West Ham Thread

[EastSaxCol]

In 2001 Fergie's men lost their last three after winning the title. In 2001/02 and 2003/04 they failed to win either of their last two homes. Last term they drew at home to Boro and relegated Sunderland late on, and although they hadn't wrapped up the title by then, Boro recently became the first team from the bottom half of the table to take a point at Old Trafford this season.

CUMMON TOU IRONZZ !!!

The tension is palpabe.

[EastSaxCol]

CUMMON TOU IRONZZ !!!

See wot I mean

[EastSaxCol]

CARLOS TEVEZ has told his West Ham team-mates he will quit Upton Park at the end of the season — no matter what happens.

The Argentine’s transfer to the relegation-threatened Hammers last summer sparked more controversy than any other move in the history of the Premiership.

But Tevez, 23, voted Hammer of the Year, will bring the curtain down by playing his final game for the club at Manchester United on Sunday.

It is understood European Cup finalists AC Milan and Spanish side Seville are slugging it out to sign him.

Tevez’s decision to quit Upton Park has been backed by 1986 Argentine World Cup winner Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid’s former director of football.

He said: “Every time I see Tevez in a West Ham shirt the first thing that crosses my mind is that he’s wasting his time there.”

Tevez has inspired West Ham’s recent revival which has seen them win six of their last eight matches. They need just a point at Old Trafford to guarantee safety.

Sad , but true that he's off. Well at least it won't be to Chelsington or Liverpool as he's said that he can't settle in England.

Still, players come - players go - but unfortunately, not of the class and passion of a Carlitos.

[keddy]

CARLOS TEVEZ has told his West Ham team-mates he will quit Upton Park at the end of the season — no matter what happens.

The Argentine's transfer to the relegation-threatened Hammers last summer sparked more controversy than any other move in the history of the Premiership.

But Tevez, 23, voted Hammer of the Year, will bring the curtain down by playing his final game for the club at Manchester United on Sunday.

It is understood European Cup finalists AC Milan and Spanish side Seville are slugging it out to sign him.

Tevez's decision to quit Upton Park has been backed by 1986 Argentine World Cup winner Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid's former director of football.

He said: "Every time I see Tevez in a West Ham shirt the first thing that crosses my mind is that he's wasting his time there."

Tevez has inspired West Ham's recent revival which has seen them win six of their last eight matches. They need just a point at Old Trafford to guarantee safety.

Sad , but true that he's off. Well at least it won't be to Chelsington or Liverpool as he's said that he can't settle in England.

Still, players come - players go - but unfortunately, not of the class and passion of a Carlitos.

He hinted as much when he said he had stopped his English lessons. Either he is a brilliant linguist or he is thinking of going over to Spain or Italy. In another interview he mentioned coming off the field black and blue, going on to say the refs let more things go in the Premier league. However I'm glad he was able to spend a year with us and his never say die attitude has had a good effect-hopefully lasting- on youngsters like Mark Noble. Come on you Irons

[EastSaxCol]

He hinted as much when he said he had stopped his English lessons.

Exactly so

Either he is a brilliant linguist or he is thinking of going over to Spain or Italy.

Well the translator in his interviews poot passa Angrit gairng mahk.

Probably will go to Spain I reckon. Speak Argentinian there I believe

Cummon You Ironzz!!!

[HarryHacker]

Good luck Spammers from the down an outs of SE7

[muckypups]

From The Telegraph..interesting (if lengthy) article on the 'ammers..:

Curbishley hoping 'quiet' game pays off

West Ham face a game of inverted incentives to complete their astonishing Premiership turnaround. Cast your minds back 15 years - to another anxious run-in, and to another momentous engagement with Manchester United.

Then, the club were already relegated, but contrived a remarkable 1-0 win that effectively ended United's title ambitions. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned his opponents' "obscene" amount of effort. Now, with Old Trafford ready for a champions' jamboree tomorrow, West Ham have to show the same pride and perseverance in the service of a far greater cause - even if the result threatens to be even more unpopular.

The background to the tie is such that manager Alan Curbishley expects few favours. Ferguson may have fielded a shadow side against Chelsea, but more established figures are likely to conduct United's final flourish.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of familiar names on the team sheet," Curbishley said. "Sir Alex has said that he has to respect the league, and he'll be putting a strong side out." A coded reference, no doubt, to the improvised Liverpool line-up that helped Fulham ensure their Premiership survival last week - much to the chagrin of Wigan's Paul Jewell.

Unlike the expressive Jewell, overt resentment is not Curbishley's style. Knowing Wigan and Sheffield United want blood over Carlos Tevez's inclusion in the West Ham team, he subtly suggested that his rivals straighten their priorities out. "The Premier League have come to their conclusion and everybody has to get on with it. I think they should be concentrating on their football."

There is a sense West Ham are relishing their role as quiet assassins in the relegation duel. Players have been gagged following this season's surfeit of adverse publicity, while Curbishley has resolved to brave the barbs in his typically deadpan style. "We have been coming up quietly on the rails," he said. "Everybody has had their say, and it's becoming louder and louder in some respects. We are keeping quiet."

Tevez himself has been a model of reserve, trying to maintain a model of studied professionalism while the crossfire intensifies around him. By his goals and dedication, the Argentine has acquired a cult status in the eyes of West Ham supporters unfazed by his controversial contract. When looking back at his faltering start in the Premiership, the change appears improbable - and forms a sharp contrast with the progress of Javier Mascherano, forced to move to Liverpool to find his place in England.

Curbishley was clear on why their paths have diverged. "When I came in, Mascherano was on the floor - he was really down. But Tevez could see a bit of light."

Come tomorrow, the dark recesses into which West Ham have retreated of late could also be illuminated. The club would at last envisage a future that stretches further than the next game, with Curbishley expected to receive chairman Eggert Magnusson's backing for a major overhaul of the squad. But in the short term he stuck to the diplomatic line, denying that players would essentially be fighting for their careers against United.

"We know how important the game is, and there are still so many twists," he said. "Sheffield United and Wigan both know what they have to do, and nobody will be taking these games lightly. Nobody can go in anything other than flat out." It is in West Ham's hands to make sure they are not the ones who finish flat on their faces. By Oliver Brown

West Ham face a game of inverted incentives to complete their astonishing Premiership turnaround. Cast your minds back 15 years - to another anxious run-in, and to another momentous engagement with Manchester United.

Then, the club were already relegated, but contrived a remarkable 1-0 win that effectively ended United's title ambitions. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned his opponents' "obscene" amount of effort. Now, with Old Trafford ready for a champions' jamboree tomorrow, West Ham have to show the same pride and perseverance in the service of a far greater cause - even if the result threatens to be even more unpopular.

The background to the tie is such that manager Alan Curbishley expects few favours. Ferguson may have fielded a shadow side against Chelsea, but more established figures are likely to conduct United's final flourish.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of familiar names on the team sheet," Curbishley said. "Sir Alex has said that he has to respect the league, and he'll be putting a strong side out." A coded reference, no doubt, to the improvised Liverpool line-up that helped Fulham ensure their Premiership survival last week - much to the chagrin of Wigan's Paul Jewell.

Unlike the expressive Jewell, overt resentment is not Curbishley's style. Knowing Wigan and Sheffield United want blood over Carlos Tevez's inclusion in the West Ham team, he subtly suggested that his rivals straighten their priorities out. "The Premier League have come to their conclusion and everybody has to get on with it. I think they should be concentrating on their football."

There is a sense West Ham are relishing their role as quiet assassins in the relegation duel. Players have been gagged following this season's surfeit of adverse publicity, while Curbishley has resolved to brave the barbs in his typically deadpan style. "We have been coming up quietly on the rails," he said. "Everybody has had their say, and it's becoming louder and louder in some respects. We are keeping quiet."

Tevez himself has been a model of reserve. By his goals and dedication, the Argentine has acquired a cult status in the eyes of West Ham supporters unfazed by his controversial contract. When looking back at his faltering start in the Premiership, the change appears improbable - and forms a sharp contrast with the progress of Javier Mascherano, forced to move to Liverpool.

Curbishley was clear on why their paths have diverged. "When I came in, Mascherano was on the floor - he was really down. But Tevez could see a bit of light."

Come tomorrow, the dark recesses into which West Ham have retreated of late could also be illuminated. The club would at last envisage a future that stretches further than the next game, with Curbishley expected to receive chairman Eggert Magnusson's backing for a overhaul of the squad.

"We know how important the game is, and there are still so many twists," he said. It is in West Ham's hands to make sure they are not the ones who finish flat on their faces.

[muckypups]

I couldn't think of a more appropriate thread to post this...

At last, Moore is on the pedestal he deserves

By Jim White

Supporters turning up at Wembley during its busy opening period of cup finals, play-offs and internationals will be confronted by a familiar figure standing sentinel outside the ground. Just off Olympic Way, towering six metres high, is a statue of Bobby Moore. It could be no one else. He stands in his brass incarnation exactly as he did in life. Relaxed, unflustered, arms folded, kit immaculately pressed, he has his foot

This is not the first time the artist Philip Jackson has worked on an image of England's greatest captain. He is responsible, too, for the Moore who sits on the shoulders of his team mates Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, holding aloft the Jules Rimet trophy in a work outside Upton Park which celebrates what in those parts has, for 40 years, been referred to as West Ham's victory in the World Cup. Maybe it is the practice, but in the Wembley work Jackson has captured Moore uncannily.

Unlike the effort for Ted Bates recently unveiled (and then hastily removed) at Southampton, this is a statue in perfect proportion, capturing him with his shirt apparently catching a passing breeze and tightening over his formidable physique. But it is not just the easy, elegant muscularity that speaks of Moore. Before starting work on the piece, Jackson consulted many of the skipper's playing colleagues and the thing they all mentioned was his remarkable inner confidence.

Moore was not only a magnificent defender, a man who could read a game of football with the fluency that Stephen Fry brings to the works of PG Wodehouse, he also knew it. That knowledge, however, did not manifest itself in arrogance, but in a relaxed self-certainty that was communicated around the dressing room, suffusing his colleagues with confidence. It is all there on the statue's face. He looks a man utterly at ease with himself and his destiny.

"Football is a team game, but every team needs a leader," said Bobby Charlton at the unveiling of the statue yesterday. "And Bobby was the ultimate leader, respected by everyone in the team and the manager. He was the key to England winning the World Cup."

Charlton was joined at the ceremony by his England team-mate Hurst and Moore's West Ham protege Trevor Brooking, knights of the realm all three. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, it was the Prime Minister who was on hand to do the honours and pull the cord that unveiled the statue.

"No one can ever forget the contribution Bobby Moore made," said Tony Blair of 1966 and all that. "It set a standard for achievement that we constantly want to be replicated. Throughout the entirety of his playing career, he was a superb footballer. He was someone who inspired a great deal of respect, affection and admiration for the way he carried himself. If you are looking for a role model for people in public life, Bobby Moore is a good one to take. A true gentleman, he was somebody who represented the best of our country."

It was well said. The tragedy of Bobby Moore is that no one of Mr Blair's significance was saying it 15 years ago when the player was around to hear it for himself. The key to the World Cup victory he might have been, but in his lifetime he never received higher official recognition than an OBE, the kind of gong handed out to junior members of the Ashes winning squad these days. Worse, the most successful player ever to wear the white of England was assumed by the game's establishment to be of no use in retirement. He once sent in a letter of application for the England manager's job and never mind not being considered for the post, or even being asked to contribute in a lesser role as a coach, nobody at Lancaster Gate even bothered to reply. The only Englishman to lift the World Cup was, seemingly, not worth a stamp. Few outside the FA thought he had much to offer either: the peak of his coaching career was a brief spell in charge of Oxford City in the Southern League. Financially, too, he was by no means secure and, in his last years, he was obliged to do bits and pieces of low grade media work, including filing match reports for the ludicrous Daily Sport.

Moore succumbed to bowel cancer in 1993. The first of those involved with the 1966 World Cup victory to die, he was just 51. And it was only in his death that we, as a country, seemingly began to appreciate quite what he meant. Maybe there was a little bit of guilt in our reaction, a recognition that we should have made a fuss of him at the time, but the outpouring of grief was widespread. At West Ham, they named a new stand after him and paid £2million for a collection of his memorabilia, which formed the centre piece of a new museum. Hammers fans collected a 30,000 signature petition asking that the No 6 shirt be retired in his memory. Despite the pressure, the club decided not to make such a gesture and this season it has been worn by George McCartney. Which, the cruel might suggest, is roughly the same thing as retiring it. Meanwhile, the Bobby Moore Fund, set up and run by his tireless widow Stephanie, every year raises more than £1million for research into the disease which killed him. Mourners at Alan Ball's funeral recently were asked not to bring flowers, but to make a contribution to the fund.

It was to Moore's ill fortune that his retirement was lived out in a very different era from today. This was a time before the football boom took hold, when the game and those who played it still suffered from a poor image in the wider world. Football has achieved a far greater prominence in the public mind in the 14 years since he departed to the point where it is inconceivable that a man of his stature would be languishing in reduced circumstances were he around today. Had Moore lived into the time of the Premiership, you can imagine him sharing a Sky studio with Richard Keys, acting as an ambassador for the 2012 Olympics, appearing in that Carlsberg "probably the best pub team in the world" commercial with all the other old England lags, still looking by far the coolest player on the park. Nowadays, if nothing else, the FA would bite the hand off anyone of his importance who put himself forward for the England job, astonished to receive an application from someone who was not certifiable.

And it is not just football, sport in general has moved closer to the centre of our cultural life, recognised more readily for its place in our sense of national pride and wellbeing. That's why the Prime Minister's presence at yesterday's Wembley ceremony was significant. It has taken a while but at last we have put Bobby Moore on the pedestal he deserves.

[EastSaxCol]

Thanks for the articles and photo, muckypups. Perhaps the first article was good enough to post twice

West Ham the "quiet assassins", I liked it

Here's some good comments following an article from the BBC News Magazine (link to the article at end)

I met Bobby Moore in the old Revolution club in Mayfair 1969. He was at the bar having a drink, came over said "Hello, haven't seen you in while" and we had a good shant. We met over the next few years in various water holes in London then I moved out of the UK. I had never known or met him previously and told him so but we had a few good cracks together.

Jimmy, Prague

I don't like football or the way we glorify the Bling Society. However I do believe that Bobby Moore was a great ambassador for this country and his modesty and dignity set him apart and streets ahead of the money-grabbing current players. Talent and grace - how proud we should all be of him. He should definitely be honoured.

Glo, Bath

I remember being in a restaurant in Cobham in the early 1990s when Bobby Moore and his wife came in. He asked for a table for two, but the restaurant was busy and the manager turned him away. He didn't make any fuss, they just left. The Italian manager asked the customers if it was Bobby Moore that he had just turned away. Realising what he had done he then chased outside to find him and offer him the last available table in the house. It was a funny moment and showed how unassuming Bobby Moore was and how he was still highly regarded even by people who weren't England supporters.

Steve Wedge, Slough

Bobby Moore should be honoured by England the way we in Northern Ireland honoured George Best. I'm a supporter of all four home nations football teams and can't understand why our world class sporting heroes are not revered more publicly ie statues at grounds etc.

Sam Lennon, Belfast

His integrity married to his natural grace and skill as a defender make him my all time sporting hero. In 1966 the English FA made £22,000 available to Sir Alf Ramsey to reward his team for winning the World Cup. This was a lot of money in those days and the question of apportioning the windfall came up at one of Sir Alf's team meetings. He said: "I've decided to give each one of you £500 & then split the balance pro-rata based on number of appearances during the tournament." The blond, quietly spoken talisman interjected. "Boss. There are 22 players in the squad. We should all have £1000." A proud manager stood up in response and said, "Bobby, I knew you'd say that." Now that's 'leadership behaviour'. Come on England!

Rob, Coventry, UK

Bobby Moore is and will always be my childhood hero. He is the reason I have supported West Ham Utd for nearly 40 years He was understated in his manner, but invoked pride in those around him. If ever there was a case for the posthumous knighthood he is the number one candidate.

Niall Squire, Cobham, UK

Looking back to better days is very common, especially when things are bad. Look at the dreadful state of English football - all those overpaid men who cannot even do what they are paid to do. They are not brain surgeons, they kick a ball around a field for goodness sake, for a couple of hours a week, nothing more. All they seem to be interested in is their lifestyle. You wouldn't mind if they were good at their job.

Susan O'Neill, London

My favourite player of all time. How we wished he had been born north of the border! I have seen every great player and maybe one, and only one, may have been as good as Bobby Moore.

Dave Mitchell, Dundee, Scotland

We shower shady and dubious politicians with honours and other awards like tainted confetti. Yet Bobby Moore, who so richly deserved a knighthood for his footballing achievements, never received one. Something stinks with the honours system in this country and Moore's omission clearly shows why.

Shaun Crowther, Barnoldswick, UK

Bobby Moore is remembered because he reminds us of how we should behave, a great player and person, George Best was a wonderful talent, but wasted. Bobby Moore represented England with aplomb in victory and defeat, this is why he will be a role model that can carry on through generations.

Tony, Milan

I am a West Ham fan but also an England fan and cannot agree more with the final comments of Jim White. We need to start to always value the talents and successes of players at club and country level as the years pass by, because it is this history that pulls in the next generation and makes them understand the importance of the game, their clubs and the England team.

Tony Gray,

My late father was a Hammers fan through and through. As an Englishman, He was very proud that it was a Hammer who collected the World Cup. The way Mooro lived was instilled into me as a kid and you cannot fail to be impressed by the man. Yes, he should have been knighted, but perhaps it's better that he wasn't, as far too many "nobodys" get gongs these days for doing nothing.

Andie Riley, Leeds, England

Knighthoods are 10 a penny. Sir Geoff Hurst!!! You must be joking. It will be Sir David Beckham next, what about Sir Bobby Moore. One of the greatest players and ambassadors to ever play the game and he is not honoured, an absolute disgrace.

Richard King, Leicester England

http://www.westhamonline.net/forum_flat.php?1628488||1||

[EastSaxCol]

Good luck Spammers from the down an outs of SE7

Cheers, mate.

It'll be difficult I know - but you must be amongst the favourites to come straight back up again.

[muckypups]

Perhaps the first article was good enough to post twice

I didn't notice that HH.. (message to self... Ctrl V once...).. no wonder it was lengthy..Still, it is my Birthday.. I may have started a little early...

[EastSaxCol]

Perhaps the first article was good enough to post twice

I didn't notice that HH.. (message to self... Ctrl V once...).. no wonder it was lengthy..Still, it is my Birthday.. I may have started a little early...

Have a good one, mate.

[muckypups]

Cheers HH.. I'm well on the way already...

[EastSaxCol]

I don't always approve. But todays ain't bad, ain't bad at all.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/05/...as_made_me.html

May 12 2007

I don't want Carlos Tevez to leave West Ham. I really don't. Like how I didn't want Paolo Di Canio to leave, I feel a pang, an impotent pang, a hopeless sense of foreboding, the futility of trying to reject the inevitable. I don't want to lapse into a fruity ode or juvenile love letter but I can't ignore these feelings. . .

He plays with such fervid determination and skill, how can he be replaced? And how can a player, who when he chases a ball inadvertently seems to evoke the image of his deprived youth, be running towards a future beyond the Boleyn Ground?

It's beautiful when a footballer achieves effortless rapport with a crowd and Tevez has done this. He has become the embodiment of West Ham's struggle for survival, itself an emblem for the countless battles, trivial and awesome, we conduct throughout our days, catharsis and rehearsal for the struggle we all must face when eventually we die.

Oh Christ, I've gawn all maudlin, I am 15 once more and gushing unwelcome love and unsolicited sperm, I'll not condemn myself. Even Freddy Shepherd, when forced to countenance the departure of a cherished star, in his case Michael Owen, resorts to the hormonal yawps of a teenage jerk - "He should pledge himself to us, no one else wants him." That's pretty emotional, he should be shrieking that sentence outside a kebab shop on a bleary Saturday night with sick on his chin and his mini-skirt pinched between his bum cheeks: "I love you Michael, don't leave me - I can change. . ."

With Tevez there is no evidence of impending departure in his demeanour or his game; he plays like it will last forever, like there could be no other club. How do they do that? Is it really just about money and ambition? I suppose it is. What right have I to be disappointed?

I allow my life to be governed by those factors, tucking the revolution down my pants to make my package more impressive whilst all the while pursuing women and power. But I expect more from footballers. Tevez was scarred as a boy and at Boca Juniors, his first club, was offered cosmetic surgery to correct it. Carlos refused out of integrity and self-acceptance - that's lovely isn't it? If I get a pimple I refuse to leave the house. It's odd how I relate to footballers - he's only 23, if I met him in another context I'd flip him a shiny penny, ruffle his hair and give him some tips on dames but as it is I'm forever frozen in adoring childhood peering, from my father's side, at these men, as fierce and loud as when horses rumble by.

I only have the luxury of this current fixation as it now seems (don't jinx it, don't jinx it) that West Ham may survive after an implausible run inspired by Carlos and now only (ONLY!) require a draw against Man United at Old Trafford to be guaranteed of safety. I'm a bit miffed that Ferguson plans to field a full strength team, what a bloody cheek, those lads ought be resting after a gruelling season of triumph, they've the inaugural Wembley Cup final to consider.

Alex Ferguson appears more approachable and avuncular lately, I wonder why that is? It coincides with the Rev Ian Paisley becoming a bit more jolly an' all; perhaps there is hope for the world if these two formidable men, who forever seemed on the precipice of hurling chalk at some bothersome pupil, now have the bearing of a pair of Debenham's Father Christmases. So that's a reason for optimism. And after the irreplaceable Paolo we were blessed with Carlos, the lineage may continue, and they needn't all be Latino, these saviours, these heroes. Mark Noble radiates promise and his surname couldn't be more encouraging.

[ThaiPauly]

Cheers HH.. I'm well on the way already...

Have a good'un MP..........re-do your predictions wnen you are really pissed.

Bet you WIN

BTW I am a Londoner and did have the pleasure to see Bobby Moore play against Leeds in the early 70's.

Only time I have been to Upton Patk...but I really enjoyed it.

An absolute legend.....why do all the best ones pass on so early?

Edited May 12, 2007 by ThaiPauly

[muckypups]

Thanks TP.. I might bang the predictions out tonight,, but somehow I doubt it; I'm hammered! (and no better place to say that than this thread... )

[muckypups]

Good luck today HH..

From The Sunday Times:

Relegation dogfight: how to lose £35m in 90 minutes

West Ham will stay in the Premiership if they get at least a draw at Old Trafford this afternoon. Wigan Athletic will be relegated if they don’t beat Sheffield United. If the Hammers do get a point against the champions, Sheffield United will go down if they lose to Wigan by three goals. For West Ham to drop into the Championship, Wigan must beat Sheffield United and the Hammers lose to Manchester United Wigan, West Ham or Sheffield United will be £35m worse off by 5 o’clock. Those three sides are battling it out to avoid filling the Premiership’s final relegation spot, but whoever joins already-relegated Charlton and Watford in the Championship next season stands to lose millions in TV revenue, sponsorship deals and gate receipts. On the bright side, relegated clubs will enjoy the cushion of up to £11m in parachute payments for two seasons

Great escapers

West Ham hold their fate in their own hands today - a great advantage, say those who have survived previous final day dramas

It was The Great Escape. War metaphors lurk somewhere between Sepp Blatter and radio phone-ins on the list of Things That Should Be Banned From Football, but West Bromwich Albion could be forgiven for invoking the spirit of Steve McQueen when they celebrated avoiding relegation in 2004-05. On the last morning of the campaign they woke up bottom but beat Portsmouth to tunnel their way out from under Norwich, Crystal Palace and Southampton, who either drew or lost. The next day, the manager Bryan Robson and his squad celebrated at an end-of-season dinner held at the Hawthorns. There were sandbags piled outside the stadium’s doors, armoured vehicles in the car park and actors dressed as soldiers replete with Tommy guns and hats.

There is no sign of similar jollity at the climax of 2006-07’s relegation fight. There is too much real conflict around for war japery. The Carlos Tevez affair has brought the so-called “gang of four” to combat with the Premier League. Richard Scudamore, its chief executive, accuses Wigan, Sheffield United, Fulham and Charlton of acting out of greed and desperation in threatening to sue the league over its refusal to dock West Ham points for striking illegal third-party agreements with the mysterious sports companies who formerly owned the Argentinian forward’s economic rights. The “gang of four” believe a fine of £5.5m imposed on West Ham to be insufficient when relegation costs clubs five times that. Tevez has hardly hid in the barracks as battle raged and his fusillade of goals and assists in recent weeks are the main reason his side have come from no man’s land to a position where they kick off at Old Trafford requiring just a point to stay up.

Whatever happens as Wigan travel to Sheffield United, Tevez and his team can escape (courts permitting) by securing the right scoreline in their own game.

“It’s a real advantage when you’re not dependent on what other sides do and know that if you get a result in your match you’re safe,” says Francis Benali. He should know. Benali is a survival expert, having played on each of the four occasions in the 1990s that Southampton beat the drop on the final day of the season. “Each time we did it, we knew that our destiny was in our own hands,” he recalls. “But you’ve still got to go out and get the result you need and handle the pressure of what’s at stake in just one single game.”

Benali’s experiences suggest West Ham could prosper in two ways through having Tevez. The first is because of the very furore the player has caused. Though it is true that West Ham have their supporters in the media, there has been no shortage of opinion expressed to the effect that the London club are lucky to still be playing for a future in the Premier League. For Benali’s Southampton, criticism was a fuel. “We were written off as relegation favourites at the start of every season and we took great delight in proving the pundits wrong. In those last-day deciders we’d remember their words,” Benali says. “Our team spirit was what enabled us to keep surviving and we drew a lot of strength from knowing it was us and our fans at the Dell, who were worth an extra man, against the world.”

The second way Tevez could help West Ham lies in the type of player he is. “You need two types of footballer in your side for survival battles,” says Benali. “We had huge characters, teammates who you’d look at and know they’d go to war with you. I guess they were players like myself who may not have been the most talented but who were absolutely full of determination. But you also need at least one player who can give you a sprinkling of magic and we had Matt Le Tissier.” Whether West Ham have the requisite number of “characters” has yet to be proven but there is no doubting Tevez’s ability to turn games, Le Tissier style.

Alan Curbishley, West Ham’s manager, has noted how the Argentinian, because of thin understanding of the English language, seems unaffected by all the controversy and remains a carefree personality. Just like Le Tissier.

“I’m definitely a different person on and off the pitch,” says Benali, in his day a defensive bruiser but now a quietly spoken property developer.

“I’d arrive at the stadium and start pumping myself up and be in the changing room trying to get everyone else focused. Ten minutes before kick off, Matt would still be lying on his back in a corner, reading the match programme.”

It is a debating point whether players involved in such situations benefit from being aware of scores from elsewhere which affect them, or are better concentrating solely on their own game. Benali argues the former. Southampton’s first survival job, in 1993-94, involved securing a 3-3 draw away to West Ham to finish above Ipswich, who also stayed up by drawing with Blackburn, and Sheffield United, who went down after losing against Chelsea to a goal scored by Mark Stein in the 94th minute. Also in the mix were Everton who looked like being relegated for much of the afternoon, having gone 2-0 down to Wimbledon, but beat the drop after coming back to win 3-2. “We knew everything that was happening,” says Benali. “We came in at half-time and found out the other scores and then there was a pitch invasion at Upton Park in the second half. The ref took us off for what seemed like an eternity and we sat in the dressing room following what was happening in the other grounds. When we got back on West Ham scored again and we knew we needed another goal, which we got when Matt scored a great free kick.

“The one which particularly sticks in my mind was 1995-96. We were at the Dell, where the crowd were so close to the pitch and we could follow things through the reactions of our supporters, who were all tuned in to their radios.” Then, Southampton drew with Wimbledon and survived because Manchester City failed to beat Liverpool, although there were twists and turns to follow as City fought back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 but could not score the winning goal they required.

The Great Escape theme that West Brom latched on to in 2005 was the brainchild of their sponsors, who provided supporters with fake wartime passports and “rations”. The company was T-Mobile, fitting given the role mobile telephones now play in keeping fans abreast of matches in other grounds and as a tool with which to engage with instant commiserations or bragging rights with other supporters. Benali, who had retired by then, was at St Mary’s stadium when Southampton finally went down and says “it was much worse being in the stands than playing in one of those games because you can’t affect the match”.

What will be in the minds this morning of the players from West Ham, Sheffield United and Wigan?

“You think about the financial implications of going down, the knock-on effect it will have on bonuses and salaries, but more than that I always concentrated on how great it was being in the Premiership, about the big stadiums and the big teams and how it was where you wanted to be as a footballer. And most of all there was pride. Southampton were proud of their Premiership status and I didn’t want to be remembered in history as one of the players who took them down.

“My advice to the players today would be to remain focused but also remain calm. They’ll have been waiting all week for that whistle to blow, feeling pretty tense. You just want to get on with it.”

So which club will survive? “On days like these you find out about character. It often comes down to which team wants it most.”

[chutai]

Well done lads !!!

Edited May 13, 2007 by chutai

[EastSaxCol]

I'M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES

PRETTY BUBBLES IN THE AIR

THEY FLY SO HIGH

NEARLY REACH THE SKY

THEN LIKE MY DREAMS THEY FADE AND DIE

FORTUNE'S ALWAYS HIDING

I'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE

I'M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES

PRETTY BUBBLES IN THE AIR

1-0 TO THE COCNEY BOYS :1-0TO THE COCKNEY BOYS :1-0TO THE COCKNEY BOYS:TO THE COCKNEY BOYS:TO THE COCKNEY BOYS :bah:

WE ARE STAYING UP !!! SING-WE ARE STAYING UP !!!

:D

[soihok]

Well done WH !!!

Not only have you stayed up but have done it in stlye by beating Man U at Old Trafford.

Sheff U could,nt even hold a draw against a ten man Wigan at home.

So close but too far away.

Cheers

[muckypups]

Good on you HH.. well played, now, we'll be having those six points back next season if you don't mind..

(none of our lads injured or sent off I'm pleased to say)

[EastSaxCol]

Cheers fella :D

[chonabot]

Well done West Ham !

[ Guarantees us 6 points next season.......etc etc etc.............. ]

[scousemouse]

All down to one man in the end HH , shame he won't be with you next season .

It's a bit to crowded up front at Liverpool but would love it if Tevez stayed in the premiership.

So the away game at upton park is still on for another season , always a feisty affair .

p.s. do you think sheff united will still kick up a fuss about the hammers not getting docked any points ????? .... .

[keebone]

Great result for us today.

Would love Tevez to stay but my prediction is he'll go to Tottenham to replace Berbatov who'll go to Man U.

[EastSaxCol]

Don't know for sure. But my guess is that there''s at least a reasonable chance that Carlitos will stay at West Ham. Or, secondly that he'll be off to Spain (Milan and Sevilla are rumoured to be interested). Lastly that he'll go to one of the top Premier Clubs - Liverpool being the favourite.

Fingers cross that by some miracle we manage to keep him.

scousemouse

I don't know whether the sour grapes will drive this gang of four on in their vendetta - I think that they're meeting tomorrow to discuss it. But they'll be very wise to keep this in mind:

B. 14. "No Club either by itself, its servants or agents shall by any means whatsoever unfairly criticise, disparage, belittle or discredit any other Club or the League or in either case any of its directors, officers, employees or agents."

It's a pity that what they can't do on the pitch has to be self-demeaningly conducted in such an undignified way.

Still. We've just acomplished the greatest escape ever and I'm sure that we'll be where our football deserves to be next season.

[phazey]

I've got a funny feeling we'll still end up having points deducted and get relegated Darn legal action....

[keddy]

I've got a funny feeling we'll still end up having points deducted and get relegated Darn legal action....

No chance Just hot air. Don't let a couple of northern W's (... I mean Warnock and Whelan ) take the gloss off a great weekend, although I would have liked to see rent-a -quote Whelan back in the fizzy. I know they have had legal advice and been given the go ahead but it's simply a lot of lawyers rubbing their hands as it's a chance to get a lot of money but it's a waste of time as far as getting a reversal of the decision is concerned. Don't let them take away the achievement of winning 7 out of 9 against mostly top sides. Doing the double over Man Utd and the Gooners. Battling against injuries and bad luck (except Blackburn ). We Are Staying Up or to quote an old chant WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!!! COME ON YOU IRONS!!!!!!!

[EastSaxCol]

I've got a funny feeling we'll still end up having points deducted and get relegated Darn legal action....

It won't even get as far as the courts. Trust me

[scousemouse]

Don't know for sure. But my guess is that there''s at least a reasonable chance that Carlitos will stay at West Ham. Or, secondly that he'll be off to Spain (Milan and Sevilla are rumoured to be interested). Lastly that he'll go to one of the top Premier Clubs - Liverpool being the favourite.

Fingers cross that by some miracle we manage to keep him.

scousemouse

I don't know whether the sour grapes will drive this gang of four on in their vendetta - I think that they're meeting tomorrow to discuss it. But they'll be very wise to keep this in mind:

B. 14. "No Club either by itself, its servants or agents shall by any means whatsoever unfairly criticise, disparage, belittle or discredit any other Club or the League or in either case any of its directors, officers, employees or agents."

It's a pity that what they can't do on the pitch has to be self-demeaningly conducted in such an undignified way.

Still. We've just acomplished the greatest escape ever and I'm sure that we'll be where our football deserves to be next season.

The hammers did it on the pitch were it matters , lets hope thats were it ends .