WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence has told WHUTV of his delight after scoring his first goal
since November 2008
20.01.2010
Jordan Spence was understandably delighted after scoring his first West Ham
United goal in more than two years. The 19-year-old defender hit the target
with a headed equaliser in Wednesday's 1-1 Barclays Premier Reserve League
South draw with Portsmouth at Bishop's Stortford, some 26 months after
scoring in a 2-2 reserve-team draw with Arsenal in November 2007. The former
England Under-19 captain's effort hit a Pompey defender on its way into the
top corner, but Spence told WHUTV he was in no doubt that his name should
appear on the scoresheet. "I think there was a bit of confusion but it was
mine! The defender had a part to play in it, but I'll take it. My last goal
for the reserve team was a little while ago, so it was nice."
While Spence does not score too often, he also famously netted England's
winner in their FIFA U17 World Cup group-stage victory over Brazil in 2007.
"I don't remember a lot of that goal, to be honest. Henri Lansbury has had a
shot and it was going wide and I've managed to sidefoot it towards the goal.
The celebration was a little more muted this time around!"
Having drawn the Hammers level, Spence was disappointed that Alex Dyer's
side were not able to go on and win the game. Davide Ferrari and Olly Lee
both went close to snatching a winner late on, only to find Portsmouth
goalkeeper Liam O'Brien in unbeatable form. "I think we showed good
character. I think we were the better side on the night, as we'd have
expected to be with the players we had on show. We just needed to be patient
and persevere and if the final ball was right and the finish was right, we
could score.
"Certainly, looking at it on reflection, I think we were the better side,
but it was better than coming away having lost. "We were a little bit
brighter after half-time. The tempo in the first half was a little bit
laboured, so it was case of upping that and doing the things we know are
right. Once we did that, we were dangerous and could have got a couple of
goals."
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Hammers want £100,000-a-week star
BBC.co.uk
West Ham's new owner David Sullivan has offered a player wages of
£100,000-a-week to join the club. Sullivan, who now controls the Hammers
together with David Gold, admitted this week that the club are £110m in
debt. But with West Ham struggling in the league, Sullivan has made the
offer to a "special" player to try to avoid the "horrendous" prospect of
relegation. Sullivan would not name the player but Real Madrid striker Ruud
van Nistelrooy has been linked with the club. Tottenham and Stoke have
stated their interest in the 33-year-old Dutchman, who joined the Spanish
giants from Manchester United in 2006. "We've offered £100,000-a-week to a
player today and we are still not sure we are going to get him," Sullivan
told BBC Radio 5 live. "That was a very special player. "There's no
transfer fee involved and he's got the choice of almost every club in
Europe. He has played at the highest level. "He's down to three clubs and
West Ham are the only English club still in the hunt for him. Whether we get
him is another thing. "We can carry one exceptional player, who would make a
difference on that wage, but generally we have to bring the wages down and
in the summer we would hope to sign younger players on a fraction of those
wages. "We have looked at a few players in the Championship but the reality
is that it is no good if they make the grade in 12 months time, we need them
to make the grade now. "We have a crisis and you have to have a different
strategy to what our long-term strategy will be."
Sullivan has reportedly targeted two strikers and a defender to sign in the
January transfer window as he tries to get West Ham out of relegation
trouble. They are currently 16th in the table and are on the same number of
points as Hull, who are in the relegation zone. "We are trying to sign
players because unfortunately we have come in very, very late and we have
got a very unbalanced squad," added Sullivan. "We are particularly short of
strikers and they are the hardest and most difficult position to fill.
That's the short-term objective. "We have guaranteed that we will not sell a
player in the transfer window and we are looking at targets. We are doing
our best for West Ham but at the moment we are drawing blanks. "It's a
difficult time to sign players but the club desperately needs strikers and
we have to bring some in."
Gold and Sullivan, who left Birmingham City in November following Hong Kong
businessman Carson Yeung's takeover, took control of the Hammers on Tuesday
in a deal which concluded a long-running saga over the club's ownership. At
the media conference to announce the takeover, Sullivan revealed the scale
of West Ham's debts and he told 5 live on Thursday that the club "from
top-to-bottom" is "very inefficient". And when asked how much of a crisis it
would be if West Ham were relegated, Sullivan replied: "It would be
absolutely horrendous, that's all I can say. "It doesn't even bear thinking
about. It can't happen and it must not happen. That's why we are doing
everything in our power for it not to happen."
Sullivan suffered relegation and promotion with Birmingham but he believes
the drop has bigger consequences for West Ham than it does to his former
club. "Birmingham is a much smaller club, it does not have the same
potential as West Ham," he said. "We never took on the wage bill at
Birmingham, the highest paid player is on £25,000-a-week. If they got
relegated it wasn't pleasant but you could take a season of it because it
was built into the equation. "We've inherited a situation at West Ham where
it's not built into the equation in any shape or form. "If we weren't
supporters we wouldn't have taken it on. There is no other club we would
have taken on this liability for and risked a huge amount of money for - we
could lose the lot."
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Sullivan reveals mega offer
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st January 2010
By: Staff Writer
David Sullivan has revealed that West Ham have offered a six-figure weekly
pay cheque to an unnamed player as United seek to boost their options ahead
of the transfer window deadline. Sullivan, who was talking to Five Live
earlier evening revealed that the club had made the astonishing offer to 'a
player that's played at the higest level'.
"We've offered £100,000 per week to a player today," he said, "and we're
still not sure we're going to get him. He's a very special player and we're
doing our best for West Ham. "At the moment we're drawing blanks from a
priority list. It's like a game of chess because you have those at the top
of your list - do you hang on for them, knowing you've got five critical
games coming up in 16 days, or do you move down your list, discount your top
targets and get what you can with only nine or ten days left before the
transfer deadline? "I can't [name names] but it's a genuine thing. We're not
going the route of the Icelandics - this a player where no transfer fee is
involved - but he's got a choice of almost every club in Europe. He's a
player that's played at the highest level and who we think could make a
difference. "He's down to three clubs and West Ham is the only English club
that's still in the hunt for him - but whether we get him is another thing.
These are the things we're up against, it isn't easy."
Speculation has immediately thrown up the names of 33-year-old striker Ruud
Van Nistelrooy and 32-year-old Italian forward Luca Toni, with the former
known to be looking for a move away from Real Madrid. When reminded of the
club's parlous financial position and asked whether it was a viable move,
Sullivan replied: "We could carry one exceptional player who could make a
difference on that wage but generally we've got to bring the wages down. In
the summer we'll be looking at signing younger players on transfer fees at a
fraction of those wages in the hope we can discover a star or two.
"Unfortunately at the moment we're in a crisis and you've got to have a
different strategy now to what our long term strategy is. We need two or
three players now that can make the difference and help us climb the table.
Then, in the summer, we'll be buying players for the future, buying players
we can bring on, buying players on sensible wages. "Unfortunately we can't
wait for them now - we've looked at a few players in the Championship that
we'd like to sign but the reality is that it's no good if they make the
grade in 12 months time, we need them to make the grade now. "It may take
them 20 games to adjust - and we just haven't got that amount of time."
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Spurs in pole position to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy after Real Madrid striker
turns down big-money offer from West Ham
By Simon Cass Last updated at 9:58 PM on 21st January 2010
Daily Mail
The shock absorbers may be past their best and the engine has plenty of
miles on the clock, but when it comes to Van the Man the pros still outweigh
the cons by some considerable distance. Ruud van Nistelrooy is in demand
and, given he is available from Real Madrid for a nominal fee, it is little
surprise he has attracted the interest of Tottenham, West Ham, Stoke City
and Turkish side Galatasaray. The 33-year-old has recovered from his latest
serious knee injury and is described as fit and raring to go by those close
to him. Just as Sir Alex Ferguson was prepared to gamble on Van Nistelrooy
despite his arrival at Old Trafford being postponed by a cruciate ligament
injury, so an eight-month lay-off with a torn meniscus has done little to
deter current suitors. Van Nistelrooy clearly feels he still has plenty to
offer, hence his decision to bide his time in search of a chance to end his
career on a big stage. Such ambition, which may explain his reluctance to
sign up for West Ham's relegation struggle, would also seem to put paid to
Stoke City's approach, while a move to Turkish side Galatasaray is believed
to hold little attraction. Tottenham, therefore, would seem to be in pole
position, although their willingness to offer only a contract based on
performance and appearances represents a stumbling block. Van Nistelrooy is
expecting more offers between now and the end of the transfer window and his
burning ambition to be part of the Holland World Cup squad means he will
almost certain be on his way out of the Bernabeu by the end of this month.
The Real Madrid hierarchy are making all the right noises about Van
Nistelrooy being gentlemanly in his conduct and are insistent they will do
everything in their power to help facilitate a move. Florentino Perez and
company are wise to take such a stance given how revered Van Nistelrooy is
among Real's supporters for his record of 46 goals in 68 league appearances
for the Spanish giants.
But there is also the small matter of a £3million saving in wages, not to
mention that Van Nistelrooy was a grandstand signing of Perez's presidential
predecessor, Ramon Calderon. Van Nistelrooy's arrival in the Spanish capital
in 2006 certainly divided opinion. Sections of Real supporters felt he was
already past his best. Furthermore, it is understood the then manager, Fabio
Capello, took some persuading by former sporting director Predrag Mijatovic
that Van Nistelrooy was the right man for the job. In addition, the Holland
striker's arrival was something of a damp squib in galactico terms, since
Calderon had promised and failed to bring in the likes of Kaka, Cristiano
Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas. Such misgivings were forgotten when Van
Nistelrooy's 25 goals lit up an otherwise dull Real side and wrested the La
Liga crown away from bitter rivals Barcelona.
Although less spectacular under Capello's replacement Bernd Schuster, Van
Nistelrooy still bagged 20 goals in all competitions and another league
title winners' medal, while there are some who argue he was playing the best
football of his career before suffering his knee injury in his third
campaign with Real. H aving battled back to fitness, Van Nistelrooy is now
ready to give his all for a new club to try and secure an international
swansong in South Africa. Klaas Jan Huntelaar has failed to live up to his
billing not only for Real Madrid and AC Milan but also for his country,
while Dirk Kuyt, though honest and hard- working, does not strike fear into
international defences. Dutch hopes are riding on there being no relapses in
the recovery of Robin van Persie, the Arsenal striker who has pencilled in
mid-April as the date for his return from an ankle injury. But a fit-again
Van Nistelrooy, scoring goals on a regular basis in the Barclays Premier
League, will be difficult for Holland coach Bert van Marwijk to ignore.
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West Ham offer £100k-a-week to a ''special'' striker
By Soccernet staff
West Ham's new owner David Sullivan says that the club have made an offer of
£100,000-a-week to one striker who is a ''very special player''. Despite
criticising former owner Eggert Magnusson for his poor financial handling of
the Hammers which has seen their debt rise to £110 million, Sullivan is
adament that the player, who is a free agent, is worth it. "We've offered
£100,000-a-week to a player today and we are still not sure we are going to
get him," Sullivan told BBC Radio 5 live. "That was a very special player.
"There's no transfer fee involved and he's got the choice of almost every
club in Europe. He has played at the highest level. He's down to three clubs
and West Ham are the only English club still in the hunt for him. "We can
carry one exceptional player, who would make a difference on that wage, but
generally we have to bring the wages down and in the summer we would hope to
sign younger players on a fraction of those wages. "We have a crisis and you
have to have a different strategy to what our long-term strategy will be."
Sullivan has reportedly targeted two strikers and a defender this month,
with Ruud van Nistelrooy one of the names linked. "We are trying to sign
players because unfortunately we have come in very, very late and we have
got a very unbalanced squad," added Sullivan. "We are particularly short of
strikers and they are the hardest and most difficult position to fill.
That's the short-term objective."
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West Ham United In The Hunt For Tottenham Hotspur Striker Robbie Keane -
Report
The Hammers are keen on Robbie...
Jan 21, 2010 3:04:00 PM
Goal.com
West Ham United have made no secret this week of their desire to sign a
striker this month, and are now monitoring Tottenham Hotspur's Robbie Keane,
according to a report from The Daily Express. New Hammers owners David
Sullivan and David Gold have said they will help manager Gianfranco Zola
reinforce his squad and have identified the forward positions as a priority.
Keane has been linked with clutch of clubs over the last month, with Celtic,
Sunderland and Aston Villa amongst the names believed to be interested in
taking the Republic of Ireland striker away from White Hart Lane. Although
the report claims that the Hammers have had an initial loan enquiry for the
player rejected, Gold and Sullivan have apparently made an £8 million
transfer kitty available to Zola. Monca's Eidur Gudjohnsen and Benni
McCarthy of Blackburn are also believed to be on the Hammers list of
possible targets, whilst they are also interested in bringing a centre-back
to Upton Park.
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Hammers target 'special' player
Mammoth contract offered to unknown star
By James Riach Last updated: 21st January 2010
SSN
New West Ham co-owner David Sullivan claims he has offered a £100,000-a-week
contract to a 'special player'. Despite Sullivan admitting earlier in the
week that the club are £110million in debt, he says he could break the bank
in wages to sign a star player. Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has
been linked with a move to Upton Park, having fallen down the pecking order
at the Bernabeu, although the Hammers are not thought to be the
sharp-shooter's only suitor. Sullivan did not mention the player who has
been offered the contract, although the club are known to have a goalscoring
forward at the top of their wish-list. "We've offered £100,000-a-week to a
player today and we are still not sure we are going to get him," he said.
"That was a very special player. There's no transfer fee involved and he's
got the choice of almost every club in Europe. He has played at the highest
level. "He's down to three clubs and West Ham are the only English club
still in the hunt for him. Whether we get him is another thing. "We can
carry one exceptional player, who would make a difference on that wage, but
generally we have to bring the wages down and in the summer we would hope to
sign younger players on a fraction of those wages. "We have looked at a few
players in the Championship but the reality is that it is no good if they
make the grade in 12 months' time, we need them to make the grade now. "We
have a crisis and you have to have a different strategy to what our
long-term strategy will be."
West Ham are currently 16th in the Premier League with 19 points from 21
games and Sullivan admits himself and fellow co-owner David Gold are
currently focused on the short-term plight of the club. "We are trying to
sign players because unfortunately we have come in very, very late and we
have got a very unbalanced squad," he added."We are particularly short of
strikers and they are the hardest and most difficult position to fill.
That's the short-term objective. "We have guaranteed that we will not sell a
player in the transfer window and we are looking at targets. We are doing
our best for West Ham but at the moment we are drawing blanks."
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We'll pay Ruud 100k a week
The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: Today
WEST HAM last night made a sensational swoop for Real Madrid striker Ruud
van Nistelrooy. New Hammers owners David Gold and David Sullivan have
offered the ex-Manchester United star £100,000-a-week to fire them out of
their Premier League relegation dogfight. Dutchman Van Nistelrooy, 33, has
been told by Real president Florentino Perez he will not play for them again
this season. Sullivan said: "We've offered £100,000-a-week to a player and
we are still not sure we are going to get him. "It's a very special player.
He's got the choice of almost every club in Europe. He has played at the
highest level. "He's down to three clubs and West Ham are the only English
club still in the hunt for him."
Stoke have been battling to sign Van on a 2½-year deal. But the Hammers' new
owners are desperate to make a statement of intent despite the club's
£110million debt. Sullivan added: "We can carry one exceptional player who
would make a difference on that wage. "But generally we have to bring the
wages down and in the summer we would hope to sign younger players on a
fraction of those wages. "We're in a crisis and you have to have a different
strategy to what your long-term strategy will be."
Dutchman Van Nistelrooy wants to go to the World Cup but knows he will need
regular first-team football to achieve his aim. Real want around £2m but
could be persuaded to drop their demand to get Van Nistelrooy off their wage
bill. A successful bid for Van Nistelrooy could end the Londoners' interest
in Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy. West Ham had tabled a £1.25m bid but
Rovers have demanded at least double that. A senior Blackburn source said:
"We would rather keep Benni here - but if we are going to sell him it will
be for a lot more than £1.25m."
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English owners are Gold dust
The Sun
HARRY REDKNAPP - Columnist
WEST HAM have maybe landed two of the best signings possible in the transfer
window. It's brilliant news for the club, the fans and the whole of football
that David Sullivan and David Gold have bought half the club with an option
to take over completely in four years. It may sound like a cliched script
from EastEnders but to have West Ham back in the hands of people from the
area will be a major boost to them and also makes a stand in the game as a
whole. Foreign players have taken over on the pitch, more and more foreign
managers are running the biggest clubs but at least a stand is being made in
the boardroom. I liked it when Sullivan opened his heart and declared: "We
are not the King of Saudi Arabia or a Russian like Roman Abramovich. We are
British."
Sullivan went on to say he believes his former club Birmingham really should
belong to someone from the second city. But it doesn't. That saddens me. We
are seeing a tide of owners from abroad snapping up clubs which once stood
for the town and were in the hands of local people. My club Tottenham has a
British chairman and that makes communication so much easier between
dressing room and the directors. The people above me understand the English
game, the fans, how it's not just a hard business of numbers and that
people's affections are involved too. This is not some jingoistic rant.
Foreign footballers have given us so much. But no one wants the very essence
of the British game eroded completely and a balance must be struck. Which is
what might just have happened in E13 and it is encouraging to see a Union
Jack fluttering in the Premier League.
David Gold was born just a few dozen yards from the Boleyn Ground. Sullivan
was brought up in Hornchurch, nowadays the heartland of Hammers territory. I
believe they will steadily turn West Ham around. They have already made a
great start by backing the manager Gianfranco Zola. Too often we witness
takeovers and, for some inexplicable reason, a perfectly good manager gets
the boot.
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West Ham court Ruud van Nistelrooy with £100,000 a week
Gary Jacob, George Caulkin
The Times
West Ham United have made an audacious move to sign Ruud van Nistelrooy,
offering to meet the forward's £100,000-a-week wages at Real Madrid. The
size of the offer comes as a surprise after David Sullivan, the club's new
joint-chairman, made great play of the perceived excessive spending of the
previous regime. Van Nistelrooy has played only four times this season for
Real, where his contract ends this summer, and wants regular first-team
football to have a chance of securing a place in Holland's squad for the
World Cup finals in South Africa.
He would need considerable persuading to join the club and would prefer a
move to Tottenham Hotspur, who are also interested in the player, but want
Real to continue to pay some of his wages. "We've offered £100,000 a week to
a player today and we are still not sure we are going to get him," Sullivan
said. "That was a very special player. He's got the choice of almost every
club in Europe. He has played at the highest level. He's down to three clubs
and West Ham are the only English club still in the hunt for him. Whether we
get him is another thing.
"We can carry one exceptional player, who would make a difference on that
wage, but generally we have to bring the wages down and in the summer we
would hope to sign younger players on a fraction of those wages."
Blackburn Rovers have told West Ham that Benni McCarthy will cost £4 million
after rejecting a £1.25 million bid for the South Africa striker. West Ham
are also keen on taking Benjani Mwaruwari on loan from Manchester City, who
may resist because they have loaned out Jô to Galatasaray for the rest of
the season.
Aston Villa will resist West Ham's attempt to sign Luke Young, the right
back.
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West Ham shows days of leech-like football owners are numbered
The Times
Tony Cascarino
The takeover of West Ham United by David Sullivan and David Gold is a big
moment for the Barclays Premier League, whether you're a fan of the club or
not. It could mark the start of a new set of takeovers by owners who are
realistic and sensible, instead of the dreamers or leeches that have gone
before.
I expect there'll be a rash of takeovers in the coming years as existing
owners try to get out of football after discovering it isn't the cash cow
they expected. Sullivan talking about West Ham having a 110 million GBP debt
and Portsmouth's plight are wake-up calls for the game. The level of debt is
so horrifying that the Premier League must act by increasing its regulation
of clubs' finances.
A tighter grip on clubs' balance sheets by the authorities – and Uefa are
doing their bit by trying to exclude clubs that are heavily in debt from the
Champions League – is surely the way forward. Portsmouth's mess is all the
excuse the Premier League need to get more involved
Portsmouth's misfortune and West Ham's flirtation with disaster could do for
football what the credit crunch has done to the financial industry – force
tighter regulation and more careful borrowing after years of irresponsible
behaviour. Salaries of 70-80,000 GBP a week at clubs such as Portsmouth and
West Ham? Madness. Portsmouth and West Ham owing so much after all the
talent they've sold? Unbelievable.
I love gambling but I know that you never risk everything. You don't put all
your assets on the line. But this is what Premier League clubs seem to have
been doing, mortgaging themselves to the hilt or overspending to the limit
and beyond. At stadiums across the country it's been football on the pitch
and Russian roulette in the boardroom.
Given the amount of television money handed to clubs just for being in the
Premier League, it's ridiculous that they should get themselves into such
deep trouble. Clubs have been careless and over-confident. Their owners must
be held to account. And it's not just aspiring clubs the size of West Ham,
Portsmouth or Hull City – giants such as Manchester United and Liverpool
have been revealed to be heavily in debt and financially-stretched.
The big clubs will be safe in the end, of course. There will always be
someone ready to bail out or buy a Manchester United or Liverpool. I reckon
they'll both have new owners within a couple of years. But the likes of
Portsmouth? It wouldn't surprise me if they went into administration soon
and lost nine points automatically, sealing their relegation. Maybe then
other clubs would sit up and take serious notice. Football obviously didn't
learn from the decline and fall of Leeds United. Perhaps the game needs
another reminder of the perils of overspending.
Going forward, I still expect the biggest stars to attract massive and
growing wages, but the Premier League will be more like American sports,
where the elite players earn ten times what the rank and file get. Clubs
will still pay out 100,000 GBP a week to the household names, but they won't
be shelling out 50,000 GBP a week to players who are relatively ordinary.
Squad sizes will be smaller – why does any club need 35 professionals? And
youth players will be given more of a chance. Football will still be
lucrative, but it'll be more realistic and accountable.
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Blackburn ace set for deadline beating West Ham move
Published 23:00 21/01/10 By Alan Nixon
The Mirror
Benni McCarthy will tell Blackburn he wants to leave - and is keen to head
for new-look West Ham in a deadline deal. South African striker McCarthy is
fed up with his role at Sam Allardyce's club and wants Rovers to sell him to
the Hammers, despite rival interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray.
McCarthy was left on the bench for the Carling Cup semi-final with Aston
Villa and plans to make a quick exit - with Hammers keen and the Turks even
ready to fly him to Istanbul today. The much-travelled forward would rather
head for London, but he will have to stamp his feet hard as Blackburn are
digging in for close to their £3million valuation. Hammers wheeler-dealing
supremo David Sulivan has offered £1.5m and will have to increase the offer.
However ,McCarthy's insistence that he leaves may force a compromise.
Allardyce has admitted McCarthy would be better off leaving, but the money
men want the maximum fee to fund a bid for a replacement - with Stoke's
James Beattie and even Egyptian misfit Mido on their wish list. Blackburn
old boy Beattie would cost close to £3m, so Rovers want every last penny
from the McCarthy sale to make the in-and-out switch happen in the next few
days.
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Hammers return for knife victim Davenport
Published 23:00 21/01/10 By Mirror Football
The Mirror
Calum Davenport was back in training yesterday - five months after being
stabbed in the legs at his mother's house. The 27-year-old West Ham defender
was attacked in Bedford in the early hours of August 22 and was found
outside the home in a pool of blood. And his scars were clearly visible as
he made his return to action at the Hammers training ground as they prepare
for the Premier League trip to Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
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West Ham and Birmingham in transfer fight for AC Milan star
Published 23:00 21/01/10 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
Birmingham and West Ham are believed to have enquired about taking unsettled
AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on loan. The former Ajax marksman has
spent the season on the bench at the San Siro, with just three goals since
moving to the club last summer from Real Madrid. Huntelaar also spent just
one season in Spain and is desperate for a club where he can gain regular
first-team football and make it into the Holland squad for the World Cup.
His agent, Arnold Oosterveer, said: "He wants to play more. I can confirm
the interest of some English clubs but I will not name names out of respect
for them. "Huntelaar just wants to play more, whether in England, Germany,
Italy or Spain.
"In football, anything is possible. Everything can change in just a few
days. We'll see what happens from here until the end of the winter market."
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West Ham offer Van Nistelrooy £100,000 a week
Published 23:00 21/01/10 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
West Ham have launched a £100,000-a-week bid for Ruud van Nistelrooy in an
attempt to beat the drop. New owners David Sullivan and David Gold revealed
this week that the Hammers are more than £100million in debt. But they are
terrified that relegation will leave their recent investment in tatters and
are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to stay in the Premier League.
Sullivan would not name the player he was trying to sign but has already
been linked with the Real Madrid star and said: "We've offered
£100,000-a-week to a player today and we are still not sure we are going to
get him. That was a very special player. "There's no transfer fee involved
and he's got the choice of almost every club in Europe. He has played at the
highest level. "He's down to three clubs and West Ham are the only English
club still in the hunt for him. Whether we get him is another thing. "We can
carry one exceptional player, who would make a difference on that wage, but
generally we have to bring the wages down and in the summer we would hope to
sign younger players on a fraction of those wages."
Sullivan also told BBC Radio Five Live that his club needs an injection of
special talent now before it is too late. "We have looked at a few players
in the Championship but the reality is that it is no good if they make the
grade in 12 months time, we need them to make the grade now. "We have a
crisis and you have to have a different strategy to what our long-term
strategy will be."
West Ham are 16th in the league but level on points with Hull who are in the
relegation zone and Sullivan knows that because the deal for the club
dragged on, he has come in at a difficult stage in the transfer signing
window. He added: "We are trying to sign players because unfortunately we
have come in very, very late and we have got a very unbalanced squad. "We
are particularly short of strikers and they are the hardest and most
difficult position to fill. That's the short-term objective. "We have
guaranteed that we will not sell a player in the transfer window and we are
looking at targets. We are doing our best for West Ham but at the moment we
are drawing blanks."
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Icelandic stake a drag for West Ham's new owners David Sullivan and David
Gold
It's called Pareto's Principle, although it's probably a term not used that
often at Upton Park.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt
Published: 7:00AM GMT 22 Jan 2010
Pareto? Isn't he one of the right-backs West Ham's technical director
Gianluca Nani was looking at? Andrew Bernhardt, the club's chairman until
David Sullivan's takeover, is probably aware of it given his background with
Straumur, where he headed the bank's debt finance division. And, as Sullivan
outlined, there's a lot of debt at West Ham.
The principle is simple and it's alternatively known as the 80/20 rule. In
other words, 80 per cent of your business comes from 20 per cent of your
clients. Therefore, it goes, concentrate on that 20 per cent. Pareto first
applied it to land — when he observed that in Italy, 80 per cent of the
country was owned by 20 per cent of the people. The law of the vital few.
Sport on television What's this got to do with West Ham? Well, although
Sullivan and David Gold have taken over, they own only 50 per cent. The rest
lies with Straumur, itself a failed company, which had financed Icelandic
businessman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson's takeover.
Why has Straumur kept half? After all, there was an offer from Malaysian
entrepreneur Tony Fernandes to buy 100 per cent and end their involvement?
It could then have concentrated on turning itself into the "independent
asset management company" it wants to be following the meltdown of the
Icelandic economy. To work the business it knows.
Straumur will argue that it makes better sense — and potentially a better
return for its shareholders – to hold on. But what has it got back? It's
believed to be only a couple of million pounds even though Bernhardt, one of
its top bankers, spent a lot of time dealing with West Ham's troubles.
To apply Pareto's principle, wouldn't Straumur have done better to have cut
its losses — and concentrate not only on the businesses it understands but
on the ones that will help it recover? It doesn't help Sullivan to have
Straumur still involved. And it doesn't help West Ham either.
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David Sullivan's West Ham United entrance a lesson in camouflage
Telegraph.co.uk
By David Edbrooke
Published: 6:30AM GMT 22 Jan 2010
How best to deliver an understated media address after buying a Premier
League football club?
Do you A: dress down or B: try to blend into the background.
David Gold plots £40m West Ham takeoverIt's a difficult dilemma, and one
that David Sullivan, the shy, retiring porn magnate and new co-owner of West
Ham was doubtless pondering until the small hours this week. Having taken
time to consider his tactics, it's clear he chose option 'B' and for that he
must be applauded. His plan worked to perfection, with only several hundred
photographers from the world's media capturing his every move, instead of
thousands, as he had probably first feared. Wearing a velvet claret jacket
in your local Tesco Express would, without doubt, glean several glances from
distracted shoppers. But wearing one inside Upton Park would be akin to a
canny badger darting across the camera during filming of little-known
Sixties television programme Spot the Wildlife, knowing full well that most
viewers had black and white TV sets.
Clearly, Sullivan knew that inside Upton Park, colour-coded as it is in the
famous claret (and blue), he would go virtually unseen, just as long as he
was enveloped in that matching jacket. The tricky bit would be announcing
his arrival at the ground in little more than a whisper. For this he would
need an equally understated mode of transport.
He knew what to do. He'd turn up in a sparkling blue Rolls Royce. Who would
ever know it was him? With the Rolls' blacked-out windows and cultured
exhaust note, no one would see or hear him coming. And even if the assorted
members of Her Majesty's press somehow got wind of his arrival, he'd throw
them off course by quickly diving out of a side door while the car kept
moving. The paparazzi would continue to follow the car, obviously assuming
he was the one driving it. They'd never suspect a chauffeur was at the
steering wheel. Genius.
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Hull City and West Ham join chase for Rangers striker Kris Boyd
By Mark Wilson Last updated at 12:46 AM on 22nd January 2010
Daily Mail
Hull City and West Ham United could join the growing Premiership race for
Kris Boyd - with Aston Villa and Birmingham City already keen on landing the
Rangers striker. Boyd is understood to have visited Villa Park for Wednesday
night's Carling Cup semi-final win over Blackburn Rovers, with preliminary
discussions taking place over a possible precontract offer for a summer
switch. Birmingham boss Alex McLeish, who has a transfer war chest after new
owner Carson Yeung promised him £40million to spend on the Premier League
high-fliers, is closely monitoring the situation, while Hull and West Ham,
another club with new owners following David Sullivan and David Gold's
recent buyout, are also understood to be considering making moves towards
making Boyd a Bosman acquisition. The 26-year-old is taking time to consider
his options after Rangers made an £18,000-per-week offer to retain his
services beyond the end of the season. The Ibrox favourite is currently
sidelined after undergoing hernia surgery and will not return to action
until mid-February at the earliest. Like Boyd, Nacho Novo is out of contract
at the end of the season and has been offered a new deal. The Spanish
striker's priority is to remain with Rangers and he has already rejected an
approach from Greek club Larissa. He admitted yesterday, however, that it
would be 'exciting' if Celta Vigo firmed up reported interest in his
services. 'I was contacted with an offer from Greece but, economically, it
was not enough,' said Novo. 'I appreciate their interest but, frankly, I
wasn't going to go there. 'The only way I would abandon Rangers was if there
was a dizzying offer - firstly for football reasons and, secondly, economic
reasons. 'My priority, however, is to stay with Rangers. I owe this club
almost everything as a footballer. 'I know nothing of Celta. What has been
written has not come from me. 'I would say, though, that if there was
something real from Celta, I would be excited about it. 'However, the club
haven't contacted either me or my representative yet.'
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Cagliari president Cellino in new blast over West Ham failure
22.01.10 | tribalfootball.com
Cagliari president Massimo Cellino has continued his attack on English
football after failing in his bid to buyout West Ham United this week.
Cellino saw his offer to buy out the Hammers rejected in favour of the
Sullivan-Gold partnership that only snapped up 50 per cent of the club.
"They asked me for a certificate proving I wasn't a crook, but I should've
asked for theirs!" he snapped in the Corriere dello Sport. "They didn't want
me there and I am just stunned. The newspapers wrote nasty things and then I
discovered the new West Ham director general works for The Sun..." He added:
"In England they don't know how to run football. In Italy we really
shouldn't be ashamed, as in London I found less transparency and on top of
that we're more efficient. "I have seen many things in the Lega Calcio, but
compared to what I saw here in the last few days, they looked like child's
play."
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West Ham to bid for Villa fullback Young
22.01.10 | tribalfootball.com
West Ham United are interested in Aston Villa fullback Luke Young. The
Daily Mail says West Ham are keen to take Villa's former England
international Young to Upton Park.
Young remains highly-rated by Villa boss Martin O'Neill after the way he has
fought back into his first team this season.
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