20/06/2007 20:56
It was penalty shoot-out heartache once again for Anton Ferdinand and
England on Wednesday night, as the Under-21s suffered defeat against Holland
in the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championships.
In a quite amazing encounter at the Abe Lenstra stadium in Heerenveen, the
host nation went through to the final in Gronigen this weekend after winning
13-12 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
And just as it did in last year's FA Cup final, Anton's miss from 12 yards
proved decisive, enabling Dutch defender Zuiverloon to eventually secure a
stunning sudden-death victory and set up a final clash against either Serbia
or Belgium.
That doesn't even begin to tell the full story, though. Ferdinand had
already converted one kick superbly in the first round of penalty kicks,
while his Upton Park club-mate Mark Noble was successful twice, despite
knowing that - had he helped his colleagues progress - he would have missed
the final on Saturday through suspension.
Both Noble and captain Nigel Reo-Coker, who also missed a spot-kick in the
shoot-out, collected their second bookings of the tournament in the second
half, ruling them out of England's next game.
That meant the only Hammer who would have been in with a chance of playing
at the weekend was Ferdinand, whose substitute appearance against Holland
was his first taste of action in the tournament following a groin injury.
Sadly, though, it wasn't to be, as Leroy Lita's first-half strike was ruled
out by a last-minute equaliser from Maceo Rigters, before the Dutch ended
the dreams of Stuart Pearce's brave troops at the end of the marathon
shoot-out.
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Shootout misery for Hammers - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 20th June 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel
England's under-21s - featuring three Hammers - went out of the European
Championships tonight as the penalty blues struck once again. Host nation
Holland will play in this weekend's final against either Serbia or Belgium
after winning an amazing shootout 13 goals to 12. Anton Ferdinand - just as
in last year's FA Cup Final in Cardiff - was the fall-guy, missing England's
17TH spot kick of the night which gave the Dutch an advantage they gleefully
accepted.
The game itself had finished 1-1 after Leroy Lita's 39th minute opener had
been cancelled out by an 89th minute equaliser from Maceo Rigters. The Dutch
- who had controlled the game for long periods - failed to score a second
goal despite having a shot count of 26-5 in their favour over the 120
minutes and a man advantage due to England running out of substitutes.
Mark Noble scored both of his penalties in the shootout, whilst Nigel
Reo-Coker - who was the last outfield player to take one - missed his only
spot-kick. Anton Ferdinand scored his first with some aplomb - but saw his
second effort cannon off the bar. Had England progressed neither Noble nor
Reo-Coker would have played in the final as both picked up their second
bookings of the tournament, which automatically ruled them out of the next
match.
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Bellamy is a Troublemaker says Shearer - West Ham Till I Die
June 20th, 2007
I've expressed great scepticism about West Ham signing Craig Bellamy in
several recent posts. Alan Shearer has now revealed exactly what kind of a
shit-stirring troublemaker he can be. This is what Mr Shearer had to say
today, warning Sam Allardyce not take him back to St James's Park…..
Has no-one learned their lesson about signing him? If only Rafa Benitez had
rung me I would have told him exactly what he was like. I was having a few
days away in France with my former Newcastle team-mates Gary Speed and Steve
Harper and the wives and I picked up the newspaper. I was having a fantastic
day. But when I read Bellamy for Newcastle I thought I would definitely have
to have another drink. I had several. I hope there's nothing in it.
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Tyrone tops Billy's summer wish-list - TeamTalk
Derby boss Billy Davies wants to make West Ham defender Tyrone Mears his
first summer capture - and will offer £1million for him. Mears is not in
Hammers boss Alan Curbishley's long-term plans at Upton Park - so Davies is
confident of getting his man. The 24-year-old joined the Irons from Preston
in July 2006 for £1million - but has failed to nail down a first-team place
in the East End and is now behind Lucas Neill in the pecking order. The Rams
recruited Mears on loan in January's transfer window and he was a regular
fixture in the side which eventually sealed promotion to the Premier League
with a 1-0 win over West Brom in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Davies has vowed to assemble a squad "made up mostly of British players" at
Pride Park, and wants Mears to be his first permanent capture of the summer.
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Hammers enter race to sign Benni - TeamTalk
West Ham are believed to have entered the race to sign Blackburn striker
Benni McCarthy, despite Rovers insisting he is not for sale. The South
Africa international bagged 18 goals in the Premier League last season,
immediately prompting a failed bid from Chelsea for the 29-year-old.
Blackburn chief Mark Hughes has insisted throughout that McCarthy will be
lining up in a Rovers shirt again at the start of next season, but the
Hammers have money to burn courtesy of owner Eggert Magnusson. The former
Porto frontman moved to Ewood Park for a bargain £2.5million last summer but
is probably now valued at four times that amount, although whether that will
be enough for Hughes' head to turn remains to be seen.
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Warner accused of failing to pay T&T bonuses
Paul Kelso
Thursday June 21, 2007
The Guardian
Jack Warner, the Fifa vice-president, is again at the centre of controversy
over Trinidad & Tobago's World Cup campaign, this time because of a players'
revolt over unpaid bonuses. The former West Ham United goalkeeper Shaka
Hislop is leading the Soca Warriors in legal action against the T&T Football
Federation, for which Warner is a special adviser, alleging that promised
bonuses were not paid.
Warner has effectively blacklisted 16 players, including Hislop, Stern John
and Chris Birchall, and accused them of being "consumed by greed" after they
demanded that a pre-tournament contract to share 50% of World Cup commercial
revenues should be honoured.
The federation did deals with Adidas, Ebay, British Gas and KFC before the
tournament, with some estimates putting the total value at more than $11.5m
(£5.8m). The players claim they have been offered only £400 each, with items
including travelling expenses and hotel fees, all of which were covered by
Fifa, deducted.
In a letter to Warner, Hislop accuses him of a "slanderous attack" and makes
it clear that he will be called to give evidence when proceedings begin in
the next week. Last year Fifa's ethics commission ruled that Warner had
abused his position by making a £500,000 profit on marked-up World Cup
tickets sold through his family travel company, but he hung on to his
influential Fifa post.
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Derby close to deal for West Ham's Mears
tribalfooball.com - June 20, 2007
Derby boss Billy Davies is confident of wrapping up a permanent deal for
West Ham fullback Tyrone Mears. Mears is not in Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley's long-term plans at Upton Park - so Davies is confident of
getting his man. The 24-year-old joined the Irons from Preston in July 2006
for £1million - but has failed to nail down a first-team place in the East
End and is now behind Lucas Neill in the pecking order. The Rams recruited
Mears on loan in January's transfer window and he was a regular fixture in
the side which eventually sealed promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0
win over West Brom in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. Davies has
vowed to assemble a squad "made up mostly of British players" at Pride Park,
and wants Mears to be his first permanent capture of the summer.
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Preston wait for offers for Sunderland, West Ham target Nugent
tribalfooball.com - June 20, 2007
Preston boss Paul Simpson is bracing for a flood of offers for his England
U21 star David Nugent. The £7million-rated hitman will consider his future
next week after starring at the European Under-21s Championship in Holland.
Sunderland, West Ham, Middlesbrough and Everton are all ready to make a bid
for Nugent, 22. Simpson said: "There have been enquiries from Premier
League clubs. "I don't want him to go, I want him to stay a Preston player.
"But, if I'm honest, I think things will start happening as soon as the
Under-21s are back. "I expect it to go crazy again but he doesn't want to
think about his future until the tournament is out of the way."
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