WHUFC.com
Frank Nouble and West Ham United's Under-18s enjoyed a successful Saturday
24.07.2010
Frank Nouble's England are through to the UEFA European Under-19
Championship semi-finals following a dramatic 1-1 draw with France. Going
into the final five minutes of their clash with the host nation in Saint-Lo
on Saturday evening, the odds were stacked against the Young Lions. Not only
were England trailing Yannis Tafer's 56th-minute goal, but they also needed
Austria to score a later winner against Netherlands to give them any chance
of progressing to the last four. Amazingly, Austria went ahead through Marco
Djuricin's 87th-minute strike before England substitute Matthew Phillips
completed an unbelievable turnaround by scoring an equaliser three minutes
into added time. All that means 18-year-old Nouble and his team-mates face a
semi-final showdown with Spain on Tuesday.
Closer to home, there was also drama at Roots Hall as West Ham's United's
youth team defeated hosts Southend United on penalties to reach the final of
a four-team tournament. Goalkeeper David Wootton, a first-year scholar, was
the hero of the hour, saving two spot-kicks as the Hammers secured a 4-3
shootout victory following an eventful goalless draw. Both teams had several
chances to score in normal play, with the Hammers ironically missing a
penalty in normal time. Matthias Fanimo was upended by the Blues keeper
inside the box following a great through ball from Robert Hall, only for
Blair Turgott's spot-kick to hit the woodwork and bounce clear. Hall was
lively throughout and saw a dipping shot go just wide of the left-hand post,
while Fanimo had a similar effort also go wide in the final minutes. Into
the shootout and Southend looked to have the advantage when James Stevens,
Ryan Auger and Dugi Ogbonna all scored from the spot before Paco Craig saw
his shot saved. Wootton then took centre-stage, saving the next two Blues
penalties before Dominic Vose scored to send the Hammers through. The
success set up a final meeting with Arsenal, who defeated Dutch side FC
Twente in the other semi-final, on Sunday afternoon at 3.30pm. Southend and
FC Twente will contest the third-place play-off earlier in the day, with
kick-off at 11.30.
If supporters have not already purchased tickets for both days, tickets for
Sunday are priced at £10 adults, £5 concessions and £1 children. Call the
Blues Box Office on 08444 77 00 77 for more details.
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Grant content with progress
WHUFC.com
Thomas Hitzlsperger and Carlton Cole celebrated after another good win for
Avram Grant's side
24.07.2010
Avram Grant was delighted to see his West Ham United record a hard-fought
1-0 victory against Panathinaikos in the third pre-season friendly win of
the summer in as many matches. Thomas Hitzlsperger's fierce free-kick as the
interval approached in Kitzbuhel - just across the Austrian border from the
club's Bavarian base - settled a Friday night contest played in driving
rain. The difficult conditions made it hard for both teams to find their
feet but the manager was happy with his men's application. "Panathinaikos
are very good and we coped well with their pressure. They are preparing for
the Champions League and I saw them take the title last season after many
years without success in Greece. They are a good team with quality. For us
it was a good game and the traditional English weather helped us."
Grant said there was plenty of positives but one notable plus point was the
execution of the set-piece that produced the goal. James Tomkins' had driven
forward from right-back to win a free-kick on the edge of the area. Luis Boa
Morte rolled the ball a short way to Hitzlsperger and Der Hammer did the
rest.
"I was pleased with Thomas's goal," the manager added. "We only started to
work on set-oieces a few days ago and that was just briefly. I liked that we
did that. We also created a few chances before and after. We defended well
and for a training game it was good."
While Hitzlsperger shone in a first-half midfield also compromising the
in-form Mark Noble and Scott Parker, who was making his first appearance of
the summer, there were also the encouraging signs of a young side featuring
the likes of Matt Fry and Cristian Montano closing out the game with help
from a lively Kieron Dyer. "They coped well with the pressure. Part of our
vision and also the tradition of the club is young players. We want the
talented youngsters to be a big part of our squad and also the training camp
was for them. We are sure if they continue like this they will be ready and
we want our future to be a good team with positive experienced players
alongside the young talented players."
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Burton 4-2 West Ham United XI FT
WHUFC.com
Ahmed Abdulla and triallist Devann Yao were on target for the Hammers at the
Pirelli Stadium
24.07.2010
Burton Albion v West Ham United XI
Pre-season friendly
Pirelli Stadium
Saturday 23 July 2010
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: A.Woolmer
Final score - Burton Albion 4-2 West Ham United XI
91 mins - Just a few seconds past the 90 minute-mark and the referee blows
the final whistle. The PA announcer wishes West Ham luck in the Premier
League this season and the travelling fans a safe journey home. Good on him.
That was an entertaining game of football and Dyer's youngsters have nothing
to be ashamed of. Not only did they work hard, but they scored two fine
goals against a full-strength Football League side. That's all for now from
the Pirelli Stadium, but make sure you keep a close eye on whufc.com for
exclusive reaction to today's match.
90 mins - Into the final minute of the 90 and Young threatens to score a
fifth for the Brewers, running at the West Ham defence before lobbing
Wessels but seeing his shot clear the crossbar.
88 mins - McNaughton is forced to concede a corner. Young takes the same
player heads the ball clear of the penalty area.
87 mins - Maghoma has to go off, so Burton will finish with ten men.
86 mins - GOAL! How often does that happen? Burton break out from the back,
with Young finding Harrad who cuts inside a defender and beats Wessels with
a low shot.
86 mins - Super strike from Purdy, whose effort is heading for the top
right-hand corner before Legzdins dives full-length to push it out for a
corner.
85 mins - Former Hammer Greg Pearson is the man of the match. The free-kick
is actually 30 yards out, so shooting is an option.
84 mins - Wearen is fouled about 35 yards out. Purdy will fancy doing
something with this. The Irish youngster works hard on his set pieces.
First, though, Maghoma needs a bit of treatment from the physio.
83 mins - Modelski was felled by a late challenge from McGrath a few moments
back and he is replaced by Daniel Purdy. Lee has gone to right wing-back,
with Purdy the furthest forward of the three midfielders.
81 mins - Burton break out from the back and the ball finds Harrad wide on
the left. He cuts inside and shoots right-footed, but Wessels is there to
claim in front of his face.
77 mins - While Wessels has made a couple of decent saves, Yao has also
looked tidy in possession and not been over-awed by the challenge of facing
more experienced opponents. The forward has been with FC Metz in France and
Livorno Calcio in Italy previously, and speaks English, French and Italian.
75 mins - Still no sign of any changes from Dyer as we enter the final 15
minutes. West Ham can still get back in this, but they need to take better
care in possession. Wearen gives the ball to Maghoma, who passes to
Phillips, who drives his shot powerfully wide of the far post.
72 mins - Young come close to adding a fourth for Burton, but McNaughton
blocks and Eyjolfsson completes the clearance. The attendance is 1,920. Not
bad at all.
71 mins - Pearson runs at Modelski before cutting on to his right foot, but
his shot is high and wide.
69 mins - Good stuff from West Ham, who keep the ball for more than a minute
before Moncur lets fly with a rasping shot that takes a nick off a defender
and goes behind. Moncur crosses and Sanchez connects with a powerful header
that Legdzins does well to push aside.
67 mins - Fair play to the Bristol Hammers, who have not only made the long
trip to Burton this afternoon, but are advertising the fact with a smart
claret and blue flag. The lively Young threatens again, but Sanchez gets a
toe in to concede the corner.
65 mins - Young crosses and Lee heads clear. Phillips retrieves the ball and
sends over a teasing cross that eludes everyone and bounces a yard wide of
the far post.
64 mins - You have to give the Hammers youngsters some credit here. They are
holding their own against a Football League side with no fewer than seven
fresh substitutes on the pitch. Corner to Burton...
62 mins - Two more changes from Burton. Moore and Penn are replaced by
Harrad and Stanton.
61 mins - Great football but unfortunately no end product for West Ham.
Eyjolfsson drives the ball forward and Abdulla brilliantly chests it down
into the path of Yao. The American plays it back to Abdulla, but
unfortunately his cross eludes Yao and Corbett has time to clear.
58 mins - West Ham's three outfield substitutes are warming up on the
touchline. All three are attackers, so maybe Dyer will call on them if the
scoreline stays the same for much longer.
56 mins - A loose header from McNaughton drops to Burton player. Young
accelerates to the byline and cuts the ball back. Sanchez slides and gets
something on the ball, coming close to scoring an own-goal. Thankfully, it
flies harmlessly through the danger zone and away.
54 mins - Burton are nicknamed the Brewers and you can see why by looking
above the far terrace. There, in the middle distance, are the familiar tanks
used to brew ale of some description. I must confess I don't know which
brewery owns them, but I can tell you that the town is home to the National
Brewery Centre.
52 mins - GOAL! Burton are back in front. A long ball down the left channel
finds Maghoma, who lofts the ball square for McGrath to beat Wessels with a
looping header.
51 mins - Eyjolfsson seems to be having some trouble with his footwear. He's
been down to do his laces up at least three times since half-time.
50 mins - Burton are pressing hard here. Young whips the ball over and only
the timely intervention of Eyjolfsson prevents the home side taking
advantage through Phillips.
48 mins - Wessels is the villain and then the hero in quick succession. The
giant German gifts possession to Maghoma, who feeds Young. The replacement
shoots low, but Wessels is able to block with his legs. Burton have a
corner, but Wearen is in the right place to head the ball clear.
46 mins - And we're up and running again... Four changes for Burton, with
Grocott, Webster, Dyer and Walker being the players replaced.
Here come the Burton players, led by substitute and new captain McGrath.
Burton have also brought on Jacques Maghoma, Paul Boertien, Jimmy Phillips
and Lewis Young. I was wrong about Cowler, as Wessels is the first West Ham
player out for the second 45 minutes. No changes for the Hammers, who will
get things back underway.
The Pirelli Stadium is very nice, I must say. With a capacity of nearly
7,000, it is perfect for a club the size of Burton Albion. There is plenty
of space around the stadium for future expansion, too, should it be needed.
It has been open since 2005, but looks brand new. Very nice, as I said!
It looks like we might get a bit of rain in the second half. The clouds have
thickened overhead as West Ham's substitute go through a few exercises on
the pitch. I think we might see young goalkeeper Sam Cowler after the break,
as he is warming up with goalkeeper coach Jerome John.
Half-time score - Burton Albion 2-2 West Ham United XI
46 mins - Burton kick-off and moments later the half-time whistle is blown.
What an entertaining half of football that was.
45 mins - GOAL! They deserve that. The three centre-backs knock the ball
around confidently before Eyjolfsson lofts another superb ball forward for
Abdulla. He heads it down into the path of Yao, who takes a touch before
curling a fantastic shot into the roof of the net from around 16 yards.
42 mins - Eyjolfsson sends a long raking pass over the top which Andy
Corbett can only head behind for a corner under pressure from Abdulla.
Moncur crosses and Pearson heads behind again. Moncur's second corner is
grabbed high above his head by Legzdins.
41 mins - Alex Dyer has been on the edge of his technical area for the whole
first half, shouting instructions to his players. They have done well in the
main, with Burton scoring with their only two shots on target. They
certainly haven't been outplayed during the opening 40-odd minutes, by any
means.
38 mins - Abdulla introduces McGrath to the action by fouling him on the
halfway line. Burton break down the right and Pearson crosses deep, where
Richard Walker just cannot stretch out his leg to apply the finishing touch.
37 mins - Burton make their first substitution. Goalscorer Bolder has a
knock and is replaced by John McGrath.
35 mins - Abdulla shoots and his effort hits the wall and goes behind for a
corner. Moncur curls the ball over but it is too close to Legzdins.
34 mins - Good stuff again from the visitors. Eyjolfsson wins possession
with a crunching challenge and West Ham break through Abdulla. Modelski
makes a good decoy run and Abdulla lays the ball square to Lee, who is
fouled as he shoots. Free-kick to the Hammers, about 25 yards out.
32 mins - That's frustrating. Good football from Abdulla releases Yao. He
holds the ball up and finds Modelski, who works the ball to Lee, Moncur and
finally Brown. The left wing-back crosses but neither Wearen nor Yao can
control it and the chance is lost.
29 mins - Yao runs at the Burton defence before his shot is blocked. Lee
forces a hurried clearance straight to Brown, who beats his full-back but
crosses too high for Abdulla.
27 mins - Penn shows he can play a bit, too, turning away from his marker
and trying to play in Pearson. Thankfully for the visitors, Sanchez is there
to cut out the pass.
26 mins - Burton win a free-kick wide on the left and Dyer curls it into the
box, but the Hammers are able to clear. Moments later, Lee is felled by a
late challenge from No11 Penn. The referee has a word with the Burton
midfielder, as that wasn't a particularly good tackle.
25 mins - The corner may have come to nothing, but West Ham are showing
signs of finding their feet again here and are controlling possession inside
the Burton half. Jordan Brown, George Moncur and Olly Lee are all heavily
involved.
23 mins - West Ham win a throw down the right deep inside the Burton half.
Modelski lobs the ball in and Moore hacks it out of the stadium. A new ball
is found and Wearen wins a corner.
20 mins - The unlikely figure of right wing-back Modelski gets forward and
closes down a backpass to goalkeeper Legdzins. He slide tackles the stopper,
but unfortunately the ball rolls behind for a goal kick, rather than into
the net.
19 mins - The playing surface is very good here at the Pirelli Stadium and
Burton are making good use of it at present, knocking the ball around neatly
before Grocott's cross flies wide of the far post.
17 mins - The scoreline is very harsh on the Hammers, who have started
brightly.
15 mins - GOAL! Oh dear. Sergio Sanchez does well initially before clearing
to Burton's Jack Dyer. Dyer crosses deep and the ball bounces up, giving the
defender a problem. He heads it straight to Adam Bolder, who smashes a shot
low into the far corner. It is Bolder's debut.
14 mins - West Ham have responded well to conceding. Brown gets forward down
the left and whips in a fine cross that Grocott can only head behind. Lee
collects the corner short, but his cross floats over the top of everyone.
12 mins - GOAL! Burton have a set piece after Bolder is brought down 25
yards out. Aaron Webster steps up and curls the free-kick into the top
right-hand corner. That was unstoppable.
10 mins - Good goalkeeping by Wessels. Former Hammers youngster Greg Pearson
is sent through and shoots low, but the German got down well to his left to
save. Pearson had been flagged offside, but Wessels wasn't to know.
9 mins - A Burton defender half-clears to Abdulla, whose shot is blocked on
the edge of the penalty area.
8 mins - Wearen shows his willingness to go in where it hurts by beating his
man and challenging the giant Moore. Seconds later, the former West Bromwich
Albion man brings down the lively Yao. Moncur to curl the ball into the
box...
7 mins - West Ham are going well in the early stages. The Hammers win a
free-kick 30 yards from goal and Lee shoots low, but his effort flies wide
of the post.
5 mins - From where I am sat in the stand, I had a perfect view of Abdulla's
finish. He curled it absolutely superbly and it tucked neatly inside the far
post and nestled into the net. The visiting fans absolutely loved that, as
you might expect.
4 mins - GOAL! What a fantastic goal from Ahmed Abdulla, who beats the
offside trap to latch on to a through ball by Brown before curling an
inch-perfect finish around Legzdins and inside the far post.
2 mins - Burton break and Lee has to be alert to snuff out a shooting chance
for Russell Penn. The ball goes behind for a corner, which the Hammers deal
with easily enough. Brown smashes the ball upfield.
1 min - Good start from West Ham. At least six players are involved in a
sweeping move that sees the ball worked forward down the right before being
switched to Yao, who is challenged by the giant figure of Darren Moore.
3.01pm - Burton are going to kick-off attacking the end inhabited by the
West Ham fans. A few hundred have made their way up the M1 for the
afternoon.
2.59pm - West Ham are being captained today by Olly Lee. The midfielder has
been in good form in pre-season, impressing at both Peterborough United and
Thurrock. Two unfamiliar names in the starting XI for the Hammers - Stefan
Wessels is a German goalkeeper who has appeared for Bayern Munich in the
UEFA Champions League, Everton and FC Basel, while Devann Yao is a young
American attacker who was with Ipswich Town last season.
2.58pm - Apologies for the late start to the minute-by-minute coverage, but
we had a bit of a nightmare journey to Burton. A trip that should have taken
about two hours ended up taking more than three. Anyway, the Hammers arrived
at about 2.15pm and had a full warm-up in time for kick-off. Here come the
two teams...
Good afternoon and welcome to the Pirelli Stadium in the Staffordshire town
of Burton for today's pre-season friendly.
Burton spent their first season as a Football League club last term,
finishing mid-table in League Two, and should provide a stern test for Alex
Dyer's West Ham United reserves.
Burton Albion: Legzdins, Corbett, Grocott (Boertien 46), James, Moore
(Harrad 62), Webster (Maghoma 46), Dyer (Phillips 46), Bolder (McGrath 37),
Penn (Stanton 62), Pearson, Walker (Young 46)
Subs: Poole
West Ham United XI: Wessels, Modelski (Purdy 83), McNaughton, Eyjolfsson,
Sanchez, Brown, Wearen, Lee, Moncur, Yao, Abdulla
Subs: Cowler, Werndly, Subuola
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Gold plotting Becks role
Published 07:51 25/07/10 By Pa Sports
The Mirror
West Ham co-owner David Gold believes David Beckham could play a key role in
the club's bid to move into London's Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games.
Gold rates Leytonstone-born Beckham as the ideal ambassador to help the
Hammers win the right to move into the new facility - and the ambitious
businessman even believes the 35-year-old could end his playing days in the
East End. "David Beckham could play a massive part, because of his roots, in
helping West Ham win the Olympic Stadium," Gold told the Sunday Express.
"And maybe he can still play for us in the autumn of his career. "For him to
join a club like us and help us bring another dream to fruition would be
perfect for everyone. We want him aboard."
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Burton Albion 4-2 West Ham XI: The Sunday Mirror pre-season match report
Published 18:00 24/07/10 By Lindsay Sutton
The Mirror
West Ham might be desperate to splash big bucks on a new striker – but young
blood Ahmed Abdullah threw in his visiting card yesterday. The 19-year-old
hitman showed his promise with a superbly-taken opener and another set-up in
this high-tempo pre-season friendly against Paul Peschisolido's Burton
Albion.
Abdullah has spent three years with the West Ham Academy after quitting
Arsenal as a 16-year-old and is now trying to make his mark as a
professional.
Certainly, the young Saudi Arabian showed his cool early on when he kept
onside to receive a good ball from Jordan Brown before curling his
long-range effort past keeper Adam Legzdins and just inside the far post.
Abdullah also set up a Hammers' equaliser to rub out Burton's two quick-fire
first-half strikes with a knock-down that let American trialist striker
Devann Yao place a fine left-foot shot into a top corner. Even so, ambitious
Burton manager 'Pesch,' who is married to West Ham Vice-Chair Karen Brady,
was happy with his side's performance – and he was able to run the rule over
potential future loan players.
With the Hammers' first team still returning from their West German and
Austrian run-outs against Moenchengladbach and Panathinaikos, no less than
eight seed-corn players were in their line-up at Burton's smart Pirelli
Stadium. Soon after Abdullah's impressive strike, Aaron Webster pulled one
back and new signing Adam Bolder, signed from West Ham rivals Millwall
midweek, hit a cracking debut strike. Another new Burton signing Lewis
Young, younger brother of Villa star Ashley, had a shot blocked by one-time
Everton keeper Wessels, whose contract with Swiss club Basle has run out.
John McGrath's looping header put Burton ahead early in the second half as
former Spurs trainee Jacques Maghoma sent over a defence-beating cross. An
assist by Young then let Shaun Harrad curl a beauty past Wessels to end it
late on. All the big talk is about Hammers' striker Carlton Cole moving for
£12million and Nice striker Loic Remy coming for just over that amount. But
the Boleyn Ground's reserve boss Alex Dyer was able to show the Hammers'
future prospects in action – and Burton certainly showed great promise for
their season. Dyer said afterwards: "Four or five of my boys went out to
Germany on the tour so this gave others their opportunity. Abdullah showed
his worth. He's a good prospect and Devann Yao scored a great goal before he
tired. They all put in a shift and learned from a hard-fought game."
Brewers' boss Peschisolido admitted: "Their strikers were lively and took
their chances well but we scored four quality goals and we hope for a good
season. As for future loan players from West Ham, who knows? I have the
contacts."
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Stoke City prepared to break £12 million club record to take Carlton Cole
from West Ham United - report
24 Jul 2010 12:10:00
Goal.com
Stoke City's top-brass are believed to be ready to give the green-light to
breaking their club record transfer fee for West Ham United striker Carlton
Cole.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Potters are set to offer a staggering £12
million for the 26-year-old former England international. David Sullivan,
West Ham's co-owner, has publically stated he is willing to listen to offers
for any player this summer, apart from captain Scott Parker. Cole, who
missed out on a place in England's World Cup 2010 squad, is one of the names
who could potentially boost the Hammer's coffers with a large transfer fee.
Reports suggest that Stoke boss Tony Pulis is looking for a number of
attacking additions this summer, something which he is in dire need of after
his side's goalless pre-season friendly last week against Notts County. Any
money from Cole's potential sale would enable the Hammers to buy at least
two new strikers, one of which is reportedly Argentine striker Milton
Caragilo. The 22-year-old, who currently plays for Roasario Central, holds
an Italian passport and is currently in Italy talking to interested clubs,
although he's due in England next week for talks with West Ham's board.
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Hammers demanding £20m for Scott Parker
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
July 24, 2010
ESPN
Scott Parker is the only player West Ham have insisted is not for sale this
summer at any price - however, ESPNsoccernet has learned that £20 million is
the price now placed on the midfielder's head. Aston Villa have long been
admirers of Parker, a dynamic midfield player, and will have the funds
necessary to sign him if they sell James Milner for close to their £30
million asking price. Manchester City have already had a £24 million bid
rejected but are determined to secure the signing of the England
international. Martin O'Neill does want to sell Milner, but players will
depart if the price is right. The right price for Parker, at least on West
Ham's terms, would be £20 million. New Hammers manager Avram Grant has
backed up comments made at the end of the season by co-owner David Sullivan
that Parker is not for sale. However, there is a growing realisation within
Upton Park that if O'Neill comes calling with a massive bid, then the
player's head is sure to be turned. Tottenham are the other club now being
linked with Parker as Harry Redknapp has confessed that after losing out in
the race to sign Joe Cole, he is on the lookout for two or three new
singings. Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy and Parker are possible
targets, although Spurs would not be able to pay the £20 million asking
price for Parker and are also reluctant to pay a possible £6 million for
Bellamy, who is 30 and injury prone. Spurs hope to secure a loan deal for
the Welshman.
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Lyon lead West Ham and Arsenal in the race for French striker Remy
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:15 PM on 24th July 2010
Daily Mail
French striker Loic Remy may be denied a move to the Premier League by
former club Lyon, who will have 48 hours to match any offer by West Ham,
Liverpool and Arsenal if cash-strapped Nice agree to sell. Hammers owner
David Sullivan was in France on Thursday to try to seal a deal but Lyon, who
have a 15 per cent sell-on interest, and Bordeaux seem sure to lead the
bidding.
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WEST HAM WANT DAVID BECKHAM TO HEAD OLYMPIC STADIUM DRIVE
Daily Express
Sunday July 25,2010
By Colin Mafham: Exclusive
WEST Ham are planning to lure David Beckham back to the East End of London.
The club's owners hope to bring Beckham back to his roots to lead a
revolution that will see the Hammers moving into the new Olympic Stadium by
2013. Preliminary talks have begun with Beckham's representatives in moves
that started soon after David Gold and David Sullivan took over the club
seven months ago. They see Beckham as the ideal ambassador for the club's
Olympic dream. And they are hoping he might even finish his playing career
at West Ham as well. "For him to join a club like ours and help us fulfil
another dream would be perfect for everyone," said Gold. We know what a
great ambassador he is. Now we see David as an ambassador not just for West
Ham but also for east London where it all started for him. I can see him
playing a big part. "We've had conversations with his people and made it
clear we want him aboard. David could play a massive part, because of his
roots, in helping West Ham make the Olympic Stadium home. And maybe he can
still play for us in the autumn of his career. You have to grasp
opportunities when they happen. "This is all about dreams. Like myself and
David Sullivan, David Beckham started life as a poor lad in the East End.
Now we have the chance to make a lot more dreams come true here."
Gold said Beckham's potential role at West Ham would in no way interfere
with his commitment to England's 2018 World Cup bid. "Beckham is just
another piece in the jigsaw, but he is an East End boy and an iconic figure
and if he tells us what he'd like to do we'd love to work with him," added
Gold. "He started in the East End and has lived and played all over the
world. Now he has a fantastic opportunity to come home to his roots and be
right in the middle of it all."
West Ham, meanwhile, are pressing ahead with their bid to move into the
Olympic Stadium at the start of the 2013-14 season. Essex County Cricket
Club also hope to move in with them to play Twenty20 games at the stadium.
It is all part of an ambitious partnership with Newham Council which would
then see the Hammers' present Upton Park home redeveloped as part of a
massive regeneration scheme. "We're in talks and have fantastic support from
UK Athletics and people like the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and we are
optimistic that we are the best opportunity to continue the Olympic legacy,"
said Gold. "To just leave this wonderful stadium after the Games are over
would be criminal negligence," he claimed. "We can easily satisfy Lord Coe
and the Olympians and keep the athletics track as well as having a good
football stadium. "In three years' time we could be in one of the most
exciting stadiums in the world and I will do everything in my power to make
this happen. It is the perfect Olympic legacy – a centre of true excellence
for West Ham and the country."
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