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West Ham United could be represented at the 2011 UEFA U21 EURO by Holmar Orn
Eyjolfsson
07.10.2010
Defender Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson is on the brink of the 2011 UEFA European
Under-21 Championship finals after Iceland won 2-1 in the first leg of their
play-off with Scotland in Reykjavik on Friday night. Jamie Murphy put the
visitors in front on 19 minutes before Johann Gudmundsson equalised just
after the half-hour mark. Substitute Almarr Ormarsson fired in 12 minutes
from time to give Iceland a crucial lead going into Monday's return in
Edinburgh when a draw or victory would send them through to the summer
finals. The highly-rated Eyjolfsson, who was cautioned in the 25th minute
and is still only 20, is the son of Iceland coach Eyjolfur Sverrisson and
has been a mainstay of their qualification programme. Should they make it
through to the final tournament, it will be the first time the nation has
ever played in a major UEFA or FIFA finals.
Full play-off draw
England v Romania
Netherlands v Ukraine
Spain v Croatia
Switzerland v Sweden
Iceland v Scotland
Czech Republic v Greece
Italy v Belarus
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No rush for Upson deal
Hammers prepared to bide their time in contract talks
By Chris Burton Last updated: 7th October 2010
SSN
West Ham co-owner David Gold is prepared to play a waiting game when it
comes to a new deal for Matthew Upson. The England international's current
contract is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning he could walk
away as a free agent next summer. Talks regarding an extension have dragged
on for some time, with Upson's future hanging in the balance. Hammers boss
Avram Grant revealed last month that a formal offer had been put to the
centre-half and the club were waiting to hear back. That remains the case at
present, with little progress made in a deal which could be vital to West
Ham's long-term plans.
No rush
They are reluctant to see a player of Upson's calibre leave for nothing,
but Gold insists there is no need to panic just yet. "I don't think there is
any rush for Matthew to sign his new deal," he said. "He is now into the
last year of his contract and doing it now or at the end of the season
doesn't really matter to either side. Matthew is always welcome to come to
me and talk about it. "The fact that we're bottom of the league makes it a
bit difficult but it's no rush for neither him nor us."
Gold has also ruled out the prospect of selling Upson in January should the
contract offer remain on the table by the time the transfer window re-opens.
Having worked hard to stabilise the club following a period of financial
upheaval, he insists that he and co-owner David Sullivan are determined to
rid West Ham of their selling club mentality.
Change
"Our stance is that we do not sell our best players," Gold continued.
"That's what we said when we joined the football club. "For the last 40
years West Ham have been famous for selling their best players. You only
have to look at the last England squad - a third of that squad has come
through West Ham - Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson... All these
players have come from West Ham. Imagine, if they were still here, what a
great side we would be. "We are trying desperately to reverse that policy.
Can we achieve it 100 per cent? Of course not, but what we can do is do our
most to change that philosophy.
"We don't want to sell our players. We want to build a team that is a force
to be reckoned with."
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Gold hails Hammers bid
West Ham's co-owner backing club's stadium switch
Last updated: 7th October 2010
SSN
West Ham co-owner David Gold insists the club's bid to move into the Olympic
stadium after the 2012 Games is superior to Tottenham's. The Hammers
declared their interest in moving to Stratford in January while Spurs are
making an 11th-hour effort to land the venue. Gold believes his club's bid
is more beneficial for London as a whole as it will see the Upton Park area
of the city regenerated. "There are many reasons we have the edge,"
explained Gold. "Billions of pounds will be spent on regenerating Upton
Park. Spurs can't do that. "We are linking our bid with the community. We
are linking it with Newham Council. "You will see a fantastic Olympics in
our borough and Newham Council have been hugely involved. "We've linked up
to put together a bid that's sustainable, proper and should be adopted."
Success
Gold has also confirmed West Ham would not insist on the running track being
removed upon the conclusion of the games. The Hammers supremo is satisfied
fans' views would not be impaired in any way and that similar setups have
succeeded elsewhere. "With the running track, I was worried when we first
started negotiations, but there are a number of stadiums that have received
acclaim that have a running track," he continued. "Rome has one and
Rustenburg in South Africa does too and that was considered the best stadium
at the World Cup. The sight-lines of supporters will be as good as the
Emirates and it's not beyond the wit of man to make some changes, where we
can have temporary facilities on the running track, and they're removed for
the athletics season, no problem. "We are fully committed to honouring our
commitment to the legacy by retaining the athletics facilities."
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Clemence keeps faith in Green
Coach backs shot-stopper to win back gloves
Last updated: 7th October 2010
SSN
England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence insists there is 'no reason' why West
Ham keeper Rob Green cannot reclaim the No.1 spot. Green was dropped by
Three Lions boss Fabio Capello and replaced by David Jamesafter his gaffe in
England's World Cup opener against the United States allowed midfielder
Clint Dempsey to equalise. Capello's current first choice is Manchester City
man Joe Hart, who is expected to start Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against
Montenegro at Wembley. However, 29-year-old Green has been named in the
England squad for the first time since South Africa, and Clemence has been
impressed with his recent form following a tough start to the Premier League
campaign.
Difficult
"Robert is obviously a good keeper otherwise he wouldn't have gone to the
World Cup in the first place," said Clemence. "I have seen the last two
games and he has played very well. "It was a difficult summer for him and a
difficult start to the season which you could understand because there was
an awful lot of pressure on him. "But he looks to be getting back to where
he was before the World Cup." Clemence added: "Only Robert can say how much
affect it had on him being dropped after the United States game. But he is a
strong character. "Only a strong character would have done what he did after
the game in facing up to all of the media. "A lot of people would have
skulked away and not wanted to speak to anyone but he was strong enough to
come out and say I've made a mistake and we get on with it. "Three or four
days later Fabio decided to go with David James but Robert is a strong lad
and he will come back from that. "Robert is one of those lads who will do
everything they can to be the best they can."
When asked if Green could be England's No.1 again, Clemence said: "He didn't
let England down in all the games he played going up to the World Cup.
"There is no reason why he can't be number one. "The problem he has got now
is that Joe Hart has come into the squad, Ben Foster is playing regularly
and playing well at Birmingham, and Scott Carson is also playing well for
West Brom. "All of a sudden, from not having a lot, we've got four keepers
who are going to be battling it out and Joe is the one at the moment who is
in possession. "Having been there myself, possession is nine tenths of the
law.
"But Rob is only 29. Good keepers play to nearly 40. Lots of things can
happen."
After speaking to Green at half-time following his first-half error against
the USA, Clemence was confident the shot-stopper could hold it together. He
said: "The first thing I do is look at the player in the dressing room at
half-time and see whether I think he is in control of everything. "What I
didn't want to do is walk across a dressing room of 23 players and make a
big fuss of him.
Disappointment
"He knows what he has done. I looked at him. I could see the disappointment
on his face but he wasn't in a mess. "I just had a quiet word with him when
he went to the loo on his own basically. I got the response I expected from
him and in the second half he did well. "He made a save at the end which
no-one ever speaks about. We could have lost the game 2-1." Clemence added:
"Was I surprised Capello dropped Green? It is Fabio's decision and we had to
win the next game and he felt it was the right thing to do. "There was so
much pressure on the boy that, god forbid, if he had made another mistake
his life would have been in tatters."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
We won't Hammer out a deal
The Sun
Published: 07 Oct 2010
WEST HAM co-owner David Gold insists there is no panic over Matthew Upson's
new contract. The Hammers and England defender can leave Upton Park on a
free transfer at the end of the season. But Gold is happy to wait before
sitting down for talks over extending Upson's stay. He said: "I don't think
there is any rush for Matthew to sign his new deal. "He is now into the last
year of his contract and doing it now or at the end of the season doesn't
really matter to either side. "Matthew is always welcome to come to me and
talk about it. "The fact that we're bottom of the league makes it a bit
difficult but it's no rush for neither him nor us."
Gold hinted that he would not cash in on the player even if the centre-back
wanted to leave for nothing. He added: "Our stance is that we do not sell
our best players. "That's what we said when we joined the football club.
"For the last 40 years West Ham have been famous for selling their best
players.
You only have to look at the last England squad — a third of that squad has
come through West Ham. "Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson... All
these players have come from West Ham. "Imagine, if they were still here,
what a great side we would be. "We are trying desperately to reverse that
policy. Can we achieve it 100 per cent? Of course not. "What we can do, is
do our most to change that philosophy. "We don't want to sell our players.
We want to build a team that is a force to be reckoned with."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold has a pop at referees
The Sun
Published: Today
DAVID GOLD has launched an attack on the incompetence of top referees. West
Ham co-owner Gold rapped: "Twenty years ago no one knew who refs were but
now they have grown in stature to unbelievable levels. "We're now at the
stage where the ref has become the most important person on the pitch and
they are reluctant to give back that power. "We're talking huge egos here
yet officials are making incredible errors that are life-changing for clubs.
"That's why we need TV technology."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers in 'no rush' to re-sign Upson
Published 11:17 07/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham co-owner David Gold is not panicking about the prospect of losing
Matthew Upson on a free transfer and would be happy to wait until the end of
the season for the England defender to commit his future to the club. Last
month Hammers boss Avram Grant revealed the club had offered Upson an
extension to his current deal, which is due to expire at the end of the
season. Upson is unlikely to put pen to paper on his new deal until West
Ham's Barclays Premier League status looks more secure given that he will
need to be playing top-flight football to make England's Euro 2012 squad.
Losing Upson would be a big blow to the Londoners, who have built their
defence around the centre-half since he arrived from Birmingham in a
£6million deal in January 2007. But Gold insists he is not worried about his
star defender's future. "I don't think there is any rush for Matthew to sign
his new deal," said Gold. "He is now into the last year of his contract and
doing it now or at the end of the season doesn't really matter to either
side. "Matthew is always welcome to come to me and talk about it. "The fact
that we're bottom of the league makes it a bit difficult but it's no rush
for neither him nor us."
Despite clearing some of the debts inherited from their Icelandic
predecessors, Gold and fellow co-owner David Sullivan have still only been
able to offer Grant limited transfer funds since the Israeli's appointment.
Selling a prized asset such as Upson could raise the Upton Park club up to
£2million but Gold hinted that he would not cash in on the player even if he
indicated he wanted to leave at the end of the current campaign on a free.
"Our stance is that we do not sell our best players," Gold continued.
"That's what we said when we joined the football club. "For the last 40
years West Ham have been famous for selling their best players. You only
have to look at the last England squad - a third of that squad has come
through West Ham - Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson... All these
players have come from West Ham. Imagine, if they were still here, what a
great side we would be. "We are trying desperately to reverse that policy.
Can we achieve it 100%? Of course not, but what we can do is do our most to
change that philosophy. "We don't want to sell our players. We want to build
a team that is a force to be reckoned with."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham fans promised 'most stunning stadium in Britain'
Published 13:12 07/10/10 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham fans will watch their football in the "most stunning" sports arena
in the country if the club beat Tottenham in the race to occupy the Olympic
Stadium, according to Hammers co-owner David Gold. Spurs' 11th-hour bid to
move into the stadium after the 2012 Games brings them into direct conflict
with their east London rivals, who declared an interest in moving to
Stratford in January. Tottenham insist that a move to Stratford is only a
back-up option if their planned Northumberland Development Project fails to
go through as planned. West Ham, who would only have to move three miles to
their new home if they are given the green light, insist their bid is far
superior to their north London rivals. "It will be the most stunning stadium
in the country," Gold insisted. "We'd have two million visitors a year
coming to it because it's the Olympic Stadium and because it's West Ham, and
we would be generating jobs.
"There are many reasons we have the edge. Billions of pounds will be spent
on regenerating Upton Park. Spurs can't do that. "We are linking our bid
with the community. We are linking it with Newham Council. "You will see a
fantastic Olympics in our borough and Newham Council have been hugely
involved.
"We've linked up to put together a bid that's sustainable, proper and should
be adopted."
The board that will decide the stadium's future, the Olympic Park Legacy
Company, have insisted that the running track which will surround the turf
at the Games must remain in place afterwards as part of the government's
commitment to have a new athletics venue in London. AEG, the entertainment
company who have partnered Spurs in their bid, said earlier this week that
they would not be willing to keep the running track. But Gold insists that
West Ham would keep it, potentially giving them the edge over their rivals.
"With the running track, I was worried when we first started negotiations,
but there are a number of stadiums that have received acclaim that have a
running track," said Gold. "Rome has one and Rustenburg in South Africa does
too and that was considered the best stadium at the World Cup. "The
sight-lines of supporters will be as good as The Emirates and it's not
beyond the wit of man to make some changes, where we can have temporary
facilities on the running track, and they're removed for the athletics
season, no problem. "We are fully committed to honouring our commitment to
the legacy by retaining the athletics facilities."
Gold admitted yesterday that he was baffled by Spurs' decision to launch a
bid to move into a stadium which is eight miles from White Hart Lane. David
Sullivan went further than Gold in his criticism of Tottenham's bid,
describing it as "a slap in the face for east London". Sullivan also claimed
Spurs would be so unwelcome in Stratford that a move there would cause
"civil unrest".
Gold defended Sullivan's comments by insisting that his business partner had
every right to air his opinion on a matter close to his heart. "David
Sullivan has been in football for 17 years and has earned the right to speak
his mind," said Gold. "He has invested a huge sum of money in saving West
Ham. That club was on the brink of administration and he has earned the
right to speak his mind, and I would not be one to criticise him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Behrami blow: West Ham midfielder ruled out of crunch games by knee injury
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:42 AM on 8th October 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham midfielder Valon Behrami could be ruled out until the end of
October after suffering medial knee ligament damage. Behrami, 25, has only
made two appearances for the club this season, but will now face a spell on
the sidelines after picking up the injury during the 1-1 draw against Stoke
on September 18. The Swiss international looked certain to leave Upton Park
during the summer with Roma and Palermo leading the chase to sign him.
But the move never materialised and Behrami was determined to get his career
back on track in east London. He will now miss the forthcoming league games
against Wolves and Newcastle and faces a fight to win back his place in the
side.
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West Ham will make Olympic Stadium best sports arena in England, says David
Gold
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 4:04 PM on 7th October 2010
Daily Mail
West Ham fans will watch their football in the 'most stunning' sports arena
in the country if the club beat Tottenham in the race to occupy the Olympic
Stadium, according to Hammers co-owner David Gold. Spurs' 11th-hour bid to
move into the stadium after the 2012 Games brings them into direct conflict
with their east London rivals, who declared an interest in moving to
Stratford in January. Tottenham insist that a move to Stratford is only a
back-up option if their planned Northumberland Development Project fails to
go through as planned. Hammer time: Gold has promised the Olympic Stadium
will be the best in the country if West Ham are successful with their bid
for the London 2012 arena West Ham, who would only have to move three miles
to their new home if they are given the green light, insist their bid is far
superior to their north London rivals. 'It will be the most stunning stadium
in the country,' said Gold.
'We'd have two million visitors a year coming to it because it's the Olympic
Stadium and because it's West Ham, and we would be generating jobs.
'There are many reasons we have the edge. Billions of pounds will be spent
on regenerating Upton Park. Spurs can't do that. 'We are linking our bid
with the community. We are linking it with Newham Council.
You will see a fantastic Olympics in our borough and Newham Council have
been hugely involved. We've linked up to put together a bid that's
sustainable, proper and should be adopted.' The board that will decide the
stadium's future, the Olympic Park Legacy Company, have insisted that the
running track which will surround the turf at the Games must remain in place
afterwards as part of the government's commitment to have a new athletics
venue in London. AEG, the entertainment company who have partnered Spurs in
their bid, said earlier this week that they would not be willing to keep the
running track. But Gold insists that West Ham would keep it, potentially
giving them the edge over their rivals. 'With the running track, I was
worried when we first started negotiations, but there are a number of
stadiums that have received acclaim that have a running track,' said Gold.
'Rome has one and Rustenburg in South Africa does too and that was
considered the best stadium at the World Cup. 'The sight-lines of supporters
will be as good as The Emirates and it's not beyond the wit of man to make
some changes, where we can have temporary facilities on the running track,
and they're removed for the athletics season, no problem. 'We are fully
committed to honouring our commitment to the legacy by retaining the
athletics facilities.'
Gold admitted yesterday that he was baffled by Spurs' decision to launch a
bid to move into a stadium which is eight miles from White Hart Lane. David
Sullivan went further than Gold in his criticism of Tottenham's bid,
describing it as 'a slap in the face for east London'. Sullivan also claimed
Spurs would be so unwelcome in Stratford that a move there would cause
'civil unrest'. Gold defended Sullivan's comments by insisting that his
business partner had every right to air his opinion on a matter close to his
heart. 'David Sullivan has been in football for 17 years and has earned the
right to speak his mind,' said Gold.
'He has invested a huge sum of money in saving West Ham. That club was on
the brink of administration and he has earned the right to speak his mind,
and I would not be one to criticise him.'
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