Daily WHUFC News - 16th May 2012

Final tickets SOLD OUT
WHUFC.com
The 500 remaining Play-Off final tickets were all snapped up on Tuesday
morning
14.05.2012

West Ham United can confirm that the 500 tickets that went on General Sale
at 9am on Tuesday morning have all sold out. That means West Ham have now
sold their entire allocation of tickets for the big Wembley final against
Blackpool on Saturday. All tickets on sale by West Ham United are in the
West Ham section of Wembley after the segregation area was moved to allow
the additional Hammers into the stadium.

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Duo pen new deals
WHUFC.com
Young professionals Callum Driver and Eoin Wearen have signed new one-year
contracts
15.05.2012

West Ham United are pleased to confirm that young professionals Callum
Driver and Eoin Wearen have signed new one-year contracts. Full-back Driver
and centre-back Wearen (pictured) have both continued their education this
season after coming through the Academy of Football and penning their first
professional deals a year ago. Driver and Wearen have both been out on loan
at npower League Two clubs - Burton Albion and Dagenham and Redbridge
respectively - while the pair have also featured regularly in Ian Hendon's
Development Squad. The duo, both 19, are considered to be bright prospects
and will form part of Hendon's squad which flies out to Hong Kong for the
HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens this weekend.

Driver, who joined West Ham at the age of 12, made 24 Development Squad
appearances this season. He joined in Burton in January 2012, scoring one
goal in eight league appearances. He said: "Overall it's been a good season.
I've got experience and got out on loan which was the target at the start.
The highlights have been my first league goal and my league debut at Burton,
which is something every footballer looks forward to. "I just keep my head
down and keep working - that's the way it has to be done. You've got to have
desire and commitment if you want to be a footballer. I want to get out on
loan again next season and get to a bigger club and get more experience and
keep building my career. "I've worked this whole year to get another
contract, so to think the Club believes in me and sees that I have got more
development in me is nice. "Our full-backs are great players - George
McCartney has played in the Premier League and Guy Demel has played in
Germany as well, so I'd like to follow in their footsteps. Hopefully I can
emulate them in the next few years."

Republic of Ireland Under-19 international Wearen joined the club at the age
of 16 after moving to London from his native Dublin. This season, he has
made 23 Development Squad appearances, scoring three goals. Wearen also
played four games on loan at Dagenham and Redbridge in January, helping the
Daggers to gain a creditable 0-0 FA Cup with Budweiser third-round draw with
Championship side Millwall. "I've worked hard for this contract this season
so now I can enjoy my summer. It was a gamble to change to a position I had
never played in before (centre-back) halfway through the season, but it has
obviously been a good thing because I have developed and improved as the
season has gone on. "Playing the FA Cup was nice. I made my home and away
debuts against Millwall, which not many players do. A lot of good players
have been released this year, so I know I am one of the lucky ones who have
been kept on. I'd like to think I have earned this contract. "I think it has
been decided that the way forward for me and how I will progress at this
club is as a defender. I'm only 19, so this extra year will give me more
time and I feel I can continue to improve a lot again. If I keep my
performance level up, hopefully I can get into the gaffer's plans."

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Hammers head for Hong Kong
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon's Development Squad will fly out to the Far East this week
14.05.2012

Ian Hendon and his Development Squad will end a busy season by jetting to
Hong Kong for the HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens tournament.
With the first team in the npower Championship Play-Off final on Saturday, a
young West Ham United squad will represent the club in the prestigious
seven-a-side tournament in the Far East.

The likes of Jordan Spence, Dan Potts, Rob Hall, Olly Lee and Eoin Wearen
will form the backbone to Hendon's side as they take on Leicester City, HKFC
Captain's Select and Celtic in Group B on Saturday. With Chelsea, Newcastle
United and Aston Villa among the 16 clubs taking part, competition is set to
be fierce, with the finals taking place on Sunday.

Hendon spoke to West Ham TV about a successful 2011/12 campaign and his
hopes of finishing the season on a high.

Hendo, we have reached the climax of the season after more than 30
Development Squad fixtures. It has been a successful campaign, hasn't it?

IH - It has most definitely been a positive season. I have been looking over
the stats and we have used more than 70 players throughout the season,
ranging from 16 or 17-year-old lads in the system through to trialists to my
own players and senior professionals dropping down. We've had 30-odd games
and it's been a bit of a gruelling season.

We might not have been in a reserve-team league, but all of the Development
Squad matches have been competitive and players have had their individual
points to prove, haven't they?

IH - Most definitely. We played a lot of games against Premier League and
Football League sides who have put their squad players in and it has been a
good test for the young lads this season. You cannot replicate playing
against season professionals so it has prepared the boys for what is ahead,
really.

Who have been the standout performers for the Development Squad this season?

IH - There are standout performances which come to mind straight away, but
there are also players who have played the majority of the games this year -
20-25 games throughout the season - who have dealt with it better than most.
We have had so many changes to the team week-in, week-out that they have
been the ones who have put in consistent performances. The likes of Callum
Driver, Eoin Wearen, Olly Lee, George Moncur and Rob Hall have been in there
when they haven't been out on loan, while Brian Montenegro has been
fantastic all year and his goal-ratio is superb. A lot of the scholars have
stepped up like Blair Turgott and Kenzer Lee - the list is almost endless.
The players who have done well are the ones who have played the majority of
the games.

It also represents a new challenge for yourself, who has been used to
managing a smaller squad as a first-team manager and assistant manager,
doesn't it?

IH - I think the major thing for myself was not being in a league. Whereas
before I've been used to having days to prepare for a match and trying to
actually win something, the difficulty for me has been playing friendlies
and having different lads every week. I've had a day's notice to prepare a
group for a game. In the ideal world you'd like three or four days to
prepare for a match and to do a bit of scouting on the opposition so you
know what is coming. You go in blind a lot of the time. It's been a bit of a
learning curve for myself, if I'm being honest, but it's something I've got
used to and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

The system appears to have worked, with players coming up from the Academy
and through to either the first-team squad or out on loan to Football League
clubs?

IH - The players have developed, I'd like to think. It's about getting these
players ready for the first team. They played friendlies aganist
professional clubs and if we look at them and they handle it, we look to get
them out on loan to league clubs. Quite a few have gone out and I've been
out and monitored their development and they've done ever so well. A lot of
them have taken a step in the right direction this year.

Finally, you and your Development Squad fly to Hong Kong this week for the
HKFC Citibank International Soccer Sevens. You must all be looking forward
to it?

IH - I've actually played in this competition at the ripe old age of 35! If
they think they are going there for a nice end-of-season trip they are
mistaken because they're going to play on a huge pitch with six outfield
players and a goalkeeper and they'll be getting a workout. It's tough! That
said, it is enjoyable and it's a nice break at the end of the season and a
reward for their hard work. We're going to play some tournament football
against some good teams - Celtic and Leicester are in our group along with
the Hong Kong Football Club . Let's hope the weather is nice because they've
been having thunderstorms this week!

Will you be able to watch the npower Championship Play-Off final on
Saturday?

IH - The game will kick-off at 10pm Hong Kong time. We're very disappointed
that we'll miss the game at Wembley, especially myself as I've been involved
in the first team myself at times this season. We'll get together and watch
it. There is a big screen at Hong Kong Football Club and we'll all be there
watching with interest.

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Taylor eyes Wembley cheer
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor will draw on his great experience during Saturday's Play-Off
final
15.05.2012

Matt Taylor has played more than 450 league matches and is hoping to draw on
that vast experience during Saturday's npower Championship Play-Off final.
The 30-year-old won promotion with both Luton Town and Portsmouth before
enjoying a fine Premier League career with both Pompey and at Bolton
Wanderers. Taylor also played at Wembley for Bolton in last season's FA Cup
sem-finals, only to suffer a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke City. The No14
is hoping to eradicate that memory and complete a personal hat-trick of
promotions on Saturday, but insists he will be keeping his feet on the
ground to ensure he produces the best-possible performance.

"Obviously we all know the importance of it, but I know it probably sounds
like a cliché, but you can't put too much emphasis on the game itself," said
Taylor. "We just have to play the game and not the atmosphere. "It is going
to be a wonderful day for the club in terms of the fact that it is a trip to
Wembley, but we have to make sure that as players we don't get overawed and
caught up in the atmosphere. "It will be one of the biggest games in my
career, but you can make as much out of it as you want. Obviously there will
be a huge build-up in the press and what have you, but from a point of view
in terms of the team we will be keeping low key because you can get too
overawed and the emotions can become raw on the day if you keep hyping
yourself up. "I played at Wembley last season, but it obviously wasn't a
great experience in the FA Cup semi-final, but I have been there so
hopefully I will know what to expect and hopefully it will be a better
experience this time around!"

While Taylor himself will draw on his great experience to keep his own
emotions in check, he said his colleagues were also level-headed enough not
to let the occasion of playing in front of 90,000 supporters for a place in
the Premier League get to them. That said, he admitted that there would
still be some butterflies as the Hammers lineup in the Wembley tunnel ahead
of what is a hugely-important game for the future of the Club. "I don't
think anyone will need calming down," he said. "I think that we all
ultimately know the importance of the game but, in saying that, we want to
make sure that we go about things in the right manner and continue from what
we have done in the past eight to ten weeks in terms of what we have done on
the pitch."

"Everybody is going to be nervous when we step out there, it's arguably the
biggest club game in terms of money - I think someone was talking about £90
million. We all know what is at stake. We all know we want to get back into
the Premier League, but Blackpool are going to be thinking and wanting to do
exactly the same thing."

Taylor also played down media claims that West Ham are big favourites to
succeed at the Home of Football. Blackpool finished above the Hammers in the
Premier League table last season and enjoyed a fine 3-2 aggregate victory
over Birmingham City in the Play-Off semi-finals, and Taylor knows Ian
Holloway's side will be a tough nut to crack. "We are both in the same
position in terms of both teams got relegated last season and obviously both
teams would like to bounce back at the first opportunity. One of us is going
to do so on Saturday and hopefully it will be us. "Blackpool are a good
football team and they are there on merit. They had a really good end to the
season and I watched the second leg of their Play-Off semi-final against
Birmingham and they played good football so it is going to be a very tough
afternoon."

West Ham enjoyed two comprehensive victories over Blackpool during the
regular season - 4-0 at home and 4-1 at Bloomfield Road - but Taylor said
they will be irrelevant at Wembley. However, he does believe the Hammers'
recent run of one defeat in 20 matches means they will travel to the final
feeling confident of completing the job. "It doesn't count for anything. For
me it is 90 minutes now and that is all that is important, the results count
for nothing when the whistle goes at three o'clock on Saturday. "I think
everybody confident because winning football matches breeds confidence, and
that's what we've done. We've scored goals and the forwards are scoring
goals and that always helps so we are in decent form and the boys are in
good spirits."

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Devonshire backing the Hammers
WHUFC.com
F.A Cup winner Alan Devonshire is predicting a Wembley success for the
Hammers on Saturday
14.05.2012

Former West Ham United Alan Devonshire has told West Ham TV that he is
backing West Ham United to have a successful day at Wembley on Saturday.
Devonshire knows all about enjoyable days our at Wembley as he was part of
the West Ham team that beat Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup final in 1980,
courtesy of a 13th minute-Trevor Brooking header. The former wide midfielder
says playing at the Home of Football is a great feeling. "It was good times
and it was a good era for the club and it is great that we are back there
again," Devonshire said. "It's a special place and I was lucky enough to
play there a few times. Hopefully it's going to be a fantastic day at
Wembley again for the club."

Devonshire, who made 358 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 29 times, has
faith in the squad to deliver Premier League status for West Ham on
Saturday. The Ex-England International believes they can feed off manager
Sam Allardyce's previous experience of winning the Play-Offs to ensure
success on Saturday. "The club is big enough now and we have players with
loads of experience so I expect us to get a result. Wembley is away from
home and we are decent away from home. I will keep my fingers crossed for
sure. "This club deserves to be in the Premier League and the fans deserve
it too. So hopefully Big Sam and the boys can do the job on Saturday."

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Sam to sue over 'crook' allegations
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has begun legal proceedings against
Blackburn manager Steve Kean. A video, thought to have been recorded in Hong
Kong last summer showed Kean, who succeeded Allardyce as manager of
Blackburn Rovers dismissing his predecessor as a 'crook'. The comment was
made after Kean, who was being secretly recorded without his knowledge, was
asked why Allardyce was sacked by Rovers, who were relegated from the
Premier League earlier this month. Kean - who also insisted during the video
that he would lead Blackburn to a top ten finish - replied, "Just because
he's a f***ing crook. That's the only reason."

"I haven't spoken to him because he mullered me. I worked my balls off for
him and then he had a go at me, so f*** him."
- Kean on Allardyce

Despite the video being filmed some ten months ago, it was released into the
public domain for the first time this week - clearly designed to destabilise
Allardyce's preparations for this weekend's play-off Final. According to the
Telegraph, Allardyce had instructed his legal representatives to begin legal
proceedings after talks were held this lunchtime.

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Gone
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 15th May 2012
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's allocation for this weekend's play-off Final sold out this
morning as the last available tickets were snapped up. The few remaining
tickets that went on General Sale this morning were all accounted for within
20 minutes of the 9:00am start time. Reports that just 500 tickets in total
were on sale would appear to be wide of the mark however, with a
spokesperson for SeeTickets telling KUMB.com last night that around four
times that number went to General Sale this morning.
Additionally, a number of supporters were able to purchase tickets in the
areas behind the goal in the West Ham end. As expected, SeeTickets' website
was inundated by supporters hoping to take advantage of today's sale.
However with West Ham's allocation set at just under 39,000, many thousands
of supporters have been left disappointed. Meanwhile Blackpool are
understood to have several thousand tickets still available despite their
allocation being on general sale since last Friday. Some West Ham supporters
have reported success in buying tickets in the opposition end - an
inevitable conclusion given that both sides were given the same allocation,
despite the much higher demand from West Ham United fans.

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Catch 22
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

I am sure every Hammers fan views Saturday's play-off Final with a potent
mixture of excitment, nervousness and anticipation. We know that West Ham
are the better team and that we should have too much for our opponents. But
we also kow that the Seasiders are determined and spirited footballers who
have performed well this season to reach the Final. We also know that the
best team does not always win a one-off match and there are many factors
that can derail a team's ambitions such as over-confidence, poor
preparation, player error, bad luck and refereeing decisions. Last but not
least, we have learnt over many seasons not to take anything for granted
where West Ham are concerned. It is always possible that West Ham will not
turn up on the day and Blackpool will take advantage. Anyone who was at the
2004 play-off Final, against Crystal Palace, will know the pain and
disappointment of a massive under-perfomance on the big day.

On the positive side, West Ham have really gelled over the last four or five
matches, ever since the disasterous 2-4 home defeat to Reading FC. The
football played against Cardiff City was outstanding. And, more to the
point, we played the right way and never gave Cardiff City a chance to get
in to the match over the semi-final ties. I stated that I wanted Cardiff
City in the semis because I knew that we could beat them. Others saw them as
dangerous opponents after their valiant efforts against Liverpool in the
Cup. We now know those fears were misplaced. Most fans seemed to want to
avoid Birmingham City in the Final and they got their wish. My view was that
they were probably justified in seeing Brum as the more problematic of the
two potential opponents.

Blackpool come with their own inherant dangers, not least their great spirit
and attacking ability. But they also have mirror weaknesses, not least the
fact that they are vumerable at the back and likely to conceed. Indeed, it
poses the question how Ian Holloway will approach the match? Will his team
throw caution to the wind and go for all out attack, the hope being that
they can out score us on the day? Or will they try to play a defensive
match, with 5 in midfield and attempt to beat us on the counter-attack? The
catch 22 for them is that an open, attacking match will also create lots of
space for our forwards to exploit. Brighton adopted that approach and look
what happened to them! Alternatively, do they have the personnel and
discipline to play a defensive, counter-attacking, game? Results this season
indicate that they do not, unless they confound us with hidden qualities on
the day.

So what is going to be their approach to the match? Holloway will know that
West Ham have the measure of his team, having beaten them convincingly both
home and away in the Championship. So, he needs to do something different to
try and change the odds, to break the mould. One of the factors identified
by Holloway in his newspaper columns is the size and power of the West Ham
team. He has stated that in the two league matches West Ham physically
dominated his side and, consequently, they were unable to impose their play
on the games. What is the answer to that? He cannot make his team physically
larger or more imposing, but he can encourage them to adopt a more
aggressive approach to the game. They can attempt to play an extra man in
midfield in an attempt to seize control of the game or perhaps they will
seek to exploit Wembley's wide, open flanks with the pace of Thomas Ince and
Matt Phillips. Will they endeavour to 'get at' our full-backs and put Reid
and Tomkins under pressure with dangerous low crosses in to the box?

Blackpool could try all of those things, but they are easier said than done.
I would be extremely surprised if they came out on top in midfield; while
Demel and Taylor or McCartney should have the experience and ability to deal
with Ince and Phillips. As for aggression, they can try it but it is a
dangerous approach that carries the danger of yellow and red cards. Also,
all things being equal, I just cannot see West Ham losing a physical contest
with Blackpool. They may get on top for periods, but I do not doubt West
Ham's ability to wrest back control. And a crucial difference between the
teams is that West Ham are looking defensively solid. Can Blackpool say the
same? Look at how Brum pegged them back from 3-0 on aggregate to 3-2. Also
we have variation in our play, we can play it on the ground or launch an
ariel bombardment, pushing lots of bodies in the box. Birmingham City
collapsed in the face of those tactics, would Blackpool hold up any better?
I think not.

We are favourites to win the Final for very good reasons. But under-dogs do
come out on top, ask Man Utd how many times under-dog Hammers teams have
defeated them home and away over the decades. But if we play to our
potential, exploit our advantages and impose ourselves we should emerge
victorious. If we take them too lightly or let the occasion overwhelm us
then, equally, defeat is a possibility. The answer lies in wanting it more
than them, performing on the day and winning with efficiency and total
ruthlessness. We saw a very clinical/ruthlessly effective West Ham in the
semis, now we must replicate that to overcome the final obstacle to a PL
return.

West Ham have better quality players, are ihave good team spirit and
excellent form, fitness levels are the highest they have been for over two
seasons and we hold the psychological advantage over Blackpool. If we cannot
win from that position, and with those advantages, then it has to be
grudgingly admitted that we do not deserve to go up. It's as straightforward
as that.

SJ. Chandos.

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Does Demba Ba Want to Leave Newcastle Utd in the Summer?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

A report has emerged that Demba Ba may seek a move from Newcastle Utd this
summer. The reason cited, after such a relatively successful season with the
bar codes? Allegedly he is tired of being play out wide, rather than through
the middle as a central striker. Sources at West Ham predicted that Ba's
camp might seek a move sooner rather than later. No doubt a fair number of
clubs, in the PL and abroad, would be interested in securing his services,
especially if the rumour is true about a £6m release clause. The only
problem being the risk associated with his knee condition.

Surely a promoted West Ham would be interested in acquiring a PL goal scorer
of Ba's proven pedigree. Whether that is a 'goer' on either side, however,
is highly debatable. If Ba does want to move on, it is probable that he will
have ambitions to join a club already in or with realistic prospects of
qualifying for Champions League football. While perhaps the West Ham
hierarchy have not really forgiven Ba's decision to walk last summer, after
West Ham took a risk on his knee and gave him his break in the PL?
Furthermore, would we be prepared to meet his likely wage demands even if
was prepared to move back to the Hammers?

Would Hammers fans welcome back Ba? Although he left last summer, exercising
his relegation release clause, there is no indication that Ba;s addition was
anything but positive to team morale duing his hal a season with us. It is
probably a non-starter, but it is interesting to speculate on the
eventuality and gage suporters views.

SJ. Chandos.

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Allardyce to sue Kean AND Blackburn over former No 2's foul-mouthed rant
By CHRIS WHEELER
PUBLISHED: 00:18, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 00:18, 16 May 2012
Daily Mail

Sam Allardyce is suing his old club Blackburn and their manager Steve Kean
over derogatory comments his successor at Ewood Park is alleged to have made
about him. Kean's future was already under threat when he landed in India
for crisis talks with owners Venky's on Tuesday, but he now faces more
problems after disgruntled fans from The BRFC Action Group claimed
responsibility for posting a video clip of him on the club's pre-season trip
to Hong Kong last summer.
Speaking to supporters in a bar, Kean appears to make unguarded comments
about Allardyce in which he questions the integrity of the man who appointed
him as first-team coach at Blackburn.

ROVERS FANS GRANTED MEETING
The fans' group campaigning for the removal of Blackburn manager Steve Kean
have been granted meetings with Government and the Premier League to air
their concerns. The BRFC Action Group have long called for the removal of
Kean and claim owners Venky's, the Indian poultry firm, are not fit and
proper persons to run the club. Their campaign has been stepped up since the
club were relegated from the Barclays Premier League amid scenes of unrest
and protest at Ewood Park last week. Allardyce instructed his lawyers to sue
Kean for slander, and he is taking legal action against Blackburn as well
because Kean is an employee who was on club business at the time. Asked
about his relationship with Allardyce since he replaced him as manager in
December 2010, Kean is also heard saying: 'I haven't spoken to him. He
mullered me so I said f*** him. 'I worked my b***s off for him and then he
had a go at me so f*** him.' The 44-year-old Scot appears to claim the
credit for Phil Jones's emergence from Blackburn's academy before he was
sold to Manchester United for £16.5million last summer, as well as telling
the fans that his team would finish in the top half of the table and win the
Carling Cup.

In fact, Blackburn were relegated from the Premier League and could be
replaced by Allardyce's West Ham this weekend. The release of the video clip
appears to have been timed to cause maximum embarrassment for Kean as he
arrived in Pune for talks with Venky's. A petition signed by 5,000 fans
calling for him to be sacked has already been sent to the Indian owners. It
also coincided with news that Blackburn MP Jack Straw has helped set up a
meeting between The BRFC Action Group and sports minister Hugh Robertson
next month, while the Premier League have agreed in principle to hold talks
with them.

The former chairman of Blackburn's neighbours Accrington Stanley claimed
yesterday that he is ready to head a consortium of local businessman
interested in buying the club if Venky's are prepared to sell. Ilyas Khan
said: 'If they were to decide that it's time for them to move on to a
different business venture, I think our consortium is the only one that
could turn this into a success for the town.'

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Allardyce starts legal action against Kean
Move comes after footage is leaked of Rovers manager questioning his
predecessor's abilities
MARTIN HARDY WEDNESDAY 16 MAY 2012
Independent.co.uk

Sam Allardyce's legal representatives have sent letters to Steve Kean and
Blackburn Rovers following video footage that shows the club's manager
making disparaging remarks about his former colleague.

Kean was secretly videoed by supporters during Blackburn's trip to Hong Kong
last summer. He tells those fans that Rovers will definitely finish in the
top 10 (for the season that has just finished, when they were relegated),
also win the Carling Cup and places a £100 bet with them. However, it is the
potentially libellous comments about Allardyce, who was in charge when Kean
was a coach at Ewood Park, that have seen legal proceedings begin.

Allardyce, now manager at West Ham United and preparing for Saturday's
Championship play-off final with Blackpool, only became aware of the YouTube
video yesterday morning. He met his legal team just after lunchtime and the
decision was made to begin proceedings. The footage that has sparked the
controversy was filmed months ago but its posting on Twitter has pushed it
into the public domain. It shows Kean questioning the operating methods and
ability of the man who was manager before him at Blackburn.

Kean and Allardyce fell out hugely after the latter was sacked by Venky's,
Blackburn's owners, in December 2010, despite the team being 13th in the
Premier League at the time. To the surprise of many, especially in light of
promises of big-money signings such as Ronaldinho and speculation linking
Diego Maradona with the vacant manager's position, the Indian owners instead
promoted from within.

Kean, however, has faced a huge public backlash in Blackburn since he was
given the job, with repeated demonstrations calling for him to be sacked or
to resign. The local newspaper has twice called for him to go and his
appointment has been blamed for the huge disappointment of the current
campaign, which ended in relegation before the final game of the season.

The 44-year-old Scot was flying to Pune yesterday to meet Venky's owner
Anuradha Desai for further talks about his position. It has been alleged
that the relationship between Desai and Kean's wife Margaret was the reason
he has kept his position at Ewood Park.

Kean insisted last week that he retained the support of the Rao family,
which owns Venky's, despite Blackburn's demotion to the Championship, and
that the controversial family were the right people to lead the club back
into the Premier League.

A legal letter has also been sent to them from Allardyce's representatives
as the employers of Kean. Allardyce is said to be furious with the slur. The
release of the four-minute YouTube rant by Kean was calculated to cause
maximum embarrassment as he fights for his job; the BRFC Action Group, who
have repeatedly called for his dismissal and the removal of Venky's, posted
the video on their website yesterday. They have also been granted meetings
with the Government and the Premier League to air their concerns.

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Steve Kean's problems just get worse at Blackburn Rovers following public
rant over Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce is suing Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean and is also
considering legal action against the Ewood Park club following Kean's
astonishing attack on his predecessor on YouTube.
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Percy10:00PM BST 15 May 20121 Comment

Allardyce, sacked by Rovers in 2010 and now with West Ham, has instructed
his lawyers to initiate proceedings against Kean, his former assistant.
Allardyce is understood to be "seething" about the inflammatory remarks made
by Kean that cast doubt on his integrity, his operating methods and ability
as a manager. The comments were filmed by Rovers fans in a Hong Kong bar
during the club's pre-season tour of the Far East last summer. Allardyce is
also ready to sue his former club in a move that will only increase the
pressure on both Kean and the Indian owners, Venky's. It is believed that,
under the severance package agreed when Allardyce was dismissed, neither he
nor Rovers are permitted to make derogatory remarks about each other.

Allardyce is understood to view Kean's comments as a breach of contract by
Blackburn and is determined to take the matter to court. Talks were held
with his solicitors on Tuesday after he was alerted to the video footage
that had gained more than 170,000 hits on YouTube last night, and letters
have been served.
Kean was unaware he was being filmed but his remarks are still classed as
defamatory. Kean, who could be in further hot water with the game's
authorities over his rant, is set to meet his bosses for talks in Pune on
Wednesday following Blackburn's relegation from the Premier League. He has
maintained that his position is safe with Venky's and he still retains the
support of co-owner Anurudha Desai, but this latest episode will only
increase the pressure on him. Deputy chief executive Paul Hunt was ousted
last week after an email sent to Desai expressing his concerns at both Kean
and the future of the club was leaked. Blackburn fans have mounted a
concerted campaign over the past 18 months to have the Scot removed and made
another appeal yesterday by emailing a petition to Desai with the names of
nearly 4,500 supporters. The email requests that "Venky's, as owners and
custodians of our historic football club, terminate the employment of Mr
Steve Kean at Blackburn Rovers Football Club with immediate effect. "His
record as a manager during his 18-month spell in charge of the club is among
the worst in the 20-year history of the Premier League and he is undoubtedly
the worst and arguably the most unpopular in the entire 137-year history of
our football club."

The BRFC Action Group are now planning to meet with government and the
Premier League to air their concerns. Blackburn MP Jack Straw has
facilitated a meeting of the fans with sports minister Hugh Robertson next
month and the Premier League have agreed in principle to meet them too. A
statement from the group's committee read: "We as a group of supporters,
elected by its members, are disgusted that our club has been allowed to be
pillaged with very little resistance from the regulatory bodies who should
act in the best interest of the sport and supporters."

Venky's said last week they had no intention of relinquishing control at
Rovers. Despite that, there is interest in buying the club from elsewhere.
Former Accrington Stanley chairman Ilyas Khan has said he is prepared to
front a consortium after holding discussions with local investors and
businessmen. Blackburn are also facing an exodus of players following
demotion to the Championship, with Junior Hoilett, Paul Robinson, Martin
Olsson and Steven Nzonzi all expected to depart this summer.
Hoilett is wanted by Chelsea and Spurs while Sweden international defender
Olsson has emerged as a target for Chelsea and Stoke City.

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Collison gives West Ham major fitness boost
By talkSPORT | Tuesday, May 15, 2012

West Ham midfielder Jack Collison has given the club a major boost by
returning to training and is confident of being fit for the Championship
play-off final against Blackpool on Saturday. Collison was a big doubt for
the showdown at Wembley after picking up a shoulder injury during the
semi-final victory over Cardiff last week.
The Wales international was forced to leave the field and had scans to
assess the damage. Those showed no long-term problems and Collison joined
the rest of the first-team squad in training on Tuesday. Manager Sam
Allardyce said: "He has a very, very good chance of making it in time. "When
he first did it, we were thinking about surgery and him being out for a long
time, but he has recovered remarkably well so we are very hopeful."

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