14/08/2007 16:49
West Ham United's Under-18s kick off their FA Premier Youth Academy 2007-08
campaign with a home clash against Fulham on Saturday morning.
Tony Carr's team will welcome their London rivals to Little Heath before
facing a trip to Portsmouth the following week.
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Mac fury at Sanchez - SSN
Defender delighted to return to international fold
Last updated: 14th August 2007
George McCartney has blamed former manager Lawrie Sanchez for his two-year
absence from the Northern Ireland squad. The West Ham defender fell out of
favour with Sanchez when he was in charge with the now Fulham boss
questioning the player's attitude. Now, though, he has been picked in new
manager Nigel Worthington's first squad and is likely to face Liechtenstein
in a Euro 2008 qualifier on 22nd August because Aaron Hughes is out injured.
McCartney is still hurt at what happened under Sanchez. "I have always
wanted to play for Northern Ireland," he said. "But there were some strange
goings-on with Lawrie that kept me from playing for my country. I have
always been proud to put on the shirt." McCartney is, however, expecting a
mixed reception from the fans at Windsor Park a week on Wednesday. He said:
"I know some of them will welcome me back and others will be a bit hesitant.
"But I hope by the time the Liechtenstein game comes around the fans will
push everyone on towards qualifying."
Worthington got word that McCarthy was keen to return and is delighted to
have him back on board. "I spoke with George a few weeks ago and I know he
was thrilled to get the call," said the former Norwich boss. "We do not have
a great number of players to call on, being a small nation. "So it is useful
for me that we can bring in George who has a lot of Premier League
experience. His knowledge and experience will help the group."
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West Ham close to Kieron Dyer deal - telegraph
By Jeremy Wilson
Last Updated: 1:30am BST 15/08/2007
The on-off transfer appeared to have collapsed almost two weeks ago when
Newcastle upped their asking price from £6 million to £8 million at the 11th
hour after Dyer had a medical. West Ham and Dyer were upset by Newcastle's
tactics, although they do appear to have secured an extra £1 million for the
England midfielder's services. It is understood that the new deal, which
West Ham hope to conclude today, will involve an initial fee of £6 million
with the final £1 million dependent on appearances. Dyer, 28, is keen to
leave the North East, after eight years and 251 matches for Newcastle, to be
closer to his family in Ipswich. He comes with a history of injury problems
and would be reunited with his former Newcastle team-mate Lee Bowyer, who
famously threw a punch at him during a match against Aston Villa in 2005.
With Dyer leaving, Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce will move quickly to tie
up a £2 million deal with his former club Bolton for Senegalese
international Abdoulaye Faye. Faye, 29, was taken to Bolton by Allardyce in
December 2005 and will link up with his old manager when a deal is announced
today. A versatile player, Faye began life in England as a midfielder but
was then transformed into a centre-half by Allardyce and played the majority
of last season at the heart of Bolton's defence. While Dyer is expected to
sign a deal of around £60,000 a week at West Ham, Eidur Gudjohnsen could
threaten his transfer to Upton Park. West Ham and Barcelona are agreed on a
price of £7 million but Gudjohnsen is believed to be holding out for a
salary of close to £100,000 a week.
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Derby warn West Ham over Barnes 'tap up' - This Is London
14.08.07
Derby chairman Peter Gadsby has warned West Ham he will report them to the
Premier League if he finds any evidence they have tapped up teenager Giles
Barnes. Gadsby suspects foul play after Derby received an unsolicited offer
from West Ham for the midfielder that fell way below their valuation. He
said: "They would be mistaken if they thought Derby County were a soft
touch. We have had an approach that we didn't want. I hate to use the word
derisory but it was certainly unrealistic. "The bid suggested two things.
First, that there was some business we don't know about. Secondly, that it
was in itself unattractive.
"We have formed an opinion and we will act upon that when some facts fall
into place."
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Anton: I'm ready for England - the Sun
By MAX SHORT
August 15, 2007
ANTON FERDINAND insists he can form a dream partnership with brother Rio at
the back for England. Coach Steve McClaren has a defensive crisis as skipper
John Terry and Ledley King are crocked, while Jamie Carragher has retired
from international football. West Ham centre-half Ferdinand, 22, is now
hoping to get the call for Mac's squad to face Germany next Wednesday. He
said: "It's always been my dream to play for England. "I can't play for the
Under-21s any more because I am too old and the next step is the senior
squad. "It's down to me and my performances on the pitch. I would like to
think I've done well at U-21 level. "I've shown that I can play at
international standard and I hope the England manager has been looking at
that. "One of my dad's biggest dreams was to see both of us make it. He saw
Rio make it and was not going to stop until he saw me do the same. "It is
also a big dream that Rio and all my family are hoping for — that we can one
day play together for England. "We would probably need a section of the
ground for friends and family if that was to happen."
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Derby threaten to report West Ham over Barnes - the Times
Peter Lansley
On the day that Billy Davies signed a new three-year contract committing
himself to Derby County, Peter Gadsby, the chairman at Pride Park, intimated
that he would report West Ham United to the FA if they were proved to be
unsettling Giles Barnes.
The England Under-19 winger is said to be the subject of a £3.5 million bid
but Gadsby not only dismissed that figure as "derisory" but also confirmed
that Derby are investigating to what extent the player may have been "tapped
up" before deciding what action to take.
Derby are not under any financial pressure to sell their starlet, who is
ruled out until next month with a foot injury. Indeed, Gadsby and his fellow
board members have made seven-figure investments in the club to facilitate
Davies's £9 million worth of transfer activity this summer. More signings
are expected imminently.
"There is a history of this club being pillaged," Gadsby said. "With the
Barnes situation, we've got a particular club that has been very busy – his
father's very influential in his life – but they'd be mistaken if they
thought Derby County were a soft touch. Giles Barnes is an important part of
the progress of this club and my advice to him would be to keep his head
down and progress with it.
"If we have any evidence that things are going on, we'll look at it. We're
watching the Barnes situation very closely as to how the business is
progressing. We have formed an opinion and we'll wait a little while. We're
waiting for some facts before we decide where to go with this." Davies, set
to make his Premier League dugout debut at Manchester City this evening
after Saturday's one-match touchline ban, pulled Barnes to one side during
training yesterday to recommend patience.
"Although we've had several inquiries, we've told him we want him to stay at
Derby County and to continue his development here," the manager said. "We've
had a good chat about it this morning and I've told him we want to get him
fit and get him in the team again, scoring goals and playing the way we know
he can."
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