WHUFC.com
The Hammer of the Year sees a bright future ahead but knows there is still
work to be done
17.02.2011
Scott Parker has summed up the feelgood factor at West Ham United after the
club were recommended as preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium.
The hard work may have only just begun for the club's joint plans with
Newham Council to take guardianship of the Olympic Stadium following the
2012 Games, but having been to the Stratford site, Parker acknowledged there
is plenty of optimism among the playing squad. Parker said the decision had
boosted everyone but also acknowledged there is a more immediate task at
hand - Premier League survival. Having battled back for a precious point at
West Bromwich Albion last weekend, the Hammers are now focusing on keeping
the FA Cup run going against Burnley on Monday before Liverpool arrive on
Sunday week. "It would be great to play at the stadium," said Parker. "Of
course, you want to be playing at the best grounds and having been around
the Olympic Stadium myself, it is going to be something special I am sure.
"First and foremost it is a great decision for the club - there has been a
lot of work behind the scenes to get this and so that has been rewarded. It
can only be a good thing for the club as it looks to build on for the
future. "It is a chance for the club to move on, keep improving. For now,
though, obviously we are in the middle of a season and the main focus is on
keeping the club in the Premier League."
As the reigning Hammer of the Year and having won the SBOBET player of the
month prize for a second straight month, Parker is a big favourite with the
supporters. He is delighted that more of them will be able to come and see
the team at their new home, should all go to plan for the 2014/15 season.
"It looks like more fans will be able to come to matches at affordable
prices and that is great for them. The support is fantastic at West Ham and
I am sure the club will be making sure the new stadium will reflect that
support. The decision last week means a new stadium for the future and that
is something that will no doubt take the club forward."
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McCarthy set for unlikely recall
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th February 2011
By: Staff Writer
Benni McCarthy could be set to make a rare appearance against Burnley in the
FA Cup next Monday night. The South African - who scored his first goal for
some time in yesterday's 4-3 reserves defeat at Chelsea - was left out of
West Ham's 25-man Premier League squad last month as a result of
longstanding fitness - and attitude - issues. However he remains eligible to
feature in cup competitions, meaning that Avram Grant could turn to the
32-year-old former Porto striker should he decide to rest any of his current
first team strikers of whom Carlton Cole, Demba Ba and Freddy Piquionne are
likely to be available for selection. McCarthy has made just 14 first team
appearances for West Ham since moving from Blackburn in a £2million switch
13 months ago. He was also left out of South Africa's World Cup squad last
year despite being the country's most successful footballing export of all
time. Although a prolific goalscorer in his younger days McCarthy is without
a goal in England since Boxing Day 2009, when he scored the goal that
secured a 1-1 draw for Blackburn at Wigan.
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Do it the West Ham way
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th February 2011
By: James Carruthers
Let me assure you, with the exception of Scott Parker, the title of this
post has absolutely nothing to do with events on the field this season. It
relates to the furore surrounding the Olympic Stadium, the venue destined to
be West Ham United's new home.
Whilst the Hammers have made hard work of accruing points in the Premier
League, pending final ratification and an appeal from Tottenham they have at
least achieved success in their quest to relocate. Last week it was
announced that the East London based club were the preferred choice of the
Olympic Park Legacy Company to take over the Olympic Stadium post the
festival in 2012.
West Ham's promise to ensure the stadium maintains an ability to host
athletics as well as Premier League football was an ultimately more
appealing proposal to those charged with passing on the keys than
Tottenham's plans to transform the stadium into a football only venue.
First and foremost it is great that there will be a genuine legacy for the
stadium. There have been instances over time where the Olympic centre piece
has struggled to find a permanent tenant, such as Montreal's Olympic Stadium
and the awe-inspiring Bird's Nest in Beijing.
I have to agree with Harry Redknapp when he says he is not a fan of football
teams playing in stadiums with running tracks around the perimeter. In fact,
I would go as far as to say if it was my club I would detest the prospect of
being separated from the pitch by an eight lane obstacle.
Whilst Karren Brady insists the furthest seat from the pitch will be closer
to the action than at Wembley and David Gold tells us that line of sight
will also be better than at the national stadium, I am still inclined to
agree with the former West Ham manager that the track will create an
invisible barrier between the crowd and the players.
The other concern for the new tenants will be filling a 60,000 seater
stadium on a regular basis, especially if the side are plying their trade in
the championship by the time they make the move into their new home.
On the other hand, Tottenham's plans seemed to make sound business sense.
OK, so the proposal to demolish the newly built stadium sounded absurd, but
in reality only £80 million of the £500 million it took to build the stadium
would have been deconstructed. For Spurs, it would have represented a
fraction of the cost of building a brand new stadium in North London.
There was certainly some resistance from the fans to the notion of moving
Tottenham to the East End of London, even if Daniel Levy optimistically
claimed to have the support of 99% of Harry's loyal army.
Yet if the move had gone ahead I feel the voices of discontent would have
gradually subsided and I seriously doubt there would have been anywhere near
the type of abandonment seen when Wimbledon became MK Dons, especially if
success continued to flow on the pitch.
The Champion's League surprise package would have had no problem filling the
ground based on current performances and a waiting list of around 35,000 for
season tickets at White Hart Lane.
Morality
So, whilst there seems to be a compelling rational argument that the
long-term tenancy should have been given to Tottenham, it might come as a
bit of a surprise that I fully back the decision to choose West Ham instead.
The above arguments all pale into insignificance on a moral basis – a
morality that is irrespective of the emotional apprehension related to
taking a club out of their historical North London heartland and into a new
East End borough. I actually feel that the right decision has been made on
behalf of athletics.
I have no affiliation to UK Athletics and as a sporting concept I struggle
to get excited about track and field. I will invariably put football ahead
of all other sports, but not on this occasion. When the bid was made to host
the Olympics, the promise was made to leave a legacy for athletics in this
country and to cheat Britain's athletes out of that inheritance would be
scandalous.
In football we are used to seeing business dominate decisions and Spurs' bid
was essentially built around trying to exercise business muscle. It is
heart-warming to see via this decision that occasionally, in some
disciplines, the sport itself still takes precedence.
Granted, Tottenham were planning a regeneration of the current home of
athletics in Crystal Palace to compensate for their intrusion into
Stratford, but this was not an alternative deemed suitable by Lord Coe and
we should respect the opinion of the man who pioneered the bid to bring the
Olympics to these shores.
Whilst the decision is certainly not the news the Tottenham board wanted to
hear and it remains to be seen whether the victory actually turns into the
proverbial white elephant for West Ham, it is at least honourable that on
this occasion the deal to finalise the Olympic legacy has worked out right
for athletics in this country.
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The Olympic Stadium blueprint
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th February 2011
By: Staff Writer
KUMB.com sat down with Olympic Project Director Ian Tompkins earlier this
week in order to get up to spec on the clubs latest plans for the move to
Stratford. Here's a brief summary of the ensuing conversation.
Confirmation
West Ham United's move to Stratford should be ratified within the next week
by London mayor Boris Johnson and the Government. As a result West
Ham/Newham Council will receive a lump sum of £35million to aid
redevelopment of the stadium, whilst a further £40million comes in the shape
of a council-raised loan (lent to the club at preferential rates). Another
£20million from the sale of the Boleyn Ground will take the stadium
regeneration budget to £95million (although the sale could raise
considerably more than the £20million currently set aside).
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
A new SPV will be created to manage the Olympic Stadium lease and the
finances of the winning bidders ie. West Ham United FC and Newham Council.
The new company will act as a first port of call for handling events at the
Stadium. All profits realised from the venture will be split 50/50 between
West Ham and Newham Council; this includes revenue raised from hosting
external events such as cricket, rugby, live concerts etc.
The stadium
The primary concern - and greatest financial burden - is to replace the
existing roof to cover both upper and lower tiers in order to comply with
football regulations. This will involve removing and replacing all existing
paddle floodlights. Once complete, the revamped stadium will cater for
60,000 supporters in football mode, 73,000 in cricket mode and up to 107,000
in concert mode.
The reduction in capacity during the football season will be due to an area
above the large video screen behind the goal being closed off (how is yet to
be decided). This area will be opened for cricket matches raising the
capacity to 73,000, whilst additional standing space allows the capacity to
be extended to well over 100,000 for concerts or other events requiring a
small stage (which is likely to be situated towards one end of the stadium).
The corporate/hospitality areas - which will be situated between the two
tiers and directly in line with the pitch's halfway line - will also be
redesigned with seat spacing adjusted to allow for extra leg room/comfort.
The club expect to be able to cater for at least four times the number of
corporate clients they currently do at the Boleyn Ground.
Temporary/retractable seating is under consideration, but by no means a
certainty. Initial impressions suggest the club feel the side stands will
not require extending, although the sections directly behind each goal will
almost certainly do so. A number of potential solutions are currently being
examined, whilst the club are well aware that this remains a major - if not
the most important - issue for supporters.
The external shell of the stadium is also likely to be refurbished, whilst
the stadium's upper tier - which was built with view to removing it after
the Olympic games - and connecting bridges both require strengthening.
Existing structures such as the vast media centre are set to remain - as
will the earth-shatteringly loud public address sytem. You will certainly
know when Mr Moon is in the building.
The reviled running track
As per the club's successful winning bid, the much-discussed running track
will remain in situ indefinitely. The club will cover this during the
football season (August to May) - although this will not affect the distance
between the stands and field of play.
The entire track, as well as the pitch, will need to be removed temporarily
in order to allow under-soil heating to be installed.
Filling 60,000 seats
The club are currently investigating a number of potential revenue streams
designed to fill the stadium with supporters wherever possible. Although a
midweek fixture against the likes of Wigan or Stoke is unlikely to appeal to
all - the same in practically every ground in the country - West Ham hope to
sell-out on several occasions throughout the season, especially in the first
three years of occupancy when interest in the new stdaium is likely to be at
its peak.
One scheme being considered is to offer tickets - either at a vastly-reduced
price or free of charge - to schoolchildren throughout the club's catchment
areas (London, Essex, Kent etc). This could boost the weekly attendance by
up to 6,000, with the club keen to attract a new generation of fans (less
than 15 per cent of season ticket holders at the Boleyn Ground are under
18).
The club also hope to attract large numbers of visitors from mainland Europe
due to the improved rail links. By way of example, travelling from Frankfurt
in Germany to Stratford come 2014 will take under five hours - meaning
people from as far away as Germany, Austria and Italy could watch West Ham
play as part of a day trip.
Stadium season tickets
One idea being floated is that of a stadium season ticket, offering
supporters the opportunity to gain access to ALL events at the Olympic
Stadium. The club are currently negotiating with a number of travel
companies with regards to all-inclusive packages. This will not replace the
existing regular football-only season ticket which will still be available.
Other events
In addition to West Ham United's home matches the stadium will also be used
for a number of other sports including cricket, with Essex set to play their
20/20 fixtures in Stratford from 2014. Rugby could also feature, with the OS
being opened a year ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup finals whihch are
being staged in England (September-October 2015). The club have previously
floated the possibility of staging American football games at the stadium.
Athletics will of course continue to feature at the stadium post-2012 games,
with 20 days set aside per year for events (the vast majority of which will
take place during football's off-season). Motor racing has also been mooted
as a possibility. West Ham's tie-in with LiveNation - the planet's largest
concert promoter who recently merged with Ticketmaster - will see some of
the globe's biggest acts attracted to east London.
Transport
The Olympic Stadium will boast transport links literally second-to-none with
the local stations being serviced by overground, underground and high-speed
trains (including Crossrail and potentially Eurostar). A new high-speed link
from Frankfurt is set to open next year, allowing fans from Europe to travel
directly to Stratford. C2C trains directly into Stratford are also likely to
be available for the benefit of West Ham's large Essex-based fanbase.
Consultation
Supporter consultation with regards to the move is already under way. Club
representatives have already met/spoken with a number of supporters since
West Ham's move was given the green light a fortnight ago. The club intend
to arrange a number of fans forums and other meetings in the coming months
in order to ascertain the supporters' hopes and aims for the Olympic
Stadium. At present nothing is being ruled out, nor are any guarantees being
given. WIth three years to go until West Ham are set to move into the
stadium, time is very much on the club's side.
Odds and sods
* The John Lyall gates, recently renamed at the Boleyn Ground could be
making the short trip across east London - although the World Cup Winners'
statue, featuring Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst is unlikely to
follow.
* The existing seats (white) are likely to remain in place due to cost
costraints; it would cost around £2million to replace these alone.
* Naming rights: these could be worth a small fortune to the club (Arsenal
received £100million from Emirates Airlines for a 15-year deal back in
2004). As a result there'll be no 'New Boleyn Ground' or 'Bobby Moore
Stadium'; the (insert sponsor here) Olympic Stadium appearing the most
likely option.
* West Ham United can begin redeveloping the stadium from October 2012,
giving the club some 18 months to produce an acceptable blueprint for the
Olympic Stadium.
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The Board say we are great. So we must be.
West Ham Till I Die
Has anyone else been getting nuisance e-mails from Avram Grant and Scott
Parker? I got one on Monday from Grant: Robert, we could have won the game
on Saturday. I couldn't resist it and hit the reply button and said: Avram,
yes we could if we hadn't played rubbish in the first half. And in future
matey stop claiming to have "Told the players" things at half time when in
fact Carlton Cole has already let the cat out of the bag and let the world
know that Parker provided the inspiration. Was Carlton Cole eating a cream
egg in that interview?
These e-mails are highly amusing. I get them from Scott Parker reminding me
to go to games. It's laughable. The propaganda machine is so well oiled it
would have Goebbels purring in appreciation. However the content is somewhat
less than perfect and will continue to be so all the time the product it
tries to fool us into thinking is fantastic is, frankly, substandard.
One thing that catches my eye is the footer at the bottom of the e-mails,
extolling the virtues of West Ham United, picking out the things that there
are to be positive about. When you read them it really does go to show that
there is nothing to be positive about.
"Featured in almost 1/3 of all televised Premier League matches." Ok, I
appreciate that almost 1/3 may be translated into English as being more like
1/5 which is, I suppose, almost 1/3. And I don't suppose anyone would be sad
enough to sit down and check, but even my basic maths would suggest that as
we have missed three seasons of the Premier League it is highly unlikely to
be true.
"Featured in the most watched Premier League game of all time." If this is
true why not tell us what it was? I have been sad enough to try and check
this but life came knocking on my door before I could find out. Anyone any
ideas?
"Featured in the most watched Premier League game globally" See above.
"1/3 of current England Squad came though the Academy." Significantly
however (and it may have escaped Gollivan's notice) none of them play for us
now. And those current England players, Green, Upson, Cole and Parker did
not come through the Academy.
"Top 5 most purchased shirts in the Premier League." And?
"600,000 supporters registered on our database." How many of them are still
alive and how come the stadium wasn't full for the Birmingham semi-final?
"Top of the Premier League in terms of Atmosphere." So let's move to a
stadium with a running track.
"Investing in the community." Actually this statement is probably the only
one that is true, but its hardly one to poke at Spurs and Arsenal after the
week they have both had.
Why can't they just be honest and say, look, we are in the brown stuff, we
will do what we can, we aren't prepared to back the manager with money so we
are praying really hard that we don't do down. Please come next week .
Please. And if its all true why are we bottom with 25 points?
I did the BBC Predictor thing for a laugh and thought I was being quite
realistic with the results and amazingly we stay up on 38 points. Everyone
else has tough fixtures too and we could potentially stay up on 36. SJC Has
covered this already. But, as others have also said, it we have only won
five games all season, what evidence is there to suggest we will get 13
points between now and May?
Is anyone watching the Liverpool game on Channel Five? Tomas Repka playing
for Sparta Prague. There was a player who understood what passion was. Made
up for his lack of ability. Could do with a few more like him.
Finally, this random scrawl would like to draw your attention to a photo
that was posted by a friend of mine on Facebook this week, the view from the
old West Stand. It brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. We used
to be so much closer to the pitch, it was 98% mud by November and you
couldn't see much (Well I couldn't being 5'5" and standing on the North or
South Bank) but we were so much happier then. Made me think about some of my
favourite moments at the old Upton Park:
Jimmy Neighbour's winner against Coventry in the cup semi 1981.
Ray Stewart's Rocket against Spurs New Year's Eve 1983.
Beating Newcastle 8-1 in 1986.
Liam Brady's final kick of his career scoring against Wolves in 1990.
Colin Foster's swivel and volley against Everton 1991.
Going onto the pitch after the last game of the season against Manchester
City in 1987 and scoring with a plastic bottle at the south bank end.
To name but six. These are all facts and actually happened, not generated by
a publicity machine. Maybe if they stopped trying so hard to convince us, we
might believe they could return.
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The Firing Line: Stand aside Avram! Scott Parker is West Ham's real Mr
Motivator
By DAN RIPLEY
Last updated at 12:01 AM on 18th February 2011
Daily Mail
Not for the first time this season, Avram Grant has somehow avoided defeat
in a 'save our season' game. A loss at West Brom would have left West Ham
four points adrift of safety having played an extra game than all their
rivals. But after an inspired Scott Parker half-time team talk, the Hammers
somehow hit three second half goals without reply to steal a point. Maybe
the Hammers board are missing a trick in not making Parker player-manager,
if he has that kind of impact on 45 minutes of football what can he do for
the remainder of the season? The Firing Line would also like to take this
opportunity to welcome back Roy Hodgson, who has been trusted with the task
of keeping West Brom in the top flight. As ever, the fixture list produces a
belter with Hodgson's first game being the Black Country derby against
relegation rivals Wolves – straight in to the deep end it is then.
Each week we bring you our latest chart of the managers under pressure, and
those on Easy Street.
Here's Sportsmail's sack-race rankings - otherwise known as the Firing Line.
1
West Ham - Avram Grant
Credit where it is due, not many teams leave West Brom with a positive
result after being 3-0 down at half-time. But a draw is still not good
enough and the Hammers remain in deep trouble. NON-MOVER
2
Birmingham City - Alex McLeish
Home form has taken a nose dive in recent weeks and the Blues will have to
improve that to avoid getting sucked back in to what is already a very tight
relegation battle. NON-MOVER
3
Wigan - Roberto Martinez
Dumped out the FA Cup by Bolton but judging by his squad selection for that
game will not lose any sleep over it. Premier League survival is all that
matters with Wigan in the bottom three. UP TWO
4
Wolves - Mick McCarthy
Nobody expected Wolves to take even a point at Arsenal but as the saying
goes 'beggars can't be choosers' and three points off safety at the bottom,
McCarthy's side are playing catch up. UP TWO
5
Aston Villa - Gerard Houllier
At arm's length of the relegation zone but Villa are a different team now
Darren Bent is in the side and over the coming weeks are likely to start
edging towards the safety of mid-table. DOWN TWO
6
Chelsea - Carlo Ancelotti
Twelve games ago Chelsea were top of the table, 12 games left and they look
out of the title race. Roman Abramovich would have expected more than a
battle for a Champions League spot. UP TWO
7
Blackburn - Steve Kean
Jury remains out on whether Kean is the man for the job but he has kept
control of the wheel reasonably well so far, with Blackburn sitting safe in
mid-table. DOWN THREE
8
Sunderland - Steve Bruce
Three straight defeats have seen Sunderland concede plenty of ground to
Liverpool in the race for Europe. A weekend off could do the world of good
for Bruce's demoralised side. UP TWO
9
Man City - Roberto Mancini
Will now be getting fed up of not beating Manchester United, but Mancini has
no time to dwell with Spurs and Chelsea hot on their heels and cup fixtures
coming up from all angles. NON-MOVER
10
Fulham - Mark Hughes
Watched his side give a textbook lesson in how to defend against Chelsea and
was desperately unlucky to not grab all three points. Fulham are starting to
click under Hughes. DOWN TWO
11
Everton - David Moyes
To say the defeat at Bolton was the worst he had seen his side play is a
bold statement from a man who has been in charge nine years. Never has Moyes
look so disheartened at Everton. UP ONE
12
Newcastle - Alan Pardew
Newcastle are not missing Carroll at all and if seventh in the league opens
up in to a Europa League place then the Toon Army have an eye on securing
European football next term. DOWN ONE
13
Stoke City - Tony Pulis
Whether it's home form keeping them out of trouble or away form preventing
them contesting a place in Europe is up for debate. It all points towards
mid-table come May though. UP ONE
14
Bolton - Owen Coyle
Fulham away in the FA Cup next for Bolton, but having lost their last six
games away the omens do not look good, the same applies to their chances of
European football next season. DOWN ONE
15
West Bromwich Albion - Vacant
With his reputation in English football going from dizzy highs to rock
bottom lows in just six months, Hodgson has a chance to end his personal
season on a high by keeping the Baggies up. NEW ENTRY
16
Tottenham - Harry Redknapp
On the pitch things could not be going better but off it Redknapp is facing
a trial for tax evasion, Spurs may have to think about covering their bases
should they lose their star manager. NON-MOVER
17
Blackpool - Ian Holloway
Stopped the rot with a draw against Villa following five consecutive
defeats. But for the first time this season Blackpool do not look confident
and they are slipping fast down the table. DOWN TWO
18
Liverpool - Kenny Dalglish
Solid if not spectacular start as manager of Liverpool in Europe. Looking
good for another attempt next season, but will still have one eye on a
Champions League spot. DOWN ONE
19
Arsenal - Arsene Wenger
Outplayed Barcelona on their way to a famous victory and not many teams in
the world have had the joy of saying that in the last few years. That
quadruple bid still looks healthy. NON-MOVER
20
Man United - Sir Alex Ferguson
Probably still purring from that Wayne Rooney goal which could prove of
massive importance come the end of the season if United win a record 19th
top flight title. But for now Crawley await...NON-MOVER
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