Thursday, August 9

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - II 9th August 2007

Youth team head for Holland - WHUFC
09/08/2007 12:02

The West Ham United Youth Team set off for Holland this morning to play in
the ADO tournament. As the coach prepared to carry its cargo of talented
youngsters away from Chadwell Heath and off to The Hague, Academy boss Tony
Carr spoke about the trip. "It's fantastic preparation for the lads ahead of
the new season," he said. "The matches are sure to be very competitive and
will help to increase our sharpness and fitness. The boys will definitely
benefit from participating in this. "It's great experience and it's
something we have done several times before with our teams. We have plenty
of games to play in a short space of time, so it will be tough, but it will
also be rewarding. "We are all looking forward to the tournament and the
upcoming season is sure to be a good one. We finished runners-up in the
League last year and we are hoping to build on that and finish one better
this year!"

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West Ham United praised for Kickz project - WHUFC
09/08/2007 13:18

Robert Green represented West Ham United at the Premier League's launch of
their Creating Chances scheme in London on Tuesday, and was proud to hear
the Club recognised for their work with the local community around Upton
Park. Our involvement in the highly popular Kickz project was highlighted at
the launch as being an example of how football can be used in the Community
to encourage kids to spend their time constructively, learning skills from
qualified coaches and working as a team and making new friends. The project
was piloted in Newham in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police, who say
the crime rate in the area substantially decreases at the time the coaching
sessions are taking place. Dan Godfrey from West Ham United's Football in
the Community scheme was joined on stage at the launch by Tim Williams, a
young 15-year old who is an example of the positive impact Kickz can have.
Rob Green said of Creating Chances: "It was great to see all the Premiership
Clubs come together like that and get behind this great initiative. "To have
a player there to represent every team shows just how big this scheme is and
how many charities and good causes it intends to help."

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Neill to miss start of new season - WHUFC
09/08/2007 13:46

Lucas Neill will miss the start of the new Barclays Premier League season
after scan results revealed that the Australian defender has sustained minor
knee ligament damage. Our new Club Captain suffered the injury in training
on Monday and, while early speculation suggested that he might be out for a
month or more, the official diagnosis has proved much more positive. Head of
Physiotherapy George Cooper says: "Lucas unfortunately twisted his knee when
blocking a shot in training, and at first we feared that he made have
suffered significant damage to his medial ligament. "However, the scan
results are far better than predicted and show that there is more damage to
the muscles around the knee than the actual medial ligament itself, which
has actually sustained only very, very minor damage. "He has already made
fantastic progress since sustaining the injury and will definitely be back
in action inside a month. He is now working hard alongside Scotty Parker,
who is also making excellent progress from his knee injury, and the two of
them are really pushing each other, so I'm certain we will see them back in
action very soon."

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Curbs looking ahead to new season - WHUFC
09/08/2007 15:02

Alan Curbishley today revealed that the Hammers are raring to go for the big
kick-off to the Barclays Premier League season against Manchester City on
Saturday. "We've all enjoyed pre-season," he said. "We've had a bit of a
change around with staff and in the dressing room. We've picked up a couple
of impact injuries, which has been disappointing, but we can't do anything
to prevent those, we just have to work on the payers' rehabilitation. "We're
coming into the first game of the season and it's a new start for everybody.
Unfortunately we'll be without Scott Parker and Lucas Neill against
Manchester City. They both tweaked their knee ligaments but we're hoping
they'll both be fit in time for our next match against Birmingham. "The big
disappointment is losing Julien Faubert to a lengthy injury, but we look
forward to welcoming him back following his recovery."
Curbs is hoping the team, buoyed by new arrivals and the return of some
familiar faces, can pick up where they left off on last season's winning
run. "If we may a start like that I'd be delighted," he said. "This is a new
season and it feels like we've gained three new players in Dean Ashton,
Matty Upson and Danny Gabbidon, who are all fit and looking forward to the
season ahead. "West Ham United are a big Club we made the back pages for the
wrong reasons too many times last season. The Club needs a solid season now,
after four topsy-turvy years. "The players that have been through all that
will have grown up immensely and this season will hopefully provide the base
for pushing on. We're looking for a top ten finish. We'd like to finish in
the first part of Ceefax, rather than the second!"

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Old Boys mark Tooting anniversary - BBC

Ryman League side Tooting & Mitcham celebrate their 75th anniversary with a
game between Chelsea Old Boys and West Ham's team of 1986 on 26 August.
The FA Cup will be paraded at the game at Imperial Fields, which will also
act as a fundraiser for ex-players who have fallen on hard times since
retiring.
Ray Wilkins, Graeme Le Saux and Kerry Dixon are among the former stars who
will be in the Chelsea line-up. The Hammers team will include Frank
McAvennie and Tony Cottee. Kick-off is at 1400 BST and tickets are available
from Chelsea, West Ham and Tooting & Mitcham.

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Magnusson wants third-party ban - BBC

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson has called on football's world governing
body Fifa to banish third-party ownership from football. His comments come
after the long legal wrangle over who owned Carlos Tevez, which came to an
end before his planned £30m transfer to Manchester United. Magnusson told
Five Live: "I'm against third-party ownership and that has been strengthened
by what has happened. "I hope Fifa changes the rules and banish it from
football." The saga was set to go to the High Court but West Ham agreed an
out-of-court settlement of £2m with Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian that
resulted in the 23-year-old being formally released from his contract.
Magnusson added: "This whole Tevez stuff has opened up everybody's eyes.
It's not healthy for football. I hope they look seriously into this."
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has already promised a
tightening of rules to prevent a repeat of the affair. Rule changes are
expected to be ratified at a Premier League board meeting next week.
Meanwhile, Magnusson revealed he had wanted to retain the services of the
Argentine forward.
"Tevez was an important part of last year's team and I would have loved to
have kept him - I tried," he confirmed. "But, as with other great players,
his heart was set on playing in the Champions League."

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Eggert relieved by Tevez exit - SSN
Chairman wishes striker well for future
By Mark Buckingham Last updated: 9th August 2007

Eggert Magnusson admits he is happy the Carlos Tevez saga is now behind West
Ham United. Tevez is waiting to officially complete his move to Manchester
United after The Hammers received a payment from his agent Kia Joorabchian.
West Ham chairman Magnusson wishes the Argentine well at his new club and is
thankful the matter has now been resolved. "It's over with regard to West
Ham finally," Magnusson told Sky Sports News. "I'm very relieved. "At the
same time I would like to say what a very good player Carlos Tevez is and a
fine young man. I wish him all the best for the future. "I am just happy the
whole saga is behind us at the moment."
The striker's arrival at Upton Park last August eventually cost West Ham a
£5.5million fine, but Magnusson never feared the club would be deducted
points as a punishment. He added: "To tell you the truth, we never thought
for one moment we would have points deducted. "What people tend to forget is
that the players (Tevez and Javier Mascherano) were always correctly
registered with West Ham from the beginning. "With regards to the fine, it
was a very, very heavy fine. I think if you look internationally something
like this has never happened before."
Magnusson also revealed that his predecessor Terence Brown, who was involved
in the Tevez deal, is not currently welcome back at Upton Park. Of Brown,
Magnusson said: "He's not very welcome at the moment at least."

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Green tips Ashton to shine - SSN
Team-mate welcomes striker's return
By Peter O'Rourke Last updated: 9th August 2007

West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green has backed Dean Ashton to fire them to
success this season. Ashton is on course to start the season after finally
making a successful return from a lengthy lay-off. The former Crewe and
Norwich hit-man has not played a competitive game for West Ham since the
2006 FA Cup final with Liverpool because of injury. Ashton missed all of
last season after breaking his ankle while training with England 12 months
ago. The talented forward has impressed in pre-season and is raring to go
ahead of the new campaign this weekend. Speaking at the Premier League's
'Creating Chances' launch,Green feels Ashton will give West Ham an extra
edge this term after he was sorely missed last season. "Dean has been flying
in pre-season," Green told skysports.com. "He was missed last season and it
is a massive boost to have him back. "He has been looking sharp in training
and in pre-season and if he can keep up his form he will be a big player for
us. "We are hoping Dean can score us the goals to help us enjoy a successful
season." Green insists everyone in the squad is determined they do not
endure a nerve-wracking season like they did last term this time around. The
former Norwich custodian believes Hammers boss Alan Curbishley has spent
wisely in the transfer market to make the team more of a force this season.
I think the manager has spent wisely and expectations are high," added
Green. "Expectations were high last season and we have to make sure we don't
find ourselves in the same situation as last season."

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Injury boost for Neill - SSN
Knee injury not as serious as feared
By Mark Buckingham Last updated: 9th August 2007

Lucas Neill will miss West Ham United's opening game of the season against
Manchester City. The defender injured his knee in training on Monday,
sparking fears he could be sidelined for at least a month. Scans on the
problem have painted a more positive outlook for Neill, who has been
appointed the club's new captain. Though the Australia international will
sit out Saturday's clash with City, The Hammers do not expect him to be out
for long. "Lucas unfortunately twisted his knee when blocking a shot in
training, and at first we feared that he may have suffered significant
damage to his medial ligament," head of physiotherapy George Cooper told the
club's official website. "However, the scan results are far better than
predicted and show that there is more damage to the muscles around the knee
than the actual medial ligament itself, which has actually sustained only
very, very minor damage. "He has already made fantastic progress since
sustaining the injury and will definitely be back in action inside a month.
"He is now working hard alongside Scotty Parker, who is also making
excellent progress from his knee injury, and the two of them are really
pushing each other, so I'm certain we will see them back in action very
soon."

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I'm still upset over Tevez, says Eggert - Daily Mail
Last updated at 15:03pm on 9th August 2007

Eggert Magnusson said today that he felt 'hard-done-by' following the
£5.5million fine imposed by the Premier League on the club following the
Carlos Tevez affair and revealed he never at any time thought there would be
a points deduction. The West Ham chairman and part-owner also confirmed he
was considering legal action against Terry Brown following the Carlos Tevez
affair and said the former chairman was "not welcome back at Upton Park".
Magnusson also said that he was anticipating a top 10 finish in the Premier
League next season and said that further investment meant the club would be
challenging the top five in the space of the next "four to five years." The
Icelandic businessman also said there was a plan to move into a new stadium
near West Ham station by 2011 and that he was "surprised" that the club's
plans to move to the Olympic Stadium after the Games in 2012 was rejected.
The Tevez affair is now happily over as far as West Ham are concerned, said
Magnusson. "It has taken up a lot of my time and when it ended last week I
felt like a deflated balloon. "Carlos is a great player and a great human
being but it was not only him that kept us up. The whole Tevez affair has
detracted from what Alan Curbishley achieved. "It began with the inquiry
followed by the judgement. Maybe some things were said during that which
enhanced the whole affair.
"One of the things which bothers me is the way the club's reputation has
been damaged because of a few individuals back in August. "Some of my
colleagues have also been trying to damage our image since."
Magnusson said the club were considering legal action against Brown. "We
haven't had time to look into that yet but now it is over, we will," he
said. "Terry Brown is not welcome at Upton Park at the moment although I
have nothing personally against either him or Kia Joorabchian." The West Ham
chairman did, however, exonerate Scott Duxbury, the club's current deputy
chief executive officer, from blame. Duxbury was the club's legal expert at
the time but Magnusson said: "Scott Duxbury was not on the board at the club
then."
Magnusson reiterated his stance that he remains firmly opposed to third
party ownership. Magnusson's Icelandic consortium took over the club in late
November and he said: "We saw the contracts very late in the due diligence
process. They were not in the data room and we had to ask to see them. "What
we didn't know until January was that the Premier League had not seen all
the paperwork. "When I came into West Ham there were two Argentinians [Tevez
and Javier Mascherano] there who were not fit and who we were paying a lot
of money. "What I wanted to do in December then was make an amendment so
they would definitely leave in the summer. I tried to find out if they could
even leave in January. "It was never signed by the other party, though, and
if it had been, we would not perhaps have incurred the heavy fine. "I felt
very hard done by, though, because the truth was that we never ever felt we
would be deducted points. "The registration of the two players was in place
and always correct from the beginning."
Magnusson also revealed that Fulham had asked West Ham not to play Luis Boa
Morte against them following the player's £5.5m move. "Fulham did ask us not
to play Luis Boa Morte against them but of course we played him. How can you
buy a player for that much money and not play him? It's crazy. Magnusson
also revealed that the proposed move for Newcastle's Kieron Dyer was "dead
at the moment". "I have been in business all my life but I have never
experienced anything like that before," he added. "The fee had been agreed
and then there was a telephone call on Friday morning saying it had gone up
£2m. "At the moment the deal is dead but I feel very badly for the player.
He wanted to come because his family is in Ipswich and he had told them the
transfer was on. "It's not the way to do things."

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Olympic chiefs are wrong to snub us, says West Ham chairman - Daily Mail
Last updated at 14:32pm on 9th August 2007

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson said he could not understand why the
club's plans to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games were
rejected. Magnusson also revealed the club aim to move into a new ground at
another site by 2011. "We have plans to move to a new 60,000-seat stadium
near West Ham station by 2011," he said. "We had healthy discussions about
the Olympic Stadium but we couldn't accommodate all their views." Magnusson
offered £1million towards the scheme but it foundered as West Ham could not
agree to the athletics track being used every day. He said: "We offered some
money but perhaps they were too far down the line with the planning of the
stadium. "We had a meeting with Tessa Jowell but we took from that it was
not possible. For me it makes no sense how you build an 80,000-seat stadium
and then take it down to 20,000."

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Cole on target for Irons reserves - TeamTalk

Goals from Zavon Hines, Carlton Cole and Hogan Ephraim earned a West Ham
United reserve team a 3-1 friendly against Thurrock FC on Wednesday. Young
forward Hines struck an opener in the 12th minute, while Cole restored his
team's advantage nine minutes later after Thurrock had hit a quick-fire
equaliser through Che Stadhardt. Ephraim rounded off an impressive display
with the third goal - a superb free-kick in the 81st minute. Kevin Keen's
reserve team kick-off their FA Premier Reserve League South campaign against
Aston Villa on August 29.

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HAMMERS SET TO SWOOP FOR SOLANO - Sporting Life

West Ham are set to raid Newcastle for Nolberto Solano after missing out on
Kieron Dyer. The Hammers were all set to land Dyer after agreeing a
£6million fee with the Toon, but that deal was scuppered when the Magpies
upped their valuation. And now the Newcastle Evening Chronicle claims Alan
Curbishley is again set to swoop on Tyneside, but at a much lower price. In
fact the local paper says Curbs hopes to land Peruvian international winger
Solano on a free transfer. The 32-year-old would apparently want a two-year
deal to move to London, with the Hammers keen on just a 12-month contract.
Meanwhile Dyer is in the Newcastle squad to visit Bolton for Saturday's
Premier League opener and Toon boss Sam Allardyce says he must make the best
of the situation. He said: "Kieron Dyer is a Newcastle United player until
West Ham see the light and resolve the situation. "He is fit and well and
has had a proper pre-season, and he will be involved in our squad for the
game at Bolton. "Kieron has to go to Bolton and do what is best for both
himself and the club. He is contracted to this football club for the next
couple of years unless there is a change in the situation. "If there is a
change we will deal with it accordingly."

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West Ham to land Gudjohnsen, Bresciano and Shorey - Sportigo
Thu, Aug 9, 07 12:20
Mark Apostolou

Alan Curbishley must be in some kind of Dreamland. After 15 years of
skimping and saving and trying to balance the Charlton books, it seems he
now has a seemingly endless supply of cash and it's almost as though he is
playing real-life fantasy football!

His West Ham side hope to complete a deal to land Eidur Gudjohnsen before
the end of the month after agreeing a £6.7m fee for with Barcelona
(Various). Resisting the urge to use clichés such as 'The Iceman Cometh'
(oops too late!), I would reiterate what a great signing this could be for
the Upton Park side. I think the fact that a player of Gudjohnsen's quality
is keen to move to East London's second best side (Come on you O's, joke!)
shows just how things are looking up for the Hammers, and unlike the false
promise that surrounded the arrival of the two Argentinians last season,
this revolution seems to be more firmly based.

And the Hammers have not given up on signing Nicky Shorey, but Reading will
not sell until they have found a replacement (Various). It's just a shame
that Curbs already sold off Paul Konchesky because he could have formed a
make-weight in the deal to the Royals, or on second thoughts maybe that
wouldn't have helped matters!

Let's move briefly away from London (only briefly mind) as we have a wealth
of other Hammers' issues to deal with. Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is
interested in Real Madrid's Brazilian full-back Cicinho (The Sun). I am a
fan of the right-sided Madrid player, but the new Bernabeau suprermo, Bernd
Schuster, prefers to use the aging and in my highly overrated Spaniard
Michel Salgado. Apparently any move would more than likely be a loan one and
the former Sao Paulo star is reportedly more interested in joining the mass
Brazilian presence in Serie A. Well worth trying to nab though, Rafa.

Back to Upton Park and to a player whose move to Green Street may have been
hijacked somewhat by Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson who has held
talks with Real Madrid over a move for striker Antonio Cassano (The Sun).
SGE seems to be intent on forming his own squad at City and one that bears
little resemblance to the one that Stuart 'Mr Passion' Pearce formed. And
maybe that's not a bad thing. The Swede's reputation and the Thai owner's
money are working wonders, and Eastlands is eagerly awaiting the big
kick-off and will be expecting great things. Cassano is a quality player but
may have been living on the reputation of one great season for Roma for a
bit too long now.

West Ham could, however, land Palermo's Mark Bresciano after his move to
Manchester City fell through (The Times). The tough-tackling Aussie
midfielder with an eye for goal would be a steady, if unspectacular,
purchase that would presumably not break the bank. The Melbourne man has
been instrumental in Palermo's rise in Serie A and aided the Eagles as they
trounced the Hammers in the UEFA Cup. In short he is the kind of player who
could revel in the Premier League.

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Hammers eye Solano move
Aug 9 2007
By Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle

WEST HAM have turned their attention to Nobby Solano after their move for
his Newcastle United colleague Kieron Dyer fell through. But in contrast to
the £6m the Hammers put on the table for Dyer, I understand that Alan
Cubishley wants to pick up Solano on a free transfer. From Solano's point of
view, he is 32 now and he would be looking for a two-year contract, although
the word from East London this afternoon was that West Ham were keener on a
12-month deal. Solano first surfaced at St James' Park in the summer of 1998
when Kenny Dalglish paid a bargain £2.5m to Boca Juniors for the Peruvian
international.
He went to Aston Villa in January 2004 and came back 18 months later, on the
day Michael Owen joined United. He is the leading United scorer on
Newcastle's books with 48 goals, and it's fair to say he is a legend on
Tyneside. Meanwhile, Dyer will be in the United squad when they leave
Tyneside tomorrow for Saturday's opener with Bolton. This will undoubtedly
be another major talking point among the United fans. And it's certainly a
turnaround for Dyer, who this time last week fully expected to make his
Premiership debut for West Ham in their home game with Manchester City on
Saturday. Speaking about his team plans for the first time for what will be
an emotional return to the Reebok, Sam Allardyce told me today: "Kieron Dyer
is a Newcastle United player until West Ham see the light and resolve the
situation. "He is fit and well and has had a proper pre-season, and he will
be involved in our squad for the game at Bolton.
"Kieron has to go to Bolton and do what is best for both himself and the
club. He is contracted to this football club for the next couple of years
unless there is a change in the situation. "If there is a change we will
deal with it accordingly."

Big Sam is fully aware that some fans will not be happy to see Dyer in a
United shirt again, but his job is to get results and he will pick side
accordingly. My view is that Dyer should have been sold when he refused to
play on the wing in at Middlesbrough exactly three years ago. Failing that,
the time certainly seemed right for Dyer to go this time last week in the
proposed £6m transfer to West Ham. It's doubtful if Hammers boss Alan
Curbishley will come back in, leaving Dyer to yet again try to salvage his
career at St James' Park. Big Sam is without three midfielders in Joey
Barton, Emre and Damien Duff, and as a result the worst Dyer can expect at
Bolton is a place on the bench. He could even sneak into the team depending
on just who Big Sam decides to play at left-back until he can get new
signing Jose Enrique into his side. Allardyce insists he does not want to
consider his two latest signings, Enrique or Cacapa, although both are
expected back at the training ground tomorrow after being allowed to return
to their respective homes to sort out their domestic arrangements. Apart
from his long-term injuries – Emre, Duff and Celestine Babayaro – Allardyce
will be without Shay Given and Michael Owen tomorrow.
This means that three of the candidates to lead the team out at the Reebok –
Owen, Barton and Given – will be missing. But when I asked Allardyce today
if he had decided on his captain he replied: "Not yet."

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Battler Curbishley comes out fighting - Daily Mail
Last updated at 11:46am on 9th August 2007

Alan Curbishley knows the knives have been out for West Ham ever since they
escaped relegation on the last day of the season. The flak has come in many
forms: the fall-out from the Carlos Tevez controversy; criticisms of their
summer spending spree and jibes about the brat pack they have assembled at
Upton Park. No wonder manager Curbishley, for whom stability was a byword at
Charlton, wants an end to this incessant negativity. He said: "I'm trying to
build a base here so we can enjoy a solid season, looking forward instead of
over our shoulder."
Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore has admitted rules will be
tightened in the wake of the Tevez affair but even though the Argentine has
now left for Manchester United, West Ham have been embroiled in rows over
the players who will replace him. Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn claimed
West Ham were needlessly inflating the market by spending profligate sums on
new signings and then paying them unrealistic salaries. But Curbishley said:
"People have been saying consistently that we've spent loads of money but
the truth is that, in this transfer window so far, we've spent £23million
and brought in £21m.

All we've done is keep pace with other clubs. Manchester United and
Liverpool have spent massive amounts and clubs such as Portsmouth, Fulham,
Sunderland and Manchester City have also been active but haven't taken much
in, unlike us. "To attract good players we've replicated their contracts. We
haven't gone overboard with salaries but you can't tempt good players if
you're asking them to take wage cuts. "Niall Quinn said recently that we're
flooding the market but he's bought Michael Chopra and Craig Gordon for
£14million."

Despite personal criticism from Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, Curbishley has
been on the margins of the Kieron Dyer fiasco, when West Ham agreed a £6m
fee with Newcastle for the player, only to be told at the 11th hour that the
price had just gone up by another £2m. He is adamant the breakdown was none
of his club's making. He said: "The situation on Kieron Dyer is quite clear.
We negotiated with Newcastle over several days to agree the transfer fee
because that is the first thing you have to settle. Once that was agreed and
we had permission, we began talking about personal terms and arranging a
medical. "For as long as I remember, I've never heard of a club asking for
more money after terms had been agreed and the medical had been passed.
Newcastle though, decided to ask for the extra fee as the player was walking
in to our training ground."

Curbishley is also confident that dressing-room harmony won't be jeopardised
by the arrival of Craig Bellamy from Liverpool. He said: "We want to buy
players of the right age, attitude and experience to push us on. Craig
Bellamy has had one football-related bust-up and that was with Graeme
Souness at Newcastle.
"Norwich had to sell him at 20 because they needed the money; Coventry were
relegated and also had to sell; Newcastle was where he had his row; he then
went to Celtic and Blackburn where he did fantastically well before
Liverpool activated an escape clause in his contract. "This summer,
Liverpool went in a different direction and he found himself surplus to
requirements. I have no problem with Craig. He's shown me on the training
pitch and in games that we have a very decent player. "In the case of Dyer
and Lee Bowyer, they talk regularly. What went on between them on the pitch
came from pure frustration on Bowyer's part and that is long gone."

Regarding Tevez, the departed hero, Curbishley admitted that he wanted him
to stay. He said: "We made an attempt to sign Carlos. We gave it our best
shot but it wasn't to be. Carlos did fantastically well and will always get
a rapturous reception back here. "Everyone here is looking forward to the
new season. The expectation has risen but if you ask me what I want it is a
solid season with West Ham on the back pages for the right reasons rather
than the negative stuff we've had to endure for 12 months."

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West Ham offer player, cash for Reading's Shorey
tribalfooball.com - August 09, 2007

West Ham hope a player-plus-cash offer for Reading fullback Nicky Shorey
will be enough to land the England international. The Independent says West
Ham made a £5m approach for the left-back but were rebuffed by Reading, but
it is understood that Shorey is keen to move to Upton Park and has also
rejected a new, £20,000-a-week contract at the Royals.
Shorey has two years left on his present deal which may influence whether or
not the club decides to cash in on him now. West Ham are expected to return
to the negotiations before the end of this month and offer a player plus
cash deal especially as Reading, who have shown an interest in midfielder
Hayden Mullins, will want to sort out replacement for Shorey should he
leave.

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Newcastle chairman on Dyer: We were unhappy with West Ham behaviour
tribalfooball.com - August 09, 2007

Newcastle United chairman Chris Mort has given their version of why Kieron
Dyer's move to West Ham broke down last Friday. "We got very uncomfortable
with the way they (West Ham) were conducting negotiations and some of the
things going on about the deal we wanted to change from our perspective,"
explained Mort. "They were (then) not prepared to match the (increased £8m)
valuation we put on him."

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Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - 9th August 2007

West Ham 2007/08 preview - SSN
By Robin Hackett Last updated: 8th August 2007

Following the false dawn at the start of last season, there will be mixed
feelings at West Ham as the Magnusson era looks set to finally begin in
earnest.
The signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano had looked to be the
icing on the cake for Alan Pardew's FA Cup finalists, and his young, hungry
squad were expected to challenge for a top-six spot as well as making a
decent bid for the Uefa Cup. None of that happened. The deal for Tevez and
Mascherano was shrouded in confusion and both players, lacking the fitness
for the Premier League, took time to settle in to English football. But,
whatever distractions the Argentinians provided, there were other problems
at the club. Dean Ashton sustained a long-term injury, new signings Lee
Bowyer and Carlton Cole failed to make an impact, young stars like Nigel
Reo-Coker and Anton Ferdinand could not live up to their performances of the
previous season, and West Ham found themselves in a relegation scrap.
When Eggert Magnusson took over in December, his immediate task was to stop
the rot. He soon replaced Pardew with Alan Curbishley, and the former
Charlton boss immediately began spending, bringing in the likes of Lucas
Neill from Blackburn, Matthew Upson from Birmingham and Luis Boa Morte from
Fulham, while Mascherano was shipped out to Liverpool.

WEST HAM 2007/08

Predicted Position: 11th

Star Man: Dean Ashton - It's impossible to tell what difference a fit Dean
Ashton could have made last season, but the talented striker will be
hungrier than ever to prove his importance after a year on the sidelines.

One To Watch: Mark Noble - The young midfielder played a significant role in
the club's relegation escape last season and will be hoping to firmly
establish himself in the first team this season.

Manager: Alan Curbishley - Having had the time and money to build his own
squad, Curbishley will expect a substantial improvement on last season.

INS: Scott Parker (Newcastle), Julien Faubert (Bordeaux), Richard Wright
(Everton), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal)

OUTS: Tyrone Mears (Derby), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Shaun Newton
(Leicester), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool), Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Marlon
Harewood (Aston Villa)

Best signing: Scott Parker

Sky Bet Odds: 500-1

Likely top scorer: Craig Bellamy

Possible best XI (Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Faubert,
Parker, Ljungberg, Boa Morte, Ashton, Bellamy)

Spearheaded by Tevez, the revolution began very late in the day and, in the
last game of the season, the club escaped relegation with victory at
Manchester United. Since then, of course, the Tevez controversies have
continued, and the player has subsequently left the club for the champions.
But Curbishley has been given the funds to rebuild the squad, bringing in
high-profile stars while shipping out many of those deemed to have
underperformed last year.

Scott Parker has come in from Newcastle to replace Reo-Coker at the
heartbeat of the midfield following the latter's £8.5m move to Aston Villa.
Curbishley knows Parker well from their together at Charlton, where the
England man was involved in everything from defence to attack, and he may
well return to that all-action role at Upton Park.

The signing of Fredrik Ljungberg from Arsenal, too, will provide a midfield
boost. There may be a feeling that the 30-year-old's best days are behind
him, but a change of scenery could be all it takes to reignite the form of a
midfielder who, just five years ago, was among the best in the game.

Julien Faubert was another major signing, arriving from Bordeaux in a £6.1m
move. The once-capped France international reportedly turned his back on
Rangers to move to Upton Park in a switch that his national coach, Raymond
Domenech, described as 'unspeakably stupid'. The merits of moving to a club
outside the chosen few notwithstanding, it speaks volumes of the player's
quality that his national coach deems a nouveau riche Premier League side
unworthy of his talents. Sadly, the winger picked up a long-term injury that
will rule him out of the first half of the season. Given that, it will
chiefly be Ljungberg's task to add creativity to the midfield, particularly
given the departure of Yossi Benayoun to Liverpool.

But the most substantial changes so far have come up front. Ashton has
returned from injury, while Teddy Sheringham went to Colchester and Marlon
Harewood joined Reo-Coker at Villa. Yet the biggest news is the arrival of
Craig Bellamy from Liverpool: the Wales striker will, more than anyone else,
be expected to fill the void left by Tevez.

Bellamy will be looking to prove himself once more after failing to
capitalise on an opportunity that he termed 'a lifelong dream come true'
last summer. There is little doubt surrounding Bellamy's talent, but he has
only thrived in the past when all the conditions have been right: to what
extent West Ham will be able to provide those conditions remains to be seen.


Goalkeeper Richard Wright has joined on a free transfer from Everton, while
Roy Carroll made the move north of the border to Rangers. Wright has never
been able to make good on his early potential at Ipswich, and he perhaps hit
rock bottom when Everton boss David Moyes chose to recall Iain Turner from
Sheffield Wednesday rather than field him against Manchester United in
April. Nonetheless, he has ability, Curbishley insists he is 'dedicated,
hungry and also a little bit angry', and he is expected only to deputise for
Robert Green.

There have been three more departures: Tyrone Mears to Derby, Paul Konchesky
to Fulham and Shaun Newton to Leicester. That may force Curbishley to enter
the market for a defender, but, with Upson and Neill having arrived in
January, he may consider his options sufficient, although a replacement
left-back should be a priority if not.

The squad may continue to change, but the foundations look to be in place.
Yet, while lessons will have been learnt from last season and there will be
no room for complacency, the new players could take time to gel and only
time will tell if the Tevez saga will prove a distraction once more.
Competition at the top of the table is fierce, and a European spot may well
be beyond West Ham this year, but a healthy top-half finish could and should
be the aim.

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New Season: New Beginning - West Ham Online
Billy Blagg, West Ham United Correspondent

New Season: New Beginning. At least that is what the blurb on the West Ham
membership letters would have us believe. Is it likely? Can West Ham really
become a Premiership force without resorting to court cases, melodrama, soap
opera story lines and last minute escapades?

Our new Chairman would have us believe so - and wouldn't it be great if he
was right? The gypsy curse is lifted and we march on into the 21st Century
with a steely look in our eyes and a team full of niggling, nasty characters
that the rest of the country despise, as we clog our way into Europe.

Sound unlikely? Perhaps, But then a lot of unlikely things have happened to
West Ham since the start of the Millennium and it's amazing to think that
the last five seasons have seen nerve-shredding endings to the campaign for
the Irons, starting with the hideous relegation under Glenn Roeder in 2003,
the following season's Play-off loss to Crystal Palace, the astonshing run
to the same final in 2005, the subsequent wonder of the 2006 Cup Final and
the greatest escape at the end of last term.

I've got more thoughts on what we can expect from the 2007-08 season
shortly, few of them relevant and most of them certainly wrong - but hey! -
it's never stopped me before! So join the Blagger here whenever you can and
feel free to email me with your thoughts and predictions.

New Beginning? Let's see...

August 7th: Sheffield Utd are relegated!
It's official! I got an email from the editor of Soccernet this very
morning. The Blades logo has been moved from the Premier League section to
the Championship area and this means that Sheffield United are now
officially down.

...still, I'm glad Boromir died in the first part of the trilogy, aren't
you?

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Hammers happy to wait for Shorey and Gudjohnsen - Daily Mail
Last updated at 23:27pm on 8th August 2007

West Ham are prepared to play the waiting game for Reading defender Nicky
Shorey. The 26-year-old England full back's boss, Steve Coppell, is
unwilling to listen to offers until he can bring in a replacement. West Ham
also hope to sign Eidur Gudjohnsen before the end of the month after
agreeing a £6.7million fee with Barcelona for the former Chelsea striker.

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West Ham step up chase for Shorey and Gudjohnsen - The Independent
By Jason Burt
Published: 09 August 2007

West Ham United are hoping to sign a striker and left-back – and have
identified Eidur Gudjohnsen and Nicky Shorey as their number one targets.

However they may have to wait until January to land the two as they have
been told by their respective clubs, Barcelona and Reading, that they do not
want to sell in this summer's transfer window, which closes on 31 August.

It appears that West Ham will wait, especially for Gudjohnsen, whose
transfer has become a long-term project for his fellow Icelander and the
West Ham chairman, Eggert Magnusson. However it may still prove a difficult
task to sign the striker who, although keen to return to England if he
leaves Barça, has also attracted interest from several other clubs.

In addition Gudjohnsen has still not been told that he is surplus to
requirements at Barça even though the arrival of Thierry Henry is expected
to limit his first-team opportunities. West Ham will hope that if the former
Chelsea player does not feature at the start of La Liga season he may decide
his future lies elsewhere. The transfer fee – expected to be in the region
of £6.8m – and wages will not be a bar to West Ham.

The move for Shorey is also on hold. West Ham made a £5m approach for the
left-back but were rebuffed by Reading, but it is understood that Shorey is
keen to move to Upton Park and has also rejected a new, £20,000-a-week
contract at Reading.

Shorey has two years left on his present deal which may influence whether or
not the club decides to cash in on him now.

West Ham are expected to return to the negotiations before the end of this
month and offer a player plus cash deal especially as Reading, who have
shown an interest in midfielder Hayden Mullins, will want to sort out
replacement for Shorey should he leave.

Having sold Paul Konchesky to Fulham, the West Ham manager, Alan Curbishley,
is pleased with the form of his current first-choice left-back George
McCartney while Danny Gabbidon, although a central defender, can also fill
in for the position. So Curbishley is in no hurry to buy although he has
identified Shorey as the right kind of player – at 26 and an England
international – be be a fine addition to his squad.

Reading have made an inquiry about the Arsenal right-back Justin Hoyte
although they are understood to face competition from Aston Villa. The
England under-21 international may be allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium
following the signing of Bakary Sagna and is expected to cost £2.5m. Reading
are also keen on signing the Czech international Jan Koller who has said
that he wants to leave Monaco.

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West Ham won't give up on Reading's Shorey
tribalfooball.com - August 08, 2007

West Ham United refuse to give up on landing Reading fullback Nicky Shorey.
The Daily Mail says the Hammers are prepared to play the waiting game for
Shorey. The 26-year-old England full back's boss, Steve Coppell, is
unwilling to listen to offers until he can bring in a replacement.

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Walker agrees new West Ham deal
tribalfooball.com - August 08, 2007

Veteran goalkeeper Jimmy Walker has signed a new deal with West Ham. The Sun
says Walker has penned a new one-year contract at Upton Park.

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West Ham agree Gudjohnsen fee with Barcelona
tribalfooball.com - August 08, 2007

West Ham United are set for talks with Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The Daily Mail says the Hammers hope to sign Gudjohnsen before the end of
the month after agreeing a £6.7million fee with Barcelona for the former
Chelsea striker.

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West Ham confident of Shorey deal - lep.co.uk

West Ham are confident of securing the signing of Reading defender Nicky
Shorey, according to reports. The Reading defender has stated his desire to
stay at the club, although manager Steve Coppell is privately resigned to
losing his starlet to West Ham United after he rejected a new £20,000 a week
contract, according to the Sun. West Ham have already bid £5million for the
26-year-old, but it is reported that Reading are holding out for £8million.


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Curbs clueless on City - The Mirror
09/08/2007

West HAM boss Alan Curbishley admits he hasn't a clue what Manchester City's
team will be on Saturday - and he reckons Sven Goran Eriksson doesn't know
either. New City boss Eriksson has shelled out £35million on eight signings,
including £8.8m on Italian forward Rolando Bianchi from Reggina and £8m on
Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Elano. His squad is now 29 strong -
with more to come. AdvertisementCurbishley (right), who has spent £23.6m
himself so far this summer, believes even former England boss Eriksson
cannot be 100 per cent sure of his first XI after buying players he had only
seen on video. Curbishley said: "There are all sorts of things going on at
City - lots of players coming in. "When the fixtures came out, I thought
'great' - I like to be at home in the first game. Now it'll be a difficult
weekend for everyone. I'm not sure what Sven's team will be - and perhaps he
isn't either."

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West Ham United Team Preview; The road to redemption starts here? -
aboutaball.co.uk

In: Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal), Richard Wright (Everton), Julien Faubert
(Bordeaux), Scott Parker (Newcastle United), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
Out: Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa), Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Yossi Benayoun
(Liverpool), Roy Carroll (Rangers), Shaun Newton (Leicester City), Nigel
Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Teddy Sheringham (Colchester), Tyrone Mears (Derby
County)

After avoiding relegation on the final day of the season West Ham have lived
to fight another day in the Premiership but after all the shenanigans and
fuss over whether they should even be taking part in this seasons
Premiership they have a lot of bridges to build. West Ham were once many of
the neutrals favourites and even as recently as 2005/06 when they got to the
final of the FA Cup final and played their part in easily the best final in
the last 15 years winning over many more fans with their exciting style
their reputation has been tarnished by their part in misleading the
authorities. Consequently they have a lot of unhappy football fans to win
over.

West Ham looked to be headed towards the Championship by Christmas last
season and those observers uncertain of their fate made up their minds after
the 3-4 defeat to Spurs, certain that The Hammers were headed for the
trapdoor. Curbishly though miraculously turned the situation round aided and
abetted in no small part by the very player at the centre of all the
controversy; Tevez.

Whatever your opinion of the punishment meted out to West Ham by the Premier
League for their complicity in the decidedly dubious transfer of Tevez most
couldn't help but be impressed by the way that United clawed their way from
a seemingly hopeless position. Despite the major overhaul of the squad that
has taken place this summer Curbishly will be hoping to maintain the
momentum that saw West Win 7 of their final 10 league matches last season.

The arrivals this season at West Ham are all direct replacements for
departed players and despite the fact that some transfer fees haven't been
disclosed I wouldn't be at all surprised if West Ham have made a profit in
their dealings this summer. In to replace Sheringham, who amazingly
continues his career at Colchester, is Ljungberg, who will be under pressure
to show that the reason Arsenal released him was wrong. Benayoun's departure
will be compensated for by Faubert, although the unlucky Frenchman has been
ruled out for the first half of the season after suffering a severe injury
in training. Bellamy will be replacing the departed Marlon Harewood and
finally for £7 million Scott Parker will come in for Reo-Coker who joins
Harewood at Aston Villa. The only player who hasn't been directly replaced
is Konchesky who made the trip across London to Fulham but Matthew Upson
comes into the squad after being injured for nearly the full 8 months he has
been with West Ham.

Another new arrival of sorts will be Dean Ashton who after a whole season
out after arriving from Norwich City for £8.5 is fit and ready to go. Having
Ashton in the team will give West Ham a physical presence in the team and
the pace of Craig Bellamy should compliment Ashton's quality.

The truth is last season the squad should never have been dragged into such
a relegation scrap but presumably unsettled because of the arrivals and then
later by the furore that surrounded them none of the players achieved the
sort of form they had the season before. The puzzling thing about West Ham's
season last year was that they were capable of beating top 4 teams, Arsenal
and Manchester United both lost at Upton Park yet they were also thrashed
6-0 by Reading. Rumours that several of the players had got a little to big
for their station were underlined by such topsy-turvy results and Curbishly
will have to dispel that notion and quickly . A good start will be crucial
and the fixture list has been kind to West Ham with games against Manchester
City, Birmingham, Wigan and Reading to start off with, although Curbishly
will have to make sure that his team starts picking up results against the
teams they will be competing. They don't play a top 4 team until the end of
September, which depending on the success of Curbishly on stamping out such
high self-opinions of the players may be a good thing or it may not be.

The squad now bears the hallmark of Curbishly on it and he will be looking
for an improved performance collectively. After such a traumatic season it
is difficult to set exact expectations although one feels that given the
quality in the squad West Ham should be at least capable of achieving a top
half finish. However, first priority has to be to gain the mythical 40
points total before looking to kick on and improve from there. The team
still posses the sort of quality to produce a good cup run and a UEFA Cup
spot may not be entirely out of the question.

Posted by Walter Townsend on Wednesday, 8th August 2007

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 8

Web Item [ West Ham United ] - Lucas Niell

Hammer blow for Curbishley as Neill is ruled out for a month - Daily Mail
Last updated at 23:03pm on 7th August 2007

West Ham have been dealt a major blow ahead of Saturday's Premier League
opener against Manchester City with the news that new captain Lucas Neill
will be out for up to a month. Neill hurt his knee towards the end of
yesterday's training session, continuing a wretched run of injuries since
arriving from Blackburn in a £1.5million deal in January. The Australia
defender limped out of his debut in the FA Cup against Watford then damaged
ankle ligaments against the same opponents on his return a fortnight later.
Meanwhile, the Hammers will intensify their efforts to prise Giles Barnes
away from Derby after failing to land Kieron Dyer. They have already had a
£2.5m bid for Barnes, 19, rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by
making an improved offer. Dyer's proposed £6m switch to Upton Park collapsed
last week when Newcastle upped the price to £8m and manager Sam Allardyce
admits he faces a challenge to mentally prepare the England midfielder for
the new season if the deal is not resurrected.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - II 8th August 2007

Cole double gives reserves friendly win - WHUFC
08/08/2007 08:32

Goals from Zavon Hines, Carlton Cole and Hogan Ephraim earned a West Ham
United reserve team a 3-1 friendly against Thurrock FC on Tuesday night.
Young forward Hines struck an opener in the 12th minute, while Cole restored
his team's advantage nine minutes later after Thurrock had hit a quick-fire
equaliser through Che Stadhardt. Ephraim rounded off an impressive display
with the third goal - a superb free-kick in the 81st minute. Kevin Keen's
reserve team kick-off their FA Premier Reserve League South campaign against
Aston Villa on August 29.

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Green in action at launch of Creating Chances - WHUFC
08/08/2007 10:48

West Ham United goalkeeper Robert Green was in attendance yesterday as The
Premier League launched its Creating Chances initiative - a showcase of the
huge amount of positive work that top-flight football does in the community,
and for good causes and charities.

Twenty players from across the League came together to highlight this work,
and show precisely how the Premier League and their clubs are more committed
to this side of the game than ever.

In new research, Deloitte demonstrates the Premier League and its 20 clubs
will invest an estimated £122 million next season in community projects,
charities and other good causes, representing an increase of over 50% since
Deloitte's last assessment in 2003.

The core element of Creating Chances is a new initiative called 'Places for
Players', which will involve 200 Premier League players supporting a number
of charities and good causes in September, raising awareness of and funds
for the work that these organisations do. Over 400 good causes will benefit
either by players getting involved in their work or from a £2,000 cash
donation direct from the Premier League.

Another great opportunity for fans, introduced as part of Creating Chances,
is Your Shot. Your Shot will see each Barclays Premier League club offer one
of their most deserving fans the opportunity to win a unique,
once-in-a-lifetime match day experience.

Also, there is Premier League All Stars, a 7-a-side knockout competition to
be played during the Creating Chances week of action in September. 60 lucky
fans will win the opportunity to play with Premier League legends and
celebrities in teams representing all 20 Barclays Premier League clubs.
Ravanelli, Merson, Wilkins and Gullit are back in training and more big
names from the worlds of football and showbiz are to come.

The teams will play in official kits and compete for a £300,000 prize fund
which will be donated to charities of the clubs' choice.

Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the Premier League, said: "Community
engagement is now woven into the fabric of football and the size and scope
of that commitment today really is something of which the Premier League,
our clubs and the players can be extremely proud.

"Creating Chances is a means of showcasing all of the work that takes place
right across the League on a daily basis and will help to further strengthen
the relationship we have with countless charities, good causes and our
fans."

James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, also
attended the launch and said: "Football clubs have a unique position in
their communities. They are now helping to raise standards of education,
working with police to cut crime and anti-social behaviour and also
re-investing millions of pounds into football facilities for the public.

"I am pleased that Government can play a part in Creating Chances, and help
highlight this important side to the Premier League's business."

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Man Utd set to wrap up Tevez deal - BBC

Manchester United are hoping to complete the signing of striker Carlos Tevez
in the next 24 hours. Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian has now paid West Ham a
£2m settlement, meaning the 23-year-old has been formally released from his
contract. United have put forward their proposed two-year loan deal for the
Argentina striker to the Premier League. The League's lawyers are now
looking through the details of the signing before rubber-stamping the deal.
However, the League approved a similar deal allowing Javier Mascherano to
join Liverpool, so there are not expected to be any further hold-ups with
Tevez's move.
The champions kick off their league campaign against Reading at Old Trafford
on Sunday. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said on Tuesday
that the Tevez saga had been "unbelievable". "What made this an unbelievable
story was an unbelievable series of events," he told BBC Radio Five Live.
"West Ham were all-but relegated at Christmas and then Tevez scored a few
goals right at the end of the season and they were able to escape. "It's
unscripted drama and one of the things that makes football so interesting
but it other ways it looks like a road crash in how some of the events
appear."
Last week's agreement between West Ham and Joorabchian ended the threat of
High Court action. The proposed transfer had stalled over who will be paid
the transfer fee. The Premier League and West Ham said the Hammers should
receive the fee but companies MSI and Just Sports Inc, which belong to
Joorabchian, said they owned the striker's economic rights.

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Roeder fires warning to Curbs - SSN
Roeder expects West Ham improvement
By Lewis Rutledge Last updated: 8th August 2007

Former West Ham manager Glenn Roeder has warned Alan Curbishley that he will
have to cope with the weight of expectation this season. Curbishley was
appointed Hammers boss midway last December but only guided the club to
Premier League survival on the final day of the season. A number of new
players have arrived at Upton Park over the summer and Roeder believes the
supporters deserve an improved performance. But Roeder, who managed West Ham
from 2001 to 2003, believes the current side is good enough to challenge for
Europe. "They've spent a lot of money, with some interesting buys to say the
least, so expectation levels from the fans will go up," Roeder told Sky
Sports News. "They will not expect West Ham to be fighting a relegation
battle.
"They will expect West Ham to be in the top half of the table all year and
fighting for a Uefa Cup spot. "They now have a squad that is capable of
doing that and the fans have the manager they have wanted for a long time."
Roeder, who was in charge at Newcastle until May, has been linked with the
role of sporting director at Arsenal.

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Gudjohnsen Set To Reject West Ham Approach - gola.com

Big-spending West Ham are on the verge of a move for Barcelona striker Eidur
Gudjohnsen. However, the player is said to be uninterested...

Eidur Gudjohnsen is reportedly set to turn down a 13.5 million euro switch
from Barcelona to West Ham United. The Icelandic forward found first team
action hard to come by last season as he faced competition from Eto'o,
Ronaldinho, Messi and Giuly. Giuly is gone, but Thierry Henry has arrived
and, with Bojan and dos Santos making a real claim for first team action,
the Iceland international may find his prospects extremely limited. While
his club would thus jump at the chance to receive such a hefty transfer fee
for the player, it's thought that Eidur's own preferred course of action is
to remain in Catalonia and fight for his place. The 28 year old arrived at
the Nou Camp from Chelsea in 2006.

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Team form guide: West Ham - Daily Mail
Last updated at 14:10pm on 8th August 2007

MANAGER: Alan Curbishley (Appointed December 2006)
LAST SEASON: 15th

MAIN ARRIVALS: Scott Parker (Newcastle, £7m); Julien Faubert (Bordeaux,
£6.1m); Craig Bellamy (Liverpool, £7.5m); Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal,
£3.5m); Richard Wright (free).

MAIN DEPARTURES: Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, £8.5m); Yossi Benayoun
(Liverpool, £5m); Tyrone Mears (Derby, £1m), Paul Konchesky (Fulham, £2m);
Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa, £4m); Shaun Newton (Leicester, free).
Released: Teddy Sheringham, Roy Carroll.

CAPTAIN: To be confirmed.
TOP SCORER: Bobby Zamora 11.
FANS' PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR: Carlos Tevez.
LAST MAJOR TROPHY: 1980, FA Cup.
DID YOU KNOW? Alan Curbishley is West Ham's 12th manager — no other English
club have had so few.
TICKETS: £39-61 (children £14); 0870 112 2700, whufc.com
CLUB MASCOTS: Herbie the Hammer and Bubbles the Bear.

LADBROKES FLUTTER: To qualify for Europe — 4/1
VERDICT: Tevez's departure is the bad news, Dean Ashton's return is the
good. Top 10 will be an encouraging return given Alan Curbishley's work so
far.
THIS SEASON: 12th.

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Noble given chance to make early impact for Hammers - Daily Mail
Last updated at 14:10pm on 8th August 2007

Mark Noble is set for a starting place when West Ham kick off their season
this weekend against visiting Manchester City. New midfielder Scott Parker,
signed from Newcastle, has a knee injury that could keep him out for the
first two games of the new season. Skipper Lucas Neill is also out.

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Hammers line up bid for Reading's Shorey - Daily Mail
Last updated at 10:19am on 8th August 2007

West Ham are hoping to sign England defender Nicky Shorey after Lucas Neill
was ruled out for a month with a knee injury. Manager Alan Curbishley has
switched his focus to Reading's Shorey after the deal to sign Kieron Dyer
from Newcastle fell through. The left back, who has refused to sign a new
contract at the club, said this week that he remained "fully committed to
Reading". Shorey, 26, said: "It would be wrong to start talking about going
to a big club."
But Reading manager Steve Coppell has said he is resigned to the fact that
Shorey, who has two years left on his contract, will not sign a new deal.
West Ham, meanwhile, have received the agreed £2m from Kia Joorabchian,
which paves the way for Carlos Tevez to tie up his loan deal at Manchester
United.

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Big Spenders at West Ham? Just Slack Journalism - westhammad.co.uk
Story by Barney French 8 August 2007

According to German website Transfermarkt, West Ham United are 14th lowest
spenders in the Premier League summer window. Alan Curbishley had recently
called for the media to report a more balanced view, but the Hammers
continue to be put under a barrage of accusations of inflating transfer
prices and hiking up wage demands. The league table is revealing,
particularly for Niall Quinn who recently spoke out against the spending
policies of Portsmouth and West Ham United. Interestingly, Sunderland have
spent significantly more money than both clubs. Sven Goran Eriksson
continues to spend money like it is going out of fashion and perennial big
spenders Tottenham Hotspur have kept the money flowing out of White Hart
Lane with yet more aquisitions.

The league table in full (figures are in Euros):

1) Tottenham Hotspur -61.575.000
2) Manchester United -54.650.000
3) Manchester City -51.150.000
4) Sunderland -40.950.000
5) Liverpool -33.300.000
6) Portsmouth -30.900.000
7) Fulham -22.000.000
8) Chelsea -21.000.000
9) Newcastle United -20.800.000
10) Middlesbrough -13.750.000
11) Everton -12.000.000
12) Derby County -10.275.000
13) Birmingham City -8.800.000
14) West Ham United -7.000.000
15) Aston Villa -6.100.000
16) Blackburn Rovers -5.525.000
17) Bolton Wanderers -5.234.000
18) Reading FC -1.300.000
19) Wigan Athletic +425.000
20) Arsenal +14.175.000

(Source:http://www.transfermarkt.de)

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Neill down with knee injury - news.com.au
August 08, 2007 12:00am

WEST Ham's Australian captain Lucas Neill is undergoing tests today after
suffering a knee injury during a training session. A West Ham spokeswoman
said the right-back would undergo a series of scans, with the results
expected to be known later today. "He did take a knock in training, but we
don't yet know the extent of his injuries," she said. The Daily Express
newspaper reported that Neill had been advised to rest for at least 10 days,
meaning he is likely to miss the start of the English Premier League this
weekend. But the club's spokeswoman said it was unclear exactly how Neill
was injured or how long he could be out for. Neill, who joined West Ham in
January, has only recently returned to England after Australia's Asian Cup
quarter-final exit. News of his injury comes after his Socceroos teammate
and star Everton midfielder Tim Cahill injured his foot during a 2-2
friendly draw against Werder Bremen last week. Cahill has been undergoing a
series of x-rays to determine the extent of a foot injury which could
sideline him for the start of the Premier League season.

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Who Should Replace Lucas Neill? -West Ham Till I Die

What a shattering blow it is for Lucas Neill to be ruled out for a month.
There are four players who could come in at right back to cover for him…

Jonathan Spector
John Pantsil
Anton Ferdinand
Danny Gabbidon

Spector is probably the favourite as that was his normal position last
season. Ferdinand started off his career there, but always looked to be a
fish out of water there. There are rumours that Curbishley sees Gabbidon
playing there, but my choice would be John Pantsil. He's never really been
given the chance to show what he can do but whenever he has played he has
always impressed me, particularly going forward. I've read he has played
particularly well in pre-season too.

If Scott Parker had been fit, I would expect him to take over as Captain,
but what about this for an idea? Give it to my favourite player Mark Noble!

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Not again! - Newham Recorder
08 August 2007

WEST HAM'S Premier League preparations have been dealt a savage blow with
the news that captain Lucas Neill could be out for at least a month after a
training ground collision, writes DAVE EVANS. The news comes almost exactly
12 months after the devastating injury to Dean Ashton that was to rule him
out for the whole season - an injury that also occu rred on the training
ground!Neill injured his knee after a block tackle sent him sprawling and he
will definitely miss Saturday's curtain-raiser against Manchester City at
Upton Park. Manager Alan Curbishley must now decide between Jonathan
Spector, John Pantsil or Christian Dailly to fill Neill's boots, though he
may even consider playing a centre back like Anton Ferdinand or Danny
Gabbidon in the right back slot.
The injury puts a dampener on the return of striker Dean Ashton after an
agonising 12 months on the sidelines. Ashton showed what Hammers' fans have
been missing when he came off the bench to thump in the winner against Roma
last Saturday and he is hoping that it will be enough to earn him a starting
spot. Manager Alan Curbishley is playing his cards close to his chest: "He
wants to be playing obviously," said the boss, "but with Bellamy and Zamora
there as well he has got some competition, and I've got something to think
about now."
The inclusion of Ashton will be a huge tonic for West Ham fans who will be
missing last season's hero Carlos Tevez following his move to Manchester
United.
But Ashton himself is delighted with the new players that have arrived at
Upton Park "I've been impressed with everyone that's come to the club," he
insisted. "We're buying at the top end of the market now, bringing in
players of the highest quality."
Scott Parker is rated as only 50/50 for the season's curtain-raiser with Lee
Bowyer set to partner Mark Noble in midfield, while Luis Boa Morte has
recovered fully from the knock that forced him off against Roma.Matty Upson
and Anton Ferdinand are set to secure the centre back berths, while Freddie
Ljungberg will play on the right. Manchester City are likely to be something
of an unknown quantity with a new boss and so many new players, but West Ham
will be confident of the three points. A full house is expected at Upton
Park and with the sun shining and Ashton back in claret and blue there can
surely only be one result. Expect West Ham to start with a real bang.

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Dean's keen on new start
08 August 2007

WEST HAM striker Dean Ashton has vowed to make the fans forget about the
departed Carlos Tevez by causing havoc among the Premiership defences this
season, starting with Manchester City on Saturday at Upton Park. The
23-year-old former Norwich City man came off the bench to blast a superb
winning goal against Italian outfit Roma on Saturday and then said: "It
would be very sad if the fans just carried on singing about Tevez and not
about the other players in the team. "We want to put the Tevez saga behind
us and start a new season and get the fans excited about that."
Ashton certainly did that on Saturday. He came on to a standing ovation from
a crowd of over 26,000 and could have had a hat-trick against a team that
finished second in Serie A last season. The striker was delighted with his
goal: "It seems a very long time since I scored at Upton Park," he said. "It
was nice to get a goal and also to get another 45 minutes under my belt and
get a bit more confidence. "Just to be out there and playing again makes all
the hard work I've put in worthwhile."
Ashton's goal saw him beat his marker with a stunning stepover, before
blasting the ball through the legs of the Roma goalkeeper and make it 2-1 to
West Ham. Manager Alan Curbishley described Ashton's return as like signing
a new player and the new slimline, bleach-blond marksman certainly looks
like a new man. "I've probably put on a bit of muscle, but I've lost a lot
of fat at the same time," explained Ashton. "It's not about how big I am or
how heavy I am, it's about how I transfer that on to the pitch into speed
and endurance. "My legs feel great, I don't feel sore and that is a credit
to the work I've done."
Pre-season goals against Leyton Orient, Norwich City and now Roma suggest
that Ashton will make a big impression this season and the player thinks
that he has a big part to play. "I think everyone wants a fresh start and to
do well," he explained. "There is an extra buzz and it feels like a decent
place to be." But what about that hair?! "I'm obviously on the last chance
sallon on my hair," he smiled. "I thought I may as well do something for a
bit of a change.

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Hot Totti and co crash to the Ash - Newham Recorder
08 August 2007

West Ham Utd 2 AS Roma 1

DEAN ASHTON capped a classy second half cameo by hitting the winner as West
Ham came from a goal behind to prevail over Roma in this tempestuous
friendly on Saturday, writes LUKE WILSON. The striker provided further
justification of just why the club had shelled out a then record fee for his
signature as he displayed the type of form that had seen him receive an
England call-up before injury ruled him out for last season in its entirety.
Prior to Ashton's half time introduction, the Hammers had been in danger of
being totally outclassed by a Roma side brimming with style that underlined
why they were Serie A runners-up last term. With Francesco Totti pulling the
creative strings, Roma exuded panache and it was the skipper who started the
move which culminated in former Barcelona star Ludovic Giuly curling home
the 13th minute deadlock-breaker from the edge of the box. Although that
goal arrived somewhat against the run of play, on the evidence of the
ensuing half hour's play, the hosts will have felt a little relieved that
their half time deficit was not greater.
Mauro Esposito came closest to adding to the Romans' tally after Christian
Panucci had ghosted past Matty Upson and played in Giuly whose inch-perfect
cross was bicycle kicked on to the Hammers bar by the experienced winger.
The game had more the feel of a European tie to it as the ferocity of some
of the tackling epitomised and at times, tempers reached boiling point with
Giuly lucky not have seen red for lashing out at Lee Bowyer for one of a
series of late tackles from both sides. In between the flying boots, Rodrigo
Taddei was twice denied a second Roma goal by Hammers keeper Rob Green and
Esposito spurned a glaring opportunity having got on the end of one of many
defence-splitting passes from the mercurial Totti, rounded Green, but
somehow missed the target.
The Hammers looked at sixes and sevens in defence and their constant
relinquishing of possession must have caused Curbishley much concern, but
having gone in at the break just a goal down, the Hammers boss made the
tactical switch that swung the game in his side's favour. Ashton received
rapturous applause from the Hammers faithful as he emerged from the tunnel
to replace Bobby Zamora whose involvement had been very much peripheral. The
former Norwich marksman saw more action in the first five minutes of the
second period than Zamora had in his entire 45, making an immediate impact
with one blocked shot, another just wide and a third finger-tipped over by
Roma keeper Gianluca Curci. Italian sides, as we all know, are inherently
adept at counter attacking and Giuly should have caught the Hammers out when
he raced on to a sublime Alberto Aquilani through-ball but like Esposito
before him, was unable to finish when faced with an open goal. That miss
proved to be decisive as just a minute later, West Ham were level when
George McCartney rose highest to head home Freddie Ljungberg's whipped
corner. Before Roma had time to recover, Ashton provided the killer blow as
his step-over outfoxed Phillipe Mexes before he raced into the box and fired
through the legs of Curci for what proved to be the decisive goal. Ashton
nearly doubled his personal tally when he was sent through by sub Carlton
Cole but this time, Curci was equal to his effort. Nevertheless, West Ham's
Ashton-inspired second half revival saw them secure a morale-boosting win
ahead of the big kick-off and their boss was pleased with his troops'
exertions. "If you look at the game, we were playing against top opposition
who at times showed what a good side they were, with some terrific players,"
admitted Curbishley. "We took the decision before the game that we weren't
going to change the way we were going about it to accommodate them. "The
Italian sides all play in a similar way with someone playing in the hole. We
decided not to do anything about it and we couldn't get going in the first
half. "In the second half, we decided to do something about it and actually
got going. The reason I did that was because I wanted to give everyone a
game in their normal positions and get something out of it but in the end we
had to change, we matched up with them and got a bit more out of it."

West Ham: Green (Wright 46), Neill, Ferdinand (Gabbidon 86), Upson,
McCartney, Ljungberg (Pantsil 74), Bowyer (Cole 86), Noble, Boa Morte
(Etherington 28), Zamora (Ashton 46), Bellamy (Mullins 78). Subs not used:
Spector, Collins, Walker, Davenport, Reid.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
McCartney wings in for unlikely goal - Newham Recorder
08 August 2007

ASK a West Ham fan where he thinks the club still need to strengthen before
the start of the season and chances are the left back slot will get a
mention.
Paul Konchesky's departure to Fulham in the summer and the Hammers link with
Reading's Nicky Shorey have put current incumbent George McCartney under
intense pressure. But the quietly-spoken 26-year-old Irishman is doing
everything he can to hold on to the left back slot - and that included
scoring a cracker against Roma on Saturday! "I was surprised that it
actually went in, normally they fly over the bar," admitted McCartney, who
made 25 appearances for the Hammers last term. "Freddie (Ljungberg) put in
great set-pieces all day and I was lucky to be in the right place at the
right time. "The last goal I got was for Northern Ireland and I've been at
West Ham for nearly a year now so it's nice to get my first goal - I hope
it's the first of many but I wouldn't hold my breath!" McCartney is
certainly raring to go for the new season and confident about the team's
chances.
"The manager has brought in a lot of new players and it always takes a few
games to gel together but over the last two or three games you can tell
things are working out," he said. "As the pre-season has gone on we've got
better with each game and you could tell in the second half against Roma
that we've put in a lot of hard work and that it's paying off."
The former Sunderland full back, who fell out with former Northern Ireland
manager Lawrie Sanchez during his time as national coach, could well be in
line to add to his 19 caps if he can keep his place in the West Ham team. He
showed a steady improvement throughout last season after taking Konchesky's
place in the team and manager Alan Curbishley would have no qualms about
putting him back in again this time round - especially if he is going to
score goals like the one on Saturday!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
End of all the Argie bargie! - Newham Recorder
08 August 2007

WEST HAM chairman Eggert Magnusson has confessed to being distressed by the
Carlos Tevez saga which finally ended on Friday after over two months of
bitter wrangling, writes DAVE EVANS. The Hammers finally accepted a
settlement of £2million from Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian for the
Argentinian's registration, allowing him to join Manchester United. But
Magnusson feels that the whole sorry tale has unfairly portrayed his club.
"It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this in a negative
way by some of my colleagues," he said. "West Ham has been dragged down and
I don't think this is correct."
The battle seemed set for the High Court when Joorabchian turned down the
possibility of the issue being decided by the Commision of Arbitration for
Sport, but that seemed to prompt a final thrashing out of an agreement to
suit all involved parties - including perhaps the most difficult party to
satisfy in the embarrased Premier League. Magnusson continued: "Us being
dragged down has hurt me most because what a few people decide should not be
a burden to the whole club. "The other sad thing is that Tevez got caught in
the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about football and success and
I would have loved to have seen him again in a West Ham shirt. "I really
tried to make that possible but he had ambitions to play in the Champions
League."
Tevez made 29 appearances in claret and blue and despite not scoring in his
first 20, his goal against Spurs at Upton Park was the catalyst to a
stunning run both for him and for the club as they avoided relegation on the
final day at Old Trafford against champions Manchester United. The little
South American finished with just seven goals to his name, but became a cult
hero at Upton Park and won the Hammer of the Year trophy by a landslide. For
manager Alan Curbishley, he had resigned himself to losing the player a long
time ago. "I planned without him really and just got on with it," revealed
the manager. "I just planned with the players I've got at the club and I
took the decision soon after the Old Trafford game that because it would be
sorted out by other people, I'd just let them get on with it."
Curbishley, though, was full of praise for the player himself: "All I can
say is thanks for what he did. I don't believe he was the only player here
last year but obviously he had a good season and I'm sure he's going to get
a rapturous reception when he comes back," he said. "I'm disappointed that
he didn't want to come back to us because there was an opportunity and we
tried, but he decided that his future was elsewhere once Manchester United
came in for him."
The West Ham boss is another who feels that the club's reputaion has taken a
battering in recent weeks and months. "I just felt that every day we were on
the back pages and it would be nice if we were there for football and the
games we're playing in."
And so the Argentinian saga seems to have finally come to an end - give or
take another desperate lawsuit from Sheffield United. From the moment that
Tevez and Javier Mascherano were introduced to the amazed media on transfer
deadline day last August there seemed to be something not quite right about
the whole thing. The players never settled in, manager Alan Pardew found it
impossible to incorporate them in the team and in the end, it contributed to
him losing his job at the end of November. Curbishley soon shipped
Mascherano off to Liverpool and a Champions League final appearance, while
the move seemed to kick-start the Premier League inquiry and West Ham's
eventual controversial £5.5million fine. It was only when the manager found
the best way to utitlise Tevez in the team that their form began to turn,
culminating in that dramatic last day win at the champions - courtesy, of
course, of Tevez's final goal for the club.
In truth, there was only one way the Tevez saga was ever likely to end, and
that was with his departure from Upton Park. West Ham may have negotiated a
£2million pay-off to release his registration documents and allow him to
join Manchester United, but considering it is merely a fraction of his true
worth it seems churlish to call it a good result for the club. Not only have
they lost a magnificent player who helped them to survive in the Premiership
last season, they have also lost a huge amount of their repuation as one of
the good guys in British football. There was a time when football supporters
up and down the land would herald the Hammers as their 'second club'. That
may well be a thing of the past as some of the mud thrown by the likes of
Sheffield United, Wigan and Joorabchian sticks. So would West Ham go through
it all again? No chance!

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Hammers set to knock on Barnes door - Daily Mail
Last updated at 09:39am on 8th August 2007

The Hammers have already had a £2.5million bid for the attacking midfielder
rejected and Rams boss Billy Davies has insisted the teenager will not be
allowed to leave for less than £5m. Barnes was expected to join Spurs in the
January transfer window but the deal failed to materialise. There was
renewed speculation he would move to White Hart lane at the end of the
season but Barnes pledged his future to his hometown club when they were
promoted to the Premier League by beating West Brom in the play-off final.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Web Digest [ West Ham United ] - 8th August 2007

Here we go again - KUMB
Filed: Wednesday, 8th August 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel

Lucas Neill could be out of action for up to a month after sustaining a knee
injury during training. The Hammers injury hoodoo - which has already
claimed new signings Julien Faubert and Scott Parker - struck again
yesterday when Neill limped out of training clutching his knee. The
Australian full-back was recently named as club captain; his place is likely
to be taken - albeit temporarily - by Freddie Ljungberg if Scott Parker
fails to recover from his recent injury in time for Saturday's clash with
Manchester City.

* Speculation suggesting that Matthew Upson was also injured in training
yesterday is wide of the mark. The former Birmingham centre-half is expected
to start on Saturday.

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McClaren eyes Deano - KUMB
Filed: Tuesday, 7th August 2007
By: Matthew O'Greel

England manager Steve McClaren has revealed that his first port of call this
season will be The Boleyn Ground. McClaren - who is busy making preparations
ahead of England's forthcoming European Championship qualifiers - is due to
attend United's season opener against Manchester City next weekend, where he
is hoping to see Dean Ashton in action. Ashton was due to make his
international debut this time last year but a freak accident left him with a
broken ankle and a season on the sidelines. But McClaren has revelaed that
the 23-year-old striker - who played for 45 minutes against Roma last
weekend - is still very much in his plans. "He's been out for a long time
and I need to see how he's progressing before I make an assessment," said
McClaren. "But he's a talent and one that I've got to keep an eye on. That's
why I called him into the squad in the first place."
Ashton is expected to start Saturday's season opener on the bench, with Alan
Curbishley likely to go with Bobby Zamora and Craig Bellamy up front.

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Green targets England role - SSN
Keeper aims to show form for Hammers
By Mark Buckingham Last updated: 7th August 2007

Robert Green is hoping consistent performances for West Ham United will
cement a spot in the England squad. The goalkeeper missed out on a place in
last summer's World Cup squad after picking up an injury during a B game
prior to the tournament. But Green was back in the international setup at
the end of last season after Manchester United's Ben Foster picked up a knee
problem. Green is aware there is fierce competition to provide the back-up
to Paul Robinson and is aiming to stake his own claim in the coming weeks.
"I think looking at all the English lads it's a chance to impress, it's a
clean slate to start with," Green told Sky Sports News. There are a lot of
players at new clubs and ones who will be looking to impress. "If I play for
West Ham in the first team, it's a long-term aspiration, but first and
foremost I've got to keep my place in the West Ham side. "If I keep playing
there, and if I do well, it may come along, but it's not something I will
lose sleep over. "There are an abundance of English keepers now after we
were bemoaning the fact there was a lack of them. "Ben (Foster) getting
injured does leave a hole that someone has got to fill. I'm sure there are a
few lads in the Premiership looking at it."

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Tevez move held up - SSN
By Amanda Cornforth Last updated: 7th August 2007

Carlos Tevez will not complete his move to Manchester United on Tuesday and
may not be registered for the start of the new season, Sky Sports News
understands. The Argentina international had been expected to join The Red
Devils last month, but a dispute between West Ham and Tevez's agent Kia
Joorabchian has held up the switch. The transfer has been dragging on all
summer and it first seemed unlikely any move would be completed before the
start of the season after Fifa refused to arbitrate on Tevez's contractual
situation. This subsequently led to Joorabchian's Media Sports Investments
group issuing a High Court writ against The Hammers in order to push through
the deal. A suitable agreement between all parties was reached last week,
but the transfer has yet to be rubber-stamped. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson
is hoping to be able to hand Tevez his debut in one of Wednesday's
friendlies against either Dunfermline or Glentoran.

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Magnusson 'hurt' by Tevez saga - SNN
By Stephen Bramley Last updated: 7th August 2007

West Ham has been dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts
me most, because what a few people decide should not be a burden to the
whole club. Eggert Magnusson admits he has been upset with the way West Ham
have been labelled in the wake of the Carlos Tevez affair. The club escaped
with a £5.5million fine rather than a possible points deduction from the
Premier League in April for breaching rules on third-party ownership of
Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The saga resulted in various legal battles and
High Court writs and Magnusson says it left the Upton Park club as "public
enemy No1".
"It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this negative way by
some of my colleagues," Magnusson told The Guardian. "West Ham has been
dragged down and I don't think this is correct. This hurts me most, because
what a few people decide should not be a burden to the whole club." The
Icelandic multi-millionaire also regrets the impact the affair has had on
Manchester United-bound Tevez. He added: "The other sad thing is that Tevez
got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about football
and success, and I would have loved to have seen him (again) in a West Ham
shirt. I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player, he had
ambitions to play in the Champions League."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Magnusson 'hurt' by Tevez transfer saga - Soccernet

West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson worries that the club's reputation has
been unfairly damaged by the Carlos Tevez transfer saga. The club escaped
with a £5.5million fine from the Premier League in April for breaching rules
on third-party ownership in relation to Tevez and fellow Argentinian Javier
Mascherano, and Tevez then scored the goals which helped keep the Hammers in
the top flight at Sheffield United's expense. Magnusson and his club have
since managed to negotiate a settlement with Tevez's representative Kia
Joorabchian to release the player's registration to enable him to sign for
Manchester United, avoiding the prospect of a lengthy court battle. Many
observers felt the Hammers had been lucky to escape with a fine rather than
a points deduction over their signing of Tevez, and Magnusson accepts that
rightly or wrongly there is bad feeling towards his club. He told The
Guardian: 'It does hurt me because the club has been dragged into this in a
negative way by some of my colleagues. West Ham has been dragged down and I
don't think this is correct. 'This hurts me most, because what a few people
decide should not be a burden to the whole club.' Magnusson also regrets the
impact the whole affair has had on Tevez himself. 'The other sad thing is
that Tevez got caught in the middle. He's a great lad, so enthusiastic about
football and success, and I would have loved to have seen him (again) in a
West Ham shirt. I really tried to make that possible but, as a great player,
he had ambitions to play in the Champions League.'
Meanwhile, England manager Steve McClaren has hailed Tevez's impact on the
English game since joining the Hammers in a shock deal on August 31 last
year. 'I like Tevez. I have always admired him. I remember coming across him
in Geneva (where England played Argentina in a friendly in November 2005).
He impressed me then. He has adapted to English football very well because
he is an English type of player. He was certainly a big part in them staying
up. 'There are a lot of players who could have a big say in the title. Only
time will tell with regard to Tevez moving to Manchester United.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Red tape holds up Carlos Tevez debut - Telegraph
By Mark Ogden
Last Updated: 1:11am BST 08/08/2007

Sir Alex Ferguson is facing defeat in his attempt to hand Carlos Tevez his
Manchester United debut tonight. The Argentine is still waiting for the
Premier League to release his registration so he can finally complete his
controversial move to Old Trafford from West Ham. Tevez has trained on a
daily basis with his new United team-mates since his representatives agreed
to pay West Ham a £2 million compensation package last Friday and he had
been pencilled in by Ferguson to make his first appearance in a United shirt
in a friendly at Dunfermline Athletic. However, United are unable to field
the player until his registration has been transferred to them from West Ham
and club officials now fear that the paperwork will not be completed until
tomorrow. While Tevez is on standby to fly north of the border should his
registration be processed this morning, the 23-year-old is now more likely
to have to wait until the Premiership opener against Reading at Old Trafford
on Sunday for his debut. Ferguson said: "Tevez has already looked quite
sharp in training and it would be nice to think that he'll be ready for the
Reading game.''

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Rio: Tevez has wowed Utd aces - The Sun
By MARTIN BLACKBURN
August 08, 2007

RIO FERDINAND insists the arrival of Carlos Tevez has sent a buzz round the
Manchester United dressing room. The England defender has been closely
monitoring the Argentine's career for the last few years through friends in
the game. And his brother — West Ham defender Anton — has been raving about
the impact Tevez made at Upton Park last season. The new boy has been
training with his United team-mates for the last few days and is set to make
his debut at Dunfermline tonight. Ferdinand said: "Over the first two days,
he's already shown glimpses of what he's about. He's been very impressive.
"I know Kia Joorabchian and Pini Zahavi and they've been singing his praises
for years, before I'd even laid eyes on him. "And my brother has always said
he's a fantastic footballer — he thinks he'll be great for us." As well as
Tevez, United have also spent big money on Owen Hargreaves, Nani and
Anderson this summer. Ferdinand added: "The lads are very excited — we're
like fans in that we look forward to the new players coming in. "Wayne
Rooney and Tevez would be exciting. "But it's not just them, the manager has
loads of different combinations."

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Hammers stung by Neill KO - The Sun
By PAT SHEEHAN
August 08, 2007

WEST HAM'S injury curse has struck again with Lucas Neill being ruled out
for at least a month. The newly-appointed Hammers captain suffered the knock
in training. He injured medial knee ligaments following a harmless looking
challenge at the end of a practice session on Monday. His worst fears were
realised when medics told him to rest for at least four weeks. He left the
training ground wearing a knee brace for support. The Hammers are already
without summer signings Scott Parker and Julien Faubert as they prepare to
kick off the season at home to Manchester City on Saturday. Wales captain
Craig Bellamy or Sweden skipper Freddie Ljungberg could replace Neill as
team captain while he is recovering. West Ham lost star striker Dean Ashton
to a season-ending ankle injury before the big kick-off a year ago. Neill
was signed from Blackburn in January — and was out for a month after
injuring an ankle in only his second game. Fellow January arrival Matthew
Upson was also crocked on his debut and managed only 11 more minutes all
last season.

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Dyer on downer over Hammers - The Sun
By MAX SHORT
August 08, 2007

KIERON DYER has been shattered by the collapse of his move to West Ham.
Newcastle's wantaway midfielder, 28, is back training with Toon. And boss
Sam Allardyce admitted: "He was a bit down in the dumps. "But you don't
always get what you want out of life and you just have to get on with it."
Hammers pulled out of a £6million swoop on Friday when Newcastle upped the
price by an extra £2m. Allardyce must now decide whether to gamble on Dyer's
mood and involve him against Bolton on Saturday — if West Ham do not attempt
to revive the dea l. The Toon chief has failed in a £4m bid for Seville's
Ivica Dragutinovic — the Serb defender, 31, signed a new four-year deal at
the Spanish club.

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Curbishley steps up Giles bid - the Sun
By DAVE KIDD
August 08, 2007

WEST HAM will make a second bid for Derby whizkid Giles Barnes after a
£2.5million offer was rejected by the Rams. Hammers boss Alan Curbishley is
keen to land attacking midfielder Barnes, 19, whether or not he also signs
Kieron Dyer from Newcastle. Curbs will up his offer to around £3.5m —
although Derby boss Billy Davies still wants to hold out for more cash.
Davies wants Barnes to stay but knows big-spending Hammers could make an
offer the Premier League new boys cannot refuse. Tottenham have also been
monitoring the player and have made enquiries to Derby. Barnes, whose uncle
Bobby played on the wing for West Ham in the 1980s, is one of the
highest-paid teenagers in the country on £10,000 a week.

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Hammer blow for Curbishley as Neill is ruled out for a month - This Is
London
08.08.07

West Ham have been dealt a major blow ahead of Saturday's Premier League
opener against Manchester City with the news that new captain Lucas Neill
will be out for up to a month. Neill hurt his knee towards the end of
yesterday's training session, continuing a wretched run of injuries since
arriving from Blackburn in a £1.5million deal in January. The Australia
defender limped out of his debut in the FA Cup against Watford then damaged
ankle ligaments against the same opponents on his return a fortnight later.
Meanwhile, the Hammers will intensify their efforts to prise Giles Barnes
away from Derby after failing to land Kieron Dyer. They have already had a
£2.5m bid for Barnes, 19, rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by
making an improved offer. Dyer's proposed £6m switch to Upton Park collapsed
last week when Newcastle upped the price to £8m and manager Sam Allardyce
admits he faces a challenge to mentally prepare the England midfielder for
the new season if the deal is not resurrected.

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West Ham step up their interest in Derby forward Barnes
David Hytner
Wednesday August 8, 2007
The Guardian

West Ham United are poised to make an improved offer to Derby Country for
Giles Barnes, the England Under-21 international forward. The London club
tabled a bid of £2.5m for Barnes two weeks ago which was rejected but they
are now resolved to go higher.
Their desire to sign Barnes, whose uncle Bobby once played for West Ham, is
unrelated to their pursuit of Newcastle United's Kieron Dyer, who remains
bitterly upset at the collapse of his move to Upton Park. He passed a
medical and agreed personal terms on a £6m transfer only for Newcastle to
hike the price to £8m at the last minute. The prospects of West Ham reviving
the deal appear slim.

Barnes impressed for Derby as they won promotion to the Premier League last
season and has a contract at Pride Park to 2010. He declared his intention
to stay at Derby for at least another season before they beat West Bromwich
Albion in the play-off final last May. One option open to a buying club
would be to sign him and then loan him back to Derby in order for him to
play regularly in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur have a long-standing
interest in Barnes, in line with their policy of buying young, British
talent, but are still to bid for him during this transfer window.

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Hammers hot on trail of Barnes - The Independent
By Sam Wallace
Published: 08 August 2007

Derby County's highly-rated midfielder Giles Barnes is again a target for
West Ham who have already failed with a £2m bid for the player this summer.
The 19-year-old is also a target for Tottenham and both clubs appear ready
to test Derby's resolve to keep him with improved bids. With the collapse of
the Kieron Dyer transfer, West Ham are very much in the market for a
versatile midfielder although it is understood that they would have bid for
Barnes regardless. The player, who has four years left on his deal, would,
in the current market, be valued by his club at around £4m-£5m. West Ham
have proposed a deal that would involve cash plus a player but that would
depend on the individuals in question, as Derby are still in the hunt for a
striker.

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Will Shorey Do A Yossi Over West Ham Move - West Ham Fans..org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 7 August, 2007 - 17:23.

In an inspired understatement Reading's Nicky Shorey has stated that he has
not signed the new and improved contract on offer to him "in order to keep
his options open".
Now doesn't that sound a little familiar? Didn't one Yossi Benayoun pledge
allegiance to the club along with plenty of badge kissing prior to being
tapped up by Liverpool?
Of course it would be wrong to suggest that Hammers would tap up the England
International left back, but West Ham and Reading are close to agreeing a
fee of around £5.5 Million which would then allow Scott Duxberry and Alan
Curbishley to open talks with Shorey about personal terms.
In the unlikely event that Shorey chooses to stay with Reading Hammers will
look overseas in order to find back up for George McCartney as the market
values for British players have soared to ludicrous levels.
The Daily 'hate' Mail were so happy to report that Shorey has turned down a
move to the Boleyn, so given the accuracy of all their previous articles
about West Ham we can assume that Shorey will become a Hammer sooner rather
than later! - Ed

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West Ham No2 Day: Dyer deal can happen
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

West Ham assistant boss Mervyn Day has revealed they could try again for
Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer. Day said yesterday: "The Dyer deal could
be back on, but I don't know how."

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Allardyce treating Newcastle's Dyer with kid gloves
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

Newcastle United boss Sam Allardyce says he's treating Kieron Dyer with kid
gloves after his move to West Ham collapsed last week. Allardyce told the
Evening Chronicle yesterday: "Kieron trained with us yesterday and really he
needs his own space, and that's what we will give him. "He needs to collect
his own thoughts and we will have to wait and see what develops. "He was a
bit down in the dumps, but you don't always get what you want out of life
and you just have to get on with it. "As far as his move to West Ham is
concerned, it is all in their hands."

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West Ham's Bellamy hopes for productive partnership with Ashton
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

Craig Bellamy won't make any rash predictions over his strike-partnership
with West Ham's fit-again Dean Ashton. "I don't like to speak about one
player because, from experience, it doesn't always work out as planned," he
said. "I remember when I was at Newcastle, the chairman said what a
partnership Patrick Kluivert and Alan Shearer were going to be. "Come the
start of the season though, it was me and Alan. Nothing is nailed on but,
given a bit of time, Dean and myself could be a good pairing."

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Ljungberg: Fiery personalities can drive West Ham
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

Freddie Ljungberg says the fiery personalities inside the West Ham dressing
room can drive them to success this season. The addition of fiery trio Craig
Bellamy, Scott Parker and Ljungberg and a failed bid to sign Kieron Dyer
suggested manager Alan Curbishley was gambling with disciplinary meltdown.
But Ljungberg, 30, said: "If we control it well, it can be great. When we
played with Arsenal a couple of years ago, we had a lot of players who
weren't afraid to get their foot in. "Sometimes Patrick Vieira would get
too many red cards and get a bit of abuse but he was still a great player.
If we can get that on the right level and everyone is fighting for each
other we will be a hard team to beat." Ljungberg's reputation as a fighter
has its roots in a training ground scrap with Sweden team-mate Olof Mellberg
before the 2002 World Cup. "He kicked me loads in training and I said he had
to stop," said Ljungberg. "That was the only way I could handle it because
I'd tried it verbally a couple of times and he didn't listen."

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New West Ham skipper Neill breaks down
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

New West Ham captain Lucas Neill has been ruled out for the first month of
the new season. Neill hurt his knee towards the end of yesterday's training
session, continuing a wretched run of injuries since arriving from Blackburn
in a £1.5million deal in January. The Australia defender limped out of his
debut in the FA Cup against Watford then damaged ankle ligaments against the
same opponents on his return a fortnight later.

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West Ham contact Real Madrid for Cassano
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

West Ham United have contacted Real Madrid about a price for Antonio
Cassano. The Real Madrid forward is set to leave the Bernebeu and West Ham
have been in touch with the Spanish giants - and current La Liga champions -
to talk about a possible deal.

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West Ham signing Bellamy: I'll change my reputation
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

Craig Bellamy is determined to silence the doubters over his move to West
Ham United. The Cardiff-born player said: "If you judge me the way I am on
the pitch then perhaps you are going to think I'm a bad person but that's
superficial. "At the end of the day I go home to a great wife and three
lovely kids and that is what is important to me. This is a good move. I
didn't want to come out of Liverpool, the team I supported as a kid, and
have nothing else to aim for.
"I want to prove that my career is not on the downward slope, I want to have
a go as a player, in the same way that West Ham want to progress. "I'm 28
now and I don't believe I'm at my peak yet. I want to have a right go now
and just really put my name up there. People have known I can play but
they've also been aware of the other stuff and sometimes that has
overshadowed the football. "I know now that will always be there, I'll
always have that because of what has gone on before but now I want to cement
my name, if you like, so that when West Ham fans look back they will say
'what a good player he was' and not anything else. "I've made mistakes, of
course I have, particularly as a young kid. These days though, it's a lot
more difficult, the way the world is.
"I'm sure you can remember the time when the football journalists and the
players went out together for a drink. Could that happen now? I doubt it.
"It's sad really because the way it's gone is not the way I want to see it.
I've been involved in a bit but then so have others, including Wayne Rooney
and even John Terry, who is England captain. It's the way of the world
unfortunately."
Bellamy - who is now at his seventh club after spells at Norwich, Coventry,
Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn and Liverpool - does have a more caring side.
This summer, he went to Sierra Leone to help spearhead a new football
academy initiative in the troubled country. He intends to return with
support, both financial and otherwise, from fellow professionals.

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West Ham press Derby for Barnes deal
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

West Ham United are accelerating their plans to land Derby County midfielder
Giles Barnes. The Daily Mail says they have already had a £2.5m bid for
Barnes, 19, rejected but are poised to test Derby's nerve by making an
improved offer.

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Sheringham impressing at Colchester
tribalfooball.com - August 07, 2007

Colchester boss Geraint Williams says former West Ham and Manchester United
striker Teddy Sheringham has been fantastic in preseason training.
Sheri, 41, joined the Championship outfit on a free from West Ham and is set
to kick-off his 24th pro season at Sheffield United on Saturday. But
Williams revealed the former England, Manchester United and Spurs star is
already at home at Layer Road. He said: "Teddy still has that look of a
teenager and when you talk to him his enthusiasm is still there. "He's very
honest, very unassuming. The only difference is he turns up in a Bentley for
training!"

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