Sep 09

West Ham anger fans revoking Lyall and Greenwood families’ privileges

• Lyall and Greenwood families have season tickets taken away
• West Ham failed to give any prior notice of their decision

West Ham United have sparked anger among their fans by taking away privileges from the families of John Lyall and Ron Greenwood without notice. The late managers are East End royalty, having been responsible for the only meaningful trophies West Ham have won in their 115-year history.

That was recognised last year when the main gates to Upton Park were renamed in Lyall’s honour and a Greenwood and Lyall Lounge was opened. Both families had received complimentary directors’ box tickets but, following the takeover by David Sullivan and David Gold – who have made great play of their credentials as West Ham fans – last season, that privilege was downgraded to a pair of season tickets.

The families only learned that these too had been taken away when calling the club in early August to ask what the arrangements would be for the new season. “I fully appreciate the financial plight of the club and can understand the reasoning why the season tickets have been withdrawn,” said Lyall’s son, Murray. “But what I do find unacceptable is that no one in authority had the decency to contact us and explain in person.”

Lyall’s widow, Yvonne, added: “After my husband’s 34 years’ loyal service to the club in a playing, coaching and managerial capacity, I feel my family should have been shown greater respect and understanding given our tragic loss four years ago and the legacy he left behind.”

It has “appalled” Amanda Jacks, a lifelong Hammers fan, who said: “West Ham trade as a family club but no supporter would treat their family this way. The strength of feeling from the West Ham support will only demonstrate what an ill-considered decision this is.”

Portsmouth’s paperwork

The transfer of Portsmouth’s Football League share to a company said to be controlled by Balram Chainrai was not rubber-stamped by the League’s board yesterday. And so the club remain in administration, which is not the outcome anyone would have expected when the administrator, Andrew Andronikou, was talking about “blue sky ahead” and how the club would soon be “out of the clutches of the Football League”.

It is believed there was insufficient paperwork for the League to ratify the club’s takeover by PFC Realisations. If so, it would not be the first time Pompey have had a problem with their paperwork this week, with Liam Lawrence’s loan from Stoke City to Fratton Park also held up over late filing of documents.

“From our end, all documentation was sent on time, well before the 6pm deadline,” Andronikou said. “I was there myself to see it.” According to what Digger has heard, from the League’s end it did not arrive until after 8pm. Who to believe?

Friends in high places

Aston Villa fans may be underwhelmed by the arrival of Gérard Houllier in the Second City but his appointment can have done the club no harm in the eyes of Uefa. The former Liverpool manager has served as a technical assessor for the European football body and has a close relationship with its president, Michel Platini. Indeed, he was having dinner with Platini when the latter was taken ill at the World Cup in South Africa. Indeed it is believed he even accompanied Platini to hospital. With Platini widely expected to succeed Sepp Blatter as Fifa’s president in a few years, it surely cannot hurt Villa to have friends in such high places.

West Brom Kick It Out

West Bromwich Albion supporters have teamed up with the anti-racism campaign Kick It Out to create banners hitting back at Lokomotiv Moscow fans who directed a banana jibe at the Nigeria international, Peter Odemwingie, when he left to join the Baggies. One has a picture of Odemwingie celebrating his winner against Sunderland last month with the words “Thanks Lokomotiv”. The other, with pictures of Lawurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson – the club famously broke new ground by fielding three such influential black players – as well as Odemwingie, states: “The only colours here are blue and white.”

Redknapp court hearing

Harry Redknapp faces a court hearing over alleged tax evasion within 24 hours of his club’s home Champions League tie against Werder Bremen. A scheduled hearing involving lawyers for Redknapp, Peter Storrie and Milan Mandaric – who deny charges of tax evasion – was due at Southwark Crown Court next week but has been postponed after legal teams requested more time. It will now take place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 November, meaning it begins the day after the Bundesliga side travel to White Hart Lane. Southwark Crown Court’s diary clearly does not pay too much heed to Redknapp’s football commitments. Next week’s scheduled hearing would in any case have clashed with his club’s trip to Werder Bremen.

West Ham UnitedMatt Scottguardian.co.uk

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Aug 28

Manchester Utd 3-0 West Ham | Premier League match report

Only in the universe that surrounds Wayne Rooney could this summer be called a drought. Until he converted a first-half penalty here, the most naturally gifted footballer Old Trafford has seen since Bobby Charlton had not scored in more than 18 and a half hours of competitive football. The counting will cease and since Rooney’s goals have always come in waves, there should be a frisson of anxiety among the Bulgarian back-four when he appears in an England shirt on Friday night.

Statistics apart, Rooney was far from the central figure on what was not so much a comfortable victory as a cashmere-covered one over a West Ham side that have lost their first three League matches and struggled to overcome Oxford in the Carling Cup. Only Kieron Dyer, who struck the side‑netting in the first half and the post in the second, seemed to possess the ability or the desire to match Manchester United.

Nani was the most constantly threatening figure and the most exquisite goal was the falling volley from Dimitar Berbatov, who has eclipsed Rooney in the opening matches. Given United’s dominance and the number of thrashings this season, this is a scoreline West Ham might have settled for.

As it had for most of the summer, it was raining in Manchester, the same rain that had soaked the most famous encounter between Sir Alex Ferguson and Avram Grant, the 2008 European Cup final. Rain, United’s great helmsman had cackled afterwards, was his favourite playing conditions; he had won three European trophies when it had poured down and he would have expected to win this, more modest contest.

Whether he would have expected Rooney to score was another matter. He had not found the net since the first leg of United’s European Cup quarter-final with Bayern Munich five months ago. Since then there had been 13 games for club and country. When, early in the contest, he swung his boot and misconnected it seemed symptomatic of his malaise until Jonathan Spector, who was once briefly on United’s books, took Ryan Giggs’s legs from beneath him.

In similar circumstances at Fulham last Sunday, Nani had snatched the ball when Ferguson had expected the penalty to be taken by Giggs and had seen his shot saved. Rooney had been missing at Craven Cottage and there was no doubt who would be taking the spot kick in front of the Stretford End.

On Friday, Ferguson had pointed out that the problem with having a designated penalty-taker was that most goalkeepers would know how the kick would be taken. Since they would presumably have practised penalties intensively at England’s World Cup base at Rustenburg, Robert Green would have had more idea than most. He took a big leap to his right, the ball moved to his left and the clock marking up Rooney’s goalless minutes stopped.

Fabio Capello was in the Old Trafford’s directors’ box and, probably too late, Green gave him a full display of his abilities, especially against Nani who, perhaps because he was stung by his failure at Fulham, appeared determined to shoot on sight. A few minutes into the second half the boy from the Cape Verde Islands received his reward as he sprinted into the area, left Danny Gabbidon on his backside and drove his shot into the top corner of the net.

Green had thwarted him throughout a first half in which Manchester United should have ended the game as a contest. A brilliant curling shot, set up by a lovely, casual back-flick from Berbatov, was punched on to the crossbar and Green sprinted off his line quickly and decisively enough to ensure that a one-on-one finished in the Stretford End.

Nani had been set up by a superbly weighted chip from Giggs, one of those like Berbatov whose international days are done. Capello would have watched Paul Scholes with something of a sigh. Those like Sir Trevor Brooking who have been involved with the FA for far longer would have done the same watching Dyer, England’s great lost talent, who might have matched Scholes for caps had he steered clear of injury and the nightclubs of Tyneside.

Premier LeagueManchester UnitedWest Ham UnitedTim Richguardian.co.uk

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Aug 27

West Ham sign Victor Obinna on loan from Inter

• Nigeria international signs on a season-long loan
• West Ham have an option to make deal permanent

West Ham United have added the Nigeria international Victor Obinna to their squad on a season-long loan deal.

Obinna, 23, joins from the European champions Internazionale having spent last season on loan with the Spanish side Málaga.

He becomes the club’s sixth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tal Ben Haim, Winston Reid, Pablo Barrera and Frédéric Piquionne.

The Hammers’ deal for Obinna includes an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

Obinna made two appearances for Nigeria in the 2010 World Cup, where the Super Eagles failed to get out of a group containing Argentina, South Korea and Greece.

He joined Inter in the summer of 2008 from another Italian club, Chievo.

West Ham UnitedTransfer windowguardian.co.uk

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