Daily WHUFC News - 24th July 2013

Hamburger SV 1-3 West Ham United FT
WHUFC.com
The Hammers bounced back in style to defeat Hamburg 3-1 on Tuesday
23.07.2013

HAMBURGER SV v WEST HAM UNUTED
PRE-SEASON MATCH
FLENSBURGER STADION
TUESDAY 23 JULY 2013
KICK-OFF: 6.45PM (CEST)

Full time: Hamburger SV 1-3 West Ham United

90 mins Full time and the Hammers have won 3-1. A much quieter second half
but Sam Allardyce will be more than happy with that workout. A good response
to Saturday's defeat at Mainz and Matt Jarvis was on fine form to supply the
goals for Alou Diarra, James Tomkins and Ravel Morrison. Now on to
Braunschweig for Saturday's concluding game of the tour. Check whufc.com for
more reaction and match highlights.
89 mins The stadium PA informs us that Matt Jarvis has been named as man of
the match. A well-deserved award after a fine performance.
85 mins Not much to report in the way of goalmout action in the last few
minutes as the game drifts towards its conclusion. West Ham's 3-1 lead is
looking fairly safe.
83 mins Danny Whitehead is going to get a shot run out now, with the summer
signing from Stockport County replacing Mo Diame.
79 mins The Hammers make another change. Pelly Ruddock replaces Guy Demel,
who comes off to a warm round of applause from the fans of his old club.
75 mins Kerem Demirbay lines up a shot from range which flies harmlessly
over. That effort had more than a whiff of desperation about it.
71 mins Kevin Nolan takes a bit of a clatter in midfield and stays down for
a bit. He looks fit to continue though after getting to his feet gingerly,
so that moment of alarm has passed.
66 mins Two more changes from West Ham. Mark Noble and Matt Taylor are
coming on for Alou Diarrs and Ravel Morrison.
64 mins That's not a million miles away from Modibo Maiga, who eyes up a
shooting chance from 20 yards and sends the ball whistling past the post and
clattering into the stanchion supporting the net.
63 mins Here's a pic of the goal Ravel Morrison scored to put the Hammers
3-1 up on the stroke of half time. That remains the scoreline with a third
of the game to play.
Ravel Morrison scores v Hamburger SV
61 mins Time for the Hammers to make their first substitution. James Collins
is the man to make way, with Winston Reid coming on his place.
59 mins Better from Hamburg so far this half, and Stephen Henderson has been
a busy man to keep the score at 3-1. But he has done and that's good for the
Hammers as they near the hour mark.
52 mins Now it is West Ham's turn to threaten and it is no surprise that
Matt Jarvis is the man involved again. He finds himself in a one-on-one
situation with his defender and wrongfoots the goalkeeper with his shot,
only for the ball to roll against the post.
48 mins Henderson is in the action again, moving to his left to claw away
Dennis Aogo's effort after the sub took advantage of a slip from James
Collins to run in on goal.
47 mins What a save that is from Stephen Henderson! Ivo Ilicevic hits a free
kick which the Hammers stopper touches on to the post. He has to get up
quickly to block from Jiracek on the rebound and it's still 3-1.

7.52pm The referee gets the second half underway. No changes for the
Hammers. Plenty for the hosts though, Mancienne, Aogo, Rincon, Calhanoglu,
Rudnevs, Jiracek, Rajkovic, Skjelbred, Dermibay and Nafiu are on.

7.36pm The referee sounds his whistle for half-time and it has certainly
been a productive 45 minutes for the Hammers. Matt Jarvis has provided the
threat down the left and thas claimed assists on all three goals. West Ham
twice profited from corners through Alou Diarra and James Tomkins, then
Ravel Morrison notched a third after Jarvis was hauled down inside the box.
Hamburg's only reply has been through Heiko Westermann's header. 3-1 is the
interval score.

45 mins GOAL! The Hammers quicky restore their two-goal advantage though.
Matt Jarvis again makes a piercing run down the left flank and as he shifts
the ball beyond Diekmeier, he is brought down by the defender and the
referee points straight to the spot. Ravel Morrison picks up the ball and
sends the spot kick low into the left hand corner with Drobny diving the
other way. 3-1.
42 mins GOAL! And Hamburg do have their goal from the flag kick. Van der
Vaart deliveres and defender Heiko Westermann jumps highest to plant a firm
header beyond Stephen Henderson.
42 mins Hamburg would like one back before half time and Beister has a
chance to cross low when he advances into the box, but his low cross is cut
out by Tomkins and a corner is the result.
37 mins They do create a chance through Rafael van der Vaart though, who
controls inside the box, swivels and fires his shot a yard over the top.
36 mins The Hammers are looking quite comfortable in their lead and some of
the locals behind us are getting a little restless with their side's play.
29 mins Just a whisker away from three! It's that man Matt Jarvis who is
providing the threat once again and he gets to the by-line to stand up a
cross from the left which Modibo Maiga meets, only for keeper Drobny to fly
across and make the save.
28 mins GOAL! It's 2-0 and it's from another left wing Matt Jarvis corner.
We've looked threatening from every set play and this time James Tomkins has
timed his arrival perfectly to leap and nod forcefully home.
25 mins A good spell of possession there for Hamburg, but nothing of any
threat to go along with it. That's been the pattern so far, Hamburg happy to
keep the ball and West Ham happy to let them have it in front of them.
21 mins Hamburg are struggling to find any rhythm to their game and they've
just handed the Hammers a gift of a corner when Westermann heads behind when
looking for goalkeeper Drobny. Jarvis' corner is headed away though. Still
1-0.
17 mins That is some hit from Hamburg defender Milan Badelj, who smacks the
ball goalwards after a short corner routine breaks down and comes out to him
30 yards out. He strikes first time and Stephen Henderson has to fly across
to his left to make the save.
15 mins GOAL! The Hammers' pressure was building and it pays off with a
goal. Matt Jarvis delivers the corner and Alou Diarra makes the run to the
near post to flick his header home at the far. A much better start than on
Saturday!
12 mins Matt Jarvis gets his first chance to stretch his legs down the left
and his cross is a dangerous one, but Ravel Morrison can't quite reach it
and the ball squirts away off his head for a throw in.
11 mins West Ham try to make their presence in attack felt now as Mo Diame
makes a powerful run from midfield. He looks inside for the pass and picks
out Ravel Morrison, although his route to the box is blocked by a Hamburg
defender 20 yards out.
8 mins Good pressing from the Hammers as they try to win the ball back deep
in Hamburg territory. There doesn't look to be a way out for Heiko
Westermann but Alou Diarra is a little too eager in trying to tackle and a
free kick is the result.
6 mins The first shots of the game come in from Hamburg, first van der
Vaart's effort is blocked by Collins and then the rebound is thumped miles
over the bar and Stephen Henderson was never worried in goal.
4 mins Half an opening for the hosts as Beister looks to burst away down the
centre. He looks for Zoua in the right channel, but overhits the pass and it
runs out for a goal kick,
2 mins Early corner for Hamburg as Rafael van der Vaart's deep free kick is
flicked behind by James Collins. Van der Vaart is over the corner too, but
EWest Ham survive that early threat.

6.49pm And we're underway. West Ham shooting towards our left, with Hamburg
clad all in red.

6.47pm And as I type here come the teams, West Ham in white and led by
skipper Kevin Nolan, who is having a good chat with his opposite number
Rafael van der Vaart as they stride out.

6.46pm We're still awaiting the arrival of the players to the pitch, but we
shouldn't have too long to wait with kick-off close.

6.25pm The Flensburger Stadion is a modest venue, but it is filling up
nicely ahead of kick-off. Again, there is a decent contingent of Hammers
flags here, while Hamburg possess a strong supporter base in the region, so
the locals are taking the opportunity to watch their team on their doorstep.

6.15pm Both teams are going through their warm-ups with kick-off 30 minutes
away. The sprinklers are giving the pitch a good dousing of water too. Much
needed on another hot day here in Germany.

6.10pm The Hamburg team news is in and a name familiar to the Barclays
Premier League is prominent amongst them.
Rafael van der Vaart played for Tottenham Hotspur and starts this evening's
game, while ex-Chelsea man Michael Mancienne is on the bench.
Hamburger SV: Drobny, Diekmeier, Westermann, Jansen, Ilicevic, Badelj,
Sobiech, Arslan, Beister, van der Vaart, Zous
Subs: Neuhaus, Mancienne, Aogo, Rincon, Calhanoglu, Rudneva, Jiracek,
Rajkovic, Skjelbred, Demirbay, Nafiu

5.50pm We've just been handed the Hammers teamsheet. James Collins is back
after missing Saturday's game at Mainz to attend the wedding of his brother,
while there are starts too for former Hamburg man Guy Demel and goalkeeper
Stephen Henderson.
West Ham United: Henderson; Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Rat; Diarra, Diame,
Nolan; Morrison, Maiga, Jarvis
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Reid, Potts, Vaz Te, Noble, Lletget, Ruddock, Adrian,
Taylor, Lee, Whitehead, Collison

5.45pm Good evening from Flensburg for West Ham United's second game of
their pre-season tour of Germany.

Hamburger SV provide tonight's opposition as the Hammers aim to bounce back
from their 4-1 defeat to FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday. Saturday's defeat was the
first suffered by the Hammers in pre-season, following victories over Cork
City, Boreham Wood, AFC Bournemouth and Colchester United. Hamburg were
involved in a tour-team tournament last weekend, losing to Bayern Munich 4-0
on Saturday, before coming up short against Borussia Dortmund in the
third-fourth play-off. Bayern won the Telekom Cup, defeating Borussia
Monchengladbach 5-1 in the final. They finished seventh in the Bundesliga
last term so are sure to provide the Hammers with a tough test.

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Carr celebrates 40 years on the job
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Academy director Tony Carr MBE is today celebrating 40
unbroken years with the Club
23.07.2013

When the telephone rang for Tony Carr MBE in July 1973, little did he know
that a conversation with the late West Ham United manager John Lyall would
launch a career in coaching still going strong some 40 years later. Carr was
only 22 at the time and considering his future after a broken leg, amongst
other injuries, had virtually put paid to his prospects as a player. Already
aware that he enjoyed coaching, Carr had obtained the requisite coaching
badges and was a qualified PE teacher. So when Lyall offered him the chance
to come back to West Ham to work part-time in the Academy, he was only too
glad to take the plunge. 40 years on, and with a whole string of famed
Academy graduates to his name, Carr, along with a dedicated team of staff
around him, is still taking care of the next generation of Hammers. "Who
would have thought, 40 years down the line, I would still be here and doing
what I am doing," he told whufc.com. "Someone said to me, you seem to like
coaching, you enjoy it and are good, so go for it. And I did! It's great and
I still love it, that's why I am still doing it and at the Club where I
started out, you can't get much better. "My job and that of my staff is to
find the next generation of footballers and bringing those players through
to the first-team here. Many of these players have gone on to represent
their country and played at the highest level, which is something I, and we
as a Club, can be very proud of. "We first see a player at the age of eight
or nine and then try to nurture them through both as a player and as young
men. Even if they don't make it at the top level, if they still make a
career playing football, then that is success. "It is well known that the
likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick have come through
and made it at the very top level. Then our very own Joe Cole, Mark Noble,
James Tomkins, Jack Collison who are all in our first team now. It's why you
do what you do and get the satisfaction of the job."

Tomkins, like many of his contemporaries, owes a great deal to Carr and the
Hammers centre-half paid tribute to his unstinting work for the Club. He
said: "I've known Tony for years, since he first brought me through the
ranks when I left school. He's had a massive influence on my career as he
helped with the big step from being a young lad in the Under-18s to playing
for the reserves and then, eventually, the first team. "I think he's been
successful because of his coaching methods and the way he goes about
training. He makes you feel loved and part of a family. West Ham has always
been a family Club and you can always go and talk to him. I'm sure he's got
a few years left in him yet but what he has achieved has been fantastic when
you look at the number of players he has delivered for West Ham. "It would
be a hard feat for anyone to replicate. It doesn't come by luck, it comes
through the hard work he has put in. We all have so much respect for him.
I'd like to wish him a happy 40th anniversary. 40 years is incredible. Tony
is a top man and I hope he stays in the game for many more years yet as he
his record speaks for itself."

Tomkins can rest assured that Carr has no plans to hang up his boots just
yet, not least with the likes of Dan Potts and Seb Lletget starting to make
an impression in senior football. "I am now in the position to watch young
Dan Potts getting his foot in the door with the first team and I had his
dad, Steve, come through as a youth player in our Academy, who's now back at
the Club managing the Under-18s. Though it does make you feel a bit old!
"Seb Lletget is another young player who has caught manager Sam Allardyce's
eye and is grabbing his chance. To be part of it all still after this time,
is still something I enjoy and relish coming into every day."

Like anything else in football, coaching has changed a great deal over the
years, and Carr, together with his colleagues, have overseen the Academy's
growth with the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan. The
future is also set to bring transition off the pitch and Carr feels as
privileged as ever to be a part of West Ham United. "It is an exciting time.
If we are to move forward as a Club, you have to look at everything and that
includes the Stadium you play in. I think it's good news and will hopefully
allow us to reach the next level at the Olympic Stadium. "For me, I still
have the hunger for the challenge of seeing where the next young player is
coming from and ensuring we have a successful academy. I am now in the
middle of another pre-season and still enjoying it. I feel I have a few
years in me yet!"

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Rat lends a hand in the Ticket Office
WHUFC.com
Razvan Rat showed his versatility with an eventful stint in West Ham
United's ticket office
23.07.2013

West Ham United summer signing Razvan Rat has plenty of pedigree on the
pitch and is already proving his worth off it. Prior to the Hammers' trip to
Germany, the Romanian left-back popped into the Club's ticket office to lend
a hand. Not content with being a bystander, Rat gladly took to the phones,
helping prospective Season Ticket Holders guarantee their seats for the
forthcoming Barclays Premier League campaign. While Rat might be more at
home on the football field, it is an experience he is more than happy to
repeat, if it means yet more full houses at the Boleyn Ground. "It was
interesting for me and if this helps to sell more Season Tickets, then why
not? I'll be here all the time," he told West Ham TV. "The fans are always
important. At the end of the day, we're playing for them. So I hope to see a
full Stadium every game to support us. They make the difference when they're
supporting you. Your motivation is different and your desire to win is much
higher."

While attention inevitably turns to the big kick-off against Cardiff City on
17 August, Rat also harbours hopes of playing in the Olympic Stadium, intent
on seeing out his playing days in east London. "I hope it [the Cardiff game]
will be a sell out and for West Ham to get off on the right foot, to win at
home and start the season well. I think West Ham are going to have a good
season. "I'd like to be here to play in the Olympic Stadium to see all
those people in the Stadium. It's important to be here for a long time and
to end my career here."

Speaking of Tuesday's game against Hamburger SV, Rat is expecting another
stern test. He added: "I know that they are a good team, and we must be
careful because we had a bad result on Saturday. We need to improve on what
we did then and it will be a tough game."

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Pre-season friendly: West Ham defeat Hamburg 3-1 as Matt Jarvis shines
Last Updated: July 23, 2013 9:33pm
SSN

West Ham bounced back from their heavy defeat to Mainz at the weekend with a
3-1 pre-season friendly victory over Hamburg on Tuesday night in Flensburg.
The Hammers were beaten 4-1 by Mainz in the opening match of their tour to
Germany as they suffered their first loss of the summer. But the Premier
League side enjoyed success against another Bundesliga outfit in the shape
of Hamburg, with Matt Jarvis playing a big part in the win. All four goals
were scored in the first half with Alou Diarra and James Tomkins both
heading in Jarvis corners to put West Ham 2-0 up inside 30 minutes. Hamburg
halved the deficit through Heiko Westermann in the 43rd minute but Sam
Allardyce's men added a third soon after through a Ravel Morrison penalty
after Jarvis had been brought down.

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West Ham are not getting Olympic Stadium for free stresses Brady
London24
Dave Evans
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
6:32 PM

Sir Alan Sugar's right hand woman, Karren Brady pictured in central London
as she has been announced as The Almond Board of California's new ambassador
for its latest campaign encouraging women to snack smartly. Sir Alan Sugar's
right hand woman, Karren Brady pictured in central London as she has been
announced as The Almond Board of California's new ambassador for its latest
campaign encouraging women to snack smartly.

West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has confirmed that the club will not
receive any money from the naming rights at the Olympic Stadium in
Stratford.
Speaking in front of a House of Lords Select Committee into the legacy of
London 2012, Brady answered questions about the process and the prospect of
sharing the £538 million stadium with neighbours Leyton Orient. The Hammers
were confirmed earlier in the year as anchor tenants at the arena from 2016
after lengthy negotiations with the London Legacy Development Corporation
(LLDC), but Brady denied suggestions that West Ham had the LLDC 'over a
barrel' during the negotiations. "It was not the case," she said. "We are
not the buyer or seller of the stadium, it was put out to tender and anyone
worldwide could have bid for it. "We said we wanted to pay our own way and
there were risks. "We own our own stadium, we decide what, when and how we
do things. "We are investing a lot of money into the reconfiguration at the
stadium and the retractable seating. The whole thing could not be done
without the money we are putting in."

Brady appeared slightly ruffled when questioned about Leyton Orient and the
prospect of a groundshare after listening to the comments of their chairman
Barry Hearn, who had appeared just before her at the select committee. When
asked if the club were prepared to share the arena if the LLDC changed their
minds, she said: "It is part of a judicial review so I have to be mindful of
the answers I give, but as part of the process everybody had to agree to the
principle of groundsharing and we agreed to that. "It was up to the LLDC as
to who would share with who."

She repeated that answer three times, but when pressed, she did have some
barbed comments about Leyton Orient. "There is no precedent of groundsharing
in the UK," she said. "Leyton Orient had an average crowd of 4,200 last
season. How they would occupy a 54,000 stadium is difficult to imagine, but
that is a concern for them not me. "We are in different boroughs, we are
currently 2.9 miles away from them and that will become 1.5 miles. A Leyton
Orient fan is not going to wake up tomorrow and become a West Ham fan or
vice versa."

She continued: "The alternative doesn't bear thinking about. We are not
getting a free stadium. The stadium was built for the Olympics, but that has
now gone.
"The cost of keeping the stadium without anchor tenants would be huge to the
tax payer. "With us the legacy of the stadium and its future have been
ring-fenced and we have offered 100 years of commitment. The alternatives
were a Formula One bid, a small college which is based in Burnley and a
self-proclaimed community club."

Brady stressed that not only will they receive nothing from the naming
rights of the stadium, they will also give the LLDC a lump sum to help with
conversion cost which they intend to take from the sale of Upton Park. Any
outstanding money would then go towards the debt the club is still in, but
Brady was unable to estimate just how much cash is likely to be gleaned from
the sale. "Upton Park has not been sold so we can't determine the value.
Whatever it is, it will be a considerable loss on the investment that West
Ham have put into it. "The LLDC have asked for a lump sum and how we
generate the money for that I don't think they are overly concerned. "The
market is very difficult," she reflected. "We did have a tentative deal in
place, but that fell away because of the numerous delays and that is no
longer on the table. "We have made a financial commitment and that could
mean that all the money from Upton Park would go to it. But selling Upton
Park would create new jobs and new homes with the regeneration project in
Newham as well as 700 new jobs at the Olympic Stadium.
"There is a huge shortage of housing in Newham and we hope to help with that
problem."

West Ham are scheduled to move into the stadium for the start of the 2016/17
season and Brady confirmed that there are safeguards should the worst come
to the worst and the Hammers are relegated from the Premier League. "In the
event that we could pay any rent or guarantee their commitment, the owners
have guaranteed to meet the shortfall," she said. "If the owners sell, they
are also committed to give part of their profit to the LLDC. But David Gold
was born in Green Street, David Sullivan went to University in east London
and they have pulled their money together to buy the club they have always
supported. "They are intending to leave the club to the many generations of
their family to come."

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West Ham United must pay £70m bank debt before Olympic Stadium move
• Karren Brady: club not getting ground on the cheap
• West Ham plan not a done deal, insists Orient's Barry Hearn
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 July 2013 16.55 BST

West Ham United will have to pay off all of their bank debt before their
move to the Olympic Stadium, according to the club's vice-chairman, Karren
Brady.
West Ham have debts of £70m, with half of that bank debt secured on Upton
Park and which has to be cleared when the ground is sold ahead of the move
to the Olympic Stadium in 2016. Brady, giving evidence to the House of Lords
committee on Olympic and Paralympic legacy on Wednesday, also insisted the
club were not getting the stadium on the cheap and the deal was good value
to the taxpayer. The Premier League club did have a buyer in place for Upton
Park but that fell through because of delays to the deal to become Olympic
Stadium tenants. Brady also stated that the sluggish property market means
she expects income projections from the sale to be down 50% on 2010.

Brady added that she did not expect the sale would cover much more than the
lump sum the club will have to pay to the London Legacy Development
Corporation (LLDC) to move to the Olympic venue. She said: "We did have a
tentative deal [for Upton Park] but that fell away. We hope the money
generated from the sale of Upton Park will be enough to fulfil our
commitment and to help pay off some of our bank debt. "When we bought the
club and took on more than £100m of debt, that was guaranteed on the ground.
We have to pay off all our bank debt to move, we can't take the debt with
us. If there is any excess [from the sale of Upton Park] it will meet some
of that debt but I don't expect there will be."

Brady was asked to respond to a claim by the former sports minister Richard
Caborn that West Ham were getting the £600m stadium for only £15m, plus
£2m-a-year rent, with the taxpayer picking up the tab. Brady defended the
deal, however, and said: "The alternative scenario does not bear thinking
about. West Ham is not getting a free stadium. The stadium was built for the
Olympics and what are we going to do with it? Across the world, stadiums
that are not used die. Without anchor tenants the cost would be huge to the
taxpayer."

She added that West Ham would generate "many hundreds of millions of pounds"
over the 100-year lease. The committee also heard from Leyton Orient's
chairman, Barry Hearn, who insisted West Ham's move was "not a done deal"
because of his continuing judicial review and legal action against the
Premier League. Hearn wants his club to be able to groundshare with West Ham
and use only the lower tier for Orient's matches. He also described the
LLDC's deal with West Ham as "state sponsorship beyond my wildest dreams".

Hearn said: "This is not a done deal. West Ham have an agreement but I have
a judicial review outstanding and litigation with the Premier League that
[means] West Ham even moving would be a breach of Premier League rules. "We
have ended up in situation where we have gifted £500m of taxpayers' money to
a Premier League club that has a turnover of more than £100m. It's a
wonderful gift but if I was an Arsenal fan I would wonder why we bothered
paying to build a new stadium. "This is state sponsorship beyond my wildest
dreams. In effect, it's rent free as they have the ability to develop Upton
Park."

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Hearn: We were offered Olympic Stadium first
London 24
Dave Evans, Recorder Reporter
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
6:23 PM

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has insisted that they have not given up
on moving into the Olympic Stadium with West Ham – an arena, he claims was
offered to them first, way back in 2006. Appearing in front of a House of
Lords select committee set up to look into the legacy of the Olympic Games,
Hearn was full of bravado, claiming that the deal to have West Ham as anchor
tenants is not yet ratified because of a judicial review and a case against
the Premier League. He also stated that they were the first club to be
offered the stadium for use as a football stadium. "The initial plan with
Tessa Jowell and Ken Livingstone was to leave a 25,000 stadium and we were
to use the arena," said Hearn. "We turned it down because of the athletics
track. We said that the only thing you can do was put in retractable
seating, but they said they could not afford it. "We were always intended to
be the football tenant post games in a small 25,000 stadium."

Plans have changed radically since then and the stadium will now be
converted to a 54,000 capacity with retractable seating and Hearn states
that is why he changed his mind about a move. "We came back in the moment
they said that retractable seating was going in. We were interested in a
groundshare once we knew that the view for the fans was going to be
compelling, rather than something that is happening way over there."

West Ham were confirmed as anchor tenants by the London Legacy Development
Corporation (LLDC) earlier this year, but Hearn still does not accept that
everything is now decided. "This is not a done deal," he insisted. "There is
a judicial review in the high court and there is a claim against the Premier
League.
"Commercially this move will increase West Ham's value by £100 million and
yet they are paying £2m rent a year. They are paying £20m towards the
refurbishment and they are being allowed to redevelop Upton Park."

Hearn was also critical of the LLDC and the way they went about the bidding
process which ended in West Ham's success. "I thought they were nice people
and had a certain amount of skill, but I wouldn't trust them to run a
newsagents," said Hearn. "We were slipped out, bashed up, terrorised,
bullied and made to think we are of no significance. "Is legacy just a word
or is money all that matters? In my dealings with the LLDC and with Boris
Johnson, legacy has not been mentioned, it is money that has been
mentioned."

The Orient owner confirmed he is still open to a change of mind from the
LLDC, when he was asked the question by Lord Falconer. "I would welcome it
and I would kiss you and I don't usually kiss men," he exclaimed. "We are
desperate to survive and the only way we can do that is with a groundshare."
Keen to play the innocent victim, Hearn stressed that he can't understand
what the problem is with sharing the stadium with the Hammers, despite the
various run-ins he has had with the Upton Park club over the stadium. "All I
hear is that West Ham don't want to share with Leyton Orient. I cannot come
up with one reason as to what harm we would do. The stadium could make a
profit out of us being there even at our current level. "I am completely
bemused, because it is a no brainer."

Hearn confirmed that they had offered the LLDC a rental of £500,000 a year
whilst they remain in League One, increasing to £1m in the Championship and
going up to £5m if they were ever to reach the Premier League. Without a
move, Hearn thinks that the future for the club is a bleak one. "No
youngster in our catchment area would consider going to Leyton Orient if
West Ham are at the Olympic Stadium," he said. "This would condemn Orient,
not necessarily to death, but down the divisions over a five-year period.
"Our average crowd is 5,000, moving to the Olympic Stadium is a challenge,
but it is a great challenge. We are not in this to make money, we are a
community club and as a club we live in the real world," said Hearn who has
not given up hope. "My front door is 750 yards from the Olympic Stadium. The
Olympics was about dreams, but why does that dream die after three or four
weeks? "Football club owners have dreams too."

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