WHUFC.com
In a week when a few have rightly been honoured, the spotlight should also
focus on the unsung heroes
06.05.2010
West Ham United's chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold have reserved
special praise for the supporters in their final programme columns of the
2009/10 season. After taking charge of the club's fortunes in late January,
Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold have spoken about the challenging position at the
Boleyn Ground and the need for a clear vision with which to face the future.
With the threat of relegation lifted, all are focused on finishing on a high
against Manchester City on Sunday and then improving in the new campaign.
This past week has been notable for the club's End of Season Awards dinner,
when 800 gathered guests shared in a memorable occasion where optimism was
the order of the day - as well as lauding Scott Parker. There was also the
highlight of the Tony Carr Testimonial when greats from past and present
honoured a true club servant. West Ham United would also like to acknowledge
those who continue to back the club, led by principal sponsors SBOBET, and
those working to raise the club's profile at home and abroad. Among them is
Ray Winstone, who contrary to certain press reports, contributes to this
club significantly in a number of ways - including paying for an executive
box. Writing in his column, Mr Sullivan was clear in his message to all
those who follow the team, saying "I'd like to thank you for your
magnificent support this season." He added: "Important decisions will be
made to build a balanced squad that is ready to cope with the rigours of a
Premier League season, and that also utilises the talent already within the
club. We are confident that over the coming years we'll deliver a side that
gives our great supporters what they deserve."
Similarly, Mr Gold paid tribute to those who have followed the club wherever
and whenever they have played. "One thing has shone through since we have
arrived at this great club and that is the support we get home and away. "I
look back to the travelling fans at Everton and most notably at Fulham last
week and just have to pay tribute to the amazing people. It was the same at
Tony Carr's testimonial that I attended on Wednesday - fantastic support and
real respect for a man who has done so much for this club over many
decades."
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Double delight for Brown
WHUFC.com
U18 captain Jordan Brown thoroughly enjoyed the chance to take part in Tony
Carr's Testimonial match
06.05.2010
Jordan Brown has spoken of his double delight at appearing in Tony Carr's
Testimonial on Wednesday evening. Not only did West Ham United's Under-18
captain impress while playing the whole second half in front of a crowd of
nearly 14,000 supporters, but he also shared the Boleyn Ground pitch with
his cousin, Sunderland's Kieran Richardson. The teenager formed part of a
Hammers team that included Paolo Di Canio, Gianfranco Zola and Academy
team-mate Cristian Montano, who scored twice in a 5-1 victory over the
Academy All-Stars. Brown, who could skipper the Hammers in their final FA
Premier Academy League fixture of the season at home to Charlton Athletic on
Friday, was happy to be given the chance to shine by Academy Director Carr.
"It was special," said the 18-year-old. "It was the biggest crowd I've ever
played in front of, and it was a good experience to be on the pitch with
players who are that good. It was quality. "I thought I settled in quite
well. My first touch went well and my first run went well and from there I
felt normal really. "I want to be playing against players like that every
week and hopefully I can build up from here."
The powerful, attack-minded left-back was in superb form, linking well down
the flank with the likes of Zola, Di Canio and close friend Montano. For
Brown, it was a fitting end to what has been a progressive season that saw
him become a regular member of Alex Dyer's reserve-team squad. "It's been a
really good season. I think I've done well and pushed on quite a bit. I just
need to keep it up."
The cherry on the icing on the cake was turning out alongside cousin
Richardson, who also came through the Academy ranks before enjoying a
successful career with Manchester United, Sunderland and England. "That was
good, and it was great for my family, who were all there watching. It's
never happened before so it was good. The Ferdinands and Lampards weren't
the only West Ham family out there!"
West Ham's U18s finish their league campaign with the visit of Charlton to
Little Heath on Friday, with kick-off at 12noon. The Hammers go into the
game a point clear of the Addicks, and know a victory would take them above
Fulham into fifth place. Admission and parking at Friday's match are both
free.
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Lampard offers thanks
WHUFC.com
Frank Lampard has spoken after last night's testimonial, while there is an
update on programmes
06.05.2010
Frank Lampard has spoken about his reception last night at Tony Carr's
testimonial - while supporters should also take note of an update on the
official programme. Fans who were unable to purchase a copy of the official
matchday programme have a chance to do so this Sunday. Due to the large
number of fans who bought their tickets for what was an unforgettable
evening on the night, the 40-page programme unfortunately sold out prior to
kick-off. A limited number of extra programmes have been printed and will go
on sale at the Boleyn Ground Stadium Store from 11am, prior to the final
Barclays Premier League fixture of the season against Manchester City. The
programme, priced at £2, will be available for cash sales only. There will
be no limit on the number of copies available to each supporter, so fans are
encouraged to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
Meanwhile, Lampard was given a warm welcome back to the Boleyn Ground
alongside Blues team-mates John Terry and Joe Cole as the trio celebrated
the Academy Director's 37 years of service to the club. While the three were
not able to play due to Chelsea's title-decider with Wigan Athletic on
Sunday, they donned the claret and blue for one last time before being
presented to the 13,836-strong crowd. "It was nice to be able to show our
support for Tony," said the 31-year-old. "I was very pleased to come back. I
have got lots of respect as everyone has who turned out for Tony. As soon as
I heard that there was a game and Tony was on the phone, of course I was
going to come back for him. This was just a thank you really from all of us.
He was a big part of our footballing upbringing. He deserved a big night
like that. "It was a good reception from the crowd. I was a bit surprised,
pleasantly surprised. I have been away nine years from the place now and I
have obviously come back and at times it has been difficult with the
relationship with the fans. I think everyone has to move on. I certainly
have and Wednesday night was maybe a nice thing where we move on and I
enjoyed it. "I know the fans will be behind England in the summer. Of
course, they will because England fans are loyal to the country. The whole
nation comes together. Sometimes in the club games it is just banter between
each side - it doesn't hurt anyone and you need that. I don't really mind it
anymore. "I will always remember where I came from. I realise what this club
did for my footballing upbringing. It is a special academy and you can see
the amount players they have produced. Even though I am a Chelsea person now
I never forget, especially how people like Tony Carr have helped me along
the way."
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Paolo's pride
WHUFC.com
Paolo Di Canio has spoken of his emotion at taking to the Boleyn Ground
pitch one more time
06.05.2010
For Paolo Di Canio, Tony Carr's Testimonial was about more than just
celebrating the career of West Ham United's esteemed Academy Director.
Wednesday evening was about revisiting the stadium and the club that gave
him so much happiness during four-and-a-half years in east London between
1999 and 2003. "He's a great man. He gave his life for this club so, for me,
it was a great honour to come back and I have to thank him for the chance he
gave to me to feel, to listen to my heart rushing in my chest because it's
always a special occasion. "I came back here many times for watching the
game, but to go through the tunnel and on to the pitch and see the people, a
lot of memories came out and made me a very happy person inside. "It left me
thinking I was really, really lucky to have the chance to play for this
fantastic club and for these fantastic supporters."
Now 41, Di Canio admitted his best days are behind him, but there were still
glimpses of his old magic. "The problem is that I'm getting older. The
feeling is like a 20-year-old, but the legs are tired when I play! It's not
important because, in life, if you have a chance to have memories, you must
think you are lucky. On Wednesday, I realised I was a really lucky person."
The Italian tried hard to mark his return with a goal, coming closest in the
final moments when he took a pass from Gianfranco Zola and went past
goalkeeper Marek Stech, only for Academy striker Cristian Montano to plant
the ball in the empty net. In typically magnanimous style, Di Canio wished
the teenager the best for the future. "It's better that he scored because he
has a long career to play. I did my job in the past, so it's good for him
because maybe it can give his career an extra lift. I'm happy for him. It's
not the time for Di Canio to score a goal!"
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Terry turns to Claret & Blue
The Sun
HERE'S a sight Chelsea fans thought they would never see — John Terry in a
WEST HAM shirt. The Blues skipper joined team-mates Joe Cole and Frank
Lampard at Upton Park last night to support Tony Carr's testimonial. Carr,
West Ham's academy director, has given 37 years of loyal service to the East
Londoners. And Terry and Co were on hand to pay tribute to him as West Ham
defeated the Academy All Stars 5-1. Terry, Lampard and Cole were not allowed
to play ahead of Chelsea's title decider with Wigan on Sunday.
But England skipper Rio Ferdinand came through 28 minutes unscathed to hand
both Manchester United and Three Lions coach Fabio Capello a massive boost.
Carr, who was delighted to see a 13,000 crowd at the game, said: "Rio has
been struggling with his back for a couple of weeks but I give Alex Ferguson
a lot of credit. "I got a call from Rio and he said he was getting on a
train with permission to play by Fergie." Ferdinand lined up in a side
featuring his brother Anton, who plays for Sunderland, and former Hammers
favourite Paolo Di Canio.
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West Ham United v Manchester City: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between West Ham United
and Manchester City at Upton Park on Sunday May 9, 2010, kick-off 16.00 BST.
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Ley
Published: 6:00AM BST 07 May 2010
West Ham United v Manchester City
Upton Park
Kick-off: 16.00 BST
TV: Highlights BB1 Match of the Day.
Premier League fixtures West Ham United (4-4-2): Green; Faubert, da Costa,
Upson, Spector; Behrami, Kovac, Parker, Noble; Cole, Ilan.
Manchester City (4-4-2): Fulop; Zabaleta, Toure, Kompany, Bridge; A Johnson,
De Jong, Vieira, Bellamy; Adebayor, Tévez.
Referee: Howard Webb. Matches: 27. R: 3. Y: 99.
West Ham are safe but the feeling remains that this will be Gianfranco
Zola's last game at the club. And even if they win against City they will
finish with their lowest points total (34, possibly growing to 37) since
three points for a win were introduced. Two wins from their last four games
- against Sunderland and Wigan at home - have secured West Ham's Premier
League status for a sixth successive season. City arrive unable to secure a
valuable fourth place following Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat by Spurs. West
Ham miss Jack Collison, James Tomkins, Kieron Dyer, Herita Ilunga and Zavon
Hines. City test Gareth Barry and could have Stephen Ireland available, but
Stuart Taylor, Shay Given, Joleon Lescott, Martin Petrov and Michael Johnson
are all injured.
This season: City 3 West Ham 1.
Last season: City 3 West Ham 0, West Ham 1 City 0.
Stat of the game: Carlos Tévez has scored 25 goals in his last 26 games for
City.
Betting tip: City to win 2-0, at odds of 9-1.
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West Ham's wage bill in full
Details of West Ham's player wage bill have been made public, with the
results exposing the extent of spending under the east London club's
previous ownership regimes.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Telegraph staff
Published: 6:30AM BST 06 May 2010
Kieron Dyer has been revealed as West Ham's biggest earner, making
£83,000-a-week . Kieron Dyer, who has hardly played for West Ham in the
past two seasons due to chronic injury problems, is the biggest earner,
banking £83,000-a-week. He is joined at the upper end of the scale by Scott
Parker, one of the few players in the squad whose earnings might not leave a
sour taste with fans given his exemplary displays this term, Matthew Upson
and Benni McCarthy. West Ham target Jamie O'Hara But not all the club's
regulars earn the earth. Carlton Cole, the England striker, is on a
comparatively meagre £30,000-a-week while Zavon Hines and Junior Stanislas
make just £1,000-a-week.
Salaries are per week (some will be higher as they do not all include
appearance money):
Kieron Dyer – £83,000
Scott Parker - £60,000
Matthew Upson - £50,000
Benni McCarthy - £38,000
Julien Faubert - £34,000
Herita Ilunga - £33,000
Luis Boa Morte - £31,000
Carlton Cole - £30,000
Radoslav Kovac - £28,000
Valon Behrami - £28,000
Danny Gabbidon - £27,000
Alessandro Diamanti - £25,000
Robert Green - £23,000
Mark Noble - £23,000
Manuel Da Costa - £20,000
Jonathan Spector - £18,000
Guillermo Franco - £10,000
Freddie Sears - £8,500
James Tomkins - £5,000
Jack Collison - £4,000
Fabio Daprela - £3,000
Marek Stech - £2,000
Mido - £1,000
Peter Kurucz - £1,000
Junior Stanislas - £1,000
Zavon Hines - £1,000
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Sullivan lifts lid on West Ham's financial troubles
Hammers were ten days from administration - Sullivan
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
May 6, 2010
ESPN
David Sullivan has again predicted that one of the Premier League's big
clubs will go out of existence after revealing to Soccernet that the Hammers
were 10 days away from going into administration in January. Sullivan and
co-owner David Gold had to pump £20 million into the club four months ago to
avoid going down the same troubled route of FA Cup finalists Portsmouth. And
they will have to make another £4 million available over the summer months
to cover player wages when the club receive no matchday income.
Sullivan felt it necessary to come out and explain the nature of the club's
financial situtation after two days of newspaper reports which claimed to
list the wages off all members of the playing staff. Figures in the Daily
Telegraph highlighted Kieron Dyer - who has made only 22 appearances, never
playing a full 90 minutes, becuase of injury since moving from Newcastle for
£6 million three years ago - is the top earner on £83,000-a-week. His deal,
which has a year to run, includes £424,000-a-season for image rights and
£100,000 in loyalty fees. By comparison, Wayne Rooney is reported to be on
£90,000-a-week at Manchester United. Sullivan revealed to Soccernet how
close the Hammers went to going out of business in January before he and
Gold came their rescue. On the day Portsmouth meet their creditors, and in
the week that the excessive salaries of players at Upton Park have been
revealed, the clubs co-owner warns of the financial perils awaiting one of
the game's real elite. In an explosive exclusive interview with Soccernet,
Sullivan revealed: "Over the last few days several newspapers and websites
have published the alleged wages of most West Ham United's players. In some
cases the figures are totally inaccurate, whilst in other cases they are so
accurate the figures can only have come from current or past employees of
the club. "However, it is not for me to comment on which ones are true and
which ones are false as these are confidential matters between us and the
players. However they do illustrate, as we've explained before, we've
inherited a real mess. "West Ham United were ten days away from a total
fire sale of all their players or administration, or worse, in January. I
believe that in the next 12 months a substantial club will not only go into
administration, but it will be liquidated and cease to exist. "We had to
inject £20 million in January to prevent this happening at West Ham and a
further £4 million will be injected, by myself and David Gold, to pay the
summer wages. "Over the summer months and next 12 months we will continue
our policy of trimming excess, whilst trying to bring a better team to Upton
Park. We cannot let West Ham United become another Portsmouth or Crystal
Palace."
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West Ham captain Matt Upson could snub big boys in favour of new three-year
Upton Park deal
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 10:35 PM on 6th May 2010
Daily Mail
Matthew Upson admited he could be tempted to stay at West Ham after being
offered a three-year deal to stay at the club. Upson, 31, is set to feature
for England at the World Cup this summer and is keen to play at the highest
level possible. Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool have all been
linked with a move for the former Arsenal and Birmingham City defender. But
after being handed the captaincy by Gianfranco Zola, Upson has relished his
new responsibility and has enjoyed the pressures of keeping West Ham in the
top flight. Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of
Zola and the financial mess which the east London club find themselves in,
Upson says it is not a certainty that he will leave Upton Park during the
summer. Upson said: 'I would rather play for a club that is demanding and
has the harsh realities that come with playing here. I enjoy it here because
you have to give everything each time you play. 'There has been a lot of
pressure. Aside from the relegation battle, there is the general pressure of
playing at West Ham United and what is expected from us every time we run
out on that pitch. I have always said I enjoy that. 'The campaign turned
into a battle and it is good to come out on top from that. It would be nice
not to experience that again and I am sure the club can build on this.'
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