Old Trafford
Sunday, 13 May
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 Sunday's Score - 1430 BST on BBCi and
bbc.co.uk/score
Manchester United are expected to name a strong side against
relegation-threatened West Ham.
The Premiership champions are likely to name either Cristiano Ronaldo or
Wayne Rooney on the bench, with Alan Smith given a chance to impress.
West Ham star Carlos Tevez could be playing his final game for the club as
his future remains in doubt.
Luis Boa Morte is set to continue on the left of midfield for the Hammers,
who know a point would keep them up.
Sir Alex Ferguson says he turned down the chance to sign Carlos Tevez: "He
is the one who has lifted their game. "We were offered them him and Javier
Mascherano but if I remember correctly, we weren't sure of the deal. "Tevez
has scored a couple of really good free-kicks and seems to have a bit of
enthusiasm for it."
West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has played down suggestions relegation rivals
Sheffield United and Wigan could collude to send the Hammers down.
If Wigan win at Sheffield United and West Ham lose at Manchester United then
Curbishley's side will be relegated. "Sheffield United have to play as if
they need to stay up. If not, they may find it turn on them. "That happened
a couple of years ago. Crystal Palace were six minutes from staying up and
suddenly went down."
Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic,
Heinze, Evra, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Scholes, Eagles, Carrick, Giggs,
Richardson, Rooney, Smith, Solskjaer, Dong.
West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Collins, Ferdinand, McCartney, Benayoun,
Reo-Coker, Noble, Boa Morte, Zamora, Tevez, Carroll, Dailly, Spector,
Davenport, Konchesky, Mullins, Bowyer, Etherington, Cole, Harewood, Blanco,
Sheringham.
BIG-MATCH FACTS
MANCHESTER UNITED return home as champions of England for the 16th time in
their history. They will be presented with their ninth Premiership trophy
and first in four years, after facing relegation candidates West Ham.
Victory will give United 29 victories in a top flight season for the first
time ever, eclipsing the 28 achieved in 1956-57 and 1999-2000.
This will be a more competitive contest than Wednesday's dead rubber against
Chelsea. United players have places to win in the team for next Saturday's
FA Cup final against Chelsea at the new Wembley.
United have picked up 30 points out of 33 in home Premiership matches
against West Ham.
WEST HAM UNITED need a point to be certain of their Premiership future - any
pending legal proceedings permitting. The Hammers will also still stay up if
they match Wigan's result. But defeat at Old Trafford, coupled with victory
for Wigan will see the Londoners playing Championship soccer next season,
unless the Latics' victory is so emphatic it means Sheffield United's goal
difference, currently three superior to West Ham's, becomes inferior. In
that case, the Blades will go down instead.
Alan Curbishley's reign at Upton Park got off to a dream start with a shock
1-0 win over Manchester United on 17 December. They then completed 11
winless League games, gaining just three points in the process. But survival
chances have been rekindled subsequently with six wins from eight outings.
Nigel Reo Coker's goal in December proved sufficient for only West Ham's
second win in 23 Premiership encounters with Manchester United. Now they're
on the look out for a first 'double' over the Red Devils since their 1976-77
top flight campaign.
REFEREE
Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire)
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Tevez wants Hammers stay - Sky
By Lewis Rutledge - Created on 11 May 2007
Kia Joorabchian has said that Carlos Tevez would like to stay at West Ham,
despite stopping his English lessons. The Argentine's admission that he had
stopped learning the language sparked speculation that his days at Upton
Park were numbered. Joorabchian admits Tevez's future is uncertain because
talks have been delayed until after West Ham's final game of the season this
weekend. But Joorabchian, who remains Tevez's representative despite the
ongoing controversy regarding his registration, insists the player would be
happy to stay with the club. He explained: "There have been no talks of any
kind at all because Carlos and I agreed we would wait until the final game
of the season was over so he could concentrate fully on getting West Ham out
of trouble.
"So reports saying Carlos is leaving West Ham because he stopped taking
English lessons are just not true. "Carlos stopped having lessons because he
is returning soon to Argentina and does not know where he will be playing
next season. "He could be at West Ham but he doesn't know yet because we
have done nothing about his future. "We will talk to West Ham and any other
interested parties. "Carlos loves playing for West Ham and has a great
relationship with the supporters. "He would like to stay if all parties can
agree a deal between them."
Tevez has been in inspirational form in helping West Ham climb out of the
relegation zone, and manager Alan Curbishley has been delighted with his
performances. "Tevez in recent weeks has responded brilliantly, like the
rest of the players," said Curbishley. "His performances have galvanised a
lot of people. Some of the other players have galvanised him. It has been a
team effort. "He is a footballer's footballer. When footballers come into a
club they are accepted straight away if they have got the ability and that
is what he has got. "That over-rides any language barrier. "But I have not
had any discussions with the chairman about the future at all, either way."
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League defend Hammers sanction - Sky
By Chris Stanton - Created on 11 May 2007
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has defended his
organisation's handling of West Ham. An independent commission's decision to
only fine West Ham rather than dock the club Premiership points for transfer
irregularities has whipped up a storm. The disgruntled pair of Wigan
chairman Dave Whelan and Sheffield United counterpart Kevin McCabe have
threatened to take legal action but Scudamore insists his organisation are
beyond reproach.
"Our rules don't allow a kangaroo court where the fellow clubs decide these
issues because that would clearly be wrong," Scudamore told Sky Sports News.
"Nor do the board of the Premier League get to decide these things like we
do when it's relatively trivial. "If it's something that we think is serious
then an independent commission deals with it and that's what's happened in
this case. "An independent commission made up of eminent, well-qualified
people and it's from a list of people that the clubs themselves have already
approved of as being independent. "The commission sat, it had the benefit of
all the evidence, a lot of evidence. On the day of the case West Ham pleaded
guilty and the commission laid out its sanction. "I'm not escaping the fact
that everybody thought that sanction was the right sanction."
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Conspiracy nonsense - Jewell - Sky
By Chris Stanton - Created on 11 May 2007
Like his Sheffield United counterpart Neil Warnock, Wigan boss Paul Jewell
has shrugged off talk of a conspiracy plot being hatched at Bramall Lane.
Mischief making reports suggest relegation rivals The Latics and The Blades,
who face one another on 'Survival Sunday', could settle on a result that
would condemn West Ham, visitors to Manchester United, to relegation. "I
heard some nonsense if we were winning 1-0 and West Ham were a couple of
goals down at Old Trafford, we'd see the game out," Jewell told Sky Sports
News. "Sheffield United owe it to their supporters and their profession. The
game is a massive game for them too. It's their last of the season and
they'll want to go out on a high - I don't expect them to be anything other
than very competitive."
Jewell has backed his team to reverse their recent run of form and deliver a
first victory in nine matches. "I believe we'll win on Sunday and I think
the players have got it in them to win on Sunday. "If we perform like we did
against West Ham and the second half against Middlesbrough we won't win.
"But if we perform like I know we can then we will win - no disrespect to
Sheffield United, but we're not playing Real Madrid or Manchester United,
we're playing a team that's down there with us, that we can beat."
Despite conceding his side will have only themselves to blame should they
drop through the relegation trapdoor, the controversy surrounding the
Premier League's failure to dock West Ham points still rankles with Jewell.
And, in particular, the timing of the league's announcement of their
decision to fine, rather than reprimand more severely, The Hammers. "It's
something I can't affect. I think it's gone on a little bit too long - it
should have been dealt with one way or another a long time ago. "The only
issue I've got, whatever I think privately, is the timing of the decision -
the day before our match, so their supporters came up here in magnificent
heart and they almost thought they'd got out of jail."
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Fergie reveals Tevez snub - Sky
By Tom Adams - Created on 11 May 2007
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he turned down the chance to sign Carlos
Tevez and Javier Mascherano at the start of the season due to misgivings
over the nature of the proposed deal. United's opponents on the final day
of the season, West Ham, were recently fined £5.5million for breaking
Premier League regulations in signing the pair from Corinthians, although
the London club escaped a potentially disastrous points deduction.
Mascherano has since moved on to Liverpool after a desperately unhappy time
at Upton Park, but Tevez will arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday carrying the
hopes of Hammers fans on his shoulders after scoring six goals in nine games
during a run of inspirational form. Now Ferguson has explained that the
complicated arrangement on offer, involving a third party in MSI, warned him
off pursuing a deal for the pair back in August. "Tevez was offered to
everyone," said Ferguson. "We were offered both him and Mascherano but, if I
remember it correctly, we weren't sure of the deal."
The Hammers need just a point to guarantee their Premiership status on
Sunday, and Ferguson has recognised the key role that Tevez has played in
Alan Curbishley's side's recent renaissance. "Tevez is the one who has
lifted their game a bit," said Ferguson. "He has scored a couple of really
good free-kicks and seems to have a lot of enthusiasm for it."
United have been involved in their own transfer controversy in recent days,
with the Premier League investigating why Tim Howard was omitted from
Everton's side to face The Red Devils after completing a permanent move to
Goodison. The champions have clarified their position after being cleared of
any wrongdoing, and Ferguson has dismissed claims that officials within the
Premier League knew nothing of the club's wish for Howard to be left out on
28th April. "There are a few porkies being told because we addressed it with
the Premier League at the time," claimed Ferguson. "We could have just let
the loan deal run if we had wanted but the boy wanted his future sorting and
Everton knew other clubs were interested in him."
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United hold the key to justice in Tevez affair - Telegraph
By Henry Winter
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
On the last weekend of the season, when the Grinning Reaper called
relegation stalks benighted clubs, a maths degree is traditionally required
to juggle all the permutations. Tomorrow, when Wigan Athletic, Sheffield
United, and Carlos Tevez's West Ham United fight for survival, a law degree
is needed.
If natural justice prevails, the points deduction West Ham deserve for the
lies told over the Tevez deal will effectively be inflicted by Manchester
United while Wigan prevail at Bramall Lane. The innocents in this mess of
West Ham's creation, and the Premier League's incompetence, are Paul
Jewell's Latics and Neil Warnock's Blades. Honest clubs, neither deserve
booting downstairs to the Championship.
The situation stinks. West Ham are a wonderful club, with supporters whose
noise and passion shames most others in the Premiership, with a new chairman
inheriting the subterfuge of a previous regime, but the simple fact is that
they have been fielding an ineligible player who has been hugely
instrumental in their recent renaissance. Tevez, the whole-hearted, skilful
Argentinian, has even been voted Hammer of the Year.
If regulations are to carry weight, West Ham should have been punished
properly; a £5.5m fine is nothing when compared against the potential £30m
loss that accompanies demotion. No wonder the Upton Park hierarchy did not
appeal; they were too busy counting their blessings and potential savings.
The credibility of the Premiership has taken a battering through the
grievances stirred by the Tevez affair, understandably stoked by distressed
people at Wigan, Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic. Yet it remains hard
to see how these angered parties can actually win in the courts as the
original dispute was primarily between West Ham and the Premier League. Dave
Whelan would need a magician as much as a QC to guide a successful course
through the legal minefield, regardless of any sane footballing mortal
believing that West Ham have transgressed.
So only Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs can administer justice, ripping apart
West Ham's defence tomorrow. Even then Wigan must somehow hold on to a lead
at Bramall Lane. And this is the way football should be: the season's
fortunes decided by events on the field, not in the court of law.
What the furore particularly highlights is the importance of the Barclays
Premiership. Clubs are desperately relying on prosecution counsel to cling
to their place amongst the elite. What the whole mess also underlines is the
integrity of the competition, as no one seriously believes United will give
West Ham an easy ride or Wigan and Sheffield United orchestrate some mass
collusion.
All the focus has inevitably been trained on Tevez, but Javier Mascherano's
presence on these shores is arguably even more complex. Liverpool's new
holding midfielder has played for three clubs in one season, which Fifa
allow because of South America's different calendar, but it seems bizarre to
see him preparing to end his term in the Champions League final facing AC
Milan, when he started the European year in the Uefa Cup. But then Milan
should not be in Athens after their points reduction. Madness rules. The
review of the season should really be undertaken by m'learned friends.
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Curbishley hoping 'quiet' game pays off - telegraph
By Oliver Brown
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
West Ham face a game of inverted incentives to complete their astonishing
Premiership turnaround. Cast your minds back 15 years - to another anxious
run-in, and to another momentous engagement with Manchester United.
Then, the club were already relegated, but contrived a remarkable 1-0 win
that effectively ended United's title ambitions. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned
his opponents' "obscene" amount of effort. Now, with Old Trafford ready for
a champions' jamboree tomorrow, West Ham have to show the same pride and
perseverance in the service of a far greater cause - even if the result
threatens to be even more unpopular.
The background to the tie is such that manager Alan Curbishley expects few
favours. Ferguson may have fielded a shadow side against Chelsea, but more
established figures are likely to conduct United's final flourish.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of familiar names on the team sheet,"
Curbishley said. "Sir Alex has said that he has to respect the league, and
he'll be putting a strong side out." A coded reference, no doubt, to the
improvised Liverpool line-up that helped Fulham ensure their Premiership
survival last week - much to the chagrin of Wigan's Paul Jewell.
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Unlike the expressive Jewell, overt resentment is not Curbishley's style.
Knowing Wigan and Sheffield United want blood over Carlos Tevez's inclusion
in the West Ham team, he subtly suggested that his rivals straighten their
priorities out. "The Premier League have come to their conclusion and
everybody has to get on with it. I think they should be concentrating on
their football."
There is a sense West Ham are relishing their role as quiet assassins in the
relegation duel. Players have been gagged following this season's surfeit of
adverse publicity, while Curbishley has resolved to brave the barbs in his
typically deadpan style. "We have been coming up quietly on the rails," he
said. "Everybody has had their say, and it's becoming louder and louder in
some respects. We are keeping quiet."
Tevez himself has been a model of reserve, trying to maintain a model of
studied professionalism while the crossfire intensifies around him. By his
goals and dedication, the Argentine has acquired a cult status in the eyes
of West Ham supporters unfazed by his controversial contract. When looking
back at his faltering start in the Premiership, the change appears
improbable - and forms a sharp contrast with the progress of Javier
Mascherano, forced to move to Liverpool to find his place in England.
Curbishley was clear on why their paths have diverged. "When I came in,
Mascherano was on the floor - he was really down. But Tevez could see a bit
of light."
Come tomorrow, the dark recesses into which West Ham have retreated of late
could also be illuminated. The club would at last envisage a future that
stretches further than the next game, with Curbishley expected to receive
chairman Eggert Magnusson's backing for a major overhaul of the squad. But
in the short term he stuck to the diplomatic line, denying that players
would essentially be fighting for their careers against United.
"We know how important the game is, and there are still so many twists," he
said. "Sheffield United and Wigan both know what they have to do, and nobody
will be taking these games lightly. Nobody can go in anything other than
flat out." It is in West Ham's hands to make sure they are not the ones who
finish flat on their faces. By Oliver Brown
West Ham face a game of inverted incentives to complete their astonishing
Premiership turnaround. Cast your minds back 15 years - to another anxious
run-in, and to another momentous engagement with Manchester United.
Then, the club were already relegated, but contrived a remarkable 1-0 win
that effectively ended United's title ambitions. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned
his opponents' "obscene" amount of effort. Now, with Old Trafford ready for
a champions' jamboree tomorrow, West Ham have to show the same pride and
perseverance in the service of a far greater cause - even if the result
threatens to be even more unpopular.
The background to the tie is such that manager Alan Curbishley expects few
favours. Ferguson may have fielded a shadow side against Chelsea, but more
established figures are likely to conduct United's final flourish.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of familiar names on the team sheet,"
Curbishley said. "Sir Alex has said that he has to respect the league, and
he'll be putting a strong side out." A coded reference, no doubt, to the
improvised Liverpool line-up that helped Fulham ensure their Premiership
survival last week - much to the chagrin of Wigan's Paul Jewell.
Unlike the expressive Jewell, overt resentment is not Curbishley's style.
Knowing Wigan and Sheffield United want blood over Carlos Tevez's inclusion
in the West Ham team, he subtly suggested that his rivals straighten their
priorities out. "The Premier League have come to their conclusion and
everybody has to get on with it. I think they should be concentrating on
their football."
There is a sense West Ham are relishing their role as quiet assassins in the
relegation duel. Players have been gagged following this season's surfeit of
adverse publicity, while Curbishley has resolved to brave the barbs in his
typically deadpan style. "We have been coming up quietly on the rails," he
said. "Everybody has had their say, and it's becoming louder and louder in
some respects. We are keeping quiet."
Tevez himself has been a model of reserve. By his goals and dedication, the
Argentine has acquired a cult status in the eyes of West Ham supporters
unfazed by his controversial contract. When looking back at his faltering
start in the Premiership, the change appears improbable - and forms a sharp
contrast with the progress of Javier Mascherano, forced to move to
Liverpool.
Curbishley was clear on why their paths have diverged. "When I came in,
Mascherano was on the floor - he was really down. But Tevez could see a bit
of light."
Come tomorrow, the dark recesses into which West Ham have retreated of late
could also be illuminated. The club would at last envisage a future that
stretches further than the next game, with Curbishley expected to receive
chairman Eggert Magnusson's backing for a overhaul of the squad.
"We know how important the game is, and there are still so many twists," he
said. It is in West Ham's hands to make sure they are not the ones who
finish flat on their faces.
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The three players that could decide which clubs avoid drop from top flight -
Telegraph
By Alan Smith
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
The task couldn't be clearer. Needing a win, Wigan simply have to score at
Bramhall Lane tomorrow. So step forward the strikers. In particular, step
forward Emile Heskey as the most experienced front man available to Paul
Jewell.
In truth, the Wigan manager must be fretting over which Heskey will appear
for this epic challenge: the rather subdued, misfiring version that doesn't
quite punch its weight or the muscular, rampaging, almost unplayable figure
that has occasionally surfaced during this testing campaign.
When the former England man is in the right mood he can unsettle the best of
defenders with his outright power, pace and eye for goal. The JJB Stadium
might remember one afternoon last October when their forward single-handedly
terrorised Manchester City.
On the flip side, Wigan fans may also recall days when he couldn't get into
his stride for love nor money. During moments like that, you feel that
someone needs to upset him in order to bring out his more aggressive side.
Keep him sweet, on the other hand, usher him down the right channels and, as
a defender, your luck could be in.
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But will an uncompromising centre-half like Chris Morgan go for the
conciliatory approach? Probably not. If Heskey decides to play Morgan at his
own forthright game, the outcome of that battle could swing the result.
Without a goal in three games, Wigan desperately need something from
somewhere.
In Heskey they do have a potential talisman, that's if he flies out of the
traps with fire in his belly. The 29-year-old won't want to make it a
hat-trick, having twice been relegated from the Premiership, first with
Leicester and last year with Birmingham.
He knows the feeling, then - incentive enough to give it everything.
A clean sheet will do it - simple as that. Vital, therefore that Alan
Curbishley's defenders stay strong and committed, whoever gets the nod in
United's attack.
Having said that, Tevez still represents the team's main inspiration as an
infectious source of pure heart and quality. If this squat little striker
can perform how he has over the last two months to put in another rousing
shift bristling with naked desire, who is to say that West Ham cannot upset
the odds at the home of the new Premiership champions?
Just look at the way he seems to have affected those around. Bobby Zamora,
for instance, has bucked his ideas up no end.
In a wider sense, all the West Ham players have seen how incredibly hard the
Argentine works and subsequently gone out of their way to match the
lung-bursting effort. The result is a much tighter and more resolute group
that goes into this clash with great momentum.
Tevez, meanwhile, pitches up at Old Trafford for the first time, no doubt
determined to put on another show in what might be his last game in West Ham
colours.
And whatever the rights and wrongs of his arrival at Upton Park, whatever
the ramifications that may still ensue, you have to give this gutsy
character tremendous credit for the way he has applied himself on the pitch
in a strange country amid such controversy.
"Just give him the ball!" That'll be the message from the bench tomorrow.
With an ability to hook the ball up and over the wall with a bit of pace,
Tevez is capable of finding the net.
In these situations, the team that wants it more often comes out on top and,
in Tevez, the Hammers have one man at least of unquestionable desire. After
that, you just never know.
He might be the most saleable asset in Neil Warnock's squad and, as a
result, the least likely to suffer should United go down, but Jagielka will
still be desperate to avoid any slip-ups tomorrow. Voted the club's Player
of the Year for a record third time on the trot, this former trainee can
play a huge part against Wigan as a steadying influence at the heart of the
action.
One of Jagielka's strengths is undoubtedly his versatility, having filled in
at centre-half this season and also memorably in goal for half an hour
against Arsenal. Warnock even reckons his man could succeed Gary Neville as
England's right-back.
Whatever the merits of that particular claim, this capable midfielder will
be back on familiar territory tomorrow, doing his best to win that vital
middle ground in a desperate head-to-head that may not claim too many awards
for aesthetic beauty as both sides bust a gut to achieve their goals. Still,
it's a job that the athletic Jagielka can attack without fear after a season
that, on a personal level at least, has been marked by its tremendous
consistency. The 24 year-old, in fact, is one of only four outfield players
in the Premiership to have completed every minute of every game.
Add to that his inclusion in Steve McClaren's England B squad to face
Albania later this month and you are talking about a lad with plenty of
promise.
A player with a fair bit of experience as well now, which might come in
handy as the latest scores from Old Trafford come seeping through. Much has
been said about conspiracy theories, about Sheffield United going easy on
their visitors if West Ham are losing heavily, but Jagielka and co simply
cannot afford to play any cute games. Their own safety, after all, is still
to be clinched.
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Warnock sets sights on survival - Telegraph
By Tim Rich
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
The stage is set. Manchester United are champions and preparing to meet
Chelsea in the FA Cup final, Sheffield United are two places above the
relegation line and need a point from their last game to survive. It is not,
on the face of things, the most difficult task the Yorkshire club have had
to tackle, but they failed to manage it on May 7 1994 and the circumstances
were precisely the same.
Last-minute goals at Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge rescued Everton and
banished Sheffield United from the Premiership for a dozen years. Sheffield
United fans from Neil Warnock to Sean Bean, who said that tomorrow's result
against Wigan meant more to him than winning an Oscar, have never forgotten
it.
"The disappointment of 1994 was not on the day," Warnock said. "It was
finding out later all the circumstances that led to it. I was at Torquay at
the time, with my feet up on the beach."
He and Paul Jewell like each other and last summer Warnock called the Wigan
manager for advice on survival in the Premiership. They joked about whether
this final fixture might have any significance. Only to the extent that £50
million might be riding on the result.
Sheffield United's captain, Phil Jagielka, said that Warnock had surprised
everyone by how relaxed he had been this season, with few of the rows that
characterised his years in the Championship. Maybe, Jagielka agreed, it was
because Warnock had achieved his great ambition of taking the club he loved
back to where they were when he first saw them, enchanted by the floodlights
and drama on the old Bramall Lane Kop.
Warnock said: "When I took over 7½ years ago and said my objective was to
get us into the Premiership and stay there, everyone must have thought I was
in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest because the club was in a terrible state.
Well, here we are 90 minutes away from the greatest achievement of my
career.
"I'll be pretty nervous on the morning of a game but that is the advantage
of having a nine and a five-year-old. Amy summed it up on Tuesday night when
I picked her up from school. She said: 'Whatever happens on Sunday I love
you loads and the family will always be together.' It's a game and children
help you put that in perspective."
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No favours from Ferguson - Telegraph
By Ian Whittell
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
Sir Alex Ferguson, a firm believer in the integrity of the English game, has
eased the fears of Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic that his Manchester
United team will take tomorrow's concluding Premiership game lightly when
West Ham visit Old Trafford.
Ferguson freely quotes the finale to the 1995 season when, contrary to the
expectations of conspiracy theorists, Liverpool battled to defeat Blackburn,
United's championship rivals.That Blackburn won the title was due only to
United's failure to win their own game - against West Ham. Ferguson has not
forgotten the professionalism shown by United's great rivals and has vowed
that on the day his side collect the Premiership trophy they will play in
the same spirit against Alan Curbishley's Hammers.
"That day, I expected Liverpool to do their job and they did that against
Blackburn Rovers," said Ferguson. "I think that only tells you the English
game is 100 per cent honest and people do their best. That is what we will
do.
"I am looking for a perform-ance. I want to see them do well. It is the last
game of the season, in front of 76,000 fans who will be there to celebrate.
"It is a difficult game for us, against a team at the bottom of the league
fighting for survival, and, while one or two players won't play, in the main
it will be a strong team. We will do that to represent ourselves in a proper
way and to be fair to everyone."
West Ham's late-season surge away from the foot of the table has guaranteed
that it will be a highly competitive game and Ferguson paid tribute to
Curbishley and Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez, whose signing at the start
of the season remains the subject of major controversy.
"It just tells you that a new manager needs time," said Ferguson of
Curbishley's efforts. "When you change a manager, they bring a complete
change in philosophy and, certainly, staff and that takes time to rebuild.
"It is only the last few weeks that Alan has galvanised them now into
playing the way they did last season, getting to the final of the FA Cup.
They have won six out of eight, that is championship form and a great run of
form this time of year.
"I think Tevez has done really well for them. He is the one who has lifted
their game."
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At last, Moore is on the pedestal he deserves - Telegraph
By Jim White
Last Updated: 1:05am BST 12/05/2007
Supporters turning up at Wembley during its busy opening period of cup
finals, play-offs and internationals will be confronted by a familiar figure
standing sentinel outside the ground. Just off Olympic Way, towering six
metres high, is a statue of Bobby Moore. It could be no one else. He stands
in his brass incarnation exactly as he did in life. Relaxed, unflustered,
arms folded, kit immaculately pressed, he has his foot on a ball and stares
unerringly into the distance, over the throng arriving at the smart new
stadium.
England's greatest: The new statue statue of Bobby Moore is unveiled at
Wembley Stadium
This is not the first time the artist Philip Jackson has worked on an image
of England's greatest captain. He is responsible, too, for the Moore who
sits on the shoulders of his team mates Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst,
holding aloft the Jules Rimet trophy in a work outside Upton Park which
celebrates what in those parts has, for 40 years, been referred to as West
Ham's victory in the World Cup. Maybe it is the practice, but in the Wembley
work Jackson has captured Moore uncannily.
Unlike the effort for Ted Bates recently unveiled (and then hastily removed)
at Southampton, this is a statue in perfect proportion, capturing him with
his shirt apparently catching a passing breeze and tightening over his
formidable physique. But it is not just the easy, elegant muscularity that
speaks of Moore. Before starting work on the piece, Jackson consulted many
of the skipper's playing colleagues and the thing they all mentioned was his
remarkable inner confidence.
Moore was not only a magnificent defender, a man who could read a game of
football with the fluency that Stephen Fry brings to the works of PG
Wodehouse, he also knew it. That knowledge, however, did not manifest itself
in arrogance, but in a relaxed self-certainty that was communicated around
the dressing room, suffusing his colleagues with confidence. It is all there
on the statue's face. He looks a man utterly at ease with himself and his
destiny.
"Football is a team game, but every team needs a leader," said Bobby
Charlton at the unveiling of the statue yesterday. "And Bobby was the
ultimate leader, respected by everyone in the team and the manager. He was
the key to England winning the World Cup."
Charlton was joined at the ceremony by his England team-mate Hurst and
Moore's West Ham protege Trevor Brooking, knights of the realm all three.
Perhaps more surprisingly, however, it was the Prime Minister who was on
hand to do the honours and pull the cord that unveiled the statue.
"No one can ever forget the contribution Bobby Moore made," said Tony Blair
of 1966 and all that. "It set a standard for achievement that we constantly
want to be replicated. Throughout the entirety of his playing career, he was
a superb footballer. He was someone who inspired a great deal of respect,
affection and admiration for the way he carried himself. If you are looking
for a role model for people in public life, Bobby Moore is a good one to
take. A true gentleman, he was somebody who represented the best of our
country."
It was well said. The tragedy of Bobby Moore is that no one of Mr Blair's
significance was saying it 15 years ago when the player was around to hear
it for himself. The key to the World Cup victory he might have been, but in
his lifetime he never received higher official recognition than an OBE, the
kind of gong handed out to junior members of the Ashes winning squad these
days. Worse, the most successful player ever to wear the white of England
was assumed by the game's establishment to be of no use in retirement. He
once sent in a letter of application for the England manager's job and never
mind not being considered for the post, or even being asked to contribute in
a lesser role as a coach, nobody at Lancaster Gate even bothered to reply.
The only Englishman to lift the World Cup was, seemingly, not worth a stamp.
Few outside the FA thought he had much to offer either: the peak of his
coaching career was a brief spell in charge of Oxford City in the Southern
League. Financially, too, he was by no means secure and, in his last years,
he was obliged to do bits and pieces of low grade media work, including
filing match reports for the ludicrous Daily Sport.
Moore succumbed to bowel cancer in 1993. The first of those involved with
the 1966 World Cup victory to die, he was just 51. And it was only in his
death that we, as a country, seemingly began to appreciate quite what he
meant. Maybe there was a little bit of guilt in our reaction, a recognition
that we should have made a fuss of him at the time, but the outpouring of
grief was widespread. At West Ham, they named a new stand after him and paid
£2million for a collection of his memorabilia, which formed the centre piece
of a new museum. Hammers fans collected a 30,000 signature petition asking
that the No 6 shirt be retired in his memory. Despite the pressure, the club
decided not to make such a gesture and this season it has been worn by
George McCartney. Which, the cruel might suggest, is roughly the same thing
as retiring it. Meanwhile, the Bobby Moore Fund, set up and run by his
tireless widow Stephanie, every year raises more than £1million for research
into the disease which killed him. Mourners at Alan Ball's funeral recently
were asked not to bring flowers, but to make a contribution to the fund.
It was to Moore's ill fortune that his retirement was lived out in a very
different era from today. This was a time before the football boom took
hold, when the game and those who played it still suffered from a poor image
in the wider world. Football has achieved a far greater prominence in the
public mind in the 14 years since he departed to the point where it is
inconceivable that a man of his stature would be languishing in reduced
circumstances were he around today. Had Moore lived into the time of the
Premiership, you can imagine him sharing a Sky studio with Richard Keys,
acting as an ambassador for the 2012 Olympics, appearing in that Carlsberg
"probably the best pub team in the world" commercial with all the other old
England lags, still looking by far the coolest player on the park. Nowadays,
if nothing else, the FA would bite the hand off anyone of his importance who
put himself forward for the England job, astonished to receive an
application from someone who was not certifiable.
And it is not just football, sport in general has moved closer to the centre
of our cultural life, recognised more readily for its place in our sense of
national pride and wellbeing. That's why the Prime Minister's presence at
yesterday's Wembley ceremony was significant. It has taken a while but at
last we have put Bobby Moore on the pedestal he deserves.
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Premier League hit out at 'gang of four' - Telegraph
By David Bond
Last Updated: 1:56am BST 12/05/2007
With more than £25 million riding on tomorrow's three-way battle to avoid
relegation from the Premiership, the League's chief executive, Richard
Scudamore, yesterday accused the four clubs threatening legal action over
the Carlos Tevez scandal of acting out of financial desperation.
West Ham need a point at Manchester United tomorrow to pull off one of the
most remarkable - and controversial - escapes in the competition's history.
Lose, however, and their fate will rest on the outcome of the contest
between Sheffield United and Wigan at Bramall Lane. A Wigan victory would
ensure both they and United avoid the drop to the Championship and instead
send West Ham down.
But events on the pitch have been totally overshadowed in recent days by the
very public row between the League and the so-called "gang of four" clubs
who accuse them of mishandling the Tevez case.
Wigan, Sheffield United, Fulham and Charlton are threatening to take legal
action unless the League reopen the case. They believe West Ham should have
been docked points and not just fined £5.5 million for entering into
third-party agreements with offshore companies who owned the Argentinian
striker's economic rights.
They are also demanding assurances that, following the independent
commission's ruling two weeks ago, West Ham have terminated the side
agreement with Tevez's mysterious owners.
Last night Scudamore came out fighting, insisting the League had done
everything by the book and blaming the Premiership's runaway financial
success for the unexpected revolt.
He also dismissed the idea that the League's commission, which was chaired
by lawyer Simon Bourne-Arton, did a deal with West Ham to avoid a points
deduction and help them stay in the competition at the expense of arguably
less glamorous rivals.
He said: "The fact that the league is as good as it is and as lucrative as
it is, is leading to people being desperate to stay in it. It's an emotive
time, people are absolutely clinging on to the Premier League by any means
they can.
"I don't get offended by much in the job, but I find the suggestion that we
wanted to keep West Ham in the Premiership at the expense of so-called
smaller clubs one of the most offensive things I've heard. We treat all
clubs on a very even-handed basis.
"The idea that we would manipulate who is in the League and who is not in
the League is so ridiculous it's nonsensical.
advertisement
"People feel an injustice has been done, that's their view. But the board
remains convinced that the commission was convened correctly. We also remain
convinced that the board carried out its duties entirely properly under
legal advice with regards to the Tevez registration issue.
"We have dealt with those things and we really don't think there is anywhere
for this to go. The offer of a meeting is still there, we have reiterated
that. But at some point only those clubs can decide what they do next."
Scudamore said the League had seen copies of letters sent to MSI and Just
Sports Inc, the two companies who own Tevez, terminating their agreement on
the same day as the judgment on April 27 - the day before West Ham beat
Wigan 3-0.
He added that the League had also seen a letter terminating the deal sent to
Tevez himself and that the club had provided written undertakings that the
deal had been permanently terminated.
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Gang of four 'driven by greed' - this Is London
12.05.07
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore came out fighting on Friday
night, claiming that the "Gang of Four" are being driven by greed in their
dispute with West Ham. "I don't get offended by much in the job but I find
the suggestion that we wanted to keep West Ham in at the expense of
so-called smaller clubs one of the most offensive things I've heard," he
said. "The idea that we'd manipulate who's in the League and who isn't is
so ridiculous it's nonsensical. "Do we want Reading or Wigan in the
Premiership? Bloody right we do because they won the Championship."
Scudamore is indignant at allegations that the Hammers were given
preferential treatment when an independent commission decided against a
points deduction and instead fined them £5.5million after they admitted
breaching PL rules. Wigan, Sheffield United, Fulham and Charlton stand to
lose £60m by dropping out of the League and they are threatening to sue
after Carlos Tevez was granted permission to continue playing for relegation
rivals West Ham.
With such huge sums at stake, Scudamore believes the Gang of Four are being
motivated by money and said: "With the League being as good as it is and
with it being as lucrative as it is, people are desperate to stay in it.
"It's an emotive time and people are hanging on to the Premier League by any
means they can. "You have to remain phlegmatic about it — that's what all
this is about."
The Premier League chief also said that he had evidence that the contentious
third party agreement between West Ham and Tevez's agent, Kia Joorabchian,
had been torn up. Scudamore, prepared to meet the clubs to discuss their
threat of legal action, added: "Having been through nine months of this,
don't just think that we've got a verbal agreement. "We have a copy of the
letter of termination sent to the third party, proof of receipt and proof it
was served on Carlos Tevez."
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan stayed on the attack on Friday night. Whelan, who
will watch his team scrap for survival against Sheffield United as West Ham
play at Manchester United, said he will take the Premier League to court if
they can't prove the Tevez-Joorabchian links have been severed. And he
added: "English football and the Premiership have enjoyed a quality
reputation across the globe but this business is tainting that."
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Curbs: You dropped us in it, Rafa - This Is London
12.05.07
Alan Curbishley on Friday night took a swipe at Liverpool manager Rafael
Benitez after he let Fulham off the relegation hook by fielding a reserve
side at Craven Cottage last weekend. West Ham travel to Old Trafford on
Sunday fighting for their Premiership lives and Sir Alex Ferguson has
promised to put out a full-strength side so that the supporters can salute
the champions. Although Lawrie Sanchez's side had to wait until Monday
evening, when Charlton were beaten at home to Tottenham, to preserve their
Premiership status, Curbishley believes Fulham should still be in the
dogfight. Fulham beat Liverpool 1-0 and it means West Ham, Wigan Athletic or
Sheffield United will join Charlton and Watford in the Championship next
season. Curbishley said: "Sir Alex Ferguson has already come out and said he
won't disrespect the league and he will be putting out a full-strength team.
"We have been keeping our counsel, but when you look at the Liverpool team
that day I think Paul Jewell at Wigan was the only one to come out and be
vocal about it. "There won't be many unfamiliar names in Manchester United's
team. I spoke to Sir Alex on Monday to congratulate him on winning the
Premiership title, but we didn't speak for long."
Ferguson and Curbishley are close friends, but events could conspire against
the Hammers if they are beaten at Old Trafford on Sunday. Victory for United
would leave West Ham vulnerable and if Wigan can pull off a surprise by
beating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, Curbishley's side will be
relegated.
The Hammers dragged themselves out of the bottom three for the first time
since December 3 when they beat Bolton Wanderers 3-1 at Upton Park last
weekend, but there are still no guarantees that they will avoid the drop to
the Championship. Curbishley added: "We have given ourselves a chance and
that's all I have asked of the players. They have been magnificent. "We have
had a lot of criticism, especially when we were beaten 6-0 at Reading in
January and 4-0 at Charlton the following month, and there has been a lot of
publicity around us. "Sheffield United and Wigan both have to go for a
result and I'm sure there will still be a few twists left before the final
whistle. "Wigan know what they have to do and Paul Jewell knows nothing less
than a victory will do. It is that clear. "We have said consistently that
we just want to focus on ourselves and our game and that is what we will
do."
The Hammers looked doomed when they were beaten 4-3 by Tottenham on March 3,
but they have staged a remarkable recovery. Inspired by Carlos Tevez, they
have since won six of their last eight games and are on the verge of
securing Premiership status for a third consecutive season. The future of
their Argentina striker remains unclear — their Icelandic chairman Eggert
Magnusson will sit down with the player's representative Kia Joorabchian to
discuss the future next week — but the stage is set for him to make a
dramatic impact at Old Trafford. Curbishley added: "I wasn't being flippant
when I said he doesn't understand what is going on around him, but he is a
footballer's footballer. "His performances in the last eight games have been
magnificent, but then just look at his first few months at the club because
he didn't score a goal. "It's not just him, though, because the whole team
have responded."
THE £60M DROP
1.The new three-year TV deal guarantees that even the bottom club receives
"prize" money of £30m next season.
2.Clubs relegated in 2007-08 will still pick up two annual parachute
payments of £11m.
3.Gate receipts and other income is around £10m more than in the
Championship.
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Jewell wants last laugh over Hammers on day of reckoning - This Is London
12.05.07
Midway through what could be his final Press conference as a Premiership
manager — with Wigan, at least — Paul Jewell was asked if he had received
many messages of support ahead of Sunday's crunch game with Sheffield United
at Bramall Lane. With typical Jewell mischief, the mobile phone was out of
his pocket immediately. "Look at this one," he said. "It says, 'Good luck on
Sunday. Make sure you win and send those b******s at West Ham down. From
Richard Scudamore at the Premier League'."
If laughter is the antidote to pressure, then Jewell supplied it in
abundance on Friday. Underneath, of course, there are serious issues at
hand. Relegation would cost Wigan in the region of £60million and, in all
likelihood, their manager. But Jewell's message was unequivocal. "We will
get people off the hook if we win and send West Ham down," he said. "I think
the Premier League would be jumping up and down if that happened. It would
make it easier for them."
As his chairman Dave Whelan continued his attack on the League's failure to
deduct West Ham points over the Carlos Tevez affair, Jewell remained
pragmatic. "If we go down, then it will be because we deserve to go down,"
he said. "It will be because we haven't been good enough. But I don't think
we will go down. "I think we are a good side and all we need to do is go to
Sheffield United and win. "Then whatever West Ham do — or have done in the
past — won't matter to us. We have a chance to take West Ham out of the
equation completely. "Carlos Tevez can score 10 goals and it won't matter at
all to us if we win. If we do that, we will still be in the Premiership. For
a club of this size that would be a hell of an achievement."
Despite a failure to win in eight matches and the recent memory of two limp
home defeats to Middlesbrough and, of course, West Ham, Jewell's approach
was to accentuate the positives on Friday. If only half of his messages —
subliminal or otherwise — have got through to his players, Wigan have a
chance.
"This is the biggest game of our lives," he added. "It is a European Cup
Final and an FA Cup Final rolled into one. "My players have had the fear
factor recently, but that has to go because if we go to Sheffield and don't
perform then we are down. "We need to be positive without being reckless.
If we were going to play at Manchester United or at Liverpool, then I would
be sitting here saying the right things, but underneath I would be thinking,
'Bloody hell, this will be tough'."But, as it is, we are going to Sheffield
United and although I know it will be tough, I also know we're easily good
enough to win."
Jewell has been in this situation before, of course. Seven years ago his
Bradford team beat Liverpool at home on the final day and survived. And then
Jewell walked out. It is also entirely feasible that Jewell could leave this
summer — a possibility acknowledged by his chairman on Friday. Whelan said:
"If a big club came along — like a top-six club — then I would not stand in
Paul's way. "He has two years left on his contract, so that would have to
be compensated, but I would be the first to wish him luck because he is a
very talented and ambi tious young manager. "If he wants to go, then I would
understand because he is too good for relegation. But I must say I feel he
is committed to Wigan and I would not expect him to leave."
There are likely to be suitors this summer — among them Manchester City —
and perhaps Wigan have risen as far as they possibly can. Among those close
to Jewell, there has been talk that he feels ready for another challenge.
Quite rightly, he was having none of it on Friday. "This is not the time to
talk about people's personal situations," he said. "We need to be together
and give our best. If we do that and it's not good enough, then that's OK."
Jewell has a good relationship with Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock but
acknowledged his rival's relative unpopularity. "I have had lots of calls
and messages from inside the game and I guess West Ham boss Alan Curbishley
has too," said Jewell. "But Neil will have had none!"
Jewell was asked if his players care as much as he does, given that many
will just leave if Wigan are relegated. "Hey, who knows?" laughed Jewell. "I
may leave too!" Cue more laughter. But the possibility of Wigan in the
Championship and deprived of their manager is just not funny.
WHAT IF?
WIGAN will be relegated unless they win at SHEFFIELD UNITED. In that event,
either the Bramall Lane club or WEST HAM would go down.
The Hammers would survive with a point at Manchester United. If they lose,
they are more likely to go down than the Blades because of inferior goal
difference.
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Agent: Tevez is a happy Hammer - TeamTalk
Carlos Tevez's agent insists the West Ham striker is not planning to leave
Upton Park - but admits his future remains undecided. The Argentina
international, who has spearheaded West Ham's battle against relegation,
hopes to still be at the club next season. Tevez's Upton Park future lies in
the hands of his representative, Kia Joorabchian, and West Ham chairman
Eggert Magnusson. But Joorabchian has agreed not to hold talks with West Ham
or any other interested parties until after Sunday's game against Manchester
United. Joorabchian said: "There have been no talks of any kind at all
because Carlos and I agreed we would wait until the final game of the season
was over so he could concentrate fully on getting West Ham out of trouble.
"So reports saying Carlos is leaving West Ham because he stopped taking
English lessons are just not true. "Carlos stopped having lessons because he
is returning soon to Argentina and does not know where he will be playing
next season. "He could be at West Ham but he doesn't know yet because we
have done nothing about his future.
"We will talk to West Ham and any other interested parties. "Carlos loves
playing for West Ham and has a great relationship with the supporters. "He
would like to stay if all parties can agree a deal between them."
West Ham are understood to have indicated a desire to keep Tevez at Upton
Park, and could afford it if they get the right result on Sunday and stay in
the Premiership. But the Hammers are likely to face competition from some of
the leading clubs in Europe, which could eventually price them out of the
market.
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has not even discussed with Magnusson
whether or not signing Tevez permanently is a realistic ambition. But it
seems improbable that Curbishley would not want Tevez at Upton Park next
season following his performances for the Hammers over the last two months.
He has played through the pain of an injured ankle to score six goals in the
last nine games and had a hand in most of the others as West Ham lifted
themselves out of the relegation zone. "Tevez in recent weeks has responded
brilliantly, like the rest of the players," said Curbishley. "His
performances have been excellent. In all his actions he has been desperate
for the club to do well. Even when I first walked in and he wasn't playing,
he had that about him. "His performances have galvanised a lot of people.
Some of the other players have galvanised him. It has been a team effort.
"He is a footballer's footballer. When footballers come into a club they are
accepted straight away if they have got the ability and that is what he has
got. That over-rides any language barrier. "But I have not had any
discussions with the chairman about the future at all, either way. "We just
want to get through to the weekend, see the outcome and then have our
discussions next week regarding the club and the best way forward."
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No new injuries for Old Trafford crunch - TeamTalk
West Ham manager Alan Curbishley has no fresh injury concerns ahead of
Sunday's Premiership trip to champions Manchester United. Inspirational
striker Carlos Tevez could be playing his final game for the club as his
future remains in doubt. Luis Boa Morte appears set to continue on the left
of midfield after finding his form for the Hammers in recent weeks. After
winning six of their last eight matches, one point at Old Trafford would
guarantee West Ham avoid relegation.
West Ham (from): Green, Neill, Collins, Ferdinand, McCartney, Benayoun,
Reo-Coker, Noble, Boa Morte, Zamora, Tevez, Carroll, Dailly, Spector,
Davenport, Konchesky, Mullins, Bowyer, Etherington, Cole, Harewood, Blanco,
Sheringham.
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Don't forget your own plight - the Sun
By MARK IRWIN
May 12, 2007
ALAN CURBISHLEY has warned Sheffield United could cut their own throats if
they try to carve up West Ham. The Upton Park boss refuses to believe Neil
Warnock's men will conspire with fellow strugglers Wigan to send the Hammers
down tomorrow. But he insists any secret agreements could easily backfire on
the Blades and leave them facing the drop instead. Curbishley knows a West
Ham defeat at Old Trafford, coupled with a Wigan win at Bramall Lane, would
be enough to relegate his team. But he cautioned: "There are so many twists
and turns on the last day of the season — and I'm sure Sheffield United
won't forget what happened the last time they were relegated from the
Premiership in 1994. "With five minutes to go at Chelsea, they were safe
from the drop. Then Everton beat Wimbledon, United lost and they were down.
That really hurt them. "Two years ago there were four teams who could all
have gone down on the last day. "Crystal Palace were a few minutes from
safety but West Brom scored and suddenly Palace dropped into the bottom
three. "There have been a lot of conspiracy theories put forward this week.
Yet nobody can get together and plot like that, because it's too dangerous.
"I cannot ever see a situation where any Premiership club would go out and
deliberately lose a game. "All three of us still in danger of relegation
have to go flat out on Sunday for the result to secure our own futures. We
can't worry about what anyone else is doing."
Curbishley admits most neutrals probably do want West Ham to fall through
the trapdoor, after escaping a points deduction for transfer irregularities
involving Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Nor is he expecting any
favours from Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. He added: "I'm sure when
we get to Old Trafford there will be a lot of familiar names on their team
sheet. Alex has already said he has to respect the League and he'll put out
a strong side. It certainly won't be as unfamiliar as Liverpool's team which
lost to Fulham last week. "Everyone has been having their say and has jumped
on the West Ham bandwagon in the last month. And it has been getting louder
and louder. "The fact is the Premier League inquiry team have made their
judgment on the transfers and made it clear they're not taking any further
action. "Everyone should get on with it and concentrate on their football.
That's what we've done. We've kept our heads down and come up quietly on the
rails. Maybe others should do the same."
Curbishley is adamant that, after winning six of their last eight games to
climb out of the relegation zone, his side will not freeze at Old Trafford.
He declared: "It's going to be a nerve-racking 90 minutes and there's a lot
at stake. But we're not afraid of the big occasion. "Most of these players
have been involved in an FA Cup final and the play-off finals. They've been
under enormous pressure all season. This is just one more game to deal
with."
Curbishley says he has not even discussed the implications of relegation
with owner Eggert Magnusson. But win, lose or draw tomorrow, it could prove
to be Tevez's last game for the club before his controversial loan
arrangement expires. Curbishley admitted: "I think a lot of the controversy
has passed Carlos by, as he doesn't speak English and just gets on with his
job. "His performances in the last six games have been excellent and he has
galvanised a lot of the other players and grabbed the publicity for some
terrific team efforts. "He hadn't scored when I arrived here at Christmas.
But even when he wasn't playing, all his actions showed he wanted the club
to do well. "It was a difficult situation when I took over. Mascherano was
really down and could see no light at the end of the tunnel. "In the end, an
opportunity arose for him to join Liverpool and he moved from a relegation
scrap to a Champions League campaign. Perhaps, one day, Javier will thank me
for giving him that chance. But Tevez was different. He was more upbeat and
has responded brilliantly in a high-pressure situation. "I don't know if
he's dreaming of signing off with the goal which keeps us up. Yet we
definitely need one more performance from him on Sunday. "We've been living
with the threat of relegation for so long that I'm genuinely looking forward
to it all being sorted out. "We've given ourselves a chance of staying up
but we've done nothing yet. We have to get something at Old Trafford or hope
something else happens for us at Bramall Lane."
m.irwin@the-sun.co.uk
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Scudamore insists West Ham inquiry was conducted according to rules - Times
Oliver Kay and Matt Dickinson
The most exciting Premiership campaign in years comes to a conclusion
tomorrow amid rancour and recrimination, but Richard Scudamore, the Premier
League chief executive, put his head above the parapet last night to counter
the welter of criticism, which include Sir Alex Ferguson's accusations of
"telling porkies".
The FA Premier League is embroiled in two controversies, the first involving
complaints from Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic over the eligibility of
Carlos Tévez to play for West Ham United after the London club's £5.5
million fine for a breach of transfer regulations and the second relating to
Tim Howard, the Everton goalkeeper, who did not play against Manchester
United on April 28 because of a gentleman's agreement that accompanied his
transfer from Old Trafford.
Scudamore has been accused of mishandling both cases, particularly West Ham,
who avoided a points deduction over their controversial deals to sign Tévez
and Javier Mascherano, which could yet be the subject of legal action from
Sheffield United or Wigan if either are relegated while the London club stay
up tomorrow.
Dave Whelan, the Wigan chairman, has written to Scudmore demanding "concrete
evidence" of Tévez's eligibility to play for West Ham since his initial
contract was found to be in breach of the league's regulations because of a
third-party agreement involving Kia Joorabchian, the Iranian-born
businessman. But, despite the ill-feeling that abounds, Scudamore maintains
that the integrity of the competition has not been brought into question.
"Everyone is entitled to have a view on the sanctions and there has been a
lot said and written," Scudamore said. "There are aggrieved parties. These
are emotional times. But I don't think the integrity of the table has been
undermined. Each team will finish where they deserve to finish.
"The commission [that investigated the Tévez affair] acted purely in
accordance with our rules. They decided on the sanction and, as far as the
Premier League board is concerned, that is the end of the matter. The rules
do not provide for clubs to sit around in a kangaroo court. The most serious
matters go before an independent commission, including an eminently
qualified lawyer and others selected from a panel approved by the clubs. If
anyone has an objection to the panel, they can raise it at the time. In this
case they did not.
"After the commission, West Ham were given two choices: to tear up the
agreement [with Tévez] or to amend it to satisfy us that it met the
regulations. They chose the former. We sought and obtained written
confirmation that that was the case. They are under an obligation to behave
consistently with that termination. If we have evidence that West Ham have
conducted themselves differently, they will expose themselves to huge risk."
Despite the threat apparent in that last statement, West Ham are widely
perceived to have beaten the system by escaping without the points deduction
that would have almost certainly confirmed their relegation, with the
Premier League accused of rushing a decision in order to avoid the
controversy dragging into the summer. Scudamore said that "the commission
could not physically have sat any sooner and nor could we have had it any
later".
The league has also been accused of mishandling the controversy over
Howard's absence from the Everton team that lost 4-2 to United on April 28.
United issued a statement yesterday confirming that, during transfer
negotiations in February, they had requested the insertion of a clause that
would prevent the goalkeeper playing in the fixture, as had been the case
under the terms of his previous loan.
They claim that their request was rejected, but that two senior league
officials had been aware of the gentleman's agreement that was subsequently
struck, with Ferguson claiming that the league were "telling porkies".
Scudamore denied that he had been complicit in the agreement and that the
subsequent decision to clear both clubs of wrongdoing was a cover-up. "The
two clubs came to us and said, 'Can we do X,' " he said. "They put their
case and we arbitrated that it should not be done. We don't think the
competition has been prejudiced."
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STOP HATING US AND START WORRYING ABOUT SAVING YOURSELVES - The Mirror
SURVIVAL SUNDAY D-Day for Wigan, West Ham & Sheffield Utd CURBISHLEY TELLS
RELEGATION RIVALS: STOP THIS 'PUBLIC ENEMY NO.1' PACT Man Utd v West Ham
tomorrow, KO 3pm
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 12/05/2007
ALAN CURBISHLEY last night warned Sheffield United to beware the sting in
the tail if they let themselves consider a pact with Wigan to try to send
West Ham down. The Hammers chief believes his side have become public enemy
No.1 in the fall-out from the Carlos Tevez affair, but he told Neil Warnock
and his men to dismiss any thoughts of a cosy agreement. Curbishley said:
"There's been lots of talking all week. Sheffield United and Wigan have both
got to go and secure their result and then hope it all falls into place. "I
don't think anybody can go into it other than flat-out to get their result.
I don't believe people can get together and have these conspiracies because
it's so dangerous. "It's the last game of the season and there can be so
many twists. I don't think Sheffield United will forget what happened to
them a few years ago - when they lost at Chelsea to go down on the last day
when, until the last minute, they looked safe. I remember two seasons ago
when I was at Charlton and Crystal Palace came to us. With six minutes to
go, Palace were safe and West Brom were going down, and then it all changed
round. So Sheffield United have got to do their job. You can't legislate for
what might go on. Wigan know what they've got to do and we know if we pick
anything up we've done our job."
Sabre-rattling from the JJB Stadium and Bramall Lane over the Tevez
punishment has intensified with the likelihood of West Ham pulling off the
great escape after looking doomed two months ago. For Curbishley, however,
it is time for the whinging to end. "Everybody's had their say and jumped on
the West Ham bandwagon," said the Upton Park chief. "Everybody has been
going on about it but the inquiry was held and came to its judgement and the
Premier League has said there's no chance of anything happening. "Now
everybody has got to get on with it. That's what we've done the last six or
seven weeks and quietly come up on the rails. "I know we've got to have one
eye on what's going on elsewhere but we've got to concentrate on our game.
"I've not spoken to the players about anything else that could happen, but I
noticed that Paul Jewell said that they've got to go to Bramall Lane and
win, and that's it."
Curbishley anticipates his old pal Sir Alex Ferguson will not do him any
favours with his team selection tomorrow, but he did point an accusatory
finger at the Liverpool side Rafa Benitez picked at Fulham last week, as the
Cottagers saved themselves with a victory. But, as the Hammers boss
conceded, his players will only have themselves to blame if they fail to
conjure up the point they need. "We've not done anything yet, nothing," said
Curbishley. "The players deserve great credit for the ability and
determination they've shown in recent weeks. "But now we've got to do it for
one more game, get across this last game and get something from Old Trafford
or hope something else happens. "What we have done is given ourselves a
chance. I said a few weeks ago that was all we can do. The question now is
whether we can grab it this weekend."
Curbishley suggested that his deadpan approach had helped, along with
Tevez's emergence and the key ingredient, luck. "I don't go too high when we
win or too low when we lose," he said. "It doesn't do you favours if the
manager jumps up and down all the time. "We've had some disappointing
moments, weren't getting any luck and it wasn't happening for us. But even
when we lost at home to Spurs in the way we did, there were positives,
because we gave the fans something to respond to for the first time. "When
you start working hard that luck comes along. We had it at Blackburn and
Arsenal and it bred the confidence to go and get results. "Maybe it helped
for Carlos that it all passed him by, because he doesn't speak English. He
genuinely believes he's just a footballer and should be allowed to get on
with it and his performances in the last five or six games have been
excellent. "It's not just been Carlos but he's been part of it and managed
to grab the publicity. He has responded brilliantly in recent weeks and is
playing with a lot of confidence. "I don't know if he's been dreaming of
scoring at Old Trafford but I do know he's been desperate for the club to do
well. "Even when he wasn't playing he had that about him. His performances
galvanised a lot of people and some of the others have galvanised him. It's
been a team effort. "But we all understand how big the game is and what it
means. We'll let everybody else do the talking and get our result. That's
what matters."
PROBABLE TEAMS
Man Utd
4-4-2
Van der Sar
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Heinze
Fletcher Carrick O'Shea Richardson
Smith Solskjaer
West Ham
4-4-2
Green
Neill Ferdinand Collins McCartney
Benayoun Reo-Coker Noble Boa Morte
Tevez Zamora
betfair
Premiership relegation:
4-9 Wigan, 9-2 West Ham 7-1 Sheffield Utd. Full details online at
www.betfair.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'THE DAY I GOT UNDER THE SKIN OF SIR ALEX' - The Mirror
EXCLUSIVE MIKE WALTERS MEETS.. Former West Ham skipper and manager Billy
Bonds
Mike Walters 12/05/2007
BEATEN by a relegated team who had nothing at stake except East End pride,
Alex Ferguson grudgingly conceded West Ham's effort had been "almost
obscene". And as Manchester United's grumpy manager watched the elusive Holy
Grail slip from his grasp yet again, Leeds duly slipped through the catflap
and burgled the title Fergie craved. Three years later, history virtually
repeated itself: on a dramatic final day of the season, the Hammers were
again complicit in denying United the Premiership crown at Upton Park
despite a frantic late siege of Ludo Miklosko's goal. Ferguson may have
forgiven West Ham for their connivance in United's heartbreaking near misses
in 1992 and 1995... but he has never forgotten. Now the boot is on the other
foot: the Hammers need a point at Old Trafford tomorrow to beat the drop -
and Hammers legend Billy Bonds, the manager who extracted their outrageous
resistance 15 years ago, knows Fergie's champions will greet West Ham with a
reciprocal obscenity. Bonds, who spent 27 years at Upton Park as player or
manager, still enjoys vivid recall of the night when fortune was always
hiding from United. He said: "Obviously Sir Alex was very upset because it
cost him the championship - which he hadn't won at that stage since he
joined United. "From my point of view, it had been probably the worst year
I've had in football: I lost my dad and my father-in-law, and West Ham were
relegated after launching the bond scheme which led to demonstrations with
fans on the pitch and trying to get into the directors' box. "Sir Alex
called our effort 'obscene' because we were already down and we had only our
pride to play for, but I think the players just wanted a chance to redeem
themselves and finish with a bit of credit. "We won 1-0 through a deflected
30-yard shot by Kenny Brown, but United only had themselves to blame because
they missed a hatful of chances. "They were architects of their own downfall
as much as we denied them through any superhuman effort. They couldn't put
the ball in the net and the gods were with us. "I can understand why he was
upset, because we had lost our previous home game 2-0 to Palace and it
looked like the end of the season couldn't come quick enough for us. "It's
15 years since that night, and he's never spoken to me about it - although
I'm sure he's never forgotten it." Then, after Harry Redknapp had taken
over, it happened again to him at Upton Park, didn't it? United drew 1-1 on
the last day of the season, and if they had scored the winner they would
have pipped Blackburn to the championship. "That was a strange one - at
Anfield you had Jamie Redknapp scoring in the last minute for Liverpool with
a freekick to beat Blackburn and leave the door open for United, and at the
same time you had his dad's team under siege and denying Sir Alex the title.
But it goes to show you can never count your chickens in football. "We did
Leeds a massive favour by beating United that night and they went on to win
the title, but look where they are now."
Bonds, who lifted the FA Cup for West Ham in 1975 and 1980, accepts
Ferguson's commitment to the "integrity" of the Premiership relegation
battle will mean no picnic for Alan Curbishley's Hammers tomorrow. United
fielded a reserve team for the title decider-that-wasn't at Stamford Bridge
in midweek and Bonzo said: "Judging by the side Sir Alex put out against
Chelsea, I can't see United taking a lap of honour with the Premiership
trophy and then taking their foot off the pedal. "Even if United's big guns
were not playing, Old Trafford is a difficult place to get even a point, and
I'll be somewhere near a TV on Sunday afternoon nervously keeping an eye on
the scores from United and Bramall Lane. "The worst scenario for us is
obviously Wigan winning 1-0 at Sheffield United and West Ham losing. "But no
one fancied us to beat Man United 15 years ago, so you never know. "And if
you had said to me a couple of months ago, after West Ham had lost 4-0 at
Charlton, that they would need a point from their last game of the season to
stay up, I would have taken it." 'I'm certain that Fergie has never
forgotten it' 'We went down.. but had pride to play for'
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