WHUFC.com
All the action as Academy Director Tony Carr celebrated 37 years of service
to West Ham United
05.05.2010
Academy All-Stars v West Ham United
Tony Carr Testimonial Match
Boleyn Ground
Wednesday 5 May 2010
Kick-off: 7.45pm
Referee: Andy D'Urso
FInal score - Academy All-Stars 1-5 West Ham United
91 mins - A few seconds after the 90 minutes are up, the final whistle is
blown. That was a fantastic night for all concerned. A superb turn out from
the fans and players alike, and some lovely football played, particularly
following the arrival of Zola late on. Di Canio runs to the Bobby Moore
Stand and, in time-honoured fashion, lobs his shirt into the crowd before
bowing in homage to the fans who once sang his name every other weekend.
With a bow, the great man turns and walks back to the tunnel with a chorus
of 'Paolo Di Canio' ringing in his ears. A perfect end to a perfect evening!
Highlights and exclusive interviews will appear on WHUTV and whufc.com soon.
Goodnight.
89 mins - A final change for West Ham, and it's Zola who is going to be
replaced to loud boos from fans wanting to see more! They soon turn to loud
cheers as the manager makes his way to the touchline before embracing his
replacement, Daprela.
88 mins - GOAL! Montano plays party-pooper, taking the ball off Di Canio's
toe and shooting into the net from eight yards. Di Canio had latched on to
Zola's exquisite pass and nicked the ball around John. He would surely have
scored himself had Montano not been there.
87 mins - That Zola isn't a bad player is he? He takes a pass from Brown and
completely bamboozles Forbes before finding Di Canio. He tries to cut inside
and shoot, but loses the ball at the vital moment.
86 mins - GOAL! They're like London buses on the Barking Road... Brown
crosses low, Di Canio dummies and Sears sweeps the ball into the bottom
corner with his left foot. Very confident finish, that.
85 mins - GOAL! And a nice one at that. Reid finds Williamson in space
inside the West Ham box. He tees the ball up with his left foot before
sending a controlled low volley past Kurucz with his right. Lovely stuff.
84 mins - Surely this is the final change of the night? Stech is coming off
for Academy goalkeeper coach Jerome John.
83 mins - The All-Stars have another chance through Stokes, but he lifts his
shot over the top.
82 mins - The linesman is not the most popular man in the ground. Brown
plays a one-two with Lee before trying to play in Montano, only for the flag
to go up for offside.
80 mins - GOAL! ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING! Brown plays the ball to Da Costa,
who turns and runs forward before playing a through ball to the little No15.
He beats the offside trap before lifting an inch-perfect lob over Stech that
bounces on the line before nestling in the bottom of the net. Oh, by the
way, the No15 is called Zola.
78 mins - Unsurprisingly, Di Canio has been voted man of the match! Zola is
upstaging him, though, finding Faubert, who controls on his chest before
forcing Stech into a smart save.
77 mins - Richardson is heading off to be replaced by England Under-17
striker Robert Hall. I should point out that Richardson was sharing the
pitch with his cousin Jordan Brown for half-an-hour.
75 mins - Zola is on fire! He does a couple of stepovers and loses his
marker before forcing Stech into a diving save low to his right. Great stuff
from the manager, who is rewarded with a chant of 'Sign him up' from the
stands.
74 mins - Montano is clearly enjoying this as he runs at the All-Stars
defence and wins a corner. Zola to take...! He whips in a beauty but Stech
gets a hand to it and punches clear. The All-Stars break and Alexander
delivers another superb cross to the far post, but Stokes can only volley it
wide on his left foot.
73 mins - Montano can't be happy! He scores and has now been shunted out to
the left wing to make way for Zola and Di Canio. Ridiculous. Ephraim has a
great chance for the All-Stars, collecting Alexander's cross but shooting a
yard wide of the far post.
71 mins - West Ham are going for it, which is strange considering they are
two goals up! They are now playing three at the back, and Alexander nearly
makes them pay, but his shot flies wide. Another change - Ward is replaced
by Andrew Edwards. Forbes is now captaining the All-Stars.
70 mins - Zola immediately collects the ball from the corner and curls a
delightful cross to the far post where Ward has to stretch to head clear.
69 mins - Moose reckones Di Canio is coming on for Boa Morte, who is no
longer on the pitch. Instead, James Tomkins volunteers and comes off. I
should point out that Di Cani is now playing for West Ham! Zola is on for
Diamanti.
68 mins - Mister Gianfranco Zola is going to come on very shortly. Before he
does, Diamanti nearly gets lucky when he and Forbes go for the same ball,
but Stech makes a superb save to push the ball out for a corner.
67 mins - He's a talented player is Diamanti. He takes a touch from
Faubert's pass before trying to lob Stech from 20 yards, but the goalkeeper
has just enough time to back-pedal and catch the ball on his goal-line.
64 mins - I get the feeling Faubert is quite enjoying playing in an
attacking midfield role! He tries a flick to send Montano through, but
Forbes is there to cut it out. Another change - Danny Williamson comes on
for Hodges.
61 mins - This would be West Ham's first away win since 15 August if they
can hold on to their two-goal advantage...
58 mins - Di Canio is replaced by Millwall's Gary Alexander.
57 mins - GOAL! Da Costa initially does well before gifting possession to Di
Canio. The Italian cuts inside and shoots but Spence blocks. West Ham break
up the other end and Diamanti and Sears combine before the latter crosses
for Montano. His initial header goes up in the air and over Stech, and the
Colombian keeps his composure to head into the unguarded net. A great moment
for the youngster in front of the crowd of 13,836.
56 mins - West Ham are well on top here. Faubert again gets free and finds
Diamanti inside the box. His cross is deflected into the path of Lee, who
drives his shot wide from 20 yards.
55 mins - Diamanti finds Sears in acres down the right. He checks inside and
finds Faubert, but the Frenchman's cross is cut out by Reid, who is then
tripped by the Italian.
54 mins - Brown and Lee combine before the midfielder feeds Faubert. He
could play in Montano, but instead chooses to shoot, but he drags his effort
well wide from 25 yards.
52 mins - I reckon Moose should stick to newsreading... He hasn't mentioned
that Leyton Orient's Stephen Purches is also on for Newton. Meanwhile, in
the non-substitutions world, Faubert crosses but the ball bounces just in
front of Montano before Purches clears the danger.
51 mins - Kieran Richardson has also come on unannounced. He's on for
Ridgewell at left-back.
49 mins - Another substitution. Anton Ferdinand is heading off and gets a
very good round of applause, which he replicates before shaking hands with
Yeovil Town's Terrell Forbes.
48 mins - I'm 99.9 per cent sure McCann and Britton have gone off. Stokes
gets a shot in, but he drags it down and Kurucz saves with ease. Stokes has
recently returned from a successful spell in Hungarian football with Ujpest
FC, but is now looking for a new club in England.
46 mins - The second half has begun, by the way...!
West Ham have got loads of new players on. I'll try and update you - on have
come Faubert, Da Costa, Spence, Kovac, Olly Lee and Academy pair Jordan
Brown and Cristian Montano. Off have gone Spector, Gabbidon, Daprela,
Franco, Noble and Parker.
For the All-Stars, Tony Stokes and Kyel Reid have come on, but I'm not 100
per cent sure who has gone off!
Tony Carr thanks the fans, the players and his family for supporting him
this evening and throughout his career at the club. He looks and sounds
genuinely chuffed to bits with the turnout this evening.
Tony Cottee trumps Parris and gets a proper cheer. He is followed by Steve
Potts, whose son Danny is currently coming through the Academy himself.
Kevin Keen, the first-team coach, is next out of the tunnel, followed by
Eamonn Dolan and Matthew Rush.
Here come the ex-Academy players...Alvin Martin, Paul Brush and Paul Allen
are first to be announced. Bobby Barnes is next, followed by Alan Dickens
and Everald La Ronde. Georgie Parris gets the loudest cheer yet, though!
46 mins - Half-time, and we're going to have a parade of ex-Academy players
and then Tony Carr is going to address the crowd.
45 mins - Oh Diamanti! He picks the ball up from Scott Parker and skips past
two challenges before shooting high and wide. Robert Green is replaced by
Peter Kurucz.
42 mins - Diamanti plays in Franco, but Stech is out smartly to save at the
forward's feet. Good, brave goalkeeping. The All-Stars go up the other end
and Ephraim takes on Daprela, but his cross is over-hit.
41 mins - Noble should score, but he plants his shot over from about eight
yards after Franco and Diamanti had combined through the left part of the
penalty area. The All-Stars have not really threatened in the last few
minutes, to be honest.
40 mins - Franco gets a sight of goal from the corner of the penalty area,
but he flashes his shot past the angle of post and bar.
37 mins - West Ham have got eight substitutes warming up on the touchline.
Wholesale changes at half-time, methinks...
34 mins - Eastwood shoots, but his effort is off-target. More subs! Slater
is replaced by pint-sized Lee Hodges, while Eastwood heads off to be
replaced by No20 Hogan Ephraim.
32 mins - Stanislas is heading off and here comes Freddie Sears. I thought
he was meant to be playing for the All-Stars?!
31 mins - GOAL! That's the way to do it. Diamanti picks up the loose ball
inside the box before curling it into the far top corner. Class.
31 mins - Scunthorpe United midfielder Grant McCann shoots from 30 yards,
but it's an easy enough save for Green.
28 mins - It's come to referee D'Urso stopping the game for Rio to go off!
Maybe Fergie had given him a quick call on his intercom... Ward is on,
anyway, and we're going to re-start with Stech clearing the ball. Rio gets a
great reception as he heads off.
26 mins - It looks like Tony Carr has assumed assistant manager duties here
as he is standing with Ward in the technical area. They could have had a
decent conversation here, as the ball hasn't gone out of play for about
seven minutes!
25 mins - Rio can't get off the pitch here! West Ham attack again, prompted
by a Parker backheel, but Diamanti's cross is too deep. Ward must be getting
cold on the touchline!
23 mins - Stanislas gets in behind again and crosses, but Newton is there to
clear again. I don't think Rio wants to go off!
21 mins - Stanislas gets into a bit of space 25 yards out, but he drags his
shot wide. I think Rio's race may be run shortly as Elliott Ward is standing
on the touchline in his No22 shirt. A prior agreement with Sir Alex Ferguson
was made that Rio would play 20 minutes. I hope Sir Alex doesn't mind that
he's been on for a couple of minutes too long, otherwise Frank Lampard Sr
might be getting the hairdrier treatment.
19 mins - Good save Marek Stech. Spector robs Di Canio and passes to
Stanislas, who romps forward and lays the ball off to Diamanti, who cuts
inside and shoots past Rio. Stech dives full-length to push the ball to
Franco. The Mexican tries to nutmeg Newton, but gets no joy out of the Luton
Town defender and the All-Stars clear.
18 mins - Noble tries to thread the ball through to Franco but Rio is there
again. He gets a chorus of 'Rio' from the crowd. Come on, let's have a goal!
16 mins - Franco does really well to get behind the All-Stars defence. He
cuts the ball back to Boa Morte, who delays his shot too long before trying
to take on Rio. Bad idea.
15 mins - Daprela crosses and Anton is there to head clear. These two
Ferdinands might have a future in the game, you know. The All-Stars go on
the attack and Di Canio tries to clip a pass over to Eastwood, but it's too
strong and Green gathers.
12 mins - Dare I say it, but the All-Stars might be playing marginally the
better football here!
10 mins - We've had ten minutes and not a single tackle. Slater runs at
Spector and tries to roll the ball to Di Canio, but his pass is mis-placed
and West Ham clear.
8 mins - Di Canio gets a toe in as Parker dribbles along the edge of his own
box, but thankfully for the Hammer of the Year, the ball rolls through to
Green. Seconds later, Diamanti cuts in from the left and stings Stech's
palms with a rasping shot from 20 yards which the Czech can only push over
the top.
6 mins - Good again from Anton, who out-muscles Diamanti as the Italian
tries to latch on to Franco's pass inside the penalty area.
5 mins - I hope he doesn't do that in South Africa! Rio goes into a
challenge with Junior Stanislas. Neither are particularly keen to tackle
each other and Stanislas comes away with the ball. He tries to knock it
inside to Diamanti, but brother Anton is there to mop up.
4 mins - Franco tries to hook the ball over the top for partner Diamanti,
but Adam Newton, the 1999 FA Youth Cup winner, is there to nod the ball
safely back to Marek Stech.
3 mins - There is a ripple of excitement as Di Canio picks the ball up and
runs at the defence, but his pass is too far in front of Eastwood.
1 min - Rio gets a massive cheer when he touches the ball for the first
time. I don't think we'll see many long balls tonight!
8.03pm - Off we go...
8.02pm - Nearly there! West Ham, the away team, will kick-off shooting
towards the Bobby Moore Stand...
8.01pm - We're now delaying the delayed start, but nobody is complaining!
Instead, they're using the time to sing 'Paolo Di Canio'. It's like 1999 all
over again!
7.58pm - John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole get a very nice welcome as
they are announced individually. Unfortunately, with the title race still
on, Chelsea won't let the trio play. They've put their kits on, though, and
fair play to them. Lampard gives Carr a big hug on the way past, and the
England midfielder gets a very good reception, which is fantastic to hear.
It's nothing to the noise when Di Canio's name is announced for a second
time.
7.57pm - Moose lets us know that Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky, Jermain
Defoe, Glen Johnson and Michael Carrick have all made their apologies for
not turning out tonight. Zamora is injured but Defoe and Konchesky have no
excuse, they're only playing for Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in the Premier
League tonight.
7.56pm - Rio Ferdinand is captaining the All-Stars. The two teams form a
guard of honour for the main man himself. Tony is welcomed by tonight's
guest PA announcer Ian 'Moose' Abrahams and receives a right royal East End
welcome from the crowd. Good stuff.
7.55pm - A bit of Chaka Demus and Pliers is filling the air now. Classic
tune... The substitutes are taking their seats on the bench, and here comes
'Bubbles'...closely followed by the two teams.
7.51pm - The safety officer has just restated that we'll be kicking-off at
8pm as there are still fans waiting to get in.
7.48pm - We're enjoying a bit of M-People at the moment. Excellent. Still no
sign of the two teams, but I'm told that there are quite a few supporters
still outside the stadium waiting to get in. It's now been officially
announced that kick-off has been delayed until 8pm.
7.45pm - I think it's fair to say we're going to have a delayed
kick-off...unless the two teams appear, shake hands, have their photos taken
and kick-off in the next 50 seconds...
7.42pm - Just to let you know, each squad has too many substitutes to
mention. Hence, I won't list them all below, but rather announce them as
they happen.
7.40pm - Both teams are now heading back to their rather busy dressing
rooms. With about 30 players in each squad, there's not a huge amount of
room in either the home or away. Di Canio gets a massive reception as he
heads down the tunnel. He looks in very good shape. Maybe he could be coaxed
out of retirement for one last crack at the Premier League next season?
Good evening and welcome to the Boleyn Ground for a very special occasion -
the Testimonial match to celebrate Academy Director Tony Carr's 37 years of
service to West Ham United.
Carr joined the club on a part-time basis in 1973, working under Ronnie
Boyce, Carr took charge of the Hammers' youth setup in 1980.
Since then, the 59-year-old has overseen the development of dozens of
top-class footballers, including current England internationals Rio
Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Glen Johnson.
A crowd of around 15,000 supporters is expected at the stadium for what
promises to be a memorable occasion, with the likes of Paolo Di Canio also
turning out to honour a true West Ham United legend.
Academy All-Stars: Stech (John 84), Newton (Purches 46), A.Ferdinand (Forbes
49), R.Ferdinand (Ward 28, Edwards 71), Ridgewell (Richardson 46, Hall 77),
Slater (Hodges 34, Williamson 64), McCann (Stokes 46), Holland, Britton
(Reid 46), Eastwood (Ephraim 34), Di Canio (Alexander 58)
West Ham United: Green (Kurucz 45), Spector (Spence 46), Gabbidon (Da Costa
46), Tomkins (Di Canio 69), Daprela (Brown 46), Stanislas (Sears 32), Parker
(Kovac 46), Noble (Lee 46), Boa Morte (Stokes 46), Franco (Montano 46),
Diamanti (Zola 69, Daprela 89)
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Terry proud to support Carr
WHUFC.com
England defender John Terry received a good response when he took to the
Boleyn Ground pitch
05.05.2010
John Terry has spoken of his pleasure at being able to support Tony Carr at
his Testimonial match on Tuesday night. The England defender was proud to
wear the claret and blue No4 shirt of the Academy All-Stars, and took to the
Boleyn Ground even though he and club-mates Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were
unable to play. Chelsea still have Premier League title matters to resolve
this coming Sunday in competition with Manchester United.
Despite his allegiances in west London since leaving behind his early days
in the Hammers Academy, Terry received a warm welcome when presented to the
crowd. The 14,000 plus fans in the stadium were clearly appreciative of his
gesture in support of the club's Academy Director. "It was nice to come
back," he said. "I was delighted to say yes when Tony asked me to come down.
Unfortunately with what is in happening in the Premiership we were not able
to go out there and play tonight but myself, Frank and Joe are here
supporting him. He was a massive part in our upbringing at the football
club. So it is a big appreciation to him from all of us. "They [the fans]
did give us a great reception. It was totally unexpected. It is not the kind
of response we get when we do come here with Chelsea of course but we are
really grateful because it is all about Tony Carr tonight.
"It is nice for them to appreciate him and what he has done for the football
club with how many players he has brought through the system and for all
three of us to get a great reception from the fans. More so for Joe and
Lamps because they have played in the first team here and a lot of games but
even for myself it was still very nice. I appreciate it."
Terry said he hoped he that the trio would also get Hammers fans backing
when England try to win the FIFA World Cup in South Africa from next month.
He added: "They will all be cheering us on in the summer and I know they
will be right behind what we are trying to do for the country."
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West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
The club has responded to an article published this morning relating to
alleged player wages
05.05.2010
West Ham United can confirm the newspaper article published this morning in
the Daily Star, relating to alleged player and staff wages is not based on
any club document, the figures contained within it are totally inaccurate
and the document is a hoax. The Daily Star made no attempt to validate the
document with the club prior to publishing it. The club would also like to
state that it would never disclose such confidential information in the
public domain. West Ham United will make no further comment with the matter
now in the hands of the club¹s lawyers and the Press Complaints Commission.
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Baraja linked with Prem trio
Midfielder weighs up future options
Last updated: 5th May 2010
SSN
Ruben Baraja has revealed that he wants to stay at Valencia but could yet
move to England when his contract expires at the end of June after waving to
fans on Tuesday evening. Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and Wigan
Athletic have all been linked with the 34-year-old midfielder and could make
him an offer to take him to the Premier League. Despite the interest from
English clubs, Baraja's first option is to remain at Valencia and add
strength in depth to their squad in next season's UEFA Champions League.
"It does not depend on me and I have not brought it up," he explained. "I
will not be thinking about whether I stay or not yet. It is a club decision
and the only fact at the moment is that my contract runs out on 30th June.
"All I want to focus on now is training well and to be able to play in the
games that we have left this season."
Baraja was substituted midway through Valencia's victory over Xerez on
Tuesday and his waves to the crowd and standing ovation was seen as a
goodbye in the Spanish media.
"The warmth of the fans does make me happy, but I am also pleased that the
team qualified for the Champions League," he continued. After rising through
the ranks at Valladolid, Baraja joined Atletico Madrid in 1996 but spent
just one season in their first team before moving on to Valencia four years
later. Along with 43 international appearances for Spain, he has helped Los
Che win the title twice, the Copa del Rey, the Uefa Cup and the European
Super Cup.
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Cole - Zola wants to stay
England international admits players could leave Hammers
By James Riach Last updated: 5th May 2010
SSN
West Ham striker Carlton Cole believes manager Gianfranco Zola wants to stay
at the club but admits players may be sold this summer. The 26-year-old
powerful forward, who has scored 10 Premier League goals in 29 appearances
this season, says there is a definite air of uncertainty around Upton Park
at the moment. This follows the comments from the club's co-owner David
Sullivan that every player except Scott Parker is currently for sale at the
right price. Cole realises that the financial state of the East London
outfit may force the owners' hands in the transfer window this summer, but
amid speculation that they could sack manager Zola, he says that he thinks
the Italian wants to stay. "With so much happening around the club
everybody's uncertain about their own future," he told Sky Sports News. "So
hopefully we can get this matter resolved and I think the manager wants to
stay. "So that should be the bottom line to it really. It's just up to the
two owners Sullivan and (David) Gold to sort out the situation and bring
some clarity to it."
Regarding the comments on player sales from Sullivan, Cole added: "We take
these things with a pinch of salt but you can understand where he's coming
from. "They have taken over the club, they need to shake it up a little bit.
If the right offer comes in then I think they'll take it. "We're not
financially stable as yet and we're still trying to recoup some money. So if
the right offer comes in for a player then I think they'll take a look at
it. "I'm not saying that player will go but they'll take a look."
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Injury-prone Kieron Dyer is West Ham United's highest earner at
£83,000-a-week - report
6 May 2010 08:05:00
Goal.com
Kieron Dyer is believed to be the highest earner at West Ham United, with
earnings reported to be more than £80,000-a-week. The midfielder has only
made a handful of appearances since moving from Newcastle United to Upton
Park in 2007. And the club's co-owner David Sullivan has in the past
suggested that the former England international should hang up his boots
instead of weighing down the financially troubled outfit. Now The Telegraph
claims that the 31-year-old injury-prone player - who still has one year
left on his current deal - is on a contract worth £83,000-a-week, and also
earning £424,000-per-annum for image rights and a further £100,000 in
loyalty money. The next highest earner at the club is reported to be Scott
Parker, who pockets about £60,000-a-week, while Matthew Upson is believed to
be raking in about £50,000-a-week. Dyer, for his part, has made only 11
appearances for West Ham this season, and is yet to play an entire game
since his move from Newcastle.
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Kieron Dyer revealed as West Ham's top earner on £83,000-a-week
Kieron Dyer is paid an astonishing £83,000 a week by West Ham United,
according to figures obtained by Telegraph Sport.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Jason Burt
Published: 6:30AM BST 06 May 2010
West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold are struggling with a huge
wage bill .The midfielder has one year left on his deal — which includes
£424,000-a-season for image rights and £100,000 in loyalty fees — and is the
troubled club's highest earner by far. Dyer's injury problems are well
documented and he has made just 22 appearances — 11 of them this season,
during which he has yet to complete a full game – since arriving for £6
million in 2007 in a deal brokered the former chairman Eggert Magnusson.
West Ham target Jamie O'Hara Dyer has often been replaced in the team by
Junior Stanislas, who, the figures show, earns a basic £1,000-a-week,
although this is supplemented by appearance money. James Tomkins, Jack
Collison and Zavon Hines, who have all been first-team regulars, also earn
significantly less than £10,000 a week. The figures reveal that the next
highest earner at West Ham is Scott Parker, who is paid £60,000 a week and
who, like Dyer, joined from Newcastle United when Magnusson went on his
spending spree. Matthew Upson, another of the Icelander's recruits, earns
£50,000-a-week and, it is understood, with one year left on his contract has
been offered a similar sum to keep him at the club for longer. The
fourth-highest earner is striker Benni McCarthy, who arrived in January and
has failed to make an impact. The other players earning more than
£30,000-a-week are Julien Faubert, Herita Ilunga, Luis Boa Morte – who is
out of contract this summer – and England international Carlton Cole.
Brazilian Striker Ilan is thought to earn around £20,000 although this would
rise dramatically, to £60,000-a-week, should West Ham sign him permanently,
which now appears unlikely.
Despite the high figures involved, West Ham's player wage bill — at around
£37 million — is less than 50 per cent of the club's £80 million-plus
turnover and is not among the highest in the division. It has also been
reduced significantly in the past two years. The £1.9 million-a-year salary
of manager Gianfranco Zola and the £900,000-a-year earned by his assistant
Steve Clarke also have to be factored in, but the club have drastically
reduced their liabilities since Magnusson's disastrous tenure. At that
time, for example, West Ham were paying Freddie Ljungberg £85,000-a-week,
while Craig Bellamy was earning a similarly high salary. Both have since
left the club. Telegraph Sport set out to establish the accurate figures on
the club's wages after reports circulated yesterday on the club's spending
levels. However, co-chairman David Sullivan disputed the list last night.
He said: "It's not accurate, there are many mistakes in it. Though, it's
more accurate than the [Daily] Star figures."
Indeed Sullivan appeared to suggest the real figures were higher.
"Obviously, in addition a lot of players get sign-on fees, appearance money
[up to £10,000-a-game], image rights, loyalty payments, and we pay 12.98 per
cent National Insurance."
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Rio Ferdinand proves his fitness for England in Tony Carr's testimonial
England captain made 27-minute cameo at Upton Park
Partnered brother Anton in central defence
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 5 May 2010 22.32
Rio Ferdinand gave a lift to Manchester United and England after playing for
27 minutes in Tony Carr's testimonial match at Upton Park. Ferdinand has
been troubled by back and groin problems all season, which have restricted
him to only 11 Premier League starts for United. The England captain made
his return from three weeks on the sidelines as a late substitute in last
weekend's victory over Sunderland. Sir Alex Ferguson had given Ferdinand
permission to continue his comeback tonight by honouring the man who gave
him his start as a professional. Ferdinand partnered his brother Anton in
the centre of defence for the West Ham Academy All-Stars and was untroubled
during his cameo in a game that never rose above pedestrian pace. "Rio rang
me this morning at a quarter to nine to say he was heading to the train
station to come down and that he could play 20 minutes," said Carr, who has
overseen the development of seven current England internationals. Frank
Lampard during the Tony Carr Testimonial. Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty
Images With Chelsea concentrating on winning the title on Sunday, Frank
Lampard, Joe Cole and John Terry were not allowed to play but all three were
present at Upton Park. Michael Carrick, whose wife has just had their second
child, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe sent their apologies along with
Fulham's Paul Konchesky, who was playing against Stoke. Bobby Zamora was
with the Fulham squad but did not play because of injury.
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Fool's gold?
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th May 2010
By: Lee Byron
On Sunday I was looking forward to a game where, with all the pressure
behind them, Zola's boys could go out at Craven Cottage to really express
themselves with a no fear attitude. At the very least I was expecting our
team to go out and enjoy their football.
What we got though was a dreadful, lacklustre performance that smacked of
players showing they don't appreciate certain comments made by the new
owners, which was emphasized with a lack of any kind of celebration
following either goal. A surprise especially for Franco, who was seen only a
couple of weeks ago running a mini marathon after his last gasp effort
against Sunderland was harshly ruled out.
"Dear oh dear!" was a quote from Tony Gale whilst co-commentating on the
Fulham debacle. This comment came on the 29 minute mark as the ball again
went back and forth across the back line, daring to go tentatively into
midfield, only to be passed back again, ending in yet another 40 yard pass
back to Green. I couldn't believe it either. The performance on Sunday was
little short of disgraceful. Here was a Fulham team who was ripe for the
picking, with their minds on not too distant European finals, and we turned
up to give them the run out and tap around they were looking for. We played
into their hands, and it showed that it wasn't only Fulham who were
disinterested in the result. Tony Gale's comment not only summed up the
first half hour (and consequently most of the rest of the game), but also
the way our club is being run at the moment.
So what is happening at our beloved club?
The answer almost conclusively lies with the fact that our new owners can't
keep their thoughts to themselves (and out of the media). And in the dumbest
move since a championship manager stated he needed to gain promotion so he
could afford a new team, Gold/Sullivan came out with the, "whole squad bar
one is up for sale" statement that would only lead to one thing,
de-motivating a team already low on confidence. In retrospect, he should
have stated that the squad needs strengthening, and offers would be
considered for a number of the first team (no names mentioned). But they
didn't!
There are a number of players I, among others no doubt, would like to see
the squad built around. Parker is the obvious starting point, but will he be
interested in staying under the new owners if Zola is forced out, when they
obviously fancy themselves as managers in disguise (approaching players from
other teams without consulting the coach being one example)? The others
would be Green, who has been quoted as saying he loves playing for West Ham,
Jack Collison for his undoubted potential, Diamanti for the same reason, Da
Costa who has shown great distribution over the past few weeks, Carlton Cole
who has shown great improvement since Zola has shown him the way, Behrami
for his endeavor, Noble for his stability and love for the club, and
possibly Franco for an option from the bench. Oh, and maybe pushing Faubert
up the pitch as a winger.
This is all now a pipedream unless the Gold/Sullivan partnership takes their
respective feet from their mouths (not for the first time) and recant the
statement. However, it feels like the damage has already been done, and
anyone not sold during the summer will surely feel surplus to requirements
come August, and probably carry it on to the pitch if called upon. We often
hear about the manager losing the dressing room, then shortly afterwards is
shown the door (Alan Pardew suffered that indignation), but what happens
when the owners lose the dressing room?
They have done little to win the respect and admiration they obviously crave
from the supporters, and less to win the same from the players. So is a
change of playing staff the answer to a poor season? Obviously we need to
strengthen the defense somewhat, and a quality partner to feed off of
Carlton would be nice, but to completely change the squad leaves a sense of
dread for next season (unless you have Manchester City money and can easily
buy a great squad, which is what they have done in essence).
So I say to Gold and Sullivan, I am behind you if you can concentrate on
doing what you are good at and turn our club around financially. However,
you first need to learn to stay out of the media and let your comments be
heard only by those who need to hear them. Otherwise all the good work being
done behind the scenes in trying to get our debts to a more manageable level
will be undone with unrest on the pitch, which in turn leads to unrest on
the terraces. We seem to have been going backwards as a club since our
Icelandic owner lost his fortune; let's hope we don't continue in that
direction under Gold and Sullivan.
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West Brom grow tired of West Ham's Graham Dorrans interest
May 6 2010 by Chris Lepkowski
Birmingham Mail
West Brom are growing increasingly weary of West Ham United's persistent
picking away at Graham Dorrans. The Hammers offered £4million for the
Scotland midfielder last week, which was immediately rejected by Albion.
Since then media stories have emerged claiming that West Ham will be willing
to increase their bid by an extra £1million, with specific details of what
they would be willing to offer him in terms of a salary. Reports also claim
Albion have also named a price of £10million, which is incorrect. Any
figures being quoted in the national press are mere speculation, not least
as the Baggies appreciate that Dorrans' value would soar some more if he
performed well in the top flight.
In any case, there is little chance of Dorrans being granted a move to one
of the lesser Premier League clubs such as West Ham. Hawthorns officials
remain diplomatic but there is a growing unease about the robust nature of
the Hammers' approach, not least as their owners, David Sullivan and David
Gold, tried a similar tactic at Blues to try and prise away Diomansy Kamara
and Jason Koumas for a cut-price fee three summers ago. Away from the
politics, Chris Brunt has been impressed with his team-mate's form during
this campaign - a season which saw Dorrans named as the club's
player-of-the-year, included in the Championship's PFA team of the year and
be recognised elsewhere. He feels Dorrans has deserved the accolades. "Dozza
deserved to be in the PFA Championship team of the year," said Brunt. "He's
had a great season. "It is a great achievement for him and shows you what
kind of season he has had, and what impression he has left on other teams'
fans. "He's a quiet lad but he does his talking on the pitch. "It is a great
achievement for him and shows you what kind of season he has had, and what
impression he has left on other teams' fans." Meanwhile, Brunt believes
Albion's promotion this season has surpassed the title win of two seasons
ago. The Northern Ireland winger was a key member of the squad who won
promotion as champions two seasons ago. Yet Brunt, scorer of 13 goals this
season, claims that Roberto Di Matteo's men have bettered the feeling of
lifting the title in 2008. "I thought the last promotion was special - but
this one tops it," added Brunt. "We won the league last time but I think
this one is more special purely because of the stats. "We've won more games,
got more points and scored nearly as many goals. "For me personally it's
been better because I've been a lot more involved. "It's also nice to set a
club record for points in season - and it's a good feeling."
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Paying Tribute to Tony Carr
West Ham Till I Die
It was less competitive than a training game, but I am still glad I went.
The 13,000 crowd enjoyed seeing players they never thought they'd see again
in a West Ham shirt – Rio, Anton, Paolo. We may not have seen Joe Cole,
Frank Lampard and John Terry play, but they donned the shirt, and it was
great to see Frank Lampard get cheered, rather than jeered. At least a few
hatchets were buried by this game.
At half time Tony Carr made a great speech in which he paid tribute to Sir
Alex Ferguson for allowing Rio to play for 20 minutes. I never thought I
would hear a West Ham crowd cheer Fergie. We also got to see some other West
Ham greats of the past on the touchline including Alvin Martin and Tony
Cottee. It would have been nice to see Cottee and Stevie Potts play for a
few minutes. No sign of Paul Ince, though, which was a shame, as I suspect
he'd have been treated OK.
I don't know who the Gonzo on the microphone was but he did his best to ruin
the atmosphere. Come back Jeremy Nicholas. Next time I'll do it!
The game itself was totally forgettable and, understandably, was devoid of
tackles. I had to leave 20 minutes into the second half so missed many of
the goals and am kicking myself that I missed Di Canio and Zola playing
together in a West Ham team. I have to admit I almost shed a tear at seeing
Paolo in a West Ham shirt again. He was still the classiest player on the
pitch.
All in all Tony Carr can be proud of a great evening, even if the crowd was
disappointingly small. He has done so much for the club over the years. It
was a pleasure to pay tribute to him.
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England captain Rio Ferdinand leads star-studded turn out for Tony Carr
testimonial at West HamBy Marc Isaacs
Last updated at 3:08 AM on 6th May 2010
Daily Mail
Rio Ferdinand gave Manchester United and England a major boost after he
continued his comeback from back and groin injuries to play in Tony Carr's
star-studded testimonial.
Ferdinand, who has started only 11 Barclays Premier League games this
season, was granted permission by Sir Alex Ferguson to travel to London and
pay respect to the West Ham academy director responsible for so much of his
early development at Upton Park. Ferdinand partnered his brother Anton in
West Ham's clash with the Academy All Stars and looked untroubled as he came
through the opening 28 minutes before being substituted. Carr said: 'Rio has
been struggling with his back for a couple of weeks but I give Sir Alex
credit. 'I got a call from Rio and he said he was getting on a train with
permission to play by Fergie.' It was a night to remember for Carr, who has
given 37 years of service to the club and brought through seven current
England players.
Although they were not allowed to play, Frank Lampard (left), John Terry
(inset with Lampard) and Joe Cole were all back in a claret and blue shirt
but were given mixed receptions when they were introduced to the 13,000
crowd at the start of the game. Michael Carrick was unable to attend due to
his wife giving birth to their second child last weekend, while Glen Johnson
had a club function and Jermain Defoe was in action for Tottenham against
Manchester City. Gianfranco Zola's side won the game 5-1, with former
Hammers hero Paolo Di Canio voted man of the match with the fans in awe of
the Italian on his return to Upton Park.
MATCH FACTS
Academy All-Stars: Stech (John 84), Newton (Purches 46), A Ferdinand (Forbes
49), R Ferdinand (Ward 28, Edwards 71), Ridgewell (Richardson 46, Hall 77),
Slater (Hodges 34, Williamson 64), McCann (Stokes 46), Holland, Britton
(Reid 46),
Eastwood (Ephraim 34), Di Canio (Alexander 58)
West Ham United: Green (Kurucz 45), Spector (Spence 46), Gabbidon (Da Costa
46), Tomkins (Di Canio 69), Daprela (Brown 46), Stanislas (Sears 32), Parker
(Kovac 46), Noble (Lee 46), Boa Morte (Stokes 46), Franco (Montano 46),
Diamanti (G Zola 69, Daprela 89)
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I am running the BUPA 10k on May 31st and raising money for the Bobby Moore
Cancer Fund
Please donate generously! Thanks.
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