WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has moved to ensure Jordan Spence will be part of his plans
for the coming campaign
02.07.2011
Jordan Spence has committed his long-term future to West Ham United after
signing a new contract. The homegrown Hammer and England Under-21
international put pen to paper before pre-season training at Chadwell Heath
and then gave an exclusive interview to West Ham TV. Spence staked his claim
for a new deal last season with a successful loan spell at Bristol City
before forcing his way into the first team at the Boleyn at the end of the
campaign. He said: "It feels good to be back. I was delighted the club
wanted to tie me down for a longer period of time. It is cool to get it all
sorted and I am looking forward to some good years ahead hopefully."
The right-back is well aware of what the season holds with his Championship
experience last season but is tipping the club to cope with the challenge.
"We have got Premier League quality throughout the team. That is going to be
the main thing for us this season."
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The season starts here
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has met his squad at Chadwell Heath for the first time after
the start of pre-season training
01.07.2011
West Ham United are officially up and running for the new season with the
first day of testing completed at a sunny Chadwell Heath. Under the watchful
eye of manager Sam Allardyce, assistant manager Neil McDonald and first-team
coach Wally Downes, the players were put through their paces by fitness
coach Eamon Swift. It was a full day's work, with the players quickly
putting their holiday stories behind them to focus on the task in hand.
There were high spirits over breakfast just after 9am when the first to
arrive including Luis Boa Morte, Herita Ilunga, Freddie Piquionne, Ruud
Boffin and Julien Faubert gathered in the canteen. Once kit was sorted and
trainers were on, it was time to start in the indoor pitch facility, with
Mark Noble his usual lively self from the word go along with some of the
club's promising youngsters including George Moncur and Jordan Spence also
involved.
Not all the squad were present with the likes of England duo Robert Green
and Scott Parker given an extended break as well as other internationals
including Pablo Barrera and Jack Collison. Then it was boots on for some
outside work on the pitches which have been carefully renovated during the
summer break, where the players were given another set of drills to work
through. New signing Kevin Nolan had taken the opportunity earlier last
month to visit the training ground and continued his fitness work with a
rigorous session out in the gym before joining his new team-mates on the
lush green pitches.
Meanwhile, the club can confirm that coaches Paul Groves and David Coles
have left the club. West Ham United would like to thank them for their
efforts and wish them well in future.
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Fans welcome Denmark visit
WHUFC.com
The Scandinavian Hammers will be out in force for the friendly meeting with
FC Copenhagen on 20 July
01.07.2011
West Ham United's pre-season trip to Denmark has been warmly welcomed by
members of the Scandinavian Hammers supporters club. Many of the group's 800
members, drawn from across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, will descend
on the 38,065-capacity Parken Stadium for West Ham's meeting with FC
Copenhagen on Wednesday 20 July. Among them will be Tore Søyland, who is
flying in from the Norwegian capital Oslo to watch his heroes take on the
Superliga champions. Søyland spoke to whufc.com about the excitement running
through the Scandinavian Hammers ahead of West Ham's visit.
Tore, what was your reaction when you heard West Ham would be coming to
Copenhagen?
'Perfect' was my first reaction! I logged on to the web straight away just
to make sure I got my flight tickets from Oslo. I travel to a lot of West
Ham matches in the UK each season, but I could not miss the opportunity to
see the Hammers play in Copenhagen. Just minutes later I read on our forum
at westhamunited.no that many Scandinavian Hammers had already booked their
trip to the Danish capital.
The Hammers have visited Sweden, Finland and Denmark in recent years for
both pre-season and UEFA Intertoto Cup matches, so have you and your fellow
Scandinavian Hammers watched West Ham play in Scandinavia before?
Just a few years ago West Ham went to Sweden for their pre-season tour and
many members of the Scandinavian Hammers supporters club rescheduled their
summer vacation so they could visit southern Sweden to see the West Ham
training sessions and matches. West Ham used to visit Scandinavia more often
some years ago and I still hear stories about when Julian Dicks and company
tried fishing in the northern part of Norway in the early 90s. They also had
a trip to Finland in 1999 when they played FC Jokerit in the Intertoto Cup.
How do you see the match going? Do you think West Ham can beat the champions
of Denmark?
FC Copenhagen is a very good team and it will not be easy to beat the best
team in Scandinavia. For many, many years Rosenborg of Norway was the
leading club in Scandinavia but, in the last few seasons, FC Copenhagen has
definitely taken that position. FC Copenhagen did very well in the UEFA
Champions League last season were they finally went out of the competition
against Chelsea in the round of 16. The club has recently - like West Ham -
appointed a new manager in Roland Nilsson.
Nilsson is best known to you Englishmen as a player for Sheffield Wednesday
and Coventry City in the 90s. He has succeeded the Norwegian Ståle
Solbakken, who recently took the manager job in 1.FC Cologne in the German
Bundesliga. FC Copenhagen are preparing for the UEFA Champions League
qualifying ties this summer and it will certainly not be an easy game to win
for West Ham.
How many members of the Scandinavian Hammers will be at Parken stadium?
I don't have the exact number but probably more than 100 members will come
to the match. The Scandinavian Hammers has a total of nearly 800 members and
I hope as many as possible will make the trip to Copenhagen for the game.
The Parken Stadium is a nice football ground with a capacity of around
40,000. FC Copenhagen is a club with many supporters and I think it will be
a great atmosphere at the game. I know some Danish people who support both
West Ham and FC Copenhagen and, for them, it's going to be tough to decide
who to support!
Are the Scandinavian Hammers optimistic about the club's future now Sam
Allardyce is the new manager?
The most optimistic members think his reputation and record suit West Ham
perfectly and think he is the right man to take the club straight back up in
his first season, but there are also some people who are not convinced he is
the right man for the job. Allardyce has a reputation for playing
'route-one' football from his Bolton days and many Scandinavian Hammers are
concerned he will not play football the 'West Ham way' - the way of playing
attractive football is for many of us Scandinavian Hammers the main reason
we became West Ham supporters in the 60s, 70s and 80s. We will see what
happens!
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Craig Mackail-Smith 'expected to join' Leicester City
Page last updated at 12:01 GMT, Friday, 1 July 2011 13:01 UK
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony is confident striker Craig
Mackail-Smith will join Leicester City, possibly before the weekend. The
27-year-old will meet Foxes boss Sven-Goran Eriksson on Friday after the
clubs agreed a fee earlier in the week. MacAnthony said West Ham are still
interested in the forward but told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "I would expect
him to sign for Leicester on Friday." The Posh chief added that Brighton
have made two failed bids for the striker. "Brighton came to the table with
a strong offer but it wasn't anywhere near as strong as Leicester," he said.
"West Ham made a very serious enquiry, I believe they're still very
interested." But he added: "I presume if Sven gets on with Craig he'll be a
Leicester City player on Friday."
Mackail-Smith, Posh's 35-goal top scorer last season, has been at the centre
of a protracted transfer saga ever since Norwich City had an offer rejected
for him in March. QPR were understood to have agreed a fee for the former
Dagenham man this summer, but the player and Loftus Road club failed to
complete a deal. A move to Leicester, Peterborough's Championship rivals,
would be in spite of Mackail-Smith's desire to join a Premier League side.
But Posh boss Darren Ferguson has backed the potential switch, saying: "He
spoke to QPR and the rest of it, I actually don't know what went on.
"Listen, Leicester are a big club and they're having a right go, they're
spending some serious money and you'd expect them to be challenging next
season. "If Craig feels it's the right move for him we wish him all the
best."
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When we said we needed fighters, Sam...
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st July 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are set to take a former Thai boxer on trial. 6'3" Polish defender
Jose Hernani is due to join up with the club on Monday for a week's trial at
Chadwell Heath. The 27-year-old - born in Brazil but granted Polish
citizenship in 2008 through marriage - began his career as a fighter but
decided instead to concentrate on his football. Consequently a late starter,
Hernani began his pro career with Brazilian club Gremio in 2002 before
switching to Avai FC a year later. He moved to Europe in 2004 in order to
join Polish outfit Gornik Zabrze. After a season with the KSG, Hernani moved
to current side Korona Kielce for whom he has made nearly 150 appearances in
the Polish Premier League. A popular figure at the club, Hernani was part
of the team that narrowly avoided relegation last season with the club
finishing 13th in the 16-team division.
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OPLC employee suspended over West Ham link
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st July 2011
By: Staff Writer
Tottenham have received a boost in their bid to prevent West Ham moving into
the Olympic Stadium after an OPLC employee with links to United was
suspended today. According to reports, the female staff member - who is
understood to have declared a relationship with an employee of West Ham upon
being offered the job - was suspended with immediate effect pending an
investigation, after it was revealed that she had been moonlighting for the
Hammers as a consultant.
A spokesman for West Ham told 24dash.com: "We have become aware of inquiries
being made in respect of a lady who has undertaken work for West Ham United
on a consultancy basis relating to the Olympic Stadium project. "Having
learned of the inquiries, we have undertaken an initial internal
investigation. We have established that the work that was carried out was
not connected in any way to the bidding process for the Olympic Stadium but
procurement project management thereafter. "We are of the firm view that the
integrity of the bidding process has not been compromised. We consider that
the bidding process was robust and believe that remains the case."
The OPLC appeared equally unconcerned by the revelation, adding: "It has
come to our attention that an employee of the Olympic Park Legacy Company
has been undertaking paid consultancy work for West Ham United FC. "The
company had no knowledge of this work and no permission was given to
undertake it. This individual had no involvement whatsoever in our stadium
process. "The individual concerned had declared a personal relationship with
an employee of West Ham United FC when she joined the organisation and we
therefore put robust measures in place to ensure our stadium process was not
compromised. "As soon as this new information came to light the company took
immediate action and launched an independent investigation. The employee has
been suspended pending the outcome of this."
Back in January, former Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson was removed
from the OPLC's adjudicating panel due to links with Newham Council.
Sanderson was employed by Newham as a consultant - a link she was accused of
failing to disclose. Tottenham - who last week returned to the High Court
despite having seen all previous applications for a judicial review of the
case rejected - are yet to comment on this latest development.
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The Olympic Stadium reviewed
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st July 2011
By: BrownFatwa
I had the good fortune to visit the Olympic Park last Friday - the highlight
of which was a tour of the Olympic Stadium itself.
It's a hard thing to disassociate oneself from the 'Olympic experience' and
concentrate on the legacy that will be our ground, but I'll give it my best
shot. There is no doubt however that the Games will be an incredible
spectacle here and the whole site is simply magnificant in so many respects.
A bloody shame - criminal, actually - that the ticket allocation is such a
scam. Anyway, here's my impressions from a West Ham supporter's perspective.
1. The approaches to the stadium site will be cracking and that will help
create an atmosphere in itself, in complete contrast to the Boleyn Ground.
You'll either access it through the Westfield Shopping Centre, the
residential areas (ex-athletes village) to the South and East, via the A12
to the west and north or by local roads. From the south and east in
particular there will be a tremendous sense of revitalisation and vibrancy
and, dare I say it, a 'feel good factor'. Everyone will pass close by the
iconic Aquatics Centre (by then the Newham Town Baths).
2. For the Games, the areas around the entry points for the stadium are to
be reserved for a variety of food and beverage, official merchandising and
sponsers retailing (basically tent-type or free-standing). Thus the
immediate vicinity around the stadium is very spacious and I imagine will be
kept for matchday refreshements, merchandising etc. This will get people to
the ground itself earlier and create a 'closer' atmosphere around the
ground.
3. At present you approach entry to the stadium at above 'ground level'.
This gives the impression of the ground being a 'bowl' below ground when in
fact that is not the case.
4. The stadium is very black and white (literally) in appearance but is not
a concrete-dominated structure at all. The walkways are wide. The only
colour is provided by 54 (IIRC) different coloured perspex-type glass sheets
that are used to infill the structures at the various seating sections. At
night these would look stunning - if changed to claret and blue, of course.
5. In my view the stadium location vs. Boleyn is superb. Transport links are
excellent; bus, tube (a new tube station is planned), rail (Crossrail will
link in as well as existing lines to Stratford) and road (to the North and
West). However there is very little parking - just the Westfield car park
and current parking at the north west end of the site for the media centre,
if retained. It will be SO much easier for most people not living within
spitting distance of Upton Park.
6. The stadium is not as sanitised or industrial as I had imagined. And this
should improve once we spend money on kitting it out to our specification.
It is modern but classic - very much in the amphitheatre mould than most new
stadia I can think of.
7. The seating is not steeply banked at all and that is a pleasant surprise.
They are also quite spacious compared to the Boleyn with better apportioned
space between the rows and aisles. Another plus. The posh stands already
have wider 'armchair' style seats which i magine will be retained.
8. The sightlines and views to the pitch overall are absolutely terrific
from any stand or vantage point. There are zero obstructions to any view
anywhere; no stantions, pillars, barriers etc. I will come back to the topic
of football pitch sightlines in a bit.
9. There is already an obvious corporate box area on at least one side of
the ground which is equipped with boxes and VIP areas. This is along the
north (or east) stand (I think), nearest to what will be the 100 metres
track. This has seperate access points, escalotors and bomb-proof glass
partitioning - which may be useful if Sam Allardyce hits a losing streak.
Behind this seating are existing hospitality areas, which I assume are
re-usable.
10. One negative is the roof and I hope this will be addressed. Maybe a lot
of the cost is in this area. Currently it only covers to around half-way
down the stadium, is made of some sort of synthetic fibre and looks like a
stretched canvas cover. It is not a 'proper' structure and I doubt will be
functional in an English winter.
11. Another potential negative: the best seats in the house will obviously
need to be covered, but these are (currently) at least half-way back up the
stadium and then to the top of the stands where the 'footballing' view is at
its worst. That creates a dilemma. I spent most of my time there at
mid-height and I must say i'd be happy to watch football at that
distance/vantage point, from any side of the ground.
12. There are large areas of the ground that currently are outside the
Olympic 'pitch' but to be fair I dont know the measurements required by the
IOC versus the FA. Most especially to the North Stand (VIPs). The pitch will
need to be re-sited so bear that in mind when looking at the views. Looking
at the design, I can't see how there is a retractable seating option that
offers anty sort of acceptable view - unless they sink the pitch lower into
the ground!
13. I would expect West Ham United to extend the grass pitch area out
towards all sides of the ground - even if it's not enlarging the playing
area. For sure, we must opt for the largest sized pitch permissable.
14. Overall. It was not as bad as I had expected distance-wise, especially
given that the stands are not steeply banked so there is limited sense of
'height'. The bonus will be access and the surrounding areas and the
internals of the stadium itself. I can forsee a problem with juggling the
best seats with the best view regarding roof cover and stadium position -
and I dont see the 'retractable' option myself. I was told by an official
that by covering (temporarily) the running track the sightlines are
automatically improved! Again the issue i see here is in retaining the 100
metres track which will always create a lop-sidedness, not unlike the
current problem with the East Stand at the Boleyn...
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Billy Bonds: will there ever be another?
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st July 2011
By: Deen Galer
1967-1988: these are the years we saw the amazing Billy Bonds wearing the
famous colours of claret and blue. Ron Greenwood was the manager to sign
Bonds in a deal costing the club £50,000. Bonds made 95 league appearances,
scoring one goal whilst playing for Charlton between 1964-1967.
During his time at Charlton he built up a reputation as a 'hard man'. Bonds
was known for his physical strength and fitness, there were few players who
were willing to go 'all in' for a tackle against him as they knew he wasn't
the type to shy away.
The thing that made Bonds stand out from other defenders was the fact that
when he won the ball he didn't simply punt it up field in the hope someone
latched on to the end of it. Bonds was a very intelligent player, he knew
exactly what he could do with the ball at his feet, much the same as the
players who played against him did.
Billy Bonds was a true professional (as were many players who played in the
same era as he did). In his first three season at West Ham (1967-1970) he
played at right back and made a total of 134 appearances. This included a
run of 124 consecutive league appearances which was only ended by injury
(not like nowadays where they're all too tired to play or have headaches…).
When Bonds returned for the start of the 1970/71 season, Greenwood viewed
his passion to get the ball at his feet and make driving runs forward as
something he could do better from midfield. Bonds was making an impression
in the midfield and was said to be the instigator of many attacking
movements made, especially in the early 1970s.
Bonds was praised for his input during the 1971/72 season League Cup run;
unfortunately West Ham were beaten by Stoke in a replay in the quarter
finals. Bonds was still learning his trade in midfield but in the 1973-74
season, had by far his best goal scoring season. Making a total of 43
appearances, Bonds scored 13 goals including a hat-trick against Chelsea.
Trophy hero
1974 was the year Bobby Moore made his move, taking on the defensive duties
at Fulham FC. Bonds was given the vacant skipper's role and was to hold the
captaincy for 10 years.
During his time as captain, Bonds led the club to some memorable moments.
Despite a miserable league campaign in 1974-75 West Ham found themselves in
the FA Cup final against Fulham, who had also endured a poor season.
The Final was a game of two halves; the first half showed both players being
cautious and tentative with the ball, rarely seeing the ball in the penalty
area, other than when the defenders passed back to their goalkeepers. Yet
after the break West Ham looked to increase the pressure, finally making the
breakthrough on the hour mark.
Alan Taylor found himself six yards from goal with a rebounding ball coming
his way, his decision was to smash it into the back of the net. 1-0. Four
minutes after this Taylor scored an almost identical goal. The game was won
by the Hammers 2-0 and was played in front of 100,000 people. This was
Bonds' first real achievement since taking over the captaincy from Moore.
I'm forever blowing bubbles!
Shortly before the end of the 1976/77 season, John Lyall pushed Bonds back
into the back four as a centre half playing alongside Tommy Taylor. Bonds
showed he hadn't lost his touch in defence, constantly taking the ball from
attackers and playing it out calmly.
West Ham won the FA Cup in 1980, this time against First Division club
Arsenal (West Ham were in Division Two). Trevor Brooking scored the only
goal in the game on 13 minutes, scoring from a mis-hit shot from Stuart
Pearson which flew across the goal mouth where Brooking was waiting to score
with a header.
Arsenal then tried all they could to unlock the West Ham defence - and had
most of the possession for the rest of the game - yet West Ham withstood
their attacks to claim a priceless victory.
After the game finished Bonds collected the trophy from the Duchess of Kent.
Doing so he turned towards the West Ham fans and raised the trophy above his
head to a roar of cheers. Shortly after the anthem that speaks to my heart
every time I hear it, 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', was bellowed out by
every West Ham fan in the stadium.
Bonds went on to play a total of 793 games for the Hammers, scoring 48
goals, and spent 27 years with them as player and manager. He was a proven
hit with the fans, winning Hammer of the Year four times (1971, 1974, 1975
and 1987).
We need to find ourselves a new Billy Bonds, someone who don't care what
position he is playing. A player who doesn't shy away from tackles and fear
an injury, a player who will show the opposition he is going to run the game
his way and if you want to change that, then you will have to stand up and
will be counted.
Here's hoping that, one day, we find another player of Billy Bonds' calibre
and passion.
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Back to the Academy
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 1st July 2011
By: Kwame Boakye
So I've been scratching my head since that memorable day at the DW Stadium
where our fate was finally sealed, when all of us were finally put out our
collective misery and relegation was confirmed in the most thrilling and
melancholic of fashions. In a game that completely and utterly summed up
Avram Grant's West Ham United.
Unlike many of you I can't console myself in battles with Millwall home and
away next season, I being 25-years-young have only experienced a handful of
fixtures against them. Though I was at that infamous league cup match in '09
(actually wound up on the overground surrounded by 'wall fans…thank God I
brought my jacket! For I was wearing my Hammers shirt underneath) But for
fans of my age it's hard to get up for Millwall when you're used to playing
Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs season in, season out.
After avoiding all forms of media in the aftermath of our relegation, when
the fixtures were released I couldn't help but get involved again and then
it hit me, the ONE positive about losing our place in the
top-flight…mercenaries such as Demba Ba and Thomas Hitzlsperger have bolted.
Our 'captain' Matthew Upson (tells you all you need to know about Matty that
the media constantly referred to Parker as our skipper) gone and with him
the likes of Kovac and Spector who are just simply not up to the standard
even in the Championship if you ask me.
Now of course we're going to lose players who we love, namely Scotty Parker
(please not to Spurs) and Rob Green. But what we're left with and finally
this is the positive I've been building up to…we're left with a core of
academy players who actually want to play for the club and who actually care
about the club, who don't just see it as a cash cow or a shop window but who
are actually passionate and proud to pull on that claret and blue shirt.
Next season the likes of Jordan Spence and James Tomkins will be leading the
defence. Jack Collison and Mark Noble will be bossing the midfield and from
an attacking standpoint the likes of Stanislas and Sears will be marauding
forward at every opportunity.
I know it's hard to imagine after what we've had to put up with in recent
years which if I could sum it up would be: a bunch over-paid primadonnas
convinced they're better than they actually are strolling around the pitch
putting in one good performance in every five/six games. But next season we
should have a hungry, young and technically gifted side eager to prove
themselves and determined to put the club back where it should be.
I really feel players such as Stanislas and Sears were stifled by playing
for a consistently struggling side, we know these are two young players with
immense ability; Stanislas for example has proved his quality on ample
occasions over the past couple of years; quick skilful, two-footed and a
good finisher. I really do believe if we had been a steady mid-table club
over the last couple of years he would be a permanent fixture of the first
team and a regular in the under 21s but because we've constantly been
flagging it's a lot easier to go with someone with more experience even if
they're not as talented.
Perhaps the challenge of bouncing straight back and playing in a side that
wins most weeks (feels surreal just writing that) is what is needed to take
the latest products of the academy's loins up to the next level.
At a time when just about everyone is jumping from our sinking ship, it's
the likes of Jordan Spence who've been talking about getting back and
putting the pride back in the shirt. So what if we lose a few 'big' names if
what we gain is a hungry, young side that are desperate to do well.
Since Sam Allardyce became our fifth manager in eight years a lot has been
talked about the 'West Ham Way' now from what I know a large part of this
noble and idealistic vision is local talent breaking through into the first
team…well next season around half the team will be made up of the young men
who've risen under the tutelage of the legendary Tony Carr. The fact that we
have one of the best academies in the country really is paying off; just
when we need it most, we'd be in a much worse position if we didn't have so
many talented youngsters to fall back on.
Whilst I'm not looking forward to the Championship in general I'm excited
and we all should be by how Jordan Spence will do as the first choice right
back…another Glen Johnson in the making? How Jack Collison will fare in a
league he's simply too talented for…double figures from midfield? And of
course how the aforementioned Sears and Stanislas will do starting in my
mind's eye on the wings of a three pronged attack…assists and goals galore?
If there is a positive to being relegated it is the fact that players who
see WHUFC as a stepping stone, shop window or a pile of cash (let's face it
that's what the majority of the players in through our doors in recent years
have seen us as and in my opinion has contributed to so many meek
performances) have turned tail and run, leaving in their wake an opportunity
for talented and hungry youngsters to take the club forward. How nice and
refreshing will it be to watch a team that doesn't crumble and give up, but
that actually fights?
Led presumably by arguably the best signing the Championship will see this
coming season in Kevin Nolan, our Boleyn Boys will surely prove that whilst
when it comes to signing players we've been questionable at best over the
last few years what cannot be questioned is the quality and consistency of
our academy.
Roll on next season.
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OPLC launches director probe
Official suspended after working as Hammers consultant
Last Updated: July 1, 2011 7:51pm
SSN
An Olympic Park Legacy Company director has been suspended after revealing
she had been working as a paid consultant for West Ham. The woman, who is
not being named, was suspended on Friday with immediate effect while the
potential clash of interests is investigated. She alerted the OPLC of the
situation on Thursday night. The OPLC board, in charge of securing the
future of the Olympic Park site, voted 14-0 in February to make the Hammers
the first choice to move into the £486million stadium. The Hammers were in a
head-to-head contest with Tottenham. A statement from the OPLC read: "It has
come to our attention that an employee of the Olympic Park Legacy Company
has been undertaking paid consultancy work for West Ham United FC. "The
company had no knowledge of this work and no permission was given to
undertake it. This individual had no involvement whatsoever in our stadium
process. "The individual concerned had declared a personal relationship with
an employee of West Ham United FC when she joined the organisation and we
therefore put robust measures in place to ensure our stadium process was not
compromised. "The stadium team has been based at our law firm Eversheds'
offices in the City and only the stadium team had access to information
about the bids. "As soon as this new information came to light, the company
took immediate action and launched an independent investigation. "The
employee has been suspended pending the outcome of this." The discovery
about the employee's work status came to light on Friday.
Hammers response
West Ham also released a statement, stressing their belief that the bidding
process had not been compromised. The statement read: "We have become aware
of enquiries being made in respect of a lady who has undertaken work for
West Ham United on a consultancy basis relating to the Olympic Stadium
project. "Having learned of the enquiries, we have undertaken an initial
internal investigation. "We have established that the work that was carried
out was not connected in any way to the bidding process for the Olympic
Stadium, but procurement project management thereafter. "We are of the firm
view that the integrity of the bidding process has not been compromised. "We
consider that the bidding process was robust and believe that remains the
case."
The woman, who has been suspended on full pay, told her bosses at the OPLC
that she was in a relationship with a West Ham employee when she got the job
at the company. The OPLC stressed they did not know about any other
connections with the east London club until Friday. It claimed it had been
"meticulous" and taken care to be "robust" about the bid process due to the
sensitivity of the hotly-contested campaigns to move into the Olympic
Stadium.
Chance
The decision to award the Olympic Stadium to West Ham is still subject to
possible High Court legal judicial reviews. The OPLC moved the base for the
Olympic Stadium bidding process away from their east London headquarters to
their lawyer's offices in central London. It is believed that this
precaution has given the OPLC confidence that no information could be
discovered, even accidentally. This week Tottenham went back to the High
Court to continue their bid for a judicial review of the decision to award
the Olympic Stadium to West Ham. Spurs are refusing to accept defeat after
last week's decision by Judge Mr Justice Davis to reject their bid and that
of Leyton Orient's. The north London club will now have the chance to make a
case in an oral hearing at the High Court.
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The Best Days of His Career……..
July 1st, 2011 - 11:14 am by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Radoslav Kovac, in an interview with the Czech media, has stated that his
days at West Ham, under GF. Zola, were the best of his career. The former
Czech international, who scored three goals in 62 appearances for the club,
claimed that it all changed, for the worse, with Zola's sacking and the
appointment of Avaram Grant. With that, Kovac increasingly found himself
out in the cold in terms of first team opportunities.
As we all know, Kovac will not be quite so warmly remembered by the Upton
Park faithful. He did a job, in an holding role, but his distribution was
arguably not good enough for the PL. He lost possession far too often and
that makes you a bit of liability in the PL, especially against the top
teams. Although, on the other side of the balance sheet, I am told that
West Ham had a higher win to match ratio when he was in the team (although I
have not checked that out). Funnily enough, I was of the view that he would
be better suited playing in the Championship as either a midfield anchor or
an auxillary centre back. I guess we will never know now?
Kovac also states, in the interview, that Sam Allardyce wanted to retain his
services next season, but that he had made up his mind that he wanted to
move. Additionally, he pointed out that his new club, Basel, have qualified
for next season's Champions League competition and that was a great draw for
him! Apparently, we got a £500,000 transfer fee from the Swiss club, which
is not that good when you consider a cash strapped West Ham spent £3m of
their scarce transfer resources on him a couple of seasons ago. But never
mind, that is probably a fair market value for the player, in all honesty.
And his best moment for the Hammers, undoubtedly that long range drive, when
he scored against Everton at Goodison. Unfortunately, there were precious
few other golden moments like that in the rest of his Hammers career. But
we wish him well next season in Swiss football, and the Champions League,
all the same.
So, who will be the next out of the door? Luis Boa Morte or one of our top
names, like Green or Parker? Could Cole move to Stoke City if they up their
£3m bid? I have a feeling that Cole will still be with us come the kick off
on 6 August 2011. If he is then he needs to prove, beyond any shadow of a
doubt, that he is a cut above the Championship by terrorising defences and
scoring plenty of goals. Interestingly, it has been very quiet with regard
to Picqionne's future, if he displays the right attitude and application, he
can be an asset next season. And of course, what about Pablo Barrera, after
his brilliant recent international performances for Mexico. Hopefully, he
will stay and Allardyce will get the best out of him. I have been saying
for ages that he should be given the freedom to attack through the central
areas, rather than just being stuck out on the flank. I think that could be
one of the key factors in getting the best out of the player.
And what about the incoming deals, with a bit of luck deals for Gradel and
Taylor will be agreed soon. Although Martin Jol, at Fulham, has started to
take an interest in Gradel, which is a worry. With Kovac gone, and question
marks over Spector and LBM, we need a defensive midfielder who can do the
job that Kovac was supposed to perform, namely, break up opposition attacks,
win the ball and lay it off (without losing possession too often).
There is also a question mark over the keeper position, if Green leaves. I
would get in an experienced keeper like Sorenson as back up, but really give
Stech and Boffin their chance to shine in pre-season. We also still need to
make decisions on whether we have sufficient cover at full-back and centre
back? And what is happening with the Mackeill-Smith bid? I would prefer to
buy Shane Long myself, but rumour has it that there is strong PL interest,
so it could be a non-starter. There are strong rumours about us signing DJ.
Campbell, but yet again there is likely to be PL interest, which could see
us lose out? We certainly need a striker that is prolific at this level,
although I expect the midfield to weigh in with their quota of goals next
season. Especially, if we can combine Taylor, Nolan, Barrera and Gradel!
That is a very good supporting cast for a 20-25 goal a season striker and a
partner(s) that can contribute at least 10-15 over a season! I believe that
both Cole and Picqionne are capable of achieving the latter target in the
second tier.
Lets hope that next week there is some more positive transfer news?
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham accept £10m Parker bid - but he won't go
Published 00:10 02/07/11 By James Nursey
The Mirror
West Ham have accepted a £10million bid from Turkish club Fenerbahce for
Scott Parker - but the midfielder is refusing to go. The Hammers are looking
to move on their top earners, such as £70,000-a-week England ace Parker,
following their relegation from the Premier League. Turkish giants
Fenerbahce opened the bidding with a tempting offer to West Ham's hierarchy.
But Parker and his young family are happily settled in the UK and have no
intention of moving to Istanbul. It puts Parker, 30, in a predicament as no
English club has tabled a bid ahead of West Ham's return to pre-season
training. Long-term admirers Spurs are refusing to shell out such a large
amount on a player whose age gives him little resale value. Parker is under
contract until 2014 but has a verbal agreement allowing him to leave West
Ham following their drop into the Championship.
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Liverpool Keen on bringing in Kevin
Published 23:00 01/07/11 By Alan Nixon
The Mirror
Kevin Keen is quitting West Ham – and is set for a shock move to become part
of Kenny Dalglish's team at Liverpool. Hammers' loyalist Keen yesterday
turned down a new deal to stay on Sam Allardyce's staff and may move
immediately to Anfield to join Dalglish. Keen was the Hammers' caretaker
boss for the final Premier League game and made it clear he wanted the top
job, but was then offered a lesser role.
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Olympic Park legacy official suspended over West Ham clash of interests
Company director had been working as a consultant for east London football
club during stadium bid which it won
Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Friday 1 July 2011 18.46 BST
An employee of the Olympic Park Legacy company has been suspended after it
was discovered she was working as a consultant for West Ham United during
the Olympic stadium bid. The woman, who is not being named, has been
suspended with immediate effect while the potential clash of interests is
investigated. The OPLC board, in charge of securing the future of the
Olympic Park site, voted 14-0 in February to make West Ham United the first
choice to move into the £486m stadium. The club was in a head-to-head
contest with Tottenham Hotspur. A statement from the OPLC read: "It has come
to our attention that an employee of the Olympic Park Legacy company has
been undertaking paid consultancy work for West Ham United FC. "The company
had no knowledge of this work and no permission was given to undertake it.
This individual had no involvement whatsoever in our stadium process. "The
individual concerned had declared a personal relationship with an employee
of West Ham United FC when she joined the organisation and we therefore put
robust measures in place to ensure our stadium process was not compromised.
"The stadium team has been based at our law firm Eversheds' offices in the
City and only the stadium team had access to information about the bids. "As
soon as this new information came to light the company took immediate action
and launched an independent investigation. "The employee has been suspended
pending the outcome of this."
West Ham also released a statement, stressing their belief that the bidding
process had not been compromised. The statement read: "We have become aware
of inquiries being made in respect of a lady who has undertaken work for
West Ham United on a consultancy basis relating to the Olympic stadium
project. "Having learned of the inquiries, we have undertaken an initial
internal investigation. "We have established that the work that was carried
out was not connected in any way to the bidding process for the Olympic
stadium, but procurement project management thereafter. "We are of the firm
view that the integrity of the bidding process has not been compromised. "We
consider that the bidding process was robust and believe that remains the
case."
The decision to award the Olympic stadium to West Ham is still subject to
possible judicial reviews. The OPLC moved the base for the Olympic stadium
bidding process away from its east London headquarters to its lawyers'
offices in central London. It is believed that this precaution has given the
OPLC confidence that no information could be discovered, even accidentally.
This week Tottenham went back to the high court to continue their bid for a
judicial review of the decision to award the Olympic stadium to West Ham.
Last week Judge Mr Justice Davis rejected Spurs' and Leyton Orient's
challenge for the stadium. The north London club now have the chance to make
a case in an oral hearing at the high court.
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West Ham defender Ilunga set for move back to France with Rennes
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:43 PM on 1st July 2011
Daily Mail
Rennes are ready to sign West Ham left-back Herita Ilunga. The
29-year-old's former St Etienne boss Frederic Antonetti is now in charge at
Rennes and is hopeful of a cut-price deal. Meanwhile Crystal Palace are
weighing up a move for Australian defender Patrick Kisnorbo, 30.
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Villa prepare to enter race for Parker with £5m bid after Spurs cool on West
Ham ace
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 12:10 AM on 2nd July 2011
Daily Mail
Aston Villa are set to launch a £5million bid for West Ham midfielder Scott
Parker. Manager Alex McLeish is making the bold move after Tottenham
wavered.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is understood to be reluctant to offer wages of
around £70,000-a-week for the 30-year-old. However, Villa are exploring
ways of presenting the Londoner with a suitable package. West Ham want at
least £7m for Parker, after accepting a £10m offer from Turkish club
Fenerbahce only for the England midfielder to reject the move, but Villa
hope to negotiate. McLeish is inching closer to a deal for Manchester City
goalkeeper Shay Given and has also earmarked Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia as a
potential replacement for Ashley Young. Given, 35, has become frustrated at
Manchester City after losing his place to Joe Hart and will be allowed to
leave Eastlands for a fee in the region of £4.5m. Given made four appearance
for Manchester City last season, none of which were in the league. Bayern
Munich, meanwhile, are ready to offer £12m for City defender Jerome Boateng.
West Brom goalkeeper Scott Carson has completed his move to Turkish side
Bursaspor. Albion are close to finalising a deal for former midfielder
Zoltan Gera on a free transfer from Fulham. The 32-year-old was undergoing
a stringent medical on Friday night.
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