20/06/2007 09:09
While Mark Noble, Nigel Reo-Coker and Anton Ferdinand prepare for their
European Under-21 Championship semi-final against Holland this evening,
another young Hammer is also looking forward to competing in the last four
of a major international tournament with his country.
USA defender Jonathan Spector is currently back in his homeland
participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and, having helped his fellow
countrymen to progress from the group stages before beating Panama in the
quarter-finals on Saturday, the 21-year-old is now hoping to go one better
as the USA take on Canada in his home-town of Chicago tomorrow.
Victory against their rivals will secure the hosts a place in the final
against either Mexico or Guadeloupe on Sunday (June 24), also in Chicago.
It certainly looks like being a busy summer for Jonathan, who won't be
heading off for a holiday once the Gold Cup is over - the USA are also
taking part in the Copa America tournament that kicks off in Venezuela next
week.
Indeed, if they are successful in reaching Sunday's final, the USA will then
face Carlos Tevez's Argentina just four days later in their opening group
game of the tournament, the final of which takes place on July 15 - one day
after Hammers kick off their pre-season preparations against Dagenham and
Redbridge!
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Moving The Goalposts - WestHamOnline
Alex V - Wed Jun 20 2007
Who would have thought we would see West Ham attempting to become a real
force in English football? It's what many of us dreamed of, and certainly
anyone who criticised the previous board and managers for lack of ambition
can have no such complaints with the current regime. But when you redraw the
boundaries that we have all become so used to, it comes with its own
problems. Can we really step up to compete with the big boys?
The snide accusation from outside West Ham is that we are turning ourselves
into another Leeds United, being over-aggressive with wages and fees in a
way that can't be sustained over the medium to long term. Of course we've
been there before - I remember when West Ham were relegated with at least
double the wage bill of most other Premiership clubs. It was of course the
legacy of Redknapp's approach, buying a huge number of players on the cheap
but with big wages, though of course he never talked about wages in his
interviews.
This time around I think the board have the logic absolutely right - there
is absolutely no point attacking this league half-heartedly. We have seen
Villa, Spurs, Boro, Newcastle and arguably even Liverpool all pour millions
into their squads over the best part of a decade, with the returns simply
not justifying the investment. I think the problem is that just spending £20
million every year solves nothing for these middling clubs, it merely
sustains their position. Like it or not, the best recipe for success is
Chelsea - they didn't water down their investment, they went for it from the
start and saw almost immediate results. I think Curbishley and the board
will have looked at the situation in private and agreed that with the right
signings and a bit of luck West Ham can push the top four, and they are
trying to grab this opportunity backed by a sizable war chest.
If you look at what was arguably the spine of our side in the first
Premiership season under Pardew, it has been all-but obliterated by
Curbishley. Harewood epitomises the changes at the club - a player who
proved that he is the wildcard who can score a goal from nothing, but also
frustrates with an errant first touch. Mullins was the glue that held us
together, but as a bit-part player under Curbishley looks half the player.
Gabbidon was a rock at times for us, but I suspect he will struggle to make
the bench next season - his lack of height will always count against him in
a squad looking to push the upper reaches of the table. And Carroll's off
the field problems seemed to finish him at the club. All change please -
what Pardew signified as the Harewood-Mullins era is definitely over.
Curbishley is certainly proving himself a hard nut - he is not shying away
from any of the tough decisions needed to transform our fortunes, and I
respect him for it. The way he cast Sheringham aside last season suggests to
me a tough character not afraid to rock the boat. And I think any other
manager would find it hard to jettison Harewood - such pace and power, look
at all the good teams linked with him in the press. But I think Curbishley
has rightly seen that Harewood is a player to keep you in this league, not
to push you to the top end of it. It's a symbol of our ambition to let
players as good as that go. And others will follow. Basically there is a new
template for the potential West Ham player, and potential is no longer the
attribute we're seeking, we want players who can deliver now.
My only concern is that when you try to build a team out of such aggressive
talents, you risk building a house of cards that may collapse at any moment.
The great thing about players like Gabbidon, Mullins and Etherington is that
West Ham was really the height of their ambitions - they couldn't really
hope to play at any higher level than that, so their loyalty was kind of
guaranteed. Remove them all from the squad and you end up with a team of, no
offence, Reo-Cokers. Players happy for a short while with an ambitious West
Ham, but with one eye on bigger clubs if this dream fails to materialise.
Where a player like fan-favourite Mark Noble fits into the scheme I'm not
quite sure. I guarantee you that Curbishley is wondering just how he can
bring in another midfielder and relegate Noble to the bench. In his
aggressive new West Ham I doubt there's a long-term place for a willing
young player with a meagre physical presence, whatever his heroics last
season. And to be brutally frank Curbishley is right - Noble isn't a player
to guide us to the Champions League yet if ever. Welcome to the new West
Ham, welcome back to the reserves Noble.
Don't get me wrong, I embrace our accelerating ambitions - everybody in
football knew that we were the club with some of the biggest potential in
the country, a loyal and extensive fan-base, a great history, etc etc etc.
We have everything going for us. And I don't see why we don't deserve our
shot at the big time - why shouldn't we push the top four next season with
the right signings over the Summer? Obviously we'll breathe a sigh of relief
again once we get the 40 points we need for survival, but I'd be amazed if
we were worrying about that next season.
The next couple of months are crucial to the plan though - it's all well and
good having the ambition but the squad needs to be filled out with the
players to deliver on that. Missing out on Bent is an obvious setback, as he
was presumably Curbishley's first choice for a new striker - I'm not sure
the likes of Bellamy or Nugent are adequate for our ambitions, good as they
are. It would of course be fairly pointless to jettison Harewood and maybe
Zamora, only to bring in players of similar ability for a lot more money -
that is where Curbishley and his scouts have to really do their job. And
there are problems like that all over the pitch - it's easy to say that a
new left-back and keeper would be good signings, but how and where you get
them is becoming harder each year. It does feel like there are more and more
clubs fighting for fewer prospects these days.
Come the start of next season we can assess where we stand and what our aims
and ambitions are. Hopefully it could be one of the most exciting campaigns
in our history. If not, then a run in the youth cup is always nice.
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Moral ground crumbling under feet of McCabe - The Times
Martin Samuel
On April 26, 2007, two days before Sheffield United played Watford, the
local paper, the Sheffield Star, quoted Neil Warnock, the manager, on the
availability of Steve Kabba, a striker he had sold to the opposition for
£500,000 in January. "Steven can't play," he said. "I actually checked
myself yesterday to make sure – you can't afford to take any chances."
The local paper was unequivocal in its interpretation of this information.
"Sheffield United have confirmed that Steve Kabba, the striker they sold to
Watford during the January transfer window, will not be permitted to feature
for his new club during Saturday's Premier League fixture at Bramall Lane,"
the Star reported. "A clause inserted into the £500,000 deal which took the
26-year-old to Vicarage Road explicitly stated that Kabba would not be
allowed to play against his former employers until the end of the season."
Kabba completed a permanent move from Sheffield United to Watford on January
26, 2007. He played in every Barclays Premiership match for Watford
immediately after that date, with the exception of a 2-2 draw against
Charlton Athletic on March 3. And then, on April 28, he did not appear in
the squad for a game away to Sheffield United, which Watford lost. This is
how his former club carried the news on its official website: "Striker Steve
Kabba is ineligible to play in this weekend's fixture, due to a clause in
his £500,000 move from Bramall Lane in January."
The official Watford website was equally convinced of an agreement.
"Ex-Sheffield United striker Steve Kabba is ruled out of the game – it was a
feature in his contract when he signed for the 'Orns in the January transfer
window," it reported. The same information was contained in Sheffield
United's match-day programme.
The official nature of these pronouncements cannot be emphasised too
strongly. These websites are where fans would go for club statements, to
book tickets, for video highlights, live match commentaries, club shop
purchases and televised news. At the bottom of each page on
sufc.premiumtv.co.uk it states: "All materials on this website copyright
Sheffield United Football Club and FLi. No editorial or photography may be
reproduced elsewhere without prior permission from Sheffield United Football
Club." In other words, this is not a service that takes a wild punt on
Sheffield United team news.
The Watford website, www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk , is similarly
unambiguous. "In association with EA Sports, our dedicated team of
journalists brings you exclusive, official news from the heart of the club
first!" it boasts. "All material on this website copyright Watford Football
Club and FLPTV Ltd."
And yet we are expected to take at face value the explanation of Kevin
McCabe, the Sheffield United plc chairman, that this dedicated team of
official club journalists would mistakenly invent an illegal arrangement
between Watford and Sheffield United and send it into cyberspace where it
could be read by anybody. And, coincidentally, Warnock would have the same
brainstorm.
Welcome to the new morality, as perceived by Mohamed Al Fayed, the Fulham
chairman, Dave Whelan, of Wigan Athletic, and McCabe, a man so addicted to
his code of fairness he just had to tell everybody about it again, midway
through this week's arbitration hearing over the Carlos Tévez affair, when
the opposing side had not even completed its evidence, in a manner that
those not familiar with such high-minded principle might call prejudicial.
For those who enjoy irony in the raw, the man chosen to represent Sheffield
United's Campaign for a Good Old Carve-Up at this week's arbitration hearing
was David Pannick, who has already successfully argued for one of the
greatest carve-ups in the history of sport, the right of a multimillionaire
pop producer called Peter Winkelman to grab Wimbledon Football Club and
transport it 80 miles to the city of Milton Keynes in 2002. Sir Philip
Otton, chairman of the arbitration panel, was part of a three-man committee
that agreed the move. It found that keeping Wimbledon at their home was "not
in the wider interests of football" and accepted a set of estimated figures
to justify the move that were later shown to have overstated Wimbledon's
impoverishment by £4.2 million.
Monday brought evidence on Sheffield United's behalf from Rick Parry, chief
executive of Liverpool, whose pursuit of a contracted West Ham United
player, Yossi Benayoun, unfortunately leaked out this summer, causing him to
stall on a new contract at Upton Park. Those smelling a rat, or a vested
interest in West Ham's demotion, would be wrong. Parry and Liverpool would
never be involved in anything as underhand as "tapping up"; not since
becoming the first club to be successfully charged with the practice, a fine
of £20,000 imposed for the poaching of Christian Ziege, the Germany
international, from Middlesbrough in 2002. Still, if West Ham were relegated
and Benayoun was then to become available to Liverpool at a bargain price,
what a happy coincidence.
The new morality has it that only one Premier League club has failed to act
with honour in the transfer market in the past 12 months, and that is West
Ham. Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington would no doubt beg to differ, as would
anyone who has paid even passing attention to the transfers involving Kabba
and Tim Howard, but if Sheffield United could have sat as high up the
Premier League table as they have on the moral ground since May, the club
would not be in limbo this morning.
Yet while demanding reinstatement and West Ham's relegation over undisclosed
agreements made with Kia Joorabchian, the agent, concerning the Tévez deal
(which were never acted upon), Sheffield United are now under scrutiny over
the allegation of a sneaky deal struck around Kabba, which was also
undisclosed but, according to Warnock, was certainly acted upon, in one of
only two Premiership matches that the club won after February 10. Isn't it a
shame when bad things happen to good campaigns?
If the Kabba transfer was corrupted, Watford would be in breach of Premier
League rule U18, which governs third-party interference, but Sheffield
United would have fallen foul of rules U3 and B13. The first states that: ".
. . a club shall not either directly or indirectly be involved or have any
power to determine or influence the management or administration of another
Club or Football League club." Which picking Watford's forward line for a
visit to Bramall Lane would certainly contravene. B13 states: ". . . in all
matters and transactions relating to the league, each Club shall behave
towards each other and the league with the utmost good faith."
If any contract controlling Kabba's appearances after he had signed for
Watford had been placed before the Premier League it would have been
instantly revised, so if there was an agreement in writing, it was withheld.
Alternatively, Sheffield United and Watford utilised a gentleman's agreement
(translation: carve-up) in the manner of Everton and Manchester United over
Howard.
The Howard deal, in which he signed for Everton on the condition he could
not play against his former club, Manchester United, has been written off by
the Premier League on the grounds that it was a gentleman's agreement
(translation: carve-up) and as nothing was written down, nothing could be
proved (despite the admission by David Moyes, the Everton manager, that an
arrangement existed and, according to Manchester United, the prior knowledge
of Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman).
The investigation into Kabba's transfer is continuing, however, making the
present stance of McCabe and his various PR manipulators at least risible
and, at best, brazenly hypocritical.
To believe the Kabba deal was fair, one must first be convinced that an
official information outlet of Sheffield United would carry false
information about the club and this would go uncorrected for almost two
months. Next, one must believe the same could happen at Watford and the
factual error, coincidentally, would concern the same issue, the same player
and would also stand unchallenged.
Warnock would need to have been shown or informed of a false document or
agreement, and his opposite number, Adrian Boothroyd, would need to have
found it reasonable that, having played in a run of 14 out of 15 matches
against the majority of Watford's rivals near the bottom of the table
(including a starting role in a win over West Ham), a player who was not
injured and had been involved in the previous eight matches should disappear
entirely from the Watford lineup against his former club. Accept this and
you accept McCabe's explanation that the transfer of Kabba was open and
above board. Maybe I'm cynical, but I think it stinks.
More likely, the reports would have been the result of information provided
by officials at the clubs, such as Warnock, who were unaware that rules may
have been broken. In the same way, Moyes and his head of media, Ian Ross,
talked quite openly and innocently about the stipulations on Howard's
transfer before the match with Manchester United, unsuspecting of the
trouble this would then cause.
The Sunday Times even ran a story in May that Fulham were furious that their
own private arrangement over Luis Boa Morte had been ignored, and West Ham
had reneged on a gentleman's agreement (translation: carve-up) and played
the forward in a fixture between the clubs. The Fulham chairman is a
vociferous supporter of Sheffield United's fight for justice – although if
only West Ham had agreed to a carve-up (translation: gentleman's agreement),
he might not be so angry.
Except there is, morally, no difference between bonds in writing that are
not disclosed and bargains struck underhand and out of sight, that are
anything but gentlemanly.
The way McCabe and his allies would have it, if West Ham had just given
Joorabchian his guarantees on a nod and a wink basis that would have been
fair then? Maybe this will be the motto of our brave new moralists: don't
have a contract, lads, have a carve-up.
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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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Bent blow could be blessing in disguise - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
THE TROUBLE with having a bit of money to spend is that you seem to be
linked with just about every player in the entire world! - writes DAVE
EVANS.
The other problem is that as soon as teams realise that you may be
interested in one of their players, the price simply goes through the roof.
And so when West Ham United, backed with their Icelandic millions, declared
their interest in Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent, the price goes up
to an astronomical figure of around £17million. Back in January, when West
Ham were rebuffed over Bent by relegation rivals Charlton, the price was
around £12million. Now, just six months later and with Bent somehow having
enhanced his reputation despite the Addicks drop into the Championship, the
price has gone up by £5million. Perhaps he would have been a good buy. The
23-year-old scored 15 goals for Charlton last season, despite their demise,
and with Carlos Tevez almost certainly on his way out of Upton Park, West
Ham need someone to fill the gap. However, at the last minute Bent decided
that West Ham was not for him and from many Hammers fans we seem to have
heard a huge sigh of relief - £17million was just too much money to pay.
Chairman Eggert Magnusson certainly got the feeling that the fans thought he
was paying too much money, but he was still left disappointed with the
rejection. "The whole situation has left me very frustrated," he said. "We
were so close to signing Darren and thought everything was in place to
conclude what would have been the biggest transfer in West Ham's history."
Perhaps that is what made the West Ham fans baulk at the idea. It is all
very well having the money to stump up a club record fee, but for a player
who is not even a recognised international? And one that cost £10million
more than Dean Ashton - I think not. "In the aftermath of this I have been
encouraged by the reaction of our supporters," commented the chairman. "They
appreciate the efforts made and some of the feedback suggests they are less
disappointed than they might have been. The view seems to be that perhaps
this wasn't the best deal we could do at this stage."
Bent has set his sights on a move to Liverpool or Spurs it would seem, but
neither of those deals are likely to have given him the first team
opportunities that he would have got at Upton Park. West Ham now seemed to
have turned their attention to Preston striker David Nugent, currently
showing his power in the European under-21 Championships in Holland
alongside West Ham duo Nigel Reo-Coker and Mark Noble. The club will have to
get in line to sign the 22-year-old, who scored 18 goals last term. He is
being coveted by the likes of Newcastle, Everton and Manchester City to name
but three. It is difficult to see how Nugent could work alongside Ashton in
the same way that Bent almost certainly would have been able to, but he
would be another young English player to add to the squad. The hunt for new
players goes on, but one thing is for sure, unlike the Gabbidons and the
Collins' of this world, West Ham are unlikely to find any more bargains -
that's what happens when you have real money!
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. . . but Benayoun would be a big loss - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
WHEN West Ham ann-ounced the list of players who no longer had a future at
Upton Park, one man who certainly wasn't on it was Israeli international
Yossi Benayoun. In fact, the 27-year-old midfielder was about to put pen to
paper on a five-year deal that would have earned him a staggering £50,000 a
week.
But the draw of Champions League football and the influence of the player's
agent, has seen Benayoun stall on signing a new deal as Liverpool attempt to
prise him out of Upton Park. Benayoun certainly seems keen on the idea, but
if Liverpool are to have any hope of signing the midfield star then they
will need to make a much bigger bid than the £2million that is supposedly on
the table at the moment. Last term was a much tougher one for the former
Racing Santander player as defences became wiser to his jinking runs and
superb dribbling, but by the end of the season, he was back firing on all
cylinders and an important part of the team that staged 'The Great Escape'.
West Ham are desperate to hang on to the player, but with his contract up
next summer, they may reluctantly accept a bid of around £5million for him.
One player that has been allowed to leave is striker Marlon Harewood, but
Birmingham City's bid of £2million for the player was immediately rejected
by the Hammers on Monday afternoon. West Ham value the 27-year-old at nearer
£4.5million, despite his return of just four goals last term. Before that
Harewood, who cost the Hammers just £500,000 when they bought him from
Nottingham Forest in 2003, had proved himself a vital part of the West Ham
team. He scored 56 goals in claret and blue colours from 168 appearances and
it is that sort of firepower that is likely to persuade the Blues to up
their offer, though Fulham and Derby are also in the hunt.
Premiership new boys Derby County should complete the signing of Tyrone
Mears this week, while Paul Konchesky has been linked with Birmingham,
Newcas-tle United and even Celtic this week. The real fun and games should
start in July when most players would have returned from their summer
holidays and one thing is for sure, whether it is players going out or more
coming in, West Ham are likely to feature heavily in an awful lot of it.
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Hammers happy with cushy start - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
AFTER two successive years where West Ham were gifted a home game on the
opening day of the Premiership season, most Hammers supporters were
expecting to be making a trip on August 11 when the new campaign kicks off,
writes DAVE EVANS. Two 3-1 victories over Blackburn Rovers and Charlton
Athletic respectively got West Ham off to the perfect start in their
Premiership campaigns and Alan Curbishley will be looking for something
similar when beleagured Manchester City come to Upton Park for the first day
fireworks. Whatever happens between now and then, City will come into the
game with a new man in charge. Who that will be is still a matter of
conjecture as so many prospective bosses have already turned the job down.
Their potential new owner had his assets frozen last week, while if he does
take control of the club, he has been linked with bringing former England
boss Sven Goran Eriksson to Eastlands to take charge. Still, there are no
easy games in the Premiership and the team, managed by Stuart Pearce last
season, came to Upton Park last December and promptly grabbed a 1-0 victory
courtesy of a late strike by DaMarcus Beasley. If Curbishley could have
handpicked his first few games for the campaign, then it would surely have
not been too different from the programme they have been given. They were
due to travel to Anfield to play Liverpool in the first week of the season,
a ground where they haven't won a game since 1963, but that match has
already been postponed because of the Reds involvement in the Champions
League. That leaves a trip to Birmingham City and a home game against Wigan
(who have won their last three games at Upton Park) to complete August. A
trip to the Madejski at the beginning of September, where Curbishley will be
looking for revenge after last season's 6-0 drubbing, is followed by a home
game with Middlesbrough and so by mid-September, if West Ham have found some
form, they could find themselves close to the top of the table. It is a big
if of course. Birm-ingham were in the Championship last season, but of the
other three teams in those opening games, West Ham managed just three points
out of a possible 18 - hardly top of the table form. But like the beginning
of last season, West Ham fans will go into the new campaign full of
optimism. The return of Dean Ashton to the team as well as the likes of
Matty Upson and Danny Gabbidon, combined with the arrival of Scott Parker,
give a touch of class to the squad, while the likely installation of Lucas
Neill as captain gives West Ham a more experienced look about themselves.
Manchester United is once again the final away game of the season, though
this time West Ham will finish the campaign at home against Aston Villa.
Alex Ferguson's team come to Upton Park on December 29, just three days
before the Hammers travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal. Spurs
come to east London on November 24 with the return on March 8, just a week
after Chelsea are the visitors to Upton Park. But it is the opening fixtures
that will have West Ham fans full of hope of avoiding the disasters of last
season. If they are to make a splash this season, and chairman Eggert
Magnusson is adamant that they can, then they will look to get out of the
traps sprinting and the fixture list may well have given them the perfect
opportunity.
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Noble helps England to semi-finals - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
WEST HAM midfielder Mark Noble is enhancing his reputation with every game
he plays after another excellent performance for England in the European
under-21 Champ-ionships. The 20-year-old Canning Town-born Hammer replaced
Spurs Tom Huddlestone as a starter in England's second game of the
championship and put in a fine display against tournament favourites Italy.
The Italians fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in their clash with
England, but that meant that Stuart Pearce's team would book a place in the
semi-finals if they beat already qualified Serbia in their final group
match. They managed it, with Noble and current West Ham team-mate Nigel
Reo-Coker at the heart of things, but it was not without it's controversy.
England players Nedum Onuoha and Justin Hoyte were both racially abused by
sections of the Serbian support in Holland, while when Matt Derbyshire
scored England's second goal when a Serb player was lying injured on the
ground, the opposition acted angrily. Noble and Reo-Coker were both caught
up in the ugly scenes that followed as the Serbian players attempted to get
to Derbyshire, but the West Ham boys were merely attempting to act as
mediators as the extraordinary antics of the Serbian players continued.
England went on to win the game 2-0 and book a semi-final spot against hosts
Holland tonight (Wednesday). And Noble will have a very important part to
play as his rival for the midfield spot - Huddlestone - was sent off for
swearing at an official barely two minutes after coming on as a substitute
against Serbia, and he will miss the rest of the tournament. Reo-Coker was
not at his best against the Serbs, but the under-21 captain is set to keep
his place, while West Ham's other representative - Anton Ferdinand - seems
to have recovered from the groin strain that has kept him on the sidelines
throughout the competition, but he is unlikely to force his way into the
team.
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Striker light - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
WEST HAM chairman Eggert Magnusson is set to try and persuade fellow
Icelander Eidur Gudjohnsen to join his Upton Park revolution as he looks to
tempt a striker after missing out on the signature of Charlton's Darren
Bent, writes DAVE EVANS. The 28-year-old Barcelona star, who scored five
goals in 14 starts for the Spanish giants last season would be an ideal foil
for the returning Dean Ashton, but the Hammers will face a huge task to
persuade him to return to London. Gudjohnsen, who cost Barca £8million to
bring him from Chelsea, has said that he wants to play in the Champions
League next season, with Manchester United the obvious target for the
striker, but West Ham are keen on signing the star and the Icelandic
connection could be their trump card. Gudjohnsen has 45 Icelandic caps and
played for both Valur and KR in Reykjavik before making his name in England
with Bolton Wanderers. A fee and the wages for Gudjohnsen is not considered
a problem for West Ham, who seem to be able to live with most Premiership
clubs on the financial front, but it is whether the player is prepared to
play for a team that will not be in Europe this season, remains to be seen.
West Ham have been linked with a whole host of players in the last few days,
but it seems to be up front where manager Alan Curbishley is keenest to
strengthen. After missing out on Bent last week when the player changed his
mind about a move to Upton Park at the last minute, the Hammers have been
linked first with Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy and then with
England international striker David Nugent. McCarthy almost signed for the
Hammers from Porto back in the summer of 2006, only for his club to scupper
the deal at the last moment on deadline day, but this time it is the player
who is likely to pour cold water on the deal - he wants a move to Manchester
United as well. Nugent is a more likely option, but is currently out in
Holland with the England under-21 team, while Craig Bellamy could be the
most likely of all, if West Ha m are prepared to stump up around £9million
for the Welsh international captain. West Ham seem to be one of the big
players these days, but even if you have got the cash, sometimes the top
players still don't want to come.
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Business as usual insist West Ham - Newham Recorder
20 June 2007
WEST HAM have acted quickly to reassure their fans that they will be playing
in the Premiership next season, writes DAVE EVANS. An arbitration board met
on Monday and Tuesday to decide if a disciplinary panel had followed correct
guidelines in fining West Ham £5.5million, but not deducting any league
points from them back in April. Relegated Sheffield United had demanded the
inquiry, with their chairman Kevin McCabe claiming that an injustice had
been done and that West Ham should be demoted instead of them. However,
despite a lengthy two-day hearing, the arbitration panel failed to reach
their judgement and so could leave both clubs in limbo until the end of the
month before they finally reveal their findings. The panel in fact, only
have the power to recommend that the Premier League hold a second
disciplinary hearing. They have no jurisdiction to decide who should stay up
and who should go down.
An official statement on the Hammers' website stated: "West Ham United are
and remain a Barclays Premier League Football Club. There is no scope for
this to be changed by the Premier League's arbitration panel and our status
cannot be called into question in relation to next season. "West Ham United
were not and are not a party to the arbitration and our standing as a
Premier League Club is not in doubt as a result of the panel's hearing." The
statement goes on to say that plans for the new season are proceeding at
pace, but West Ham will not want things to go on too long without a
decision. A club in limbo is not one that will attract top class players and
the Hammers will want things resolved as soon as possible.
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Scunthorpe sign defender Iriekpen - BBC
Scunthorpe United have completed the signing of defender Izzy Iriekpen from
Swansea City. The 25-year-old was out of contract at the Liberty Stadium
after turning down the offer of a new one-year deal with the Swans he
described as "an insult". Iriekpen signed a two-year deal with the Iron,
with the option of a third year, at Glanford Park on Tuesday. He started his
career with West Ham, but after loans at Leyton Orient and Cambridge he
moved to Swansea in 2003.
The player made 137 appearances for the south Wales club, scoring eight
goals including two in his final match.
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We'll not be Ham strung
Jun 20 2007
By The Evening Chronicle
West Ham insist the Premier League's arbitration panel will not hinder their
bid for success in the top flight next season. The Hammers insist there is
no chance of the panel's decision over Sheffield United's complaint leading
to belated relegation. A club statement said: "West Ham United are and
remain a Barclays Premier League football club. "There is no scope for this
to be changed by the Premier League's arbitration panel and West Ham's
status cannot be called into question in relation to next season. "West Ham
were not and are not a party to the arbitration and our standing as a
Premier League club is not in doubt as a result of the panel's hearing. "The
club are well advanced in preparing for the new season and are taking
further steps to strengthen the playing squad over the summer."
Sheffield United, who were relegated last season, have brought the case to
the panel, but were told yesterday they may have to wait until the end of
the month for a decision. The Blades - who have become embroiled in a
separate transfer row of their own regarding striker Steve Kabba - claim
West Ham should have been docked points over the Carlos Tevez affair. The
panel have to determine two matters - whether the decision by an independent
disciplinary commission on April 27 to fine West Ham rather than dock points
was so legally flawed that a fresh disciplinary commission needs to sit, and
whether the Premier League acted unlawfully by not de-registering Tevez.
The Premier League have confirmed they are investigating the transfer of
Kabba from the Blades to Watford. It has been claimed that Sheffield United
insisted that Watford, who bought Kabba for £500,000 during the January
transfer window, could not play the striker against them at Bramall Lane in
April - a game that Watford lost. Such clauses are not permitted in
transfers between Premier League clubs.
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Hammers offered Saviola to replace Tevez - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:18am on 20th June 2007
West Ham have been offered Argentina striker Javier Saviola to replace
Carlos Tevez. World Cup star Saviola is being touted around Europe after a
bitter end to him time in Barcelona. He will not cost a penny in fees as he
it out of contract , and West Ham could offer him the £80,000 a week that
would attract him to the Premier League. Tevez is keen on a move and has
already attracted Manchester United, Inter and Real Madrid. Saviola, 25,
cost Barca £14m in 2001 but was loaned to Seville after falling out with
manager Frank Rijkaard and has been told he must take a pay cut to stay at
the Nou Camp.
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