WHUFC.com
The manager has spoken to the press ahead of Saturday's trip to the Ricoh
Arena
17.11.2011
Sam Allardyce has held his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's
npower Championship visit to Coventry City. West Ham United travel to the
Ricoh Arena knowing a victory over the Sky Blues would strengthen their grip
on second place in the table and potentially close the gap on leaders to
Southampton to two points.
The Hammers are aiming to extend their unbeaten run to five matches ahead of
a busy period that will see the team play six matches in the space of a
month leading up to Christmas.
What is your reaction to Sepp Blatter's comments about racism and football?
I haven't read the transcript yet, to be honest. I was listening to it on
the radio but they never actually expressed what he did actually say. By the
reaction, it was an outrageous statement and if that's what it is when I get
the chance to read it through myself, I would no doubt agree with what
everybody has been saying. Somebody in such a high profile position saying
this - if I am reading what everyone else's reaction is - is very
disapointing to say the very least. I haven't actually read the transcript
yet, so I'll maybe comment later when I've read it. According to everybody's
reaction, I would 100 per cent agree with them. Certainly in this country
and in football, we will always promote the fact we are a mult-national
sport and a multi-racial society. We all want to get on with each other as
best as we possibly can, no matter what nationality we are or what colour we
are. I do think he should resign, but it won't happen. I don't anybody
believes he will resign over this statement or situation. It would be nice
if he did, but I don't think it will happen. I wouldn't want to speculate
about the way forward without thinking about it further. Preparing my team
for Coventry has been my main aim. We've had a couple of trialists in this
week and my total focus has been on the team and the players, so I haven't
given it an awful lot of thought. Those in more powerful positions than me
will hopefully try to do the right thing and get the right decision in terms
of this situation.
How is the squad looking at present?
It's looking a little better than the last time we played at Hull. Matt
Taylor has joined back into training and Guy Demel is training with the
squad on a regular basis, having completed two behind-closed doors games in
the last couple of weeks. Joey O'Brien is also back from a hamstring injury.
Our key area of concern is still at centre-back, where we only have
Abdoulaye Faye and James Tomkins who are recognised central defenders. We
seem to be coping very well with the loss of Henri Lansbury and David
Bentley and the fact Matt Taylor has been out for a while. The squad has
done very, very well. My search for someone to come in has been long and
arduous but hasn't borne any fruit yet because the time of the year means
all of the good quality players who would have been available for loan are
already loaned out to other football clubs. It's been difficult to find
someone we could get on loan at this time where we are a little bit short at
central defender. Matt is probably the furthest away, Joey is ready to play
and Guy, even though he is short of match-fitness he has had a couple of
games and proved his fitness. At some stage we'll get him in. He comes in
and strengthens the squad. If you have a good, strong bench every week, it
makes it easier to make the changes that may need to be made. Even though
we're short on numbers, the introduction of Carlton Cole at Hull was the
major turning point in terms of getting the result that we got. He came on
and gave us that extra dimension and created both goals - one for Sam
Baldock and one for Jack Collison - so it's good to have a bigger squad to
choose from.
Is it true you tried to sign Sebastien Squillaci from Arsenal?
Yes it is true, but the technical difficulty was that another loan would
have meant that he couldn't go anywhere else this season. We couldn't go any
further with that, unfortunately.
What about Francisco Pavon?
We have had a look at him in training, but the problem is that he hasn't had
a club since the start of the season so it's a question of how long it would
take to get him up to speed. We might need somebody against Coventry - as
quickly as that. We have a three-game week coming up and we might need
someone for that. Ability-wise, Franco would be ca;pable, but physically
because he hasn't a club means that fitness is way down. We haven't written
it off yet.
And Andy O'Brien?
No. I think he has got a longer and more permanent deal than somebody else.
It must seem like ages since your team's last match at Hull City on 5
November?
No! It's been a great two weeks for two reasons. The biggest reason of all
is that it's allowed us to look at the options to get somebody else in. The
other is that it's given us a chance to recover some of the players who have
been injured. The players who have played game after game after game have a
lot of niggles and knocks and bumps and bruises which have now cleared up.
The same has happened to every club in those two weeks, but we hopefully
benefitted more than most. We'll see in our performance and result at
Coventry, but the two weeks have fallen at the right time for us.
Do you feel you have momentum?
We have a huge momentum moving forward at the moment and the wins have been
the most important thing. I think the performances have been equally as good
as our results - both are starting to come hand in hand. The demand is to
keep it up consistently on a regular basis, which is what is needed to
acquire the spot we're in now at the end of the season, or the one higher if
we can get there. The demand is huge and a lot of the players haven't worked
under that demand for some quite considerable time. Winning is always very
difficult, but you've obviously got to win a huge amount of games out of the
46 to gain promotion. You've got to get 90 points or better.
Is this the crunch time of the season?
It's a change of climate. The winter months are drawing in and the days are
getting shorter. The training ground becomes more uncomfortable to work at
so it's a different mentality. It's a difficult part of the season for that
reason and because of the number of games played at this time of year. We've
just had three international breaks and that has allowed us to get to know
each other and recover from injuries. Now we'll have to call upon them
week-in, week-out until the end of January. It'll be a big demand on
everybody but hopefully we can rise to the challenge consistently. The fewer
injuries we get, hopefully the better results we get.
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Montano loaned to Daggers
WHUFC.com
Cristian Montano has joined Dagenham and Redbridge on loan until 17 December
17.11.2011
Cristian Montano is to spend the next month with Dagenham and Redbridge
after joining the League Two side on loan until 17 December 2011. The
Colombia-born forward will embark on his third loan spell of the 2011/12
campaign, having previously enjoyed a successful time at League One club
Notts County and a stay at League Two side Swindon Town. At Notts County,
the 19-year-old scored four goals in eleven appearances - just four of them
starts - earning rave reviews from manager Martin Allen and helping the club
to climb into the League One Play-Off places. The 19-year-old returned to
Chadwell Heath before going out on loan again to Swindon, where he made four
league appearances under Robins boss Paolo Di Canio. Montano, who turns 20
on 11 December, could make his Daggers debut in Saturday's home match
against League Two leaders Southend United at Victoria Road. In all, he
could make four league appearances for John Still's side, with a home game
against Port Vale and away matches at Accrington Stanley and Burton Albion
also to look forward to.
Daggers sit 22nd in League Two, having lost eleven of their previous 12
league matches.
Montano becomes the eighth West Ham United player out on loan, joining
temporary loanees Herita Ilunga (Doncaster Rovers), Frank Nouble
(Gillingham), Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Callum McNaughton (AFC
Wimbledon), Rob Hall (Oxford United), and season-loan loanees Jordan Spence
(Bristol City) and Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza).
Olly Lee (Dagenham and Redbridge), Jordan Brown (Aldershot Town) and Dominic
Vose (Braintree Town) have also recently returned from loan spells of their
own.
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West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady phone subterfuge claim
BBC.co.uk
The telephone records of West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady were
"unlawfully obtained by subterfuge", a High Court judge has said. Copies
found their way into the hands of accountants "engaged" by a rival club, Mr
Justice Coulson said. He said copies had found their way to a firm of
accountants - PKF - engaged by Tottenham Hotspur. He added the records were
obtained at the height of a dispute over the future use of the 2012 Olympic
Stadium. The judge outlined "basic facts" at a hearing in London after Ms
Brady began legal action in an attempt to "obtain information" and the
"wrongdoers responsible".
'Wrongfully obtained'
"At the height of the dispute about the use of the Olympic Stadium, Ms
Brady's telephone records were unlawfully obtained by subterfuge," said Mr
Justice Coulson.
"PKF was engaged by Tottenham Hotspur to carry out an investigation that was
in some way connected with the Olympic Stadium. "PKF have, in the last few
days, said they do have copies of the wrongfully obtained telephone
records." The judge was told that Tottenham had been given copies of the
records by PKF. But lawyers for Tottenham said no-one at the club had the
records prior to the start of legal proceedings. More evidence will be heard
in court on 23 November.
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Hammers weigh up Pavon deal
Former Madrid stopper could be handed a Championship lifeline
Last Updated: November 17, 2011 10:58pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is evaluating whether to offer former Real
Madrid defender Francisco Pavon a deal. Pavon, 31, is a free agent after he
left French side Arles-Avingon and has been training with the Hammers. The
Championship side have been hit by a spate of injuries and are looking for
cover in defensive positions, and are even pondering using Pavon on Saturday
against Coventry.
Training
"We have had a look at him in training," said Allardyce. "But the problem is
that he hasn't had a club since the start of the season so it's a question
of how long it would take him to get up to speed. "We might need someone
against Coventry, as quickly as that. "We have a three-game week coming up
and we might need someone for that. "Ability-wise, Franco would certainly be
capable but physically, because he hasn't had a club for a while, that
fitness is way down. We haven't written it of yet."
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Subterfuge claim on Brady phone
Accountants 'engaged' by Spurs had copies of telephone records
Last Updated: November 17, 2011 7:28pm
SSN
The telephone records of West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady were
"unlawfully obtained by subterfuge" - and copies found their way into the
hands of accountants "engaged" by Tottenham, a High Court judge said on
Thursday. Mr Justice Coulson said telephone records belonging to Bradywere
obtained at the height of a dispute over the future use of the 2012 Olympic
Stadium. And he said copies had found their way to a firm of accountants -
PKF - engaged by Tottenham.
Allegations
The White Hart Lane club are facing allegations of spying on the Hammers
chief during the bidding process for the Stratford stadium. The judge
outlined "basic facts" at a hearing in London after Brady began legal action
in an attempt to "obtain information" and the "wrongdoers responsible". "At
the height of the dispute about the use of the Olympic Stadium, Ms Brady's
telephone records were unlawfully obtained by subterfuge," said Mr Justice
Coulson. "PKF was engaged by Tottenham Hotspur to carry out an investigation
that was in some way connected with the Olympic Stadium. "PKF have, in the
last few days, said they do have copies of the wrongfully obtained telephone
records."
The judge was told that Tottenham had been given copies of the records by
PKF. But lawyers for Tottenham said no one at the club had the records prior
to the start of legal proceedings. Tottenham also released a statement
earlier this month hitting back at allegations they ordered surveillance of
all 14 members of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) board during their
unsuccessful battle for the stadium. Mr Justice Coulson is due to hear more
details about the Brady case at a further High Court hearing in London next
Wednesday. Lawyers for PKF argued that Thursday's hearing should have been
held in private to prevent the "risk of misreporting". But the judge said
the hearing would be in public. He said hearings could be held in private in
"wholly exceptional" circumstances and the arguments put forward by PKF came
"nowhere near" the necessary test.
Dispute
Premier League club Tottenham and Championship club West Ham had both wanted
to move to the £486 million Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London, after
the 2012 London Olympics. They were embroiled in a legal dispute after the
the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) opted for a bid put forward by West
Ham. Tottenham said the decision was unfair and mounted a High Court
challenge against the OPLC's decision. But the legal action was halted in
October after the OPLC said it had decided to discontinue the process to
dispose of the stadium and instead allow it to remain in public ownership
and be rented out.
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The 12th Man - A New Signing
Mr Polite 1:54 Tue Nov 8
West Ham Online
It is widely accepted across different sports all around the globe that the
more vocal and supportive fans are towards their team the better they
perform, or at least the likelihood of them performing better increases, the
more the fans get on the oppositions back or shout at the officials the more
likely their team will do well. This has been proven by a Harvard University
study that revealed that a home team acquired an additional 0.1 goal
advantage for every 10,000 fans in the stadium.
Some Clubs formally recognize the impact the fans have by giving the squad
number 12 to 'The 12th Man', but those that don't make it so formally all
still realise the importance and effect that a good vocal and supportive set
of fans can have.
At West Ham we have down through the years been known as a horrible place to
come for opposing players and one of the most vocal sets of fans around.
Modern football and modern football stadia has watered down somewhat the
effect that fans have. Pricing means the most vocal age group are less
likely to be able to go, the all seater stadium is not conducive to the
vocal fans all congregating in one place, the amount of women at football is
also thought to have a detrimental effect as well as the politically correct
world we now live in means people no longer feel comfortable singing some
songs.
Of course all of the above reasons have their plus points, more money in the
club can mean better player, all seater stadiums mean a safer environment
and the lack of racial abuse in this country - off the pitch at least - is
something to be proud of, but all these things have helped slowly kill
atmospheres at football.
However , It could be argued that the biggest factor in decline of the 12th
Man is the fast food, Big Brother generation that now watch football, the
generation that wants success and they want it now, they are not willing to
wait. In fact rather than get behind their team if they are under performing
they quickly get on their backs and demand change, perhaps call for a
managers head or boo a player or two. Things that any right minded person
would see as detrimental to a teams performance, but it's seen as their
right so they'll do it.
Thinking specifically of West Ham, as mentioned we had, and among those that
haven't been to The Boleyn in recent years still have, a great reputation
for being a very vocal and supportive set of fans. This reputation sadly is
not really grounded on anything but nostalgia. I think it is important at
this point to separate our home support from our away support, the away
support is up there with the best in the land and 6200+ going to Coventry
for a Championship match tells it's own story and is something very very few
clubs would be able to better.
At home our attendance are pretty good, however the general atmosphere
around the place has a negative vibe to it. There are a number of reasons in
addition to the generic ones mentioned above, for instance the turmoil the
club has been through in the last few years, the negative press we seem to
get now, the results and performances on the pitch the last few seasons and
some would say the style of football in recent years too is nothing to get
excited about.
Should any of this really matter though? We're all fans, we're fanatics!
Would a fanatic let anything stop him from doing all he can to help the
ideal he is fanatical about? We all want our team to have the best chance of
success, we all know that by showing real support we increase our chances of
success and we all want to watch games in the kind of atmospheres we once
enjoyed.
The answer? Well there is no one single thing that will make it perfect, but
if we all take responsibility for our own actions, for our own support and
realise that what we do as an individual can impact the success of the team
we love then West Ham Utd will have a new signing this season, a signing
that never has a bad game, a player that will win hammer of the year and
will have the Number 12 shirt! Stand up 12th Man and be counted!
Thank you for reading and feel free to add ideas of what we can do to help
support the team.
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The Return of Zamora?
November 17th, 2011 - 6:28 pm by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
There are current newspaper reports that allege that a worsening of
relations between Bobby Zamora and Martin Jol, at Fulham, could result in
the centre forward's depature in January. They then go on to speculate that
West Ham may be interested in re-signing their former striker, although
there could also be interest from Championshp rivals Crystal Palace. It may
be a case of sports writers putting 2 + 2 together and coming up with = 5,
but, nevertheless, it is an intriguing prospect. Bobby Zamora was always a
striker that gave 110% to the Hammers cause and he might very well welcome
a return to a club that he has always supported. I was told that Zamora
attended the recent Brighton Vs Hammers match and I remember at the time
wondering if there was any significance in that? So, I suppose the question
is, would it be a good move for both the player and the club, or should they
heed the old maxim, 'never go back.'
It looks that Sam Allardyce would like to reinforce central defence by
signng free agent, Fransciso Pavon. Pavon, a former Champions League winner
with Real Madrid, certainly has a good pedigree and at 31 years of age
should still have plenty to offer. Pavon certainly seems to be a very good
option, but apparently Sam Allardyce has stated that the player's lack of
recent competitive football, and corresponding match fitness, could be an
obstacle to a deal, as he needs a player that can go in and do a job
immediately. Allardyce and his coaching and fitness team are currently
running a rule over Pavon's fitness levels, before making a final decision.
Another option mooted in the press is 32 year old Leeds Utd defender, Andy
O'Brien. O'Brien is, of course, ex-Bolton and, moreover, played there there
under Allardyce's management. I should imagine that this is a back up deal,
just in case Allardyce fails to land any of his priority loan/free agent
targets, but we shall see?
All has gone quiet on the Mervan Celik front, although it is thought that
the player recently had a successful trial at the club. It could be that
the deal is more or less tied up for completion in the January window. The
club certainly should not delay in securing it, because there is apparently
some interest from other clubs. Celik would certainly be a good potential
signing, not only for the remainder of this season, but also for our much
anticipated return to the top tier. He is pacy, creative, can play on both
flanks and scores goals. We certainly need to make one or two eye catching
signings in the January, to give the club a boost, strengthen the squad and
send out a clear message of intent for the remainder of the season. It has
been indicated that West Ham have money to spend in January, lets just hope
that they actually spend it and spend it well!
The loanee 'revolving door' at Upton Park has continued apace this week with
the news that both Robert Hall and Christan Montano have been sent out on
loan once again. Hall will return to Oxford Utd, while Montano has joined
Dagenham and Redbridge in League 2. Hall onviously enjoyed it at Oxford Utd
and it is good that he is returning to get some further first team league
action. However, I do hope that Hall will return and make his West Ham
first team debut before the conclusion of the season. While Montano needs
to demonstrate at Dagenham and Redbridge that he has both the ability and
the attitude to succeed at Upton Park. He can only do that by training
hard, getting selected consistently and impressing in League Two. I know
that it must be fustrating for Montano to be loaned out again, but he must
repeat his approach at Notts County and treat it as a positive learning
experience and an opportunity to excel. Marek Stech has now returned from
his short loan spell at Yeovil and one can only guess what his position is
currently at the club? I hope that they persuade him to sign a new
contract, because I feel that he may well be a better goal keeping prospect
than either Boffin or Kuruz and a prospective, eventual successor to Rob
Green.
Finally, there was positive news this week on the injury front. Both Matt
Taylor and Guy Demel have returned to fitness and Taylor could make a first
team return against Coventry City, this weekend. Demel has now successfully
come through two Developmental Squad games , but may need to work on his
conditioning and match fitness, before pushing for inclusion in the first
team. Taylor is crucial to us on the left flank, he gives us balance and is
dangerous delivering the ball in to the box, both from open and set plays.
Taylor's return will be most welcome, while Demel is a big, powerful and
experienced defender, whose inclusion can only strengthen our rearguard. In
addition, Henri Lansbury is estimated to be within two weeks of a return to
full training, which will nicely increase the competition for places in
central midfield.
Finally, in terms of our promotion campaign, it is very much a case of 'so
far so good.' We finished the initial third of season, nicely positioned in
2nd place, with Southampton still within striking distance. So far, we have
been disciplined, efficient and secured results, without ever really hitting
the heights, playing wise. The good thing is that we have been able to
secure a confortable 2nd place whilst mostly still playing in' second gear.'
It will be interesting to see if we continue in this vein or whether the
side will now be able to 'move up a gear' in the final two-thirds of the
season? Sam Allardyce promised us that the side would be a lot better by
May than it started off in August and there is no good reason to disbelieve
him!
As for the forthcoming Coventry City match, I reckon that we will secure
another good three away points, with a comfortable 0-2 victory. COYI!
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham braced for £3m Tomkins raid
Published 22:30 17/11/11 By Football Spy
The Mirror
QPR are lining up a £3million raid on West Ham for James Tomkins. The former
England Under-21 defender Tomkins has impressed in the Championship follows
Hammers' relegation, and Hoops boss Neil Warnock will test the East Enders'
resolve with a bid in the New Year. Warnock is keen to buy young British
defenders and has been promised substantial funds by chairman Tony Fernandes
when the transfer window opens. However, West Ham bos Sam Allardyce has
become a huge admirer of Tomkins since taking charge at Upton Park, and is
keen to offer him an improved contract.
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Allardyce looking far and wide in search for new defender
London 24
Nathaniel John, West Ham correspondent
Thursday, November 17, 2011
9:00 AM
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has stepped up his search for a central defender
this week and has cast his eye outside of the Premier League. The Hammers
had their first two loan requests for top-flight defenders turned down by
Manchester City and Arsenal after asking to borrow Nedum Onuoha and
Sebastien Squillaci respectively, and Allardyce is now running the rule over
Francisco Pavon and Andy O'Brien. The Onuoha deal is thought to have
collapsed as neither the player or the club were keen on the move, while
Arsenal were reluctant to send Squillaci out on loan as it could prevent
them selling the Frenchman in the January transfer window. Former Real
Madrid defender Pavon is currently a free agent, having been released by
French side Arles-Avignon, following their relegation from Ligue 1.
The 31-year-old came through the youth ranks in Madrid, and made 106
appearances for the Spanish side and was part of the team that won the
Champions League in 2002. In 2007, Allardyce came close to signing Pavon
while he was in charge at Bolton, but the Spanish defender opted to remain
in his homeland, and joined Real Zaragoza. Following three more years in
Spain, Pavon joined Arles-Avignon in 2010, but could not prevent them
finishing bottom of Ligue 1, with just 20 points from their 38 games. Leeds
defender O'Brien is another player on the Hammers' radar, who also has an
Allardyce connection. The former Newcastle and Portsmouth man was signed by
Allardyce in 2007 for Bolton and spent three years in Lancashire, making 74
appearances before joining Leeds on loan in 2010. That loan deal was made
permanent last January, but this season the 32-year-old has found
opportunities hard to come by at Elland Road, featuring just five times this
season for Simon Grayson's side, with two of those appearances coming in the
Carling Cup. Meanwhile, there was some positive news on the injury front as
Matt Taylor was back in full training this week. It remains to be seen
whether the midfielder will be included in the squad for this Saturday's
trip to Coventry, though.
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Irons Insight: It's an odd feeling seeing players linked with Upton Park
return
London 24
Matt Porter, London24's West Ham blogger
Thursday, November 17, 2011
12:19 PM
It's always an odd feeling to see a former player linked with making a
return to the Boleyn. 99 times out of 100 it's a piece of lazy guesswork
based on little more than a hunch, but that never gets in the way of Irons
fans letting their imagination run wild. News of Carlos Tevez's acrimonious
fall from grace at Manchester City left supporters dreaming of the Argentine
coming back to East London against all the odds. Of course a little matter
of his £250,000 a week wages was one of many stumbling blocks there, not to
mention the fact that it seems to be quite difficult to keep Carlos in the
country from one week to another.
Some returns are a little less exciting to be honest. I'm not sure the
returns of Calum Davenport and Lee Bowyer to the club for a second spell had
many of us singing from the rooftops in excitement. This summer heralded the
solid if unspectacular return of full-back George McCartney and today I was
flicking through the gossip pages to see the unlikely rumour that Bobby
Zamora, fresh from starting for England on Tuesday night, was eager to
return to Upton Park three years after leaving.
From a footballing point of view you'd think it was an absolute non-starter.
What player in their right mind would readily drop down a division and
potentially scupper their international career just as it was getting off
the ground? I always assume that there's little room for sentiment in the
mind of the modern-day footballer. Location might be a factor, I assume
Bobby is settled in London and doesn't want to move. It's the same reason
Carlton Cole rejected the advances of Premier League clubs such as Stoke
during the summer transfer window.
Of course the romantic in all of us wants it to be an impassioned desire for
a player to return to the club of his dreams. I always wondered what I'd do
in the parallel world where I was any good at football. However blinkered we
are as fans, I think we have to accept that the career of the football
player is a short one and that for most of them the ambition is to win
things – and rightly so.
I suppose there's a different way of thinking. Would you look back on your
career with more pride being a legend at one club but with an empty trophy
cabinet or as a highly decorated journeymen, loved by no set of fans in
particular? I'm not suggesting Zamora has the luxury of either of those
options, but every player must have some sort of long-term ambition.
Nowadays I don't think many of them would choose the first one.
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Spurs' accountants had illegal copy of Brady's phone records during stadium
dispute
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:19 PM on 17th November 2011
Daily Mail
The telephone records of the vice-chairman of a leading soccer club were
'unlawfully obtained by subterfuge' - and copies found their way into the
hands of accountants 'engaged' by a rival club, a High Court judge said. Mr
Justice Coulson said telephone records belonging to West Ham vice-chairman
Karren Brady were obtained at the height of a dispute over the future use of
the 2012 Olympic Stadium. And he said copies had found their way to a firm
of accountants - PKF - engaged by Tottenham. The judge outlined 'basic
facts' at a hearing in London after Ms Brady began legal action in an
attempt to 'obtain information' and the 'wrongdoers responsible'. 'At the
height of the dispute about the use of the Olympic Stadium, Ms Brady's
telephone records were unlawfully obtained by subterfuge,' said Mr Justice
Coulson. 'PKF was engaged by Tottenham Hotspur to carry out an investigation
that was in some way connected with the Olympic Stadium. 'PKF have, in the
last few days, said they do have copies of the wrongfully obtained telephone
records.'
The judge was told that Tottenham had been given copies of the records by
PKF. But lawyers for Tottenham said no one at the club had the records prior
to the start of legal proceedings. Mr Justice Coulson is due to hear more
details about the case at a further High Court hearing in London next
Wednesday. Lawyers for PKF argued that today's hearing should have been held
in private to prevent the 'risk of misreporting'. But the judge said the
hearing would be in public. He said hearings could be held in private in
'wholly exceptional' circumstances and the arguments put forward by PKF came
'nowhere near' the necessary test.
Premier League club Tottenham and Championship club West Ham had both wanted
to move to the £486 million Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London, after
the 2012 London Olympics. They were embroiled in a legal dispute after the
the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) opted for a bid put forward by West
Ham.
Tottenham said the decision was unfair and mounted a High Court challenge
against the OPLC's decision. But the legal action was halted in October
after the OPLC said it had decided to discontinue the process to dispose of
the stadium and instead allow it to remain in public ownership and be rented
out. Meanwhile, Detectives have arrested a second man on suspicion of fraud
after allegations that Tottenham Hotspur spied on Olympic officials during
the stadium bid.
Scotland Yard confirmed they arrested the 39-year-old at an address in
Surrey today. He was later bailed. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'A
second man was arrested this morning in connection with the investigation at
an address in Surrey. 'He was arrested on suspicion of fraud offences. 'He
went to a south London police station and has been bailed pending further
inquiries, to come back in February.' The first suspect - a 29-year-old man
- was arrested earlier this month and also released on bail. News of that
arrest came as Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) chairwoman Baroness Ford
claimed the north London football club had all 14 members of her board
monitored by private investigators. Spurs denied putting officials under
surveillance.
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West Ham And Spurs Take To Battle Again
Sky News
Lia Hervey
November 17, 2011 8:13 PM
There are more twists and turns in the Olympic Stadium legacy story than Tom
Daley attempting an "inward four and half somersault tucked" in a diving
final.
Today was the first day of legal action at the High Court brought by West
Ham football club's boss Karren Brady. Ms Brady brought the case against
private investigators PKF and it's Partner Howard Hill. She alleges the
investigators spied on her by obtaining her phone records during the period
both clubs were bidding to take over the Olympic Stadium after the 2012
Olympics. Spurs have strenuously denied the claims and today said there was
no evidence to back them up. They also denied spying on all 14 members of
the Olympic Park Legacy Board, the ones who made the decision on who got the
stadium post 2012.
Their lawyer told the court that Karen Brady's claims were based on
"insinuation, supposition and inuendo" rather than evidence.
After Spurs unsuccessfully applied to ban the press and public from court, a
number of facts accepted by all parties were laid out by Justice Coulson.
1) At the height of the dispute around the Olympic Stadium, Ms Brady's
telephone records were unlawfully obtained by subterfuge.
2) PKF were authorised to carry out an investigation into West Ham although
the terms of that are not clear.
3) PKF have in the last few days accepted that they have copies of Karren
Brady's phone record.
The case was adjourned until 2pm on Wednesday next week.
Whether children and sport benefit from the legacy of the stadium is yet to
be decided. What is clear there are a lot of lawyers much wealthier from the
whole saga and it's not over yet.
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London 2012 Olympics: second man arrested on suspicion of fraud as
investigation into Olympic Stadium deepens
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt and Paul Kelso 11:32PM GMT 17 Nov 2011
The controversy over the battle to occupy the Olympic Stadium deepened on
Thursday night with the arrest of a second man on suspicion of fraud. It
follows allegations that investigators working for Tottenham Hotspur
illegally obtained private telephone and banking records during the
stadium-bidding process, a claim the club deny. The arrest came as it
emerged that accountants PKF, the company hired by Tottenham to carry out
investigations during the Olympic Stadium bid, admitted having passed copies
of Karren Brady's illegally obtained telephone records to The Sunday Times.
The newspaper used the records for an expose of the bidding process, which
alleged that investigators had accessed private records of West Ham and
Olympic Park Legacy Company directors. The Metropolitan Police confirmed to
Telegraph Sport that a 39 year-old man was arrested in the early hours of
Thursday morning. A 29-year-old man was arrested last week.
"A second man, [B] 39 years, has been arrested this morning in connection
with the investigation," a Scotland Yard spokesman said. "He was arrested at
an address in Surrey on suspicion of fraud offences and has been taken into
custody at a south London police station. As part of their inquiries
detectives have conducted searches at three residential addresses."
A spokesman for PKF said that it was not aware of the arrest of any
employee. The admission that PKF and a partner in the firm, Howard Hill, a
corporate investigator, had passed Brady's records to The Sunday Times came
at the High Court, where West Ham and Brady want to force PKF to disclose
all information it may have gathered about them. In court on Thursday West
Ham's lawyer Ben Jaffey revealed that Hill had admitted passing documents to
the newspaper. "Last night in correspondence from PKF it was finally
admitted that Howard Hill and two of his colleagues handed copies of Ms
Brady's telephone records to The Sunday Times, but he has not said where he
got them from." Mr Justice Coulson said it was accepted as fact that the
telephone records had been illegally obtained. "At the height of the dispute
over the Olympic Stadium Ms Brady's telephone records were unlawfully
obtained by subterfuge," he said. "PKF were engaged by Tottenham to carry
out investigation in some way relating to the Olympic Stadium, the precise
terms of the investigation have not been made clear. "PKF has in the last
few days accepted that they do have copies of the unlawfully obtained
telephone records," he added. Counsel for PKF, Ruth Den Besten, said the
company did not accept responsibility for accessing the records. "Neither
PKF or Howard Hill sought or obtained any bank or telephone records and have
not committed any offence or engaged sub-agents to carry out investigation
of Ms Brady," she said. Tottenham's lawyer said that they denied allegations
from Brady that they had "tapped" her phone and "blagged" private records.
They also denied an allegation made by Margaret Ford, chairman of the OPLC,
that they had ordered surveillance of all 14 OPLC board members. The case
was adjourned until next week. In a statement Tottenham's lawyers said: "For
the avoidance of any doubt, Tottenham Hotspur did not instruct PKF to engage
in any unlawful activity and PKF have confirmed that they did not."
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