WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Under-16s ended the Clyde Best Invitational Tournament
with a convincing victory
15.02.2010
Blair Turgott and Dylan Tombides both helped themselves to hat-tricks as
West Ham United ended the Clyde Best Invitational Tournament with an 8-2
victory over Bermuda Grey. Republic of Ireland Under-16 international Kieran
Sadlier also netted a brace as the Hammers finished as runners-up to French
club AS Saint-Etienne in Bermuda. West Ham's final game was played on Monday
evening after high winds forced the match to be postponed on Saturday.
Academy Director Tony Carr, a former youth team colleague of Best, was happy
a productive trip to the Atlantic island - that also saw a partnership
agreement struck between the club's International Academy and the Bermuda
Football Association - finished on a high. "We put in a very accomplished
performance in our final match to win 8-2. Blair scored a penalty within the
opening minute and we went into half-time 2-0 up. In truth, we should have
been much further ahead, but we missed a few chances and their goalkeeper
made some good saves. "Blair, Dylan and Kieran all netted for us to put us
7-1 up before they scored a second following a debateable penalty decision.
"We finished as runners-up to a very professional French side, while the
matches against two Bermudan sides served to provide good experience to both
sets of players. "The first local team we played against, Bermuda Red, were
the Bermuda U16 side, and they were preparing for their forthcoming FIFA U17
World Cup qualifiers. They had some promising players, but obviously were
not quite up to the usual Academy League standard. "That said, coming to
Bermuda provided a great experience for the young boys and they will have
taken a lot from it, as will the local players here from playing against us.
"I would like to thank Clyde and the Bermuda Football Association for
extending the invite to us to come out here for the tournament, and for
providing the funding to enable us to travel to Bermuda. "We have agreed in
principal to send a team out for the tournament on an annual basis, which
may mean sending different age-group sides in future years. "We have also
agreed with the Bermuda FA to allow them to send coaches over to Little
Heath to watch training and study alongside our own coaches to give them an
idea of what we do on a first-hand basis."
The bad weather also allowed Carr and his charges to enjoy some of Bermuda's
other charms, including a swimming excursion to the island's famed Grotto
Bay. "The postponement allowed us to go to a huge cave where the boys were
able to swim inside, which was another great experience for them, and for us
too. I had never been to Bermuda myself, so not only was visiting the island
a fantastic experience for myself, but it also enabled me to catch up with
an old pal in Clyde, which was fantastic."
West Ham began the tournament with a 2-0 defeat by Saint-Etienne on Friday,
followed by a 5-0 victory over Bermuda Red on Sunday and Monday's 8-2 win
over Bermuda Grey.
The full West Ham United squad to travel to Bermuda was: Jake Larkins, David
Wootton, Dymon Labonne, James Yeboah, Leo Chambers, Ryan Coughlan, Che
Alexander, Kortney Hause, Blair Turgott (captain), Kieran Sadlier, Taylor
Miles, Jack Powell, Mathias Fanimo, Charlie Adams, Elliott Lee and Dylan
Tombides.
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Carr's kids back in action
WHUFC.com
They might have come up short in their first match but an Academy side have
all to play for in Bermuda
14.02.2010
West Ham United will be back in action on Sunday at the 4th Annual Clyde
Best Invitational Tournament in Bermuda. The Hammers squad - made up of
Academy players from the Under-15 and Under-16 sides at Little Heath - were
forced to sit out on Saturday after strong winds continued to batter the
island nation. The Hammers had opened the tournament on Friday night with a
2-0 defeat by strong French outfit AS Saint-Etienne. Saturday's match
against Bermuda Grey will now take place on Monday evening, while Tony
Carr's team will still play Bermuda Red as planned on Sunday. Although the
adverse weather meant Saturday was a barren day in terms of action, there
was plenty happening off the pitch. A press conference was held to confirm a
new partnership between the Bermuda Football Association and West Ham United
International Academy. This "mutually beneficial relationship" will help
"support the development of football in Bermuda via the BFA's national
academy programme".
The link-up will help promote the International Academy's work across the
CONCACAF region with partner clubs already up and running in the United
States and Canada. Former Hammers favourite Best is involved with the
Bermuda FA and is well aware of the positive work being done by the Hammers
coaching staff. Speaking to the Bermuda Royal Gazette, Carr was in
reflective mood about the opening-night loss against St Etienne. "It was a
disappointing performance from us, I expected a lot better. I thought we
started very nervous, the boys are away from home, in a tournament type
situation, and the boys were, very, very nervous. "And I think it showed,
especially our defending players. Our whole philosohpy is get the ball, pass
it, and move it, and we couldn't get that going, and we didn't do that
today."
The young Hammers - including England U16 forwards Matthias Fanimo and Blair
Turgott along with Irish U16 attacker Kieran Sadlier, had gone closest
through Dylan Tombides but Brahim Toutai and Biel Aouchavia were able to
score unanswered strikes past goalkeeper Jake Larkins. Carr hoped his
teenagers would give a better account of themselves in the matches to come.
"They were better than us on the night, but I know we can get better, so
hopefully we'll learn from that and get better as the weekend goes on."
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Sears starts with victory
WHUFC.com
Freddie Sears was the only one of the club's three youngsters on loan in
England to play on Saturday
13.02.2010
Freddie Sears enjoyed a winning start to his Coventry City career on
Saturday as they won 1-0 against Queen's Park Rangers while it was a quiet
day for Frank Nouble and Josh Payne. Sears moved to Coventry on a
three-month loan on Thursday and was named on the bench by Chris Coleman. He
entered the fray at the Ricoh Arena as a 67th-minute replacement for Clinton
Morrison with Coventry already in front at that point. He linked up with
former Hammers trainee Freddy Eastwood in attack and helped see out a win
that moved the Championship club up to tenth. Elsewhere, Nouble was cup-tied
as his loan club West Bromwich Albion drew 2-2 at Reading in the FA Cup
fifth round to earn a replay at the Hawthorns. Payne was an unused
substitute for Wycombe Wanderers away to Brentford as a goalless draw
secured them a precious point in their League One relegation fight. They
remain six points from safety. Finally, Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson was in Belgian
top-flight action later on Saturday with his loan club KSV Roeselare losing
2-0 to visitors KV Kortrijk. Roeselare remain in 14th-place in the 15-team
division, the relegation play-off spot. R. Excelsior Mouscron have already
forfeited their season because of financial problems and are confirmed in
16th spot.
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Matt and Jack at Lakeside
WHUFC.com
Fans get close to two of their favourite Hammers players in Matt Upson and
Jack Collison on Tuesday
15.02.2010
Matthew Upson and Jack Collison are set to appear at a special signing
session at the Lakeside Shopping Centre store on Tuesday afternoon. The
first-team pair are due to be at the club shop for an hour on 16 February
from around 2.30pm and will be signing a maximum of two items for each
supporter to allow as many fans to see them as possible. Anyone going along
is advised to get there early to avoid missing out. Please note that all
player appearances are subject to change and any updates will be provided as
soon as possible via whufc.com. Benni McCarthy and Mido are due to be at the
Stadium store on Thursday afternoon - whufc.com will have more details of
that event closer to the day.
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Green still the No1
WHUFC.com
Three clean sheets in five league matches underline that Robert Green is in
fine form
15.02.2010
Robert Green will be ready for action this week after a welcome few days off
along with the rest of his West Ham United team-mates. The squad face
another major test this Saturday when Hull City arrive at the Boleyn Ground
but Green is feeling the benefit of an upturn in form. He was at his best in
the 2-0 defeat of Birmingham City last week while he had kept clean sheets
in two of the four previous league matches since the turn of the year. "I am
happy in my game," he said. "I had a look at myself about a month ago and
changed a couple of things. A couple of things I felt I needed to improve
and I feel the results of that and feel I am better again for it. "Where I
have put the changes have taken a bit of time to take shape, but I am more
than happy at West Ham."
One of the inspirations for Green has come from an unlikely source. The keen
cricket fan has been looking to another sport for some pointers. "It is all
about details," he said. "It is easy to get complacent, when you play at
this level and think you are OK doing what you are doing - but you can't
improve without looking at yourself and your game and making changes when
needed - trying new things. "I listened to Phil Taylor after he had won his
umpteenth darts title and he said 'you know what, you have to try 100-odd
things to get that extra per cent and not all of it may work but one thing
could make a small improvement'. "Here is someone who is at the very top of
his sport. It might not be the most energetic sport in the world but he is
still trying everything to improve himself to get an edge over people even
though he has won about 15 world titles. "If I can't do it - that is my
fault - you have got to take a little look at yourself and one or two things
that you could be better at and do something about it. Mentally as well, if
you go about certain things a bit differently, it can help you."
Back to the task in hand and Green is only thinking about the immediate
challenge of preserving the club's top-flight status - he was relegated with
Norwich City back in 2005/06 - and hopes that will then have a knock-on
impact on his international ambitions in South Africa this summer. "If I can
carry on improving then hopefully at the end of the season, we will see West
Ham having moved up the league, not been relegated and hopefully then be
involved in the [FIFA] World Cup for England at the end of the campaign. He
believed Gianfranco Zola would be a major factor in realising his goals and
spoke of the manager's positive impact. "Mister is a wonderful man, very
affable and he has got you wrapped around your finger before he even starts
talking. You are desperately keen to do well for him and for him to do well.
"His way with the players is really good, he can get a lot out of players,
if he thinks he can get more, he will do so and work on it with that player
for the player himself and the team - Coley is an example, he has been
incredible. "Mister has that personable nature about him as well. He gets
the best out of people and is always encouraging - he has got that smile on
his face and he makes you want to work with and for him."
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Turgott leads Hammers charge
WHUFC.com
Tony Carr's side were too strong for their opponents in the second match of
their Bermudan trip
15.02.2010
West Ham United bounced back at the 4th Annual Clyde Best Invitational
Tournament on Sunday to win 5-0 against local side Bermuda Red. England
Under-16 forward and Hammers captain Blair Turgott had set Tony Carr's side
on their way in the first half with a neatly-taken goal on the half-hour
mark after evading the attentions of three defenders. Turgott added a second
just before the hour with a close-range finish. After that it was all West
Ham, with Elliott Lee - younger brother of U18 midfielder Oliver Lee -
scoring from long range before Australian forward Dylan Tombides headed a
fourth on 65 minutes after Lee had hit the crossbar. Lee was to have the
last word though, with a header of his own finding the net from Kieran
Sadlier's cross. The Hammers had opened the tournament on Friday night with
a 2-0 defeat by strong French outfit AS Saint-Etienne before Saturday's
fixtures were postponed because of adverse weather conditions on the island.
The Hammers will now conclude their participation with a match against
Bermuda Grey on Monday evening.
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Hall on England high
WHUFC.com
Young forwards Robert Hall and Danny Purdy have both been on international
duty in recent days
15.02.2010
Robert Hall earned another cap when playing the full 90 minutes for England
Under-17s in a 3-0 friendly win against Ukraine on Sunday. The West Ham
United striker, still only 16, had sat out Saturday's 1-1 draw with France
at the Algarve Tournament in southern Portugal but was back in John
Peacock's starting lineup for Sunday's contest. He will hope to keep his
place for the final outing on Tuesday against the host nation. The goals
came from Luke Garbutt's penalty, John Cofie and Saido Berahino. The
tournament is a warm-up for the U17s next step in the 2010 UEFA European U17
Championship qualifying stage. They host an Elite round mini-tournament
between 27 March and 1 April featuring Sweden, Slovakia and Malta with the
group winners progressing to the eight-nation summer finals. Hall will be
back with the Academy later in the week but fellow forward Daniel Purdy has
already returned to the club after his winning strike for the Republic of
Ireland in their U17 friendly against Hungary on Thursday. The Hammers
youngster struck the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. The Irish
are also preparing for a UEFA U17 Elite round mini-tournament against
Austria, Finland and Greece between 19 and 24 March.
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Cup cheer for Ladies
WHUFC.com
Tony Marshall's team put in a five-star display on Sunday to bounce back
from a loss to Arsenal
15.02.2010
West Ham United Ladies returned to winning ways at the weekend with a 5-0
demolition of Barking on Sunday after going down to heavyweight opponents
Arsenal last week.
The Hammers were back on song in the Essex FA County Cup quarter-finals at
Thurrock FC with Jess Barling, Nina Downham, Zoe Marshall and Holly Griffin
all in target in the first half. Gemma Shepherd rounded out the scoring
after the interval to set up a last-four date with Colchester United next
Sunday. The win made up in part for the 2-0 defeat last Wednesday against
Arsenal in the London FA County Cup. Rachel Yankey and Laura Bruton scored
in each half but despite the result, the performance against such an elite
side underlined the progress this campaign for Tony Marshall's team.
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Cole a happy Hammer
Striker focused on firing West Ham to safety
Last updated: 15th February 2010
SSN
Carlton Cole insists he is happy at West Ham after resisting overtures from
other clubs in the January transfer window. A couple of clubs are reported
to have made enquiries for the England international during last month's
transfer window. However, Cole decided to snub the interest as he looks to
fire West Ham to safety in the Premier League. Cole, who is back to full
fitness after two months out with a knee injury, confirmed he had shunned
two approaches from other clubs for his services as he is happy with life at
Upton Park. "I wasn't in the least bit interested in entertaining offers, my
only focus was and still is to do the best I can for West Ham for the rest
of the season in the situation we are in," Cole told skysports.com. "My only
priority is to get back to full fitness and do my best on the pitch. "There
has been speculation about my future, however, I am not one to shirk my
responsibility. "I am looking forward to enjoying a good end to the season
by producing some good performances to repay the Upton Park faithful."
Cole also offered his backing to manager Gianfranco Zola, whose own future
has been the subject of speculation, following the arrivals of new joint
owners David Sullivan and David Gold. Hammers star Cole is fully behind Zola
and he has thanked the Italian for helping him improve as a player. "I am
behind the manager Gianfranco Zola 110 per cent as he has helped me a lot
during his time in charge," added Cole.
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Gold calls for Pompey backing
Chairman warns of damage to Premier League's "integrity"
Last updated: 14th February 2010
SSN
West Ham co-owner David Gold says crisis club Portsmouth must not be allowed
to go out of business. Pompey are facing a winding up order from Her
Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over an unpaid tax bill of £11.5m, and
were in court on Wednesday for a hearing over their fate. The South Coast
club could have been wound up there and then but were granted an extra seven
days to stump up the cash. The club claim they have two backers interested
in taking on the troubled outfit, whose debt to HMRC includes £7.4m of VAT
payments. Portsmouth dispute this figure but could still be wound up,
leaving the Premier League to compete with only 19 teams. Any teams that had
taken points off Portsmouth would lose them, leaving the table with a new
look and reducing the relegation places to two. Gold, who took over at West
Ham last month with former Birmingham owner David Sullivan, says losing
Portsmouth would hamper the Premier League's global appeal. And he called on
the other 19 sides to rally around their troubled rivals and ensure they
survive. Gold told the Mail on Sunday: "Anything that impacts on the
integrity of the Premier League has to be addressed and if a club go bust,
all the points are wiped out, giving an advantage to some clubs and a
disadvantage to others. "That can't be right. For that reason, you have an
obligation to save a football club.
"We have allowed Portsmouth to get into this mess. The brand is 20 Premier
League football clubs. We must take responsibility."
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Cole - I'm a happy Hammer
The Sun
Published: Today
CARLTON COLE insists he never considered leaving West Ham in January. The
England striker, 26, was linked with a host of clubs during the transfer
window. But Cole, who is back to full fitness after a knee injury, admits he
is only interested in firing the Hammers away from the Premier League drop
zone. He said: "I wasn't in the least bit interested in entertaining offers.
"My only focus was and still is to do the best I can for West Ham for the
rest of the season. "There has been speculation about my future, however, I
am not one to shirk my responsibility. "I am looking forward to enjoying a
good end to the season by producing some good performances to repay the
Upton Park faithful."
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McCarthy set to win World Cup call after Hammers move
Published 05:00 14/02/10 By James Masters
The Mirror
Benni McCarthy has been given a World Cup lifeline by South Africa coach
Carlos Alberto Parreira. McCarthy, 32, has not featured for the
international side for more than a year and had feared that he may have
played his last game for them. But following his £2.5million deadline day
move to West Ham, boss Parreira is considering recalling the striker ahead
of this summer's tournament. But McCarthy faces a race against time to
overcome a troublesome knee injury if he is to stake a claim.
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West Ham trio behind Portsmouth rescue plan
Published 23:00 13/02/10 By Paul Smith
The Mirror
West Ham were behind the plan to advance Portsmouth parachute money to
ensure they survived until the and of this season. Premier League chief
Richard Scudamore was a guest of the club when they played Birmingham at
Upton Park last Wednesday night. And David Sullivan, David Gold and Karren
Brady suggested the rival 19 clubs should bail out Pompey out by advancing
them money due this summer. It was even suggested that the other clubs could
loan Pompey £500,000 each to prevent the HMRC from winding them up. The
Hammers feared that if Pompey were wound up they would lose four points as
the head-to-head results would be scrapped putting them 19th in the League.
Scudamore dismissed the plan and was horrified when the plan was leaked to
the media and given credibility the following day. The League were then
forced to issue a statement that said: "The Premier League has very specific
rules regarding what happens if a club suffers an insolvency event. We will
not act outside these rules or in a way that would undermine the
competition's integrity."
Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie and financial director Tanya Robins
prevented the club from going out of business with last ditch pleas to 13
other creditors who wanted to attach themselves to the HMRC's winding up
order against the club. The courts gave the Premier League strugglers a
temporary stay of execution on Wednesday to allow insolvency specialists
Vantis to prepare a full report on their financial status. But Storrie
admitted last night: "Tanya and I had to work round the clock to convince 13
other creditors to withdraw from the winding-up petition. I'm not sure
people realise how close we were from going out of business last Wednesday.
"In the end, all but one of the creditors withdrew from the petition after
Tanya and I put proposals in place to address their debts." Storrie added:
"We have two serious bidders for the club, but are also looking at other
financial solutions."
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Carson Yeung set to sue David Gold - exclusive
Published 12:53 13/02/10 By James Nursey
The Mirror
Carson Yeung intends to sue David Gold over claims he was offered the chance
to stay on as Birmingham chairman. Yeung bought City last October for
£81.5million and offered Gold a position as vice-president. The honorary
title was then withdrawn after a row over Karren Brady's pay-off and the new
board inheriting liabilities totaling £11million. But new West Ham chief
Gold claimed in the build-up to Birmingham's visit to Upton Park in midweek
that City reneged on a deal to keep him as chairman. Brum supremo Peter
Pannu said: "He was not offered the chairmanship and this is an absolute
lie. "I am flabbergasted and furious over this and he is going to hear from
our lawyers." Pannu, a former Hong Kong cop and lawyer, is carrying out an
on-going probe into the club's finances following Yeung's buy-out of Gold
and David Sullivan.
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Cole committed to Hammers cause
Published 16:11 15/02/10 By Pa Sports
The Mirror
England striker Carlton Cole insists he was happy to reject interest from
other clubs during the transfer window to concentrate on West Ham's survival
campaign. The 26-year-old, who returned to action three weeks ago after two
months out with a knee injury, was linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and
Tottenham but is happy to stay at Upton Park.
"I wasn't in the least bit interested in entertaining offers, my only focus
was and still is to do the best I can for West Ham for the rest of the
season in the situation we are in," Cole told skysports.com. "My only
priority is to get back to full fitness and do my best on the pitch. "There
has been speculation about my future, however, I am not one to shirk my
responsibility. "I am looking forward to enjoying a good end to the season
by producing some good performances to repay the Upton Park faithful." The
Hammers are currently a point above the relegation zone, with Gianfranco
Zola appearing under pressure last week after publicly criticising co-owner
David Sullivan. "I am behind the manager Gianfranco Zola 110% as he has
helped me a lot during his time in charge," added Cole.
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Managerial madness
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th February 2010
By: Gary Portugal
You might think by the title that I am suggesting that football managers are
mad: quite the opposite, in fact.
What I intend to say is that the way in which managers are being treated in
professional football is complete and utter madness. It's nothing new that
managers this season have been unjustly sacked - this has always taken place
in the game. But it seems to happening more often now, and it is no surprise
that it's happening when more foreign investors are taking over British
clubs and in some cases, throwing big money at their clubs. In exchange for
making massive investment in the clubs, these foreign owners feel that they
are justified in pulling the trigger very quickly if things don't go their
way fast enough.
Take a look at this season's casualties so far: Gareth Southgate, Gary
Megson, Mark Hughes and Paul Hart. What do these cases all have in common?
In each case it is questionable whether it was fair or justified to sack the
manager, and in each case it is questionable as to whether the successor is
doing any better .
Starting with Southgate, it struck me as odd that he was released after the
season began. If the club wanted to let him go, why did they not replace him
over the summer before a ball had even been kicked in the new season? At the
time he was let go, Middlesbrough's league position was quite healthy - the
only thing that was not healthy was the amount of stick that Southgate was
taking from some of the 'Boro support. Strachan started poorly and presided
over 'Boro sliding down the table. They have recovered a bit but remain
outside the playoff places and on that basis I'm not sure that they are any
better off.
Gary Megson's exit from Bolton was a more contentious case. It appeared that
Megson was removed simply because parts of the crowd were baying for his
head, not for footballing reasons. Megson kept them in the Premier League
when he arrived, which was no mean feat at that time. Subsequent to that
they achieved a slightly better finish in the following season.
With little money to spend, Megson had few options to bolster his Bolton
side and indeed, Bolton did struggle under him this season. But at the time
he was let go, they were certainly not out of the race to avoid the drop and
had he been given more time would, in my opinion, have survived.
Letting a 2-0 lead at home to Hull City slip seemed to seal his fate,
combined with talk that one or two players simply could not co-exist with
him. Yet Hull City have beaten Man City and drawn with Chelsea, so to base
the decision partly in response to one result seems silly. Now Bolton remain
in the relegation zone and under new manager Coyle have taken very few
points. Again, was it worth it - and was the decision to sack Megson taken
purely to appease the baying mob?
The Bolton case is a particularly interesting one, because it shows that
injustice between manager and club is not a one way street. Occassionally
managers are capable of wreaking havoc on their clubs by deserting them in
the blink of an eye. Was it right or appropriate for Burnley as a club, its
supporters and players to be subject to Coyle leaving mid-season when it was
obvious that Coyle's exit could result in Burnley's relegation?
Burnley was going to have enough trouble as it was remaining in the top
flight, although they began the season well under Coyle. It was Coyle who
got them promoted to the Premier League in the first place. Did the man not
have any loyalty, desire or sense of responsibility to see the job through
and do his bit to ensure that the club stayed up?
What is the point of working so hard to get a club promoted if, four months
into its first season in the top flight for decades, you walk out at the
first chance that 'greener pastures' appear? It is completely out of order
and this sort of thing should not go on; the Football League should consider
rules that prohibit a manager from leaving a club to manage another club in
the same division during a season.
Paul Hart's sacking from Portsmouth looked ludicrous when it happened - and
looks even sillier now. Every recognisable talent from the club was sold
under his nose - how was he supposed to compete? And how was anyone meant to
manage a professional club when they knew that the club's finances were very
precarious? And of course, it has gotten no better under Avram Grant.
Pompey's position in the table remains rock bottom, although Grant does seem
to be picking up a few more points than Hart did (but not many). And Grant
has also been subject to being lied to about investment into Portsmouth and
not consulted about player sales etc. In the case of Portsmouth, the latter
is no suprise at this point, simply because the current 'owner' has no long
term interest in the club as its financial survival hangs by a thread.
Mark Hughes's firing from Man City, on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Spurs,
seems perhaps the harshest of all. At the time of his exit City were still
in the Carling Cup and were reasonably close to achieving their target for
league position, with two games in hand against weaker opposition. Yet
Hughes wasn't delivering the goods quickly enough for Man City's new owners,
despite the fact that Hughes had only had the benefit of his summer signings
for a few months.
Almost predictably, Mancini hasn't done any better. His first few matches
were successful but given the weakness of the opposition are matches that
Hughes likely would have won anyway . Hughes' crime seemed to be having too
many draws. Yet ironically, Mancini has now lost to Hull City in the league
and only managed a draw at home to Stoke in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
If Mancini fails to deliver, could he be shown the door in May?
As if it wasn't enough to experience this indignity once in a career, Paul
Hart has endured it twice within five months. Shortly after taking the
posioned chalice at QPR he was given the boot after only a handful of
matches. Predictably, the next entrant on the mangerial merry -go-round at
QPR is doing no better. In fact he's doing even worse, with QPR way out of
the play-off picture now. So effectively, in all of the cases, the
managerial sackings have not benefited the club - and in some cases has made
it worse This is indeed madness and benefits nobody, least of all the very
supporters who it is meant to placate.
If you observe the success stories outside the 'big four', they involve
teams who have given their managers time,and not been trigger-happy. David
Moyes and Martin O'Neill are the prime examples of this. It takes time to
bring in the right players and it takes time for players to gel once new
signings are made. 'You can't hurry love', so to speak . Not unless you want
to be constantly disappointed or mere one-hit wonders.
The way in which Gianfranco Zola was undermined in his preparation of the
team for the Birmingham game by ill-timed comments from West Ham United's
new owners about wage cuts and firings is the latest example of this poor
treatment of managers. Zola hasn't been sacked, but his authority at the
club has been undermined and he sits in a precarious position having
courageously declared his objection to the timing and public nature of
Sullivan's statements on salary cuts.
All this at a time when the club needs Zola to be focused, without
distraction, on the massive task of keeping us up. This is true managerial
madness, i.e. madness at corporate level, resulting in the club owners
proverbially shooting themselves (and everyone else connected to the club)
in the foot.
But the this seasn may mark a watershed. Given how many clubs are facing
adminstration or wind-up orders, a lot of questions are going to be asked.
And the questions may start with the wage structure and spending policies of
the clubs in question . But it won't end there.
The 'CSI investigation' will extend to questioning whether all aspects of
the governance of such clubs was appropriate, including the way in which a
club hired and fired managers. Owners are not going to have the luxury of
kicking managers around without good reason for much longer. The times, they
are a-changing. The recession and post-credit crunch will make sure of that,
sooner or later.
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So close - yet so far
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th February 2010
By: Staff Writer
Dean Ashton has revealed that he thought West Ham had won the FA Cup in 2006
- only for Steven Gerrard to spoil the party with a last-minute equaliser.
Ashton, who put West Ham 2-0 up on the day when he pounced on a spilled
Matthew Etherington shot just ahead of the half-hour mark revealed that he
was all ready to celebrate, moments before Gerrard fired home a last-gasp
equaliser in the first minute of second-half injury time.
"I felt like we were going to win it," the retired former number nine told
Five Live. "A few of the Liverpool players were getting cramp within 90
minutes and I just thought 'this has got to be our final'. Then, when [Paul]
Konchesky crossed it in you think 'it's got to be ours'.
"I remember when I went off as a sub foolishly putting my tracksuit top on,
on the bench ready to go on the pitch - and as I zipped it up, [Steven]
Gerrard scored. But I still thought we'd win in extra time so it was really
disappointing - but it was a great, great day."
Newly-promoted West Ham, massive underdogs according to the bookies, went
ahead in the game - dubbed the greatest FA Cup final in recent years -
through a Jamie Carragher own goal on 21 minutes before Ashton doubled
United's lead seven minutes later.
The Reds drew level through Djibril Cisse (32 minutes) and Gerrard (54)
before Paul Konchesky put the Irons ahead again with a cross-come-shot that
flew in to Pepe Reina's far corner on 64 minutes. Gerrard snatched his
second of the game in the first of four added-on minutes at the end of the
90 before Liverpool went on to win 3-1 on penalties after no more goals
followed in extra time.
Many West Ham fans have since admitted to never having watched a replay of
the game - the first FA Cup final the Hammers had lost since going down 2-0
to Bolton in the very first FA Cup final held at Wembley some 83 years
earlier.
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Ashton on SW-P: no hard feelings
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th February 2010
By: Staff Writer
Dean Ashton has revealed that he bears no ill feeling towards Shaun
Wright-Phillips, the player who effectively ended his playing career.
Manchester City winger Wright-Phillips, then at Chelsea, was responsible for
the challenge that left Ashton with a shattered ankle during an England
training session in the summer of 2006 - an injury from which he failed to
fully recover. However Ashton, speaking on Five Live tonight, revealed that
he refused to blame Wright-Phillips for forcing him to prematurely call time
on his career, at the age of just 26. "There's no point thinking about that
at all, there just isn't," said Ashton. "I'm pretty sure he didn't want to
break my leg. Whether it was a bad tackle or not, I'm sure he didn't think
that. "That was three years ago and there's no point dwelling on that. It
could have happened to anybody. It might not have been me, it might have
been someone else - but it just so happened to be me. There's no point keep
going on thinking about it."
The former Irons number nine, who officially announced his retirement back
in December - despite admitting that he knew he would have to retire as
early as February 2009, some nine months earlier - also revealed that he was
unlikely to receive any compensation in relation to his injury - all because
he tried to make a comeback. "Those things are still going on," he said.
"Obviously there's also West Ham who want compensating for losing a player
who they paid a lot of money for. There's a lot of things going on that we
can't talk about, but that is going on behind the scenes. In terms of
compensation my insurance is void, I don't get any insurance money so it's
for the best that I've saved well.
"There's a lot of things in your insurance that they don't have to pay you
out [for]. Generally if you get injured and don't retire with that injury
within two years - and obviously if you get back playing for a season. If
you're injured when you renew it they can exclude your ankle."
Although Ashton's injury problems were clear to all, it was with some
surprise that the striker was offered a new five-year contract by the club
in the summer of 2008. It is a sentiment with which Ashton agees.
"At the time five years seemed like a lot," he admitted, "but to me I felt
like I'd got back and played really well - and I was in the team every week.
So I felt like I deserved a new contract. How many years wasn't up to me but
I felt like I'd played well enough and earned my place back in the team.
"I'm sure in hindsight they were tearing their hair out that they did. But
like I said, at the time I felt like I wasn't going to have any more
problems until I was 30-odd, and I felt like I'd got back to somewhere near
my best. Obviously they thought that as well and at the time I guess West
Ham didn't want to lose a striker."
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Gold back play-off plans
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th February 2010
By: Staff Writer
David Gold has given his full support to the idea of a Champions League
play-off round.
It was mooted earlier today that those teams finishing between fourth and
seventh in the Premier League enter into an end-of-season play-off
competition to determine who would take the fourth and final spot available
to English teams.
It is an idea that has unsurprisingly received the full backing of most
Premier League clubs including Hammers joint Chairman Gold, who told Sky
News tonight: "We know it works. We know it works in the play-offs for all
the divisions.
"It was introduced many years ago and it's been singularly one of the most
outstanding and exciting competitions - and it's driven the product. It
certainly should be explored."
The only clubs to vote against the introduction of play-offs for the final
Champions League spot were Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, who
clearly fear losing their monopoly on the huge financial rewards
qualification for the competition can bring.
The current Champions League format was introduced in the 1992-93 season and
replaced the old system whereby only the Champions of each domestic league
participated in the competition, formerly known as the European Cup.
Had the new proposed format been in place in the Premier League since its
inception West Ham would have been involved in the play-offs on two
occasions - in 1988/99 when the Irons finished 5th under Harry Redknapp and
again in 2001/02 under Glenn Roeder, when United finished 7th.
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Ashton: Hammers owners ''ripping hair out'' over me
By Soccernet staff
ESPN
February 15, 2010
Dean Ashton admits West Ham's new owners David Sullivan and David Gold must
be ''ripping their hair out'' at the decision of the previous Hammers regime
to award him a new five-year contract just 18 months before he was forced to
quit the game at the age of 26. Persistent ankle problems forced Ashton to
retire last November, bringing a devastating end to a career which promised
so much, with the former Crewe and Norwich man tipped to be an England
regular when Steve McClaren began reshaping the squad after the 2006 World
Cup. Ashton revealed talks over compensation between him and the club are
still ''going on'' but accepts Sullivan and Gold, who revealed West Ham were
in debt to the tune of £100 million when they took charge, must have
questioned the wisdom of awarding a long-term contract to someone who did
not play a single minute in the 2006-07 season.
''In hindsight I'm sure they're ripping their hair out,'' he told BBC Radio
Five Live. ''At the time I felt I was not going to have any more problems
and that I'd got back to somewhere near my best and obviously [the previous
owners] felt that as well. ''At the time West Ham didn't want to lose a
striker. At the time five years seemed a lot. I had got back and played
really well and was in the team every week, and I felt like I deserved a new
contract. It wasn't up to me but I felt like I'd earned my place back in the
team.''
Ashton revealed he had not received an insurance pay-out following his
retirement because he had returned to action after his first ankle injury,
and thereafter his insurance did not cover him for future problems with his
ankle. ''My insurance is void,'' he said. ''There are a lot of things in
your insurance where they don't have to pay you out. If you are injured when
you renew it, they can obviously exclude your ankle [from cover]. But I'm
not going to harp on about insurance companies trying to fleece people. If
they were insuring a house and the roof was knackered then obviously they
wouldn't insure your roof.''
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West Ham Boss: 'Football Is On The Brink'
Ananova
David Gold, co-chairman of West Ham, has told Jeff Randall Live that
football clubs and their owners need to find a way to save themselves from
themselves. Speaking to Jeff Randall Live, Mr Gold said the need to win was
putting football's future at risk. "In our pursuit of success, to avoid
relegation, to get into Europe or win the division, we are in such ferocious
competition with each other that it's bringing us to the brink," he said. Mr
Gold said he agreed with the idea of putting a cap on clubs' debts as a
proportion of their turnover and that he supports the idea of penalising
those that cannot pay back their debts. "The only thing that clubs
understand is points deduction so that has to be the punishment," he said.
But the former owner of Birmingham City said any form of government
intervention in football would be "a tragedy".
The total debt of the 20 English Premier League clubs is estimated to be
more than £3bn. Even the game's most successful sides are deep in the red.
Manchester United's debts are two and-a-half times the club's turnover, at
over £700m. Mr Gold and his partner David Sullivan took the reins at West
Ham last month, inheriting debts of more than £110m.
"For this club to run on a sound financial basis we aim to reduce costs by
25%. As contracts run out, they'll be renewed at a more sensible level," he
said.
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CHARLES SALE: West Ham seek £40m injection as David Sullivan and David Gold
look to reduce £100m debt
By Charles Sale Last updated at 12:02 AM on 16th February 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham have begun a fund-raising drive by sending letters to potential
investors asking for individual contributions of up to £10million while
providing scant information themselves. The club are seeking to reduce their
debts, which new owners David Sullivan and David Gold put at more than
£100m, by raising a target of £40m from this 'investment opportunity'. But
despite chasing such a huge sum and requiring a minimum investment of
£250,000, finance house Shore Capital state that it will be by private
placement - meaning the club can keep financial disclosure to a minimum and
don't have to produce a prospectus.
No clue has been given at this stage as to how the money raised will be
spent or what investors might receive for their cash injection in the form
of shares or securities. The terse bulletin sent from Shore Capital
assistant director Stephane Auton demands 'background information on
yourself or the institution you represent'. Seemingly expecting a positive
response despite such minimal detail, he adds: 'Please provide an indicative
non-binding range for your likely investment capacity.' West Ham deputy
chairman Karren Brady, when announcing the scheme, said: 'Although this
fund-raising is initially aimed at professional investors, I would love to
be able to bring in our fantastic fan base as investors further down the
line.'
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