Gary Jacob
Kia Joorabchian is willing to fund an inquiry into the Carlos Tévez affair
to clear up inconsistencies that appear to remain. Speaking for the first
time since the forward moved from West Ham United to Manchester United,
Joorabchian accused Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive,
of breaking the organisation's constitution.
Joorabchian, who represents the two companies that hold Tevez's "economic
rights", believes that his image and that of third-party investment
companies has been blotted by the League's handling of the matter, and
blames Scudamore.
"Scudamore has, in an indirect way, made suggestions and dragged me, West
Ham, my players through the mud," Joorabchian said. "It has clouded people's
perceptions of me. I want an inquiry and if the clubs agree, I'm willing to
finance it. We have nothing to hide. I am asking for transparency."
He has questions for Scudamore. "Why were we never asked for paper-work?" he
said. "Why would Scudamore want to continue to conduct the affairs of West
Ham in relation to Carlos after the club had been fined for breaches? Is
there something to hide?"
Joorabchian also said that the League had no right to intervene when Tévez
wanted to move to Manchester United. "They insisted on a transfer from West
Ham, then tried to determine the price. That is not their role, and it is
against the constitution of the League."
The League has since changed the rules, so that it receives documents
relating to player registration. "Scudamore said that the policy is to let
him be the judge," he said. "Does that mean, if I'm a friend of the chief
executive I can get it passed?"
Joorabchian would be happy for third-party ownership to be outlawed in
England, if clubs wanted that, but added: "We provide an opportunity for a
club who can't afford £30 million players to have them. I wanted to create a
new style of business."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Birmingham Preview -West Ham Till I Die
One could forgive Eggert Magnusson if he walked into the Birmingham City
boardroom and did an impression of the Harry Enfield who constantly says
"I'm considerably richer than yow". But money doesn't always buy results,
particularly in the short term. Last week's result was hopefully a one-off
but it is to be hoped that a number of changes to the line-up are made
today. At the very least I expect to see Boa Morte replaced by Etherington
and Bowyer replaced by Kieron Dyer. Zamora and Ferdinand will be lucky to
escape the axe too, but may well do so. This is the team I would put out
Green
Pantsil
McCartney
Collins
Upson
Dyer
Noble
Etherington
Ljungberg
Ashton
Bellamy
Subs Zamora, Wright, Mullins, Gabbidon, Spector
UPDATE: I'm told that Collins is injured. According to KUMB, Neill and
Parker are fit.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bellamy outburst stuns Curbishley - this Is London
17.08.07
Craig Bellamy has had a spectacular fall-out with manager Alan Curbishley
only a month into his West Ham career. Bellamy slipped back into his old
ways in the wake of West Ham's opening day defeat to Manchester City and
exchanged harsh words with his new manager. Curbishley is believed to be
infuriated by his £7.5million striker's latest show of petulance, having
earlier insisted the time had come for Bellamy to do his talking on the
pitch. This latest rant is just another in a long list of controversial
incidents involving the Wales captain. Bellamy famously fell out with his
former manager at Newcastle, Graeme Souness, over his unwillingness to play
on the right wing, a dispute that saw him farmed out on loan to Celtic.
While at Celtic, Bellamy is also alleged to have sent Alan Shearer abusive
text messages following Newcastle's loss to Manchester United in the
semi-final of the FA Cup, prompting the former England skipper to threaten
to 'knock his block off'.
In February this year, while with Liverpool, Bellamy threatened team-mate
John Arne Riise with a golf club at a training camp in Portugal. Kieron Dyer
will make his debut for West Ham today after Freddie Ljungberg dramatically
pulled out of the squad to face Birmingham through injury. Midfielder
Ljungberg, surprisingly made captain for last week's 2-0 home defeat by
Manchester City, did not travel with the team yesterday after damaging his
ankle in training.
It means Dyer who, like Ljungberg, is on £70,000 a week after signing from
Newcastle, will make his first start for the Hammers against Steve Bruce's
side on the right of midfield. Lucas Neill will be skipper at St Andrew's.
Ljungberg made only 25 appearances for Arsenal last term, many as
substitute.
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Blades invoke FA arbitration process - TeamTalk
Sheffield United have invoked the Football Association's arbitration process
in their legal challenge to win compensation from West Ham.The Blades have
informed the FA they intend to take the dispute over the Carlos Tevez affair
to their arbitration panel. The club have already lost a Premier League
arbitration hearing and were refused leave to appeal against that in the
High Court. West Ham, who have 14 days to respond, will challenge Sheffield
United's right to now go to an FA arbitration hearing. If it is decided that
there will be another arbitration hearing, each club will be able to
nominate one person to sit on the three-man panel. They will then either
agree on a third person to chair the panel or if they are unable to do that
then the FA will appoint the chairman instead. Sheffield United claim they
are due compensation for being relegated because West Ham should have been
docked points over the Tevez saga.
They have estimated the cost of their relegation at between £30million and
£50million. The Hammers have slammed Sheffield United's intention to sue
them for the cost of relegation as "desperate". The Blades are suing over a
breach of contract and claim to have evidence which proves West Ham "misled"
an independent disciplinary commission by failing to disclose vital
information relating to their arrangement with Tevez's adviser Kia
Joorabchian. The Hammers said long before the disciplinary hearing they had
made the Premier League "fully aware" of the agreement in question.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hell's Bells! He has Curbs row - The Sun
By GARY PAYNE
August 18, 2007
CRAIG BELLAMY has had a furious dressing-room bust-up with boss Alan
Curbishley — A MONTH after joining West Ham. The Welsh hothead shocked his
new team-mates by sensationally laying into Curbs after the Hammers' 2-0
opening-day defeat to Manchester City. A close source said: "Bellamy had a
real go. He really let Curbishley have it. "He was really upset about how
the team played. Everyone was shocked to see the pair at each other's
throats. It was incredible."
Bellamy, who was making his Premiership debut for the Hammers, was furious
at Curbishley's tactics and let him know afterwards with both barrels. But
his outburst could now leave his career in tatters, having only just signed
for £7.5million from Liverpool this summer. The 28-year-old Welsh striker is
certainly no stranger to bust-ups. He famously attacked former Liverpool
team-mate John Arne Riise with a golf club in February and also had a number
of high profile slagging matches with Graeme Souness during his time at
Newcastle. However, his fresh bust up will also heap more pressure on
Curbishley after revelations by former Hammers ace Paul Konchesky that he is
disliked and the players are unhappy.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kia: I'll pay for Tevez inquiry - The Sun
By DAVE KIDD
August 18, 2007
BAFFLED by the whole Carlos Tevez affair? Probably not half as baffled as
Kia Joorabchian, the man at the centre of the whole shooting match. As the
dust settles — with West Ham still in the Premier League, Sheffield United
in the Championship and Tevez at Manchester United — Joorabchian has
launched a wide-ranging attack on the way Premier League chief executive
Richard Scudamore handled the saga. The Iranian-born representative for
Tevez's owners, Media Sports Investment and Just Sports Inc, is offering to
fund a full independent inquiry into the affair. He said: "We must have
clarity."
And Joorabchian, the man who brought third-party ownership to English
football, even admits he would not mind if the Premier League BANNED
third-party ownership of players. Joorabchian is bemused as to why he has
been asked by the Premier League for his views on the moves of Tevez and
Javier Mascherano to West Ham. He is also puzzled that former Hammers
chairman Terry Brown and chief executive Paul Aldridge were never asked to
explain the move to the independent commission last April. That commission
fined West Ham £5.5million but ruled against a points deduction.
Joorabchian said: "We've been caught in the middle and I'm saddened by it
all because I believe the Premier League were unfair in the way this affair
was handled. "I have so many questions I want to ask. How can they make an
investigation into the Carlos Tevez affair and never ask for our view on the
subject? They fined West Ham £5.5m without finding out about the whole case.
"How can you form an opinion without knowing the full facts? "Paul Aldridge
gave a witness statement which they ignored. The League have admitted he was
never given the chance to present his statement. "If you were going to brand
us as this third party group that was no good and brand Aldridge and Brown
as the culprits, how can you never call them in and ask them — the chairman
and chief exec of the club at the time of this deal? "How can the chief
executive of the Premier League not hold a full investigation into this?
"That's why I want a proper independent inquiry into the whole affair, as
long as the Premier League clubs would welcome it. And, if the Premier
League clubs don't want investment from outside into football players,
that's fine too. "I am not against them banning third-party ownership. If
that rule was there, we wouldn't do it.
"I'm not a Premier League chairman so I can't comment on whether Richard
Scudamore should still be in his job. "But those chairmen don't even
understand what was happening over Tevez. "They ask 'Who is fighting who and
what is this fight about? Is the boy registered with West Ham or not? Why
are the Premier League getting involved and trying to dictate what happens
next?'. "Then when we say we'll go to the High Court, and we're finally
going to get transparency, the Premier League say we want to settle out of
court. It's a mystery to me. "We had to settle the case because economically
it made sense to pay West Ham. But when we signed those contracts over his
move to Manchester United, I was really confused at that point."
And he wasn't the only one . . .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Curbishley ups Giles bid to £5m - The Sun
By CHARLIE WYETT
August 18, 2007
ALAN CURBISHLEY will offer Derby £5million for midfielder Giles Barnes — as
he bids to take West Ham's summer spending past £30m. Hammers chief Curbs
has had offers of £2.5m and £3.5m turned down by Rams, who want £6m. Yet
while Pride Park boss Billy Davies insists he does not want to sell, he is
likely to accept the improved bid knowing Barnes, 19, wants to go. Curbs
also hopes to wrap up a £5m move for Reading defender Nicky Shorey.
Meanwhile, Hammers fans will taunt Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe
about his club's relegation by sending him "Wish you were here" postcards.
McCabe confirmed Blades will sue West Ham for £40m over the Carlos Tevez
affair. Supporters on website forums have vowed to send McCabe a card from
every venue in the top flight. One fans said: "We've put up with so much
misinformation due to McCabe. This is the least he deserves."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Premier League set to defend West Ham - Telegraph
By Jeremy Wilson
Last Updated: 1:50am BST 18/08/2007
The Premier League are ready to side with West Ham over a key aspect of the
claim for substantial damages by Sheffield United against the East London
club. Sheffield United suspect West Ham of failing to disclose a "critically
important" additional third-party agreement - which was dated Dec 1 2006 -
from the Premier League and the original independent disciplinary commission
who took the decision to fine the Hammers for breaking League rules. It is
understood, however, that the League will say they received a copy of the
document in January and that it was subsequently available to the
disciplinary commission.
The Premier League, therefore, are satisfied that the new West Ham board did
provide them with the relevant documentation. It is thought their evidence
will form a central part of West Ham's defence. Despite this, Sheffield
United remain confident of their position and are expected to question why
the existence of the new third-party agreement publicly came to light during
a hearing at the High Court between West Ham and the companies who brought
Carlos Tevez to English football. Having followed the original disciplinary
commission and then taken the matter to arbitration, they will want to know
why they were not previously aware of this agreement. Sheffield United
believe they would have a strong case for damages following their relegation
even without the Dec 1 document, given West Ham's admission of breaking
rules over third-party influence and not acting in good faith. Although they
accept it is impossible to be reinstated into the Premier League, they have
always thought their best chance of compensation lay in taking direct action
against West Ham. West Ham have made clear their intention to defend
themselves and have 14 days to formally respond to the proceedings which
were launched against them on Thursday. They say that the Premier League
were aware of the Dec 1 document and the disciplinary commission knew of its
existence. It is expected the case will be heard by an independent three-man
panel set up by the Football Association, though the panel are unlikely to
sit for several months, meaning the Tevez saga may drag into next year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Do Sheffield United have a case? - The Times
Anthony Sendall
Having lost out in their attempt to use the courts to force disciplinary
action over the Carlos Tevez saga, Sheffield United now plan to sue West Ham
for the cost of their relegation from the Premier League. Legally speaking,
it is difficult to see how United can prove its case.
It is by no means clear precisely how the case will be put in law, but it
seems from the club's reference to "breaches of contract" that it will
challenge West Ham's adherence to the contract that underpins clubs'
membership of the Premier League. Sheffield United asserts that West Ham was
dishonest with the league over the ownership by a third party of Tevez and
Javier Mascherano. They are likely to assert that the misrepresentation was
not only negligent but fraudulent.
Assuming United can prove that, they will still have a difficult battle to
demonstrate what, if any, loss was suffered directly as a result.
The club is claiming that relegation cost £30 million to £50 million. But
was that really all down to Tevez? Yes, his goal on the last day of the
season was the final twist of the knife for the Blades - the irony of which
cannot be lost on any follower of the game - but to claim that West Ham
could not have stayed up without him is highly speculative.
Relegation depends on the outcome of all 38 games each team plays in a
season. Tevez did not play in all of them and Sheffield United were
consistently poor performers. And if West Ham couldn't register him, they
may have found another player of similar calibre.
Nor did his presence have any impact on United's own performance. It must
also be remembered that United only had to draw against Wigan in the last
game in order to stay up. To that extent, at least, the team's survival was
in its own hands. It is hard to see how United will come up with evidence
compelling enough to get around that.
The author is a sports barrister at Littleton Chambers
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham go for £10m Anelka as Gudjohnsen deal stalls - The Independent
By Jason Burt
Published: 18 August 2007
West Ham United have rekindled their interest in Nicolas Anelka and are
preparing to submit a bid of around £10m for the Bolton Wanderers striker.
The Hammers have turned to Anelka despite having an offer of ¿10m (£6.8m)
accepted by Barcelona for their No 1 target, Eidur Gudjohnsen. However,
despite also agreeing to match the Icelandic striker's £80,000-a-week wages
at Barca there is no indication, as yet, that he wants to move to Upton Park
and it is a deal that may have to wait until January.
West Ham first inquired about Anelka last month, as revealed by The
Independent, but, at that time, decided against a bid. They also considered
a move for Middlesbrough's Aiyegbeni Yakubu but believe he is worth half the
£11m being demanded. Instead Yakubu, who is not expected to feature for Boro
today against Fulham following the signing of Mido, is expected to move to
Everton.
Portsmouth remain interested in Anelka. However, they will not be able to
meet the salary that will be offered by West Ham who, again, will pay up to
£80,000-a-week.
If Anelka is signed it will take West Ham's spending to almost £40m this
summer although the club has also recouped £21m in sales. West Ham would
also be the 28-year-old's eighth major club and his fifth in English
football.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Upson To Face Angry Brum For West Ham - West Ham Fans.org
Submitted by Neville Nixon on 18 August, 2007 - 06:39.
Mathew Upson will get a hostile reception when he runs out for West Ham
against Birmingham, the defender's move to the Boleyn was acrimonious, he
was captain for Brum and Steve Bruce was very unhappy about letting him go
during the January transfer window, local Websites are already winding the
crowd up to give him a 'warm' welcome.
In the event Upson was injured on his Hammers debut and managed to play less
than one hour for the remainder of the season. To say that the £6 Million
signing looked a little leggy against Manchester City would be an
understatement, he was atrociously slow and his positioning was not much to
write home about, but he is a classy player of International quality and he
should pick up the pace quickly.
Maybe the crowd's derision will inspire Mathew Upson and he will play a
blinder, ex-players returning to the Boleyn usually do! - Ed
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United – Happy times ahead for Hammers fans - SquareFootball
Colin Illingworth
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Colin is a sub-editor on a regional newspaper and is a die-hard Aberdeen
fan. He's prepared to sell his soul to the Devil for the Dons to return to
their former glory so Satan, if you're reading this, give him a call!...
[full biography]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
18/08/2007 09:00:00.
Eggart Magnusson has dreams of seeing West Ham in the Champions League and
while that goal may not be achieved this season Alan Curbishley certainly
has them going in the right direction. The former Charlton boss has made a
number of bold signings and the club will definitely not find itself in a
relegation dog fight this time round.
Scott Parker has a superb engine and is not afraid to hurt himself for the
cause. Craig Bellamy has a reputation for being a bit of a hothead but if he
can channel his aggression into terrorising defences and not team-mates he
could be a hit at Upton Park, while Freddie Ljunberg desperately needs to
get a season without injury under his belt. And Julien Faubert looks
promising but will have to wait until Christmas before he makes an impact.
All in all Curbishley has spent about £25 million this summer but Eggart
Magnusson has promised him that there is more in the kitty if he wants it.
The Hammers on-off signing of Kieron Dyer from Newcastle has now been
completed and Nicky Shorey and Eidur Gudjohnsen are still on their radar.
But the signings so far have the blessing of most West Ham fans.
"I have been very impressed with Alan Curbishley's summer signings," said
Michael Longthorn, 57, who has followed the Hammers for the past 49 years
and is fed-up of the media criticising his club's spending power. "He has
taken risks definitely. Every player Alan has bought in has a proven
pedigree in the Premier League. Harry took a risk with Di Canio and that
would have to be one of the best signings ever. Ljunberg is world class and
for the money we paid he could well be the signing of the season. Bellamy if
he has grown up, has it all to prove, he definitely has the ability to do
it. Of the players we have been linked with I guess Shorey and Gudjohnson
would be great signings."
Fellow Hammer Matthew Beeby believes the players brought in will definitely
do a job at Upton Park.
"It's interesting to see the players we've signed. Players like Bellamy and
Ljunberg are notorious off the pitch, either for indiscipline, injury, or
both. They are the kind of players who if they stayed on the pitch and out
of the headlines and the treatment room, every fan in the country would want
them in their team. I'm not 100 per cent convinced, but I think they will
add to the team. I also think that Parker will prove to be a solid buy in
the middle, and with players like Upson and Ashton coming back from injury,
and Faubert when he's fit, it looks like we've built a good squad. All we
need now is a fourth striker and a left back to replace the shambles that
was Paul Konchesky."
Perhaps the best news for all West Ham fans though is the return of Dean
Ashton. The former Crewe and Norwich City striker missed last season after
damaging his ankle while on England duty, but those who have caught the big
man in pre-season action will tell you what a joy it is to have back. He's
been scoring for fun and turning defenders inside out with ease, but he
claims it might be up to two months before he gets back to full fitness.
However, he will soon make the fans get over the loss of Carlos Tevez to
Manchester United.
"Having Dean Ashton back is going to be brilliant when he gets match fit,"
said Michael, whose all time favourite Hammer is the legendary Bobby Moore.
"He's our 20-goal a season man. I hope he gets match fit very quick. As for
Tevez I think he will become one of the all time greats. Would love to have
seen him stay at West Ham. I do think Ferguson should have been done for
tapping up. Then Manchester United are above the laws of the game. Although
we have our boo boy element, I would hope Tevez gets a great welcome."
Sentiments echoed by season ticket holder Matthew Beeby.
"A fit Dean Ashton will be massive for us this season. My worry is that he
won't be back to his best for a few months yet, so we'll need the other
strikers to be able to do a job until he's there. Once he's on form though,
I can see him being a key player both for us and England. I think Carlos
will get a good reception when he returns, as he always gave his all for us,
although sadly he won't be remembered as fondly as he could have been if
he'd stayed another season."
While Alan Curbishley has been busy getting new faces into the club he has
also let a number of familiar faces leave. Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood,
Paul Konchesky, Roy Carroll, Tyrone Mears, Teddy Sheringham, Yossi Benayoun
and Shaun Newton have all joined Tevez out of the club, but Matthew Beeby
believes the club will be better off without the majority of them.
"Marlon is a confidence player and it was clear he had lost it – a change of
club will do him good, although as yet, I don't think we've replaced him and
I think we could miss his versatility and pace. Reo-Coker left Curbs with no
choice but to get rid of him – his bleating to the press about how badly he
was treated left him with no way back, which is a shame, as I feel that he
could have learnt from last season and become a better player. He chose the
easy route, which shows the person he is. At times he was a great player,
but his ego won't be missed. As for Konchesky – I suspect that if you watch
every goal Fulham concede this season, you'll see him involved in some way."
So what can West Ham achieve this season? In their return to the Premiership
two seasons ago they took it by storm and were within seconds of winning the
FA Cup. Last year though they struggled badly and almost went down.
Understandably Matthew is looking for a stable season but believes there is
scope for a European push.
"To give the clichéd answer, we need to get to 40 points then see where we
can get to after that. In reality though, I think we need to try and push
into the top 10 as a minimum, hopefully higher. If we are to achieve
Magnusson's dream of being in the Champions League, we need to make it into
the UEFA Cup so we can attract a higher calibre of player. I'm confident of
a top half finish, after that it'll probably be a case of seeing how the new
squads at Villa, Man City, Tottenham, Newcastle, etc gel.
"I'd like to believe we can get off to a good start – the fixture list has
been pretty kind to us – and get a few confidence building wins under our
belt, then we can see where we are at Christmas. Hopefully we'll be in a
position to push on for a top half finish. It would definitely be nice to
come to work on a Monday and not have to spend hours trying to work out how
many more points we need to survive..."
Defensively West Ham should be fine. Robert Green is a quality goalkeeper
and will be looking to take Paul Robinson's place as England number one.
Matthew Upson, Lucas Neill and Anton Ferdinand have all the attributes to
form a great defensive unit but they must stay clear of injuries and much
will be expected of young Mark Noble in Reo-Coker's absence. Up front Ashton
and Bellamy are smart enough to know what's required and if they can form a
lethal partnership the Hammers look to have what it takes to push for
Europe. And if Curbishley adds to the squad before the transfer window
closes who knows what they can achieve.
One thing's for sure though, the Hammers will not be involved in a
relegation battle this season!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Top secret - The Star Sheffield
A DOSSIER of secret documents forms the basis of Sheffield United's case
against West Ham after officials from Bramall Lane announced they are sueing
the London club following the Carlos Tevez Affair.
Having failed to convince an independent panel of arbitrators and a High
Court judge to overturn the FA Premier League's decision not to deduct Alan
Curbishley's side points for deliberately breaching transfer regulations
outlawing third party ownership of players, United are now pursuing West Ham
for around £30m of compensation to cover the costs of last season's
relegation to the Championship.
United argue that West Ham, who subsequently clawed themselves clear of the
bottom three thanks to Tevez's sparkling run of form, should never have been
allowed to field the Argentina international and his compatriot Javier
Mascherano after their links with businessman Kia Joorabchian were exposed.
At least two senior figures at United are known to have held talks with the
Anglo-Iranian businessman before Tevez's move to Manchester United and
evidence which came to light during these discussions, most of which is
believed to have been hidden from the Premier League, has prompted them to
take this course of action.
West Ham refused to comment when The Star approached them about the matter
last night with switchboard operators instead referring callers to their
official website before accusing United of desperation.
But in a strongly worded statement of their own United - who were this
morning dealt a blow when it was announced that both Lee Hendrie and Gary
Naysmith will miss Saturday's visit to Watford - accused them of breaching a
"duty of utmost good faith" and implicated new chairman Eggert Magnusson in
the scandal.
"This particular information has only emerged in the last couple of weeks,"
read one passage. "It seems that West Ham concealed the existence of this
document in order to shield its new owners who have publicly maintained that
they are innocent of any involvement in a third party agreement."
Despite previously admitting that the saga surrounding Tevez's role at the
end of last season had overshadowed the early days of his reign, United
manager Bryan Robson insisted he wholeheartedly supported his employers'
efforts while Keith Gillespie, one of the first-team squad's most senior
members, also gave his backing to the 'Campaign for Fairness."
"I haven't spoken to anyone this summer who doesn't believe that West Ham
should not have been deducted points," Gillespie stressed.
Of greater concern to Robson however is the news that two of his summer
acquisitions - Hendrie and Naysmith - have suffered cartilage and knee
ligament damage respectively although their absence has been tempered by the
return of captain Chris Morgan from injury.
"Lee did it before Colchester last weekend but he felt it more...during the
game," Robson revealed, before predicting an absence of around six weeks.
"Gary's is not as bad as first thought but he could be out for a couple."
United, who will travel to MK Dons in the Carling Cup second round, have
allowed Nicky Travis to join Chesterfield on loan.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham close in on Reading's Shorey
tribalfooball.com - August 17, 2007
West Ham United are closing in on Reading fullback Nicky Shorey. Royals boss
Steve Coppell admitted this week he won't stand in Shorey's way should a
major offer come in for the England international. West Ham manager Alan
Curbishley hopes a £5 million bid will be enough to land the defender in the
coming days.
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West Ham fans plan taunting campaign for Blades
tribalfooball.com - August 17, 2007
West Ham fans intend to taunt Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe about
his club's relegation by sending him "Wish you were here" postcards.
McCabe confirmed Blades will sue West Ham for £40m over the Carlos Tevez
affair. Supporters on website forums have vowed to send McCabe a card from
every venue in the top flight. One fans said: "We've put up with so much
misinformation due to McCabe. This is the least he deserves."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to raise bid for Derby's Barnes
tribalfooball.com - August 17, 2007
West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley is set to offer £5 million for Derby
midfielder Giles Barnes. The Sun says Hammers chief Curbs has had offers of
£2.5m and £3.5m turned down by Rams, who want £6m. Yet while Pride Park boss
Billy Davies insists he does not want to sell, he is likely to accept the
improved bid knowing Barnes, 19, wants to go.
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