Thursday, July 14, 2005
Kickoff...
Alan Pardew's squad is currently in Sweden, with less than a day to go till the first friendly against Falkenberg FF kicks off. This will be at 4am Friday 15th July, Brisbane time.
Meanwhile, Pardew has made some comments about the players who have left, notably Chris Powell. "We offered Chris what we believed was a fair contract for somebody who would be our second-choice left-back, but for his own reasons Chris chose to move on. We must never forget Chris' contribution to the team during his time here, especially the Play-offs and the Final against Preston when he was magnificent. He's a good friend of mine and I certainly wish him well from everyone here at West Ham United. I hope to be playing golf with him in a couple of weeks' time so there are certainly no hard feelings there."
However, he added that the Club needs to sign another left-back as cover for Konchesky, indicating that Academy graduate Chris Cohen will, at best, remain in the reserves for the bulk of the coming season. Pardew also made comments about Hutch and Lomy.
"I can confirm that Don Hutchison has also left the Club. He's a great lad, but his contract has expired and I thought that it was best for all concerned to let him move on. I certainly wish Don well for the future. I've also told Steve Lomas that he's no longer part of my long-term plans and that he's free to leave if the right club comes in for him."
