West Ham Thread

[LeungKen]

'

...and Cliff Richard singing "We're Not Going On a, Summer Holiday"

Oh Dear !

[Seapok]

All the best Clarkey!

West Ham appoint Clarke as coach

Chelsea assistant coach Steve Clarke has joined West Ham as their new first- team coach after the clubs reached a financial settlement.

The 45-year-old Clarke joins West Ham on a three-year deal, joining up with new boss Gianfranco Zola, after handing in his resignation last Thursday.

Chelsea had sought £5m compensation for the Scot, with West Ham offering £1m, but a compromise has now been agreed.

Clarke spent 20 seasons at Chelsea, both as a player and as a coach.

Zola's revamp of the Hammers backroom staff has also seen Antonio Pintus, another ex-Chelsea employee who has worked with Juventus, brought in as fitness coach.

Clarke will work at Upton Park alongside fellow first-team coach Kevin Keen and goalkeeping coach Ludek Miklosko.

Clarke had two years left of his current deal at Stamford Bridge after signing a new contract in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure as manager in September 2007.

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury said: "We are very pleased to welcome Steve Clarke to the club.

"Steve is rightly regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe and his experience and knowledge will be a huge asset to us.

"He recognises what we are trying to achieve at West Ham United and wants to be a part of that.

"We have worked very hard to bring him on board and are confident we now have the perfect coaching team."

The Scot joined the Blues as a player in January 1987 and the defender helped the club win the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup before retiring in September 1998.

He went on to become to become Ruud Gullit's assistant at Newcastle and had a brief spell as caretaker manager at the Tyneside club after the Dutchman's exit in August 1999 before working under Sir Bobby Robson at St James' Park.

Clarke returned to Chelsea - where Zola enjoyed a successful playing stint between 1996-2003 - and has assisted Mourinho, Avram Grant and current Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Scolari held talks with Clarke on Wednesday and the Brazilian admitted he would be "sad" to lose him from the coaching set-up.

[keddy]

Nice start to the new era. The first half especially. It could have been very embarassing for the Toon because we missed a lot of chances. They did show more commitment in the second but didn't create anything bar the goal, itself. I don't think they'll drop because they have too many good players, though they really wobbled at times and the geordies should be worried. As for the mighty Irons Behrami looked better in midfield, Faubert looked good coming from deep but Parker and Di Michele really shone out. Early days but it looks promising.

[tw25rw]

If we kept the intensity up and had a better striker than Cole partnering Di Michele, we could have matched the 8-1 from 1986.

[Seapok]

Things are going from bad to worse for you boys! haha

Sheff Utd 'win West Ham tribunal'

Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe has told BBC Radio 5 Live that an independent tribunal has ruled against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair.

McCabe said it would be "inappropriate" to discuss figures of compensation despite reports claiming the Hammers could be forced to pay £30m.

West Ham were found guilty of breaching league regulations in the signing of Tevez and Javier Mascherano in 2006.

The Hammers survived in the Premier League in 2007 at the Blades' expense.

Rather than being docked points by the three-man Premier League arbitration panel, West Ham were fined £5.5m and went on to survive the drop on the final day, while Sheffield United were relegated.

Having failed in their attempt to have the original punishment overturned, the Yorkshire outfit sought monetary recognition.

McCabe told the club website: "I can confirm that both clubs have been notified of the ruling. The arbitration panel has awarded in our favour.

"The matter is still legally in process so I do not wish to comment any further until we have completed that process."

Sheffield United's claim was considered former MCC president Lord Griffiths, Sir Anthony Colman, a former High Court judge, and Robert Englehart QC.

This judgement could have serious financial implications for West Ham - Sheffield United have claimed tens of millions but the actual sum hasn't yet been disclosed

BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar

A West Ham spokesperson told BBC Radio 4:"We need to digest the full findings of the arbitration panel and will consult our lawyers on the next steps we might take before making any further comment."

Tevez and Mascherano were brought to Upton Park from Brazilian club Corinthians on the final day of the 2006 summer transfer window.

The pair were judged to have been partially-owned by Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment (MSI) company and have since moved on to Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.

With nine matches remaining in the 2006-07 season, West Ham were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and 10 points adrift of safety, while Sheffield United were two places above the drop zone.

Tevez then scored five goals including the winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the final day to secure West Ham's survival.

"This judgement could have serious financial implications for West Ham," said BBC Radio 5 Live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar.

"Sheffield United's case is that they unfairly suffered relegation in the 2006-07 season after West Ham profited from the services of a player they broke the rules in signing.

"The Hammers were found guilty of breaching third-party ownership regulations and were fined £5.5m but not docked points at the time by the Premier League.

"Tevez's goals helped keep West Ham up, Sheffield United went down and since have embarked on a series of legal challenges, latterly to get compensation directly from West Ham.

"They've claimed tens of millions but the actual sum hasn't yet been disclosed."

[mrtoad]

Not good news, but from earlier indications it did look like Sheffield United were going to have a case. All that money could force a fire sale in January.

[keddy]

Not good news, but from earlier indications it did look like Sheffield United were going to have a case. All that money could force a fire sale in January.

There is no real case. Sheffield United went down because they were and still are not very good at playing football. I doubt that they will get anything from the club and even if some ridiculous compensation figure is put forward, WHUFC will take this to the highest court were it will be kicked into touch. If they were successful where would it end? Would Charlton and Watford also sue? Would Man Utd sue the referee's panel for allowing Terry to play last Sunday? There's is no end to this, if this is allowed to go forward but I'm pretty confident this won't happen, ultimately.

[tw25rw]

Surely they would have to sue the Premier League for compensation. They said the players were eligible and registered them, so should bear the cost if it turns out to be incorrect. There's this myth that keeps coming up that it was against the rules for players to be 'owned' by a 3rd party. This was never the issue. The issue was a secondary contract agreeing that they players would leave the club when MSI said so, agreed when their takeover failed.

[keddy]

Surely they would have to sue the Premier League for compensation. They said the players were eligible and registered them, so should bear the cost if it turns out to be incorrect. There's this myth that keeps coming up that it was against the rules for players to be 'owned' by a 3rd party. This was never the issue. The issue was a secondary contract agreeing that they players would leave the club when MSI said so, agreed when their takeover failed.

I'm going to sue Sheffield United for loss of earnings due to stress and too much time sitting in front of a computer reading about the never ending fall out from McCabe, Warnock and the reat of the SUFC chokers/ losers.

[tw25rw]

So far it seems to be only McCabe claiming victory. Nothing official as yet..

[mrbojangles]

WHUFC will take this to the highest court were it will be kicked into touch.

I'm not 100% but by both teams agreeing to go to arbitration, they both waivered their rights to appeal.

Give our owner a ring. He probably has £30m in lose change in the ashtray of his car

[keddy]

WHUFC will take this to the highest court were it will be kicked into touch.

I'm not 100% but by both teams agreeing to go to arbitration, they both waivered their rights to appeal.

Give our owner a ring. He probably has £30m in lose change in the ashtray of his car

He's probably been crunched by the credit crunchers but there might be a few million somewhere. As for the arbitration the original panel, was also supposed to be binding and neutral, but that didn't stop McCabe, and it probably won't stop WHUFC taking this further especially if the sums run into tens of millions. Anyway I can't believe WHU will pay them anything. whatever the final tally.Anyway if we ever meet them in the cup it's gong to get pretty tasty they might have to play the game in Tel Aviv or another safer neutral venue

[MSingh]

This Sheff Utd thing is soooo hypocritical it's a joke..

2 words from me - Steve Kabba

Case Closed..

Google him Peeps if you want to know more..

[tw25rw]

This Sheff Utd thing is soooo hypocritical it's a joke..

2 words from me - Steve Kabba

Case Closed..

Google him Peeps if you want to know more..

This latest case makes no sense. We signed the player legitimately in the first place. We broke a rule and hid it and were fined. Sheffield Utd's entire case is based on the idea that we should have lost points so we went down instead of them. There was no precedent and no rule which said it had to happen.

If they are victims, it is of their own shitness. Shit team, shit club, shit manager, shit chairman, shit fans, shit town.

They should never darken the premier league with their participation again.

[bkkjames]

This Sheff Utd thing is soooo hypocritical it's a joke..

2 words from me - Steve Kabba

Case Closed..

Google him Peeps if you want to know more..

This latest case makes no sense. We signed the player legitimately in the first place. We broke a rule and hid it and were fined. Sheffield Utd's entire case is based on the idea that we should have lost points so we went down instead of them. There was no precedent and no rule which said it had to happen.

If they are victims, it is of their own shitness. Shit team, shit club, shit manager, shit chairman, shit fans, shit town.

They should never darken the premier league with their participation again.

There are many cases in sport where a team caught cheating is subsequently punished / disqualified after the fact. How many times have we seen team / athletes win something and have to give back their gold medal or trophy. Nothing different in this case. West Ham was caught breaking the rules, now they are and will continue to face the music. If any team should have your last sentence applied to it, should it not be West Ham?

[StevieH]

really, really dangerous can of worms risks being opened here. you can't allow lawyers and / or panels of judges to arbitrate on football.

[bkkjames]

really, really dangerous can of worms risks being opened here. you can't allow lawyers and / or panels of judges to arbitrate on football.

Yep, its gonna get ugly, now the Shefield players are sueing West Ham for lost opportunities wages etc.

Regarding your second point Stevie, sad to say but the beautiful game has long been in the realm of lawyers since it became the big business that it is. There is no going back I am afraid.

[StevieH]

Yep, its gonna get ugly, now the Shefield players are sueing West Ham for lost opportunities wages etc.

Regarding your second point Stevie, sad to say but the beautiful game has long been in the realm of lawyers since it became the big business that it is. There is no going back I am afraid.

referring in this case to specific matches / incidents really james. the minute you get lawyers in a room debating 'well if this hadn't happened then that might not have come to pass' then the game is truly screwed. . . .i'm aware that the lawyer lot have been in off-field shenanigans for a long time now, but letting panels comment legally and unilaterally on what *might* have happened on a pitch? that way madness lies. msingh was spot on up above with his steve kabba reference. sheffield united, and particularly that gobshite neil warnock, reaped what they sowed.

[bkkjames]

Yep, its gonna get ugly, now the Shefield players are sueing West Ham for lost opportunities wages etc.

Regarding your second point Stevie, sad to say but the beautiful game has long been in the realm of lawyers since it became the big business that it is. There is no going back I am afraid.

referring in this case to specific matches / incidents really james. the minute you get lawyers in a room debating 'well if this hadn't happened then that might not have come to pass' then the game is truly screwed. . . .i'm aware that the lawyer lot have been in off-field shenanigans for a long time now, but letting panels comment legally and unilaterally on what *might* have happened on a pitch? that way madness lies. msingh was spot on up above with his steve kabba reference. sheffield united, and particularly that gobshite neil warnock, reaped what they sowed.

Well it seems the media darlings West Ham are facing similar music.

[StevieH]

Well it seems the media darlings West Ham are facing similar music.

oh i'm not defending west ham james, far from it, they should have been hit with a points deduction at the time and probably relegated as a result, but as usual the authorities bottled it. thing is if pardew had picked tevez and mascherano in the team more often earlier on they'd probably never have been in that position.

[bkkjames]

Well it seems the media darlings West Ham are facing similar music.

oh i'm not defending west ham james, far from it, they should have been hit with a points deduction at the time and probably relegated as a result, but as usual the authorities bottled it. thing is if pardew had picked tevez and mascherano in the team more often earlier on they'd probably never have been in that position.

I see in the news that Ashton is out for a month, going from bad to worse for the Hammers.

[StevieH]

dean ashton's rumoured to be out until next march. ouch.

[keddy]

dean ashton's rumoured to be out until next march. ouch.

Well the source is the Telegraph so he'll be back next month. Whatever the time I hope he doesn't bulk up while he's getting fit. I think his weight has put too much pressure on the old ankle joints though

[MSingh]

Well it seems the media darlings West Ham are facing similar music.

oh i'm not defending west ham james, far from it, they should have been hit with a points deduction at the time and probably relegated as a result, but as usual the authorities bottled it. thing is if pardew had picked tevez and mascherano in the team more often earlier on they'd probably never have been in that position.

I see in the news that Ashton is out for a month, going from bad to worse for the Hammers.

Not quite sure that bad to worse is a way i'd describe is i can't remember the last time i was so posetive & enthusiastic about West ham to be honest !!

Ashton's a <deleted> Joke, out him, he's a joke of an " Athlete " who is more fragile than a 2 day old Baby that hopefully some foolish Northerrn Club ( or Sp*ds ) will give us crazy money for next Summer..

[bkkjames]

while on the subject of the hammers, do they have a new shirt sponsor yet or are we stuck looking at those funny numbers again this week?

[keddy]

while on the subject of the hammers, do they have a new shirt sponsor yet or are we stuck looking at those funny numbers again this week?

Long may it continue! I've always hated the shirt sponsor thing and even the numbers stuck on are better than any crass advert.

[Lite Beer]

while on the subject of the hammers, do they have a new shirt sponsor yet or are we stuck looking at those funny numbers again this week?

Long may it continue! I've always hated the shirt sponsor thing and even the numbers stuck on are better than any crass advert.

Could not agree more.

Maybe they could put number 6 on the front of every shirt.

[MSingh]

while on the subject of the hammers, do they have a new shirt sponsor yet or are we stuck looking at those funny numbers again this week?

Long may it continue! I've always hated the shirt sponsor thing and even the numbers stuck on are better than any crass advert.

Could not agree more.

Maybe they could put number 6 on the front of every shirt.

At least while we don't have a Sponsor, i think these looks good ???

[Lite Beer]

while on the subject of the hammers, do they have a new shirt sponsor yet or are we stuck looking at those funny numbers again this week?

Long may it continue! I've always hated the shirt sponsor thing and even the numbers stuck on are better than any crass advert.

Could not agree more.

Maybe they could put number 6 on the front of every shirt.

At least while we don't have a Sponsor, i think these looks good ???

Perfect.

[bkkjames]

Is it just me or does Zola look a bit like Ben Stiller in that suit?