WHUFC.com
The Barclays Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday
afternoon is off
09.01.2010
West Ham United can confirm that Sunday afternoon's Barclays Premier League
fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers has been postponed.
Adverse weather conditions have led to health and safety concerns in the
area surrounding the Boleyn Ground, with the well-being of supporters the
main priority. The decision was taken on Saturday morning after the Premier
League consulted with local authorities and the police.
whufc.com will have full information of the new date for the fixture as soon
as confirmed. All tickets sold will remain valid for the rearranged match
while anyone requiring a refund, once the details are known, should contact
the ticket office.
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West Ham's Icelandic connection drawing to a close
After an extraordinary three years stability may be about to return to the
troubled club.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt
Published: 9:20PM GMT 09 Jan 2010
End in sight for West Ham's Icelandic connection Photo: PA "Champions
League? No question about that. Give me at least five years and from then
on. No question," – Eggert Magnusson, chairman of West Ham United, March 29,
2007.
Executives at West Ham knew there was something wrong when they tried to
sign Adriano from Inter Milan. It was August 2007 and they travelled to
Italy, met with Inter and were presented with a copy of the Brazilian's
contract which showed he earned the equivalent of £110,000 a week. The West
Ham representatives thanked Inter for their time – and called chairman
Eggert Magnusson to inform him that the striker wouldn't countenance a pay
cut and his contract was therefore prohibitive. Time to go home. "Give me
two hours," Magnusson said. He called back and said he had consulted with
owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. "Go for it," Magnusson pronounced. Everyone
was astounded; not least Inter. Could West Ham really afford such wages? Was
Adriano worth it? Was Gudmundsson prepared to pay such a salary plus a £15
million transfer fee? What a coup. In the end, Adriano decided he did not
want to go for the move and the deal, talks over which were confirmed on the
club's website just as manager Alan Curbishley went on television to claim
it was pure speculation, inevitably collapsed.
It was an episode which summed up the precipice over which West Ham were
unwittingly staring – and have subsequently fought tooth and nail to keep
themselves from spiralling down into.
Three parties are battling for control of the club – the Malaysian
entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, the former Birmingham City co-owner David
Sullivan and, less credibly, a company called Intermarket – and a resolution
is imminent.
What has been remarkable is the fact that West Ham, following the meltdown
of the Icelandic economy and the collapse of Gudmundsson's business empire,
have managed to avoid administration, have traded with relative stability
and have survived – and in some, counter-intuitive, ways thrived – through a
series of dramas and crises not all of their own making: from the Carlos
Tévez saga to the premature retirement of Dean Ashton. It has been an
extraordinary three years.
The alarm bells started ringing that summer. There was something worrying
during a transfer window in which West Ham had splashed out £7.5 million for
Craig Bellamy, £6 million for Kieron Dyer and £7 million for Scott Parker,
among others, and put them all on contracts worth more than £50,000 a week
and capped it by placing Freddie Ljungberg, who cost £3 million and was the
ultimate vanity purchase, on a deal worth £85,000 a week.
In one week alone, Everton fielded inquiries for Mikel Arteta, Andy Johnson
and Tim Cahill – which prompted their chairman, Bill Kenwright, to politely
query, in a state of some bewilderment, that, well, who exactly did they
want? If it appeared chaotic, it must also have been exhilarating. After
all, Gudmundsson, the Icelandic industrial magnate, had bought the club for
£85 million cash, or so everyone thought, the previous year and he had money
to back up his, and Magnusson's, ambitions.
West Ham had survived relegation by the skin of their teeth –they had spent
£23 million in January, expenditure they are still paying for with contracts
for the likes of Nigel Quashie and Luis Boa Morte – through an astonishing
run of seven victories in their final nine league matches. Now the
Icelanders wanted to push on.
Magnusson had dreamt of European nights at Upton Park with his friend, the
Uefa President Michel Platini, his guest in the executive box. But, despite
his own background in football administration, Magnusson wasn't equipped to
run a club. Board meetings were brief; consultation minimal and by the end
of the year Gudmundsson had his own misgivings over the financial management
of West Ham and so Magnusson departed, stripped of his five per cent stake
as well as his office and power. By now Gudmundsson's businesses were
listing. Talk of the businessman building a £250 million, 60,000-seat
stadium, to be privately financed no less, stopped and it became apparent
that he was struggling. His advisers claimed West Ham would not be sold but
discreetly started to put out feelers.
It eventually came to a head last year when Gudmundsson was unceremoniously
dumped as the club's owner with a new company, CB (Claret and Blue) Holding,
taking control.
In effect it meant that the Icelandic bank, Straumur, which, it transpired,
had lent Gudmundsson the money to buy West Ham in the first place, and which
itself was in danger of going under, inherited a football club along with
other creditors. What a litany of woes. Straumur has been pilloried by some
for its involvement but beyond a, now unwise, decision to lend money to
Gudmundsson it's hard to see what it has done wrong.
Certainly Straumur had the best intentions when it talked about a three-year
plan of stability and it could, legitimately if it had taken a hard-headed
business decision, have had a fire sale of the likes of Robert Green,
Carlton Cole and Parker.
West Ham have, certainly, been indebted to some shrewd husbandry from chief
executive Scott Duxbury who, throughout all of this, has stuck as much as he
could to a business plan – The Football Project – he drew up and presented
to Gudmundsson as a way forward and a move away from the "haphazard way of
spending money". Duxbury has craved stability and wants to turn West Ham, as
much as possible, into a self-sustaining entity.
He may soon get his wish. Straumur has successfully created a market for
potential buyers and Rothschild Bank has worked its way through so that now
a resolution is close to being found.
Straumur, with its extension of a debt moratorium, is right in continuing to
claim it does not have to sell but it has become increasingly apparent that
the best way forward for West Ham is to finally sever all links with
Iceland.
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Wolves finally postponed
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 9th January 2010
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's Premier League clash with Wolves has been cancelled due to
the wintery weather conditions. The club, who had been doing its level best
to ensure the fixture goes ahead has this morning been forced to postpone
the game due to 'health and safety concerns'. Although the pitch at the
Boleyn Ground is playable thanks to the underground heating system installed
some years ago advice from the police and local authorities, no doubt
mindful of the potential for accidents on slippery pavements around the
ground (that remain, for the most, un-gritted) left the club with little
choice but to cancel the gam e.
Details of the rearranged fixture will be confirmed in the near future; the
club stating on whufc.com: "We will have full information of the new date
for the fixture as soon as confirmed. All tickets sold will remain valid for
the rearranged match while anyone requiring a refund, once the details are
known, should contact the ticket office."
News of the postponement is a bitter blow to the club, who could have risen
to 13th had they beaten the Wanderers. Not only will West Ham lose that
opportunity, but also the revenue from Sky TV who were due to broadcast the
game live tomorrow afternoon. Only two Premier League games remain on this
weekend; Birmingham's clash with Manchester United and Arsenal's clash with
Everton (just a few miles up the road at Ashburton Grove).
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Zola - Cole return is vital
Hammers boss looking forward to welcoming strike ace back
By Chris Burton Last updated: 9th January 2010
SSN
Gianfranco Zola is hoping the return to fitness of Carlton Cole will help to
steer West Ham clear of danger. The England international, who has scored
seven goals for the struggling Hammers this season, has returned to light
training and is targeting a first-team recall by the end of January. Zola
admits he cannot wait to have the burly frontman back in contention but
insists he will not rush him back into action too soon, especially as the
talented 26-year-old is still harbouring World Cup aspirations. "His
recovery is vital. He is such an important player, not only in terms of
goals and what he gives to the team," said Zola, whose side are currently
perched just one place above the Premier League relegation zone. "It would
be a big boost for the other players and I look forward to seeing him
playing soon with us. "They're talking about towards the end of the month.
We're not putting pressure on him. We want him, when he comes back, to be
fit for the whole season and for the World Cup, hopefully."
Cole is among those being regularly linked with a move away from the Hammers
during the winter transfer window, with the capital club continuing to work
to tight financial constraints. Midfield dynamo Scott Parker is another to
be attracting interest, with the former Chelsea man finally beginning to
fulfil the potential which earned him three England caps. "He did very well
for me last year too until he got injured," said Zola. "It comes from
maturity, experience and composure that he has got. Also, because the way we
play suits his game very well. I think it's a mixture. "He's doing great and
I'm expecting him to keep doing that."
Zola has announced on several occasions that he intends to retain the
services of his key men this month, and the Italian will have been buoyed by
comments from Parker suggesting he remains fully committed to the West Ham
cause. "It has gone pretty well for me," said Parker. "I have enjoyed what
has been happening at West Ham and I am looking forward to the future now.
"When you are in the situation we are in you can't be too negative. We are
playing well and we are scoring goals. "There are some negatives along the
way but we need to get a couple of back-to-back wins now."
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Hammers loan out youngster
Eyjolfsson to continue his development in Belgium
By Gerrit van Leeuwen Last updated: 9th January 2010
SSN
West Ham starlet Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson has joined Belgian outfit Roeselare
on loan. The 19-year-old defender is yet to force his way into the
first-team reckoning at Upton Park and took in a spell at League Two side
Cheltenham earlier this season. His development will now continue in
Belgium, where he is set to join a team currently battling relegation.
Roeselare are an ambitious outfit, though, and have already been busy in the
transfer window strengthening their squad. Iceland U21 international
Eyjolfsson hopes they will provide him with an opportunity to prove his
worth and catch the eye of West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola. "At West Ham I
haven't played very much so at Roeselare I want to play more minutes," said
the youngster. "Playing for points every week will help to make me
stronger."
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Franco Suffers Injury Blow
West Ham Till I Die
More bad news for West Ham. Guillermo Franco has picked up a muscle injury
which will keep him out of the next two games. There were rumours that it
was something more serious but having spoken to a club source I am pleased
to put that particular rumour to rest.
The good news is that there will be a whole host of returnees for the Villa
game, and Carlton Cole is likely to be available for the away match at
Portsmouth.
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