Big Sam on: West Bromwich Albion
WHUFC.com
Big Sam spoke to the press ahead of the Barclays Premier League visit of
West Bromwich Albion
28.03.2013
Sam Allardyce insists a top-ten Barclays Premier League finish is still well
within West Ham United's reach, as his side prepare to take on West Bromwich
Albion at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. While achieving top-flight safety
remains the number one priority, Big Sam is hopeful his side can far exceed
the 38 points he expects to guarantee a second season in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the Hammers boss is further boosted by the return of Joe Cole to
full training and with players returning unscathed from international duty,
Big Sam has an almost full-strength squad at his disposal.
Sam, what's the team news ahead of Saturday?
SA: "We've no injury problems from the international players, who've been
away on international duty over the last couple of weeks. They're all back
and recovered apart from young Raphael Spiegel, who fractured a finger I
think in four or five places, so we've called Stephen Henderson back from
Ipswich for the goalkeeping position. Joe Cole's back in full training, so
he joins the squad. Mark Noble has not recovered yet from surgery on a
trapped nerve. The squad's looking quite strong."
With Mark, how soon do you expect him back?
SA: "We don't really know, because it's an injury we haven't incurred before
and we know very little about. So we can only take it day-by-day on how Mark
feels and what the specialists or the surgeons say next time they visit.
He's making good progress at the moment but quite how long it will be, we
don't know."
You've mentioned the 38-point mark before, do you still think that will be
enough?
SA: "I think this season that will be enough, but obviously we want that and
more. We've always set out this season to try and finish as high as we
possibly can. Our goal at the very start of the season, the maximum we felt
we could do in year one, with the squad we have, was tenth and that's still
a possibility. Our position at 14th at the moment is the lowest we've been
all season, so that's how well we've done, even though I've not been
satisfied with results recently, it still puts us in a very good position.
"Because we had such a good start to the season, you can see what it means
to a team when they have a difficult period - as everyone does at some stage
of the season - it doesn't drag you down to the lower end where the pressure
pot is, lying in the bottom four. Trying to scramble your way out of that
becomes very difficult."
How big an achievement would a top-ten finish be for West Ham United in your
first season back?
SA: "It would be unbelievable. I think it would be an outstanding feat for
us in our first year back, and like I said it's not beyond us. I would have
worried about that at the start of the season, but I know about everybody
else now and I know about us and I know that's achievable with the squad we
have. "Hopefully we can get to 38 points as quickly as we can and try to
finish the season with a few games left to achieve even more than 40 points.
It has been a little disappointing recently, from a results point of view,
that we haven't already clinched safety, because I think we should have
done, based on our performances. But our lack of concentration and on some
occasions, lack of goals, has made us linger on this subject and we all want
to get it done and dusted and focus on hopefully another season in the
Barclays Premier League."
Is West Bromwich Albion's success in the Premier League a blueprint for West
Ham to follow?
SA: "No, because we don't want to go down and come back up, we want to stay
up. My blueprint is Bolton Wanderers, when I was there, Blackburn Rovers
when they came up with us and Fulham. We all came up together and we all
stayed in the Premier League. In actual fact, Fulham are still there, some
15 years on I think. Bolton and Blackburn have slipped up recently and gone
back down, but sustaining your Premier League status is the most difficult
thing to do in year one, so if you manage it you reduce your percentage of
being relegated. But certainly, we don't want to think about being relegated
to come back up."
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Hall makes Bolton loan switch
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall has joined npower Championship side Bolton Wanderers on loan until
the end of the season
28.03.2013
Rob Hall has joined npower Championship side Bolton Wanderers on loan until
the end of the season. The West Ham United forward will join Dougie
Freedman's squad for the run in, with Bolton five points and two places
outside the Play-Offs with eight games still to play. The England U19
international star returned from a successful loan spell with Birmingham
City to undergo keyhole surgery to rectify a hernia problem earlier this
month. Now, the 19-year-old is ready to return to training and he will link
up with the Trotters next week. Hall could make his Bolton debut in the home
fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday 6 April. Hall said of his
bid to regain full fitness: "I'm getting there slowly, obviously it's
important not to rush things, but I'm excited about what has happened in the
last few hours. "I'm looking forward to a new challenge at Bolton and
hopefully I can get a good run of games. I've kept an eye on the whole
league, because it's really close, and Bolton have picked up a lot of good
results in the last handful of games."
After weighing in with seven assists in 13 apperances while on loan at St
Andrew's, Hall is intent on making his mark for the Trotters too, and with
Bolton just five points off the top six, he may yet find himself in the
midst of a play-off campaign. "It's a massive confidence boost for me to
be wanted by a big club like that and I'm hoping to go there and make an
impression," he added. "The play-offs are within touching distance but on a
personal note, I'm just hoping to put in some good performances to enhance
my reputation and we'll see where it leaves me come the end of the season."
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Reidy ready for Baggies
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has returned from a successful international stint and is up
for Saturday's visit of West Brom
29.03.2013
While many of his team-mates enjoyed a fortnight of training in the familiar
surroundings of Chadwell Heath, Winston Reid's international break was
rather different. The West Ham United defender made the 24,000-mile round
trip from London to the city of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island, where
he captained his country for the first time in a vital 2-1 FIFA World Cup
qualifying win over New Caledonia - a result that confirmed their place in
the Intercontinental Play-Off with the fourth-placed CONCACAF nation for a
place in Brazil. After spending a couple of days relaxing with his family -
and watching his country's cricket team come within a whisker of beating
England in a Test match - Reid returned to this country on Monday and is now
prepared for Saturday's Barclays Premier League visit of West Bromwich
Albion. The No2, who has also led the Hammers in each of their previous two
matches in the absence of Kevin Nolan, spoke exclusively to West Ham TV
about his eventful fortnight and his hopes of making a winning return to
action at the Boleyn Ground. "I've flown a couple of kilometres, that's for
sure!" joked the centre-back. "It's been good. I went away with New Zealand
and we got a good result and now I'm looking forward to the game on
Saturday. "I had a conversation with the coach [Ricki Herbert] when I got to
New Zealand and it's a great honour and privilege to captain my country, so
hopefully things will go well and we'll qualify for Brazil. If I got to
captain the side there, that would be a great honour.
"It was a bit of a long journey but I got there in the end and, game-wise,
we got the three points that mattered. We're looking forward to the two
games in the Play-Off."
Without Reid, who was rested, New Zealand completed a perfect six wins from
six in Round 3 of Oceania qualifying by winning 2-0 in the Solomon Islands
last week. For the defender, fixtures against relatively unknown Pacific
Island nations present a different sort of challenge to the one he is used
to with the Hammers. "The Oceania qualifiers are different from the Premier
League. It's difficult as well because the circumstances you come across are
different - you don't just turn up at the stadium like you do here. You have
preparation and travel that don't always go well when you go to those sorts
of places, so it's difficult. There is also the heat, so it can be tough to
play in those environments because they always want to beat us when we go to
those places. "In this qualification round I thought we did well and were
very professional. We only conceded two goals so I thought we did a good
job."
New Zealand enjoyed a memorable 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where
the All Whites earned three group-stage draws, including a 1-1 tie with
Slovakia that featured a last-minute goal from Reid. The defender believes
his country is making strides forward on both the football and cricket
pitch, having held England to a 0-0 draw in the recent three-Test series. "I
think we've done all right. The team is getting better and there are a lot
of good young players coming through by New Zealand's standards. It's good
and hopefully the game can grow down there. "[Regarding the cricket], we
should have won it. I watched the highlights and had a little bet with one
of the physios at West Ham, but unfortunately it ended in a draw!"
Having been back at Chadwell since Tuesday, Reid is now 100 per cent ready
for the visit of the Baggies for an important Barclays Premier League
fixture this weekend. "I think everyone is looking forward to it and raring
to go. We've done well at home this season and had some really good
performances, so we're looking forward to another home game and hopefully we
can do another one on Saturday."
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On this day - 29 March
WHUFC.com
Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie take centre stage as West Ham run riot at
Chelsea on this day
29.03.2013
Anniversary
James Tomkins
Born: 29 March 1989
Clubs: West Ham United, Derby County (loan)
Basildon-born Hammer James Tomkins is today celebrating his 24th birthday,
some 17 years after joining West Ham United's famed Academy as a schoolboy.
The tall, stylish centre-half made his senior bow for the club exactly a
week prior to his 19th birthday, in a 1-1 draw at Everton's Goodison Park
under the stewardship of Alan Curbishley. The following season saw him enjoy
a five-week loan spell at Derby County, before returning to the Boleyn at
the turn of the year. He would end the 2008/09 season with a flourish,
opening his account in a 2-0 win over Sunderland and then putting pen to
paper on a new deal with the club. Tomkins has subsequently racked up a
total of 152 appearances in claret and blue, as he became an almost
permanent fixture in West Ham's promotion-winning side last term. The
England Under-21 international started all but four of the Hammers' 49
fixtures, with West Ham clinching their return to the top flight courtesy of
a dramatic Play-off final victory over Blackpool at Wembley. Though he
still awaits a full international cap, Tomkins has represented his country
at every level from Under-16s upwards, including Stuart Pearce's Great
Britain side at last summer's Olympic Games.
Classic match
Chelsea 0-4 West Ham United
Division One
29 March 1986
Twenty seven years ago today, West Ham United players and supporters alike
were basking in the glory of a spectacular 4-0 triumph at Chelsea's Stamford
Bridge, as John Lyall's side strode towards a club-record high finish of
third in Division One. It took the rampant Hammers 23 minutes to hit the
front, when Alan Devonshire made light of the treacherous playing surface to
dispatch a 25-yard drive into the top corner. While that set the tone, it
was after the interval that West Ham would truly turn on the style. The
prolific Tony Cottee netted twice in the space of nine minutes, first
rounding off a sweeping counter-attack led by George Parris, before being
teed up by strike partner Frank McAvennie to slot home from eight yards.
It was left to McAvennie himself to complete the rout as he pounced on
Cottee's mis-hit shot, rifling high past Blues 'keeper Tony Godden. The
irrepressible strike duo would finish the campaign with an amazing 54 goals
between them, with the Scotsman notching 28 and Cottee 26. Victory took West
Ham up to sixth in the table, as they won an extraordinary eleven of their
final 14 league outings to finish third, just four points behind eventual
champions Liverpool.
Complete record - 29 March
2008 Sunderland 2-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
2006 Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1991 Oldham Athletic 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1986 Chelsea 0-4 West Ham United (Division One)
1980 Swansea City 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1975 West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea (Division One)
1969 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester United (Division One)
1968 West Ham United 1-1 Arsenal (Division One)
1958 Stoke City 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1948 West Ham United 4-2 Cardiff City (Division Two)
1947 West Ham United 1-2 Coventry City (Division Two)
1937 Barnsley 0-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1930 Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1929 West Ham United 4-0 Burnley (Division One)
1924 West Ham United 1-0 West Bromwich Albion (Division One)
1922 Notts County 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
Played 16, Won 5, Drawn 5, Lost 6, Scored 24, Conceded 16
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Hunter wowed by stadium images
WHUFC.com
Rowing champion Mark Hunter MBE was 'blown away' by artist impressions of
how the Olympic Stadium will look
28.03.2013
Mark Hunter MBE admitted to being 'blown away' by images of how the Olympic
Stadium will look when West Ham United move in. The Olympic rowing Gold
medallist and lifelong Hammer could not contain a smile when he viewed
artist's impressions of the iconic London 2012 venue, for which the club was
named anchor tenant on Friday 22 March. The Forest Gate-born athlete said
the 'incredible' images would reassure supporters that the club's future lay
in Stratford.
"It's been great to see the images of the Olympic Stadium - it's what we've
all been waiting for, so to actually see them just sends shivers down your
spine at just how incredible it is going to be and going to look when we do
move there," said the 34-year-old, who won Gold in the Lightweight double
sculls at Beijing 2008 and Silver in the same event at London 2012. "The
images certainly whet the appetite. As a fan, you always wonder what it is
going to be like and if it is going to keep the feel like we have at Upton
Park. You can see from the images that it is going to be West Ham all over
so it's going to be our home ground and we should embrace that. "People are
scared of change but I think it's an exciting time ahead."
The images show the Olympic Stadium fully renovated as West Ham's new home,
complete with a roof covering all of the 54,000 seats, Hammers branding
inside and outside the ground and retractable seating that will bring
supporters close to the action. Situated just yards from Stratford railway
station, with its mainline, London Underground and bus links to all over the
South East, and the shopping and leisure facilities of Westfield Stratford
City, Hunter also praised the accessibility of West Ham's new home. "It's
going to be our home and that's the most important thing about it. It is
still the iconic Olympic venue but it's going to change dramatically with
the seating being closer to the pitch and retractable for other events.
Also, the roof looks incredible and I'm blown away by what I've seen. "It
will certainly be a lot easier to get to than Upton Park. It's going to be
incredible. I just keep thinking back about how it was during the Olympics
and that roof is going to be built now and it's going to be even louder.
"It's going to be even more iconic than Wembley in my eyes, with the West
Ham branding around the outside, and I literally cannot wait to be there for
the first kick-off, to be honest."
The two-time world champion attended athletics events at the Olympic Stadium
during Team GB's outstanding London 2012 Games, and said he could not wait
for Hammers supporters to re-create the same atmosphere when they move into
their new home. "The noise when the Olympics were on inside the stadium was
electric, and if we can emulate half of that it's going to be louder than
Upton Park. "There are going to be more fans there and more opportunities
for fans to be there - I just think the club is moving forward, this is an
iconic place to be and there are great times ahead."
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Dev Squad make a splash
WHUFC.com
Four promising West Ham United youngsters swapped the pitch for the pool to
aid their recovery
28.03.2013
Modern-day football calls for clubs to examine every possible method to get
their players back on the pitch as quickly and safely as possible. With that
in mind, Academy Head of Sport Medicine and Sport Science Tom Smith took
four Development Squad players to David Lloyd Gidea Park to use the plunge
pool and swimming pool. There Rob Hall, Elliot Lee, Matthias Fanimo and
Sebastian Lletget swapped their football boots for swimming trunks to aid
their recovery and rehabilitation. "We brought the lads down as they have
had various injuries or tightness in their muscles from previous games to
use the facilities to do some mobility work and rehabilitation exercises,"
Smith explained. "The plunge pool is like an ice-cold bath with nice deep
water, so the pressure and temperature of the water both have their
therapeutic benefits. The exercises the lads did in there were to mobilise
their hips, marching on the spot and cycling their legs. It basically
pre-empted the session they did in the swimming pool on a larger scale.
"They began by walking in the pool, which was an extension of their hip
mobility work - Matthias is recovering from a hamstring injury and Rob has
had a recent groin operation and Elliot and Seb who both had hip-related
musclar tightness. The leg session they did involved a few walking patterns
that opened up the movement around their hips. "Matthias and Rob then did
swimming sessions in floatsuits as a bouyancy aid that allowed them to
concentrate on the upper-body movements rather than staying afloat. It helps
with the lads confidence if they not strong swimmers and also allows them to
get more benefit from the exercises that they do."
Hall said the players enjoyed the change of scenery of a visit to David
Lloyd, as well the beneficial effects of spending time in the water. "We
used this visit as a rehab session, whereas we usually use the pool for
recovery after games or hard training sessions," said the forward. "We have
to treat the David Lloyd professionally and like an extension of the
training ground. We cannot mess around. It's nice to get out of the training
ground and see something new."
As well as the visits made by the club's young professionals, Smith said
West Ham's first-team squad were also regular attendees for pool sessions at
David Lloyd. "The first team are down regularly for rehab sessions or
recovery sessions if we have a couple of games close together and they have
a quick turn-around in between. "The facilities we can use such as the pool,
jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, as well as the spin bikes in the gym, give us
lots of different facets to our recovery sessions. "They really help us out
at David Lloyd, with whom we've had a link for a few years now. They come
and watch some of our games throughout the season and, in return, we get use
of their outstanding facilities. It's been fantastic."
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Bolton sign Robert Hall and Danny Butterfield on loan
BBC.co.uk
Bolton have signed West Ham winger Robert Hall and Southampton defender
Danny Butterfield on loan until the end of the season. Butterfield, 33,
previously played alongside current Wanderers manager Dougie Freedman at
Crystal Palace. Hall, 19, arrives after a loan spell at Birmingham earlier
this season, during which he played in a 3-1 defeat by Bolton in December.
Both go into the squad for the game against Charlton on Saturday.
Butterfield made the last of his 50 appearances for the Saints against
Stevenage in the Capital One Cup in August and includes Charlton and Grimsby
among his former clubs. Hall has also had loan spells at MK Dons and Oxford,
where he scored five goals in 11 starts, and has made three appearances for
West Ham's first team this season.
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Sam Allardyce will sign new contract when West Ham are safe
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he will only sign a new contract when
the club are certain of survival in the Premier League. Allardyce, 58,
revealed that talks over a new deal have already begun. "I suppose I could
sign a contract that said if we get relegated then I don't want it, but I
won't do that," he said.
The Hammers are 14th in the Premier League - five points short of the
38-point total that Allardyce believes will be enough to secure safety. "We
think we will be safe at 38 points. Then we can push on to 40 if we can," he
added. "The contract negotiations are ongoing at this moment in time. We
talk confidentially among ourselves and hopefully we can come to an
agreement shortly." Allardyce's current contract expires at the end of the
season. West Ham discovered this week that they will be anchor tenants for
the Olympic Stadium and Allardyce said he would be like to be in charge of
the team when they move in to their new home in four seasons' time. "If I
can last that long, I'd like to be here," he said. "The sack is always
around the corner, that's how it is these days."
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Carlton Cole set for foreign challenge?
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 28th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Carlton Cole's contract situation is being closely monitored by a string of
foreign clubs - with at least one preparing to offer him a deal should he
fail to secure an extension to his existing contract at West Ham.
Fans'-favourite Cole, who was a £2million signing from Chelsea in 2006 (and
the last remaining player signed by former manager Alan Pardew on the club's
books) is currently set to be a free agent this summer. It's a situation
that has naturally not gone unnoticed by both domestically-based clubs and
those abroad. Whilst the popular striker insists that his preference would
be to remain in east London, he has acknowledged that he could be enticed
into a move abroad. And that's news which hasn't gone unnoticed in places
such as the United States and Australia, whose respective MLS and A-League's
are keen to expand their 'roster' of European-based players in order to
enhance their status and reputation. KUMB.com has learned this week that at
least one North American club are planning to make Cole a tempting offer to
leave England once his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
UK-based agents working on behalf of the club have been asked to prepare a
portfolio on the 29-year-old forward in preparation for a lucrative contract
offer that could signal the end Cole's of seven-year association with West
Ham United. "My contract is up in the summer; it's still open," Cole told
the Daily Mail when asked about his future earlier this week. "Mr Sullivan
and Mr Gold are going to speak about everybody's future once we know where
we are in the league. It's a bit premature at the moment. "When we know
where we are then we can close that deal. If I'm not going to close that
deal at West Ham I might close it somewhere else. I've got to weigh up my
options. "I love the club with all my heart and I want to see them do well.
If I can be a part of that, I'm a part of that - if not, I wish them all the
best. Sometimes you have to part ways. It happens. "I could stay in the
Premier League, go abroad. I'm open right now. If I'm not with West Ham,
anything's possible."
* One player unlikely to be a potential replacement for Cole is Wilfried
Bony. The Ivorian international's talks with West Ham are understood to have
reached an impasse over wage demands and the player is now in discussions
with other Premier League clubs.
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Hall joins Bolton Wanderers
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 28th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Robert Hall has joined Championship side Bolton Wanderers on loan for the
remainder of the 2012/13 season. Hall, who only recently returned from a
spell with Bolton's Championship rivals Birmingham City is now a Trotter
having completed his move ahead of tonight's transfer deadline. The
19-year-old England youth international has previously spent time on loan at
Oxford United (twice), Milton Keynes Dons, and most recently, Birmingham
City.
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QPR boss Harry Redknapp has dismissed talk linking him with a return to West
Ham
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: March
28, 2013 4:32pm
SSN
Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp has rubbished rumours linking him
with a return to West Ham this summer. Reports had suggested Redknapp was
being lined up for a shock return to Upton Park as doubts continue to
surround the future of current West Ham manager Sam Allardyce. Allardyce is
out of contract at the end of the season and fresh terms have yet to be
agreed, fuelling talk that he could be on his way out of the club. Redknapp,
who played for West Ham and managed them for seven years between 1994 and
2001, has dismissed talk of a return to the club and admits he was
"embarrassed" by the rumours. "I was embarrassed when I read that," said
Redknapp. "They've got a manager. Sam [Allardyce] has done a great job there
and is talking about signing a new contract. "They don't need me."
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Former Bolton boss Sam Allardyce attacks the club over treatment of "icon"
Davies
Last Updated: March 29, 2013 8:23am
SSN
Former Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has attacked the club for their
"insensitive" handling of Kevin Davies' release. Bolton confirmed they would
not be offering a contract extension to their 36-year-old captain, who has
played 407 times for the club over the last 10 seasons. Davies contract
expires five days before the 10th anniversary of his arrival at the club and
the striker believed he would not be awarded a testimonial. Bolton defended
their conduct, saying they are happy to give Davies a testimonial but
Allardyce, who brought Davies to Bolton in 2003, thinks the Trotters icon
has been harshly treated. "Every footballer has to face the fact that his
career comes to an end at some stage at whatever football club you've been
at, but the timing and the way that Bolton have handled it isn't very good,"
Allardyce, now manager of West Ham, said. "I think they've handled it
poorly. "It has been a great shame when it happens to somebody who has been
such a great servant. Someone who I brought there when he was released by
Southampton."
Allardyce thinks the striker deserves to be remembered as one of the
all-time greats at the Lancashire club. "I thought at the time he would be a
great acquisition, but I never expected him to be such a major force in what
I and we did at the time and continue to do when I left," said Allardyce,
who departed Bolton for Newcastle in 2007. "Over 10 years for all but five
days and then to be released on his birthday was pretty insensitive and I
think they could have handled it an awful lot better as a football club and
should have done."
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Sam Allardyce ready to commit future once West Ham reach 38-point mark
Last Updated: March 28, 2013 4:30pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says he will sign a new contract once West Ham have reached 38
points in the Premier League. Allardyce and the club have always maintained
a new deal is on the cards but will not be rubber-stamped until another
season of top-flight football is guaranteed. And, according to the manager,
whose current deal expires in the summer, it will take five more points
before both parties are happy relegation is no longer a real threat. "I want
us to get safe and then if the contract's already there and ready to sign,
I'll sign it, move on and get ready for next season." He said: "I want us
to get safe and then if the contract's already there and ready to sign, I'll
sign it, move on and get ready for next season. "I'm not so sure we have to
wait until we're mathermatically safe. I think if we get to 38 points both
parties would say that's going to be enough this season. "Hopefully we can
get to 38 points as quickly as we can, then we'll have a few games left to
achieve more than 40 points if we can."
West Ham have won just twice in nine league games, and Allardyce said: "It's
been a little disappointing recently, not from a contract point of view but
from a results point of view. "I'm disappointed we haven't already clinched
safety because I think we should have done based on our performances. "Our
lack of concentration and, on some occasions, our lack of goals has made us
linger on this subject. "We all want to get it out of the way, done and
dusted and focus on hopefully another season in the Premier League."
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Robert Hall is Bolton Wanderers Bound
By S J Chandos About 10 hours ago 8 comments
West Ham Till I Die
It has been reported that Robert Hall has gone out on a month's loan to
Bolton Wanderers. It seems that the youngster has quickly recovered from
injury and has been placed back out on loan with some haste. I guess it
makes sense to agree another loan if he is not in the first team frame at
Upton Park, but one wonders when he will be deemed ready for first team
duty? Very worryingly it was reported last week that Hall is in the final
months of his current contract and there is a real possibility that he could
move this summer for a fee of little more than £500,000. Surely Sam
Allardyce rates Hall and knows his potential. As such, every effort must be
made to get him to sign a new contract, otherwise the club could have cause
to regret his loss, especially if as been rumoured Liverpool are lining him
up on a Bosman move!
Is the new high profile striker, referred to by Dave Sullivan last Friday,
Wilfred Bony or not? If it is, then other clubs are competing for his
signature. Not least Chelsea, who some sources this week have suggested were
actually trying to manipulate Bony's move to West Ham to give him PL
experience, before taking him off our hands at some point in the future! Its
all sounds very Machiavellian to me and I doubt that even Chelsea can
manipulate that situation. But we shall see, if Bony signs for West Ham and
insists on a release trigger at a certain level of fee then that might be
significant and substantiate the view that there could be substance to the
Chelsea manipulation rumour. Time will tell, but lets sign Bony on our terms
and try to avoid a reccurrence of the Ba/Diame type scenerio.
Last week was significant, with the official announcement of West Ham as the
anchor tenant at the Olympic Stadium. The media coverge of the event was
very partial and, some of it, quite astonishing in its bare faced
partiality. The article that I responded to on here was Des Kelly's biased
peice in the Sports Mail. It was full of holes and inconsistencies, which
hopefully I exposed. But the most amzing article of the lot was in the
Telegraph, in which the journalist suggested he would rather see the stadium
burnt to the ground then West Ham occupy it! Fortunately, Martin Samuels was
at hand to add some balance and put a powerful counter argument to all the
'tax payer ripped off' indignation. Basically, Samuels put the blame for the
extra expenditure entailed with revamping the Stadium firmly on Coe, Jowell
and Livngstone. The argument being, that If they had not resisted the
overwhelming business case for football usage in 2006-07, then a different
multi-use stadium design could have been agreed, which accommodated
football. And rather than being the villans here, West Ham are actually
helping to clear up the historical mess of others. Yes, West Ham are getting
a good deal, but so are the tax payer, who will not have subsidize the OS in
future and, more than that, there are also healthy future income streams, in
to the 'public purse,' via the rental, naming rights, hospitality income and
any sale of the club over the next ten years. So, in reality it is one of
those rare win-win situations!
However, the most powerful image in Samuels' peice is the reality that the
Stadium has been stripped since last summer and there are clear signs of
detoriation in the condition of the stadium. The press launch/event to
announce the deal was not held at the Stadium itself, but at a nearby
location. Is that significant? Anyway, the deal is in place now and
hopefully the hypocrisy coming out of Brisbane Road will soon also be
exposed once and for all. I personally do not believe that West Ham's
occupancy of the OS will finish off Leyton Orient. Orient fans really are a
different breed and, although the match day attendance is under 4,000 at
Brisbane Road, they appear staunchly loyal to their club. Perhaps the Orient
board will decide that they need to move to a new location, with a bigger
potential fan base? Most football fans are rightly opposed to these
'Wimbledon' type geographical moves, in which clubs are ripped from their
orginal communities and transplanted elsewhere. I do not like the hypocrisy
and misinformation that has been coming from Orient, but if that type of
move happens I will feel sorry for the die hard Orient fans. But the brutal
truth is that I am concerned with the future of West Ham Utd, not Leyton
Orient, and to me this move is crucial to moving our club forward as a force
in the PL.
Finally, it appears that initial negotiations have taken place with Sam
Allardyce on a new three year contract. Publicly, Allardyce has stated that
he will be looking to seal the new deal once the club reaches 38 points and
probable safety. The delay in agreeing a new deal gave hope to the
anti-Allardyce brigade that a managerial change is afoot in the summer. And
no doubt they will cling on to that possibility until the new contract is
signed, sealed and delivered. Unexpected things do happen sometimes, but the
current probability is that Allardyce will be West Ham manager for at least
the next three seasons.
SJ. Chandos.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, March 29
Thursday, March 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th March 2013
Tomkins can't wait to relive Olympic buzz
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins experienced the Olympic Stadium in full cry last summer and
can't wait to do it again
27.03.2013
James Tomkins has already experienced the buzz of walking out to a packed
London Olympic Stadium. The Hammers defender was part of the Team GB squad
for the London 2012 Olympic Games and paraded in the spectacular Opening
Ceremony as the festival of sport got underway. Tomkins lapped up that
experience of the rousing atmosphere at a home Games, and he cannot wait to
hear the Stadium in full voice again when West Ham make the venue their home
from 2016. He told West Ham TV: "Walking out there for the Opening Ceremony
of the Olympics, as the home country, I was extremely proud and the
atmosphere was electric. I'm sure the West Ham fans can get the atmosphere
rocking like that - it'll be one hell of an atmosphere. "You can see the
inspiration that clubs with big stadiums get from their fans and we'll be
able to experience that lift as well. The Boleyn is always filled out at the
moment - West Ham is one of the best-supported clubs in London so we'll have
no worries about filling it. "It'll have a great atmosphere when it comes
around and it's a great opportunity for West Ham."
Basildon-born Tomkins has been with the Hammers throughout his career,
developing as a youngster in the Academy before making his first team debut
in March 2008. Now 23, the centre back is excited by this new chapter for
the club and he is keen to be a part of it. He continued: "I'm majorly
excited now I've seen the plans. Being a football fan and a West Ham
supporter, this is going to be brilliant for the club and for the local
community. It's a proud day for everyone. "The main concern for the fans was
that maybe the atmosphere wouldn't come across from the old stadium, but
after seeing the plans, and seeing how close the seats are going to be to
the pitch - you can see the atmosphere will be brilliant. "All the views
will be brilliant too so I think it's going to be good for everyone. "It
shows the direction the Chairmen want to take the club in. It's a massive
day for the club. I've been here since I was eight years old so I've seen it
at its highest and lowest and this is definitely one of the proudest days
I've had as a West Ham player and fan. "I've been here for the whole process
of trying to get the stadium, and now we have I want to be part of that. If
I can be here in 2016 it'll be a proud day for everyone [playing our first
game at the stadium]."
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'I'm sure Bobby would love it'
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore's daughter Roberta believes her father would have embraced the
Hammers' Olympic Stadium move
27.03.2013
The late, great Bobby Moore OBE was often described as being years ahead of
his time on the football pitch. A ball-playing defender whose technique and
reading of the game were considered to be among the best the sport has ever
seen, Moore captained West Ham United and England to glory in the 1960s.
Moore led West Ham to the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup in
1965 before skippering his country to FIFA World Cup glory in 1966. In all,
he played 646 times for West Ham between 1958 and 1974, scoring 27 goals and
was voted Hammer of the Year on four occasions. The legend's daughter
Roberta Moore believes her forward-thinking father would have also embraced
his club's impending move to the Olympic Stadium. Speaking exclusively to
West Ham TV, Roberta said her Dad would have been excited about the prospect
of the Hammers playing at a larger, modern venue where more supporters could
watch their team in action. "I think Bobby was very proud of his country and
he played for England and he would have loved the Olympics and the legacy
that it has left," said Roberta, who recently returned to the Boleyn Ground
to mark the 20th anniversary of her father's passing. She was joined on an
emotional evening by Moore's grandchildren Poppy, Ava and Freddie. "I think
he would think it is a fantastic move. Upton Park is the spiritual home of
West Ham, but life moves forward and I think it's a wonderful opportunity
and I'm sure he would think it's an amazing opportunity as well. It's
fantastic. "If it means more people can get to see West Ham play, then much
the better, so I'm sure he would love it."
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claims he is close to agreeing new deal
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 9:16am
SSN
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce claims he is close to agreeing a new
contract at the club. Allardyce's deal at Upton Park expires at the end of
the season and there has been some speculation that he could leave the
Hammers in the summer. But the former Newcastle United manager insists both
parties are keen to find a solution. "We both want to do it, it's just a
question of sorting out the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's,"
Allardyce told Sky Sports News HD. "As always, that is not as easy a
situation as you would like. "We need to move to this new stadium to compete
with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in this world."
"You always have to do some negotiations when you are moving into the next
contract, just as there were plenty of negotiations over the first contract.
"So we will hopefully come to a conclusion very shortly." A new deal would
raise the possibility of Allardyce overseeing the transfer from Upton Park
to the Olympic Stadium, set to occur at the start of the 2016/17 season. The
move has been the subject of resistance from various parties, including some
West Ham supporters, but the manager believes it is necessary if the club is
to progress. "We need to move to this new stadium to compete with the likes
of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in this world," he added. "I can
understand why they don't want to leave Upton Park because they probably
came here in their infancy and their dad, uncle or grandad brought them so
they've grown to love this stadium. "But at the end of the day, football has
to progress."
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West Ham's Carlton Cole relaxed over Upon Park future
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 10:29am
SSN
Carlton Cole is not panicking over his West Ham United future despite his
contract being set to expire at the end of the season. The striker, 29, has
not started a game for his club since the 5-1 Premier League thrashing by
Arsenal at the end of January. It therefore remains to be seen if he will
still be at West Ham beyond the summer but Cole, who was a target of Turkish
club Kasimpasa in the winter transfer window, remains calm. "I wasn't ready
to leave in January," he said in the Daily Mail. "Other clubs talked to the
agents but I didn't listen. I was still focused on West Ham. "You've got to
understand it's not a joke. If another striker comes in, I'll welcome him
with open arms but I'm always there to push you."
"At the end of the day, you've got to make sure you're in the manager's
thoughts. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and the manager will get
rid of you anyway. "It's all about actions. It's not about speaking, 'I'm
gonna do this, I'm gonna do that.' If the manager sees I'm trying hard, he's
got to be fair. But if the guy's doing it in front of you, you've got to
wait your chance."
On-loan Andy Carroll has been preferred by West Ham manager Sam Allardyce
and the Liverpool striker is expected to complete a permanent move in the
summer. But there is no animosity from Cole, a 2005 signing from Aston
Villa, towards his squad-mate. "I've seen a lot of strikers come and go at
this club. I've been here seven years,' said Cole. "You've got to understand
it's not a joke. If another striker comes in, I'll welcome him with open
arms but I'm always there to push you. "Right now I'm not playing but I'm
still pushing Andy to make sure he plays well. "My contract is up in the
summer. It's the first time I've ever been in this position. It's no slight
on my behalf or the club's behalf why it's like that."
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Pavel Pogrebnyak dismisses talk linking him with Reading exit
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 11:55am
SSN
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has dismissed speculation linking him with
a summer move amid reported interest from West Ham and Southampton. The
Russian striker, who joined the Royals on a four-year deal from Fulham last
summer, has been unable to prevent the club's slide into the Premier League
relegation places, with seven points currently between them and safety. West
Ham and Southampton are rumoured to be keen on the 29-year-old, with reports
suggesting the clubs have held unofficial talks with Reading over the
striker. However, Pogrebnyak has rubbished the speculation and says he will
not discuss his future until the end of the season, when he is confident the
Royals will still be in the top-flight. He told Russian website Sport
Express: "It's b******t, nonsense. I haven't heard anything about it and I
don't want to comment any transfer news until the end of the championship.
"We'll talk everything over with president Anton Zingarevich at the end of
the season. But we won't be relegated."
Pogrebnyak has also been linked with a return to Russia with Zenit St
Petersburg but, asked what he would do in the event Reading do suffer
relegation, he added: "My priority is England." The striker went on to
dismiss reports Rubin Kazan were poised to sign him in the January transfer
window. He added: "It's a nonsense again. Look at my answer for the first
question."
Lift
Pogrebnyak believes the arrival of new manager Nigel Adkins will lift the
players going into the run-in. He added: "The new manager, Nigel Adkins, was
introduced to us and he had his first training with us. "He was working with
Southampton recently. I think his arrival means a positive feeling for us
before the end of the season."
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Big Sam's big deal
By DAVID COVERDALE
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has revealed he is on the verge of signing a new deal at West
Ham. The Hammers manager's £2.25million-a-year contract expires in June.
Talks over an extension were thought to have been put on hold until the
club's Premier League status was secured. But Big Sam insists discussions
have already taken place and is confident a new deal will be agreed soon.
Allardyce said: "We both want to do it, it's just a question of sorting out
the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's. "As always, that is not as
easy a situation as you would like. "You always have to do some negotiations
when you are moving into the next contract, just as there were plenty of
negotiations over the first contract. "So we will hopefully come to a
conclusion very shortly."
Allardyce took over at Upton Park in June 2011 after the club were relegated
to the Championship. He led them to promotion in his first season in charge
and a new contract could see him stay in East London until the summer of
2016 — when West Ham move into their new home at the Olympic Stadium.
Allardyce added: "2016? I hope so. That means it will be me serving at a
football club for the second longest time I've ever been. "It will probably
be close to five years and for a manager that is a long time these days. "If
I can continue to grow the club on the field then that helps everybody to
start moving towards moving into the Olympic Stadium. "And there's one thing
for sure — if it's me that walks out at the Olympic Stadium with the team it
will have to be the best team that I've had since I've been here."
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Cottee Column: The move was right but I will never forget those Upton Park
memories
London 24
Tony Cottee, Recorder Columnist
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
12:00 PM
Friday's decision to make West Ham the anchor tenants at the Olympic Stadium
certainly left me with mixed feelings. I was pleased with the announcement.
I think it is the right move for the club, but I can't say hand on heart
that I am happy to leave Upton Park and all its memories. When I spoke to
the club a few months ago about the move I said that I would not back a plan
that I didn't believe in. I had two reservations – the roof, which had to
cover every fan in the arena and the running track which we have seen all
over Europe can effect the atmosphere in the stadium. I am one of the few
lucky people who has seen the plans and I have to say that my fears have
been dispelled on both fronts and I am excited by what I have seen. Some
have said that we will never be able to fill a 54,000 capacity stadium, but
I don't agree with that. If we have a successful side that are up there in
the Premier League, or playing FA Cup quarter-finals, then I think 54,000
would not be enough, while David Gold and David Sullivan have already said
that they will look to have reduced ticket prices.
Of course I am not happy to be moving from Upton Park. I have so many
memories there from when I was a fan and then a player, but I think it is
vital.
Making my debut in front of 33,000, the superb atmosphere during the 1986
season when we came so close to winning the league, the great European
nights. I will never forget when Dinamo Tbilisi came and played us off the
park. They were so good that we applauded them off at the end. But I want to
see a successful West Ham and remember it is 33 years since we last won a
trophy. Moving to the Olympic Stadium will enable us to move up and
challenge the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in London. Moving
worked for Arsenal and Manchester City, while Spurs are also planning a move
and Chelsea would jump at the chance. I was speaking to my twin 15-year-old
boys and they were saying they were not sure whether they would like to move
from Upton Park. I said to them that when they have sons, the new Stadium
will be all they know and they will have their own memories at a new
stadium. Back to the football and Saturday is a vital game for the Hammers
against West Brom. I said after the Stoke victory that it was the most
important win of the season, but when it comes to must-win games I think
Saturday is vital if we are to avoid going into panic mode for the rest of
the campaign. Obviously avoiding defeat is the priority, but if we can sneak
a win, even if it is only an awful 1-0 victory then it will take us to 36
points and almost certain safety. I will be bolder though and go for a 2-1
win.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEST HAM'S MAIN TRANSFER TARGET
Posted on Wednesday, 27th March 2013 by Jack Fox
Forever West Ham
Wilfried Bony, Is he signing? Is he any good? Are Chelsea really trying to
get him to sign for us? Thanks to David Sullivan, West Ham fans are
wondering is this just another PR stunt or if we will actually succeed in
someone we are after and what this potential new striker possesses.
Having signed Matt Jarvis for over £10million this summer, Sullivan has
indicated in his press conference that he is talking to a European striker
who will smash our record signing fee. Bony meanwhile has been slapped with
a £12-14million price tag by his club Vitesse Arnhem.
Now we've got all these 'ITK' reports telling us he's signed for the club,
he's in talks or he's talking to Fulham or Stoke, in theory talking a load
of rubbish.
With more rumours suggesting that Roman Abramovich is getting involved as he
has something to do with Bony's club Vitesse Arnhem and telling the club to
sell to us in case interest from 'Chelsea's rivals' appeals to the Ivorian
more.
Aside from the rumours and the speculation, who is Wilfried Bony?
Yes you can look on YouTube for yourself and see if he's any good, but then
again it made the likes of Julien Faubert and Savio look invincible.
The 24 year old Ivory Coast international plays in the Dutch League as
mentioned for Vitesse Arnhem. This season so far he is the third highest
goal scorer in Europe, behind two of the world's greatest players, Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with 24 goals in 26 games.
However this isn't just one lucky season it seems. Last season for Vitesse,
he bagged 12 in 28 games and the year before that 3 in 7. Altogether Bony
has 38 goals to his name for the Dutch side in 57 games. It must also be
added that he has 5 international goals to his name for the Ivory Coast in
17 caps. Impressive figures but you can debate whether it gives him the
status as a prolific goal scorer.
Bony is also 6 foot tall, so must be ideal for Sam Allardyce, anything
smaller and he'd be shipped off to the Championship.
You can argue though that the Eredivisie, (Dutch Premier League) doesn't
hold the best standard of football and the only strikers who have been
imported by English Premier League teams that have turned out to be
successful are Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Luis Suarez and Dennis Bergkamp. The
likes of Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel have ended up on the wings and haven't
really set the world alight, particularly the latter.
But what can be said about Wilfried Bony is that he does know where the goal
is. This being something that the club has missed for a number of years.
Personally I feel Dean Ashton was our last consistent goal scorer and both
Allardyce and Sullivan have come out and said that a goal scorer is
something we desperately need.
It's an expensive risk for the co-chairmen to make and knowing our luck if
we do sign him he'll flop but let's hope that with the Olympic Stadium
coming our way, another bit of fortune will follow just behind.
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West Ham target Stade de Reims midfielder as Diame replacement
By talkSPORT | Wednesday, March 27, 2013
By Lyall Thomas
West Ham United are targeting Stade de Reims midfielder Bocundji Ca as a
potential replacement for wantaway midfielder Mohamed Diame. Diame was close
to leaving the Hammers in January amid interest from a host of top Premier
League clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton. And with a
£3.5million buy-out clause in his contract, the Senegalese midfielder's
future at Upton Park remains in doubt, with Newcastle thought to be leading
the chase to capture the 25-year-old this summer. West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce is looking at a number of possible replacements and the club's
chief scout has made contact with Ca's representatives about the possibility
of bringing the star across the channel. Ca is a Guinea-Bissau
international, who was influential in Reims' promotion to the French Ligue 1
last season, and the 26-year-old player is keen to move to England not only
to benefit his own career, but to also raise awareness about the quality of
footballers coming from his native country. Ca began his career with Nantes
before spells with Tours and Nancy and was signed by Reims in the summer of
2011.
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If West Ham move into the Olympic Stadium Leyton Orient will surely suffer a
slow and painful death
By Luke Edwards1:25PM GMT 27 Mar 201328 Comments
Telegraph.co.uk
It has never been easy to support Leyton Orient, but it would be even harder
to watch them suffer a slow and painful death caused by the decisions of
politicians, the self-interest of a rival and the inaction of those who know
football in this country is about far more than the Premier League. If West
Ham move into the Olympic Stadium, less than 1000m from Orient's Matchroom
Stadium and they stand idle, the O's, the second oldest professional club in
London, will surely die. Think of the local butcher and greengrocer forced
out of business when the giant supermarket with free car parking was built
round the corner. This is Orient's future, this is what the legacy of the
Olympic Games will be for the O's. Something has to be done to save them,
but what? Leyton Orient are a small club in an unfashionable corner of east
London who have always lived in the shadow of bigger, more illustrious
clubs. There are three Premier League sides within a few miles of Brisbane
Road and Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham have always dominated attention and
gobbled up fans in this part of the capital.
The O's have played a solitary season in the top flight and attract crowds
of less than 5,000 in League One, but they are not irrelevant and they
cannot be ignored because it is convenient for those in power to do so.
They are a football club that inspires devotion and loyalty like any other.
For those who support them, Orient are the only club they can love. I should
know.
I grew up in Leytonstone and, like all those who follow the O's, could have
supported any of the above. But in the 80s, crowd trouble was a problem and
my parents took me to Brisbane Road instead. It was safer, cheaper and there
was even room to run around when I got bored. I caught the bug, sitting on
the wall behind the goal, behind a metal fence which, pre-Hillsborough,
penned fans in, my feet swinging through the gaps. I was a mascot like my
brother before me, as was my cousin after that. When we moved to Ipswich, I
continued to travel down from Suffolk to be a ball boy at every home game.
When we moved again to Sheffield, we travelled all across the north of
England to see Orient play and always made sure our returns to London tied
in with a home game. Now a football journalist covering the collective
under-achievements of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, my Geordie
wife, as well as my brother and father-in-law, are honorary O's. They caught
the bug too. Trust me, Orient matter. So why have the Football League and
the Premier League apparently forgotten their own rules which stipulate a
club can only move into a new stadium if it "would not adversely affect
Clubs having their registered grounds in the immediate vicinity of the
proposed location?"
They more than anyone have a responsibility to protect one of their members,
but all that has been forgotten in the quest to ensure the Olympic Stadium
does not become a White Elephant. In the desire to make sure the flagship of
last summer's magnificent London Olympics has a long term use, all anyone
has worried about is getting a Premier League football club to make it its
new home. Had Orient's chairman, Barry Hearn, not challenged the decision to
allow West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium through the courts, the
Hammers would have been named as tenants months ago. Hearn has fought the
Government, the London Legacy Development Corporation, West Ham and the
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, every step of the way. He has shouted as
loudly as he can, but his words have been lost on the wind blowing against
him. He has refused to go away, but he has always been left outside in the
cold with his nose pressed against the window.
He knows better than anyone the commercial pressures Orient are under. For
the past 30 years, Orient, like virtually every lower league club, have been
involved in a fight for survival. It is a fight they can no longer win if
West Ham land on their doorstep. Orient bring new fans into the stadium by
offering cheap tickets to families, generating a fan base rather than
attracting one. They reach into the local community by visiting schools and
youth clubs, running workshops and coaching sessions. Hearn has turned them
into a viable business that would pass Uefa's Financial Fairplay rules. West
Ham wouldn't.
Still, it is tough to keep crowds above 4000 in such harsh economic times.
Now they will have West Ham a few hundred metres away doing exactly the same
thing. West Ham fail to sell out Upton Park every week, yet they are moving
into a stadium which will have around 25,000 extra seats to fill.
To make their move work, they have to bring in new fans and they will
aggressively look to do so. West Ham want to compete in Europe and they hope
the extra money generated by larger crowds will enable them to do so. There
will only be one winner in the Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham. If you
had the choice, would you take your family to see League One football or
Premier League at the same price? Orient will probably never play in Europe,
but they would like to be able to carry on playing. Hearn has talked about
ground sharing with West Ham, but the Hammers have rejected the idea.
Hearn's plan would be to sell Brisbane Road, prime real estate on the edge
of the Olympic Park, and use the money to guarantee Orient's future for the
next 20 years or so.
However, there are major problems with this. Playing inside such a huge
stadium with small crowds could be a soul-destroying experience and would
not remove the problem of having West Ham stealing their future customers.
There is an alternative that has been discussed. For Orient to move with the
times, maybe they should just move. It is an idea that generally appals
football fans and there was vitriol spouted when Wimbledon moved to Milton
Keynes and became the MK Dons, but there might not be an alternative for
Orient. After all, most of their fans don't live in Leyton, they are spread
across Waltham Forest and Essex, many living in the suburbs off the A12 and
A13. There are places they could go, with Harlow, Romford or Basildon
mooted.
For a club that began life as Clapton Orient, another relocation is not
abhorrent if the alternative is extinction. Hearn, who owns Brisbane Road
and whose wheeler dealer reputation has not helped Orient's pleas for
financial assistance, could still sell their current stadium to help pay for
the move, although Orient will need more than that to build a new one. Then
again, if around £60m of taxpayers' money can be used to turn the Olympic
Stadium into West Ham's new home, surely Orient deserve some sort of
compensation, some means to survive. No money has been offered, no help has
been given. Nobody seems to care, but there are plenty of us who do and we
will continue to fight our cause.
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Bony idol on Roman's radar
The Sun
By MEL HENDERSON
Published: 27th March 2013
CHELSEA are planning to hijack West Ham's £12million move for goal-ace
Wilfried Bony. The Ivory Coast international is top scorer in Holland, with
26 goals in 24 league games for shock title contenders Vitesse Arnhem. The
Hammers thought they were close to agreeing a record-breaking deal to nab
him in the summer. Co-chairman David Sullivan met one of the player's
agents, London-based Francis Kacou, on Monday. But Chelsea see the
free-scoring forward as a potential replacement for £50m flop Fernando
Torres — and made their move later that day. Jose Mourinho, touted to return
to Chelsea from Real Madrid in the summer, was at Stamford Bridge that night
for the friendly between Brazil and Russia. Also present were Vitesse owner
Merab Jordania, who has close links with Blues supremo Roman Abramovich, and
Erwin Kasakowski, managing director of the Dutch club. The main topic of
conversation between the four was 24-year-old Bony, a player similar in
style to his fellow countryman and ex-Chelsea favourite Didier Drogba. Bony,
who scored for Ivory Coast in the 3-0 win over Gambia at the weekend, is
under contract until 2015 — but is desperate to move to the Premier League.
And Chelsea are now in pole position to seal a four-year deal for him worth
£80,000 a week. The Blues have a good relationship with Vitesse, with seven
Chelsea youngsters having gone there on loan in the past two seasons.
Vitesse are resigned to letting Bony go in the summer. But first they hope
the goals from a player who cost £4m from Sparta Prague in January 2011 will
help them clinch a place in the Champions League for the first time.
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Kev's grounds for Sam to stay
Published: 27th March 2013
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN insists Sam Allardyce is the man who should lead West Ham into
the 54,000-seat Olympic Stadium. Hammers boss Big Sam is out of contract at
the end of this season. And skipper Nolan said: "He's the perfect man. It's
massive to make sure we secure his future now we've secured this stadium."
Nolan also reckons the club will fill the new ground. He said: "I speak to
people who can't get a ticket because we've had 13 sell-outs on the spin."
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Oarsome! Sir Steve Redgrave backs West Ham's move to the Olympic Stadium
The Mirror
27 Mar 2013 22:30
Sir Steve Redgrave has thrown his support behind West Ham's Olympic Stadium
move as it keeps alive the memory of London 2012. The awesome oarsman admits
he was concerned by the counter-proposal to keep the Stratford site solely
for athletics due to the cost and relative lack of use the stadium would
have.
Worst of all, he says, was Tottenham's rival proposal to knock down the
stadium - complete with golden memories of Jess Ennis, Mo Farah, David Weir,
Jonnie Peacock and others - and start all over again. "I think it's a good
situation that we've arrived at and I'm quite pleased," said the Olympic
legend. "A multi-use stadium makes most sense. "The key thing for me has
always been that it remains an Olympic Stadium and retains the memories that
were created last summer. "When we talk about legacy we talk about
inspiration and I know, from when I was growing up, how inspired I was by
the likes of Daley Thompson, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett. "The more gold medals
the more memories. Team GB won five golds in each of the Games at Moscow,
Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona between 1980 and '92. "In the five
different summer Games in which I competed we won in total 27. Yet in London
we picked up more than in all those Games put together." That is just
counting the 29 gold medals Team GB won at the Olympics. There were a
further 34 in the Paralympics. "Our youth will remember that for many years
if not the rest of their lives," added Redgrave. "Those are memories that
hopefully will remain with them for the rest of their lives."
* Sir Steve was speaking at the launch of Matalan Sporting Communities to
help 14 to 19-year-olds.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins experienced the Olympic Stadium in full cry last summer and
can't wait to do it again
27.03.2013
James Tomkins has already experienced the buzz of walking out to a packed
London Olympic Stadium. The Hammers defender was part of the Team GB squad
for the London 2012 Olympic Games and paraded in the spectacular Opening
Ceremony as the festival of sport got underway. Tomkins lapped up that
experience of the rousing atmosphere at a home Games, and he cannot wait to
hear the Stadium in full voice again when West Ham make the venue their home
from 2016. He told West Ham TV: "Walking out there for the Opening Ceremony
of the Olympics, as the home country, I was extremely proud and the
atmosphere was electric. I'm sure the West Ham fans can get the atmosphere
rocking like that - it'll be one hell of an atmosphere. "You can see the
inspiration that clubs with big stadiums get from their fans and we'll be
able to experience that lift as well. The Boleyn is always filled out at the
moment - West Ham is one of the best-supported clubs in London so we'll have
no worries about filling it. "It'll have a great atmosphere when it comes
around and it's a great opportunity for West Ham."
Basildon-born Tomkins has been with the Hammers throughout his career,
developing as a youngster in the Academy before making his first team debut
in March 2008. Now 23, the centre back is excited by this new chapter for
the club and he is keen to be a part of it. He continued: "I'm majorly
excited now I've seen the plans. Being a football fan and a West Ham
supporter, this is going to be brilliant for the club and for the local
community. It's a proud day for everyone. "The main concern for the fans was
that maybe the atmosphere wouldn't come across from the old stadium, but
after seeing the plans, and seeing how close the seats are going to be to
the pitch - you can see the atmosphere will be brilliant. "All the views
will be brilliant too so I think it's going to be good for everyone. "It
shows the direction the Chairmen want to take the club in. It's a massive
day for the club. I've been here since I was eight years old so I've seen it
at its highest and lowest and this is definitely one of the proudest days
I've had as a West Ham player and fan. "I've been here for the whole process
of trying to get the stadium, and now we have I want to be part of that. If
I can be here in 2016 it'll be a proud day for everyone [playing our first
game at the stadium]."
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'I'm sure Bobby would love it'
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore's daughter Roberta believes her father would have embraced the
Hammers' Olympic Stadium move
27.03.2013
The late, great Bobby Moore OBE was often described as being years ahead of
his time on the football pitch. A ball-playing defender whose technique and
reading of the game were considered to be among the best the sport has ever
seen, Moore captained West Ham United and England to glory in the 1960s.
Moore led West Ham to the FA Cup in 1964 and European Cup Winners' Cup in
1965 before skippering his country to FIFA World Cup glory in 1966. In all,
he played 646 times for West Ham between 1958 and 1974, scoring 27 goals and
was voted Hammer of the Year on four occasions. The legend's daughter
Roberta Moore believes her forward-thinking father would have also embraced
his club's impending move to the Olympic Stadium. Speaking exclusively to
West Ham TV, Roberta said her Dad would have been excited about the prospect
of the Hammers playing at a larger, modern venue where more supporters could
watch their team in action. "I think Bobby was very proud of his country and
he played for England and he would have loved the Olympics and the legacy
that it has left," said Roberta, who recently returned to the Boleyn Ground
to mark the 20th anniversary of her father's passing. She was joined on an
emotional evening by Moore's grandchildren Poppy, Ava and Freddie. "I think
he would think it is a fantastic move. Upton Park is the spiritual home of
West Ham, but life moves forward and I think it's a wonderful opportunity
and I'm sure he would think it's an amazing opportunity as well. It's
fantastic. "If it means more people can get to see West Ham play, then much
the better, so I'm sure he would love it."
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claims he is close to agreeing new deal
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 9:16am
SSN
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce claims he is close to agreeing a new
contract at the club. Allardyce's deal at Upton Park expires at the end of
the season and there has been some speculation that he could leave the
Hammers in the summer. But the former Newcastle United manager insists both
parties are keen to find a solution. "We both want to do it, it's just a
question of sorting out the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's,"
Allardyce told Sky Sports News HD. "As always, that is not as easy a
situation as you would like. "We need to move to this new stadium to compete
with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in this world."
"You always have to do some negotiations when you are moving into the next
contract, just as there were plenty of negotiations over the first contract.
"So we will hopefully come to a conclusion very shortly." A new deal would
raise the possibility of Allardyce overseeing the transfer from Upton Park
to the Olympic Stadium, set to occur at the start of the 2016/17 season. The
move has been the subject of resistance from various parties, including some
West Ham supporters, but the manager believes it is necessary if the club is
to progress. "We need to move to this new stadium to compete with the likes
of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in this world," he added. "I can
understand why they don't want to leave Upton Park because they probably
came here in their infancy and their dad, uncle or grandad brought them so
they've grown to love this stadium. "But at the end of the day, football has
to progress."
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West Ham's Carlton Cole relaxed over Upon Park future
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 10:29am
SSN
Carlton Cole is not panicking over his West Ham United future despite his
contract being set to expire at the end of the season. The striker, 29, has
not started a game for his club since the 5-1 Premier League thrashing by
Arsenal at the end of January. It therefore remains to be seen if he will
still be at West Ham beyond the summer but Cole, who was a target of Turkish
club Kasimpasa in the winter transfer window, remains calm. "I wasn't ready
to leave in January," he said in the Daily Mail. "Other clubs talked to the
agents but I didn't listen. I was still focused on West Ham. "You've got to
understand it's not a joke. If another striker comes in, I'll welcome him
with open arms but I'm always there to push you."
"At the end of the day, you've got to make sure you're in the manager's
thoughts. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and the manager will get
rid of you anyway. "It's all about actions. It's not about speaking, 'I'm
gonna do this, I'm gonna do that.' If the manager sees I'm trying hard, he's
got to be fair. But if the guy's doing it in front of you, you've got to
wait your chance."
On-loan Andy Carroll has been preferred by West Ham manager Sam Allardyce
and the Liverpool striker is expected to complete a permanent move in the
summer. But there is no animosity from Cole, a 2005 signing from Aston
Villa, towards his squad-mate. "I've seen a lot of strikers come and go at
this club. I've been here seven years,' said Cole. "You've got to understand
it's not a joke. If another striker comes in, I'll welcome him with open
arms but I'm always there to push you. "Right now I'm not playing but I'm
still pushing Andy to make sure he plays well. "My contract is up in the
summer. It's the first time I've ever been in this position. It's no slight
on my behalf or the club's behalf why it's like that."
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Pavel Pogrebnyak dismisses talk linking him with Reading exit
Last Updated: March 27, 2013 11:55am
SSN
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has dismissed speculation linking him with
a summer move amid reported interest from West Ham and Southampton. The
Russian striker, who joined the Royals on a four-year deal from Fulham last
summer, has been unable to prevent the club's slide into the Premier League
relegation places, with seven points currently between them and safety. West
Ham and Southampton are rumoured to be keen on the 29-year-old, with reports
suggesting the clubs have held unofficial talks with Reading over the
striker. However, Pogrebnyak has rubbished the speculation and says he will
not discuss his future until the end of the season, when he is confident the
Royals will still be in the top-flight. He told Russian website Sport
Express: "It's b******t, nonsense. I haven't heard anything about it and I
don't want to comment any transfer news until the end of the championship.
"We'll talk everything over with president Anton Zingarevich at the end of
the season. But we won't be relegated."
Pogrebnyak has also been linked with a return to Russia with Zenit St
Petersburg but, asked what he would do in the event Reading do suffer
relegation, he added: "My priority is England." The striker went on to
dismiss reports Rubin Kazan were poised to sign him in the January transfer
window. He added: "It's a nonsense again. Look at my answer for the first
question."
Lift
Pogrebnyak believes the arrival of new manager Nigel Adkins will lift the
players going into the run-in. He added: "The new manager, Nigel Adkins, was
introduced to us and he had his first training with us. "He was working with
Southampton recently. I think his arrival means a positive feeling for us
before the end of the season."
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Big Sam's big deal
By DAVID COVERDALE
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has revealed he is on the verge of signing a new deal at West
Ham. The Hammers manager's £2.25million-a-year contract expires in June.
Talks over an extension were thought to have been put on hold until the
club's Premier League status was secured. But Big Sam insists discussions
have already taken place and is confident a new deal will be agreed soon.
Allardyce said: "We both want to do it, it's just a question of sorting out
the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's. "As always, that is not as
easy a situation as you would like. "You always have to do some negotiations
when you are moving into the next contract, just as there were plenty of
negotiations over the first contract. "So we will hopefully come to a
conclusion very shortly."
Allardyce took over at Upton Park in June 2011 after the club were relegated
to the Championship. He led them to promotion in his first season in charge
and a new contract could see him stay in East London until the summer of
2016 — when West Ham move into their new home at the Olympic Stadium.
Allardyce added: "2016? I hope so. That means it will be me serving at a
football club for the second longest time I've ever been. "It will probably
be close to five years and for a manager that is a long time these days. "If
I can continue to grow the club on the field then that helps everybody to
start moving towards moving into the Olympic Stadium. "And there's one thing
for sure — if it's me that walks out at the Olympic Stadium with the team it
will have to be the best team that I've had since I've been here."
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Cottee Column: The move was right but I will never forget those Upton Park
memories
London 24
Tony Cottee, Recorder Columnist
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
12:00 PM
Friday's decision to make West Ham the anchor tenants at the Olympic Stadium
certainly left me with mixed feelings. I was pleased with the announcement.
I think it is the right move for the club, but I can't say hand on heart
that I am happy to leave Upton Park and all its memories. When I spoke to
the club a few months ago about the move I said that I would not back a plan
that I didn't believe in. I had two reservations – the roof, which had to
cover every fan in the arena and the running track which we have seen all
over Europe can effect the atmosphere in the stadium. I am one of the few
lucky people who has seen the plans and I have to say that my fears have
been dispelled on both fronts and I am excited by what I have seen. Some
have said that we will never be able to fill a 54,000 capacity stadium, but
I don't agree with that. If we have a successful side that are up there in
the Premier League, or playing FA Cup quarter-finals, then I think 54,000
would not be enough, while David Gold and David Sullivan have already said
that they will look to have reduced ticket prices.
Of course I am not happy to be moving from Upton Park. I have so many
memories there from when I was a fan and then a player, but I think it is
vital.
Making my debut in front of 33,000, the superb atmosphere during the 1986
season when we came so close to winning the league, the great European
nights. I will never forget when Dinamo Tbilisi came and played us off the
park. They were so good that we applauded them off at the end. But I want to
see a successful West Ham and remember it is 33 years since we last won a
trophy. Moving to the Olympic Stadium will enable us to move up and
challenge the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in London. Moving
worked for Arsenal and Manchester City, while Spurs are also planning a move
and Chelsea would jump at the chance. I was speaking to my twin 15-year-old
boys and they were saying they were not sure whether they would like to move
from Upton Park. I said to them that when they have sons, the new Stadium
will be all they know and they will have their own memories at a new
stadium. Back to the football and Saturday is a vital game for the Hammers
against West Brom. I said after the Stoke victory that it was the most
important win of the season, but when it comes to must-win games I think
Saturday is vital if we are to avoid going into panic mode for the rest of
the campaign. Obviously avoiding defeat is the priority, but if we can sneak
a win, even if it is only an awful 1-0 victory then it will take us to 36
points and almost certain safety. I will be bolder though and go for a 2-1
win.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEST HAM'S MAIN TRANSFER TARGET
Posted on Wednesday, 27th March 2013 by Jack Fox
Forever West Ham
Wilfried Bony, Is he signing? Is he any good? Are Chelsea really trying to
get him to sign for us? Thanks to David Sullivan, West Ham fans are
wondering is this just another PR stunt or if we will actually succeed in
someone we are after and what this potential new striker possesses.
Having signed Matt Jarvis for over £10million this summer, Sullivan has
indicated in his press conference that he is talking to a European striker
who will smash our record signing fee. Bony meanwhile has been slapped with
a £12-14million price tag by his club Vitesse Arnhem.
Now we've got all these 'ITK' reports telling us he's signed for the club,
he's in talks or he's talking to Fulham or Stoke, in theory talking a load
of rubbish.
With more rumours suggesting that Roman Abramovich is getting involved as he
has something to do with Bony's club Vitesse Arnhem and telling the club to
sell to us in case interest from 'Chelsea's rivals' appeals to the Ivorian
more.
Aside from the rumours and the speculation, who is Wilfried Bony?
Yes you can look on YouTube for yourself and see if he's any good, but then
again it made the likes of Julien Faubert and Savio look invincible.
The 24 year old Ivory Coast international plays in the Dutch League as
mentioned for Vitesse Arnhem. This season so far he is the third highest
goal scorer in Europe, behind two of the world's greatest players, Lionel
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with 24 goals in 26 games.
However this isn't just one lucky season it seems. Last season for Vitesse,
he bagged 12 in 28 games and the year before that 3 in 7. Altogether Bony
has 38 goals to his name for the Dutch side in 57 games. It must also be
added that he has 5 international goals to his name for the Ivory Coast in
17 caps. Impressive figures but you can debate whether it gives him the
status as a prolific goal scorer.
Bony is also 6 foot tall, so must be ideal for Sam Allardyce, anything
smaller and he'd be shipped off to the Championship.
You can argue though that the Eredivisie, (Dutch Premier League) doesn't
hold the best standard of football and the only strikers who have been
imported by English Premier League teams that have turned out to be
successful are Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Luis Suarez and Dennis Bergkamp. The
likes of Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel have ended up on the wings and haven't
really set the world alight, particularly the latter.
But what can be said about Wilfried Bony is that he does know where the goal
is. This being something that the club has missed for a number of years.
Personally I feel Dean Ashton was our last consistent goal scorer and both
Allardyce and Sullivan have come out and said that a goal scorer is
something we desperately need.
It's an expensive risk for the co-chairmen to make and knowing our luck if
we do sign him he'll flop but let's hope that with the Olympic Stadium
coming our way, another bit of fortune will follow just behind.
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West Ham target Stade de Reims midfielder as Diame replacement
By talkSPORT | Wednesday, March 27, 2013
By Lyall Thomas
West Ham United are targeting Stade de Reims midfielder Bocundji Ca as a
potential replacement for wantaway midfielder Mohamed Diame. Diame was close
to leaving the Hammers in January amid interest from a host of top Premier
League clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Everton. And with a
£3.5million buy-out clause in his contract, the Senegalese midfielder's
future at Upton Park remains in doubt, with Newcastle thought to be leading
the chase to capture the 25-year-old this summer. West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce is looking at a number of possible replacements and the club's
chief scout has made contact with Ca's representatives about the possibility
of bringing the star across the channel. Ca is a Guinea-Bissau
international, who was influential in Reims' promotion to the French Ligue 1
last season, and the 26-year-old player is keen to move to England not only
to benefit his own career, but to also raise awareness about the quality of
footballers coming from his native country. Ca began his career with Nantes
before spells with Tours and Nancy and was signed by Reims in the summer of
2011.
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If West Ham move into the Olympic Stadium Leyton Orient will surely suffer a
slow and painful death
By Luke Edwards1:25PM GMT 27 Mar 201328 Comments
Telegraph.co.uk
It has never been easy to support Leyton Orient, but it would be even harder
to watch them suffer a slow and painful death caused by the decisions of
politicians, the self-interest of a rival and the inaction of those who know
football in this country is about far more than the Premier League. If West
Ham move into the Olympic Stadium, less than 1000m from Orient's Matchroom
Stadium and they stand idle, the O's, the second oldest professional club in
London, will surely die. Think of the local butcher and greengrocer forced
out of business when the giant supermarket with free car parking was built
round the corner. This is Orient's future, this is what the legacy of the
Olympic Games will be for the O's. Something has to be done to save them,
but what? Leyton Orient are a small club in an unfashionable corner of east
London who have always lived in the shadow of bigger, more illustrious
clubs. There are three Premier League sides within a few miles of Brisbane
Road and Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham have always dominated attention and
gobbled up fans in this part of the capital.
The O's have played a solitary season in the top flight and attract crowds
of less than 5,000 in League One, but they are not irrelevant and they
cannot be ignored because it is convenient for those in power to do so.
They are a football club that inspires devotion and loyalty like any other.
For those who support them, Orient are the only club they can love. I should
know.
I grew up in Leytonstone and, like all those who follow the O's, could have
supported any of the above. But in the 80s, crowd trouble was a problem and
my parents took me to Brisbane Road instead. It was safer, cheaper and there
was even room to run around when I got bored. I caught the bug, sitting on
the wall behind the goal, behind a metal fence which, pre-Hillsborough,
penned fans in, my feet swinging through the gaps. I was a mascot like my
brother before me, as was my cousin after that. When we moved to Ipswich, I
continued to travel down from Suffolk to be a ball boy at every home game.
When we moved again to Sheffield, we travelled all across the north of
England to see Orient play and always made sure our returns to London tied
in with a home game. Now a football journalist covering the collective
under-achievements of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, my Geordie
wife, as well as my brother and father-in-law, are honorary O's. They caught
the bug too. Trust me, Orient matter. So why have the Football League and
the Premier League apparently forgotten their own rules which stipulate a
club can only move into a new stadium if it "would not adversely affect
Clubs having their registered grounds in the immediate vicinity of the
proposed location?"
They more than anyone have a responsibility to protect one of their members,
but all that has been forgotten in the quest to ensure the Olympic Stadium
does not become a White Elephant. In the desire to make sure the flagship of
last summer's magnificent London Olympics has a long term use, all anyone
has worried about is getting a Premier League football club to make it its
new home. Had Orient's chairman, Barry Hearn, not challenged the decision to
allow West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium through the courts, the
Hammers would have been named as tenants months ago. Hearn has fought the
Government, the London Legacy Development Corporation, West Ham and the
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, every step of the way. He has shouted as
loudly as he can, but his words have been lost on the wind blowing against
him. He has refused to go away, but he has always been left outside in the
cold with his nose pressed against the window.
He knows better than anyone the commercial pressures Orient are under. For
the past 30 years, Orient, like virtually every lower league club, have been
involved in a fight for survival. It is a fight they can no longer win if
West Ham land on their doorstep. Orient bring new fans into the stadium by
offering cheap tickets to families, generating a fan base rather than
attracting one. They reach into the local community by visiting schools and
youth clubs, running workshops and coaching sessions. Hearn has turned them
into a viable business that would pass Uefa's Financial Fairplay rules. West
Ham wouldn't.
Still, it is tough to keep crowds above 4000 in such harsh economic times.
Now they will have West Ham a few hundred metres away doing exactly the same
thing. West Ham fail to sell out Upton Park every week, yet they are moving
into a stadium which will have around 25,000 extra seats to fill.
To make their move work, they have to bring in new fans and they will
aggressively look to do so. West Ham want to compete in Europe and they hope
the extra money generated by larger crowds will enable them to do so. There
will only be one winner in the Boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham. If you
had the choice, would you take your family to see League One football or
Premier League at the same price? Orient will probably never play in Europe,
but they would like to be able to carry on playing. Hearn has talked about
ground sharing with West Ham, but the Hammers have rejected the idea.
Hearn's plan would be to sell Brisbane Road, prime real estate on the edge
of the Olympic Park, and use the money to guarantee Orient's future for the
next 20 years or so.
However, there are major problems with this. Playing inside such a huge
stadium with small crowds could be a soul-destroying experience and would
not remove the problem of having West Ham stealing their future customers.
There is an alternative that has been discussed. For Orient to move with the
times, maybe they should just move. It is an idea that generally appals
football fans and there was vitriol spouted when Wimbledon moved to Milton
Keynes and became the MK Dons, but there might not be an alternative for
Orient. After all, most of their fans don't live in Leyton, they are spread
across Waltham Forest and Essex, many living in the suburbs off the A12 and
A13. There are places they could go, with Harlow, Romford or Basildon
mooted.
For a club that began life as Clapton Orient, another relocation is not
abhorrent if the alternative is extinction. Hearn, who owns Brisbane Road
and whose wheeler dealer reputation has not helped Orient's pleas for
financial assistance, could still sell their current stadium to help pay for
the move, although Orient will need more than that to build a new one. Then
again, if around £60m of taxpayers' money can be used to turn the Olympic
Stadium into West Ham's new home, surely Orient deserve some sort of
compensation, some means to survive. No money has been offered, no help has
been given. Nobody seems to care, but there are plenty of us who do and we
will continue to fight our cause.
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Bony idol on Roman's radar
The Sun
By MEL HENDERSON
Published: 27th March 2013
CHELSEA are planning to hijack West Ham's £12million move for goal-ace
Wilfried Bony. The Ivory Coast international is top scorer in Holland, with
26 goals in 24 league games for shock title contenders Vitesse Arnhem. The
Hammers thought they were close to agreeing a record-breaking deal to nab
him in the summer. Co-chairman David Sullivan met one of the player's
agents, London-based Francis Kacou, on Monday. But Chelsea see the
free-scoring forward as a potential replacement for £50m flop Fernando
Torres — and made their move later that day. Jose Mourinho, touted to return
to Chelsea from Real Madrid in the summer, was at Stamford Bridge that night
for the friendly between Brazil and Russia. Also present were Vitesse owner
Merab Jordania, who has close links with Blues supremo Roman Abramovich, and
Erwin Kasakowski, managing director of the Dutch club. The main topic of
conversation between the four was 24-year-old Bony, a player similar in
style to his fellow countryman and ex-Chelsea favourite Didier Drogba. Bony,
who scored for Ivory Coast in the 3-0 win over Gambia at the weekend, is
under contract until 2015 — but is desperate to move to the Premier League.
And Chelsea are now in pole position to seal a four-year deal for him worth
£80,000 a week. The Blues have a good relationship with Vitesse, with seven
Chelsea youngsters having gone there on loan in the past two seasons.
Vitesse are resigned to letting Bony go in the summer. But first they hope
the goals from a player who cost £4m from Sparta Prague in January 2011 will
help them clinch a place in the Champions League for the first time.
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Kev's grounds for Sam to stay
Published: 27th March 2013
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN insists Sam Allardyce is the man who should lead West Ham into
the 54,000-seat Olympic Stadium. Hammers boss Big Sam is out of contract at
the end of this season. And skipper Nolan said: "He's the perfect man. It's
massive to make sure we secure his future now we've secured this stadium."
Nolan also reckons the club will fill the new ground. He said: "I speak to
people who can't get a ticket because we've had 13 sell-outs on the spin."
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Oarsome! Sir Steve Redgrave backs West Ham's move to the Olympic Stadium
The Mirror
27 Mar 2013 22:30
Sir Steve Redgrave has thrown his support behind West Ham's Olympic Stadium
move as it keeps alive the memory of London 2012. The awesome oarsman admits
he was concerned by the counter-proposal to keep the Stratford site solely
for athletics due to the cost and relative lack of use the stadium would
have.
Worst of all, he says, was Tottenham's rival proposal to knock down the
stadium - complete with golden memories of Jess Ennis, Mo Farah, David Weir,
Jonnie Peacock and others - and start all over again. "I think it's a good
situation that we've arrived at and I'm quite pleased," said the Olympic
legend. "A multi-use stadium makes most sense. "The key thing for me has
always been that it remains an Olympic Stadium and retains the memories that
were created last summer. "When we talk about legacy we talk about
inspiration and I know, from when I was growing up, how inspired I was by
the likes of Daley Thompson, Seb Coe and Steve Ovett. "The more gold medals
the more memories. Team GB won five golds in each of the Games at Moscow,
Los Angeles, Seoul and Barcelona between 1980 and '92. "In the five
different summer Games in which I competed we won in total 27. Yet in London
we picked up more than in all those Games put together." That is just
counting the 29 gold medals Team GB won at the Olympics. There were a
further 34 in the Paralympics. "Our youth will remember that for many years
if not the rest of their lives," added Redgrave. "Those are memories that
hopefully will remain with them for the rest of their lives."
* Sir Steve was speaking at the launch of Matalan Sporting Communities to
help 14 to 19-year-olds.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 27
Daily WHUFC News - 27th March 2013
Cole wants stadium move to bring glory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Joe Cole believes the club's plan to move to the Olympic
Stadium will bring it success
26.03.2013
Joe Cole is sure that the Olympic Stadium will provide a fantastic new home
for the Hammers. The West Ham United Academy product, who rejoined the club
from Liverpool in January, was present as the plans for the Olympic
Stadium's conversion were unveiled. And having played in the Champions
League at the best stadiums Europe has to offer, Cole is certain the
Hammers' new ground will provide an equally-inspiring venue. He told West
Ham TV: "It's not just important for the players but for the punters too
[being close to the pitch]. They want to be close to us and that's the
beauty of the Premier League, the fans are right on top of you. "That's
vital and they've got that with this [the plans for the new stadium]. We're
really excited - it's an historic day for the club.
"Coming here as a young lad, the Boleyn Ground didn't even have the Bobby
Moore Stand or the Alpari Stand. Seeing where the club's come from to where
we're moving to is great. "I'm sure the punters will love it when it's all
done. It's going to be unbelievable. "It brings a lot of things not just to
the club but to the East End. Jobs and everything else, it's going to leave
a really good legacy for after the Olympics. "With all the things that
happened there last summer, that's still firmly in people's minds. Now we
want to put on great nights for the fans, European nights - that has to be
the plan. You've got to look high, we want to play the top clubs in Europe,
the Barcelonas, the Milans. "That's the dream for everyone, the owners are
West Ham people. They want it to happen, we want it to happen. The gaffer's
done a great job, he's excited by it, so it's a great time and we want to
bring some big nights there for the punters."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moncur delighted with new deal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster George Moncur has put pen-to-paper on a new
contract with the club
26.03.2013
West Ham United youngster George Moncur is looking forward to the prospect
of following in his father's footsteps after putting pen-to-paper on a new
two-year deal, with the option for a third, at the Boleyn Ground. Moncur's
dad John played 205 games in a nine-year spell with the Hammers after making
the move to E13 from Swindon Town. Now 19-year-old George is delighted to be
taking his first steps along the same road by earning the chance to impress
at West Ham. He made his first team debut earlier this season in the
Hammers' victory over Crewe Alexandra in the Capital One Cup, and after
progressing well with the Development Squad this year, has his sights set on
more involvement at that level. "I'm over the moon to have signed my new
contract," he said. "It's great to play at this football club, so to sign
for another two years is really great for me and my development. "Hopefully
it'll continue to go as well as it has done so far. They've put their faith
in me and I want to repay them by producing good performances out on the
pitch. "If I keep on doing what I'm doing then hopefully a first team chance
will come. Obviously my old man played here for quite a while, so it would
be nice to follow in his footsteps and make that progression to the first
team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham youngster George Moncur has a signed a two-year deal
Last Updated: March 26, 2013 11:25am
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham youngster George Moncur is looking forward to following in his
father's footsteps after signing a two-year deal, with an option for a
third, with the club. Moncur's dad John played 205 games for West Ham in a
nine-year spell with the Hammers and the 19-year-old is delighted to be
following the same path.
The highly-rated youngster made his first team debut in the Capital One Cup
win over Crewe and has been progressing well with the Development squad this
season. Moncur said: "I am over the moon to have signed my new contract. It
is great to play at this football club, so to sign for another two years is
really great for me and my development. "Hopefully it will continue to go as
well as it has so far. They have put faith in me and I want to repay them by
putting some good performances out on the pitch. "If I keep on doing what I
am doing then hopefully a first team chance will come. Obviously my old man
played here for quite a while, so it would be nice to follow in his
footsteps and make that progression to the first team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole: Pampered kids should feel privileged to rub shoulders with the
senior players. They need to get back to cleaning boots and stop taking
things for granted
By LAURIE WHITWELL
PUBLISHED: 00:16, 27 March 2013 | UPDATED: 00:16, 27 March 2013
Daily Mail
Carlton Cole is in a reflective mood. Looking back to his past,
contemplating his present and speculating on a future away from the club he
loves. Whenever the West Ham striker speaks, he does so plainly and
honestly, and despite the delicate nature of his current situation, this
interview is no different. He speaks plainly about his desire for a shot at
regaining a starting berth at Upton Park, his conclusion that life may lie
abroad should a new deal not materialise in the summer and his opinion that
'pampered' youth-team players need to learn respect for their elders. The
last point is one which Cole, in forthright mood, makes effusively. The
former England and Chelsea striker, now 29, believes too many of today's
generation live a gilded existence and lack the work ethic he employed in
his teenage years. He thinks old-school methods must be reintroduced,
starting with cleaning boots.
'I was speaking to my kit man about this,' Cole says. 'When I was young and
first went to a Premier League side I was working hard trying to make it. I
got my first pro contract at 17. I was travelling with the team, going up
north, but still I had to wash Dennis Wise's boots at that age. 'To get to
home matches I used to walk through the crowd of people going to the game
and then I'd be on the bench. This is when I'd already made my debut. After
away games I had to wait for everyone to come off the coach and take the kit
skip out to where it was supposed to be. 'Now these kids don't have to do
that. They think everything comes easy. I did a lot of stuff. I used to play
a Premier League game and get on a bus to go home. These kids are getting
driven home now, you know what I mean?' Cole laughs as he asks that
rhetorical question - default mode for a man with a megawatt smile - but the
undercurrent is serious. In his eyes, the lightening of expectations on
academy players has led to a slip in manners. 'Honestly, I think there's too
much pampering,' he says. 'People might batter me, at the FA or whatever,
but I think they need to go back to the roots. These kids need to know it's
a job. Because they're rubbing shoulders with us they're taking it for
granted. They get showered and leave their kit on the floor. There's a skip
there to put the kit in but they're leaving it on the floor. I'm like,
"What?". They're not respecting. 'We try to talk to them, they don't listen.
It should be a privilege for them to be around us really. We've been there
and done it but they don't understand that. They're thinking, "Ah this is
normal. I'll talk to Carlton any time I want." They go around bragging to
their mates. They've got to be washing players' boots so you've got that
authority over them. 'I would give them some Christmas bonus money, "You've
done well this year, go and spend that, it's on me." I used to be buzzing
for that Christmas bonus. That came in handy! I used to buy my family's
presents. It's all changed now.'
Cole is ruminating in a Romford leisure centre, where he has come to offer
advice to children taking part in the FA Vauxhall Football Mash Up - a
grassroots initiative providing coaching to those who might otherwise be
unable to keep playing. Coaches from the FA and West Ham have run the
session and Cole has fielded questions about making it as a professional. 'I
was working six days a week to try and get to where I got to when I was
young,' he says. 'I sacrificed all my mates. I tell my brother what I went
through. He's 15 and has trials for Sunderland and QPR. Ivan Thompson Cole
is his name. He's going to get there if he tries his hardest and stops
listening to outside influences. A problem he had was thinking that, because
he's got me, he could get into any club. 'These young kids have got to
understand they'll get knockbacks. I got knocked back from Brentford when I
was young. "Sorry mate, we're not giving you a contract." Six months later I
got into Chelsea. I'm like, "What scout have you got there then? He can't
see talent!"'
Fourteen-mile bicycle rides for evening training sessions were made daily,
with paper rounds before school the following morning. 'I was going there on
my own in the dark,' he says. 'My hands would be frosty but I got rewarded
for my hard efforts and ended up playing for England. These kids have got to
understand it's not easy.' Right now it's not easy for Cole. His West Ham
contract runs out in the summer and Andy Carroll is preferred in the sole
striker role. Marouane Chamakh joined on loan in January and there were
reports Cole was told he could leave, sparking links with Reading, Norwich
and even Kasimpasa in Turkey. 'I wasn't ready to leave in January,' says
Cole. 'Other clubs talked to the agents but I didn't listen. I was still
focused on West Ham. 'At the end of the day you've got to make sure you're
in the manager's thoughts. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and the
manager will get rid of you anyway.
'It's all about actions. It's not about speaking, "I'm gonna do this, I'm
gonna do that." If the manager sees I'm trying hard he's got to be fair, but
if the guy's doing it in front of you, you've got to wait your chance. 'Me
and Andy get on like a house on fire. He bounces ideas off me, I bounce
ideas off him. It's only because of the formation that we don't bot play.
'I could partner anyone. Hopefully, if we did change to a 4-4-2, I'd get a
look in.'
Cole was brilliant in the 3-1 win over Chelsea this season, when he scored
and bullied Branislav Ivanovic, but since Carroll's return from injury his
roles have been cameos. 'I've seen a lot of strikers come and go at this
club. I've been here seven years,' Cole adds. 'You've got to understand it's
not a joke. If another striker comes in I'll welcome him with open arms but
I'm always there to push you. Right now I'm not playing but I'm still
pushing Andy to make sure he plays well. 'My contract is up in the summer,
it's the first time I've ever been in this position. It's no slight on my
behalf or the club's behalf why it's like that. Rob Green went to the end of
his contract, got offered another deal but said, "No, I want a different
future". Other players, like Matthew Upson, have gone through the same
thing. 'I know what I want in my life, there's a lot of stuff that can
happen from now until the end of the season but it's still open. Mr Sullivan
and Mr Gold (West Ham's owners) are going to speak about everybody's future
once we know where we are in the league. It's a bit premature at the moment.
'When we know where we are then we can close that deal. If I'm not going to
close that deal at West Ham I might close it somewhere else. I've got to
weigh up my options.' What would Cole, who took a 50 per cent pay cut during
last season's stay in the Championship before scoring in the play-off final
at Wembley, like to happen? 'I love the club with all my heart and I want to
see them do well,' he says. 'If I can be a part of that, I'm a part of that.
'If not, I wish them all the best. Sometimes you have to part ways. It
happens. I could stay in the Premier League, go abroad. I'm open right now.
If I'm not with West Ham, anything's possible.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Joe Cole believes the club's plan to move to the Olympic
Stadium will bring it success
26.03.2013
Joe Cole is sure that the Olympic Stadium will provide a fantastic new home
for the Hammers. The West Ham United Academy product, who rejoined the club
from Liverpool in January, was present as the plans for the Olympic
Stadium's conversion were unveiled. And having played in the Champions
League at the best stadiums Europe has to offer, Cole is certain the
Hammers' new ground will provide an equally-inspiring venue. He told West
Ham TV: "It's not just important for the players but for the punters too
[being close to the pitch]. They want to be close to us and that's the
beauty of the Premier League, the fans are right on top of you. "That's
vital and they've got that with this [the plans for the new stadium]. We're
really excited - it's an historic day for the club.
"Coming here as a young lad, the Boleyn Ground didn't even have the Bobby
Moore Stand or the Alpari Stand. Seeing where the club's come from to where
we're moving to is great. "I'm sure the punters will love it when it's all
done. It's going to be unbelievable. "It brings a lot of things not just to
the club but to the East End. Jobs and everything else, it's going to leave
a really good legacy for after the Olympics. "With all the things that
happened there last summer, that's still firmly in people's minds. Now we
want to put on great nights for the fans, European nights - that has to be
the plan. You've got to look high, we want to play the top clubs in Europe,
the Barcelonas, the Milans. "That's the dream for everyone, the owners are
West Ham people. They want it to happen, we want it to happen. The gaffer's
done a great job, he's excited by it, so it's a great time and we want to
bring some big nights there for the punters."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moncur delighted with new deal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster George Moncur has put pen-to-paper on a new
contract with the club
26.03.2013
West Ham United youngster George Moncur is looking forward to the prospect
of following in his father's footsteps after putting pen-to-paper on a new
two-year deal, with the option for a third, at the Boleyn Ground. Moncur's
dad John played 205 games in a nine-year spell with the Hammers after making
the move to E13 from Swindon Town. Now 19-year-old George is delighted to be
taking his first steps along the same road by earning the chance to impress
at West Ham. He made his first team debut earlier this season in the
Hammers' victory over Crewe Alexandra in the Capital One Cup, and after
progressing well with the Development Squad this year, has his sights set on
more involvement at that level. "I'm over the moon to have signed my new
contract," he said. "It's great to play at this football club, so to sign
for another two years is really great for me and my development. "Hopefully
it'll continue to go as well as it has done so far. They've put their faith
in me and I want to repay them by producing good performances out on the
pitch. "If I keep on doing what I'm doing then hopefully a first team chance
will come. Obviously my old man played here for quite a while, so it would
be nice to follow in his footsteps and make that progression to the first
team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham youngster George Moncur has a signed a two-year deal
Last Updated: March 26, 2013 11:25am
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham youngster George Moncur is looking forward to following in his
father's footsteps after signing a two-year deal, with an option for a
third, with the club. Moncur's dad John played 205 games for West Ham in a
nine-year spell with the Hammers and the 19-year-old is delighted to be
following the same path.
The highly-rated youngster made his first team debut in the Capital One Cup
win over Crewe and has been progressing well with the Development squad this
season. Moncur said: "I am over the moon to have signed my new contract. It
is great to play at this football club, so to sign for another two years is
really great for me and my development. "Hopefully it will continue to go as
well as it has so far. They have put faith in me and I want to repay them by
putting some good performances out on the pitch. "If I keep on doing what I
am doing then hopefully a first team chance will come. Obviously my old man
played here for quite a while, so it would be nice to follow in his
footsteps and make that progression to the first team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole: Pampered kids should feel privileged to rub shoulders with the
senior players. They need to get back to cleaning boots and stop taking
things for granted
By LAURIE WHITWELL
PUBLISHED: 00:16, 27 March 2013 | UPDATED: 00:16, 27 March 2013
Daily Mail
Carlton Cole is in a reflective mood. Looking back to his past,
contemplating his present and speculating on a future away from the club he
loves. Whenever the West Ham striker speaks, he does so plainly and
honestly, and despite the delicate nature of his current situation, this
interview is no different. He speaks plainly about his desire for a shot at
regaining a starting berth at Upton Park, his conclusion that life may lie
abroad should a new deal not materialise in the summer and his opinion that
'pampered' youth-team players need to learn respect for their elders. The
last point is one which Cole, in forthright mood, makes effusively. The
former England and Chelsea striker, now 29, believes too many of today's
generation live a gilded existence and lack the work ethic he employed in
his teenage years. He thinks old-school methods must be reintroduced,
starting with cleaning boots.
'I was speaking to my kit man about this,' Cole says. 'When I was young and
first went to a Premier League side I was working hard trying to make it. I
got my first pro contract at 17. I was travelling with the team, going up
north, but still I had to wash Dennis Wise's boots at that age. 'To get to
home matches I used to walk through the crowd of people going to the game
and then I'd be on the bench. This is when I'd already made my debut. After
away games I had to wait for everyone to come off the coach and take the kit
skip out to where it was supposed to be. 'Now these kids don't have to do
that. They think everything comes easy. I did a lot of stuff. I used to play
a Premier League game and get on a bus to go home. These kids are getting
driven home now, you know what I mean?' Cole laughs as he asks that
rhetorical question - default mode for a man with a megawatt smile - but the
undercurrent is serious. In his eyes, the lightening of expectations on
academy players has led to a slip in manners. 'Honestly, I think there's too
much pampering,' he says. 'People might batter me, at the FA or whatever,
but I think they need to go back to the roots. These kids need to know it's
a job. Because they're rubbing shoulders with us they're taking it for
granted. They get showered and leave their kit on the floor. There's a skip
there to put the kit in but they're leaving it on the floor. I'm like,
"What?". They're not respecting. 'We try to talk to them, they don't listen.
It should be a privilege for them to be around us really. We've been there
and done it but they don't understand that. They're thinking, "Ah this is
normal. I'll talk to Carlton any time I want." They go around bragging to
their mates. They've got to be washing players' boots so you've got that
authority over them. 'I would give them some Christmas bonus money, "You've
done well this year, go and spend that, it's on me." I used to be buzzing
for that Christmas bonus. That came in handy! I used to buy my family's
presents. It's all changed now.'
Cole is ruminating in a Romford leisure centre, where he has come to offer
advice to children taking part in the FA Vauxhall Football Mash Up - a
grassroots initiative providing coaching to those who might otherwise be
unable to keep playing. Coaches from the FA and West Ham have run the
session and Cole has fielded questions about making it as a professional. 'I
was working six days a week to try and get to where I got to when I was
young,' he says. 'I sacrificed all my mates. I tell my brother what I went
through. He's 15 and has trials for Sunderland and QPR. Ivan Thompson Cole
is his name. He's going to get there if he tries his hardest and stops
listening to outside influences. A problem he had was thinking that, because
he's got me, he could get into any club. 'These young kids have got to
understand they'll get knockbacks. I got knocked back from Brentford when I
was young. "Sorry mate, we're not giving you a contract." Six months later I
got into Chelsea. I'm like, "What scout have you got there then? He can't
see talent!"'
Fourteen-mile bicycle rides for evening training sessions were made daily,
with paper rounds before school the following morning. 'I was going there on
my own in the dark,' he says. 'My hands would be frosty but I got rewarded
for my hard efforts and ended up playing for England. These kids have got to
understand it's not easy.' Right now it's not easy for Cole. His West Ham
contract runs out in the summer and Andy Carroll is preferred in the sole
striker role. Marouane Chamakh joined on loan in January and there were
reports Cole was told he could leave, sparking links with Reading, Norwich
and even Kasimpasa in Turkey. 'I wasn't ready to leave in January,' says
Cole. 'Other clubs talked to the agents but I didn't listen. I was still
focused on West Ham. 'At the end of the day you've got to make sure you're
in the manager's thoughts. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and the
manager will get rid of you anyway.
'It's all about actions. It's not about speaking, "I'm gonna do this, I'm
gonna do that." If the manager sees I'm trying hard he's got to be fair, but
if the guy's doing it in front of you, you've got to wait your chance. 'Me
and Andy get on like a house on fire. He bounces ideas off me, I bounce
ideas off him. It's only because of the formation that we don't bot play.
'I could partner anyone. Hopefully, if we did change to a 4-4-2, I'd get a
look in.'
Cole was brilliant in the 3-1 win over Chelsea this season, when he scored
and bullied Branislav Ivanovic, but since Carroll's return from injury his
roles have been cameos. 'I've seen a lot of strikers come and go at this
club. I've been here seven years,' Cole adds. 'You've got to understand it's
not a joke. If another striker comes in I'll welcome him with open arms but
I'm always there to push you. Right now I'm not playing but I'm still
pushing Andy to make sure he plays well. 'My contract is up in the summer,
it's the first time I've ever been in this position. It's no slight on my
behalf or the club's behalf why it's like that. Rob Green went to the end of
his contract, got offered another deal but said, "No, I want a different
future". Other players, like Matthew Upson, have gone through the same
thing. 'I know what I want in my life, there's a lot of stuff that can
happen from now until the end of the season but it's still open. Mr Sullivan
and Mr Gold (West Ham's owners) are going to speak about everybody's future
once we know where we are in the league. It's a bit premature at the moment.
'When we know where we are then we can close that deal. If I'm not going to
close that deal at West Ham I might close it somewhere else. I've got to
weigh up my options.' What would Cole, who took a 50 per cent pay cut during
last season's stay in the Championship before scoring in the play-off final
at Wembley, like to happen? 'I love the club with all my heart and I want to
see them do well,' he says. 'If I can be a part of that, I'm a part of that.
'If not, I wish them all the best. Sometimes you have to part ways. It
happens. I could stay in the Premier League, go abroad. I'm open right now.
If I'm not with West Ham, anything's possible.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th March 2013
'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold has told West Ham TV of his excitement about the
club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013
Joint-Chairman David Gold believes West Ham United's move to the Olympic
Stadium will provide a huge boost to both the club and the area where he
grew up. Mr Gold was born in Stepney and raised in east London, spending
time living in Green Street just a stone's throw from the Boleyn Ground and
playing football for West Ham Boys as a child. From there, he showed great
ambition to become a hugely successful businessman, enabling him - alongside
David Sullivan - to take charge of the club he loves in January 2010. The
Joint-Chairman says West Ham should grasp the 'fantastic opportunity'
afforded to the club by moving to Stratford. "I am delighted because I think
this announcement is a momentous one for the club," he told West Ham TV. "I
think it is a fantastic opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and
I'm excited about the outcome. I think it is a good deal for West Ham
United."
Mr Gold said the Board now looked forward to sharing the detailed plans for
the Olympic Stadium with Hammers supporters. "This is an important
announcement for the fans and I apologise to them because we have been
restricted in what we have said by confidentiality agreements. We've not
been able to share with you the upsides of this deal and been able to say
we're going to have retractable seating, a new roof and that coming to this
stadium will be like coming home. "It's not only an iconic stadium in
England, but it is iconic across the world. This will be fifth-largest
football stadium in Great Britain which will give us the opportunuity to
build for the future. It will have affordable pricing and give us the
opportunities to compete with the very best."
As a lifelong West Ham fan himself, Mr Gold is already excited about the
prospect of seeing more world-class players pulling on the famous claret and
blue shirt following the club's move to Stratford in 2016. "There is
absolutely no question that the increased revenues from many sources that
this will generate will help us to reduce the debt that burdens our football
club. We are not as competitive as we should be because of the debt burden
we inherited, so if we remove the debt and increase our incomes [it can only
benefit us]. "It's not just that, but players want to come to play at a
special place. I've experienced that, with players wanting to play in
London. If you add that draw by offering a world-class stadium, then of
course you will win some of the battles where a player is considering going
to other clubs. We now have a better opportunity to secure those top-class
players."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hill happy with Stratford switch
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Supporters' Club Chairman Ken Hill is 100 per cent behind
the club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013
Ken Hill has been watching West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground for more
than 60 years, but he is 100 per cent behind the club's move to the Olympic
Stadium. Now 63, lifelong fan Hill is the Chairman of the West Ham United
Supporters' Club and a Season Ticket Holder. The former soldier and amateur
goalkeeper, who names fellow stoppers Jim Standen and Lawrie Leslie among
his favourite all-time West Ham players, attended his first home match at
the age of six months in 1951. While he has great affection and many fond
memories of watching his heroes at the Boleyn Ground, Hill is adamant that
becoming anchor tenant of the iconic Stratford venue is the right decision
for everyone associated with the club. "Personally, I am delighted," said
Hill. "I think the club has needed this for quite some time and the plans
are absolutely fantastic. "My first thought when I saw the plans was 'When
can I get my Season Ticket?'. Secondly, I thought it was really well
laid-out and it needs to be embraced and everyone can see the pitch quite
comfortably. "Without a doubt, I think this is a move that the club needs to
make. We need to move to a new stadium to compete with the big clubs and
hopefully, before I kick the bucket, I can see my team playing in Europe."
As Chairman of the Supporters' Club, just a short pass away from the Boleyn
Ground in Castle Street, Hill meets and greets fans from all over the world
at every home fixture. He believes moving to the Olympic Stadium will
attract thousand upon thousand more supporters to cheer the Hammers on.
Having been among the 40,000-odd Hammers who attended the npower
Championship Play-Off final at Wembley last year, Hill is also confident
that the club will have no problem filling their new home. "I do feel that
the bigger the stadium, obviously the more people we will be able to get in
there. Also, we'll be able to get more revenue coming in which hopefully
will be put into the team. "I started coming over to the Boleyn Ground in
the late 1950s and I can remember the Chicken Run being a shed, basically,
and being built up from there. It's obviously got bigger and bigger but we
have to move now to get even bigger still. "Without a doubt, we can fill the
Olympic Stadium. I was impressed by Wembley in May and the Olympic Stadium
is going to be very similar. I'm impressed with Stratford as well. "We have
got very vocal support and, once the team start playing well, the fans will
be down there straight away singing 'Bubbles' and all their other songs and
everyone will join in. "The reason it is called Stratford International is
because everybody will be coming to Stratford."
The artist's impressions of the renovated Olympic Stadium reveal that West
Ham will truly make the iconic venue the Hammers' new home, with the Club
Store, Ticket Office and administrative offices all being based in
Stratford. "If we could take what we've got here at the Boleyn Ground - the
memorabilia and other bits and pieces - then I think it would set it off. If
we can make it as much of a home as we have at Upton Park, we'll be halfway
there. We'd like to get our Supporters' Club over to the Olympic Stadium but
that is for negotiation at a later date."
Hill closed by issuing the following personal message to any of his fellow
supporters who may still be sceptical about the move, pointing to the
success enjoyed by Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City since
their move to Eastlands as an example of what could happen to West Ham in
the future.
"As in any walk of life, people are scared of change. I would say 'Go into
it with an open mind' and don't close your mind to it before you know what
is going on. If you like it, get over there are soon as you can and, if you
don't, you're basically not a West Ham supporter. "I am sure there were some
sceptical people when Manchester City moved, but you support the team and
you will have your memories of Upton Park that you'll never forget, anyway.
They'll always be with you and bring a lump to your throat, but you've got
to move with the times."
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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce's former number two Phil Brown has been named as the new
manager of Southend United. Brown, who had been out of work since being
fired by Preston North End in December 2011 replaces the outgoing Paul
Sturrock, who was fired last week despite leading the Shrimpers to the
Johnson's Paint Trophy Final at Wembley next month. As a result of the close
personal relationship between Brown and Allardyce - who worked together at
Blackpool and then Bolton for six years - it is likely that a number of West
Ham's youngsters may now be heading to Roots Hall in order to gain valuable
league experience. In the past 12 months the likes of Robert Hall, Blair
Turgott and Danny Potts have all spent time out on loan in Leagues 1 and 2,
where Southend - who are still an outside bet for promotion from the fourth
tier - currently play. The last young Hammer to spend time on loan at Roots
Hall was Junior Stanislas. Now at Burnley, the former Academy product played
nine for the Shrimpers during the 2008/09 season.
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Bony discussions under way
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are locked in talks with Ivorian international striker
Ivorian Wilfried Bony. The highly-rated 24-year-old currently plays for
Dutch club Vitesse, for whom he has scored an incredible 26 goals in just 24
appearances this season. And despite being courted by a string of top clubs
across Europe - including fellow English teams such as Fulham and Chelsea -
West Ham are poised to land the 6' hitman, who is contracted to Arnhem until
2015. Bony's agent is understood to have flown into London last night and
was due to meet representatives of the club today. Despite having just over
a year left on his current contract, the Ivorian is valued at around
£14million by his current club. Bony - who trialled for Liverpool in 2007
but failed to land a contract at Anfield - started his career in the Ivory
Coast with Premier Division club Issia Wazi. In 2007, he spent a season on
loan with Sparta Prague before making that deal permanent the following
summer. During his three seasons in Prague, in which he was part of the
squad which won both the Gambrinus Liga and the Czech Republic Football
Supercup, Bony avergaed a goal every three games - and it was that keen eye
for goal which prompted Vitesse to pay £4million to take his to the
Netherlands. His first season - the 2011/12 campaign - ended with his as
Vitesse's top scorer with 12 goals (despite having only signed in January,
midway through the campaign). He is the Eredivisie's leading goalscorer
this season, with his tally of 26 goals - six more than his closest
competitor, Heerenveen's Alfred Finnbogason (who currently has 20).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Talking points
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: James Guill
With some of the squad's recent performances, including the loss to Aston
Villa on February 10th, some fans are concerned whether West Ham will be
able to stave off relegation at the end of the season.
It seems a foregone conclusion at this point that Reading and Queens Park
Rangers will be two of the three teams relegated as both have just 23 points
so far. Wigan are currently sitting in 18th spot with 27 points with Aston
Villa just three points above.
At present, West Ham are just six point above Wigan with nine games
remaining. Barring Wigan playing out of their minds for the remainder of the
season, I estimate that West Ham need about 10 points to stay up. We are
going to look at the remaining schedule to see where we might get those
points...
West Brom: March 30th
West Brom have been struggling since the first weekend of the year and went
winless in the Premier League until February 11th. Having won just three out
of their last 10 in the league (including a draw against Stoke City most
recently), this could be a great spot to pick up a win. The Hammers drew at
the Hawthorns in December and with distractions surrounding some of West
Brom's squad, West Ham should pull this one off.
Liverpool: April 7th
Liverpool exhibited some weakness on March 16th after losing to Southampton
and it has been confirmed that Joe Allen is out for the season. However,
looking at other recent performances from the club, we are led to believe
that the Southampton loss was a one-off as opposed to a long term problem
for the club. Sadly, I see this game ending in defeat.
Southampton: April 13th
Southampton are one of those clubs that most look at as an easy win, but
have just enough talent to pull off an upset if your squad is not playing
competent football. Liverpool and Manchester City have both recently found
this out the hard way. The Saints are one of the teams between West Ham and
Wigan and are just four points ahead to stay up. If the Hammers play
competent football, this should be an easy win; we won 4-1 back in September
and should do so again.
Manchester United: April 17th
If there is one game where West Ham could pull off a surprise victory or
even a draw, this would be the one. While it is true that Man U have the
title all but won, they have had trouble against the Hammers in all three
games this season and managed to score just four goals. The Red Devils
continued a trend of major gaming companies backing Premier League football
clubs and recently landed bwin.com as a sponsor - and their new sponsor is
expecting the club to perform. I'm not saying this will be a win, but a draw
is not beyond the realms of possibility. However if Man U play to form, this
will be a defeat so we will count it as such in our final stats for this
analysis.
Wigan Athletic: April 20th
Wigan's form this year could be best described as sporadic. Impressive
performances against Everton and Reading are easily outweighed by thrashings
taken at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool, and others. Only Aston Villa,
Reading, and Queens Park Rangers have a worse goal difference and are, not
surprisingly, the other three teams battling against relegation. Unless the
Hammers have a nightmare against Wigan, this should go down as a win for the
squad.
Manchester City: April 27th
The defending champs have struggled of late. They have lost to Everton,
barely defeated Aston Villa, lost to Southampton, and drew with lowly QPR.
The Hammer drew against Manchester City earlier this year, and there is
nothing in their recent performances to indicate that the result will be any
different this time around. An off-day by Man City could result in a
surprise defeat, but I'm going to call this one a draw right now.
Newcastle United: May 4th
Newcastle are level with the Hammers presently on 33 points. Both squad have
had up-and-down seasons, winning or drawing games they should have lost and
losing matches that should have easily yielded three points. Unless the
squad happens to pull off an upset victory against City and come in playing
inspired football, I think we'll be looking at a draw here.
Everton: May 12th
Everton have had a fantastic season and are challenging for a top four spot.
They are currently just two points behind fifth-placed Arsenal. The Blues
have shown they have the ability to have an off game - such as their loss to
Wigan - but they also have the ability to cross swords with the best as
exhibited in their early season defeat of Manchester United and their recent
defeat of Manchester City. We won't sugar-coat this one; this will be a
defeat.
Reading: May 19th
Reading have only won five games in the Premier League this season - and one
of those wins was against the Hammers. Reading's last win was in early
February against Sunderland and the club aren't exactly playing inspired
football right now (and have also recently parted company with Brian
McDermott). Expect West Ham to avenge this loss with a 2-0 victory on the
final day of the season.
If my projections hold accurate, West Ham will pick up 14 points during the
remainder of the season and stay up comfortably on 47 points. Considering
that we probably only need a couple of wins having accrued 33 already, this
does give us a bit of room for manouvre should a game or two not go as
expected.
Essentially, I expect West Ham to be in the Premier League next year and
hopefully Sam Allardyce will make a few moves during the summer - or even
earlier if the weekend's Wilfried Bony stories are to be believed - to allow
the team to compete for a top ten spot next season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Transfer news: Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony quiet on West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: March 25, 2013 12:27pm
SSN
Wilfried Bony has refused to confirm if he is set to seal a move to England,
with West Ham United strongly linked. Vitesse Arnhem striker Bony is
currently on international duty with Ivory Coast and scored in Saturday's
World Cup qualifying win over Gambia. Reports in Holland and England claim
West Ham were close to agreeing a £12million club record deal for Bony. The
player himself has never hidden his desire to move to England, but he admits
but he did not want to comment on West Ham's reported bid. "I am an
ambitious player, I am enjoying my football in the Netherlands but I expect
to move to a bigger league if I am doing well, I can't change that," he told
Sky Sports. "I love the Premier League and want to play here if there is an
opportunity. "But now I am happy we won a game for Ivory Coast after missing
an opportunity in South Africa to win the Nations Cup."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam's Hammers' D-Day
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 26th March 2013
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has been warned not to price himself out of a new deal at West
Ham. Big Sam's £2.25million-a-year contract expires in June and an extension
depends on the 58-year-old boss keeping Hammers up. Joint-chairman David
Sullivan said: "Once the end of the season comes we will sit down with Sam.
"If he wants to stay and is reasonable with his demands, then he will stay.
We hope to then work out a deal."
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Come and get me! West Ham target Wilfried Bony expresses wish to play in the
Prem
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 17:16
Dean Mouhtaropoulos
West Ham target Wilfried Bony has declared his love for the English Premier
League and revealed that he is expecting to move this summer. The Ivory
Coast and Vitesse Arnhem hotshot is valued at some £14million by his club,
but told Voetbal International sees that as no barrier to a sale. "I love
the Premier League and I would like to play if the opportunity is there. I
am an ambitious player. "I enjoy playing football in the Netherlands, but I
expect a transfer to a bigger league with how I am doing. I can't change
that." Bony, 24, has scored 26 goals for Vitesse this season – making him
top scorer in the Eredivisie – and is expected to be named Player of the
Year in the Dutch leagues. Since his £4m capture from Sparta Prague, the
forward's brute strength and explosive pace have brought him to the
attention of many scouts, including those of Liverpool, Fulham and Chelsea -
who have players already on loan in Arnhem. It is West Ham who are thought
to have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals though, and they will
be delighted with the Ivorians latest declarations after he failed to
engineer a move in January (though not through a lack of trying).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammered down: West Ham warn Sam Allardyce to be "reasonable" in pay talks
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 22:30
David Sullivan has warned Sam Allardyce not to price himself out of a new
contract at West Ham. The Irons' co-owner will sit down and negotiate a new
deal with his manager at the end of the season. The former Bolton and
Newcastle boss, who agreed a two-year contract in June 2011, received a big
bonus to get West Ham back into the Premier League. The Irons are putting
£15million into converting the Olympic Stadium for football, and Sullivan
said: "At the end of the season, we will sit down with Sam. "If he wants to
stay and is reasonable with his demands, he will stay." West Ham are in 14th
place in the Premier League on 33 points - six points clear of the drop zone
- with nine games remaining.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold has told West Ham TV of his excitement about the
club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013
Joint-Chairman David Gold believes West Ham United's move to the Olympic
Stadium will provide a huge boost to both the club and the area where he
grew up. Mr Gold was born in Stepney and raised in east London, spending
time living in Green Street just a stone's throw from the Boleyn Ground and
playing football for West Ham Boys as a child. From there, he showed great
ambition to become a hugely successful businessman, enabling him - alongside
David Sullivan - to take charge of the club he loves in January 2010. The
Joint-Chairman says West Ham should grasp the 'fantastic opportunity'
afforded to the club by moving to Stratford. "I am delighted because I think
this announcement is a momentous one for the club," he told West Ham TV. "I
think it is a fantastic opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and
I'm excited about the outcome. I think it is a good deal for West Ham
United."
Mr Gold said the Board now looked forward to sharing the detailed plans for
the Olympic Stadium with Hammers supporters. "This is an important
announcement for the fans and I apologise to them because we have been
restricted in what we have said by confidentiality agreements. We've not
been able to share with you the upsides of this deal and been able to say
we're going to have retractable seating, a new roof and that coming to this
stadium will be like coming home. "It's not only an iconic stadium in
England, but it is iconic across the world. This will be fifth-largest
football stadium in Great Britain which will give us the opportunuity to
build for the future. It will have affordable pricing and give us the
opportunities to compete with the very best."
As a lifelong West Ham fan himself, Mr Gold is already excited about the
prospect of seeing more world-class players pulling on the famous claret and
blue shirt following the club's move to Stratford in 2016. "There is
absolutely no question that the increased revenues from many sources that
this will generate will help us to reduce the debt that burdens our football
club. We are not as competitive as we should be because of the debt burden
we inherited, so if we remove the debt and increase our incomes [it can only
benefit us]. "It's not just that, but players want to come to play at a
special place. I've experienced that, with players wanting to play in
London. If you add that draw by offering a world-class stadium, then of
course you will win some of the battles where a player is considering going
to other clubs. We now have a better opportunity to secure those top-class
players."
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Hill happy with Stratford switch
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Supporters' Club Chairman Ken Hill is 100 per cent behind
the club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013
Ken Hill has been watching West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground for more
than 60 years, but he is 100 per cent behind the club's move to the Olympic
Stadium. Now 63, lifelong fan Hill is the Chairman of the West Ham United
Supporters' Club and a Season Ticket Holder. The former soldier and amateur
goalkeeper, who names fellow stoppers Jim Standen and Lawrie Leslie among
his favourite all-time West Ham players, attended his first home match at
the age of six months in 1951. While he has great affection and many fond
memories of watching his heroes at the Boleyn Ground, Hill is adamant that
becoming anchor tenant of the iconic Stratford venue is the right decision
for everyone associated with the club. "Personally, I am delighted," said
Hill. "I think the club has needed this for quite some time and the plans
are absolutely fantastic. "My first thought when I saw the plans was 'When
can I get my Season Ticket?'. Secondly, I thought it was really well
laid-out and it needs to be embraced and everyone can see the pitch quite
comfortably. "Without a doubt, I think this is a move that the club needs to
make. We need to move to a new stadium to compete with the big clubs and
hopefully, before I kick the bucket, I can see my team playing in Europe."
As Chairman of the Supporters' Club, just a short pass away from the Boleyn
Ground in Castle Street, Hill meets and greets fans from all over the world
at every home fixture. He believes moving to the Olympic Stadium will
attract thousand upon thousand more supporters to cheer the Hammers on.
Having been among the 40,000-odd Hammers who attended the npower
Championship Play-Off final at Wembley last year, Hill is also confident
that the club will have no problem filling their new home. "I do feel that
the bigger the stadium, obviously the more people we will be able to get in
there. Also, we'll be able to get more revenue coming in which hopefully
will be put into the team. "I started coming over to the Boleyn Ground in
the late 1950s and I can remember the Chicken Run being a shed, basically,
and being built up from there. It's obviously got bigger and bigger but we
have to move now to get even bigger still. "Without a doubt, we can fill the
Olympic Stadium. I was impressed by Wembley in May and the Olympic Stadium
is going to be very similar. I'm impressed with Stratford as well. "We have
got very vocal support and, once the team start playing well, the fans will
be down there straight away singing 'Bubbles' and all their other songs and
everyone will join in. "The reason it is called Stratford International is
because everybody will be coming to Stratford."
The artist's impressions of the renovated Olympic Stadium reveal that West
Ham will truly make the iconic venue the Hammers' new home, with the Club
Store, Ticket Office and administrative offices all being based in
Stratford. "If we could take what we've got here at the Boleyn Ground - the
memorabilia and other bits and pieces - then I think it would set it off. If
we can make it as much of a home as we have at Upton Park, we'll be halfway
there. We'd like to get our Supporters' Club over to the Olympic Stadium but
that is for negotiation at a later date."
Hill closed by issuing the following personal message to any of his fellow
supporters who may still be sceptical about the move, pointing to the
success enjoyed by Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City since
their move to Eastlands as an example of what could happen to West Ham in
the future.
"As in any walk of life, people are scared of change. I would say 'Go into
it with an open mind' and don't close your mind to it before you know what
is going on. If you like it, get over there are soon as you can and, if you
don't, you're basically not a West Ham supporter. "I am sure there were some
sceptical people when Manchester City moved, but you support the team and
you will have your memories of Upton Park that you'll never forget, anyway.
They'll always be with you and bring a lump to your throat, but you've got
to move with the times."
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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce's former number two Phil Brown has been named as the new
manager of Southend United. Brown, who had been out of work since being
fired by Preston North End in December 2011 replaces the outgoing Paul
Sturrock, who was fired last week despite leading the Shrimpers to the
Johnson's Paint Trophy Final at Wembley next month. As a result of the close
personal relationship between Brown and Allardyce - who worked together at
Blackpool and then Bolton for six years - it is likely that a number of West
Ham's youngsters may now be heading to Roots Hall in order to gain valuable
league experience. In the past 12 months the likes of Robert Hall, Blair
Turgott and Danny Potts have all spent time out on loan in Leagues 1 and 2,
where Southend - who are still an outside bet for promotion from the fourth
tier - currently play. The last young Hammer to spend time on loan at Roots
Hall was Junior Stanislas. Now at Burnley, the former Academy product played
nine for the Shrimpers during the 2008/09 season.
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Bony discussions under way
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are locked in talks with Ivorian international striker
Ivorian Wilfried Bony. The highly-rated 24-year-old currently plays for
Dutch club Vitesse, for whom he has scored an incredible 26 goals in just 24
appearances this season. And despite being courted by a string of top clubs
across Europe - including fellow English teams such as Fulham and Chelsea -
West Ham are poised to land the 6' hitman, who is contracted to Arnhem until
2015. Bony's agent is understood to have flown into London last night and
was due to meet representatives of the club today. Despite having just over
a year left on his current contract, the Ivorian is valued at around
£14million by his current club. Bony - who trialled for Liverpool in 2007
but failed to land a contract at Anfield - started his career in the Ivory
Coast with Premier Division club Issia Wazi. In 2007, he spent a season on
loan with Sparta Prague before making that deal permanent the following
summer. During his three seasons in Prague, in which he was part of the
squad which won both the Gambrinus Liga and the Czech Republic Football
Supercup, Bony avergaed a goal every three games - and it was that keen eye
for goal which prompted Vitesse to pay £4million to take his to the
Netherlands. His first season - the 2011/12 campaign - ended with his as
Vitesse's top scorer with 12 goals (despite having only signed in January,
midway through the campaign). He is the Eredivisie's leading goalscorer
this season, with his tally of 26 goals - six more than his closest
competitor, Heerenveen's Alfred Finnbogason (who currently has 20).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Talking points
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: James Guill
With some of the squad's recent performances, including the loss to Aston
Villa on February 10th, some fans are concerned whether West Ham will be
able to stave off relegation at the end of the season.
It seems a foregone conclusion at this point that Reading and Queens Park
Rangers will be two of the three teams relegated as both have just 23 points
so far. Wigan are currently sitting in 18th spot with 27 points with Aston
Villa just three points above.
At present, West Ham are just six point above Wigan with nine games
remaining. Barring Wigan playing out of their minds for the remainder of the
season, I estimate that West Ham need about 10 points to stay up. We are
going to look at the remaining schedule to see where we might get those
points...
West Brom: March 30th
West Brom have been struggling since the first weekend of the year and went
winless in the Premier League until February 11th. Having won just three out
of their last 10 in the league (including a draw against Stoke City most
recently), this could be a great spot to pick up a win. The Hammers drew at
the Hawthorns in December and with distractions surrounding some of West
Brom's squad, West Ham should pull this one off.
Liverpool: April 7th
Liverpool exhibited some weakness on March 16th after losing to Southampton
and it has been confirmed that Joe Allen is out for the season. However,
looking at other recent performances from the club, we are led to believe
that the Southampton loss was a one-off as opposed to a long term problem
for the club. Sadly, I see this game ending in defeat.
Southampton: April 13th
Southampton are one of those clubs that most look at as an easy win, but
have just enough talent to pull off an upset if your squad is not playing
competent football. Liverpool and Manchester City have both recently found
this out the hard way. The Saints are one of the teams between West Ham and
Wigan and are just four points ahead to stay up. If the Hammers play
competent football, this should be an easy win; we won 4-1 back in September
and should do so again.
Manchester United: April 17th
If there is one game where West Ham could pull off a surprise victory or
even a draw, this would be the one. While it is true that Man U have the
title all but won, they have had trouble against the Hammers in all three
games this season and managed to score just four goals. The Red Devils
continued a trend of major gaming companies backing Premier League football
clubs and recently landed bwin.com as a sponsor - and their new sponsor is
expecting the club to perform. I'm not saying this will be a win, but a draw
is not beyond the realms of possibility. However if Man U play to form, this
will be a defeat so we will count it as such in our final stats for this
analysis.
Wigan Athletic: April 20th
Wigan's form this year could be best described as sporadic. Impressive
performances against Everton and Reading are easily outweighed by thrashings
taken at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool, and others. Only Aston Villa,
Reading, and Queens Park Rangers have a worse goal difference and are, not
surprisingly, the other three teams battling against relegation. Unless the
Hammers have a nightmare against Wigan, this should go down as a win for the
squad.
Manchester City: April 27th
The defending champs have struggled of late. They have lost to Everton,
barely defeated Aston Villa, lost to Southampton, and drew with lowly QPR.
The Hammer drew against Manchester City earlier this year, and there is
nothing in their recent performances to indicate that the result will be any
different this time around. An off-day by Man City could result in a
surprise defeat, but I'm going to call this one a draw right now.
Newcastle United: May 4th
Newcastle are level with the Hammers presently on 33 points. Both squad have
had up-and-down seasons, winning or drawing games they should have lost and
losing matches that should have easily yielded three points. Unless the
squad happens to pull off an upset victory against City and come in playing
inspired football, I think we'll be looking at a draw here.
Everton: May 12th
Everton have had a fantastic season and are challenging for a top four spot.
They are currently just two points behind fifth-placed Arsenal. The Blues
have shown they have the ability to have an off game - such as their loss to
Wigan - but they also have the ability to cross swords with the best as
exhibited in their early season defeat of Manchester United and their recent
defeat of Manchester City. We won't sugar-coat this one; this will be a
defeat.
Reading: May 19th
Reading have only won five games in the Premier League this season - and one
of those wins was against the Hammers. Reading's last win was in early
February against Sunderland and the club aren't exactly playing inspired
football right now (and have also recently parted company with Brian
McDermott). Expect West Ham to avenge this loss with a 2-0 victory on the
final day of the season.
If my projections hold accurate, West Ham will pick up 14 points during the
remainder of the season and stay up comfortably on 47 points. Considering
that we probably only need a couple of wins having accrued 33 already, this
does give us a bit of room for manouvre should a game or two not go as
expected.
Essentially, I expect West Ham to be in the Premier League next year and
hopefully Sam Allardyce will make a few moves during the summer - or even
earlier if the weekend's Wilfried Bony stories are to be believed - to allow
the team to compete for a top ten spot next season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Transfer news: Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony quiet on West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: March 25, 2013 12:27pm
SSN
Wilfried Bony has refused to confirm if he is set to seal a move to England,
with West Ham United strongly linked. Vitesse Arnhem striker Bony is
currently on international duty with Ivory Coast and scored in Saturday's
World Cup qualifying win over Gambia. Reports in Holland and England claim
West Ham were close to agreeing a £12million club record deal for Bony. The
player himself has never hidden his desire to move to England, but he admits
but he did not want to comment on West Ham's reported bid. "I am an
ambitious player, I am enjoying my football in the Netherlands but I expect
to move to a bigger league if I am doing well, I can't change that," he told
Sky Sports. "I love the Premier League and want to play here if there is an
opportunity. "But now I am happy we won a game for Ivory Coast after missing
an opportunity in South Africa to win the Nations Cup."
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Big Sam's Hammers' D-Day
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 26th March 2013
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has been warned not to price himself out of a new deal at West
Ham. Big Sam's £2.25million-a-year contract expires in June and an extension
depends on the 58-year-old boss keeping Hammers up. Joint-chairman David
Sullivan said: "Once the end of the season comes we will sit down with Sam.
"If he wants to stay and is reasonable with his demands, then he will stay.
We hope to then work out a deal."
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Come and get me! West Ham target Wilfried Bony expresses wish to play in the
Prem
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 17:16
Dean Mouhtaropoulos
West Ham target Wilfried Bony has declared his love for the English Premier
League and revealed that he is expecting to move this summer. The Ivory
Coast and Vitesse Arnhem hotshot is valued at some £14million by his club,
but told Voetbal International sees that as no barrier to a sale. "I love
the Premier League and I would like to play if the opportunity is there. I
am an ambitious player. "I enjoy playing football in the Netherlands, but I
expect a transfer to a bigger league with how I am doing. I can't change
that." Bony, 24, has scored 26 goals for Vitesse this season – making him
top scorer in the Eredivisie – and is expected to be named Player of the
Year in the Dutch leagues. Since his £4m capture from Sparta Prague, the
forward's brute strength and explosive pace have brought him to the
attention of many scouts, including those of Liverpool, Fulham and Chelsea -
who have players already on loan in Arnhem. It is West Ham who are thought
to have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals though, and they will
be delighted with the Ivorians latest declarations after he failed to
engineer a move in January (though not through a lack of trying).
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Hammered down: West Ham warn Sam Allardyce to be "reasonable" in pay talks
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 22:30
David Sullivan has warned Sam Allardyce not to price himself out of a new
contract at West Ham. The Irons' co-owner will sit down and negotiate a new
deal with his manager at the end of the season. The former Bolton and
Newcastle boss, who agreed a two-year contract in June 2011, received a big
bonus to get West Ham back into the Premier League. The Irons are putting
£15million into converting the Olympic Stadium for football, and Sullivan
said: "At the end of the season, we will sit down with Sam. "If he wants to
stay and is reasonable with his demands, he will stay." West Ham are in 14th
place in the Premier League on 33 points - six points clear of the drop zone
- with nine games remaining.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, March 25
Daily WHUFC News - 25th March 2013
Cole impressed by Stadium plans
WHUFC.com
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is looking forward to the club's move
to the Olympic Stadium
24.03.2013
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole says the club's move to the Olympic
Stadium will help its presence in the community grow even bigger. Mayor of
London Boris Johnson announced on Friday that the Hammers had been given the
right to make the Olympic Stadium their home from 2016. Cole, who scored one
of West Ham's goals in their play-off final victory at Wembley last May, is
looking forward to seeing the club develop with a new 54,000-capacity home.
"I'm very impressed by the plans," he said, "I knew it was going to be
impressive when it was unveiled and now the club can plan to make it a home
for West Ham United. "It's very exciting times. You look to the future to
make things brighter and this is a great plan. The owners have got the fans'
interests at heart - the Olympic Stadium will be more accessible to get to
than the Boleyn, and tickets will be more accessible too. "That's the main
thing at the end of the day - the community matters to West Ham and that's
what's spurring this project on. "Moving there gives the club a massive
platform to help the community. Everyone is excited in and around West Ham,
all the players too. "It's a great opportunity to help the club move on to
the next level."
The stadium will now undergo a transformation to turn it into a football
ground with retractable seats covering the athletics track, following its
success in hosting last summer's Olympic Games. Cole cannot wait to see the
Hammers build upon the legendary stories already told inside the venue
during that unforgettable summer. He added: "Usain Bolt came here, lit up
the stage, Mo Farah my friend came here and got his golds. There have been
some great athletes in there already, and hopefully there'll be more great
athletes coming through our youth system to play there. "I came here during
the Olympics and it was a brilliant atmosphere. The noise level was unreal
and our fans are going to raise the roof, so it's going to be good."
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James Tomkins hoping to turn out for West Ham at Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: March 24, 2013 6:01pm
SSN
James Tomkins is determined to earn himself a new contract at West Ham
United and represent the club at the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers are set to
move out of their Upton Park home and take up residence at the base of
London 2012 in time for the 2016/17 campaign. Tomkins is aware of how
special the atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium promises to be, having formed
part of Team GB last summer. He is desperate to experience the thrill of
competing on such a stage for his boyhood club, but acknowledges that he
will first have to convince West Ham that he is deserving of fresh terms.
"My contract expires just before it happens but hopefully I will still be
around because, just like all the fans, I am looking forward to that
occasion."
Tomkins told the Sunday Express: "It seems so far away right now but it will
come soon. It should be a brilliant moment. "My contract expires just before
it happens but hopefully I will still be around because, just like all the
fans, I am looking forward to that occasion. "This has been my club since I
was eight. It's hard to see me ever being anywhere else because I have been
here so long, and my family are as excited as I am. "To see their son
potentially playing there makes them very proud. And being a local boy, I
will be doubly proud to be there."
Allardyce
It remains to be seen who will make up the West Ham playing and coaching
staff when they move into their new home, but Tomkins feels current coach
Sam Allardyce should be given every chance to guide the club into an
exciting new era. He added: "He is doing a great job here. "He got us
promoted at the first time of asking and you can't ask for much more,
really."
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Younes Belhanda and Henri Bedimo can leave Montpellier in the summer
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: March 24, 2013 8:29pm
SSN
Montpellier president Louis Nicollin has confirmed reported Premier League
targets Younes Belhanda and Henri Bedimo can leave the club in the summer.
Belhanda has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the past and
saw a January move to Fenerbahce fall through after the two clubs failed to
agree a fee. The Moroccan playmaker is now expected to leave the reigning
champions at the end of the season and is set to be joined by left-back
Bedimo.
West Ham United have previously been mooted as admirers of the Cameroon
international, while former Portsmouth striker John Utaka could also leave
Montpellier. Nicollin told the French media: "Bedimo and Belhanda can leave.
I am waiting for different offers. "Apart from those two, we can keep the
rest of the squad. Utaka can also leave, but he is expensive."
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Tony Cottee Interview Part 1: 'I Wish I Had Stayed at West Ham For My Whole
Career'
West Ham Till I Die
Last Friday I met Tony Cottee in my office in Westminster for an interview
that was scheduled to last an hour. In the end it lasted an hour and three
quarters. As usual I will publish it in several parts. This section was the
first twelve minutes and concentrates on Tony's views on the move to the
Olympic Stadium.
We are talking on the morning of the announcement that West Ham have got the
lease on the Olympic Stadium. Do you think that's a good thing?
I actually do believe it's a good thing. I don't want to leave Upton Park. I
don't think any sane West Ham fan can honestly say they want to leave Upton
Park. All the memories are there for me, not just as a player but as a
supporter too. Growing up in the 1970s, all the fantastic games I went to
see, all the memories that are there as a supporter, and secondly as a
player – what I achieved as a player, the goals I scored. All my history,
all my family's history, which goes back to the very start, it's all at
Upton Park. Do I want to leave the ground? No of course I don't, but I've to
be honest. I am fed up with West Ham being and also-ran club, settling for
mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League, if we're lucky, occasionally
dropping down into the Championship, something we have already done twice in
the 21sst century. I want the club to progress and hand on heart I don't
believe the club can progress at Upton Park. In terms of going to the
ground, although it's a great experience when you're actually there you
can't park, the Tube is a nightmare. Most West Ham fans don't live around
the ground any more. Nearly everyone is traveling or commuting into the
ground and purely from that point of view, Stratford is a good thing. It's
the best connected train station in Europe. It's got to be a plus to get
there. There are many, many reasons. I want to see the club get to the next
level.
Why is that West Have have always seemed to lack ambition?
You go back to the mid 1960s with all that success before the World Cup, the
1986 side. Everyone thought we ought to kick on then but the Board appeared
not to have the ambition to do so. Now seems to be the first time they've
said, yes, we want to be one of the biggest teams in the country. Yes
you're right. A lot of the problems come down to money. My Dad always tells
the story of Harry Hooper back in the 1950s. He was one of our best players
and West Ham sold him to cash in. In the 1960s we had wonderful players,
World Cup winners and we still didn't really achieve anything. In the 1970s
we began to try things – we signed Phil Parkes for a world record fee for a
goalkeeper, let's not forget that. We built up a really good team in 1986
and like with any good team when you've had a good season you need to get
two or three really good players and we didn't do that. We never bought
those players and the club then got relegated.
Presumably that was why you decided you had to leave, in the end.
I got frustrated. Exactly. Ultimately you could say it wasn't the right
decision because I didn't win anything at Everton and I then came back to
the club. Sitting here talking to you today I wish I had stayed at West Ham
my whole career because West Ham is my club and you look back and You think
'I wish I had done what Trevor Brooking did and played for West Ham my whole
career'. Steve Potts is another one. Alvin Martin, although he played for
Orient, didn't he, at the end? I wish I had stayed at West Ham my whole
career. There's going to be a lot of talk over the next few years about how
West Ham get to the next level. Talking is all well and good but there's got
to be a strategy in place to take the club to the next level. We've got to
clear the debt, first and foremost. You can't have a successful football
club when there are £70-£80 million worth of debt so one of the key things
for me has got to be that if we sell Upton Park that money must be used to
clear the debt and restore the club to a sound financial footing.
Do you think that can be achieved under the current ownership or do you
think they will have to bring in a third party investor?
I think ultimately we might have to look at another investor. I think things
are still a bit of a mess in terms of the last bit of the shareholding. I
think the Icelandic bank still own 35% of the shares so that needs to be
cleared up. Perhaps we could get in a big hitting investor, but whether they
would be allowed to invest who knows. After all, we have got the financial
fair play coming into operation. Moving to the Olympic Stadium is the right
thing. It's the right thing for us as a football club, but talk is cheap. We
have got to act and make sure that the club moves in the right direction.
Do you think football fans in general can be quite short-sighted and that
they tend to think with their hearts rather than their heads?
I actually feel sorry for the fans in a way, but it's not the club's fault.
They have been involved in a very lengthy legal battle which meant that they
had to abide by NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements). They couldn't talk about
so they have been very limited in what information it can put out to the
fans. So that fans make a judgement and think why on earth do we want to go
to Stratford, we play at Upton Park. And of course there are concerns that
go beyond that, and they were my concerns when I actually sat down and
talked to the club. I told them I would not support a project which means we
would go a stadium with an athletics track round a football field. It
doesn't work. It has never worked anywhere round the world. It was important
for me to see the plans, and I have been very privileged to see the plans
before the bulk of the fans. I have been very impressed with what I have
seen. With the retractable seating and the roof, which will mean a great
atmosphere, it will be the right thing for the fans. I do feel sorry for the
fans because they haven't see the plans. They are making a judgement on
what's been fed to them. There's been a lot of scaremongering about the
running track and how far you are away from the pitch, but I think if you
talk to anyone who went to the Olympics, they all said what a great view it
was.
I went and I walked right up to the back of the top tier and thought 'would
I want to sit here'? And I thought, yes, absolutely.
Yes, I have done it myself. Absolutely right. The top tier is not a problem.
The problem is the lower tier, where they have got to bring the fans nearer
to the pitch. There is also a problem with the toilets, the corporate
hospitality. It is just ridiculous that we built a stadium for the Olympics
without the foresight of thinking it would have to be used for football
afterwards.
Blame Ken Livingstone for that.
Exactly, Yes. There are a lot of people who should hang their heads in shame
through what happened seven or eight years ago, as great as the Olympics
were.
If you talk to fans from other London clubs they all say 'well you'll never
fill it'. Will we?
I understand people thinking that way. I think the opposite. I don't think
60,000 is enough for a successful West Ham team. I really don't. I think we
are that big a club. You have only got to look at the Play-Off Final. OK, it
was a Play-Off Final and it was at Wembley, I understand that but we could
easily have sold 120,000 tickets for that. That would have been all West Ham
fans, forget the Blackpool fans. There has always been a demand for tickets
from a successful West Ham United Football Club. OK, when we play Wigan at
home, are we going to fill it? I think the answer to that is 'no' if we are
not successful, so then the club would have to look at what they have
already spoken about – reducing admission prices and making it viable for
families and doing the Kids for a Quid, which has been a fantastic
invention.
Yes, it has been a success, but for some games at Upton Park this season
it's been a struggle to fill the ground to capacity. OK, it was on TV, but
there were tickets on the day for Spurs at home.
Is that not down to the cost? If you've got two kids it costs you at least
£200 for the day out if you include travel, programme and a bite to eat.
Think about the Man U game next month, there won't be any concessions if
you're not a season ticket holder. I think the season ticket is a great
deal. Bobby Moore Lower, £600 or whatever it might be, is fantastic value
for money but if you want to go to a one off game as a Dad with two boys,
there's no change out of £200. You can't afford that.
Presumably in the Olympic Stadium they will allow more away fans, which I
think could be great for the atmosphere.
I don't know whether there's a limit in terms of per centages but I think
there will be more scope for away fans but they will be up in the Gods
rather than in the prime seats.
If they do really cheap deals for home games that rather plays into what
Barry Hearn has been arguing doesn't it? He thinks it could lead to the end
of Leyton Orient. Does that concern you at all?
It does concern me because I am a believer in the pyramid system in England.
We have 92 fantastic football clubs. I don't want to see any football team
go out of business, like Portsmouth. It's a disgrace what has happened at
Portsmouth. Coventry are in trouble, so many other teams too. For Orient it
will be very difficult. The only thing I would say is that if West Ham were
moving into another London Borough the I would have real reservations about
it. It didn't stack up for Tottenham because they would have been moving
from Haringey into Newham. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair but West Ham
are moving within the same borough. Indeed, you could argue they are moving
nearer to their spiritual home, which is the Memorial Ground, where they
played. People don't realise West Ham played at another ground before Upton
Park. But at the same time, you've got to feel sorry for Orient. Barry, as I
expected, has fought a fantastic fight. He has done what is right for his
football club, and I do fear for Orient. They might have to move grounds,
maybe make a little profit on Brisbane Road and move to Harlow or Romford or
wherever it might be and create a new football club. It is a shame but it is
just the modern way of life and West Ham have got to what is right for West
Ham.
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West Ham are the ONLY option for the Olympic Stadium this side of a
bulldozer
By MARTIN SAMUEL
PUBLISHED: 23:36, 24 March 2013 | UPDATED: 23:36, 24 March 2013
Daily Mail
Buildings are like people. Without care, they get sick. You wouldn't
recognise London's Olympic Stadium now. It is brand new but, in its own way,
derelict. After September 9, when the Paralympics ended, the folk from LOCOG
moved through like a retreating Soviet army. Everything of use or worth that
wasn't nailed down, and some things that were, disappeared. Carpet tiles,
wallpaper, lights. A recent visitor said one of the offices still had a
plant in the corner, but it was dead. Yet the electric remains on, security
men still patrol, and the rates and overheads need to be met, as always. The
seats, which are filthy and have a nasty film developing on them, will need
to be thoroughly cleaned before the IAAF Diamond League visit in July.
Unused stadiums are expensive. The new Wembley Stadium was not constructed
using any of the material from its predecessor, because that was reduced to
rubble in 2003. By then, it had lain empty for three years, at a cost of
£2million per month in staff, lost revenue, plus the steady drain of keeping
teams of lawyers and architects on retainers for re-launch day. To refurbish
the old stadium after just three years empty would have cost £200m. So there
is the alternative. We can keep the Olympic Stadium as it is, rotting from
the inside with costs rising exponentially, or we can move on. All the
bleating about the tenancy of West Ham United ignores one simple fact. In
the last year, any man with a plan could have bid for the Olympic Stadium.
You, me, UK Athletics, Leyton Orient, Simon Cowell — the entire country
could have had a crack at getting it working again. And at the end of that
process, a Premier League football club was still the only viable game in
town.
Now ignore the carping and think what would have happened had West Ham
walked away. What would be the future? A Formula One track for a race that
doesn't exist? The location of a university that nobody has heard of? Home
to a football club that fills, on average, 3,867 seats? West Ham were the
only option this side of a bulldozer.
It was considered better value to knock down the Don Valley Stadium in
Sheffield than let it continue as a declining sports facility. The Olympic
Stadium could have eventually gone the same way. Who owns it now? You do.
For another 99 years at least. It doesn't belong to West Ham, any more than
a council tenant owns his flat. The stadium is public property and the
football club will rent. Others will join. Individual concert promoters, the
organisers of the Rugby World Cup. West Ham are only anchor tenants. So you
haven't been stiffed, ripped off or deprived of legacy. Those left to sweep
up after a very expensive mistake made the best of it.
Lord Coe, Ken Livingstone and Tessa Jowell were the architects of this
80,000-capacity cock-up, and are lucky the rebound is not greater. Their
refusal to even entertain a post-Olympic football option was so pig-headed
that David Bernstein, who as the chairman of Manchester City and later of
Wembley Stadium Limited, had overseen two huge and recent arena projects,
did not receive a single call to seek his advice or experience. Football was
to play no part in the Olympic legacy. Realism had no chance against
well-honed prejudices.
Remove West Ham this morning and what would the nation actually own? An
unlovely concrete bowl, minus a roof, in a part of London that
gentrification forgot. A non-starter as a winter venue, unappealing even in
the English summer, it would now sit empty at vast maintenance cost,
becoming more obsolete with each passing year. So whatever deal West Ham
are getting, it is better than plan B. That is why Karren Brady, who
masterminded the project for the club, could afford to drive a hard bargain.
The only option was to find new life and West Ham stood for life. Four
thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, sang The Beatles — and one giant
financial black chasm wherever an Olympic stadium rises without a post-Games
anchor tenant. The Bird's Nest in Beijing is now a Segway race track.
So forget this falsehood that the people owned a thriving stadium. The
Olympics ended six months ago. The country was left with an empty, unused,
relic off an A12 flyover, which would in time have served only as a reminder
of another opportunity lost by our sporting and political leaders.
They are the guilty parties here. West Ham merely cleaned up their mess.
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Bonus Andy Dunn: West Ham move hard to stomach, Greg Dyke needs to ruffle
feathers and Oxlade-Chamberlain shines
By Andy Dunn
The Mirror
24 Mar 2013 07:29
Hammers Olympic Stadium move makes a mockery of legacy, but it was the only
option writes Andy Dunn
Agreed, it is a national disgrace.
Agreed, when you get a shiny new £600million stadium for £15m, you've had a
result, big time.
Agreed, when you will only have to pay £2m a year rent and you will be given
an annual £70m by your sports league, you are laughing yourself silly.
Agreed, it is fundamentally immoral that a Premier League football club is
becoming the beneficiary of such considerable public largesse while
hospitals are being closed and defence budgets cut.
Agreed, the transfer of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham makes a mockery of
all the noble talk of legacy.
Agreed, the organisers now have a hell of a lot to answer for.
But the fact remains no one presented a better solution. There was not a
more palatable option on the table.
The stadium's long-term future was an expensive cock-up from the start.
And there have been too many post-Olympic white elephants, too many
facilities left to rot for the West Ham bid to be ignored.
It leaves a sour taste – but we are going to have to swallow it.
Dyke needs to shake up the Premier League
No nonsense: Dyke must tell it how it is
GETTY
At first glance, it is hard to fathom why anyone was surprised when Greg
Dyke was announced as the Football Association's chairman-elect.
White, very well-off, male in his sixties succeeds white, very well-off,
male in his sixties, who himself succeeded white, very well-off, male in
his sixties.
And becomes chairman of an organisation that has long been dominated by
white, very well-off, males in their sixties.
But at least Dyke seems to have a confrontational streak. Because while
David Bernstein has been a steadying influence – rocking few boats – the
FA now needs to establish that it is fit for purpose. In fact, it first
needs to establish what its purpose is. It needs to reclaim its right to
govern.
It needs Dyke to stand up to the Premier League.
While on a PR tour to rightly highlight the fine charitable and community
work done by the Premier League, its chief, Richard Scudamore, was asked
about the Callum McManaman challenge.
He said the FA should have taken action. It was a shamefully populist
response. If he believes that, then maybe he can advise his Premier League
chairmen to tell the FA they should still be able to take retrospective
action even if an official has seen the incident.
In case you did not know, the Premier League is against the idea. But
Scudamore says this case was 'exceptional'.
It wasn't really. It just happened to be headline news as Scudamore was
doing the media rounds. And there is nothing 'exceptional' about the Premier
League giving the FA a sly dig when it is already on the ropes.
Which is why we can only hope that – under Dyke – the FA insists on its
right to govern. We all know that the refusal to re-referee is a nonsense.
The FA should tell the leagues, tell the so-called stakeholders, to sling
their hooks.
Don't even consult them.
A couple of months ago, Dyke lamented the attitude of the FA back when the
notion of a Premier League was first mooted. Dyke explained: "I remember
the five clubs decided they would only break away if they could get the FA
onside.
"They went to see Bert Millichip [chairman] and Graham Kelly [chief
executive], who didn't ask for anything. They so hated the Football League
they were just happy to shaft them.
"It was ridiculous; they could have had anything – a league of 16 clubs,
players released for England, a quota of English players... I'm surprised
the FA hasn't tried to assert itself since..."
Aren't we all?
Well, now is your chance Greg. Over to you.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is looking forward to the club's move
to the Olympic Stadium
24.03.2013
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole says the club's move to the Olympic
Stadium will help its presence in the community grow even bigger. Mayor of
London Boris Johnson announced on Friday that the Hammers had been given the
right to make the Olympic Stadium their home from 2016. Cole, who scored one
of West Ham's goals in their play-off final victory at Wembley last May, is
looking forward to seeing the club develop with a new 54,000-capacity home.
"I'm very impressed by the plans," he said, "I knew it was going to be
impressive when it was unveiled and now the club can plan to make it a home
for West Ham United. "It's very exciting times. You look to the future to
make things brighter and this is a great plan. The owners have got the fans'
interests at heart - the Olympic Stadium will be more accessible to get to
than the Boleyn, and tickets will be more accessible too. "That's the main
thing at the end of the day - the community matters to West Ham and that's
what's spurring this project on. "Moving there gives the club a massive
platform to help the community. Everyone is excited in and around West Ham,
all the players too. "It's a great opportunity to help the club move on to
the next level."
The stadium will now undergo a transformation to turn it into a football
ground with retractable seats covering the athletics track, following its
success in hosting last summer's Olympic Games. Cole cannot wait to see the
Hammers build upon the legendary stories already told inside the venue
during that unforgettable summer. He added: "Usain Bolt came here, lit up
the stage, Mo Farah my friend came here and got his golds. There have been
some great athletes in there already, and hopefully there'll be more great
athletes coming through our youth system to play there. "I came here during
the Olympics and it was a brilliant atmosphere. The noise level was unreal
and our fans are going to raise the roof, so it's going to be good."
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James Tomkins hoping to turn out for West Ham at Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: March 24, 2013 6:01pm
SSN
James Tomkins is determined to earn himself a new contract at West Ham
United and represent the club at the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers are set to
move out of their Upton Park home and take up residence at the base of
London 2012 in time for the 2016/17 campaign. Tomkins is aware of how
special the atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium promises to be, having formed
part of Team GB last summer. He is desperate to experience the thrill of
competing on such a stage for his boyhood club, but acknowledges that he
will first have to convince West Ham that he is deserving of fresh terms.
"My contract expires just before it happens but hopefully I will still be
around because, just like all the fans, I am looking forward to that
occasion."
Tomkins told the Sunday Express: "It seems so far away right now but it will
come soon. It should be a brilliant moment. "My contract expires just before
it happens but hopefully I will still be around because, just like all the
fans, I am looking forward to that occasion. "This has been my club since I
was eight. It's hard to see me ever being anywhere else because I have been
here so long, and my family are as excited as I am. "To see their son
potentially playing there makes them very proud. And being a local boy, I
will be doubly proud to be there."
Allardyce
It remains to be seen who will make up the West Ham playing and coaching
staff when they move into their new home, but Tomkins feels current coach
Sam Allardyce should be given every chance to guide the club into an
exciting new era. He added: "He is doing a great job here. "He got us
promoted at the first time of asking and you can't ask for much more,
really."
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Younes Belhanda and Henri Bedimo can leave Montpellier in the summer
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: March 24, 2013 8:29pm
SSN
Montpellier president Louis Nicollin has confirmed reported Premier League
targets Younes Belhanda and Henri Bedimo can leave the club in the summer.
Belhanda has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in the past and
saw a January move to Fenerbahce fall through after the two clubs failed to
agree a fee. The Moroccan playmaker is now expected to leave the reigning
champions at the end of the season and is set to be joined by left-back
Bedimo.
West Ham United have previously been mooted as admirers of the Cameroon
international, while former Portsmouth striker John Utaka could also leave
Montpellier. Nicollin told the French media: "Bedimo and Belhanda can leave.
I am waiting for different offers. "Apart from those two, we can keep the
rest of the squad. Utaka can also leave, but he is expensive."
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Tony Cottee Interview Part 1: 'I Wish I Had Stayed at West Ham For My Whole
Career'
West Ham Till I Die
Last Friday I met Tony Cottee in my office in Westminster for an interview
that was scheduled to last an hour. In the end it lasted an hour and three
quarters. As usual I will publish it in several parts. This section was the
first twelve minutes and concentrates on Tony's views on the move to the
Olympic Stadium.
We are talking on the morning of the announcement that West Ham have got the
lease on the Olympic Stadium. Do you think that's a good thing?
I actually do believe it's a good thing. I don't want to leave Upton Park. I
don't think any sane West Ham fan can honestly say they want to leave Upton
Park. All the memories are there for me, not just as a player but as a
supporter too. Growing up in the 1970s, all the fantastic games I went to
see, all the memories that are there as a supporter, and secondly as a
player – what I achieved as a player, the goals I scored. All my history,
all my family's history, which goes back to the very start, it's all at
Upton Park. Do I want to leave the ground? No of course I don't, but I've to
be honest. I am fed up with West Ham being and also-ran club, settling for
mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League, if we're lucky, occasionally
dropping down into the Championship, something we have already done twice in
the 21sst century. I want the club to progress and hand on heart I don't
believe the club can progress at Upton Park. In terms of going to the
ground, although it's a great experience when you're actually there you
can't park, the Tube is a nightmare. Most West Ham fans don't live around
the ground any more. Nearly everyone is traveling or commuting into the
ground and purely from that point of view, Stratford is a good thing. It's
the best connected train station in Europe. It's got to be a plus to get
there. There are many, many reasons. I want to see the club get to the next
level.
Why is that West Have have always seemed to lack ambition?
You go back to the mid 1960s with all that success before the World Cup, the
1986 side. Everyone thought we ought to kick on then but the Board appeared
not to have the ambition to do so. Now seems to be the first time they've
said, yes, we want to be one of the biggest teams in the country. Yes
you're right. A lot of the problems come down to money. My Dad always tells
the story of Harry Hooper back in the 1950s. He was one of our best players
and West Ham sold him to cash in. In the 1960s we had wonderful players,
World Cup winners and we still didn't really achieve anything. In the 1970s
we began to try things – we signed Phil Parkes for a world record fee for a
goalkeeper, let's not forget that. We built up a really good team in 1986
and like with any good team when you've had a good season you need to get
two or three really good players and we didn't do that. We never bought
those players and the club then got relegated.
Presumably that was why you decided you had to leave, in the end.
I got frustrated. Exactly. Ultimately you could say it wasn't the right
decision because I didn't win anything at Everton and I then came back to
the club. Sitting here talking to you today I wish I had stayed at West Ham
my whole career because West Ham is my club and you look back and You think
'I wish I had done what Trevor Brooking did and played for West Ham my whole
career'. Steve Potts is another one. Alvin Martin, although he played for
Orient, didn't he, at the end? I wish I had stayed at West Ham my whole
career. There's going to be a lot of talk over the next few years about how
West Ham get to the next level. Talking is all well and good but there's got
to be a strategy in place to take the club to the next level. We've got to
clear the debt, first and foremost. You can't have a successful football
club when there are £70-£80 million worth of debt so one of the key things
for me has got to be that if we sell Upton Park that money must be used to
clear the debt and restore the club to a sound financial footing.
Do you think that can be achieved under the current ownership or do you
think they will have to bring in a third party investor?
I think ultimately we might have to look at another investor. I think things
are still a bit of a mess in terms of the last bit of the shareholding. I
think the Icelandic bank still own 35% of the shares so that needs to be
cleared up. Perhaps we could get in a big hitting investor, but whether they
would be allowed to invest who knows. After all, we have got the financial
fair play coming into operation. Moving to the Olympic Stadium is the right
thing. It's the right thing for us as a football club, but talk is cheap. We
have got to act and make sure that the club moves in the right direction.
Do you think football fans in general can be quite short-sighted and that
they tend to think with their hearts rather than their heads?
I actually feel sorry for the fans in a way, but it's not the club's fault.
They have been involved in a very lengthy legal battle which meant that they
had to abide by NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements). They couldn't talk about
so they have been very limited in what information it can put out to the
fans. So that fans make a judgement and think why on earth do we want to go
to Stratford, we play at Upton Park. And of course there are concerns that
go beyond that, and they were my concerns when I actually sat down and
talked to the club. I told them I would not support a project which means we
would go a stadium with an athletics track round a football field. It
doesn't work. It has never worked anywhere round the world. It was important
for me to see the plans, and I have been very privileged to see the plans
before the bulk of the fans. I have been very impressed with what I have
seen. With the retractable seating and the roof, which will mean a great
atmosphere, it will be the right thing for the fans. I do feel sorry for the
fans because they haven't see the plans. They are making a judgement on
what's been fed to them. There's been a lot of scaremongering about the
running track and how far you are away from the pitch, but I think if you
talk to anyone who went to the Olympics, they all said what a great view it
was.
I went and I walked right up to the back of the top tier and thought 'would
I want to sit here'? And I thought, yes, absolutely.
Yes, I have done it myself. Absolutely right. The top tier is not a problem.
The problem is the lower tier, where they have got to bring the fans nearer
to the pitch. There is also a problem with the toilets, the corporate
hospitality. It is just ridiculous that we built a stadium for the Olympics
without the foresight of thinking it would have to be used for football
afterwards.
Blame Ken Livingstone for that.
Exactly, Yes. There are a lot of people who should hang their heads in shame
through what happened seven or eight years ago, as great as the Olympics
were.
If you talk to fans from other London clubs they all say 'well you'll never
fill it'. Will we?
I understand people thinking that way. I think the opposite. I don't think
60,000 is enough for a successful West Ham team. I really don't. I think we
are that big a club. You have only got to look at the Play-Off Final. OK, it
was a Play-Off Final and it was at Wembley, I understand that but we could
easily have sold 120,000 tickets for that. That would have been all West Ham
fans, forget the Blackpool fans. There has always been a demand for tickets
from a successful West Ham United Football Club. OK, when we play Wigan at
home, are we going to fill it? I think the answer to that is 'no' if we are
not successful, so then the club would have to look at what they have
already spoken about – reducing admission prices and making it viable for
families and doing the Kids for a Quid, which has been a fantastic
invention.
Yes, it has been a success, but for some games at Upton Park this season
it's been a struggle to fill the ground to capacity. OK, it was on TV, but
there were tickets on the day for Spurs at home.
Is that not down to the cost? If you've got two kids it costs you at least
£200 for the day out if you include travel, programme and a bite to eat.
Think about the Man U game next month, there won't be any concessions if
you're not a season ticket holder. I think the season ticket is a great
deal. Bobby Moore Lower, £600 or whatever it might be, is fantastic value
for money but if you want to go to a one off game as a Dad with two boys,
there's no change out of £200. You can't afford that.
Presumably in the Olympic Stadium they will allow more away fans, which I
think could be great for the atmosphere.
I don't know whether there's a limit in terms of per centages but I think
there will be more scope for away fans but they will be up in the Gods
rather than in the prime seats.
If they do really cheap deals for home games that rather plays into what
Barry Hearn has been arguing doesn't it? He thinks it could lead to the end
of Leyton Orient. Does that concern you at all?
It does concern me because I am a believer in the pyramid system in England.
We have 92 fantastic football clubs. I don't want to see any football team
go out of business, like Portsmouth. It's a disgrace what has happened at
Portsmouth. Coventry are in trouble, so many other teams too. For Orient it
will be very difficult. The only thing I would say is that if West Ham were
moving into another London Borough the I would have real reservations about
it. It didn't stack up for Tottenham because they would have been moving
from Haringey into Newham. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair but West Ham
are moving within the same borough. Indeed, you could argue they are moving
nearer to their spiritual home, which is the Memorial Ground, where they
played. People don't realise West Ham played at another ground before Upton
Park. But at the same time, you've got to feel sorry for Orient. Barry, as I
expected, has fought a fantastic fight. He has done what is right for his
football club, and I do fear for Orient. They might have to move grounds,
maybe make a little profit on Brisbane Road and move to Harlow or Romford or
wherever it might be and create a new football club. It is a shame but it is
just the modern way of life and West Ham have got to what is right for West
Ham.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham are the ONLY option for the Olympic Stadium this side of a
bulldozer
By MARTIN SAMUEL
PUBLISHED: 23:36, 24 March 2013 | UPDATED: 23:36, 24 March 2013
Daily Mail
Buildings are like people. Without care, they get sick. You wouldn't
recognise London's Olympic Stadium now. It is brand new but, in its own way,
derelict. After September 9, when the Paralympics ended, the folk from LOCOG
moved through like a retreating Soviet army. Everything of use or worth that
wasn't nailed down, and some things that were, disappeared. Carpet tiles,
wallpaper, lights. A recent visitor said one of the offices still had a
plant in the corner, but it was dead. Yet the electric remains on, security
men still patrol, and the rates and overheads need to be met, as always. The
seats, which are filthy and have a nasty film developing on them, will need
to be thoroughly cleaned before the IAAF Diamond League visit in July.
Unused stadiums are expensive. The new Wembley Stadium was not constructed
using any of the material from its predecessor, because that was reduced to
rubble in 2003. By then, it had lain empty for three years, at a cost of
£2million per month in staff, lost revenue, plus the steady drain of keeping
teams of lawyers and architects on retainers for re-launch day. To refurbish
the old stadium after just three years empty would have cost £200m. So there
is the alternative. We can keep the Olympic Stadium as it is, rotting from
the inside with costs rising exponentially, or we can move on. All the
bleating about the tenancy of West Ham United ignores one simple fact. In
the last year, any man with a plan could have bid for the Olympic Stadium.
You, me, UK Athletics, Leyton Orient, Simon Cowell — the entire country
could have had a crack at getting it working again. And at the end of that
process, a Premier League football club was still the only viable game in
town.
Now ignore the carping and think what would have happened had West Ham
walked away. What would be the future? A Formula One track for a race that
doesn't exist? The location of a university that nobody has heard of? Home
to a football club that fills, on average, 3,867 seats? West Ham were the
only option this side of a bulldozer.
It was considered better value to knock down the Don Valley Stadium in
Sheffield than let it continue as a declining sports facility. The Olympic
Stadium could have eventually gone the same way. Who owns it now? You do.
For another 99 years at least. It doesn't belong to West Ham, any more than
a council tenant owns his flat. The stadium is public property and the
football club will rent. Others will join. Individual concert promoters, the
organisers of the Rugby World Cup. West Ham are only anchor tenants. So you
haven't been stiffed, ripped off or deprived of legacy. Those left to sweep
up after a very expensive mistake made the best of it.
Lord Coe, Ken Livingstone and Tessa Jowell were the architects of this
80,000-capacity cock-up, and are lucky the rebound is not greater. Their
refusal to even entertain a post-Olympic football option was so pig-headed
that David Bernstein, who as the chairman of Manchester City and later of
Wembley Stadium Limited, had overseen two huge and recent arena projects,
did not receive a single call to seek his advice or experience. Football was
to play no part in the Olympic legacy. Realism had no chance against
well-honed prejudices.
Remove West Ham this morning and what would the nation actually own? An
unlovely concrete bowl, minus a roof, in a part of London that
gentrification forgot. A non-starter as a winter venue, unappealing even in
the English summer, it would now sit empty at vast maintenance cost,
becoming more obsolete with each passing year. So whatever deal West Ham
are getting, it is better than plan B. That is why Karren Brady, who
masterminded the project for the club, could afford to drive a hard bargain.
The only option was to find new life and West Ham stood for life. Four
thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, sang The Beatles — and one giant
financial black chasm wherever an Olympic stadium rises without a post-Games
anchor tenant. The Bird's Nest in Beijing is now a Segway race track.
So forget this falsehood that the people owned a thriving stadium. The
Olympics ended six months ago. The country was left with an empty, unused,
relic off an A12 flyover, which would in time have served only as a reminder
of another opportunity lost by our sporting and political leaders.
They are the guilty parties here. West Ham merely cleaned up their mess.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bonus Andy Dunn: West Ham move hard to stomach, Greg Dyke needs to ruffle
feathers and Oxlade-Chamberlain shines
By Andy Dunn
The Mirror
24 Mar 2013 07:29
Hammers Olympic Stadium move makes a mockery of legacy, but it was the only
option writes Andy Dunn
Agreed, it is a national disgrace.
Agreed, when you get a shiny new £600million stadium for £15m, you've had a
result, big time.
Agreed, when you will only have to pay £2m a year rent and you will be given
an annual £70m by your sports league, you are laughing yourself silly.
Agreed, it is fundamentally immoral that a Premier League football club is
becoming the beneficiary of such considerable public largesse while
hospitals are being closed and defence budgets cut.
Agreed, the transfer of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham makes a mockery of
all the noble talk of legacy.
Agreed, the organisers now have a hell of a lot to answer for.
But the fact remains no one presented a better solution. There was not a
more palatable option on the table.
The stadium's long-term future was an expensive cock-up from the start.
And there have been too many post-Olympic white elephants, too many
facilities left to rot for the West Ham bid to be ignored.
It leaves a sour taste – but we are going to have to swallow it.
Dyke needs to shake up the Premier League
No nonsense: Dyke must tell it how it is
GETTY
At first glance, it is hard to fathom why anyone was surprised when Greg
Dyke was announced as the Football Association's chairman-elect.
White, very well-off, male in his sixties succeeds white, very well-off,
male in his sixties, who himself succeeded white, very well-off, male in
his sixties.
And becomes chairman of an organisation that has long been dominated by
white, very well-off, males in their sixties.
But at least Dyke seems to have a confrontational streak. Because while
David Bernstein has been a steadying influence – rocking few boats – the
FA now needs to establish that it is fit for purpose. In fact, it first
needs to establish what its purpose is. It needs to reclaim its right to
govern.
It needs Dyke to stand up to the Premier League.
While on a PR tour to rightly highlight the fine charitable and community
work done by the Premier League, its chief, Richard Scudamore, was asked
about the Callum McManaman challenge.
He said the FA should have taken action. It was a shamefully populist
response. If he believes that, then maybe he can advise his Premier League
chairmen to tell the FA they should still be able to take retrospective
action even if an official has seen the incident.
In case you did not know, the Premier League is against the idea. But
Scudamore says this case was 'exceptional'.
It wasn't really. It just happened to be headline news as Scudamore was
doing the media rounds. And there is nothing 'exceptional' about the Premier
League giving the FA a sly dig when it is already on the ropes.
Which is why we can only hope that – under Dyke – the FA insists on its
right to govern. We all know that the refusal to re-referee is a nonsense.
The FA should tell the leagues, tell the so-called stakeholders, to sling
their hooks.
Don't even consult them.
A couple of months ago, Dyke lamented the attitude of the FA back when the
notion of a Premier League was first mooted. Dyke explained: "I remember
the five clubs decided they would only break away if they could get the FA
onside.
"They went to see Bert Millichip [chairman] and Graham Kelly [chief
executive], who didn't ask for anything. They so hated the Football League
they were just happy to shaft them.
"It was ridiculous; they could have had anything – a league of 16 clubs,
players released for England, a quota of English players... I'm surprised
the FA hasn't tried to assert itself since..."
Aren't we all?
Well, now is your chance Greg. Over to you.
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