Aston Villa match preview
WHUFC.com
All the need-to-know information ahead of West Ham United's match against
Aston Villa on Saturday
07.02.2014
ASTON VILLA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
VILLA PARK
SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MIKE DEAN
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I INSTAGRAM I YOUTUBE
Introduction
• West Ham United visit Villa Park on Saturday in the Barclays Premier
League looking to record an away win against Aston Villa for the first time
since a 2-1 success in January 2006.
• The Hammers head to the Midlands confident that they can get another
positive away result having drawn 0-0 with Chelsea and beaten Cardiff City
2-0 in their last two away league outings.
• Sam Allardyce will also be buoyed by a first home win of 2014 which
arrived in their last match, a 2-0 win over Swansea City at the Boleyn
Ground.
• Victory over the Swans left the Hammers eighteenth in the Premier League,
five points behind Saturday's opponents.
• Paul Lambert's side will be looking to improve a home record which has
seen them win just one of their last seven matches at Villa Park.
• That solitary success came in a 4-3 win against West Bromwich Albion in
the team's last outing in front of their own fans.
• Last time out the Villans succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Everton at
Goodison Park with the Toffees netting a late winner.
• That defeat on Merseyside left Aston Villa tenth in the table with 27
points from their 24 league matches.
Team news
West Ham United
• Joey O'Brien is the Hammers' only long-term injury casualty with the
full-back having undergone an operation on the shoulder he dislocated
against Chelsea.
• Winger Joe Cole and midfielder Mohamed Diame will also miss out on the
trip to Villa Park with a calf injury and gashed leg respectively.
• The Hammers will also be without the services of Ricardo Vaz Te who is
continuing his recovery from injury.
• Striker Andy Carroll starts a three-match ban against the Villans after
his sending-off against Swansea City.
Aston Villa
• Gabriel Agbonlahor is expected to return to the Villa side following a
two-match absence with a foot injury.
• Skipper Ron Vlaar is likely to miss the game with a hamstring problem, but
fellow defenders Chris Herd and Joe Bennett are fit again.
Last time out
West Ham United 2-0 Swansea City
Barclays Premier League
1 February 2014
West Ham United: Adrian, McCartney, Tomkins, Collins, Demel, Noble, Nolan
(Nocerino 87), Taylor (Reid 79), Jarvis (C Cole 66), Downing, Carroll
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Johnson, Morrison, Boriello
Goals: Nolan 26, 45
Sent-off: Carroll
Everton 2-1 Aston Villa
Barclays Premier League
1 February 2014
Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Bertrand, Clark, Baker, Vlaar (Albrighton 80),
Westwood, Delph, Weimann (Tonev 87), Benteke, Holt (El Ahmadi 61)
Subs not used: Steer, Sylla, Lowton, Helenius
Goal: Bacuna 34
Previous meeting
A sixth clean sheet in ten Premier League matches arrived for the Hammers as
they were held by Aston Villa at the Boleyn Ground. Andreas Weimann was a
menace early on and but for a last-ditch tackle from Ravel Morrison might
have had a goal to celebrate. Kevin Nolan went close for the home side
before Christian Benteke rattled a header against the crossbar as the game
petered out for a draw.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat (Diame 90),
Collison (C Cole 63), Noble, Nolan, Downing, Jarvis (J Cole 62), Morrison
Subs not used: Adrian, Maiga, O'Brien, Potts
Aston Villa: Guzan, Vlaar, Baker, Clark, Lowton, Sylla, Westwood, El Ahmadi,
Bacuna, Weimann (Kozak 57), Benteke
Subs not used: Steer, Herd, Helenius, Bowery, Tonev, Johnson
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
2 November 2013 - West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa
10 February 2013 - Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham United
18 August 2012 - West Ham United 1-0 Aston Villa
16 April 2011 - West Ham United 1-2 Aston Villa
14 August 2010 - Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham United
17 January 2010 - Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham United
Overall record v Aston Villa (all competitions) W 38 D 32 L 38
Ten-year record
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Aston Villa
2012/13 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2011/12 Premier League 16th (38 points)
2010/11 Premier League 9th (48 points)
2009/10 Premier League 6th (64 points)
2008/09 Premier League 6th (62 points)
2007/08 Premier League 6th (60 points)
2006/07 Premier League 11th (50 points)
2005/06 Premier League 16th (42 points)
2004/05 Premier League 10th (47 points)
2003/04 Premier League 6th (56 points)
Old boys
• James Collins swapped east London for Birmingham on 1 September 2009 for
an undisclosed fee after making 65 appearances in all competitions for West
Ham United, scoring two goals. The Wales centre-back returned to West Ham on
1 August 2012 from the Villans, having scored six goals in 109 games for
Aston Villa.
• Carlton Cole would be playing against the team where he spent the 2004/05
season on loan if he makes an appearance on Saturday. Cole scored three
goals in 30 league and cup appearances for Aston Villa.
• Stewart Downing spent two years with Aston Villa between 2009 and 2011,
scoring eleven times in 82 matches
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Billy Askew,
John Carew, Alan Curbishley, Mervyn Day, Marlon Harewood, Thomas
Hitzlsperger, Ray Houghton, David James, Robbie Keane, Fred Norris, Nigel
Reo-Coker, Tony Scott, Les Sealey, Nolberto Solano, Tommy Southren, David
Unsworth and Phil Woosnam.
Background
• West Ham United and Aston Villa have met 108 times in total in competitive
fixtures. Each club has tasted victory on 38 occasions, with 32 draws.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs proved to be a forgettable
one for West Ham United, who were beaten 5-0 at Villa Park in the FA Cup
second round on 1 February 1913.
• West Ham United's largest victory over Aston Villa came in Division One on
30 August 1958, when the newly-promoted Hammers won 7-2 at the Boleyn
Ground. A 30,506-strong crowd saw John Dick, Vic Keeble and Malcolm Musgrove
scored twice apiece and Bill Lansdowne once.
• Sam Allardyce faced Aston Villa five times as a manager during the 2009/10
season, when his Blackburn Rovers side were eliminated from the FA Cup and
League Cup by the Villans.
• West Ham United's all-time record goalscorer Vic Watson netted 18 goals in
15 appearances against Aston Villa, including three hat-tricks in November
1926, December 1929 and April 1930.
• Marlon Harewood scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa when he bagged
three times in a 4-0 home win over Saturday's opponents on 12 September
2005. He later went on to play for Villa.
• A total of 13 West Ham United players have made their debuts against the
Villans - Alfred Earl, Ernest England, Alvin Martin, Carlos Tevez, Winston
Reid, Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne, Archibald Macauley, Ian Crawford,
Bill Green, Craig Forrest, Paulo Alves and Matthew Upson.
Referee
• The man in the middle for Saturday's fixture is Mike Dean.
• Dean last refereed the Hammers in a 3-3 draw with West Bromwich Albion on
28 December 2013.
• In all, he has refereed West Ham 35 times, with the Hammers winning 12,
losing eleven and drawing twelve of those matches.
• The 45-year-old began refereeing in 1985, starting out his career in
senior football in the Northern Premier League.
• In 2004, Dean took charge of his first international match, a friendly
between the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland at Amsterdam ArenA. That
same year, he took control of the FA Community Shield between Arsenal and
Manchester United.
• In May 2006, he refereed the Championship play-off final between Leeds
United and Watford at the Millennium Stadium. In 2008, he was the
man-in-the-middle for the FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Cardiff City
at Wembley Stadium.
• On Saturday Dean will be assisted by Jake Collin and John Brooks, while
the fourth official will be Roger East.
General information
• Tickets for the match are SOLD OUT.
• Rain showers are predicted for kick-off time at Villa Park, with
temperatures reaching 7C (45F)
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West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have issued a statement in response to the outcome of the
Independent Arbitration Tribunal
07.02.2014
Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we
have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide
by them. Andy Carroll will now serve a three-match suspension, which will
rule him out of the Barclays Premier League fixtures at Aston Villa tomorrow
and at home to Norwich City and Southampton. He will be available for
selection again for the trip to Everton on Saturday 1 March.
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Stew keen to down Villa
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing is aiming to finally set the record straight with
back-to-back wins in the Premier League
08.02.2014
Stewart Downing is hoping that West Ham United can finally secure
back-to-back wins in the Barclays Premier League when he returns to face his
former employers Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers have not won
consecutive top-flight games since 2011, when home wins against Liverpool
and Stoke City arrived at the end of February and the beginning of March.
It's a fact that Downing and his teammates are well aware of, having
constantly been reminded about the unwanted statistic by Sam Allardyce. The
winger told West Ham TV: "We keep getting reminded of it as we haven't done
it as yet. "It's a great chance this weekend to put it right and not let the
manager keep banging on about it to us. It's a good chance for us, a good
game and we should have beaten them at home really. A couple of us will be
playing our old team and it would be nice to go there and get the three
points."
When the Hammers arrive at Villa Park to try and record the Club's first win
there since 2006, Downing will be returning to a ground where he spent two
seasons of his career. In the Claret and Blue of the Villans, whom he joined
in summer 2009, the 29-year-old helped the club to achieve a sixth-place
Premier League finish and was instrumental in them reaching the League Cup
final in his first season. The No23 spent a further season in the Midlands,
where he won the club's Player of the Year award, before leaving to join
Liverpool in 2011, and the winger believes some of his best football was
played during his spell with the Villans. "When Martin O'Neill was there we
had a good squad and that wasn't just the starting XI, he could pick two
teams, the squad was that good. The second season we lost Martin and things
changed. "I'm not sure if the owners had stopped investing a bit. We bought
Darren Bent because we were struggling but you could sense a bit of a
change, cut-backs being made and stuff. "It was a good time for me to move
and it's been a bit of a transitional few seasons for Villa but they're
still a decent team."
Since Paul Lambert took the hot seat at Villa Park in 2012, the Scot has
overseen an almost wholesale change in personnel, opting to place the
emphasis on signing young talent rather than stick with those players who
are tried and tested. Downing is not the only ex-Villan in the Hammers'
squad, with centre-back James Collins also having represented the Midlands
outfit from 2009 to 2012, but only a few familiar faces remain from their
time at the club. "Me and Ginge were talking about it the other day, how
many players were there that we knew. Obviously there's Gabby Agbonlahor and
Fabian Delph signed when I signed but apart from that Paul Lambert's had a
bit of a revamp and bought in a lot of young players. "Benteke's probably
his stand-out buy. That's the way they're going, they're building a young
team and it takes a couple of seasons to do that, it's not going to happen
overnight but that's what he's tried to do."
A win against Aston Villa would close the gap between the two sides to just
two points and Downing believes that the next few games will be crucial in
defining the Hammers' season. "Teams in and around us won last week so we
could have been cut adrift had we not won, they were big points. There's
three big games coming up, winnable games and we need to pick up points.
"We've still got to play some of the teams in and around us so it's going to
be quite fascinating for the neutral but we need to get points on the board
as quick as possible."
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Big Sam on: Aston Villa
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce addressed the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Villa Park
07.02.2014
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the assembled media ahead of Saturday's trip to
Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier League. Big Sam fielded questions
surrounding Andy Carroll's red card against Swansea, his team's recent form
and the latest injury news ahead of the trip to Villa Park.
Morning Sam, two wins and a draw from three of your last four league games,
do you feel West Ham's season has turned a corner?
SA: "It's obviously been about recovering from the injury problems that we
had over a long period of time, the best part of two months. In the game
scenario over December and January, where it's at it's peak and when you've
lost so many players through injury, then you're always under pressure to
get the result. When you haven't got a full squad to select from and you're
playing so many players out of position, in defence in particular, when you
get them all back you see the difference it makes to results and
performances. We're proving that when we do get everybody fit then results
turn in our favour and that's what we were talking about all the way through
Christmas. "This is our best spell of the season at the moment, a four-game
run with seven points on the board, and we have to try and continue on from
there. We're looking forward to going to Aston Villa and trying to perform
like we did at Cardiff a few weeks ago. The only problem is we've had to
achieve our last two victories with ten men which has been a bit unjust on
both occasions. We've got to go to Aston Villa and hopefully keep eleven
players on the field and not get any more injuries. That is key to
continuing our successful results at the moment."
What was your reaction to Andy Carroll having his red card appeal rejected
by the FA?
SA: "I think that my reaction was anger and injustice. The whole procedure,
in terms of how we put our case together and what the vast swell of people
felt, was unjust but unfortunately for me the panel has not seen it as they
should have seen it. It's easy to hide behind the regulations or what the
law says but that's an easy way out for me. Referees often say it's
'Technically this or that' and it really does grind on you when they use the
technical term or to the letter of the law. "In this case we felt that they
were looking at it from one thing only, was it an obvious mistake. We based
the whole of our procedure on was it an obvious mistake and I'm 100% certain
it was an obvious mistake. Howard Webb should have given a free-kick for the
foul on Andy Carroll by Chico Flores. At that stage the whistle should blow
and there is no incident. That for me is an obvious mistake."
Could you tell us, in your own words, how much of a difference Andy Carroll
makes to West Ham?
SA: "Only time will tell. I have Carlton Cole who's our leading goalscorer
in the Premier League this season. He's done a really good job this season
since we got him back to match fitness. They've got to step-up to the plate.
Marco's got a really good track record in Italy, but of course is somewhat
untried in this league. He's going to have to go in there and hopefully show
us the sort of ability and form he showed in Italy. "We've got replacements
but at the end of the day we all know Andy Carroll is our major asset. He's
our major signing, our biggest investment and that makes him one of our
biggest players. We all have to overcome adversity and I hope the players
are angry, as I am, and I hope they take that anger out in a positive manner
against Aston Villa. I hope they prove that we can still win a game of
football without Andy."
What are your views on Aston Villa's season, do you share the view that they
have over-achieved?
SA: "I think that Paul Lambert had a massive learning curve last season with
the dramatic change around of players that he made at Aston Villa, buying a
lot of young players. I think that all those young players have grown in
stature based upon the experiences that they had last season. They are using
those experiences to put Aston Villa in a better light in terms of results.
They have the danger men as we know. "They've had some very good
performances recently, I'm sure he was very disappointed only drawing 2-2 at
Liverpool. Coming back against West Bromwich Albion to win and they're
scoring goals at the moment. It's a big game for us and they're a big threat
at the moment. They're in good form and they've done very well."
Is there any other team news or fitness updates which you can give us?
SA: "Everybody's fit from the squad we selected last week and we're
obviously hoping that they continue to stay fit. We can go into the game
with a lot of confidence but we must remember to maintain the level of
performance that we've shown recently and more importantly, try and better
it. That's the way to try and get ourselves further up the league. "We've
all seen what a quick run of results can do because of the way the table is.
In the next few days, after Tuesday night, we could put ourselves around
tenth or eleventh place if we do the job right. The short-term goal is to
make sure that in the next two games we come out with as many points as we
possibly can."
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Adrian scoops Player of the Month
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian has been named as the Hammers' top
perfomer for January
07.02.2014
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian has won the whufc.com fan vote to be
named as Hammers Player of the Month for January. The 27-year-old stopper,
who is in his first season at the Club after arriving from Real Betis, kept
two clean sheets in the month to help his side record a valuable win at
Cardiff City, along with a 0-0 draw at title-chasing Chelsea. Adrian polled
a whopping 63% of the fan vote to land the award by a landslide, ahead of
Mark Noble (25%) in second. Matt Taylor rounded off the top three. January
amounted to Adrian's breakthrough month following his arrival in English
football. After featuring in two Barclays Premier League matches towards the
end of December, he wrestled the goalkeeper's position back off Jussi
Jaaskelainen to play in five of January's seven matches. His performance at
Chelsea was particularly noteworthy, as Chelsea unleashed 39 shots at the
Hammers goal, yet were unable to beat the No13.
Player of the month winners 2013/14
August James Collins
September Ravel Morrison
October Ravel Morrison
November Stewart Downing
December Carlton Cole
January Adrian
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Taylor backs Italians to shine
WHUFC.com
Hammers midfielder Matt Taylor is looking forward to lining-up alongside the
new recruits
07.02.2014
Matt Taylor is sure West Ham United's January Serie A recruits can help fire
the Londoners up the Barclays Premier League table over the final 14 games
of the season. Sam Allardyce added AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino, AS
Roma striker Marco Borriello and SSC Napoli full-back Pablo Armero to his
squad towards the end of the winter transfer window, with Italy
international Nocerino already having made two appearances from the bench
for his new side.
Fellow Italian Borriello and Colombian Armero could make their Hammers bows
on Saturday when they travel to Aston Villa and Taylor is happy to have them
on board. He said: "The Italian lads, first and foremost, must be finding it
difficult to have moved to a new city, a new country and a new culture, but
they've taken the plunge and done that. "They have CVs that could have seen
them stay in Italy, in Serie A, but they have chosen to come to the Premier
League.
"From what I've seen, both of them look to be very capable footballers. I'm
hoping Marco can score some vital goals for us between now and the end of
the season. "Antonio is a very good footballer, a very good box-to-box
midfielder, from the training I've seen. I'm sure he'll get his chance from
the start soon to showcase his talents. "Ultimately, whoever is picked, we
need to make sure get behind them because that's the most important thing as
a Club - that whoever plays, plays well."
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Armero's ready for Hammers fight
WHUFC.com
Deadline day arrival Pablo Armero is looking forward to testing himself in
English football
07.02.2014
Deadline day signing Pablo Armero trained with his new West Ham United team
mates for the first time on Friday and the Colombia international cannot
wait for his chance to impress in English football. The 27-year-old
left-back, who has joined the Club on loan for the rest of the season from
Serie A side SSC Napoli, is in Sam Allardyce's squad for the trip to Aston
Villa on Saturday after obtaining a visa to link up with the Londoners.
Having already secured a work permit for the new No8 prior to his signing,
the wait for a visa to be issued meant Armero only arrived in England late
this week, but he is ready to show what he can do.
Speaking in a West Ham TV exclusive, he said: "Thank you very much to West
Ham for this opportunity. I feel very good to be here and I see a group that
wants to improve and wants to win every game. I hope to do a good job at
West Ham United..
"For me this Is a great opportunity and will be a great experience. English
football is very attractive and I'm very glad to be here. I will give my
best, 100%, to the coach to improve the quality of the team." Armero already
has experience of playing against top flight English opposition, having
faced Arsenal home and away in this season's UEFA Champions League group
stages. He believes his game is well suited to the demands of English
football. He explained: "It was good to play against Arsenal because I like
English football. It's attacking and defending, it's quick football -
quicker than Italy - and I've always wanted to be here in the Premier
League. Again, I will give my best to help the team. "I am a left full-back,
who likes to work in defence. I am a good defender, strong and quick, but I
also like attacking. I like to go to the front and make good crosses. I will
give good defending to the team, and good attacking too and hopefully I will
help my team mates to win games."
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Aston Villa v West Ham
KO 15:00
7 February 2014
Last updated at 11:26
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Villa Park Date: Saturday, 8 February
TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor is expected to return to the side
after a two-match absence with a foot injury. Captain Ron Vlaar is likely to
miss the game with a hamstring problem but fellow defenders Chris Herd and
Joe Bennett are both fit again.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll begins a three-match ban after the club failed
to get it overturned on Friday. New signings Marco Borriello and Pablo
Armero could make their Hammers debuts at Villa Park.
MATCH PREVIEW
Preparation for any visit to Villa Park these days includes reading through
statistics telling you how awful Aston Villa's home record is and that goals
are at a premium.
Yet my most recent visit last week for the local derby against West Bromwich
Albion turned into a seven-goal thriller which saw the home side prevail 4-3
despite going 2-0 down after just eight minutes. It was some way short of a
defensive masterclass from both teams but gave the crowd a thrilling match
to get excited about - which is not something that's happened too often
lately.
Villa's job is to try and build on that as they aim to improve on the second
worst home record in the Premier League. Paul Lambert's team are 10th in the
table, seven points better off than this time a year ago, but it's so tight
this season they're only five points above third bottom West Ham. So as you
can see, there's plenty riding on this match. "West Ham will miss Andy
Carroll massively while he is suspended. The whole way they play is geared
to having him in the team, as we saw from the way he made both their goals
against the Swans." West Ham really needed their 2-0 home win over Swansea
last weekend, but have spent much of the week stewing over Andy Carroll's
red card and the FA's decision not to overturn it on appeal. His presence
will be missed as they look for a first league win at Villa Park since Alan
Pardew was in charge back in January 2006. West Ham's last away performance
produced an unexpected point as they frustrated Jose Mourinho and Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge. If they sit back and park the bus in this one it could be a
poor spectacle because Villa don't thrive when the onus is on them to break
another team down. The last meeting between the teams was a goalless
stalemate at Upton Park back in November and it's likely to be close again
this time.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Villa are on a six-match unbeaten run at home to West Ham, whose only
victory in the last 15 visits came in January 2006.
Aston Villa
They have lost half of their last 50 league matches at Villa Park and
averaged less than a point per game in that period (W12, D13, L25, Pts 49).
One third of the 12 goals scored by Paul Lambert's side at Villa Park this
season came in their last home fixture: the 4-3 win against West Brom.
Villa are looking to avoid successive league defeats. They are yet to earn
back-to-back wins this season.
The Villans have conceded 56% of their goals in the first half, the highest
proportion in the league this season.
They have scored in their last six league matches, their best scoring run
since an eight-match streak between September and November 2011.
West Ham
West Ham have won two of their last four league games. They are vying to go
three league games unbeaten for the first time this season.
The Hammers have kept three clean sheets in their last four games, and 11 in
total this season - the joint most with Arsenal and as many as they managed
in the whole of last season.
Sam Allardyce's side have taken four points from their last two away
matches, having lost the previous five in a row.
They have lost the most points (14) from winning positions this season, and
gained the joint-fewest (one) from losing positions.
Andy Carroll's first Premier League red card against Swansea last weekend
was West Ham's fifth sending off this season, the joint-most along with
Sunderland.
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Andy Carroll: West Ham striker's three-match ban upheld by tribunal
BBC.co.uk
An independent tribunal has upheld the Football Association's decision to
reject West Ham's appeal against Andy Carroll's three-match ban. The Premier
League side threatened legal action against the FA after their initial
attempt to overturn the ban was turned down. Carroll will now miss the
Hammers' matches against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton. In the 12
months from the start of March 2013 to the end of February 2014, Andy
Carroll will have played only 15 games, scoring four goals. He was sent off
during his side's 2-0 win against Swansea last Saturday. An FA statement
said: "An independent arbitration tribunal convened under FA Rule K has
dismissed a legal challenge brought by West Ham United and Andy Carroll in
relation to the red card received by Carroll in the match between West Ham
United FC and Swansea on 1 February 2014. "The independent tribunal resolved
that there was no serious issue to be tried and also awarded The FA its
costs."
West Ham released their own statement, which said: "Whilst West Ham United
are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we have made clear
throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide by them." The
Hammers, who lie 18th in the table, also suggested the FA-appointed panel
"did not apply the correct test" under its rules when making the original
decision. The move to reconsider the upholding of the initial suspension
with a further hearing is a highly unusual one, and is the last stage a
dispute can reach under FA rules. It is thought to be the first time in
Premier League history that a rejected red-card appeal has then been
referred to an independent arbitrator. Carroll, 25, was dismissed after
clashing with Swans defender Chico Flores at Upton Park. According to the
FA, West Ham failed to prove that referee Howard Webb had made "an obvious
error" in dismissing the forward, whose arm hit Flores on the top of his
head as he tried to untangle himself following an aerial challenge. Flores
went to ground clutching his face but West Ham felt he had over-reacted.
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Carroll appeal - REJECTED
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 7th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Andy Carroll will serve a three-match ban after his second appeal against
last weekend's red card was dismissed. West Ham United went back to the
Football Association today in a second bid to have Howard Webb's original
decision to dismiss the England international for violent conduct
overturned. However it was announced shortly after 4pm this afternoon that
the three-man panel's original decision had been upheld. West Ham appointed
leading QC Lord David Pannick to lead their case against what the club
viewed as an unjust decision. However the decision made on Tuesday stands
regardless and Carroll will now miss the matches against Aston Villa,
Norwich and Southampton. Meanwhile, Chico Flores - whose cheating antics
caused the furore - is allowed to continue to play without sanction.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: top-half by next weekend
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 7th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that West Ham could find themselves in the upper half of
the table this time next weekend. Allarydyce, speaking to the press at the
Boleyn Ground this morning ahead of the weekend trip to Aston Villa believes
that two good performances - at Villa Park this weekend and at home to
Norwich on Tuesday - could catapult the Hammers up the league. "We've all
seen what a quick run of results can do because of the way the table is," he
said. "In the next few days, after Tuesday night, we could put ourselves
around tenth or eleventh place if we do the job right. "This is our best
spell of the season at the moment. A four-game run with seven points on the
board, and we have to try and continue on from there. We're looking forward
to going to Villa and trying to perform like we did at Cardiff a few weeks
ago. The only problem is we've had to achieve our last two victories with
ten men, which has been a bit unjust on both occasions. We've got to go to
Aston Villa and hopefully keep eleven players on the field and not get any
more injuries. That is key to continuing our successful results at the
moment. "When you haven't got a full squad to select from and you're playing
so many players out of position, in defence in particular, when you get them
all back you see the difference it makes to results and performances. We're
proving that when we do get everybody fit then results turn in our favour -
and that's what we were talking about all the way through Christmas."
And on Andy Carroll, whose ssecond appeal is being heard this morning,
Allardyce added: "We based the whole of our procedure on [the question of]
was it an obvious mistake? I'm 100% certain it was. "Howard Webb should
have given a free-kick for the foul on Andy Carroll by Chico Flores. At that
stage the whistle should blow and there is no incident. That, for me, is an
obvious mistake."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Aston Villa host West Ham United at Villa Park
Last Updated: 07/02/14 11:33am
SSN
West Ham United's bid to climb out of the relegation zone continues on
Saturday as they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park. Heading into the game
there are just five points between the clubs; yet one appears to be a
relegation candidate, while the other sits 10th in the Premier League
standings. Paul Lambert's Villa currently boast 27 points, leaving them in
mid-table, but victory will not see them move any higher, with Southampton
eight points ahead in ninth. Villa's home form has been indifferent this
campaign, but the visit of West Ham should represent the ideal opportunity
to record back-to-back home wins for the first time this season, having
beaten West Brom 4-3 last time out. Despite claiming a 2-0 victory over
Swansea City at Upton Park last weekend, the Hammers remain caught in the
relegation scrap, yet victory could elevate them to 12th should results go
their way. Andy Carroll was the catalyst for Sam Allardyce's side on
Saturday, providing two headed assists as captain Kevin Nolan bagged a
brace, but West Ham may have to do battle without their leading striker.
Just a few games into his return from a long-term injury, Carroll was shown
a red card following a clash with Chico Flores and West Ham must wait on
Friday's independent tribunal to discover whether his three-match ban will
stand. November's reverse fixture between the sides in London resulted in a
goalless draw but Villa have won three and lost just one of their last six
meetings with the Hammers.
Paul Merson's prediction
West Ham had a big result against Swansea last week, while Aston Villa were
unlucky to lose to Everton and had a great result in their last home game
against West Brom. I fancy Villa to win on Saturday because of Andy
Carroll's suspension. West Ham are a different team when he plays; Kevin
Nolan is a good player, but he's 20 times better when Carroll is in the
team. I thought Carroll swiped out at Chico Flores last week, but the
Swansea lad won't be getting a Victoria Cross for his reaction. It was
pathetic!
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
A Villa Badge A Villa
Last 6
Everton (a)2-1
West Brom (h)4-3
Liverpool (a)2-2
Arsenal (h)1-2
Sheff Utd (h)1-2
Sunderland (a)0-1
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is set to be handed a boost for Saturday's
visit of West Ham, with striker Gabriel Agbonlahor expected to return.
Agbonlahor has missed the last two games with a foot injury suffered after
tumbling over an advertising hoarding in last month's draw at Liverpool.
Lambert is without Ron Vlaar however, after the centre-back picked up a
hamstring problem in the closing stages of last week's 2-1 loss at Everton
last weekend.
West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Swansea (h)2-0
Chelsea (a)0-0
Man City (h)0-3
Newcastle (h)1-3
Cardiff (a)0-2
Man City (a)6-0
West Ham United boss Allardyce is being made to sweat over the availability
of striker Carroll. Carroll was red carded in West Ham's victory over
Swansea City and faces an independent tribunal on Friday to learn whether
his three-match ban will remain. Fellow forward Ricardo Vaz Te faces a late
fitness test with his knee injury potentially subsiding in time for this
game. Full-back Joey O'Brien (shoulder), midfielders Joe Cole (groin) and
Mohamed Diame (knee) remain out. Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello could feature following their loan moves.
Opta Facts
Aston Villa have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League
games, conceding at least two goals in eight games during this run.
West Ham have hit the target with just 36% of their shots this season, the
lowest accuracy in the top flight.
Only Fulham (10) have picked up fewer points at home than Aston Villa (11)
this season.
West Ham have kept the joint-most clean sheets in the Premier League along
with Arsenal (11).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
INDEPENDENT ARBITRATION TRIBUNAL DISMISS LEGAL CHALLENGE BY WEST HAM
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2014 at 17:31
West Ham Till I Die
The FA have made a statement to confirm "An Independent Arbitration Tribunal
convened under FA Rule K has today dismissed a legal challenge brought by
West Ham United FC and Andy Carroll in relation to the red card received by
Carroll in the match between West Ham United FC and Swansea City FC on 1
February 2014."
The FA were awarded their costs of £13,092 which West ham must pay.
West Ham have made an official statement saying: "West Ham United have
issued a statement in response to the outcome of the Independent Arbitration
Tribunal.Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision,
as we have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall
abide by them.Andy Carroll will now serve a three-match suspension, which
will rule him out of the Barclays Premier League fixtures at Aston Villa
tomorrow and at home to Norwich City and Southampton. He will be available
for selection again for the trip to Everton on Saturday 1 March."
Earlier today the club confirmed they were appearing before an Independent
Arbitral Tribunal in a challenge to the FA Regulatory Commission's decision
relating to the three-match suspension of Andy Carroll. They said "the Club
is concerned that the Regulatory Commission did not apply the correct test
under the rule, and denied the Club procedural fairness.West Ham's complaint
is made under the FA Rules, and the Club shall accept and abide by the
decision of the Independent Arbitral Tribunal.The Club has no intention of
taking the issue to the courts, but simply seeks a fair determination of its
rights under the FA's Rules."
This appears to be the final chapter in this story.
The End
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CLARET AND BLUE KIT WAS LOST IN A BET
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2014 at 12:25
West Ham Till I Die
In 1899, there was a fayre was being held near to Villa Park in an area
known at the time as the 'Black Patch', where a gypsy community welcomed
travelling attractions and Charlie Chaplin was supposedly born in a caravan.
Anyway, one visitor apparently challenging all comers, was William Dove, a
London-born professional sprinter of national fame. Along came four Aston
Villa players to the fayre strutting their Victorian stuff through the side
shows and attractions.The Villa players were challenged to race by Dove
which they agreed and a money wager was set. Anyway the race against William
Dove was run and the Aston Villa players lost. The Villa players didn't have
any money, so, a compromise was reached. One of the Villa players had been
given the job of getting the first team's kit washed. To placate Dove, they
gave him the complete claret-and-blue kit and then reported it stolen to the
Aston Villa directors.
The London sprinter returned to the capital with the claret and blue kit of
the then league champions. William's son, Charlie Dove, was an apprentice
riveter who played right-half for his works team, Thames Ironworks. The then
amateur team had played in a number of different colours, including dark
blue, inspired by the firm's chairman, who had been at Oxford. When William
Dove, who also helped coach the team showed up one day with a complete set
of claret-and-blue Aston Villa kits, they adopted it. When Thames Ironworks
were disbanded and relaunched almost immediately as West Ham United they
kept the Claret and Blue strip.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA told to crack down on play-acting by commission that rejected West Ham's
Andy Carroll appeal
Feb 07, 2014 22:30 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
The FA have been told to crack down on the fakers with Chico Flores set to
play today as Andy Carroll begins his three-match ban. The demand has come
from the original Independent Commission that rejected West Ham's appeal
against their star striker's red card on Tuesday. Mirror Sport can also
reveal that Premier League match delegate Paul Allen, who was at the game
against Swansea last week, condemned Flores's antics in his report and
labelled Carroll's dismissal "harsh". West Ham were finally defeated by the
FA yesterday at a five-hour arbitration hearing in London's West End to
determine whether Carroll's red card should have been blocked pending a
personal hearing. But despite throwing out the original appeal, Tuesday's
panel had already expressed their disgust at Flores's behaviour in their
written reasons and called on the FA to get tough with players who perform
similar histrionics. In their report they made clear: "the Commission's
dissatisfaction with the conduct of Mr Flores, for simulating injury and
unsporting conduct, and comment that the Commission look to The FA to find
ways of dealing with this type of conduct."
Referee Howard Webb showed Carroll a straight red card after Flores's
exaggerated reaction to being caught on the top of the head by Carroll's
arm. But, in a section of his report marked 'Key Match Incidents', Premier
League match delegate Allen reported to his bosses that Flores had behaved
"melodramatically". He wrote: "My initial reaction, at match tempo, was the
sanction was harsh as both players competed In an aerial challenge. "The
initial infringement was made by Flores as he impeded Carroll in an aerial
challenge leading up to the incident and it was the momentum of Carroll's
arm as he turned into the defender that made contact with the top of the
player's head as both players untangled after the challenge. "It didn't
appear that the arm was thrown towards Chico with any aggression or with a
clenched fist as Carroll was not looking at his opponent when the impact was
made. "It looked a case of the player not being able to control his movement
or momentum of his arm as both players separated from the challenge. "Flores
then fell to the ground melodramatically and held his face as opposed to the
part of the body where the contact was made. "Howard Webb deliberated over
his decision as he approached Carroll before brandishing the red card.
"After reviewing the incident several times on DVD, I am still of the
opinion that the decision was very harsh and I am not sure if Howard Webb
had a clear view of the incident from his vantage point to judge the
challenge on its merits or if he thought there was excessive force used due
to the over-reaction of the player."
Yesterday's decision by the single arbitrator was accepted by West Ham who
said: "We respect the rules of football and shall abide by them."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham without Andy Carroll, Mo Diame and Joe Cole for Aston Villa game
Feb 07, 2014 17:45 By Eliot Rothwell
The Mirror
West Ham are set to be without striker Andy Carroll against Aston Villa
after the failing to overturn his three-game ban. The Upton Park club had
hoped to overturn the decision, but the FA committee charged with
investigating the dismissal saw no reason to remove the suspension. Hammers
boss Sam Allardyce will also be without Joey O'Brien (shoulder), Joe Cole
(groin) and Mohamed Diame (knee) as his side look to move away from
relegation danger. Loan pair Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello could be
included in the starting line up following their moves from AC Milan and AS
Roma.
Provisional Squad: Adrian, Demel, Tomkins, McCartney, Collins, Downing,
Noble, Jarvis, Taylor, Nolan, Cole, Jaaskelainen, Borriello, Johnson,
Morrison, Nocerino, Reid, Vaz Te.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Andy Carroll accepts three-game ban but urges FA to punish
players who 'simulate injury'
By Jason Burt and Ben Rumsby 11:00PM GMT 07 Feb 2014
Telegraph.co.uk
The Football Association has been urged to introduce retrospective
punishment for players who "simulate injury" by the original commission it
appointed to investigate Andy Carroll's controversial red card. The West
Ham United striker's three-match ban was upheld, for a second time, on
Friday after his club took the case to arbitration, at the FA's suggestion
under rule K8 and before an independent QC, after failing in an initial bid
to get the dismissal overturned.
West Ham have dropped the threat of legal action and the matter is now
closed with Carroll missing the vital league matches against Aston Villa on
Saturday and then at home against Norwich City and Southampton as the club
battle against relegation. The Telegraph has learnt that not only was the
original independent three-man commission set up by the FA to hear the
appeal split on whether the card against Swansea City was correct but it
expressed serious misgivings about Chico Flores's behaviour during the
incident.
Furthermore it is understood that the FA shared those misgivings with a
source confirming the organisation took a "dim view" of Flores's theatrical
actions. The FA even considered charging Flores with "ungentlemanly conduct"
for his exaggerated response during the incident at Upton Park on Saturday
Feb 1 which led to referee Howard Webb dismissing Carroll.
However, it was eventually decided that the evidence was not strong enough
in this case and that Flores, who has protested his innocence and claimed
that he was struck on the head, should be given the benefit of the doubt. If
the FA wanted to go further and introduce retrospective punishment for the
behaviour of players such as Flores then it would need the consent of the
clubs and other 'stakeholders' – such as the Premier League – who have
opposed the measure in the past.
In the original appeal judgment the three-man panel was not only split 2:1 –
with one member arguing that Carroll was "doing no more than rotating his
arm from the tangle" – but unanimously condemned Flores. Paragraphs 22-25 of
the judgment "recorded the Commission's dissatisfaction with the conduct of
Mr Flores for simulating injury and unsporting conduct" with a "comment that
the Commission look to the FA to find ways of dealing with this type of
conduct".
West Ham submitted their case on Friday, after taking legal advice from
leading QC Lord Pannick and also the high-profile solicitor Henri Brandman,
with the arbitral tribunal meeting at 11am in central London before
delivering its verdict five hours later.
The red card could not have been overturned with West Ham arguing for a
"stay" on the decision while a new hearing was convened so that Carroll
could play in their forthcoming matches. The club were desperate for the
England international, who has been injured for most of the season, to be
available for today's match and the fixture against Norwich in particular
which they regard as relegation six-pointers.
West Ham's sense of grievance will have been added to by the report
submitted by Paul Allen, the Premier League's match delegate, who wrote that
he believed the red card was "harsh", adding: "After reviewing the incident
several times on DVD I am still of the opinion that the decision was very
harsh and I am not sure if Howard Webb had a clear view of the incident from
his vantage point to judge the challenge on its merits or if he thought
there was excessive force used due to the over-reaction of the player."
Allen added: "It did not appear that the arm was thrown towards Chico with
any aggression."
The FA argued that the card could only be overturned if Webb had made an
"obvious error" but West Ham challenged this claiming "the regulatory
commission has applied the wrong test" and that this fell into the remit of
guidance rather than a rule. The club said that under the FA rules (Section
5(c) of Section A of the Disciplinary Procedures) that the incident should
have been looked as to "whether any sanction of a suspension from play is
one which should be imposed in view of the facts of the case".
West Ham also argued that because the commission was split this made it even
more necessary for the club and Carroll to be granted "an oral hearing... in
which the player could have had a proper opportunity to respond to the
allegation that he had committed the act of violent misconduct". Carroll
maintained that he never attempted to "strike" Flores. The FA had countered
that there was no right to an oral hearing and their solicitors Charles
Russell said Webb's action could only be deemed "wrongful it if plainly
falls outside the range of decisions reasonably open to him".
The FA now argues that the process which was completed yesterday validated
its approach – and it is one of the few federations who do allow wrongful
dismissal appeals. Last month Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, called on
referees to use the full extent of their powers to punish players guilty of
simulation. It also followed a string of incidents in the Premier League
this season with 13 bookings for diving dished out. In his Fifa Weekly
column Blatter wrote about the irritation he feels when the "[supposedly]
half-dead player comes back to life".
A number of Premier League managers – including Jose Mourinho and Tim
Sherwood – now want that to be taken further and agree with the demands for
retrospective punishment to be handed out to players who dive or feign
injury. The FA has put the issue of 'simulation' to the stakeholders before
but it was rejected with the Professional Footballers' Association, in
particular, opposing the move. This caused frustration at the FA, which is
not averse to reintroducing the debate although there is an acceptance that
it is hard to prove. The FA would welcome guidance from the PFA to its
members. The organisation is also relieved that the Carroll case is now
closed and is pleased with the statement from West Ham that "we respect the
rules of football and shall abide by them".
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Aston Villa's veteran striker Grant Holt: I've played against Chico Flores–
he does go down easily
John Percy By John Percy11:29PM GMT 07 Feb 2014
Telegraph.co.uk
Had West Ham United succeeded in their attempt to field Andy Carroll at
Villa Park on Saturday, it would have provoked uproar among Paul Lambert and
other managers competing to avoid relegation from the Premier League. But at
least one Aston Villa player believes Carroll has been the victim of a grave
injustice and, worse, that his case is a depressing example of the way
defenders such as Chico Flores are undermining the English game's proud
tradition of tough-but-fair battles between centreforwards and
centre-halves. Grant Holt's views on the row that has dominated this week's
build-up to the visit of West Ham are typically forthright and unflinching,
with the 32-year-old fearing the controversy could have far wider
implications for English football. Carroll and Holt are both cut from the
same granite, the archetypal traditional centreforward with the scars to
prove it, but Holt believes the pressures on referees and trial-by-TV is
threatening to cause irreparable damage. "The stakes are so high now that if
you've got a chance to gain an advantage, get someone a red card –
especially if you are struggling and getting beaten – then people are doing
it now. You don't want to see it and I think it's making referee's decisions
even harder," he said.
"Without going into too many things Chico Flores does tend to go down
slightly easily. I've played against him many times and it disappoints me.
"If Carroll hits him in the face and he goes down then fair enough. If I hit
someone in the face then I'd expect them to go down if I've caught them
because it will bloody hurt. "But when you're getting hit with elbows and
stuff I hate to see people rolling around and doing 15 tumbles on the floor
when you haven't touched them. If you've been hit on the face then fair
enough, but if you're hit on the top of your head – hold the top of your
head. You don't need to hold your face. I think the player could stay up.
"Years ago there was more respect. Certainly in League One, League Two you
expected to take it. I remember a guy called Jim Bentley at Morecambe and
the battles I had with him. At the end you shook his hand and had a laugh
about it. That's what we need to get back to."
Holt has never been afraid to air his opinions and is a refreshing antidote
to many of the pampered players seemingly unable to speak without guidance
from an agent or press officer. On his Twitter account he proudly claims
"Dad to 3 beautiful girls and batting well above my average". His grounded
attitude has undoubtedly been shaped by his formative years at the likes of
Workington, Halifax and Barrow. But it has sometimes landed him in trouble.
He famously described Roy Hodgson's decision to leave him out of England's
Euro 2012 squad as "ridiculous", after scoring 15 Premier League goals in a
season at Norwich. It could have been even more chastening when close friend
Rickie Lambert, his strike partner at Rochdale, completed his own remarkable
rise last year with a goal on his debut against Scotland. "When you're
watching it and Rickie made his debut you've got to think 'yeah that could
have been me'. But, honestly, I was delighted for him. "It was never about
me, I was always beating the drum for other people. There's a lot of players
get pigeonholed and it's been nice to see the likes of Rickie, Adam Lallana
and Jay Rodriguez get their chance. It needs to continue. "I was close [to a
call-up]. I know they looked at medical files. If somebody had told me when
I was playing at Barrow that I'd have just missed out on the Euros you'd
just have laughed. I scored 15 goals one season and then eight in the next,
still never got a sniff. "England didn't do that great in the Euros, it was
actually worse sitting there watching the thing."
Is he confident for this year's World Cup? "No. There are better teams than
England out there, I'm sure everybody thinks that. Hopefully I'll see them
lift something in my lifetime but we'll just wait and see. "It's a World Cup
where nobody is talking about them, usually everyone says we're going to win
it but they're not this year so fingers crossed it will go the other way."
Holt now has a chance to rampage on the big stage again after seizing an
offer from Lambert, his former manager at Norwich, to join Villa on loan
last month. The opportunity to work with Lambert again was impossible for
him to turn down, especially when you consider he had been a substitute at
Wigan Athletic.
He will be 33 in April which, whisper it quietly, comfortably makes him the
oldest member of a squad Lambert is building for the future. But he has
already proven hugely influential both on and off the field, hoping to score
his first goal in front of the Holte End on Saturday afternoon. "I think it
raised a few eyebrows because I'd come from not playing in the Championship
to a big Premier League club like Villa," he said. "The manager knows what
he gets from me. I'm under no illusions, if there had been a big transfer
fee involved it probably wouldn't have happened. He knows I'll work hard and
want to win. I hate losing. "I love walking into a ground and getting abuse.
I thrive on it. I like the banter I get on Twitter – the people give me this
and I give a little back. "I'm the world's worst. I'll go to Carlisle games
and I'll be on the terraces watching it and I shout stuff and then I think,
'Grant what are you doing'? "But that's football, everyone's got their
opinion. Wouldn't it be boring if everyone was the same and thought 'isn't
he a great player?'."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM TRADE MARK 'UPTON PARK' AND 'BOLEYN GROUND' DESPITE MOVING
By Sean Whetstone 8 Feb 2014 at 07:52
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham United have trade marked the words 'Upton Park' despite planning to
move away from the area in 2016. The trade mark was granted and published in
the trade mark journal recently on 31st January.The Trade Mark forbids the
name being used in a wide list of goods and services including bizarre items
such as pot porri and whips. The Trade Mark 'The Boleyn Ground' was also
registered late last year until the year 2023 so no-one can use the name
Boleyn Ground . West Ham are also currently attempting to trade mark the
words 'Irons' and 'The Irons' which has not been granted as yet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce claims 'simulation has won' after Andy Carroll's
ban is upheld
Daily Star
ANDY CARROLL was fuming last night after his second appeal to overturn a
three-match ban was rejected. The West Ham striker will now miss his side's
crunch Premier League showdowns with Aston Villa today, Norwich on Tuesday
and the game against Southampton on February 22. A six-hour arbitration
hearing yesterday ruled that an Independent Commission had been correct to
uphold Carroll's straight red and ban for violent conduct against Swansea
after he caught Chico Flores with a swinging arm and the Swansea defender
went down clutching his face. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said: "I'm
frightened of going near him. He is hugely frustrated and angry and
disappointed in this situation. "It is best to leave him well alone and let
him get over it. Simulation has been allowed to win."
An FA statement said: "An Independent Arbitration Tribunal convened under FA
Rule K has dismissed a legal challenge brought by West Ham United FC and
Andy Carroll. "The Independent Tribunal resolved that there was no serious
issue to be tried and also awarded The FA its costs." A West Ham statement
read: "Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as
we have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall
abide by them."
Allardyce also slammed the quality of referees in the top-flight and claims
there has been a directive from the top to dish out more red cards since the
New Year. At his weekly press conference, he issued figures which stated
there were 21 sending offs until January 1 while there have already been 13
dismissals in just over a month. Allardyce added: "Why have we had a
dramatic increase in red cards? "All I am doing is throwing up where we are
at the minute and what is happening in the game of football. "You've got to
be good and tough enough and have the right amount of quality and character
to deal with refereeing at Premier League level. "It means if you have done
something wrong it should be said. But, unfortunately, it isn't often enough
for me and a lot of other managers. "That's the problem we have that we
don't seem to get any sort of reaction out of the group of referees who work
together or the bodies. "All we can hope is that would improve and get
better. From my eyes, it's always been a case of we haven't got enough
top-class professional referees. "We should have more to relieve the
pressure on them. "The fact is there is a small group that work together and
the group is not big enough. Of course, you have to have the quality. Not
just the quantity. You have to aspire to have both."
Allardyce reckons Flores' antics contributed to Michael Laudrup getting the
sack at Swansea adding: "He may feel like he's clever getting away with it,
but with some of his actions and performance, he has just got his manager
sacked."
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Saturday, February 8
Friday, February 7
Daily WHUFC News - Carroll
West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have issued a statement in response to the outcome of the
Independent Arbitration Tribunal
07.02.2014
Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we
have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide
by them. Andy Carroll will now serve a three-match suspension, which will
rule him out of the Barclays Premier League fixtures at Aston Villa tomorrow
and at home to Norwich City and Southampton. He will be available for
selection again for the trip to Everton on Saturday 1 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United have issued a statement in response to the outcome of the
Independent Arbitration Tribunal
07.02.2014
Whilst West Ham United are obviously disappointed at the decision, as we
have made clear throughout, we respect the rules of football and shall abide
by them. Andy Carroll will now serve a three-match suspension, which will
rule him out of the Barclays Premier League fixtures at Aston Villa tomorrow
and at home to Norwich City and Southampton. He will be available for
selection again for the trip to Everton on Saturday 1 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Daily WHUFC News - 7th February 2014
'We have to dig in'
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is backing the Hammers to get over the loss of Andy Carroll at
Aston Villa
06.02.2014
Mark Noble has backed the Hammers to overcome the suspension of Andy Carroll
by claiming their first back-to-back league wins since 2012 this weekend.
Carroll will sit out Saturday's game at Aston Villa after the Club's appeal
against his red card in the Swansea match was dismissed. The No9 linked up
effectively with Kevin Nolan against the Swans, but his absence could give
another chance to Carlton Cole, who has notched four goals in his last ten
appearances. Victory at Villa Park could lift the Hammers as high as
eleventh in the table and Noble is focused on helping propelling them to the
relative safety of mid-table. He said: "Andy being suspended is obviously a
massive miss for us. For him to be back the way he was and then to miss him
for another three games is going to be tough, but we have to dig in and get
results without him. "Everyone will have to play their part to try and get
us three points away from home. "We're three points off eleventh, so getting
ourselves back in that pack with the win against Swansea was important. "It
would be good to go to Aston Villa and get the three points before another
winnable home game against Norwich. We're looking up rather than down at the
moment, and even though we're in the bottom three, I'm sure we can claw our
way back."
Noble has been delighted with the performances in West Ham's last two
fixtures, which not only yielded clean sheets against Chelsea and Swansea,
but also four points. The No16 believes that haul was fully deserved and
points to better times ahead in the coming months. He continued: "We've got
what we deserved from the last two games, which hasn't been the case all
season. "We've had a bit of bad luck with injuries, but to get four points
from the games against Chelsea and Swansea has been good for the camp. "It's
now eleven clean sheets which, along with Arsenal, is the joint-most in the
league. Our downfall was that we couldn't score goals and that's why we're
not in mid table or pushing higher. "We just need to work hard from now
until the end of the season and dig in - all the way from the bottom to
tenth nobody is safe and if we keep winning we'll drag more and more teams
into it."
Looking ahead to Saturday's trip to Aston Villa, Noble says the key could be
keeping their lively strike duo quiet. He explained: "Villa are a good team
at home, they counter well and they've had good results lately. But we know
we've got enough to go there and get a result. "Paul Lambert has had to
restructure the wage bill there, so he's done a good job with that. He has a
lot of young players who are working hard for each other and for the team.
"Then obviously they've got Benteke up front. We need to keep him and Gabby
Agbonlahor quiet and hopefully go there and get some points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll: West Ham may 'create monster' - Paul Lambert
BBC.co.uk
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is concerned that a "monster" could be
created if West Ham succeed in getting Andy Carroll's red card overturned.
The Hammers are to take legal action after failing in their appeal to the
Football Association over the striker's red card against Swansea last
Saturday.
Carroll is banned for three games, including Saturday's trip to Villa. "If
it is overruled then you create a monster of everybody wanting to do the
same," said Lambert. West Ham co-chairman David Gold said that he was only
taking the legal option because his side are third from bottom in the
Premier League and involved in a relegation battle. When asked if he would
go down a similar route if his side was facing the same situation, Lambert
replied: "It's hard to say. You can understand West Ham trying. "You'd have
to judge the incident on its merit. Everybody is going to be different,
whether they think something is dangerous or not. That is their own
perception."
The FA is refusing to comment, but the rules allow for clubs to take
disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport. It is not clear if the ban would be placed on hold until the case has
been dealt with. Carroll, 25, was sent off after clashing with Swans
defender Chico Flores during his side's 2-0 victory.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold set for legal battle
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Co-chairman David Gold has indicated that West Ham United are prepared to
seek legal redress as a result of the FA's decision to uphold Andy Carroll's
red card against Swansea. The FA have rarely been swayed by public opinion,
as Brian Clough found out to his chagrin all those years ago. And so it was
the case again this week when a three-man quango decided to uphold Howard
Webb's decision to dismiss Carroll for violent conduct despite the Hammers
enjoying widespread public support - a rarity itself in recent times. Now
Gold says that the Hammers are prepared to go all the way to court in an
effort to have Carroll's appeal re-heard - an appeal against an appeal, if
you will. Talking earlier, he said: "We are hugely disappointed at the
outcome of the process. The last thing I want to do is go to some kind of
legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. But we are fighting
for our lives. "If we were mid-table we would probably get on with it, but
we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premier League status and we owe
it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves. We are upset, we feel we have been
badly treated. "Most judgements are not made by three people, they are made
by 12 - that's why they are called juries. I believe if you had gone to the
FA Council and asked the 100 members, 75 per cent would have said it was not
a sending off. "If you just take three people, it may not be
representative."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ashton slams 'pathetic' Chico
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers striker Dean Ashton has labelled Chico Flores "pathetic"
after he contrived to get Andy Carroll sent off - but believes that the
striker's red card was warranted. Ashton, speaking exclusively to the KUMB
Podcast - which you may download here - hit out at the Spanish defender who
feigned injury in order to get Carroll sent off, a situation that referee
Howard Webb bought hook, line and sinker. "The actions of Chico Flores were
pathetic and it's good to hear even the Swansea fans come out and say how
they're disgraced by it," said Ashton. "It's a real shame that it's not been
overturned but I think it was a sending off, you just can't do that any
more. "I think Andy will admit he probably shouldn't have swung his arm
round. We all know that it's pretty pathetic and we all know that a few
years ago nothing would have happened, but nowadays you just can't do that."
And whilst Ashton - who was forced to retire from professional football at
the age of just 26 - believes that West Ham will avoid the drop, he
maintains their best chance of doing so is with a fit Andy Carroll in the
team. "With Andy in the side the team seems to gel and there's more of a
confidence when he plays," he added. "They look totally different and are
just too strong for some teams, as they showed at the weekend. "I'm
slightly worried for the next few games as everyone could tell what a
difference Andy made. In the last couple of games he's looked more like his
old self and that'll be a massive blow for Sam. But it gives the player/s
coming in a chance to step in and perform. "I said a few weeks ago, when
things looked a lot more bleak, that as soon as they get their better
players back they'd start to climb the league. I think that's already
showing now they have their best players in the team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham seeking "legal redress" over Andy Carroll's red card
Last Updated: 06/02/14 5:15pm
SSN
West Ham's co-owner David Gold says the club are seeking "legal redress"
over Andy Carroll's red card because they have no alternative. The Hammers
want the Football Association to take the case to an arbitration panel after
referee Howard Webb's decision to send off the striker after a clash with
Swansea's Chico Flores was upheld by a three-man FA appeal's body. Carroll
is now facing a three-match ban which will see him miss West Ham's away game
with Aston Villa on Saturday, as well as home fixtures with Norwich and
Southampton. Gold believes Carroll's suspension could mean the difference
between relegation and top-flight survival. "We are hugely disappointed at
the outcome of the process," said Gold. "There is nowhere to go other than
to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last thing I want to
do is going to some kind of legal issue because I think it is a footballing
issue. "we are fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would
probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our
Premiership status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves." "But
we are fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on
with it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premiership status
and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves."
The FA is refusing to comment on the unprecedented case, but the rules do
allow for clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is not clear however whether the player's
ban would be placed on hold until the case was dealt with. Gold claimed most
people would view the red card as wrong and that Carroll had been trying to
shrug off Flores. He added: "We are a club that understands there are rules
and we abide by them. But you have every commentator and 80 per cent of the
media saying it wasn't a sending off. "Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation
afterwards and says he stands by his judgement and when it goes to appeal
and three guys stand by Howard Webb you feel 'how can this be right'. "We
are upset, we feel we have been badly treated. "Most judgements are not made
by three people, they are made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. "I
believe if you had gone to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75 per
cent would have said it was not a sending off, but if you just take three
people it may not be representative."
Gold said Carroll's presence could be crucial for the rest of West Ham's
season. He said: "Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our
football club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified.
"He was shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't
think you should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up. "There was a
lovely tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now
in intensive hair."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble backs West Ham to cope without Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 06/02/14 5:10pm
SSN
Midfielder Mark Noble believes that West Ham can still get positive results
without Andy Carroll. The Hammers will be without star forward Carroll as he
serves a three-match ban for violent conduct, and is set to miss the
upcoming games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton. But Noble is
still confident that West Ham will be able to build on last Saturday's 2-0
victory over Swansea City. The 26-year-old told the London Evening Standard:
"Andy being suspended is obviously a massive miss for us. "For him to be
back the way he was and then to miss him for another three games is going to
be tough but we have to dig in and get results without him. "Everyone will
have to play their part to try and get us three points away from home.
"We're three points off eleventh, so getting ourselves back in that pack
with the win against Swansea was important. "It would be good to go to Aston
Villa and get the three points before another winnable home game against
Norwich City. "We're looking up rather than down at the moment and even
though we're in the bottom three, I'm sure we can claw our way back."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has some concerns on West Ham appealing Andy
Carroll's red card
Last Updated: 06/02/14 11:23pm
SSN
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert reckons a successful West Ham appeal on Andy
Carroll's red card against Swansea may lead to chaos in the game. The
Hammers are trying to seek an arbitration panel hearing into Carroll's
sending off during their 2-0 win over Swansea last weekend. This week a
three-man Football Association appeal's body upheld the decision of referee
Howard Webb to dismiss Carroll following a clash with Chico Flores. Speaking
ahead of Villa's Premier League clash with West Ham, Lambert insists he
understands West Ham's reasoning. But the Scot also feels a dangerous
precedent could be set the case goes before an arbitration panel as that
would give other clubs the opportunity to ignore future FA decisions. "I
don't get involved in somebody else's business. It's up to West Ham and what
they want to do," said Lambert. "I don't know the ins and outs. All I know
is they're debating trying to get him off. It's not my remit, it's for West
Ham. "But if is overruled then you create a monster of everybody wanting to
do the same. That's what could happen."
Asked whether he would go down a similar route if the circumstances were the
same and Villa striker Christian Benteke was in the dock, Lambert added:
"It's hard to say. You can understand West Ham trying. "You'd have to judge
the incident on its merit. Everybody is going to be different, whether they
think something is dangerous or not. That is their own perception. "Whether
West Ham see they've a chance to get it rescinded, I don't know."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA CAVE INTO WEST HAM DEMANDS FOR ARBITRATION PANEL AT 11AM TODAY
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2014 at 00:14
West Ham Till I Die
Darren Lewis broke the news in the Daily Mirror just before midnight that
the FA have caved in to West Ham's demands for arbitration. A three-person
panel will consist of one from each side and a mutually agreed third It is
claimed The FA have only agreed to arbitration in the Andy Carroll case to
prevent West Ham going to the High Court on Friday morning over the 3 match
ban. The hearing has been scheduled under the FA's Rule K for 11am Friday at
a venue to be arranged. Both parties will choose one person each to sit on a
three-man panel. A third will have to be agreed upon. West Ham have stood by
a number of points made in a letter put to the FA by top barrister Lord
David Pannick QC They insisted that Andy Carroll should have had a personal
hearing and that although the Commission maintains an "obvious error" has to
have been made such wording doesn't exist in the rules.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM DEMAND AN ARBITRATION HEARING OR WILL SEEK HIGH COURT INJUNCTION
By Sean Whetstone 6 Feb 2014 at 09:00
West Ham Till I Die
Details have emerged in the papers this morning of the letter to the FA and
the grounds West Ham are allegedly demanding an arbitration appeal panel is
convened under rule K of the handbook.
West Ham could demand the FA bring arbitration proceedings under rule K of
their rules. Such an arbitration would be limited to a challenge to the
validity of the decision on the grounds of ultra vires ( Latin: 'beyond
powers') including error of law, irrationality or procedural unfairness. An
arbitration would probably take place behind closed doors before a new FA
three-person tribunal. The process could take weeks rather than days, and it
is likely that the 3 match ban would be suspended pending the result of the
arbitration if permitted by the FA.
West Ham's first argument appears to be it is against normal justice that
Andy Carroll was not allowed to appear in person in front of the panel. The
second and main claim is said to be around the FA's claim there has to be an
'obvious error' in Howard Webb's decision for the red card to be overturned.
West Ham claim this statement is fundamentally flawed as it is not in the FA
or Premier League rule book. The letter is believed to have been written by
Lord David Pannick QC on behalf of the club says the structure of the FA
appeal process is legally flawed. If the FA refuse an arbitration hearing it
is claimed West ham will seek a high court injunction to allow Andy Carroll
to play on Saturday. There are claims it could bring the whole current
appeal panel system down if successful.
West ham could also attempt to bring judicial review proceedings in the high
court, but our chances of getting this type of action are very unlikely. In
a previous challenge to the setting up of the Premier League in 1992, the
high court decided that the FA was not subject to judicial review. Another
option is the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Update
David Gold has broken his silence over the recent events and said "We are
hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process.There is nowhere to go
other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last
thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue because I think it
is a footballing issue.But we are fighting for our lives. If we were
mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives
to retain our Premiership status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to
ourselves.The FA is refusing to comment on the unprecedented case, but the
rules do allow for clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to
the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is not clear however whether the
player's ban would be placed on hold until the case was dealt with. We are a
club that understands there are rules and we abide by them. But you have
every commentator and 80 per cent of the media saying it wasn't a sending
off. Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation afterwards and says he stands by
his judgement and when it goes to appeal and three guys stand by Howard Webb
you feel 'how can this be right. We are upset, we feel we have been badly
treated. Most judgements are not made by three people, they are made by 12 -
that's why they are called juries.I believe if you had gone to the FA
Council and asked the 100 members 75 per cent would have said it was not a
sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative."
Gold was also asked whether Andy Carroll missing 3 games would have an
impact. He replied "Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our
football club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified.
He was shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't
think you should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up.There was a
lovely tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now
in intensive hair."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll row: FA bow to West Ham's arbitration demands to keep
sending-off saga out of High Court
Feb 06, 2014 23:43 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
The FA have sensationally agreed to arbitration in the Andy Carroll case to
prevent West Ham going to the High Court on Friday morning over the
striker's red card. A hearing has been scheduled - under the FA's Rule K -
for 11am Friday at a venue to be arranged. Both parties will choose one
person each to sit on a three-man panel. A third will have to be agreed
upon. The FA have declined to comment, but this fresh twist comes after
hours of talks on Thursday between the FA's lawyers and West Ham's legal
team in a desperate bid to prevent the club shattering the disciplinary
system. The Hammers had remained hell-bent on heading for the High Court
after the FA initially refused arbitration over the failed appeal against
Carroll's sending off last Saturday. Co-chairman David Gold confirmed their
intention to follow through with their threat to take out an injunction
blocking the red card and freeing up Carroll to play in their massive
relegation scraps away to Aston Villa on Saturday and at home against
Norwich on Tuesday. That would have caused pandemonium as every club has
signed up to an agreement that the decision of an Independent Commission is
final. But Gold said before Thursday night's fresh development: "We are
hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process. "There is nowhere to go
other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last
thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue, because I think it
is a footballing issue. But we are fighting for our lives. "If we were
mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives
to retain our Premier League status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to
ourselves."
West Ham, however, had stood by a number of points made in a letter put to
the FA after consultation with highly-respected QC Lord David Pannick. They
insisted that Carroll should have had a personal hearing and that although
the Commission maintains an "obvious error" has to have been made such
wording doesn't exist in the rules. Mirror Sport understands the Hammers
were actually ready to stand down if the queries in their letter had been
answered to their satisfaction. They were unhappy with the response on
Thursday, however, and decided on their controversial course of action soon
afterwards. Carroll was sent off by World Cup Final referee Howard Webb for
appearing to strike Swansea defender Chico Flores in the Hammers' win at
Upton Park. Replays showed minimal contact and that Flores had exaggerated
his reaction but a three-man Independent Panel threw out the Hammers' appeal
on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA in talks with West Ham lawyers to keep Andy Carroll red-card row out of
the High Court
Feb 06, 2014 22:31 By Darren Lewis 2
The Mirror
The FA's lawyers are locked in talks with West Ham's legal team in a
desperate bid to prevent the club shattering the disciplinary system over
Andy Carroll in the next 24 hours. At the time of writing, the Hammers
remained hell-bent on heading for the High Court after the governing body
refused to go to arbitration over the club's failed appeal against Carroll's
sending off last Saturday. The east Londoners are now set to go through with
their threat to take out an injunction blocking the red card and freeing up
Carroll to play in their massive relegation scraps away to Aston Villa on
Saturday and at home to Norwich on Tuesday night. A move to the law courts
on Friday morning would cause pandemonium as every club has signed up to an
agreement that the decision of an Independent Commission is final. The FA
were understood to be sticking by that position. West Ham, however, are
standing by a number of points made in a letter put to the FA after
consultation with highly-respected QC Lord David Pannick. They maintain
Carroll should have had a personal hearing and that although the Commission
maintains an "obvious error" has to have been made, such wording doesn't
exist in the rules. Mirror Sport understands the Hammers were ready to stand
down if the queries in their letter had been answered to their satisfaction.
They were unhappy with the response on Thursday, however, and decided on
their controversial course of action soon afterwards. Co-owner David Gold
said: "We are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process. "There is
nowhere to go other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal,
the last thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue because I
think it is a footballing issue. But we are fighting for our lives. "If we
were mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our
lives to retain our Premier League status and we owe it to our fans, we owe
it to ourselves."
Carroll was sent off by World Cup referee Howard Webb for appearing to
strike Swansea's Chico Flores in the head with a swinging arm at Upton Park.
Replays showed contact to be minimal and that Flores had exaggerated his
reaction to it. A three-man Independent Panel, however, threw out the
Hammers' appeal on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is backing the Hammers to get over the loss of Andy Carroll at
Aston Villa
06.02.2014
Mark Noble has backed the Hammers to overcome the suspension of Andy Carroll
by claiming their first back-to-back league wins since 2012 this weekend.
Carroll will sit out Saturday's game at Aston Villa after the Club's appeal
against his red card in the Swansea match was dismissed. The No9 linked up
effectively with Kevin Nolan against the Swans, but his absence could give
another chance to Carlton Cole, who has notched four goals in his last ten
appearances. Victory at Villa Park could lift the Hammers as high as
eleventh in the table and Noble is focused on helping propelling them to the
relative safety of mid-table. He said: "Andy being suspended is obviously a
massive miss for us. For him to be back the way he was and then to miss him
for another three games is going to be tough, but we have to dig in and get
results without him. "Everyone will have to play their part to try and get
us three points away from home. "We're three points off eleventh, so getting
ourselves back in that pack with the win against Swansea was important. "It
would be good to go to Aston Villa and get the three points before another
winnable home game against Norwich. We're looking up rather than down at the
moment, and even though we're in the bottom three, I'm sure we can claw our
way back."
Noble has been delighted with the performances in West Ham's last two
fixtures, which not only yielded clean sheets against Chelsea and Swansea,
but also four points. The No16 believes that haul was fully deserved and
points to better times ahead in the coming months. He continued: "We've got
what we deserved from the last two games, which hasn't been the case all
season. "We've had a bit of bad luck with injuries, but to get four points
from the games against Chelsea and Swansea has been good for the camp. "It's
now eleven clean sheets which, along with Arsenal, is the joint-most in the
league. Our downfall was that we couldn't score goals and that's why we're
not in mid table or pushing higher. "We just need to work hard from now
until the end of the season and dig in - all the way from the bottom to
tenth nobody is safe and if we keep winning we'll drag more and more teams
into it."
Looking ahead to Saturday's trip to Aston Villa, Noble says the key could be
keeping their lively strike duo quiet. He explained: "Villa are a good team
at home, they counter well and they've had good results lately. But we know
we've got enough to go there and get a result. "Paul Lambert has had to
restructure the wage bill there, so he's done a good job with that. He has a
lot of young players who are working hard for each other and for the team.
"Then obviously they've got Benteke up front. We need to keep him and Gabby
Agbonlahor quiet and hopefully go there and get some points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll: West Ham may 'create monster' - Paul Lambert
BBC.co.uk
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is concerned that a "monster" could be
created if West Ham succeed in getting Andy Carroll's red card overturned.
The Hammers are to take legal action after failing in their appeal to the
Football Association over the striker's red card against Swansea last
Saturday.
Carroll is banned for three games, including Saturday's trip to Villa. "If
it is overruled then you create a monster of everybody wanting to do the
same," said Lambert. West Ham co-chairman David Gold said that he was only
taking the legal option because his side are third from bottom in the
Premier League and involved in a relegation battle. When asked if he would
go down a similar route if his side was facing the same situation, Lambert
replied: "It's hard to say. You can understand West Ham trying. "You'd have
to judge the incident on its merit. Everybody is going to be different,
whether they think something is dangerous or not. That is their own
perception."
The FA is refusing to comment, but the rules allow for clubs to take
disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport. It is not clear if the ban would be placed on hold until the case has
been dealt with. Carroll, 25, was sent off after clashing with Swans
defender Chico Flores during his side's 2-0 victory.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold set for legal battle
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Co-chairman David Gold has indicated that West Ham United are prepared to
seek legal redress as a result of the FA's decision to uphold Andy Carroll's
red card against Swansea. The FA have rarely been swayed by public opinion,
as Brian Clough found out to his chagrin all those years ago. And so it was
the case again this week when a three-man quango decided to uphold Howard
Webb's decision to dismiss Carroll for violent conduct despite the Hammers
enjoying widespread public support - a rarity itself in recent times. Now
Gold says that the Hammers are prepared to go all the way to court in an
effort to have Carroll's appeal re-heard - an appeal against an appeal, if
you will. Talking earlier, he said: "We are hugely disappointed at the
outcome of the process. The last thing I want to do is go to some kind of
legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. But we are fighting
for our lives. "If we were mid-table we would probably get on with it, but
we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premier League status and we owe
it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves. We are upset, we feel we have been
badly treated. "Most judgements are not made by three people, they are made
by 12 - that's why they are called juries. I believe if you had gone to the
FA Council and asked the 100 members, 75 per cent would have said it was not
a sending off. "If you just take three people, it may not be
representative."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ashton slams 'pathetic' Chico
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 6th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers striker Dean Ashton has labelled Chico Flores "pathetic"
after he contrived to get Andy Carroll sent off - but believes that the
striker's red card was warranted. Ashton, speaking exclusively to the KUMB
Podcast - which you may download here - hit out at the Spanish defender who
feigned injury in order to get Carroll sent off, a situation that referee
Howard Webb bought hook, line and sinker. "The actions of Chico Flores were
pathetic and it's good to hear even the Swansea fans come out and say how
they're disgraced by it," said Ashton. "It's a real shame that it's not been
overturned but I think it was a sending off, you just can't do that any
more. "I think Andy will admit he probably shouldn't have swung his arm
round. We all know that it's pretty pathetic and we all know that a few
years ago nothing would have happened, but nowadays you just can't do that."
And whilst Ashton - who was forced to retire from professional football at
the age of just 26 - believes that West Ham will avoid the drop, he
maintains their best chance of doing so is with a fit Andy Carroll in the
team. "With Andy in the side the team seems to gel and there's more of a
confidence when he plays," he added. "They look totally different and are
just too strong for some teams, as they showed at the weekend. "I'm
slightly worried for the next few games as everyone could tell what a
difference Andy made. In the last couple of games he's looked more like his
old self and that'll be a massive blow for Sam. But it gives the player/s
coming in a chance to step in and perform. "I said a few weeks ago, when
things looked a lot more bleak, that as soon as they get their better
players back they'd start to climb the league. I think that's already
showing now they have their best players in the team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham seeking "legal redress" over Andy Carroll's red card
Last Updated: 06/02/14 5:15pm
SSN
West Ham's co-owner David Gold says the club are seeking "legal redress"
over Andy Carroll's red card because they have no alternative. The Hammers
want the Football Association to take the case to an arbitration panel after
referee Howard Webb's decision to send off the striker after a clash with
Swansea's Chico Flores was upheld by a three-man FA appeal's body. Carroll
is now facing a three-match ban which will see him miss West Ham's away game
with Aston Villa on Saturday, as well as home fixtures with Norwich and
Southampton. Gold believes Carroll's suspension could mean the difference
between relegation and top-flight survival. "We are hugely disappointed at
the outcome of the process," said Gold. "There is nowhere to go other than
to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last thing I want to
do is going to some kind of legal issue because I think it is a footballing
issue. "we are fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would
probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our
Premiership status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves." "But
we are fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on
with it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premiership status
and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves."
The FA is refusing to comment on the unprecedented case, but the rules do
allow for clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is not clear however whether the player's
ban would be placed on hold until the case was dealt with. Gold claimed most
people would view the red card as wrong and that Carroll had been trying to
shrug off Flores. He added: "We are a club that understands there are rules
and we abide by them. But you have every commentator and 80 per cent of the
media saying it wasn't a sending off. "Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation
afterwards and says he stands by his judgement and when it goes to appeal
and three guys stand by Howard Webb you feel 'how can this be right'. "We
are upset, we feel we have been badly treated. "Most judgements are not made
by three people, they are made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. "I
believe if you had gone to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75 per
cent would have said it was not a sending off, but if you just take three
people it may not be representative."
Gold said Carroll's presence could be crucial for the rest of West Ham's
season. He said: "Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our
football club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified.
"He was shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't
think you should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up. "There was a
lovely tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now
in intensive hair."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble backs West Ham to cope without Andy Carroll
Last Updated: 06/02/14 5:10pm
SSN
Midfielder Mark Noble believes that West Ham can still get positive results
without Andy Carroll. The Hammers will be without star forward Carroll as he
serves a three-match ban for violent conduct, and is set to miss the
upcoming games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton. But Noble is
still confident that West Ham will be able to build on last Saturday's 2-0
victory over Swansea City. The 26-year-old told the London Evening Standard:
"Andy being suspended is obviously a massive miss for us. "For him to be
back the way he was and then to miss him for another three games is going to
be tough but we have to dig in and get results without him. "Everyone will
have to play their part to try and get us three points away from home.
"We're three points off eleventh, so getting ourselves back in that pack
with the win against Swansea was important. "It would be good to go to Aston
Villa and get the three points before another winnable home game against
Norwich City. "We're looking up rather than down at the moment and even
though we're in the bottom three, I'm sure we can claw our way back."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has some concerns on West Ham appealing Andy
Carroll's red card
Last Updated: 06/02/14 11:23pm
SSN
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert reckons a successful West Ham appeal on Andy
Carroll's red card against Swansea may lead to chaos in the game. The
Hammers are trying to seek an arbitration panel hearing into Carroll's
sending off during their 2-0 win over Swansea last weekend. This week a
three-man Football Association appeal's body upheld the decision of referee
Howard Webb to dismiss Carroll following a clash with Chico Flores. Speaking
ahead of Villa's Premier League clash with West Ham, Lambert insists he
understands West Ham's reasoning. But the Scot also feels a dangerous
precedent could be set the case goes before an arbitration panel as that
would give other clubs the opportunity to ignore future FA decisions. "I
don't get involved in somebody else's business. It's up to West Ham and what
they want to do," said Lambert. "I don't know the ins and outs. All I know
is they're debating trying to get him off. It's not my remit, it's for West
Ham. "But if is overruled then you create a monster of everybody wanting to
do the same. That's what could happen."
Asked whether he would go down a similar route if the circumstances were the
same and Villa striker Christian Benteke was in the dock, Lambert added:
"It's hard to say. You can understand West Ham trying. "You'd have to judge
the incident on its merit. Everybody is going to be different, whether they
think something is dangerous or not. That is their own perception. "Whether
West Ham see they've a chance to get it rescinded, I don't know."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA CAVE INTO WEST HAM DEMANDS FOR ARBITRATION PANEL AT 11AM TODAY
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2014 at 00:14
West Ham Till I Die
Darren Lewis broke the news in the Daily Mirror just before midnight that
the FA have caved in to West Ham's demands for arbitration. A three-person
panel will consist of one from each side and a mutually agreed third It is
claimed The FA have only agreed to arbitration in the Andy Carroll case to
prevent West Ham going to the High Court on Friday morning over the 3 match
ban. The hearing has been scheduled under the FA's Rule K for 11am Friday at
a venue to be arranged. Both parties will choose one person each to sit on a
three-man panel. A third will have to be agreed upon. West Ham have stood by
a number of points made in a letter put to the FA by top barrister Lord
David Pannick QC They insisted that Andy Carroll should have had a personal
hearing and that although the Commission maintains an "obvious error" has to
have been made such wording doesn't exist in the rules.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM DEMAND AN ARBITRATION HEARING OR WILL SEEK HIGH COURT INJUNCTION
By Sean Whetstone 6 Feb 2014 at 09:00
West Ham Till I Die
Details have emerged in the papers this morning of the letter to the FA and
the grounds West Ham are allegedly demanding an arbitration appeal panel is
convened under rule K of the handbook.
West Ham could demand the FA bring arbitration proceedings under rule K of
their rules. Such an arbitration would be limited to a challenge to the
validity of the decision on the grounds of ultra vires ( Latin: 'beyond
powers') including error of law, irrationality or procedural unfairness. An
arbitration would probably take place behind closed doors before a new FA
three-person tribunal. The process could take weeks rather than days, and it
is likely that the 3 match ban would be suspended pending the result of the
arbitration if permitted by the FA.
West Ham's first argument appears to be it is against normal justice that
Andy Carroll was not allowed to appear in person in front of the panel. The
second and main claim is said to be around the FA's claim there has to be an
'obvious error' in Howard Webb's decision for the red card to be overturned.
West Ham claim this statement is fundamentally flawed as it is not in the FA
or Premier League rule book. The letter is believed to have been written by
Lord David Pannick QC on behalf of the club says the structure of the FA
appeal process is legally flawed. If the FA refuse an arbitration hearing it
is claimed West ham will seek a high court injunction to allow Andy Carroll
to play on Saturday. There are claims it could bring the whole current
appeal panel system down if successful.
West ham could also attempt to bring judicial review proceedings in the high
court, but our chances of getting this type of action are very unlikely. In
a previous challenge to the setting up of the Premier League in 1992, the
high court decided that the FA was not subject to judicial review. Another
option is the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Update
David Gold has broken his silence over the recent events and said "We are
hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process.There is nowhere to go
other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last
thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue because I think it
is a footballing issue.But we are fighting for our lives. If we were
mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives
to retain our Premiership status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to
ourselves.The FA is refusing to comment on the unprecedented case, but the
rules do allow for clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to
the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is not clear however whether the
player's ban would be placed on hold until the case was dealt with. We are a
club that understands there are rules and we abide by them. But you have
every commentator and 80 per cent of the media saying it wasn't a sending
off. Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation afterwards and says he stands by
his judgement and when it goes to appeal and three guys stand by Howard Webb
you feel 'how can this be right. We are upset, we feel we have been badly
treated. Most judgements are not made by three people, they are made by 12 -
that's why they are called juries.I believe if you had gone to the FA
Council and asked the 100 members 75 per cent would have said it was not a
sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative."
Gold was also asked whether Andy Carroll missing 3 games would have an
impact. He replied "Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our
football club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified.
He was shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't
think you should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up.There was a
lovely tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now
in intensive hair."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll row: FA bow to West Ham's arbitration demands to keep
sending-off saga out of High Court
Feb 06, 2014 23:43 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
The FA have sensationally agreed to arbitration in the Andy Carroll case to
prevent West Ham going to the High Court on Friday morning over the
striker's red card. A hearing has been scheduled - under the FA's Rule K -
for 11am Friday at a venue to be arranged. Both parties will choose one
person each to sit on a three-man panel. A third will have to be agreed
upon. The FA have declined to comment, but this fresh twist comes after
hours of talks on Thursday between the FA's lawyers and West Ham's legal
team in a desperate bid to prevent the club shattering the disciplinary
system. The Hammers had remained hell-bent on heading for the High Court
after the FA initially refused arbitration over the failed appeal against
Carroll's sending off last Saturday. Co-chairman David Gold confirmed their
intention to follow through with their threat to take out an injunction
blocking the red card and freeing up Carroll to play in their massive
relegation scraps away to Aston Villa on Saturday and at home against
Norwich on Tuesday. That would have caused pandemonium as every club has
signed up to an agreement that the decision of an Independent Commission is
final. But Gold said before Thursday night's fresh development: "We are
hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process. "There is nowhere to go
other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal, the last
thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue, because I think it
is a footballing issue. But we are fighting for our lives. "If we were
mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our lives
to retain our Premier League status and we owe it to our fans, we owe it to
ourselves."
West Ham, however, had stood by a number of points made in a letter put to
the FA after consultation with highly-respected QC Lord David Pannick. They
insisted that Carroll should have had a personal hearing and that although
the Commission maintains an "obvious error" has to have been made such
wording doesn't exist in the rules. Mirror Sport understands the Hammers
were actually ready to stand down if the queries in their letter had been
answered to their satisfaction. They were unhappy with the response on
Thursday, however, and decided on their controversial course of action soon
afterwards. Carroll was sent off by World Cup Final referee Howard Webb for
appearing to strike Swansea defender Chico Flores in the Hammers' win at
Upton Park. Replays showed minimal contact and that Flores had exaggerated
his reaction but a three-man Independent Panel threw out the Hammers' appeal
on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA in talks with West Ham lawyers to keep Andy Carroll red-card row out of
the High Court
Feb 06, 2014 22:31 By Darren Lewis 2
The Mirror
The FA's lawyers are locked in talks with West Ham's legal team in a
desperate bid to prevent the club shattering the disciplinary system over
Andy Carroll in the next 24 hours. At the time of writing, the Hammers
remained hell-bent on heading for the High Court after the governing body
refused to go to arbitration over the club's failed appeal against Carroll's
sending off last Saturday. The east Londoners are now set to go through with
their threat to take out an injunction blocking the red card and freeing up
Carroll to play in their massive relegation scraps away to Aston Villa on
Saturday and at home to Norwich on Tuesday night. A move to the law courts
on Friday morning would cause pandemonium as every club has signed up to an
agreement that the decision of an Independent Commission is final. The FA
were understood to be sticking by that position. West Ham, however, are
standing by a number of points made in a letter put to the FA after
consultation with highly-respected QC Lord David Pannick. They maintain
Carroll should have had a personal hearing and that although the Commission
maintains an "obvious error" has to have been made, such wording doesn't
exist in the rules. Mirror Sport understands the Hammers were ready to stand
down if the queries in their letter had been answered to their satisfaction.
They were unhappy with the response on Thursday, however, and decided on
their controversial course of action soon afterwards. Co-owner David Gold
said: "We are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the process. "There is
nowhere to go other than to seek some kind of legal redress. It's not ideal,
the last thing I want to do is going to some kind of legal issue because I
think it is a footballing issue. But we are fighting for our lives. "If we
were mid-table we would probably get on with it but we are fighting for our
lives to retain our Premier League status and we owe it to our fans, we owe
it to ourselves."
Carroll was sent off by World Cup referee Howard Webb for appearing to
strike Swansea's Chico Flores in the head with a swinging arm at Upton Park.
Replays showed contact to be minimal and that Flores had exaggerated his
reaction to it. A three-man Independent Panel, however, threw out the
Hammers' appeal on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Thursday, February 6
Daily WHUFC News - Carroll
West Ham seek legal route over red card
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are to take legal action after failing in their appeal to overturn
the red card shown to Andy Carroll during the 1 February win against
Swansea.
The Football Association upheld the decision which means the England striker
is now banned for three games. "There is nowhere to go other than to seek
some kind of legal redress," said West Ham co-chairman David Gold. Rules
allow clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport. In the 12 months from the start of March 2013 to the
end of February 2014, Andy Carroll will have played only 15 games, scoring
four goals (if the club do not overturn the ban). The FA has refused to
comment on the latest development. Carroll, 25, was sent off after clashing
with Swans defender Chico Flores during his side's 2-0 victory. He will now
miss the Premier League games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.
In apparent reaction to the decision, Carroll, who set up both goals
tweeted: "Disgraceful."
According to the FA, West Ham failed to prove to a three-man panel that
referee Howard Webb had made "an obvious error" in dismissing Carroll after
the forward's arm hit Flores's forehead. However, West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce was certain that Webb made a mistake. "There has to be somebody to
look at that in the cold light of day and say that is certainly not a red
card," he said after the win. Gold added: "We are hugely disappointed at the
outcome of the process. "The last thing I want to do is going to some kind
of legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. "But we are
fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on with
it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premier League status and
we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves. "We are upset, we feel we
have been badly treated. "Most judgements are not made by three people, they
are made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. "I believe if you had
gone to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75% would have said it was
not a sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative."
West Ham are 18th in the Premier League, one point from safety.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold says West Ham have 'no alternative' but to fight Carroll red card in
the courts
By MARTYN ZIEGLER, PRESS ASSOCIATION
PUBLISHED: 17:03, 6 February 2014 | UPDATED: 17:03, 6 February 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham's co-owner David Gold has claimed the club has been forced to take
legal action over Andy Carroll's red card because they have no alternative.
The Hammers want the Football Association to take the case to an arbitration
panel after referee Howard Webb's decision to send off the striker after a
clash with Swansea's Chico Flores was upheld by a three-man FA appeal's
body. Carroll is now facing a three-match ban and Gold said that could mean
the difference between relegation and top-flight survival. Gold told Press
Association Sport: 'We are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the
process. 'There is nowhere to go other than to seek some kind of legal
redress. It's not ideal, the last thing I want to do is going to some kind
of legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. 'But we are
fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on with
it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premiership status and we
owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves.' The FA is refusing to comment
on the unprecedented case, but the rules do allow for clubs to take disputes
to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is
not clear however whether the player's ban would be placed on hold until the
case was dealt with. Gold claimed most people would view the red card as
wrong and that Carroll had been trying to shrug off Flores. He added: 'We
are a club that understands there are rules and we abide by them. But you
have every commentator and 80 per cent of the media saying it wasn't a
sending off. 'Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation afterwards and says he
stands by his judgement and when it goes to appeal and three guys stand by
Howard Webb you feel 'how can this be right'. 'We are upset, we feel we have
been badly treated. 'Most judgements are not made by three people, they are
made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. 'I believe if you had gone
to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75 per cent would have said it
was not a sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative.' Gold said Carroll's presence could be crucial for the rest
of West Ham's season.
He said: 'Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our football
club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified. 'He was
shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't think you
should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up. 'There was a lovely
tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now in
intensive hair.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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BBC.co.uk
West Ham are to take legal action after failing in their appeal to overturn
the red card shown to Andy Carroll during the 1 February win against
Swansea.
The Football Association upheld the decision which means the England striker
is now banned for three games. "There is nowhere to go other than to seek
some kind of legal redress," said West Ham co-chairman David Gold. Rules
allow clubs to take disputes to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport. In the 12 months from the start of March 2013 to the
end of February 2014, Andy Carroll will have played only 15 games, scoring
four goals (if the club do not overturn the ban). The FA has refused to
comment on the latest development. Carroll, 25, was sent off after clashing
with Swans defender Chico Flores during his side's 2-0 victory. He will now
miss the Premier League games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.
In apparent reaction to the decision, Carroll, who set up both goals
tweeted: "Disgraceful."
According to the FA, West Ham failed to prove to a three-man panel that
referee Howard Webb had made "an obvious error" in dismissing Carroll after
the forward's arm hit Flores's forehead. However, West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce was certain that Webb made a mistake. "There has to be somebody to
look at that in the cold light of day and say that is certainly not a red
card," he said after the win. Gold added: "We are hugely disappointed at the
outcome of the process. "The last thing I want to do is going to some kind
of legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. "But we are
fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on with
it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premier League status and
we owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves. "We are upset, we feel we
have been badly treated. "Most judgements are not made by three people, they
are made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. "I believe if you had
gone to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75% would have said it was
not a sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative."
West Ham are 18th in the Premier League, one point from safety.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold says West Ham have 'no alternative' but to fight Carroll red card in
the courts
By MARTYN ZIEGLER, PRESS ASSOCIATION
PUBLISHED: 17:03, 6 February 2014 | UPDATED: 17:03, 6 February 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham's co-owner David Gold has claimed the club has been forced to take
legal action over Andy Carroll's red card because they have no alternative.
The Hammers want the Football Association to take the case to an arbitration
panel after referee Howard Webb's decision to send off the striker after a
clash with Swansea's Chico Flores was upheld by a three-man FA appeal's
body. Carroll is now facing a three-match ban and Gold said that could mean
the difference between relegation and top-flight survival. Gold told Press
Association Sport: 'We are hugely disappointed at the outcome of the
process. 'There is nowhere to go other than to seek some kind of legal
redress. It's not ideal, the last thing I want to do is going to some kind
of legal issue because I think it is a footballing issue. 'But we are
fighting for our lives. If we were mid-table we would probably get on with
it but we are fighting for our lives to retain our Premiership status and we
owe it to our fans, we owe it to ourselves.' The FA is refusing to comment
on the unprecedented case, but the rules do allow for clubs to take disputes
to arbitration and if necessary to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It is
not clear however whether the player's ban would be placed on hold until the
case was dealt with. Gold claimed most people would view the red card as
wrong and that Carroll had been trying to shrug off Flores. He added: 'We
are a club that understands there are rules and we abide by them. But you
have every commentator and 80 per cent of the media saying it wasn't a
sending off. 'Yet Howard Webb reviews the situation afterwards and says he
stands by his judgement and when it goes to appeal and three guys stand by
Howard Webb you feel 'how can this be right'. 'We are upset, we feel we have
been badly treated. 'Most judgements are not made by three people, they are
made by 12 - that's why they are called juries. 'I believe if you had gone
to the FA Council and asked the 100 members 75 per cent would have said it
was not a sending off, but if you just take three people it may not be
representative.' Gold said Carroll's presence could be crucial for the rest
of West Ham's season.
He said: 'Of course it could. You can see the impact he has on our football
club. I feel sorry for him as well - he was absolutely mortified. 'He was
shrugging the guy off, okay he has messed his hair up but I don't think you
should get sent off for messing somebody's hair up. 'There was a lovely
tweet about Chico Flores saying he went to Vidal Sassoon and is now in
intensive hair.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Daily WHUFC News - 6th February 2014
The Big Interview - Carlton Cole
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is keen for the Hammers to capitalise on their recent results
and move up the table
05.02.2014
Carlton Cole says West Ham United are focused on staying in the Barclays
Premier League after picking up two great results last week. Two different,
but equally committed, performances against Chelsea and then Swansea City
earned the Hammers a total of four points in the space of four days,
including a first home win of 2014. As Sam Allardyce's side prepare to play
Aston Villa on Saturday, Carlton Cole is hoping the team can put together a
run of good results.
Carlton, how have two great results, a draw against Chelsea and then three
points against Swansea City, lifted morale around the Club?
CC: "Obviously the boys have been buzzing but it's important that we focus
on the next game now. We had a team meeting and the gaffer knows that we
have to do more if we want to stay in this league. We've set our targets now
and all the boys know what we need to do to stay in it."
Have the two results lifted a bit of pressure off the players?
CC: "Wins will take a lot of pressure off in any situation. Now that we
almost have a fully fit squad, apart from Joey O'Brien who has to have an
operation, we've got more options available and players coming back so it's
all positive for the Club."
The 2-0 win against Swansea on Saturday was the Club's first home win of
2014, how important was it to get that first win in front of the home fans?
CC: "It was brilliant. The crowd were amazing that day and it was just an
unfortunate situation that led to Andy Carroll getting sent-off at the end
of the day. By the end of the match we pulled through and deserved to win
the match."
How good is it for you to see an almost fully fit squad and only one or two
still in the treatment room?
CC: "When you see injured players in the treatment room and in the gym when
they can't come out with you, you're always asking them 'When are you coming
back?' and it's obviously frustrating for them so you stop asking them after
a while. It's good for morale when players come back and it gives everyone a
boost when you see your colleagues coming back to fitness. When they get
back into the squad it's good because you know what they can bring to the
team."
The Club signed a couple of new players in the January transfer window, how
have they fitted in so far?
CC: "Their English is not quite up to scratch but their English is better
than my Italian so I can't complain about that! We've got a few other young
signings as well who are going to be looking to push for first team places,
coming off the bench or starting. We've got competition for places all round
now."
Have the new signings freshened things up and helped provide more
competition for places?
CC: "Yeah, definitely. When you've got competition for places you want to go
out there and keep your place if you're starting. That's what football's
about and that's what will get us the results that we need."
Aston Villa are the opposition on Saturday and you spent a season on loan
there earlier in your career, how do you remember your time with the
Villans?
CC: "I've got fond memories. I made good friends, the kit-man over there has
always been a pal of mine but that was when I was much younger! Ten years
ago now I think! Things have changed since then. They've done really well
and maintained their Premier League status since I left there so they've
done exceptionally well and they have some good young players coming
through."
The bottom half of the table is so tight that if we beat them on Saturday we
can drag them towards the relegation battle, is that the aim?
CC: "No one seems to be safe from 12th downwards. We're just focusing on
trying to get to that tenth spot, that's our aim. If we can get there then
we've had a successful season."
A good result against Aston Villa would set us up nicely for two crucial
home games later in the month wouldn't it?
CC: "We've got two crucial home games coming up against Norwich City and
Southampton but we have to take it one game at a time. Hopefully we can go
into every game feeling positive and knowing that we can get the result that
our work-rate deserves. We'll try and bag a few goals and hopefully we can
carry on keeping clean sheets."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Take them to the cleaners
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are set to call upon the expertise of a leading QC to
investigate the FA's decision to uphold Howard Webb's decision to dismiss
Andy Carroll against Swansea. Carroll, 25 last month, was set off last
weekend after the theatrical antics of Swansea's Chico Flores led Webb to
issue the England striker with a red card, despite having barely made
contact with the Spaniard who fell to the ground clutching his face in mock
agony.
As a result Carroll was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct - a
decision that was upheld to the dismay of the vast majority of football
followers - by a three-man FA adjudicating panel yesterday. But far from
accepting the decision, West Ham are now reported to be seeking the advice
of a leading barrister - Lord David Pannick, according to today's Telegraph
- in order to examine the possibility of challenging a decision that left
most pundits and commentators incredulous.
With just 14 games of the Premier League season left to play - and with the
Hammers still stuck in the relegation zone - losing Carroll for circa 20 per
cent of those matches could prove catastrophic. Very much in West Ham's
thoughts is the abominable 2008 decision by Lord Griffiths to award
Sheffield United in excess of £25million damages following the Tevez debacle
- a sum that the club only finished paying off last year.
West Ham feel that Swansea, who like West Ham are involved in the relegation
battle, have gained an unfair advantage as the result of blatant cheating by
Flores - which even Swans manager Michael Laudrup, who parted company with
the club last night, admitted. Having lost an appeal that it appears they
were confident of winning, the Hammers will now investigate the FA's legal
procedure in order to ascertain whether it is possible to achieve justice by
alternative means - just as Sheffield United did six years ago.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM APPOINT TOP BARRISTER IN A BID TO CHALLENGE THE FA
By Sean Whetstone 5 Feb 2014 at 11:18
West Ham Till I Die
According to the Telegraph and the Sun West Ham are appointing a top
barrister in a bid to challenge the FA after their appeal against Andy
Carroll's red card was rejected.
It is claimed West ham are appointing Lord David Pannick, one of the
country's leading barristers, to explore every possible legal avenue to
judge whether they can challenge the procedure. Lord David Pannick is a
non-party-political member of the House of Lords.
Lord David Pannick QC was chosen by Sheffield United to sit on an
arbitration hearing panel on June 18th 2007 in an attempt to reinstate them
in the Premier League over the Tevez affair. It was that panel who ruled in
favor of Sheffield United which led to the out of court settlement believed
to be £18.1million which we only finished paying last year.
His past clients include a well known West Ham fan -The Queen after winning
an injunction in the High Court to restrain The Daily Mirror from publishing
further allegations about her home life by a reporter who had gained
employment as a footman. He also represented the Football Association's
appeal against Wayne Rooney's three-match Euro 2012 ban.
The last sentence of the FA statement yesterday makes it clear "The decision
of an Independent Regulatory Commission in relation to a claim of wrongful
dismissal is final and binding on all parties and is not subject to appeal."
Evening Update: The Telegraph say West Ham have threatened to take legal
action against the Football Association unless they agree to grant Andy
Carroll a formal hearing over his three-match suspension. West Ham have
stepped up their row with the FA after Carroll's controversial ban by
demanding a resolution by Friday, insisting they are prepared to take their
case to the High Court if the request is rejected. With the assistance of
Lord David Pannick QC West Ham sent a letter to the FA on Wednesday
outlining their frustration at the procedure which has resulted in their
record signing being ruled out for three games.West Ham are ready to take
unprecedented legal action against the governing body if they refuse to
allow Carroll another chance to pursue wrongful dismissal.
..
The Daily Mail claim "Were the governing body to show unwillingness then
West Ham will go to the High Court seeking an injunction ordering Carroll's
suspension be lifted until an arbitration panel can be set up, freeing him
for the match."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SO HOW HAS 2014 BEEN SO FAR?!
By Tony Hanna 5 Feb 2014 at 07:55
West Ham Till I Die
It's been a big couple of weeks for our beloved Hammers and fellow
supporters. In what has been a very disappointing season so far, the past
fortnight has seen some glimmers of hope. On the pitch we saw a valiant
effort to deny Chelsea and to steal a point, much to the disgust of the
theatrical Jose Mourinho. The team followed that up with a gutsy win against
Swansea in a match we were comfortably in control of until Andy Carroll's
red card. Another half hour of backs to the wall defence from Collins,
Tomkins and Co ensured our lead stayed in tact, despite the numerical
disadvantage. If you were asked two weeks ago whether you thought we would
take four points from those two games I think most would have replied "very
probably not!"
On the injury front things seem to be improving. Andy was firing on all
cylinders against Swansea but of course will now be sorely missed for the
next three games due to his suspension. James Collins and James Tomkins are
both back to their best after recent injuries and suspensions, and of course
Winston Reid is now back in the fold and ready to go. That in itself will
give Big Sam a nice headache – Collins and Tomkins have been excellent in
the past two games since their return, which poses the question as to
whether Winston will break straight back into the line up? I guess he will,
but it will be a tough call after two clean sheets in a row.
Then of course we have finally seen the back of the fiasco that is the
January transfer window. There are a lot of things wrong in the professional
game today, and the transfer window would certainly make my list of "changes
required!" Agents have caused enough problems in the game without giving
them a "deadline" to further their money grabbing antics. For us the window
saw several players come to Upton Park in loan deals. Most notably were the
two Italians Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello and then of course
Columbian fullback Pablo Armero. How much we see of any of these three is
anyone's guess? At the moment it would seem hard for Sam to make any
unforced changes to a side with four points and two clean sheets from the
past two games. Who would have thought a few weeks ago that Matt Taylor
would be doing such a good job in central midfield? And on another positive
note, the emergence of Adrian as first choice goalkeeper is a real plus. For
a player with only seven first team appearances to his name, he has
certainly already built a great rapport with the fans.
The month of February loomed large for many Hammer fans as games against
Swansea, Villa, Norwich and Southampton would surely give a true indicator
as to whether we will be playing Premier League football next season or not?
Andy Carroll's 3 match suspension will be a big blow for our hopes – you
only have to see how he brought our misfiring captain Kevin Nolan into the
game against Swansea. Luck and good management on further injuries and
suspensions will play a pivotal part for the remainder of the season, as
will what impact the new loan players will make when given the chance.
Whilst the fixture list after this month does look tough, in my view there
are only two games that we will go into expecting nothing – away to Arsenal
and City. But there again, who would have thought a point at Chelsea was on
the cards?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neil Warnock blasts FA over Andy Carroll red card decision saying they are
protecting Howard Webb
Feb 05, 2014 12:20 By Eliot Rothwell
The Mirror
Former Leeds manager Neil Warnock has said the FA are determined to protect
Howard Webb by allowing West Ham striker Andy Carroll's recent red card to
stand. Carroll was sent off in West Ham's victory over Swansea, following a
tussle with Swans defender Chico Flores. Warnock has suggested that the FA
are keen to protect the foremost English official due to his selection for
the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "Deep down Howard Webb will know he got it
wrong," Warnock told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT. "They've
upheld it because he's our top referee and he's going to the World Cup and
they don't want to embarrass him."
The 65-year-old criticised the FA committee charged with making the final
decision on the red card, questioning their knowledge of the game. "I think
it's totally wrong," he said. "Everyone on that FA committee – and no-one
knows who they are – has got away with murder. They obviously don't know the
game of football." Warnock also took exception to Chico Flores' reaction to
the tussle with Carroll, suggesting that the Swansea defender should face a
ban instead of the West Ham striker.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chico Flores slates West Ham in Twitter rant
Hers Is The City
The Swansea City defender hit out at West Ham supporters after he received a
series of abusive tweets in relation to Andy Carroll's dismissal on
Saturday.
Swansea City defender Chico Flores came out on the front foot after verbal
abuse from West Ham United supporters for his role in Andy Carroll's
dismissal last weekend. Flores was hit around the head by Carroll's flailing
arm, before theatrically rolling around on the floor. Carroll was shown a
red card for the incident.
West Ham United appealed Andy Carroll's suspension, but an independent
commission acting on The FA's behalf concluded that there were no grounds
for appeal and rejected the club's claim that referee Howard Webb had made
"an obvious error". Carroll will now be unavailable for selection in West
Ham's upcoming Premier League fixtures with Aston Villa, Norwich City and
Southampton.
Following public criticism from pundits and supporters via social media
website Twitter, the Spaniard opted to issue a reply of his own to the
critics. In three tweets on Wednesday night, he hit back at West Ham United
fans, telling them that they should be worrying more about "the ugly way"
that their team play football. Flores also posted a short video of the
incident using mobile video app Vine.
Tweeting from his personal account - @ChicoFlores12, the defender commented:
"I'm a bit tired of the strong insults from the west Ham fans. Whoever
doesn't see the aggression in that action is blind."
"They should be more preoccupied with the ugly way their team play football:
always making very long passes and never quick short passing."
"They should be worried about that before caring about such evident things."
"Ok West Ham 2 - 0 Swansea ... Swansea 24 Points West Ham 22 Points Hahaha
Smart !! Good luck ."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham refuse to give up fight for Carroll to play at Villa, claiming
suspension should be overturned due to FA's alleged appeal bungle
By LAURIE WHITWELL
PUBLISHED: 20:00, 5 February 2014 | UPDATED: 20:01, 5 February 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham United are refusing to concede defeat over Andy Carroll's red card
and have launched a bid to get him reinstated for their match at Aston
Villa on Saturday. A letter has been sent by the club to the Football
Association requesting they reconsider their decision to uphold the England
striker's red card for flailing an arm at Chico Flores. West Ham chiefs
believe the FA failed to follow the rules of their appeals process on two
specific counts and insist the red card handed out by Howard Webb should be
overturned on that basis. If the FA continue to back Webb's decision, and
Carroll's three-match ban, then West Ham will take their battle a step
further and push for an arbitration panel to hear their case tomorrow, in
time for the crunch game at Villa Park. Were the governing body to show
unwillingness then West Ham will go to the High Court seeking an injunction
ordering Carroll's suspension be lifted until an arbitration panel can be
set up, freeing him for the match. Renowned barrister Lord Pannick QC, who
has in the past represented the Queen in a privacy case as well as Wayne
Rooney and the British Olympic Committee in sporting contexts, has been
enlisted by the club for expert guidance. The lengths West Ham are prepared
to go to see Carroll's ban quashed illustrate the importance of the
25-year-old to their survival chances and the strength of feeling against
what Sam Allardyce called an 'injustice'. Flores was roundly criticised for
rolling on the floor holding his face even though Carroll's arm clipped the
top of his head. The FA are understood to stand by their process to date and
their statement on Tuesday which read: 'As stated in the Rules and
Regulations of The FA, an Independent Regulatory Commission must apply the
test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was 'an obvious error'.
Carlton Cole should play in Carroll's absence if West Ham's bid fails, while
Marco Borriello, on loan from Roma, is likely to feature after playing a
behind-closed-doors friendly against Southend on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Marco Borriello set to make West Ham debut at Aston Villa as club consider
legal challenge over Andy Carroll red card
Evening Standard
KEN DYER
Published: 05 February 2014 Updated: 12:01, 05 February 2014
Marco Borriello looks likely to figure in West Ham's team at Aston Villa on
Saturday, after it was confirmed that Andy Carroll will serve a three-match
ban following his red card against Swansea. Carroll, who described the
Independent Tribunal's decision to uphold referee Howard Webb's decision to
dismiss the striker following an incident with Swansea's Chico Flores, as
'disgraceful' on Twitter, will miss the Villa match plus home games against
Norwich and Southampton. Borriello, on loan from Roma until the end of the
season, played in a behind-closed-doors match against Southend United
yesterday at the club's training ground, along with fellow Italian Antonio
Nocerino, who is on loan from AC Milan, plus Ricardo Vaz Te and Winston Reid
who are returning from injury. Carlton Cole is more likely to start at Villa
Park this weekend but Borriello could figure at some stage. West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce meanwhile, said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the
decision. "I'm going to have to talk to my chairmen before I say anything –
I'm that angry," he added. The Upton Park club are so incensed by the
rejection of their appeal against Carroll's red card that they are
considering appointing a top QC, crossbench peer Lord Pannick, to explore
the possibility of legally challenging the decision.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is keen for the Hammers to capitalise on their recent results
and move up the table
05.02.2014
Carlton Cole says West Ham United are focused on staying in the Barclays
Premier League after picking up two great results last week. Two different,
but equally committed, performances against Chelsea and then Swansea City
earned the Hammers a total of four points in the space of four days,
including a first home win of 2014. As Sam Allardyce's side prepare to play
Aston Villa on Saturday, Carlton Cole is hoping the team can put together a
run of good results.
Carlton, how have two great results, a draw against Chelsea and then three
points against Swansea City, lifted morale around the Club?
CC: "Obviously the boys have been buzzing but it's important that we focus
on the next game now. We had a team meeting and the gaffer knows that we
have to do more if we want to stay in this league. We've set our targets now
and all the boys know what we need to do to stay in it."
Have the two results lifted a bit of pressure off the players?
CC: "Wins will take a lot of pressure off in any situation. Now that we
almost have a fully fit squad, apart from Joey O'Brien who has to have an
operation, we've got more options available and players coming back so it's
all positive for the Club."
The 2-0 win against Swansea on Saturday was the Club's first home win of
2014, how important was it to get that first win in front of the home fans?
CC: "It was brilliant. The crowd were amazing that day and it was just an
unfortunate situation that led to Andy Carroll getting sent-off at the end
of the day. By the end of the match we pulled through and deserved to win
the match."
How good is it for you to see an almost fully fit squad and only one or two
still in the treatment room?
CC: "When you see injured players in the treatment room and in the gym when
they can't come out with you, you're always asking them 'When are you coming
back?' and it's obviously frustrating for them so you stop asking them after
a while. It's good for morale when players come back and it gives everyone a
boost when you see your colleagues coming back to fitness. When they get
back into the squad it's good because you know what they can bring to the
team."
The Club signed a couple of new players in the January transfer window, how
have they fitted in so far?
CC: "Their English is not quite up to scratch but their English is better
than my Italian so I can't complain about that! We've got a few other young
signings as well who are going to be looking to push for first team places,
coming off the bench or starting. We've got competition for places all round
now."
Have the new signings freshened things up and helped provide more
competition for places?
CC: "Yeah, definitely. When you've got competition for places you want to go
out there and keep your place if you're starting. That's what football's
about and that's what will get us the results that we need."
Aston Villa are the opposition on Saturday and you spent a season on loan
there earlier in your career, how do you remember your time with the
Villans?
CC: "I've got fond memories. I made good friends, the kit-man over there has
always been a pal of mine but that was when I was much younger! Ten years
ago now I think! Things have changed since then. They've done really well
and maintained their Premier League status since I left there so they've
done exceptionally well and they have some good young players coming
through."
The bottom half of the table is so tight that if we beat them on Saturday we
can drag them towards the relegation battle, is that the aim?
CC: "No one seems to be safe from 12th downwards. We're just focusing on
trying to get to that tenth spot, that's our aim. If we can get there then
we've had a successful season."
A good result against Aston Villa would set us up nicely for two crucial
home games later in the month wouldn't it?
CC: "We've got two crucial home games coming up against Norwich City and
Southampton but we have to take it one game at a time. Hopefully we can go
into every game feeling positive and knowing that we can get the result that
our work-rate deserves. We'll try and bag a few goals and hopefully we can
carry on keeping clean sheets."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Take them to the cleaners
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United are set to call upon the expertise of a leading QC to
investigate the FA's decision to uphold Howard Webb's decision to dismiss
Andy Carroll against Swansea. Carroll, 25 last month, was set off last
weekend after the theatrical antics of Swansea's Chico Flores led Webb to
issue the England striker with a red card, despite having barely made
contact with the Spaniard who fell to the ground clutching his face in mock
agony.
As a result Carroll was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct - a
decision that was upheld to the dismay of the vast majority of football
followers - by a three-man FA adjudicating panel yesterday. But far from
accepting the decision, West Ham are now reported to be seeking the advice
of a leading barrister - Lord David Pannick, according to today's Telegraph
- in order to examine the possibility of challenging a decision that left
most pundits and commentators incredulous.
With just 14 games of the Premier League season left to play - and with the
Hammers still stuck in the relegation zone - losing Carroll for circa 20 per
cent of those matches could prove catastrophic. Very much in West Ham's
thoughts is the abominable 2008 decision by Lord Griffiths to award
Sheffield United in excess of £25million damages following the Tevez debacle
- a sum that the club only finished paying off last year.
West Ham feel that Swansea, who like West Ham are involved in the relegation
battle, have gained an unfair advantage as the result of blatant cheating by
Flores - which even Swans manager Michael Laudrup, who parted company with
the club last night, admitted. Having lost an appeal that it appears they
were confident of winning, the Hammers will now investigate the FA's legal
procedure in order to ascertain whether it is possible to achieve justice by
alternative means - just as Sheffield United did six years ago.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM APPOINT TOP BARRISTER IN A BID TO CHALLENGE THE FA
By Sean Whetstone 5 Feb 2014 at 11:18
West Ham Till I Die
According to the Telegraph and the Sun West Ham are appointing a top
barrister in a bid to challenge the FA after their appeal against Andy
Carroll's red card was rejected.
It is claimed West ham are appointing Lord David Pannick, one of the
country's leading barristers, to explore every possible legal avenue to
judge whether they can challenge the procedure. Lord David Pannick is a
non-party-political member of the House of Lords.
Lord David Pannick QC was chosen by Sheffield United to sit on an
arbitration hearing panel on June 18th 2007 in an attempt to reinstate them
in the Premier League over the Tevez affair. It was that panel who ruled in
favor of Sheffield United which led to the out of court settlement believed
to be £18.1million which we only finished paying last year.
His past clients include a well known West Ham fan -The Queen after winning
an injunction in the High Court to restrain The Daily Mirror from publishing
further allegations about her home life by a reporter who had gained
employment as a footman. He also represented the Football Association's
appeal against Wayne Rooney's three-match Euro 2012 ban.
The last sentence of the FA statement yesterday makes it clear "The decision
of an Independent Regulatory Commission in relation to a claim of wrongful
dismissal is final and binding on all parties and is not subject to appeal."
Evening Update: The Telegraph say West Ham have threatened to take legal
action against the Football Association unless they agree to grant Andy
Carroll a formal hearing over his three-match suspension. West Ham have
stepped up their row with the FA after Carroll's controversial ban by
demanding a resolution by Friday, insisting they are prepared to take their
case to the High Court if the request is rejected. With the assistance of
Lord David Pannick QC West Ham sent a letter to the FA on Wednesday
outlining their frustration at the procedure which has resulted in their
record signing being ruled out for three games.West Ham are ready to take
unprecedented legal action against the governing body if they refuse to
allow Carroll another chance to pursue wrongful dismissal.
..
The Daily Mail claim "Were the governing body to show unwillingness then
West Ham will go to the High Court seeking an injunction ordering Carroll's
suspension be lifted until an arbitration panel can be set up, freeing him
for the match."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SO HOW HAS 2014 BEEN SO FAR?!
By Tony Hanna 5 Feb 2014 at 07:55
West Ham Till I Die
It's been a big couple of weeks for our beloved Hammers and fellow
supporters. In what has been a very disappointing season so far, the past
fortnight has seen some glimmers of hope. On the pitch we saw a valiant
effort to deny Chelsea and to steal a point, much to the disgust of the
theatrical Jose Mourinho. The team followed that up with a gutsy win against
Swansea in a match we were comfortably in control of until Andy Carroll's
red card. Another half hour of backs to the wall defence from Collins,
Tomkins and Co ensured our lead stayed in tact, despite the numerical
disadvantage. If you were asked two weeks ago whether you thought we would
take four points from those two games I think most would have replied "very
probably not!"
On the injury front things seem to be improving. Andy was firing on all
cylinders against Swansea but of course will now be sorely missed for the
next three games due to his suspension. James Collins and James Tomkins are
both back to their best after recent injuries and suspensions, and of course
Winston Reid is now back in the fold and ready to go. That in itself will
give Big Sam a nice headache – Collins and Tomkins have been excellent in
the past two games since their return, which poses the question as to
whether Winston will break straight back into the line up? I guess he will,
but it will be a tough call after two clean sheets in a row.
Then of course we have finally seen the back of the fiasco that is the
January transfer window. There are a lot of things wrong in the professional
game today, and the transfer window would certainly make my list of "changes
required!" Agents have caused enough problems in the game without giving
them a "deadline" to further their money grabbing antics. For us the window
saw several players come to Upton Park in loan deals. Most notably were the
two Italians Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello and then of course
Columbian fullback Pablo Armero. How much we see of any of these three is
anyone's guess? At the moment it would seem hard for Sam to make any
unforced changes to a side with four points and two clean sheets from the
past two games. Who would have thought a few weeks ago that Matt Taylor
would be doing such a good job in central midfield? And on another positive
note, the emergence of Adrian as first choice goalkeeper is a real plus. For
a player with only seven first team appearances to his name, he has
certainly already built a great rapport with the fans.
The month of February loomed large for many Hammer fans as games against
Swansea, Villa, Norwich and Southampton would surely give a true indicator
as to whether we will be playing Premier League football next season or not?
Andy Carroll's 3 match suspension will be a big blow for our hopes – you
only have to see how he brought our misfiring captain Kevin Nolan into the
game against Swansea. Luck and good management on further injuries and
suspensions will play a pivotal part for the remainder of the season, as
will what impact the new loan players will make when given the chance.
Whilst the fixture list after this month does look tough, in my view there
are only two games that we will go into expecting nothing – away to Arsenal
and City. But there again, who would have thought a point at Chelsea was on
the cards?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neil Warnock blasts FA over Andy Carroll red card decision saying they are
protecting Howard Webb
Feb 05, 2014 12:20 By Eliot Rothwell
The Mirror
Former Leeds manager Neil Warnock has said the FA are determined to protect
Howard Webb by allowing West Ham striker Andy Carroll's recent red card to
stand. Carroll was sent off in West Ham's victory over Swansea, following a
tussle with Swans defender Chico Flores. Warnock has suggested that the FA
are keen to protect the foremost English official due to his selection for
the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "Deep down Howard Webb will know he got it
wrong," Warnock told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT. "They've
upheld it because he's our top referee and he's going to the World Cup and
they don't want to embarrass him."
The 65-year-old criticised the FA committee charged with making the final
decision on the red card, questioning their knowledge of the game. "I think
it's totally wrong," he said. "Everyone on that FA committee – and no-one
knows who they are – has got away with murder. They obviously don't know the
game of football." Warnock also took exception to Chico Flores' reaction to
the tussle with Carroll, suggesting that the Swansea defender should face a
ban instead of the West Ham striker.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chico Flores slates West Ham in Twitter rant
Hers Is The City
The Swansea City defender hit out at West Ham supporters after he received a
series of abusive tweets in relation to Andy Carroll's dismissal on
Saturday.
Swansea City defender Chico Flores came out on the front foot after verbal
abuse from West Ham United supporters for his role in Andy Carroll's
dismissal last weekend. Flores was hit around the head by Carroll's flailing
arm, before theatrically rolling around on the floor. Carroll was shown a
red card for the incident.
West Ham United appealed Andy Carroll's suspension, but an independent
commission acting on The FA's behalf concluded that there were no grounds
for appeal and rejected the club's claim that referee Howard Webb had made
"an obvious error". Carroll will now be unavailable for selection in West
Ham's upcoming Premier League fixtures with Aston Villa, Norwich City and
Southampton.
Following public criticism from pundits and supporters via social media
website Twitter, the Spaniard opted to issue a reply of his own to the
critics. In three tweets on Wednesday night, he hit back at West Ham United
fans, telling them that they should be worrying more about "the ugly way"
that their team play football. Flores also posted a short video of the
incident using mobile video app Vine.
Tweeting from his personal account - @ChicoFlores12, the defender commented:
"I'm a bit tired of the strong insults from the west Ham fans. Whoever
doesn't see the aggression in that action is blind."
"They should be more preoccupied with the ugly way their team play football:
always making very long passes and never quick short passing."
"They should be worried about that before caring about such evident things."
"Ok West Ham 2 - 0 Swansea ... Swansea 24 Points West Ham 22 Points Hahaha
Smart !! Good luck ."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham refuse to give up fight for Carroll to play at Villa, claiming
suspension should be overturned due to FA's alleged appeal bungle
By LAURIE WHITWELL
PUBLISHED: 20:00, 5 February 2014 | UPDATED: 20:01, 5 February 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham United are refusing to concede defeat over Andy Carroll's red card
and have launched a bid to get him reinstated for their match at Aston
Villa on Saturday. A letter has been sent by the club to the Football
Association requesting they reconsider their decision to uphold the England
striker's red card for flailing an arm at Chico Flores. West Ham chiefs
believe the FA failed to follow the rules of their appeals process on two
specific counts and insist the red card handed out by Howard Webb should be
overturned on that basis. If the FA continue to back Webb's decision, and
Carroll's three-match ban, then West Ham will take their battle a step
further and push for an arbitration panel to hear their case tomorrow, in
time for the crunch game at Villa Park. Were the governing body to show
unwillingness then West Ham will go to the High Court seeking an injunction
ordering Carroll's suspension be lifted until an arbitration panel can be
set up, freeing him for the match. Renowned barrister Lord Pannick QC, who
has in the past represented the Queen in a privacy case as well as Wayne
Rooney and the British Olympic Committee in sporting contexts, has been
enlisted by the club for expert guidance. The lengths West Ham are prepared
to go to see Carroll's ban quashed illustrate the importance of the
25-year-old to their survival chances and the strength of feeling against
what Sam Allardyce called an 'injustice'. Flores was roundly criticised for
rolling on the floor holding his face even though Carroll's arm clipped the
top of his head. The FA are understood to stand by their process to date and
their statement on Tuesday which read: 'As stated in the Rules and
Regulations of The FA, an Independent Regulatory Commission must apply the
test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was 'an obvious error'.
Carlton Cole should play in Carroll's absence if West Ham's bid fails, while
Marco Borriello, on loan from Roma, is likely to feature after playing a
behind-closed-doors friendly against Southend on Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Marco Borriello set to make West Ham debut at Aston Villa as club consider
legal challenge over Andy Carroll red card
Evening Standard
KEN DYER
Published: 05 February 2014 Updated: 12:01, 05 February 2014
Marco Borriello looks likely to figure in West Ham's team at Aston Villa on
Saturday, after it was confirmed that Andy Carroll will serve a three-match
ban following his red card against Swansea. Carroll, who described the
Independent Tribunal's decision to uphold referee Howard Webb's decision to
dismiss the striker following an incident with Swansea's Chico Flores, as
'disgraceful' on Twitter, will miss the Villa match plus home games against
Norwich and Southampton. Borriello, on loan from Roma until the end of the
season, played in a behind-closed-doors match against Southend United
yesterday at the club's training ground, along with fellow Italian Antonio
Nocerino, who is on loan from AC Milan, plus Ricardo Vaz Te and Winston Reid
who are returning from injury. Carlton Cole is more likely to start at Villa
Park this weekend but Borriello could figure at some stage. West Ham manager
Sam Allardyce meanwhile, said he was "bitterly disappointed" by the
decision. "I'm going to have to talk to my chairmen before I say anything –
I'm that angry," he added. The Upton Park club are so incensed by the
rejection of their appeal against Carroll's red card that they are
considering appointing a top QC, crossbench peer Lord Pannick, to explore
the possibility of legally challenging the decision.
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Wednesday, February 5
Daily WHUFC News - 5th February 2014
Hendon happy with run-out
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon was pleased to see the Club's new recruits get minutes under
their belts against Southend
04.02.2014
First team coach Ian Hendon believes West Ham United squad members were
given valuable game time during Tuesday's behind-closed-doors friendly
against Southend United. A trio of new signings made appearances at Chadwell
Heath, while there were run-outs too for Ricardo Vaz Te and Winston Reid to
aid them on their comeback trails. Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Boriello both played 77 minutes, while Abdul Razak lasted the full 90,
pleasing Hendon and his fellow coaches. Hendon told West Ham TV: "It was a
very worthwhile game. The two Italian lads who've come in have been a bit
short on games and minutes so it was nice to get them a good bit of time on
the pitch and get them used to the other lads. "The Italians are technically
very good and I think we saw that a little bit in today's game. Abdul Razak
played, albeit out of position at right-back, but he fitted in well and
looked very comfortable. "It was a good run-out and the manager was there to
cast his eye over them for the weeks ahead."
The first team coach is also happy with how the new recruits are settling
into life at the Club and expects they will likely need more games to adjust
to life in English football. "It's always going to be difficult in the first
few games or so. It was a bit of a mixture out there and later in the game
we had a few of the younger ones come on so it was a bit of an adjustment
for everybody. "We've seen already that Antonio has come on in two games and
not looked out of place, so they'll be fine."
The game was also notable for the appearance of last year's Hammer of the
Year Reid, who followed up his eleven-minute cameo against Swansea City in
the Barclays Premier League on Saturday with another 70 minutes here. Hendon
was pleased to see the centre-back make it through the match unscathed and
believes it is now just a matter of building up his match fitness. "Reidy
was fine," he said. "Like I said before, it's just about getting minutes on
the pitch for Reidy. We'll get his fitness up, his match-fitness up and he
came through the game with no problems. We gave him 70 minutes and he was
fine, so he'll be back in training tomorrow."
As for the result, West Ham were defeated 1-0 through Jack Payne's
first-half goal. The Hammers went closest through Borriello, who hit the
base of the post with a free-kick and saw another shot deflected narrowly
over. The Italy striker was also denied a penalty despite appearing to be
tripped inside the box in the second half, while Ravel Morrison curled a
free-kick inches wide of the post.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll appeal dismissed
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll has been banned for three matches following his sending-off
against Swansea
04.02.2014
West Ham United can confirm that forward Andy Carroll will serve a
three-match suspension following his sending-off against Swansea City on
Saturday.
Carroll was shown the red card by referee Howard Webb following a challenge
with Chico Flores just before the hour-mark in West Ham's 2-0 Barclays
Premier League win at the Boleyn Ground. The Club launched an appeal against
the decision, but a three-man Football Association regulatory commission
decided to reject the claim for wrongful dismissal after assessing written
evidence from the match officials and the Hammers, as well as video footage
of the incident. The No9's three-match suspension will rule the forward out
for the Barclays Premier League matches at Aston Villa and at home to
Norwich City and Southampton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We defended so well'
WHUFC.com
Clean sheet number eleven of the season thrills Hammers defender James
Collins
04.02.2014
James Collins says West Ham United will be battling as much as ever as they
go in search of more vital points over the next few weeks. The Hammers
defender was once again in the thick of the action to help his team win 2-0
against Swansea City on Saturday, and his efforts were rewarded as he was
voted Man of the Match by the match sponsors Bureaulogic Recruitment, an
award that West Ham fans inside the ground readily applauded when it was
announced.
Collins, along with his team-mates, defended strongly again for the second
time in three days after preventing Chelsea from getting on the scoresheet
last week and then against Swansea. Captain Kevin Nolan notched a brace for
the victory but such was the solid nature of the Hammers at both ends, that
a home win, in spite of Andy Carroll's dismissal, rarely looked in doubt. "I
know we went down to 10 men late on, but we never felt that Swansea was
going to score as we defended so well," explained the No19. "The way we
defended again was a lot to do with the confidence we got from the 0-0 draw
at Chelsea earlier in the week. We knew we are good enough to get the goals
and thankfully Kev came up with the goods on that. "Kev linking up again
with Andy is great to see, we all know what they can do and how they work
together, so if we keep going strong at the back as well and now scoring
more goals, we know we can get ourselves in a better position in the league
sooner rather than later."
The Welsh international is now looking forward to facing his old club Aston
Villa this Saturday, but his focus is on making sure the Hammers pick up
another good result on the road and he says the victory over Swansea will
stand them in good stead. He added: "We went into the game with Swansea with
a lot of confidence, which we gained from the match at Chelsea and can now
take this win into our next one again. The more we defend as we do and
hopefully nick those chances if we can at the other end, then we can look to
get even stronger."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers confirm 25-man squad
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's 25-man squad has been confirmed for the rest of the season
04.02.2014
West Ham United have confirmed the make-up of their 25-man squad for the
closing four months of the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season. The
January arrivals of Pablo Armero, Marco Borriello, Roger Johnson and Antonio
Nocerino have bolstered the Hammers' options for the crucial run-in to the
campaign.
Under-21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per
squad, so the likes of Ravel Morrison and Abdul Razak are not required to be
listed yet are available for selection. No more than 17 players who do not
fulfil the Home Grown Player criteria can be named in the squad. A Home
Grown Player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age,
has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or
the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three
entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the
season during which he turns 21).
With only nine players defined as non-Home Grown in the Hammers squad, Sam
Allardyce's men comfortably meet the criteria.
West Ham United 25-man squad
Pablo Armero
Marco Borriello
Andy Carroll
Carlton Cole
Joe Cole,
James Collins
Jack Collison
Guy Demel
Mohamed Diame
Alou Diarra
Stewart Downing
Stephen Henderson
Jussi Jaaskelainen
Matt Jarvis
Roger Johnson
George McCartney
Mark Noble
Antonio Nocerino
Kevin Nolan
Joey O'Brien
Winston Reid
Adrian San Miguel del Castillo
Matt Taylor
James Tomkins
Ricardo Vaz Te
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Charlie completes her Big Challenge
WHUFC.com
TV presenter Charlie Webster ended her marathon run at the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday
04.02.2014
Television presenter and Women's Aid ambassador Charlie Webster completed
her epic Big Challenge at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday - after running to
40 football clubs over seven days to raise vital funds for Women's Aid. The
final leg of her challenge ended at the Hammers, where Charlie finished her
marathon feat of endurance on the pitch during half-time as West Ham United
played Swansea City. Charlie's finish on the centre circle marked the end of
a tough week, during which she experienced a virus at the beginning of the
week, and a serious foot injury midway through it - but being a true fighter
Charlie made it to the end. Since beginning her Challenge at Burton Albion
FC on Sunday 26 January, Charlie visited 40 football grounds, gaining
support from clubs, players and fans across the leagues and uniting the
beautiful game in taking a stand against domestic violence. Finishing at
West Ham United is particularly pertinent for Charlie, as the club and
players have been hugely supportive of her endeavour.
Upon completing the challenge, Webster said: "I entered the stadium just as
West Ham scored their first goal, which was amazing. West Ham Joint-Chairman
David Gold and his wife greeted me and gave me some flowers before I went on
to the pitch at half time and kissed the centre circle to signify my
completing the challenge. I had finished! "They played a 90 second video of
what I've been doing and the fans were incredible, they all stood up and got
the phones out to donate. West Ham also presented me a cheque from the
first-team players, which was so kind and meant so much to me. As the second
half kicked off I went inside to use their plunge pool to try to get some
circulation back in my leg. "I just can't believe that I have done it. It is
really crazy because I thought I'd never make it with so many up and downs
along the way.
Kevin Nolan, West Ham United captain said: "Everyone here at West Ham United
is more than happy to support Charlie's Big Challenge in raising awareness
and money for such a good cause. We hope that as many people and
organisations as possible back Charlie and we can get the message out
there."
The Challenge sponsor, Alpari FX Trading, is also principal sponsor of West
Ham United FC. Alpari UK Sponsorship and Events Manager Elizabeth Bacon
commented: "Having partnered with West Ham United since 2011, we have strong
ties to football and a commitment to sporting excellence. Charlie has
completed an incredible test of physical endurance this week, raising
valuable funds for a very worthy cause. We are proud to have supported her
on this inspirational journey."
Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of West Ham United added: "Charlie has shown an
incredible determination to unite football players, clubs, and fans against
domestic violence around England. Domestic violence increases around big
football matches, and that it will only stop if everyone who loves football
comes together to make that unacceptable."
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women's Aid said: "We are incredibly pleased
that West Ham United FC and the football community are working with Women's
Aid to raise awareness and put a stop to domestic violence. We are
encouraging all footballers and fans to speak out publicly against domestic
violence, making football a place where perpetrators of domestic abuse are
not welcome.
"Charlie has really pushed herself to the limit over the last seven days to
raise an amazing £100,000, this will enable Women's Aid to support thousands
of survivors of domestic violence over the coming year and we are incredibly
grateful to Charlie for working so hard to complete this astounding
challenge."
The Challenge will now kick-start Football United against Domestic Violence,
a Women's Aid campaign launching in June which aims to encourage the
football community to give domestic abuse a red card once and for all.
Support Charlie at www.justgiving.com/charliesbigchallenge
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s duo receive England call
WHUFC.com
Kyle Knoyle and Reece Burke have been called up to the England U18 squad to
play Belgium later this month
04.02.2014
West Ham United Under-18 duo Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle have been selected
to represent their country once again when they play Belgium later this
month. The pair have been selected in Neil Dewsnip's England U18 squad,
having previously appeared in a 4-0 win against Hungary at St George's Park
back on 14 October 2013. Knoyle played the full 90 minutes at right-back
against the Hungarians with Burke making his entrance from the bench into
central defence. Ahead of the game against the Belgians, the squad will meet
up on Saturday 15 February and have three days of training before the match
takes place at St. George's Park on Tuesday 18 February. The call-up is just
reward for the Hammers pair, who have been mainstays in Steve Potts' U18
team this season. The young Hammers are currently second in the Barclays
Under-18 Premier League, having lost just once in their last 13 matches.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll: West Ham striker's red card appeal rejected
BBC.co.uk
West Ham striker Andy Carroll has failed to overturn his red card against
Swansea on Saturday after the Football Association dismissed his appeal. The
25-year-old was sent off after clashing with Swans defender Chico Flores
during his side's 2-0 win. He will now miss the Hammers' Premier League
games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.
In apparent reaction to the decision, Carroll, who set up both goals on
Saturday, tweeted: "Disgraceful."
A year to forget
In the 12 months from the start of March 2013 to the end of February 2014,
Andy Carroll will have played only 15 games, scoring four goals. According
to the FA, West Ham failed to prove to a three-man panel that referee Howard
Webb had made "an obvious error" in dismissing Carroll after the forward's
arm hit Flores's forehead. However, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was
certain that Webb made a mistake. "There has to be somebody to look at that
in the cold light of day and say that is certainly not a red card," he said
on Saturday. Allardyce refused to comment on Flores's reaction to the
challenge, although several of his players protested at the time that the
Spaniard had exaggerated the contact made by Carroll. Swansea manager Brian
Laudrup said the decision had been "a bit harsh". Carroll, who has made only
five appearances this season and is yet to score after a lengthy recovery
from injury, will next be available for the trip to Everton on 1 March. With
Modibo Maiga loaned out to QPR, the Hammers' striking options are limited to
on-loan Italian Marco Borriello and Carlton Cole. West Ham are 18th in the
Premier League, one point from safety, with 14 games remaining.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll: FA decision 'disgraceful'
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's appeal against Andy Carroll's dismissal last weekend has
been dismissed by the Football Association. Carroll - who described the
decision as "digraceful" in a brief Tweet this afternoon - saw red for the
first time since joining West Ham after becoming involved in a tangle with
Swansea's Chico Flores during Saturday's 2-0 win, in which Carroll had
already provided two assists. The Spanish defender threw himself to the
floor theatrically, clutching his face as the two tangled following an
aerial challenge - despite Carroll's flailing hand having only made contact
with the Spaniard's forehead. That was enough for experienced referee Howard
Webb to dismiss the England international for violent conduct - a sanction
upheld by a three-man panel hearing West Ham's appeal earlier today. All of
which means that Carroll - who has only just returned to first team action
following a lengthy injury that prevented him from playing previously this
season - now faces three matches on the sideline; the crucial fixtures
against Aston Villa (a), Norwich (h) and Southampton (h).
The news was confirmed this afternoon by the FA who said via a statement:
"Andy Carroll will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect
after his claim of wrongful dismissal was rejected by an Independent
Regulatory Commission." As of yet, there have been no sanctions announced
regarding Flores, whose disgraceful actions have led to Carroll's subsequent
ban.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea shirts up for grabs
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
The shirts of nine West Ham players who featured in last weekend's 2-0 win
over Swansea have gone up for auction to raise funds for a children's
charity.
KUMB.com member Iain Page almost lost his baby daughter Willow when she
suffered a stroke and three heart attacks last year. He and wife Denise were
warned that should she survive, she would face being left brain damaged as a
result. However following months of hospital care, little Willow has made an
amazing, unexpected recovery and is now a healthy one-year-old.
Caring for Willow has meant that Iain and Denise have had very little time
for themselves or the rest of the family, which is where West Ham captain
Kevin Nolan stepped in. Having been made aware of the family's plight
previously, the skipper arranged for the couple to be guests of honour at
last weekend's clash with Swansea - the first time they'd had a day out
together since Willow was taken ill.
And immediately following the game, Nolan kindly delivered nine match-worn
shirts from the match to be auctioned for Heartlink Children's Charity,
which is seeking to raise £40,000 in order to purchase a new ECMO machine -
the same as that which saved Willow's life.
Bidding for the nine shirts - belonging to Adrian, Andy Carroll, Stewart
Downing, Matt Jarvis, George McCartney, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble, Matt Taylor
and James Tomkins - began on the KUMB Forum this morning. To place a bid for
any of the above worn shirts, simply reply to the thread stating your bid;
please note that only registered KUMB.com members may bid.
For Willow: Current Highest Bids
Adrian - £250
Andy Carroll - £300
Stuart Downing - £250
Matt Jarvis - £200
George McCartney - £100
Kevin Nolan - £300
Mark Noble - £225
Matt Taylor - £100
James Tomkins - £160
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Andy Carroll loses appeal and will serve three-match ban
Last Updated: 04/02/14 6:11pm
SSN
West Ham striker Andy Carroll has lost his appeal against the red card shown
to him in their 2-0 victory over Swansea on Saturday. Carroll was dismissed
after he was adjudged to have deliberately caught Swansea defender Chico
Flores with a flailing arm. But the Football Association has rejected the
appeal and Carroll will now be unavailable to manager Sam Allardyce as he
serves a three-match ban. "West Ham United's Andy Carroll will serve a
three-match suspension with immediate effect after his claim of wrongful
dismissal was rejected by an Independent Regulatory Commission," read an FA
statement. "Carroll was dismissed for violent conduct during West Ham's game
against Swansea City on Saturday (February 1, 2014). "As stated in the Rules
and Regulations of The FA, an Independent Regulatory Commission must apply
the test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was 'an obvious error'.
"The decision of an Independent Regulatory Commission in relation to a claim
of wrongful dismissal is final and binding on all parties and is not subject
to appeal."
Carroll will miss West Ham's away game with Aston Villa on Saturday, as well
as home fixtures with Norwich and Southampton. The West Ham striker was
quick to vent his apparent disappointment at the verdict on Twitter, with a
post on the social media site which simply read: "DISGRACEFUL!!!"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham confirm 25-man squad for remainder of season
Last Updated: 04/02/14 7:16pm
SSN
West Ham's January signings Marco Borriello, Antonio Nocerino, Roger Johnson
and Pablo Armero have been included in their 25-man Premier League squad.
The Hammers have confirmed the players who will be available to Sam
Allardyce for the final four months of the campaign as the club battles
against relegation. The likes of Ravel Morrison and Abdul Razak are
available but do not need to be listed as Under-21 players can be selected
on top of the original 25-man party. Allardyce's party has nine players who
are not regarded as Home Grown, which is comfortably within the Premier
League's parameters of 17.
West Ham are currently 18th in the table after 24 games of the season, but
are just one point from a position of safety and only three adrift of Stoke
in 11th place.
West Ham squad
Pablo Armero, Marco Borriello, Andy Carroll, Carlton Cole, Joe Cole, James
Collins, Jack Collison, Guy Demel, Mohamed Diame, Alou Diarra, Stewart
Downing, Stephen Henderson, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Matt Jarvis, Roger Johnson,
George McCartney, Mark Noble, Antonio Nocerino, Kevin Nolan, Joey O'Brien,
Winston Reid, Adrian, Matt Taylor, James Tomkins, Ricardo Vaz Te.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE FA CAN FO
By Iain Dale 4 Feb 2014 at 17:34
West Ham Till I Die
Three game ban for Andy Carroll. Licence to divers everywhere. Travesty. I
am sure Chico Flores is proud of himself. That is all.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE £40 MILLION DECISION
By Sean Whetstone 4 Feb 2014 at 13:45
West Ham Till I Die
The deadline for West Ham United to present all evidence on the Andy Carroll
sending off to the appeal panel passed at 1pm today with the decision
expected this afternoon via a joint statement by the FA and West Ham United.
This might sound melodramatic but the consequences could be massive for West
Ham if we lose the appeal, it could be the difference between survival and
relegation this season. On Saturday, Andy showed us he can make the
difference and the the next three games and nine points are both crucial and
winnable . Relegation could cost West Ham as much £40 million in lost
revenue next season as the gulf between the two divisions becomes larger.
The Daily Mail are reporting today that "World Cup referee Howard Webb is
standing by his decision to show a red card to West Ham's Andy Carroll"
Howard Webb is supposed to be the FA's best referee and was recently chosen
to officiate at the World Cup Finals. I find it difficult to believe he
would be unprofessional enough to brief the Daily Mail and potentially
prejudice the independent appeal panel hearing. His official match report is
the only evidence which should count during the appeal.
A three-person independent regulatory commission will be convened to assess
written evidence from the match officials and West Ham, as well as video
footage of the incident. The so called 'FA three wise man' usually include a
former football man often a former player/manager, a former member of a FA
association sometimes a previous chairman and a person with a legal
background who understands the rules of football. It is these men who will
decide our fate behind closed doors.
Sam Allardyce has said on the matter: "We will hope that the appeal will
work. Hopefully we don't lose Andy for three games. He's gutted. He's
absolutely beside himself. We'll just have to go through the process and see
what happens in midweek. All I can hope is that the panel, in the cold light
of day, see it for what it is.He [ Howard Webb] can't be absolutely certain
of what's happened, except that Chico Flores is over-exaggerating, which is
generally the norm for him unfortunately."
After the watching the video a number of times myself I firmly believe the
panel should downgrade the incident to the yellow card for reckless use of
an arm rather then any real intent to strike Chico Flores. Flores should
also be awarded a yellow card too for unsporting behavior as his act was
simulation intended to deceive the referee, although I understand these kind
of booking cannot be issued retrospectively.
Yesterday the Daily Mail claimed "[West Ham United] Club officials believe
the FA's appeals procedure is flawed under European law" suggesting the club
could take the argument to the law courts if they fail in their appeal. I
see this as unlikely as the FA will be reluctant to suspend the ban while it
takes months if not years to go through the European courts.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll labels FA's decision to uphold his three-match ban as
'disgraceful'
Feb 04, 2014 16:53 By Alex Richards
The Mirror
West Ham United striker Andy Carroll will miss the Hammers next three
matches after losing his appeal against his sending off against Swansea.
The England striker, making his first start of the season at Upton Park, was
sent off by referee Howard Webb in the 59th minute of his side's 2-0 win
over Michael Laudrup's Swans, after appearing to swing an arm at defender
Chico Flores. The Spanish defender, who earlier this season was publicly
laughed at by West Ham boss Sam Allardyce for embellishing a challenge from
Carlton Cole, appeared to be caught on the head by Carroll's flailing arm
and stayed down.
Carroll himself tweeted what he thought of the decision not to overturn his
ban with one word: "DISGRACEFUL!!!"
West Ham decided to appeal Webb's decision, and had been hopeful of having
Carroll's ban overturned - having slammed Chico for 'squealing'.
DISGRACEFUL!!! — Andy Carroll (@AndyTCarroll) February 4, 2014
Allardyce said: "We will hope that the appeal will work. Hopefully we don't
lose Andy for three games. "He's gutted. He's absolutely beside himself.
We'll just have to go through the process and see what happens." Carroll,
West Ham's record purchase, will now miss the Premier League matches against
Aston Villa (a), Norwich City (h) and Southampton (h). He'll next be
available for the away fixture against Everton on March 1. The ban came just
weeks after Andy Carroll returned to full match fitness after a lengthy
spell out of action.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ban both Chico and Webb
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 3rd February 2014
By: Gary Portugal
I'm not sure who is worse - they deserve each other.
Both Chico Flores and Howard Webb have form with West Ham, and without West
Ham, of substandard behaviour and judgement respectively. Enough is enough.
It is time that these inept losers be held accountable.
Let's start with Webb. You cannot give a red card unless you are absolutely
certain of what the offence was and if indeed it was actually even
committed. Not dissimilar to innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
It cannot be done on the basis of hearsay, pressure from opposition players
or fans, or merely the say-so of another official.
A red card should be reserved for the most grievous offences, not 50/50
situations. The impact of red cards goes well beyond the match in which it
occurs. It could potentially have contributed to our relegation if we lost
the match - and still could, if the card is not rescinded.
And a referee with World Cup pedigree should, if anything, be held to a
higher standard of accountability, not be given a get out of jail card based
on reputation.
As for Chico, where do I start? Rolling around the pitch like an infant? Is
that what the Premier League wants to promote and broadcast worldwide? An
image of not only a cheat, but a coward. It is shameful and embarrasses the
player, his club, the league and the sport in general. It is outright
dishonest, period. Video evidence CONCLUSIVELY shows that Carroll did NOT
hit Chico's face or forehead. He grazed the TOP of his hairbun, no more no
less.
And it was Carroll's whole ARM that grazed, NOT a bent ELBOW. In short,
there was NO intent whatsoever. If he had wanted, or intended to hit Chico,
Carroll would have bent his elbow or hit him squarely in the face as opposed
to grazing his hairbun. This was simulation of the highest order. As bad as
diving to try to win a penalty. Yet on his Twitter page, Chico still has the
nerve to deny his guilt. Totally unethical, dishonest and cowardly
behaviour.
Yesterday's events point to the need for firm action to be taken. For a
start, the Premier League should make all simulation a straight red card
offence with a minimum, but not maximum, of a three-match ban. That includes
feigning injury, not just diving to try to win a penalty or free kick. And
such bans should be given retrospectively if referees fail to spot it at the
time.
The integrity of the game is at stake. There is no place for simulation in
the game and the only way to stamp it out is through heavy penalties.
Hundreds of millions of pounds are at stake with relegation and European
places etc. The cost of such injustices is too high. Referees should also be
subject to three-match bans for such bone-headed, erroneous decisions that
get overturned.
Webb should have to face the music for his woeful judgement which could have
materially affected the outcome of the match and still could affect West
Ham's survival hopes. Referees must be shown that they are not God, and that
they should be held accountable, as everyone else in the sport is. In Webb's
case, should Carroll's card be overturned, his qualifications as a World Cup
referee should be scrutinised. As an aside, Webb allowed Bony to back into
our defenders all day long without penalising him. Double standards.
A major solution to yesterday's travesty would be the introduction of an
in-game review process which already exists in most sports now. Give each
team the ability to challenge one refereeing decision per half. This would
have no adverse impact on the flow of the game but it would help avoid
farces like yesterday.
Goal-line technology is not enough. An on-the-spot review process,
applicable anywhere on the pitch is required, involving video technology
that can be used to assess any contentious decision. This would force both
players and referees to be more accountable and to avoid being humiliated
for inane behaviour or terrible judgement
Any rational person reviewing footage of the incident would admit that
Carroll didn't deserve to go. Even Michael Laudrup, to his credit, admitted
it - as did Match of the Day's Alan Hansen, Steve McManaman and other
pundits. One can only hope that this will help sway the FA to do the right
thing.
But what will really prevent this circus from happening again? The threat of
lawsuits against a player for simulating and referees who allow themselves
to be conned? In a general sense there are precedents for players taking
legal action in response to matters on the pitch. Players have sued in
response to blatant attempts to cause them injury. And although a totally
different issue, we don't need to be reminded about Tevezgate.
If a a club or player were to sue for wrongful dismissal from a match, it
would put the fear of God into simulators and referees. It is entirely
possible, with hundreds of millions of pounds at stake, that we could see
lawsuits in the future in response to blatant acts of cheating. Human beings
don't tend to change their behaviour unless hit with a heavy legal stick.
Leopards not changing their spots comes to mind.
Observe Chico, for example. How many times has he pulled this charade
before? Numerous times.
Finally, on a different note, if managers can be brought to book for
insulting referees and bringing the game into disrepute in press
conferences, then surely the same should apply to slagging off an opponent's
tactics , a la Jose Mourinho with his weak-breasted "19th century" garbage.
Who is Mourinho to be passing judgement on how we choose to play?
If he doesn't like it, he can lump it and go manage somewhere on the
continent again. He should be given a touchline ban for putting his two
penneth in where it wasn't required. Press conferences needn't be bland or
humourless, but nor should they be juvenile slagfests either. When Mourinho
returned, I thought that it would add spice to the League. Now I'm sick of
the sight of him already. A whinging, sore loser.
Sadly, although West Ham picked up four huge points this week these fixtures
displayed so much of what is wrong with the game today. Cheating players;
inept, gullible, arrogant referees; whinging managers; not a pretty sight.
Especially given how much that these primadonnas get paid, It's an absolute
disgrace.
Now is the time for the Premier League and the FA to get off their rear ends
and take decisive action to exterminate this substandard behaviour from the
game.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll caught in the FA's Webb
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
By: Paul Walker
You sensed it was only going to end one way, however much we all hoped and
prayed that Andy Carroll was going to have his red card overturned.
So much of the opinion and anger revolving around Chico Flores' disgraceful
behaviour on Saturday was irrelevant to the issue.
It boiled down in the end to whether the FA were going to accept the
evidence and word of their very best referee Howard Webb, or tell him that
he got it very, very wrong from a matter of 20 yards away when Carroll's
flaying arm caught Flores in the pony-tail.
Webb could have handled it very differently. He could have penalised the
Swansea man for his challenge on Carroll in the first place, the clattering
from behind and the arm round the neck as the pair fell in a heap.
But would that have stopped Carroll bringing his arm round the way he did a
split second later? All that mattered in the end was Webb's interpretation
of intent, his opinion as to whether Carroll meant to clip the Spaniard or
whether it was an accident.
He could have booked Flores for ungentlemanly conduct once the half dozen
forward rolls had stopped, but he didn't. And although the FA have rules
that govern diving, I am not sure they have any that covers such theatrical
nonsense.
Maybe they should look at Flores' conduct in isolation, and charge him for
blatant cheating. But they probably won't.
The player should be hounded out of the game as a cheat, pilloried by every
fan in the country and have it made very clear to him that he is not wanted
in our game. The PFA can condemn him, if they dare. Swansea can sack him,
which they won't.
But nothing will help Carroll at this moment. He misses three crucial games
we must win to build on the good result against Swansea, a result that
Carroll had much to do with achieving.
Flores, though, should be booed on every ground in the country. But none of
that will have any impact on the fact that Webb thought Carroll intended to
clip the defender in the way he did.
Once Webb has decided that in his view Carroll meant it, it is very hard to
prove he made a mistake. It is his view alone that matters to the FA. That
is what they trust him to do, what he is there for.
The wording of the law that covers such a red card says 'strike or attempt
to strike an opponent.' You do not have to connect in anyway. It does not
matter whether Carroll made contact or not. If you throw a punch at a player
and miss, it is still a red card offence.
Now Carroll may not have intended anything of the sort. Opinion is divided.
But what does not matter at all is what Flores did, however distasteful.
His behaviour was appalling. Rolling around, clutching his face when no
contact was made at all with that part of his body is as distasteful as
anything I have seen on a pitch for a very long time. His fellow
professionals should condemn him.
But I actually doubt that all of that blatant cheating had any impact on
Webb's deliberations. He took advice from the fourth office, that was
obvious, but you can bet your life that all the officials were interested in
was Carroll's intent, or not.
Only Carroll knows whether he was trying to make contact. We can all have an
opinion, mine was that his action was one of frustration, sheer annoyance at
the initial challenge. I have wanted to believe that ever since, but deep in
my stomach I knew how the FA would react, despite all the uproar and twitter
frenzy.
What has surprised me is how many players, current and past, do not
understand the wording of the law.
But my opinion and theirs is as irrelevant as anyone else. Only Webb's view
is of interest to the FA.
And did we really expect that they were going to tell Webb, the World Cup
Final referee and our only official going to Brazil, that his opinion was
wrong. I doubt it, this was not one of the new mickey mouse referees on the
Premier League list, it was Webb, their very best.
He is just like the policeman in court that the magistrates always believe.
I have seen suggestions that West Ham could take the case to court. We have
also had Carroll's own "disgraceful" reaction on Twitter.
Frankly I hope we don't further antagonise the FA with any more action, and
I wish Carroll could have just held his silence. No good will come of any of
that.
What we must do is regroup, find a way to play without Carroll and not use
it as an excuse for failure over the next three matches. We have an
admittedly short of match fitness Italian in Marco Borriello to play up
front, that is unless big Sam reverts to type and plays Carlton Cole. But
Ricardo Vaz Te can also play as a striker, and I am sure like me, you are
not too bothered about Mo Maiga being at QPR, fat lot of good he has been
for us this season anyway.
I am gutted with the decision by Webb and the FA but if I am really honest I
am more gutted that Carroll allowed himself to be put in such a position in
the first place. It really would be nice is we could keep 11 players on the
pitch for a change.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon was pleased to see the Club's new recruits get minutes under
their belts against Southend
04.02.2014
First team coach Ian Hendon believes West Ham United squad members were
given valuable game time during Tuesday's behind-closed-doors friendly
against Southend United. A trio of new signings made appearances at Chadwell
Heath, while there were run-outs too for Ricardo Vaz Te and Winston Reid to
aid them on their comeback trails. Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Boriello both played 77 minutes, while Abdul Razak lasted the full 90,
pleasing Hendon and his fellow coaches. Hendon told West Ham TV: "It was a
very worthwhile game. The two Italian lads who've come in have been a bit
short on games and minutes so it was nice to get them a good bit of time on
the pitch and get them used to the other lads. "The Italians are technically
very good and I think we saw that a little bit in today's game. Abdul Razak
played, albeit out of position at right-back, but he fitted in well and
looked very comfortable. "It was a good run-out and the manager was there to
cast his eye over them for the weeks ahead."
The first team coach is also happy with how the new recruits are settling
into life at the Club and expects they will likely need more games to adjust
to life in English football. "It's always going to be difficult in the first
few games or so. It was a bit of a mixture out there and later in the game
we had a few of the younger ones come on so it was a bit of an adjustment
for everybody. "We've seen already that Antonio has come on in two games and
not looked out of place, so they'll be fine."
The game was also notable for the appearance of last year's Hammer of the
Year Reid, who followed up his eleven-minute cameo against Swansea City in
the Barclays Premier League on Saturday with another 70 minutes here. Hendon
was pleased to see the centre-back make it through the match unscathed and
believes it is now just a matter of building up his match fitness. "Reidy
was fine," he said. "Like I said before, it's just about getting minutes on
the pitch for Reidy. We'll get his fitness up, his match-fitness up and he
came through the game with no problems. We gave him 70 minutes and he was
fine, so he'll be back in training tomorrow."
As for the result, West Ham were defeated 1-0 through Jack Payne's
first-half goal. The Hammers went closest through Borriello, who hit the
base of the post with a free-kick and saw another shot deflected narrowly
over. The Italy striker was also denied a penalty despite appearing to be
tripped inside the box in the second half, while Ravel Morrison curled a
free-kick inches wide of the post.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll appeal dismissed
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll has been banned for three matches following his sending-off
against Swansea
04.02.2014
West Ham United can confirm that forward Andy Carroll will serve a
three-match suspension following his sending-off against Swansea City on
Saturday.
Carroll was shown the red card by referee Howard Webb following a challenge
with Chico Flores just before the hour-mark in West Ham's 2-0 Barclays
Premier League win at the Boleyn Ground. The Club launched an appeal against
the decision, but a three-man Football Association regulatory commission
decided to reject the claim for wrongful dismissal after assessing written
evidence from the match officials and the Hammers, as well as video footage
of the incident. The No9's three-match suspension will rule the forward out
for the Barclays Premier League matches at Aston Villa and at home to
Norwich City and Southampton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We defended so well'
WHUFC.com
Clean sheet number eleven of the season thrills Hammers defender James
Collins
04.02.2014
James Collins says West Ham United will be battling as much as ever as they
go in search of more vital points over the next few weeks. The Hammers
defender was once again in the thick of the action to help his team win 2-0
against Swansea City on Saturday, and his efforts were rewarded as he was
voted Man of the Match by the match sponsors Bureaulogic Recruitment, an
award that West Ham fans inside the ground readily applauded when it was
announced.
Collins, along with his team-mates, defended strongly again for the second
time in three days after preventing Chelsea from getting on the scoresheet
last week and then against Swansea. Captain Kevin Nolan notched a brace for
the victory but such was the solid nature of the Hammers at both ends, that
a home win, in spite of Andy Carroll's dismissal, rarely looked in doubt. "I
know we went down to 10 men late on, but we never felt that Swansea was
going to score as we defended so well," explained the No19. "The way we
defended again was a lot to do with the confidence we got from the 0-0 draw
at Chelsea earlier in the week. We knew we are good enough to get the goals
and thankfully Kev came up with the goods on that. "Kev linking up again
with Andy is great to see, we all know what they can do and how they work
together, so if we keep going strong at the back as well and now scoring
more goals, we know we can get ourselves in a better position in the league
sooner rather than later."
The Welsh international is now looking forward to facing his old club Aston
Villa this Saturday, but his focus is on making sure the Hammers pick up
another good result on the road and he says the victory over Swansea will
stand them in good stead. He added: "We went into the game with Swansea with
a lot of confidence, which we gained from the match at Chelsea and can now
take this win into our next one again. The more we defend as we do and
hopefully nick those chances if we can at the other end, then we can look to
get even stronger."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers confirm 25-man squad
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's 25-man squad has been confirmed for the rest of the season
04.02.2014
West Ham United have confirmed the make-up of their 25-man squad for the
closing four months of the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season. The
January arrivals of Pablo Armero, Marco Borriello, Roger Johnson and Antonio
Nocerino have bolstered the Hammers' options for the crucial run-in to the
campaign.
Under-21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per
squad, so the likes of Ravel Morrison and Abdul Razak are not required to be
listed yet are available for selection. No more than 17 players who do not
fulfil the Home Grown Player criteria can be named in the squad. A Home
Grown Player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age,
has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or
the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three
entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the
season during which he turns 21).
With only nine players defined as non-Home Grown in the Hammers squad, Sam
Allardyce's men comfortably meet the criteria.
West Ham United 25-man squad
Pablo Armero
Marco Borriello
Andy Carroll
Carlton Cole
Joe Cole,
James Collins
Jack Collison
Guy Demel
Mohamed Diame
Alou Diarra
Stewart Downing
Stephen Henderson
Jussi Jaaskelainen
Matt Jarvis
Roger Johnson
George McCartney
Mark Noble
Antonio Nocerino
Kevin Nolan
Joey O'Brien
Winston Reid
Adrian San Miguel del Castillo
Matt Taylor
James Tomkins
Ricardo Vaz Te
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Charlie completes her Big Challenge
WHUFC.com
TV presenter Charlie Webster ended her marathon run at the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday
04.02.2014
Television presenter and Women's Aid ambassador Charlie Webster completed
her epic Big Challenge at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday - after running to
40 football clubs over seven days to raise vital funds for Women's Aid. The
final leg of her challenge ended at the Hammers, where Charlie finished her
marathon feat of endurance on the pitch during half-time as West Ham United
played Swansea City. Charlie's finish on the centre circle marked the end of
a tough week, during which she experienced a virus at the beginning of the
week, and a serious foot injury midway through it - but being a true fighter
Charlie made it to the end. Since beginning her Challenge at Burton Albion
FC on Sunday 26 January, Charlie visited 40 football grounds, gaining
support from clubs, players and fans across the leagues and uniting the
beautiful game in taking a stand against domestic violence. Finishing at
West Ham United is particularly pertinent for Charlie, as the club and
players have been hugely supportive of her endeavour.
Upon completing the challenge, Webster said: "I entered the stadium just as
West Ham scored their first goal, which was amazing. West Ham Joint-Chairman
David Gold and his wife greeted me and gave me some flowers before I went on
to the pitch at half time and kissed the centre circle to signify my
completing the challenge. I had finished! "They played a 90 second video of
what I've been doing and the fans were incredible, they all stood up and got
the phones out to donate. West Ham also presented me a cheque from the
first-team players, which was so kind and meant so much to me. As the second
half kicked off I went inside to use their plunge pool to try to get some
circulation back in my leg. "I just can't believe that I have done it. It is
really crazy because I thought I'd never make it with so many up and downs
along the way.
Kevin Nolan, West Ham United captain said: "Everyone here at West Ham United
is more than happy to support Charlie's Big Challenge in raising awareness
and money for such a good cause. We hope that as many people and
organisations as possible back Charlie and we can get the message out
there."
The Challenge sponsor, Alpari FX Trading, is also principal sponsor of West
Ham United FC. Alpari UK Sponsorship and Events Manager Elizabeth Bacon
commented: "Having partnered with West Ham United since 2011, we have strong
ties to football and a commitment to sporting excellence. Charlie has
completed an incredible test of physical endurance this week, raising
valuable funds for a very worthy cause. We are proud to have supported her
on this inspirational journey."
Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of West Ham United added: "Charlie has shown an
incredible determination to unite football players, clubs, and fans against
domestic violence around England. Domestic violence increases around big
football matches, and that it will only stop if everyone who loves football
comes together to make that unacceptable."
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women's Aid said: "We are incredibly pleased
that West Ham United FC and the football community are working with Women's
Aid to raise awareness and put a stop to domestic violence. We are
encouraging all footballers and fans to speak out publicly against domestic
violence, making football a place where perpetrators of domestic abuse are
not welcome.
"Charlie has really pushed herself to the limit over the last seven days to
raise an amazing £100,000, this will enable Women's Aid to support thousands
of survivors of domestic violence over the coming year and we are incredibly
grateful to Charlie for working so hard to complete this astounding
challenge."
The Challenge will now kick-start Football United against Domestic Violence,
a Women's Aid campaign launching in June which aims to encourage the
football community to give domestic abuse a red card once and for all.
Support Charlie at www.justgiving.com/charliesbigchallenge
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s duo receive England call
WHUFC.com
Kyle Knoyle and Reece Burke have been called up to the England U18 squad to
play Belgium later this month
04.02.2014
West Ham United Under-18 duo Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle have been selected
to represent their country once again when they play Belgium later this
month. The pair have been selected in Neil Dewsnip's England U18 squad,
having previously appeared in a 4-0 win against Hungary at St George's Park
back on 14 October 2013. Knoyle played the full 90 minutes at right-back
against the Hungarians with Burke making his entrance from the bench into
central defence. Ahead of the game against the Belgians, the squad will meet
up on Saturday 15 February and have three days of training before the match
takes place at St. George's Park on Tuesday 18 February. The call-up is just
reward for the Hammers pair, who have been mainstays in Steve Potts' U18
team this season. The young Hammers are currently second in the Barclays
Under-18 Premier League, having lost just once in their last 13 matches.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy Carroll: West Ham striker's red card appeal rejected
BBC.co.uk
West Ham striker Andy Carroll has failed to overturn his red card against
Swansea on Saturday after the Football Association dismissed his appeal. The
25-year-old was sent off after clashing with Swans defender Chico Flores
during his side's 2-0 win. He will now miss the Hammers' Premier League
games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.
In apparent reaction to the decision, Carroll, who set up both goals on
Saturday, tweeted: "Disgraceful."
A year to forget
In the 12 months from the start of March 2013 to the end of February 2014,
Andy Carroll will have played only 15 games, scoring four goals. According
to the FA, West Ham failed to prove to a three-man panel that referee Howard
Webb had made "an obvious error" in dismissing Carroll after the forward's
arm hit Flores's forehead. However, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was
certain that Webb made a mistake. "There has to be somebody to look at that
in the cold light of day and say that is certainly not a red card," he said
on Saturday. Allardyce refused to comment on Flores's reaction to the
challenge, although several of his players protested at the time that the
Spaniard had exaggerated the contact made by Carroll. Swansea manager Brian
Laudrup said the decision had been "a bit harsh". Carroll, who has made only
five appearances this season and is yet to score after a lengthy recovery
from injury, will next be available for the trip to Everton on 1 March. With
Modibo Maiga loaned out to QPR, the Hammers' striking options are limited to
on-loan Italian Marco Borriello and Carlton Cole. West Ham are 18th in the
Premier League, one point from safety, with 14 games remaining.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll: FA decision 'disgraceful'
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's appeal against Andy Carroll's dismissal last weekend has
been dismissed by the Football Association. Carroll - who described the
decision as "digraceful" in a brief Tweet this afternoon - saw red for the
first time since joining West Ham after becoming involved in a tangle with
Swansea's Chico Flores during Saturday's 2-0 win, in which Carroll had
already provided two assists. The Spanish defender threw himself to the
floor theatrically, clutching his face as the two tangled following an
aerial challenge - despite Carroll's flailing hand having only made contact
with the Spaniard's forehead. That was enough for experienced referee Howard
Webb to dismiss the England international for violent conduct - a sanction
upheld by a three-man panel hearing West Ham's appeal earlier today. All of
which means that Carroll - who has only just returned to first team action
following a lengthy injury that prevented him from playing previously this
season - now faces three matches on the sideline; the crucial fixtures
against Aston Villa (a), Norwich (h) and Southampton (h).
The news was confirmed this afternoon by the FA who said via a statement:
"Andy Carroll will serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect
after his claim of wrongful dismissal was rejected by an Independent
Regulatory Commission." As of yet, there have been no sanctions announced
regarding Flores, whose disgraceful actions have led to Carroll's subsequent
ban.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea shirts up for grabs
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 4th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
The shirts of nine West Ham players who featured in last weekend's 2-0 win
over Swansea have gone up for auction to raise funds for a children's
charity.
KUMB.com member Iain Page almost lost his baby daughter Willow when she
suffered a stroke and three heart attacks last year. He and wife Denise were
warned that should she survive, she would face being left brain damaged as a
result. However following months of hospital care, little Willow has made an
amazing, unexpected recovery and is now a healthy one-year-old.
Caring for Willow has meant that Iain and Denise have had very little time
for themselves or the rest of the family, which is where West Ham captain
Kevin Nolan stepped in. Having been made aware of the family's plight
previously, the skipper arranged for the couple to be guests of honour at
last weekend's clash with Swansea - the first time they'd had a day out
together since Willow was taken ill.
And immediately following the game, Nolan kindly delivered nine match-worn
shirts from the match to be auctioned for Heartlink Children's Charity,
which is seeking to raise £40,000 in order to purchase a new ECMO machine -
the same as that which saved Willow's life.
Bidding for the nine shirts - belonging to Adrian, Andy Carroll, Stewart
Downing, Matt Jarvis, George McCartney, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble, Matt Taylor
and James Tomkins - began on the KUMB Forum this morning. To place a bid for
any of the above worn shirts, simply reply to the thread stating your bid;
please note that only registered KUMB.com members may bid.
For Willow: Current Highest Bids
Adrian - £250
Andy Carroll - £300
Stuart Downing - £250
Matt Jarvis - £200
George McCartney - £100
Kevin Nolan - £300
Mark Noble - £225
Matt Taylor - £100
James Tomkins - £160
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Andy Carroll loses appeal and will serve three-match ban
Last Updated: 04/02/14 6:11pm
SSN
West Ham striker Andy Carroll has lost his appeal against the red card shown
to him in their 2-0 victory over Swansea on Saturday. Carroll was dismissed
after he was adjudged to have deliberately caught Swansea defender Chico
Flores with a flailing arm. But the Football Association has rejected the
appeal and Carroll will now be unavailable to manager Sam Allardyce as he
serves a three-match ban. "West Ham United's Andy Carroll will serve a
three-match suspension with immediate effect after his claim of wrongful
dismissal was rejected by an Independent Regulatory Commission," read an FA
statement. "Carroll was dismissed for violent conduct during West Ham's game
against Swansea City on Saturday (February 1, 2014). "As stated in the Rules
and Regulations of The FA, an Independent Regulatory Commission must apply
the test of whether the decision to dismiss a player was 'an obvious error'.
"The decision of an Independent Regulatory Commission in relation to a claim
of wrongful dismissal is final and binding on all parties and is not subject
to appeal."
Carroll will miss West Ham's away game with Aston Villa on Saturday, as well
as home fixtures with Norwich and Southampton. The West Ham striker was
quick to vent his apparent disappointment at the verdict on Twitter, with a
post on the social media site which simply read: "DISGRACEFUL!!!"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham confirm 25-man squad for remainder of season
Last Updated: 04/02/14 7:16pm
SSN
West Ham's January signings Marco Borriello, Antonio Nocerino, Roger Johnson
and Pablo Armero have been included in their 25-man Premier League squad.
The Hammers have confirmed the players who will be available to Sam
Allardyce for the final four months of the campaign as the club battles
against relegation. The likes of Ravel Morrison and Abdul Razak are
available but do not need to be listed as Under-21 players can be selected
on top of the original 25-man party. Allardyce's party has nine players who
are not regarded as Home Grown, which is comfortably within the Premier
League's parameters of 17.
West Ham are currently 18th in the table after 24 games of the season, but
are just one point from a position of safety and only three adrift of Stoke
in 11th place.
West Ham squad
Pablo Armero, Marco Borriello, Andy Carroll, Carlton Cole, Joe Cole, James
Collins, Jack Collison, Guy Demel, Mohamed Diame, Alou Diarra, Stewart
Downing, Stephen Henderson, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Matt Jarvis, Roger Johnson,
George McCartney, Mark Noble, Antonio Nocerino, Kevin Nolan, Joey O'Brien,
Winston Reid, Adrian, Matt Taylor, James Tomkins, Ricardo Vaz Te.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE FA CAN FO
By Iain Dale 4 Feb 2014 at 17:34
West Ham Till I Die
Three game ban for Andy Carroll. Licence to divers everywhere. Travesty. I
am sure Chico Flores is proud of himself. That is all.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE £40 MILLION DECISION
By Sean Whetstone 4 Feb 2014 at 13:45
West Ham Till I Die
The deadline for West Ham United to present all evidence on the Andy Carroll
sending off to the appeal panel passed at 1pm today with the decision
expected this afternoon via a joint statement by the FA and West Ham United.
This might sound melodramatic but the consequences could be massive for West
Ham if we lose the appeal, it could be the difference between survival and
relegation this season. On Saturday, Andy showed us he can make the
difference and the the next three games and nine points are both crucial and
winnable . Relegation could cost West Ham as much £40 million in lost
revenue next season as the gulf between the two divisions becomes larger.
The Daily Mail are reporting today that "World Cup referee Howard Webb is
standing by his decision to show a red card to West Ham's Andy Carroll"
Howard Webb is supposed to be the FA's best referee and was recently chosen
to officiate at the World Cup Finals. I find it difficult to believe he
would be unprofessional enough to brief the Daily Mail and potentially
prejudice the independent appeal panel hearing. His official match report is
the only evidence which should count during the appeal.
A three-person independent regulatory commission will be convened to assess
written evidence from the match officials and West Ham, as well as video
footage of the incident. The so called 'FA three wise man' usually include a
former football man often a former player/manager, a former member of a FA
association sometimes a previous chairman and a person with a legal
background who understands the rules of football. It is these men who will
decide our fate behind closed doors.
Sam Allardyce has said on the matter: "We will hope that the appeal will
work. Hopefully we don't lose Andy for three games. He's gutted. He's
absolutely beside himself. We'll just have to go through the process and see
what happens in midweek. All I can hope is that the panel, in the cold light
of day, see it for what it is.He [ Howard Webb] can't be absolutely certain
of what's happened, except that Chico Flores is over-exaggerating, which is
generally the norm for him unfortunately."
After the watching the video a number of times myself I firmly believe the
panel should downgrade the incident to the yellow card for reckless use of
an arm rather then any real intent to strike Chico Flores. Flores should
also be awarded a yellow card too for unsporting behavior as his act was
simulation intended to deceive the referee, although I understand these kind
of booking cannot be issued retrospectively.
Yesterday the Daily Mail claimed "[West Ham United] Club officials believe
the FA's appeals procedure is flawed under European law" suggesting the club
could take the argument to the law courts if they fail in their appeal. I
see this as unlikely as the FA will be reluctant to suspend the ban while it
takes months if not years to go through the European courts.
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Andy Carroll labels FA's decision to uphold his three-match ban as
'disgraceful'
Feb 04, 2014 16:53 By Alex Richards
The Mirror
West Ham United striker Andy Carroll will miss the Hammers next three
matches after losing his appeal against his sending off against Swansea.
The England striker, making his first start of the season at Upton Park, was
sent off by referee Howard Webb in the 59th minute of his side's 2-0 win
over Michael Laudrup's Swans, after appearing to swing an arm at defender
Chico Flores. The Spanish defender, who earlier this season was publicly
laughed at by West Ham boss Sam Allardyce for embellishing a challenge from
Carlton Cole, appeared to be caught on the head by Carroll's flailing arm
and stayed down.
Carroll himself tweeted what he thought of the decision not to overturn his
ban with one word: "DISGRACEFUL!!!"
West Ham decided to appeal Webb's decision, and had been hopeful of having
Carroll's ban overturned - having slammed Chico for 'squealing'.
DISGRACEFUL!!! — Andy Carroll (@AndyTCarroll) February 4, 2014
Allardyce said: "We will hope that the appeal will work. Hopefully we don't
lose Andy for three games. "He's gutted. He's absolutely beside himself.
We'll just have to go through the process and see what happens." Carroll,
West Ham's record purchase, will now miss the Premier League matches against
Aston Villa (a), Norwich City (h) and Southampton (h). He'll next be
available for the away fixture against Everton on March 1. The ban came just
weeks after Andy Carroll returned to full match fitness after a lengthy
spell out of action.
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Ban both Chico and Webb
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 3rd February 2014
By: Gary Portugal
I'm not sure who is worse - they deserve each other.
Both Chico Flores and Howard Webb have form with West Ham, and without West
Ham, of substandard behaviour and judgement respectively. Enough is enough.
It is time that these inept losers be held accountable.
Let's start with Webb. You cannot give a red card unless you are absolutely
certain of what the offence was and if indeed it was actually even
committed. Not dissimilar to innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
It cannot be done on the basis of hearsay, pressure from opposition players
or fans, or merely the say-so of another official.
A red card should be reserved for the most grievous offences, not 50/50
situations. The impact of red cards goes well beyond the match in which it
occurs. It could potentially have contributed to our relegation if we lost
the match - and still could, if the card is not rescinded.
And a referee with World Cup pedigree should, if anything, be held to a
higher standard of accountability, not be given a get out of jail card based
on reputation.
As for Chico, where do I start? Rolling around the pitch like an infant? Is
that what the Premier League wants to promote and broadcast worldwide? An
image of not only a cheat, but a coward. It is shameful and embarrasses the
player, his club, the league and the sport in general. It is outright
dishonest, period. Video evidence CONCLUSIVELY shows that Carroll did NOT
hit Chico's face or forehead. He grazed the TOP of his hairbun, no more no
less.
And it was Carroll's whole ARM that grazed, NOT a bent ELBOW. In short,
there was NO intent whatsoever. If he had wanted, or intended to hit Chico,
Carroll would have bent his elbow or hit him squarely in the face as opposed
to grazing his hairbun. This was simulation of the highest order. As bad as
diving to try to win a penalty. Yet on his Twitter page, Chico still has the
nerve to deny his guilt. Totally unethical, dishonest and cowardly
behaviour.
Yesterday's events point to the need for firm action to be taken. For a
start, the Premier League should make all simulation a straight red card
offence with a minimum, but not maximum, of a three-match ban. That includes
feigning injury, not just diving to try to win a penalty or free kick. And
such bans should be given retrospectively if referees fail to spot it at the
time.
The integrity of the game is at stake. There is no place for simulation in
the game and the only way to stamp it out is through heavy penalties.
Hundreds of millions of pounds are at stake with relegation and European
places etc. The cost of such injustices is too high. Referees should also be
subject to three-match bans for such bone-headed, erroneous decisions that
get overturned.
Webb should have to face the music for his woeful judgement which could have
materially affected the outcome of the match and still could affect West
Ham's survival hopes. Referees must be shown that they are not God, and that
they should be held accountable, as everyone else in the sport is. In Webb's
case, should Carroll's card be overturned, his qualifications as a World Cup
referee should be scrutinised. As an aside, Webb allowed Bony to back into
our defenders all day long without penalising him. Double standards.
A major solution to yesterday's travesty would be the introduction of an
in-game review process which already exists in most sports now. Give each
team the ability to challenge one refereeing decision per half. This would
have no adverse impact on the flow of the game but it would help avoid
farces like yesterday.
Goal-line technology is not enough. An on-the-spot review process,
applicable anywhere on the pitch is required, involving video technology
that can be used to assess any contentious decision. This would force both
players and referees to be more accountable and to avoid being humiliated
for inane behaviour or terrible judgement
Any rational person reviewing footage of the incident would admit that
Carroll didn't deserve to go. Even Michael Laudrup, to his credit, admitted
it - as did Match of the Day's Alan Hansen, Steve McManaman and other
pundits. One can only hope that this will help sway the FA to do the right
thing.
But what will really prevent this circus from happening again? The threat of
lawsuits against a player for simulating and referees who allow themselves
to be conned? In a general sense there are precedents for players taking
legal action in response to matters on the pitch. Players have sued in
response to blatant attempts to cause them injury. And although a totally
different issue, we don't need to be reminded about Tevezgate.
If a a club or player were to sue for wrongful dismissal from a match, it
would put the fear of God into simulators and referees. It is entirely
possible, with hundreds of millions of pounds at stake, that we could see
lawsuits in the future in response to blatant acts of cheating. Human beings
don't tend to change their behaviour unless hit with a heavy legal stick.
Leopards not changing their spots comes to mind.
Observe Chico, for example. How many times has he pulled this charade
before? Numerous times.
Finally, on a different note, if managers can be brought to book for
insulting referees and bringing the game into disrepute in press
conferences, then surely the same should apply to slagging off an opponent's
tactics , a la Jose Mourinho with his weak-breasted "19th century" garbage.
Who is Mourinho to be passing judgement on how we choose to play?
If he doesn't like it, he can lump it and go manage somewhere on the
continent again. He should be given a touchline ban for putting his two
penneth in where it wasn't required. Press conferences needn't be bland or
humourless, but nor should they be juvenile slagfests either. When Mourinho
returned, I thought that it would add spice to the League. Now I'm sick of
the sight of him already. A whinging, sore loser.
Sadly, although West Ham picked up four huge points this week these fixtures
displayed so much of what is wrong with the game today. Cheating players;
inept, gullible, arrogant referees; whinging managers; not a pretty sight.
Especially given how much that these primadonnas get paid, It's an absolute
disgrace.
Now is the time for the Premier League and the FA to get off their rear ends
and take decisive action to exterminate this substandard behaviour from the
game.
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Carroll caught in the FA's Webb
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 5th February 2014
By: Paul Walker
You sensed it was only going to end one way, however much we all hoped and
prayed that Andy Carroll was going to have his red card overturned.
So much of the opinion and anger revolving around Chico Flores' disgraceful
behaviour on Saturday was irrelevant to the issue.
It boiled down in the end to whether the FA were going to accept the
evidence and word of their very best referee Howard Webb, or tell him that
he got it very, very wrong from a matter of 20 yards away when Carroll's
flaying arm caught Flores in the pony-tail.
Webb could have handled it very differently. He could have penalised the
Swansea man for his challenge on Carroll in the first place, the clattering
from behind and the arm round the neck as the pair fell in a heap.
But would that have stopped Carroll bringing his arm round the way he did a
split second later? All that mattered in the end was Webb's interpretation
of intent, his opinion as to whether Carroll meant to clip the Spaniard or
whether it was an accident.
He could have booked Flores for ungentlemanly conduct once the half dozen
forward rolls had stopped, but he didn't. And although the FA have rules
that govern diving, I am not sure they have any that covers such theatrical
nonsense.
Maybe they should look at Flores' conduct in isolation, and charge him for
blatant cheating. But they probably won't.
The player should be hounded out of the game as a cheat, pilloried by every
fan in the country and have it made very clear to him that he is not wanted
in our game. The PFA can condemn him, if they dare. Swansea can sack him,
which they won't.
But nothing will help Carroll at this moment. He misses three crucial games
we must win to build on the good result against Swansea, a result that
Carroll had much to do with achieving.
Flores, though, should be booed on every ground in the country. But none of
that will have any impact on the fact that Webb thought Carroll intended to
clip the defender in the way he did.
Once Webb has decided that in his view Carroll meant it, it is very hard to
prove he made a mistake. It is his view alone that matters to the FA. That
is what they trust him to do, what he is there for.
The wording of the law that covers such a red card says 'strike or attempt
to strike an opponent.' You do not have to connect in anyway. It does not
matter whether Carroll made contact or not. If you throw a punch at a player
and miss, it is still a red card offence.
Now Carroll may not have intended anything of the sort. Opinion is divided.
But what does not matter at all is what Flores did, however distasteful.
His behaviour was appalling. Rolling around, clutching his face when no
contact was made at all with that part of his body is as distasteful as
anything I have seen on a pitch for a very long time. His fellow
professionals should condemn him.
But I actually doubt that all of that blatant cheating had any impact on
Webb's deliberations. He took advice from the fourth office, that was
obvious, but you can bet your life that all the officials were interested in
was Carroll's intent, or not.
Only Carroll knows whether he was trying to make contact. We can all have an
opinion, mine was that his action was one of frustration, sheer annoyance at
the initial challenge. I have wanted to believe that ever since, but deep in
my stomach I knew how the FA would react, despite all the uproar and twitter
frenzy.
What has surprised me is how many players, current and past, do not
understand the wording of the law.
But my opinion and theirs is as irrelevant as anyone else. Only Webb's view
is of interest to the FA.
And did we really expect that they were going to tell Webb, the World Cup
Final referee and our only official going to Brazil, that his opinion was
wrong. I doubt it, this was not one of the new mickey mouse referees on the
Premier League list, it was Webb, their very best.
He is just like the policeman in court that the magistrates always believe.
I have seen suggestions that West Ham could take the case to court. We have
also had Carroll's own "disgraceful" reaction on Twitter.
Frankly I hope we don't further antagonise the FA with any more action, and
I wish Carroll could have just held his silence. No good will come of any of
that.
What we must do is regroup, find a way to play without Carroll and not use
it as an excuse for failure over the next three matches. We have an
admittedly short of match fitness Italian in Marco Borriello to play up
front, that is unless big Sam reverts to type and plays Carlton Cole. But
Ricardo Vaz Te can also play as a striker, and I am sure like me, you are
not too bothered about Mo Maiga being at QPR, fat lot of good he has been
for us this season anyway.
I am gutted with the decision by Webb and the FA but if I am really honest I
am more gutted that Carroll allowed himself to be put in such a position in
the first place. It really would be nice is we could keep 11 players on the
pitch for a change.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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