West Ham United will be honouring the legendary No6 this weekend - don't
miss out on this special souvenir
07.08.2008
This Saturday will see the 50th anniversary of Bobby Moore's debut honoured
in style at the Boleyn Ground with the visit of Villarreal. Whether coming
to the game or not, you can still be a part of it by pre-ordering the
special commemorative programme.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Stephanie Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst, Martin
Peters, David Beckham and many more as well as club greats past and present
like Ken Brown, Mark Noble, Alan Devonshire and Matthew Upson, who will be
the last player to ever wear Moore's famed No6 shirt, it promises to be a
collectors' edition to keep for years to come. There is also full coverage
of Saturday's opponents Villarreal - who have risen from humble beginnings
to become one of Europe's elite sides and the new partnership with the Bobby
Moore Fund for Cancer Research.
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The enemy within - KUMB
Filed: Friday, 8th August 2008
By: Staff Writer
Speculation concerning Alan Curbishley's diminishing influence on player
sales increased tonight after fresh rumours regarding the club's financial
situation arose. Just 24 hours after West Ham United announced the premature
departure of Freddie Ljungberg the future of fans' favourite Dean Ashton is
rumoured to be under threat - despite the striker signing a five-year
contract just last month.
A purported £15million bid from Tottenham was said to have been rejected
yesterday - and also denied according to other sources - but later stories
suggested that United could be willing to part company with the England
international for around £20million, leading to rumours that all players in
the squad have their price.
Within the last 36 hours Aston Villa are also thought to have tempted the
Hammers by offering a figure in the region of £25million for Ashton and team
mate Anton Ferdinand, whose future at the club had been under threat all
summer. As with the Tottenham bid, neither club have at this point confirmed
nor denied the rumours.
CEO Scott Duxbury's statement earlier this week that 'Hell would have to
freeze over for us to sell Dean to a major rival' was initially welcomed by
fans. However the ambiguity of the term 'major rival' at the end of the
statement has been questioned, with some asking if this is not simply a
caveat allowing the club a get-out clause in the event of any sale.
Curbishley is thought to have been against last month's sale of Bobby Zamora
to Fulham, a move believed to have been instigated by a board desperate to
reduce a wage bill that spun out of control with the acquisition of several
high-earners last year.
Further clues as to Curbishley's waning influence came earlier this week
when he told local media that he expected Freddie Ljungberg to return to the
club imminently. Just hours after the interview was published, the club
confirmed that Ljungberg had indeed departed - lending more credence to
suggestions that Curbishley is being undermined by those higher up in the
club.
The club's failure thus far to offload the necessary number of fringe
players is rumoured to have forced the board to widen their scope with
regards to those squad members considered available for sale - hence the
latest rumours regarding Ashton.
The recent trials given to reknowned thug Ben Thatcher and 30-year-old
Cypriot Michalis Konstantinou (who looked out of place against Grays last
weekend) also appear to confirm that the Hammers have lowered their sights
with regard to inward transfer targets. Just one player - Valon Behrami -
has been added to the first team squad since last year - despite obvious
shortcomings in several areas.
One player linked with United earlier in the summer, Nicky Shorey, signed
for Aston Villa today. Despite denials thus far from West Ham United, if
speculation is to be believed Shorey could indeed be playing alongside Dean
Ashton in a claret and blue shirt soon.
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Curbs blamed for Freddie flop
Hammers boss singled out over wasted Ljungberg cash
By James Pearson Last updated: 8th August 2008
West Ham's Icelandic owners have pointed the finger squarely at Alan
Curbishley and his management team over the costly signing of Freddie
Ljungberg.
The Sweden international cost The Hammers £3million when he joined from
Arsenal, although injury restricted him to just 25 starts for the East
Londoners.
Ljungberg joined on a lucrative three-year deal worth a reported
£75,000-a-week, a contract West Ham settled this week leaving them an
estimated £6million out of pocket. West Ham's fans had blamed former
chairman Eggert Magnusson for splashing out on the 31-year-old, but co-owner
Asgeir Fridgeirsson believes Curbishley should accept responsibility. "It's
the manager and his management team who are responsible for paying out the
player's salary," Fridgeirsson complained in The Sun. "It is their judgment
about how to use the money they paid to Ljungberg in a wiser way. We all
have our personal opinion about Freddie and his efforts for this club."
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Obua - Hammers wanted me
Obua confirms Laszlo's influence was the key
Last updated: 7th August 2008
Hearts' newest signing David Obua claims West Ham were keen to sign him
before he followed Csaba Laszlo to Tynecastle. The Ugandan secured a work
permit allowing him to move to the SPL side on Wednesday, and he revealed
working with his former national team coach at club level was precisely the
challenge he was looking for. Obua, who is recovering from a rib injury,
admits his career could have followed a different path if Laszlo was not
lured to Edinburgh by Hearts last month. "It is always the manager's
influence which has a bearing on a player and I have worked with Csaba for
the past two years with Uganda," he told Hearts' official website. "He is
the person who has really made me who I am today. West Ham United and Chievo
were interested in signing me but Csaba is the reason I decided to come to
Hearts."
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Friday's football transfer rumours: Dean Ashton to Tottenham?
Paolo Bandini guardian.co.uk, Friday August 08 2008 09:34 BST
Sleep deprivation can do funny things to a man. Each case is different, of
course, but sufferers have been known to experience confusion, watch Big
Brother, sever their own members and sometimes even just trail off in
mid-sent ...
The Mill only raises this issue because our own ability to snooze has been
seriously hampered of late by the ongoing uncertainty over the future of
Dean Ashton. On the one hand the internet reports that he is about to sign
for Tottenham for £20m. On the other hand actual logic suggests that would
probably be more than is sensible to pay for a striker whose assorted knacks
have restricted him to all of 15 league starts since joining West Ham
two-and-a-half years ago.
Not that we're the only ones suffering sleepless nights on Dean's account.
Indeed, the levels of disorientation at the Mail have reached such heights
that their scribes have even described Martin O'Neill's imminent capture of
Younes Kaboul from Tottenham for £6m as a "transfer victory".
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Eyjolfsson looking to follow the same path as the West Ham greats - Guardian
Series
8:40am Friday 8th August 2008
WEST HAM have a long tradition of unearthing talented young footballers, and
summer signing Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson is a player looking to walk the same
path. From the late, great Bobby Moore to current starlet Freddie Sears,
the Hammers' Academy of Football production line is revered throughout
Europe.
Although not as local as many of those to have graduated through the east
London club, Icelandic U21 star Eyjolfsson is still determined to bide his
time, work hard and hopefully become the next big thing at upton Park. "I
don't know how quickly I can move on to the first team. I'm just going to
train well, do my best and see what happens," said the 17-year-old. "I'm
settling in well and every day is better than the one before. "The biggest
difference is having to drive on the left-hand side of the road. I'm never
going to get used to that." He added: "One of the main reasons I chose to
come to England is because I can speak the language, added to the fact that
there are a lot of good young players here. "West Ham has got a good
reputation for producing youngsters. It's a big club."
Strong, athletic and versatile - he can also play defensive midfield -
Eyjolfsson certainly has the attributes to make a push for the first team.
He impressed enough during a week-long trial at Chadwell Heath in February
for the club to make him their first summer signing, arriving from Icelandic
outfit HK Kopavogur. But the youngster revealed he had no idea that the club
were so keen to acquire his services. He said: "I'd only been to England
once before I came over for my trial in February - and that was actually for
a West Ham game. "It's pretty funny. My club from Iceland arranged a trip to
come and watch West Ham play Bolton last November. I didn't know then that
they wanted to get me. "I went home and the next month they contacted me and
they told me they wanted to give me a trial."
For any teenager, living so far from home can be daunting experience.
Fortunately for Eyjolfsson, he has a fine role model in father Eyjolfur
Gjafar Sverrisson, who won 66 caps for Iceland during an illiustrious
playing career with Stuttgart, Besiktas and Hertha Berlin. "My dad has
guided my career all the way and I can still call him," said Eyjolfsson.
"Although I'm pretty much on my own, the coaches here here are pointing me
in the right direction."
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Hammers boss responsible for Ljungberg fiasco, says owners - Guardian Series
7:16am Friday 8th August 2008
WEST HAM boss Alan Curbishley has been blasted by the clubs owners for
wasting millions on Freddie Ljungberg. The injury-hit 31-year-old parted
company with the Hammers this week after agreeing to a huge pay-off deal
which is reported to have cost the club an astonishing £6million. That would
appear to cover the remaining two years of his £75,000 a week contract.
Although former chairman Eggert Magnusson is credited with dishing out the
huge wages to Ljungberg, the club's Icelandic co-owner Asgeir Fridgeirsson
has laid the blame for the fiasco at the door of Curbishley. Fridgeirsson
claims the Irons boss and his staff are in control of player wages, and
reckons the cash could have been put to better use. "It's the manager and
his management team who are responsible for paying out the player's salary,"
he told The Sun. "It is their judgment about how to use the money they paid
to Ljungberg in a wiser way. "We all have our personal opinion about Freddie
and his efforts for this club." Ljungberg arrived at Upton Park in a
£3million deal from Arsenal last summer. But his spell with the east
Londoners was hampered by a series of injuries, including a cracked rib. He
scored just twice in 25 appearances.
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Ljungberg ponders quitting Europe after West Ham release
tribalfootball.com - August 07, 2008
Released West Ham midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is ready to quit European
football. The Mirror says Ljungberg is considering a move to the US or Asia
after agreeing to leave West Ham.
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Fitness, the summer and links with Spurs... - icons.com ( Dean Ashton )
I was able to enjoy my summer a lot more as my new contract was sorted so
quickly. I said at the end of last season it was what I wanted to do and I
waited for the club to say the same thing. I was happy and West Ham were
happy, so I signed and that's all that matters really. There's been lots of
talk this week linking me with a move to Spurs. I honestly haven't heard
anything myself. It's just in the papers. I only signed a contract here in
the summer, so I don't know where it has come from. I'm sure West Ham will
deal with all the gossip.
It was a pretty hectic summer for me. I had about a week and a half off to
go on holiday but apart from that it was very busy. I was away with the
England team in Trinidad and Tobago. I also went on tour with West Ham in
the USA and Canada. I want to play a big part for England this season and in
the future.
Our busy schedule in America wasn't ideal but we got to play two good games.
That's what's important. It's also important for the club to travel far and
wide, to raise the team's profile. My experience of travelling with the
England squad was great. It meant a lot to get my first cap after everything
I have been through with injuries. It gave me a little taste of what
football with the senior squad felt like. Now I am hungry for more
opportunities. I want to play a big part for England this season and in the
future.
I started my own fitness regime about two weeks earlier than the official
start of pre-season. A lot of players at the top-level do this. I like doing
it. It means you don't have an opportunity to lose your fitness over the
summer months and it isn't too much of a shock to the system when you come
back.
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West Ham powerbroker raps Curbishley over Ljungberg case
tribalfooball.com - August 08, 2008
West Ham United co-owner Asgeir Fridgeirsson has rapped manager Alan
Curbishley over Freddie Ljungberg's dismal year at Upton Park. The Swede
trousered a whopping £6million pay-off after agreeing to tear up the
remaining two years of his £75,000-a-week deal. Fridgeirsson said: "It's the
manager and his management team who are responsible for paying out the
player's salary. "It is their judgment about how to use the money they paid
to Ljungberg in a wiser way. "We all have our personal opinion about Freddie
and his efforts for this club."
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West Ham boss Curbishley confident injury dramas now over
tribalfootball.com - August 08, 2008
Despite Craig Bellamy's hamstring setback, West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is
adamant his new-look medical team will improve their injury record.
Curbs has added chief medical officer Nikos Tzouroudis to lead a staff of
specialists, physios and fitness experts. The Hammers boss said: "Last year
our ratio was one fitness specialist to 10 players. "Players are high
maintenance. They demand people around them so that they have everything to
improve as a player and stay fit - so we have gone along with that."
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