Upson reflects on cup exit
WHUFC.com
Club captain Matthew Upson said the squad were determined to make up for
Carling Cup woe
27.01.2011
Matthew Upson is expecting the whole team to show their resolve in the weeks
ahead - starting with Sunday's FA Cup visit of Nottingham Forest. The
skipper said the squad had spoken about how they can put things right in the
wake of Wednesday night's bitter blow of being eliminated from the Carling
Cup semi-finals at Birmingham City. The Hammers had taken a 3-1 lead in the
tie, only to lose 4-3 on aggregate after extra time. "It's very difficult,"
he said. "We discussed a lot of things in terms of the momentum of the game,
retaining possession better and taking the sting out of the game. You know
that teams like Birmingham, if they have got to score two goals, are going
to throw everything at you. "Trying to the pick the bones out of that
afterwards was a painful experience, really. We're certainly disappointed.
It's a big low point, but we've got to move forwards. "We're really
disappointed to have got into the position where we were and not made it
through to Wembley."
Upson admitted the team needed to focus for the whole 90 minutes, having let
winning positions slip out of their hands on several occasions. "I wouldn't
say it's a confidence issue," he said. "It's just our mentality in the
second half of late. We played very well in the first half and we've
regularly looked in control of the games after 45 minutes this season. "I
think we've shown we're capable of playing good football and grabbing hold
of the game and actually looking like we can win them."
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Spurs offer Keane for Parker
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th January 2011
By: Staff Writer
Tottenham are understood to have had a bid for vice captain Scott Parker
rejected by West Ham. Spurs' cheeky bid is said to have come about as a
result of United's willingness to keep alive the process to bring
out-of-favour striker Robbie Keane to east London. It is reported that the
north Londoners offered Keane to West Ham in return for Parker plus a paltry
£2million - a bid said to have been rejected out-of-hand by the club's board
yesterday. The deal to bring Keane - who has already expressed an interest
in remaining in London - to the Boleyn Ground has been on and off for some
weeks now. The latest impasse was reached at the weekend when Tottenham
demanded a £1million loan fee plus an additional £6million for a permanent
deal in the summer, regardless of whether the Hammers avoid relegation or
not. Keane's £65,000 weekly wage was also to be met by West Ham. The Irish
Times report that it was Tottenham who reinstigated the process with their
offer for the 30-year-old Parker, who recently signed an extended five-year
deal with West Ham.
However another report - this time on herald.ie - claims that West Ham and
Spurs have now reached agreement that a permanent transfer for Keane will
only be instigated upon West Ham staying up, adding that confirmation of the
deal is imminent. The club - most notably co-chairman David Sullivan - have
repeatedly stated that they will not consider selling Scott Parker, who is
considered integral to West Ham's hopes of avoiding relegation.
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West Ham sold for £20million?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th January 2011
By: Staff Writer
Paul Peschisolido has hinted that David Sullivan and David Gold's share of
West Ham United was purchased for just £20million. The current manager of
Burton Albion - who is married to West Ham United vice chairman Karren Brady
- also implied in an interview with Richard Williams, writing for the
Guardian, that his wife had been the brains behind the deal, calling her a
'genius'.
Replying to claims made on Monday by former Sky Sports anchorman Richard
Keys that Brady ignored phone calls from him, Peschisolido said: "She's been
working her tail off trying to get the Olympic Stadium for West Ham. "She's
been spending three or four days a week in London and for the past couple of
weeks she hasn't been home at all. The last thing she was going to do was
take a phone call. "Criticise my missus? He's having a laugh," he continued.
"The top business people in this country are desperate for her to join their
boards. Look what she did for Birmingham. They bought it for a quid and sold
it for £80m. "And West Ham for £20m? She's a genius when it comes to
business."
Peschisolido's claims come as some surprise for it was previously thought
that David Sullivan and David Gold had paid £52.5million for an initial 50
per cent share of West Ham United, which was valued at £105million during
the takeover 12 months ago. Since purchasing their initial stake a year ago
this month Sullivan and Gold - whose calls for fellow investors to buy out
CB Holdings' remaining stake fell mainly on deaf ears - increased their
share to 60 per cent, in May 2010. That deal, according to Sullivan, cost
him and partner Gold £8million - £4million of which went to CB Holdings with
the remaining £4million going into the club. "We have both invested a
further £4m to increase our shareholding to 30% each," he said at the time.
Of course, give the slight ambiguity of Peschisolido's comment it is
possible that he may not be referring directly to the sale figure - although
it is something that the board may consider worth clarifying. The true
level of West Ham United's debt has also been the subject of much discussion
in recent months. At the time of the sale of the club to Sullivan and Gold
last January it was reported by the club that the overall figure was
£100million. That number was inflated by new co-chairman Sullivan to
£110million a few days later and is now said to be down to £80million - or
reduced 'by more than £25million', according to a statement made by Sullivan
last week.
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Brady hits back as Keys resigns
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th January 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham vice chairman Karren Brady has hit back at departing sports anchor
Richard Keys. Keys resigned from his post at Sky Sports yesterday afternoon
after he had issued a grovelling apology live on Talksport over his comments
about Sian Massey and Brady. During the interview, the former GMTV
presenter also revealed that he had attempted to contact Brady by phone to
apologise for his daft comments - but that his calls went unanswered. He
also suggested - with more than a hint of bitterness - that Brady would be
delighted as the furore had 'taken West Ham off the back pages'. Not so,
according to Brady - who stressed that she had far more important things to
do at the weekend than take a desperate call from a man desperate to save
his own skin.
Perhaps Richard thought I was too busy making the tea and washing up to take
his call," quipped Brady, "but a cursory glance at the weekend's newspapers
or television would have made him well aware that I was heavily occupied
with the West Ham and Newham Council Olympic Stadium bid. "West Ham's
future in the Olympic Stadium is of far more significance to me than his
future. I did not ask to be part of his sexist tirade."
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FUFA
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th January 2011
By: Staff Writer
Lawyers representing West Ham United are to serve a writ on the Football
Association demanding compensation for the loss of Dean Ashton. Ashton - who
was forced to retire from the game last year - saw his career ruined by a
Shaun Wright-Phillips tackle whilst on England duty in August 2006. After
two major operations and just 40 further appearances for West Ham, the
Swindorn-born striker was forced to hang up his boots for good.
Despite having paid £7million for Ashton in January 2006, United are yet to
receive a single penny in compensation from the FA as a reasult of his
career having been prematurely ended. The FA claim that as Ashton went on to
play a further 40 games they cannot be held responsible for the
circumstances surrounding Ashton's subsequent demise, some three years
later.
A club insider told ESPN: "We are preparing a writ and it is to be served on
the FA within a matter of weeks. It is not something we are taking lightly,
or that we would actually like to do. The FA are giving us no choice. We'd
love to settle it amicably, but we have drawn blanks with both the FA and
their insurers and have no choice but to go to the courts.
"It can't be morally right that a player gets his ankle smashed to bits
playing for England, he battles away trying to recover for two years, but
finally accepts that the problem will reoccur forever, has to retire and his
club, who had released him to play for England, get nothing from the FA -
not even the £2.5 million compensation they paid the player."
Last year Ashton spoke about the lengths he had gone to in order to try and
recover full fitness - a battle that ultimately ended in failure when his
ankle bones were fused together to prevent him being unable to walk in later
life, after he suffered the latest in a string of setbacks.
"I was getting back running, I'd done all the hard work after the op," he
recalled. "I was jogging really slowly and then heard a weird crunch. You
kind of know then that to then go and play is not going to happen. There
were times when I thought 'I just know that this isn't right' and it's not
going to get right - but I wanted to put on a brave face and didn't want to
show people that I think it's going to be the end."
Despite his career ending at such a young age, Ashton - still only 27 - said
that he harboured no ill feeling towards Manchester City's Wright-Phillips.
"I'm pretty sure he didn't want to break my leg. Whether it was a bad tackle
or not, I'm sure he didn't think that," he mused. "There's no point dwelling
on that. It could have happened to anybody. It might not have been me, it
might have been someone else - but it just so happened to be me."
Deano: Hammers stats
2005/06: Pld 16, Gls 6, Bkd 2
2006/07: Pld 0, Gls 0
2007/08: Pld 35, Gls 11
2008/09: Pld 5, Goals 2
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Dyer on his way?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th January 2011
By: Staff Writer
Charlton boss Chris Powell has confirmed that he is interested in signing
West Ham reserve team boss Alex Dyer. Former Hammers left-back Powell, who
featured in the 2004/05 play off final win over Preston North End admitted
today that he was actively seeking to take Dyer to Charlton as his number
two.
Powell has been in charge at the Valley for just a fortnight, where he
replaced the sacked Phil Parkinson. However he is aware that he faces a
tough fight to land the highly-rated Dyer, who has been at West Ham since
2004 when he first joined the club as an assistant sports scientist. "Alex
Dyer is one of a number of people that I'm looking at," admitted Powell this
morning. "He is definitely on the list of people I'm thinking about. "It is
ongoing and I'm trying not to rush it because I think it is quite a vital
appointment for this club. We are ok at the moment but of course I do need
that person to come in as soon as possible [although] I don't envisage
anything happening before Saturday."
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Upson - We must move on
Hammers defender insists club need to look to future
Last updated: 27th January 2011
SSN
West Ham defender Matthew Upson has stated the club's desire to bounce back
from their Carling Cup exit to Birmingham on Wednesday. The Hammers were
beaten by the Blues in extra time in the semi-final despite having a 3-1
lead on aggregate at the end of the first-half of the second leg. It was yet
another disappointment for Avram Grant's side after getting into such a
position and with the club struggling at the foot of the Premier League.
They have the chance to banish the blues to some extent by beating
Nottingham Forest at Upton Park on Saturday in the FA Cup, before a tough
trip to Blackpool the following Wednesday. Upson admitted that the
frustration of losing out on a place at Wembley has hurt the team badly, but
it was up to them to bounce back.
Difficult
"It's very difficult," he told the club's official website. "We discussed a
lot of things in terms of the momentum of the game, retaining possession
better and taking the sting out of the game. You know that teams like
Birmingham, if they have got to score two goals, are going to throw
everything at you. "Trying to the pick the bones out of that afterwards was
a painful experience, really. We're certainly disappointed. It's a big low
point, but we've got to move forwards.
"We're really disappointed to have got into the position where we were and
not made it through to Wembley." "I wouldn't say it's a confidence issue.
"It's just our mentality in the second half of late. We played very well in
the first half and we've regularly looked in control of the games after 45
minutes this season. "I think we've shown we're capable of playing good
football and grabbing hold of the game and actually looking like we can win
them."
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Brady breaks silence over "dinosaur" Keys
Published 21:59 26/01/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady said disgraced former Sky football
presenter Richard Keys had "added insult to injury" with his comments about
her this afternoon and that his views were "dinosaur". Keys, who resigned
today amid the storm over off-air sexist remarks he and longtime on-screen
partner Andy Gray were caught making at the weekend, claimed he'd called
Brady to try to apologise in person for what he said about her but could not
get through . "Perhaps Richard thought I was too busy making the tea and
washing up to take his call," said Brady, "but a cursory glance at the
weekend's newspapers or television would have made him well aware that I was
heavily occupied with the West Ham and Newham Council Olympic Stadium bid.
"West Ham's future in the Olympic Stadium is of far more significance to me
than his future. "It is most unfortunate that he has chosen to add insult to
injury today by suggesting that this incident has done me a favour by
getting West Ham out of the press, as after all I did not ask to be part of
his sexist tirade. "This is not about an apology to me, but about an apology
to all women. Richard represents views that myself and those who work in the
business of football find totally dinosaur."
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Olympic Stadium: Newham mayor defends £40m loan for West Ham bid
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter 9:28PM GMT 27 Jan 2011
The mayor of Newham has defended the council's decision to borrow £40
million in support of West Ham's bid for the Olympic Stadium. Sir Robin
Wales has been a key player in the club's attempt to take on the ground
after the Olympics, and committed the council to borrowing the money to
support the cost of reconfiguring the stadium for football. Newham is the
most deprived borough in the country and is facing cuts to its government
funding of 14 per cent this year and a further eight per cent next year,
leading some to question how it can justify borrowing on behalf of a Premier
League club. If successful the council would have a 50 per cent stake with
the club in the stadium lease. Football club and other revenues would pay
off the loan, and Newham would receive a share of revenues once it is
repaid. The council is liable for half of the loan in the case of default.
Wales dismissed critics of the deal, tellingy Telegraph Sport that there was
very little risk in the loan and it represented value for Newham residents.
"This is not just for a Premier League football club, this is for community
benefit. If it was purely about the football club I could not justify doing
it.
"We are not sacrificing anything for this. We are doing prudential
borrowing [from the Treasury at preferential rates], but we cannot use this
borrowing for anything else and it does not affect our borrowing capacity or
what we can spend. It has no negative impact. "Even on the most disastrous
figures, even if everything goes wrong we still make a profit on this. The
risk is really, really minimal. "The debt, which costs our residents
nothing, will be repaid and then we start to share in the profit. It may
take a few years but we will benefit. "As our finance director said, we are
putting no equity in and we get a profit out."
Wales also said the negative impact on football of retaining the running
track would be minimal, though he did admit that it would have been
preferable to design in an alternative such as retractable seats. Earlier
this week The Daily Telegraph disclosed how this option was actively opposed
by the Olympic Board. "It is a shame that we did not design this for joint
use in the first place, but we are where we are, and it will be a better
stadium for football than a lot of people think."
Wales's comments came as Tottenham distributed drawings of how Upton Park
would look superimposed on the Olympic Stadium, intended to demonstrate the
increased distance from the pitch in Stratford. West Ham said the drawings
ignored the fact that the Olympic Stadium capacity would be twice that of
Upton Park, with one source dismissing them as "barrel scraping".
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Tottenham offer West Ham Robbie Keane and £2 million for Scott Parker
By Jason Burt 7:00AM GMT 28 Jan 2011
Jason's Twitter
Telegraph.co.uk
West Ham United's attempts to sign Robbie Keane took another twist on
Thursday when Tottenham Hotspur offered the striker plus £2 million in
return for Scott Parker. The bid was flatly rejected by West Ham but it
opened the way for negotiations to continue over Keane and there were fresh
hopes on Thursday evening that a deal could finally be struck. West Ham have
been chasing Keane throughout the January transfer window and had hoped that
having ceded to Tottenham's demands of a £1 million loan fee plus a
permanent £6 million transfer deal in the summer should they avoid
relegation, the move would go ahead. However it is understood that Spurs
responded by asking for a permanent deal now for Keane even though he is
unlikely to figure in their team for the rest of the season having fallen
out of favour. He might not even make their squad as things stand. West Ham,
understandably, do not want to commit to that given the real fear that they
might be relegated from the Premier League. Given that Keane also commands
wages of £65,000 a week, West Ham do not want to make such a financial
commitment for a 30 year-old who has no resale value. However West Ham also
believe that Keane would make a significant difference to their team and
could prove to be the kind of talismanic figure who scores the goals to
guide them away from relegation. It is understood that talks were ongoing
last night with a compromise possible over the transfer fee if West Ham stay
up.
Crucially, Keane is believed to want to ensure the deal goes through having
initially asked for a £1 million bonus if he helped West Ham avoid
relegation. That demand is believed to be no longer in place partly because,
despite ongoing interest from Birmingham City, there have been no other bids
for him.
It also appears that Spurs have subsequently accepted that a permanent deal
now is not a reasonable request - although they have, as part of that
concession, asked for a higher transfer fee. According to negotiators
involved in the deal, the two clubs are now just £1 million apart in their
offers, which means that it suddenly appears the move is more likely than it
appeared yesterday morning.
Spurs have long pursued Parker but West Ham are insistent that the
midfielder, who agreed a new contract earlier this season, is not for sale.
There was frustration yesterday at Spurs' offer given the stance taken over
Parker, whose situation is non-negotiable. The bid effectively values Parker
at just £8 million.
If West Ham sign Keane it would give the club a significant lift following
the failure to reach the final of the Carling Cup, after the defeat at
Birmingham on Wednesday, and with the attritional relegation battle ahead.
It is also believed that West Ham have rebuffed Sunderland's attempts to
sign striker Frédéric Piquionne for around £2 million although they may have
to make room in their squad if Keane is secured. West Ham also remain in the
market for a holding midfielder and would like to move on Radoslav Kovac.
They have not received any offers yet for their players beyond Parker and
Piquionne.
West Ham remain hopeful that they can still announce a loan deal for
Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba although that has been a fraught negotiation
given the player's difficult medical history. The club will also stick with
manager Avram Grant until the end of the season having decided there is no
reason to replace him following the failure to persuade Martin O'Neill to
take the job this month. Meanwhile Sebastien Bassong insists he will not be
leaving Tottenham this month after holding talks with Harry Redknapp over
his future at the club. Bassong, 24, was a regular at the heart of the Spurs
defence last season but has made only four league starts this term, with
Michael Dawson, William Gallas and Younes Kaboul the preferred options. "I
said to him [Redknapp] what I thought, how I saw the things and he gave me
answers," Bassong said. "When you do not speak with your coach, it is hard
to know what he thinks. Things were said. Today, I am quite glad to have had
this discussion. I will remain in Tottenham. I belong to Spurs."
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West Ham invited to make bid for Sevilla midfielder
TalkSport
By Declan Taylor
Thursday, January 27
Sevilla have told West Ham they will not allow Koffi Romaric to leave on
loan but they could be tempted to sell him. The Ivorian midfielder has been
in superb form for the La Liga club, who do not want him to leave unless
they receive a sizeable fee. But West Ham manager Avram Grant was only
initially interested in a short-term deal for Romaric, which caused a
negotiation breakdown between the two clubs. However, Romaric's agent, Jose
Rodriguez Baster, believes a deal could still be done if West Ham consider a
solid bid for the 27-year-old. "This deal is difficult because West Ham want
to take the player on loan but Sevilla would only consider selling him,"
Rodriguez Baster said. "He has become an important player for them so they
do not want to lose him on loan. But if West Ham made a big offer I would
not say that this deal is dead."
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Man United and West Ham in battle for non-league hotshot
TalkSPort
By Declan Taylor
Thursday, January 27
Manchester United and West Ham have started the bidding for highly-rated
Dulwich Hamlet wonderkid Paul McCallum. The 17-year-old striker was playing
Sunday League football a year ago but now has a long list of Premier League
scouts purring over his ability after some fine FA Youth Cup performances.
Dulwich received 14 enquiries about McCallum the morning after his display
in the FA Youth Cup earlier this month but no solid bids were made. But now
Dulwich have received offers from Manchester United and West Ham as well as
one from a Championship club - thought to be Millwall. Dulwich manager Gavin
Rose, who is a close friend of Rio Ferdinand, insists the club will not be
held to ransom over their star attraction but admits McCallum may benefit
from a transfer. "Two from the Premier League, one from the Championship.
We're looking to strike a deal now. "But we've had to stand our ground over
the situation because there has often been a thought process among top clubs
that they can come in to small clubs, take the players and do whatever they
want. "Clubs can't be flippant about the work we put in to these players. If
Paul had the opportunity to train five times a week full-time I dread to
think how well he'd develop. He is a bundle of potential, and has all the
attributes to be anything he wants to be."
Midfielder Quade Taylor has also caught the attention of the watching
Premier League scouts, but Dulwich have not received any bids for him yet.
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Hammers take FA to court over Ashton
January 27, 2011
Email Print
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
ESPN
West Ham United will issue a writ against the FA for £10.5 million in
compensation for retired England international Dean Ashton, who had to quit
the game due to injury. Ashton was forced to hang up his boots more than two
years ago because of an ankle problem that the Hammers claim originates from
a break he suffered at England training ahead of a clash with Greece in
August 2006. West Ham's claim will be for the £8 million insurance and £2.5
million pay-out that the club paid Ashton when he was forced to quit in
December 2009, aged 26. Ashton had two operations but then played more than
40 further games for the Hammers and was awarded a new five-year contract -
the reason the FA is defending the claims for compensation. In a landmark
case, West Ham are planning to take the FA to court despite football rules
stressing that disputes should be settled by authorities' own arbitration
systems. This is the first headache for newly appointed FA chairman David
Bernstein, who was confirmed as the new independent chairman of the FA only
this week. The Hammers have hired a top level QC, who has spent more than
three months preparing the case, and the writ will be ready to be served in
a matter of weeks.
ESPNsoccernet first highlighted the potential legal case in November,
confirming that the Hammers were considering court action, but with no
meaningful negotiations taking place with the FA since, the club believe
they have no other choice than to take the matter to the High Court. A
Hammers insider told ESPNsoccernet: "Yes, it's true that we are preparing a
writ and that it is now to be served on the FA within a matter of weeks. It
is not something we are taking lightly, or that we would actually like to
do. The FA are giving us no choice. "We'd love to settle it amicably, but we
have drawn blanks with both the FA and their insurers and have no choice but
to go to the courts. "It can't be morally right that a player gets his ankle
smashed to bits playing for England, he battles away trying to recover for
two years, but finally accepts that the problem will reoccur forever, has to
retire and his club, who had released him to play for England, get nothing
from the FA, not even the £2.5 million compensation they paid the player."
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Hammers make final Robbie Keane bid
January 27, 2011
Email Print
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
ESPN
Premier League strugglers West Ham United will make a last ditch attempt to
sign Robbie Keane and are also seeking a solution to the insurance hitch
over the Demba Ba deal. West Ham are targeting their match with Birmingham
on Sunday week as a 'must win' game and hope to have a new strike force in
place to supplement Carlton Cole. However, they are being frustrated in
their bid for Keane. ESPNsoccernet can reveal that the Hammers have agreed
to pay Spurs £6 million at the end of a loan deal - but only on condition
that West Ham stay up. Spurs, though, insist the £6 million transfer is made
permanent after his initial six month loan, irrespective of the outcome of
the relegation situation. A Hammers insider told ESPNsoccernet: "The club
only want to take Robbie Keane permanently if West Ham stay up, but Spurs
want West Ham just to take him. The club cannot add such a high wage bill if
they are relegated."
West Ham's option, of course, would be to sell Keane if they go down, but
they would be in a weak bargaining position and lose much of their £6
million transfer fee. The Hammers have offered a £1 million loan fee for
Keane and are prepared to pick up the player's £65,000-a-week wages - but
the problem is over the details of a permanent deal. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim
striker Ba has agreed to join West Ham but the deal is being held up over a
snag concerning the striker's insurance policy after he failed two medicals
- the first at Stoke when his £7.1 million transfer collapsed. A West Ham
insider told ESPNsoccernet: "We are finding a way around it. Hopefully we
will sort it all out within the next 24 hours." Despite Ba failing a
medical, the Hammers, bottom of the league, have confessed that they are now
in the business of taking a calculated risk to try to avoid relegation.
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Sexism? I had 20,000 fans calling me a sex toy! Burton boss Peschisolido on
life as 'Mr Karren Brady'
By ALAN FRASER
EXCLUSIVE
Last updated at 12:44 AM on 28th January 2011
Daily Mail
Karren Brady's blood was boiling about Linogate when the rarely simmering Mr
Karren Brady sat down to discuss Burton Albion's first FA Cup fourth-round
tie this weekend. But first a word about sexism in football. 'Sexism?'
demanded Paul Peschisolido, to give him his proper name. 'Are you kiddin'
me? I was married to the managing director of the football club I was at!'
'I used to get absolutely hammered every time I walked into the changing
room,' he told Sportsmail. 'Pictures on the wall, all manner of stuff that
can't be repeated. The football changing room is a very sexist place. You
bet. Every club I went to was the same.' And there were nine of them in
England alone. Birmingham City (twice), Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion,
Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United (twice), Norwich City, Derby
County and Luton Town - plus Toronto Blizzard and Kansas City Comets, not to
mention the great Juventus, where Peschisolido spent one year as a homesick
academy recruit.
Then there was the chanting from the opposition terraces. 'I used to get
absolutely abused,' said the Canadian. 'Twenty thousand Wolves fans singing
Peschodildo. That was always a nice one. It was all water off a duck's back.
I took it as a compliment. If I was no threat, they would not be trying to
put me off my game. 'There were plenty others. "You're s*** and your wife's
a whore".'
Peschisolido was unfazed by the abuse from the terraces, but what about his
other half, 'first lady of football' and the Neanderthal comments aimed at
her by Richard Keys? 'To criticise my missus - he's having a laugh,' said
the 39-year-old. 'Karren has the top business people in the country, some of
the most wealthy men, desperate for her to join their board. His grovelling
made it worse. He started having a go at her, saying, "I've done her a
favour". I was thinking, "You're making this worse for yourself, you idiot".
'Their comments are disappointing. Sian Massey has probably tried to work
twice as hard as any male to even get accepted, so she is obviously very
good.
'Karren can look after herself. Karren's Karren. She is an incredible
business lady - probably one of the best you will ever come across. 'Karren
is not a feminist. She is very traditional, very much old school. I love my
wife. I am proud of everything she does and I hope she goes on to become
Prime Minister because the country could do with someone like her.' Brady
would not need to be elected as an MP - never mind PM - to establish a
higher profile than a husband who is making the transition from journeyman
footballer to aspiring football manager. Her public recognition as West Ham
vice-chairman and media darling is already in a different league. Although
Peschisolido would love to take League Two Burton - and his own managerial
career - into higher echelons, it would never be a case of trying to keep up
with the missus. 'I am not spurred on by wanting to be bigger than my wife,'
he said. 'I love football and I love the job I am doing. There has never
been a competition between the two of us. I do it for my own sake and if
someone wants to call me Mr Karren Brady, fine. It fazes me not one bit.'The
urbane Peschisolido has in two years gone from unlikely managerial recruit
to one of those young obsessives who spends every waking hour on the job.
When not watching as many as three matches a day, always on the search for
talent, he can be found immersed in a book on psychology or nutrition.
QPR boss Neil Warnock, one of 20 managers for whom Peschisolido played,
described Burton as a perfect place for a managerial apprenticeship. That
was principally because in chairman Ben Robinson the club was headed by
someone with great business acumen, patience and to interfering in football
matters.
Nigel Clough spent 10 years in charge of them before taking over at Derby,
and he was, as Peschisolido acknowledges: 'A daunting act to follow.
'I did hear bits and pieces about how Nigel would never do it this way, etc.
But it didn't bother me. 'I never thought about the Clough factor. I just
saw the job as a great opportunity to manage a team run well and on the way
up. You have to believe in your own ability and in what you are doing.' As
one of the young breed of so-called 'laptop managers', who believe football
to be a science, Peschisolido was distraught to have his computer stolen at
the end of last year. It disappeared along with his smart Mercedes car,
which he had left with its engine running in the driveway of the family home
while he had popped back inside to check on their dog. 'They could keep the
car,' he said. 'I wanted the laptop back. I never got either. The laptop
contained everything. I had not backed up anything. All the work that went
into it. I had to start again from scratch. I was devastated.'
The replacement contains a detailed dossier on Championship side Burnley,
who entertain Burton at Turf Moor on Saturday. Peschisolido will be without
striker Shaun Harrad, who transferred to Northampton after scoring the two
goals that defeated Middlesbrough in the previous round. 'We have not played
much football in the past month,' pointed out the Burton boss, who knows
that is a factor in his side's lowly 20th place in League Two. 'I hope my
lads go and enjoy themselves. It's a chance for them to show what they can
do. I just hope they show up.' Peschisolido usually did, albeit latterly as
a 'super sub'.
And it was as a substitute that he might have helped Sheffield United to the
FA Cup final in 2003, but for an astonishing one-handed save by Arsenal
goalkeeper David Seaman in the semi-final at Old Trafford. The comparison
with Gordon Banks's wonder save for England in 1970 has often been made,
although no one ever bracketed Peschisolido with Pele.
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Upson despairs as West Ham become Waste Ham
Published 23:00 27/01/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Matthew Upson admitted West Ham's miserable season has hit a new low after
their Carling Cup blowout at Birmingham. The Hammers squandered a two-goal
aggregate lead – and a golden chance of their first Wembley final in 30
years – under Blues' aerial bombardment at St Andrew's. Former Birmingham
defender Upson feels the Premier League wooden spoonists have become soft
touches in the second half of matches they have dominated for 45 minutes.
That says little for under-fire manager Avram Grant's half-time pep talks,
and the Israeli coach was slow to respond as the opposition launched the
kitchen sink on Wednesday. And despite owners David Gold and David Sullivan
publicly backing their manager, West Ham's unity must be questioned by their
decision to stay away from a major semi-final against their old club. Upson
cut a dejected figure as he opened the inquest into another massive Hammers
letdown, admitting: "Trying to pick the bones out of it after the match was
a painful experience. We are all bitterly disappointed and it was a big low
point, but we have got to pick ourselves up and move forwards. "We seem to
be having a pattern of starting the second half poorly, and we need to work
out why that is happening. "As we did in the home leg, we performed very
well for 45 minutes, but after half-time we seemed to come out with a
completely different mindset. It has cost us points in the Premier League
and now it has cost us a place at Wembley. "We have tossed a lot of ideas
around the dressing room in terms of keeping our momentum, retaining
possession better and taking the sting out of the game. "Once Birmingham
needed to score two goals, we knew they were going to throw everything at us
and we needed to keep the ball better, make them run around and drain them
of energy. "But we seem to have got bombarded in the second half – you are
not going to beat someone the size of Nikola Zigic in the air every time,
but we've got to win the second ball and that's why we lost the game. "We
looked totally in control for 45 minutes, and we've shown we are capable of
playing some good football and getting hold of a game, but we need to put
this right for our remaining Premier League games. "Everyone is on the
floor. We've paid a massive price for our second-half performance at
Birmingham. It will be a big test of us as characters to see how we react."
Grant only dodged the axe at Upton Park 11 days ago when Martin O'Neill, the
man lined up to replace him, got cold feet. But he refused to discuss the
implications of West Ham's collapse on his own job security. He said: "I'm
concerned only that we lost the game, not about myself. If we continue with
this attitude, everything will be OK for the team and we will get out of
relegation trouble." Meanwhile, West Ham will be handed a chance to exact
early revenge for their semi-final heartbreak on Sunday week, when
Birmingham arrive at Upton Park for a relegation six-pointer.
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