Thursday, May 31, 2007

 

8.5M bid for Scott Parker!

Curbishley has made an 8.5M GBP bid for Newcastle Captain Scott Parker as a replacement for the imminently outbound Nigel Reo-Coker. If we were to recoup a similar fee for NRC I'd say this was a good swap and a step in the right direction. Hopefully the barcodes will accept our bid as I think this is as high a fee as I'd like to pay for the player. Curbs is keeping up his tradition of signing club captains so expect John Terry & Steven Gerrard at West Ham by the end of the summer ;-).

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

 

Pre Season Friendly Dates

these are the first team games, there are some others listed as West Ham XI

Jul 14 Dagenham & Redbridge (away)
week away overseas, games tba
Jul 24 Leyton Orient (away)
Jul 25 MK Dons (away, seniors&kids)
Jul 28 Southend (away)
Jul 31 Norwich (away)
Aug 4 TBA (home)

Monday, May 28, 2007

 

Do Do Do - Nigel Cheerioker!

Well it's official - the moaning little twat has handed in his transfer request.

His agent is bleating on that he can't beleive West Ham are letting him leave but this all smells a bit fishy to me - if it is West Ham that are letting him leave then why is it Reo-Coker handing in a transfer request not the club placing him on the transfer list??? I think our Nigel & his agent are trying to hold Eggy to ransom and he's telling them to fuck off!

I really would've liked to see him stay as he put in some blinding performances towards the end of the season and with the quality we are prepared to bring to the club there could've been some serious competition on Nigel to perform in a West Ham shirt over the next 12 months.

I'm afraid Nige you'll always be remembered at West Ham for your below par performances when we needed you to be a man, step up a gear and captain your team.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

 

Yossi to sign new deal!

Various sources are quoted as saying Yossi Benayoun is on the verge of signing improved terms with West Ham for 5 years. Personally I think this is a good move as he is one of our best players and if Carlos was to leave then we would be serverely lacking in creativity without the likes of Yossi.

In other news we apparently after Fulham keeper Annti Niemi as competition for Green and suprise suprise another centre half in Boro's Chris Riggott.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

 

Squad Analysis

Who is going? What do we need? Where do we require cover?

It's hard to know what we need till we know who is going.

We definitely need a left back as at least cover for McCartney. Cover for Neill at RB. A top level centre mid fielder. Cover at least on both wings. At least one striker since we could see Tevez, Harewood & Teddy exiting. Don't need a keeper since Curbs obviously thinks Collins is cover for Green :)

£40 million has been promised by Eggie but is that to be supplemented by the proceeds of the rumoured mass clearout?

Post your thoughts...

Keepers

Green (1st choice)
Carroll
Walker
Stech

Left backs

McCartney (1st choice)
Konchesky (not rated by Curbs or me, likely to be leaving)

Right backs

Neill (1st choice)
Paintsil (not a sniff since Curbs, not much before even that..leaving?)
Mears (not even listed on official squad list?)


Centre backs

Collins (1st choice)
Ferdinand (1st choice but rumoured to be moved on)
Davenport (been warming bench, looked useful but some clangers effected confidence?)
Upson (injured but highly rated)
Gabbidon (injured)


Utility defenders

Spector (regular on bench)
Dailly


Centre midfielders

Reo-coker (1st choice but big chance he'll go)
Noble (1st choice)
Mullins (been coming off of bench)
Quashie (not had a look in during 9 game run in)


Left Midfielders

Boamorte (been preferred to Matty recently, finally contributingsomething in last few games)
Etherington (likely to leave)
Reid


Right Midfielders

Yossi (1st choice, looked likely to be going but may have hada change of heart)
Newton (been a long time since he has featured)

Utility midfielders

Bowyer (was playing regularly but left out of last month run in)


Strikers

Tevez (imho is likely to leave, but being diplomatic in press)
Zamora (1st choice)
Harewood (likely to leave)
Blanco (going, loan deal up, looking for other prem offers)
Cole (bench at best)
Ashton (injured, back next season. Clear first choice when fully fit)
Sheringham (likely to be leaving)
Ephraim

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

 

No - It's Football You Pratt!

Sheffield Utd Chairman Kevin McCabe:

"The FA Premier League should have a good night's sleep and think `is what has happened fair?'

"The fans of one club are in despair because their club has been relegated. To have the kick in the teeth of losing our (Premiership) status because we have played by the rules when another club hasn't... it ain't cricket."

LMAO!

Monday, May 14, 2007

 

Buy Carlos & Thanks for the Memories

Fuck me we took 21 points from a possible 27 to stay up and in the process did the double against Man United & Arsenal!

Rumour has it some people watched the game on a stream from China ;-) and to those people all I have to say is Do Do Doo Nigel Moto Rokr.

I'm half cut, post your comments you cnuts...

Saturday, May 12, 2007

 

Fox Sport Denies Request to Show Game Live on Main Event

For some unfathomable reason, Fox Sports & Premier Media Group have turned down a request from Dave Lewis to have our game on Sunday night shown live on Main Event rather than delayed at 2.30am

Dave even offered to pay for it.

So lets leave aside the gaff Foxtel originally made to show SU vs Wigan live (neither team even has a supporter's club in Oz!) rather than the other last round match that matters played between the team with probably the largest supporter base in the world in Man United and West Ham which has a massive and more importantly active support base in Oz.

Let's just focus on why having made that decision, they can't acquiesce to a request to at least show us on Main Event. There is nothing programmed on Main Event at that time, just filler fox boxoffice previews.

Is it a $$$ issue? As I say Dave Lewis offered to pay for it. I'm not sure what that offer extended to but presumably it at least covered Fox's set up costs.

So why does Foxsports care enough to say no?

Pig-headedness in not wanting to admit they were wrong to choose SU vs Wigan as the live game?

Please tell us Foxsports!

 

Brisbane Hammers Polo Shirts

A month or so ago Beggers (AKA Gaz) posted about the possibility of getting some Brisbane Hammers polo shirts made up. After some investigation he got a quote of $35 per shirt for a minimum order of 20. We are close to getting that figure so we can shortly place an order but what I want is for everybody to post on this thread their requirements in the following format (using norvern munky as an example):

Name: Tony McEvoy (aka norvern munky)
Number of shirts and sizes required: 1 x XL; 1 x S; Total = 2
Email Address: tony.mcevoy@gmail.com

Please do not post any other comments in this thread except for shirt orders.

Beggers has kindly agreed to pay the money up front when he places the order and will collect cash from everybody after so thanks very much for that Gaz. Once the shirts are ready we will arrange to meet at the pig n whistle for a drink and to collect the shirts and reimburse Gaz (beggers).

Of course this is a not for profit sale however if the shirts were to come in slightly under the $35 quoted then I don't think any of us will begrudge the excess funds going towards paying for Gaz's own shirt for the efforts he has put in to arrange this.

We will firm up the order Monday 14th May so get in quick if you want a shirt and haven't commented on this thread!!

Up the 'ammers!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

 

Prem League says Screw You to Whelan & Co

The Premier League has sent a letter written by its lawyers to the 4 shit stirring clubs and cc'd all other teams effectively warning them any legal action would be doomed to fail

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/article1764274.ece

 

LMAO!

I don't want to tempt fate by laughing but this is quite funny!


Sunday, May 06, 2007

 

Still Got a Point to Make!

I'm not saying "don't get carried away" because I'm already swept away with euphoria right now. But we are not out of the woods yet. A draw next week at the Theatre of Clowns would ensure our Premiership status for one more year and I hope our players don't think the job is done already.

What is good is the fact that Sheffield United's goal difference has been brought back to close to Wigan's after losing to Aston Villa so they have an incentive to win against Wigan next week. However somewhat more dissapointing is the fact that Fulham are now all but safe. Lose next week and there is only one team's result we are looking out for and that is Wigan's.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

 

Brisbane Hammers: Bolton game live @ Pig n Whistle


Live from Upton Park Saturday May 5

KO 11:55pm Saturday night Brisbane!
(Meet at the pub from 10pm.)

This one is definately confirmed!



Well here we are! This could possibly be our cup final - our destiny is now in our own hands. Fantastic supportin' on Saturday vs Wigan and I expect you'll all be itching to get out this weekend too.

Come on you Irons!


Pig n Whistle
123 Eagle St
Brisbane

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

 

Forget Tévez - loan system leaves game open to abuse

C&P http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/martin_samuel/article1733890.ece

Martin Samuel

The first thing any follower of West Ham United should admit is that it was not fair. There will be no glee and no gloating here, so supporters of Wigan Athletic, Sheffield United and Fulham can read on without risk of hypertension.

The club’s representatives lied and no mitigation outweighs that. Carlos Tévez, the West Ham player of the year, brought the club points that should have been taken away. Paul Jewell, the Wigan manager, Dave Whelan, the chairman, and Neil Warnock, the Sheffield United manager, insist that, in the same circumstances, their clubs would have been docked points in double figures, but that is unproven and unlikely.

At this stage in the season, it would appear that the FA Premier League would rather incinerate its rulebook than have relegation issues decided in the High Court, as would surely have happened. The shrewdest move by Eggert Magnússon, the West Ham chairman, was not withdrawing the threat of legal appeal if a points deduction was imposed, even when admitting guilt. On moral grounds, this should not have placed the Premier League in a difficult position, but in reality it did.

While West Ham’s case was heard by an independent commission, it is unthinkable that those involved in the decision were not made aware of the organisational meltdown that would result from one particular form of punishment.

No one should use this to justify the decision. West Ham’s penalty should have been the same whether applied in October or April, sitting in tenth place or eighteenth. It is also worthless to assess Tévez’s impact in terms of goals or points gained; he galvanised West Ham’s season, pure and simple. If the Premier League had demanded retribution equivalent to Tévez’s impact at Upton Park, points would not suffice; the only conclusion would have been summary relegation.

So mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, confiteor Deo omnipotenti. But.

On Saturday, when Manchester United played at Goodison Park in a match that is looked upon as definitive in the running of the title race, Tim Howard, the Everton goalkeeper, could not play because of an agreement between the clubs. And if that is not a third party influencing the policies and performance of a team, what is?

That was the root of West Ham’s rule infringement, remember. The systematic lying was the worst of it, but the reason that former directors were so keen to cover up the truth of the Tévez and Javier Mascherano transfers was to avoid a breach of Premier League rule U18, which governs third parties having a material influence on club policies and performance.

Mascherano’s career was controlled by two outside companies, Global Soccer Agencies and Mystere Services. Tévez was owned by Media Sports International and Just Sports. But when the Everton goalkeeper is removed from a match against Manchester United by Manchester United, how is that so different?

Howard was on loan from United to Everton this season, but on February 14 his move became permanent. At that moment, all aspects of his loan arrangement were discontinued, bar one. As a condition of the deal, United insisted that Howard could not play against them when the teams met on April 28. Everton had no choice but to acquiesce because David Moyes, the manager, wanted the player signed as soon as possible to ward off interest from other clubs (Howard has had an excellent season).

Had Everton not consented to the April 28 clause, United would not have allowed the loan to become permanent until the summer, running the risk of a rival bid, and Howard would still not have been able to play against United last weekend. Over a barrel, Everton agreed, which on Saturday meant that a third party (Manchester United) materially influenced the selection of a player who contractually belongs to Everton.

There is more. The April 28 agreement became active only if the title had not been decided. So there can be no suggestion that this is standard practice. United insisted on an arrangement that would be of benefit to them if the match was significant; if not, Everton could have played Howard. And did it influence Everton’s performance? You bet.

In the 61st minute, Everton were leading 2-0 and were comfortable. At that moment, Iain Turner, the goalkeeper standing in for Howard, dropped a harmless corner by Ryan Giggs at the feet of John O’Shea, who scored. This was the turning point. Sir Alex Ferguson had kept Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, behaving as if he felt the game beyond recovery. When O’Shea got his goal, Ferguson swiftly introduced the Player of the Year and United went on to win 4-2.

Turner was very weak for the second goal, too, which was put through his own net by Phil Neville, the Everton midfield player and brother of Gary, the United captain. And, despite these bizarre coincidences, there is no suggestion of nefarious activity at Goodison Park; but no thanks to the Premier League for that.

The governing body that took £5.5 million from West Ham for concealing third-party influence at their club has allowed a system to foster domestically that has far greater potential for abuse. There have been three United goalkeepers active in the Barclays Premiership this season – and only one of them for Manchester United.

As well as Edwin van der Sar, the first-choice, Ben Foster plays for Watford and Howard for Everton. So in four of 38 matches, United have guaranteed facing an understudy in goal. They are not alone in farming out talent (Tomasz Kuszczak, Van der Sar’s deputy, is on loan from West Bromwich Albion), but considering Turner’s hapless hand in the destiny of the title, they are the system’s greatest beneficiaries this season.

Taken to its practical conclusion, United could legally, according to Premier League rules, assemble a squad of ten talented goalkeepers to be loaned throughout the division, ensuring that they alone would play half of their matches against inexperienced understudies. On a smaller scale, this has happened. Howard, not Turner, will play in goal for Everton against Chelsea on the final day of this season, while Foster was desperately unfortunate to be on the losing side against Chelsea on March 31, beaten deep in injury time by Salomon Kalou after an heroic display.

In three matches against United this season (including an FA Cup semi-final), Watford have fielded Richard Lee, the second choice to Foster, and he has conceded ten goals.

While obsessing over the role of foreign agents, which is negligible, the Premier League has given the green light to a far more dangerous loan and transfer system that allows third parties (who are also rivals) to dictate team selection and frequently compromises the competition through complex financial arrangements. If United win the treble this season, Everton will be £1.7 million better off as part of bonus clauses included in the Wayne Rooney transfer. Is that healthy? Is that not open to greater manipulation than any of the arrangements between Tévez and Mascherano’s owners and West Ham?

On the final day of the season, Everton visit Chelsea for a match that could decide the title. For argument’s sake, say that fixture involved a trip to Old Trafford instead. The terms of Rooney’s transfer could dictate that by losing to United, Everton gain £1.7 million; by winning, the club forfeit the same sum. If the manager or chairman were unscrupulous, might that fact not influence policy and performance? Might that not equate to a half-strength, experimental team, or a lack of ambition? It says something that English football is not corrupt because it sure as hell is given the chance to be.

The loan system has had a dubious influence on the Premier League for many years, which is why, although West Ham supporters know that the club have got away extraordinarily lightly, few will be lying awake at night racked with guilt.

In 2003, when West Ham were last relegated, Bolton Wanderers survived in part because of Sam Allardyce’s astute use of the loan system. Players such as Iván Campo, Salva Ballesta, Bernard Mendy and Florent Laville kept Bolton up, home-grown English players such as Joe Cole went down and were lost to West Ham soon after. No one cared about a rogue system then. Allardyce, because he is a fine manager, built a club and made Bolton a success story with permanent players, but the foundation on which that success was laid is propping up a tower of contradictions over third-party control and interest.

Something has to give. Either the Premier League has to grow up and acknowledge that the business of football is changing and third-party arrangements that are commonplace in South America have to be accommodated within the rulebook, or it has to look beyond Tévez and Mascherano to a system that allows the opposition to pick players for Everton and could make Saturday’s result at Goodison Park a nice little earner for everyone.

In the end, who would you rather have influencing policy and performance at Everton: Moyes, Pini Zahavi or Ferguson?

 

Tevez In Doubt for Remaining Games?

This article in The Times is raising some questions about whether Tevez will be able to play on Saturday and maybe the last game as well.

".... Joorabchian has denied that he has given permission for the contract to be annulled because he would then have no guarantee that Tévez would return to his control at the end of the season.

The Iranian-born businessman says he is willing to make necessary amendments to the contract that would satisfy the Premier League, but he has been unable to meet West Ham officials this week. Unless an agreement is reached, he is unlikely to allow Tévez to play against Bolton on Saturday and Manchester United eight days later. The Premier League has said that is a matter between the club and Joorabchian."

although other parts of the article are more optimistic :-

“He has great affection for the people at West Ham and has absolutely no gripe with the club, the directors or the chairman. He wants them to do well and he is, of course, very close to Carlos and wants the best for him. He has made himself available to West Ham this week [for talks] and hopes they can come to an amicable settlement before the game on Saturday.”

Also of interest is this statement about Tevez next season :-

“New arrangements are in place with the Premier League and dialogue is taking place in terms of Carlos Tévez’s future beyond the end of the season,” a West Ham spokesman said. “He is a registered player with West Ham and nothing has changed since he played against Wigan on Saturday.”

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

 

Adelaide Hammers: West Ham vs Bolton live at the Rosemont Hotel

Adelaide Time & Venue confirmed

Venue - Rosemont Hotel
Time - meet up from 9.30pm
Kick off - 11.30pm

Great pub with good atmosphere! Looking for a better turn up than last week so spread the word.

cheers
westham5096