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Reading 0 West Ham United 3
2007-09-03 11:43:00
Alarm Bells Ringing For Coppell After Hammers Expose Reading by David LaceyJust for a change West Ham went about bursting bubbles rather than blowing them on Saturday. Shaking off their torporific home form, Alan Curbishley's team suggested that what was a miracle at Reading last season may become a mirage before the present one is much older... The GuardianBellamy And Etherington Leave Ragged Royals Looking Flushed by Arindam RejThis was a masterclass in how not to play against West Ham . For all West Ham's faults, they are a team who know how to break quickly from deep positions and have the players to capitalise on counter-attacks... The ObserverBellamy Bullies Reading by Brian GlanvilleMaking light of harsh memories, and the loss in midweek of Kieron Dyer, West Ham, inspired by Craig Bellamy, simply took Reading to pieces... The TimesBellamy Runs Riot In Aid Of Curbishley's Solid Crew by James CorriganAssembling a cast that now includes the likes of Craig Bellamy and Lee Bowye...
More About: West Ham United , United

The Coca-Cola Sign
2007-09-02 22:17:00
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, the owner of West Ham, has told Observer Sport that a major reason why the club will be successful is because he and chairman Eggert Magnusson 'feel almost semi-English'. Gudmundsson, who owns 95 per cent of the club, was speaking to a British newspaper for the first time since the takeover last November. He believes that he and his fellow Icelander have an advantage over some foreign owners in the Premier League because Europeans have more football experience than club owners from Asia and the United States. Gudmundsson was a youth player at KR, Iceland's most successful club, and chairman during the 1990s; Magnusson was head of the Icelandic Football Association and a Uefa board member. 'I don't think we think much differently from English owners, so I mean we are very pro-English,' Gudmundsson said. 'We are close to England, only two-and-a-half hours away from you, so we sometimes consider ourselves as semi-English. We know the culture. We are not c...
More About: Coca-Cola , Coca Cola , Coca , Cola , Sign

Pilgrims Visit
2007-09-02 18:00:00
A quick glance at today's gossip pages sees that West Ham United were prepared to smash the £100,000 a week barrier to land Adriano. According to the News of the World, the 25 year old was offered a stunning £125,000 - £6.5million a year- to quit Inter Milan but 'turned his nose up' at the Upton Park club's one year loan proposal. The article states Adriano was hawked around several Premier League clubs and was reportedly seeking a four-year deal on £140,000 a week. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City were all approached but only the Hammers sent a delegation to meet him. It was after the deal collapsed that Wigan Athletic striker Henri Camara and Newcastle United's Nobby Solano were signed instead. The Sunday Mirror has a similar story but in an 'exclusive' by Paul Smith claims Eggert Magnusson was prepared to match the wage demands in full and a fee of £18million for a permanent transfer had been agreed with Inter Milan. Also in the News of the World is a story that L...
More About: The Media , The Gossip , Visit , Pilgrims , Grim

Nobby's Secret Vice
2007-09-01 15:13:00
He's the puff-filled Peruvian with three trumpets in his locker and salsa in his step. But as Sir Bobby Robson and David O'Leary can both testify, Nobby Solano is far from polished performer... Footballers get plenty of free time so it's really good to find something else to do other than play PlayStation. Like most footballers, I've tried to play golf but the technique's too tricky and the weather in England is too cold, so instead I prefer to play the trumpet. It helps me relax, takes my mind off the game and reminds me of my life in South America.I started playing when I was at school in Peru. After studies each day, I'd play in the school band. Initially, I wanted to play the saxophone, that was my favourite instrument, but they only had a trumpet so I played that instead and now I seem to be stuck with it! As I got older my football took over and I was able to practise music less and less, but when I was 22 I moved to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors and I suddenly foun...
More About: Secret , Vice , The Players

Nightmare Revisited
2007-09-01 12:26:00
All our best men are laughed at in this nightmare landJack KerouacAlan Curbishley returns to the scene of his worst managerial nightmare today, insisting the humiliation West Ham United suffered at Reading was like a bad dream. The Hammers? chief saw his team hit rock-bottom when they were thrashed 6-0 at the Madejski Stadium last season- just 21 days into his new job. Having endured one of the lowest points of his career, Curbishley came up with a phrase so memorable that it sits alongside ?Essex Man?, ?Essex Girls? and ?White Van Man? as metaphors for our times. And so was born the ?Baby Bentley? generation. Many took it to be the manager's critique on the celebrity-conscious, bling-obsessed breed of modern-day footballers, and in particular the culture inherent in his own West Ham players, who had just succumbed to that massacre on New Year?s Day. As Martin Smith, writing in The Telegraph, observes: Most professional wordsmiths would kill to coin (itals) bon mots like that, but ...
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The Hammers' Hex
2007-09-01 11:41:00
Dark lore of Dyer and the Hammers ' hex- Does Kieron Dyer's gruesome leg break point to a curse hanging over West Ham?By Russell BrandI suppose, were I able to trade in some cosmic stock exchange I would relinquish West Ham's passage into the third round of the League Cup in order to preserve Kieron Dyer's lower right leg. As Alan Curbishley said after the win against Bristol Rovers: "Now the result seems immaterial." It's difficult to celebrate victory having seen Dyer suffer one of those wince-inducing injuries where the leg visibly contorts within the sock and it seems impossible to imagine it ever healing. It will, of course, in time, six months or so, but that's the bulk of the season without him and he looked sharp and fast against Wigan last Saturday. I feel dead sorry for him, in a hospital somewhere hurting. Obviously I don't know what it's like to be a professional athlete but it must engender a particular insecurity to be dependent on your body in such a palpably...

The Art Of The Lowball
2007-08-31 11:28:00
It is almost perverse that having filled this blog with a relentless efflux of sensationalist news stories during the dead days of pre-season, that I should now be scratching around for even the merest hint of a story on what is supposed to be one of the most colourful days in the football calender. So the final 24 hours of this transfer window begins with just one half-story concerning Reading defender Nicky Shorey, and one could-be story concerning Derby County midfielder Giles Barnes. Even more perverse is that the club who stood arraigned of wilfully damaging the football finances in this country this summer, of over-spending and inflating the domestic market, now stands accused in the final hours of making 'derisory' lowball offers for two players who hardly warranted a mention when the names of Bent, Gudjohnson, Anelka and Adriano were being bandied around. So Reading have confirmed they have rejected a £4million offer from West Ham United for England left-back Nicky Shorey....
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Adriano, Bresciano, Mancini, Barnes, Shorey And Cole
2007-08-30 10:59:00
Despite rumours circulating last night that West Ham United had tabled a £15million bid for Adriano, the majority of this morning's press have concluded that the club's chances of landing the Inter Milan player are slipping away fast. According to the Guardian, Hammers officials have privately conceded that their pursuit of Adriano is proving "complicated" with the player understood to favour a move to Lazio, recently qualified for the Champions League, if he is forced to leave Internazionale. Dominic Fifield states that the club's deputy chief executive, Scott Duxbury, was in Milan on Tuesday to speak to Inter officials in the hope of smoothing a 12-month loan for the 25-year-old forward. Yet, despite agreement in principle between the clubs, Adriano has refused to countenance a loan move abroad and remains in dispute with Inter over his future. Inter would rather loan the player, but the Brazilian is more keen to make a permanent move if he does not feature in the San Siro club...
More About: The Media , The Gossip , Cole , Barnes , Brescia

Adriano Agita
2007-08-29 11:20:00
While Alan Curbishley was last night denying any knowledge of a move for Inter Milan striker Adriano , the club decided to release an official statement that confirmed that talks were already taking place. It read: "Following speculation in the press West Ham can confirm we are holding talks with Inter Milan over striker Adriano. The figures that have been quoted in the media are inaccurate as the possible deal is in its early stages and money has not yet been discussed. The club are investigating the possibility of a loan deal at this stage." As confusing as this contradictory stance may be, it is nothing compared to the wildly conflicting reports of the situation in this morning's papers. The Guardian claim West Ham officials were in Milan last night to discuss with their counterparts the possibility of a loan deal, which Inter are known to favour. Adriano is under contract to the Serie A club until 2010 and they are not yet ready to give up on their investment. The player has st...
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Bristol Rovers 1 West Ham United 2
2007-08-29 11:01:00
Victory Marred As Dyer Joins Hammers' Horror Run Of Injuries by Stuart JamesWest Ham United could take little consolation from their passage into the third round of the League Cup last night as Kieron Dyer suffered a suspected double fracture of the leg that is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season... The GuardianAnother Cruel Break For Dyer by George CaulkinWith his job on the line and England?s hopes of qualifying for the European Championship finals at stake, Steve McClaren did not require another bad break, but the head coach?s misfortune was meagre in comparison with that of Kieron Dyer last night... The TimesKieron Dyer Break Hits West Ham by Martin SmithWest Ham, removed from the competition by Chesterfield last season, ensured there was no Carling Cup repeat last night at Bristol Rovers, though at the loss of Kieron Dyer, who may miss the rest of the season... The TelegraphCurbs Fury At Dyer Despair by Ivan SpeckFor once, West Ham made it past lower league oppos...

Dyer Injury
2007-08-29 10:30:00
The Club confirmed tonight that Kieron Dyer has suffered a double-fracture to his lower leg following the results of a series of x-rays. Following a late challenge by Bristol Rovers defender, Joe Jacobson in tonight's Carling Cup tie, Kieron was stretchered off the pitch and rushed straight to hospital where it was confirmed he had fractured both the tibia and fibula of his right leg. A statement reveals it is too early to say at this stage how long the player will be out for as this will become clearer once the first stage of surgery is completed.Speaking after the game, Alan Curbishley said: "We think that Kieron Dyer's broken his leg and we're so devastated for him. I just can't put it into words. The game was just immaterial after that and I think that the Bristol Rovers' player has got to be very disappointed with his tackle because, as far as I could see, he lashed out after losing the ball. The players could see what he did and that's why they were so angry. Obviously, ...
More About: The Media , Injury , The Players

West Ham United 1 Wigan Athletic 1
2007-08-27 18:29:00
West Ham Are Calling On Ashton To Advance by Simon BurntonThis was a three-minute thriller. It was as if, some time deep into the second half, the players had been informed of a contractual obligation to provide Match of the Day with a minimum amount of useable highlights and met the basic obligations... The GuardianBowyer Late Show Leaves Wigan Short Of Revenge by Conrad LeachGiven that Wigan were one of the gang of four who had wanted West Ham relegated last season over the Carlos Tevez affair, presumably winning here would at least have come as a decent second prize... The ObserverHammers Defy Odds by John Aizlewood A MOST curious encounter: one where West Ham United had most of the possession, yet Wigan Athletic had most of the clear-cut chances. After 90 fascinating minutes, the spoils deserved to be shared but Wigan headed back up the M6 regretting a lapse of concentration... The TimesCurbishley Searches For Elusive Hammers Spirit by Jason BurtBust-ups with players have plague...
More About: West , West Ham

The History Boy
2007-08-27 16:43:00
The History BoyBy Russell StavesWith a cultured swing of his right boot, Jordan Spence made history at the Goyang Stadium on Friday night. With England and Brazil locked at 1-1 in injury-time, the Three Lions skipper cleverly diverted Henri Lansbury's shot past Marcelo's outstretched right hand before embarking on a joyous celebration. Not only did the West Ham's defender's goal ensure his country topped Group B, it meant England beat Brazil for the first time ever at a FIFA Finals."It's a blur now," said Spence as he tried to recall his moment of history. "When the ball fell to Henri I was pleased as of all the people it could have landed to, he has scored some great goals from the edge of the area. But he did not seem to catch it right. I managed to stay onside, I just wanted to direct it towards goal. I did not see the ball hit the back of the net. As soon as I made contact I was gone. It was the biggest buzz. Crazy. Just one of those feelings where I wish I could hit a rew...
More About: The Players , Tory

Barnes Brewing
2007-08-21 22:49:00
Someone over at the Mail got bored and so naturally decided to run yet another Carlos Tevez story. According to Alan Biggs, West Ham United will face at least one new inquiry into the Tevez affair after being told that the FA will conduct their own arbitration hearing into Sheffield United's case. A spokesman at Soho Square confirmed that the Yorkshire club, who claim new evidence in their High Court action for up to £50million in damages, have 'served notice of arbitration' on West Ham. The FA have given the Hammers' board 14 days to respond and to nominate a representative on a three-man panel. FA sources explained that there is an automatic trigger mechanism for such a hearing when one club acts against another. Sheffield United and West Ham will each chose a delegate to answer their case, while the identity of the key independent third member of the panel is to be thrashed out by agreement between the clubs. The article states Blades chairman Kevin McCabe will push for any ...
More About: The Media , The Gossip , Barnes , Brew

The Bourne Hammer
2007-08-20 18:46:00
I was flicking through the papers this morning and stumbled across this little snippet buried away in The Sun's football gossip section...Just when you thought megastar Matt Damon couldn?t get any cooler, it turns out that he?s a closet West Ham fan. We caught up with Damon at the premiere for The Bourne Ultimatum earlier this week ? and he was only too keen to admit he?s Hollywood?s only Hammer . The Bourne Ultimatum ? which took £70million on its first weekend in the States ? looks set to be the smash hit movie of this summer. "When I was in the UK for Saving Private Ryan, the only team they showed on TV consistently was Manchester United," said Damon. "But everyone on the crew assured me that was just like rooting for the New York Yankees, who I hate because I?m a huge Boston Red Sox fan. I don?t like supporting teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United. There was this one poor, sad bastard on that movie who supported Leeds, so I would watch the Leeds games with him to try and c...

Birmingham City 0 West Ham United 1
2007-08-20 11:57:00
Noble Relief For Curbishley by John AshdownToday is the beginning of week 37 of Alan Curbishley's reign as West Ham managerbut it must seem an awful lot longer. Last week's home defeat by Manchester City brought a bout of unwanted headlines... The GuardianBruce Fumes As Bellamy Eases Pressure by Duncan MackayFew players appear to thrive on conflict and controversy quite like CraigBellamy, who started yesterday by making one of his regular appearances on theback pages of a tabloid and ended it by allegedly getting involved in anincident in the tunnel... The ObserverNoble Penalty Gives Hammers Result by Kaveh SolhekolIf life was fair, West Ham United supporters would be waking up this morning andreading about how their team bounced back from losing to Manchester City on theopening day of the season. Life is not fair and Alan Curbishley knows thatbetter than most managers... The Times 'Baggage' Won't Weigh Down Alan Curbishley by Martin SmithCraig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer come with ...
More About: Birmingham City

A Pitch-Perfect Ending
2007-08-18 18:20:00
A pitch-perfect ending to a sadly familiar songBy Russell BrandSven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City commanded play at Upton Park last week with such assurance and grace that far from seeming a hastily assembled squad of mercenaries from around this dirty little circle we call "world", they appeared to be afloat in a transcendental love affair with each other and the randy boffin who compiled them.Flicks and dummies, winks and one-twos, it had the gleeful complicity of a well-administrated orgy at a hostel for handsome backpackers. What's a bit annoying from the perspective of an Englishman is that now Sven can utter the damnation that secretly we all suspected to be true; he can manage perfectly well once liberated from the tiresome obligation to select only sons of Albion. As he said himself: "There was no Elano to pick for England." Blast.Rolando Bianchi, who got City's first, ran directly over to the dugout to give Sven a cuddle, publicly consummating the Manchester love righ...
More About: Ending , Perfect , Pitch

History Repeating
2007-08-18 14:54:00
The Premier League are ready to side with West Ham over a key aspect of the claim for substantial damages by Sheffield United against the East London club. Sheffield United suspect West Ham of failing to disclose a "critically important" additional third-party agreement - which was dated Dec 1 2006 - from the Premier League and the original independent disciplinary commission who took the decision to fine the Hammers for breaking League rules. Yet an article in today's Telegraph claims that the League will say they received a copy of the document in January and that it was subsequently available to the disciplinary commission. The Premier League, therefore, are satisfied that the new West Ham board did provide them with the relevant documentation and it is thought their evidence will form a central part of West Ham's defence.Sheffield United remain confident of their position and are expected to question why the existence of the new third-party agreement publicly came to light dur...
More About: History , The Media , Tory

Dyer Signs
2007-08-17 12:28:00
West Ham United finally announced the signing of Kieron Dyer yesterday with a sharp one sentence message. It was the minimum fanfare for a transfer that seems to have dragged on weeks. Speaking on the official site, Dyer talked about his delight at having finally put pen to paper on a four-year contract. "A couple of weeks ago I thought it was the end of the move and I was devastated," he said. "But thankfully the two clubs have come to an agreement and I am finally a West Ham player. I think it was well documented that I wanted to be nearer to my family, but I also see West Ham as a Club that is really going places, they have shown great ambition with the other players they have brought in and I just love the clear hunger of the Club to be successful. A lot of the players that have signed have a bit of a point to prove as have the players who came so close to relegation last season so everyone shares that hunger which can only be a good thing. I already know a few of the lads her...
More About: The Media , Signs

They Pull Me Back In
2007-08-16 12:22:00
Kieron Dyer was said to be optimistic last night that his £6million transfer to West Ham United will be resurrected after officials from the London club held discussions with their counterparts at Newcastle United. The England international wants to leave Tyneside to be nearer to his partner and two children in Suffolk, and finally appears close to securing a move to West Ham. Dyer has already had a medical at Upton Park and agreed personal terms almost two weeks ago only for the deal to fall apart at the last moment, when Newcastle, to West Ham's anger, hiked up the fee by £2million. Eggert Magnusson, the West Ham chairman, went public with his disgust, claiming he had never seen business conducted in such a fashion but Newcastle's stance is reported to have been motivated by "West Ham bragging about signing Dyer on the cheap". A stand-off ensued but conciliation is now in the air.The Guardian claim Newcastle are now resigned to cutting their losses on Dyer, who has been undermin...
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Just When I Thought I Was Out...
2007-08-16 11:43:00
Sheffield United have announced they plan to sue West Ham for the cost of their relegation from the Premier League. The Blades failed last month in their high court bid to force new Premier League disciplinary action against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair; they had hoped to pave the way for a retrospective points deduction that would send West Ham down while keeping United in the top flight. Once that avenue of attack was cut off, they revealed they would consider suing West Ham for compensation of between £30milion and £50million, the equivalent of the club's estimated share of the Premier League television rights money. Paul Stothard, Sheffield United?s solicitor, had said at the time: "You can be fairly confident that the issue won?t rest here. Sheffield United are not precluded from taking further action against the Premier League or West Ham. The compensation would be top of the agenda because there are significant consequences financially for being relegated wrongfull...
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Irascible Rams
2007-08-15 12:05:00
Derby County are considering reporting West Ham United to the Premier League following the east London club's attempt to sign Giles Barnes. Peter Gadsby, Derby's chairman, revealed yesterday that they are in the process of gathering evidence after West Ham submitted an unsolicited £3.5million bid for the England under-19 international. "We're watching the Barnes situation very closely," said Gadsby. "If we have any evidence that things are going on, we'll look at it. We have formed an opinion and we'll wait a little while to confirm that opinion. We're waiting for some facts before we decide where to go with this. We had an approach that was followed by an unacceptable bid, a derisory offer, which can mean one or two things: one, there's some business we don't know about; two, it's an unrealistic bid, with the level it came in at, that might have been made to pacify the manager."Barnes is Derby's most valuable asset and Gadsby insists that the club will not easily sanction...
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West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2
2007-08-12 23:12:00
Take A Bow, Sven The Revolutionary by Martin SamuelThere was only one certainty about Sven-Göran Eriksson?s revolutionised Manchester City. Four. Four. Two. It was his touchstone in more than five years as England head coach. Great players, such as Paul Scholes, were sacrificed to it; tournament campaigns drifted listlessly, lost in his thrall to it... The TimesSven's Foreign Legion Shine by Brian GlanvilleFresh from their recent tribulations, a mischievous computer decreed that West Ham should play Manchester City on this opening Premier League day. And City won at a canter... Sunday TimesEriksson Follows Gambler's Instincts by James LawtonThe verdict on Sven Goran Eriksson as coach of England has been in for some time ? but what about the resurrected, big-league club manager, the winner of Italy's scudetto and the new messiah of Manchester City?... The IndependentEriksson Purrs As City Slickers Click Instantly by Nick TownsendIn those words we came to love, and expect, from Sv...
More About: West Ham United , United

Riding The Snake
2007-08-11 18:16:00
This year I'll ride the snake like a soccer shamanBy Russell BrandToday I am going to watch West Ham v Man City for the first game of the new calendar. The season's commencement feels all fresh, lovely and new. We've rinsed away the horror and regret of last season; I suppose that's another of the sublime delights entailed within the game - a terminable, manageable existence within defined parameters. Regardless of how spectacular or drab your term has been it'll all begin again next August. That's comforting. Better than actual life where if you hijack a bus and drive it into old folks home yawping slogans and hurling fireworks the consequences will haunt you to your grave.I shall make my way to Upton Park all virginal and brimming with innocent expectation with a couple of chums, perhaps singing "three little maids from school are we" from the Mikado. Noel Gallagher will be there in his capacity as a City fan elevating further the jeopardy for this already thrilling encounte...
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Steely Determination
2007-08-10 12:09:00
Magnusson faces life after the storm with steely determinationBy Martin SamuelIn the post Carlos Tévez era, West Ham United will not be garnering much sympathy from neutrals this season. Eggert Magnússon, the club?s chairman, chose the eve of the new campaign, however, to offer an insight into how modern football works and a tale to suggest that his was not the only club to lose their moral compass last time around.Luis Boa Morte joined West Ham from Fulham for £5.5 million on January 5. Yet when the teams played each other in the league on January 13, Magnússon said that West Ham were under pressure not to select the new signing. Fulham demanded that Boa Morte did not play against them, but they could not make this a written condition of the deal because it would have broken Premier League rules on third-party interference. Instead, it was to be framed as a gentlemen?s agreement, the same form of private understanding that kept Tim Howard out of the Everton team against Manchester ...
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Season Preview- Guardian
2007-08-10 02:04:00
Hammers fans may welcome a season that will probably end with the club in mid-tableBy Tom LutzPrediction: 9thOdds: 1250-1If there's one thing that West Ham do well, it's seeing out the season with a bang. In the last four years, their final games have consisted of three finals (two play-offs and an FA Cup) and an escape from relegation. After a campaign last year pregnant with player discontent, biscuit-driven takeovers and the Carlos Tevez saga, Hammers fans may welcome a season that will probably end with the club grounding on the gentle shallows of mid-table. True, in their first full season without Terry Brown in charge, West Ham finally look like they may be turning into a buying rather than a selling club, with over £20m invested in the likes of Scott Parker, Julien Faubert, Craig Bellamy and Freddie Ljungberg. But to balance that out, they've lost Nigel Reo-Coker (admittedly his contribution to dressing-room harmony won't be too sorely missed), as well as the creativity ...
More About: The Media , Guardian , Preview , Season , Seas

Season Preview- About A Ball
2007-08-09 02:07:00
The Road To Redemption Starts HereBy Walter TownsendIn: Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal), Richard Wright (Everton), Julien Faubert (Bordeaux), Scott Parker (Newcastle United), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool) Out: Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa), Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool), Roy Carroll (Rangers), Shaun Newton (Leicester City), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Teddy Sheringham (Colchester), Tyrone Mears (Derby County) After avoiding relegation on the final day of the season West Ham have lived to fight another day in the Premiership but after all the shenanigans and fuss over whether they should even be taking part in this seasons Premiership they have a lot of bridges to build. West Ham were once many of the neutrals favourites and even as recently as 2005/06 when they got to the final of the FA Cup final and played their part in easily the best final in the last 15 years winning over many more fans with their exciting style their reputation has been tarnished by their part...
More About: The Media , Preview , Season , Ball , Seas

Lucas Knee-Knacked
2007-08-08 15:18:00
Derby County's highly-rated midfielder Giles Barnes is again a target for West Ham according to several newspaper reports this morning. The Independent claim the club have already failed with one bid of £2million and the collapse of the Kieron Dyer transfer has now strengthened West Ham's resolve to capture the versatile midfielder. The player, who has four years left on his deal, would, in the current market, be valued by his club at around £4million-£5milliion. The article states West Ham have proposed a deal that would involve cash plus a player but that would depend on the individuals in question, as Derby are still in the hunt for a striker. David Hytner, writing in The Guardian, insists the improved offer is unrelated to the pursuit of Dyer and that Barnes impressed for Derby as they won promotion to the Premier League last season. He declared his intention to stay in the Midlands for at least another season before they beat West Bromwich Albion in the play-off final last Ma...
More About: The Media , Lucas

Season Preview- Sky Sports
2007-08-08 12:15:00
West Ham 2007/08 Predicted Position: 11th Star Man: Dean Ashton - It's impossible to tell what difference a fit Dean Ashton could have made last season, but the talented striker will be hungrier than ever to prove his importance after a year on the sidelines. One To Watch: Mark Noble - The young midfielder played a significant role in the club's relegation escape last season and will be hoping to firmly establish himself in the first team this season. Manager: Alan Curbishley - Having had the time and money to build his own squad, Curbishley will expect a substantial improvement on last season. INS: Scott Parker (Newcastle), Julien Faubert (Bordeaux), Richard Wright (Everton), Craig Bellamy (Liverpool), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal) OUTS: Tyrone Mears (Derby), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa), Shaun Newton (Leicester), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool), Paul Konchesky (Fulham), Marlon Harewood (Aston Villa) Best signing: Scott Parker Sky Bet Odds: 500-1 Likely top scorer: Craig Bel...
More About: Sports , The Media , Preview , Season , Spor

Dragged Down
2007-08-07 02:23:00
Eggert Magnusson is the subject of The Guardian's 'Big Interview' as speaks candidly for the first time about the Carlos Tevez affair. It is his biggest ever interview in the British media and makes for interesting reading.'West Ham has been dragged down. This hurts me most'By Donald McRaeI am a busy, busy man," Eggert Magnusson says animatedly as, on the threshold of a new Premier League season, the West Ham United chairman reaches for his favourite adjective to underline his place at the heart of a footballing soap opera. During his "busy" nine-month tenure at Upton Park, trouble and strife have stretched from a bitter relegation battle and miraculous last-day escape to dubiously tangled transfer deals and High Court writs. A few other time-consuming factors - including deceit and dissent from overpaid players and a threatened points deduction - have ensured that the Icelandic multi-millionaire has never felt bored since switching his trade from biscuit-making to Premier Leag...
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