10/08/2007 10:19
West Ham United v Manchester City
Saturday, 11 August
Upton Park
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Team news:
Lucas Neill is set to miss the opening match of the Barclays Premier League
season after tweaking his knee ligaments in training. Scott Parker is also
set to miss out with a slight knee injury of his own while fellow new
signing Julien Faubert will be sidelined for a few months with an Achilles
injury.
Ew Manchester City signings Vedran Corluka and Valeri Bojinov are awaiting
international clearance in order to be told they can take part, while
goalkeeper Joe Hart could make his League debut in place of the injured
Andreas Isaksson.
Background:
Alan Curbishley is set to begin his first full season in charge of the
Hammers, while Sven-Goran Eriksson takes charge of Man City for their first
League encounter.
Only a point separated the two sides in the League table last season and
both will be hoping to fare better this campaign.
Manchester City have won only one of their last ten opening fixtures of the
Barclays Premier League season.
Stats:
Last five League meetings at Upton Park:
30/12/2006 West Ham United 0 Manchester City 1 (Beasley)
15/04/2006 West Ham United 1 (Newton) Manchester City 0
21/09/2002 West Ham United 0 Manchester City 0
11/11/2000 West Ham United 4 (Lomas, Sinclair, Pearce, Di Canio) Manchester
City 1 (Prior)
23/03/1996 West Ham United 4 (Dani, Dicks, Dowie 2) Manchester City 2 (Quinn
2)
Tickets and Travel:
Tickets for this fixture have now SOLD OUT.
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West Ham United 2007-08 Squad Numbers - WHUFC
10/08/2007 14:40
West Ham United have confirmed the first-team squad numbers for the 2007-08
Barclays Premier League season. Ahead of tomorrow's opening fixture against
Manchester City at Upton Park, each player has received his allocated number
for the campaign, confirmed as follows:
1 Robert Green
2 Lucas Neill
3 George McCartney
4 Danny Gabbidon
5 Anton Ferdinand
6 Matthew Upson
7 Freddie Ljungberg
8 Scott Parker
9 Dean Ashton
10 Craig Bellamy
11 Matthew Etherington
12 Carlton Cole
13 -
14 John Pantsil
15 -
16 Mark Noble
17 Hayden Mullins
18 Jonathan Spector
19 James Collins
20 Julien Faubert
21 Richard Wright
22 Tony Stokes
23 James Walker
24 Christian Dailly
25 Bobby Zamora
26 Nigel Quashie
27 Calum Davenport
28 Kyel Reid
29 Lee Bowyer
30 James Tomkins
31 Hogan Ephraim
32 -
33 -
34 Luis Boa Morte
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Ephraim joins QPR in one-month loan - WHUFC
10/08/2007 14:08
Young striker Hogan Ephraim has today joined Queens Park Rangers in a
one-month loan deal. The 19-year-old striker, who spent much of last season
on loan at another Championship side, Colchester United, will be eligible
for Rangers' opening league match tomorrow, against Bristol City at Ashton
Gate.
The England Under-19 international recently recovered from a troublesome
knee injury and has been involved with Alan Curbishley's first team during
the pre-season build-up, scoring in our 3-2 defeat at MK Dons on July 25.
He will wear the number 25 shirt at Loftus Road.
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West Ham United enters a New Era - WHUFC
10/08/2007 13:58
West Ham United, in a deal brokered by Copyright Promotions Sport (CPS), has
appointed New Era Caps as a major licensee for headgear. The deal is for
scarves, headwear and gloves.
All of the items will be dual-branded with the West Ham United crest and the
New Era logo. New Era, who recently opened their flagship headwear store in
Central London, will be looking to have a dedicated area in the Boleyn
Ground retail store, carrying a wide range of great quality fashionable
headwear to raise the profile of both brands.
Those comments are echoed by Peter Lee, Chief Operating Officer of New Era
who says he is extremely excited at the prospect of bringing the cutting
edge New Era-branded West Ham United merchandise to their passionate fan
base in this four-year deal.
He says: "Combining West Ham United's heritage with that of New Era is
really a marriage made in heaven. I am thrilled with this great opportunity
and cannot wait to go live before Christmas with our opening product
ranges."
Gudmundur Gislason, West Ham United's Director of Retail and Merchandising
says: "West Ham United is very pleased to have signed this contract with New
Era Caps. We are looking forward working with New Era to offer our fans
great New Era products."
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West Ham v Man City - BBC
Upton Park
Saturday, 11 August
Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match
of the Day.
This will be a featured match on Saturday's Score - 1430 BST on BBCi and
bbc.co.uk/score
Team news to follow later.
BIG-MATCH FACTS
Sven-Goran Eriksson makes his bow as a Premier League manager, while
opposite number Alan Curbishley begins his first full season with West Ham.
The Hammers ended last season with seven wins in nine matches, and escaped
relegation by three points.
Manchester City have only won their opening fixture in one of 10 Premier
League seasons.
CLUB FORM
WEST HAM UNITED
Club stats
Fixtures
Last season: 15th 41 points
1. Highest ever league position was third in 1985-86.
2. The best recorded in the Premier League was fifth in 1998-99. Their
average Premier League finish is 11th.
3. A 10-year stay in the Premier League ended in 2002-03, but they returned
as play-off winners after a two-year absence and have finished ninth and
15th subsequently.
4. Survived despite 21 defeats last season; the three relegated clubs were
only beaten 20 times each.
5. Shown more yellow cards than any other club in Premier League competition
last term (87).
6. Alan Curbishley is one of seven managers in this season's Premier League
starting a first full season with their new club.
7. Won their opening fixture in each of the last two seasons, both at home
and by 3-1 margins, against Blackburn and Charlton.
8. Alan Pardew's side started the last campaign with that promising London
derby victory over the Addicks, but then suffered an eight-match winless
streak.
9. Bidding to record a fifth successive league victory.
MANCHESTER CITY
Club stats
Fixtures
Last season: 14th 42 points
1. Been crowned champions of England twice (1936-37 and 1967-68).
2. One of 10 founder members of the Premier League competing this season.
3. Lost their Premier League status in 1995-96 after competing in the first
four seasons, and returned after a four-year exile, during which time they
dipped into the third tier. A one-season stay in 2000-01, was followed by a
one-season absence. They achieved their highest Premier League placing of
eighth in 2004-05 - the central season of the last five years residence.
4. Scored only 29 Premier League goals last season; the same number as rock
bottom Watford.
5. Lost only two points from winning positions, but gained only one point
when losing.
6. Failed to score in an unequalled 19 Premier League games last term, but
only one of two clubs who never lost a league match in which they opened the
scoring; Arsenal were the other club.
7. Although making his Premier League managerial debut, former England coach
Eriksson has guided IFK Gothenburg to the Swedish league title twice and
Benfica to the Portuguese league title three times, while masterminding
Lazio to the Italian championship once.
8. A 0-3 victory at Charlton on 17 August 2003 is their only opening day
victory in 10 attempts in the Premier League.
9. Failed to score in five of the last eight Premier League seasonal debut
fixtures.
10. Ended last season without a win in six league games, losing the last
three. Their last league win was also in London; 1-3 at Fulham on 9 April.
KEY PLAYER NOTES
WEST HAM UNITED
Ins and Outs
Bobby ZAMORA was West Ham's leading scorer last season with 11 goals - all
in the Premier League.
Dean ASHTON needs a double to bring his career total of club goals to 100.
If he plays:-
Lucas NEILL will be making his 200th career Premier League appearance
(Blackburn and West Ham).
Matthew ETHERINGTON will be participating three days before his 26th
birthday.
MANCHESTER CITY
Ins and Outs
Richard DUNNE was one of four outfield players to have been involved in
every minute of every one of his clubs' Premier League matches last season.
The others were Ivar Ingimarsson (Reading), Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United,
now Everton) and Yobo (Everton).
Bernardo CORRADI was one of three players to be sent off twice in last
season's Premier League. The others were George BOATENG (Middlesbrough) and
Phillippe SENDEROS (Arsenal).
Manchester City fielded the youngest player in the Premier League last
season in Daniel STURRIDGE, who was 17 years 155 days old, when he came on
as a substitute in the 0-2 home defeat by Reading on 3 February.
HEAD TO HEAD
West Ham did not score against Manchester City last season and were doubled
by them.
There's little to choose in the Premier League standings between these clubs
with six wins a piece.
Home and away
League (inc PL): West Ham 32 wins, Man City 35, Draws 11
Prem: West Ham 6 wins, Man City 6, Draws 2
at West Ham only
League (inc PL): West Ham 23 wins, Man City 9, Draws 7
Prem: West Ham 5 wins, Man City 1, Draws 1
LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
West Ham United 0-1 Manchester City
30 December 2006 - Ref: Steve Bennett
Man City scorer: Beasley 83
REFEREE
Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Premiership referees' table
Peter Walton's 2006-07 Premiership card count
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Tevez completes Man Utd transfer - BBC
Manchester United have finally completed the signing of Argentine striker
Carlos Tevez. The summer saga involving Tevez eventually came to an end when
the Premier League approved the deal - thought to be a two-year loan. The
23-year-old had become a free agent when his agent Kia Joorabchian paid
former club West Ham a £2m settlement. Tevez is eligible to play against
Reading on Sunday but the striker is not yet match fit. His first game is
likely to be the derby at Manchester City on Sunday 19 August. Manager Sir
Alex Ferguson said: "Carlos has surprised us. We thought he would need more
training but he looks in great shape. "It is a difficult situation to assess
because a derby game can be frenetic. Once we know he can play, we can make
a decision quite easily."
Tevez's registration as a United player brings to an end a long-running
saga, which began back in April when West Ham were fined for breaching
league rules when they signed the striker and his Argentine team-mate Javier
Mascherano. The Hammers' response was to tear up an agreement they had with
Joorabchian - who claimed to own the striker's economic rights. But when it
emerged Tevez wanted to join United, the Hammers, backed by the Premier
League, insisted they should receive the transfer fee, prompting Joorabchian
to take legal action. Joorabchian eventually agreed to pay West Ham £2m to
release Tevez from his contract, allowing the Argentine to join United on a
similar deal to the one that took Mascherano to Liverpool in January.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has promised to tighten the
rules to avoid a repeat of the saga. What made this an unbelievable story
was an unbelievable series of events," he told BBC Radio Five Live. "West
Ham were all-but relegated at Christmas and then Tevez scored a few goals
right at the end of the season and they were able to escape. "It's
unscripted drama and one of the things that makes football so interesting
but in other ways it looks like a road crash in how some of the events
appear."
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West Ham Utd vs Man City: match preview - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 10th August 2007
By: Matthew Coker
After all the excitement of repelling the Roman invasion last week, the real
deal of league football starts on Saturday. The fixture computer has
favoured us this year as we end the season at home, get Boxing Day at home
and more importantly, start the season at home. The visitors are Manchester
City, the kick off is at 3pm and due to the miraculous end to last season,
the competition we are entering is the Premier League.
I have noted in previous previews that there are many comparisons that can
be made between us and Ciddy. We are both clubs from large cities that have
been overshadowed by more successful local rivals and we have similarly
committed fan bases that have stuck by their club through life in the lower
leagues. Both clubs, arguably, saw their best times in the 1960's and have
generally been starved of much success since then and both have had a
reputation for being a club that values decent football. These similarities
have created something of a rapport between the two sets of fans, unusually
for such a partisan crowd as our own.
Our histories have also taken a similar turn in recent months, as their
previously unpopular board has been overtaken by foreign investment. Their
new owner is Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, who
took over the club in July. He has quickly demonstrated his sense of humour,
happily adopting the moniker, "Frank" (in reference to his surname being
like Sinatra, not anything Gallagher related). That is not the only nickname
he is responsible for, his role at the club has led to some on the KUMB
forum (and I daresay elsewhere) to rename his latest asset, Manchester
Satay.
The blue moonies are optimistic at the arrival of their new owner and more
importantly, the several billion that he has made from his successful
communications businesses. He has wasted no time in procuring the services
of a new head coach, the former England boss (and conqueror of the FA typing
pool), Sven-Goran Eriksson.
To my mind, the interesting question regarding Sven's appointment is why he
took the job at City. He has a proven track record at club level (note the
UEFA Cup victory with Gothenburg and Lo Scuddetto with Lazio) and with all
due respect to our opponents, I would imagine that he would have been
offered positions that were of a higher footballing profile and that come
with less weight of expectation.
This country has hardly been kind to him of late and he will know that
working here will mean that he is scrutinised on the back (and more than
likely the front) pages of the newspapers and also that he will be subject
to choruses of "You let our country down" at every ground that he visits
because of the perceived failure of the national team under his command.
I do not imagine he has taken the job for monetary reasons as he must be
financially comfortable and even more compelling is that at the age of 59,
this may well be his managerial swansong and possibly the job that defines
his reputation (based on the theory that you are only as good as your last
game).
I therefore think that one of two possibilities have driven him to take the
job. The first is that he has a burning desire to prove his critics wrong.
He aims to come to Eastlands and take the perennial underachievers out of
mediocrity and towards the European places, and maybe even the silverware,
that the fans have been starved of.
He will want to prove his value to his detractors, to demonstrate to the
press, the followers of En-ger-land and to his former paymasters at the FA
that they were wrong to underestimate him and the only way to do this
without any shadow of a doubt is to succeed in England in one of the jobs
that has proved to be beyond many a good man(ager). Either that, or, it's
because of my second theory, which is Nancy told him to take the job and he
did as he was told.
Whatever the reason, he has been a busy boy in the transfer market, bringing
in a small posse of players who seem to have to pass the dual tests of being
foreign and being a virgin, at least where Premier League football is
concerned. Sven has admitted that he has not seen many of these play live,
having to base his judgment on video evidence. In respect of that, you'll
have to give me a bit of scope for passing on reputation rather than first
hand evidence, as if their own gaffer has not seen them play live , what
hope have I got?
Pleasing for us at the weekend, City are suffering something of a crisis
between the sticks. First choice stopper, Swede, Andreas "Mr Bump" Isaksson
has suffered yet another injury and will be out for a month with a fractured
thumb. This leaves one of two 20 year olds in goal, either reserve team
keeper, Joe Hart, himself struggling with injury or Kaspar Schmeichel, the
son of Peter. The crisis may well force City into a recruitment effort, but
to date (end Wednesday), it will be a relatively or very inexperienced
keeper playing in front of the welcoming and sympathetic environment that is
the West Ham half of the Centenary Lower.
The back four in their final pre-season friendly consisted of England squad
member, Micah Richards on the right, the experienced Richard Dunne alongside
the England U21 starlet, Nedum Onuoha in the middle and new Spanish left
back, Javier Garrido, signed from Real Sociedad for £1.5m. Competition for
places will come from Sun Jihai and giant Croatian, Vedran Corluka.
The midfield has added a degree of flair with the acquisition of two wide
men, Martin Petrov and £8m Brazilian, Elano. The former will play on the
left hand side but is more a winger in the Beckham mode with excellent
distribution, than one who possesses blistering pace.
Elano could feature, if he is deemed match fit enough, and is a full
Brazilian international who played in the recent Copa America including in
the final where he laid on one of the goals. Alternatives on the right
include Elano's compatriot, Deiberson Geovanni.
Hoping to get a start as one of the central midfield duo will be academy
product and former youth team captain, Michael Johnson, a versatile all
rounder who made a good impression on press and fans alike in the friendly
with Valencia last weekend.
The other candidates to be involved in the middle are Gelson Fernandes, a
Swiss U21 prospect and the creative midfielder, Stephen Ireland, who played
in a second striker, tucked in-the-hole role last weekend, which means the
possibility of one up front when they come to us. Ireland has had something
of a miraculous summer makeover as the M head that he was sporting last
season has sprouted, the bald patches having been replaced with a thick head
of hair. If I was Mark Noble on Saturday, I would certainly be tempted to
give his Barnet a little tug, just to see how much it moves.
Ciddy's lack of striking prowess at the City of Manchester was often
reported last season and Sven has addressed this impotency with the
introduction of two new strikers, Italian national, Rolando Bianchi and
Bulgarian International, Valeri Bojinov (pronounced Bozhinov, if you say it
proper, like).
The former was poached from Reggina for a sum of £8.8m and is the more
accomplished of the two. His feat of coming fourth in the Italian league
scoring charts last year was a big factor in keeping his struggling club
side in the top flight and was enough to earn him his first stint of
overseas football. Bojinov is slightly rawer with a less impressive recent
scoring record, but he is much more in the mould of an English striker,
possessing strength and pace, a powerful and deadly left foot shot as well
as the ability to put himself about a bit.
In respect of what is left, Bernardo Corradi still seems to be on Sven's
radar as does the January signing, Emile Mpenza. Any one or two from the
four is possible, though Bianichi seems to be highest in the pecking order,
accompanied by one of the old guard.
"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough"
– Man City supporters to fellow fan, Ricky Hatton at last week's friendly
with Valencia.
I'm expecting the visiting support on Saturday to be in a state of some
optimism as popular changes have taken place in the board room, the dug out
and in the dressing room, giving them a real sense of optimism for the
future. Whilst they do deserve some good fortune, I suspect that the number
of changes will mean that it will take a while for the elements to gel
rather than have an immediate impact.
While I hope in the long term things go well for Ciddy, I think the two
games against them that we were subjected to last season means that I am
well within my rights to wish upon them teething troubles of Janet Street
Porter proportions, at least for the first 90 minutes of the season.
However, all of this information has little bearing on the result as our
season always starts in the same manner. As is the usual pattern on day one,
we will go a goal behind before rallying to win 3-1 and all spill out into
Green Street singing "We are top of the league" on the final whistle.
Looking forward to it already.
Enjoy the game.
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West Ham should follow Spurs' example to succeed - not buy players with bad
attitudes - Sportigo
Fri, Aug 10, 07 12:01
Jordan Collins
Signing players like Lee Bowyer, Craig Bellamy and maybe Kieron Dyer is not
the way ahead for the Hammers. They need to emulate the example of
Tottenham, who have bought and groomed genuine young talent. 'The potential
is there to be successful - but West Ham will not achieve this with what
they are doing at present' Join the Sportingo This summer West Ham have
shown a great deal of ambition - but I feel the ambition has been
demonstrated in the wrong way. If the Hammers want to push consistently for
a European place, then they need to address the lack of discipline
surrounding the club.
Last season, not only the players but also the board were involved in events
that showed the club in a very poor light. The whole Carlos Tevez saga did
the club no favours whatsoever and the players massively under-performed and
were almost relegated.
West Ham failed in an attempt to sign Darren Bent earlier in the transfer
window, the pacy striker choosing ambition over money by going to Spurs.
However, the Hammers then went and signed Craig Bellamy - a player who I
have no doubt will slip in very well to the 'baby Bentley' culture at Upton
Park. They then tried to buy another player with a poor disciplinary record
in Kieron Dyer, who would have linked up with former teammate Lee Bowyer,
with whom he had a punch-up while playing for Newcastle.
West Ham need to start creating the right culture at the club. They should
not be paying money, as the top four clubs are, to players who are average
and would not get into most of the top 10 clubs in the Premier League.
Scott Parker will add some grit and bite but the back line again looks shaky
and has not been strengthened sufficiently. When you look at Spurs five
years ago, they were playing average-to-poor football and the fans had
nothing to look forward to in a season. Then the club set up a system of
buying young talent and spending wisely in the transfer market. Now they are
a highly-respected club with an array of England stars and future stars, and
are genuinely in with a chance of getting into the Champions League.
They did not do this by over-paying average players, or bringing in players
with poor attitudes (Bowyer, Dyer, Bellamy). The potential is there to be
successful - but West Ham will not achieve this with what they are doing at
present.
If this foundation of discipline is reached, then the highlight of a West
Ham fan's season will not be playing Tottenham Hotspur, who they have
somehow convinced themselves are their biggest rivals - despite Spurs' main
rivals being Arsenal and, to a lesser extent, Chelsea. The West Ham game is
not a big deal to Tottenham fans but seems to be to Hammers supporters, who
will happily celebrate a draw at WHL if they achieve it.
West Ham's highlights should be achieving a good league position and
building from there. They no longer seem to be a selling club and have the
financial backing from the board to bring in the right players. However,
whether this can be done under Alan Curbishley's lenient eye remains to be
seen.
Can West Ham progress or will they remain a yo-yo team that goes up and down
the league from season to season? My season's prediction is an 11th-place
finish. I think they will be very hard to beat at Upton Park - but away
from home has always been an obstacle for the Hammers.
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West Ham, Spurs and Liverpool fight for Matt Taylor; Arsenal
Fri, Aug 10, 07 12:01
Mark Apostolou
Tottenham have made Portsmouth's Matt Taylor a target - but Pompey are
asking £8m (Sun). Liverpool also made enquiries about the 25 year-old
left-sided player earlier in the summer (BBC) and rumours abound that West
Ham are also keen (various).
I, too, am a fan of the free scoring former Luton man, but is he worth £8m?
Martin Jol isn't so sure and values him at around half Pompey's price.
Consistently on the fringes of an England call-up, a move to any of these
three sides could see Taylor become a more viable part of Steve McClaren's
plans - and that could play a part in any decision the player makes.
Scorer of spectacular goals and not afraid to go into crunching tackles,
Taylor is the kind of player supporters like because he wears his heart on
his sleeve (not literally, but clearly a cliché of the highest order). If
you were Matt, what would you do? That's right, I am sitting on the fence on
this one!
The Iceman will not cometh to Upton Park. Apparently Eidur Gudjohnsen has
rejected a move to West Ham even though Barcelona accepted an £8m bid (Sun)
and as usual Sven is just around the corner with his newly-acquired cheque
book looking to pick up another member for his multi-national Manchester
City squad. So, too, are Newcastle as both sides are also after the former
Chelsea striker (The Independent).
I am unsure as to why Eidur would turn down the fast-improving West Ham
squad in favour of either City or Newcastle, who both seem to be on a
similar footing to the Hammers. So maybe he just doesn't fancy a return to
the Premier League, deciding instead to fight for a place in a Barcelona
attack that includes Lionel Messi,Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho and Samuel
Eto'o! We shall see in the coming weeks where exactly the talented striker
decides to call home.
Eggert Magnusson has promised West Ham will spend, spend, spend until they
break into the Premier League's top four (Daily Mail). Whilst some may
retort that Eggert may need a hell of a lot of money to secure entry to the
Champions League party, I think Hammers fans should be ecstatic that they
have a chairman who is willing to put his money where his mouth is,
regardless of whether this can realistically lead them to the higher
echelons of the Premier League.
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West Ham United v Manchester City - Team News - West Ham Online
Match Reporter - Fri Aug 10 2007
West Ham
Scott Parker and Lucas Neill are both ruled out with knee injures but both
should be fit of the visit to St Andrews Saturday week. Julien Faubert
(achilles) is a long term injury and West Ham are also without Calum
Davenport (hernia) and Nigel Quashie (foot) Craig Bellamy and Freddie
Ljunberg will make their West Ham debuts and Jonathan Spector is likey to
replace Neill at right back.
Manchester City
Sven takes charge of City for the first time and has a goalkeeper crisis
with high rated Andreas Isaksson having fractured his thumb in the week.
Unless Sven can pull off a last minute deal, he will have to choose between
England u21 keeper Joe Hart who has made a single start for City, keeping a
clean sheet against the evil Sheffield United in a goaless draw last October
or rookie keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Corluka and Bojinov are awaiting
international clearence after being granted work permits and may not be able
to make their City debuts. City are more hopeful the international clearence
for Elano will arrive in time.
Summer signing Bianchi, Geovanni, Fernandes, Garrido and Petrov could make
their debuts.
The Referee is Peter Walton from Northamptonshire.
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Raging Legal Battles, A Tough Transfer Summer, Are West Ham Fans Optimistic?
- Caught Offside
Posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007
Effra does not feel refreshed and relaxed after a rather stressful West Ham
summer.
When you feel like you've been living through another football season over
the summer, the start of the actual season doesn't feel quite the same.
After a summer of listening to whining and lies, waiting for the decisions
of arbitration hearings and the High Court, frequent disbelief at an
anti-West Ham media frenzy, fantasising about citizen arrests for Interpol,
and last-minute transfer collapses, we West Ham fans have dispended at least
half of this season's nervous energy already and that says nothing for the
lingering damage to organs we didn't know existed from the rollercoaster of
our truly miraculous escape last year.
Now, post-Tevez, here we are, about to go again. That virtually nobody now
likes us is beginning to grow on me. Where every other media commentator
going has us cast as the Premiership's bags-of-money impostors, the siege
mentality that the Tevez saga has created at Upton Park might just be worth
something. Just to remind the rest of you though: we didn't play an
illegally registered player, we didn't break the Premiership rules on
third-party ownership, we didn't' break a rule that other clubs committing
the same offence had been punished for by point-deductions, and Carlos Tevez
didn't play in all eleven positions on the pitch in the last nine games of
the season. Kia Joorabchian, meanwhile, didn't have 'explosive documents',
he has not let Manchester United buy Tevez, and he is wanted by the
Brazilian police. (Daily Mail journalists in particular please take note.)
And as for our summer sins, we have not been the Premiership's big spenders.
Elementary arithmetic says that £24M in expenditure and £22M in sales is in
net terms £2M, far less than almost any other team in the Premiership. That
we haven't spent enough and that there are some obvious problems (full-back,
central-midfield, and striker cover) is what quite rightly bothers most West
Ham fans. Sure we tried to spend a lot of money on Darren Bent, but I
suspect that Tottenham, not anyone else, will have the last laugh there. If
West Ham have distorted the transfer market this summer, it was getting
Aston Villa to pay £8.5M for Reo-Coker, a player who everyone knew couldn't
possibly stay at Upton Park.
After everything that has happened, heady optimism might be taken as a
sufficient condition of mental insanity, and when Julien Faubert was knocked
out for six months the feeling that we really have become cursed was
inescapable. But there are some grounds for hope. We do have the spine of a
good team, just one that at the moment that will get exposed by injuries in
certain positions. Eggy appears to be a class act. We've always needed
someone to symbolise our passion, and now strangely it's the chairman.
As for Curbishley, the jury is still out. In keeping us up as Charlton went
down, he has vanquished Pardew's ghost. But now he's rid of Reo-Coker,
Tevez, and Sheringham - the three players who, in very different ways, were
in retrospect most responsible for derailing last season. So for the first
time the buck properly stops with him. His willingness to sign bad boys
actually encourages me, not because I am at all sure about the wisdom of
having Bellamy or Dyer at the club but because it shows that he's not as
risk-averse as his Charlton days might suggest. Much as we would all love
it, there aren't another 5 Mark Nobles in the youth team just waiting for
the chance to bring European football back to Upton Park. Football is as it
is now, and Curbishley will have to succeed on its terms.
It's just worrying that whilst Eggy seems understand that as well as anyone,
he hasn't been able to spend more of that biscuit-fortune of his on a few
more players.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Season; New Hope? - West Ham Online
Billy Blagg - Fri Aug 10 2007
The smell of new-mown hay; the sweet scent from flowers wafting on the
breeze; the distant sound of a church bell gently undulating in the warm air
while the sound of children's laughter echoes in the blue, red and grey, as
they frolic under the heat of the sun.
Yep! It's the height of summer and time for the new football season to
begin. Add the smell of Hot Dogs cloying the fetid air as the beating rays
glisten of off 20,000 new XL.com shirts, and the sight of 10,000 hands being
raised to shade the eyes so they can catch sight of the new man earning as
much in a week as most of us do in a year, and you have the start of the
race that we know will keep us enthralled for the next nine months. Great
innit?
When analysing anything that involves those three words West, Ham and United
you have to take a step back and remember virtually every season since the
Hammers last played at the Memorial Grounds and be very, very wary. Almost
without exception you would, at some time in the past, have become annoyed,
angry, enraged, shocked, excited, happy, elated, exhilarated and
disappointed. It goes with the territory.
I mean, just think on how plain odd last season was, for instance. Can you
think how you would have felt if some time-travelling football fan had
stopped you as you left Upton Park after the Charlton game last August and
said "Do you know, apart from Chelsea and ManU, you will have the best
sequence of results over a ten match period and win seven out of nine at the
run-in?" Or, conversely, "Don't get too excited by that result. You'll
struggle badly this season and only a league double over Manchester United
and Arsenal will keep you up"
What would you have surmised given that information? You see, supporting
West Ham seriously damages your health and sanity. We all know it and we all
accept it, so let's not pretend we have any clue how this is all going to
pan out, but just delve right in, put on our trepidatious underwear and
speculate to look stupid.
First up: On paper this looks like a strong squad. The goal-keeping area is
not something we need to be concerned about. I really think Robert Green
could be the next Phil Parkes and I'm just waiting for the offers for
Cossack Hair Spray to roll in (ask yer Dad) and then I'll be proved correct.
The addition of Richard Wright can only help the squad while Jimmy Walker
has always proved his worth when called upon.
In defence, there are serious questions about the left-back area – and
that's no pop at George McCartney who looked very solid at the end of last
season – but, that aside, the defence looks better than it has in a long
while. Injuries will always be an issue for any club, particularly one that
has the name Matthew Upson pencilled in on it, but the feeling is that there
are enough combinations to keep the best attack under control.
Despite the reservations of many fans I was pleased to see Rio's little
brother commit himself to the cause. I've noted how any good runs in recent
years; the FA Cup, the Play-off run-in and the Great Escape (@T.M. Patent
Pending) have all involved Anton and another in-form partner. Firstly with
Elliot Ward then Gabbidon and latterly with the Ginger One, Ferdinand has
looked strangely comfortable in a strong partnership. Is Curbishley the man
to make Anton a face at international level rather than someone who just
likes 'Faces'? Let's bloody hope so. With the right handling and a map of
the Isle of Wight and a photo of his Gran, it's not beyond the realms of
fantasy to suggest Ferdinand could emulate his brother.
The loss of Yossi Benayoun to the midfield was a massive blow and it was not
softened when Julien Faubert was badly injured in a pre-season friendly. The
additions of Freddy – a superb signing – and Scott Parker (ditto) should
ensure we have enough leadership in the middle of the park however to ensure
we don't become overrun. There is an argument though that the creative side
of the game is slightly lacking there and it may be we will not see the best
of the central area until Eggy waves the cheque book again or the Frenchman
returns for his late start.
For me, the rise of Mark Noble, whose starts in the last ten games were just
us much a reason for last season's run-in form as the goals from Carlos
Tevez – who he? – is proof, were it needed, that we can always rely on
strength from unexpected areas. The continuing advancement of Noble and
others breaking through from the Academy is always a positive at Upton Park.
We just need to hold onto them sometimes…
Up front, the return of Dean Ashton means that it is almost like getting a
new player for free and, subsequently, there will not be another season's
relegation struggle – and yes I will stick my neck out on that one! – as
there's no doubt in my mind that the loss of Ashton last term was the main
reason we struggled early on. Had Ashton been fit, he would surely have
scored a minimum of 10 goals and the Hammers could have gifted the
Premiership the loss of nine points and still have ensured survival, the
relegation of Sheffield United and the shutting up of everyone from bloody
double-standard man Dave Whelan, through to the Hobbit strangling tough
Northern git Sean Bean and taking in everyone via the whingeing Blades
management team to all the staff of the Daily Mail. In some parallel
universe I still hope to see it happen one day.
I'd be lying if I said that Blagg Acres rejoiced at the signing of Craig
Bellamy but it would be a fool to suggest that, if Liverpool thought he was
worth playing in the Champions League, that he can't do a job for us. As
ever, Bellamy's problems are in his head and, if he views this posting as a
drink at the Premiership last-chance saloon, perhaps he may combine his
undoubted talent, channel his aggression and prove to be a perfect foil for
Dean Ashton. Bobby Zee has rarely let us down either coming in off the bench
or starting and I think we can rely on him to continue his form for his
'home' team. The jury is certainly still deliberating on Carlton Cole but,
as someone who suggested several seasons ago that he should be signed (I
also suggested we buy Ashton from Crewe – I'm here if you want me, Alan!) I
hope he knuckles down and proves me right.
If there are any reasons to hope for better things then it really all comes
down to Alan Curbishley. It was interesting that our loveable Telegoon
look-alike saw fit not to continue efforts to rely on Marlon Harewood and
Nigel Reo-Coker – both players who, on their day, had proved their worth –
but Curbishley obviously saw something he didn't like and decided to get
rid. Perhaps, the 'on their day' comment in that last sentence is a clue to
what he saw. On the other hand, Curbishley has stuck with Etherington, Anton
and several others who many fans may have been happy to see the back off so,
if nothing else, it confirms that AC is his own man and will do what he sees
fit. Never a bad trait in any person - providing the skills is there to
begin with.
All of which brings me to the thing that makes this season one like no
other. Curbishley was put in charge by the new Chairman. A man who, in a few
short months, has swept away the old order at Upton Park and ushered in real
hope and belief. I'd be lying if I said I wanted Curbishley last year, or
indeed, ever – I've got a book that states it quite clearly so I can't deny
it – but what I won't deny is that I have started to trust Eggert Magnusson
implicitly.
Mr. Magnusson tells me that Curbishley and his team are the men for the job
and I'm inclined to listen to what he says. The Iceman has given his Manager
an open cheque book – which strangely seems to have annoyed some pundits who
think we are trying to bother the illustrious 'big boys' in some odd way –
and he'll know if he is getting his money's worth or not. As ever I will
give full support to anyone remotely connected to the claret and blue and
trust to luck that the good times are rolling again.
Mind you, if does end with Craig Bellamy and Lee Bowyer being arrested for
happy-slapping a Tottenham fan, Eggy removing his backing, marrying Kerry
Katona and taking up a job at Bejam while the Premiership deduct us ten
points for failing to provide the correct amount of meat in a Martin Peters
Tea Bar sausage roll before taking us to the Court of Human Rights, I
wouldn't be at all surprised. This is, after all, West Ham United and we
should expect the unexpected.
All in all though, I'm optimistic – I always am – but with real hope that
things can be done swiftly if things do go non-football shaped. One thing we
can rely on is 100% commitment from fans and the backing of what we all know
to be the best set of supporters in the country.
Let's hope we're given something to sing about again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Manchester City: Neill and Parker miss out for Hammers - Daily
Mail
Last updated at 12:56pm on 10th August 2007
West Ham will be without newly-appointed captain Lucas Neill and summer
signing Scott Parker for their opening Barclays Premier League clash with
Manchester City.
Manager Alan Curbishley confirmed both players had "tweaked" their knee
ligaments during pre-season but should be available for the Hammers' trip to
Birmingham next weekend.
New arrivals Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg are in line to make their
league debuts for West Ham - and both are in the running to take over as
captain in Neill's absence.
Curbishley is without French midfielder Julien Faubert, a £6.1million
signing, until the new year after he ruptured an Achilles tendon, while
Nigel Quashie (ankle) and Calum Davenport (hernia) are also sidelined.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is waiting on international clearance for summer
arrivals Vedran Corluka and Valeri Bojinov before deciding his starting
line-up.
Even if the Manchester City boss is given the green light, Bojinov is the
only one likely to feature as Corluka was forced to return home to Croatia
last night to ensure he got an official stamp in his passport.
Unless Eriksson can find a goalkeeper from somewhere, England Under-21
international Joe Hart will be handed his Premier League debut in a side
likely to contain five of Eriksson's eight new signings. Emile Mpenza
(hamstring) and Andreas Isaksson (fractured finger) are both out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sol 'let me go' plea to big Sam
Aug 10 2007
by Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle
NOBBY SOLANO is ready to appeal to Newcastle United to let him join West Ham
United on compassionate grounds. But the popular Peruvian winger fears he
may be caught in the backlash from the Kieron Dyer affair which has left
United and West Ham are loggerheads. In the meantime, unless he gets a late
recall, Solano is not in the United squad for tomorrow's game with Bolton
Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium. The Chronicle revealed in our later
editions yesterday that West Ham had turned to Solano after Dyer's £6m move
to Upton Park broke down in such dramatic circumstances.
But West Ham feel that because Solano is now 32, they should pick him up on
a free transfer. As a result, United are in the driving seat as far as West
Ham and Solano are concerned. Solano's family are now based in London and he
quite naturally wants to be beside his children. And that's why he is ready
to end his association with United where he has attained almost legendary
status. Indeed, in an ideal world Solano would love to have ended his carer
on Tyneside before returning home to Peru. He has one last season on his
contract with United and he expected to see it out before the latest
developments. He would be looking for a two- year contract with West Ham,
but Alan Curbishley says he will only match United's 12-month deal. But if
Solano does go to West Ham, then he will have no problem with the financial
side of things. However, at the end of the day Solano's future now lies in
United's hands, but if anyone at St James' Park thinks the Dyer deal can be
resurrected then they are mistaken. Solano arrived in 1998 as an almost
unknown player in England after Kenny Dalglish paid a bargain £2.5m to Boca
Juniors for him. But apart from his 18-month spell with Aston Villa Solano
has been one of the most popular and successful players with United.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neill boost for Hammers - Daily Mail
Last updated at 12:54pm on 10th August 2007
Lucas Neill will be back in action within a month according to Hammers'
Physio George Cooper. He said: "Scan results are far better than predicted
and show that there is more damage to the muscles around the knee than the
actual medial ligament, which has actually sustained only very, very minor
damage".
Dean Ashton is set to start against Man City.
FIRST FIVE GAMES: Tomorrow: v Man City (h); 18 Aug: v Birmingham (a); 25
Aug: v Wigan (h); 1 Sept: v Reading (a); 15 Sept: v Middlesbrough (h).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sheri's sweet influence on Colchester's kids - The Star Sheffield
COLCHESTER manager Geraint Williams has saluted the impact of Teddy
Sheringham even before a competitive ball has been kicked. Sheringham, aged
41, joined the Layer Road club on a free transfer this summer after his
release from West Ham and begins his 24th professional season at Bramall
Lane tomorrow.
The former England striker's modest new surroundings are a million miles
away from his past glories at Old Trafford, Wembley and the Nou Camp. But
Williams insists his illustrious new recruit has fitted in seamlessly into
the U's squad and cannot wait to unleash him on the Championship. "The first
conversation I had with Teddy was like the advert, 'It does exactly what it
says on the tin'," said Williams. "He was very open, very honest, very
unassuming.
"The only difference is he turns up in a very nice Bentley for training!
"Teddy's still got that look of a teenager. He looks fit and when you talk
to him his enthusiasm is still there. "The ability he shows the young lads
on the training ground - they aspire to be that good. "He just has a little
word now and again and when he says it, it has that extra impact. "The young
lads want to listen and they want to learn. "He said to me: 'If you're
looking for someone to play 90 minutes Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, then I
might come up short'. "But if we work together, he knows his body and with
the scientific side of it - heart-rate monitors, recovery sessions - then
we'll get the best out of him."
Sheringham will be joined in the Championship by former England teammate
Robbie Fowler - a relative spring chicken at 32 - who has prolonged his
career by stepping down a level and joining Cardiff. And Williams is backing
both wily veterans to shine in a division where touch and flair often come a
distant second to long balls and tough tackles. Williams added: "I don't
think either of them are renowned for having a tussle with a centre-half.
"It's their movement and their cleverness and their touch on the ball that
they are renowned for. And that won't go as long as they get the right
service. "I was a Cardiff fan as a lad and I think it's a fantastic signing,
Robbie Fowler. If I was a dad, I would be looking forward to taking my son
down to Ninian Park to see him play. "I wasn't the fittest as a player, and
we didn't look after ourselves the way they do now, but I still played until
I was 36 or 37, so there is life for players in their 30s these day. 32 is
nothing at all. "I'm amazed at some of the negativity. He scores a goal in
every two games, that's what he does. He doesn't need to do anything
different. "You can't teach that intuition. You can teach the technical side
of it. You can teach the runs. "But intuition is what makes the great
players great."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neill and Parker to miss City clash - TeamTalk
West Ham will be without captain Lucas Neill and summer signing Scott Parker
for their home Premier League clash with Manchester City. New arrivals Craig
Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg are in line to make their league debuts for
West Ham - and both are in the running to take over as captain in Neill's
absence.
Curbishley is without French midfielder Julien Faubert, a £6.1million
signing, until the New Year after he ruptured an Achilles tendon, while
Nigel Quashie (ankle) and Calum Davenport (hernia) are also sidelined.
West Ham (from): Green, Wright, Spector, Pantsil, Ferdinand, Upson, Collins,
Gabbidon, McCartney, Ljungberg, Bowyer, Noble, Boa Morte, Etherington,
Mullins, Ashton, Bellamy, Zamora, Cole.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Magnusson: West Ham Happier Without Disruptive Influences - Gola.com
West Ham's Icelandic chairman is scathing in his criticism of some people
whose attitude and actions nearly consigned the club to relegation. Ahead
of the start of West Ham's opening fixture against Manchester City on
Saturday, club chairman Eggert Magnusson has revealed his feelings about
what he found at the club he took over last November. In an interview with
The Sun, Magnusson admitted: "It is no secret there was a lot going on in
the dressing room last season and we wanted to get rid of it. "Whether it
was individual players or as a group, we had to make some changes in there.
"I won't go into detail but there was some unrest and things going on that
should not have been. It was damaging the spirit of the team and it was
generally not a very happy dressing room. "Alan Curbishley is totally in
control of sporting matters and the players. It is now a very happy dressing
room."
Captain Nigel Reo-Coker became the target for fans' frustrations last season
- a campaign in which West Ham only escaped relegation on the last day.
Reo-Coker was sold this summer to Aston Villa for £8.5 million and spoke of
his unhappiness last season at the Boleyn Ground. Hammers' fans also turned
against striker Marlon Harewood when the goals dried up, and Harewood has
since followed Reo-Coker to Villa Park for £4 million. Meanwhile, the
presence of Paul Konchesky - who had fallen out with Curbishley when both
were at Charlton Athletic - in the West Ham dressing room was a problem for
the manager when he was appointed to succeed Alan Pardew.
Magnusson revealed to The Sun that Curbishley was privately concerned about
the atmosphere in the West Ham dressing-room from the day he arrived at the
club. Magnusson and compatriot Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson bought West Ham from
former chairman Terence Brown for £85 million when Iranian businessman Kia
Joorabchian failed to raise sufficient funds to purchase the club. It was
Brown who oversaw the club's controversial 'signing' of Carlos Tevez and
Javier Mascherano before Magnusson took over. There were accusations that
the club had lied about the two Argentine stars' contracts, and the Hammers
were later fined a record £5.5 million by the Premier League for breaching
registration rules, though they escaped without a points deduction.
Magnusson revealed to The Sun that he is still bitter about Brown. He is
concerned that West Ham's reputation has been badly damaged by the whole
affair, and said: "Terry Brown is not welcome at Upton Park and I don't
think I need to explain why because it is so obvious. "I've nothing personal
against him, it's just the way things happened and how it affected my club.
"The Tevez affair started before we came to the club. They were being
offered to the top four clubs and were 'parked' at West Ham. I'd never have
agreed to that. "What has happened since has damaged the reputation of the
club. I'm talking about those people, the chairman and the directors of the
club who were responsible for what happened."
Having cleared out those he felt were damaging the spirit and image of the
club, Magnusson has backed Curbishley's ambitious spending spree, aimed at
getting West Ham into the Champions League. The Icelander said: "People are
saying we are spending a lot of money and the transfer market is becoming
distorted. "But it's not healthy for the Premier League to be dominated by
just four clubs and it costs money to get there. "That includes moving to a
new 50,000-seat stadium by 2011, opposite West Ham tube station. When you
are in the top four and have a big stadium it generates bigger revenue."
However, having sanctioned Curbishley's spending of around £25 million this
summer, Magnusson warns that the manager must now prove he is worthy of
running a top club. "There is no question about Alan's ability in my mind,"
he said, "but of course he has to show he has what it takes to help West Ham
make that next step up. "He already has had to do a lot of things with us
and so there must be a lot of qualities that he has — I hope he will come
through."
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Hammers - Do Us A Favour And Go Away! - Newcastle-mad.co.uk
By Nu Mad Friday 10th August 2007
We dubbed West Ham "Little Newcastle" when they came raiding for Kieron Dyer
to add to Scott Parker, Lee Bowyer, Craig Bellamy, etc. Now they want Nobby
Solano!
They missed out on Kieron Dyer, which is a touchy subject both on Tyneside
and East London, and probably not of their own doing. But to try and sign
Nobby is pushing the boat out a little too far. To be honest with you, I've
been waiting for story on our Peruvian international this summer. The
closest we got was an appearance he made in a South American brass band at
Durham ... playing his trumpet! He never makes waves; gets on with life; and
keeps out of the newspapers. And as Sir Bobby Robson once described him: "He
is the nicest bloke you could hope to meet. He phones me regularly, and
plays his trumpet over the phone. I don't tell him, but that's when I go and
make the tea".
And now the Evening Chronicle has at last broke a story on him ... they
claim "Alan Curbishley is again set to swoop on Tyneside, and Curbs hopes to
land Peruvian international winger Solano on a free transfer."
They claim the 32-year-old would "consider" it if he was offered a two-year
deal to move to London. But the Hammers have only offered a 12-month
contract ... which is what he has at Newcastle. So that seems to be the end
of it and Nobby's summer headline in the newspapers. Personally I prefered
the one about the brass band.
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Curbs reveals Barnes interest - viewlondon.co.uk
West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley has revealed he is in negotiations
with Derby County with a view to sign midfielder Giles Barnes. The
19-year-old is believed to have interested a number of clubs this summer,
including Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, but the Hammers boss is the first to
publicly declare his interest. "We have been looking at the situation and we
have spoken to Derby about it," Curbishley told Sky Sports News. "At the
moment nothing is happening – their valuation is not where we are at and he
is a Derby player so I shouldn't be talking too much about it." Curbishley
also lamented the breakdown in talks between West Ham and Newcastle United
over the transfer of England midfielder Kieron Dyer. Dyer was on the verge
of a £6 million switch to London, which would enable the player to be closer
to his family in Ipswich. However on the eve of the deal being finalised the
Magpies re-valued Dyer at £8 million, meaning the transfer hit the buffers.
"It is a difficult situation, let's just say we found it very difficult,"
Curbishley added. "We will have to see what happens and unfortunately Kieron
Dyer is stuck in the middle."
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West Ham offer for Olympic Stadium turned down - The Times
Martin Samuel
Olympic officials rejected an offer for the new stadium site in Stratford,
East London, that would have generated £100 million, with no additional
expense to the taxpayer. The bid was revealed by Eggert Magnússon, the West
Ham United chairman, yesterday. He will press ahead with plans to build a
60,000-capacity stadium for his club at a site opposite West Ham Tube
station, due to be ready in 2011.
The news comes at a time when Olympic costs are under great scrutiny, with
Team McAlpine, the building firm, told to revise its estimate for the
stadium of £700 million. The original approximation, at the time of London's
successful bid for the 2012 Games, was £280 million and it is believed that
McAlpine will work to a sum nearer £500 million.
In that climate, the news that West Ham's offer was rejected will be
controversial, particularly because locals face the prospect of two
large-capacity stadiums being constructed within one Tube stop of each
other. The Olympic Stadium will be kept as a designated athletics track,
with capacity reduced to 25,000. "To me, as a businessman, it makes no sense
that you build an 80,000-seater stadium and take it down to 25,000,"
Magnús-son said. "It will be interesting for Londoners to see our ground
being built and looking at the other big ground going up nearby, the Olympic
Stadium, and wondering, 'What is happening here?'
"We had discussions about the Olympic site, but we could not accommodate all
the different views. Maybe they were too far down the line with the
planning." West Ham proposed paying £100 million and taking control of the
Olympic Stadium after the Games, also bearing the cost of its conversion.
The plan was for a 60,000-capacity football stadium, which could be
converted to a 40,000-capacity athletics arena for big events.
But at a meeting with Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and Tessa
Jowell, the Culture Secretary at the time, Magnússon realised that the move
was impossible. It was then that Livingstone identified the site earmarked
for West Ham's new ground.
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Curbs admits Irons Euro dream - TeamTalk
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is determined to one day treat his
"blind-date" Eggert Magnusson to the European adventure he has always
wanted.
Magnusson revealed his ambitious plans for West Ham include Champions League
football and a new 60,000-seat stadium by 2011. But after the tumultuous
experiences of last season, when West Ham eventually avoided relegation on
the final day, Curbishley wants to take things slowly. "It was like a blind
date when I met Eggert for the first time at Christmas because we had never
even spoken before and I went on it not knowing what to expect," said
Curbishley.
"With everything that has happened over the last six months, the end of the
(Carlos) Tevez situation has been like a weight lifted off his shoulders.
"All he wants to do is talk about the club, what we can do and how we can
push on. Everything he does is with the club at heart. "There is a lot of
criticism of foreign owners at the moment but we can only say good things.
He wants to push us on. Sometimes he wants to walk before we can crawl but
we are doing things the right way. "The brief when I came in was that this
is a long-term plan and you can't set about that unless you build the
foundations and have a base.
"We need a nice solid season. The last four years have been really
topsy-turvy for West Ham - a play-off final they lost, a play-off final they
won, an FA Cup final they lost and a relegation battle they won. "We need a
solid season where we can perhaps prepare the base for pushing on, looking
upwards rather than behind us. Top 10 is not unambitious and it is not over
the top. "We are looking to finish on the first page of the table on Ceefax,
not the second."
Curbishley has brought in his own management team over the summer and
rebuilt the squad, shipping out players who were not committed to West Ham
and spending over £20million on Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker, Freddie
Ljungberg and Julien Faubert. "We have the nucleus of a squad with the right
experience to give us that solid season and push on for next season," he
said. "The players I brought in are of the right experience and have
something to prove. And it feels like we have three new players in Dean
Ashton, Matthew Upson and Danny Gabbidon. "I think I am running one of the
top clubs in England. We were on the back pages for the wrong reasons last
year. We need to turn that around. "The gap between being in Europe and in a
relegation battle is just 12 points. Let's give our fans something to get
behind and be on the back pages being talked about positively."
Whispers had begun doing the rounds at the end of last season that Magnusson
was beginning to have doubts of Curbishley's ability to deliver on his
ambitions for the club. But the Icelandic businessman said he has complete
faith in Curbishley being the right man to take West Ham forward. "The club
have ambitions and we want to break into the top four within the next few
years. Those are our ambitions and we believe they are entirely realistic
otherwise I would not be here today," he said. "We are going to have a new
stadium and that is something we are going to make happen, hopefully by
2011. "Every morning last season there seemed to be something new to deal
with. "There was the Carlos Tevez business, the fight against relegation, it
has been an ongoing battle but we are looking for a fresh new start with a
new promising season. "There is no question in my mind that (Curbishley) has
got what it takes to get us to where we want to go."
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Hammers chief angers United
Aug 10 2007
by Paul Gilder, The Journal
EGGERT Magnusson was last night left red-faced after an ill-advised bid to
humiliate Newcastle over the Kieron Dyer saga backfired on the West Ham
chairman.
The Icelander claimed that officials at St James's Park were "embarrassed"
at the manner in which Dyer's abortive move to Upton Park collapsed last
weekend – an assertion that met with a furious response in the United
boardroom. And following high-level talks between the two Premier League
clubs, Magnusson agreed to retract his statement and was forced to contact
journalists in a bid to distance himself from his earlier comments.
Yet he could not do so in time to save face – with the 60-year-old's actions
appearing to vindicate Newcastle's belief that West Ham should share the
blame for what has become a regrettable episode.
Although Chris Mort was last night maintaining a dignified silence on the
subject, there was little question that the latest developments in a
farcical affair were being considered a triumph at St James's Park. The
Magpies chairman this week admitted he had felt "uncomfortable" at the
manner in which the Hammers had pursued a deal for Dyer.
Annoyed that Magnusson had attempted to drag Newcastle's name into the mud,
The Journal understands the prospect of seeking an official ruling on the
dispute in question was sufficient to secure the requested retraction. Yet
the offending comments had already been published in places.
"The fact that Newcastle moved the goalposts in the middle of the game is
not how to do business," said Magnusson, who, having agreed a £6m fee for
Dyer last week, pulled out of the deal when United officials demanded a
further £2m. "They had given us permission to speak to the player – he had
had a medical and we had agreed a fee when we received a phone call that
Newcastle wanted £2m more for him. We couldn't believe it and I think some
of the people there seem to be a little bit embarrassed.
"But I feel the deal is now gone and I feel very sorry for the player. He
wanted a move, he wanted to come closer to his family in Ipswich and now
that has gone. I think this business with
Newcastle has shown that we're not prepared to pay any price that a club
puts on a player. If there are perceptions that we will do that, they are
not correct."
Magnusson's comments last night angered officials at St James's Park and
contact with the outspoken Icelander was soon established. What was said
during that conversation is unclear, although it was enough to prompt the
Hammers chairman to request that his words be withdrawn.
The Press Association, who conducted the original interview, agreed to
remove the most sensitive paragraph and the word "embarrassed" from later
reports. Having backed down, the embarrassment that remained was reserved
for Magnusson.
There has been a suggestion West Ham unsettled Dyer before a deal was struck
last week and, although the matter has been taken no further, United still
feel aggrieved at the manner in which the affair played out.
Magnusson's comments inflamed a sensitive situation further. And despite an
uneasy truce being reached last night, Mort will keep a close eye on the
situation and will not tolerate further outbursts from his Upton Park
counterpart.
In the meantime, Dyer has been left in limbo having made no secret of his
determination to leave Newcastle before the Premier League season started.
With the campaign starting tomorrow, that will not happen and the
28-year-old could be forced to travel with the squad to Bolton this
afternoon.
West Ham are understood to have identified Nolberto Solano as an alternative
target, but given last night's events, it remains to be seen whether
Newcastle will be willing to do business with Magnusson again.
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SPEND SPEND SPEND - Daily Express
Friday August 10,2007
By Matt Law
.... But Curbs will pay if he fails
EGGERT MAGNUSSON has promised West Ham will spend, spend, spend until they
break into the Premier League's top four. The Hammers chairman has
challenged boss Alan Curbishley to live with his own lofty ambitions.
Curbishley has already spent £23 million this summer and still wants to add
Eidur Gudjohnsen, Nicky Shorey and another midfielder to his squad. "It
costs money to get into the top four," said Magnusson. "We have to spend. We
want to be challenging in the next four or five years."
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