WHUFC.com
Lucas Neill believes four points from their final three matches will see
West Ham United reach Europe
06.05.2009
West Ham United captain Lucas Neill believes the club need to take four
points from their remaining three Premier League fixtures to qualify for
next season's UEFA Europa League.
Neill led the Hammers to a brave, resilient 1-0 win at Stoke City on
Saturday, a victory that saw Gianfranco Zola's team leapfrog Fulham - who
lost 3-1 at Chelsea - back into seventh place and pole position for a place
in Europe next season.
The skipper, who inspired his colleagues both before and during the game
with his positive, never-say-die spirit and courageous defensive play, now
believes a win and a draw from the final three fixtures at home to Liverpool
on Saturday, away at Everton and then finally Middlesbrough at the Boleyn
Ground could well be enough to see him, Zola and everyone connected with the
club realise their continental dream.
"This win puts us in a fantastic position now, especially with Fulham
losing," said the Australia captain, who is on the verge of qualification
for the 2010 World Cup with the Socceroos. "It just gives us a one-point
cushion, but that one-point cushion is massive. We've got three very tough
games left, but then so does everyone else. At this stage, points are more
important than playing games that you think you might win.
"Realistically, we honestly think we now need four points for Europe. With
three games left, we need a win and a draw or two wins. Two wins virtually
guarantees it. This Saturday, we know it's going to be a tough game but
we've given ourselves the cushion that if we don't take points, we've got
two games to put it right."
Neill and Zola spent the past week drumming the significance of Saturday's
match at the Britannia Stadium into the squad. The pair emphasised the
importance of a victory at a ground where only three previous visiting teams
had picked up maximum points this season.
Thanks to a courageous defensive display from each and every player in
claret and blue, a commitment to the manager's passing game and a sublime
33rd minute free-kick from Diego Tristan, that positive mindset was
translated into a vital success.
"I enjoyed the clean sheet and the win. We asked ourselves a question during
the week - do we really want to be in Europe next year, and if we do, we
need to win. We needed to take maximum points and we needed to turn up, be
strong in character and be resilient."
Neill, along with goalkeeper Robert Green, central defenders Matthew Upson
and James Tomkins and a host of other heroes, threw themselves in front of
everything Stoke could muster, including a succession of long-throws into
the visitors' penalty area from Potters' midfielder Rory Delap.
"We needed to take everything that was thrown at us, and it was literally
thrown at us, and be brave enough to pass the ball around, and we did that.
We showed great character, particularly in the first half, when we passed
the ball and knocked it around and basically killed the game off. It was a
fantastic goal from Diego as well.
"In the second half we showed a different sort of character by being
resilient and very strong both mentally and physically. We just showed our
desire. We wanted to get back up to seventh place, get back on the winning
trail and to prove to everyone that we want to be in Europe."
"The manager and I are big believers in the thought that if you feel
positive, you play better. If you feel confident then it means you train
better and it means you play better. I'm not saying that we don't normally
do that, but on Saturday and last week we emphasised it and took the
concentration of the team we were playing against and put the focus on what
we needed to do."
While West Ham will go into next weekend's game against Liverpool full of
confidence, Manchester City, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, who all sit a
point behind the Hammers, face tough assignments against Manchester United,
Aston Villa and Everton respectively.
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Ilunga helps his homeland
WHUFC.com
Away from his unstinting commitment on the pitch, Herita Ilunga is lending
his support to a noble cause
06.05.2009
Herita Ilunga was a visitor to the Houses of Parliament this week to help
kick off a week of events to raise awareness about the Democratic Republic
of Congo, his home country.
Congo Now week runs from 4-8 May and will bring together artists, writers,
public figures and activists to highlight the suffering of the Congolese
people yet also celebrate the culture of this vast African country, which is
roughly the size of western Europe. Actress Thandie Newton features on the
bill at a celebration of Congo's culture at London's Southbank Centre on
Thursday evening.
Ilunga spent the first three years of his life in Congo before his family
moved over to France but returns there regularly to play for his national
team. He said: "Despite the atrocities the Congolese people are suffering
now, it remains a magnificent country, with a warm and unbeaten spirit and a
huge richness and diversity of culture. Such violence against civilians,
particularly children and women, is totally unacceptable. Everyone must
mobilise not just to reduce the violence, but to stop it completely."
Conflict in the east of Congo between rebels supported by neighbouring
Rwanda and the Congolese army has led to the displacement of more than 1.5
million people from their homes. It is estimated that more than five million
people have died as a result of the conflict in the country - and the
attendant hunger and disease - over the last decade.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa is the
driving force behind the Congo Now week and has joined forces with a large
number of charities to ask the British government and international donors
to play their part in tackling the underlying issues behind the longstanding
conflict in Congo.
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Friends reunited for Etherington
WHUFC.com
The chance to see his former team-mates and get a good reception from the
travelling Hammers faithful cheered Matthew Etherington
06.05.2009
Matthew Etherington said there was a fair bit of banter flying around on the
pitch as he went up against his former team-mates on Saturday.
The former West Ham United winger who moved to Stoke City in the January
transfer market after spending six successful years at the Boleyn, admitted
it was strange playing against his old team for the first time.
"It was a bit weird because I only moved a few months back so to be lining
up against the lads was funny," Etherington said. "And yes, there was some
banter going on out there as you would expect.
"I am still close to Lucas and Ginge - in fact Ginge and his wife stayed up
with me for the weekend, it was good to see all the lads and staff again."
With West Ham looking to cement a UEFA Europa League spot and Stoke looking
to get at least the point that would surely mean Premier League safety,
there was a lot to play for and Etherington was pleased to see both teams
compete to try and get a result.
"I thought West Ham played very well, especially in the first half, they
pinned us back and deserved the lead," he said. "But we did well in the
second half and got back into the game and had a few chances. We were a bit
disappointed in the dressing room afterwards but you dust yourself down and
get ready for the next match.
"We are there or thereabouts now in terms of being safe, but we won't be
resting on our laurels as we just need a couple more points to know we are
really OK."
Having played a huge part in West Ham's promotion back to the Premier League
in 2005 and helping take the team to the FA Cup final in 2006, Etherington's
efforts were also rewarded with being named the 2003/04 Hammer of the Year
at the end of his first season the claret and blue.
And the West Ham fans who travelled to support the team at the Britannia
Stadium on Saturday, gave the winger a huge cheer when his name was read out
before kick-off.
"That was nice," admitted Etherington "It was good to get the reception I
did from the West Ham fans. I loved my time at West Ham, it was just simply
time to move on and try somewhere else, but there will always be a link for
me with the club. As I said I keep in touch with some of the lads and will
always look back on my time there with great memories, without a doubt."
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Getting ready for the Reds
WHUFC.com
Gianfranco Zola's men have already switched their attention firmly to
Saturday's visit of Liverpool
06.05.2009
West Ham United have been back in full training ahead of Saturday's
significant encounter against Liverpool after a couple of days well-earned
rest.
Those who featured in the 1-0 win at Stoke City were given Sunday and Monday
off but all reported back for duty in good spirits. The squad has been
further boosted by Kyel Reid and Jordan Spence, the homegrown Hammers who
have concluded hugely successful loan spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers and
Leyton Orient respectively. Savio has also been fully involved after
spending the weekend at home with a virus.
One other player who has been hard at work at Chadwell Heath is Roma and
Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani. The 24-year-old's ankle injury is being
treated by the club's highly-rated physios, with the knowledge of the Serie
A outfit. Technical director Gianluca Nani said: "We are getting a lot of
respect in Europe, not just for the way we play football but also the
different parts of our organisation. It is a good endorsement for our
medical staff."
James Collins has been running out on the pitches with the aim of hopefully
building up to full training later this week after his calf problem while
Dean Ashton (ankle) and Carlton Cole (groin) have also been working hard on
their rehab programmes. It remains to be seen whether the latter will have a
chance of facing Liverpool with the final two fixtures after that a more
realistic target. Midfield duo Scott Parker (groin) and Kieron Dyer
(hamstring) are also putting in the hours in a bid to regain fitness
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West Ham look forward to stability granted by takeover deal
West Ham United will change ownership at the end of the season, stabilising
the club and giving them a far more reliable financial future.
Telegraph
By Jason Burt
Last Updated: 9:33PM BST 06 May 2009
Club sources moved quickly on Wednesday to dispel fears that the economic
plight of its owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who has admitted his personal
liabilities are £301 million, would affect ongoing negotiations. The
Icelandic bank Straumur, and other creditors, are due to take control
following the collapse of West Ham's holding company, Hansa, which is owned
by Gudmundsson. Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke pen new West Ham
contractsThe deal is at an extremely advanced stage with West Ham receiving
guarantees that they will be allowed to continue as a self-financing entity.
Straumur is expected to leave the club alone for the next three years as it
waits for the worldwide economic situation to improve. The change of
ownership will have little impact on the day-to-day running of West Ham.
Gudmundsson is expected to step down as chairman, and be replaced by a
Straumur appointment, but chief executive Scott Duxbury will continue along
with technical director Gianluca Nani and manager Gianfranco Zola, who has
been fully briefed on developments. West Ham also want the ownership issue
to be concluded before they submit their accounts to a joint Premier League
and Football Association committee to meet the demands of the Uefa club
licence which is necessary to enter all Uefa competitions.
Sources also point out that although an initial deadline to submit documents
of April 30 has been missed, potentially jeopardising their place in the
Europa League should they qualify, it is not a final deadline – that is 31
May – and that other European associations also have far later deadlines.
Meanwhile Gudmundsson, talking about his personal finances, told Icelandic
newspaper Morgunbladid: "The situation is very bad. I have everything on the
line – personal liability extends to all of my assets. I'm left with the
question, what is my position? I must admit that I'm a little lost."
Asked whether he would even lose his palatial home in Reykjavik, Gudmundsson
replied: "I just don't know what I will be able to keep."
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West Ham owner's liabilities reach £301m
Creditors set to take control at Upton Park
Gudmundsson could lose 'everything'
Owen Gibson The Guardian, Thursday 7 May 2009
West Ham United's outgoing owner, Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, has revealed that
his personal liabilities stand at £301m and admitted he has no idea whether
he is bankrupt or even if he will be able to keep his home. A group of his
creditors, led by the Icelandic bank Straumur, is expected to take control
of West Ham shortly after the end of the season, ending Gudmundsson's
association with the club.
In a statement released to a newspaper in his native Iceland, Gudmundsson
admitted that his personal liabilities had ballooned since the collapse of
Landsbanki, the bank in which he had a 41% stake. "The situation is
naturally very bad," Gudmundsson told Morgunbladid. "I have everything on
the line; personal liability extends to all of my assets."
He added: "I'm left with the question, what is my position? I must admit
that I'm a little lost." Three-quarters of the assets he had at the end of
last year were tied up in Landsbanki and Straumur, which have both been
taken over by financial regulators. He also owned shares in Eimskip shipping
company that are now practically worthless.Asked whether he would lose
everything, including his palatial home in Reykjavik, Gudmundsson replied:
"I just don't know what I will be able to keep."
Ironically his 95% stake in West Ham – seen as a rich man's plaything when
he bought it in 2006 for £85m and assumed £22m of debt – is the only asset
of any value he retained. That too will go when Straumur, itself taken over
by Iceland's Financial Supervisory Authority under new laws introduced by
the government last year when the country's banking system collapsed, takes
control at the end of the season.
Straumur and other creditors will appoint a new board but are expected to
retain the existing executive team and will expect the club to be largely
self-financing. They are likely to commit to running it on a cost neutral
basis until the economic cycle turns and they can make a sale. West Ham
insiders said yesterday that they were confident the necessary paperwork
would be in place to allow the Hammers, who occupy seventh place in the
Premier League, to enter the Europa League next season, if they qualify.
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Hammers Boss : I owe £301 Million
The Sun
By TONY LITTLE
Published: Today
THE West Ham chairman owes an amazing £301million. That is the massive
personal liability of Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson in the wake of the credit
crunch. And the Icelander's plight piles on even more pressure for the
Hammers to be sold in the summer. Gudmundsson has admitted he does not even
know if he will be able to keep his house in Reykjavik. And now a consortium
of creditors led by Icelandic bank Straumur, itself in financial
difficulties, is in talks about taking over the Londoners — though control
may end up in the hands of an asset management company appointed by the
Icelandic government. The situation for Gudmundsson is so dire his creditors
are keen to cash in on one of his few remaining assets. All that is needed
is someone to make a reasonable offer for the club. Gudmundsson said: "The
situation is very bad. I have everything on the line — personal liability
extends to all of my assets. "I'm left with the question 'What is my
position'? I must admit I'm a little lost. I just don't know what I will be
able to keep."
West Ham, though, remain confident of meeting the conditions required to
receive a UEFA Club licence — needed if they qualify for the Europa League —
and will submit the necessary accounts to the Premier League and FA before
the May 31 deadline.
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If Liverpool Lose On Saturday They May Take a 10 Point Deduction!
Thegamesgonecrazy.com
It's kind of ironic that this story about BG's financial woes comes out when
we face into the biggest game in the history of the club. It's true that a
win this Saturday would mean we are odds on for Europe but that's not why.
Its true that Rob Green is closing in on the best season by a West Ham
keeper in the the last 10 years but that's not it either. In fact it really
has nothing to do with us apart from how this game will go down in history.
If we beat Liverpool and ManU win then their title push is over. Now when
you look at this in the context of what is going on behind the scenes at
Liverpool then you realise why this is more important than other game in the
long history of the two clubs.
Liverpool are currently over £350M in debt. That debt was due to be
refinanced in January of this year but principle bankers RBS and Wachovia
refused to take on the loan for another term. This was partly due to the
fact that the club's owners Hicks and Gillett withdrew the assets that had
been used to secure the initial loan to buy the Merseysiders. I would point
out that this was more likely due to more pressing concerns within their
business empire.
There were some stories doing the rounds in January that Keane was sold as
it was the only way the club could raise the money to pay the balance on the
Torres transfer. These, like all stories that paint the top 4 in a bad
light, quickly disappeared.
Some things that were not so easy to hush up are the stories from the States
that Hicks recently defaulted on a £10M payment on the loan he took out to
buy the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars. He has claimed that it was a
negotiating tactic with his creditors but it's not one I would recommend you
try with your mortgage advisor. It has also recently come out that both
Hicks and Gillet are both attempting to sell other assets in the US and some
are saying that it is to raise some capital to help refinance the club.
Hicks is selling a rodeo he owns in Mesquite Texas to a group of investors
headed by Mike McCall. McCall told the Dallas News that the figure was
considerably less than the $10M Hicks paid for the rodeo. This seems like a
drop in the bucked when compared to LFCs debts. More likely it is being sold
to help clear the arrears with his American lenders of the loan for his
baseball and ice hockey teams.
When he and Gillet asked for an extension to find new investors or backers
for the club they were top of the table, challenging in Europe and in the
hunt for the FA cup. With all of these potentially lucrative competitions
still a possibility they still couldn't find any new money.
Now with Europe gone, the Premiership hanging by a thread and their owners
in the middle of some serious financial issues, a loss to us on Saturday
could change the fate of Liverpool Football Club for ever. Any prospective
buyer, who refused to meet the half a billion pound asking price when things
looked a lot more promising, must now be thinking they can force the owners
to sell the club on the cheap. The problem with this is that even if they
get the club for a knockdown price they still have to shoulder the £350M
debt.
However, if the June deadline to refinance passes without new investment and
the club is put into administration, it would cost a good deal less to buy
the club. Given the current squad of players at the club a 10 point penalty
would not spell disaster for Liverpool. There is no chance of them being
relegated and even with a ten point penalty, they could still make a
Champions League spot. This may seem cynical but if the new buyers were my
clients this is exactly what I would tell them to do.
One thing that is clear is that Liverpool can not continue to meet their
operating costs and service the debt their owners have saddled them with.
Submitted by Celtic Hammer.
(The Blog Administrator has accepted this submission in good faith and
cannot testify to the veracity of the content.)
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Pressure growing on Gudmundsson to offload West Ham
07.05.09 | tribalfootball.com
Pressure is growing for West Ham United to be sold after the club's
Icelandic chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's personal liabilities were
revealed as a staggering £301million. Gudmundsson has admitted he does not
even know if he will be able to keep his house in Reykjavik as the full
extent of his financial collapse became apparent.
A consortium of creditors led by Icelandic bank Straumur - which is itself
in financial difficulties - are in talks about taking over West Ham, though
control may end up in the hands of an asset management company appointed by
the Icelandic government.
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West Ham confident paperwork in place for Euro bid
07.05.09 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are confident they will have their paperwork in place to
qualify for next season's Europa League. Hammers insiders say they are
wholly confident of meeting the conditions required to receive a UEFA Club
licence - needed if they qualify for the Europa League - and will submit the
necessary accounts to the Premier League and FA before the May 31 deadline.
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Agent admits Roma contract talks continuing for Aquilani
07.05.09 | tribalfootball.com
As he recovers from his ankle injury at West Ham United, Roma midfielder
Alberto Aquilani is still thrashing out terms over a new contract. Aquilani
was linked with Fiorentina this week in the Florence press and his agent,
Franco Zavaglia, said: "At this moment it is still open on the renewal with
Roma. "There are still several details to be determined, but I think it is
possible to arrive at an agreement for the extension."
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