West Ham United statement
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have issued a short clarification in relation to comments on
third-party ownership
07.03.2013
West Ham United would like to clarify that Richard Scudamore's comments in
relation to third-party ownership refer to the actions of former Directors
of the club during investigations into third-party ownership in 2007 and
have no link to current Board members David Sullivan, David Gold or Karren
Brady, who only joined the club in January 2010.
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Andy aiming to please
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll wants to do his very best for West Ham United for the final ten
games of the season
07.03.2013
As there seems to be with any striker who stands over a certain height,
there has been endless debate over Andy Carroll's strengths as a footballer.
Throughout his career, West Ham United's No8 has had to fight to be
recognised as more than just a 6'4 frontman who can head the ball, hold it
up and bring his team-mates into the game. While he is undoubtedly superb at
all three of those disciplines, Carroll can certainly play a bit on the
ground too, as was evidenced by the left-foot strike he blasted past Ghana
goalkeeper Richard Kingson for his first England goal at Wembley in March
2011. When asked how he would assess himself as a footballer, Carroll shows
characteristic humility in summing up his attributes. "It's a hard question
to answer," said the 24-year-old. "I would just say I'm hard-working and
determined to do well and put myself about, really. Everyone thinks I can
just jump the ball and head it, but I think I am more than that. I am able
to do well with my feet and most of my goals have been scored with those
feet, to be honest!"
As West Ham supporters have seen during Carroll's 15 appearances in claret
and blue, he takes as much satisfaction from setting up goals as he does
from scoring them - something he has done in each of the club's previous two
home matches. "I'm not a selfish centre forward - if someone else is in a
better position to score then I'll put him in, even if I have a chance to
score myself. I like creating chances as well and that's the kind of player
I am. "Being up there by yourself is hard so you have to keep going.
Sometimes you don't get much of the ball and it is hard work, so when you do
get the ball you want to keep it and bring other players into the game. "You
cannot score every time you have the ball, so you have to try to create
chances for others."
With ten games to go between now and the end of the season, Carroll
naturally wants to play his part in as many goals and victories as possible
before his loan spell from Liverpool comes to an end. "It's the same with
every game and it doesn't matter how many games we have left this season - I
go into every game the same wanting to work my hardest and to come off at
the end thinking I've given everything I can. I don't want to watch a game
back thinking 'I could have done that better'."
Carroll certainly feels he is in the right place to get the best out of
himself. "Everyone here has been great and is behind one another, which
makes everything a lot better."
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Haycock laments slow start
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock blamed a sluggish start for the Hammers' 2-0 reverse against
Manchester United
07.03.2013
Nick Haycock admitted a slow start had cost his side dearly as the
Development Squad slipped to a 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League Elite
Group defeat against Manchester United at Altrincham FC. Former Crewe
Alexandra youngster Nick Powell opened the scoring inside just five minutes,
as West Ham United struggled to find their feet at a sodden Moss Lane. It
was 18-year-old Powell who settled matters a minute from full-time,
profiting from a defensive muddle to double his tally for the evening and
send Manchester United second in the Elite Group table. Haycock subsequently
conceded that he was none too impressed with the Hammers' first-half showing
and accepts his side are perhaps short of inspiration in the final third,
having struck just once in their last four outings.
"We can definitely do more creatively," he told West Ham TV. "I just think
there might be a slight lack of spark at the minute, due to the volume of
games. But we've got goalscorers in the team and as you saw in the second
half, once we started to get the ball in the box a little more, we looked
more of a threat.
"Maybe for the first 20 minutes Manchester United got on top. You know
they're going to have plenty of the football, because you're playing away
from home, like you would do if you were at Old Trafford. We were expecting
that. "We came in at half time and there were one or two who I was
disappointed with, who didn't actually give me what I know they're capable
of. I made it known at half time that I wasn't happy with the performance.
"In the second half I thought we came out and responded. They are a good set
of lads and I knew I'd get that reaction. The plan was to try and stay in
the game and obviously try to sneak something towards the end. Had we got
the game's second goal it would have been game on but unfortunately there's
a little mix up at the end which killed it."
The Hammers' task was made all the more difficult by the late withdrawal of
Pelly Ruddock, who pulled up in the warm-up. It was a second injury blow in
as many days, as midfielder Sebastian Lletget, too, had been ruled out with
a slight knock. Haycock, however, was not about to bemoan his ill-fortune
and instead hoped his side would make the best of a late reshuffle. "Losing
Pelly in the warm-up wasn't an ideal situation but that's part and parcel of
football and we had to deal with it," he added. "I told the boys in the
dressing room, 'The first team lost two players in the first eleven minutes
but ultimately those two players came on and delivered the winning goal
between them'. Sometimes things like that happen in football and you've got
to be ready to slide people in.
"Callum Driver is only just back into his rehab so we knew he only had 60
minutes in him. We had only planned to play him for 30 or at most 45
minutes, but obviously we had to push it a bit longer. Leading up to the
game, we lost Seb Lletget who has been an integral part of the midfield. So
we've had to change the shape of the team as well in preparing for the game.
"People have got to bear in mind, we've got a young squad and one or two are
finding the going tough with the back to back games. We'll patch ourselves
up again and we've got to go again against Liverpool on Monday."
The Development Squad return to action on Monday 11 March, when they make
another journey to the North West to take on Liverpool at the Reds' Kirby
Training Ground.
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Ow gawd he's at it again!
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 7th March 2013
By: Mr Preview Percy
Preview Percy is at a loose end, what with there being no match this
weekend. So to fill in the time until the bunion lady arrives he returns to
a particular irritant of his. He still hasn't forgiven Barry Hearn for
Snooker Loopy you know....
So the deal to sort out the Olympic Stadium is nearly done and we can expect
an announcement any day/week/month/year now. So what happens? Yup our old
mate (and I use that word quite wrongly) Barry Hearn pops up and starts up
with the legal stuff again.
Now I wrote about Mr Hearn back in the summer whilst similarly at a loose
end. At the risk of repeating myself, lest I be accused of being pro or anti
anything I'm a committed "don't know" on the subject of the Olympic Stadium
move. I still haven't got enough information on which to base a proper
decision so until then I'll reserve judgement.
However, I do have enough information to make a judgement call on Barry
Hearn. Unfortunately the editors won't print that type of language in an
article so let's just say that I'm far from impressed.
His current move is to seek a judicial review of the latest bid process on
the grounds that not enough consideration was given to his proposal of a
ground share between Leyton Orient and West Ham United. This was one of the
four bids considered by the powers that be. To be fair the other two were
pretty much non-starters. The University College for Football Business
currently operate out of a broom cupboard at Turf Moor so what they were
going to with a whole stadium was never quite explained. As it happens
they've decided to rent some space at Wembley so they've got their room with
a view after all.
The other bid came from a company wanting to stage Formula 1 races there.
That would have left the stadium scrabbling around for use for much of the
year other than the few weeks for which the British Grand Prix was taking
place. No doubt the proposers had something in mind but when compared to
9-10 months of guaranteed football a year it all seemed a bit woolly and
vague.
Our bid we know all about (or as much as we're allowed to know) so let's
look at the Hearn bid then. The gist of it was "we'll move in and share it
with West Ham". It didn't seem to matter that we didn't actually want to
share a ground with them something that was made pretty clear to the world
in the club's statement that:
West Ham United has not held talks with Leyton Orient in respect of ground
sharing and nor is it our intention to do so
No, Hearn proceeded with the bid on the assumption that we could be made to
ground share against our wishes. Even for someone as arrogant as Hearn that
was a bit presumptuous.
I imagine that the conversation with the Legacy people went something like:
"Mr Hearn I see you propose to share the place with West Ham – have you
spoken with them at all?" "Er, not spoken as such but, er, oh look over
there is that a kitten?…."
So, having put in a bid that fell apart as soon as somebody read it, Hearn's
reaction when it failed was predictable : There's nothing wrong with the bid
it's the process that's wrong!
There's no real pattern to Hearn's continuingly shifting position. Our
moving to within 1 mile 890 yards of Brisbane Road (roughly three and a half
times the 750 yard distance Hearn loves to try and mislead the world with),
will apparently put his club out of existence whilst our staying put 2 miles
1687 yards away will see them thrive. On that logic you'd have thought that
moving to 0.0 miles away would result in an instant meeting of matter and
anti-matter that, whenever I watch Star Trek, seems to result in the end of
the known universe as we know it. Perhaps Mr Hearn would like to tell us the
optimum yardage available so that we don't need to call on the services of
whichever of the crew of the Enterprise are still able to walk.
Key to all this is, of course, the future of Brisbane Road (I hate sponsored
names) which I understand is owned by Mr Hearn (or businesses controlled by
him). Were his club to move from the ground that they nicked from Leyton FC
all those years ago that would free up a lot of real estate. As it stands
Hearn has been nibbling at the edges already, bits of the place having been
sold off piece by piece to effectively surround the ground with flats.
Hearn had promised to reinvest the profit from any sale of Brisbane Road
back into the playing side – though presumably this would be after repayment
of any sums owed by the club to him. And of course the level of "profit"
would depend on exactly who bought the place. A sale to another Hearn
company might raise a few eyebrows for example.
All of which is rather academic since, without a move, Mr Hearn is sitting
on an asset which isn't realisable. Which, presumably, is the reason for
this latest rather desperate move. Still his lawyers seem to think he has a
case – and no lawyer ever urged a client into unnecessary litigation from
which fees could be made, did they?
In the meantime I'm off to Mr Hearn's bank to propose a unique
account-sharing opportunity. Mr Hearn hasn't agreed but that apparently
doesn't matter……
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Would Watford's Scott Duxbury Care To Respond To Richard Scudamore's
Comments On Third Party Agreements?
http://thegamesgonecrazy.blogspot.co.uk
Now I have to be careful here. Watford Football Club don't take kindly to
criticism and their lawyers are especially protective of Scott Duxbury if
emails I have received are to be believed. However, Watford and West Ham
fans might be interested in listening to an interview with Richard Scudamore
and, I am sure, West Ham fans would love to hear Mr Duxbury's response.
According to Mr Scudamore, "What West Ham did and what actually happened was
wrong and those players should not have been entered into the league on that
basis. However, having said that, on the rules as drafted then, WE COULD
HAVE EASILY WORKED WITH WEST HAM PROBABLY TO HAVE CRAFTED THOSE AGREEMENTS
SO THAT THEY DID FIT WITHIN THE RULES…HAD THEY COME TO US UPFRONT AND
DISCUSSED IT UPFRONT, WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY REGULARISED THOSE AGREEMENTS".
So the question arises, why didn't the club discuss it up front? Who advised
the owners not to do so exactly? Now I may be wrong, but my memory tells me
that Scott Duxbury was the club's legal adviser at the time and I am certain
that he was at the club during the whole Tevez affair.
Mr Scudamore also says that the punishment meted out to West Ham was
appropriate and questions the legitimacy of Shafting United's compensation
claim. The question therefore arises as to why, exactly, Mr Duxbury agreed
to pay the Blunted Blades the huge compensation figure of, reportedly,
£20m+.
In the interview Mr Scudamore also objects to Third Party Agreements because
of the issue of "sporting integrity" clarifying this by saying that a player
should be at a club "primarily as a playing asset" and not with a view of
him being "moved on" for financial gain.
Now that is interesting given Watford's present policy. Fair enough if all
these "loanees" sign permanently for the club, but if Vydra and co are sold
on, and the profit goes back to Udinese, then surely "sporting integrity",
by Scudamore's definition, is not being upheld. Or am I being stupid?
Now I am sure that Mr Duxbury is able to answer these points to everybody's
satisfaction. I am not suggesting that he did anything dishonest, nor that
the compensation paid to Sheffield United was designed to cover his own
back. Nor am I suggesting that such an eminent legal expert acted
incompetently, gave bad advice to the club, and later compounded that by
acting still more incompetently. Any such suggestion would be absurd.
However, in the interests of clarity, it would be wonderful to hear Mr
Duxbury's response to Mr Scudamore's comments. Based on what Mr Scudamore
has said, every West Ham fan would, I am sure, like to hear why:
1) The club broke the rules in the first place.
2) Why there was not an honest admittance of rule breaking and an attempt to
find the common ground that Mr Scudamore suggests could have been
negotiated.
3) Why the compensation was agreed with Sheffield United.
Further, football fans up and down the land would probably like to hear Mr
Duxbuury's view on "sporting integrity" and the present arrangement between
Watford and Udinese in the light of Mr Scudamore's definition.
As I have already said, I am sure Mr Duxbury can explain this to everybody's
satisfaction, but idiots like myself would appreciate hearing that
explanation because, quick frankly, we are bemused. Why, given what Mr
Scudamore has said, did we ever get into the mess we got into at West Ham;
and are Watford currently breaching "sporting integrity" whilst exploiting,
in Mr Holloway's words, "a loophole".
You can hear Mr Scudamore's interview by following this link:
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/scudamore-says-player-funds-risk-soccer-s-int
egrity-5msQPl4CThW6UcFzFBYY6g.html
(With thanks to Stani!)
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Nolan sets sights on injury return against Chelsea
By talkSPORT | Thursday, March 7, 2013
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan is hoping he can overcome a broken toe to play
in the London derby against Chelsea on March 17. Nolan was forced to miss
the Hammers' 1-0 win over Stoke last weekend after he picked up the injury
following a collision with Mousa Dembele during the recent defeat by
Tottenham.
There were fears that the influential midfielder could face up to eight
weeks on the sidelines. But with West Ham not playing this weekend due to
Manchester United's involvement in the FA Cup quarter finals, Nolan has been
receiving intensive treatment at the club's training ground and hopes the
extra time will allow him to make a first-team return. Nolan could even play
with a painkilling injection to help him get through the ninety minutes at
Stamford Bridge. The news will come as a major boost to manager Sam
Allardyce who looks set to be without Joe Cole, who has a hamstring injury.
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Joe Cole tells Liverpool fans what they already know: you're not that big
http://www.anorak.co.uk
HOW football reporting works, with West Ham's Joe Cole:
This is what Cole said when he joined Liverpool:
"I could have stayed at Chelsea because the fans loved me and I won things,
but I wanted to challenge myself and when I knew Liverpool were interested
it was a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country."
He now explains:
"When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club
in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," said Cole. "I just
said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool
used that as the headline to the interview. I didn't want to upset anyone so
I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the biggest club in the
country any more. How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won
the European Cup twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea. I didn't
want to upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not
the biggest club in the country anymore."
West Ham, of course, won the World Cup. They're the biggest.
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Scudamore slams West Ham´s Tevez conduct
7 March 2013
UKSOCCERWAY.COM
English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has hit out at West
Ham United for their dishonesty during the Carlos Tevez saga. The striker
moved to Upton Park in August 2006 along with fellow Argentine Javier
Mascherano in a transfer that was eventually found to have broken
regulations regarding third-party ownership. The players' contracts, then
partly owned by agent Kia Joorabchian's business Media Sport Investment, saw
the east London club receive only a small portion of the fee when they moved
on. And Scudamore has now blasted the club's previous executives for lying
to him. "It is quite simple - you are completely undone by an act of bad
faith," he told Bloomberg in a TV interview. "If a club, through its
executives, chooses to lie straight to your face, there is a great deal of
damage that can be done from that. "Ultimately, the Tevez saga goes down to
people not being honest. With any regularity body, if people are not honest
there is very little you can do about it and that is why the whole thing
unravelled. "It ranks up there as the number one act of bad faith that any
club has ever done towards me during my time here. After that, it was dealt
with under our rule book and the rest is history."
Despite West Ham's five-and-a-half-million-pound fine being labelled lenient
in some quarters at the time, Scudamore believes the amount was significant,
especially compared to other punishments meted out by governing bodies.
"When you consider what certain Football Associations get fined for racist
abuse in Europe, 5.5 million pounds is a huge fine," he said. "Our rules say
that if you break them then a commission hears the case and decides. We are
glad English football has stopped these transactions happening.
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Big Sam Seeking Assurances?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
There is a peice in this morning's Telegraph that suggests Sam Allardyce
will seek assurances regarding the transfer budget for next season. The
story is that Allardyce wants to oversee a major restructing of his
strikeforce, with the likes of Carlton Cole and Maiga being shown the exit.
The question is whether the club will fund the acquisition of replacements
of sufficiently improved quality? The article claims to be based on a
source, no doubt close to the club, but who knows if there is any truth to
it?
Talking of new strikers, the link to Southampton's Ricky Lambert keeps
persistly re-emerging. The latest story is that West Ham will make a £6m bid
for Lambert's services. There is no doubt that Lambert is a consistent goal
scorer and has proven this season that he can convert regularly at PL level.
However, is he the right choice of striker for the club? Will Southampton
agree to the transfer of their prolific centre forward or is the offer, if
true, of £6m for a 30 year old too good an offer to turn down?
Of course, it does beg the question, what is likely to happen with regard to
Andy Carroll's future? The latest situation is that West Ham have first
option on signing Carroll for an estimated £17m fee. Will West Ham take up
the option? One thing is fairly certain and that is that Carroll's time at
Liverpool is up and he will be leaving his parent club this summer. And if
West Ham do not exercise their first option, then Newcastle Utd are likely
to pursue their much publicised interest in the player. Carroll has been
very unlucky with injuries, but a return of two goals this season is
disappointing. Regardless, Carroll needs to apply himself in the final 10 PL
matches and find some goal scoring form. If he finds that form then he will
increase the chance of the board agreeing to commitment a large proportion
of next season's increased TV proceeds to securing Carroll on a permanent
deal.
So, Leyton Orient are contemplating taking the 'powers that be' to Judicial
Review over the fairness of latest procurement process to decide the tenancy
of the Olympic Stadium. Rumour had it that all parties are very close to
clinching a deal on a 99 year lease deal. Now Barry Hearn is seeking to
de-rail the process once again by challenging the procurement process in the
courts. Apparently, West Ham being in Stratford will destroy the club
because of its geographical closeness to Orient's Leyton Stadium; yet, if
they actually share the same location everything will be ok, because there
will be a 'level playing field.' Hopefully, the procurement process this
time around is legally water tight and the challenge will be rejected. As
for Mr Hern's rationale, who can square that particular circle?
Finally, well done to the club for granting Hammers great, Billy Bonds, an
award for his outstanding service. It has been confirmed that Bonds will be
honoured at the end of season club dinner. Bonds was a great all action
player, of considerable skill. He was also the best tackler I have ever
seen. His career was marked by the ability to play in a number of positions.
He started off as a right-back, converted to central midfield and then,
latterly, he played at centre back and was superb in all three positions. A
man who should have played for his country on multiple occasions and graced
the first team well in to his 40s. They just do not make them like Bonzo
anymore!
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham fan barred from Stoke City stadium because he was carrying a
NEWSPAPER
The Mirror
8 Mar 2013 00:00
A fan was barred from a Premier League ground – because his newspaper was
branded a weapon. Security guards at Stoke City ordered stunned West Ham
supporter Chris Barmby, to bin it, claiming he might set it on fire and
start a riot. Ex-fireman Chris, 57, of Claines, Worcs, said: "It was
ridiculous. They were letting in fans with programmes. What is stopping
someone setting light to a club programme? The worst thing was I hadn't even
read it. "I've been following football for years and years and I have never
heard anything so ridiculous." No one at Stoke's Britannia Stadium was
available for comment. Newspapers are not on its website list of banned
items, but it states that any article that might be used as a weapon and/or
compromise public safety would not be allowed into the ground.
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Sam Allardyce puts future as West Ham manager on the line over summer
transfer funds for new strikers
The West Ham manager, Sam Allardyce, will seek assurances over his transfer
budget before committing his long-term future to the club.
By John Percy10:30PM GMT 07 Mar 2013
The Telegraph
Allardyce's contract at Upton Park expires in the summer but he is facing
the prospect of being left with only one senior forward for next season,
with a substantial clear-out of attacking options expected at the end of
this campaign. Carlton Cole, Modibo Maiga, Marouane Chamakh and Wellington
Paulista are all set to leave West Ham United and it is believed Allardyce's
decision on whether to sign a deal will depend on the size of his transfer
budget for replacements.
Talks over a new contract for Allardyce have been suspended until Premier
League survival is secured. However, Telegraph Sport understands Allardyce
has serious concerns regarding the shortage of forwards should he agree to
stay, and will want assurances that funds will be made available to address
the issue.
Andy Carroll's future is also uncertain, and he could return to parent club
Liverpool if West Ham's board opt against signing the England international
permanently for a fee of around £17million. Cole is set to leave West Ham
after seven years on a free transfer, while Chamakh will go back to Arsenal
after failing to impress since signing on loan in January. There are also
doubts over whether £4.7million summer signing Maiga will remain with West
Ham for next season. The Mali international is understood to have annoyed
Allardyce by playing in the Africa Cup of Nations despite insisting he would
not do so when he completed his move from the French club Sochaux in July.
West Ham even considered selling Maiga in January and will listen to offers
this summer, with Newcastle believed to be interested. Brazilian forward
Paulista, who arrived from Cruzeiro on loan, has not made a single
appearance and will also depart. The exits of four senior strikers could
leave only Ricardo Vaz Te on the books. West Ham have scored only 32 league
goals this season but are nine points clear of the bottom three, with 10
games remaining, and face Chelsea a week on Sunday.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, March 8
Thursday, March 7
Daily WHUFC News - 7th March 2013
Two local youngsters handed WHU trial
WHUFC.com
Two youngsters on a West Ham United Community Sports Trust half term course were invited for a trial
06.03.2013
Two lucky local youngsters are one step closer to realising their dreams of becoming Premier League footballers after being invited to a trial at West Ham United's Academy.The two schoolchildren were both selected by the Academy's Head of Recruitment Dave Hunt following last month's half term football coaching courses at the Community Sports Trust facility in Beckton. The youngsters were put through their paces throughout the half term course, participating in both passing and receiving exercises, individual attacking and defending exercises, goal scoring and finishing drills and group combination play. Sessions were tailored to develop each individual's natural ability, awareness and decision making. Football Development officer Bryan Glover said, "The new syllabus is proving to be a great success and credit goes to Tony Carr MBE for his input in designing and implementing the courses. "I would also like to thank Dave Hunt and his recruitment team for attending the courses in search for new talent. I want to wish both Austin and Sam good luck for their trial but I am sure they will do well." For full details or to book your place on a range of exciting football courses being held near you over the Easter holidays email
community@westhamunited.co.uk.
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Stephenson sings Academy's praises
WHUFC.com
Former Hammers defender Stephenson spoke of his enduring fondness for all things West Ham
06.03.2013
Once West Ham United's record signing, Alan Stephenson, who joined for £80,000 from Crystal Palace in 1968, would go on to distinguish himself at the Boleyn Ground in 118 outings in claret and blue. Stephenson's four-year stint with West Ham United saw the Chesham-born defender line up alongside World Cup-winning trio Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Some 40 years on, Stephenson remembers his time in east London with great affection and still holds the club and its Academy in the very highest esteem. "The club to me means the way to play football," he told whufc.com. "It has always had a tradition of good football and the team at the moment are trying to play some special football. It's just quality that this club stands for and whenever anyone goes to watch West Ham play, they know they're going to get a good game."
Though Stephenson learned his trade as a teenager at Crystal Palace, he is still every bit an admirer of the Hammers' famous Academy, one that he expects will continue to hone some of the game's brightest young talents. "Academies are very special places to learn the game and over here, no doubt, they have got one of the best there is. You only need to look at the players that have come through. Hopefully some new faces can come through the Youth Team and make their names just as the players did in the 60s, after all, Hurst, Peters and Moore all came through the Academy. "Hopefully that will continue to happen and I'm sure it will under the management of Tony Carr. I just wish them all success, I wish the club success and mainly the supporters at this club deserve the best."
Looking back upon his own time at the club, Stephenson recalled three particularly memorable outings in claret and blue, while he was effusive in his praise of West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore. "The league debut is always special. Though it was only a 0-0 draw at Southampton, it was a very special occasion for me to be signing for a big club in London. "A game I really enjoyed was the 5-1 away win at Manchester City, when Jimmy Greaves made his league debut. We beat them on a quagmire of a pitch and they had just won the First Division championship prior to that as well. Also, the 8-0 victory over Sunderland, when Geoff Hurst scored six at home, that was another special occasion. "I have fantastic memories of Bobby Moore. He made the game look so simple. He was never flustered, he never lost his temper. He led by example. It's sad that he went so early in his life. He helped me out as a player. I played over 100 games with him, so I learned a lot from playing with him. He was a very special person and a very special footballer. "He has left a huge legacy for this club to carry on into the future and hopefully some of the youngsters coming through the club will equal what he achieved in world football and go on to be special players for West Ham United."
As for the current crop, Stephenson is suitably impressed with what he has seen of Sam Allardyce's side in the Barclays Premier League. "I'm hoping they can achieve a mid-table finish. Having come up from the Championship last year, this is not an easy league. A lot of clubs are struggling at the moment, even quality clubs, but for West Ham to maintain their Premier League status is the number one criterion. Then hopefully the club can build from that success and go on to even better things next year."
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Olympic Stadium: Barry Hearn calls for judicial review
BBC.co.uk
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn will mount a legal challenge over the future of the Olympic Stadium. London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has named West Ham United as the preferred bidder to move into the venue and said the process had been "robust, fair and transparent". But Hearn told BBC London: "We believe the rules of the bidding process set out by the LLDC have not been followed. "We are challenging them by asking the High Court to issue a judicial review."
In a statement LLDC said: "We have been notified that Leyton Orient have made the decision to issue proceedings for judicial review. "Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived." League One side Leyton Orient and West Ham were among four parties to bid for tenancy of the £429 million venue, along with UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1. This is the second attempt to resolve the stadium's future use after the initial process which identified West Ham as preferred bidders collapsed in October 2011 following a legal challenge by Tottenham Hotspur and other difficulties. Hearn argues that the current process carried out by the LLDC has ignored the possibility of Orient and West Ham sharing the stadium. The O's chairman proposed a possible ground share with the Premier League side when the bidding process re-opened last summer but shortly afterwards West Ham announced they were not considering such an arrangement. "All parties signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and we don't think that serious consideration has been given to Leyton Orient sharing or 'teaming' with West Ham in the occupancy of the Olympic Stadium. "Our legal advice is that there is a fundamental flaw in the LLDC's bidding process that has to be rectified. "I went to two Queen's Counsels to be instructed on this and they both agreed that this whole operation has been a massive mistake by LLDC. "Those are their words, not mine.
"As such we are very confident the judicial review will show us to be correct and the bidding process will have to take into account the teaming principles.
"We know we are fighting for our future and survival. We have to follow the rules as laid down and other parties have to follow them as well. "Clearly that has not been done and we want to know why."
The chief executive of the LLDC announced in November last year that the Olympic Stadium would not re-open until August 2015 at the earliest following delays in the bidding process. The London Legacy Development Corporation board is set to meet on 26 March but earlier this week West Ham co-owner David Gold said they were closing in on agreeing a deal with them. However, an extraordinary general meeting of the LLDC could be called if an agreement over the venue is reached before then. Hearn believes that West Ham moving into the Olympic Stadium on their own would eventually force Orient out of business, and he has repeated his calls for the two clubs to occupy the stadium together. "A major club can ground share with a smaller one," Hearn said. "I don't think occupancy by West Ham and Leyton Orient hurts either team. "It prolongs and extends the legacy of the Olympic Park and makes it vibrant. "West Ham moving to the Olympic Park will put a huge amount of pressure on Leyton Orient to survive at all. "We are 750 yards away [from the Park] trying to compete with Premiership football. We have no chance in the long term. "The common sense way out is; why don't we share the ground? "I don't understand why this principle of 'teaming' is being ignored by the LLDC and West Ham. "Unfortunately and because of the intransigence of certain people we have to go back to court to have the original bid process disqualified."
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Leyton Orient return to court to challenge Olympic Stadium bidding process
Last Updated: March 6, 2013 3:27pm
SSN
Leyton Orient have asked for a judicial review of the process which made West Ham preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium. The Premier League club's co-owner David Gold said this week he expects the move to be officially confirmed on March 16 - more than three months after the bidding process went West Ham's way. Orient's chairman Barry Hearn has long argued the decision threatens his club's existence and wants the possibility of a groundshare to be fully considered. And he told Sky Sports News the London Legacy Development Corporation had breached its own rules by failing to explore that option. "Do we want to share with West Ham? Ideally, we wouldn't like West Ham there to start with. But taking that as a gimme - and I think the Mayor's office have made it clear from day one West Ham are their preferred bidder - we'd like to enter into the teaming process."
Barry Hearn
"We believe the bidding process is fundamentally flawed," he said, "and that LLDC have not followed their own rules. All parties involved signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and yet our bid has been turned down without consideration of a groundshare with West Ham. "Our legal advice is very convinced this is a fundamental flaw, and I'm afraid the saga looks set to continue. "We believe it's a point of law, but our overriding principle is that we're keen on sharing the stadium simply because if we don't, the additional competition will put Leyton Orient out of business. "Do we want to share with West Ham? Ideally, we wouldn't like West Ham there to start with. But taking that as a gimme - and I think the Mayor's office have made it clear from day one West Ham are their preferred bidder - we'd like to enter into the teaming process. "I don't see any harm to West Ham or anyone else to allow a small community club like Leyton Orient to benefit from the Olympic legacy by surviving in the future."
Orient to block West Ham stadium move
Challenged on whether he would accept compensation from West Ham, Hearn said: "I'm not interested in the money, I'm interested in us having a dream as well. I'm looking for a real legacy, not just a legacy in words where we fall over backwards to help a multi-million pound company like West Ham United."
A statement from the LLDC in response to Orient's decision read: "We believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived."
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Cole admits Liverpool move a mistake
ESPN staff
March 6, 2013
Joe Cole admits his decision to join Liverpool in 2010 was a mistake, claiming his only other option was an unthinkable move to Tottenham. Cole, 31, spent two-and-a-half years as a player at Anfield but failed to become a regular in the first team, being sent out on loan to Lille last season before rejoining his boyhood club West Ham in January. The England international says he never felt comfortable at Livepool but was forced to take up the only offer that appealed to him. "I can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what went wrong for me at Liverpool," Cole said. "I didn't feel a connection with the club or the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham. "I had seven great years at Chelsea but the club wanted to go in a certain direction and I wasn't involved. So I was left with two real options - Liverpool or Spurs. "Spurs was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings. "But I just couldn't do it, I just couldn't see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. With the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit mercenary."
Cole believes the mentality at Liverpool made it difficult for him to settle in, with their insistence on being known as the "biggest club in the country" catching him off guard. "When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," he said. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview. "I didn't want to upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the biggest club in the country any more. How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."
Although issues with match time plagued Cole at Chelsea, he seemed more motivated to break into the Blues' line-up than he did at Liverpool. "I rolled in at Chelsea on my first day thinking 'I'm going to be a big part of this club'," he added. "Then Sebastian Veron walks through the door with about five agents. Same position as me, costing three or four times as much. "As soon as I signed, (former owner Ken) Bates said to me: 'Congratulations, son, you've joined to sit on our bench'. I just thought 'I'll show you' and a year later I was playing regularly and Veron was off."
And his decision to return to Upton Park was not only buoyed by an unhappy stint with the Reds. "I was missing London and my family and I had a personal tragedy in December when my brother-in-law died. I got an opportunity to go back to West Ham and I don't want to move any more."
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Tony Cottee Column: Fantastic Stoke win makes West Ham almost safe
London 24
Tony Cottee Writes, Recorder Columnist
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Stoke City's Asmir Begovic saves from West Ham United's Jack Collison during the Barclays Premier League match at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke.
I am going out on a limb here and I know that it is a dangerous thing to do, but I think that Saturday's magnificent victory at Stoke City all but guarantees Premier League football at Upton Park next season. I think it was a fantastic win. Stoke is never an easy place to go and we have a bad record there over the years and I did fear the worst when we went up there. Sam would have done all his preparations during the week, but when you then lose two players in the first 11 minutes that can often throw the whole team off and can quickly turn into a nightmare. So all credit to the players and to the boss. He brought on two very different players in Jack Collison and Ricardo Vaz Te and it was those two who combined for the winning goal. It will not have been easy for either of them. They have not been playing and then you get thrown in at the deep end and you can't be 100 per cent fit, but they both did superbly. I have to say I am absolutely delighted for Jack. He has so much talent, but has had so many problems with his knee. He is a really good lad too and it is great to see him doing so well and scoring goals.
Saturday's win puts us on 33 points and I really think we only need four or five more. Everyone talks about the magical 40-point mark, but if you look back at the Premier League statistics, most of the time you don't need that many and I think it will be the same this year. We are not playing at the weekend which will give us a chance to get some players back for the Chelsea game and though our rivals will be in action, some are playing each other so they can't all win.
Let's play Man United in May
This weekend's scheduled clash with Manchester United has been postponed because of their FA Cup match and if I was the Hammers secretary I would be doing everything I could to arrange that match for sometime in May. With United so far clear at the top, they should be champions by the time it comes to May and they could also still be in the Champions League. That could mean Sir Alex tinkering with his line-up and that could work to our advantage. They have been brilliant this season, but we should have beaten them in the FA Cup and we would fancy our chances against a weakened team towards the end of the season.
It is Chelsea next though and the good news is that the game is on Sunday and the United game will be a midweek clash and that means I can go to both matches. The bad news though is that I haven't seen the Hammers win all season!
Let's hope that changes.
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West Ham weigh up £6m striking Plan B
Football Fancast
Date: 6th March 2013 at 3:51 pm
Written by Kike Muniz
West Ham United could be weighing up a £6m summer move for Southampton attacker Rickie Lambert, The Sun reports. The 31 year-old is making an impact on his first Premier League season and could move to Upton Park at the end of the season. The Hammers' interest in the 2011-12 Championship Player of the Year arise after reports indicate the club will not look to secure a permanent deal for Liverpool's on-loan striker Andy Carroll. It is understood the Londoners would have to pay a £17m transfer fee, along with wages in excess of £84k a week in order to keep the England international at Upton Park; the kind of numbers that could hardly be justified given his performance shown to date. The former Bristol Rovers striker, on the other hand, is completing an outstanding season, keeping alive Southampton's hopes to maintain their top flight status with 12 goals in 24 games. Lambert, who recently scored his 100th goal for Southampton, is proving vital to Mauricio Pochettino's side as he has netted a 32.5% of the league goals the team has scored. However, it remains to be seen whether Southampton survival within the Premier League will prove a decisive factor for the club to retain its prolific striker.
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Joe Cole on boxing: Noble fancies himself as a fighter, that would be a good match-up!
By MARTIN DOMIN
PUBLISHED: 14:38, 6 March 2013 | UPDATED: 15:26, 6 March 2013
Daily Mail
Joe Cole plans to pull on a pair of boxing gloves when he hangs up his boots - and wants to meet West Ham team-mate Mark Noble in the ring. The midfielder recently returned to his first club after spells with Chelsea, Liverpool and Lille. And while he has no plans to retire just yet, Cole admits boxing has long been a fascination. 'I messed around as a kid down the local club,' he said. 'I had a couple of spars but didn't like getting hit! I might do some White Collar. 'Mark Noble is good on the pads. He fancies himself as a bit of a fighter so that could be a good match-up!' Cole will be ringside at Wembley Arena on Saturday when Chelsea fan and former European champion Darren Barker takes on Simone Rotolo. 'I watch more boxing than football,' he admitted. 'I go as often as I can. When I was out for a year [at Chelsea], I was at every show.' 'The boxing crowd is amazing. They get right behind the boxers and give them an extra 10 per cent.' Cole also revealed that footballers would struggle with the demands of a boxer's training regime. 'It's more intense,' he added. 'With football, you play and you've got to recover for the next game but with boxing the training is more intense. 'I quite like training but it does sound bit strong. It would be too much for a footballer. 'We do it mainly in pre-season to keep ourselves ticking over. It's hard but it's fun punching the bag.'
Barker, who hopes to earn a second shot at a world title after he fell short against middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in 2011, is a familiar face at Chelsea after launching his own fitness class at Stamford Bridge. 'I respect any professional in any walk of life,' he said. 'It's an individual sport so if we're not properly prepared we don't have 10 other players to carry us through. It's our heath on the line, it's important to be properly conditioned. Its good to have the big players supporting your career, it pulls you along and gives you more encouragement. I had Jody Morris on the pads and he was really good.'
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Kevin Nolan will have to go if West Ham are to move forward
Big Sam has to ponder dropping his beloved Captain.
Givemefootball.com
Published 4 hours ago by Darren Oh.
Many fans recognise West Ham more from a certain hooligan movie rather than as the club who has produced more English internationals than any other club. The Academy of Football is a crucial institution for England's future, and West Ham's future thus remains inevitably crucial to England. West Ham United has suffered in recent years. Once a competitive mid-table team, the club rode a steady decline riddled with bad luck all the way down to the Championship. Irresponsible ownership and stints of poor management led to the downfall and reinvention of a club that is so vital to England. Since their downfall in 2011, astute financial management by new English owners and experienced management under "Big Sam" Allardyce have led to promotion. Furthermore, the Club's performance in the current season shows a respectable point tally of 33 points from 28 rounds of football. But just as all seems well, and safety in the Premier League all but guaranteed, the Irons have come to a juncture where some critical questions have to be confronted and questioned. The Championship and the Premier League are different animals. What often functions so effectively in the second division tends to fail miserably in the first. Just ask Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Big Sam has continued his 4-2-3-1 from last season, where a rigid formation with two hardworking defensive midfielders, with a goal-scoring trequartista in Kevin Nolan served him respectably. Despite his claims that his methods are as updated as that of Arsene Wenger, he has shown limited tactical flexibility by continuing this formation against virtually every opponent this season.
The issue is that while this formation has achieved the objective of keeping West Ham up this season, the likelihood of its continued efficacy in the top flight is very low. Watching West Ham matches throughout the season have made for repeated feelings of precariousness.
Often, they can score directly and maintain leads, but the content of the games show a consistent vulnerability on counter attacks. This is largely due to the limited work rate of Captain Kevin Nolan, who maintains a long-standing relationship and trust with Big Sam. As he contributes little to nothing to the team defence, it is imperative that the industrious Mark Noble and the powerful Mohamed Diame have to play behind him for the team to be able to maintain its shape.
This kind of sacrifice by West Ham's workhorses is justified if the team is winning somewhat consistently. But this is not the case. West Ham finishing above the bottom three this year will suffice and justify any tactical decisions, but for the club to truly move forward, the formation must change, and Nolan must be dropped. No team in the Premier League can afford to have half-a-player in a squad simply because he is the likeliest to hit the second shots.
Every player needs to play both sides of the game for a team to be successful in the modern game and particularly in the Premier League, where the ability to challenge others physically is necessary. With his most recent injury, it is interesting to see what Big Sam will do to create a formation without his star man. What it is sure to do is force him to explore other options and build more mobile and agile attacks. A first game without him has already resulted in a win.
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Leyton Orient contest West Ham's Olympic Stadium sole tenancy rights
• 'LLDC have not stuck by their own rules,' says Hearn
• Orient want West Ham to share Olympic Stadium
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 March 2013 14.21 GMT
Leyton Orient have started a legal fight to have the decision to allow West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium struck out. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA
The Leyton Orient chairman, Barry Hearn, has launched proceedings for a judicial review over the decision to allow West Ham to seek sole tenancy rights to the Olympic Stadium.
Hearn believes the London Legacy Development Corporation has broken its own rules in now allowing the League One club to be "teamed" with the Hammers in the bidding process. Hearn, who wants his own club and the Hammers to become joint tenants of the £429m stadium, has repeated his claim that the O's will have no future if the Hammers move in.
Hearn told his club's official website: "I was concerned that this was a done deal for West Ham before the bidding began, but the fact that both clubs had to commit to teaming made me believe that we were getting involved in a fair process. However, the LLDC have not stuck by their own rules and have left Orient with no option but to challenge their decision in the Courts.
"We don't intend to interfere with West Ham's residency at the stadium, but maintain the position that if they are going to be there, then we need to be there too. As I have said many times before, if West Ham move to the stadium and we are left a mile up the road, Leyton Orient will not survive."
Hearn was also part of a judicial review in 2011, which included Tottenham and resulted in the process of awarding tenancy rights to the stadium being abandoned. The LLDC board, which is tasked with sorting out the stadium's future, named West Ham as the number one choice to move into the Olympic Stadium in December.
An LLDC spokesman said: "We have been notified that Leyton Orient have made the decision to issue proceedings for judicial review. Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived."
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Hearn seeking judicial review
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 6th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Orient Chairman Barry Hearn has announced his latest bid to prevent West Ham United from moving into the Olympic Stadium.
Hearn, who in tandem with Tottenham Hotspur successfully challenged the first 'preferred bidder' process back in 2011 is hoping to repeat that success, having raised objections over the validity of the recent decision to once again grant use of the Stratford arena to United.
Hearn argues that the possibility of a 'ground share' between West Ham and his club, Orient, was never considered by the London Legacy Development Corporation - something that he believes constitutes foul play.
"All parties signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and we don't think that serious consideration has been given to Leyton Orient sharing or 'teaming' with West Ham in the occupancy of the Olympic Stadium," he told BBC London.
"We believe the rules of the bidding process set out by the LLDC have not been followed. We are challenging them by asking the High Court to issue a judicial review.
"Our legal advice is that there is a fundamental flaw in the LLDC's bidding process that has to be rectified. I went to two Queen's Counsels to be instructed on this and they both agreed that this whole operation has been a massive mistake by LLDC."
News of Hearn's latest legal challenge led the LLDC to respond via official statement: "Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived," they said.
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Scudumore blasts liars at West Ham over Tevez affair
Scud: Irons 'lies' hurt me
By DAN KING
Published: 06th March 2013
The Sun
PREMIER LEAGUE chief Richard Scudamore has blasted the 'liars' at West Ham who caused the Carlos Tevez scandal. The Hammers broke third-party investment rules to sneak in Tevez in 2006 — and his goals kept them in the Premier League. Scudamore said: "It is the No 1 act of bad faith that anyone ever did towards me here. "If a club chooses, through its executives, to lie to you to your face, there is a good deal of damage that can flow from that." West Ham were fined £5.5million and made to pay relegated Sheffield United £18m. Third-party ownership was outlawed in 2008. Scudamore — in an interview with Bloomberg Television — added: "The feeling is 'speculators' owning the economic rights of players is wrong."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Two youngsters on a West Ham United Community Sports Trust half term course were invited for a trial
06.03.2013
Two lucky local youngsters are one step closer to realising their dreams of becoming Premier League footballers after being invited to a trial at West Ham United's Academy.The two schoolchildren were both selected by the Academy's Head of Recruitment Dave Hunt following last month's half term football coaching courses at the Community Sports Trust facility in Beckton. The youngsters were put through their paces throughout the half term course, participating in both passing and receiving exercises, individual attacking and defending exercises, goal scoring and finishing drills and group combination play. Sessions were tailored to develop each individual's natural ability, awareness and decision making. Football Development officer Bryan Glover said, "The new syllabus is proving to be a great success and credit goes to Tony Carr MBE for his input in designing and implementing the courses. "I would also like to thank Dave Hunt and his recruitment team for attending the courses in search for new talent. I want to wish both Austin and Sam good luck for their trial but I am sure they will do well." For full details or to book your place on a range of exciting football courses being held near you over the Easter holidays email
community@westhamunited.co.uk.
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Stephenson sings Academy's praises
WHUFC.com
Former Hammers defender Stephenson spoke of his enduring fondness for all things West Ham
06.03.2013
Once West Ham United's record signing, Alan Stephenson, who joined for £80,000 from Crystal Palace in 1968, would go on to distinguish himself at the Boleyn Ground in 118 outings in claret and blue. Stephenson's four-year stint with West Ham United saw the Chesham-born defender line up alongside World Cup-winning trio Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Some 40 years on, Stephenson remembers his time in east London with great affection and still holds the club and its Academy in the very highest esteem. "The club to me means the way to play football," he told whufc.com. "It has always had a tradition of good football and the team at the moment are trying to play some special football. It's just quality that this club stands for and whenever anyone goes to watch West Ham play, they know they're going to get a good game."
Though Stephenson learned his trade as a teenager at Crystal Palace, he is still every bit an admirer of the Hammers' famous Academy, one that he expects will continue to hone some of the game's brightest young talents. "Academies are very special places to learn the game and over here, no doubt, they have got one of the best there is. You only need to look at the players that have come through. Hopefully some new faces can come through the Youth Team and make their names just as the players did in the 60s, after all, Hurst, Peters and Moore all came through the Academy. "Hopefully that will continue to happen and I'm sure it will under the management of Tony Carr. I just wish them all success, I wish the club success and mainly the supporters at this club deserve the best."
Looking back upon his own time at the club, Stephenson recalled three particularly memorable outings in claret and blue, while he was effusive in his praise of West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore. "The league debut is always special. Though it was only a 0-0 draw at Southampton, it was a very special occasion for me to be signing for a big club in London. "A game I really enjoyed was the 5-1 away win at Manchester City, when Jimmy Greaves made his league debut. We beat them on a quagmire of a pitch and they had just won the First Division championship prior to that as well. Also, the 8-0 victory over Sunderland, when Geoff Hurst scored six at home, that was another special occasion. "I have fantastic memories of Bobby Moore. He made the game look so simple. He was never flustered, he never lost his temper. He led by example. It's sad that he went so early in his life. He helped me out as a player. I played over 100 games with him, so I learned a lot from playing with him. He was a very special person and a very special footballer. "He has left a huge legacy for this club to carry on into the future and hopefully some of the youngsters coming through the club will equal what he achieved in world football and go on to be special players for West Ham United."
As for the current crop, Stephenson is suitably impressed with what he has seen of Sam Allardyce's side in the Barclays Premier League. "I'm hoping they can achieve a mid-table finish. Having come up from the Championship last year, this is not an easy league. A lot of clubs are struggling at the moment, even quality clubs, but for West Ham to maintain their Premier League status is the number one criterion. Then hopefully the club can build from that success and go on to even better things next year."
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Olympic Stadium: Barry Hearn calls for judicial review
BBC.co.uk
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn will mount a legal challenge over the future of the Olympic Stadium. London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has named West Ham United as the preferred bidder to move into the venue and said the process had been "robust, fair and transparent". But Hearn told BBC London: "We believe the rules of the bidding process set out by the LLDC have not been followed. "We are challenging them by asking the High Court to issue a judicial review."
In a statement LLDC said: "We have been notified that Leyton Orient have made the decision to issue proceedings for judicial review. "Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived." League One side Leyton Orient and West Ham were among four parties to bid for tenancy of the £429 million venue, along with UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1. This is the second attempt to resolve the stadium's future use after the initial process which identified West Ham as preferred bidders collapsed in October 2011 following a legal challenge by Tottenham Hotspur and other difficulties. Hearn argues that the current process carried out by the LLDC has ignored the possibility of Orient and West Ham sharing the stadium. The O's chairman proposed a possible ground share with the Premier League side when the bidding process re-opened last summer but shortly afterwards West Ham announced they were not considering such an arrangement. "All parties signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and we don't think that serious consideration has been given to Leyton Orient sharing or 'teaming' with West Ham in the occupancy of the Olympic Stadium. "Our legal advice is that there is a fundamental flaw in the LLDC's bidding process that has to be rectified. "I went to two Queen's Counsels to be instructed on this and they both agreed that this whole operation has been a massive mistake by LLDC. "Those are their words, not mine.
"As such we are very confident the judicial review will show us to be correct and the bidding process will have to take into account the teaming principles.
"We know we are fighting for our future and survival. We have to follow the rules as laid down and other parties have to follow them as well. "Clearly that has not been done and we want to know why."
The chief executive of the LLDC announced in November last year that the Olympic Stadium would not re-open until August 2015 at the earliest following delays in the bidding process. The London Legacy Development Corporation board is set to meet on 26 March but earlier this week West Ham co-owner David Gold said they were closing in on agreeing a deal with them. However, an extraordinary general meeting of the LLDC could be called if an agreement over the venue is reached before then. Hearn believes that West Ham moving into the Olympic Stadium on their own would eventually force Orient out of business, and he has repeated his calls for the two clubs to occupy the stadium together. "A major club can ground share with a smaller one," Hearn said. "I don't think occupancy by West Ham and Leyton Orient hurts either team. "It prolongs and extends the legacy of the Olympic Park and makes it vibrant. "West Ham moving to the Olympic Park will put a huge amount of pressure on Leyton Orient to survive at all. "We are 750 yards away [from the Park] trying to compete with Premiership football. We have no chance in the long term. "The common sense way out is; why don't we share the ground? "I don't understand why this principle of 'teaming' is being ignored by the LLDC and West Ham. "Unfortunately and because of the intransigence of certain people we have to go back to court to have the original bid process disqualified."
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Leyton Orient return to court to challenge Olympic Stadium bidding process
Last Updated: March 6, 2013 3:27pm
SSN
Leyton Orient have asked for a judicial review of the process which made West Ham preferred bidder for the Olympic Stadium. The Premier League club's co-owner David Gold said this week he expects the move to be officially confirmed on March 16 - more than three months after the bidding process went West Ham's way. Orient's chairman Barry Hearn has long argued the decision threatens his club's existence and wants the possibility of a groundshare to be fully considered. And he told Sky Sports News the London Legacy Development Corporation had breached its own rules by failing to explore that option. "Do we want to share with West Ham? Ideally, we wouldn't like West Ham there to start with. But taking that as a gimme - and I think the Mayor's office have made it clear from day one West Ham are their preferred bidder - we'd like to enter into the teaming process."
Barry Hearn
"We believe the bidding process is fundamentally flawed," he said, "and that LLDC have not followed their own rules. All parties involved signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and yet our bid has been turned down without consideration of a groundshare with West Ham. "Our legal advice is very convinced this is a fundamental flaw, and I'm afraid the saga looks set to continue. "We believe it's a point of law, but our overriding principle is that we're keen on sharing the stadium simply because if we don't, the additional competition will put Leyton Orient out of business. "Do we want to share with West Ham? Ideally, we wouldn't like West Ham there to start with. But taking that as a gimme - and I think the Mayor's office have made it clear from day one West Ham are their preferred bidder - we'd like to enter into the teaming process. "I don't see any harm to West Ham or anyone else to allow a small community club like Leyton Orient to benefit from the Olympic legacy by surviving in the future."
Orient to block West Ham stadium move
Challenged on whether he would accept compensation from West Ham, Hearn said: "I'm not interested in the money, I'm interested in us having a dream as well. I'm looking for a real legacy, not just a legacy in words where we fall over backwards to help a multi-million pound company like West Ham United."
A statement from the LLDC in response to Orient's decision read: "We believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived."
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Cole admits Liverpool move a mistake
ESPN staff
March 6, 2013
Joe Cole admits his decision to join Liverpool in 2010 was a mistake, claiming his only other option was an unthinkable move to Tottenham. Cole, 31, spent two-and-a-half years as a player at Anfield but failed to become a regular in the first team, being sent out on loan to Lille last season before rejoining his boyhood club West Ham in January. The England international says he never felt comfortable at Livepool but was forced to take up the only offer that appealed to him. "I can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what went wrong for me at Liverpool," Cole said. "I didn't feel a connection with the club or the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham. "I had seven great years at Chelsea but the club wanted to go in a certain direction and I wasn't involved. So I was left with two real options - Liverpool or Spurs. "Spurs was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings. "But I just couldn't do it, I just couldn't see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. With the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit mercenary."
Cole believes the mentality at Liverpool made it difficult for him to settle in, with their insistence on being known as the "biggest club in the country" catching him off guard. "When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," he said. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview. "I didn't want to upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the biggest club in the country any more. How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."
Although issues with match time plagued Cole at Chelsea, he seemed more motivated to break into the Blues' line-up than he did at Liverpool. "I rolled in at Chelsea on my first day thinking 'I'm going to be a big part of this club'," he added. "Then Sebastian Veron walks through the door with about five agents. Same position as me, costing three or four times as much. "As soon as I signed, (former owner Ken) Bates said to me: 'Congratulations, son, you've joined to sit on our bench'. I just thought 'I'll show you' and a year later I was playing regularly and Veron was off."
And his decision to return to Upton Park was not only buoyed by an unhappy stint with the Reds. "I was missing London and my family and I had a personal tragedy in December when my brother-in-law died. I got an opportunity to go back to West Ham and I don't want to move any more."
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Tony Cottee Column: Fantastic Stoke win makes West Ham almost safe
London 24
Tony Cottee Writes, Recorder Columnist
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Stoke City's Asmir Begovic saves from West Ham United's Jack Collison during the Barclays Premier League match at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke.
I am going out on a limb here and I know that it is a dangerous thing to do, but I think that Saturday's magnificent victory at Stoke City all but guarantees Premier League football at Upton Park next season. I think it was a fantastic win. Stoke is never an easy place to go and we have a bad record there over the years and I did fear the worst when we went up there. Sam would have done all his preparations during the week, but when you then lose two players in the first 11 minutes that can often throw the whole team off and can quickly turn into a nightmare. So all credit to the players and to the boss. He brought on two very different players in Jack Collison and Ricardo Vaz Te and it was those two who combined for the winning goal. It will not have been easy for either of them. They have not been playing and then you get thrown in at the deep end and you can't be 100 per cent fit, but they both did superbly. I have to say I am absolutely delighted for Jack. He has so much talent, but has had so many problems with his knee. He is a really good lad too and it is great to see him doing so well and scoring goals.
Saturday's win puts us on 33 points and I really think we only need four or five more. Everyone talks about the magical 40-point mark, but if you look back at the Premier League statistics, most of the time you don't need that many and I think it will be the same this year. We are not playing at the weekend which will give us a chance to get some players back for the Chelsea game and though our rivals will be in action, some are playing each other so they can't all win.
Let's play Man United in May
This weekend's scheduled clash with Manchester United has been postponed because of their FA Cup match and if I was the Hammers secretary I would be doing everything I could to arrange that match for sometime in May. With United so far clear at the top, they should be champions by the time it comes to May and they could also still be in the Champions League. That could mean Sir Alex tinkering with his line-up and that could work to our advantage. They have been brilliant this season, but we should have beaten them in the FA Cup and we would fancy our chances against a weakened team towards the end of the season.
It is Chelsea next though and the good news is that the game is on Sunday and the United game will be a midweek clash and that means I can go to both matches. The bad news though is that I haven't seen the Hammers win all season!
Let's hope that changes.
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West Ham weigh up £6m striking Plan B
Football Fancast
Date: 6th March 2013 at 3:51 pm
Written by Kike Muniz
West Ham United could be weighing up a £6m summer move for Southampton attacker Rickie Lambert, The Sun reports. The 31 year-old is making an impact on his first Premier League season and could move to Upton Park at the end of the season. The Hammers' interest in the 2011-12 Championship Player of the Year arise after reports indicate the club will not look to secure a permanent deal for Liverpool's on-loan striker Andy Carroll. It is understood the Londoners would have to pay a £17m transfer fee, along with wages in excess of £84k a week in order to keep the England international at Upton Park; the kind of numbers that could hardly be justified given his performance shown to date. The former Bristol Rovers striker, on the other hand, is completing an outstanding season, keeping alive Southampton's hopes to maintain their top flight status with 12 goals in 24 games. Lambert, who recently scored his 100th goal for Southampton, is proving vital to Mauricio Pochettino's side as he has netted a 32.5% of the league goals the team has scored. However, it remains to be seen whether Southampton survival within the Premier League will prove a decisive factor for the club to retain its prolific striker.
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Joe Cole on boxing: Noble fancies himself as a fighter, that would be a good match-up!
By MARTIN DOMIN
PUBLISHED: 14:38, 6 March 2013 | UPDATED: 15:26, 6 March 2013
Daily Mail
Joe Cole plans to pull on a pair of boxing gloves when he hangs up his boots - and wants to meet West Ham team-mate Mark Noble in the ring. The midfielder recently returned to his first club after spells with Chelsea, Liverpool and Lille. And while he has no plans to retire just yet, Cole admits boxing has long been a fascination. 'I messed around as a kid down the local club,' he said. 'I had a couple of spars but didn't like getting hit! I might do some White Collar. 'Mark Noble is good on the pads. He fancies himself as a bit of a fighter so that could be a good match-up!' Cole will be ringside at Wembley Arena on Saturday when Chelsea fan and former European champion Darren Barker takes on Simone Rotolo. 'I watch more boxing than football,' he admitted. 'I go as often as I can. When I was out for a year [at Chelsea], I was at every show.' 'The boxing crowd is amazing. They get right behind the boxers and give them an extra 10 per cent.' Cole also revealed that footballers would struggle with the demands of a boxer's training regime. 'It's more intense,' he added. 'With football, you play and you've got to recover for the next game but with boxing the training is more intense. 'I quite like training but it does sound bit strong. It would be too much for a footballer. 'We do it mainly in pre-season to keep ourselves ticking over. It's hard but it's fun punching the bag.'
Barker, who hopes to earn a second shot at a world title after he fell short against middleweight champion Sergio Martinez in 2011, is a familiar face at Chelsea after launching his own fitness class at Stamford Bridge. 'I respect any professional in any walk of life,' he said. 'It's an individual sport so if we're not properly prepared we don't have 10 other players to carry us through. It's our heath on the line, it's important to be properly conditioned. Its good to have the big players supporting your career, it pulls you along and gives you more encouragement. I had Jody Morris on the pads and he was really good.'
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Kevin Nolan will have to go if West Ham are to move forward
Big Sam has to ponder dropping his beloved Captain.
Givemefootball.com
Published 4 hours ago by Darren Oh.
Many fans recognise West Ham more from a certain hooligan movie rather than as the club who has produced more English internationals than any other club. The Academy of Football is a crucial institution for England's future, and West Ham's future thus remains inevitably crucial to England. West Ham United has suffered in recent years. Once a competitive mid-table team, the club rode a steady decline riddled with bad luck all the way down to the Championship. Irresponsible ownership and stints of poor management led to the downfall and reinvention of a club that is so vital to England. Since their downfall in 2011, astute financial management by new English owners and experienced management under "Big Sam" Allardyce have led to promotion. Furthermore, the Club's performance in the current season shows a respectable point tally of 33 points from 28 rounds of football. But just as all seems well, and safety in the Premier League all but guaranteed, the Irons have come to a juncture where some critical questions have to be confronted and questioned. The Championship and the Premier League are different animals. What often functions so effectively in the second division tends to fail miserably in the first. Just ask Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Big Sam has continued his 4-2-3-1 from last season, where a rigid formation with two hardworking defensive midfielders, with a goal-scoring trequartista in Kevin Nolan served him respectably. Despite his claims that his methods are as updated as that of Arsene Wenger, he has shown limited tactical flexibility by continuing this formation against virtually every opponent this season.
The issue is that while this formation has achieved the objective of keeping West Ham up this season, the likelihood of its continued efficacy in the top flight is very low. Watching West Ham matches throughout the season have made for repeated feelings of precariousness.
Often, they can score directly and maintain leads, but the content of the games show a consistent vulnerability on counter attacks. This is largely due to the limited work rate of Captain Kevin Nolan, who maintains a long-standing relationship and trust with Big Sam. As he contributes little to nothing to the team defence, it is imperative that the industrious Mark Noble and the powerful Mohamed Diame have to play behind him for the team to be able to maintain its shape.
This kind of sacrifice by West Ham's workhorses is justified if the team is winning somewhat consistently. But this is not the case. West Ham finishing above the bottom three this year will suffice and justify any tactical decisions, but for the club to truly move forward, the formation must change, and Nolan must be dropped. No team in the Premier League can afford to have half-a-player in a squad simply because he is the likeliest to hit the second shots.
Every player needs to play both sides of the game for a team to be successful in the modern game and particularly in the Premier League, where the ability to challenge others physically is necessary. With his most recent injury, it is interesting to see what Big Sam will do to create a formation without his star man. What it is sure to do is force him to explore other options and build more mobile and agile attacks. A first game without him has already resulted in a win.
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Leyton Orient contest West Ham's Olympic Stadium sole tenancy rights
• 'LLDC have not stuck by their own rules,' says Hearn
• Orient want West Ham to share Olympic Stadium
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 March 2013 14.21 GMT
Leyton Orient have started a legal fight to have the decision to allow West Ham to move into the Olympic Stadium struck out. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA
The Leyton Orient chairman, Barry Hearn, has launched proceedings for a judicial review over the decision to allow West Ham to seek sole tenancy rights to the Olympic Stadium.
Hearn believes the London Legacy Development Corporation has broken its own rules in now allowing the League One club to be "teamed" with the Hammers in the bidding process. Hearn, who wants his own club and the Hammers to become joint tenants of the £429m stadium, has repeated his claim that the O's will have no future if the Hammers move in.
Hearn told his club's official website: "I was concerned that this was a done deal for West Ham before the bidding began, but the fact that both clubs had to commit to teaming made me believe that we were getting involved in a fair process. However, the LLDC have not stuck by their own rules and have left Orient with no option but to challenge their decision in the Courts.
"We don't intend to interfere with West Ham's residency at the stadium, but maintain the position that if they are going to be there, then we need to be there too. As I have said many times before, if West Ham move to the stadium and we are left a mile up the road, Leyton Orient will not survive."
Hearn was also part of a judicial review in 2011, which included Tottenham and resulted in the process of awarding tenancy rights to the stadium being abandoned. The LLDC board, which is tasked with sorting out the stadium's future, named West Ham as the number one choice to move into the Olympic Stadium in December.
An LLDC spokesman said: "We have been notified that Leyton Orient have made the decision to issue proceedings for judicial review. Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived."
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Hearn seeking judicial review
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 6th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Orient Chairman Barry Hearn has announced his latest bid to prevent West Ham United from moving into the Olympic Stadium.
Hearn, who in tandem with Tottenham Hotspur successfully challenged the first 'preferred bidder' process back in 2011 is hoping to repeat that success, having raised objections over the validity of the recent decision to once again grant use of the Stratford arena to United.
Hearn argues that the possibility of a 'ground share' between West Ham and his club, Orient, was never considered by the London Legacy Development Corporation - something that he believes constitutes foul play.
"All parties signed up to the principle of 'teaming' and we don't think that serious consideration has been given to Leyton Orient sharing or 'teaming' with West Ham in the occupancy of the Olympic Stadium," he told BBC London.
"We believe the rules of the bidding process set out by the LLDC have not been followed. We are challenging them by asking the High Court to issue a judicial review.
"Our legal advice is that there is a fundamental flaw in the LLDC's bidding process that has to be rectified. I went to two Queen's Counsels to be instructed on this and they both agreed that this whole operation has been a massive mistake by LLDC."
News of Hearn's latest legal challenge led the LLDC to respond via official statement: "Whilst this is disappointing, we believe that our processes have been robust, fair and transparent and that the challenge is misconceived," they said.
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Scudumore blasts liars at West Ham over Tevez affair
Scud: Irons 'lies' hurt me
By DAN KING
Published: 06th March 2013
The Sun
PREMIER LEAGUE chief Richard Scudamore has blasted the 'liars' at West Ham who caused the Carlos Tevez scandal. The Hammers broke third-party investment rules to sneak in Tevez in 2006 — and his goals kept them in the Premier League. Scudamore said: "It is the No 1 act of bad faith that anyone ever did towards me here. "If a club chooses, through its executives, to lie to you to your face, there is a good deal of damage that can flow from that." West Ham were fined £5.5million and made to pay relegated Sheffield United £18m. Third-party ownership was outlawed in 2008. Scudamore — in an interview with Bloomberg Television — added: "The feeling is 'speculators' owning the economic rights of players is wrong."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 6
Daily WHUFC News - 6th March 2013
Blair bids to build on Bantams success
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is back at West Ham United and ready to knuckle down in the
Development Squad
05.03.2013
Blair Turgott expects his adventures at Bradford City to steer him towards
success, as he settles back into life at West Ham United. The 18-year-old
winger turned out eleven times for the Bantams in a three-month stint that
culminated in Bradford's historic Capital One Cup final appearance. Though
Turgott would remain an unused substitute in a 5-0 defeat by Swansea City,
the Academy graduate is not likely to forget his Wembley day out in a hurry.
Now back in east London and bolstered by his Football League exploits,
Turgott was straight back into the action on Friday night, as he helped the
Development Squad to a goalless draw with Manchester United. "It's good to
see all the boys again and all of the staff, so I'm definitely happy to be
back now," he told West Ham TV. "Bradford City was a great experience for
me. When the opportunity came, it was something I was happy to do. I've
learned a lot as a player, which can steer me in good stead for the future.
It has definitely been a good experience. "For anyone, to go to Wembley like
that, the national stadium and to take in the atmosphere of a full sell-out
stadium is great. It's a great memory but I've just got to put in my pocket
and move on to bigger and better things now hopefully."
The England U19 international, who had not played a full 90 minutes since 15
January, confessed to being slightly ring rusty, though he expects Friday's
run-out to do him the power of good. "It was different, that was my first 90
minutes in like a month," he added. "So it was good personally for me to get
through the game and I thought I did alright. At first it was more about
getting 90 minutes under my belt and seeing how I fared. "Now it's about
getting games under my belt. I've got to keep performing every week and
getting a good performance level. Whatever happens going forward, I think
first and foremost it's about playing with the Development Squad and getting
minutes under my belt."
As for Friday's Barclays Under-21 Premier League stalemate, Turgott had no
complaints whatever, insisting that the point gives West Ham an excellent
platform from which to tackle Wednesday's reverse fixture in Altrincham. "I
think in games like that, you have to respect the point. At half-time we had
a chat and we felt we could win the game but obviously as the game went on,
we stuck together as a team. I think our shape was good and we limited them
to as few chances as possible. In the end it was good to get something out
of the game and get a point. "We've got them again on Wednesday. It will be
another good game, another tough game. That's what you want ultimately, big
games and to play against the better teams. This is why we're in this
league. That's what it's all about and should be a good test on Wednesday.
We know what we've got to do and if we do that I think we'll get the win."
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Matt on the mend
WHUFC.com
Hammers midfielder Matt Taylor is feeling better after suffering a
concussion at Stoke City
05.03.2013
Matt Taylor is on the mend after suffering concussion in Saturday's Barclays
Premier League victory at Stoke City. The No14 was caught on the jaw by
Peter Crouch's right boot when he bravely headed the ball clear as the
Potters striker attempted an acrobatic overhead kick. Taylor was knocked out
by the impact and there were initial concerns all-round when the midfielder
lay prone on the Britannia Stadium turf. However, thanks to the rapid
actions of the players, referee and medical staff, the 31-year-old was
tended to quickly. After being driven home by club doctor Dr Richard Weiler,
Taylor spent the remainder of the weekend resting at home before returning
to Chadwell Heath for further assessment The official website checked up on
his wellbeing on Tuesday and was delighted to hear that he is feeling a lot
better.
Matt, first things first, how are you?
MT: "I'm OK. I'm not too bad. My head is fine and I'm feeling a lot better.
It's the first time I have been knocked out in my career, or in my life for
that matter, that I can recall. If it was going to happen anywhere, then on
a football pitch is not a bad place because of all the medical staff being
there. It was a good place for it to happen, if it was going to happen."
We have all seen the footage and the photographs of what looked like a
horrible impact with Peter Crouch's right boot, but what is your
recollection of what happened?
MT: "I don't have any recollection of heading the ball. My only memory I
have is the ball going over my head [from the corner] and following my
runner. I then remember waking up in their treatment room on the treatment
table. I don't have any other memory. I don't remember walking off or
anything, which was a bit scary."
It just shows that you will literally put your head on the line for the
cause...
MT: "I don't remember going for the ball, but I have seen the video and it's
something that I had to go for. It's not something I couldn't do in terms of
going for the header. I don't think there is anyone else in the league who
would have tried an overhead kick from there, but Crouchy is obviously very
good at them and it might have hit the target. "It was just one of those
things and he clearly didn't mean to do it. There was no malice on his
behalf. It was just one of those occupational hazards. I know Crouchy and
played for England Under-21s with him and he came to see me afterwards, but
I'd already left for home with the doctor. There was no malice and you could
see that, as soon as it happened, he held his hands up and was very
apologetic so I don't hold any grudges. It's just one of those things."
What was the medical process after the incident?
MT: "Their doctor and one of our physios sat with me for about 40 minutes
until just after half-time and I felt a lot better. I just laid on the bed
there. It was ironic because Jack [Collison] scored and, where we were, we
heard a roar and thought Stoke had scored. One of the guys then came in and
said we were 1-0 up and I thought 'Oh good!'. "I let the manager do his team
talk and lads go back out for the second half and then I had a shower and
went out to watch the game from the dugout. I had a headache, but not a big
one. I slept for an hour and a half in the car on the way home, so I wasn't
great company for the doctor! I put the seat back and went straight to sleep
which, by all accounts, is quite normal after such an incident. "We got home
and ordered a Chinese because I really fancied one, but I couldn't eat any
of it because my jaw was so sore, which was a bit of a pain! My wife was
eating her dinner and I could only eat the noodles! It was the same on
Sunday and Monday and I managed to eat a little bit more on Tuesday. "Seeing
the incident again, I was very fortunate that I don't have any lasting head
damage. I feel fine and it is just a protocol to follow now to get back
training. Obviously with no game this weekend, I can take my time and get
fit to return to training next week, all things being well."
It was a worrying scene for all of us at the Britannia Stadium, so
presumably it would have been the same for your family and friends?
MT: "I don't have any recollection of this, but as soon as it happened I am
told I asked Frazer Young the physio to get my phone and call my wife. My
Dad and my sister were at the game and the fact that I wobbled off the
pitch, they probably thought I was OK. The fact I wasn't stretchered off and
I was laughing and joking made it seem less serious. "I couldn't answer any
of the questions that the medical team asked me because the concussion had
knocked me about a bit. I didn't have the correct answers so that was the
end of the game for me, but I can only commend everybody and hopefully there
won't be any lasting damage."
Lastly, although you were only on the pitch for eleven minutes, you must be
delighted with the result you achieved at Stoke?
MT: "It's a fantastic result. I text Jack on Saturday night as I was over
the moon for him for scoring and playing well. Jack is a really nice guy and
a good footballer, but he's had a difficult few months so I'm genuinely
really happy that he came on and scored the winning goal. It showed a lot
about the sort of character he has got and what he brings to the team. "It's
a fantastic result for everybody and now we have a nice trip to Chelsea to
look forward to. Let's hope we can be the first team this season to do the
'double' over Chelsea as that would be nice."
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Captain Reid relishing role
WHUFC.com
Stand-in skipper Winston Reid was delighted to lead West Ham United to
victory at Stoke City on Saturday
05.03.2013
The role of West Ham United captain has been filled by some legendary names
in the history of the club - Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Malcolm Allison,
George Kay and Alvin Martin among them. On Saturday, Winston Reid pulled on
the armband for the first time at the start of a Barclays Premier League
fixture, standing in after regular captain Kevin Nolan and vice-captain Mark
Noble were ruled out by injury. The No2 did the coveted role proud,
inspiring his team to a vital 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Stoke
City. Afterwards, the New Zealand centre-back told of his pride at being
handed the captaincy by manager Sam Allardyce. "It's a great privilege,"
said Reid, who has started all 28 league games this season. "We have Kevin
as a great captain and Mark right after him, so if I can do a job when they
are not available then it is fine by me. Otherwise, I just go about my
business as usual and don't try to really change myself.
"As a captain, I just try to give 100 per cent and try to help out my
team-mates. I try to be a good role model and try to do my best and
encourage everyone to try their hardest and be a winner."
Reid was nursing a bloodied lip following Saturday's visit to the Britannia
Stadium - an illustration of just what a stern physical test he and his
team-mates had withstood. Stoke bombarded the West Ham penalty area with
crosses, free-kicks, long balls and long throws, but the Hammers' back-four
and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen stood firm - even after Potters manager
Tony Pulis had sent on substitute Kenwyne Jones to join fellow strikers
Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome in the closing stages. "We needed the three
points. Stoke is a hard place to come so the boys did really well and got
the win, so it was good. At the end, they had about four big boys up there.
We had enough to deal with, but at the end we got a clean sheet and the win,
which were important. "I think it's a challenge to go to a place like Stoke.
It's not easy, but you just have to be up for it and try your best. I
thought everyone did that and we got the win."
The battle did claim two victims, however, with Matt Taylor and Joe Cole
leaving the pitch with concussion and a tight hamstring within the opening
eleven minutes. While some teams would have crumbled, with circumstances
conspiring against them, West Ham grew into the game and chalked up a
thoroughly deserved success. "We have been a bit down on numbers recently,
so it was good that the boys got together well and I thought we showed great
spirit as a team."
Having got to grips with Stoke's direct approach, West Ham struck the
all-important winner just before half-time. Ricardo Vaz Te and Jack Collison
- on for the injured Cole and Taylor - combined for the Wales midfielder to
shoot low past Asmir Begovic. The move impressed the skipper. "The goal was
a good one and a great finish from Jack. He came in and obviously wanted to
prove himself as well and he did that, so I'm pleased for him. Vaz did well
as well and we had a couple of other chances that maybe we could have
scored. "I thought we did well defensively, too, to keep them away from
creating big chances. They are very good on set pieces, so we had to be
careful but I think we limited them very well."
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Joe Cole Admits that his Liverpool Move was a Mistake!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
In an interview with ESPN, Joe Cole has admitted that his 2010 move to
Liverpool was a mistake. But states that he agreed to the move, as the only
viable alternative to the offer of a 5 year deal from Spurs! That statement
might raise a few eye brows, but Cole makes the admission that after playing
for West Ham and Chelsea it did not feel right to pull on a Spurs shirt.
However, the Liverpool move never worked out and he admited to feeling
uncomfortable at Liverpool, both the club and the city.
He also provides an interesting insight in to his experience on joining
Chelsea. After cole signed, the West London club then went out and bought
Argentinian international midfielder, Sebastian Veron, basically to play in
the same position. Former Chairman, Ken Bates, allegedly welcomed Joe to
Chelsea by declaring, well done, 'you have signed to sit on our bench.' What
a motivational and inspiring welcome to Chelsea that must have been.
Regardless, Joe Cole rose to the challenge and established himself as a
first team regular, although I do clearly recall him not always being in
favour with the 'special one' during the latter's tenure as manager.
Joe Cole maintains that he needs to feel passionate about playing for a
club. And he has that passion for West Ham, as demonstrated by his
comiitment since returning and the demonstrative goal celebraton against
Spurs. It would have been nice for him to have returned in 2010, but it is
better later than never, as they say. At 31 years of age, Cole still has gas
in the tank and can really make up for lost time. He, unfortunately, picked
up an hamstring strain in the match against Stoke City, but hopefully he
will be fit and back in contention sooner rather than later. We need his
vision, guile and commitment to the cause in our midfield.
Well done Jack Collison for coming on and scoring the match winning goal on
Saturay. As I said, Jack has all the assets to become a top, goal scoring,
midfielder. His knee condition obviously requires managing, but if they can
keep him fit, then there is no reason why collison cannot score 10 plus
goals a season. It was interesting to see Tom's statstical analysis of the
Stoke City match. One statistic that caught the eye was he 80% plus pass
completion rate of Gary O'Neill. O'Neill never sems to get the credit that
he deserves for his workrate and covering ability, and that is even more the
case with his neat passing game. I have read previously that O'Neill
consistently has this high pass completion rate, which should really make
him stand out as a good and technically accomplished player. Unfortunately,
those stats are not widely acknowledged and that is a shame for a genuine
professional.
From missed player attributes to missing players, the African Cup of Nations
ended some time ago and yet Maiga appears to have disappeared without trace.
Hopefully he did nor return to the PL carying an injury secured on
international duty. At least Maiga has had his first team opporunities.
Unlike Welington Paulista, who must wonder why he travelled thousands of
miles, from his native Brasil, to play with the club's youngsters in the
Development Squad. Surely Paulista will get his opportunity before too much
longer?
Chelsea away might be the opportunity to 'blood' our Brazilian marvel in te
making? Probably from the bench? One thing is certain, both Collison and Vaz
Te must start. I was certainly very pleased to see both players do so well
in the Stoke City match. Surely, its got to be a case of 'play it (them)
again sam?'
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverfool
Cole regrets Kop move
By MARK IRWIN
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
JOE COLE has admitted he was wrong to move to Liverpool — but could not bear
the thought of signing for Spurs. The midfielder spent over two years in the
Anfield wilderness before returning to first club West Ham in January. And
the ex-England player admits he never adapted to life at the Kop and regrets
calling Liverpool 'the biggest club in the country'. Cole, 31, revealed: "I
can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what
went wrong for me at Liverpool. "I didn't feel a connection with the club or
the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham. "I had seven great years at
Chelsea but the club wanted to go in a certain direction and I wasn't
involved. So I was left with two real options — Liverpool or Spurs. "Spurs
was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal
and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings. "But I just couldn't do
it, I just couldn't see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. "With
the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit
mercenary."
Yet Cole soon realised he was not going to fit in at Liverpool after signing
in 2010. He said: "When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've
joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd
won. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right'
and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview. "I didn't want to
upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the
biggest club in the country any more.
"How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup
twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."
Cole, in an interview with the Chelsea fanzine cfuk, also recalls how former
Stamford Bridge chairman Ken Bates mocked him for joining the club at the
start of the Roman Abramovich era in 2003. He said: "I rolled in at Chelsea
on my first day thinking 'I'm going to be a big part of this club'. "Then
Sebastian Veron walks through the door with about five agents. Same position
as me, costing three or four times as much. "As soon as I signed, Bates said
to me: 'Congratulations, son, you've joined to sit on our bench'. "I just
thought 'I'll show you' and a year later I was playing regularly and Veron
was off." Now Cole admits West Ham will be his last club. He said: "I was
missing London and my family and I had a personal tragedy in December when
my brother-in-law died.
"I got an opportunity to go back to West Ham and I don't want to move any
more."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy scrap
Exclusive
By CARL LONG
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM are set to send Andy Carroll back to Liverpool at the end of the
season. The Hammers have decided the England striker has not done enough to
clinch a permanent £17million switch and justify wages of £84,000 a week.
Instead, boss Sam Allardyce will turn his attention to Southampton striker
Rickie Lambert, who would cost around £6m. Carroll's hopes of clinching a
permanent move to Upton Park have been hit by a series of injuries and a
tally of just three goals in 15 appearances. However, the on-loan Geordie,
24, would face an uncertain future back at Anfield. Kop boss Brendan Rodgers
signed Daniel Sturridge in January and has made it clear there is no room
for the £35m striker. A Hammers source insisted: "The move for Carroll is
just too expensive.
"In the current economic climate, £17m plus £84k-a-week over four years
would add up to around £33m and we need to cut our cloth."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is back at West Ham United and ready to knuckle down in the
Development Squad
05.03.2013
Blair Turgott expects his adventures at Bradford City to steer him towards
success, as he settles back into life at West Ham United. The 18-year-old
winger turned out eleven times for the Bantams in a three-month stint that
culminated in Bradford's historic Capital One Cup final appearance. Though
Turgott would remain an unused substitute in a 5-0 defeat by Swansea City,
the Academy graduate is not likely to forget his Wembley day out in a hurry.
Now back in east London and bolstered by his Football League exploits,
Turgott was straight back into the action on Friday night, as he helped the
Development Squad to a goalless draw with Manchester United. "It's good to
see all the boys again and all of the staff, so I'm definitely happy to be
back now," he told West Ham TV. "Bradford City was a great experience for
me. When the opportunity came, it was something I was happy to do. I've
learned a lot as a player, which can steer me in good stead for the future.
It has definitely been a good experience. "For anyone, to go to Wembley like
that, the national stadium and to take in the atmosphere of a full sell-out
stadium is great. It's a great memory but I've just got to put in my pocket
and move on to bigger and better things now hopefully."
The England U19 international, who had not played a full 90 minutes since 15
January, confessed to being slightly ring rusty, though he expects Friday's
run-out to do him the power of good. "It was different, that was my first 90
minutes in like a month," he added. "So it was good personally for me to get
through the game and I thought I did alright. At first it was more about
getting 90 minutes under my belt and seeing how I fared. "Now it's about
getting games under my belt. I've got to keep performing every week and
getting a good performance level. Whatever happens going forward, I think
first and foremost it's about playing with the Development Squad and getting
minutes under my belt."
As for Friday's Barclays Under-21 Premier League stalemate, Turgott had no
complaints whatever, insisting that the point gives West Ham an excellent
platform from which to tackle Wednesday's reverse fixture in Altrincham. "I
think in games like that, you have to respect the point. At half-time we had
a chat and we felt we could win the game but obviously as the game went on,
we stuck together as a team. I think our shape was good and we limited them
to as few chances as possible. In the end it was good to get something out
of the game and get a point. "We've got them again on Wednesday. It will be
another good game, another tough game. That's what you want ultimately, big
games and to play against the better teams. This is why we're in this
league. That's what it's all about and should be a good test on Wednesday.
We know what we've got to do and if we do that I think we'll get the win."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Matt on the mend
WHUFC.com
Hammers midfielder Matt Taylor is feeling better after suffering a
concussion at Stoke City
05.03.2013
Matt Taylor is on the mend after suffering concussion in Saturday's Barclays
Premier League victory at Stoke City. The No14 was caught on the jaw by
Peter Crouch's right boot when he bravely headed the ball clear as the
Potters striker attempted an acrobatic overhead kick. Taylor was knocked out
by the impact and there were initial concerns all-round when the midfielder
lay prone on the Britannia Stadium turf. However, thanks to the rapid
actions of the players, referee and medical staff, the 31-year-old was
tended to quickly. After being driven home by club doctor Dr Richard Weiler,
Taylor spent the remainder of the weekend resting at home before returning
to Chadwell Heath for further assessment The official website checked up on
his wellbeing on Tuesday and was delighted to hear that he is feeling a lot
better.
Matt, first things first, how are you?
MT: "I'm OK. I'm not too bad. My head is fine and I'm feeling a lot better.
It's the first time I have been knocked out in my career, or in my life for
that matter, that I can recall. If it was going to happen anywhere, then on
a football pitch is not a bad place because of all the medical staff being
there. It was a good place for it to happen, if it was going to happen."
We have all seen the footage and the photographs of what looked like a
horrible impact with Peter Crouch's right boot, but what is your
recollection of what happened?
MT: "I don't have any recollection of heading the ball. My only memory I
have is the ball going over my head [from the corner] and following my
runner. I then remember waking up in their treatment room on the treatment
table. I don't have any other memory. I don't remember walking off or
anything, which was a bit scary."
It just shows that you will literally put your head on the line for the
cause...
MT: "I don't remember going for the ball, but I have seen the video and it's
something that I had to go for. It's not something I couldn't do in terms of
going for the header. I don't think there is anyone else in the league who
would have tried an overhead kick from there, but Crouchy is obviously very
good at them and it might have hit the target. "It was just one of those
things and he clearly didn't mean to do it. There was no malice on his
behalf. It was just one of those occupational hazards. I know Crouchy and
played for England Under-21s with him and he came to see me afterwards, but
I'd already left for home with the doctor. There was no malice and you could
see that, as soon as it happened, he held his hands up and was very
apologetic so I don't hold any grudges. It's just one of those things."
What was the medical process after the incident?
MT: "Their doctor and one of our physios sat with me for about 40 minutes
until just after half-time and I felt a lot better. I just laid on the bed
there. It was ironic because Jack [Collison] scored and, where we were, we
heard a roar and thought Stoke had scored. One of the guys then came in and
said we were 1-0 up and I thought 'Oh good!'. "I let the manager do his team
talk and lads go back out for the second half and then I had a shower and
went out to watch the game from the dugout. I had a headache, but not a big
one. I slept for an hour and a half in the car on the way home, so I wasn't
great company for the doctor! I put the seat back and went straight to sleep
which, by all accounts, is quite normal after such an incident. "We got home
and ordered a Chinese because I really fancied one, but I couldn't eat any
of it because my jaw was so sore, which was a bit of a pain! My wife was
eating her dinner and I could only eat the noodles! It was the same on
Sunday and Monday and I managed to eat a little bit more on Tuesday. "Seeing
the incident again, I was very fortunate that I don't have any lasting head
damage. I feel fine and it is just a protocol to follow now to get back
training. Obviously with no game this weekend, I can take my time and get
fit to return to training next week, all things being well."
It was a worrying scene for all of us at the Britannia Stadium, so
presumably it would have been the same for your family and friends?
MT: "I don't have any recollection of this, but as soon as it happened I am
told I asked Frazer Young the physio to get my phone and call my wife. My
Dad and my sister were at the game and the fact that I wobbled off the
pitch, they probably thought I was OK. The fact I wasn't stretchered off and
I was laughing and joking made it seem less serious. "I couldn't answer any
of the questions that the medical team asked me because the concussion had
knocked me about a bit. I didn't have the correct answers so that was the
end of the game for me, but I can only commend everybody and hopefully there
won't be any lasting damage."
Lastly, although you were only on the pitch for eleven minutes, you must be
delighted with the result you achieved at Stoke?
MT: "It's a fantastic result. I text Jack on Saturday night as I was over
the moon for him for scoring and playing well. Jack is a really nice guy and
a good footballer, but he's had a difficult few months so I'm genuinely
really happy that he came on and scored the winning goal. It showed a lot
about the sort of character he has got and what he brings to the team. "It's
a fantastic result for everybody and now we have a nice trip to Chelsea to
look forward to. Let's hope we can be the first team this season to do the
'double' over Chelsea as that would be nice."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Captain Reid relishing role
WHUFC.com
Stand-in skipper Winston Reid was delighted to lead West Ham United to
victory at Stoke City on Saturday
05.03.2013
The role of West Ham United captain has been filled by some legendary names
in the history of the club - Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, Malcolm Allison,
George Kay and Alvin Martin among them. On Saturday, Winston Reid pulled on
the armband for the first time at the start of a Barclays Premier League
fixture, standing in after regular captain Kevin Nolan and vice-captain Mark
Noble were ruled out by injury. The No2 did the coveted role proud,
inspiring his team to a vital 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Stoke
City. Afterwards, the New Zealand centre-back told of his pride at being
handed the captaincy by manager Sam Allardyce. "It's a great privilege,"
said Reid, who has started all 28 league games this season. "We have Kevin
as a great captain and Mark right after him, so if I can do a job when they
are not available then it is fine by me. Otherwise, I just go about my
business as usual and don't try to really change myself.
"As a captain, I just try to give 100 per cent and try to help out my
team-mates. I try to be a good role model and try to do my best and
encourage everyone to try their hardest and be a winner."
Reid was nursing a bloodied lip following Saturday's visit to the Britannia
Stadium - an illustration of just what a stern physical test he and his
team-mates had withstood. Stoke bombarded the West Ham penalty area with
crosses, free-kicks, long balls and long throws, but the Hammers' back-four
and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen stood firm - even after Potters manager
Tony Pulis had sent on substitute Kenwyne Jones to join fellow strikers
Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome in the closing stages. "We needed the three
points. Stoke is a hard place to come so the boys did really well and got
the win, so it was good. At the end, they had about four big boys up there.
We had enough to deal with, but at the end we got a clean sheet and the win,
which were important. "I think it's a challenge to go to a place like Stoke.
It's not easy, but you just have to be up for it and try your best. I
thought everyone did that and we got the win."
The battle did claim two victims, however, with Matt Taylor and Joe Cole
leaving the pitch with concussion and a tight hamstring within the opening
eleven minutes. While some teams would have crumbled, with circumstances
conspiring against them, West Ham grew into the game and chalked up a
thoroughly deserved success. "We have been a bit down on numbers recently,
so it was good that the boys got together well and I thought we showed great
spirit as a team."
Having got to grips with Stoke's direct approach, West Ham struck the
all-important winner just before half-time. Ricardo Vaz Te and Jack Collison
- on for the injured Cole and Taylor - combined for the Wales midfielder to
shoot low past Asmir Begovic. The move impressed the skipper. "The goal was
a good one and a great finish from Jack. He came in and obviously wanted to
prove himself as well and he did that, so I'm pleased for him. Vaz did well
as well and we had a couple of other chances that maybe we could have
scored. "I thought we did well defensively, too, to keep them away from
creating big chances. They are very good on set pieces, so we had to be
careful but I think we limited them very well."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Joe Cole Admits that his Liverpool Move was a Mistake!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
In an interview with ESPN, Joe Cole has admitted that his 2010 move to
Liverpool was a mistake. But states that he agreed to the move, as the only
viable alternative to the offer of a 5 year deal from Spurs! That statement
might raise a few eye brows, but Cole makes the admission that after playing
for West Ham and Chelsea it did not feel right to pull on a Spurs shirt.
However, the Liverpool move never worked out and he admited to feeling
uncomfortable at Liverpool, both the club and the city.
He also provides an interesting insight in to his experience on joining
Chelsea. After cole signed, the West London club then went out and bought
Argentinian international midfielder, Sebastian Veron, basically to play in
the same position. Former Chairman, Ken Bates, allegedly welcomed Joe to
Chelsea by declaring, well done, 'you have signed to sit on our bench.' What
a motivational and inspiring welcome to Chelsea that must have been.
Regardless, Joe Cole rose to the challenge and established himself as a
first team regular, although I do clearly recall him not always being in
favour with the 'special one' during the latter's tenure as manager.
Joe Cole maintains that he needs to feel passionate about playing for a
club. And he has that passion for West Ham, as demonstrated by his
comiitment since returning and the demonstrative goal celebraton against
Spurs. It would have been nice for him to have returned in 2010, but it is
better later than never, as they say. At 31 years of age, Cole still has gas
in the tank and can really make up for lost time. He, unfortunately, picked
up an hamstring strain in the match against Stoke City, but hopefully he
will be fit and back in contention sooner rather than later. We need his
vision, guile and commitment to the cause in our midfield.
Well done Jack Collison for coming on and scoring the match winning goal on
Saturay. As I said, Jack has all the assets to become a top, goal scoring,
midfielder. His knee condition obviously requires managing, but if they can
keep him fit, then there is no reason why collison cannot score 10 plus
goals a season. It was interesting to see Tom's statstical analysis of the
Stoke City match. One statistic that caught the eye was he 80% plus pass
completion rate of Gary O'Neill. O'Neill never sems to get the credit that
he deserves for his workrate and covering ability, and that is even more the
case with his neat passing game. I have read previously that O'Neill
consistently has this high pass completion rate, which should really make
him stand out as a good and technically accomplished player. Unfortunately,
those stats are not widely acknowledged and that is a shame for a genuine
professional.
From missed player attributes to missing players, the African Cup of Nations
ended some time ago and yet Maiga appears to have disappeared without trace.
Hopefully he did nor return to the PL carying an injury secured on
international duty. At least Maiga has had his first team opporunities.
Unlike Welington Paulista, who must wonder why he travelled thousands of
miles, from his native Brasil, to play with the club's youngsters in the
Development Squad. Surely Paulista will get his opportunity before too much
longer?
Chelsea away might be the opportunity to 'blood' our Brazilian marvel in te
making? Probably from the bench? One thing is certain, both Collison and Vaz
Te must start. I was certainly very pleased to see both players do so well
in the Stoke City match. Surely, its got to be a case of 'play it (them)
again sam?'
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverfool
Cole regrets Kop move
By MARK IRWIN
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
JOE COLE has admitted he was wrong to move to Liverpool — but could not bear
the thought of signing for Spurs. The midfielder spent over two years in the
Anfield wilderness before returning to first club West Ham in January. And
the ex-England player admits he never adapted to life at the Kop and regrets
calling Liverpool 'the biggest club in the country'. Cole, 31, revealed: "I
can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what
went wrong for me at Liverpool. "I didn't feel a connection with the club or
the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham. "I had seven great years at
Chelsea but the club wanted to go in a certain direction and I wasn't
involved. So I was left with two real options — Liverpool or Spurs. "Spurs
was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal
and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings. "But I just couldn't do
it, I just couldn't see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. "With
the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit
mercenary."
Yet Cole soon realised he was not going to fit in at Liverpool after signing
in 2010. He said: "When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've
joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd
won. "I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right'
and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview. "I didn't want to
upset anyone so I just went along with it. But obviously they're not the
biggest club in the country any more.
"How do you judge how big a club are? Nottingham Forest won the European Cup
twice but they're not a bigger club than Chelsea."
Cole, in an interview with the Chelsea fanzine cfuk, also recalls how former
Stamford Bridge chairman Ken Bates mocked him for joining the club at the
start of the Roman Abramovich era in 2003. He said: "I rolled in at Chelsea
on my first day thinking 'I'm going to be a big part of this club'. "Then
Sebastian Veron walks through the door with about five agents. Same position
as me, costing three or four times as much. "As soon as I signed, Bates said
to me: 'Congratulations, son, you've joined to sit on our bench'. "I just
thought 'I'll show you' and a year later I was playing regularly and Veron
was off." Now Cole admits West Ham will be his last club. He said: "I was
missing London and my family and I had a personal tragedy in December when
my brother-in-law died.
"I got an opportunity to go back to West Ham and I don't want to move any
more."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy scrap
Exclusive
By CARL LONG
Published: 6 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM are set to send Andy Carroll back to Liverpool at the end of the
season. The Hammers have decided the England striker has not done enough to
clinch a permanent £17million switch and justify wages of £84,000 a week.
Instead, boss Sam Allardyce will turn his attention to Southampton striker
Rickie Lambert, who would cost around £6m. Carroll's hopes of clinching a
permanent move to Upton Park have been hit by a series of injuries and a
tally of just three goals in 15 appearances. However, the on-loan Geordie,
24, would face an uncertain future back at Anfield. Kop boss Brendan Rodgers
signed Daniel Sturridge in January and has made it clear there is no room
for the £35m striker. A Hammers source insisted: "The move for Carroll is
just too expensive.
"In the current economic climate, £17m plus £84k-a-week over four years
would add up to around £33m and we need to cut our cloth."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 5
Daily WHUFC News - 5th March 2013
Bonds to be honoured
WHUFC.com
Billy Bonds MBE will be the recipient of West Ham United's first-ever
Lifetime Achievement Award
04.03.2013
West Ham United legend Billy Bonds MBE is to be honoured as the recipient of
the club's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Bonds is without doubt one
of the finest players to pull on a Hammers shirt, making a club-record 793
first-team appearances between 1967 and 1988 and lifting the FA Cup twice,
in 1975 and 1980. An outstanding all-round player, Bonds began his career as
a right-back before settling into a deep-lying midfield role, where his
tackling, passing and leadership skills came to the fore. The 66-year-old
will be presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the
fifth annual Player Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park
Lane on Wednesday 8 May 2013. An inspirational figure, Bonds was born in
Woolwich in September 1946, joining Charlton Athletic as a teenager. He made
his first-team debut for the Addicks at 18, going on to make 95 senior
appearances before crossing the River Thames for £50,000 in May 1967.
Despite being just 20, Bonds immediately established himself as a first-team
regular in Ron Greenwood's side, making 42 appearances in his maiden season
at the Boleyn Ground. A player of great strength of mind and body, he would
make more than 40 appearances in each of his first eight seasons in east
London, capping that run by captaining West Ham to a 2-0 FA Cup final
victory over Fulham at Wembley in May 1975. Amazingly for a player filling a
predominantly defensive role, Bonds topped the club's goalscoring charts in
1973/74, netting 13 goals in 44 games, including a memorable hat-trick in a
home Division One victory over Chelsea in March 1974. Bonds' versatility and
selfless team ethic were illustrated again when manager Greenwood moved him
to a new position at centre-half in 1977 - the same year the one-time
Under-23 international was named on the substitutes' bench for England's
FIFA World Cup qualifier against Italy. The fitness and durability that
served Bonds so well during his career enabled him to continue playing
week-in, week-out well into his thirties. Indeed, he was approaching his
34th birthday when he lifted the FA Cup for a second time in May 1980
following West Ham's 1-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley.
By then, the Hammers had been relegated, but Bonds showed great loyalty to
the cause, playing an amazing 59 games as West Ham won the Division Two
title and reached the League Cup final in 1981. Bonds passed Bobby Moore
OBE's all-time appearance record in September 1982, playing his 545th
first-team match for the club in a 1-1 Division One draw at the Boleyn
Ground. The Hammers great initially retired in May 1984, handing the
captain's armband to Alvin Martin, but a spate of injuries saw him return to
the squad in August of the same year. After missing the 1985/86 season
through injury, Bonds returned to first-team duty in October 1986, marking
his comeback in memorable fashion by being voted Hammer of the Year for the
fourth and final time in 1987 - adding to previous awards won in 1971, 1974
and 1975. The 1987/88 season, during which Bonds celebrated his 41st
birthday, proved to be his last, with the legend making his final appearance
for West Ham in a Division One fixture at Southampton on 30 April 1988 -
more than 20 years after his debut in a home match against Sheffield
Wednesday. The same month, he had been presented with the PFA Merit Award by
his fellow professionals in recognition of a truly remarkable playing
career.
Four months before hanging up his boots, Bonds had received another honour,
being made an MBE for his services to football in HM The Queen's New Year's
Honours List. To nobody's surprise, Bonds was handed a coaching role on his
retirement by manager John Lyall, working alongside Tony Carr with the
club's promising Academy youngsters. In February 1990, he was appointed as
first-team boss himself, leading the club to promotion from Division Two in
1991. After being relegated in 1992, Bonds led West Ham to promotion for a
second time in 1993, when they reached the Premier League for the first
time. After leaving the Boleyn Ground in 1994, Bonds returned to his native
south east London to manage Millwall for a period. Since then, he has worked
as a radio summariser and appeared at a series of theatre shows, where he
has shared stories from his amazing career with supporters. A true West Ham
legend, Billy Bonds MBE will be rightly honoured for his truly outstanding
contribution to Hammers history when he receives the first-ever Lifetime
Achievement Award at this year's Player Awards in May.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vaz sets sights on starting place
WHUFC.com
Ricardo Vaz Te wants to win a place in Big Sam's starting XI after
impressing as a substitute at Stoke City
04.03.2013
Ricardo Vaz Te has set his sights on regaining a place in Sam Allardyce's
West Ham United starting XI after producing a superb display as a substitute
at Stoke City. The Portuguese winger was sent on after just eleven minutes
for an injured Joe Cole in Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win at the
Britannia Stadium and responded by setting up the winner for fellow
replacement Jack Collison. Now Vaz Te, who started just three league games
since dislocating his shoulder in the home defeat by Arsenal on 6 October,
wants to convince Big Sam that he cannot afford to leave the No12 on the
bench during the final ten matches of the season. "I think the win was the
fundamental part to take the pressure off the lads," Vaz Te told West Ham
TV, in reference to Saturday's success at Stoke. "I feel for Joe because he
was very unlucky, he has been playing brilliantly and I hope it is nothing
serious. "That's the point of being prepared. I came out early and prepared
with the lads and I was just ready. It's very unfortunate for Joe but I was
prepared and have been all week. "Since I have been injured I have not
really had the chance to play much since I came back, but everything is in
place. I'm working very hard to get my place back. My stats are still
looking good, but obviously I'm still looking to improve on them. The
priority on Saturday was getting the win, so that was the main thing."
Vaz Te certainly looked back to his best at the Britannia Stadium,
repeatedly running at the Stoke defenders and providing a willing outlet
when the Hammers were put under pressure. The 26-year-old capped a fine
performance by setting up Collison's winner with a fine through ball. In the
second half, Vaz Te could even have got a goal himself, only to delay
slightly too long when Collison returned the compliment. "I am pleased but
I'm a bit disappointed because we were winning 1-0 and in the second half I
could have pretty much finished the game. "Since I joined the club my record
has been pretty good. People might not know this, but I'm still the highest
goalscorer since I joined the club [on 31 January 2012, with 13 goals]. I
was very unfortunate with my shoulder injury, but I am trying to get back to
my best. I am trying to get back into the feel of things, to get my place
back and to get the trust of the manager again. "I was very disappointed
with the opportunity I had. I should have at least had a shot and I'm sure I
would have scored. Again, there is always room for improvement and that's
how I see it, so I'm going to try my best to do that next time."
Concentrating on his all-important assist, Vaz Te collected the ball about
35 yards out before playing it into Andy Carroll. The striker went to ground
alongside Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross and Vaz Te reacted quickest,
collecting possession again before sliding a pass into Collison, who spun
and fired low past Asmir Begovic. "I played a one-two with Andy and had a
few defenders in front of me. I could have pushed the ball to my left and
had a shot, but if I had tried to shoot I had two defenders in front of me
so I was kind of blocked. "I could see Jack in the corner of my eye and he
was in a better position, so I thought I would lay the pass to him. I was so
pleased for Jack. I think he deserves it because he works so hard. He has a
great misfortune with his knee injury, so I'm glad to see him back and
scoring again. "It was a terrific three points for us, so I'm very pleased
for Jack and for the whole team really. To keep a clean sheet in a ground
like that is terrific, so credit must go to everyone - to the team, to the
manager, to the staff because I think we prepared right. I think we
dominated Stoke for the whole game. "For myself, I'm going to work hard to
secure my place and keep improving my stats."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham closing on Olympic Stadium deal - David Gold
BBC.co.uk
West Ham co-owner David Gold says a deal for the club to move to the Olympic
Stadium could be agreed as soon as 16 March. The Hammers were named as the
preferred bidder for the stadium on 5 December and have been in talks with
London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). "I think we're close. It's
only what I'm being promised. As we speak I'm being promised 16 March," Gold
told talkSPORT. "We would sign the agreement then."
The LLDC board - which preferred West Ham to League One side Leyton Orient,
UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1 - is
set to meet on 26 March. But an extraordinary general meeting could be
called if agreement over the £429m venue is reached before then. Gold added:
"I'm embarrassed because I've tweeted 10 times that it's going to be next
week or next month and here's a date. "The date comes and goes and then I
give another date. But I think we are close."
Negotiations with the LLDC included talks on West Ham's share of the costs
of converting the London 2012 venue. Retractable seating is set to be
installed for West Ham matches and Gold said: "We will only go there if it
is fit for use. "I won't go there if I have to look over a running track.
But I believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's face it.
They've built a stadium - albeit wrong shape and size."
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Olympic Stadium: decision imminent
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
David Gold has confirmed that he expects to learn whether or not West Ham
have been granted use of the Olympic Stadium with the next fortnight.
According to the club's co-Chairman, West Ham should discover on 16th March
whether or not the move from Upton Park to Stratford has been given the
green light by the authorities.
However Gold admitted that he would not be unduly surprised if that date was
postponed - as it has been on several occasions prior to now.
"I'm embarrassed because I think I've tweeted ten times, "yes, it's going to
be next week", or "next month", or "here's a date" and the date comes and
goes," he told Talksport this lunchtime. "It's only because it's what I'm
being promised.
"As we speak I've been promised that we'll sign the agreement on 16th March.
At the moment we don't have the stadium, we're very hopeful but we should
know by then.
"I think we're close; as you know we signed a confidentiality agreement and
that does hamper us. The fans get frustrated as they want to see the plans
but we're not allowed to do that until the deal is signed."
Gold - who still faces a battle in winning over the majority of the club's
supporters - also refuted suggestions by the show's host, Richard Keys, that
the club might perhaps be better placed by remaining at the Boleyn Ground.
However he agreed that the arena's current design was inherently flawed in
terms of hosting top-flight football.
"You could argue there's no problem and you could stay where you are," he
said. "However if you look at West Ham - the eighth or ninth best supported
club in the country - we've spent most of our life in the second tier of
English football. Apart from those three years under Bobby Moore, have we
ever fulfilled our potential?
"This is a once in a lifetime [opportunity]. They've built a stadium -
albeit the wrong shape and the wrong size. Whoever made the decision to say
we're going to build a stadium without a roof? All I can say is that we will
only go there if it is fit for use. I'm not going to go there if I've got to
look over a running track.
"Most Olympic stadiums have failed because they haven't embraced the legacy
of saying, "ok, we must build a stadium so that once the Olympics is over
it's wonderful and fantastic for the country". But to do that properly you
have to have a football person involved because 99 times out of 100, it's
going to be a football stadium that supports the athletics.
"They need football to support it. The stadium in Sheffield, they're having
to close it; had it been built with football or rugby [in mind it might have
been saved] but you need another sport to join athletics. There's no other
way."
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Gold on Allardyce contract
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Co-chairman David Gold has once again confirmed that Sam Allardyce's
position will not be decided until the end of the season.
West Ham's current manager signed a two-year contract when succeeding Avram
Grant in June 2011, which both he and the club's owners have previously
stated will be reviewed at the end of the current campaign.
And despite some scurrilous rumour-mongering from the tabloids in recent
weeks, a period during which former Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio's name has
been mentioned on several occasions, this remains very much the position.
"People want to know what's going on in the future but equally you don't
want anything to interfere with the process of the remaining ten games which
are important to us," Gold told Talksport. "But I'm very optimisitic that
Sam will be our manager next season.
"The agreement with the board was that we would sit down at the end of the
season. Not when we're safe - because we're not safe mathematically,
although I think we are - but the understanding was that we'd discuss Sam's
new contract then.
"The important thing is that Sam, myself, David Sullivan and Karren [Brady]
understand our agreement. Our agreement is that we will sit down when it's
all over, when we know the position we've finished and whether we're still
in this division.
"There's always the danger than a bigger club will come in, but Sam has
given his word that we'll sit down and discuss his contract at the end of
the season and I trust him. "
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Award for Bonzo - at last
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Billy Bonds has been selected as the first recipient of a new West Ham
United award. The club announced this morning that they were introducing a
Lifetime Achievement Award which Bonds will receive at this year's Player
Awards, which are being held on 8th May at the Grosvenor House Hotel in
London's Park Lane. The news follows a 2011 KUMB.com campaign to officially
recognise the club's appearance record holder, who made a total of 793
outings in all competitions in a playing career spanning more than 20 years.
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Our stadium
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Ross Clarke
It's the first day of the 2016-17 Premier League season and the West Ham
United team walks onto the pitch at the Olympic Stadium for the first time.
"Forever Blowing Bubbles" is sung loudly by a capacity crowd but something
is not right, it doesn't sound the same. The speaker system works perfectly
and the music is as loud as the 50,000-plus people singing their hearts out.
Season-ticket holders are surrounded by people they don't recognise.
Mark Noble, still at the club after 18 years, is now the captain but he
doesn't know to which stand he should run to applaud the supporters. His is
a rare familiar face in a sea of strangers. Those who were sceptical of the
move are now joined in their cynicism by those who felt economics dictated
the time was right, for they now realise it is not the same.
No longer will thousands of supporters – half optimistic, half pessimistic –
stream down Green Street with the smell of frying horsemeat from fast-food
vans in their nostrils and the sense of expectation in their hearts.
No longer will children make the same journey to their first game as their
fathers did and no longer will groups of friends, who have known each other
since school, been to each other's weddings and helped each other through
their inevitable divorces, meet in the pub they always meet in.
There are those who will argue that doesn't matter and that our memories
will sustain us, but some medical research suggests otherwise. Psychologist
Edward Thorndike, in his book The Psychology Of Learning, states: "If a
person does not access and use the memory they have formed, it will fade or
decay over time".
In other words, Watching West Ham at the Boleyn Ground every fortnight
brings back memories of legends, of thrills, of heartbreak, of
disappointment and allows them to be passed on to future generations.
It is a theory that makes it possible to argue that the loss of our stadium
will, in the minds of future generations - those who have never and will
never visit Upton Park - Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking and Paolo Di Canio
will never exist.
The move to the Olympic Stadium may create new legends and attract more
supporters to the club, but it must not be allowed to happen at the expense
of everybody who has a stake in our great football club.
The Boleyn Ground is more than bricks and mortar and should be treated as
such. It is a place that comes alive with the shared experiences of millions
of people and through generations.
It is a place not only to watch football, but it is a place where loved ones
and players who have graced the pitch and bought joy to our hearts are
remembered.
The Olympics Stadium may well end up that way for future generations but,
for me, it can never be the same.
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And we managed to upset Tony Pulis...
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Paul Walker
Now that wasn't too bad was it? A trip to the dreaded Britannia stadium and
all it's charms…and the best bit was upsetting one-eyed Tony Pulis.
The delightful manager of Stoke City, who doesn't flinch at sending out his
thugs to kick, maim and cheat each week, actually complained that one of his
players - that delicate flower Ryan Shawcross - was fouled by Andy Carroll
in the build-up to Jack Collison's impressive winner on Saturday.
Now when you have all stopped laughing, I'll continue. Shawcross has more
broken (opponents) bones on his CV than any of the Krays muscle from the
60s. Aaron Ramsey springs to mind.
And he is the worst exponent in the Premier League of the grabbing, holding,
shirt-pulling nonsense in the penalty box that is closer to tag-team
wrestling than football. So when he comes off worse in a scrap with Carroll
- they were both at it, to be fair - there is very little sympathy.
But for Pulis to stand, straight-faced in front of the cameras and moan
about it all, was just priceless. And he also complained about two penalties
not given. One was a first-class tackle from the outstanding Joey O'Brien
and the other was certainly not an intentional handball by Guy Demel. And
there has to be intent these days, Tony!
Just for a change we had a decent referee there in the shape of Jon Moss.
Far, far better than the disgraceful Mike Jones who was in charge of our
last visit to the Potteries in the FA Cup two seasons ago, when if you all
remember, we lost because Thomas Hitzlsperger was dragged to the ground in
our defensive wall by a Stoke player when they scored their winner.
What goes around, comes around is my only thoughts on Pulis, and the sound
of pots and black kettles clanking together could be heard as the Stoke
manager left the stadium.
And the Staffordshire Police, my personal favourites over many years of
being treated like a sewer rat on away trips, seem to have had a nice cuddly
makeover.
I recall ranting on KUMB about the dreadful treatment away fans suffer at
Stoke. Locked in a high-fenced compound behind the away stand a the end of
matches, complete with a very noisy helicopter hovering overhead. Total
overkill.
I now know what the Vietcong must have felt like in the Mekong delta when
the American gunships were coming in! Being at Stoke can be like starring in
one of those American war films.
This time there was no chopper and we were all ushered politely onto
double-deckers parked in the said same compound, by nice, smiley cops, who
then took us in convoy back to the station with outridders holding up the
traffic. A good singalong was had by all as we waved at less-than-chuffed
Stokies.
It had been a very good day. Our dreadful away performances at Aston Villa,
Fulham, Sunderland and Reading of late did not fill our 2,900 contingent
with much confidence. But our team stood up to all of Stoke's nonsense and
ran themselves into the ground to ensure a priceless victory.
I'm not sure I can agree with Shearer and Hanson on MOTD, who insist we are
safe and what a great job we have done. Do they do any research and check
the table and future fixtures before pontificating such nonsense?
We are not safe, and our players realise it. Nine points (plus one for the
better goal difference) is a good lead, but we now have just one game (at
Chelsea) until Easter's visit of WBA to the Boleyn, and that nine points
could be severely cut by then.
Big Sam thinks we need 36 points. He has obviously forgotten the 42 points
that still got us relegated back in 2003. We need 37 minimum and 40 to be
certain, so lets keep battling away. We don't want to still need something
on the last Sunday at home to Reading, with their record against us over the
last few seasons.
But Sam, who managed a crossed arms Hammers salute to the travelling fans -I
have not seen him do that before - had his team very well prepared for
Stoke's shenanigans. In seasons past we would have crumbled under such
long-ball bullying, but not this time.
Having lost Joe Cole and Matt Taylor - wasn't Crouch's flying boot dangerous
play and deserving of a card? - in the opening minutes, it could all have
gone pear-shaped. But Collison and Ricky Vaz Te were excellent.
Both have been out of the side of late, and maybe wanted to make a point.
But funnily enough, the substitutions left us with probably a stronger side
to confront Stoke with than the one that started. Vaz Te played between the
lines in a Kevin Nolan role and his power and running ability were crucial.
As was Mo Diame's display of strength and running. He was outstanding,
covering acres of ground in possession and being more than a match to the
tough-guy stuff Stoke utilise.
And up in the South Stand, the Irons fans had a great day, Twisting and
Shoutin' their way to victory. I have never understood why we sing the
Beatles classic, maybe because it was a 60s song from our greatest era. But
it sounded great on TV. If anyone has a good theory on this subject, feel
free to let me know.
All in all a great day out. It's one of our closest away games, me and the
lad can drink in the local before a 15 minute train ride. We were joined
this time by my son's brother-in-law's new fiancee, Maddie, a Stoke fan for
her sins.
She will be a welcomed addition to the trip in future. She can handle a
vodka or three, and didn't flinch when expected to down a can of lager in a
scruffy car park next to a giant Biffa waste container (we know how to treat
a girl!)
You see, we'd been thrown out of a wedding reception at the hotel opposite
the station. Usually they allow away fans in, so we marched happily through
reception and found a very busy bar. But it began to dawn that it wasn't
just a match day crowd.
The fact that the bride was standing in the queue at the bar just behind us
did ring a few alarm bells. We made a quick exit, stage left, and were
ushered out by a weak-wristed hotel manager. Hence the party in the car
park. And Maddie was still able to smile at us when we picked her up after
the game.
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Turgott back with Hammers
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 12:27pm
SSN
Bradford's on-loan England Under-19s international Blair Turgott has
returned to parent club West Ham. The 18-year-old winger was due to return
to Upton Park after this weekend's clash at York, but went back early to
play in a development squad fixture for the Hammers against Manchester
United on Friday.
Bradford manager Phil Parkinson told the club's official website: "Blair did
really well for us and I'm sure he's going to be a great player. "He wasn't
a moment's problem during his time here and we really do wish him all the
best in the future. "He's a good lad and did well for us during the periods
he was involved." Turgott, yet to make his first-team debut at West Ham,
made 11 appearances for Bradford after arriving at the end of November and
played in the Capital One Cup clashes with Arsenal and Aston Villa, both
home and away.
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West Ham plan contract talks with boss Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 2:53pm
SSN
West Ham co-chairman David Gold says the club will hold contract talks with
manager Sam Allardyce at the end of the season. Gold says the club are keen
to retain the services of the 58-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle and
Blackburn boss, whose current deal expires in the summer. "What we promised
and, what Sam promised us, is that at the end of the season we would sit
down and discuss Sam's position," Gold told talkSPORT. "The agreement with
the board was that we would sit down at the end of the season, not when
we're safe - we are not mathematically safe as we speak." "I'm very
optimistic that Sam will be our manager next season. But we have to sit
down. "The agreement with the board was that we would sit down at the end of
the season, not when we're safe - we are not mathematically safe as we
speak." Asked if he was worried Allardyce could agree a move elsewhere
before then, he added: "There's always the danger that a bigger club comes
in. There is that danger. "Having said that Sam has given his word that he
will sit down and discuss his contract at the end of the season and I trust
him." Allardyce was appointed Hammers boss in June 2011 and led them back
into the Premier League in his first season in charge, despite some
criticism from fans over the team's style of play. The club are currently
12th in the top-flight table having amassed 33 points from 28 games.
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David Gold and David Sullivan invest £35m in West Ham to achieve
"three-point" plan
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 9:11pm
SSN
West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan invested £35m in the club to
bolster their successful promotion bid last season. The significant figure
was revealed in the club's newly-released accounts which covered the 12
months they were in the Championship. The loan helped reinforce the Hammers
squad for an immediate return to the Premier League, which they achieved
with victory over Blackpool in the Championship play-off final. The
published accounts revealed losses of £25.5m while West Ham were in the
second tier, with turnover falling by £34.4m to £46.25m. But in his
chairman's statement, Sullivan insisted the losses following relegation were
"inevitable" following the loss of TV and sponsorship income totalling
£26.5m. Sullivan also revealed his and Gold's £35m loan - £3m of which has
been invested this season - was undertaken to fast-track a "three-point
strategic plan". "Both myself and my partner David Gold decided to invest
our money into achieving promotion," Sullivan wrote. "During the season we
invested a further £32.2m of our cash in order to allow the manager to go
into the transfer market and buy the players we needed to secure promotion.
"During that period we brought or loaned 18 players, most notably Kevin
Nolan, Matthew Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te, investing a total of £17.1m."
Since earning promotion West Ham have spent a further £13m on players, a
figure that could rise to £20m, as they pursue the final part of their
three-point plan - retaining their Premier League status.
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David Gold says West Ham's move to Olympic Stadium could be close
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 2:25pm
SSN
West Ham could be close to agreeing a move to the Olympic Stadium, according
to the Premier League club's co-chairman David Gold. The Hammers'
long-planned move from Upton Park to the venue in East London has reportedly
edged closer this month following talks with the London Legacy Development
Corporation. London Mayor Boris Johnson has described those discussions as
"positive" and Gold is optimistic West Ham will soon have a new home. "I
think we're close. It's only what I'm being promised. As we speak I'm being
promised March 16," Gold told talkSPORT. "We would sign the agreement then."
"We will only go there if it is fit for use. I won't go there if I have to
look over a running track. But I believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. Let's face it. They've built a stadium - albeit the wrong shape
and size." However, the 76-year-old is exercising caution following previous
late problems in the potential agreement that would see the Hammers move to
the Olympic Stadium in 2016. "I'm embarrassed because I've tweeted 10 times
that it's going to be next week or next month and here's a date," he said.
"The date comes and goes and then I give another date. But I think we are
close." West Ham were handed 'preferred bidder' status in December last year
and talks with the LLDC have since focused on details of the proposed move,
including how much the club would pay towards conversion costs of the
stadium. "There are certain things I can't share with you because of the
confidentiality agreement. We will only go there if it is fit for use," said
Gold. "I won't go there if I have to look over a running track. But I
believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's face it. They've
built a stadium - albeit the wrong shape and size."
Part of London's successful Olympic bid centred on a promise to keep
athletics at the Stratford venue in the future and Gold believes for that to
happen the financial support of football is required. "Most Olympic Stadiums
have failed because they haven't embraced the legacy and also saying the
Olympics is over," he said. "Athletics needs football to support it. There's
no other way." The LLDC will discuss the future of the stadium at their next
board meeting on March 26, although an extraordinary general meeting may be
called if they reach an agreement with West Ham before then.
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West Ham midfielder Jack Collison having to manage troublesome knee
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 9:54am
SSN
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce admits Jack Collison will never be 100
per cent as he continues to manage a troublesome knee. The Wales
international has endured lengthy spells on the sidelines with a problem he
has struggled to shake off. A long-term ailment still forces him to train
away from the rest of the Hammers squad, with an individual regime intended
to give him the best chance of playing regular games. Allardyce admits the
situation is far from ideal, but is delighted to have Collison at his
disposal - with the midfielder having netted a crucial winner in Saturday's
1-0 victory over Stoke City. He said: "His management of it is a great
credit to himself and the medical staff. "He does his own training and very
rarely trains with us. He has to get himself ready for a game. "He has to be
bored most of the time when everyone else is doing their training and he is
doing his rehab work. Afterwards he has to have that extra bit of rest and
recovery to everyone else until the swelling goes down. "He can live with
that and prosper but it is not going to give him the full extent of his
ability. It is going to restrict him. "It's a great shame when such a young
man has to be burdened with the fact that his knee is never going to be 100
per cent."
Superb
Collison claims to be in the best shape he has been in for some time, with
the 24-year-old determined to play a leading role for West Ham in the
remainder of the campaign. He said: "It's up to me to take my chances when
they come. Hopefully the goal will help. "Physically, I feel superb and
knee-wise it's the best I've felt for years. "The last few weeks I've been
training most days and working on my fitness and trying to force my way in.
But if you look at our squad, it's hard to nail down a regular position
anywhere."
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Well That's £38,000 a Week Off the Wage Bill...
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Freddie Piquionne has joined Portland Timbers. Rejoice!
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Piquionne signs for Portland Timbers
msn.foxsports.com
UPDATED MAR 1, 2013 10:32 AM ET
Frederic Piquionne has joined Portland Timbers from West Ham United on a
one-year deal. The 34-year-old former France international impressed during
a trial with the Major League Soccer side. He made 40 appearances for the
Hammers, scoring 11 goals, and spent part of last season on loan at
Doncaster Rovers. Piquionne will join up with former Manchester United and
Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre in Portland. He said: "I am delighted to
sign for Portland. It is a one-year contract. Mikael Silvestre is here with
me, so settling in will not be as difficult as I think. "We will try to do
very well, as much as we can for Portland. For me, it will be another great
experience to play in another great league." Piquionne, who earned one cap
for France, also played for Portsmouth during his time in England. He signed
for West Ham from Lyon for £1million in July 2010.
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Hurt Cole feels Blue
By PAT SHEEHAN
Last Updated: 05th March 2013
The Sun
JOE COLE could be out for a month after damaging a hamstring in Saturday's
1-0 victory over Stoke. West Ham midfielder Cole, 31, was soon in trouble
and had to be hauled off after just 10 minutes at the Britannia. Cole's
enforced absence means he will miss a return to his former club Chelsea next
Sunday. In the Hammers' newly-released accounts it has been revealed owners
David Gold and David Sullivan loaned the club £35million to help ensure
their immediate return to the Premier League. Sullivan, 64, said: "We
decided to invest our money into achieving promotion. "Our cash allowed the
manager to go into the transfer market and buy the players we needed.
"During that period we brought or loaned 18 players, most notably Kevin
Nolan, Matty Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Billy Bonds MBE will be the recipient of West Ham United's first-ever
Lifetime Achievement Award
04.03.2013
West Ham United legend Billy Bonds MBE is to be honoured as the recipient of
the club's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Bonds is without doubt one
of the finest players to pull on a Hammers shirt, making a club-record 793
first-team appearances between 1967 and 1988 and lifting the FA Cup twice,
in 1975 and 1980. An outstanding all-round player, Bonds began his career as
a right-back before settling into a deep-lying midfield role, where his
tackling, passing and leadership skills came to the fore. The 66-year-old
will be presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the
fifth annual Player Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park
Lane on Wednesday 8 May 2013. An inspirational figure, Bonds was born in
Woolwich in September 1946, joining Charlton Athletic as a teenager. He made
his first-team debut for the Addicks at 18, going on to make 95 senior
appearances before crossing the River Thames for £50,000 in May 1967.
Despite being just 20, Bonds immediately established himself as a first-team
regular in Ron Greenwood's side, making 42 appearances in his maiden season
at the Boleyn Ground. A player of great strength of mind and body, he would
make more than 40 appearances in each of his first eight seasons in east
London, capping that run by captaining West Ham to a 2-0 FA Cup final
victory over Fulham at Wembley in May 1975. Amazingly for a player filling a
predominantly defensive role, Bonds topped the club's goalscoring charts in
1973/74, netting 13 goals in 44 games, including a memorable hat-trick in a
home Division One victory over Chelsea in March 1974. Bonds' versatility and
selfless team ethic were illustrated again when manager Greenwood moved him
to a new position at centre-half in 1977 - the same year the one-time
Under-23 international was named on the substitutes' bench for England's
FIFA World Cup qualifier against Italy. The fitness and durability that
served Bonds so well during his career enabled him to continue playing
week-in, week-out well into his thirties. Indeed, he was approaching his
34th birthday when he lifted the FA Cup for a second time in May 1980
following West Ham's 1-0 win over Arsenal at Wembley.
By then, the Hammers had been relegated, but Bonds showed great loyalty to
the cause, playing an amazing 59 games as West Ham won the Division Two
title and reached the League Cup final in 1981. Bonds passed Bobby Moore
OBE's all-time appearance record in September 1982, playing his 545th
first-team match for the club in a 1-1 Division One draw at the Boleyn
Ground. The Hammers great initially retired in May 1984, handing the
captain's armband to Alvin Martin, but a spate of injuries saw him return to
the squad in August of the same year. After missing the 1985/86 season
through injury, Bonds returned to first-team duty in October 1986, marking
his comeback in memorable fashion by being voted Hammer of the Year for the
fourth and final time in 1987 - adding to previous awards won in 1971, 1974
and 1975. The 1987/88 season, during which Bonds celebrated his 41st
birthday, proved to be his last, with the legend making his final appearance
for West Ham in a Division One fixture at Southampton on 30 April 1988 -
more than 20 years after his debut in a home match against Sheffield
Wednesday. The same month, he had been presented with the PFA Merit Award by
his fellow professionals in recognition of a truly remarkable playing
career.
Four months before hanging up his boots, Bonds had received another honour,
being made an MBE for his services to football in HM The Queen's New Year's
Honours List. To nobody's surprise, Bonds was handed a coaching role on his
retirement by manager John Lyall, working alongside Tony Carr with the
club's promising Academy youngsters. In February 1990, he was appointed as
first-team boss himself, leading the club to promotion from Division Two in
1991. After being relegated in 1992, Bonds led West Ham to promotion for a
second time in 1993, when they reached the Premier League for the first
time. After leaving the Boleyn Ground in 1994, Bonds returned to his native
south east London to manage Millwall for a period. Since then, he has worked
as a radio summariser and appeared at a series of theatre shows, where he
has shared stories from his amazing career with supporters. A true West Ham
legend, Billy Bonds MBE will be rightly honoured for his truly outstanding
contribution to Hammers history when he receives the first-ever Lifetime
Achievement Award at this year's Player Awards in May.
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Vaz sets sights on starting place
WHUFC.com
Ricardo Vaz Te wants to win a place in Big Sam's starting XI after
impressing as a substitute at Stoke City
04.03.2013
Ricardo Vaz Te has set his sights on regaining a place in Sam Allardyce's
West Ham United starting XI after producing a superb display as a substitute
at Stoke City. The Portuguese winger was sent on after just eleven minutes
for an injured Joe Cole in Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League win at the
Britannia Stadium and responded by setting up the winner for fellow
replacement Jack Collison. Now Vaz Te, who started just three league games
since dislocating his shoulder in the home defeat by Arsenal on 6 October,
wants to convince Big Sam that he cannot afford to leave the No12 on the
bench during the final ten matches of the season. "I think the win was the
fundamental part to take the pressure off the lads," Vaz Te told West Ham
TV, in reference to Saturday's success at Stoke. "I feel for Joe because he
was very unlucky, he has been playing brilliantly and I hope it is nothing
serious. "That's the point of being prepared. I came out early and prepared
with the lads and I was just ready. It's very unfortunate for Joe but I was
prepared and have been all week. "Since I have been injured I have not
really had the chance to play much since I came back, but everything is in
place. I'm working very hard to get my place back. My stats are still
looking good, but obviously I'm still looking to improve on them. The
priority on Saturday was getting the win, so that was the main thing."
Vaz Te certainly looked back to his best at the Britannia Stadium,
repeatedly running at the Stoke defenders and providing a willing outlet
when the Hammers were put under pressure. The 26-year-old capped a fine
performance by setting up Collison's winner with a fine through ball. In the
second half, Vaz Te could even have got a goal himself, only to delay
slightly too long when Collison returned the compliment. "I am pleased but
I'm a bit disappointed because we were winning 1-0 and in the second half I
could have pretty much finished the game. "Since I joined the club my record
has been pretty good. People might not know this, but I'm still the highest
goalscorer since I joined the club [on 31 January 2012, with 13 goals]. I
was very unfortunate with my shoulder injury, but I am trying to get back to
my best. I am trying to get back into the feel of things, to get my place
back and to get the trust of the manager again. "I was very disappointed
with the opportunity I had. I should have at least had a shot and I'm sure I
would have scored. Again, there is always room for improvement and that's
how I see it, so I'm going to try my best to do that next time."
Concentrating on his all-important assist, Vaz Te collected the ball about
35 yards out before playing it into Andy Carroll. The striker went to ground
alongside Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross and Vaz Te reacted quickest,
collecting possession again before sliding a pass into Collison, who spun
and fired low past Asmir Begovic. "I played a one-two with Andy and had a
few defenders in front of me. I could have pushed the ball to my left and
had a shot, but if I had tried to shoot I had two defenders in front of me
so I was kind of blocked. "I could see Jack in the corner of my eye and he
was in a better position, so I thought I would lay the pass to him. I was so
pleased for Jack. I think he deserves it because he works so hard. He has a
great misfortune with his knee injury, so I'm glad to see him back and
scoring again. "It was a terrific three points for us, so I'm very pleased
for Jack and for the whole team really. To keep a clean sheet in a ground
like that is terrific, so credit must go to everyone - to the team, to the
manager, to the staff because I think we prepared right. I think we
dominated Stoke for the whole game. "For myself, I'm going to work hard to
secure my place and keep improving my stats."
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West Ham closing on Olympic Stadium deal - David Gold
BBC.co.uk
West Ham co-owner David Gold says a deal for the club to move to the Olympic
Stadium could be agreed as soon as 16 March. The Hammers were named as the
preferred bidder for the stadium on 5 December and have been in talks with
London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). "I think we're close. It's
only what I'm being promised. As we speak I'm being promised 16 March," Gold
told talkSPORT. "We would sign the agreement then."
The LLDC board - which preferred West Ham to League One side Leyton Orient,
UCFB College of Football Business and a consortium linked to Formula 1 - is
set to meet on 26 March. But an extraordinary general meeting could be
called if agreement over the £429m venue is reached before then. Gold added:
"I'm embarrassed because I've tweeted 10 times that it's going to be next
week or next month and here's a date. "The date comes and goes and then I
give another date. But I think we are close."
Negotiations with the LLDC included talks on West Ham's share of the costs
of converting the London 2012 venue. Retractable seating is set to be
installed for West Ham matches and Gold said: "We will only go there if it
is fit for use. "I won't go there if I have to look over a running track.
But I believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's face it.
They've built a stadium - albeit wrong shape and size."
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Olympic Stadium: decision imminent
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
David Gold has confirmed that he expects to learn whether or not West Ham
have been granted use of the Olympic Stadium with the next fortnight.
According to the club's co-Chairman, West Ham should discover on 16th March
whether or not the move from Upton Park to Stratford has been given the
green light by the authorities.
However Gold admitted that he would not be unduly surprised if that date was
postponed - as it has been on several occasions prior to now.
"I'm embarrassed because I think I've tweeted ten times, "yes, it's going to
be next week", or "next month", or "here's a date" and the date comes and
goes," he told Talksport this lunchtime. "It's only because it's what I'm
being promised.
"As we speak I've been promised that we'll sign the agreement on 16th March.
At the moment we don't have the stadium, we're very hopeful but we should
know by then.
"I think we're close; as you know we signed a confidentiality agreement and
that does hamper us. The fans get frustrated as they want to see the plans
but we're not allowed to do that until the deal is signed."
Gold - who still faces a battle in winning over the majority of the club's
supporters - also refuted suggestions by the show's host, Richard Keys, that
the club might perhaps be better placed by remaining at the Boleyn Ground.
However he agreed that the arena's current design was inherently flawed in
terms of hosting top-flight football.
"You could argue there's no problem and you could stay where you are," he
said. "However if you look at West Ham - the eighth or ninth best supported
club in the country - we've spent most of our life in the second tier of
English football. Apart from those three years under Bobby Moore, have we
ever fulfilled our potential?
"This is a once in a lifetime [opportunity]. They've built a stadium -
albeit the wrong shape and the wrong size. Whoever made the decision to say
we're going to build a stadium without a roof? All I can say is that we will
only go there if it is fit for use. I'm not going to go there if I've got to
look over a running track.
"Most Olympic stadiums have failed because they haven't embraced the legacy
of saying, "ok, we must build a stadium so that once the Olympics is over
it's wonderful and fantastic for the country". But to do that properly you
have to have a football person involved because 99 times out of 100, it's
going to be a football stadium that supports the athletics.
"They need football to support it. The stadium in Sheffield, they're having
to close it; had it been built with football or rugby [in mind it might have
been saved] but you need another sport to join athletics. There's no other
way."
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Gold on Allardyce contract
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Co-chairman David Gold has once again confirmed that Sam Allardyce's
position will not be decided until the end of the season.
West Ham's current manager signed a two-year contract when succeeding Avram
Grant in June 2011, which both he and the club's owners have previously
stated will be reviewed at the end of the current campaign.
And despite some scurrilous rumour-mongering from the tabloids in recent
weeks, a period during which former Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio's name has
been mentioned on several occasions, this remains very much the position.
"People want to know what's going on in the future but equally you don't
want anything to interfere with the process of the remaining ten games which
are important to us," Gold told Talksport. "But I'm very optimisitic that
Sam will be our manager next season.
"The agreement with the board was that we would sit down at the end of the
season. Not when we're safe - because we're not safe mathematically,
although I think we are - but the understanding was that we'd discuss Sam's
new contract then.
"The important thing is that Sam, myself, David Sullivan and Karren [Brady]
understand our agreement. Our agreement is that we will sit down when it's
all over, when we know the position we've finished and whether we're still
in this division.
"There's always the danger than a bigger club will come in, but Sam has
given his word that we'll sit down and discuss his contract at the end of
the season and I trust him. "
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Award for Bonzo - at last
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Billy Bonds has been selected as the first recipient of a new West Ham
United award. The club announced this morning that they were introducing a
Lifetime Achievement Award which Bonds will receive at this year's Player
Awards, which are being held on 8th May at the Grosvenor House Hotel in
London's Park Lane. The news follows a 2011 KUMB.com campaign to officially
recognise the club's appearance record holder, who made a total of 793
outings in all competitions in a playing career spanning more than 20 years.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Our stadium
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Ross Clarke
It's the first day of the 2016-17 Premier League season and the West Ham
United team walks onto the pitch at the Olympic Stadium for the first time.
"Forever Blowing Bubbles" is sung loudly by a capacity crowd but something
is not right, it doesn't sound the same. The speaker system works perfectly
and the music is as loud as the 50,000-plus people singing their hearts out.
Season-ticket holders are surrounded by people they don't recognise.
Mark Noble, still at the club after 18 years, is now the captain but he
doesn't know to which stand he should run to applaud the supporters. His is
a rare familiar face in a sea of strangers. Those who were sceptical of the
move are now joined in their cynicism by those who felt economics dictated
the time was right, for they now realise it is not the same.
No longer will thousands of supporters – half optimistic, half pessimistic –
stream down Green Street with the smell of frying horsemeat from fast-food
vans in their nostrils and the sense of expectation in their hearts.
No longer will children make the same journey to their first game as their
fathers did and no longer will groups of friends, who have known each other
since school, been to each other's weddings and helped each other through
their inevitable divorces, meet in the pub they always meet in.
There are those who will argue that doesn't matter and that our memories
will sustain us, but some medical research suggests otherwise. Psychologist
Edward Thorndike, in his book The Psychology Of Learning, states: "If a
person does not access and use the memory they have formed, it will fade or
decay over time".
In other words, Watching West Ham at the Boleyn Ground every fortnight
brings back memories of legends, of thrills, of heartbreak, of
disappointment and allows them to be passed on to future generations.
It is a theory that makes it possible to argue that the loss of our stadium
will, in the minds of future generations - those who have never and will
never visit Upton Park - Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking and Paolo Di Canio
will never exist.
The move to the Olympic Stadium may create new legends and attract more
supporters to the club, but it must not be allowed to happen at the expense
of everybody who has a stake in our great football club.
The Boleyn Ground is more than bricks and mortar and should be treated as
such. It is a place that comes alive with the shared experiences of millions
of people and through generations.
It is a place not only to watch football, but it is a place where loved ones
and players who have graced the pitch and bought joy to our hearts are
remembered.
The Olympics Stadium may well end up that way for future generations but,
for me, it can never be the same.
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And we managed to upset Tony Pulis...
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 4th March 2013
By: Paul Walker
Now that wasn't too bad was it? A trip to the dreaded Britannia stadium and
all it's charms…and the best bit was upsetting one-eyed Tony Pulis.
The delightful manager of Stoke City, who doesn't flinch at sending out his
thugs to kick, maim and cheat each week, actually complained that one of his
players - that delicate flower Ryan Shawcross - was fouled by Andy Carroll
in the build-up to Jack Collison's impressive winner on Saturday.
Now when you have all stopped laughing, I'll continue. Shawcross has more
broken (opponents) bones on his CV than any of the Krays muscle from the
60s. Aaron Ramsey springs to mind.
And he is the worst exponent in the Premier League of the grabbing, holding,
shirt-pulling nonsense in the penalty box that is closer to tag-team
wrestling than football. So when he comes off worse in a scrap with Carroll
- they were both at it, to be fair - there is very little sympathy.
But for Pulis to stand, straight-faced in front of the cameras and moan
about it all, was just priceless. And he also complained about two penalties
not given. One was a first-class tackle from the outstanding Joey O'Brien
and the other was certainly not an intentional handball by Guy Demel. And
there has to be intent these days, Tony!
Just for a change we had a decent referee there in the shape of Jon Moss.
Far, far better than the disgraceful Mike Jones who was in charge of our
last visit to the Potteries in the FA Cup two seasons ago, when if you all
remember, we lost because Thomas Hitzlsperger was dragged to the ground in
our defensive wall by a Stoke player when they scored their winner.
What goes around, comes around is my only thoughts on Pulis, and the sound
of pots and black kettles clanking together could be heard as the Stoke
manager left the stadium.
And the Staffordshire Police, my personal favourites over many years of
being treated like a sewer rat on away trips, seem to have had a nice cuddly
makeover.
I recall ranting on KUMB about the dreadful treatment away fans suffer at
Stoke. Locked in a high-fenced compound behind the away stand a the end of
matches, complete with a very noisy helicopter hovering overhead. Total
overkill.
I now know what the Vietcong must have felt like in the Mekong delta when
the American gunships were coming in! Being at Stoke can be like starring in
one of those American war films.
This time there was no chopper and we were all ushered politely onto
double-deckers parked in the said same compound, by nice, smiley cops, who
then took us in convoy back to the station with outridders holding up the
traffic. A good singalong was had by all as we waved at less-than-chuffed
Stokies.
It had been a very good day. Our dreadful away performances at Aston Villa,
Fulham, Sunderland and Reading of late did not fill our 2,900 contingent
with much confidence. But our team stood up to all of Stoke's nonsense and
ran themselves into the ground to ensure a priceless victory.
I'm not sure I can agree with Shearer and Hanson on MOTD, who insist we are
safe and what a great job we have done. Do they do any research and check
the table and future fixtures before pontificating such nonsense?
We are not safe, and our players realise it. Nine points (plus one for the
better goal difference) is a good lead, but we now have just one game (at
Chelsea) until Easter's visit of WBA to the Boleyn, and that nine points
could be severely cut by then.
Big Sam thinks we need 36 points. He has obviously forgotten the 42 points
that still got us relegated back in 2003. We need 37 minimum and 40 to be
certain, so lets keep battling away. We don't want to still need something
on the last Sunday at home to Reading, with their record against us over the
last few seasons.
But Sam, who managed a crossed arms Hammers salute to the travelling fans -I
have not seen him do that before - had his team very well prepared for
Stoke's shenanigans. In seasons past we would have crumbled under such
long-ball bullying, but not this time.
Having lost Joe Cole and Matt Taylor - wasn't Crouch's flying boot dangerous
play and deserving of a card? - in the opening minutes, it could all have
gone pear-shaped. But Collison and Ricky Vaz Te were excellent.
Both have been out of the side of late, and maybe wanted to make a point.
But funnily enough, the substitutions left us with probably a stronger side
to confront Stoke with than the one that started. Vaz Te played between the
lines in a Kevin Nolan role and his power and running ability were crucial.
As was Mo Diame's display of strength and running. He was outstanding,
covering acres of ground in possession and being more than a match to the
tough-guy stuff Stoke utilise.
And up in the South Stand, the Irons fans had a great day, Twisting and
Shoutin' their way to victory. I have never understood why we sing the
Beatles classic, maybe because it was a 60s song from our greatest era. But
it sounded great on TV. If anyone has a good theory on this subject, feel
free to let me know.
All in all a great day out. It's one of our closest away games, me and the
lad can drink in the local before a 15 minute train ride. We were joined
this time by my son's brother-in-law's new fiancee, Maddie, a Stoke fan for
her sins.
She will be a welcomed addition to the trip in future. She can handle a
vodka or three, and didn't flinch when expected to down a can of lager in a
scruffy car park next to a giant Biffa waste container (we know how to treat
a girl!)
You see, we'd been thrown out of a wedding reception at the hotel opposite
the station. Usually they allow away fans in, so we marched happily through
reception and found a very busy bar. But it began to dawn that it wasn't
just a match day crowd.
The fact that the bride was standing in the queue at the bar just behind us
did ring a few alarm bells. We made a quick exit, stage left, and were
ushered out by a weak-wristed hotel manager. Hence the party in the car
park. And Maddie was still able to smile at us when we picked her up after
the game.
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Turgott back with Hammers
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 12:27pm
SSN
Bradford's on-loan England Under-19s international Blair Turgott has
returned to parent club West Ham. The 18-year-old winger was due to return
to Upton Park after this weekend's clash at York, but went back early to
play in a development squad fixture for the Hammers against Manchester
United on Friday.
Bradford manager Phil Parkinson told the club's official website: "Blair did
really well for us and I'm sure he's going to be a great player. "He wasn't
a moment's problem during his time here and we really do wish him all the
best in the future. "He's a good lad and did well for us during the periods
he was involved." Turgott, yet to make his first-team debut at West Ham,
made 11 appearances for Bradford after arriving at the end of November and
played in the Capital One Cup clashes with Arsenal and Aston Villa, both
home and away.
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West Ham plan contract talks with boss Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 2:53pm
SSN
West Ham co-chairman David Gold says the club will hold contract talks with
manager Sam Allardyce at the end of the season. Gold says the club are keen
to retain the services of the 58-year-old former Bolton, Newcastle and
Blackburn boss, whose current deal expires in the summer. "What we promised
and, what Sam promised us, is that at the end of the season we would sit
down and discuss Sam's position," Gold told talkSPORT. "The agreement with
the board was that we would sit down at the end of the season, not when
we're safe - we are not mathematically safe as we speak." "I'm very
optimistic that Sam will be our manager next season. But we have to sit
down. "The agreement with the board was that we would sit down at the end of
the season, not when we're safe - we are not mathematically safe as we
speak." Asked if he was worried Allardyce could agree a move elsewhere
before then, he added: "There's always the danger that a bigger club comes
in. There is that danger. "Having said that Sam has given his word that he
will sit down and discuss his contract at the end of the season and I trust
him." Allardyce was appointed Hammers boss in June 2011 and led them back
into the Premier League in his first season in charge, despite some
criticism from fans over the team's style of play. The club are currently
12th in the top-flight table having amassed 33 points from 28 games.
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David Gold and David Sullivan invest £35m in West Ham to achieve
"three-point" plan
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 9:11pm
SSN
West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan invested £35m in the club to
bolster their successful promotion bid last season. The significant figure
was revealed in the club's newly-released accounts which covered the 12
months they were in the Championship. The loan helped reinforce the Hammers
squad for an immediate return to the Premier League, which they achieved
with victory over Blackpool in the Championship play-off final. The
published accounts revealed losses of £25.5m while West Ham were in the
second tier, with turnover falling by £34.4m to £46.25m. But in his
chairman's statement, Sullivan insisted the losses following relegation were
"inevitable" following the loss of TV and sponsorship income totalling
£26.5m. Sullivan also revealed his and Gold's £35m loan - £3m of which has
been invested this season - was undertaken to fast-track a "three-point
strategic plan". "Both myself and my partner David Gold decided to invest
our money into achieving promotion," Sullivan wrote. "During the season we
invested a further £32.2m of our cash in order to allow the manager to go
into the transfer market and buy the players we needed to secure promotion.
"During that period we brought or loaned 18 players, most notably Kevin
Nolan, Matthew Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te, investing a total of £17.1m."
Since earning promotion West Ham have spent a further £13m on players, a
figure that could rise to £20m, as they pursue the final part of their
three-point plan - retaining their Premier League status.
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David Gold says West Ham's move to Olympic Stadium could be close
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 2:25pm
SSN
West Ham could be close to agreeing a move to the Olympic Stadium, according
to the Premier League club's co-chairman David Gold. The Hammers'
long-planned move from Upton Park to the venue in East London has reportedly
edged closer this month following talks with the London Legacy Development
Corporation. London Mayor Boris Johnson has described those discussions as
"positive" and Gold is optimistic West Ham will soon have a new home. "I
think we're close. It's only what I'm being promised. As we speak I'm being
promised March 16," Gold told talkSPORT. "We would sign the agreement then."
"We will only go there if it is fit for use. I won't go there if I have to
look over a running track. But I believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. Let's face it. They've built a stadium - albeit the wrong shape
and size." However, the 76-year-old is exercising caution following previous
late problems in the potential agreement that would see the Hammers move to
the Olympic Stadium in 2016. "I'm embarrassed because I've tweeted 10 times
that it's going to be next week or next month and here's a date," he said.
"The date comes and goes and then I give another date. But I think we are
close." West Ham were handed 'preferred bidder' status in December last year
and talks with the LLDC have since focused on details of the proposed move,
including how much the club would pay towards conversion costs of the
stadium. "There are certain things I can't share with you because of the
confidentiality agreement. We will only go there if it is fit for use," said
Gold. "I won't go there if I have to look over a running track. But I
believe we are in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's face it. They've
built a stadium - albeit the wrong shape and size."
Part of London's successful Olympic bid centred on a promise to keep
athletics at the Stratford venue in the future and Gold believes for that to
happen the financial support of football is required. "Most Olympic Stadiums
have failed because they haven't embraced the legacy and also saying the
Olympics is over," he said. "Athletics needs football to support it. There's
no other way." The LLDC will discuss the future of the stadium at their next
board meeting on March 26, although an extraordinary general meeting may be
called if they reach an agreement with West Ham before then.
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West Ham midfielder Jack Collison having to manage troublesome knee
Last Updated: March 4, 2013 9:54am
SSN
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce admits Jack Collison will never be 100
per cent as he continues to manage a troublesome knee. The Wales
international has endured lengthy spells on the sidelines with a problem he
has struggled to shake off. A long-term ailment still forces him to train
away from the rest of the Hammers squad, with an individual regime intended
to give him the best chance of playing regular games. Allardyce admits the
situation is far from ideal, but is delighted to have Collison at his
disposal - with the midfielder having netted a crucial winner in Saturday's
1-0 victory over Stoke City. He said: "His management of it is a great
credit to himself and the medical staff. "He does his own training and very
rarely trains with us. He has to get himself ready for a game. "He has to be
bored most of the time when everyone else is doing their training and he is
doing his rehab work. Afterwards he has to have that extra bit of rest and
recovery to everyone else until the swelling goes down. "He can live with
that and prosper but it is not going to give him the full extent of his
ability. It is going to restrict him. "It's a great shame when such a young
man has to be burdened with the fact that his knee is never going to be 100
per cent."
Superb
Collison claims to be in the best shape he has been in for some time, with
the 24-year-old determined to play a leading role for West Ham in the
remainder of the campaign. He said: "It's up to me to take my chances when
they come. Hopefully the goal will help. "Physically, I feel superb and
knee-wise it's the best I've felt for years. "The last few weeks I've been
training most days and working on my fitness and trying to force my way in.
But if you look at our squad, it's hard to nail down a regular position
anywhere."
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Well That's £38,000 a Week Off the Wage Bill...
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Freddie Piquionne has joined Portland Timbers. Rejoice!
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Piquionne signs for Portland Timbers
msn.foxsports.com
UPDATED MAR 1, 2013 10:32 AM ET
Frederic Piquionne has joined Portland Timbers from West Ham United on a
one-year deal. The 34-year-old former France international impressed during
a trial with the Major League Soccer side. He made 40 appearances for the
Hammers, scoring 11 goals, and spent part of last season on loan at
Doncaster Rovers. Piquionne will join up with former Manchester United and
Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre in Portland. He said: "I am delighted to
sign for Portland. It is a one-year contract. Mikael Silvestre is here with
me, so settling in will not be as difficult as I think. "We will try to do
very well, as much as we can for Portland. For me, it will be another great
experience to play in another great league." Piquionne, who earned one cap
for France, also played for Portsmouth during his time in England. He signed
for West Ham from Lyon for £1million in July 2010.
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Hurt Cole feels Blue
By PAT SHEEHAN
Last Updated: 05th March 2013
The Sun
JOE COLE could be out for a month after damaging a hamstring in Saturday's
1-0 victory over Stoke. West Ham midfielder Cole, 31, was soon in trouble
and had to be hauled off after just 10 minutes at the Britannia. Cole's
enforced absence means he will miss a return to his former club Chelsea next
Sunday. In the Hammers' newly-released accounts it has been revealed owners
David Gold and David Sullivan loaned the club £35million to help ensure
their immediate return to the Premier League. Sullivan, 64, said: "We
decided to invest our money into achieving promotion. "Our cash allowed the
manager to go into the transfer market and buy the players we needed.
"During that period we brought or loaned 18 players, most notably Kevin
Nolan, Matty Taylor and Ricardo Vaz Te."
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