West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are committed to tackling discrimination and prejudice in
football
22.02.2013
West Ham United are committed to tackling discrimination in whatever form it
takes and will continue to promote events and campaigns throughout the year
that highlight and combat prejudice towards individuals because of
disability, race, sex, sexual orientation and religion. West Ham United's
stance of championing programmes promoting inclusion and tolerance has
already been displayed at the start of 2013 through the backing of the
Football v Homophobia campaign and their support of the annual Holocaust
Memorial Day.
February is Football v Homophobia's month of awareness in connection with
the annual Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender Month, and the club's
support for their campaign has been in evidence again this week ahead of
Monday's game against Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham United are also committed to act upon any isolated incidents of
discriminatory behaviour from individuals at matches, both home and away.
In conjunction with the Metropolitan Police, the club operates a zero
tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination, and any fan found to be
acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic
behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law and banned from
attending matches.
In a joint statement West Ham United Joint Chairmen David Sullivan and David
Gold said: "We both feel it is hugely important that we are continuing our
great work from 2012 that highlights discrimination in society today. We
supported a number of key initiatives last year which we are continuing to
build on throughout 2013.
"We firmly believe that West Ham United is a club that promotes fairness and
inclusion and we want the Boleyn Ground to continue to be a place that
people from all backgrounds feel welcome. "We have made it very clear that
we will not tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour and one by one we
will root out those fans that do not deserve to represent this great club of
ours. We must be clear that we will pursue the harshest sanctions against
any individual who goes against what we stand for as a club. "It is obvious
that the vast, vast majority of Hammers fans support the club in the right
way and we are very grateful for the tremendous backing we receive from our
supporters. However, in the rare case that supporters do see or hear
anything they think is unacceptable, there are a number of ways they can
report the matter. Two of the easiest ways are to speak to their nearest
steward at the stadium or use the Boleyn Ground's anonymous fan phone number
- 07860 404 069 - where all calls will be treated in the strictest of
confidence. "Everyone at West Ham United is looking forward to Monday's
visit of Tottenham Hotspur. It should be a fantastic game of football, a
wonderful opportunity to remember Bobby Moore - the greatest player to don
the famous claret and blue - and a chance to show the world what being a
Hammers fan is all about - supporting with pride, passion and respect."
Kick It Out Chairman Lord Herman Ouseley added: "Clubs have the power to
show leadership and set an example for the vast majority of its supporters
to follow and West Ham have done exactly that.
"Kick It Out has seen first-hand the appetite the club has in embracing
anti-discrimination initiatives, with David Gold and James Tomkins both
acting as campaign ambassadors in 2012. By doing this they're helping to
send a message as to what is and what isn't acceptable.
"It is clear they feel abuse won't be tolerated and, in a period where the
issue is high on the agenda, this approach is something we applaud."
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Big Sam on: Tottenham Hotspur
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United manager talks to the press ahead of Monday's game
against Tottenham Hotspur
22.02.2013
Sam Allardyce faces the luxury of a selection headache on Monday night
against Tottenham Hotspur after Joey O'Brien and James Collins returned to
training this week. The boss has an almost-fully fit squad, although he
wishes that was the case in December and January when the Hammers faced a
heavy schedule of fixtures. But for now, he is pleased to have as many
options as possible with the top-four chasing Spurs visiting the Boleyn
Ground.
Sam, can we start with the team news for Monday?
SA - "This morning Joey O'Brien has joined in after being substituted at
Aston Villa, so we're hoping his leg is OK. James Collins has been in
training for the last few days to come back ready and be selected in the
squad. George McCartney is training with the first team squad today for the
first time since his injury about ten weeks ago, so the squad is looking fit
and strong. Selection processes are what a manager needs and it gives us a
good, broad base of squad members in strength in depth to select from moving
forward in the last third of the season. "Our difficulty is that coming into
March we've only got three games in the month. It's going to be a big period
to actually manage the players without really enough games. We had too many
games in December and January and now because of circumstances with
Manchester United beating Reading and an international break as well, we've
not got enough in March. We've got a big squad fully fit, but only three
matches for them to compete in. "We'll keep on top of the players' fitness
and make sure we're ready for every game because with such long periods
[between games] keeping the players focused and concentrated is one of the
difficulties. We'll look at the week-to-week management of the players and
decide what we want to do. More importantly, we have to keep them fit and
keep them all ready for selection."
What have you made of Tottenham of late and in particular Gareth Bale?
SA - "They've been very good. The team from an attacking point of view has
been outstanding, Recently they've lost their leading goalscorer, who is
Jermain Defoe, and Adebayor has been away at the Africa Cup of Nations, so
from a goalscoring point of view they've had to rely on one man and one man
only to come up with the goods. That's Gareth Bale and he's been the major
difference between Tottenham and the teams they've played recently. "Not
only has he scored very important goals, but they've been stunning goals at
that. He's going to need some looking after on Monday night. If we can do
that we nullify a threat that Tottenham have. Of course [Aaron] Lennon is a
threat down the other side, but he doesn't quite score as many goals as
Gareth Bale. We're not sure yet whether Jermain Defoe will be fit, but
certainly we've got to cope with that strike force. "Our home form has been
excellent all season and so we're going to hopefully make sure Tottenham
worry about us for a long period of time on Monday night, rather than us
worry about them too much."
The Bobby Moore tributes on Monday night - how important will they be for
the fans and the club?
SA - "Hopefully we can win the game and that would be the best thing that
could happen to celebrate Bobby Moore. He was a magnificent influence in the
world of football - not only at West Ham. I was very fortunate to play
against him in his days at Fulham and I can remember him distinctly as an
outstanding footballer. I think I was 18 at the time, breaking into first
team football at Bolton, and we were playing in the Second Division trying
to get into the First. Fulham had Moore, Mullery, Best and Marsh and we
still beat them!"
How impressed have you been with Winston Reid this season?
SA - "In Winston's short period of time with me, he's developed really well
in terms of his consistent level of performance and how he's learnt to do
his job as a defender first and as a footballer second. We lose sight of
good defenders today - I think the Barclays Premier League is as exciting as
it is because defenders aren't as good as they used to be in my opinion. Not
in Winston's case though, he's come out to be one of the most productive and
consistent defenders in the Premier League for me. He's been an outstanding
figure for us this season. "It's taken him to a new level. His first year in
the Premier League was a difficult one, he learnt an awful lot in the
Championship last year and has carried that forward into the Premier League.
I've been really pleased with his development."
He's worn the armband recently. Do you see him as possibly a future captain?
SA - "Perhaps, but I think if there's going to be another captain at the
club at the moment that would be Mark Noble. He's grown as a footballer and
he's West Ham through and through. Eventually, if anything happened to Kevin
[Nolan] he would be the man, but Winston has grown and might be captain
material.
How's Wellington Paulista getting on?
SA - "He's scoring a few goals in the Under-21s Developement Team. Hopefully
sooner or later we can get him introduced into the first team squad. Back in
December I only had one striker, Carlton Cole, today I've got five - Maiga,
Carroll, Cole, Paulista and Chamakh. I've got plenty of numbers to work with
which is great competition for places. That makes it a little bit harder for
him to get in, but of course if he continues to score for the U21s we'll
look at him at some stage."
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Jussi relishing Bale hearing
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is ready to face Tottenham
Hotspur's Gareth Bale
22.02.2013
Jussi Jaaskelainen is relishing the opportunity to take on the Barclays
Premier League's most prolific player on Monday night. Tottenham Hotspur's
Wales winger Gareth Bale has scored 21 goals in 36 appearances for club and
country so far this season - including seven in his previous five matches.
The lightning-quick left-footer has netted all types of goals this term,
including three unstoppable free-kicks in recent victories over Newcastle
United and French side Olympique Lyonnais. Rather than be intimidated,
however, West Ham United goalkeeper Jaaskelainen is looking forward to
pitting his wits against Bale, who scored in Spurs' 3-1 league win at White
Hart Lane in November. "The ideal situation is that we don't give those
silly free-kicks away around the box - that's how you stop him because if
you don't give him free-kicks he can't do it again!" said the No22. "He has
obviously done lots of practice on the free-kicks and the only thing a
'keeper can do is see the ball all the way and hope it doesn't go in right
next to the post and he has a chance to save the ball. "He seems to have
found a new technique and a new way to take his free-kicks."
Jaaskelainen was beaten by a Charles N'Zogbia free-kick at Aston Villa last
time out, but it was the first time a direct set piece had ended up in the
Finn's net all season. Modern-day footballs seem to have a mind of their
own, but the West Ham stopper refuses to blame the ball for the succession
of free-kicks that have been scored in the Barclays Premier League this
term. "Over the past ten years or so, they seem to try to make a quicker
football in the Premier League, and you can obviously see that more goals
like that seemed to be scored every year. "That's a big part of how the ball
has been designed, but I still think it is a great ball and good to play
football with, and of course goals are what the fans want to see! "I am not
too worried about it or complaining. You have to try to keep them out.
That's the name of the game and hopefully we can do that on Monday."
Beating Andre Villas-Boas' side will be easier said than done, however, as
Tottenham are unbeaten in ten Barclays Premier League matches dating back to
a 2-1 defeat at Everton on 9 December. Regardless of that enviable record,
Jaaskelainen is looking forward to what promises to be a memorable night
under the lights at the Boleyn Ground, with the club marking the 20th
anniversary of the death of Hammers and England legend Bobby Moore OBE.
"Tottenham seem to have been going extremely well for the past two or three
months but our home form, with our fans behind us, has been good. We just
need to keep performing the way we have been at home and I think we'll give
them a good game."
*A limited number of tickets are still available for Monday's Barclays
Premier League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. To secure your seat now,
click on the link below.
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Bonzo pays tribute to Bobby
WHUFC.com
Billy Bonds reveals his fond memories of West Ham United legend Bobby Moore
OBE
22.02.2013
Picture the scene...3 November 1992. The wind whips in off the North Sea, on
a chillingly cold Tuesday evening in Cleethorpes, where Trevor Morley's
late-leveller has just helped West Ham United to secure a precious point
against Grimsby Town. The Hammers will go on to plunder promotion to the
Premier League in six months time but, for now, as the floodlights start to
flicker and fade and a crowd of 9,119 - the Mariners' largest attendance of
the season to date - drift away into the night, two West Ham United legends
exchange a few words pitch-side at a bleak, blustery Blundell Park. "I was
walking back from the manager's press conference, when I spotted Bobby Moore
sitting there all alone on the terrace wall," recalls Billy Bonds, who made
a club record 793 appearances for the club before taking over the managerial
reins for a further 237 matches. "We had just got a 1-1 draw on a typically
freezing November night and Mooro had been covering the game for Capital
Gold. 'What on earth are you doing up here? What time will you be getting
back to London?' I asked.
"He said: 'Don't worry, Bonzo, I'll be home by about 3:00 a.m.' Sure, I know
that he liked doing all his local radio commentary work but, for me, I was
sorry to see how it had all ended up for him. Football should've been a lot
kinder to an icon like Bobby Moore...after all, you wouldn't ever see Pele
or Franz Beckenbauer going all the way up to Grimsby Town on a Tuesday night
in November, would you?
"Sadly, that was the last time I ever saw Mooro," continues Bill, forever
cherishing precious memories of the 108-times capped World Cup winning
captain, who stands just two rungs below him on the Hammers all-time
appearance ladder with 642 outings in the claret and blue. Contrast that
final, forlorn, rain-swept rendezvous with their first-ever meeting, some
three decades earlier. "I was about 14-years-old and I didn't have clue who
Bobby Moore was," admits Bonzo. "My Sunday morning team had just won a
trophy and our coach - Mr Flowers - arranged for a surprise guest to present
the medals in our local school hall.
"This good looking lad turned up with his wife-to-be and they watched us
from up on the stage, while we were all given footballs to do some skills
and drills down on the floor below. "To be honest, having been born in
Woolwich, I was a Charlton Athletic boy and they were only in the second
division at the time. Although we knew that the blond, well-built fellow
sitting up there was a West Ham United player, we didn't really know any
more than that but, even then, it was obvious that this young lad - Bobby
Moore - definitely had something about him. "Seven years, an FA Cup, a
European Cup Winners Cup and, of course, one World Cup later, I ended up in
the same West Ham side. It was unbelievable!" continues Bill, who journeyed
through the Blackwall Tunnel to the Boleyn Ground in May 1967, following his
£47,500 transfer from The Valley. "Going on to play alongside Bobby Moore
was such a big thing for me because he really was top-drawer. That
presentation at the school left me totally in awe of him and, to be honest,
I never got over it.
"Mooro was an absolute icon. I respected a lot of team-mates and opponents
down the years but he was the only person in my entire career, who made me
feel that way. "I wasn't one of his muckers and not being a drinker, I
wouldn't say that I was in his crew either but he was fantastic to me from
the day that I arrived and I loved him as a player and as a person," reveals
the 66-year-old. "Bobby Moore had a presence both off and on the field.
"There was no side to him at all and, having lifted the World Cup, he'd been
the most famous person on the planet on that July afternoon at Wembley in
1966 but, despite all of that, Bobby wasn't the slightest bit lairy. Mooro
treated everyone the same, no matter who they were. "These days, I could
name a thousand players, who have achieved nothing like what Bobby did, yet
they go about their business acting really flash and walking around as
though they own the place. "Bobby Moore wasn't a particularly good header of
the ball and he wasn't very quick either but, boy, his timing was
impeccable. He didn't need to be good in the air or fast because he could
read the game so well - he always seemed to be in the right place at the
right time to nick the ball off a centre-forward. "And he was just so good
at bringing the ball out of defence and starting attacks, too."
Both summoned to Buckingham Palace during their playing careers, Bobby Moore
OBE and Billy Bonds MBE were each recognised in The Queen's New Year's
Honours List for their contributions to the beautiful game. But down West
Ham way, they could not have had more contrasting styles. Just compare the
Persil-white, perfectly-coiffeured, Mooro to the swashbuckling, pirate-like,
Bonzo. "I started out playing for West Ham at right-back, while Bobby was in
central defence and we were total opposites," confirms Bonds. "Mooro was
never one to shout or holler, he was totally calm and collected and always
looked immaculate, whereas I was always muddy, up and at 'em and with my
beard and long hair, people used to say that I resembled a Viking! "We
never, ever had any disagreements but I can remember we were under the cosh
up at Sunderland one day, when I looked across and saw him shouting and
wagging his finger towards me. "I had a right pop back at him only to then
see that familiar Mooro look, where he would raise his eyebrows. It was only
then that I turned around and, to my horror, saw he was actually having a go
at the linesman for not putting his flag up. I felt so small!"
Despite having climbed the 39 steps to the Royal Box at Wembley to lift that
hat-trick of trophies in the mid-60s, Moore sadly found himself frustrated
in his quest to bring any more silverware back to the Boleyn Ground. But
having made his senior debut in September 1958, it was testament to the
great man, that he remained down West Ham way until spring 1974, when he
finally headed way out west to Fulham, while Bonzo was handed the coveted
captaincy by Ron Greenwood. "There was a loyalty in those days," insists
Bill. "It wasn't only Bobby because you have to remember that people such as
Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters, Frank Lampard and Trevor Brooking had also come
up through the youth ranks. West Ham United were very fortunate that they
had a group of players, who stayed for a long time, even though the threat
of relegation was often hanging over the club. Those players could all have
found other clubs very easily. "The game's changed so much now and, today,
players always seem to be looking to move on as soon as anything starts to
go wrong. "It was a privilege to take over from Bobby as captain of West Ham
United but they were very big boots to fill," continues Bill, who fittingly
found himself lining up against his predecessor in the shadow of Wembley's
Twin Towers just over 12 months later. "Ironically, just a year or so after
he went to Fulham, Mooro ended up facing us in the 1975 FA Cup Final. To be
honest, there was no room for sentiment that day and, make no mistake, Bobby
would have loved to have put one over on us, while we also wanted to go out
there and lift that trophy, too. "As the older players, Alan Mullery and
Mooro realised that it was probably their last-ever chance to win a medal
and, knowing that no-one ever remembers the runners-up, they really wanted
to win that game just as much as we did.
"Being in the old second division, Fulham were the underdogs and, although
we didn't play that well on the day, their keeper probably didn't end up
having his best afternoon and Alan Taylor came up trumps with his double
that gave us a 2-0 win in the end. I've got a photograph of me and Graham
Paddon consoling Bobby after the game because he was obviously down and
Kevin Lock and a few of the other lads came over, too, but all we could say
really was: 'Unlucky mate.' "
Sandwiched between a post-retirement, trail-blazing adventure playing in the
North American Soccer League and his later stint in the commentary box,
Moore also tried his hand at management with Oxford City and Southend
United. And, in a final twist of tragic fate, Bonzo was the Hammers boss,
when Bobby prematurely passed away, at the age of 51, on 24 February 1993.
"Our first game following Bobby's death was up at Sunderland and there was a
minute's silence before the game," recounts Bill. "We were away from home
and while 99% of fans are usually as good as gold in those situations,
there's always that one per cent, who want to spoil it. "But even though
those 60 seconds were for a West Ham player, you could have heard a pin drop
at Roker Park that afternoon and that just showed how much respect there was
for Bobby Moore, both up and down the country and throughout the entire
game. "It was even more emotional at the Boleyn Ground the following week,
when we played Wolves. Before the game, Ron Greenwood, Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst carried a giant wreath depicting Bobby's No6 shirt out to the
centre-circle and, once again, the whole ground fell totally silent. It was
a very sad time for everyone. "Looking back - and if I had my time again as
manager - I would have done a bit more to get Bobby involved with the club,
say, in some kind of ambassadorial role but, by the time I became West Ham
manager, he was already working in radio and he seemed to be enjoying his
involvement with his fellow commentators like Jonathan Pearce. "I can't
believe that it's 20 years since we lost him," concludes Bill. "I was very,
very lucky to have had the chance to play with Bobby Moore and that is
something that I am so proud to tell my two grandchildren."
*West Ham United would like to thank Steve Blowers for conducting this
interview with Billy Bonds.
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West Ham v Tottenham: Hammers warn fans over chanting
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have warned fans against racist behaviour when the Hammers play
Tottenham on Monday. The match, where the 20th anniversary of Bobby Moore's
death will be marked, comes three months after anti-Semitic chanting marred
the reverse fixture. Hammers chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan issued a
statement on Friday. "We must be clear that we will pursue the harshest
sanctions against any individual who goes against what we stand for as a
club," they said. Two West Ham fans accepted a police caution, and one of
them was given a lifetime ban from matches for gestures made at the 25
November match which Spurs won 3-1. The two cautioned supporters are
understood to have made Nazi-style salutes aimed at Tottenham supporters,
who traditionally have strong ties with London's Jewish community. Hammers
manager Sam Allardyce said: "I hope there's nothing untoward that happens in
terms of chanting.
Reporting racism West Ham say fans can report any incidents to the nearest
steward at the ground or use a phone number - 07860 404 069 - where calls
will be treated in strict confidence "Like everybody else we want to try to
reduce it to its bare minimum. We'd like to cut it out completely but I
don't think that's ever going to be the case when people get involved in
emotional situations. "But if we spot it, we've got to deal with it and
hopefully there won't be any."
Jewish co-chairman Gold said after the match at White Hart Lane that West
Ham would have a "zero tolerance" policy, in conjunction with the
Metropolitan Police, towards racist behaviour. The club say they have taken
part in several initiatives aimed at tackling discrimination on the grounds
of disability, race, sex, sexual orientation and religion. "Any fan found to
be acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic
behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law and banned from
attending matches," said the statement. At Monday's Premier League match,
former team-mates will attend to pay tribute to ex-West Ham captain Moore,
who led England to their 1966 World Cup win. A minute's applause will be
held before kick-off and supporters will display a mosaic depicting his old
No.6 shirt.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Harry Redknapp
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 22nd February 2013
By: Chris Scull
Harry Redknapp was manager of West Ham United from 1994-2001. He was also a
close pal of Bobby Moore, whose friendship he recalled fondly when speaking
with KUMB.com's Chris Scull...
Harry: thank you for talking to us. There's a whole generation of people who
never saw Bobby play. Can you explain why so many feel that Bobby was the
greatest defender who ever lived?
Well, Bobby had a fantastic, amazing football brain. He read situations; if
you had gone and looked at Bobby play as a scout you'd have probably come
back and said "well, he's not good in the air, he's not quick, he's not
over-aggressive" - you'd have gone "hang on, we're talking about a central
defender here!" But his reading of the game was incredible, he was always in
the right place to deal with situations even before they developed.
I always thought he was seconds ahead of everybody else. He got in the right
positions to deal with danger and he was a class act both on and off the
field. He was just a fantastic person - you never saw him kicking anybody or
having aggravation, he just got on with the game, played the game. A great
sportsman and just a fantastic ambassador for English football.
Do you think he's the greatest player this country has ever produced?
Well it's difficult to say as a footballer, you know. There have been more
talented players than Bobby for sure so I wouldn't say he was the most
talented player. But he captained England, he won the World Cup and he was a
special leader of men. He was a great player and for me will always be
special.
You played alongside him at West Ham for a number of years; what was he like
to play with?
Yeah, he was great. As a captain he was quiet, he wasn't one for shouting
and screaming at everybody. He got on with the game. If Bobby did get upset
with anyone you knew you must have got him really upset because he was a
very quiet, very shy guy away from football - but also one of the lads when
he let his hair down, he was great fun and everyone loved being with Bobby.
As a captain he led by example rather than by shouting and screaming at
everybody.
You were good friends; what was he like as a drinking partner?
Oh he liked a night out, did Bob, that's for sure! He could go out with the
best of them and enjoy himself. When he had a night out you certainly knew
he'd had a night out!
Many's the time he came into training after a night out, especially on a
Sunday morning. He always used to come in on a Sunday morning and do a few
sprints and laps, or put on a wetsuit and get a sweat on. Often he'd come in
with his dinner suit and bow tie on still, from when he'd been out with Tina
or whoever the night before! Everybody loved him, he was great company and a
fantastic player and person.
You worked together at Oxford City; did his enthusiasm to start his
managerial career from the bottom surprise you?
Yeah, but he was wasted really - there was a man with such knowledge of the
game. West Ham had the opportunity to use him - and what an ambassador he'd
have been for West Ham and England. But like most people, it was only when
he died that suddenly everybody wants to start naming stands after him and
building statues. How he never got a knighthood I'll never know, it baffles
me.
No disrespect to lots of other players or whoever who haven't done anything
close to what Bobby did in the game and who ended up getting knighthoods,
but Bobby didn't and I find it unbelievable really. It's scandalous. Frank
Beckenbauer at Bayern Munich; Bobby Charlton at Manchester United, Bobby
Moore at West Ham - he should have been there, he should have been an
ambassador for the club and also, as I said, for England.
You saw him manage from close hand; do you think he had it in him to be a
successful manager?
Oh undoubtedly, yes. It's the luck of the game, this game - if you haven't
got the right players and the right team you've got no chance. I'm not being
disrespectful but Alex Ferguson could have managed a team in the lower
reaches of the fourth division for 18 months and might not have made it.
That would have been the end of him and he's the top man in our business.
Bobby didn't really get a chance to manage at a club where he could have
made a success, he went instead to Southend where he had no chance
whatsoever.
People say "oh, he wasn't a manager" - but that's only because he never got
the chance. If he had managed West Ham he may well have been the best
manager West Ham ever had - who knows? But certainly he could have been a
great manager, everybody loved and respected him and he knew the game inside
out. There was no reason he couldn't have gone on to manage if he'd had the
right players and the right team.
I've read that when you had your accident in Italy in 1990, Bobby dropped
everything - including his radio commitments - to come and be at your
bedside. Were you surprised to see him?
No; that was Bob, wasn't it. Bob was always special and a caring person. We
all grew up together, we all came to West Ham and all grew up as kids
although he was a few years older than me. We all became great friends and
it was a close-knit football club, West Ham - all London boys. He was always
going to be there for you when you needed him.
He spent his final years on the periphery of football doing radio
commentary. Do you think those running the game let him down?
Absolutely, yes. I do. The people at West Ham, people at England. To see him
commentating, doing the radio... I went to Grimsby one night with West Ham
and he's sitting there doing Radio London or whatever it was, eating a bag
of fish and chips on a freezing cold night probably getting £100. What a
waste, he should have been walking in there as ambassador for West Ham as
the people of Grimsby would have loved to have seen him there that night as
he should have been.
It was a waste and like lots of things in life; people don't realise what
they've got until it's gone.
In recent years, as you mentioned, he's had a statue erected and a stand
named after him. What changed for him to become this honoured figure that he
wasn't in his lifetime?
I don't know really, everybody just realised what he was. The greatest
England captain of all time, the only man to have captained England to
winning the World Cup - certainly the only captain in my lifetime, I'm sure
and maybe in a long time. So he'll always be special. People who were around
will never forget 1966 as it was an amazing time and an amazing feat by the
players and especially Bobby.
When did you first discover that he was ill?
He came down to Bournemouth with Stephanie and spent a few days with us. I
could see he wasn't well, he'd lost a lot of weight. I must admit when I
first saw him - I'd arranged to pick him up at Bournemouth - I got very
upset, with the amount of weight he'd lost. His trousers were hanging off of
him and he always had those great big legs, but suddenly I could see he'd
lost loads of weight. He never complained, he never said "I'm not well" - he
just got on with it. That was Mooro.
Do you remember the last time you saw him?
It would have been not long before he died, not too long before we lost him.
He came down to Bournemouth not long before that. I'm not sure exactly when
but it would have been pretty close to when he died.
So you didn't have the opportunity to say a final goodbye?
No, not really because we didn't know how desperate it was. We knew he
wasn't well but these things deteriorate quickly and he didn't make a fuss,
you know.
If he was still alive - and you had the decision - what kind of role would
you give him in football?
Well now he'd be an ambassador and certainly involved with West Ham. I think
I'd make him Chairman at West Ham, or Life President - he should be in the
front row of the Director's box every week because everybody at West Ham is
proud of him. We all loved him; the players, the managers and the fans. The
supporters at the club absolutely idolise Bobby.
Again, certainly a role in the England set-up somewhere at the FA or
wherever. He probably wouldn't be managing at 70 or whatever he'd be now,
but certainly 20 years have been wasted where he could have been of great
use to football in this country.
* Extracts from this interview may also be heard in Episode 3 of the
KUMB.com Podcast - a Bobby Moore special.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Jeremy Nicholas
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 22nd February 2013
By: Jeremy Nicholas
Jeremy Nicholas has been West Ham United's match day announcer since 1998.
Here he tells us what Bobby Moore meant to him...
When I was a kid, the biggest name in football was Bobby Moore.
He was the England captain when we won the World Cup in 1966. I don't
remember much about it as I was three. My middle sister Melanie was only a
few days old, so Dad watched the game with the baby on his lap. I'm not sure
where I was, but Mel says it was a good game and we won it four-two. Either
she has a great memory, or she's watched it back on DVD.
No trip to the Boleyn Ground is complete without a visit to the World Cup
Heroes statue on the corner of Green Street and Barking Road, with Bobby
held aloft holding the trophy. The best thing about Bobby Moore was that he
was also the captain of West Ham. By the time the 1970 World Cup came round,
I was fully up to speed about football. I had wall charts, the lot. Mel says
the pictures from Mexico were a bit fuzzy, but it gave it a certain quality.
She was only four, but already had a keen eye.
I had a six-inch statue of Bobby on my bookshelf. He was taller in real
life. I still have that statue to this day. I took it to my first day at the
BBC, my first day at Channel 5 and it even went on holiday with me to
Morocco for the 1984 Olympics. The games weren't held in Morocco, but it's
where I went on holiday. Bobby stood on top of the hotel TV for good luck as
Daley Thompson won the decathlon in Los Angeles. He tilted slightly to one
side because I left him on a radiator and his base melted. That's Bobby, not
Daley.
I only met Bobby Moore twice in real life, apart from cheering him on from
the crowd at West Ham. The first time was in 1975. We were moving house and
Nanna took me and my big sister Kathryn to the movies, to keep us out of the
way of the removal men. We saw Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen and Paul
Newman. They didn't have to pay to get in, as they were in the film.
The rest of us did have to pay. Nanna probably paid for us, she was good
like that. In those days, you had to queue outside a cinema for a popular
film. We queued along the side of the Gants Hill Odeon. I had a bit of
restless leg syndrome and danced about with excitement at the thought of
seeing a skyscraper go up in flames. My forefathers are from the low lying
fens of Cambridgeshire, so any tall building is exciting. I still have
cousins who point when they see an aeroplane in the sky.
So I was dancing around like Nijinsky, the racehorse not the ballet dancer,
and accidentally trod on the toes of the man behind us. He was tall and I
looked up to say sorry. It was Bobby Moore. I mumbled an apology and went
bright red. After that I don't remember anything, the film is a blur.
Kathryn apparently did strike up a conversation with him. She went to Miss
Brill's dance classes with Bobby's daughter Roberta who was the same age.
The way Kathryn tells it, she was on first name terms with Bobby, but I
don't believe a word of it, I think the story has been embellished over the
years, I mean whoever heard of the surname Brill?
I remember being told the following weekend Bobby Moore missed a penalty and
it was all because I trod on his toe. Well I know that's rubbish, because
Bobby didn't take penalties. So you can forget that one Kathryn!
The other time I met Bobby was at Villa Park the day West Ham lost the FA
Cup semi-final, four-nil to Nottingham Forest. The other semi-final between
Spurs and Arsenal, the first at Wembley, was live on TV in the press room
beforehand. There were plenty of places to sit, but I deliberately sat right
next to Bob and we chatted all through the game. I can't remember what we
said, it was all about the match, but I was talking to Bobby Moore. Spurs
won, setting up the mouth watering prospect of a West Ham/Spurs final.
As the press room emptied, I went to the loo. Bobby Moore was emerging from
a cubicle. As he washed his hands I wished him good luck with his radio
commentary and then I went into the cubicle he'd just left. Now I'm a bit of
a stickler when it comes to hygiene, a bit like Miles from 'Frasier', but
for the first time ever, I didn't wipe the toilet seat down before taking my
seat.
Bobby Moore was the greatest ever captain of West Ham and England, his germs
could not be harmful. On reflection it's odd behaviour and I'm not sure I
should be mentioning it. But, better out than in.
I took my seat in the stand, still grinning, and ready to watch West Ham
fight for a place in an all London Cup Final. The West Ham fans were
magnificent that day, the best I've ever known, even better in my view than
the legendary play-off semi final against Ipswich in the Pardew era. We
didn't stop singing 'Billy Bonds Claret and Blue Army' all day.
We lost four nil.
When Bobby died in 1993 I was working at BBC Greater London Radio. It came
up as just a few words on the wires – England's World Cup winning captain
Bobby Moore has died of bowel cancer.
Working in broadcasting you develop immunity to bad news stories, otherwise
you'd never be able to cope with live situations. However when it's one of
your heroes from childhood it's tough. My little statue of Bobby that sat on
my bedside locker as a kid, had come with me to my interview at GLR and he'd
been there for my first show. Now I had to read the newsflash.
With tears streaming down my face, I ripped off the script from the printer
and walked into the studio. The news editor intercepted me and asked if I
wanted somebody else to read it, but I said I would be all right. I put my
head down and read it, just exactly what it said on the script and then
walked out again without talking to the presenter.
Bobby Moore played 108 times for England, a record at the time. Peter
Shilton and David Beckham have since overtaken that total. Shilts played on
longer because he was a keeper and Becks made a lot of his appearances as a
sub, but Bobby played every single minute of every one of his 108
appearances.
The Bobby Moore Fund does brilliant work in his memory, raising awareness of
bowel cancer. I've been inspired every time I've met Stephanie at events
where I've supported them as a speaker or auctioneer. If you are ever
looking for a charity to support they are lovely people to work with. Each
year I stand out at the London Marathon cheering on every Bobby Moore Fund
runner wearing the red shirts with a number six on the back. I'd love to run
it one year for the BMF, but my osteopath won't let me.
The first game after Bobby's death was against Wolves. A giant number six
shirt made out of claret and blue flowers was carried into the centre circle
by Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Like many around me I was struggling to
hold back the tears. Then two Wolves fans ran onto the pitch with a tribute
of their own. They obviously hadn't cleared it with anyone, but the stewards
were brilliant and didn't overreact, allowing them to place their tribute, I
think it was a cross in Wolves colours, alongside the official tributes in
the centre circle. They were warmly applauded all the way back to their
seats.
We won the game three one, which was fitting. At the end my heart was in my
mouth as a West Ham skinhead ran onto the pitch. He ran to the Wolves end,
applauded them, they clapped him back and he ran off. I'm with Brian Clough
when it comes to pitch invasions, nobody should ever enter the field of
play. But those two mini-invasions were special moments and were a fitting
tribute to England's greatest ever captain.
*This article first appeared in Jeremy's latest book, 'Mr Moon Has Left The
Stadium' which you may purchase directly from KUMB.com.
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Big Sam deal on hold
By PAT SHEEHAN
Published: 22nd February 2013
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has broken his silence and confirmed all contract talks are on
hold until the summer. The West Ham boss has four months to go on a two-year
deal and is on course to achieve the twin aims set when he took over —
promotion and then Premier League safety. Allardyce, whose 11th-placed side
are at home to Tottenham on Monday, insisted both he and the club's board
had agreed to wait. He said: "This is a both-party agreement and both
parties will sort it out privately and confidentially when the time is
right."
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Hammers: We'll ban vile fans
By MIKE McGRATH
Published: 22nd February 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM will ban for life any fans using anti-Semitic chants in Monday's
London derby clash with Tottenham. Hammers owners David Gold and David
Sullivan are desperate to avoid anything tarnishing the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. And they have told fans to report anybody they see or
hear using offensive behaviour. Last November's 3-1 defeat at White Hart
Lane was marred by shameful chants from a few West Ham followers. Gold and
Sullivan issued a statement last night saying: "We will not tolerate any
form of discriminatory behaviour and one by one we will root out those fans
that do not deserve to represent this great club of ours. "We will pursue
the harshest sanctions against any individual who goes against what we stand
for as a club. "The vast majority of Hammers fans support the club in the
right way. However, in the rare case supporters do see or hear anything
unacceptable, there are a number of ways they can report the matter."
West Ham dished out a lifetime ban to one supporter after the ugly scenes
three months ago. Moore's grandchildren will lead out the teams on Monday
night as one of a number of tributes to England's 1966 World Cup-winning
skipper. Moore played 544 games for West Ham and died on February 24, 1993,
aged 51, after battling bowel cancer. Former team-mates will attend the game
to join in the tribute with a minute's applause before kick-off. West Ham
boss Sam Allardyce also hopes the club's fans will behave. He said: "I hope
there's nothing untoward. "We'd like to cut it out and if we spot it then
we've got to deal with it."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, February 23
Friday, February 22
Julian Dicks XI v Dean Ashton XI, 24th March, The Hive.
Julian Dicks XI v Dean Ashton XI, 24th March, The Hive. Who do you want to play for?
Have you ever dreamed about playing alongside a West Ham legend?
Fancy testing your skills against former Premier League stars? Or, would you like to gain some valuable sporting tips from a former England international?
On Sunday 24th March, corporate football events company, Awayday Football is giving you the chance to do just that by hosting a special, one-off match that will see a Julian Dicks XI take on a Dean Ashton XI – with teams made up of you, the fans!
Awayday Football organises football-based coaching and playing experiences, tailored to motivate your workforce. Through the help of former-professionals and top flight coaches, each programme is created to match the needs of your company – helping find what really motivates your staff.
And as a one-off, we will be holding this special day to show just what we can do. Hosted at Barnet FC’s brand new luxury training facility – The Hive London, which was recently used by Brazil prior to their game against England in early February. This exclusive event takes place on Sunday, 24th March from 12pm to 4pm.
The day begins with an introduction to both Dean and Julian, where you are also be allocated to one of their teams. This is swiftly followed by a one-hour coaching session with your pro, where you gain an insight into their football knowledge. Designed as a fun-based session, players with all levels of fitness will enjoy, and benefit from ,spending time with our great team of dedicated coaches and ex-pros.
Not only are Julian Dicks & Dean Ashton in attendance but if you are a goalkeeper, you can benefit from some top GK coaching from former West Ham & Walsall shot-stopper Jimmy Walker who will also there on day!
You then get a chance to rest up during lunch, when Dean, Julian & Jimmy host a Q & A session – giving you another chance to quiz them on their careers.
After lunch it's time for kick off!
The match is 60 minutes long, split into 15 minute quarters and is 11 v 11 on a full-size astroturf pitch with an FA-licensed referee taking charge.
Each team has substitutes - but it's roll on/roll off and we ensure that EVERYONE gets equal game time - so don't worry about being brought on in the 59th minute as a time wasting tactic!
At full-time, the day is rounded off with an awards ceremony, as well as the opportunity to have your picture taken with Dean, Julian & Jimmy.
With just 28 places available, this informal experience is one not to be missed by die-hard football fans. Although the minimum participation age is 14, we welcome players of all abilities and genders.
Places are limited!
The cost of the event per person is just £115, which includes lunch and refreshments on arrival. On payment, your place is secured immediately, and you receive both a payment confirmation and more information on what you need on the day.
This is really a one-off opportunity to enjoy a relaxed, close-up experience with some great names from the game, so get in quick to avoid disappointment – and come and test your skills against the greats and show them how it should be done!
To book your place at www.awaydayfootball.com enquiries to: info@awaydayfootball.com
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd February 2013
U17s go goal crazy
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts' youngsters recorded a welcome 7-2 friendly victory over
Dagenham and Redbridge
21.02.2013
Steve Potts guided West Ham United's youngsters to a 7-2 Under-17 friendly
victory over Dagenham and Redbridge on Thursday. With the Hammers having a
free weekend in their Barclays U18 Premier League Tier One fixture list and
the club's U16 schoolboys available due to the half-term holiday, Potts took
the opportunity to welcome the Daggers to Little Heath. Portugal U17 striker
Marcio Martins, who recently returned from a successful spell on
international duty at the Algarve Tournament, netted a hat-trick, while
schoolboys Jerry Amoo, Reece Burke and Jami Rafati were also on target. The
scoring was completed by an own-goal. Potts was pleased with West Ham's
victory, with his side racing into a 4-1 half-time lead before keeping their
collective foot on the gas after the break to score three more goals. "We
had a mixture of first-year scholars and Under-16 schoolboys and we played
some really good football and scored the goals to go with it," said the
manager. "The players have been playing well in the league in the last few
weeks but haven't quite got the results. "On Thursday, we put the ball into
the back of the net and it was very pleasing on the eye and very good. "I
think everyone did well in their own way but the midfield played very well.
They linked the game up well - Moses Makasi, Kieran Bywater and Kieran
Sadlier - and alternated their roles quite well. A few of the younger boys -
Kyle Knoyle and Jerry Amoo - came in and obviously Marcio up top got himself
a hat-trick, so that was good."
Potts closed by urging the club's scholars to keep aiming for the top, with
Development Squad places possibly up for grabs ahead of next Tuesday's
Barclays U21 Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers. "They are
certainly getting pushed in the league we are in at the moment and every
game is a difficult game, and the way we have been pushing them up the
age-groups as much as we can has certainly tested the boys. "To be honest,
we saw the benefit of that against Dagenham because we looked very strong
out there and the football was good. Hopefully, in the long-term, we are
doing the right thing."
Under-17s: Baxter, Knoyle, Onariase, Marlow (Burke 59), Mavila, Bywater
(Rafati 59), Makasi, Sadlier, Parfitt (Pike 59), Amoo, Martins
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Parkes remembers 'humble' Moore
WHUFC.com
Our tribute to the great Bobby Moore continues with Phil Parkes' memories
21.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Goalkeeper Phil Parkes made 344
league appearances for the Hammers between 1979-1990, and although his time
at the Boleyn Ground didn't coincide with Bobby's, he has fond memories from
an appearance.alongside him in a match in 1970.
He told West Ham TV: "Bobby was still playing for England when I first got
into the squad, so we were in a lot of those squads together. "The only time
I actually played with him though was way back in 1970 when I signed for
QPR. I got called very late to play in a testimonial game at Reading for
Dennis Allen, who was Martin Allen's father. It was a London XI v a Reading
XI and I think Gerry Francis, myself and Dave Clement got pulled in as young
lads to fill places.
"I was only 19 or 20 years old - and four years earlier I'd been watching
Bobby Moore lift the World Cup, with everyone else at Wembley - and he was
the first person who came over as I walked into the dressing room. "He put
his hand out and said 'hello, who are you? I'm Bobby Moore'. I almost wanted
to say 'what are you introducing yourself to me for because everyone knows
who you are', but that's the kind of person he was. He'd come over to chat
to you and he put us really at ease, even though we were playing with some
real superstars. He was an amazing person."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates.
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Twenty years gone, never forgotten
WHUFC.com
Supporters are invited to pay their respects to Bobby Moore on the 20th
anniversary of his passing
10.02.2013
West Ham United will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Hammers and
England legend Bobby Moore OBE around the weekend of the Barclays Premier
League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers' 1964 FA Cup and 1965
European Cup Winners' Cup-winning captain passed away at the age of 51 on 24
February 1993 following a dignified battle with bowel cancer. To honour his
memory, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Heroes statue on the
corner of Green Street and Barking Road at 11am on Sunday 24 February.
There, club officials will pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of
Moore's death, and supporters are invited to attend too. The following
evening, at West Ham's home match with Spurs on Monday 25 February, a series
of special events are planned to commemorate the life of the man who
skippered England to FIFA World Cup glory in July 1966. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. Prior to
kick-off, a minute's applause will be held in memory of the man who made 544
appearances for the Hammers between 1958 and 1974. Supporters sitting in the
Bobby Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special
mosaic depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired
by the club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's
West Ham debut.
The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund matches
and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity carried out
at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also being
produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from those
who knew him best, on and off the pitch. Priced at £4, a donation of 50
pence from the sale of each programme will be made to the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK.
A bucket collection will also be held at the Boleyn Ground to allow
supporters to make their own personal donations to the charity founded in
Moore's memory devoted to fighting the disease that took his life. The West
Ham squad will also warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund T-shirts before kick-off to
create awareness for the charity and the first team players will sign the
shirts they play in on the night in order that they can be auctioned to
further boost the club's fundraising total for the charity.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Jonathan Pearce
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Chris Scull
KUMB.com caught up with Match of the Day presenter Jonathan Pearce, a former
colleague of Bobby Moore's at Capital Gold, for a chat about the former West
Ham captain on the 20th anniversary of his passing. Firing the questions on
behalf of Knees up Mother Brown was Chris Scull...
Jonathan - thank you for talking to us. Why do so many consider Bobby
England's finest?
I think it was the way he played and the way he conducted himself on and off
the pitch. He was a master of the 'steal' tackle - he used to steal the ball
but very rarely went to ground, you'll remember that fantastic tackle in
Mexico 1970 against Jairzinho but also in the 1975 Cup Final for Fulham
against West Ham when he nicked the ball there. He was fantastic at that art
and a fantastic passer of the ball but it was just the way he led people,
let alone the West Ham and England teams. Beckenbauer and Pele have said
that he was the best defender ever and he was certainly the best defender I
ever saw play.
Were you in awe the first time you met him?
Not really, because Bobby was so easy with everyone. He made you feel
special right from the first moment you met him, he built you up to be as
important as he was in any given situation. Your ideas were as valid as his,
your suggestions and thoughts on football were equally valid. He just put
people at ease and treated me the same way as people he'd won the World Cup
with, great legends of the game. And he was an unbelievable person really,
the finest man I've ever met in football and one of the finest I've met in
my life.
What was he like as a colleague?
He loved being part of a team. At that time we ran Capital Gold very much on
the same lines as a team; we had our season, we had our pre-season, we had
our Christmas do, our end of season bash. We worked week-to-week and had a
lot of young reporters coming through, most of whom are now working in
television and Bobby was great with them.
He wasn't an overly vocal captain. Did he ever have any advice for you as a
football commentator?
What he did, he wouldn't sit and say "this is a tip for how you should
commentate on football" because he didn't know commentary and he was very
good at commenting on defensive performances. He wanted defenders to play
the way some are playing now; he didn't ever want them to lunge in with a
challenge. But what he would do was tell the younger reporters stories of
the past and he just used to enchant people like that. Because of that he
increased their overall knowledge of the game, he enriched your experience
of it.
It came about because a friend of mine called Mick Lowes, who used to work
with me - probably the best radio commentator I've ever worked with - who's
now up at BBC Radio Newcastle. I had a friend called Steve Lillis who worked
at the [Daily] Sport newspaper and Steve said that Bobby wanted to do more
from a social situation. We then progressed it, spoke to Bob and from the
minute he came to speak to us he wanted to come in and join us.
Was I surprised that he didn't have a role in football? Yes I was and to
this day I'm astonished and disgusted by the fact that football ignored him
for so long. People say "oh, he'd never make a manager, he's too nice" -
that's utter rubbish. He was never given the chance at a club with resources
and I think he could have passed on his knowledge to footballers of any age.
He certainly could have played the same ambassadorial role that Beckenbauer
did with the German Football Association.
He was chronically underused by the game so was I surprised that he was
available to us? Yes. Was I surprised that he wanted to come and join us?
No. It was almost as if he was back in the dressing room again and he loved
that.
What was the reaction when you walked down the street with Bobby?
You get a lot of double-takes, you know and then inevitably you'd have
people... When we used to go to away games we'd sit on a wall somewhere or
stand outside a fish and chip shop eating chips from paper or go to a cafe
or service station on the way like ordinary fans and he loved that. He'd
never experienced that side [of the game] as a player and he really enjoyed
it.
Inevitably fans would come up and talk to him, he'd talk the hind legs off a
donkey if they wanted to talk about football. He really concentrated on the
football of there and then, he never talked about himself or his own career.
He was more interested in talking about the current players and he'd ask
fans what they thought. That was it really; he always used to listen to the
thoughts of other people and those thoughts were as important to him as his
own. He was very good with fans and if they were ever bothering him on a
train he used to say "excuse me boys, a man of my age needs to shut his eyes
now and again - I must have 40 winks" - and he'd close his eyes and pretend
to be asleep until they'd gone when he'd open his eyes and say "have they
gone Pearco?" and carry on the conversation! Because he was Bobby they used
to take that on board!
It's funny, but he was a devil at cutting people up on the road in his car.
If you hit a traffic jam or something like that on a motorway Bob would
always be roaring along in the outside lane then cut in late. People would
be honking their horns but as soon as they realised who it was they'd pull
up alongside him again, pull an autograph book out of the window and ask him
to sign it! One minute they were enraged by him, next minute they saw it was
Bobby Moore and they were enchanted again. He had the ability to enchant
anyone; as soon as he entered a room, heads turned.
Did he have as much humility as people say?
Yeah, I think that's what made him so special really; he was so humble.
World Cup '66 wasn't about him; World Cup '66 wasn't about Peters and Hurst,
the goalscorers in the Final - it was about George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Nobby
Stiles and Jack Charlton. He used to talk about all of them, he used to talk
about the forgotten squad members. He used to talk to me about those people.
I can't remember where we were but I remember saying... The context was that
someone had said to me about playing, or something, and I said "no, I wasn't
good enough". Although I trained at Bristol City when I was a kid I never
had any pace, couldn't head a ball or get over the half way line and back in
the same week! Mooro, quick as a flash turned round and said "well neither
could I Pearco and look what happened to me!"
He was just like that, very self-deprecating. He'd had a wonderful career;
this was a man who captained his country for a joint record amount of times.
In fact, thinking back to it I remember having a conversation with him about
that and he was so proud that he'd captained his country as many times as
Billy Wright, I think it was. He was very proud of that record, I know that
but he was a very modest man.
When you were sat with Bobby at Wembley against San Marino, did you get a
sense that he was saying goodbye to the scene of his many triumphs?
No. In fact he was, but no I didn't. I only found out how seriously ill he
was the previous Saturday morning when a newspaper man phoned me up and said
the papers were going to run a story saying that Bobby was terminally ill. I
was just about to go out the door to an Arsenal versus Nottingham Forest Cup
tie and Bobby was off to Chelsea against Villa, I seem to remember. When I
spoke to him on the phone he told me what the situation was and I was
absolutely distraught, because the previous day I had been in hospital and
had the all-clear from a cancer scare. I'd phoned him up on that Friday,
talked to him and he never even let slip. Then, the following day, he told
me what the score was and I was in an awful state.
He asked me to come over to the house to do an interview. He was going to do
two interviews; one with me for the radio and TV around the world and
another one that Jeff Powell was going to do for the newspapers. So I went
down on the Monday and he was still very positive; he wanted people to think
that he believed he could beat the illness because he didn't want people to
give in if they had cancer, he wanted people to fight against it. He didn't
want to appear defeated even though he knew he was dying. I don't think
either he nor I thought it was going to be so quickly from that moment.
On the Wednesday he went to Wembley and he was fine during the game,
absolutely fine. The pictures that went round the world clearly shocked the
world and Stephanie, his wife and I decided that he shouldn't go to West Ham
on the Saturday against Newcastle because they'd have had a camera lens in
his face and we just didn't think that it would be fitting. We thought it
would be very upsetting for the family, so I phoned him up and told him I
didn't think he should go. He respected me - he didn't agree with the
decision but was happy with it. He respected everything that I'd always said
to him and that was it really. Sadly I never got the chance to speak to him
again because he died the following Wednesday.
I was out of the country in Goa when he died. So I'm pretty convinced that
he didn't know that night would be his last Wembley. I think he knew he'd
never see England win another trophy but I think he'd have known that since
Euro 1992. So he knew that he'd never see them win anything which deeply
saddened him. But he was so incredibly positive, even in the last days. He
took it remarkably stoically, an incredibly brave man.
You've mentioned with regret that you persuaded Bobby to stay away from the
Newcastle match shortly before he died. If you could turn back the clock,
would you have changed this?
No. No, I wouldn't. The fact is I never had the chance to speak to him again
and that will live with me for the rest of my life. But I've spoken to
Stephanie about it - we've had long conversations about it. Bobby didn't
hold anything against me for it, he respected my decision and that was it. I
wish he was here today; I wish he had lived to see my kids and I wished he'd
live to lead his son Dean down a healthier path. I wish he'd lived to see
his grandchildren on Roberta's side, I wish he was here today - but
unfortunately that cannot be. But would I have exposed him to that circus on
the Saturday? No I wouldn't - and it would have been a circus. It would have
been too much for his family to take at that time.
Do you recall the tributes at Upton Park in 1993?
I was out of the country and didn't come back for ten days afterwards, so
missed a great deal of it. Everything was taped for me; I watched the first
two minutes of film footage of the floral tributes, the scarves and the
shirts outside of Upton Park but it was too much, I couldn't watch any more.
It was too hard for me to watch. I've still got the tapes; I've not watched
them since. It's still too raw. You know, I wasn't in Bobby's family - I was
only a friend but he had that effect on people. I thought it was a
remarkable testament to the man, the way the game came together and the way
the minute's silence was meticulously observed around the country. The way
the football world came together.
I think it was the first time really that that had happened, that the
football world came together for one man. It's happened subsequently but not
to the same effect and I think it was just unparalleled, really. It just
spoke volumes about his importance to the world game and his standing in the
world game.
How should have the FA and West Ham United used Bobby while he was alive?
He should have had an ambassadorial role, like I said earlier, at least. He
could have been fantastic going into schools and encouraging kids to play
football. I think he would have certainly been a person worthy to have in
your back room staff or even as a manager at a club but he was never really
given the opportunity. He had that spell at Oxford City where he introduced
Harry Redknapp to football coaching - that was Harry's first job, so there's
a legacy. He had a dabble at Southend and then became a director there but
there was no money so he was on a loser right from the start. I think he
would have developed, he was very young at that stage. People come in now in
their 30s, late 30s as manager and people say they're too young. AVB came
in, "oh he's far too young to be a manager". Bobby was still young then and
had he been trusted with a role in his 40s I think he would have done it
very well.
If he were still alive, what do you imagine he'd be doing now?
I think he would have carried on doing what he did with me as long as he
wanted, as long as I was there. I think he would have got more TV because
suddenly, with Sky, TV blossomed and there were more opportunities. He
certainly would have got more media work. Then, with Sky blossoming there
were more commercial opportunities through sponsors, boot companies and
things like that. I think they would have got Bobby on board in some way or
another. Would he have been used by companies like McDonalds in the same way
Geoff Hurst had been to flag up their coaching scheme? Probably, but I don't
think the FA would have used him because have they used Bobby Charlton?
Trevor [Brooking] is the figurehead, Trevor's a different sort of character.
He might have been used by a club.
I think Bobby was very content. He was never bitter towards the game, he was
never bitter towards players making a lot of money than he ever made. I
would imagine if Bobby was still here today on a Sunday he'd be looking
forward to going to a game with myself or someone else and afterwards, we'd
find a little bar and have a glass of chilled white wine. That was Bobby,
really.
How should Bobby's memory be enshrined if West Ham move to the Olympic
stadium?
There's a lovely statue of Bobby at Wembley now and the statue of the World
Cup winners outside the Boleyn pub, but I'd like to see a whopping great big
statue of Bobby Moore as you walk into that Olympic Stadium so that Bobby is
honoured there with a major statue. I'd love to see West Ham put up other
statues of great legends around the whole ground; Billy Bonds, Frank
Lampard, people like this. Trevor Brooking, Phil Parkes, Malcolm Allison,
who played such an important part in Bobby's life. But Bobby should be the
centre piece of it, definitely.
How would you like the world to remember Bobby Moore?
As the greatest English captain of all time. In any sport. The greatest
English captain of all time in any sport.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Hugh Southon
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Hugh Southon
Hugh Southon knew and worked with Bobby Moore. Here he recalls our legendary
skipper...
Bobby Moore was the best of us!
With his passing 20 years ago today, a light went out which has never been
replaced. He was the one player who defied the well-loved cliché that no man
was bigger than the club... or indeed the country.
Bob was all that was best about this great game and a man who left those
whose lives he touched better people... I am forever grateful I was one of
those.
There are so many memories of Bob the player. The blood pulsed through the
veins just a little faster as he looked imperiously around him among the
blood and thunder of '60s and '70s football.
How a smile would spread across the faces of us Hammers fans as he would
calmly take two or three opponents out of the game with a simple pass. His
ability to dictate the pace of a game; the calm authority he exuded and his
supreme charisma at the heart of the team are irreplaceable and insistent
memories for me and millions who were blessed to live through the amazing
Mooro decades.
Of all the footballing memories he left behind, one has stayed with me for
nearly 50 years. On the afternoon of March 14, 1964, Bob led the Irons into
their first FA Cup Final since 1923.
That semi-final against Manchester United was to provide a defining moment
of Mooro the player! Leading 2-1 against Manchester United on a total
quagmire of a pitch where the pitch markings had all but disappeared into
the mud, the skipper picked up the ball on the touchline in the dying
minutes.
Any other player would have blasted the ball into Row Z but not Bob who
amazingly, despite the conditions, played a perfect ball down the touchline
for Geoff Hurst to pick his way through and blast home a third after Ron
'Ticker' Boyce had scored twice.
Never has Bobby's game better typified. He was an artist and his Upton Park
legacy remains as great and important today as it did ten, twenty years ago.
Nearly 20 years after that great game of football I met him when he became
sports editor of the Sunday Sport – the newspaper launched by our owners
David Sullivan and David Gold.
I became Bob's ghost writer each week and the man's modesty and
self-effacing approach to life was soon to show me that he was an even
greater man than he was a footballer.
Always gracious, I recall during one conversation he decided to say there
wasn't much to captaining England: "After all what do you do, only carry the
ball out!"
He added: "Every player who represents his country should be a captain…you
have reached the peak of your career. It should be expected."
He loved West Ham with a passion... his heart never really left Upton Park
but there was a sadness the fabulous football we played hadn't produced more
trophies.
But 1966 was the compensation of compensations and he again deflected all
personal glory claiming: "It was all about Alf Ramsey. He got the best
players defensively and offensively and produced a system to suit them
rather than asking them to fit his system."
We watched football together – he as the reporter, me as his writer and his
insights into the game were often nothing less than extraordinary. There was
never any side to him – what you saw was what you got. I remember leaving
myself short of cash at one game - Bob's hand was the first into his pocket.
I last saw him in the winter of his life. He was drinking tea from a cracked
cup in the Hawthorns press room where he was reporting for Capital Radio. He
was three months or so from his passing and very ill. But there was no
complaining, whinging, whining – he was a man of total dignity and declared
himself as "doing fine."
What a way to treat a hero. The man who had won the greatest prize this game
has to offer, reporting for a radio station in the west midlands on a
winter's afternoon . Poor… very poor indeed.
A few short months later Bobby was gone, having made one last emotional trip
to Wembley to look over and re-live, no doubt, memories of his greatest
triumph.
Twenty years later we remember him again, although some of us remind
ourselves of the great man every week and wonder what he'd have made of the
game today.
Knowing Bob, it would have been with great kindness and affection for I can
remember him saying: "Don't knock anyone for what they earn – if they have
managed to reach the top they deserve every penny."
Bob's contribution to this great club is immeasurable. He was, I believe,
the greatest player ever to wear the claret and blue of WHUFC and the white
of England.
And on his 20th anniversary I go out where I came in: "Bob you were the best
of us."
* Follow Hugh's regular Hammers updates at www.sportsdirectnews.com,
@SDN_sportsnews and @hughsouthon on Twitter.
Hugh also appears as a guest in Episode 3 of the KUMB.com Podcast - the
Bobby Moore special.
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There is No Vacancy!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham co-Chairman, David Gold, has publicly responded to the speculation
about Sam Allardyce's future and the possibility of Paolo Di Canio replacing
him at the managerial helm. And that response was pretty emphatic in its
tone and logic. In summary, Gold stated that Di Canio was not a candidate
for the manager's job because there was not currently a vacancy!! He also
went on to reaffim the intention of the board to open discussions with
Allardyce on a new contract, once the season is over and the club's PL
status secured.
The West Ham board really cannot be much clearer in declaring their intent.
No doubt, in some sections of the support, there will be much gnashing of
teeth, stamping of feet and throwing of toys out of prams. However, failing
a dramatic change in the current circumstances, it would seem that we may
all have to reconcile ourselves to another two or three years of the current
management. That is neither pro nor anti-Allardyce, it is just stating a
strong probability, based upon the prevalent factors at play. Not least, Sam
Allardyce's proven track record of keeping sides in the PL season after
season; and the tendency of his former clubs to decline and suffer
relegation in the aftermath of his exit. The board are almost certainly
aware of this and it must be foremost in their thinking on the subject.
It was good to see the club once again publicly supporting Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality. The squad have marked LGBT HIstory
Month by supporting the Football Vs Homophobia campaign and have been
pictured wearing the FvH tee-shirts. This follows on from the squad's
support for LGBT rights last season, one of the vey first professional clubs
to do so. This, following on from the tough action taken against the
transgressors at White Hart Lane last November, the publication of the
club's schedule of prioritized equality events in the Man Utd match
programme and the Holocaust Memorial Commemoration at the QPR match,
indicates that things are changing very much for the better down Upton Park
way. Well done to the club and long may it continue. Our club must give
leadership on these issues and be seen to be united, inclusive and
anti-discriminatory. And we appear to be making significant headway in
achieving these objectives.
In a similar vein, it has been reported that the Spurs match programme will
include a warning that tough action will be taken if racist, anti-semitic or
fascist chanting occurs at any point in Monday's match against Spurs. I
think this is partly motivated by the knowledge that an incident would
undermine recent progress on equalities issues, but also by the attack on
Spurs fans by anti-semitic thugs in Lyons. There is no place for the type of
thing at the club and especially not on the 20th anniversary of Bobby
Moore's death. Any such incidents occurring would be an injury to our great
club and an insult to the memory of the great man. So, lets make sure that
it does not happen!
SJ. Chandos.
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Di Canio back at Swindon (shows CCTV footage!)
Italian accused of carrying out a midnight raid
The Sun
By ALEX CROOK
Published: 5 hrs ago
PAOLO DI CANIO was last night accused of carrying out a midnight raid on his
old Swindon office. Just three days after quitting as boss, the Italian was
captured on CCTV sneaking into the Robins' stadium. The League One club
checked the footage after believing they had been BURGLED when club-owned
pictures went missing. Swindon have now changed the codes on the door locks.
A club insider said: "Even by Paolo's standards this was a crazy thing to
do.
"The cameras picked out Paolo and three members of his staff sneaking into
the ground at 12.45am on Thursday. "They took everything from the office,
including the photos from the wall. "The door was protected by a pin code
but Paolo had access from when he was manager. The codes have now been
changed. "If he wanted to come and collect his belongings he should have
asked." The insider claimed the footage also showed ex-assistant Fabricio
Piccareta, former goalkeeping coach Domenico Doardo and an ex-masseur. Di
Canio was unavailable for comment.
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Gold: No Canio do, Paolo
By CARL LONG
Published: 21st February 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM co-owner David Gold has told Paolo Di Canio there is no job for him
at Upton Park. And he insisted they intend to open talks with Sam Allardyce
over a new deal. Di Canio has been strongly linked with the managerial
position at West Ham after he left Swindon this week. The Italian is a cult
hero with Hammers fans and many have been calling for him to become the next
boss. A section of West Ham fans are still unhappy with boss Big Sam's style
of football. But Gold said: "I want to make this clear: there is no
managerial vacancy for Paolo or anyone else at the club. There is no job
available. "I understand he's a hero here but, as we'll hold talks with Sam
at the end of the season, that's where it stands." Swindon's takeover by
local consortium Seebeck 87 Ltd has been completed after receiving clearance
from the Football League.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts' youngsters recorded a welcome 7-2 friendly victory over
Dagenham and Redbridge
21.02.2013
Steve Potts guided West Ham United's youngsters to a 7-2 Under-17 friendly
victory over Dagenham and Redbridge on Thursday. With the Hammers having a
free weekend in their Barclays U18 Premier League Tier One fixture list and
the club's U16 schoolboys available due to the half-term holiday, Potts took
the opportunity to welcome the Daggers to Little Heath. Portugal U17 striker
Marcio Martins, who recently returned from a successful spell on
international duty at the Algarve Tournament, netted a hat-trick, while
schoolboys Jerry Amoo, Reece Burke and Jami Rafati were also on target. The
scoring was completed by an own-goal. Potts was pleased with West Ham's
victory, with his side racing into a 4-1 half-time lead before keeping their
collective foot on the gas after the break to score three more goals. "We
had a mixture of first-year scholars and Under-16 schoolboys and we played
some really good football and scored the goals to go with it," said the
manager. "The players have been playing well in the league in the last few
weeks but haven't quite got the results. "On Thursday, we put the ball into
the back of the net and it was very pleasing on the eye and very good. "I
think everyone did well in their own way but the midfield played very well.
They linked the game up well - Moses Makasi, Kieran Bywater and Kieran
Sadlier - and alternated their roles quite well. A few of the younger boys -
Kyle Knoyle and Jerry Amoo - came in and obviously Marcio up top got himself
a hat-trick, so that was good."
Potts closed by urging the club's scholars to keep aiming for the top, with
Development Squad places possibly up for grabs ahead of next Tuesday's
Barclays U21 Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers. "They are
certainly getting pushed in the league we are in at the moment and every
game is a difficult game, and the way we have been pushing them up the
age-groups as much as we can has certainly tested the boys. "To be honest,
we saw the benefit of that against Dagenham because we looked very strong
out there and the football was good. Hopefully, in the long-term, we are
doing the right thing."
Under-17s: Baxter, Knoyle, Onariase, Marlow (Burke 59), Mavila, Bywater
(Rafati 59), Makasi, Sadlier, Parfitt (Pike 59), Amoo, Martins
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Parkes remembers 'humble' Moore
WHUFC.com
Our tribute to the great Bobby Moore continues with Phil Parkes' memories
21.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Goalkeeper Phil Parkes made 344
league appearances for the Hammers between 1979-1990, and although his time
at the Boleyn Ground didn't coincide with Bobby's, he has fond memories from
an appearance.alongside him in a match in 1970.
He told West Ham TV: "Bobby was still playing for England when I first got
into the squad, so we were in a lot of those squads together. "The only time
I actually played with him though was way back in 1970 when I signed for
QPR. I got called very late to play in a testimonial game at Reading for
Dennis Allen, who was Martin Allen's father. It was a London XI v a Reading
XI and I think Gerry Francis, myself and Dave Clement got pulled in as young
lads to fill places.
"I was only 19 or 20 years old - and four years earlier I'd been watching
Bobby Moore lift the World Cup, with everyone else at Wembley - and he was
the first person who came over as I walked into the dressing room. "He put
his hand out and said 'hello, who are you? I'm Bobby Moore'. I almost wanted
to say 'what are you introducing yourself to me for because everyone knows
who you are', but that's the kind of person he was. He'd come over to chat
to you and he put us really at ease, even though we were playing with some
real superstars. He was an amazing person."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates.
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Twenty years gone, never forgotten
WHUFC.com
Supporters are invited to pay their respects to Bobby Moore on the 20th
anniversary of his passing
10.02.2013
West Ham United will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Hammers and
England legend Bobby Moore OBE around the weekend of the Barclays Premier
League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers' 1964 FA Cup and 1965
European Cup Winners' Cup-winning captain passed away at the age of 51 on 24
February 1993 following a dignified battle with bowel cancer. To honour his
memory, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Heroes statue on the
corner of Green Street and Barking Road at 11am on Sunday 24 February.
There, club officials will pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of
Moore's death, and supporters are invited to attend too. The following
evening, at West Ham's home match with Spurs on Monday 25 February, a series
of special events are planned to commemorate the life of the man who
skippered England to FIFA World Cup glory in July 1966. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. Prior to
kick-off, a minute's applause will be held in memory of the man who made 544
appearances for the Hammers between 1958 and 1974. Supporters sitting in the
Bobby Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special
mosaic depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired
by the club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's
West Ham debut.
The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund matches
and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity carried out
at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also being
produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from those
who knew him best, on and off the pitch. Priced at £4, a donation of 50
pence from the sale of each programme will be made to the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK.
A bucket collection will also be held at the Boleyn Ground to allow
supporters to make their own personal donations to the charity founded in
Moore's memory devoted to fighting the disease that took his life. The West
Ham squad will also warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund T-shirts before kick-off to
create awareness for the charity and the first team players will sign the
shirts they play in on the night in order that they can be auctioned to
further boost the club's fundraising total for the charity.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Jonathan Pearce
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Chris Scull
KUMB.com caught up with Match of the Day presenter Jonathan Pearce, a former
colleague of Bobby Moore's at Capital Gold, for a chat about the former West
Ham captain on the 20th anniversary of his passing. Firing the questions on
behalf of Knees up Mother Brown was Chris Scull...
Jonathan - thank you for talking to us. Why do so many consider Bobby
England's finest?
I think it was the way he played and the way he conducted himself on and off
the pitch. He was a master of the 'steal' tackle - he used to steal the ball
but very rarely went to ground, you'll remember that fantastic tackle in
Mexico 1970 against Jairzinho but also in the 1975 Cup Final for Fulham
against West Ham when he nicked the ball there. He was fantastic at that art
and a fantastic passer of the ball but it was just the way he led people,
let alone the West Ham and England teams. Beckenbauer and Pele have said
that he was the best defender ever and he was certainly the best defender I
ever saw play.
Were you in awe the first time you met him?
Not really, because Bobby was so easy with everyone. He made you feel
special right from the first moment you met him, he built you up to be as
important as he was in any given situation. Your ideas were as valid as his,
your suggestions and thoughts on football were equally valid. He just put
people at ease and treated me the same way as people he'd won the World Cup
with, great legends of the game. And he was an unbelievable person really,
the finest man I've ever met in football and one of the finest I've met in
my life.
What was he like as a colleague?
He loved being part of a team. At that time we ran Capital Gold very much on
the same lines as a team; we had our season, we had our pre-season, we had
our Christmas do, our end of season bash. We worked week-to-week and had a
lot of young reporters coming through, most of whom are now working in
television and Bobby was great with them.
He wasn't an overly vocal captain. Did he ever have any advice for you as a
football commentator?
What he did, he wouldn't sit and say "this is a tip for how you should
commentate on football" because he didn't know commentary and he was very
good at commenting on defensive performances. He wanted defenders to play
the way some are playing now; he didn't ever want them to lunge in with a
challenge. But what he would do was tell the younger reporters stories of
the past and he just used to enchant people like that. Because of that he
increased their overall knowledge of the game, he enriched your experience
of it.
It came about because a friend of mine called Mick Lowes, who used to work
with me - probably the best radio commentator I've ever worked with - who's
now up at BBC Radio Newcastle. I had a friend called Steve Lillis who worked
at the [Daily] Sport newspaper and Steve said that Bobby wanted to do more
from a social situation. We then progressed it, spoke to Bob and from the
minute he came to speak to us he wanted to come in and join us.
Was I surprised that he didn't have a role in football? Yes I was and to
this day I'm astonished and disgusted by the fact that football ignored him
for so long. People say "oh, he'd never make a manager, he's too nice" -
that's utter rubbish. He was never given the chance at a club with resources
and I think he could have passed on his knowledge to footballers of any age.
He certainly could have played the same ambassadorial role that Beckenbauer
did with the German Football Association.
He was chronically underused by the game so was I surprised that he was
available to us? Yes. Was I surprised that he wanted to come and join us?
No. It was almost as if he was back in the dressing room again and he loved
that.
What was the reaction when you walked down the street with Bobby?
You get a lot of double-takes, you know and then inevitably you'd have
people... When we used to go to away games we'd sit on a wall somewhere or
stand outside a fish and chip shop eating chips from paper or go to a cafe
or service station on the way like ordinary fans and he loved that. He'd
never experienced that side [of the game] as a player and he really enjoyed
it.
Inevitably fans would come up and talk to him, he'd talk the hind legs off a
donkey if they wanted to talk about football. He really concentrated on the
football of there and then, he never talked about himself or his own career.
He was more interested in talking about the current players and he'd ask
fans what they thought. That was it really; he always used to listen to the
thoughts of other people and those thoughts were as important to him as his
own. He was very good with fans and if they were ever bothering him on a
train he used to say "excuse me boys, a man of my age needs to shut his eyes
now and again - I must have 40 winks" - and he'd close his eyes and pretend
to be asleep until they'd gone when he'd open his eyes and say "have they
gone Pearco?" and carry on the conversation! Because he was Bobby they used
to take that on board!
It's funny, but he was a devil at cutting people up on the road in his car.
If you hit a traffic jam or something like that on a motorway Bob would
always be roaring along in the outside lane then cut in late. People would
be honking their horns but as soon as they realised who it was they'd pull
up alongside him again, pull an autograph book out of the window and ask him
to sign it! One minute they were enraged by him, next minute they saw it was
Bobby Moore and they were enchanted again. He had the ability to enchant
anyone; as soon as he entered a room, heads turned.
Did he have as much humility as people say?
Yeah, I think that's what made him so special really; he was so humble.
World Cup '66 wasn't about him; World Cup '66 wasn't about Peters and Hurst,
the goalscorers in the Final - it was about George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Nobby
Stiles and Jack Charlton. He used to talk about all of them, he used to talk
about the forgotten squad members. He used to talk to me about those people.
I can't remember where we were but I remember saying... The context was that
someone had said to me about playing, or something, and I said "no, I wasn't
good enough". Although I trained at Bristol City when I was a kid I never
had any pace, couldn't head a ball or get over the half way line and back in
the same week! Mooro, quick as a flash turned round and said "well neither
could I Pearco and look what happened to me!"
He was just like that, very self-deprecating. He'd had a wonderful career;
this was a man who captained his country for a joint record amount of times.
In fact, thinking back to it I remember having a conversation with him about
that and he was so proud that he'd captained his country as many times as
Billy Wright, I think it was. He was very proud of that record, I know that
but he was a very modest man.
When you were sat with Bobby at Wembley against San Marino, did you get a
sense that he was saying goodbye to the scene of his many triumphs?
No. In fact he was, but no I didn't. I only found out how seriously ill he
was the previous Saturday morning when a newspaper man phoned me up and said
the papers were going to run a story saying that Bobby was terminally ill. I
was just about to go out the door to an Arsenal versus Nottingham Forest Cup
tie and Bobby was off to Chelsea against Villa, I seem to remember. When I
spoke to him on the phone he told me what the situation was and I was
absolutely distraught, because the previous day I had been in hospital and
had the all-clear from a cancer scare. I'd phoned him up on that Friday,
talked to him and he never even let slip. Then, the following day, he told
me what the score was and I was in an awful state.
He asked me to come over to the house to do an interview. He was going to do
two interviews; one with me for the radio and TV around the world and
another one that Jeff Powell was going to do for the newspapers. So I went
down on the Monday and he was still very positive; he wanted people to think
that he believed he could beat the illness because he didn't want people to
give in if they had cancer, he wanted people to fight against it. He didn't
want to appear defeated even though he knew he was dying. I don't think
either he nor I thought it was going to be so quickly from that moment.
On the Wednesday he went to Wembley and he was fine during the game,
absolutely fine. The pictures that went round the world clearly shocked the
world and Stephanie, his wife and I decided that he shouldn't go to West Ham
on the Saturday against Newcastle because they'd have had a camera lens in
his face and we just didn't think that it would be fitting. We thought it
would be very upsetting for the family, so I phoned him up and told him I
didn't think he should go. He respected me - he didn't agree with the
decision but was happy with it. He respected everything that I'd always said
to him and that was it really. Sadly I never got the chance to speak to him
again because he died the following Wednesday.
I was out of the country in Goa when he died. So I'm pretty convinced that
he didn't know that night would be his last Wembley. I think he knew he'd
never see England win another trophy but I think he'd have known that since
Euro 1992. So he knew that he'd never see them win anything which deeply
saddened him. But he was so incredibly positive, even in the last days. He
took it remarkably stoically, an incredibly brave man.
You've mentioned with regret that you persuaded Bobby to stay away from the
Newcastle match shortly before he died. If you could turn back the clock,
would you have changed this?
No. No, I wouldn't. The fact is I never had the chance to speak to him again
and that will live with me for the rest of my life. But I've spoken to
Stephanie about it - we've had long conversations about it. Bobby didn't
hold anything against me for it, he respected my decision and that was it. I
wish he was here today; I wish he had lived to see my kids and I wished he'd
live to lead his son Dean down a healthier path. I wish he'd lived to see
his grandchildren on Roberta's side, I wish he was here today - but
unfortunately that cannot be. But would I have exposed him to that circus on
the Saturday? No I wouldn't - and it would have been a circus. It would have
been too much for his family to take at that time.
Do you recall the tributes at Upton Park in 1993?
I was out of the country and didn't come back for ten days afterwards, so
missed a great deal of it. Everything was taped for me; I watched the first
two minutes of film footage of the floral tributes, the scarves and the
shirts outside of Upton Park but it was too much, I couldn't watch any more.
It was too hard for me to watch. I've still got the tapes; I've not watched
them since. It's still too raw. You know, I wasn't in Bobby's family - I was
only a friend but he had that effect on people. I thought it was a
remarkable testament to the man, the way the game came together and the way
the minute's silence was meticulously observed around the country. The way
the football world came together.
I think it was the first time really that that had happened, that the
football world came together for one man. It's happened subsequently but not
to the same effect and I think it was just unparalleled, really. It just
spoke volumes about his importance to the world game and his standing in the
world game.
How should have the FA and West Ham United used Bobby while he was alive?
He should have had an ambassadorial role, like I said earlier, at least. He
could have been fantastic going into schools and encouraging kids to play
football. I think he would have certainly been a person worthy to have in
your back room staff or even as a manager at a club but he was never really
given the opportunity. He had that spell at Oxford City where he introduced
Harry Redknapp to football coaching - that was Harry's first job, so there's
a legacy. He had a dabble at Southend and then became a director there but
there was no money so he was on a loser right from the start. I think he
would have developed, he was very young at that stage. People come in now in
their 30s, late 30s as manager and people say they're too young. AVB came
in, "oh he's far too young to be a manager". Bobby was still young then and
had he been trusted with a role in his 40s I think he would have done it
very well.
If he were still alive, what do you imagine he'd be doing now?
I think he would have carried on doing what he did with me as long as he
wanted, as long as I was there. I think he would have got more TV because
suddenly, with Sky, TV blossomed and there were more opportunities. He
certainly would have got more media work. Then, with Sky blossoming there
were more commercial opportunities through sponsors, boot companies and
things like that. I think they would have got Bobby on board in some way or
another. Would he have been used by companies like McDonalds in the same way
Geoff Hurst had been to flag up their coaching scheme? Probably, but I don't
think the FA would have used him because have they used Bobby Charlton?
Trevor [Brooking] is the figurehead, Trevor's a different sort of character.
He might have been used by a club.
I think Bobby was very content. He was never bitter towards the game, he was
never bitter towards players making a lot of money than he ever made. I
would imagine if Bobby was still here today on a Sunday he'd be looking
forward to going to a game with myself or someone else and afterwards, we'd
find a little bar and have a glass of chilled white wine. That was Bobby,
really.
How should Bobby's memory be enshrined if West Ham move to the Olympic
stadium?
There's a lovely statue of Bobby at Wembley now and the statue of the World
Cup winners outside the Boleyn pub, but I'd like to see a whopping great big
statue of Bobby Moore as you walk into that Olympic Stadium so that Bobby is
honoured there with a major statue. I'd love to see West Ham put up other
statues of great legends around the whole ground; Billy Bonds, Frank
Lampard, people like this. Trevor Brooking, Phil Parkes, Malcolm Allison,
who played such an important part in Bobby's life. But Bobby should be the
centre piece of it, definitely.
How would you like the world to remember Bobby Moore?
As the greatest English captain of all time. In any sport. The greatest
English captain of all time in any sport.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Hugh Southon
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Hugh Southon
Hugh Southon knew and worked with Bobby Moore. Here he recalls our legendary
skipper...
Bobby Moore was the best of us!
With his passing 20 years ago today, a light went out which has never been
replaced. He was the one player who defied the well-loved cliché that no man
was bigger than the club... or indeed the country.
Bob was all that was best about this great game and a man who left those
whose lives he touched better people... I am forever grateful I was one of
those.
There are so many memories of Bob the player. The blood pulsed through the
veins just a little faster as he looked imperiously around him among the
blood and thunder of '60s and '70s football.
How a smile would spread across the faces of us Hammers fans as he would
calmly take two or three opponents out of the game with a simple pass. His
ability to dictate the pace of a game; the calm authority he exuded and his
supreme charisma at the heart of the team are irreplaceable and insistent
memories for me and millions who were blessed to live through the amazing
Mooro decades.
Of all the footballing memories he left behind, one has stayed with me for
nearly 50 years. On the afternoon of March 14, 1964, Bob led the Irons into
their first FA Cup Final since 1923.
That semi-final against Manchester United was to provide a defining moment
of Mooro the player! Leading 2-1 against Manchester United on a total
quagmire of a pitch where the pitch markings had all but disappeared into
the mud, the skipper picked up the ball on the touchline in the dying
minutes.
Any other player would have blasted the ball into Row Z but not Bob who
amazingly, despite the conditions, played a perfect ball down the touchline
for Geoff Hurst to pick his way through and blast home a third after Ron
'Ticker' Boyce had scored twice.
Never has Bobby's game better typified. He was an artist and his Upton Park
legacy remains as great and important today as it did ten, twenty years ago.
Nearly 20 years after that great game of football I met him when he became
sports editor of the Sunday Sport – the newspaper launched by our owners
David Sullivan and David Gold.
I became Bob's ghost writer each week and the man's modesty and
self-effacing approach to life was soon to show me that he was an even
greater man than he was a footballer.
Always gracious, I recall during one conversation he decided to say there
wasn't much to captaining England: "After all what do you do, only carry the
ball out!"
He added: "Every player who represents his country should be a captain…you
have reached the peak of your career. It should be expected."
He loved West Ham with a passion... his heart never really left Upton Park
but there was a sadness the fabulous football we played hadn't produced more
trophies.
But 1966 was the compensation of compensations and he again deflected all
personal glory claiming: "It was all about Alf Ramsey. He got the best
players defensively and offensively and produced a system to suit them
rather than asking them to fit his system."
We watched football together – he as the reporter, me as his writer and his
insights into the game were often nothing less than extraordinary. There was
never any side to him – what you saw was what you got. I remember leaving
myself short of cash at one game - Bob's hand was the first into his pocket.
I last saw him in the winter of his life. He was drinking tea from a cracked
cup in the Hawthorns press room where he was reporting for Capital Radio. He
was three months or so from his passing and very ill. But there was no
complaining, whinging, whining – he was a man of total dignity and declared
himself as "doing fine."
What a way to treat a hero. The man who had won the greatest prize this game
has to offer, reporting for a radio station in the west midlands on a
winter's afternoon . Poor… very poor indeed.
A few short months later Bobby was gone, having made one last emotional trip
to Wembley to look over and re-live, no doubt, memories of his greatest
triumph.
Twenty years later we remember him again, although some of us remind
ourselves of the great man every week and wonder what he'd have made of the
game today.
Knowing Bob, it would have been with great kindness and affection for I can
remember him saying: "Don't knock anyone for what they earn – if they have
managed to reach the top they deserve every penny."
Bob's contribution to this great club is immeasurable. He was, I believe,
the greatest player ever to wear the claret and blue of WHUFC and the white
of England.
And on his 20th anniversary I go out where I came in: "Bob you were the best
of us."
* Follow Hugh's regular Hammers updates at www.sportsdirectnews.com,
@SDN_sportsnews and @hughsouthon on Twitter.
Hugh also appears as a guest in Episode 3 of the KUMB.com Podcast - the
Bobby Moore special.
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There is No Vacancy!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham co-Chairman, David Gold, has publicly responded to the speculation
about Sam Allardyce's future and the possibility of Paolo Di Canio replacing
him at the managerial helm. And that response was pretty emphatic in its
tone and logic. In summary, Gold stated that Di Canio was not a candidate
for the manager's job because there was not currently a vacancy!! He also
went on to reaffim the intention of the board to open discussions with
Allardyce on a new contract, once the season is over and the club's PL
status secured.
The West Ham board really cannot be much clearer in declaring their intent.
No doubt, in some sections of the support, there will be much gnashing of
teeth, stamping of feet and throwing of toys out of prams. However, failing
a dramatic change in the current circumstances, it would seem that we may
all have to reconcile ourselves to another two or three years of the current
management. That is neither pro nor anti-Allardyce, it is just stating a
strong probability, based upon the prevalent factors at play. Not least, Sam
Allardyce's proven track record of keeping sides in the PL season after
season; and the tendency of his former clubs to decline and suffer
relegation in the aftermath of his exit. The board are almost certainly
aware of this and it must be foremost in their thinking on the subject.
It was good to see the club once again publicly supporting Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality. The squad have marked LGBT HIstory
Month by supporting the Football Vs Homophobia campaign and have been
pictured wearing the FvH tee-shirts. This follows on from the squad's
support for LGBT rights last season, one of the vey first professional clubs
to do so. This, following on from the tough action taken against the
transgressors at White Hart Lane last November, the publication of the
club's schedule of prioritized equality events in the Man Utd match
programme and the Holocaust Memorial Commemoration at the QPR match,
indicates that things are changing very much for the better down Upton Park
way. Well done to the club and long may it continue. Our club must give
leadership on these issues and be seen to be united, inclusive and
anti-discriminatory. And we appear to be making significant headway in
achieving these objectives.
In a similar vein, it has been reported that the Spurs match programme will
include a warning that tough action will be taken if racist, anti-semitic or
fascist chanting occurs at any point in Monday's match against Spurs. I
think this is partly motivated by the knowledge that an incident would
undermine recent progress on equalities issues, but also by the attack on
Spurs fans by anti-semitic thugs in Lyons. There is no place for the type of
thing at the club and especially not on the 20th anniversary of Bobby
Moore's death. Any such incidents occurring would be an injury to our great
club and an insult to the memory of the great man. So, lets make sure that
it does not happen!
SJ. Chandos.
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Di Canio back at Swindon (shows CCTV footage!)
Italian accused of carrying out a midnight raid
The Sun
By ALEX CROOK
Published: 5 hrs ago
PAOLO DI CANIO was last night accused of carrying out a midnight raid on his
old Swindon office. Just three days after quitting as boss, the Italian was
captured on CCTV sneaking into the Robins' stadium. The League One club
checked the footage after believing they had been BURGLED when club-owned
pictures went missing. Swindon have now changed the codes on the door locks.
A club insider said: "Even by Paolo's standards this was a crazy thing to
do.
"The cameras picked out Paolo and three members of his staff sneaking into
the ground at 12.45am on Thursday. "They took everything from the office,
including the photos from the wall. "The door was protected by a pin code
but Paolo had access from when he was manager. The codes have now been
changed. "If he wanted to come and collect his belongings he should have
asked." The insider claimed the footage also showed ex-assistant Fabricio
Piccareta, former goalkeeping coach Domenico Doardo and an ex-masseur. Di
Canio was unavailable for comment.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: No Canio do, Paolo
By CARL LONG
Published: 21st February 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM co-owner David Gold has told Paolo Di Canio there is no job for him
at Upton Park. And he insisted they intend to open talks with Sam Allardyce
over a new deal. Di Canio has been strongly linked with the managerial
position at West Ham after he left Swindon this week. The Italian is a cult
hero with Hammers fans and many have been calling for him to become the next
boss. A section of West Ham fans are still unhappy with boss Big Sam's style
of football. But Gold said: "I want to make this clear: there is no
managerial vacancy for Paolo or anyone else at the club. There is no job
available. "I understand he's a hero here but, as we'll hold talks with Sam
at the end of the season, that's where it stands." Swindon's takeover by
local consortium Seebeck 87 Ltd has been completed after receiving clearance
from the Football League.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, February 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st February 2013
On this day - 20 February
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore helped the Hammers record a valuable point against Manchester
City on this day in 1971
20.02.2013
On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out
his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over
the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch
across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September
in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start
of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners
medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final
replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign,
1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from
4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the
semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for
the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury
suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his
return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since
his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.
Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place
above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season,
but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw
was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including
the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a
1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the
former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom
Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending
the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.
Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fulham colleagues remember Moore
WHUFC.com
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London
20.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Les Strong was a defensive
colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west
London to the help he received from Moore. He told West Ham TV: "It was
brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and
a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I
had was all down to him really, playing alongside him. "I played in the
whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still
a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final.
Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it
was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he
could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch. "It was
amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't
be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the
halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to
think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I
went over the half-way line."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more
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Carroll loving Hammers support
WHUFC.com
Supporters' backing has huge impact says West Ham United striker Andy
Carroll
20.02.2013
Andy Carroll has sung the praises of the Hammers fans ahead of Monday
night's mouthwatering London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham United
take on Andre Villas-Boas' men looking to extend an unbeaten run of four
games at the Boleyn Ground and Carroll is sure the home supporters will have
a part to play. Carroll is grateful for the backing he has received from the
Hammers faithful, especially after spending a period of the season out
injured, and he is keen to repay them over the last 12 games of the Barclays
Premier League campaign. He said: "I love football so I want to play - for
myself, for the manager and for the team. I want to do as well as I can and
play every week, so that's why I need to keep fit. "I was feeling really
good in the Swansea game. I'd been back in training and was raring to go, as
were all the lads. I put myself about and got the winner. "The fans have
been very patient with me. They could have got on my back early doors, with
me being injured, coming back and getting injured again and not scoring the
goals that everyone had hoped I would score.
"To have them singing my name was excellent. I definitely didn't expect to
hear a load of Londoners singing my name when I was growing up in Newcastle!
Everyone has been great with me here."
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West Ham plan tributes to mark Bobby Moore's 20th anniversary
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are planning to mark the 20th anniversary of England World
Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore's death with a series of memorial events.
Moore, who played 544 games for the Hammers, died on 24 February 1993, aged
51, after battling bowel cancer. Former West Ham team-mates will attend the
club's home match against Spurs on Monday to pay tribute to Moore.
Bobby Moore factfile
Born in Barking, Essex, on 12 April 1941
Makes his West Ham debut aged 17
Captains England to World Cup success in 1966
Awarded the OBE in the 1967 New Year Honours list
Wins his 100th England cap in February 1973, before becoming West Ham's
record appearance holder three days later
Plays his 108th, and final, England game in November 1973
Joins Fulham in March 1974 after 544 appearances for West Ham
Retires from professional football in 1978
Announces he is suffering from bowel cancer on 14 February 1993
Dies 10 days later on 24 February
A minute's applause will be held before kick-off and supporters will display
a mosaic depicting his old No.6 shirt. A wreath-laying ceremony will take
place outside West Ham's Upton Park ground at 11:00 GMT on Sunday. Club
officials will pay their respects to Moore, who won 108 caps for England,
and supporters are also invited to attend the memorial. "Bobby is not with
us any more but he left us with lots of memories," said his former England
team-mate Bobby Charlton. "He was a true great, a clever person and an
absolute pleasure to play with."
Fellow World Cup winners Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, along with another
of Moore's former West Ham team-mates, Sir Trevor Brooking have been invited
to attend Monday's Premier League match. The game is also one of West Ham's
designated Bobby Moore Fund matches. All money raised will go to the charity
which was founded in Moore's name and is devoted to fighting the disease
that took his life. The West Ham squad will warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund
T-shirts before the game to help raise awareness for the charity. The
players will sign their matchday shirts which will then be auctioned to
raise more money for the charity.
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Boris Johnson upbeat over West Ham plans for Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: February 20, 2013 9:24am
SSN
Mayor of London Boris Johnson remains in positive mood following further
talks over the future of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham were given "preferred
bidder" status last December for the Stratford site and the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) met again on Tuesday to discuss their bid.
Johnson came out of the meeting in high spirits and he confirmed that talks
had been productive. "There has been a lot of progress, I won't hide that,"
he said. "Good conversations have been going on. "Tax payers put a huge
amount of money, £500m, into building an iconic stadium and they put further
money in to doing it up. "We have got to get the best possible terms for the
tax payer."
Organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup are hoping to use the Olympic Stadium
during the tournament and Johnson also stated he would be keen for that to
come to fruition. "It would be great to do it," Johnson added when asked
about World Cup matches being staged at the east London venue. "We are
looking at it. I have asked our engineers to see whether we can make it
work, but this particular negotiation isn't relevant to that."
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Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo unsure on future amid West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 20, 2013 11:02am
SSN
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo has admitted he would like to play in a
different country one day after being linked with West Ham United, and he
will sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future. The Cameroon
international was linked with a move to the Hammers in January but they were
unwilling to meet the demands of Montpellier, according to reports in
Africa. Marseille are also understood to be interested in a move for the
28-year old, who has played in France for his entire career. Bedimo is not
yet sure what the future holds but has expressed a desire to move away at
some point. "I will see at the end of the season, my advisors and myself
will discuss and see what the next step is for my career," he told Sky
Sports. "I definitely want to play abroad one day in my life."
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A Tale of Two Left-Backs, Di Canio's MO and the Class and Dignity of the
Great Bobby Moore!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Its a tale of two left-backs. One a transfer target, who has presumably
signed a a pre-contract deal to sign for the Hammers in the summer. The
other a 34 year old veteran, with dodgy knees and probably his best days
behind him! Respectively, short and long term moves designed to address the
problem left-back position in the Hammers squad.
Maynor Figueroa has been reported as a summer signing for the club from
Wigan. Figueroa is out of contract in June and able to move on a Bosman
deal. And the way that it is being reported, it is likely that a
pre-contract deal has been struck with the 29 year old Honduran
internaional. He is a good potential signing, who will hopefuly provide a
permanent solution to our left-back problem. While ex-Bolton left
back/leftwinger Richardo Gardner has had a trial via the Development Squad.
Gardner is a free agent and is presumably being assessed as a potential
'stop gap' option for the remainder of the season. I suppose it does not
hurt to look at the player, but the fact remains that Gardner is a 34 year
old, with a poor injury record. Is he likely to be able to perform well in
the PL at this stage of hs career, with his prior fitness issues?
Elsehere, the decision of Paolo Di Canio to resign from his position as
Swindon Town manager was bound to spark a bout of 'managerial change' fever
amongst Hammers fans! Indeed, stories about Di Canio replacing Sam Allardyce
are everywhere on the internet at the moment. But are the club's board
likely to release Sam Allardyce in the summer and replace him with Hammers
cult hero, Di canio? Martin Samuels obviously thinks not, in his Sports Mail
article yesterday, he suggested that the volatile and emotive nature of Di
Canio renders him a liability as a PL manager and that any top tier club
would be fool hardy to contemplate his appointment. Nevertheless, even
Samuels is forced to admit that Di Canio looks a talented manager, having
done a sterling job in getting Swindon promoted fom League 2, in his first
season, and leaving them at the summit of league 1, in his second.
Admitedly, it is the lower leagues, but there is no denying that Di Canio
shows great promise.
Is he ready to take the reins of a PL club? Possibly, but for the sake of
his own future career, he would arguably be better off, finding a vacancy
with a decent Championship club and testing himself at that level, before
taking on the PL managerial challenge. I truly admired Di Canio as a player,
he is probably the last, indisputedly, world class player to wear the claret
and blue. However, there is an element of truth in aspects of the article by
Martin Samuels and Di Canio must prove that he has the maturity and
stability to match his managerial promise.That means curtailing the
grandiose public statements and gestures and projecting a calmer and more
responsible persona: essentially and crucially, adjusting his mode of
operation (MO). It does not mean that he will not continue to be 'a bit of a
character,' that is basic to his personality, but aspire to be one that
operates within certain defined professional confines. Do that and the
managerial seat that he so covets, at his beloved Hammers, can be his one
day, otherwise he is likely to scare off West Ham's board and maybe those of
the other PL clubs as well.
The squad have had their warm weather training and now we hope to see the
benefits, on the pitch, next Monday evening. Psychologically, it was the
right thing to do and hopefully it has broken the downward spiral of poor
form that has been characteristic of recent matches. On virtually every
occasion, when we have had a poor away result this season, the squad have
bounced straight back with a home victory. That pattern needs to reassert
itself once again. We need a victory against Spurs to get our season back on
line. It will not be easy, Spurs are a very good team and they possess the
pace to severely test us. But they are far from unbeatable, especially if
Andy Carroll can use his assets to exploit their defensive vulnerability.
Common sense says that a draw would be a good result, but I still reckon
that, if we get the lucky breaks, we can sneak a 2-1 victory on the night.
Finally, the club have a programme of events to mark the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. The other day I was looking at my copy of the match
programme for the 1993 home match against wolves. And it brought back such
vivid memories. It was the Saturday after his passing and Hurst, Peters and
Greenwood placed a floral tribute on the centre circle in the shape of
Moore's iconic No. 6 West Ham shirt. And I well remember the Wolves fans
laying their own wreath in tribute to the great man. Lets hope that the
Spurs fans have the basic class and decency to make a similar gesture. After
all, Bobby Moore may be the ultimate Hammers hero, but he is also England's
greatest ever defender and World Cup winning captain. In that sense, he is
also a hero for the whole English game.
Regardless, this is first and foremost a tribute by the club, and its fans,
to our favourite son and legendary No. 6 and club captain. We must all
behave with a dignity and class typical of Moore himself. We have done much,
as a club, to eradicate the shame brought upon us by a small irresponsible
minority at the corresponding fixture, at White Hart Lane, last November.
This is a golden opportunity to really show what the vast majority of West
Ham fans are all about. Let us have the collective discipline to ensure that
nothing distracts nor detracts from our tribute and celebration of the life
and achievements of the great Bobby Moore, legendary Captain of West Ham &
England.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore helped the Hammers record a valuable point against Manchester
City on this day in 1971
20.02.2013
On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out
his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over
the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch
across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September
in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start
of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners
medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final
replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign,
1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from
4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the
semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for
the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury
suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his
return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since
his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.
Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place
above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season,
but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw
was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including
the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a
1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the
former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom
Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending
the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.
Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fulham colleagues remember Moore
WHUFC.com
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London
20.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Les Strong was a defensive
colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west
London to the help he received from Moore. He told West Ham TV: "It was
brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and
a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I
had was all down to him really, playing alongside him. "I played in the
whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still
a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final.
Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it
was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he
could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch. "It was
amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't
be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the
halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to
think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I
went over the half-way line."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll loving Hammers support
WHUFC.com
Supporters' backing has huge impact says West Ham United striker Andy
Carroll
20.02.2013
Andy Carroll has sung the praises of the Hammers fans ahead of Monday
night's mouthwatering London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham United
take on Andre Villas-Boas' men looking to extend an unbeaten run of four
games at the Boleyn Ground and Carroll is sure the home supporters will have
a part to play. Carroll is grateful for the backing he has received from the
Hammers faithful, especially after spending a period of the season out
injured, and he is keen to repay them over the last 12 games of the Barclays
Premier League campaign. He said: "I love football so I want to play - for
myself, for the manager and for the team. I want to do as well as I can and
play every week, so that's why I need to keep fit. "I was feeling really
good in the Swansea game. I'd been back in training and was raring to go, as
were all the lads. I put myself about and got the winner. "The fans have
been very patient with me. They could have got on my back early doors, with
me being injured, coming back and getting injured again and not scoring the
goals that everyone had hoped I would score.
"To have them singing my name was excellent. I definitely didn't expect to
hear a load of Londoners singing my name when I was growing up in Newcastle!
Everyone has been great with me here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plan tributes to mark Bobby Moore's 20th anniversary
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are planning to mark the 20th anniversary of England World
Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore's death with a series of memorial events.
Moore, who played 544 games for the Hammers, died on 24 February 1993, aged
51, after battling bowel cancer. Former West Ham team-mates will attend the
club's home match against Spurs on Monday to pay tribute to Moore.
Bobby Moore factfile
Born in Barking, Essex, on 12 April 1941
Makes his West Ham debut aged 17
Captains England to World Cup success in 1966
Awarded the OBE in the 1967 New Year Honours list
Wins his 100th England cap in February 1973, before becoming West Ham's
record appearance holder three days later
Plays his 108th, and final, England game in November 1973
Joins Fulham in March 1974 after 544 appearances for West Ham
Retires from professional football in 1978
Announces he is suffering from bowel cancer on 14 February 1993
Dies 10 days later on 24 February
A minute's applause will be held before kick-off and supporters will display
a mosaic depicting his old No.6 shirt. A wreath-laying ceremony will take
place outside West Ham's Upton Park ground at 11:00 GMT on Sunday. Club
officials will pay their respects to Moore, who won 108 caps for England,
and supporters are also invited to attend the memorial. "Bobby is not with
us any more but he left us with lots of memories," said his former England
team-mate Bobby Charlton. "He was a true great, a clever person and an
absolute pleasure to play with."
Fellow World Cup winners Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, along with another
of Moore's former West Ham team-mates, Sir Trevor Brooking have been invited
to attend Monday's Premier League match. The game is also one of West Ham's
designated Bobby Moore Fund matches. All money raised will go to the charity
which was founded in Moore's name and is devoted to fighting the disease
that took his life. The West Ham squad will warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund
T-shirts before the game to help raise awareness for the charity. The
players will sign their matchday shirts which will then be auctioned to
raise more money for the charity.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boris Johnson upbeat over West Ham plans for Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: February 20, 2013 9:24am
SSN
Mayor of London Boris Johnson remains in positive mood following further
talks over the future of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham were given "preferred
bidder" status last December for the Stratford site and the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) met again on Tuesday to discuss their bid.
Johnson came out of the meeting in high spirits and he confirmed that talks
had been productive. "There has been a lot of progress, I won't hide that,"
he said. "Good conversations have been going on. "Tax payers put a huge
amount of money, £500m, into building an iconic stadium and they put further
money in to doing it up. "We have got to get the best possible terms for the
tax payer."
Organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup are hoping to use the Olympic Stadium
during the tournament and Johnson also stated he would be keen for that to
come to fruition. "It would be great to do it," Johnson added when asked
about World Cup matches being staged at the east London venue. "We are
looking at it. I have asked our engineers to see whether we can make it
work, but this particular negotiation isn't relevant to that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo unsure on future amid West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 20, 2013 11:02am
SSN
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo has admitted he would like to play in a
different country one day after being linked with West Ham United, and he
will sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future. The Cameroon
international was linked with a move to the Hammers in January but they were
unwilling to meet the demands of Montpellier, according to reports in
Africa. Marseille are also understood to be interested in a move for the
28-year old, who has played in France for his entire career. Bedimo is not
yet sure what the future holds but has expressed a desire to move away at
some point. "I will see at the end of the season, my advisors and myself
will discuss and see what the next step is for my career," he told Sky
Sports. "I definitely want to play abroad one day in my life."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A Tale of Two Left-Backs, Di Canio's MO and the Class and Dignity of the
Great Bobby Moore!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Its a tale of two left-backs. One a transfer target, who has presumably
signed a a pre-contract deal to sign for the Hammers in the summer. The
other a 34 year old veteran, with dodgy knees and probably his best days
behind him! Respectively, short and long term moves designed to address the
problem left-back position in the Hammers squad.
Maynor Figueroa has been reported as a summer signing for the club from
Wigan. Figueroa is out of contract in June and able to move on a Bosman
deal. And the way that it is being reported, it is likely that a
pre-contract deal has been struck with the 29 year old Honduran
internaional. He is a good potential signing, who will hopefuly provide a
permanent solution to our left-back problem. While ex-Bolton left
back/leftwinger Richardo Gardner has had a trial via the Development Squad.
Gardner is a free agent and is presumably being assessed as a potential
'stop gap' option for the remainder of the season. I suppose it does not
hurt to look at the player, but the fact remains that Gardner is a 34 year
old, with a poor injury record. Is he likely to be able to perform well in
the PL at this stage of hs career, with his prior fitness issues?
Elsehere, the decision of Paolo Di Canio to resign from his position as
Swindon Town manager was bound to spark a bout of 'managerial change' fever
amongst Hammers fans! Indeed, stories about Di Canio replacing Sam Allardyce
are everywhere on the internet at the moment. But are the club's board
likely to release Sam Allardyce in the summer and replace him with Hammers
cult hero, Di canio? Martin Samuels obviously thinks not, in his Sports Mail
article yesterday, he suggested that the volatile and emotive nature of Di
Canio renders him a liability as a PL manager and that any top tier club
would be fool hardy to contemplate his appointment. Nevertheless, even
Samuels is forced to admit that Di Canio looks a talented manager, having
done a sterling job in getting Swindon promoted fom League 2, in his first
season, and leaving them at the summit of league 1, in his second.
Admitedly, it is the lower leagues, but there is no denying that Di Canio
shows great promise.
Is he ready to take the reins of a PL club? Possibly, but for the sake of
his own future career, he would arguably be better off, finding a vacancy
with a decent Championship club and testing himself at that level, before
taking on the PL managerial challenge. I truly admired Di Canio as a player,
he is probably the last, indisputedly, world class player to wear the claret
and blue. However, there is an element of truth in aspects of the article by
Martin Samuels and Di Canio must prove that he has the maturity and
stability to match his managerial promise.That means curtailing the
grandiose public statements and gestures and projecting a calmer and more
responsible persona: essentially and crucially, adjusting his mode of
operation (MO). It does not mean that he will not continue to be 'a bit of a
character,' that is basic to his personality, but aspire to be one that
operates within certain defined professional confines. Do that and the
managerial seat that he so covets, at his beloved Hammers, can be his one
day, otherwise he is likely to scare off West Ham's board and maybe those of
the other PL clubs as well.
The squad have had their warm weather training and now we hope to see the
benefits, on the pitch, next Monday evening. Psychologically, it was the
right thing to do and hopefully it has broken the downward spiral of poor
form that has been characteristic of recent matches. On virtually every
occasion, when we have had a poor away result this season, the squad have
bounced straight back with a home victory. That pattern needs to reassert
itself once again. We need a victory against Spurs to get our season back on
line. It will not be easy, Spurs are a very good team and they possess the
pace to severely test us. But they are far from unbeatable, especially if
Andy Carroll can use his assets to exploit their defensive vulnerability.
Common sense says that a draw would be a good result, but I still reckon
that, if we get the lucky breaks, we can sneak a 2-1 victory on the night.
Finally, the club have a programme of events to mark the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. The other day I was looking at my copy of the match
programme for the 1993 home match against wolves. And it brought back such
vivid memories. It was the Saturday after his passing and Hurst, Peters and
Greenwood placed a floral tribute on the centre circle in the shape of
Moore's iconic No. 6 West Ham shirt. And I well remember the Wolves fans
laying their own wreath in tribute to the great man. Lets hope that the
Spurs fans have the basic class and decency to make a similar gesture. After
all, Bobby Moore may be the ultimate Hammers hero, but he is also England's
greatest ever defender and World Cup winning captain. In that sense, he is
also a hero for the whole English game.
Regardless, this is first and foremost a tribute by the club, and its fans,
to our favourite son and legendary No. 6 and club captain. We must all
behave with a dignity and class typical of Moore himself. We have done much,
as a club, to eradicate the shame brought upon us by a small irresponsible
minority at the corresponding fixture, at White Hart Lane, last November.
This is a golden opportunity to really show what the vast majority of West
Ham fans are all about. Let us have the collective discipline to ensure that
nothing distracts nor detracts from our tribute and celebration of the life
and achievements of the great Bobby Moore, legendary Captain of West Ham &
England.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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