all
the turbulent times that we have experienced at the club this season, I can
honestly say now that I am even more certain I made the right decision in
taking the opportunity to become involved at West Ham United. "The
tremendous support and fan base we have assures me that our future is a
bright one. I have been here for only five months, but my love for this club
is already well established."
Magnusson also made clear that come what may on Sunday he will be keeping
faith with Alan Curbishley as manager. He said: "Alan Curbishley, his
coaching team and the players have done a fantastic job, and now we just
need one final push to see us through. "I have spoken to Alan this week, as
I always do, just to see what is happening, if there are any injuries, and
how things are going. "We speak regularly and it is often just a friendly
chat about football, and nothing is different this week. "I am very
confident that we can get the result we need. The team has been playing very
well recently, with lots of confidence and determination, and everybody is
optimistic about our chances. "At last, the situation is in our own hands,
which hasn't been the case for the last five or six months. "Everyone is
concentrating on the game, and planning what we have to do in order to
combat Manchester United. "It will be a tough task because they are a
fantastic team and worthy champions of the Premier League this year, but we
are playing well enough at the moment to get a result."
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EXCLUSIVE: TEVEZ IN £25M MADRID DEAL - the Mirror
By Paul Smith 13/05/2007
CARLOS TEVEZ will say farewell to West Ham today and open talks to seal his
£25million transfer to Real Madrid. Real and Chelsea have tabled bids in
excess of £20m for the 23-year-old Argentina international who has endured a
controversial time in England. Chelsea made a shock move to sign Tevez last
Thursday but the player prefers to move to a Spanish-speaking country.
Tevez has become a cult hero during his roller-coaster nine months at Upton
Park. He has been the inspiration behind their fight for top flight
survival. But West Ham were fined a record £5.5m by the Premier League for
irregularities surrounding the Tevez signing. Four of their relegation
rivals continue to threaten legal action for the League's failure to dock
points that would send West Ham down. The Hammers did open talks with Tevez
about a new contract which would have seen him become the highest paid
player in the club's history but they are now resigned to his summer
departure. Today's trip to Old Trafford, where a draw will ensure
Premiership survival, will be Tevez's last appearance for the club. AC Milan
and Seville have also registered their interest in the player. It's not the
disputes surrounding his move time at West Ham that have sparked his move to
Madrid. Tevez has failed to settle in London and struggled to learn English.
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West Ham in storm over Boa Morte deal - FulhamWeb
(13/05/2007 08:54:11)
WEST HAM reneged on an agreement not to play Luis Boa Morte against his
former club Fulham in January, writes Duncan Castles in the Sunday Times.
The relegation-threatened Hammers went on to secure a point that could prove
critical to their Premiership survival when the season ends this afternoon.
Boa Morte was signed from Fulham on January 5. Eight days later, he played
his first Premiership game for West Ham in a 3-3 draw at Upton Park. Fulham
were infuriated by the Portugal winger's appearance, having initially
refused to sell Boa Morte until after the fixture but relenting because West
Ham wanted to play him the previous weekend in the FA Cup. The two clubs
reached a noncontractual agreement that Fulham's former captain would not be
used against them in the match, which West Ham proceeded to ignore. A source
at Fulham said: "We are furious at West Ham's handling of the Boa Morte
transfer."
West Ham deny promising not to use Boa Morte. A spokesman said: "As far as
West Ham were concerned no such agreement was made, either contractual or
noncontractual."
Fulham are part of the so-called "gang of four" with Charlton Athletic,
Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic who are threatening to sue the Premier
League over its controversial decision to punish West Ham with only a £5.5m
fine for failing to disclose third-party influence over the contracts of the
Argentina internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Controversy
also flared last week over Everton's "gentleman's agreement" not to play
goalkeeper Tim Howard against Manchester United earlier this month as part
of the transfer deal that moved him between the clubs. The league insists
that such agreements are acceptable because they are unenforceable by law or
competition rules.
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SPECTOR RELISHING SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
Sean O'Conor for Yanks Abroad Friday, May 11, 2007
West Ham's Jonathan Spector has said he is excited about returning to his
old club Manchester United for 90 minutes which will decide his team's EPL
future.
After a harrowing campaign on and off the field, the Hammers enter the final
game of their season knowing a tie will be enough to keep them in the top
division in 2007/08.
For their Illinois-born defender however, the contest has an added
significance as it marks a return to the team which gave him his
professional debut in August 2004.
"It is nice to go back to your old clubs," Spector told YA, "especially if
it is a big one like Manchester United. I played with quite a few of them -
Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha, Solskjaer. I got on well with all the players and had
a great relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. If West Ham could not win the
league this season, I was pleased that United did, so Sunday will be a
special game for me."
One of Sheffield United, West Ham or Wigan will fall through the trapdoor to
the Championship on Sunday.
While the East Londoners face the awesome task of taking points at the
champions' fortress, their mission is helped by their two rivals squaring up
at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, knowing a defeat could send either team
spiraling out of the Premier League.
"A draw would be enough for us but it is tough playing a team like United at
Old Trafford of all places," agreed Spector. "But our destiny is in our
hands at the moment. We can keep ourselves up."
His team looked dead and buried two months ago after an agonizing 4-3 home
defeat by Tottenham, but Carlos Tevez's renaissance has propelled the
Hammers to six wins in their last eight to pull a point clear of the drop
zone with a game to play.
"It has been a great comeback for this club," confirmed Spector. "We should
not have been in that position to begin with but there is no point in
looking back on that now. I have always said the team believed in themselves
and that is evident because without that belief this turnaround wouldn't
have been possible. I am just hoping it is not too little too late."
There is still an outside chance that West Ham could be forcibly docked
points and relegated after Charlton, Fulham, Sheffield United and Wigan -
the so-called 'gang of four', announced they were considering legal action
over the improper registration of Tevez, though this threat seems to have
cooled in the past few days.
"The clubs in the relegation battle know we have a great chance of staying
up," commented Spector, "so they are just trying to stay up too and get us
relegated. If I were down in that position I would probably try to do the
same thing, though I don't think anything is going to come of it to be
honest."
West Ham will know their fate at 11.45 am EST on Sunday and Spector is under
no illusions about the game's importance.
"It is vital for the club," he confirmed. "It is an extremely important game
and it is going to be tough. We all know that, but you want to test yourself
and those are the kind of games you want to play in. In those pressure
situations you learn a lot about a player."
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