Daily WHUFC News - 6th December 2012

The Big Interview - Kevin Nolan
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United captain spoke exclusively to whufc.com after Saturday's
superb victory
05.12.2012

Kevin Nolan sat down for this week's Big Interview following a magnificent
3-1 Barclays Premier League win over Chelsea. The captain said results like
the victory over the Blues at the Boleyn Ground should not come as
unexpected, such is the ability and spirit within the West Ham United squad.
Nolan also discussed the outstanding performances given by Jussi
Jaaskelainen and Carlton Cole, his hope that Andy Carroll will be fit again
soon and the visit of Liverpool to east London this coming Sunday.

Kevin, that second half display against Chelsea was some performance. The
team played fantastic, didn't they?

KN: "The gaffer made a few changes that worked out really well for us. In
the first half we did not really get going and we didn't do as well as we
should have. The game plan was to get the ball up to Coley and get round
them but it did not work. The gaffer made the changes and thankfully we
responded well, the two boys that came on, Matty Taylor and Mo Diame, really
gave us some fresh legs. Tonks (James Tomkins) and Gaz (Gary O'Neil) also
did well so it is good we have the rotation. We have a lot of lads out at
the moment like Yossi and Vaz Te so it is nice coming off such a good
performance."

We narrowly lost out to Manchester United last Wednesday but we played
really well, so perhaps the result against Chelsea was not a massive
surprise?

KN: "No of course not, we looked a bit sluggish in the game before that at
Tottenham and I think the goal seconds before half-time killed us to be
honest. Against Manchester United you lose a goal after 30 seconds and you
think 'what is going to happen here/' but we responded well. We worked hard
and that is what you have to do at Old Trafford, I think that is the first
time I have been there and walked off thinking I was disappointed to not get
something from the game. The performance was there, however, and we knew we
could carry it on at home against Chelsea because we have been performed
well in every game at the Boleyn Ground. The second half performance was
fantastic."

Carlton Cole has not featured as much as he would have liked and Mo Diame
was on the bench, but they both came on and performed really well. Does that

show the great attitude and strength within the squad?

KN: "Yes, of course. We have a great unity within the squad. A lot of new
players have come into the squad and that is what we have to try and build,
not just for eleven who will be playing but everyone in the squad. As you
say Coley has come in and played really well and shown a great attitude. He
has had to wait for his chance but he is very much part of what goes on
day-to-day at the club. We are all together as a unit and as a team. We have
a great squad here with a great camaraderie and we all want to do well and
work hard for each other. On Saturday we proved that and I am delighted for
Coley and for the other lads who stepped in and played well. It was a great
result and a result we needed, now we are looking forward to another home
game next week against Liverpool."

Would you agree that you have more than one leader on the pitch. When you
pegged Chelsea back, their heads dropped but that did not happen to you?

KN: "When you see that it definitely buoys you and it encourages you to take
the game to them. In the first half I thought they played really well and in
the end it was just about getting in at half time 1-0 down and making sure
they only had a one goal lead. Jussi Jaaskelainen has pulled off some
fantastic saves and they have got those magic players who can create
something from nothing. We knew it was important to stay in the game and the
gaffer made some changes at half time that really helped us. Like I said you
have to praise Jussi because he made some great saves and also Joey O'Brien
because he made two fantastic blocks from Juan Mata. We knew it was going to
be tough but we are a team full confidence, we believe we belong here and we
believe that at the Boleyn Ground we can beat anyone which we proved on
Saturday."

You mentioned that you are a tight unit. Is that something that is very
important, especially at this level?

KN: "It is something we have worked very hard on since I have been at the
club. We have made sure we have a very tight knit bunch of lads because it
is massively important when you go out there that the lads are going to give
you their all. When things are not going right that is when you want to look
at your mate and think is he giving me everything? I know that from my point
of view they are, we are lucky to have players of such quality because I do
think they will step up and go through a brick wall for each other. I
thought we played some great stuff against Chelsea and mixed the play up
really well, I am also delighted because it gives us 22 points with another
home game up next. It is a tough one in a tough run but we showed on
Saturday that we can achieve great results with a terrific work-rate."

Andy Carroll is now out through injury. Is the togetherness just as
important when you are out and do you need to get round him and keep his
spirits up now?

KN: "He is a big boy and he can look after himself but he will be very much
part of everything that happens. He will be in and around the lads and
hopefully he will have a speedy recovery but this is now the time for Coley
and Modibo to step up and take their chance. I thought the big man was
fantastic against his former club and I will be looking for more of the same
against Liverpool next week."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boris's strange call
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
By: Laurence Everitt

Earlier today we discovered that West Ham are preferred bidders for the
Olympic Stadium. After numerous years, legal challenges and botched bidding
processes, we are finally close to finding out what will become of our
Olympic Stadium. All along West Ham have been in the ascendancy and it seems
likely that they will be allowed to move in some time around 2016.

Strangely, however, Boris Johnson has decided that West Ham are getting so
good a deal that, should the co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan sell
the club, the state should get a share of the windfall. This amounts to a
part-nationalisation of West Ham, something that surely would be an anathema
to a right-wing Tory such as Boris Johnson.

You would think that it would be troubling not only to his Thatcherite
principles but also to his common sense. There are numerous reasons why the
state shouldn't take a share of any windfall of the chairmen; here are the
ones that I feel are most pressing:

1). Investments go up as well as down - there is no guarantee that this move
will be a success. Were West Ham to get relegated (not the most unlikely
scenario), crowd levels would drop and the club could well be tenants of a
half-full stadium that leaks money. Without the fixed asset of a ground,
their future could look very insecure. This is not the sure-fire move that
the government believe it to be.

2). How much of a percentage do you take? Given that this is an arbitrary
decision, there is hardly a precedent as to how much of any windfall should
be taken by the state. Do you take 10%? 15%? 50%? Where is the justification
for the figure? How much value does the stadium actually add? Would the
state be liable for any losses should the plan not work out? Do you include
the investment that Gold and Sullivan put in to ensure club escaped from the
Championship? The only useful precedent is the City of Manchester Stadium,
which was given to Manchester City on very generous terms. Since they moved
in, Manchester City have been sold twice and guess how much of the windfall
the state took? Zilch.

3). What is the alternative to West Ham? A once a year Formula One race that
doesn't currently exist? An NFL franchise that doesn't currently exist?
Leyton Orient, who do exist, but whose gate of 4,190 in their last home game
was a bumper crowd for them? The truth is that, just like the City of
Manchester Stadium, having an established team in as anchor tenants will
provide a solid revenue base and go a long way towards paying for the
stadium.

4). The state could make a hefty profit out of the deal. As part of the
deal, the state gets to keep the naming rights of the stadium. In their
contract with the Emirates Airline, Arsenal pocket £30m a year from the
naming rights of their Ashburton Grove stadium. Clearly, Arsenal with their
constant (for now) qualification to the Champions League are a greater
proposition than West Ham. Even when you allow for the ongoing 'Farah
factor' of the association with the Olympics, as well as the extra events
that the multi-use stadium will have, you probably wouldn't get £30m a year.
But say you got £15m. Over 20 years, that would work out at £300m. Plus the
state would get the catering revenue, share of the ticket stream and an
annual rental fee of £2.5m. Which could work out as a very nice return over
the course of a 99-year lease.

5). Why should the club pay for the redevelopment of the stadium? One of the
key reasons behind Boris Johnson's demands is the large (over £100m) cost of
making the stadium fit for purpose. But he should be asking Tessa Jowell for
the money, not West Ham. In 2006, the year after London won the bid, West
Ham declared their interest in taking on the stadium after the Olympics. The
interest crystalised into a bid in January 2007 to take over the stadium,
offering £100m up front to take on the stadium as long as the design brief
of the yet unbuilt stadium was altered to include retractable seating in the
manner of the Stade de France stadium.

However, the Olympic Development Agency, headed by Tessa Jowell and Ken
Livingstone and backed by the Treasury, wanted to build an 80,000 seater
stadium, complete with temporary seats and a temporary partial roof, that
would then be reduced to a 25,000 seat capacity after the games. They went
as far as commissioning a report into the future of the stadium which was
told to explicitly ignore Premier League football from its considerations, a
staggering decision given their later U-Turns (see:
www.guardian.co.uk/...west-ham-athletics).

That you would spend £537m on what would, after the Olympics, become a
25,000 seater stadium used by athletics 20 days a year was clearly a
hare-brained idea - no wonder Ed Warner, the UK Athletics chairman called it
a 'Stratford Farce'. Now that the Treasury and other Olympic organisations
are balking at the cost of transforming a badly designed stadium, perhaps
they should consider looking at their previous staggering ineptitude rather
than looking to pass the costs on.

6). There is a fundamental underlying point - should Messrs Gold and
Sullivan want to sell a successful business, why should the state get an
extra windfall? They will already have paid Capital Gains Tax on any profit.
Since buying Birmingham for £1, they have done a good job of improving the
fortunes of the clubs they have run. Given their age (Gold is 76, Sullivan
63) it is not far fetched to see them wanting to sell rather than burden
their next generation with running the club. Having recently criticised the
French 'sans culottes', it is odd that Johnson would suggest the state
should requisition a windfall from a successful business - a strategy more
akin to Lenin's Russia than to the modern United Kingdom. It is hard to
imagine George Osbourne's next budget calling for a windfall on every Capita
or Serco share sold, or any other company that makes money off deals with
the state. So why West Ham?

Rather than being the good deal for West Ham, this is a great deal for the
country - the one option that will ensure that the Olympics legacy is not
tarnished by an unfilled, unloved stadium casting a shadow over both east
London and the Treasury's books. So why are they trying to kill the golden
goose with ridiculous demands?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A legacy for West Ham
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th December 2012
By: Graeme Howlett

Today represents a momentous day in the history of West Ham United Football
Club.

The prospect of moving two miles across the London borough of Newham to
Stratford, part of the original London parish of West Ham, could potentially
grant this famous old club the opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants
of the English game.

Yet that possibility is anathema to some of the club's supporters who remain
vehemently opposed to uprooting from the Boleyn Ground, our home for the
last 107 years.

The most recent poll on KUMB.com, conducted shortly after the conclusion of
the hugely-successful 2012 Olympic Games resulted in 64 per cent of
supporters voting IN FAVOUR of moving to the Olympic Stadium. However the
poll prior to that – conducted just eight months earlier – saw 61 per cent
of fans vote AGAINST the move.

The arguments from the antis are many and varied. The Boleyn Ground is our
home, they say – and a stadium that is more than sufficient for a club of
West Ham's stature. Others believe that the club has little chance of
filling 60,000 seats on a regular basis; just where will the additional
25,000 fans come from?

Others are suspicious of the co-owners' motives; is this simply just one
final pay-day for the septuagenarian David Gold and his long-term business
partner David Sullivan - a vanity project? Why would they sell a ground the
club owns to take a tenancy elsewhere? And why, despite repeated promises,
have the supporters never been fully consulted about the move? Surely
disaster that way lurks.

Yet those in favour of the move argue that this is a golden opportunity for
West Ham United that simply can't be overlooked; a once-in-a-lifetime chance
to place a club forged on the dockside of the East End shipyards by
philanthropist Arnold Hills during the latter years of the 19th century in
the upper echelons of English – and potentially European - football.

The fantastic transport links mean that supporters from all over Western
Europe will be no more than a few hours away from London. More seats mean
that the club could afford to offer cheaper tickets too, enticing back many
long-term supporters for whom Premier League football is simply too
expensive presently.

The prospect of playing in an internationally-renowned arena, in the globe's
most prestigious league would attract some of the world's best players –
players who would be affordable as a result of the added income from
lucrative sponsorship, commercial and marketing deals. Retractable seating
will bring the supporters as close to the pitch as they are at the Boleyn.
It's a no-brainer.

As in most scenarios, the truth probably lies somewhere between the two. For
those of us who once stood on the old north or south banks with our fathers
and grandfathers, leaving Upton Park will be a huge wrench – as it will have
been for those former Highbury, Roker Park and Baseball Ground stalwarts.

But perhaps, as author John Niven wrote, "It is the brave and great man who
... resists inertia and smashes on through to the far side." Or as Del Boy
Trotter would have put it, "he who dares wins, Rodders".

Regardless of the supporters' views, It is abundantly clear that West Ham
United at the Olympic Stadium is a prospect that has other London teams
seriously worried.

Daniel Levy of Tottenham Hotspur and Barry Hearn of Leyton Orient have gone
to considerable lengths to scupper West Ham's bid – whilst former Hammers
chairman Terry Brown revealed some time ago how David Dein, the ex
vice-chair of Arsenal, admitted that the prospect of West Ham moving to the
Olympic Stadium "frightened him to death".

Whatever form the move to Stratford will eventually take, it will certainly
mean the end of West Ham United as we know it. A team that was once cited as
"everyone's second favourite club", a team the great Bill Shankly described
as "nice football, nice family club – two points" will be transformed beyond
recognition.

Much has been spoken about legacy since the closing ceremony of the Olympic
games. Following Boris Johnson's announcement earlier today, all we as
long-suffering West Ham United supporters can do is place our trust in the
current owners to deliver their own legacy worthy of this great club.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Barry Hearn still hoping Leyton Orient could groundshare with West Ham at
Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: December 5, 2012 4:02pm
SSN

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has not given up hope that his club could
end up sharing the Olympic Stadium with West Ham. The Hammers have been made
preferred bidders by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) to
become the new tenants of the stadium, a decision which did not surprise
Hearn. But Hearn says West Ham's move to Stratford would have a hugely
negative impact on the O's. And he believes there is a long way to go before
the agreement is signed, sealed and delivered and insists Leyton Orient will
explore every avenue before conceding defeat. "I'm disappointed," he told
Sky Sports News, "because it was our dream to move into the Olympic Stadium.
This is not the best news I have ever had in my life. But I am not going to
panic. There are certain questions to be asked about West Ham moving so
close to us. "I don't understand what harm there would be in a major Premier
League club like West Ham and a community club like ours sharing the Olympic
Stadium. It happens in France, it happens in Germany, it ticks a lot of
boxes. "And it would show that it's not just about cash. But I'm afraid in
these difficult times, and with taxpayers money involved, it is all about
cash. That's sad. "We have to take stock of the situation and move on. We're
up for ground-sharing. I understand West Ham's football tenancy is not
necessarily exclusive. "We're disappointed at stage one, but whose to say
about stage two. "One of the conditions of West Ham being the preferred
bidder is that is cleared with the relevant football authorities. That's the
key line. We believe it has not been cleared with the relevant football
authorities to the satisfaction of Leyton Orient.

"Clearly if West Ham are moving to the Olympic Park, which is 750 feet away
from our stadium, it's very difficult to believe that new fans in our local
population will enter into any season ticket applications if they have a
Premier League team on their doorstep - which wasn't there before - in a
stadium that which has a capacity where they will be able to offer
fabulously discounted deals. "Ask yourself - if you were a kid in the Leyton
area and West Ham were in the Olympic Stadium with spare capacity, where
would you go? "We are halfway through a dispute with the Premier League on
the rules. They clearly feel they have done enough of an inquiry to grant
West Ham permission. We feel they haven't."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I'm so excited at what this means for West Ham
By KARREN BRADY
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun


What happened to the last six Olympic stadiums

BEIJING 2008
The Bird's Nest is used only occasionally but Man City and Arsenal played
there this summer. Held the Italian version of the Community Shield in 2009
and 2011.

ATHENS
2004 Panathinaikos rent Spiros Louis stadium — and are currently struggling
to pay the electricity bill. Liverpool lost the 2007 Champions League final
there.

SYDNEY 2000
The largest Olympic stadium ever, held 110,000. It has been reduced to
70,000 for rugby, football, Aussie rules and Twenty20 international cricket
matches.

ATLANTA 1996
As soon as the 1996 Games were finished the stadium was converted into a
baseball stadium to house the Atlanta Braves. Renamed the Turner Field.

BARCELONA 1992
Was used by Espanyol for more than a decade before they moved out and
England have twice played there. Has also hosted Heineken Cup rugby.

SEOUL 1988
Now a music venue when footballing minnows Seoul United aren't in action.
Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga are among music stars to perform there.

YESTERDAY'S unanimous decision to name West Ham United as the higher-ranking
bidder to be given the opportunity of moving to the Olympic Stadium
represents a giant step forward for the club. A move back to our home in
West Ham will play a huge part in helping us to realise our ambitious vision
to take the club to the next level. The decision guarantees a true and
lasting legacy for East London and is the best outcome for the taxpayer. The
London Legacy Development Corporation and its Chair, Boris Johnson, should
be applauded for realising that by selecting West Ham, London is well on the
way to being able to showcase yet another major destination and visitor
attraction in the Olympic Park that will further strengthen the capital's
place on the global map. Yes, there is still work to be done but the
commitment is there to make the stadium work. Now we can work openly with
the LLDC to make sure we find a solution that works for everyone. I feel
privileged on behalf of my supporters, 500,000 of whom are from East London
and Essex, to be in a position to help really deliver a true and lasting
Games legacy for London. If I had to sum up how I feel, it would be excited.
Excited at the prospects for the club, our supporters and East London. I'm
looking forward to working with our local partners to target groups in need
of employment. I am excited at the prospect of growing our business.
I am excited at the chance to work with our supporters to make this a
stadium that befits their proud history and that they can call home. The
opportunity for our club to really compete at the highest level and grow to
fit its fanbase is immense. I am excited that up to 100,000 members of the
community who wouldn't otherwise be able to access elite sport will be
inspired by watching the best league in the world free of charge. And that
local families who might not have been able to attend matches because they
simply can't afford it, will be able to come and watch Premier League
football. I will relish looking at how best to expand the services delivered
by our community department who already serve over 1.5million users in the
local area — a number that is set to grow and grow. I am excited to have the
task of filling what is arguably the world's most iconic stadium and to
ensure it becomes the 'jewel in the crown' of the Olympic Park.
I have talked a lot about our plans and meant every one of the promises I
made on behalf of West Ham. What excites me the most is that I finally
believe that the time has come to start putting those plans into action and
delivering on those promises. And that is what it has always been about for
me. To the people of East London, I say we will ensure that the buzz you
witnessed in your area over the summer becomes a long-term fixture that will
keep the eyes of the globe on East London for generations to come. We pledge
to create over 700 new jobs and will bring over one million people a year
with us to the Park.
The global exposure of having Premier League football in the most iconic
building in East London will ensure big businesses will stick around long
after the memories of superhuman athletic feats have faded.

The move will provide us with the opportunity to work with tens of thousands
more deserving youngsters in some of the poorest areas of the country. That,
for me, is a real legacy. To our supporters, I can say exciting times for
our club lie ahead. I know for some the wait has been frustrating, but we
look forward to now being able to share our vision. We're sure that when
they see our vision for the stadium, they'll be just as excited as I am. I
would like to thank the LLDC, and in particular its chairman Boris Johnson,
who deserves immense credit for the vision he has shown in making this
decision that secures a genuine, lasting legacy for East London. I would
also like to pay tribute to our two chairmen, David Gold and David Sullivan,
whose passion and steadfast belief have shone the way since we first stated
our hopes of moving to Stratford three years ago. Finally, I would like to
thank my staff at West Ham United, who have worked so hard and diligently to
help us reach this milestone. Of course, we have only been named
highest-ranked bidder and we still have to see the ball over the line in the
final negotiations. Then the hard work can really start to create a stunning
new home. Yesterday was a fantastic day for West Ham United, but I think
there are even better times ahead

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com