Parker full of plaudits
WHUFC.com
Scott Parker is in great form but he has been quick to praise those helping him out on the pitch
06.03.2009
Scott Parker has paid tribute to the outstanding efforts of the whole West Ham United side in achieving victory at Wigan Athletic in such fine style.
The 28-year-old midfielder was left purring after a sublime strike by Carlton Cole paved the way for "a fantastic win". He added: "We knew it was going to be a tough game. We deservedly went 1-0 up. Obviously it became a bit more difficult when we had to go down to ten men [after Cole's dismissal], but we fully deserved the result, it was very pleasing.
"It was a very, very good goal. One which involved a few passes and one-touch playing leading up to it and it was a great finish by Coley. The build-up play was fantastic. Over the last few weeks - well, especially since the manager has come in - we seem to be playing some good stuff.
"This was pleasing because all the stuff we do on the training ground resulted in us playing the way the manager wants us to play and got the reward of a good goal." The No8, who has just signed a new contract at West Ham United until 2013, also had plenty of individual praise for his team-mate Cole, who is also tied long-term to the club.
"Coley has been different class this year. The goal was fully deserved, a great finish along with all the other lads' contributions in the match, it was a pleasing result for us. One certainly we can push on forward again from."
Cole was to be dismissed soon after the goal with Parker believing the decision was a "harsh" one while he was on the receiving end of the "late" Lee Cattermole challenge that saw the Wigan man dismissed and left him requiring extensive treatment. The England midfielder was able to continue though and played a full part in what proved a tremendous triumph come the final whistle.
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Fry learning fast
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Under-18s have been boosted by the form of centre-half Matthew Fry this season
06.03.2009
Matthew Fry could be back in action for the West Ham United Under-18 side this Saturday as Tony Carr's team look to return to winning ways.
The 18-year-old centre-half has thrived this season, wearing the captain's armband for the Academy side and more recently making the step into the reserve team. Last week, he played alongside Josh Payne against Tottenham Hotspur and showed his versatility by switching to left-back for the closing stages. Although the youthful Hammers were beaten 3-1 by a more experienced Spurs team, Fry was upbeat.
He said: "It was brilliant. I have been trying hard all season for the Under-18s. It was a brilliant experience and to see all the boys stepping up is great. I thought we went out and did the business."
As a left-footer, the defender said he has been paying close attention to the likes of Matthew Upson in the senior squad and dreams of following in such illustrious footsteps in the years to come. "I am trying to learn as much as I can from bigger and better players and take what I can from them into my game.
"Playing in front of crowds and more experienced players is brilliant and I just want to get out there and keep doing my thing." He could get another chance to impress for Alex Dyer's second string on Monday night when West Ham United reserves travel to Barnet to face Arsenal reserves.
* West Ham United Under-18s play host to Portsmouth Under-18s from 11am at Little Heath on Saturday. As usual, whufc.com will have a full report and reaction after the game.
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'We are going places'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have a great chance to push on for the rest of the season, said a delighted Carlton Cole
05.03.2009
Carlton Cole may miss the next two games for West Ham United but is convinced the club can push on and enjoy a strong end to the season.
The England striker scored the only goal of the game against Wigan Athletic when he finished off a superb passing move involving Scott Parker, Mark Noble and David Di Michele. The three points were a huge boost to Gianfranco Zola's side as they look to cement seventh place in the Barclays Premier League and 25-year-old Cole acknowledged the contribution the Italian has made to the Hammers' rise.
"We are going places and hopefully we can just keep on going to the end of the season and see where it gets us. Judging by the Wigan performance, we showed the grit we have got, the team-work. Everyone has gelled together and is on the same wavelength. The goal is an example of how the team is cooperating for each other and I am so happy that things are falling into place."
On the sending off, Cole was mainly frustrated that he did not have a chance to add to his goal with the red card that followed soon afterwards. The 25-year-old has scored eleven goals in a terrific campaign and felt he was in with a chance of adding to his tally.
He said: "Those kind of things happen. I was annoyed I got sent off early because I thought I could notch another, but it wasn't meant to be. The boys dug in and we held on to the lead." Cole is due back in action for the club on 4 April with the visit of Sunderland to the Boleyn Ground - but could yet feature before then with England's matches against Slovakia, a friendly, and Ukraine on 28 March and 1 April respectively.
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Davenport enjoys Sunderland life
BBC.co.uk
Sunderland defender Calum Davenport has said he is happy with life on Wearside after joining the club on loan from West Ham United in January. The 26-year-old is yet to feature for Ricky Sbragia's side, but the former Coventry centre-back believes this has helped him to settle in the North East. "I've really enjoyed the last few weeks, not playing has helped me settle," he told BBC Radio Newcastle. "It always helps when you know a few faces coming into a new place."
Davenport will remain with Sunderland until the end of the season, having had a loan spell with Watford in January. Meanwhile Saturday's visit of Tottenham Hotspur presents several of the current Sunderland squad, including Davenport, with an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with some familiar faces. Andy Reid, Teemu Tainio, Steed Malbranque, Marton Fulop and Davenport have all had spells at White Hart Lane, while current Tottenham players Ben Alnwick and Pascal Chimbonda count Sunderland among their former clubs. "It's always nice to see old faces, but when you're a professional you take every game as it comes, it's another game," said Davenport. "It's a home game and you're more interested in going there and getting a result."
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Tony Carr interview
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 5th March 2009
By: Staff Writer
Tony Carr spent an hour in the company of Talksport's Danny Kelly and Alvin Martin tonight discussing his 36 years as youth team coach at West Ham United.
You can download the full (46mb) interview in mp3 format by clicking here (http://files.filefront.com/tony+carr+talksportmp3/;13416413;/fileinfo.html )
Tony Carr Fact File
Born: Bow, 1950.
Career: Youth team player at West Ham United, career ended prematurely by injury. Appointed Youth Team Development Officer by John Lyall in 1973. Still there.
Worked Under: John Lyall (1973-1989); Lou Macari (1989-1990); Billy Bonds (1990-1994); Harry Redknapp (1994-2001); Glenn Roeder (2001-2003); Alan Pardew (2003-2006); Alan Curbishley (2006-2008); Gianfranco Zola (2008-present day).
Biggest Successes: Rio Ferdinand (sold to Leeds, £18.5m); Frank Lampard (sold to Chelsea, £12m); Anton Ferdinand (sold to Sunderland, £8m); Joe Cole (sold to Chelsea, £6m); Glen Johnson (sold to Chelsea, £6m); Michael Carrick (sold to Tottenham, £2.75m); Tony Cottee (sold to Everton, £2.2m); Paul Ince (sold to Man Utd, £2.2m); Paul Allen (sold to Tottenham, £400,000).
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Injury latest
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 5th March 2009
By: Staff Writer
West Ham face a serious injury crisis following yet another loss last night in the shape of Jack Collison. The Welsh midfielder could be out for the rest of the season after damaging his knee in last night's 1-0 win at Wigan although the club are pinning their hopes on a more positive diagnosis once Collison undergoes a scan later today. That blow could be softened somewhat by the return of Luis Boa Morte, who is set to resume training after the weekend following a recent groin injury. Diego Tristan, who will almost certainly be needed as Carlton Cole is expected to be landed with a two match ban following last night's red card at Wigan should resume training ahead of the WBA game but is unlikely to be fit enough to feature.
Elsewhere Kieron Dyer, whose January comeback lasted just three games is also expected to resume training next week whilst James Collins, who tore a hamstring in the 2-1 defeat at Bolton last month is pencilled in to resume training towards the end of March. With long-term injuries Danny Gabbidon and Dean Ashton (plus the recently-injured Valon Behrami) almost certainly out for the rest of the season the only other positive news concerns new signing Terry Dixon, who is already back in full training and could make a reserve outing within a fortnight. Should he progress without any further complications Dixon could possibly feature for the first team sometime this season.
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Stuart Attwell faces red card over Carlton Cole controversy
Stuart Attwell's elevation to the Premier League was supposed to signal a revolution in refereeing, to provide concrete proof that a 26-year-old graduate could advance just as quickly through the ranks of football officialdom as through those of, say, corporate law.
Telegraph
By Oliver Brown
Last Updated: 10:12PM GMT 05 Mar 2009
Except it has not quite worked out that way. As grizzled veterans in any profession never tire of pointing out, you cannot expect a boy to do a man's job. Steve Bruce has become the latest manager to venture this analysis of Attwell, declaring in the wake of a particularly hapless turn by the man in black in Wigan's defeat by West Ham on Wednesday night: "I don't think Mr Attwell is quite ready to step up to the plate."
Bruce commented after the referee sent off West Ham striker Carlton Cole in Wednesday night's match at Wigan – a decision so harsh that even Bruce, the opposing manager, objected.
The words were delivered in Bruce's usual avuncular tone, but they were dripping with condescension. Attwell would surely have preferred any degree of 'hairdryer treatment' to being so cuttingly patronised in public. But few would dispute that Bruce is right, with Attwell's dubious display at the JJB Stadium serving as just one example in a litany of errors that have chequered his brief career.
Attwell, lest we forget, is the referee who awarded Reading their 'phantom goal' at Watford last September when the ball crossed the line three yards outside the post. He is also the referee who, six weeks later, disallowed two perfectly reasonable goals for Derby, whose then manager Paul Jewell accused him of "ruining" the game.
On that occasion Attwell was summoned before his senior assessors and briefly demoted, so a more serious sanction is likely to await him after Cole's dismissal. In the eyes of the Football Association and of Keith Hackett, their referees' chief, one mistake represents excusable carelessness. Two demand closer scrutiny. But three, in the space of six months, hint at inherent weakness.
They also trigger the debate of whether anyone aged 26, only a couple of years out of Sunday league football in Nuneaton, should be allowed anywhere near a whistle in the Premier League. Arguably the most respected referee on the roster, Howard Webb, is 37. Harrow schoolmaster David Elleray, who officiated in 78 internationals across 35 countries, did not stop until he was 49. The inescapable implication is that the career path of a referee is similar to that of a master craftsman, where the best practitioners are those who have completed long apprenticeships and developed their skills under the most testing conditions.
Bruce encapsulated this notion best when he admitted, in his fit of pique, that he felt "a bit sorry" for Attwell. He seemed to be suggesting that Attwell's gaffes were borne solely of his greenness, that the fault lay not with the young man himself but with the FA for instituting a system of such fast-track promotion.
Even the other matches assigned to Attwell have tended towards high-octane, high-intensity affairs. The setting for the Derby incident was the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest. The FA effectively acknowledged that Attwell still had much to learn when they consigned him subsequently to the lower leagues, albeit fleetingly.
Keith Cooper, the former top flight referee, approached him following the Watford debacle and said he believed a much tougher education was in order: a prolonged spell in Leagues One and Two, to enable Attwell to regain faith in his own abilities, as well as the confidence of others.
Attwell is no idiot, having a degree in sports science to sit alongside his remarkably rapid rise from small-town Warwickshire kickabouts. But his unfortunate actions at the top level could finally have pushed the FA towards Cooper's conclusion.
Attwell's blunders
26 Dec 2007: Championship debut and Attwell controversially sends off Blackpool's Ian Evatt for professional foul against Sheffield United after eight mins.
20 Sept 2008: Reading 'ghost goal' which will haunt him forever as the ball missed Watford's goal by three yards.
2 Nov: Disallows Derby's 'winner' against Nottingham Forest by Miles Addison for a phantom push. Paul Jewell apoplectic.
Feb 28 2009: Exeter's Troy Archibald-Henville fells Darlington's Danny Carlton when on a yellow card but stays on pitch.
Mar 4: Sends off West Ham's Carlton Cole for two mild offences, but shows only yellow cards to Scott Parker and Lucas Neill for X-rated, studs up challenges.
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Eyal Berkovic has lost none of his charm
There was something familiar about the way the Hull striker, Geovanni, reacted when being substituted last weekend.
Telegraph
By Jim White
Last Updated: 10:29PM GMT 05 Mar 2009
The sulks, the stamped foot, the pout: that's right, he was just like an eight-year-old being taken off during a primary-school match. In which case, the Hull manager, Phil Brown, should be grateful that that player was not accompanied by his dad.
Danny Etzioni, the coach of a school under-nines team in Israel, was not so fortunate. When he made a tactical switch recently, he was subjected to a tirade of abuse from the subbed player's father. "I'll screw you, I'll see you are finished. I'll come after you for the rest of your career," were among the few printable threats.
So aggressive was the response that the fuming father has been sentenced to community service and ordered to pay the traumatised coach compensation.
Who was the miscreant? Eyal Berkovic, the former West Ham player. And he always looked so mild-mannered on the pitch. Clearly that kick in the head he got from John Hartson during training had more significant complications than we thought.
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Sheffield United demand £45m over Carlos Tevez affair
West Ham United expect to hold discussions with Sheffield United over the next 10 days in an attempt to reach an out-of-court settlement over the Carlos Tevez affair.
Telegraph
By Jeremy Wilson
Last Updated: 10:18PM GMT 05 Mar 2009
Sheffield United are understood to have put forward an updated £45 million claim to the independent Football Association arbitration panel which ruled in their favour last year as compensation for the cost of relegation from the Premier League in 2007.
However, West Ham are ready to argue that the true cost of relegation was no more than £5 million once the associated savings have been factored in.
The tribunal, which is due to reconvene on March 16 to consider the size of damages to Sheffield United, came to the conclusion that Tevez had made a decisive difference in preventing the London club from being relegated two years ago, after being signed in breach of the League's rules on third-party ownership.
Led by Lord Griffiths, the tribunal also found that West Ham had been guilty of a further rule breach even after admitting breaking rules at the Premier League's initial independent disciplinary commission.
That allegation is now the subject of a separate joint Premier League and FA investigation which is not expected to reach any conclusion until after the end of the season.
Sheffield United had initially argued for around £30 million in damages, based on a range of lost revenues, but are understood to have increased their claim following a second season outside the Premier League.
West Ham have been granted access to the Yorkshire club's accounts and, following a line-by-line review, will argue that Sheffield United's claim largely relates to lost revenues.
Having endured relegation in recent seasons, West Ham are aware that, as well as lost income, there are related savings in outgoings, notably clauses in player contracts that significantly reduce salaries.
West Ham believe that they should be held liable only for the losses suffered by Sheffield United, rather than the overall impact on turnover.
However, while communication between the two clubs is expected over a potential settlement ahead of the March 16 hearing, a difference of around £40 million in their estimations of the claim would mean that significant compromise was required.
Despite the potential cost, the imminent resolution of Sheffield United's damages claim will help in pushing through the sale of West Ham.
The risk of a big payout to Sheffield United has complicated that process, although of more immediate concern is a court date today in Iceland when West Ham's holding company, Hansa, will argue that they should not be put into receivership.
West Ham have held talks with more than five potential new owners, of which several have signed non-disclosure agreements.
However, there has been no acceptable or binding offer and no interested party has reached the stage of due diligence.
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Final ruling over Blades' £45.5m Tevez claim
Sheffield Telegraph
Published Date: 06 March 2009
By Alan Biggs
Sheffield United's £45.5m claim against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair is moving towards a final ruling. There is even a possibility of the clubs agreeing an out-of-court settlement - always the likeliest end-game scenario - in the next few days. It is an open secret that United have been willing to negotiate for some time, providing West Ham first admitted liability by coming to the table. Now, for the first time, there are reports - thought to have emanated from Upton Park - that the Hammers are ready to talk. This could be taken as a sign that they are in a legal noose from which there is no escape after an FA arbitration panel found in the Blades' favour. With West Ham failing in attempts to appeal, a hearing to set the amount of damages is due to begin in 10 days on March 16th. Lawyers representing the two clubs are expected to be in dialogue before then, if they have not been already - and perhaps even for some time privately. Either way, United are convinced they have a strong case for a very substantial figure. If West Ham have finally accepted a moral responsibility for United's relegation of 2007, over which the Premier League stood accused of neglecting one of its member clubs, then a long campaign for justice is nearing an end. How and when the money would be paid - with the Hammers in financial turmoil - is another question and a big one. But you can't put a value on the uplift a hefty award would give United as a whole. The economic landscape of Bramall Lane would change dramatically. It would enable chairman Kevin McCabe to clear all debts (his stated first intention), perhaps remove the need for further threatened wage cuts and potentially create a platform to improve the squad.
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It's like watching Match of the Day in the Seventies
Last updated at 7:43 AM on 06th March 2009
Daily Mail
It was like a throwback to the 1970s watching Match of the Day on Wednesday night, in particular the Wigan versus West Ham game. All it needed was Ron 'Chopper' Harris and Norman 'Bite Yer Legs' Hunter and the tear-up would have been complete. Four incidents did not belong to the modern game. Scott Parker, Michael Brown, Lucas Neill and Lee Cattermole should all have been sent off. The fact that only the combative Cattermole was dismissed does not reflect well on Stuart Attwell, who was entrusted with only his fifth Barclays Premier League game — his first since December 13. I understand that FIFA assessor David Elleray has pressurised referees' chief Keith Hackett into appointing his referees to more Premier League games — with Attwell one of those Elleray appears to favour.
Despite his potential it is clear that Attwell is not ready for such a stern test. He is a very good referee but lacks the experience required to survive at the highest level and his long-term credibility could be affected unless he is taken out of the spotlight. However, it is too easy to heap all the blame on the 26-year-old referee, who has struggled in his first season on the select list.
The players who caused problems on Wednesday, all experienced professionals with long disciplinary records, should have had more restraint and will struggle to take pride in their conduct when watching a re-run of the game. Managers support their players too often with the phrase 'he's not that sort of player', as indeed Wigan boss Steve Bruce did when Cattermole's challenge ended Didier Digard's season only 10 days earlier. However, it is impossible to excuse the horrific challenge Cattermole made on Parker, for which he was correctly sent off.
The fact that Cattermole has two red cards and nine yellows this season might change his manager's opinion of what sort of player he is — on Wednesday it appeared that the Wigan enforcer had decided to take the law into his own hands. He had been crunched by a dreadful lunging tackle from West Ham captain Neill, which resulted only in a yellow card. As did a similar over-the-top tackle by Parker on Brown, who should have a good look at himself as well, demanding a red card for Carlton Cole after an innocuous challenge which followed a harsh first yellow.
Attwell succumbed to the pressure exerted by Brown and set the tone for a bad evening for players, some of whom seemed intent on inflicting harm on opponents — something else that managers understandably tend to deny. While the tackles at Newcastle could not be compared to those at the JJB, there were certainly some interesting challenges and a younger Steve Bennett would surely not have tolerated Steven Taylor striking Cristiano Ronaldo or Obafemi Martins splitting Nemanja Vidic's face with a dangerous flailing arm. The Serb's earlier tackle on Martins was described by the commentator as 'an agricultural lunge'.
So, as the final 10 games of the season approach and teams such as West Ham and Wigan push for European places, Manchester United seal another title and Newcastle fight to escape one of the tightest relegation battles which will probably go to the last matches in May, what needs to change? Long-term injuries are being caused by tackles made at high speed and these will surely continue as teams become more focused on the end of the season. Referees have their part to play but have generally identified and punished poor challenges with red cards. Three of the worst in the Premier League which spring to mind are Danny Guthrie on Craig Fagan, Michael Dawson on Mamady Sidibe and, just a couple of weeks ago, Kevin Nolan on Victor Anichebe — all of which got red cards. Fagan and Anichebe were seriously injured and yet the tacklers received only a three-match ban. The FA must support those referees who take strong action and they certainly did not help matters by upholding Paul Robinson's appeal against his red card, correctly issued for a high-speed challenge on Ji-Sung Park recently. What they should be doing is looking at their disciplinary system with a view to introducing a sliding scale of punishments for red cards, for which I have called in the past.
FIFA demand that every player who sees red must serve a one-match ban, which supports referees — I agree. Thereafter all straight reds should be reviewed and players face punishment commensurate with the severity and intensity of their challenge. It might help save a few careers.
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Rookie ref Attwell to be stood down (again) after night of madness at JJB
By Simon Cass
Last updated at 1:04 AM on 06th March 2009
Daily Mail
Controversial referee Stuart Attwell will not be in charge of another Premier League game for the foreseeable future and could even have officiated in the top flight for the last time this season. Attwell's decision to show West Ham striker Carlton Cole a second yellow card eight minutes before the break in West Ham's 1-0 victory at Wigan on Wednesday has been viewed by many as the reason the game descended into a bad tempered affair. Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, earlier the victim of a studs-up lunge by West Ham captain Lucas Neill which appeared worthy of a red card and not just a booking, was subsequently sent off for an ugly challenge from behind on Scott Parker. Attwell will this weekend be fourth official when Bury entertain Rochdale. And although the 26-year-old is regarded as having the potential to become a top official, referees' chief Keith Hackett is understood to feel he needs more time to hone his skills. Hackett is believed to have come under pressure from David Elleray, vice chairman
of the Football Association referees' committee, to hand Attwell top-flight games despite his relative inexperience. But after another indifferent display by the young official, Hackett has seemingly arrived at the conclusion that Attwell would benefit from a period out of the spotlight before returning to the Premier League.
Cole, who will be suspended for two games as he had already been sent off earlier in the season, certainly feels Attwell blundered by choosing to dismiss him for two innocuous-looking fouls. The West Ham striker said: 'I thought the referee got this one wrong. I was annoyed I was sent off early, I've not done anything malicious. I don't know what the referee saw, but he made the decision and he stood by it.' Cole's declaration of innocence was backed up by team-mate Matthew Upson, who said: 'I thought it was quite harsh on Carlton as they were two innocuous incidents. 'I had a good view of the sending-off and the thing you have to say about it is that Carlton has not taken his eye off the ball the whole time. If the defender ducks down and chooses to head it, Carlton then can't help his foot being high. 'You also have to look at the first booking when the referee pulled the play all the way back to give him a yellow card. OK, it was a foul, but it made it difficult then not to send him off.'
Wigan boss Steve Bruce said: 'We lost the game and deserved to lose the game. I've no complaints about that, but when I keep seeing these decisions I think Mr Attwell, unfortunately, is not quite ready yet. And, for me, the fourth official (Andre Marriner) is coaching him towards the end - which we've got to stop as well.' Wednesday's battle at the JJB Stadium is not the first time Attwell has courted controversy. He was referee at the centre of the 'ghost goal' farce last September when, on the advice of his assistant Nigel Bannister, he ruled that Watford's John Eustace had scored an own goal in the 2-2 draw with Reading when a corner had actually been turned around the post. He hit the headlines once more last November for his performance in Nottingham Forest's 1-1 Championship draw at local rivals Derby. The home side's Miles Addison had two injury time headers ruled out by Attwell, the first to award Paul Jewell's team a penalty and the second for a non-existent push. Attwell even drew criticism as recently as last Saturday when his display in Exeter's 2-0 victory over Darlington was described by onlookers as 'poor'.
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Using aggression to hide his limited ability will see Cattermole found out in the end - but not if Wigan boss Bruce reins him in
Last updated at 8:45 AM on 06th March 2009
Daily Mail
Congratulations to Lee Cattermole, who is leading the race to become the Premier League's dirtiest player this season. The Wigan midfielder will be banned for four games for his second dismissal of the season as a result of his painful lunge at West Ham's Scott Parker this week. He is also only a booking away from a two-match ban for the nine yellow cards he has already picked up this season. Only Everton's Marouane Fellaini has collected more bookings and no-one else has been sent off more often.
Cattermole's combination of both confirms that he is a liability to his club. Limited in ability, he tries to make up for it with aggression and that makes him a danger to others. Manager Steve Bruce must rein him in because the punishments of the normal disciplinary system are clearly not working in this case.
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West Ham stars go to war with Wigan over Battle of JJB
By Mirror Sport 6/03/2009
West Ham's angry players last night launched into a bitter war of words with Wigan over their bad-tempered clash at the JJB on Wednesday night. Hammers striker Carlton Cole and Wigan's Lee Cattermole were sent off while West Ham's Lucas Neill was also lucky not to see red. The east Londoners came out on top 1-0 but they were fuming with the overly aggressive approach from Steve Bruce's men. Furious England defender Matthew Upson said: "The lads were a little bit incensed with a couple of the tackles that went in and studs were raised." He also insisted Cattermole's lunge at Scott Parker deserved a red card. He added: "Cattermole went in aggressively and didn't win the ball. He cleaned Scott out but didn't touch the ball so the ref didn't have much of an option." But Wigan boss Steve Bruce hit back, blasting Neill's over-the-ball challenge on Cattermole as horrific. Upson has maintained Cole was unlucky to receive a second yellow card from rookie referee Stuart Attwell for accidentally catching the face of Wigan's Emmerson Boyce with his boot. Upson said: "Coley's sending off spoiled the game a bit. He didn't take his eye off the ball."
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Arsene Wenger: FA need horror tackle panel after Wigan v West Ham battle
The Mirror
By Darren Lewis 6/03/2009
Arsene Wenger is calling for a panel to sit in judgment on X-rated tackles after Wednesday's battle at the JJB. West Ham's Lucas Neill escaped a red card for his over-the-ball lunge at Wigan's Lee Cattermole, while Cattermole was sent off for a two-footed lunge at Scott Parker. Wenger has only just welcomed back Eduardo from a year out following a controversial tackle by Birmingham's Martin Taylor and believes 10-game bans are too lenient for some over-the-top challenges. Three years ago the Arsenal boss was angered after an appalling tackle from then Sunderland midfielder Daniel Smith put Abou Diaby out for over a year. Now Wenger wants of a panel of former professionals to ensure the punishment fits the crime. The Arsenal boss even admitted HE would be willing to sit on it when he retires. He said: "If I didn't work, yes. But, I don't think you can put anybody who is working in there."
Insisting old pros can tell when a bad challenge is deliberate, he added: "An accident can happen when two people go for the ball, but it is very rare. "What I see in the tackles is that the guys go into the tackle to hurt the player. "They could create a special committee to analyse if a three-game ban is enough. Because I feel in some tackles 10 games is not enough. "Maybe we need to be stronger with our own players because sometimes you see the players who make horrendous tackles and they say to the referees 'what's wrong there?' "You think 'my friend, touch your head because you have lost touch with reality. It's unbelievable'. But they know what they have done. "They interviewed Martin Taylor a lot since Eduardo came back. I don't really know what his intention was. I have a doubt, because he's not a dirty player. Was he just too slow? I don't know. But without question he was too high."
Wenger was speaking just hours after it was confirmed yesterday that Everton are to lose striker Victor Anichebe for the rest of the season due to the two-footed lunge at him by Newcastle's Kevin Nolan. Wenger considered taking legal action when Diaby's career was almost ended by Smith's challenge in May 2006. "Yes, we thought about that because if you tackle anybody in the street like that you go to jail. I like tackling because it's a fantastic technique. But what I don't like is that the referees punish tackles without distinction. I'm scared that the good tackle goes out of the game and the good tackle is beautiful to watch, because you see the guy sliding in, playing the ball. "Then you see a guy tackling with two feet, one is at the level of the knee, the other one is half over the ball. You just think 'bye-bye, go home, what are you doing on a football pitch?' Asked about good tacklers, Wenger said: "I don't see many. In a good tackle there is a desire to regain the ball, not to clear the ball. I have never told anybody to kick a player. "Tony Adams and Martin Keown were good tacklers."
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Collison views early return after scan
By Jason Burt
Friday, 6 March 2009
The Independent
West Ham United have been heartened by the news that Jack Collison could be back in action in just two weeks, dispelling fears that he had suffered a horrific knee injury against Wigan Athletic.
The 20-year-old midfielder lost his footing near the touchline as he controlled the ball and twisted his knee as he fell awkwardly. After a scan yesterday it appears he has only suffered a slight strain. With West Ham not now due to play until they face West Bromwich Albion at home on Monday 16 March, it appears that Collison may miss just one match.
There is further good news with Valon Behrami expected to be fit in about a month. The midfielder had been quoted in the Swiss media as saying his season was over after appearing to damage cruciate ligaments while attempting to tackle Manchester City's Wayne Bridge. The 23-year-old will undergo an arthroscopy next week after which a more accurate assessment will be made.
The injury update will come as a huge relief to the manager Gianfranco Zola who will, nevertheless, lose striker Carlton Cole for two matches following his harsh red card against Wigan for two bookable offences. "I don't know what the referee saw," Cole said of Stuart Atwell, who came in for severe criticism from the Wigan manager Steve Bruce having also dismissed midfielder Lee Cattermole.
Meanwhile, West Ham's owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson will today ask a court in Iceland for a three-month extension against the threat to put the club's holding company into insolvency. Gudmundsson has prepared reports detailing plans to restructure his various companies.
It will be argued that the value of Hansa's assets, of which West Ham is a key component, is above the claims of the creditors. The court will announce its decision in a week but it is unlikely not to agree to the request. Gudmundsson has been significantly affected by the economic crisis in Iceland, but the club is run independently of him and is regarded as self-financing and West Ham were true to their pledge that they would not conduct a January firesale of players.
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Zola's hard work in peril as threat of bankruptcy haunts HammersA Reykjavik court will today decide if West Ham's owner has more time to sell the club
Owen Gibson The Guardian, Thursday 5 March 2009 Article history
It is a sign of the times that the immediate future of West Ham United will be decided not in E13 but during a bankruptcy hearing in Reykjavik municipal court. Even if things go to plan today for the club's beleaguered Icelandic parent company, Hansa, and its lawyers manage to secure another three months' breathing space from creditors, it will be the last such deal they can strike. That would require them to sell the club by June, leaving only a narrow window between the end of the season and the new deadline.
Things may have improved on the pitch of late under Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, but the club's future remains uncertain off it. Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who held a 41% stake in the stricken Icelandic bank Landsbanki that has since been nationalised, was unusual among those badly burned by the collapse of the economy in his homeland in that many of his investments were in his nativecountry.
West Ham were the exception and, when he paid £85m for them in 2006, it was considered something of a rich man's toy in his homeland. Ironically, it is now the only asset staving off bankruptcy for Hansa. For Gudmundsson, the situation appears dire. For West Ham, there is still hope – provided he can find a buyer in a difficult market.
The court must balance two competing forces. Logic dictates it would be unwise to force Hansa into a fire sale of West Ham at a knock-down price, because creditors would be unlikely to get a decent return, especially as the club's debt to its own banks of around £40m would have to be paid first. But it will also want to pressure Gudmundsson to speed up the process.
With Hansa in administration, court documents from the last hearing in December stated it owed more than 19.5bn Icelandic kronur (£120m) to creditors with no obvious means of paying them back beyond a share swap and selling its main asset – West Ham Holding. Reports in Iceland have put the true debt figure at closer to 38bn kronur (£238m). In December, the company won a three-month payment cessation despite the insistence of MP Bank, one of its creditors, that it would be plunged into bankruptcy.
The club's owners are confident of securing another extension to the repayment cessation granted in December, when it argued that it would have a better chance of meeting its debt obligations if it was given the breathing space to conduct an orderly sale of the east London club.
Then the court rejected the arguments of MP Bank, which is owed 5.4% of the total debt, because other creditors, many of which have a connection to Gudmundsson, agreed to give Hansa more time to sell West Ham. Following a recent meeting of creditors, MP Bank reiterated its opposition. Hansa's lawyers will have to show that serious progress is being made towards a sale. Yet even if the court did force Hansa into bankruptcy, West Ham executives are convinced the football subsidiary could avoid being placed into administration.
Asgeir Fridgeirsson, a longtime associate of Gudmundsson's who is now West Ham's vice-chairman, promised this week the outcome of the case would have no impact on the club. "Hansa believes that the progress that the club has been making shows the importance of continued stability," said Fridgeirsson. "There are alternatives and options. It will in no way affect the club." Gudmundsson is not putting any more money into West Ham but its banks are understood to be willing to continue to extend credit at least until the summer. If there is no obvious progress by then, their stance could harden too.
Meanwhile, the sale process overseen by Standard Bank continues. In December, it sent data on its debt levels, income, expenditure and salary ratios to potential buyers. The club is believed to have signed five non-disclosure agreements with interested parties but none has yet progressed to full due diligence. The stand-off may last until the summer, with prospective purchasers waiting for Gudmundsson to drop the price as the sale deadline nears.
They are also waiting for one other sizeable question to be resolved. The outcome of the tortuous Carlos Tevez affair, and with it the possibility of the club having to pay up to £45m in compensation to Sheffield United, will become clearer this month. The arbitration panel chaired by Lord Griffiths that found in favour of Sheffield United will reconvene on 16 March to decide on the level of compensation. The Yorkshire club has claimed up to £45m in lost revenues, although West Ham will claim the true figure is less than £5m. If the settlement is sizeable, it will further hasten the need for an urgent sale. Meanwhile, a joint FA and Premier League investigation into Griffiths' concerns about West Ham's conduct rumbles on.
Whatever the outcome of today's hearing, a Premier League spokesman confirmed that any points deduction would only apply if West Ham United plc, itself a subsidiary of West Ham Holding Ltd, was plunged into insolvency. Any bankruptcy ruling against Hansa would not automatically invoke a nine-point penalty. However, if Gudmundsson himself were later to be declared bankrupt, under the Premier League's fit and proper persons test, he would be forced to stand down as a director and sell down his stake to less than 30%.
Club insiders argue that in many ways it is in better shape than it was 12 months ago. Things are looking up on the pitch, with European qualification a genuine possibility. Despite fevered speculation, the club was able to negotiate the choppy waters of the January transfer window.. in which only Only Craig Bellamy was sold, at a good profit, and other key players were tied to new contracts. "The club continues to function well as a going concern," said a West Ham spokesman. "We're very pleased with the progress we've made this season.".
But City sources say the hoped-for £250m sale price quoted by Hansa in Icelandic court documents in December is "highly unrealistic" in the current climate. That was based on the £230m paid for Manchester City plus a premium because the club is based in London. According to the court papers, Hansa told MP Bank that West Ham was worth "at least £200m". In a buyer's market where a clutch of other Premier League teams of a similar size are also open to offers, Gudmundsson may have to settle for less than half that figure.
But assuming he and his executives make good on their promise to insulate West Ham from the fallout, there is still light at the end of a tunnel. The big fear for West Ham fans, who will not much care how much Gudmundsson raises as long as he finds a buyer, will be that the once seemingly never-ending conveyor belt of prospective Premier League club owners will come to a juddering halt.
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West Ham to change ownership by June - for half of asking price
06.03.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are expected to change hands by June. The Guardian says the sale process overseen by Standard Bank continues. In December, it sent data on its debt levels, income, expenditure and salary ratios to potential buyers. The club is believed to have signed five non-disclosure agreements with interested parties but none has yet progressed to full due diligence. The stand-off may last until the summer, with prospective purchasers waiting for Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson to drop the price as the sale deadline nears. City sources say the hoped-for £250m sale price quoted by Hansa in Icelandic court documents in December is "highly unrealistic" in the current climate. That was based on the £230m paid for Manchester City plus a premium because the club is based in London. According to the court papers, Hansa told MP Bank that West Ham was worth "at least £200m". In a buyer's market where a clutch of other Premier League teams of a similar size are also open to offers, Gudmundsson may have to settle for less than half that figure.
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Referee gets major decisions wrong to aid West Ham win - Latics 0-1 WHU
By Jay T - 05/03/2009 23:56
Cockneylatic.co.uk
Stuart Attwell got major decisions wrong in this dire game that leaves Latics without a win in 8, Carlton Cole scored a cracker before he was red carded; Cattermole followed him in the second half, click here for match report.
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE - JJB Stadium - Wednesday March 4th 2009
WIGAN ATHLETIC
0-1 WEST HAM UNITED
Carlton Cole 34
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Attendance: 14,169
Stuart Attwell is the youngest referee in the Premier League and the inexperience showed through as the match went on. The first bit of controversy was why he sent Carlton Cole off, although this was at least borderline if not harsh. The striker was booked for an innocuous late challenge on Michael Brown before scoring a fantastically worked goal and then was booked again for a high kick which caught Emmerson Boyce in the face. Two events that probably warranted one yellow, but as mentioned earlier, both could have been construed as yellows - harsh but red it was.
Here was blunder number two as Scott Parker (who had also got a yellow for a bad foul) went after Michael Brown shouting and squaring up to him as he just looked back bemused. Amazingly it was Michael Brown that got booked for aggressive behaviour, when he was the one that the aggression was being aimed at. Scott Parker was the one that should have followed his team mate down the tunnel.
The next massive decision blunder was when he only yellow carded Neil for a horrendous challenge on Lee Cattermole. The Australian defender knew exactly what he was doing as he lost the ball and flew into Cattermole's shin with all studs showing.
The Latic's midfielder didn't writhe around like a girl (see later) and this is probably why the inexperienced ref decided to just yellow card him. This proved even more amazing as Cattermole later mistimed a challenge (badly) on Scott Parker (yes the one which shouldn't have even been on the pitch a t the time), who decided to roll around feigning his agony.
The arching of the back and holding his head screaming like a girl worked a treat on the young ref, who gave Lee a straight red, being honest most refs would have sent him off for that challenge, it was bad, but not as bad as what he received off Neil earlier and he stayed on the green, they both should have walked.
But as I mentioned earlier, had the ref booked the right player in the Scott Parker 'handbag gate', he wouldn't have been on the pitch for the foul to be committed and the result could have been very different 11 against 8.
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